H54F - I'm Back!!

Wow.... I sure have missed reading all of your bloggies!!! And I've definitely missed posting! 

How in the world has it been since the end of July since my last post?! Back to work plus another semester of grad school plus lots of craziness here and there equals no time to blog!!! Or even read blogs! 

I spent Thanksgiving break catching up on your all's blogs!!! I am almost caught up! Finally!

I figured what better way to jump back in than a High Five for Friday post!!!

Here are five of my favorite things from this week: 

1- The Sound of Music Live last night. Seriously. The BEST ever! I just love that movie. Add my fav, Carrie Underwood, and it was just great!! Did you all watch it?!

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2-It's my favorite time of the year!!! I'm loving all the Christmas decorations around town. I love listening to the Christmas music! And I love seeing all the smiling faces out Christmas shopping. 

3-My sister introduced me to the wonderful world of turning your local library card into an online resource!!! I'm loving the Zinio Magazine Collection! I can check-out all the current magazines directly to my iPad? For free??? YES please!

4 - I'm so thankful I was able to see most of my family and Ben's family for Thanksgiving. And I can't wait to see everyone again for Christmas! We had a great time in Gatlinburg. 

It was beautiful with the snow!!! As long as I didn't have to drive the hills with snow and ice in the dark. Shew, thank goodness for Ben driving! 

5- Finally, I'm loving the Skinny Taste website and all of their wonderful recipes!!! My favorite is still the Skinny Taco Chili. This time, I threw in a can of pumpkin with it :) delicious! Next up on my list, Skinny Cranberry Bliss Bars! 

Hope you all have a great weekend! 

H54F

This week FLEW by. Probably because it was my last offical week of summer :( I have meetings Monday through Friday next week. Then the student's first day back is Tuesday, August 6th. Where did summer break go?!?!!

Here are my highlights from the past week:

1. I am LOVING the weather we have been having this week. It has been in the 70's and low 80's, which is just perfect. Perry's loving that we can go for longer walks in the morning with the cooler temps!!!

2. We celebrated Ben's birthday last weekend. His birthday was last Friday, but it was a weekend-long party, of course! We had a great time celebrating his birthday with friends! 

3. The juicer we ordered from Bed, Bath and Beyond FINALLY came in!!!!! I put it to use right away with a watermelon, peach and apple juice. It was very pink and quite delicious. The watermelon was very strong! Can't wait to try more juices!! If you know any good recipes, send them my way :) 

4. We have been getting our weekly CSA share from Elmwood Farms. This week included blackberries, which were absolutely delicious! We just got our share on Wednesday and the blackberries are already gone. 

5. Finally, I'm loving that I got my hands on the Aquage Uplifting Foam that Kate always talks about. It is amazing! I tried it yesterday and it worked wonders. So happy I finally bought some! 

I hope everyone has a great weekend. I hope to spend mine outside as much as possible before meetings and school starts back up!!! 

Don't forget to link up with Lauren for H54F!! 

H54F

I'm trying to make time for blogging, so I decided to start back with a High Five for Friday post!!!

1. I'm loving the beautiful weather we have been having this week! It's been sunny and warm, which is a nice break from all the rain we've had!

2. We had perfect weather for Thursday Night Live last night. And I had a great time catching up with some old girlfriends. 

3. Ben and I are doing the Tone It Up slimdown this week and hopefully next week to detox our body from all of the July 4th weekend cookouts, drinking and what not :)  I actually love eating clean like this because I feel SO much better! 

4. Even though we're doing the slimdown, we had a little cheat meal last night. I had a GF pizza at a local favorite, Joe Bolognas. Best GF pizza in Lexington! It was so good I forgot to snap a picture before we devoured it. Oops. 

5. I'm loving my new suit from Victoria's Secret. And I'm loving the sale on all the swim suits right now! If only I could look like this when I wear the suit.... 

What are you loving this week? Link up with Lauren for H54F!!

Sunday Social - Summer!

I'm linking up with Neely for Sunday Social!

This Weeks Questions:

Best Summer memory as a kid?

Riding bikes all over town and spending countless hours at the pool with friends!!!

Favorite summer drink?

In the morning, Iced Coffee

If I'm going out at night, skinny margarita 

Favorite Summer TV show?

I don't really have a favorite summer TV show, but I am excited for the Bachelorette to start tomorrow!! I love Des and can't wait to watch this season!

Best outdoor summer activity? 

Going to the pool, going out on the lake or going on vacation to the beach. I also love Thursday Night Live here in Lexington, and getting dinner and drinks with friends on the patio.  

Summer vacation essentials?

Swim suit, summer dresses, my Lilly pool bag, lots of sunscreen, a hat, and a tumbler!

I hope everyone is having a great Memorial Day weekend! We're off to the lake for day 2!

Kentucky Oaks

So I may be a few weeks late, but here is my recap from the Kentucky Oaks!

Ben and I went to the Oaks with his family. For those who don't know, the Oaks is the fillies race the day before the Derby at Churchill Downs.  

We had amazing weather! We got there early enough to see everything before it got crowded. Luckily, we had seats inside the Derby Museum, which made it much easier to eat, get drinks and bet without having to fight a crowd!!!

Our seats outside were great too!

My drink of choice was the Lilly. So delicious!!!

And Ben's was the Mint Julep

We had a great time! I can't wait to go back next year. 

Girls On The Run 5K Recap

This past spring, we started Girls On The Run at my school. This has been the most rewarding experience! I am so proud of all the girl's hard work and dedication!!!!

Girls On The Run is a program for girls in grades 3 to 5 to help inspire girls to be healthy and confident. The program focuses on self-esteem, health education, life skills development, mentoring relationships and physical training. The program was 12 weeks long and the girls ran a 5K at the end of the season to celebrate their accomplishments.

Here are some pictures from our wonderful season!

I can't wait to coach again next year!!

If you want more information about GOTR, check out their website here.  Or feel free to email me and I can share my experience! It is an awesome program for these girls!!

Where Has April Gone?! Half Marathon Recap from MARCH!

Why is it that spring is always the busiest season!?!

I cannot believe it's already the end of April. Sheesh!

I just realized I never posted about my second half marathon!!!

On March 30, we ran the RunTheBluegrass half marathon again for the second year in a row. Here is my recap from last year, my FIRST half marathon!!! 

This race continues to get better and better as the years go on! We did the race the first year when it was at the Kentucky Horse Park, but opted for the 5K as we were not 13.1 miles ready yet :) 

The course is now at Keeneland and it was the same hilly, sharp curves and hills at mile 9 course that I remembered last year! I didn't train on the course like I did last year, but I don't regret it. I almost think training on the course made me dread the hills because I knew exactly when they were coming!

Ben and I before the race. It was a beautiful morning and we couldn't have asked for better running weather!! Cold morning at the start line and cool during the race!

Ben and I both beat our time from last year, and that was our only goal!! I finished in 2:28:47 and Ben finished in 2:07:06. 

We're already talking about doing another half in the fall. I would love to be able to do RunTheBluegrass every year. I love supporting a local race! We even recruited a few friends....

I really do love and enjoy running. I just wish I had more time to run during the week when I'm not training for a race. Let's be honest, I have not been very good about waking up when my alarm clock goes off at 5am to hit the treadmill or run outside. 

 I'm so exhausted with work and grad school and everything else, the extra 30-45 minutes of sleep sound so much better. And if I don't run in the morning, it seems impossible to get a run in at night because there are a bazillion other things going on. If only I could schedule a certain running time and keep it... 

 We finally have a "free" weekend with minimal commitments so I will have a chance to run errands, do homework, catch up on laundry and go for a run. 

Hoping I can drag this little guy with me on all of the above :)

Have a great weekend!

HR Monitor

I have been debating whether or not to purchase a HR monitor for a while now. 

My sister has had one for years and was always encouraging me to get one. I already had one to use with my Garmin Forerunner, but I couldn't figure out how to use it if I wasn't running outside. 

I finally find the pink Polar FT4 on Amazon for $60 and decided to go for it. 

It's safe to say I am now obsessed with it! 

I love seeing how much I'm burning when I workout. 

Whether it's a quick 5K on the treadmill and stretching....

Or a 9 mile run burning over a thousand calories!!

I LOVE seeing my maximum and average HR during my workout. 

I've also used it during Pure Barre and online Barre3 workouts. I love seeing how different each class intensity and burn can be! 

Best purchase in a while :) 

Do you have a HR monitor? Do you use during every workout? 

What I Ate Wednesday

Today, I'm linking up for "What I Ate Wednesday" hosted by Peas and Crayons.

I didn't make anything in the crock pot this week, but I did grab some pre cooked chicken at Trader Joes to throw on my salads.

Love this chicken!!!

We've also been having protein pancakes for breakfast. Seriously, these things are delic!!! They are from Tone It Up and they are the perfect breakfast item. They really do keep you full in the morning because its full of protein and fruit and such, and its gluten free :) the recipe can be found on their website here.

I love to top mine with Raw Agave Syrup. Much better for you than maple syrup (according to TIU at least!).

I can't finish this post without admitting I've had dessert lately. Like almost every day. Fro yo with a friend Friday..... Ice Dream cup from Chick Fil A last night.... Yikes! If I wasn't running so much it would sneak up.

I didn't post last Friday for Lose 5 lbs in February, but as of Monday, I am down 2 lbs and currently at 123.5. I have to remember to take a snapshot this week (although it may be ugly with all my sweets!!!!).

Anything new you are eating this week or recipes to share?!! Link up!

Lululemon Fail

Any other Lululemon lovers out there?! 

I could live in their clothes. I wear them to barre class, to run, when I run errands, whenever I get home.  If only I could wear them to work.... (Although I have to a few trainings when I'm feeling extra lazy with my buddy, Tracy by my side). 

I've only been on the Lululemon train for about 2 years, but I've seen them gradually go down in terms of quality.  I read all about this on the website but had yet to experience it myself. 

Well I got a new pair of groove pants, and boy oh boy can I tell the difference!!!! And not to mention, they feel see through, especially in the behind area!!!!! I am so bummed. I wore them to Girls On The Run practice (another post for another day, but I'm loving it!!!) and the seams started to unravel. So mad!!!! 

Anyone else experiencing this?! I wonder if I should take them to the Lululemon store.... Any suggestions?! I'm not ready to give up on my beloved Lulu's, but I can't have see through pants during downward dog......

What I Ate Wednesday.... One day late

Ok, so i'm one day late posting but here it is anyway :)

I am linking up for "What I Ate Wednesday" hosted by Peas and Crayons 

I am loving Gina's Skinny Taste recipes!

I made the Santa Fe Chicken in the Crockpot on Sunday night to have for lunches and dinners this week. 

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It is delic!

I made some Quinoa to have with it, and it's the perfect combo!

On Tuesday, my friend, Britney and I got Chipotle take-out to eat while watching the UK game. 

I got a burrito bowl for only 470 calories!!! Deal!

(I had brown rice, chicken, black beans, corn and tomato salsa and fajita veggies - NO CHIPS!)

Anyone have a recipe they are loving that you want to share! Please let me know :) 

Have a great Valentine's day!!!

Get Fit February

I'm kind of late to the party, but I'm still going to join Mals Miles in the 

Lose 5 lbs in February challenge!

Mallory just got her certification in Body Pump and has lost a ridiculous amount of weight in the past two years. 

I am currently training for the half marathon in March so my workout schedule is in full force now. 

I am hoping to get in 3 runs during the week and 1 long run on the weekends according to my training plan from Marathon Rookie here 

Along with my runs, I want to add more strength and cross training workouts. I like to do Pure Barre or BarreAmped for my strength training, but I'd like to use the free weights and machines at the gym more. I'm hoping Ben will train me and push me to use more weights this month :) 

My goal for the rest of February:

 -Track EVERYTHING in MyFitnessPal

-Link up with the "What I Ate Wednesday" posts

-Link up with "Fitness Fridays" posts

I'm hoping this will help hold me accountable throughout the week!!

Here it is... 

My starting weight

(ok, so this is after dinner tonight. I usually weigh about 124-124.5, so maybe my goal should be lose 6 LBS, ha!)

Some inspirational pictures for the month:

Who's with me?!?!

A Much Needed Snow Day!

I was anticipating this weather all week. 

But I thought a 3 day weekend, followed by a 3 day week and ANOTHER 3 day weekend was too good to be true. 

Luckily, the weather hit at the perfect time to give us a nice icy commute and school officials called school off early this morning. 

 Thankful for my boo, Rachel, for forwarding the text alert, mine didn't come through :( 

I realize it's really not THAT snowy outside....

But, while running across the street to pick up some dry cleaning, I saw a pretty bad accident. 

Lots of black ice out there. There were several accidents on the interstate this morning. So hopefully, calling off school was the right choice :) I just hope it wasn't a "waste" of a snow day. I'm perfectly ok with a snow day here in there, I just hate when we have snow days back to back. Hopefully February won't be too bad. 

Perry had fun running errands with me and hanging out at home. 

We caught up on Laundry, dropped off and picked up dry cleaning, had a pit stop at Starbucks and cleaned the house!!

I should be working on Grad school homework, but I just can't bring myself to do it. Guess I'll have to head to Starbucks and buckle down this weekend!

I'm hoping the roads aren't bad tonight so I can meet my friend for BarreCardio at Sweat. I need an intense workout after splurging on Mexican (and Margaritas!) last night at dinner. 

Hope everyone stays safe and warm with this weather!

The Bullet

I'm a big protein shake for breakfast/after a workout kind of girl. 

I've been using the blender bottles, but I hate that you can't add chunks of fruit to your smoothie!

I had this little beauty on my christmas/birthday list and my lovely boyfriend did not disappoint. 

I'm loving all the concoctions I've made lately. 

I've been getting recipes from some bloggies

My favorite from PB fingers has been the Ice Cream Smoothie... so delic. 

my beloved Tone It Up girls

and Pinterest

Do you all have any protein smoothies/shakes that you are loving?! If so, please share :)