it's my anniversary

Today my hubby and I have been married for five years. It's truly flown by, and when I think about how long we have actually been together, it literally blows my mind.  I can honestly say that we are in a better place now than when we first got married. Although it was fun being newlyweds, we were still learning how to exist in the same space together. I remember being horribly offended or hurt by things that Justin said or did or didn't say or didn't do, and he didn't know he was even doing stuff wrong!  Then we started having kids and life took a turn for the busy. Suddenly we were so immersed in bottles and diapers and late nights and naptime that we forgot about each other. I don't know if I looked my husband in the eye for two years. Seriously. We were not working on our marriage. We were just "existing" with each other, living life taking shifts with the kids.
Now that we are out of baby mode forever (promise), we have started taking time to get to know each other again. We have been going out on dates. We have been staying up and watching movies together after the kids are in bed. We have been looking each other in the eyes again. This time, though, we know each other much more than we used to. And that kind of comfort is fantastic.
We are going out of town for the weekend to celebrate. No kids. I am sure the first few hours will be weird (what do you talk about if it isn't about your kids?), but we will quickly remember why we liked hanging out in the first place and have a great time.
No exercise this weekend...just fun. I'll catch up next week!

yay for wine

One of the best parts about my job is that I get to do a little moonlighting at a higher-end restaurant that just opened up in Vermillion. The same man who owns MASABA also owns RED, and we actually met while he was getting the restaurant up and running (you know how I love startups!).  RED is a chef-inspired steakhouse restaurant with an extensive wine list. I have the good fortune to be able to host the Weekly Wine Hour every week at RED, as well as hosting exclusive tasting events for the Wine Lover's Club members. It is a time consuming job, but a fantastic time, and who wouldn't love tasting your way through a wine list?
Tonight we are going to be looking at a few of my favorite wines that are available at RED, namely St. Francis Chardonnay, Angeline Merlot, KokomoCuvee (we JUST got it in and it is fabulous), and the Chateau St. Michelle Gewurtztraminer (a yummy dessert wine). 

The St. Francis is, hands down, my favorite Chardonnay right now.  It is not too oakey, but very buttery and with a great vanilla finish. I love it so much that I have a case of it in my basement.  It's that good!





The Angeline Merlot is unlike any other Merlot I have tasted. While many merlots can be quite tannic, this one doesn't taste that way at all. It is very drinkable just on its own, but it can also handle itself next to a heavy pasta pairing any day of the week.





The Kokomo Cuvee is a blend of four red varietals, and it is absolutely divine. Talk about an easy-drinking wine. It's dark, but don't let that be off-putting. It's smooth as silk and almost too easy to drink too much of (trust me).

 Finally, the Chateau St. Michelle Gewurtztraminer is the perfect wine for after dinner treats. Sometimes I don't want coffee with my dessert. Sometimes I want wine (usually, actually). This is a perfect accompaniment to any dessert item. It's also good with a spicy Thai dish.








If you happen to be in the area between 6 and 7pm tonight, come to RED and spend some time with my favorite wines! If not...I highly recommend them for consumption in your own home, as well.

thwarted again...

Well, once again I missed the Boston time.  I swear to you, that race is slowly becoming my mistress-bitch; mean, unattainable, but just plain awesome.  My NIKE time was 3:59:59.  It's a little slower than the Brookings Marathon, but still under four (barely). 

This race was amazing. It was challenging, hilly, cold, rainy, and beautiful all at the same time. 

My flight home was delayed and so I didn't get home until 2am, and started work at 7am, so I am not even close to being in a good spot to discuss the race, but here are some pictures to whet your appetite.  Look for a longer post later on in the week that will recap how things went.

 Here is the picture of the start line. Because I am a nike plus user, I got to be right at the front. What an awesome perk!

Here is a picture of the Golden Gate Bridge. It was beautiful. There was a lot of fog around it, and so it just kind of emerged from the clouds. Very magical.

Mile 25. What an amazing view. I just kept staring at the waves as I ran into the finish line. They were the reason I made it in under four hours.

This is the adorable fireman who gave me my Tiffany finisher's necklace. Isn't he handsome? They all were. I guess San Francisco firefighters have to be cute to get on the force or something.

Until next time....

road trip

This morning I head out to San Francisco for the NIKE Marathon. I am so unbelievably excited.  I haven't been to San Fran in years, so it will be a lot of fun to go back and see how it's changed (or not).  I am also meeting up with one of my very good friends from my ARMY days that I haven't seen in about 15 years (am I really that old?).
I am a little nervous about running the race. My legs have felt very heavy for the last two weeks, and my knees seem to be a bit boggy and fluidy. I am not really sure why. It's not really painful; just unsteady. I'm not sure what that means or what is causing it. I have not run since yesterday, and don't plan to until race day. I am wearing only flats, as I'm starting to wonder if all of my heel wearing lately has something to do with it. Apparently heels are the devil.  I just can't seem to resist temtpation, though....I love a good heel.
Definitely on the to do list for us is a visit to the NIKE Expo. where we pick up our packets and take in all the fabulous things NIKE has to offer. I am excited to see the lunar eclipse shoes, as my shoes were discontinued (boo NIKE) and I need to find some suitable replacements.  We also want to go to the top of the Mark, and plan on going Sunday evening as a last, awesome treat to ourselves for running the marathon.  I definitely want to hit Fisherman' Wharf, as that is the most memorable part of SF for me.  Finally, I just want to see the beach. I miss the ocean terribly. One of the most difficult things about living smack in the middle of the country is that I am so far from the ocean. I love the ocean. I miss it. One day I will live by the ocean again. 
I'm off to shower and pick up the girls.  Think good thoughts for me and NIKE!

a san-fran-panic-attack

So today I was running at lunch, and it totally hit me that next weekend I will be running a marathon next Sunday. Not just any marathon...the Nike Women's Marathon.  Wow!  I am both thrilled and sickened at the same time (I'm pretty sure I said the exact same thing when I ran Brookings.  That must be my marathon feeling).
I feel horribly unprepared for a marathon, but know that I will get through it, nonetheless.  My buddy, Rachel is in ridiculous shape and she will most likely finish with the Boston qualifying time I so desperately want.  She is 21, feisty, and fabulous.  Plus, she is a really strong runner. She's a good running buddy, that's for sure.  My other marathon buddy, Karen, just ran a marathon a month ago. Double wow.  I don't think I could run two marathons in one month (nor do I think I want to).  As for me, I am lucky to log 25 miles in a week, let alone a single day.  The farthest run I completed was 17.5 miles. I'm going to give it my best, though, and hopefully I will emerge victorious.
This week I have been running between 3 and 4 miles a day. This weekend I want to get one day of 8 or so miles. Next week I will run Monday and Tuesday, and maybe take a walk on Wednesday. I will rest Thursday, Friday, and Saturday (as much as one can rest in fabulouse San Francisco!!), and Sunday is the big day.  Monday I will crawl onto the plane and fly home.
It's gonna be great. I know it. 

a little fine print...

So, it turns out the new, fab job is not so good for my training.  I go to work at 7am each morning, so in order for me to get a 30 minute run in, I have to get up and out by 5:15am.  Longer runs are completely out of the question.  Ugh...it's early!  And dark.  And sometimes a bit scary.

Yesterday while I was running, I suddenly heard a rustling in the woods that sounded like something was coming right towards me.  I leaped three feet in the air and yelped....at my own cat, Millie (lion kitty, as the neighborhood has so affectionately named her). She is named that, not because she is scary, but rather that she is a long-haired orange and white cat that we have groomed into a lion cut. She was a foster cat that we eventually adopted and really likes to be outside, but her adventures often leave her with horrible burrs and tangles in her fur.  She always feels a little silly after we shave her, but I know deep down she really feels better.  Plus, the neighbors all love her. She has become a neighborhood icon, of sorts. Go, lion kitty!

This morning I nearly jumped out of my skin at a dog that started barking as I ran by.  He was in a fenced yard, and had it been daytime I wouldn't have been bothered at all. But this "dark" thing...I don't know.  I'm unsteady.

Do you run when it is daylight or when it is dark?

All things considered, though...I still love my fab job. This is a small price to pay. And, did I mention they have a workout room?  Problem solved.

one last run with the boys

This weekend was the Susan Komen 5k race. It is a race that I have always run with my boys in the jogging stroller. The course is fast and flat, and they love the energy, music, and all of the people. Sadly, this was probably the last year that we could do it.  The stroller (I may have mentioned once or twice) is now 100 pounds....goodness knows how heavy it will be next year! 

I am also still training for Nike, so wanted to get in a good run in addition to the 5k race, so my fellow Nike goer, Rachel and I logged 11 miles before the run (please note that I did not bring my boys on this run).

Here we are coming into the finish line!  Do we look great or what?  I am proud to tell you that we ran that 5k, 100 pound stroller and all, in 24 minutes and change.  Can you believe that?  Of course, my buddy Rachel took a couple of turns pushing the stroller while we ran, which pretty much solidified our friendship right there.  I think she wildly underestimated how difficult it is to run with the stroller...what a lesson for a 24 year old! 

This weekend I meet some running club buddies that I haven't seen for a long time for a nice 7.5 mile run. I'm thinking about starting earlier and getting another 5 or so in...one last week of mileage before marathon mania.