I did it!

I did it!! I finally bit the bullet and signed up for my first marathon!!! ahhhhhh!!  I am running the St. Judes Memphis Marathon on Dec. 1, 2012!! I'm excited because I actually know someone running this race and it's a good excuse to visit my friends. One of my bffs, Michelle, moved to Memphis earlier this year and our other friend Emily moved there shortly after. Long story short...Michelle's hubby, Will, and Emily work together in Memphis and I haven't seen any of them since winter! I am supa pumped to see everyone! And run I guess.

me, Michelle, and her now hubs Will

In other news, I woke up this morning to my dog digging in the carpet. In my house, that only means one thing...Bug attack!! He's a fan of chasing and torturing playing with bugs. He rarely actually catches them, so this guy must have been a slow one.

Ari looking guilty for killing Mr. Bug (the black dot beside his head)

Memorial Day Weekend

This Memorial Day weekend was absolutely beautiful! Sunny all weekend and hot! On Saturday, we hit the pool for some tanning action and then went mountain biking!!! This was Ari's first mountain bike adventure and my first enjoyable ride! I've been once or twice before but was not a fan either time. I'm stronger, more confident, and had an awesome teacher this time around!!! Joel took Ari out for his first mountain biking experience while I got my bearings on the easy loop.  

Ari loving some mountain biking!

We didn't have much time before sunset, so I only did one lap in the woods and played in the parking lot until Joel and Ari made their way out a few minutes later.

finally got out on the mountain bike at Concord Park!

 Ari did great! And I had a blast (even though I was super slow and terrified that I would fall to my death)! We had so much fun, we hit it again Sunday morning. It was a scorcher so we tried to get out there early.

Ari and Joel's bike

And by early I mean 11am. It was already pretty hot so Ari did a lot of cooling off!!

a water dog doing what he does best

I got two laps in and was tired. Definitely need to work on that endurance!!! So I changed and walked some of the more difficult trails (not getting anywhere near those on a bike just yet) and met the boys back out at the car. Ari was cooked!!

happy/worn out pup!

The only bad part was that Ari ripped both front pads :(

bffs

You couldn't even tell the poor guy was in pain until we got back to Joel's house. He limped pretty bad for the next two days :( Luckily it was just the 1st layer of the pad so he should heal up quickly. 

We went down to grill out at Joel's parents after the mountain biking. The company was great, as usual, and the food was delish!

On Monday, we went on a hike. Since Ari's poor little feetsies were still in pain, we decided to leave him and home and hike the Ramsey Cascades Trail...4 miles up, 4 miles back down. Couldn't have asked for better weather!

Ramsey Cascades, Great Smoky Mountains National Park

And we finished!

It was so awesome to spend the entire weekend playing outside with the bf!! I will leave you with two random pictures from the hike.

helllllllo Sweat Pink shoelaces!

prob the best pic from the hike

The recycling dog

I haven't been sick in nearly a year and managed to catch some bug this weekend. Monday-Wednesday were not so pleasant. And because I rarely get sick these days, I was a big ol' baby about it. Luckily for Joel, he was out of town and didn't have to deal with my whining in person! But I am back to feeling better, although still a little snotty!

I went on a run for the first time in about a week yesterday after work. It was rather toasty out but I was WELL hydrated and rested due to the sickness. Figured I would just run 2 or 3 miles since my body was a tad weak but I felt great!! The pup and I got in 4 miles no problem!! We did run it a tad slow but it was one of those runs where you feel awesome!! On this run, we got a few laughs. I was like "oh no...can you see my underwear???" Fortunately for me, all was good. Ari had picked up a water bottle and ran with it 3 out of the 4 miles. He's quite the recycler. Gets water bottles everywhere we go. It's like treasure to him! Other runners and cyclists got a big kick out of it!

my little recycler

I let him play in the water some on the way back and when we finished I still had motivation/energy to do laundry, dishes, and cook dinner. This was a RARE occasion so I took advantage!

On another note, I've decided I'm going to take the plunge! I am going to give a marathon a try!! Ahhh!! Went to the runner's market, my local runner's shop, and ordered a new pair of shoes (it was time anyways) yesterday after my run and am ready to do this! 

Crazy May, weekend numero tres

This installment of Crazy May brings you another wedding...and a bike ride.

This weekend, my cousin got married in North Carolina. The wedding was super emotional! She sang a song as she walked down the aisle (this was a surprise for her now hubby). She, Chelsea, has an amazing voice and not one eye was dry in that room!! The father/daughter dance had everyone teared up again! Getting ready for this wedding was fun and laid back. Chelsea's friends are hilarious! They were cracking me up! I also got to make all the jewelry for the wedding! I'm pretty proud of the way all of the pieces turned out!

my cousin Ally and I (her sis is the one that got married)

We made it back to TN safe and sound and I had a dog-sitter until Sunday. So when I got up Sunday morning, I had zero guilt for going on a long bike ride before I picked up the pooch. Did an easy paced 30 mile ride through South Knoxville. This area is beautiful with open fields and country views! Love riding here!

man it feels good to be a gangster felt good to be back on the bike

After my amazing bike ride, I showered and immediately went to get Ari and see the bf...without eating. I did have a protein shake after riding and I'm pretty sure that is the only reason I managed to get to Joel's house without fainting. After hanging out for a few, I ran to Kroger to get grilling essentials for dinner. I decided to make a list on my phone of things that I needed (ginger ale is all that actually made it on the list). So of course I kept my list out the entire shopping trip to make sure I didn't leave anything behind. I checked out and left my phone at the self-checkout. Nice one, spaz. I didn't realize I had left it anywhere for 4 hours!! Joel and I were starving so we grilled, slammed down the food, and tinkered with bikes for a while. I wanted to take pictures of Joel playing with my bike because Ari was "helping" him. It was quite the sight! Anyways, we finished up and I used Joel's phone to call mine repeatedly all over the house and in my car. After several calls and no ringer heard, someone answered my phone! Some kind person had turned it in to customer service at Kroger (I thought for sure someone had stolen my phone and my identity)!! Good karma exists after all!! Hope that person gets some good karma too! Thank you, whoever you are!

Oh...and Joel had a 12 hour mountain bike race at Tsali this weekend (gah..only 12 hours). His team got second place!!! Totally rocked it!

I had a dream...

...that I was training for a marathon! I think it's a sign!

if only I looked this happy when I run

I'm not sure when but I'm thinking somewhere much flatter than TN! :)

Oh....and by sweet bf got me a pair of triathlon shorts because I've been talking for a while about giving one a tri (haha...get it? tri?). I'm thinking about doing a duathlon first (run bike run) since I'm not much of a swimmer. Now that I have shorts that don't feel like a diaper the proper attire, I have no excuses!

a picture update

I finally got the cord for my camera and have random some pics to update!

my beautiful rose from Joel for our 1 year

Melting Pot to celebrate 1 year!

delish!

Folly Beach, SC in April

our usual shot

checking out the scenery

Joel's dad and little Boots in Gatlinburg in May

baby's first time in the water!

yeah, we trail run to waterfalls - Great Smoky Mountains National Park

Grotto Falls trail run, May

had to get this shot in

Crazy May, weekend numero dos

Had another crazy/way too fast weekend.

My grandfather (aka Papa) and my uncle Howard came in town so we had dinner with the fam Friday night. This was Joel's first introduction to Papa and Howard. Any booooy they sure let it rip. They didn't hold back at all! Papa's favorite joke is to ask if you have "a little Jewish in ya". Joel was warned and proceeded to egg Papa on. Papa had a hard time remembering Joel's name and called him Josh all night. Joel basically called my uncle a relic and he called much attention the fact that Joel is a handsy talker. It was all in good fun! The company was enjoyed all around and lots of laughs were had. I think the fam might actually like the boytoy ;)

Saturday morning Joel had a mountain bike race nearby. It was the first I got to come show some gf support and it was prettttty cool to see him in action! The race was two laps around Concord Park (each lap taking him 40ish minutes). I saw him off then snuck up in the woods to see him come around for lap 2.

this is what I did while I waited...thanks for the entertainment, instagram

he rides so super fast, he is blurry!

I had to sneak off before the big finish... but from what I hear, Joel totally rocked it! He won the race!!

Ari and I hit the trails Saturday too! We went for a 3.5ish mile trail run. The weather was really nice and I was feelin good! After everyone was clean, Joel and I went to a friend's wedding. She got married at her dad's island on the TN River. The wedding was beautiful! But, I left my phone in the car so no pictures. Seeing some of the old high school crowd was actually a good time! Fun to catch up with my old climbing buddies.

Sunday was Mother's Day and...wait for it...wait for it...1 year with Joel!!!!! He is the first man to entertain me for an entire year!! He made me breakfast and I made mimosas! We spent time with our respective mothers yesterday and will celebrate "us" tonight.

Perfect weather

Yesterday it rained most of the day, then the clouds magically cleared and the sun was shining!! After work I had planned squeezing in a run, but the weather was just so perfect (70, breezy, and sunny), I decided to take my time and run a bit farther than I had planned. The pup and I ran "the boulevard" - a 5.2 mile section of the greenway that goes through a beautiful neighborhood by the water. And my greenway, I mean teeny gravel pebbly things. Makes for a slightly harder workout - almost like running on the sand. I parked at the church so the first mile was downhill but that means the last mile was uphill. I don't mind running it that direction because it lets me warm up, but my dog is not a fan. He pretends to lose any energy on the last mile, making it that much harder. I typically have to pull him up the last hill and yesterday was no exception. I had planned on getting a picture of both of us at the park but he went straight for the trunk of the car to get his water. We have a little routine where he jumps in the back and I pour his water - I have rubber mats for the messy drinker :)

Wednesday nights are date night with Joel, so the pup and I hit the grocery store then headed over to Joel's house. We made turkey BLTAs (turkey bacon, lettuce, tomato, and avocado). Mmmmm sooo good!!

Turkey BLTAs!

I'm noticing a pattern here...I tend to always have my camera (read iPhone) near food and/or beer but never on a run. Gotta work on that.

A bit of a side note: I got quinoa while at the store. I've never had it but I've heard such great things about it! Seems to be a good option for me since I tend to lack in the protein department. With all this activity, I can tell my body needs it. Anyways..very excited to try it. Anyone out there know any good recipes?

Soap Box

I'm not one to get on a public soap box so I'll make this quick. For those of you that don't know, NC passed Amendment One yesterday banning gay marriage. Supposedly you can marry your cousin in NC (note: didn't actually check the law on this), but you can't marry someone of the same sex. This is the 21st century but it sure doesn't feel like it sometimes. Someone dear to my heart is engaged to her partner and NC is just another place they cannot get married. She actually lived there for a time and was a contributing member to the state. Very disappointed, NC.

Soap box over.

Now to lighten the mood...beer and puppies :)

The boytoy and I went to the YMCA for some yoga (love the downtown yoga teachers!!) last night and got a serious/much needed work out!! Then we walked over to Market Square for a yummy dinner with the at Tomato Head. It was a beautiful night so we sat outside!

Dinner at Tomato Head

And the pup...he's just cute

Ari dog

Cinco de Mayo weekend

May is going to be a whirlwind!! Crazy weekend numero uno: Cinco de Mayo!

This post will be updated with more pictures when I get my replacement cord for my camera in 3-5 business days :)

The month started off with a girls trip to Atlanta. I love the story of how we know each other. Caley, my college roommate for 3ish years, got married last summer. She had 3 of us from college in her wedding and 3 of her friends from high school. The group has gotten together on 3 different occasions leading up to and including the wedding and we have all gotten along really well!! It is so rare to have so much fun/like all the bridesmaids in a wedding! So, it's been almost a year since the wedding and we decided it was time to get back together! We all made our way down to Jessica's apartment in Atlanta. We had some fun and a lot of laughs. I left on Saturday and played dd for the ladies before hitting the road. $1 margs?? Yes please! No worries..I had water.

After dropping the girls off, I got on the road up to Gatlinburg. I decided to go the scenic route through the mountains (which was actually much faster than going back through Knoxville). The drive was absolutely beautiful and perfect for riding with the windows down and some Whitney Houston pandora!!

Made it to Gatlinburg just before dark to spend some time with Joel's fam! His sister, Angelina, her partner, Cris, and Boots, the baby, were down from Philly to spend some time in the mountains. Joel and I grabbed some dinner and had a couple beers to celebrate Cinco de Mayo.

Cinco de Mayo

We headed back and called it a night after some visiting. We got a surprise wake up call at 4ish am. Ang's  prego Italian Greyhound had puppies!! Got to "watch" some of the process. I managed to turn the other way for the gross stuff. Still a really cool experience. The momma had 5 puppies! Unfortunately, one didn't make it but the other 4 are healthy and happy! 

pic from Ang's facebook

Joel and I managed to crash again and stayed in bed until 11:20! I can't remember the last time I stayed in bed past 9am! After we finally got up and moving, we decided to go for a "quick and easy" trail run. Joel found us a little warm up trail called Grotto Falls then we were going to hit something slightly longer. According to Joel, this was 1/2 a mile and relatively flat. HA!! It was 1.4 miles to the falls and straight up! So much for a warm up! Despite the trouble I had with the climb right out of the gate, it was a great run with a pretty waterfall at the top! The run down wasn't so bad either! pics coming soon

Then it was straight to the pool with the baby! Mr. Boots had his first pool experience and was adorable, as usual! pics coming soon

After some showers and walking around downtown, I headed home to pick up the pooch and crash! What a crazy/fun weekend!

Hellooo sunshine!

The weather around here has been so beautiful lately! Yesterday was mid-80s and sunshine! My legs were pretty dead from the trail race on Sunday and bike ride on Monday, so I took the pup to do a supa-dupa easy jog through the park. 

Ari lovin' some off-leash time

Ari is high energy to the extreme! After 2 days without much running, he was ready to get out and play! He is about 2.5 years old and still has a LOT of puppy/destruction left in him! He is usually quite the trouble maker, but yesterday he actually ran beside me -off leash- for 60% of the run. That is HUGE!! I think he realized I had treats in my pocket :) Chubs is highly food motivated. Definitely using this trick again!

instagram puppy

On a different note, anyone heard of Ragnar Relay? If not, you should check it out! It's an overnight relay from one city to another! I am hoping we can get a Sweat Pink team for the Chattanooga to Nashville relay!!!