Memorial Day Weekend 2016

Happy Memorial Day! I cannot even begin to express my gratitude for the men and women who gave up their freedom for mine! Thank you for your service and sacrifice!

My weekend began on Friday where I spent as much time soaking up the moments with my sweet Brayden!

I have exactly one week left off work and I want to cherish my time with him as much as possible!

On Saturday morning, my mother-in-law came by to watch Brayden so Heather and I could go for a run! We had a great time in beautiful weather. More about the run in Friday's workout recap!

As a post-run breakfast, I had an English muffin "sandwich" and coffee in my Vero Beach mug. Two years ago, we spent our Memorial Day Weekend at Vero Beach and had a ton of fun. I would love to go back and spend a bit more time there...it was SO relaxing and peaceful!

During the afternoon, I dropped Brayden back off with my in-laws then headed over to Painting With A Twist for a Disney themed Bridal Shower!

I loved all of the Disney-esque details!

My button was the Rapunzel one! I thought this was such a cute touch!

Our class began with a blank canvas and lots of different colors....

This was my fourth painting to do with painting with a twist and turned out to be my favorite by far!

• Take 1
• Take 2
• Take 3

Bridesmaids!

Midway through the painting, we took a break for dessert!

I loved the adorable Mickey and Minnie touches!
 

Bride!

Here's my finished product! I couldn't help but include a little hidden Mickey in there! Melissa did the same!

Hi Mickey!

All of the Bridesmaids with the Bride!

Our class

After painting, we went to see Alice Through the Looking Glass. I loved it!!

On Sunday morning before church, I introduced Brayden to his Mickey lovie. I think he likes it! :)

My dad and his buddy during lunch after church on Sunday...

Last but not least, this is a picture my grandmother-in-law gave to me and I love it! The young girl in the picture is my mother-in-law as a senior in high school and the ones surrounding her are my family. The man in the middle is my grandfather who passed away a few years ago (if you read my blog then, you know how close I was to him). This is definitely a picture I will cherish forever! As for the reason my family was hanging with my mother-in-law...well, let's just say our family has a long standing history and it's just an interesting fact that Jason and I got married! 

Today, we've been invited to a BBQ at a friend's house in honor of Memorial Day! I hope you all have a great day as well!

What are your Memorial Day plans? 

Fitness Friday - 5/27

Happy Friday! I can't believe it's already the weekend again - this week seemed to fly by! Here's a glimpse at my workouts for the week:

Currently Training For:

• runDisney Virtual Running Shorts 5K Challenge
• 4 Miler on the 4th of July
• Disney's Princess Half Marathon & Glass Slipper Challenge
• Rock n Roll New Orleans Half Marathon

Saturday - Rest Day (I ran on Friday instead because I knew I wouldn't be able to run on Saturday.)
Sunday - Rest Day
Monday - Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred
Tuesday - 3 mile bridge run with running group
Wednesday - Rest Day
Thursday - Part 1 of runDisney's Virtual Running Shorts 5K
Friday - Morning walk with Brayden

This past weekend was a busy one that didn't leave much time for running or working out. Combine the various events we attended along with the fact that Jason worked nights meant I literally had no time to get out and go for a run. Instead, I completed my usual weekend run on Friday morning.

On Monday, I decided to find my old Jillian Michael's DVD's and see if I could keep up. I couldn't decide which one to do but finally settled with the 30 Day Shred. Needless to say, I was definitely sore the next day!

Tuesday afternoon was my running group's final bridge run of the season. Since I hadn't made any of them all year, I decided that the final one was it!

So basically, we have this super large and not too busy bridge in my town. My coach discovered it and decided it would make for a good workout and she was RIGHT. I made it over and back a total of six times which equaled a little over three miles.

After going over and back two times, I would stop for water then repeat. the total on my watch also reflects my warmup which was 0.3 miles. THIS is a very challenging and great workout.

I left drenched! Whew.

Yesterday, I completed the first portion of the runDisney Virtual Running Shorts 5K. I'm signed up for the series, so there's two additional runs to complete this summer.

I'll post more about this run in a separate blog post next week!

This weekend, I'm planning a longish run with my running buddy! It's so nice to get back into the swing of things!! :)  Hope you have a great (long) weekend!

Any Memorial Day (or weekend) plans? 

Wordless Wednesday: A Goofy Day

When I think about a Goofy day at Walt Disney World, my mind immediately returns to the weekend I ran Goofy's Challenge with a few of my favorite friends (back in 2013). If you're not familiar with Goofy's Challenge, it's a super fun weekend in January where runners tackle the Walt Disney World Half Marathon on Saturday followed by the Walt Disney World Full Marathon on Sunday for a total of 39.3 miles for the weekend! For today's Wordless Wednesday topic (and in honor of Goofy's Birthday), I am sharing a glimpse of the fun times I had during that weekend!

Today’s Wordless Wednesday theme is: A Goofy Day
Host: Deb at Focused on the Magic

 

 No race is complete without a post-race celebration and I thoroughly enjoyed myself at Ohana, my favorite restaurant on property! Yum! 

Happy Birthday, Goofy! :)

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What's your favorite way to spend a "Goofy Day" at the parks? 

Running While On Vacation

I love a good run while on vacation. As a matter of fact, I always include a morning run in our travel plans when selecting a hotel/resort for our stay! A great way to see new places and explore new areas is on foot and is one of my favorite parts of any vacation. Today, Jeff Galloway shares his vacation running secrets with us! See below for a few of his favorite tips!

The best, more efficient workout when you’re at the beach…

• Running into the dawn: In Summer, it's best to run before the sun rises above the horizon.  Since it's common for family members to sleep a bit longer on vacation, get up early and hit the beach.    Set a total time you wish to run, and turn around at the halfway point.  Or, run 1-2 minutes longer going out and try to run faster on the return.

• When you’re camping and near a lake and/or mountains.  Drive around the campground area to find suitable running/trail areas.  Plan a group hike each day.  Appoint yourself the “lookout”.  Walk ahead of the group for a few minutes and then run ahead for a minute or two, and run back.  Repeat this routine throughout the hike.  Even short segments of running, during a 1-2 hour hike, will maintain your running adaptations very well.

• On a road trip, taking frequent “pit stops”.  Wear your running gear on the trip.  If it is safe to run or walk at your rest area, walk for 1-2 minutes as a warmup and then run for 5-10 minutes.  Repeat this pattern until the group is ready to load up.  If it is a food stop, get your meal “to go” and spend the time running.

• When you’re on a trip that’s based around a theme park.  Many of the hotels in areas like Disneyworld, have designated areas for running.  In some cases you can run to the parks.  Ask the hotel staff for recommended routes.  Each evening, gather the family and plan your park visit for the next day.  This allows for you to find a times slot to squeeze in a run.  As you mention how you are planning your run, you'll teach the kids how important your exercise is, for you.

• When you’re on a sightseeing city tour.  Time is limited during most sightseeing tours but you can usually squeeze in a few minutes here and there.  Wear running clothes or very comfortable apparel with running shoes.  When the bus stops, keep walking around while looking at the sights or listening to the guide.  If time allows before re-boarding, jog for a minute or two.

• A home-based vacation.  If possible, arrange with another family member to watch the kids while you run.  Then, offer that person a chance to get away for a while while you stay with kids.  Early morning is often a great time to get in your runs.  Plan trips to local parks (that you seldom visit) where you can run and walk with the family.

 So, what about you? Do you enjoy running while on vacation? Any tips you'd like to share?


As an official Jeff Galloway blogger, I am provided with occasional tips to share with you guys - no compensation is received on my end! Hope you’ve enjoyed them!  
 

Brayden's Baby Dedication

Yesterday was Brayden's Baby Dedication and we enjoyed celebrating the day with our family! Our baby dedications at church consist of a prayer over the baby and his/her parents by the senior pastor during the Sunday morning service. During this time, the baby and his/her parents are surrounded by their family on stage. It's such a sweet and special time and I couldn't wait for Brayden's turn!

I spent a good bit of time putting this outfit together and I loved the way it turned out!

Those hands are ALWAYS by his face! I love the way he's sitting in the picture where I'm holding him. He loves to prop his face up on his fist and has done that since day one!

With our family

I love this moment my mother-in-law captured during the dedication!

 
Brayden did so good during the dedication! He had a long day on Saturday and was almost overtired and cranky on Sunday morning. I prayed he would stay asleep during the dedication and he did! YAY!

Our family

With our senior pastor

His first Bible! 

It grew really warm as the morning went on, so we downsized Brayden's outfit to his onesie and shoes right before lunch!

Baby shoes are just the cutest thing to me! Look at these adorable (non-Sperry) boat shoes...:)

We so enjoyed being surrounded by our family as we dedicated Brayden's life to the Lord. Having them there made the morning even more special!

With that, we successfully added another memory to the baby book! :)