Day 11 & 12

Boy, I fell behind one day and now I feel like I am constantly behind. Yesterday, I just completely forgot about the blog, so again, here are two days of things I am grateful for....

Day 11 & 12: My Siblings

Because I have four of them, I am going to use these two days to say just how grateful I am for each one of them. They are all unique in their own way and bring some many gifts and talents to the world. They really are awesome people. I have watched all of them grow up to be strong and determined adults.  For some of my siblings, our relationship has certainly seen its ups and downs, but I think we have grown closer because of it.  I am grateful for their love and support of me and I hope they know just how much I love each of them. 

Day 9 and 10

Day 9 & 10: Benadryl and Sun

Well, I missed day 9....but that is because my allergies hit me big time and I was passed out on the couch by 9! That never happens. Anyway, my day 9 of gratitude is for Benadryl. I seriously do not know how I would make it through without that medicine.  I actually had a wedding shower to go to when the allergies hit, but I took 2 Benadryl and it kept them at bay for the entire shower!! So, thank you makers of Benadryl for keeping my sniffles and itchy/watery eyes contained for a few hours. I am also thankful that this only happens every few weeks; otherwise, I would be miserable.

Day 10: Sunshine

I love the sun! I love sitting outside and letting my skin soak it up, I love how it shines in our windows and we don't have to use 'fake' lighting, and I love that it perks everything up - the flowers, the grass, the trees. I love it! Finally, I feel like this summer we are having an abundance of sunshine, especially after a June that had more rainy days than sunny days. And of course, Olivia is loving the sunshine too!!!

Day 8

Day 8: Chicago

We went into the city today and I forgot how much I love visiting it. I am so glad that we live close enough to visit every now and then!! Favorite spot is definitely the lakefront. 

Day 7

Day 7: Summer

I'm so grateful that I live in a state where I get to experience all seasons, but I am especially grateful for the summer season!! Now that O is old enough to play at the parks, go to the zoo, and play at the beach...this summer has been awesome. And since I work from home and can be with her the entire summer, it rocks even more! Here are a few pics from our summer so far....

I'm going to miss summer....

Day 6

Day 6: Sunscreen

I am definitely grateful for sunscreen, I just wish I had used some today. #sunscreenfail

Day 5

Day 5: Friends

I am so blessed and grateful for all the amazing friends in my life. They have been with me through all the ups and downs in my life and for that I am forever grateful. Love them all!!

Day 4

Day 4 is for yoga! It's been forever since I last did some yoga and boy, have I missed it. S and I did some tonight and it felt great. Thus I am grateful for (a) free yoga videos on the Internet and (b) a body that is able to do the poses. :-)

Day 3

Day 3: My Mom

Today I am grateful for my mom. I don't think she realizes just how much she means to our family and how we all think she is one incredibly strong women. To raise five kids on your own takes lots of strength, dedication, and most importantly love. I know she loves us beyond words and I hope that she knows that we all love her beyond words. I am grateful for all that she has done for my family and for me! Love you, mom!

Day 2

Day 2: Grateful for little Olivia

What can I say...she is the light of my life and I couldn't imagine life without her. 

Day 1 of Gratitude

So, I keep seeing this 30 days of gratitude/thanks pop-up all over Facebook and I have really enjoyed reading what people are posting, so I decided to give it a try myself. I was going to do it on Facebook, but then figured I could write more if I just posted it to my blog. So here it goes...hopefully, I can remember to post something each day.

Day 1: My Husband

God definitely knew what he was doing when he brought us together almost 5 years ago. He is my rock, my inspiration, my love, and my best friend. He encourages me and inspires me to be a better person each day and for that I am forever grateful. He makes me laugh and smile everyday. I get excited thinking about our future together. My love for him grows stronger everyday! I Love you, S!

Happy Birthday!

She turned 2!! Where did the time go? Even though it's going fast, I sure am loving every minute of it!

Happy Fourth of July!!!

Just another day at the park

Have I mentioned that she loves the park....

Father's Day

Happy Father's Day to one amazing dad!! I love this guy so much!!

Fun at the Zoo

A few pictures from our Zoo adventure on Saturday. 

10 miler on Saturday followed by an attempted 6 miler on Sunday, only to be thwarted by a thunderstorm. Sigh. 

Happy Running!

Sister time

 My sister came to visit the other day, along with some of O's friends! 

Doesn't she look like a natural. They all had such a great time. 

Running has been going well. Tempo rubs have been 15 seconds faster per mile than they need to be, but hopefully that helps come marathon day. 

Happy Running!

Ice cream time

This time last year...she hated ice cream. Today...she loved it!!

6 mile run today...nice and easy. 

Happy Running. 

Summer fun

We went to a new park today and of course, she had a blast! 

First tempo run today...6 miles at an 8:00 mph pace. Felt a bit sluggish, but I blame the humidity. 

Happy Running!

Veggies

Been trying to get O to eat more veggies, but it just isn't working. Sigh! She is more of a cheese and yogurt fan. Oh well....I'll just keep trying. 

First solo run at the new house...can't say I miss the hills of Lemont 😀

Happy Running!

Fun at the park

This girl loves her slides!

The month of May was a whirlwind due to us moving to a new town, but hopefully June is a bit calmer and I can get back to posting regularly. Marathon training also began in May, so I'm excited about that!

Happy Running!!

Warm weather = new park

We visited a new park today in Aurora and loved it. It even had a free zoo. Olivia also got to hang out with her best gal pal! The two of them were so cute! 

Snow

Well....winter isn't over yet! We got about 4 inches of snow yesterday, but we made the best of it. Can't wait for spring. 

Spring is coming...

The weather has been fantastic the last few days and with the awful winter we had, it is very much welcomed. O is loving it too! It was so warm on Monday that she got to wear a t-shirt!!

We are certainly looking forward to warmer days ahead! 

My artistic side

I thought this was such a neat shot with my iphone camera that I had to share.  Little O is sitting in her Frozen tent. She loves that thing! It was a Christmas present from us and probably the best $15 I spent on her. Sometimes, we can't get her out of there! (PS she has recently gotten a haircut - look at those bangs - she needed one desperately!)

Happy Running!

Fun!

It was her cousin's bday this weekend and O tried to invade her room! What a fun time we had. 

Our little bookworm

She loves her books...

Running has been going well. I started speed work and tempo runs last week. The weekend runs are also getting longer, which is nice. 

Happy Running!

Love

This is love....

Fun in the snow

We got over 13 inches of snow today, which meant I couldn't run outside but it was ok because it gave me lots of time to play with my little girl! 

When no one is looking

Having some fun when mommy isn't looking...

She did help me clean them up! :-)

Strength training tonight, 4 miles tomorrow. 

Happy Running!

Spring in January

It was a gorgeous day! Warm enough that we were able to take O to the park. She loved it. 

Strength training today, 4 mile run tomorrow. 

Happy running!

Learning

Drinking out of a real cup...what's next?? She's growing up so fast!!

Ran 4 on Sunday, 3 on Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. 

Happy Running!

18 months

O is officially 18 months! Where does time go?? While it is definitely going fast, it sure has been a lot of fun. 

Strength training today...back to running tomorrow. 

Happy Running

Sunday fun

Me and O hanging out this morning 

She is just too much fun

Ran outside today!! 4 wonderful miles! And if the weather for next weekend holds, it looks like I'll be running outside again next weekend. Whoo hoo!

Happy Running!

Selfie fun

O likes to take selfies!!

I love this kid! 

No run today. Back at it tomorrow. 

Happy running!

3 long miles on the treadmill today....how many more days till spring???

No photo today. Time got away from me; will post one tomorrow. 

Happy Running!

Afternoon snack

Loving these biscotti cookies that my SIL made. So yummy! 

No running today, just a bit of strength training. 

1st Snow

Olivia played in the snow for the first time today and boy, did she love it! She loved it so much that she went into hysterics when we took her inside. Silly girl. Tomorrow we are supposed to get 6 more inches...I can only imagine the fun she will have in that snow. 

Ran 4 miles on treadmill

Weekly total 10 miles

Happy Running!

A New Year

Happy New Year!! I'm going to start this blog again...but in order for me to be successful at it, I'm going to keep the posts short and focused on running and my daughter. I'm hoping to post a picture of O weekly and my weekly mileage. Let's see how it goes. 

Today - 0 miles (took the holiday off)

Here's a pic of O and I on New Years Eve!! Here's to a great 2015!!

Simple fun

Sometimes it is the simple things that bring the most fun. Here is little O having fun playing in a box. 

3 miles today on the treadmill...not as good as running outside, but still better than nothing!

Happy Running!!

Table and chairs

We gave O another Christmas present tonight...a table and chairs. When she saw it she couldn't run fast enough to get to it. The picture below is her sitting on the chair. 

No run today...drove back from STL after spending a week at the inlaws. Hoping to get a few miles in tomorrow. 

Happy Running!