Visiting Baltimore and Washington DC

A few months ago one of my very best friends invited me to visit her and her husband in Baltimore and run a 10k with them.  It was to be their first 10k and they knew I'd enjoy running in a new city.  I jumped at the invite and booked the trip.  The race was the Sole of the City 10k on April 12.

Here we are before the race and after.  It was an amazing course that started and finished in McHenry Row where there were restaurants, bathrooms, and shopping.  The course was different from the first two years of the race and this year there wasn't an awful hill right into the finish line.  The course was for the most part flat except from a short uphill portion that included some cobble stone.  Not cool.

Course

Because of the amazing weather that morning and the flat course I was able to finish with my best time: 56:24 putting me in 815th place overall.  My pace was 9:06/mile.  I really wanted to beat 55 minutes, but I'm not at all disappointed in how I ran.  I cut 3:20 from my last 10k race in February - not too bad!  It was also fun to get to see so much of the city while we ran.  Hopefully next year they do a few waves at the start.  There were over 3000 runners and the first mile and a half was a lot of dodging and weaving.  Connie and Marc loved the race atmosphere and the 10k distance and are already looking for their next race.

After the race we grabbed some brunch and walked around a little bit more then headed back to their place.  That evening we went to a Baltimore Orioles game against the Toronto Blue Jays.

The baseball fan in me loved seeing a new ball field, Camden Yards.  The long, brick building that is behind the scoreboard is actually party of the stadium and where all of the team offices are located.  We had great seats for the game and every now and then a foul ball would head in our direction.  The Braves and Orioles are in different divisions so I can't even remember the last time we played them. 

Sunday we decided to head into Washington DC to check out the last day of the Cherry Blossom Festival.  We drove about 30 minutes to a train station and then took the train in the rest of the way.  

Some of the trees were in full bloom and some of them were a day or two past full bloom, but it was beautiful.  The weather on Sunday was also amazing making the afternoon even more enjoyable.  The crowd was unbelievable, but still organized.  

We started by the Smithsonian and walked towards the Washington Monument and then to the Tidal Basin to walk around to the Jefferson Memorial.  

In all of my previous trips to DC I'd never walked around the water or over to the Jefferson Memorial.   Once we got to the Memorial the view back to the Washington Monument was breathtaking, especially with all of the cherry blossoms and the perfect weather.

Pink shades from Connie's wedding back in September. 

Inside the Memorial the statue of Thomas Jefferson was much larger than I expected it to be.  The walls were inscribed with some of his most famous quotes.  

Our last stop on our walking tour was over to the Martin Luther King, Jr Memorial.

The lady on the bike wasn't moving, so there she is in my picture.  He looks out over the water, towards the Jefferson Memorial, and I wish I had taken a picture of that direction.  It is a beautiful stop along the water and much larger than I expected it to be.  

We didn't have time, and our feet were killing us, to make it across to the Vietnam Memorial so I'll have to go by there next time I visit.  The Holocaust Museum is also on my list for the next trip along with all of the other museums.  I think Vietnam and the Holocaust in one weekend will be heavy, but totally necessary.  I wish I had visited DC when I was a kid, there is so much to see, but I'm also glad that as I'm seeing these monuments and memorials that I'm old enough to appreciate them.  

Lululemon and a 6' Tall Lady

I work out at least three times each week, sometimes as many as six times a week.  I go through a lot of clothes and I am constantly doing laundry.  Being 6-feet tall makes finding the right workout clothes pretty difficult, especially in the winter when I need long items.  For me, the right fit means that they aren't too tight or too loose and actually cover the intended areas of my body.  I'm long and lean and not everyone designs clothes for my shape. A lot of brands will have long lengths, but then I swim in the clothes because they are so baggy.

Lululemon is my hero.

Let's outline some of the issues I have when shopping:

My Tall Girl Problem #1 - My legs are LONG
My inseam is 35" when I'm flat foot and if I'm wearing heels I need pants with at least a 36" inseam.  This is an issue when shopping for yoga pants or running pants.  Summer is great when I can just wear shorts.

My Tall Girl Problem #2 - My ribcage is small
Sports bras are also a challenge.  I need a small or extra small to fit my ribcage and bust, but a medium or large to fit correctly over my shoulders.  If I get a small the bra hits me mid-boob (I just typed that) and if I get a medium or large the bras are too loose to even work properly.

My Tall Girl Problem #3 - My torso is long
Similar to the sports bras, I can wear a small shirt, sometimes even an extra small.  Sounds nice, until I put the shirt on and it is a mid-drift when I lift my arms.

My Tall Girl Problem #4 - Long arms
Most long sleeve shirts aren't long enough for me.  Running outdoors in the winter requires long sleeves that stay put.

On a whim I ventured into a new Lululemon store just to check out what all the hype was about.  I'm much more of a TJ Maxx or Target shopper for exercise attire so there was some sticker shock when I checked out the Lulu prices.  But since I was there, why not try something on?  Of course, their clothes fit me perfectly.  The pants are long, the sleeves are long, their clothes have a slim fit and some items even come in a long size.  My poor bank account.

Solution to problem #1

The Speed Tight *full-on Luxtreme

The pants look short when you hold them up, but the store associate promised they run long so I gave them a shot.  The don't bunch at the ankle on me like they do in this picture, but they hit me in the same place - even with my crazy long legs.  And they're thick!  I've run a half marathon (at 25 degrees) in them and many training runs and can't get enough of them.  

Solution to problem #2 

Flow y bra iv

I own four Lulu sports bras, size 6, and they're perfect.  All four are different styles, one of them is the one pictured above.  It looks like they switch out their styles pretty often so I can't find my other styles online, but I haven't tried one on that hasn't felt good.  They are much more snug (on my A cups) than any other bra I've tried, and they are long enough to actually cover my chest properly.  I won't wear any other bra for a long run or a race.  

Solution to problem #3 & #4

Swiftly tech short sleeve

These shirts are so long!  And on top of that they have a slim fit, so they fit well in the arms, and all the way down the shirt.  Nothing is baggy or bunchy.  I wore this shirt with one of their skirts for my Disney Half Marathon and loved it.  You don't even feel it's there while you're running.  

I also have the shirt in long sleeve, and they are actually long enough.  I can use the thumb holes without the shirt becoming super uncomfortable.   Even without using the holes, the sleeves stay put.  They are snug the entire length of my arm so they don't bunch up and move around.  

Swiftly tech long sleeve *print

Now that the weather is heating up, I'm putting away my longer items and pulling back out my shorts.  I have an unreasonable amount of the Nike running shorts so I didn't think I needed any of the Lulu shorts until I tried on a pair a few weeks ago.  They fit completely different than the Nike shorts and I love the way they feel.  

Tracker short II 2-way stretch

They sit much lower than the Nikes and hold their form, but not in a stiff way.  I've only worn them once because of the temps, but I'll be wearing them this weekend in a 10k and I'm looking forward to it.  I'm not getting rid of any shorts that I own, but these are top of the pile in the shorts rotation.    

I can't say how happy I am that I found a store where I can buy clothes right off the rack.  I know the clothes are expensive and require some care when washing (delicate cycle, hang dry, no fabric softener) but they are quality pieces and they don't fall apart so once a quarter I can justify a new piece.  To all the tall ladies out there, check out Lululemon for your workout gear.  

*Lululemon did not sponsor this post.  The opinions above are mine alone and I was not compensated in any way for my endorsement.

Flywheel Sports - Spin class for adrenaline nerds

A lady I work with knows how much I enjoy working out and she invited me to a 5:30am Flywheel class on a Thursday morning.  She was going to pay for it.  There isn't much that will get me out the door at 5:00am, but a free spin class will do it.  I'm obsessed, but let me start at the beginning.

I've been obsessed with spin/cycle classes for years.  I took my first one when I was in high school, a million years ago, and I try to get to one a week at my YMCA.  It's a must when I join a gym.  There must be a spin class offering.  The first few classes I took at my Y were fantastic, but the instructor doesn't teach anymore (at least when I can take the classes) and the new instructor leaves a lot to be desired.

Flywheel isn't your standard class.  The bikes are amazing!  Step one is to create an account on the site and buy credits to you for your classes.  There are several packages you can pick from, they aren't cheap.  When you sign up for your class, which fill up QUICK, you pick your bike for your class.  During class, the bike tracks your distance, torque, and power for each 45 minute class.  After class you can go online and see your performance.  The great thing is that the website tracks all of your classes so you can see how you're doing over time.

I have no idea if I'm fast or slow, no judging!

Above is my performance after two classes.  The top section is my average across those statistics and below that is my performance for each of my two rides.  I've burned less calories than estimated because my weight is below the weight assumption - not a big deal to me.  Knowing that I've ridden 21 miles each class blows my mind.  I say that Flywheel is a class for adrenaline nerds because you have to enjoy the class, the loud music and pushing yourself to the limit, at the same time all of the analytics are very exciting.  At least they are to me.  As soon as I got home I went online and checked my performance and compared it against my last class.  I love data.  Especially workout data.    

I have to also give Flywheel credit for the ease of their website.  Setting up an account was easy, finding the performance results is easy and scheduling a class is easy.  This is what the class schedule looks like for the Buckhead location in Atlanta for this week.  I'm not joking when I say classes fill up fast.  When you're logged into your account online you select the instructor you want and the class you want and you're all set to pick your bike.  You can sort the list by instructor if you'd like, too.  If the class you want is full you'll have the option to get on a waiting list.  I was on the waiting list for my 2nd class and within 24 hours I got the email saying I had a reserved bike.  I'm not sure if that's typical, but it worked well for me.  

Another great thing about Flywheel is that all of the bikes are set for the clip in shoes which are given to you when you check in.  (Also an easy process with an iPad and the shoes are ready in your little cubby.  That way at 5:15am you don't have to talk to a human being if you don't want to, and more importantly, the line isn't out the door 5 minutes before class starts.)  I'm sure people bring their own shoes if they own a pair.  I should have asked for a pair for my birthday - big miss for me!

I've only taken class with Richard S so I can only speak to my experiences and his classes.  He kicks ass.  I'm sweating before our warm up is complete and I don't stop until I get home to my shower.  He is encouraging and motivating and isn't afraid to push the class.  I hate that the only time I can make his class is at 5:30 in the morning, but it's worth it.  Even the 20 minute drive to Buckhead.  

If you're in the area and want a new workout challenge, try Flywheel.  I'm fitting it in 1x a week to mix up my cardio workouts.  They also have FlyBarre in the same studio which I haven't tried yet.  I hope to try it out soon, but I think that will be a Saturday morning class when I don't want the hard cardio workout.  

2014 Disney Princess Half Marathon

A few years ago if you told me that I'd run two half marathons in four months I would have told you that you were crazy.  Running a full 10k was difficult a few years ago and I only dreamed of 13.1 miles.  Well, I did it.  Twice.

The first race was the Thanksgiving Day Atlanta Half Marathon in 2013.  It was 25 degrees at the start of the race and still below 30 when we finished.  It was cold, hilly and pretty miserable.  Let's not go back to that morning.

Instead, let's focus on my first Disney race - The Disney Princess Half Marathon on February 23, 2014.  I grew up in Orlando, I love all things Disney and I love fun swag, so signing up for this race was a no-brainer.  When my friend, Sam, suggested that we run the half, we signed up right away.  Pro tip #1: sign up right after registration opens, it sells out FAST.

The race starts at 5:30am so that the park can open after runners have finished so we decided we were going to get a hotel on Disney property.  We chose Port Orleans Riverside because it is the closest hotel to the start and finish lines at EPCOT.  It wasn't until 3:45am, when we went to the bus stop to get on the shuttle that Disney provided for the runners, how lucky we were that we chose that hotel.  We were told that the last bus was going to leave the hotel at 4:00am so we went out a few minutes early so we didn't miss it.  Our ride rolled up just before the deadline and our stop filled a bus.  We were lucky to be the first stop because the next 3 stops that we passed had 50+ runners at each stop waiting for a bus.  From the look on our bus driver's face, there weren't any other busses behind him for a while.  Those poor runners, I'm sure they were worried if they'd make it to the start on time.  Pro Tip #2: My advice for any runners next year is to stay at Port Orleans Riverside - no bus issues!  Our stop was also the first stop coming back from the finish, another bonus!  Even from the closest hotel to EPCOT it took us about 30 minutes before we were in the parking lot and got off the bus.  The traffic was intense.  This is at 4:00am.  Nobody wants to be sitting in traffic in a car at 4:00am.  Stay on Disney property and take the shuttle.

The race was well organized, which is what I expect from anything Disney.  As soon as we got off the bus Disney cast members ushered us towards the start/finish area.  Here is where you could find the bag check, bathrooms, ice tents, food tents (open after the race), etc.  We stood around here for a few minutes then it was a 5-10 min walk from the staging area to the starting corrals.  All along the way we met cheery, happy Disney cast members making 5:00am not so bad.

Sam and me on our walk to the starting corrals

You can't really tell in the pictures above, but that morning the humidity must have been at 100%.  Anything over what felt like 100 yards away was hidden by fog.  It was in the low 60s but felt MUCH warmer.  I was warm before we even started running.  I have no idea how Sam ran in crops, a t-shirt and long sleeve shirt.  If I could have worn a tank top I would have, I forgot to bring one as a backup.

In other large races once you're in your corral you stand around and wait and slowly march closer to the start line.  Disney had TV hosts all around the start area and jumbo screens set up so everyone could see their interviews and what was going on at the start line since some people were pretty far away at the other end of the parking lot.  After the National Anthem, some speeches by Miss America, Children's Miracle Network and Disney, Cinderella's Fairy Godmother came out to get the send us off on our run. With the start of each wave, which seemed to be about 3 minute apart there were fireworks. (If you do stay at the Port Orleans Riverside and family members stay back at the hotel to sleep while you run, they will be woken up by the fireworks.)

Fireworks for the corral before I started the race.  You can see how foggy it was, that's not smoke from the fireworks.

Once we were on our way the humidity really kicked my butt.  For the past 5 months I'd been running in cold, winter temperatures with very little humidity.  I wasn't ready for how heavy the air was, but at least I wasn't shivering and I could feel my toes.  

All along the race course there were Disney characters posing for pictures and there was even a high school marching band around mile 1.  Having the distractions along the way definitely made the time fly by which was nice because the first 5.5 miles or so you're on a state road between EPCOT and the Magic Kingdom.  It could have been the addition of the fog, but if there wasn't entertainment for us, it would have been a very boring course.  As we got closer and closer to the next park you could feel the excitement.  I didn't stop to take pictures with any of the characters along the way, I was there to run.  However, there were definitely people stopping and standing in line.  Some of the lines were 20+ runners deep.  A half marathon is long enough, I'm not stopping for pictures.  The course circles through the Magic Kingdom and back to EPCOT, the same way we came.  The characters were a nice distraction again.  My favorite was the Green Army Man from Toy Story.  He was on a hill at mile 10 and was hilarious motivation for the only "hill" on the course.  (Coming from Atlanta, the city of hills, the course was nice and flat for me!)

While we're on the topic of stopping, luckily I didn't need to, but some runners need to stop along the course for a bathroom pit stop.  Disney had a group of Port-o-Pots and a Medical Tent at every mile.  If it wasn't every mile, it was every 1.5 miles.  It was great - thanks Disney!  It's always a great fear of mine that I'll suddenly get the urge and be miles from the next stop.  The medical tents were fully stocked and staff was handing out body glide to runners who were having chafing problems.  Thankfully, again, no need to stop.  

I didn't finish the race any faster than I finished the Thanksgiving Day race a few months earlier, I was actually :20 slower, but with the humidity as high as it was, I am proud of my time!

Total Female Finishers: 19,321

Overall Place: 1,944  

Division Place: 306

Gender Place: 1,680 (8% what!?!)

5k split: 30:55

10k split: 1:02

15k split: 1:35

Finish Time: 2:14:56

I'm not a fast runner, yet, but because so many people stopped to take pictures, etc, I actually finished in the top 8% of female racers.  That's nuts!  I've signed up for the Thanksgiving half marathon again for 2014 and I hope to be sub 2:00 at that point.  

Me and Sam post-race!  Check out the medals!

In our packets at pick up we were given our performance t-shirt that I've worn a few times back in Atlanta and at the end of the race we were given small, mesh backpacks along with our medals, food, and water.  Bring on the swag!

The entire event from the packet pick up on Saturday to the end of the race and the shuttle ride back to the hotel was fantastic.  It was well organized and as always, Disney seemed to have thought of everything.  The only thing I didn't like was that the massage tent was $1 a minute for a massage.  I hadn't seen that listed anywhere before the race and of course I didn't have cash on me.  I had my MagicBand (room key and credit card info) from Disney and my cell phone.  I had about an hour to wait for Sam to finish because she was in a later corral and I would have gladly paid $15 for a 15 minute massage.  I probably would have paid $30.  Pro Tip #3 - bring cash. 

I didn't buy any of the photos from the 100 photographers along the course even though some of them were pretty good.  The photos with the EPCOT ball were so foggy you could barely make it out in the background and I'll wait until the next time I run it and hope for clearer weather.  That's right, the next time I run - I'll absolutely run this race again.  

Cross Stitching: My New Hobby

This year Stephen and I decided that for Valentine's Day we had to give each other handmade gifts only.  No cards, no fantastic presents, handmade only.  I struggled for a while to come up with something to make.  I'm crafty, but I didn't want to make something I've already made before.  I needed something new.

When I was little I remember my Grandma cross stitching and being fascinated watching something come from string and little x's.  I loved the backs as much as fun as the fronts.  I decided that I'd teach myself how to cross stitch and make something funny for Stephen.

Of course I turned to Pinterest and Etsy for inspiration.

From this AMAZING Etsy shop

This Etsy Shop

The two above, and about 30 other ones made my short list of inspiration but ultimately I decided that I wanted to create my own design.  It would have been SO much easier to pick one of the designs from a shop and buy the template for download, but I don't always do easy.  After some Google searching I found this website that I ended up using to create the text that I wanted to use.  There are a TON of fonts out there, but I liked this site because I was able to write what I wanted and print it out at home.

Next I had to figure out how to lay everything out on a template so I had something to follow.  This is where I almost threw in the towel.  I tried to do it in a fancy new Excel program that takes an image and converts it to small squares but it never worked out right.  I was almost in tears and ended up telling Stephen what I was going to make him so he could try to help.  In the end I turned to trusty old, regular Excel and plotted it in squares.  Definitely not my recommended route, but I was on a time crunch and needed to get moving.

For my Valentine's Day gift I stitched a phrase that I say to Stephen all the time.  He finds it creepy and silly which only encourages me to say it more often.  I have no idea where it came from, but it's stuck with us know.

I'm working on framing it and I think I'm going to hang it in our guest bathroom.  We are actually very short on wall space in the house.  We both love artwork so much we're running out of room.  My cousin has asked me to make me one of these for her because she says something similar to her husband all the time, too.  I guess weird runs in our family.

Goodreads and My 2014 Reading Goal

It's been 11 months since my last post.  I can't believe it.  I was warned that after a vacation where I wouldn't be able to blog or use the Internet that my usage would change.  Yep, that happened and now it's been months since my last post.  Anyway, I'm back after almost a year hiatus.  It's been an amazing year, so at least I wasn't sitting around bored!

In 2014, I set some pretty serious goals for myself and I'm not letting myself slack, even a little bit.  The hubby is going back to school so I have some extra time alone at the house and I plan to take full advantage of this new "free time."  (But let's be honest, I'd love to have him around more.)

My first goal is to Read 50 books in 2014.  I've joined Goodreads and I'm using the website/app to keep track of my read books, my progress while reading each book, and all of the books I want to read.  Is anyone out there using Goodreads?  Do you want to be my friend?  My username is KatieAtlanta.  So far, I've read 13 of my 50 book goal and I'm just past the halfway point of my 14th book, but this one is a doozy at over 950 pages.

Above are the books I've read so far.  I'm currently reading Fall of Giants by Ken Follett.  It's the first in a LONG trilogy, but I welcome the challenge. The most rewarding books so far have been The Road, The Glass Castle and Devil in the White City.  Each of those books I would recommend to anyone.  All are very different from the next, but each of them has stuck with me long after the final page.  I'll write a book review post in the next week or two that will run down each of these books.

Overall, I love using Goodreads and I update my reading status every day.  I loving having lists, checking my lists and crossing off completed items on my lists so having a website that tracks all of my books lists for me is genius.  I have only have one friend on the site, so I'm not using it for it's full potential and I don't really follow along with the reading lists of the groups I'm in because none of them have really appealed to me, but it's great for tracking what I am reading and what I plan to read.  I also like that I have a place where I can go back to see my completed books and re-read my reviews so I don't forget what I've read and accomplished.  I don't want to just fly through 100-page books just to reach my goal.  I'm looking for books that interest me and books that have been recommended to me as "books I must read".  Any suggestions?

So there you have it.  My first big goal of 2014 - 50 books in 12 months.

Conan filming in Atlanta

Our amazing friends, the C&C fun factory, were great enough to take us to the first Conan taping here in Atlanta.  (He is here all week filming before the Final Four.)

Stephen saw his ads for Conan State University and we had to participate.  Stephen gets 100% credit for our hats.  He wrapped the baseball caps in fabric and glued it all together and even made the tassels!  What a man.

Click here to see the rest of the pictures from Monday night.

The show was so much fun.  Our night, the guest was Seth Rogen and he brought a clip of his upcoming film, This Is the End, releasing in June.  He was hilarious and told some pretty great stories.  You can catch the trailer for the movie here.   I laugh every time I watch it.

There was one bit where Conan had a Georgia Peach fight with a Florida Orange... let's just say he was kissing up to his GA crowd.  However, when he put on a UGA shirt, he was booed - so that made up for making fun of FL.

Team COCO!!

Four Ingredient Pancakes

Sunday morning we woke up to a very cold Atlanta morning.  We had one injured dog (Goose cut his paw, just like a puppy) and neither of us were really in the mood to do much in terms of cooking.  I headed to the kitchen to whip up a healthy, quick breakfast.  I could have gone with eggs, but that seemed predictable, so pancakes it was.

I remembered seeing a recipe for Greek Yogurt Pancakes from Julie of the blog Peanut Butter Fingers.  Click here for that recipe.  I assumed that the recipe on the blog was for one so I doubled it for the two of us, we could always freeze leftovers.

I used:
4 egg whites
12 oz of fat free Greek Yogurt
1.5 cups of old fashioned oats
3 strawberries

Pancakes were also a great excuse to use my immersion blender.  Every time I use it I forget how much I love it.  I blended the ingredients and then cooked like you would any other pancakes.  The mix will be thick, make sure you have your temp right on the stove

I could have used a couple more strawberries but ours looked pretty bad so I went with what I had.

They were so good and so easy!  And with those ingredients, you know they were healthy, too.  (Ignore the maple syrup that I poured all over mine!)

Next time I'll try with some bananas and blueberries.  Really, the possibilities are endless.

It was a Sunday morning, I have no photographic evidence of this breakfast.  Sorry!

Sunburst Mirror using Shims

I thought I'd have so much more time to craft and clean the house and basically fill my time with fun stuff after the wedding and holidays past.  Boy, I was wrong!  We have been so incredibly busy the past few months I haven't really had too much time around the house to be crafty.

We did have a cold weekend a few weeks back and I decided it was time to make something for above our bed.  It was a huge empty, white space that was in desperate need of some pop of color.

The mirror is perfect for the space

Of course I turned to Pinterest and was drawn to the many Sunburst Mirrors out there.  Like this one and this one and this one.  Ultimately I was drawn to this one from Tonya of the Love Of Family & Home blog.

I gathered all of my supplies:

• 3 packages of shims from The Home Depot (I only used 2)
• Gorilla Glue Wood Glue, you'll need a lot
• Craft Paint
• Circular picture frame with hanging hook already in place
• 5" mirror
• Sandpaper

Some bloggers have noted using a scrap piece of plywood and a picture framing hook instead of the picture frame and to be honest that was my plan, but I found a 12 inch circular picture frame at Michael's for $3 and grabbed it.  

My first step was to go through the packages of shims and find all the pretty ones.  You'll know what I mean.  You want some uniformity across the shims, so make sure you pull out the ones that look the best and are the strongest.  Once you have all of the shims, it's time to sand them down.  You can probably skip this step, but I wanted to make sure I didn't have random wood splinters sticking off of some of the shims.  It will take 10 minutes to sand them, just do it.  Also, if you're going to attach your hanging kit to the back of your scrap plywood, do it now.  Don't wait until the shims are glued down!  Once those babies are attached, it is very difficult to move around.  

Painting and gluing begins

Once everything was sanded, I laid out the pattern that I wanted for the sunburst.  There are so many ways you can go with this, do what makes you happy.  I chose to lay my shims flat, others have made a design with the shims on their side.  Be creative.  When you have your layout worked out, with a light pencil, mark your layers if you're like me and did two layers with different colors.  This keeps everything organized when it's time to paint.  

I painted each of my shims their appropriate color (leaving the backside unpainted) and let them dry overnight.  I probably didn't need to wait that long, but I wanted to be sure the wood glue would have no problem sticking.  I would have also painted my picture frame (or plywood) the color of the bottom layer, but I didn't.  Learn from me.  Do it.  

When the paint was dry, it was time to glue.  I used Gorilla Glue Wood Glue and I wasn't shy about how much I used.  I put a generous amount on the back of each shim and placed them down on the picture frame.  To make sure they stayed in place and that the glue held them down with no chance of them falling onto our faces in the middle of the night I put a scrap piece of paper on top of the shims where they were glued down and then put the two heaviest, thickest books I had on top.  I left them there over night.  I wanted those suckers to stay.  In the morning, I removed the books and let the glue dry the rest of the day while I was at work.  The following night it was time to add the 2nd layer.  Because these overlapped I only did 3-4 of these at a time.  Same process - generous amounts of wood glue, placed on the picture frame, held down with heavy books overnight.  I wasn't planning on the project taking a week, but it did.  

Once all the shims were in place and there is no chance that they're coming off, attach the mirror.  Same process - lots of wood glue, heavy books overnight.  I actually left the books on the mirror for a full 24 hours, just to be safe.  

When it was ready to go Stephen and I measured and hung it on the wall!  (Shhh - it may have taken 3 time to get it right, but all evidence is hidden.)  I love it.  Even the small mirror makes such a difference in the room, reflecting the light from the window.  The finished project is 3.5' to 4' across, not a small piece of art.  Yours will depend on how you place your shims, so make sure you have enough space and measure while you're laying it all out in the beginning.  

While I was taking pictures of the mirror on the wall, Mabel wanted to get in on the action.  I saw her coming towards the bed while I was taking pictures and I waited to see what she was going to do.  

Classic photobomb.  She jumped up on the bed, right in front of me and sat there.  I love it.  She knew something other than her had my attention and she was jealous.  I love that pup.

Bon Jovi at Philips Arena

I'm not the biggest Bon Jovi fan out there, but I enjoy some 80s and 90s rock every now and then.  When some tickets showed up at work and nobody else took them, I jumped on them and invited 3 ladies I knew would have a great time with me.

Jon Bon Jovi turns 51 on Saturday, March 2.  The man still puts on an amazing show.  He dances and runs around the stage the entire set.  I'm not sure I could keep up that enthusiasm for two hours and I'm 20 years younger than he is.

I'm not one for pictures during a concert because I'd much rather enjoy the show than spend time fumbling with my camera so I don't have any shots of them in action.  Here is the set list, pretty long - 26 songs!

Source: Robb D. Cohen/ www.RobbsPhotos.com via accessatlanta.com

About one minute into I'll Be There for You something crazy happened with the speakers and everyone stopped playing.  Richie even ducked and joked that it sounded like they were being shot at.  Being the professionals that they are they picked up at the first verse as if nothing happened.  After the song ended Jon said, "At least now you know we aren't using a tape."  I have no idea what the noise could have been.  Keep on rocking Jon.

Learning to Sew - Step 1

One of the things I'm sad that I don't know how to do yet is sew.  My mom is a great seamstress and she always told us stories about how she would make her own clothes.  Stephen's grandma could make anything with a sewing machine.  Stephen has an overcoat made by his grandma, Goose has a jacket, we have a soft sided cooler and so many other things around the house that she made for us.  It seems silly that I don't know how to sew.  And with how much DIY stuff I want to do around the house, I should be able to make my own curtains and pillows.  OH, and quilts!  My grandma was a quilter and I'd love to be able to make quilts for friends and family.

We put a sewing machine on our wedding registry and one of our great friends bought it for us (me).  It's been 6 months and I've finally cleared off space on the desk in the office so I could set it up.  Isn't it pretty!?!  It looks so small in the photo because of where I was standing, but it's normal sized.  That booklet in the photo is the size of a regular piece of paper.  Here is a link to the machine on Amazon.

Step One to learning to sew: I started reading the booklet on how to set it up and what all of the moving pieces do, but it's still a foreign language to me.  There are so many terms that I've never heard before, there will definitely be a learning curve.  Tonight I pan on figuring out how to actually load up the thread and hopefully see how the baby moves.  There are more than 30 stitches that it can do and it came with every needle and foot attachment that I could ever want.  And yes, it came with a quilting foot, so I'm set there.

Once I know I can sew a straight line and I've made some curtains and/or pillows, I want to try my hand at a quilt for a baby.  The couple who bought us the sewing machine is pregnant with their first baby and I'd love to make them a quilt with the gift they gave us.  We'll see if that happens.  I always think really far in advance...

There is a ton of fabric in the background of the photo.  I look pretty over zealous if I'd already gone out and purchased all of that stuff.  It was actually a gift from Stephen's grandma for Christmas.  She knew I wanted to learn to sew and wanted to teach me and her garage was full of cabinets of fabric.  I could take any that I wanted.  Just a few days after Christmas she passed away.  I never got got my lesson in sewing from Grandma, but knowing that all of that fabric is from her makes me think of her every time I see it.  And the stacks actually go up a few more rolls in each column.

I already have a board of projects and tutorials on Pinterest that I want to try soon.  I'll keep updating as I get better and better with my machine.  I may even take a class or two.  My mother-in-law is also a great seamstress and has offered to sit with me a few times to teach me a thing or two.  This could be the start of something beautiful.

Anyone else recently learn to sew?  What were your biggest challenges and how quickly were you able to pick it up?

Fencing in the Backyard

We finally did it!  The dogs can now play in the backyard without having to be on leashes.  It's only been up 3 days and it feels like a world of a difference.

Stephen and I have been talking about fencing in the yard for a while, even before we got Goose.  Then it became, "We won't get another dog until we fence in the yard."  Obviously that didn't pan out, we fell in love with Goose almost a year ago.  Then it was, "After the wedding we'll fence in the yard."  And then life got in the way.

We actually had a few contractors come out to give us some price quotes back in September, but one thing lead to another and then it was the crazy holidays and it never went up.  So here we are, February, and the fence is finally up.

The team from Allied Fence, who we found through The Home Depot, finished the job in one day.  (Probably would have been a bit faster had they brought the correct cedar wood, they brought pine and we had paid for cedar.)  We couldn't be happier with how it turned out.  You can't tell from the photo above but at one point we could see 7 houses from our back deck.  Not much privacy.  Now, we can see the rooftops of a few of those houses and some of them are completely blocked from view.

The dogs don't quite get that they can be out there without us yet, but they're getting it.  Stephen and I love to stand in the backyard and watch them run around.  It's freedom and space that we were able to give to them and they're paying us back with big, tongue out of their mouths smiles.  Goose even learned to play fetch with a stick.  He's only had balls and ropes.  It is adorable to see him learn something new.  He's so proud when he gets the stick from Mabel.

Goose is worn out from running.  Mabel and Goose chase a ball.  Goose looks like he is peeing on the wall - he's actually jumping off the corner.  Mabel is running so fast she's blurry.  

You can see in these pictures that the backyard as a giant wall towards the back.  There is definitely room to go on top and up by the fence, and the dogs have loved exploring up there.  We've been tossing around the idea of adding some big planters back there.  There is lot of concrete up there, so I'm not sure much would grow in the ground anyway.

We'll also need to get some grass seed down.  We haven't really used the backyard because there wasn't a fence, now it's time to clean it up.  It's not a huge yard, but it's perfect for us.  And Mabel and Goose couldn't love it any more than they do.  (This morning Goose was hopping around the yard.  Acutally hopping.)

We've also talked about repainting that wall.  Any thoughts on colors?

60 Stories for a 60th birthday

My dad is a very special man.  I'm 100% a Daddy's girl.  I'm not sure how that came to be, but I think it has always been.

Like most Irish Catholic men, my dad is a storyteller.  He loves to tell stories and is very good at it.  The more beer you get in him, the funnier and longer the stories become, too.  It's fantastic.

Dad is turning 60 today, Valentines's Day, and in my eyes, that's a big deal.  I didn't know exactly what to get him, I've purchased more than my share of golf balls and golf shirts, so I turned to Pinterest.  Not even really looking I came across a story about a daughter who had friends and family write down stories about her dad.  She wanted 60 stores to share with him on his 60th birthday.  For a man who enjoys a good story like my dad, this is perfect.  That post can be found here.

Two months before his birthday I reached out to all of Dad's siblings and immediate family.  I wanted to get 60 stores for my dad's 60th.  Through a lot of follow-up emails and hounding some people, I did it.  I got to 60!  (To be honest, if everyone had participated I would have cleared 100, easy, but I'm okay with reaching my goal.  I know people are busy.  Too busy to write a few sentences in an email...I'll stop)

As each one came in, some emailed, some hand written and mailed to me, I placed it in an envelope and numbered it.  Some letters came in with multiple stories, some were inside jokes that I'm sure only my dad will understand written on a notecard.  For letters that had more than one story on a page, I counted the stores in the letter and numbered accordingly.  I purchased plain envelopes at a Paper Affair and used stamps for the numbers.  I think using stamps vs. having numbers printed on the envelopes really makes a difference.  The stamps feel much more personal and because they aren't perfectly straight each time, there is a handmade quality about them.  In the end, I think I ended up with 28 envelopes with 60 stories.

I'm so excited.  I can't wait for him to sit down with a glass of wine or beer and be taken back to days throughout his lifetime.  I won't be able to be there with him when he opens his gift, but I'm looking forward to the phone call after.

Happy Birthday, Daddy.

Tartan Trot 10k

For the past few weeks I've been teaming up with fellow blogger/UF Grad/awesome person, Lisa, as we work towards our personal running goals.  Last month I set some goals for myself and I was worried about how I was going to stay motivated to reach them.  I want to get to a 10:00/mile for a 10k (a 5k first) and I want to run at least 10 miles each week for the full year.  I also set a goal to run one race a month.  Stephen doesn't share my love of races and finding time for both of us to run after work is hard so I was looking at doing a lot of this solo.

I joined a gym in December to stay in shape through the winter and to get a head start on my training for the Half Dome hike this summer.  It's been very helpful having a treadmill on these dark, cold winter nights after work.

I ran a 5k in January right by my house and posted a picture on Instagram.  Lisa did the same thing.  We soon realized that we had pretty similar running goals and I joined up with her and some of her friends who were already running together.  We're like our own little running club.  It's been great to have people to keep me motivated.  Even waking up at 8:30am on a Saturday to head to the park isn't too bad when you know you're meeting friends.

My first race, the February race, with Lisa and friends was the Tartan Trot in Dunwoody.  There was a 5k and a 10k.  Two of us ran the 5k and two of us ran the 10k.  We had a great time, even if it was 30 degrees at the start of the race.  It was so cold that after I took my phone out it's case to take a picture it stopped working because it was so cold.  I didn't have music or my pace keeper lady from my running app.

I ran the 10k and even with the crazy cold, the 2 awful hills and not having music or anyone telling me how fast I was running, I beat my previous 10k time by four minutes!  I finished the Tartan Trot in 1:05:17, that's a 10:32/mile pace.  Much better than the 11:00+/mile runs that I'd been running.

We have a 5k in March, right after my birthday and hopefully I'll be even closer to a 10:00/mile by that time.

We look like we're going for a run in the snow

Winter Lentil Soup

Source: Real Simple

Last night I had the house to myself and that's when I'm most comfortable trying new recipes.  If I mess up I can always have a bowl of cereal when I'm home alone.  If Stephen is home and I mess something up I feel awful, so trying new things becomes much more stressful.  (However, I do enjoy having him there with me when I'm cooking for reassurance when I try something new.  I sound crazy.)

This soup is called the Winter Lentil Soup from RealSimple.com.  When I read the recipe I was a little nervous because I've never cooked with lentil, leeks or kale.  Typically that alone would immediately make me skip the soup, but I love a good veggie soup and I wanted to try to find one that could become a staple in our house during the colder months.

I followed the directions with a few minor adjustments after reading a few of the comments.

• I added some extra lentils, probably 3/4 of a cup instead of 1/2 a cup
• I added the kale 15 minutes into cooking the lentil.  My publix also doesn't sell kale in bunches, it is already chopped up in a bag - I used about 5 handfuls.  I have no idea how close that is to what I should have used.
• I didn't drain the tomatoes before adding them, I wanted to keep some of that tomato juice in the broth after I added the water
• I didn't top with cheese

Overall, the soup was a huge success.  I even got seconds.  I had two servings last night and we have 4 servings for leftovers, so I'd say it serves 6, maybe 7 depending on any side dishes.  Each serving is 226 calories, and that is including the cheese.  I don't feel bad at all for having 2 servings!

Give it a try.  Now that I've cooked with lentils, kale and leeks I can say that there was never anything to be afraid of in the first place.  This is such a good vegetarian soup!

2013 Resolutions

Wow - I haven't posted in a very long time.  To anyone out there who has missed my posts, I apologize!

We are 18 days into 2013, but it's better late than never: Here are my 2013 Resolutions.

1. Run 10 miles a week
2. Hike Half Dome in Yosemite National Park
3. Finally hit a 10 minute mile running pace
4. Read 12 books
5. Visit all 3 of my sisters

I'm always working towards being more patient.  I think that's my biggest character flaw.  I get frustrated very easily.  And God forbid if something doesn't go according to plan, sometimes I don't know how to handle it.  But I'm aware of these "traits" and I'm working on making them better.

What are some of your resolutions for 2013?  Big plans for the new year?  

Hiking Kennesaw Mountain

Stephen and I will be taking a trip with our friends, Samantha and Tim, our parallel couple.  (Their relationship/life/likes and dislikes are very similar to ours, we even have two black dogs.)  For a few months we've been talking about heading out to Yosemite National Park to hike Half Dome.

Source:  Wikipedia

The hike is 8 miles one way with a 4,800 ft gain.  Yes, in one trip we'll hike 16 miles.  And climb up to the top of that giant rock.

To get ready for this trip Stephen and I have started to hike here in Atlanta.  We don't have anything near as dramatic as Half Dome here in Georgia, but we have two small mountains, Kennesaw Mountain and Stone Mountain, that we can hike to get our legs ready for steep inclines for miles at a time.

Kennesaw Mountain.  Source: Atlanta Outdoor Club

The hike up Kennesaw Mountain has some pretty steep parts of the trail which is nice while we train.  The path to the top of the mountain rises about 800 feet.  So we're about 4,000 feet short of Half Dome.  At least we'll be ready for some of the big hike.

What's great about Kennesaw Mountain is that it's free.  Yep, Atlanta still has something to do for free. The mountain played a huge part in the Civil War and the fall of Atlanta and along the way up to the summit you'll pass historical markets with stories of the battles that took place at the mountain.  You can also bring your dog on the hike.  It's been great to take Goose with us the past two days.  We haven't taken Mabel because she's a barker and none of the other dogs along the trail are barkers and she'd interrupt the peacefulness of the hike.  Goose has been great and having a sleepy dog at home this weekend has been wonderful.

If you're going to hike Kennesaw Mountain I recommend good, sturdy hiking shoes, a bottle of water and some bug spray.  It's best to get there early because the close parking lot fills up pretty fast.  There aren't any bathrooms along the trail, so stop at the Visitors Center before you start the hike if you have to use the restroom often.

I've also joined a gym to get ready for this hike.  I'll be doing a lot of cardio to get my heart and lungs ready and I'm going to focus on my legs, a lot.  Like all of the time.

Wish us luck!

Vistaprint Christmas Cards: Review

I'm a dork, I love sending out Christmas cards and I run to the mailbox every evening to see if one of our friends has sent us a card.  I love them.  I love displaying them in the house so I have smiling family and friends around me for a few weeks.

Our Christmas Card display from 2011

While I was decorating the house this year I went back to the 2011 cards that we received, yes, I kept them, and it was a fun trip down memory lane.  So many couples now have babies who didn't last year and the kids that were in the photos last year have grown so much in just one year.  That's why I love Christmas Cards.

This year I ordered our cards off of Vistaprint.com after seeing a deal on Groupon.  I spent one evening on Thanksgiving weekend playing around with the 900+ card options they have on the site and finally decided on one of them, using one of our favorite wedding pictures as our main image.  It took a while for me to decide on our card, there are so many great ones to choose from.  I know there are a ton of sites out there, even Etsy, where you can create your own card and I think the best advice I can give when picking your cards, pick a site and stick to it.  If you jump around to multiple sites to compare cards, you'll drive yourself nuts.  With the deal we had, it was a no-brainer, we were using Vistaprint.  When comparing prices, they were on the lower end of the scale, too.  Once we found 3 or 4 cards we really liked I picked 4 or 5 photo options and played around with them to see which combination I liked the most.

The ordering process was very simple and the cards were delivered faster than they had quoted.  Love that! I was a little nervous that the cards wouldn't be top quality but they are great - exactly what I was looking for.  The image is clear, the type is clear on the front and the back and the paper weight feels like it's a nice quality paper.  I couldn't be happier.

If you haven't ordered your Christmas cards yet, or are planning on sending them out next year, I highly recommend Vistaprint.

Atlanta Botanical Gardens: Garden Lights Holiday Nights

A few weeks ago we went to the Atlanta Botanical Garden for the wedding of two friends.  We didn't get to tour much of the gardens but we got a glimpse of the lights that were put up for the holidays and we decided to head back when my sister was in town for Thanksgiving.  

We found a deal for 50% off the admission price on SweetJack and I got tickets for the 3 of us, $10 each.  When we went we noticed that the Groupon discounted tickets weren't good on weekend nights.  That would be a bummer, especially for families with kids.  I'm glad we had the SweetJack deal and were able to go on a Sunday evening.  

The gardens were so pretty.  It definitely made me feel like it was the start of Christmas.  There were twinkle lights in one garden, bumble bees and dragon flies in another, giant Christmas trees of lights and stars hanging  from the giant trees in the garden. 

My favorite part of the park were the Orbs.  I'm not sure what else to call them, but they were awesome.  The colors changed to the Christmas music playing over the speakers.  We stood with them for a few songs. My sister even danced for a few minutes, all by herself.  

There were kids all over the place, it's definitely a kid-friendly holiday outing.  There was even a bar in the back of the garden for the adults.  Great for a date night.  

JCrew Pajamas

A full Thanksgiving weekend post to come soon, but I had to share this first.

There is nothing like shopping with your sister, especially when everything is on sale and she's in the fashion industry.  And not to mention, we're basically the same size.  Lots of fitting room fun and new clothes for both of us.

We went to the mall with a plan.  We may have diverted slightly from that plan when we each purchased this from JCrew:

Source: JCrew.com

Yes, it's silly.  Yes, we each bought one.  Yes, we love it.  I wore it to bed last night and it was close to Heaven.  I recommend everyone get an adult onesie.  Bonus - the back has an opening so you don't have to get fully undressed to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night.  Click here to the page to buy on JCrew, get it while you still can!

I have a few pictures of me in the little outfit, but it fits just like it does on the model, so I'm not putting dressing room pictures of me on the Internet.  The arm length is perfect (the model has them pushed up) and the legs are a little longer one me than in the picture, which I love.

JCrew did not pay me for this post/review.  I purchased the clothes with my own cash money.