Three Exciting Things!

There’s so much going on that I don’t know where to begin! I could probably write a long essay, so instead I am going to bullet today’s post and spare you the headache :)



1.  As I mentioned in my last post, Sean and I bought a house!!!!! We are so excited!!! It’s actually quite a cool story, and one I will tell later. Sorry guys. But I will tell you this...we are remodeling the kitchen and redecorating, so I’d rather wait until it’s done and I can share before and after pictures.


2.  Our wedding date can’t come soon enough! All the big things are done (dress, venue, photographer/videographer, florist, DJ, invitations, caterer, honeymoon)! We are so pumped!!!


3.  On the running front, I signed up for the Disneyland 1/2 marathon in September! This will be my only long race, because a) I don't have much time to train and b) I want to focus on the shorter distances. I do want to run this race though because Sean and I ran the DisneyWorld 1/2 in January, and running Disneyland will complete the "Coast to Coast" challenge!


Happy Tuesday!!
Mags

Happy Fat Tuesday!

Happy Fat Tuesday!!!!

Fat Tuesday refers to the "practice of the last night of eating richer, fatty foods before the ritual fasting of the Lenten season, which begins on Ash Wednesday" (Wikipedia), which is tomorrow!

Tonight I won’t be celebrating Fat Tuesday with the indulgence of “richer, fatty foods” but rather with meeting my interior designer at my fiancé’s and my new house! We bought a house! Weeee!!! I’ll share more in another post down the road ;)
So what I am doing for Lent this year?

Last year I added meditation to my daily routine. In the past, I have given things up like alcohol (and during college no less!), sweets, etc. This year I am combining giving something up with adding something into my routine.

This year for Lent, I will abstain from:
1. Coffee (I usually have an espresso in the morning)
2. Chips (I don’t have a sweet tooth, but my lack of sweet tooth manifests in salt-craving form, i.e. chips!)

In addition to abstaining from both coffee and chips, I will:
• Run 3 days/week
• Cross train with my trainer 2 times/week
• Commit to at least 20 minutes a day of walking/running/cardio (even on “rest” days)
• Clean out my closet and donate clothes
• Clean out my bookshelf and donate books to the Library
• Add more vegetables to my diet (I already eat a lot, but I could eat more)
• Read a book for pleasure (this becomes a challenge with work & grad school)
• Donate $$$ to fight breast cancer
• Not shop online


Have a happy and safe Fat Tuesday, and happy Lent-ing!

<3

A couple 5Ks around the corner

Earlier in the week I signed up for the Seal Beach Run.  I ran it last year with Lisa (my Maid of Honor!) and we had a blast!  It’s not far from my house so last year we rode our bikes to the start line, ran the 10K, and rode home.  It was fabulous!  We are running again this year, but instead signed up for the 5K.

A couple weeks ago I finally wrote about my 2011 running goals which is to "stop and smell the roses" – enjoy the year and focus on shorter distances like 5Ks and 10Ks.  Needless to say I’m really excited to have a race on the calendar and with my MOH no less!  And I think her hubby (I was his best man in their wedding!) will join us on the run as well!



I’m also contemplating whether or not I should run the Angels 5K.  I ran it last year and loved it because runners get to run the bases at Angels Stadium and I'm a big Angels fan!  It was awesome!  I'm still not sure, so we’ll see…I’ll probably end up doing it :)

What are some races you have coming up?

A Peak At Our Save-the-Dates!

Yesterday morning I posted a few engagement pictures. I left one of my favorites out because I felt it deserves a little explaining…


A month and a half ago, my Grammie passed away. When I was going through pictures I found one of my favorites that I’d forgotten about. It’s a picture of my Grammie and her husband, my grandfather (he died before I was born), in 1959 at a State Park (I think in either Iowa or South Dakota).

I think it’s one of the cutest pictures I've ever seen. So when Sean and I were down in Laguna I really wanted to find a park sign and recreate this photo.


As we were walking back from the beach we saw a small park and alas, a park sign! Sean and I hopped over the bushes and this gem was taken:

We absolutely LOVE this picture and will be using it for our Save-the-Dates. Well, not exactly this one. For anyone who knows me and my fiance, we are always smiling, laughing, and being goofy! So we took this one too:

This one will be our Save-the-Date, and my cousin who took the photos has photo shopped our wedding information into the park sign. It looks fantastic! We couldn’t be happier, and I know Grammie is very happy and smiling down on us :)


On the running front (as this is a running blog!), I have nothing to report. Today is a rest day! I’m going into work early today because I’m leaving early to pick out our kitchen cabinets for our house!!! Weeeee!!!!!!!!!!! La vie est bonne :)

Happy Wednesday!

Engagement Photos! Just a few :)

A couple weeks ago, Sean and I took engagement pictures.  My cousin who is a brilliant film editor in Hollywood (Juno, Up In The Air, Love Happens, No Strings Attached) is getting into photography and was kind enough to take our photos for us.  His wife is very creative too, and together they made an awesome team.  Sean and I wanted something casual since our wedding is going to be more formal, so we decided to cruise down to one of the many little tucked away beaches in Laguna Beach.  It was a gorgeous day, and we had so much fun!  There were a ton of pictures taken, but here are a few of my favs :)

I love this man and I can't wait to marry him in 9 months!!


On the running front, this morning I went for a 30 minute run.  I woke up and didn't feel like venturing out into the 40 degree weather, so instead I hit the treadmill for some intervals.  It felt great and I made sure to push myself harder at the end....gotta build those negative splits right?! 


Happy March everyone!!!

Stop and Smell the Roses

This year is going to be my year of enjoyment.  With my Grammie's passing at the beginning of the year, I lost focus in my running.  I had stopped running altogether.  I recently got back into it, slow and steady, but I still didn't know what I wanted for 2011--did I want to focus on half marathons, train for my first full?  I definitely would not be able to run the LA Marathon on March 20th like I planned a few months back because I hadn't been training.  Did I want to run my first full at all this year?

Yesterday morning I went for a beautiful 5-mile run and the weather was unreal for February.  75 degrees and perfectly clear.  I enjoyed the sunshine, the ocean, and of course my sparkly engagement ring which I can't seem to stop staring at :)  I'm getting married this year!  Weeeeeee!!!!!

Then it hit me.  I am going to stop and smell the roses this year, to enjoy everything.  I have no plans on the running front, and only one goal--to have fun.  I will run small races here and there (5Ks and 10Ks) but I want to run to have fun, without trying to hit a target pace or specific number of miles.

I'm really excited about this non-goal goal!  2011 is going to be a memorable year!

• I've recently taken up yoga, which I've always wanted to do, and I have to say I'm obsessed with it!
• Work is very busy and I'm enjoying every minute of it.  I can honestly say I love my job :)
• I'm in my second semester of grad school and it's going to be a fun one!  I already got my first marketing case and it's Nike!
• And of course, this is the year I'm getting married to the man of my dreams and the love of my life :).  And I know my Grammie will be with us in spirit (she sure loved Sean!)

So this year I am focusing on enjoying every minute of everything.  In the famous words of Ferris Bueller, "Life moves pretty fast.  If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."  So remember to stop and smell the roses. 

Cheers to a joyful and exciting 2011!

"Good Morning, Dear"

This morning I went for a run for the first time in a while. My Grammie recently passed away, and it’s been a very difficult time for me and my family. She was the only grandparent I ever knew, and she was my namesake, which only made our bond stronger. As I write this, I can’t help but cry, but I am comforted by the fact that she lived a beautiful and healthy 92 years, and I am blessed to have spent all my 25 years with her. I went for a short run the day after she became my guardian angel, but I could barely put one leg in front of the other.



This morning was different. I told myself before bed last night that I was going to get my bum up and run. I did, and it was the best run I’ve had in a very long time. I hit the pavement just before sunrise, and as the sun came up it filled me with so much warmth that I knew Grammie was with me and saying “Good morning dear.” Instead of crying, I smiled so big that my face almost hurt. In that moment I realized how fast I was running and how strong I felt (I didn’t have my Garmin, but I would bet anything I was running an 8:30-8:50 mile, which I’ve never run…I’m usually an 11-12 min mile). I only ran 2 miles but it was cathartic and felt incredible.


I look forward to many more great runs this year and beyond.


Happy 2011 everyone! It’s good to be back in the running swing of things :)