Category Archives: Daily Life!

Snowy Photos and an Icy Run

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Happy Monday! I hope your work week is off to a great start. It’s rather gloomy here in Springfield, but the snow on the ground + my Christmas tunes are keeping my spirits high today. 🙂

Let’s back up to the snowy weekend a bit….

Since I stayed home on Friday from work due to the snowy weather, and I wasn’t feeling very well, Nick stayed home too (his office was actually closed…lucky!). We ventured out briefly to Walmart to grab a few groceries and some meds for me. And while we were out, we decided to grab some lunch. Yes, I wasn’t feeling awesome, but I also was starving and wanted some hot food in my belly. So we opted for my favorite…Mexican!

photo(123)I had this large burrito stuffed with black beans and shrimp. It was awesome! And we were lucky to get our lunch when we did because the restaurant decided to close early as soon as their lunch crowd was out the door!

Once we made it back home, I put dinner into the Crockpot and slept for the rest of the afternoon in hopes that I would feel better when I woke up. I made an old classic…. Creamy Chicken & Rice!

image(19) image(20)This has been the most visited post on the blog so far, so I thought I should revisit this hearty recipe on one of the coldest days of the year. It was delicious, and I’m so thankful for all the leftovers this week!

Family Photos

Sorry, I have no real photos to show you yet, but the main highlight of our day on Saturday was family photos with CaraDee Photography!

I usually starts my Saturdays with a long run. This week, I had 11 miles on the schedule. And that obviously couldn’t happen….ugh. So I opted to go take 2 Jazzercise classes instead to at least get some exercise in my day. I was still a little on the sicky side, but sweating and working hard really did make me feel a little bit better. And by the time I got home and cleaned up, we had to head off to our photo shoot!

image(17)Mac was so excited to go to the park and take photos. Can’t you tell??! He really loves his new Christmas sweater too. It even has a scarf attached. It was one of my Black Friday purchases!

image(18)Nick, Mac, and I put on our color-coordinated sweaters and headed off to Nathanel Greene Park for our snowy photos. We braved the cold for an hour and even laid in the snow for our lovely photographer. I’m hoping they turn out well! We have an appointment to see them on Wednesday night. I can’t wait!

We thawed out in the car on the way home. Poor Mac was so frozen he even let me blow dry him for about 10 minutes…and that never happens! Dry, warm clothes never felt so good. 🙂

Since we had stayed in the night before, I decided I wanted to eat dinner out that night. So Nick and I headed out to Cheddar’s for a quick and early meal on Saturday evening. We got seated right away, and that NEVER happens! Win!!

I started with some Chicken Tortilla soup to help warm me up.

photo(55)And then had an amazing grilled chicken and pecan salad for my entree.

image(16)We polished off our meals in no time and headed back home. I was ready for my warm blanket and the couch.

Icy Run

Sunday morning I was feeling adventurous to say the least. I wanted to run, so before I could talk myself out of it, I bundled up in my running gear and headed out. It took me a few minutes to get adjusted to the icy landscape.

image(15) photo(54)It was definitely harder than running on the typical day! I took it slow, and once I was out of my subdivision, I stayed on the roads where the salt had melted off most of the ice and snow. It was early and traffic was light thankfully, otherwise staying on the roads would’ve been a challenge.

I headed out around 7 and knew I couldn’t be out too long since I have a Jazzercise class at 8:30 am. So I opted to complete my typical 3ish mile path. My pace was about a minute slower than normal, and I’m totally okay with that. I didn’t fall or hurt myself, and I know it’s because I was extra careful.

It was also misting/sleeting very lightly while I was out running. I could feel the moisture in the air, but it was light and didn’t bother me. The front of me was pretty icy, but it wasn’t until I got home that I realized this was going on.

image(14)Ice lashes!! So, if you’re going for the snow bunny look, just go running when its below freezing and precipitating a bit!

This was definitely a first for me in my running, so I felt pretty accomplished. There’s something about running in less-than-ideal weather that makes me feel about 10x more awesome than my normal running high.

This morning I was sadly banished to the gym to run because the roads were covered in black ice at 5 am. But fingers crossed that I can brave the elements tomorrow morning for a few more miles. We’re supposed to be getting a few more inches of snow tonight, and that little dusting over the ice will actually help me with traction.

Well I think that’s about it for my snowy weekend. I know the snow can be an inconvenience (especially to someone who’s training for their first half marathon!), but it really is beautiful. It makes me extra thankful to live in an area that has so many different kinds of weather!

Enjoy your Monday – it’s already halfway through!

Snowed In with Chex Mix

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I’m backkkkkkk! I know, I’ve been failing at checking in everyday. I just can’t seem to stay healthy lately! Plus the foot of snow that got dumped on Springfield on Thursday and Friday kinda preoccupied me too. 🙂

IMG_2776 IMG_2779This was my cul de sac on Thursday night after I got home from work. Jazzercise was completely cancelled for the evening once the 4:30 pm teacher got stuck on the road while driving to the center! It took me a little over an hour to drive home….it usually takes 10 minutes. Needless to say, I was a stressed mess by the time I pulled into my garage. So I took Mac for a walk in the snow to calm down a bit.

IMG_2781 IMG_2777Bundled up pictures in the dark are always the best. But seriously, the beautiful stillness that comes with a snow storm put me back into a good mood fast.  I can’ t even explain the sense of calm that was around the city on Thursday night. There wasn’t a single car on the road, and it felt like we were in a winter wonderland all by ourselves. I love it!

I was wanting to make some hot dinner for Nick and I, and this is all we had in the fridge….

IMG_2767We were kinda in desperate need of groceries when the storm hit. Not good! But we made it by for the night at least.

I was so excited when I realized I had all the ingredients to make some Classic Chex mix!

IMG_2789YUM!! This classic recipe was always a Christmas staple around my parent’s house, and the smell of it always takes me back! I make the classic recipe where you bake the mix for an hour and stir it every 15 minutes. I’ve seen microwave recipes on Pinterest, but I don’t want to mess up the classic. It’s SO good!

IMG_2771I started by melting a stick of margarine in this large baking sheet in the oven.

IMG_2770 IMG_2772Then I mixed in the typical ingredients: Worchestshire sauce, garlic powder, onion powder, and seasoned salt. And next comes all the yummy stuff!

IMG_2769 IMG_2773I stirred this up well, spread it out evenly, and set it to bake for an hour. The house smelled heavenly!

IMG_2783 IMG_2784The recipe I followed made a ton! And we are still eating on it. Not that it’s a bad thing.

IMG_2786After a night of eating and hibernating, I woke up to a wintery wonderland, and the snow was still coming down.

IMG_2795 IMG_2794This picture has a road in it….one that I would’ve had to travel on to work that day. I decided to just stay home with Mac. 🙂

IMG_2800I was lazy for a big chunk of the morning and had lots of coffee and cereal in front of the tv.

IMG_2792 IMG_2791And around noon, I started feeling pretty sick. I felt feverish and achy. Ugh. But I started on some antibiotics right away and ibuprofen, and have been feeling mostly okay since the meds kicked in. Why can’t I just stay healthy?! So I really lucked out that I stayed home from work due to the snow.

IMG_2801Mac was happy to stay in bed with me for the rest of the day. I snuggled with this little guy as much as he would tolerate!

IMG_2804Sleepy boy!!

Luckily, the Diva Dash 5K that was scheduled for Saturday morning was postponed, so we didn’t have to go run in the deep snow. By Saturday morning, the roads were still completely covered in ice and snow!

But we’ll recap the rest of my snowy weekend later. Nick and I are watching A Christmas Story tonight. I’m trying to get myself into the festive mood a little more! Have a great night!

Return of Overnight Oats

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Hey party people! I hope you’ve had an awesome Wednesday Hump Day. Mine’s been busy busy busy, and I’m thankful to have tonight off from teaching to rest and clean my messy house!

But before we get into the fun stuff, I must share something with you.

photo(50)Sneezing dog!! I found this on BuzzFeed yesterday and almost immediately peed my pants. If I ever caught a photo of Mac like this, I’m pretty sure I would have to get it framed. Classic.

Morning Run + Return of Overnight Oats

I started out my day with a 6+ mile run that happens every Wednesday on my half-marathon training schedule. It was 50 degrees and HUMIDDD when I took off, and I was not loving it. My body has really grown accustomed to running in cold, dry air, so it’s hard for me to feel my best in anything warmer than 40 degrees. I never thought I would say that in a million years.

I made it to 6.6 miles in a little under 57 minutes. I wanted to push to 1 hour and/or 7 miles, but I was just done by around the 5 mile mark. Still better than nothing though, and I’ve been sore all day. Must’ve done some good! My calves and shins have been particularly sore lately, so I’m spending this evening in my awesome calf compression sleeves. I love these babies.

image(7)After my run, I quickly got ready for my day and grabbed my breakfast out of the fridge to bring along to the office.

photo(33)Doesn’t this look gross?! I made overnight oats last night with some frozen mixed berries, and it was basically terrible. I’m in desperate need of fresh groceries, but until that happens this weekend, I’ll be depending on some frozen fruit to get in my daily serving of healthy food. Ugh.

Diva Dash & Family Photos

Late this afternoon I started thinking about everything we have going on this weekend. It is going to be a busy one! But I’m okay with it – at least I get to sleep in my own bed and don’t have to travel. 🙂

Saturday morning is going to start with a long run of 11 miles before I head downtown to run a 5K with my girlfriends! Me and two of my gal pals are running in the Diva Dash in downtown Springfield. Neither of them are crazy/intense runners, so I’m hoping it will just be an easy and relaxed race. I may be totally wrong in doing my long run before the 5K, but I have afternoon plans and can’t shift my schedule around. So here’s to hoping I can keep up with my girlfriends!

Then later on Saturday, Nick, Mac, and I are having professional photos taken at a local park. I bought a Livingsocial deal for an hour-long photoshoot + photo holiday cards with Caradee Photography. The best photos that Nick and I have together look about like this…

photo(52)So we are in desperate need of some nice photos after 2 1/2 years together! It’s going to be freezing and possibly snowy, so I’m struggling to decide what we should wear. Such a hard decision!

I hope you all have fun weekends planned too. Springfield is forecasted to have lots of snow and ice starting tomorrow, so it’s quite possible that my plans will change. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that it doesn’t get too yucky!

Stay safe in the winter weather, and I will see you all tomorrow!