My Style Monday
Look at our awesome new button!!!! Thanks to Jenn at In Munchkinland Designs!
Saturday night, we went out for John’s Moms Mother’s Day dinner… I worked all day and my new top from Shop Hope’s had come in, so I had to wear it. I debate on telling the Internets on my new found love of this boutique, but their clothes are entirely TOO CUTE and AFFORDABLE to not. So.. you are welcome!
Also.. This is what happens when you have an hour wait at Olive Garden… you have your husband take outfit pictures.. you CERTAINLY don’t get any weird looks that way… NOT.
How cute is the back of this shirt?!
White Skinnies– Target. Top– Shop Hopes. Wedges– TOMS.
My Style Monday– Mint and Black.
I am super excited to announce that I will be starting to host My Style Monday with the fabulous Lindsey at Let the Light Shine. She rocks my face off.
On my trek to DC last week, I broke out the mint skinnies with black… Looking at this outfit now makes me realize how badly I need that tan I am never going to get… oh well. This leather pocket tee is super comfy and this is probably my favorite pair of skinnies… they don’t gap in the waist!
Skinny Jeans from Target (here), leather pocket tee from F21 (here), The shoes are from Old Navy last year, but here are some similar (here).
Nike Women’s DC
Before telling you about my trip to DC, I think I will post my race recap!
FIrst off, the Expo, was sort of lame. You really couldn’t buy anything and it was just nuts. But, the packet pick up was separate and was a breeze, so kudos for that one. With all of the walking up and down hills, my calves were tight and I knew I wouldn’t be running on fresh legs.
I laid out all of my gear the night before….
The gorgeous sunrise heading into the city…
Molly’s husband drove us into the city, instead of taking the metro. He dropped us off about 3 blocks from the start line. It was awesome. I hope it was awesome for him too.
We entered into the 9:00-9:59 coral.. which, honestly, was completely pointless seeing as how they didn’t do a coral start.
We all just started out at once.. and we were behind the 2:10 pacer. I was NOT HAPPY about weaving around so many women in tight spaces. There were 15,000 runners, and a lot of them first timers, (I hate to stereotype..BUT) they probably didn’t know there are rules to racing. We spent the first two miles LITERALLY weaving in and out of people. I was so frustrated that I couldn’t get pasted the 2:10 pacer. It cleared a little after mile 2 when we were crossing the bridge to Arlington Cemetery.
We finally caught sight of the 2:00 pacer on the loop by the Kennedy Center.. I knew then it was going to be tough to catch up. Around mile 6, my IT band started making its presence known and I got a side stitch.. I knew I was pushing it too hard. I decided right then and there that I wouldn’t injure myself over a sub 2:00 half. I would run what I could and give it everything I had and I would be happy. At this point, Molly was pushing me and I felt bad that I had nothing to give her except facial grimaces. It didn’t help that around this point, it was completely boring as we were running around the golf course. I tried to find funny signs to help me out. I never realized how hard it was to try to catch a pacer… the mental stress that just adds to the run. That part was misery.
As hard as I was running, this was a very cleansing run for me. I let go of everything else going on in my life, and completely concentrated on the race and the steps in front of me. It was just very… freeing. I had nothing to do but run like it was my job. We saw Molly’s fam around mile 10 and it was a nice change of pace. B got some pictures of us and I realized how bad I hunch my shoulders when I run.. no wonder my shoulder blades go numb!
Anyway, it wasn’t long after that, Molly lost me as I couldn’t continue to beast up the hill. I knew then that I wouldn’t break 2 hours, but I might could possibly PR. Heading back into the tunnel was awful and not near as exciting as it was at the beginning of the race. As we rounded the loop and I could see runners running towards the finish line, I got really pissed off because I HATE when courses do that. We made the worlds longest loop and heading back, I could see the finish line. So, I attempted to push it and completely ran out of gas because I misjudged how far the actual finish line was. At mile 12.5 I was really pissed off. But I got my phone out because I knew I would want pictures at the finish line, and saw all of the Tweets, FB messages and texts that lined my screen. I couldn’t believe it.
I crossed the finish line with my hands held high and a smile on my face and guess what? There won’t be any pictures because Nike didn’t have photographers!! WTF NIKE?!?!
Anyway, as I stood in line to get my Tiffany, I told the girl behind me (yes, I told her.) “Hey, I’ll take your picture with him if you’ll take mine.” She looked at me like a crazy person, but also a genius.
I found Molly and we had our “WE DID IT!!!” picture.
Posing with our blue boxes..
Washington Monument? Yes, please!!!
What?! It’s the White House, y’all!!
So, it wasn’t a sub 2. It wasn’t even a PR. But you know what it was? It was my 10th half marathon. And that is nothing to shake a stick at. I ran my 10th half in a time that I never thought possible. That’s 131 miles in half marathons alone. Not to mention training cycles and 5K’s and 10K’s. I celebrated on Sunday. Everything that I have been able to do because of running. It has changed me in so many ways. I cannot thank you enough for the support and encouragement that you have given me on the Internet. From those who wished me good luck, to those who actually tracked my race online, I cannot thank you enough. It’s amazing to have that kind of support.
Now for the bling…
Awesome, right?
Now, would I run this race again? This race was amazing. The course was beautiful. I did not care for the lack of coral starts. Or the fact that the 2 hour pacer can’t hold up her sign very well. The runner tracking was a complete joke. I want something that posts to Twitter, not Facebook!! The fact that there weren’t any finish line photos royally ticks me off. I also don’t like the lack of information out there from Nike. But, I feel like I got my money’s worth and everything was well organized. I heard there weren’t a lot of port-o-potty’s, but that didn’t affect me, so I am not sure.
I can tell you one thing… I’ve been wearing Tiffany since Sunday!
Crystal Faye Review and Giveaway
Have you ever shopped with Crystal Faye? She has some of the cutest stuff and of course, since it’s monogrammed, it just doesn’t get any better than that. I am in love with the Clover Collection Lucite Tray. I’ve been eyeing one of these acrylic trays for MONTHS, thinking it was just what I needed for my ottoman in the living room. Crystal was kind enough to send me one for my birthday.. it even showed up like a birthday present! I immediately took it out of the box and laid it on the ottoman.
Only to come in the next morning to this:
No. That’s just NOT gonna fly. Plus… my ottoman is huge, so it really wasn’t doing the tray justice. (Just keeping it real, folks. This is what my ottoman ALWAYS looks like in some form or fashion.)
So, I made the wise decision to move it in to my closet with my jewelry.
A much better place for it, don’t you think? I already had a tray here, but I just swapped them out. 
I love how much deeper the sides are on this tray than what I had here originally. It helps keep my bracelets stacked nicely. (Yes. That’s a pearl tiara. Doesn’t everyone have one? No? Just me?)
This tray is so versatile.. it could really just go anywhere.
I think this tray is a much better option here on the ottoman. Although, I still think it needs some work.. I’m just not sure what! I’m not good with the details of decorating.
To help celebrate my birthday, Crystal Faye is going to give away one of these fabulous trays to one of you lucky ladies!!
Be sure to follow Crystal Faye on all of her social media platforms, she is always posting cute stuff to Twitter and Facebook!
BlissDom Girls Night Out
Are you tired of outfits from BlissDom yet? Apologies… it should be over soon enough. For Girls Night Out, I went with lace. And HOT PINK lace at that.
Here is a black version from H&M or here’s one similar. This one is fun too!
My shoes are gold glitter pumps from Payless a couple of years ago. Here and here are pair similar.
Trust the Training.
Here it is.. Nike Women’s is upon us and there is no turning back. I think we all know that I am a little nervous as to what to expect. My last month of training hasn’t been stellar, but I’ll be honest, mentally, I am ready to give it my all. I know that I can run a sub 2, but it may not be this week. I am determined to go down trying, though.
With the sickness, I missed my last long run, but I refuse to dwell. My training since December has transformed my running and I have learned so much about myself.
I hope to enjoy every step of Nike, because this race is huge for me. It’s half marathon number 10 for me. I was chosen from the lottery for it and I get to run it with one of the raddest ladies on the planet, in our nation’s capitol.
I’ve pretty much come to the conclusion that breaking the 2 hour ceiling isn’t going to feel good, but I really want this for #10. Running has given me so much over the past 3 years, and this is something that I never thought I would be able to do.
For my “taper” week, I decided to get out my bike and ride with a group that meets near my work in the evenings. Completely out of my comfort zone, I am so awkward in group settings when I don’t know anyone. Which, I knew NO ONE. I thought it was going to be an easy 10-12 miles… it ended up being 20. OOPS. I didn’t mean to do that AT ALL. Especially the week of a race. They were super nice and were always giving me a heads up on uneven terrain or if a driver was on their cell phone. I also had my first official fall. We were stopping to get some water, and I always unclip on the left. I was turning to the right and slowing down and I guess leaning into the turn, and just went down like a ton of bricks. There is literally nothing you can do when you are clipped in and start to fall. Just hang on for the ride. Luckily, I fell into a patch of grass, so it was all good. Minus the chain marks and the bruise on my leg, I am good.
I ran Wednesday for my last run before Nike and my legs were feeling a little tired. My chest was a little heavy due to the sickness, but otherwise, I feel good.
Nike released this little gem this week…
A Tiffany blue Free. I want it so bad. I’m still debating on if I should purchase them… I would never run a distance race in them, so it seems a little ridiculous to drop $150 on a pair of shoes. But.. they are so pretty!!!
I need to start working on my race playlist, so tell me what you favorite song is right now to run to!
Any last words on encouragement? Should I get the shoes?!
Lighting.. It Makes All the Difference.
This post came out inadvertently. During my photo shoot for my Easter outfits pictures, I had Hubs take these:
Blech. Shadows, shadows, and more shadows. With Photography, lighting is everything. You don’t want bright, sunny skies. Sure, you don’t want rain though, but a nice overcast day helps diffuse the sun and even out the lighting.
Something to always look for, is open shade. A place that allows a TON of light in, but helps diffuse. Sometimes, trees are a good option, but you have to be careful because they can let light through their pesky little leafy holes. (RUDE.)
So, I literally moved 10 feet to under Mom’s portico thing, and had my sister snap this…
So much better, right?! You can completely see my face. Sadly, it also shows how pale and Cullen-like I am. Both of these photos are SOOC (straight out of the camera.), which means, no editing.
So, I urge you, the next time that you are out snapping pictures of your kiddos, take a look at the lighting and the difference it plays on the shadows.. you’ll be surprised!
It’s Official. I’m 29.
Well. I turned 29. There was no stopping it, much as I didn’t want it to happen. And… I have no choice but to be okay with it.
Good news? I got everything I asked for… minus the pajamas. So, I cannot complain about that. I honestly have the best friends and family. Becca couldn’t break tradition.. she got me the pink TOMS wedges and they are fab. Part of my present from J was to go see Dave Matthews a few weeks ago.. I absolutely love Dave. From way back. He played some amazing stuff… and I would share with you some of the pictures if I could get my iPhone to upload to photo bucket properly.
I also got a new HOT PINK Lululemon skirt from Philly and the girls. I ordered the Epiphanie bag with the money my mom and step-dad gave me. Dad and Karen gave me a fabulous necklace and my beloved Thorlo socks in some super fun colors. My sweet friend Mary sent me a lululemon gift card instructing me to buy something cute and fun with it.
No birthday is complete without some good food and I think I surprised Philly with my birthday requests… a local restaurant called The All Steak that I generally don’t like. They moved and got a facelift, so I wanted to try it out.. it wasn’t fabulous but the atmosphere was very cool. Saturday, I worked and I am officially sick, so I didn’t want to do much. J picked up Full Moon BBQ (say whaaatt?!) on his way home. I had the vegetable plate, since I hate BBQ and it was delicious. Sunday, we met Dad and Karen at Outback.. I was craving some cheesy fries and a Bloomin’ Onion. It didn’t disappoint. On the way home I told J that I wanted to go check out the new Barons baseball field at some point and he looked at me like I had grown two heads. I’m generally not a baseball fan, but that place looks pretty cool. He demanded to know what had been done with his wife and this alien was a terrible impostor and didn’t know it’s subject.
Anyway, this birthday was extremely low key, and I have decided that the BIG 3-0 needs to have a righteous party. I have a whole year to embrace the coming of my 30′s, right? Obviously, we need to start planning this right away.. what are your ideas?!
A Fashion Post– White jeans
We’re friends, right? I have a confession. I am 110% completele obsessed with white jeans. I am practically living in them. Someone will stage an intervention by the end of summer, I feel certain. They are just so crisp and clean and scream warmer weather.
I’m sort of in love with this peplum top from Forever 21 found here. White jeans are from Target found here.
My beloved TOMS wedges.. found here or here.
Jewelry courtesy of Molly Suzannes… love her jewelry!
Tell me.. are you as obsessed with white skinnies as I am?
P.S. I use affliate links.
Beef Tips
I should give credit where credit is due on this recipe– Rebecca gave it to me, and while it’s taken some time to perfect, I think we have finally gotten it down pat. And when I say “we”, I really mean Philly, since he is the one who cooks around here these days. (Thanks, honey!)
Alright. So, first things first.. Here’s your ingredients:
Allegro Marinade
Beef Broth
Flour
Butter
Flank steak
White rice
Marinate the meat 30-1 hour in the Allegro.
Melt the butter in a NON non-stick pan. It works best in a stainless pan. Whisk in the flour (1/4 cup), making sure it is completely blended (J says no lumps are key.)
SIDE NOTE: We did it “wrong” in the pictures. We added the beef broth before the flour. Will it kill you to do it this way? No. {Disclaimer: Philly thinks I should wait to make this again and re-take the pictures. Ain’t nobody got time for that.}
So anyway.. AFTER you mix the flour and butter, then add the beef broth. Whisk that together as well. Then you add your meat. Cook it for 4-5 minutes. You want it cooked throughly, but not long enough to make the meat tough.
Cook your instant rice and then Voila! Dinner is ready!!
It’s pretty much delicious and super easy and quick to make!
Doesn’t it look yummy? Makes me wish I had some right now!
