Strawberry Fields Forever

Today we went strawberry picking. We left early and it was absolutely beautiful out! There were zero Mosquitos and we beat the heat. 

Every single strawberry that we picked was beautiful. They all had their own character and of course were delicious. 

Mom, Dad, and I were picking with David cheering us on. He totally loved sitting there and picking berries off and eating them. In half an hour, we had 8 5 quart buckets picked and juice running down our faces. Who can resist eating a few while they are picking?! 

I'm totally pumped to have berries in the freezer all winter long for shakes and more delicious things like pie! 

A lovely little getaway

A couple of weekends ago, A and I headed out on a mini road trip to see his sister in Madison. We went last year and had a blast.  The city is beautiful! So I was excited to go. 

We didn't do a whole ton. We went to the huge farmers market, at which I had my first whoopie pie and we bought the popular hot spicy cheese bread. 

We went mini golfing in the super light rain. And then after, the rain stopped so we headed to the botanical garden. Both outings were great. It's nice to go and not have a plan. Just do what feels right. It's in those moments that I know we are making memories that will last forever. For example: I use way too much strength while mini golfing, at least they could make fun of me, right? And that just strolling around can allow for great conversations to come about. 

I think that one of the most important things in any relationship, whether it be a friendship, a familial relationship or a romantic relationship is to just take time to let conversation happen and to make memories. Even though we didn't do a whole ton, it is one of my favorite weekends of the summer. 

My Butt Hurts

I've been AWOL for a while. I ran away to Europe in May! I was pretty proud of myself for still running a couple days a week while I was there and walking a ton! But let me tell you, it's way too easy to eat too much while on vacation. Pasties in the train station? Yes please! More beer?? Of course!!! Anyway. You can imagine. 

Grandma and I on the plane. 

Stonehenge on a gorgeous day! 

After I got back, I tried to get back into my routine. I've been cooking almost all the meals here for my family. I got a cookbook in England called 5 Ingredients 10 Minutes. It's great! It has all sorts of modifications you can do, it's quick, easy, and delicious! 

This is one of the recipes from the book. Cashew and Potato Curry! 

Part of my routine has been training for the GraniteMan Half. It's been hard. Summer heat is ridiculous! I did a run on the 4th and it was 92 degrees out. Kill me. But! I made it. And it made all the delicious food worth it. 

This weekend, A and I did the Tour of Saints! It's a 50 mile bike ride through Central MN. As a result, my butt hurts! I'm proud of both of us for surviving. 3 hours and 46 minutes of biking. It helps that there's pit stops along the way too. Anyway! Overall another great experience in our book. 

Plus, what's better than getting out and enjoying the day with your best friend? 

The Things That Motivate Me

Last night, my little brother went to prom. This may not seem like a big deal to most people but David is special. For those of you who don't know, he has Angelman Syndrome. It's a neurological disorder that causes him to be nonverbal. It is also a seizure disorder. There is a girl in his grade who he has always adored. She asked him (and my mom) if he would do grand march with her.

So! David went through grand march. It was a great experience. He was happy the whole day. (Although I'm not sure how much he enjoyed being stuck in a tux). He took pictures with his date, ordered his prom meal (a cheeseburger from the DQ), took class pictures, did the grand march, and danced the night away.

It was a great experience to be around this and see how much he enjoyed it. David keeps me motivated.

He demonstrates to me how important just living life one day at a time and loving every moment truly is. There is no time to be down and in a funk when David is around.

I keep thinking to myself after being in a funk these last couple of weeks as the semester comes to a close how much I need to appreciate each day and what it brings. David keeps me going.

Take Time to Love Yourself

I just got done getting my first ever professional massage. I got a gift certificate for my birthday. I'm here to tell you that this will become a regular/semi regular thing for me. It was the greatest thing ever.

The whole hour, I had time to think and reflect. I got a chance to think about things and just be. I didn't have to worry about what was happening later or the stresses from my week and semester.

For me, this is the greatest way to take care of me. That is, after all, the most important thing. Take care of you. Do something that is only for you. Be selfish and love you. Loving yourself is the most important thing you can do.

Earth Day Half Marathon Relay 2013 Recap

Saturday was the big day.  I didn't sleep very well.  I was totally excited and ready to go! A picked me up on Saturday morning and we ate breakfast together.  We had a bagel thin with peanut butter and bananas and string cheese.  My favorite foods! Whoo! 

I checked the weather forecast, and was not thrilled.  It was going to be cold! It's hard to decide how to dress but I went with running tights, long socks, shorts, long sleeves, a tshirt, headband and gloves.  I have to say that I am thankful it was sunny! I ended up warm by the end.  

We're totally ready to go! See the thumbs up? I don't think A was as excited as I was.  He was pretty worried about the cold, but he did it! :) 

We had to take a picture by the snow bank.  We got about a foot the day before the race.  I even got a snow day from work! Thankfully, everything was pretty well cleared off on the route.  

My faithful cheering squad, they were there every step of the way.  

I was getting good at waving towards the end, and my (unplanned, but very much appreciated) running partner was a great pointer.  I hadn't planned to run with her, but I'm glad we did.  It made the hour and five minutes fly by! I didn't put my headphones in once! I have forgotten how nice it is to do long runs outside.  I'm really looking forward to being able to do that all the time now! 

A cruised along so well! I'm super proud of him and glad he was willing to do this with me.  Without his support, I don't think I would have signed up.

                                         

We finished! We made it! Hooray! As soon as I finished my 6.5 miles I thought to myself "Gee! I should be running the whole thing!"  That may be why on Sunday evening I signed up for the Graniteman Half Marathon in September.  If you are in the area and want to sign up, you totally should.  It's always fun to have running partners and to know someone you care about is in the pack running too! 

You always have to be proud of your socks! Bright green? Yes please! At least you know when I'm coming right? 

Thanks for your support and thoughts! I'm totally addicted to running in races now.  It's pretty great.  As A pointed out to me the other night, it's not the worst thing to be addicted to! 

Wishing you warm happy thoughts today! 

Eeeek! It's almost here!

The race is almost here! I'm completely pumped! So pumped that I haven't been sleeping well at night.  I'm getting enough sleep, but I keep having dreams about the race.  Some good and some not so good.  

I'm afraid I won't finish.  I'm afraid I'll cramp up.  I'm afraid I'll get hurt.  I know all of these are pretty unrealistic, considering that I've been training.  I can do it! I know I can! 

In preparation for the race, I've been trying extremely hard to eat well, eat fresh, and avoid junk food.  That's the hardest part, the avoiding junk food, or easy to prep food.  It's way easier to go to the gro gro (as I so fondly refer to the grocery store) and grab a frozen burrito, than make it myself.  So! I've been trying extra hard.  Nutrition is so important.   I need my body to have the right things!

Therefore I've been eating oh so yummy things that are easy to prep and easy to drag to school and work with me in my lunchbag.  Here are some of the things I've been eating: 

I went out to see a friend last night and ordered a shrimp remoulade salad.  Pretty awesome.  It wasn't even slathered in dressing!  

The ever delicious and no preparation required strawberries and carrots. 

My new favorite milk substitute.  Makes rice krispies and protein slurries delicious! 

Wrap: om nom nom.  Mustard, cheese, sprouts, cucumber, tomato,  bell pepper, lettuce.

All of these things have been making the week easier.  I went for a 3 mile run yesterday and finished in 28 minutes.  If I can maintain a 9:30 minute mile on Saturday, I'll be totally jazzed.  I'm really looking forward to it.  

Anyway.  Hope you're able to get out and move your body! Even if it's just dancing while doing the dishes or something.  And I hope you're able to enjoy some delicious food.  Just throw all the delicious things together! Bam! Awesome!

 Sending you warm, happy thoughts!