Rough days always remind me to re-center- dust myself off, hit the reset button and move forward. Today was a rough and rainy day,  and so it got me thinking. 

1.) I tend to over-react and its something I strongly dislike about myself. Its a goal of mine to not be so 'melodramatic'
2.) Keep it in prospective. In the greater scheme of things, where does this fall in your life story?
3.) Is this a lesson you learn from? If so, take notes, grow, and move forward.

In the "keep it in prospective" bucket, days like today also remind me of some dark days my family went through about 3 years ago. Those were days to lose sleep over. Those memories combined with Trish's post on The Grateful Life made me think my Gratitude Journal needs to start today. 

Here is my list of 5 things I am grateful for today:

1.) My Family. They are part of me. They build me up when I need strength, are my toughest critics and biggest fans. I am lucky to have a supportive and loving group of people in my life. Our family unit came close to being forever changed, because of this, we are stronger and closer than ever.

2.) My legs. They carry me through 13.1 mile runs. They are strong and allow me to enjoy the feel of the pounding against pavement. I run because I am able to. And that is an amazing gift.

3.) The family pets. These little furry friends are the light in my life. My mood can be instantly changed with a little wag of their tail and a scratch behind the ears (theirs not mine!). :) Animals are an integral part of my life.

4.) Cheese. It is the staple and usually deciding factor in all that I eat. Understanding my love of cheese (and my ability to consume large quantities) is understanding me. I <3 cheese.

5.) The BF. I know some people are probably gagging right now. But I believe the complimentary qualities a couple can  contribute to a relationship is hugely important. He encourages me to want more out of life, he is patient, gentle, generous and loving. I am very lucky to have him in my life.

Question of the Day: How often do you remind yourself to be grateful? 

Check out my grateful life guru Trish  and take her lead. I think it could do us all good to be a little more grateful.

Monday rolled into town with a fury! As always the weekend didn't seem long enough, but I guess that's what happens when you're having fun.

Yesterday I was scheduled for my weekly long run in training for Broad Street. So I did a 6.25 mile loop that was easy peasy around town that included the campus of Delaware Valley College. I love finding new loops. It mixes up my workout so I don't feel bored.

When I arrived home, I stretched and rolled with my stick. Ahhhh make it hurt so good! I then showered and changed before the BF returned from his 'office' at the coffee shop.

Unfortunately it was after I showered and changed that the old familiar feeling of being sick to my stomach returned. I experienced this frequently while training for the Disney Half Marathon. Has this happened to any of you? It seems once I have a little ginger ale and pretzels, the feeling disappears. Strange.

Once I was feeling better and the BF returned, we deicded to cook up some quesadillas for dinner using the remaining veggies, chicken and tortillas in my fridge.

First we sauteed the chicken strips in Mrs. Dash's Fiesta Lime Seasoning. We then added mushrooms, scallions, celery (strange I know) and sauteed in Olive Oil spray. We then added the filling into tortillas and seared together with pepper jack cheese in a sautee pan.
 
Here's the result!

And of course I ate the left overs for dinner tonight ;)

WOW has it been cold here for late March!  Yesterday was the beginning of my 5k and race season for 2011 with the Groveland Grizzly 5k. 

When my alarm went off yesterday morning the temperature read 29 degrees! Brrrrr!!! Spring is really rolling in slow and cranky like a Grizzly :) 

Thanks to Hope Express I have plenty of cold gear and loooooove my tights.

I arrived at registration yesterday at 8:15 and decided to sit in my car while waiting for the race to start. It was far too cold to stand outside and even my layers of gear would not prevent full on muscle cramps from the cold. So I drank some of this while I waited.

MmMm coffee is my go-to pre race fuel!!

This race is particularly fun for me because it hits all of my childhood memories. The race begins at the local firehouse where my brother and dad volunteer. It loops down my parents street and passes their house. (Hi Mom!) And then loops back around and and up a KILLER hill. This hill is brutal because of its length. About .75 miles allllllll up.

But I took the advice of race director Chrissy, and simply looked straight ahead (instead of up- the mind's eye will make the hill seem larger than it is) and plowed along.

I finished in just under 30 min (according to my watch) 29:40 to be exact. Hopefully in years to come they will be able to chip your shoes for exact race times!! :)

Congratulations to the Race Director Chrissy, Groveland Elementary and all of the 2011 Sponsors! I have watched this race grow and its always so much fun to be a part of!

Coming up I have a post on the way with Race day tips, tricks and superstitions. Stay tuned because it includes a new recovery drink that I think you'll like! :)

I will be blamed for a hot temper, laughing too long at my own jokes, adding unhealthy amounts of butter to bread, but never, never for wasting food :)

Sorry I've been a little MIA the last few days. I've been feeling whooped when I arrive home and the writing juices weren't flowing. But last night when my hot dinner date showed up for some homemade meatloaf and kale salad, I was reinspired.

Dinner is ready!

The BF and I decided that we both like meatloaf on the crispy side and that the end pieces are our favorite :) I gave him the crispy parts this morning for his lunch. After all, he did shovel my porch. Because we got more of this!

C'mon spring!!

In an effort to not waste my leftovers, I had the final piece of meatloaf tonight for dinner with a few crispy tater tots. Now if that isn't delicious, I'm not sure what is.

Now I am off to stretch and crawl into bed. Tomorrow is Friday! WOOHOO!

Today was the perfect balance of accomplishment and relaxation :)

Today the BF and I started off the morning a little slower than usual. It was nice to lay around for a little and take in the sweet Sunday air :)

We decided a little hot oatmeal bar was just what we needed to start the day with our coffee.

I added banana, PB and cinnamon in mine. MmMm delicious!

I have my long runs scheduled for Sundays in preparation for Philadelphia's Broad Street run in May. Today 6 miles was on my calendar. 

Now some of you might say, wow only 6 miles! I say, I know my body better than anyone and what I can handle physically. My IT bands are very tempermental and therefore I find a slower build for me is more effective than a push, push, push training schedule with a 2 week taper. Different strokes for different folks :)

After my late afternoon run, I was ready for dinner. Since I worked late Thursday, I had to delay my Irish family celebration for St. Patty's Day. If you could not already tell, I am very Irish. I may or may not have been referred to as "the girl that looks like an Irish step dancer" on more than one occasion.

Tonight I cooked Smoked Butt with Boiled Cabbage to enjoy with my Mom. MmMm. Now in (late) homage to my roots, here's a little funny email I received from my sister. (I've only included my Fav 6 since its long)  Happy belated St.Patty's Day 

WHAT IT MEANS TO BE IN AN IRISH FAMILY 
1) You swear very well. 
2) At least one of your cousins is a firefighter, cop, bar owner, funeral home 
owner or holds  political office. And you have at least one aunt who is a 
nun or uncle who's a  priest. 3) Many of your childhood meals were boiled.  Instant potatoes were a 
mortal sin. 
4) You're not nearly as funny as you think you  are ... but what you lack 
in talent, you make up for in  frequency. 5) Your skin's  ability to tan.... not so much. 
6) There's no leaving a family party without  saying goodbye for at least 
45 minutes. 
   

Its the weekend!! WOOHOO! And what a way to start if off with a Spring Friday topping off at 74 degrees! It's starting to look like spring.

This week was epic and so on my 2.5 hour drive home Friday (traffic was brutal) I made the resolution to start my weekend with a little fun.

The BF and I set out on our Friday date night at MOM's. One of our favorite spots. It was so nice we decided to have dinner outside.

I am not normally a beer drinker but last night I was craving a beer. 

Troeg's nugget nectar. WOW! So delicious! And since I had lunch at Smokin' Betty's, I was not hungry for a big meal so we deicded flat breads and sides were the way to go.

Someone got a little hungry ;)

The lighting was perfect for food shots!
Warm nights like Friday get me excited for sun-dresses and outside drinking and dining!


Hope you're enjoying your weekend!!

Everyone has trigger points in their life. A trigger can cause tears, laughter, a smile or anger. Admittedly, I am highly sensitive and have many trigger points (positive and negative) in life that most people would probably blame that on my hair color. I attribute it to my personality.

This post was inspired partially by recent events in my personal life, partially by Caitlin's Operation Beautiful and when watching Glee tonight, and listening to the message of their "original music"  I realized this was ideal timing.

I am 26 years old and I am realizing that the existance mean girls (correction: mean kids) never truly stops in life. But the amount of time and energy I allow them to have, can change.

I have always struggled with self confidence regarding everything from my body image, to my ability to complete a race. This insecurity was full fledged through my teenage and college years. Unfortunately there are still times that  I allow the little voice of self doubt to become loud because of someone else's opinion of me. This has been especially true with my self body image. Being a natural redhead has one stand out from birth- so when a classmate, 'friend', etc has picked on you or called you out, it pushes on that trigger point of self doubt and even sometimes anger.

So, slowly, over my 26 years I have been working on myself, and it is a daily exercise. I only welcome people in my life that will treat me as original, intelligent, beautiful and respected. This meant changing my inner voice to be more confident, because when you believe in what you do, and you truly and wholly love yourself, it is liberating. It is empowering. And you will bring others into your life that will treat you (and themselves) with respect and admiration. For some it may mean daily mantras, and for others it may be more natural, but either way, it will be the most important thing you do for yourself.

Tonight instead of a question, I have a challenge. I challenge you to quell that inner voice if it starts to tremble and empower others to be the best versions of themselves. Before criticizing others, reflect on how that would effect you. And finally, stand up for yourself with positivity! It is important to surround yourself with people who believe in you and love you.


There is a great initiative that Caitlin HTP runs called Operation Beautiful. Check it out today and spread the word! Spread the love.

Can you believe Monday is over already?  Me Either. My weekends always fly by. 

With the time change this weekend I was feeling a little sluggish yesterday. Maybe its also because I squeezed in a 5.5 mile run yesterday. I have been a little burnt out after training for the half marathon alone. So it felt good to take time off  and feel refreshed when starting again.

After running I decided to whiz around my apartment and clean. I was STARVING after and stopped by Planet Smoothie for a Chocolate Chimp Smoothie.

Get in mah belly!

With a full belly I was able to nap a little before heading over to the rents for dinner with the BF.  And of course dinner at my parents includes a scrumptious dessert!

She seemed unamused by our visit.

She's tired from losing an hour of sleep ;)

Hopefully this week will fly by!

Question of the Night: Are you feeling the effects of Daylight Savings ?

I love a good surprise. The kind that totally takes you off guard and makes your day. For me the surprise could be as simple as bumping into an old friend.

This week has been full of fun surprises for me.

Surprise #1 : On Tuesday night, the BF and I had a hot salad date. I know, I'm sure you're jealousy is raging right now. When I stepped off the train this handsome man was waiting for me.

And so was this bad boy!

I had a power surge in my apartment about 3 weeks ago that destroyed my TV and cable box. I have been debating buying a new TV but always found other things to spend the money on. The BF was amazing and bought this beauty to replace the old set. It is so amazing! Now all we need is an ottoman and our movie date nights are complete  :)

Surprise #2.
When stopping in Starbucks this afternoon (its in the lobby of my office- dangerous!) I learned the adorable, delicious new petite desserts were complimentary with the purchase of a drink!

Better yet that cupcake topped out at about 150 cals. Now THAT is my kind of '100 calorie' snack!

Surprise #3
I met a new 'friend' at the gym tonight. I normally am not a gym goer and would prefer running outside before hitting the dreadmill. With tonight's monsoon in full effect, the rain and wind combo sent my sneaks to the gym.

There I met another former Penn State Lion Ambassador. I noticed his t-shirt and went to grill him about graduation year, name, committee etc. He didn't seem totally creeped out so I don't feel so bad. It was nice to meet you Nick! I always think its so cool when you randomly meet people like that!

Question of the night: Do you love or hate surprises?

Happy Monday...

So this little "get to know me" has been going around on the Blogs and I love reading them so I thought you might get a kick out of them too. 

Here it goes!
A.      Age: 26
B.      Bed Size: Queen…although I would love a king! I slept in a king size bed in college! Those were the days…
C.      Chore you hate: Emptying the dishwasher. I put Pandora on my phone and race to see if I can finish in 2 songs.
D.      Dogs: Dakota and Sweetheart - my furry friends.

E. Essential start to your day: Coffee! The BF and I have this in common. We get out of bed on the weekends when we hear the coffee finish perking :)
F. Favorite color: Blue- What can I say? I’m a Penn Stater through and through
G. Gold or Silver: Both
H.  Height: 5’ 6”
 I. Instruments you play: I used to play the saxophone in middle school and the piano
J. Job Title: Marketing Associate
K. Kids: None yet- someday though
L. Live: Right outside of Philadelphia

M. Mom’s name: Sue although we like to call her Suz- I am her mini me.

N. Nicknames: Shan, Shanny, Shash. The third is a mom only kinda nick name. We all have one of those. :)
O. Overnight Hospital Stays: 2- 1 for my appendix removal and 1 for my gallbladder removal. They were within a month of each other but that’s another story for another post.
P. Pet Peeve:  Bad table manners. You better believe I will give you the stink eye for chewing with your mouth open!
Q. Quote from a movie : “I HATE Uncle Jaime!” – Love Actually. That quote reminds me of two of my best friends and never ceases to entertain me :)

R. Righty or lefty: Righty
S. Siblings: I’m the oldest of four. The order goes me, Lauren (the graduate), Joe, and Megan

T. Time you wake up: I live and die by the train during the week so I’m usually up by 6- 6:15. On the weekends I usually don’t sleep past 8.
U. Underwear: Uhhhhh yeah
V. Vegetables you dislike: Straight up peas. I used to swallow them whole when I was little. Gross!

W. What makes you run late: Changing outfits or too many things to do ina short period of time.
X.  X-ray’s you’ve had: I had one of my hand this fall! I fell on a run and was pretty positive I broke my thumb. Turns out it I was clear! 

Y. Yummy food you make: The BF loves my stuffed chicken,  Pecan Pie and BBQ Turkey Meatloaf!
Z. Zoo animal favorite: Hedgehog. Dont ask why- just is :) No animals were harmed in this photo at the Pottery Barn with my friend Kara :)