"The Jam" Thursday

The cool grip of Fall has wrapped itself around the Pacific Northwest. It is official, Fall is here.

The air has that crisp bite to it. It's not cold, but there is definitely a chill to it. The breeze is coming from a different direction than the summer breeze and whips through the trees rustling the leaves and breaking them free from their branches. Leaves are starting to turn colors, the once lush green leaves blanketing the trees are now turning colors of amber, gold and burnt orange. The sight of fireplace stacks eeking out essences of smoke from the fires that fill their chambers, warming the homes against the crisp fall air that creeps through their windows. The smell of mulling cider and pumpkin treats baking waft delicately through the air, beckoning you to come inside and stay a while.

I love all the sensory sensations that come with this time of year, it seriously unleashes all my literature major writing when I think about and describe it. This time of year feels like syrup is poured over life and everything kind of slows down from the bustle and manic time of the summer. People tend to stay indoors more and gather together to visit. I know it must seem like overkill, but I really do love this time of year, if you couldn't figure that out already. Especially if you follow me on Pinterest, I have a whole board dedicated to Fall recipes which are dominated by pumpkin. I love baking with pumpkin, but not drinking it. The Pumpkin Spice flavors for coffee just don't appeal to me. But give me a slice of pumpkin bread and I'm putty in your hands!!!

Disneyland Weekend Recap: The Expo

I'm so sorry that my recaps are so sporatic! Between work and home life I've been swamped lately. Definitely running into the "there's so much to do and not enough hours to do it" syndrome. So thank you for hanging in with me on these, considering my recaps are almost a month after the races.

Ugh...that makes it sound worse.

So now onto the next big event and the official beginning of the runDisney race weekend: the expo!!! So let me preface this recap by saying I've had only one other experience with a runDisney expo and it was during the Princess Half Marathon this year, which from what I heard from the runDisney faithfuls, one of their worst. You can read my recap of that here. So when I went to Disneyland race weekend I was hopeful that I would encounter a better planned and laid out expo than what I had experienced earlier this year.

Friday morning I met up with Jen of Travel Girl on the Run, Kim of Kim Runs Disney and Beyond and Jen of Hello Fitness...We Meet Again. We decided to grab an early breakfast and get into the expo line early before it opens at 10am, so we figured meeting around 8ish would be good to scope out the line and grab something to eat. Well good thing we had done that because by 8am, there were two lines forming, one for bibs and one for the runDisney merch area of the expo. Both lines had at least 50-100 people each in them.  So we hopped into the merch line, as we knew from experience that the merch area is the one that fills up and items thin out the quickest. So if we really wanted something, we had to get there REALLY early.

Momentum Monday: Be You

Hello everyone and happy Monday to you all! Another week is starting and we only have a few more days until the weekend again...right?  HA! This weekend went by way too quickly, as it usually does, but it was great nonetheless. Got to see some great sports and hang with family, it couldn't have been better.

One thing I did get to do was catch up with a local dear friend of mine. We talked on the phone for over an hour and it was great! It had been a while since we'd talked, so we had a lot to catch up on. But one thing in our conversation that stuck out is an incident they had endured. Without saying too much, they were being chastised and made to feel less than for being who/what they are.

It made me sad, very sad because I know how true this friends heart is and it breaks my heart to see them hurt. I wanted to go over to my friends house and give them a giant hug. 

It got me thinking today though about how we tend to lose ourselves in things. Relationships, jobs, hobbies, etc and we end up sacrificing who we are in order to be what everything and everyone wants. Then there are people who buck against that trend and are who they are regardless of what everyone expects them or wants them to be. These are the people I marvel at and my friend is definitely one of them. So today's Momentum Monday is for my friend and all the people out there that find they get put down for being the wonderful people they are:

"The Jam" Thursday

Oh it's Thursday, so bittersweet, considering I woke up thinking it was Friday to be disappointed upon realizing that today was actually Thursday.

Bummer.

Regardless, when I woke up it was pitch black and cold in the house. Summer has left the PNW and fall is finally here!!! Fall is my favorite time of year. So many great things happen during this season, it makes me giddy with excitement! Sunshine and crisp cool breeze, leaves changing colors and crunching under your feet, football and tailgating (not for me this year), pumpkin spice flavor/scented everything and cozy evenings by the fire. All these things happen during the fall up here and make me so happy. Warm fuzzies people, warm fuzzies. 

Disneyland Weekend Recap: The Warm-up

So I'm finally getting around to my recaps of the Disneyland Race weekend in Anaheim, there is so much to cover that is race related and not race related, you're going to see it ALL! Here we go!

So we (hubby and I) headed for Disneyland a bit earlier to get some time in the parks before the craziness of the race weekend started. We flew out early Thursday morning to Anaheim, literally to Fort Wayne airport. I love that place, it's nice and small, easy to navigate and just a short 15 minute drive to and from Disneyland from there. Easy peasy!

 Us on the plane and with our carry-on only luggage!

Momentum Monday: A gift

Hello Monday, here we are again. The beginning to another week and already looking forward to the weekend. HA! This weekend was quite busy for me and also a good one for our local sports teams! The Seattle Sounders won on Friday, my alma mater the University of Washington Huskies beat Illinois on Saturday and the Seahawks beat the 49ers on Sunday. So lots of sports for me this weekend, I was loving it! 

It was also another big weekend for me because I ran for the first time since the Disneyland half. Yes, if you are keeping track at home, that is a two week hiatus. At first I was just physically tired and drained from that weekend and wanted to rest my legs. Then after that, the ball of my left foot was bothering me quite a bit, to the point it hurt to walk or even stand on it. However, that mysteriously went away and my foot feels back to normal again. So I figured, what the hell, I'll go out for a run and see how long I can go.

About a mile into my run, I was hating life. Everything was so out of sync I was just getting frustrated and started to doubt my ability to continue running during my pregnancy. Then around mile 2ish, it all got better. Breathing was easier and my strides were more fluid. Don't get me wrong, I still took walk breaks, more than I normally do. I've made the decision that I still want to run but I'm not out to break any speed records of mine while I'm pregnant, it will put too much strain on my body and the baby.

When my run was over, I had managed to get in 4 miles in just about an hour. Not my best time, but I didn't care, I was glad to be out getting the mileage in. Then I was thinking as I was stretching at how lucky I am to still be able to run while I'm pregnant. I have had friends that when they were pregnant, just getting out of bed each morning was a feat, let alone getting any physical activity in. At this point, this very quote ran through my head and I feel this way everytime I run, regardless if I'm pregnant or not, it still is true to all.

Running while pregnant

I have decided to continue to run during my pregnancy.

Wait…did she just say those words? Yes, yes I did.

I have made the conscious decision to continue running during my pregnancy for a few reasons. First being fitness, second being that I had a half marathon over Labor Day weekend that I was training for, and third, for peace of mind. I find I get one of two reactions from people when I tell them that I’m still running during my pregnancy:

“WOW! Good for you! That’s wonderful you’re still doing that!” and

“WHAT?!? Are you crazy? There is no way I would continue to run if I got pregnant! Is it even safe?”

Sometimes there are days where I feel a bit like each of those reactions. One day I’ll be rejoicing in my run and proud that I’m out there pounding the pavement, then there are days that I feel like I’m crazy for wanting to get out there and putting my body through those rigors.

"The Jam" Thursday

Hello!!!! Happy Thursday to you! I'm finally back to some normalcy in life this week. I've been in and out of town for the past two weeks, so I am enjoying some quality time with my bed and pillows. Vacations are always fun, but you never know what you are going to get as far as sleeping options when you go to hotels. I've been from a super comfy king size bed, to a super stiff queen sized murphy bed (that was an experience) all in the span of a week. So sleeping in my own bed with my own pillows has been BLISSFUL!!!

Wait...did I just ramble on about beds? Ugh...maybe I'm still a bit sleep deprived. HA!

Regardless, it's good to be back home and having some sort of routine back in my life. It's also good to be back blogging, I know I have taken quite the hiatus and I apologize, I was just having so much fun that time got away from me. BUT! I have tons of pictures and lots to catch you up on, so prepare for the recap craziness that will occur next week, I'm so excited to share about everything!

Now it's time for today's "jam"! This is another song from an artist I had featured on here before. The other song didn't seem to appeal to many people, but was one that I really enjoyed. So imagine my surprise when my sister, who is very worldly with her music, stopped channel surfing one day in the car to listen to this song. It's not something I would have expected her to like and was quickly made aware of how popular this song has gotten, much to my surprise and delight. So without anything further, today's "jam" is:

Momentum Monday: Taking a break

Sorry I have been absent from posting this past week and a half. I was in Anaheim for the Disneyland Half marathon weekend, having the time of my life with my hubby and running friends. I will post my total trip and recaps this coming week.

 

Then after that fun filled-sleep deprived trip, I came home and it was my anniversary and now we are celebrating my hubby's birthday on the coast. To say I've been busy lately would be an understatement. So that is why I made my own Momentum Monday today instead of using someone else's words.

 

"All things in life in moderation, even the activities you enjoy the most. Taking a break can give you focus and appreciation for what you have and what you have accomplished."

 

I have taken a short break from blogging and running to be able to appreciate what I have (my family and friends) and what I have accomplished (my third half in my first year of running this distance and earning my Coast to Coast medal).

 

It doesn't mean I love doing this any less, I just feel that sometimes things get so routine that there is no spontaneity and fun/silliness. That is my fault. I want my recaps to portray the same excitement and fun I had while making the memories, as I have retelling the stories.

My time away isn't for much longer and I can't wait to share the stories and pictures I have from that trip. There is so much good stuff and great people I met. I can't wait to share. But for now, I wish you a fantastic Monday and a great start to your week!