Under Construction

Please exuse the mess!!! I am currently redesigning my blog and have no more patience! Gotta get in the bed to get up early to run, so I'll be fixing this later! Come back soon to see the new design!!! Thanks!

Summer Lovin'

I am loving summer. Here's why:

Good training runs with friends.

Playing golf with Clarke.

Grilling out.

Anticipating a beach trip with the girls.
The sun. The pool. Soaking it all up before school starts!

going too far

I am loving this quote..........

http://amytangerine.blogspot.com via rachel on pinterest

A year ago if you had told me I would be training for a marathon I wouldn't have believed it. I can't believe how far I have come in less than a year. :)

Fourth of July Food

So I mentioned in my last post that I attended a bunch of parties/cookouts this past holiday weekend. I made two different dishes to bring to two different cookouts. Thought I would share because both of them turned out great, and one is a favorite classic of mine!

Sunday I made deviled eggs for our neighborhood cookout. This is a recipe of my mom's that I have always loved. I've made it so many times that I don't even measure the ingredients anymore.

But here is the recipe:

6 hard boiled eggs

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

1/4 tsp pepper

3 tbs mayo (but sometimes I add more)

To boil the eggs place in cold water with 1 inch above, bring to boil, let sit 10 minutes covered on low, then place directly into cold water. They say the cold water helps them to peel easier. After cutting in half and adding ingredients to egg yolks, fill whites with mixture. I lastly sprinkle paprika on top, and they are so good!

Monday I made this really fun cake to bring to another cookout. It was suppose to be red, but I couldn't get the red food coloring to work, so it was pink. It still tasted good though.

Click here for the recipe, it was actually pretty easy to make.

Color Me Red, White and Blue!

This long holiday weekend was filled with lots of food, fireworks, friends and family.

Saturday we spent the day at a family friend's house on the river. They had a big party with lots of great food.

Their house is out in the country and it's so peaceful. It was really nice.

Sunday we had a neighborhood cookout. Once again we ate a lot, and enjoyed friends. I was really impressed with the fireworks too.

Monday we went to a cookout at a friend's house, and then to the flying squirrel's game.

At the bottom of the secong inning it starting storming, so we went inside and waited.....

and waited........ But it didn't stop. They ended up canceling the game, but we still had a great time enjoying everyone's company and just hanging out.

As we were leaving the rain let up and they did the fireworks. I was so happy we got to see them!

Overall, it was such a great holiday weekend. I am so blessed to have such wonderful friends and family!!

why i run

My marathon training team head coach sent us out an email this week, asking us to really think about why we run, and hold onto it, because that is what's going to get you to the marathon.

So why do I run? And why did I decide to run a marathon?

I started running about 8 months ago, as a way to stay healthy. I needed some way of staying active, and I had friends who ran, so I thought why not? Then it became a social thing, I knew every Monday I could hear about my friend's dating lives, we could catch up and just have fun together. Then my friend talked me into training for a 10k race, then a different friend talked me into the marathon.

But somewhere along the way I realized that running has given me back a part of my life that had been missing for some time. I loved doing sports in high school. Swim team, gymnastics, cheering and running. I ran cross country and track and field. In all of these sports, you are competing against yourself, and by doing this you improve yourself. If you fall off the beam or swim a little slower you have no one to blame but yourself. But if you nail your landing and perform your routine perfectly you know it was all the hard work you put in, not just an inferior opponent. Running is the same way. A coach said your biggest obstacle in getting to the marathon is yourself, and it's so true.

I also love setting goals for myself. When I started training for a 10k, I honestly doubted myself. I remember thinking, I'm not going to make it to 6 miles by April. Then in early February I ran my first 10k. I was so proud of myself, the feeling of accomplishment on that day made me realize that I could do this and I was hooked.

Running is not always fun, it's not always pleasurable. But the finish always is. Whether it's just after a training run on a hot day, or like today, when I reached a new distance, 7 miles, that feeling of getting closer to your goal, or having just reached your goal, words can't describe it.

So, I run for the challenge. I run to reach a new goal. I run because I want to do something extraordinary. I run because something inside me loves it.

July 4th Favorites

I'm sure most of you have heard of Pinterest, I'm in love with this site! (Go check it out if you haven't yet.)
I was scrolling through some 4th of July pictures, and there are so many cute ones. Here are my favorites, to get you ready for this fun holiday weekend!

all photos from pinterest

Happy 4th of July!!!