Oh the Places We'll Go!

Bright and early tomorrow morning, Zach and I are leaving to head north for our Christmas adventure! We are headed to New England to spend the holiday in Rhode Island.

On our way up there, we will get to see our friends Mary Catherine and Kevin. We haven't seen them since April when they moved to North Carolina/Virginia! So excited.

We also have many adventures planned for our time up there. One of the days we will be visiting:

New York City!!

Neither of us has ever been and we are so thrilled to see a new place, especially one as fabulous as NYC!

I can't wait to see all the lights and the tree in Rockefeller Center and Central Park and all sorts of amazing places!

We are also visiting here:

Boston!

I've been to Boston many times and I love the city when it's all decorated for Christmas. Zach has never been so I am so excited to bring him. I hope he enjoys it as much as I do!

I'm also bringing Zach here one of the days:

Newport, RI!

I've seen the mansions decorated for Christmas and I think they are so beautiful. I can't wait to show Zach!

We have a few other small activities planned like ice skating, but we also have a lot of relaxation in there as well! Can't wait till tomorrow so we can leave!

What are some of your favorite places to visit around the holidays? Any recommendations for me while we're up there?

Off to finish laundry and packing! I'll update y'all from New England!

A Runnin' Bakin' Thursday

Today has been so busy-but a pretty good day overall!

I started out my morning with my long run of the week. Zoe and I did 10 miles! It didn't go as great as last week to be honest. I finished 4 minutes slower than last week, which isn't a huge deal, but overall I struggled more than I did last time. I had lead legs from mile 6 on. But you know what? It's ok! Eight months ago I could barely run a half a mile. So yay for 10 miles!

I have completed 40.7 miles so far in my 100 mile goal for December. I better get running! I have a 5 miler planned for tomorrow and I'm hoping next week to hit 25 miles for the week, plus a lot of walking for two of the days (big adventures planned-more on those tomorrow!)

I met Zach for lunch then we had to bring his car in for repairs. After a quick Walmart run we came home and began the laundry that has to get done today and tomorrow for our trip as well as some baking!

I baked three things:

Peanut Brittle:

Recipe here.

Eggnog Cookies:

Recipe here.

Chocolate Peppermint Cookies:

Recipe here.

I'm giving my advisor the peanut brittle along with three little bags of coffee from Cracker Barrel. They have the yummiest sounding flavors: Gingerbread coffee, Pumpkin Pecan coffee, and a more traditional French Vanilla. I hope she likes it!

I made the other two types of cookies for a potluck lunch the chemical engineering department is hosting tomorrow. I hope to be able to try some other types of yummy cookies!

Off to watch Charlie Brown Christmas!

How was your Thursday?

How do you make yourself feel better about eh runs?

Have you baked anything fabulous lately?

A Festive Balancing Act

The holidays can be majorly stressful. Aside from finding the perfect gift within your budget, baking ten different kinds of cookies, hosting friends, and traveling, PLUS your normal routine of going to work/school...when the heck do you find time to work out?

How in the world do you continue a balanced lifestyle during the holidays?

1. Be a little selfish

Yes, this is the season of giving. But you also have to give to yourself. Take time for yourself and for your health to exercise. There are so many ways to stay active during the holidays whether it's a hometown holiday 5k or catching up with your dad while walking around the neighborhood looking at the Christmas lights. Both my mom and I run so I'm looking forward to catching up with her while getting in some miles! Tell your family your workout plans and make sure to stick to your fitness goals, even at the holidays. It's hard to merge schedules and routines when you're used to doing your own thing, but being firm with what's important to you will make you happy you got your workout in as well as relieve all the stress of the holidays. I always feel more patient after I run!

2. Be flexible

While it is important to remain active during the holidays, it is also important to spend time with family and friends. For example, I have plans next week Tuesday and Thursday with family that are all-day events, so I will do my runs Monday, Wednesday, and Friday. If plans change, I will simply move the day I run. Working out is a priority for me, especially during the time of year I want to enjoy seasonal homemade treats, but I also want to spend as much time as possible with my family, so I know that means running on days I can or getting up early to workout before going on the day's adventures.

My charming sister and dad. Sweet face Chel. Who wouldn't want to spend all day with that face?

3. Make wise food choices

Y'all know I love me some cookies (and m&ms and cake and pie). But I also know exactly what I'm looking forward to and what isn't my favorite. I LOVE gingerbread cookies and tollhouse pie, and I will definitely be eating the heck out of those. But butterballs? Sugar cookies? Not my favorite. Yes, I like them, but I'd rather have gingerbread cookies. So I will forgo those because they aren't as calorie-worthy as my favorites. I also eat healthy, normal foods surrounding the indulgent meals/days. I normally have peanut butter-banana-chocolate soy milk shakes every morning for breakfast, which I will continue to do on vacation. At restaurants I choose chicken and fish with steamed vegetables and continue to track my calories (which works for me-I know everyone is different!). Basically, don't indulge all day every day and pick and choose your treats.

GET IN MY BELLY

4. Disconnect from 24-7 technology

This is family and friends time. While I will definitely be blogging and tweeting during our trip, I also want to listen to what my family and friends are saying. I never get to see them, so my attention is important. I want to hear what they have been up to and enjoy my time with them. Do the same! Enjoy your loved ones and their company! Take pictures and watch movies! (And then post pictures so we can all see them! Haha). Just be present with your loved ones this holiday. That is one of the hardest things to balance but one of the most rewarding.

5. Relax and get enough sleep

I am beyond excited for all of the day trips I have planned next week, but I'm also looking forward to chilling out on the couch watching Christmas movies and sleeping in. Being stressed, bad eating, and a lack of sleep ruins the holidays. Take a break from wrapping gifts and go to bed! You can always wrap them tomorrow!

How do you create balance during the holidays?

23 and a Half Hours: You'll Be Glad You're a Runner!

Runner's World tweeted a link to this video earlier today. Watch it! It's really interesting!

As someone who was formerly unhealthy, watching this video makes me really glad I've changed my habits!

Why I'm glad I'm a runner:

-I get to enjoy the weather all year round (yes, even the cold days!)

-I get to travel and visit new places for races

-I can fit into my "skinny jeans" (actually, they're too big now! I had to buy smaller jeans!)

-Exercise gives me endorphins. Endorphins make me happy. (Happy people just don't shoot their husbands...they just don't!)

-QT with Zoe and Zach

-I get to chat and catch up with my mom while we burn off Christmas cookies

-It makes me feel good about my accomplishments

-Awesome runner-blogger community

-Running changed my life for the SO MUCH better!

Are you a runner? If you are, why are you glad you're a runner? What did you think of the video?

How was your weekend? Zach, Zoe and I had a great weekend visiting his family for Mississippi Christmas. I got some great gifts! I can't wait to try them out! :) For running, I was given an armband for my iPhone so I don't have to carry it (YAY!) as well as a new long sleeved running shirt! I also got the movie The Help, which Zach and I watched last night. LOVED IT!! WHY did I wait so long to see it?! Now I will definitely be reading that book over break.

Happy Monday!

Christmas Baking Crazy!

This weekend, Zach and I are headed south to see his family for Christmas, since we will be with mine on actual Christmas. We decided to bake his family several Christmas desserts to bring with us!

First we made Chocolate Cake Reeses Peanut Butter Chunk cookies.

SO GOOD. Chocolate and Reese's? You can't go wrong! Recipe here

We also made Chocolate Candy Cane Blossom cookies. I love how festive these look!

I almost wish I put some red and green sprinkles on them! Recipe here

And lastly, we made Eggnog pound cake. I can't wait to try some of this because I love eggnog!

The recipe called for cranberries but I didn't use those...just made the cake part. Recipe here

We tied up the desserts in pretty cellophane and ribbon.

We are also including some Mississippi State homemade jelly. MSU has a huge agriculture, animal science and vet department so we are able to buy homemade ice cream, cheese, jelly, juices, meats and so many other things.

Our favorite flavors are muscadine, mayhaw, and scuppernog.

We wrapped up these and placed them with the cookies!

I can't wait to share them with everyone and enjoy them!

What are you baking this holiday? What's your favorite recipe?

Zoe the Christmas Dog and Other Things That Make Me Happy Today

This is our first Christmas with Zoe and she is so excited to be part of the festivities.

She loves our mini Christmas tree. She sniffs it frequently. She was sad it doesn't have lights so she made her eyes shine like lights when I took her picture.

You all know she is into accessories. Zoe is currently rockin' her Christmas collar for the month of December. It's white with red and green holiday words like "Merry Christmas", "Joy", "Happy Holidays" and "Family".

She also picked out these two bandanas for her holiday activities. She loves Charlie Brown so she got a Charlie Brown Christmas bandana!

We also found this cute gingerbread man bandana. It's SPARKLY! All Zoe's accessories are less than $10 and we find them on Etsy!

I got this cute dog bone ornament at Cracker Barrel in Tennessee for $1! I painted Zoe's name on it and we hung it on our palm tree.

Walmart had the cutest stocking that we found for Zoe. I painted her name in gold sparkles and outlined the paws as well. Homegirl is really into bling and shiny stuff.

Zoe has asked Santa Paws for her own jar of peanut butter, bones, and some doggie sunglasses. She's such a diva.

This morning me and miss diva ran 10 miles! For my last half marathon, the longest training run I ran was 8 miles due to my knee setback.

We were taking it easy and just trying to hit the mileage so we were happy with ourselves today.

I have a really bad habit of not drinking enough water post-long run so today I've been drinking water like crazy out of my Tervis.

So far no headache so I think I'm good!

I also enjoy wearing compression sleeves to work. Best part about them? No one knew I had them on!

What compression sleeves?

IT'S ALMOST FRIDAY YAY!!

How was your Thursday? What does your fur child ask Santa Paws for?

Peanut Butter Granola! Guest Post on Little Miss Runshine!

Happy Wednesday everyone! We are only two days away from the weekend and that much closer to Christmas!

I guest posted today for Jessica over at Little Miss Runshine!

(Doesn't she have the greatest blog name?!)

I am featuring a favorite recipe of mine for Peanut Butter Granola. I saw this recipe awhile back at Julie's blog, Peanut Butter Fingers.

(image via PB Fingers)

Its a delicious and easy snack! Go over to Jessica's blog and check it out!