WIAW #39: Tasty Treats

Hey everyone!  How's your day going?  I'm doing much better today...yesterday I was a bit "under the weather" thanks to too much wine while watching The Bachelorette on Monday.  Whoops!  Good thing I had nothing to do on Tuesday.  

Today is going to be busy, though!  I have an all-day meeting to plan for a back-to-school workshop I'm running AND Joe and I have to pack for Chicago before we fly up there on Thursday.  I can't believe the ZOOMA Half Marathon is here already!  It feels like just yesterday that I won the entry to the race and started putting together my training plan.

ANYWAY...sorry for the rambling.  It's Wednesday, so that means that it's time for another edition of...

Today's WIAW post features some treats I've had over the last week.  Some of them are sweet treats, and some are just meals-I-don't-have-often-that-were-quite-a-treat!  So, without further ado, let's take a look!  

Thanks, as always, to Jenn of Peas and Crayons for the WIAW party!  Head on over to Jenn's blog to check out what other bloggers are eating and find out more about what What I Ate Wednesday is all about!

Sweet Frog's Watermelon Frozen Yogurt

While my mom was in town last week, we stopped by Sweet Frog for a sweet treat!  They had a watermelon fro-yo that I decided to mix with Vanilla, graham crackers, chocolate sprinkles, and some chocolate bark.  Yummy!  If you had a Sweet Frog near you, you NEED to try this watermelon flavor! It's so so good!

On-the-beach Ice Cream Bars

Mom and I are not ones to pass up ice cream, so when the ice cream truck drove by on Friday, we had to get some ice cream bars!  I got a Chipwich, and mom got a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar.  It was the perfect treat for a hot day on the beach.  Plus, I hadn't had a Chipwich in FOREVER, and I forgot how great they are.

Yogurt Bowls for Breakfast

I've been having yogurt bowls lately for breakfast, but they are quite a treat to me!  This vanilla Greek yogurt bowl has Apple Pie Oat Clusters from NatureBox mixed in, and it's a great mix of tasty, creamy, and a little crunch.  So good!

Freshly Caught-By-Us Scallops

On Monday night, I sauteed up the scallops we caught on Sunday, threw in some frozen shrimp, and put them over fettucini alfredo.  It was a really great dinner, and it was a nice treat to be eating something actually we caught ourselves!  I wish we had something like this for dinner every night!

I'd say that I've had some pretty great treats lately, both as meals and as dessert!  As I start work soon, I'm going to be working on eating a cleaner diet, so the sweet treats will have to be cut out...sad day :(  That's ok, though!  My waistline will appreciate that :)

Question for you: What's your go-to sweet treat?  What do you consider a treat at meal time?

Reviews of Recent Reads

Hey everyone!  Anyone watch The Bachelorette finale last night?  I did!  As silly as it is to get so in to this show, I'm really happy for Andi and Josh!  I guess I'm a little partial to Josh since he's a UGA grad, and I married myself a UGA grad as well :)

Ok, let's get on to the ACTUAL post...

I usually share book reviews with y'all as soon as I finish reading a book, but the last one I did was way back in January!  I've definitely been reading since then, but I guess the books just haven't been worth talking about.  Well, on the last month, I've finished three books that I really, really liked, so let me share a short review about each of them.

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult

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There's been a lot of buzz about this book recently, so I was excited to check it out.  At first, I had a hard time getting in to it, but once I did, I pretty much flew through it!  There were quite a few things that I loved about this book.  First, the story is told from four different perspectives, and I always love to see the same events through different people's eyes in a novel!  Second, once the novel gets going, the book talks about the Holocaust and World War II.  I find this period in history fascinating, and I very much enjoyed this part of the book.  Last, the conclusion of the book was not exactly what I expected, but I was very pleased with it.  I don't like knowing what's going to happen throughout the story, and Jodi Picoult certainly threw a few curve balls in throughout the story.  I actually gasped out loud when I read the last 3 pages of the book!  

The Storyteller is a fantastic novel, but I will say it is not light reading.  It will really make you think, and parts are very sad.  BUT, I do recommend that you read it, especially if you like historical fiction or the World War II/Holocaust time period.

I Didn't Come Here to Make Friends: Confessions of a Reality Show Villain by Courtney Robertson

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On a COMPLETELY different page, if you like the TV series The Bachelor/The Bachelorette, then you will love this memoir by the winner of Ben's season of The Bachelor!  On the show, Courtney was depicted as the villain, and I wasn't too big of a fan of her while watching the show.  Her book details her life leading up the show, her experiences during filming, and her life and relationship with Ben after the show.  The book was incredibly interesting to me and very easy to read.  There are some juicy things that Courtney shares in the book, and she is also very vulnerable about her feelings and experiences with Ben and The Bachelor.  You have to read this if you like the show, especially if you watched Ben's season.  It was so interesting, and it really made me like and respect Courtney a whole lot more.

Bond Girl by Erin Duffy

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I read about this book from LaurenConrad.com's book recommendation (she's my girl crush, and I'm not ashamed!), and I'm really glad that I did!  Bond Girl is a fictional novel that follows Alex, a recent Business grad from UVA (boooo), as she breaks in to the world trading bonds on Wall Street.  She has to find her way as a woman in a male-dominated field, and as she does, hilarity ensues.  This book just felt so real as I read it.  The things that happened and conversations that were had seemed so natural, which made the main character Alex so relatable.  Also, this book is actually LOL funny.  There were many times I found myself laughing out loud after a chapter.  There's also a bit of a twist in this book, which I always love in a novel.    If you're looking for some light, entertaining beach/pool reading, this book is definitely it!

Question for you: Have you read any of these books--if so, what did you think?  Any good book recommendations for me?

Summer Time Weekend + ZOOMA Training Week 9

Good Monday morning, y'all!  Hope your week is off to a great start.  I have nothing on the agenda today (except for a workout), and I am totally OK with that after the weekend we had!  Let's jump on in, because there is a LOT of summer time fun to tell y'all about!

Friday
My mom got in to town on Wednesday, and we'd been spending lots of time together on the beach, talking, and eating!

We got out on the beach pretty early on Friday morning so that Joe could come with us before clinic.  It was a beautiful day but HOT, so we spent a fair amount of time in the water.

We walked for a bit on the beach, as well, before eating a lunch we'd packed.  We also got some ice cream from the ice cream truck that drove by on the beach, and I was so happy to get a Chipwich for the first time in a while!

We left the beach around 2:30, which was perfect timing as a storm rolled in right as we were walking into the house.  We spent the afternoon watching Frozen (Mom hadn't seen it before), and Tequila even joined in!

Once Joe got home, we ate dinner, then headed to church for a showing of the movie Heaven Is For Real.  Mom and I both read the book, and while they did deviate from the book a little bit, the movie was still really good.  It definitely makes you think!

Saturday
Mom's flight home was around 11, so we spent the morning hanging out before dropping her off.  We had a great time with her :)  Afterward, Joe and I just kind of hung around the house before leaving for Tampa in the late afternoon.  I had a concert to go to, so Joe decided to go to the Tampa Bay Rays baseball game while I was at the show.  Him dropping me off/picking me up wound up working perfectly, since getting out of the parking lot afterward would have taken so, so long!

Anyway, the concert!  Back in January, I told you how excited I was for MONUMENTOUR featuring Fall Out Boy and Paramore.  Both bands have been my favorites for about 10 years now, so seeing them together was going to be EPIC!

The time finally came Saturday, so I headed to the amphitheater at the fairgrounds in Tampa for the show.  I LOVE going to concerts at these types of venues in the summer, since they're open-air and a great way to spend more time outside.  Even though it was insanely hot on Saturday night, I really enjoyed seeing this show at an amphitheater!

Sunset while Paramore plays?  Awesome!

Anyway, I was in the pit section, and I got a pretty good spot!  The opener was New Politics, and they were actually really good!  They opened for Fall Out Boy when I saw them last June, and the band has really grown since then.  Plus, back in my punk rock/emo phase, I would have been really in to the lead singer! ;)

After that, Paramore came out!!!  I'd seen them once before, so I knew the show was going to be great.

Paramore ROCKED!  They did play a lot of newer stuff, but it made me want to re-listen to those newer CDs of theirs.  Oh, and I still want to be Hayley Williams.

She has an amazing voice and can totally rock that outfit.  Oh man, so so good!

Then, Fall Out Boy came out!

This is my 11th time seeing them (I know, I know...kinda sad, but there are worse things to be spending money on), and being honest, it was not their best show.  Most of them (except Patick, the lead singer) just seemed bored the whole time.

I think this picture is proof--Pete usually smiles/rocks out the whole time during the shows.  I know it was hot, but we all paid to see a good show and were hot too.  It could be the fact that they played most of their newest CD which isn't really as much of a rock-out CD as their older stuff.  Needless to say, I was a little disappointed.  BUT I still enjoyed myself!

After the show, I went across the street to the WingHouse to wait for Joe to pick me up.  I met some people who went to the concert, and we had a good time chatting.  Joe got there, we ate a little snack, then drove up to Gainesville.  It was a late night, but we were excited for the next day!

Sunday
After only 4 hours of sleep, we got up and met up with some of Joe's friends to go Scalloping!

Scalloping is another great summer time activity in Florida, since the scallop season starts on July 1st.  Basically, scalloping is a snorkeling Easter egg hunt.  You boat around in the Gulf looking for the right area for scallops, get a mask and snorkel, and swim around until you find them.  You then dive down to pick them up and put them in to a mesh bag while you look for more.

Joe and his friend Brent looking for scallops

They're hard to see, but you look for this under the water:

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When you catch enough, you clean them out and save the meat to eat later on!  At first, We had a hard time finding a good spot and spent a lot of time just boating around.

The group + me

Later on in the day, we found a BUNCH of scallops! I think I wound up bringing in around 30 at this one spot, and it was really a lot of fun.

After two pretty long days of summer fun, we got home late on Sunday night and just crashed.  It was a GREAT weekend though, so we were happily exhausted :)

ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon Training Week 9
This week's training was a bit unconventional, but I did get workouts in!
Monday-15 minute run/incline walk + BodyPump
Tuesday-Bikram yoga
Wednesday-2 mile walk with Mom, Joe and Tequila
Thursday-2 mile walk with Mom, Joe and Tequila
Friday-2 mile walk with Mom, Joe and Tequila
Saturday-rest day/dancing at the concert
Sunday-Lots of swimming while scalloping
Sometimes, workouts are best done when they aren't specially workouts!  I really did get in some good exercise that wasn't just running.

This week is going to be a light running week/tapering.  I do have some strength workouts and yoga planned, but with the half marathon on Saturday, I want to keep my legs fresh.

Oh man, this wound up being a long post!  If you stayed with me the whole time, you deserve a prize :)  I just had so much fun this weekend!!  I hope you had a great weekend, too

Question for you: Have you been to any concerts this summer?  What is your favorite summer time activity?

Friday Five: 5 Recipes to Make in the Next Month

How many of you have Pinterest boards full of recipes but never actually make any of them?  I'm certainly guilty of this!  Because of that, I'm going to share 5 recipes I've pinned that I plan to make before the end of August.  Once I make them all, I'll be a recap post sharing my thoughts on the recipes and any pointers/tips I have for making them!  Feel free to join me in making 5 of your Pinned recipes :)

Pesto Spaghetti Squash Casserole

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I found this recipe when searching for recipes for the Advocare 24DC.  Conveniently, this recipe is from my Advocare coach Becky!  I think this recipe will be a new way to make spaghetti squash in a way that Joe might actually like.

Paleo Avocado Tuna Salad

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This looks like a perfect healthy lunch to switch things up from my normal salad!  I love tuna and avocados, so this recipe sounds like a good one to me!

Chicken Piccata

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My friend Krista made this, shared it on Instagram, and said it was the one of the most delicious recipes she's made!  I love dishes that are salty, and the capers in chicken piccata add just the right flavor for me.  This would be a great recipe for a dinner date night in with Joe paired with a tasty Chardonnay!

Aloo & Palak

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I love Indian food, and the first Indian dish I made went over very well.  This Aloo and Palak (potatoes and spinach) sounds like a good Meatless Monday meal or a side dish to another Indian recipe featuring meat.  It also looks relatively easy to make, so that's a huge plus!

Jell-O Cookies

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I couldn't choose 5 recipes to make without picking something sweet to bake!!  These look like great summer treats (mainly because of their colors) and would be fun to take to a summer barbeque/pot luck meal.

I pinned all of these recipes on my Run with Perseverance Pinterest board, so check them out if you see one that interests you (and feel free to follow my board, too!).

Well, I'm off for some more beach time with my mom and Joe!  Hope y'all have a fantastic Friday and a wonderful weekend!

Question for you: What recipe are you going to try this month?  
Leave a link in the comments!!  I love to try new recipes :)

The Great Romance

Hello, and happy Thursday!  Summer school is OFFICIALLY over, so I'm busy enjoying my first true day of summer break :)  My mom got in to town last night, so we'll probably head to the beach for the day before enjoying a fun dinner out (I always save the local restaurants for when guests are in town so they can experience Daytona cuisine)!

For today's post, I wanted to recap the sermon series from my church during the month of June.  I love how this church does series throughout the month, which I think just ties everything together so nicely!  As you may remember, I was also in a play at church each Sunday during the month of June, conveniently titled The Great Romance (written by the youth director Tony Sorrell), just like the sermon series!  Each act tied in to the topic of the sermon for the week and flowed along quite nicely.

I decided to share the videos of the play with y'all (you don't have to watch them if you don't want!), as well as a brief description of the sermons from each week.  I was really excited to be a part of what God was doing through this sermon series at church, even though I'll never know the impact it had.  I hope you enjoy it and learn a little something about God, too!

Week 1: First Date

Scripture Verse: John 1:45-49

This week, the pastor talked about how first dates often start out with fear and presumptions.  In the same way, our guilt about our imperfections and sins leads to fear for many people meeting Jesus for the first time, just like in the Scriptures.  Jesus is after the heart of the person, which means we don't have to be fearful or guilty when we meet Him!  The pastor also challenged Christians to live in Jesus so that others will really meet Jesus, not just fear him or make presumptions about him.

Week 2: Professional of Love

Scripture Verse: 1 John 4:7-12

The pastor talked about how God professed His love for us in Jesus.  God sending Jesus changed everything--the sinners of the world matter.  There are so many times in the Gospels that Jesus associates with "the least and the lowest", going against the customs of those days.  That shows that God loves us all, no matter who we are or what we've done!  The pastor also referenced the passage Hebrews 10:24-25 that says we should "spur one another on toward love and good deeds."  The word "spur" in the original Greek translates to "irritate" or "provoke."  I thought that was an interesting way to think about it--sometimes, we as Christians need to irritate or provoke others to love each other and to good works.  Jesus loved unconditionally while he was on Earth, so we should strive to love like he does.  What a wonderful world that would be!

Week 3: Engagement

Scripture Verse: Matthew 4:18-22

This week, our associate pastor talked about how engagement involves taking a risk, since you don't know how exactly a proposal will turn out.  He told the story about his own proposal to his wife and how his plan wasn't exactly working out.  He also talked about how engagement involves a new point of view--a "we" mentality instead of "me."  When we say "yes" to God, we open ourselves to a whole new world.  Engaging with God means that we leave our old ways behind and take on His ways and look at the world through His eyes.  The pastor even referenced the song "A Whole New World" from Aladdin--that's what an engagement with God is like!

Week 4: Marriage

Scripture Verse: Philippians 2:1-5

(I apparently found this sermon really interesting because I took A LOT of notes on it!)  There were two themes to this sermon.  The first was that marriage is a covenant-a formal, solemn, binding agreement.  It's not a contract, where if one person doesn't hold up their end then the contract is over.  Our covenant relationship with God requires monogamy, giving our all to Him and putting Him first.  This shouldn't be serial monogamy-jumping in, then jumping out, then jumping back in-like we do quite often.  The second theme was being a witness.  At a wedding, the couple is a witness to God's love.  Not only are they showing their own love, but they are a witness to God's love covenant with us.  Jesus has already said "til death do us part AND BEYOND" by dying on the cross for us.  So, our response to the covenant relationship with God is to be a witness to his love.

Week 5: Renewal of Vows

Scripture Verse: Psalm 51:1-12

(no, that is not my husband, and no I did not really kiss him on the cheek--all acting :))
This week, we talked about needing a faith renewal.  What better way to do that than remembering the vows we made at our baptism?  Our pastor talked about a quote he read about "living wet", living the freshness of the moment of our baptism and those vows.  "Living wet" is living in relationship with Christ(not just visiting him), professing our faith and our love for God, being in an engagement with God (living in and engaging in His kingdom), and being bound to our Creator in love so people will see and know what God's love is.  Perfect way to tie together the whole sermon series!

I hope you enjoyed reading about the sermon series and watching the play (if you did).  I really enjoyed being a part of the worship service in this way, and as I said before, I really do pray that it spoke to people in a different way than just a sermon.  If you would like to listen to the sermons yourself (I really think the pastor at my church is wonderful!), you can download the podcasts from iTunes.  If you'd like to learn more about my church and the pastors there, check out the website!

WIAW #38: What I'm Snacking On

We've made to halfway through the week, people!  It sort of feels like Friday for me--after getting the kids to take their test today, I'm DONE with summer school and SUMMER BREAK CAN BEGIN!  To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement :)

Enough about my excitement.  Wednesday means it's time for a blogland tradition...

Today, we're going to take a look at some of the snacks I've been eating lately.  Many of them come from NatureBox (referral link) (review of my first NatureBox here), and I've been getting a little more creative with how I've been using the snacks!

Thanks to Jenn for the link-up!!

PB&J Granola Yogurt Bowls

The granola goes perfectly in some vanilla Chobani Greek yogurt.  It's got a good flavor and adds the perfect crunch to the yogurt.  This is great for a snack, and it's also great for breakfast.

Sliced Peppers

I'll buy different colors of bell peppers, slice them up, and make little snack bags for myself.  These are a good little mid-morning snack.  Perfect for dipping in hummus or other spreads of your choosing!

Honey Macadamia Pretzel Pops

I requested these in this NatureBox, and man, they are just as good (and addicting!) as I remember!  The snacking on these didn't last long!

Dried Fruit

I've gotten a lot of dried fruits in the past two NatureBoxes: the Tart and Tangy mix, dried pineapple (yum!!), dried pears, and dried peaches.  This is a great way to get in a serving of fruit without having to worry about the fruit spoiling before you can eat it!

Fresh Watermelon

Recycled picture of a summer lunch!

I LOVE to get packages of pre-sliced watermelon spears during the summer.  It's a delicious way to eat something sweet while also being healthy!  The spears are also convenient to portion and slice up.

Cranberry Almond Bites

Oh MY these things are tasty!!  They are perfect when I'm craving a crunchy snack, and they are very filling!  I would love to be able to buy these in bulk and keep them around all the time.

Protein Bars

This shouldn't be a surprise, as these babies are a staple around our house!  They're perfect after school and before the gym.  Great fuel, and they're tasty, too.

Dunkin' Donuts Coffee Cake Muffin

It's dangerous living so close to a Dunkin' (and working close to another!) because I often stop for these in the afternoon.  The cinnamon and sugar are the perfect afternoon pick-me-up!

Well, that's what my snacks have looked like lately!  Overall, pretty healthy (minus the Dunkin' muffin) thanks to my NatureBoxes!  I seriously recommend you try them out if you've been thinking about it.  I feel like it's totally worth it, and you usually get a bonus snack thrown in there!

Disclaimer: I pay for a NatureBox subscription and am sharing my thoughts on their products because I love them.  NatureBox did not ask me for a review, nor did they compensate me in anyway--I'm just a happy consumer!!
Question for you: What are you snacking on?  Have you tried NatureBox?

Treadmill Tuesday: Avoiding the "Dread" in Dreadmill

How's it going, everyone?  Hope you're having a great Tuesday!  Today's the last day of teaching during summer school before testing tomorrow, so I'm really excited!  While I've enjoyed the classes I've had, I'm kind of ready to get in to the "break" part of "summer break."  Especially with everything I have planned over the next month :)

If you've been reading the blog for a while, you'll know that I've dubbed Tuesday "Treadmill Tuesday" and often do treadmill works on these days.  I actually enjoy doing it, even though I've kind of fallen off of the Treadmill Tuesday wagon since moving out of our apartment complex.  I thought I'd start bringing that tradition back in to my life and, therefore, back on the blog.

Since I enjoy the treadmill and many of you call it the Dreadmill, I thought that today we could talk about ways take the "dread" out of the Dreadmill and actually enjoy (well, not hate) the treadmill!

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Here are some tips for you on making a treadmill workout more enjoyable.  It certainly doesn't take a rocket scientist to come up with these, BUT I have found that they work for me so I thought I'd share them.

Complete a workout rather than just a steady-state run.  
Whenever I run on the treadmill, I usually have a workout I'm going to follow.  Whether it's an HIIT run or speedwork for half marathon training, I rarely ever just run at the same speed for a certain length of time.  The changing of speed every few minutes keeps me engaged in the workout and helps me set milestone goals while running on the treadmill.

 Here are some workouts I've put together before:3-5-7 Workout, Treadmill Speed Pyramid and Steady-Sprint Treadmill Workout.  Some other places I get my treadmill workouts from are PBFingers.com, FitSugar, and TinaReale.com.

Schedule your treadmill workout where you can watch a TV show or movie.
To me, treadmill workouts go by so much faster when I can focus on watching a TV show.  The treadmill in my apartment complex gym was perfect for this, and I would watch the Bachelor/Bachelorette while running on the treadmill.

Other options are using treadmills with TVs attached (many gyms have this) or bringing a device to watch TV shows/movies on Netflix/other website.

Perfect option when the hotel you are staying in has free WiFi!  Watching a movie/TV show really does make the time go by faster AND make the treadmill a lot more enjoyable!


Don't just run on the treadmill.
I've found that doing incline walking workouts helps to mix things up on the treadmill.  Incline walking workouts get your heart rate up and give your legs a little break from running.


Race the person next to you. 

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Seriously.  When I'm running on the treadmill at the gym and there's someone next to me, I look over every now and then to see what speed they're going at.  It's good motivation for me to keep pushing it and/or crank it up a notch.  Keeps things interesting, too!  I wonder if they ever notice...

Don't do long runs on the treadmill unless absolutely necessary.
The longer you run on the treadmill, the more boring and monotonous it becomes.  Unless you absolutely have to use a treadmill for longer runs, try to keep your treadmill workouts to 40 minutes.  Obviously, this is a personal preference, but if you dread the treadmill, keep the workouts shorter.

Make it fun for you!!  
Dubbing Tuesday "Treadmill Tuesday" excites me because it gives an alliterative purpose to Tuesdays, so that was motivating to me.  Other things might make a treadmill workout more fun for you, so come up with something that'll make you look forward to it.  It may just be a silly name, or you might need some sort of reward system to get you on the treadmill.  Do what works for you!

I hope these tips help you enjoy the treadmill a little more!  If you have any suggestions, please share them in the comments!!

Question for you: What do you do to take the "dread" out of "dreadmill"? 

A Weekend Full of Kids + ZOOMA Training Week 8

Well, hey there, everyone!  It feels like FOREVER since I’ve been able to post, thanks to a little mess-up with our router.  I had posts planned for Thursday and Friday, but I wasn’t able to get online since Wednesday night in order to publish.  Thankfully, the cable guy was able to come on Sunday and exchange our router.  Plus side: I guess I’m all set to go with posts for this week :) 

As usual on Mondays, let’s look at the weekend!  It was definitely a good one filled with lots of kids!!

Friday

Joe and I drove up to St. Augustine to see our friends Jacqui and Andrew from Georgia!  They were down on family vacation, so we spent the day on the beach with them, their two adorable boys, and Jacqui’s awesome parents and brother.

We brought Tequila along, and I was really excited to see how’d she’d do with her first beach visit.

As you can see, she was loving it!  She really enjoyed the sand, had a great time digging, and came around to going in the ocean.  

The waves scared her at first (at one point she put her leash in her mouth and started pulling ME back onto the shore), but she started actually wanting to go in to the water by the end of the day.

It was awesome to catch up with Jacqui and Andrew while on the beach, as well as meet their newborn Matt.  He’s just under 5 months old and is quite the precious little thing!  He spent a lot of the day on the beach sleeping, but we did get some time to play with him before dinner.

The fun continued by eating dinner with everyone at Sunset Grille.  The food there is delicious, so I suggest you try it out if you’re ever in St. Augustine!  At one point, Jacqui and Andrew’s almost-4-year-old Danny started becoming very fond of me!  He even came and sat between Jacqui and me at dinner and ran up to hold my hand when we were walking to the car after dinner.

Too cute!!  Joe and I drove back after a short walk on the beach, where we let Tequila chase Jacqui’s brother Charlie around in the sand.  So much fun!

Saturday

Saturday began perfectly in my eyes: with a good book and a cup of coffee.

I started this book last Monday, and I’m almost finished with it!  It’s really funny!  I have a post planned for multiple book reviews, so look for that if you want to hear more about this book!

Joe had a prospective student event at school he had to go to, so after reading, I got some “free lance” work done (all math and teaching related, but it’s outside of my school district).  I also wound up heading to Starbucks for some internet, lunch, and more coffee.  I also tried one of their new Fizzios (basically soda), and it was really tasty!

When I got home, Joe was there, so we spent some time at the pool next door before I had to head out to babysit!  A friend of ours who left the area gave my name to this family that she babysat for, and so on Saturday night, I went over and watched the two boys: a 4-year-old and an almost-2-year-old. 

We had a good time playing outside (they had a Little Tike trampoline that looked like a lot of fun!), colored, and playing tag.  Once they went to bed, I did some reading and watched Modern Family on hulu on their TV.  It was a fun time with the kids, and I made good money, too!  Good times!

Sunday

Another lazy morning, but this time I got to cuddle with the puppy.

 I wound up having to stay home in the morning so that the cable guy could come fix the internet, so I used the time to get some cleaning done.  My mom is coming to visit, so the house needs to be in tip-top shape!

I attempted to go on a long run in the evening, but the weather wasn't really cooperative.  I was able to get in just over 3 miles, but I was supposed to do 8.  No bueno, considering the ZOOMA Chicago Half Marathon is just 13 days away!

Our Sunday evening was spent watching the WWE Pay-per-view at a friend's house.  It seems like we were just over there watching one, and there's another one next month!  I wound up winning out $1 bet pool on the matches, so I felt pretty good about myself :)

Pretty fun weekend!  Lots of kids this weekend, lots of reading/relaxing, and lots of fun.

ZOOMA Training Week 8
I continued my write-my-workouts-in-my-planner strategy, and it seemed to work out (pun intended) for me again this week!
Monday-2.8 mile run around the neighborhood
Tuesday-Bikram yoga
Wednesday-3 mile speedwork run on the treadmill + BodyPump

Thursday-Bikram yoga
Friday-planned rest day, but we went on many walks while on the beach in St. Augustine
Saturday-unplanned rest day/lazy day
Sunday-3.43 mile run (instead of the 8 miles scheduled)

Overall, not a bad week of training, minus the lack of a long run.  This coming week, I'm going to be "tapering" a little, which means a 5-6 mile "long run" this coming weekend.  I will, once again, schedule my workouts in my planner.  This will be especially important because my mom will be coming to visit this week, which means not too much time to get in a workout.  We'll see how it goes!

Question for you: Do you have a lot of interaction with kids (your own, nieces/nephews, babysitting, friend's kids)?  What did you do this weekend?