The New Addition!

Wanted to fill you in on a little something that happened in our house about 2 weeks ago, we adopted another puppy!

Meet Murphy, the Schnauzer, Tibetan Terrier and possibly Wolfhound mix. They said he is about a year old, but they aren't sure. We are thinking he is about 8-10 months, and our vet agrees. He is just a big ol' adorable mutt. We did not plan on adopting another dog. We were at lunch at the same shopping center as PetSmart. I told Andy that I wanted to go over to PetSmart after we ate so we could look at Christmas stuff for Jimmy and see the cute dogs they had since they had Stephens County Humane Society (a local shelter) there for adoptions on Saturdays. Just to look at them, not actually take one home. Well, before we even made it to look at Christmas stuff we looked at the dogs and spotted "Sloopy".

He was an adorable mutt just hanging out in this kennel. The woman running the adoptions said we could take him for a walk around the store, so we did. I didn't initially want another dog, but I knew Andy has wanted another for a while. And, we thought it might be good for Jimmy to have a playmate since he has been getting a bit bored and rambunctious when we are gone. So, "Sloopy" came home with us!

We were not fans of the name Sloopy, so at first we renamed him Oscar because I kinda think he looks like Oscar the Grouch, even though he is not a grouchy guy. But, as we thought about it we decided that Oscar wasn't the right fit. So, Andy came up with Murphy and it has stuck!

The two of them seem to be getting along alright so far, clearly these two boys love belly rubs from Daddy.

When Jimmy finally realized that Murphy is not just a visitor and is moving in and he started to pout a bit, which broke our hearts. At first we were going to wait and see how it went with the two of them (which is why I didn't post this post sooner), but they have come to love playing together and hanging out, and Murphy is staying!

We have tried to take the two of them on a long walk almost every night and they are both pretty good walking on a leash. Check out these light on a house around the corner from us!

Murphy has separation anxiety, which we were unaware of, he freaks out when we both leave. We have signed him up for training classes so those start in the new year and hopefully those will help. We have never had to train a dog since Jimmy was trained from the time he was a puppy, so we didn't really know where to start. We figure a class would be a good way to train Murphy.

We hope that the two of them will become best buddies but I will keep you posted!

What a Wonderful Christmas!

Tuesday night we headed to the New Post Chapel for Christmas Eve candlelight service. It was the first time I had been in the chapel and it is beautiful! The service was lovely and a wonderful way to start Christmas. After the service we came home, put on our new Christmas jammies and watched It's A Wonderful Life, just like I have done every Christmas Eve for as long as I can remember.

Christmas morning has arrived! We had set the coffee pot for brew before we went to bed so there was a wonderful pot waiting for us when we woke up (or when the dogs woke us up at 7am). When I was little, I was not allowed to touch a present until my mom had her coffee made, and that was because when she was little, she also had to sit at the top of the stairs and wait for my grandfather to make coffee before they could come down and open presents. I am sure this is something we will also do when we have kids! (it's the little traditions that make the holidays great).

We got our coffees and started the fun of opening presents! We both got eachother some great things, but I won't share every detail with you. I will mention that we both got new running shoes! Great minds think alike, and lets face it, if you know us personally then you know that Andy and I are pretty much the same person! I got a new pair of Mizuno Wave Inspire 9s that I have been wanting and I got Andy the brand new Saucony Guide 7s. Couples that run together stay together, right? haha

I also received the Up24 by Jawbone! A while back I did a post about the FitBit Flex vs. the Jawbone Up. Well someone must have read my blog haha. Andy did even better and got the brand new Up24 by Jawbone. This one is better than the normal Up because the Up24 is bluetooth so it updates in real time instead of having to plug it into your phone. I absolutely love it and I have only been using it for a day! Maybe I will do a post next week and give you the full rundown of all the great things this gadget can do!

It was just me and Andy yesterday since we could not fly home this year and our families had just come out to Oklahoma for Thanksgiving. It was the first time I had not been with my mom on Christmas which was weird, but I had my wonderful husband and our two fur babies and that makes it much better! We did a mini-dinner and just relaxed all day, it was great! I hope your Christmas was as wonderful as ours!

Tame that Mane

Let me start this post by saying that I have not run in about two weeks!!! Between family being here (though we did the Gobble Wobble!) and us having an ice/snow storm (which the roads are still covered in since the town did nothing to clean up this mess) I just haven't :(

It has been WAY below freezing many mornings and I give more credit to those who can run when the real feel is -13, but I just can't. The weather is going to start getting back to normal human temps which means I will get to run in the mornings again! I can't wait to get back moving and maintaining instead of gaining during this holiday season. It is supposed to be 53 on Saturday, sounds like a perfect day for a run in my book! I suppose the gods are preparing us for our PCS move! (more on that later, but it will be a cold move)

Now, you know I love to share products when they really work for me, so I have one for ya! A few months ago an awesome lady named Melissa started SweatMePretty. She started the brand when other non-slip headbands didn't work for her. Either they would leave a mark in hair for days, or they would say they were one size but would really measure another. What better way to solve a problem then do it yourself! She is so sweet and her customer service is great! They also occasionally do promos. Currently they are running free shipping on purchases $40.00 or more with code CHRISTMAS13.

I tried them out and now I am hooked (clearly, I mean look at my collection from just two or three months haha). They come in tons of styles/colors, stay in place, and are much less expensive than other non-slip headband companies. I also love that she uses contrasting velvet on the inside of the band. Gives it a little something extra!

I always wear one when running/working out because my hair would get insane without it. I don't get those ladies that can run a half marathon with their long hair down and not get crazy sweaty. I also rock them when my hair just gets annoying and needs to be pulled back from my face. They do the trick, and make it look a little more polished than just a ponytail. Needless to say, I love SweatMePretty (and their awesome name), so go check it out!

Do you have a favorite non-slip headband or do you go without? Do you enjoy negative temp running or are a scaredy cat like me? haha.... Have a great day friends!

Where Have I Been?!?!

Holy cow, I just realized that it has been about a month since my last post! Goodness, I guess life just starts getting hectic and some things (such as the blog) get put on the back burner. Between work and life and family and the army, it has been busy around here, but I am back! Instead of going though everything that has gone on in the past month, I will just give you the highlights!

The biggest highlight was that our family came to visit for Thanksgiving! My mom, along with Andy's mom, step-dad and sister all came to visit us here in Oklahoma. It was our first time hosting for the holidays and it was great. I give my Aunt Lynn a lot of credit for all of those Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners that she hosted, getting everything in and out of the oven on time is a task!

Me and my momma!

Also, while they were here we did a Gobble Wobble the morning of Thanksgiving. It was so much fun to have the whole family participate in an event like this and if we were staying here in Oklahoma it would become a yearly tradition! (Side note, we are leaving Oklahoma in February, but that gets a whole post of its own soon!)

The whole gang!

The second highlight was that we got our first snow of the season the weekend before Thanksgiving! We went to bed on Saturday night to clean streets and no snow and woke up Sunday morning with 4 inches of snow in our backyard! Clearly the first thing we did when we woke up was put on warm clothes and play in the snow with Jimmy! Then we made our way (through the crappy, un-plowed Lawton streets) to the dog park to play with a friend and his two doggies.

Andy and Jimmy playing in the backyard

The dogs had a blast in the snow and now we are gearing up for round two, snow and ice today through Friday night. I hope the yucky weather holds off until tomorrow night because it is a big day around here tomorrow, Andy is getting promoted to Captain!

Hope you have all had a wonderful holiday season so far! And I promise, I will be better at posting! Now, I leave you with this cuties snow-covered face from last week!

Our fur-baby Jimmy, enjoying the snow! 

Happy Veterans Day

I just wanted to say thank you to all of our veterans today. To my friends and family that currently serve, or have served in the past (and there are a ton), you are all truly heroes! If you see a someone in the service today, thank them, because they are the reason that we are the land of the free and the home of the brave.

Also, a very special thank you to my husband for everything that he does for this country and for our family. Happy Veterans Day!

Fitbit Flex vs. Jawbone Up

Decisions decisions, it is that time again! Last night my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas. Yes, even though it is not even thanksgiving, we like to get an early start on shopping/list making/thinking of what to get the other. I never know what to say when someone asks me what I want as a gift because I never know what the right budget is or if it is something I would just get for myself, and so on.

Well, while browsing Pinterest, IG and all the other social media outlets that we all love so much I came across the Fitbit Flex and Jawbone Up. Basically, they are both fancy pedometers. They track your steps throughout the day, but also track your caloric intake and sleep. They are both waterproof so they can be worn in the shower and during workouts and all that good stuff, to get you the most accurate measure of your day. Both allow you to connect with friends that also have one which could be fun. Make a game out of it maybe?

I think I would really enjoy one of these since I work from home and am not that active throughout the day. One of these would make me more aware of my activity throughout the day and will probably make me want to up my movement. So, lets get to comparing and see whats what.

The Fitbit Flex:

I did my Internet research, as any curious person would do, and I think this is the front runner of the two. It seems to be a comfortable band (which comes in a ton of colors that you can switch out, and you know how I love color options), a decent (6 day) battery life and updates per the app on your phone in real time. But one review I read said water get trapped in it when you shower which means you have to dry it off every time it gets wet which can be a pain, but not a deal breaker. This has a better price point at just under $100.

The Jawbone Up:

Though the flex sounds good, this does as well. The up has a longer battery life (around 10 days) and looks sleeker. But it only uploads info to the app by plugging it into your phone. This means that you don't get to see real time results, just the results throughout the day when you plug up. Though one review I read said that they liked the app for the up better than the app for the flex. This is a little higher priced at $130.

Do you have either of these? What do you think?

Pity Party, Table for One Please

This past weekend we did another 5k. It was a list minute thing since I did not know if Andy was going to be out hunting, but he decided that they weren't going to go, so I signed us up on Thursday night and the race was Saturday morning. We got up and got moving and out the door. We arrived and it was a very small race, I think a total of 83 people completed it.

We knew some of the people there since they were from our training group and it was nice to say hi to people we haven't seen in a few weeks since training is over. We lined up and the race began. It was a loop around a local park. You do the loop three times and on the last loop around you come across the finish. This was both good and bad.

It was good because you know what you were in for. You were going over the same area so you knew when hills were coming and so forth. You also knew how much longer you had to the finish.

It was bad because people cheated!!! That's right, people cheated on this race and that makes me upset. I know they cheated because they were already at the finish when I arrived, but never passed me, there were actually a few people that I passed, but somehow they arrived at the finish before me. I know it does me no good to be upset about it, but it really did bother me that people would cheat in a race. What is the point of signing up and attending if you are just going to cheat. You aren't cheating anyone but yourself and it makes other people (me) mad about it.

On the way home I had a minor pity party in the car. I was complaining to Andy about how frustrated I am that I keep trying and don't seem to get any better. I know I will never be the fastest in a race, but I would at least like to get better. I just have to keep trying and working at it, eventually it will pay off, right?!?!

On a high note, Andy came in 8th overall and 3rd in his age group so I was very proud of him! He is awesome and super supportive of me. I am pretty sure I may have given up a long time ago if he didn't keep pushing me to achieve my goals.

Spirit of Survival Recap

This past Sunday was the Spirit of Survival! I was so excited for this race because it raised money for a great cause, and because it was what our training group had been working toward. Saturday morning our training group had our final session which was just a simple 1 mile (I think, I didn't have my trusty Garmin) walk followed by a celebration breakfast. After training we went and picked up our race packets and hit up the expo which was put on by a running store called Fleet Feet that drove down from Tulsa. Andy picked up some 110% compression for his knee, which he is loving, and I stocked up on Nuun (I finally found watermelon!!!) and some new Balega socks, the best!

Sunday morning rolled around and we were out of bed at 5:40 to get to the start around 6:30. We arrived on time and checked our bag. Gear check was a good walk from the start so that was a little bit of a pain, but not the end of the world. We were waiting in the very long line at the port-a-potties when we finally gave up. We walked down to the start to find more lineless port-a-potties! Then it was time to line up at the start!

They had it set up by pace which was nice. Right at 7:30am the gun went off and the race began. I started off feeling great. I had good pace and was moving along. Then the wind picked up, that darn wind. Tell me how the wind can be at your face for the whole race, when it is an out and back course?!?! Anyway, the wind was killer and slowed me down a bit, but I kept on keepin' on. 

There were water stations at every mile (which I knew there would be ahead of time), so I left my hydration belt at home. That was a good idea and I stopped at all of the stations. There was also music at each station and people cheering along the whole route, which was awesome! I had a blast and wish we could do the race again next year (we will be leaving Lawton in February, finally got our Request for Orders for our next duty station, but more on that for another day).

My goal was to finish in under two hours, knowing that I would be run/walking, which is how I trained. I completed the quarter marathon, which per my Garmin was actually 6.62 miles instead of 6.55. I ran about a third and walked two thirds and I ended up finishing at 1:45:33, which is no records but it made me happy. I know I am not and will not ever be the fastest out there, but hey, I am still out there! Andy's goal was the finish the half marathon in two hours, and he did just that, coming in at 2:00:43! So proud of my awesome husband and pretty proud of myself for finishing as well! 

After the race we got our medals, hit up the finishers tent for water and snacks and got massages! It was such a great race and we had a blast. 

You know how they say races are addictive, well they totally are and now I am on the hunt for a half marathon to train for! It is much better when you are signed up for a race because you have something to train for and work toward. I cannot wait to start training for a half marathon and get my pace more where I want it to be! 

Only Two Days Left!

Holy cow, I only have two more days until the Spirit of Survival, my first quarter marathon! I know 6.55 miles may not be much for some people, but for me, this is a BIG deal. I have done 5ks and a 4-miler, but I have never done a race over that. I am also so excited because it could not be for a better cause.

The Spirit of Survival is an annual race here in Lawton, Oklahoma. I have been looking forward to this race since before we moved here a few months ago. The Spirit of Survival helps raise money for the Southwest Oklahoma Cancer Centers, which is made up of three hospitals: Comanche County Memorial Hospital in Lawton, Duncan Regional in Duncan and Jackson County Memorial in Altus. This race has a special place in my heart as many people in my family, including both of my parents, have had cancer. Luckily, with the work of wonderful doctors, both of my parents are now cancer free! 

The training group that we have been a part of for the last 12 weeks is put on by the Spirit of Survival and tomorrow will be out last group. It has been an awesome 12 weeks and I hope I see some of my training buddies on the road in the future or even at some other upcoming local races. 

If you are in the area, you can still sign up! There are tons of different events for everyone! There is the Hulkin' Half Marathon (what Andy is completing), the Quick Silver Quarter Marathon (what I am doing), the Superhero 5k, the Superhero Kids Marathon, and the Leah M Fitch Spirit Walk. You cannot sign up online anymore, but in-person registration goes until tomorrow! Get out there, have a blast and raise some money for a wonderful cause! I will be sure to give you a race recap early next week, wish me luck to make it across that finish line and hope you have a great weekend! 

Fall Style

Fall might be my favorite season. It starts to cool off, I can wear comfy sweaters and enjoy lovely pumpkin flavored things! Today I thought I might share some of my favorite fall fashions today. I love classic and comfortable styles, and I love to save money. So, most of my wardrobe is from Old Navy, J Crew Factory, and Polo Ralph Lauren (outlet). Here are some of my favorites for fall!

Fox Sweater, Old Navy, $32.95

Plaid button down, Old Navy, $26.94

V-neck Sweater, J Crew Factory, currently on sale for $29.50

Puffer Vest, J Crew Factory, $98.00

I have all of the above, except for the pink puffer. I have the same one in navy blue (currently sold out online) and a very similar one from Old Navy in dark green, but sure would love to add this pink one to my collection! 

Oxfords, Polo Ralph Lauren

I also don't pay full price for anything! I just don't see the point when there are always sales or discounts to be found, from coupon codes to super cash at Old Navy. Plus, if you have an outlet near you, be sure to hit it up because they usually have 30%-40% off sales. Some of the outlets also offer military discounts which I enjoy. 

I love simple layering pieces that can go with a lot. All of the above can be worn with jeans, black ankle pants, skirts, the possibilities are endless! What are your favorite fall finds? 

Currently on Repeat

Some people love running with music and others hate it. I for one am a big fan. It helps me get in the zone and enjoy the run a little more (but I always keep it on pretty low when running alone so I can hear traffic). Today I thought I would share my current favorites with you!

I Will Wait - Mumford and Sons
Come and Get It - Selena Gomez
Roar - Katy Perry
Radioactive - Imagine Dragons
Treasure - Bruno Mars
Love Somebody - Maroon 5
Summertime Sadness - Lana Del Rey and Cedric Gervais
Wake Me Up - Avicii
Gone, Gone, Gone - Phillip Phillips

What do you like, music or none? What are your current favorite workout songs?

Devil Dog Run and Two Happys!

On Saturday we actually got to sleep in! That's right, we slept until 6:20am which is sleeping in on a Saturday lately since we get up at 5:30am for our training group on most Saturdays. This Saturday we missed training (and so did half our group) because we participated in the Devil Dog Run.

The Devil Dog Run is a 5k and 10k. This year was the 20th and it is a run put on by the Marine detachment here at Fort Sill. I think there were probably around 600 participants, but I could be wrong. It was a lot of fun and a very well organized event, compared to the last 5k that we did.

I participated in the 5k and Andy did the 10k. It was a lot of fun, but a very hard course. My first and third miles were pretty good, but I could have gone without mile number two. Mile number two was killer because it was pretty much all hills. Clearly I need to do more hill work because that mile was not any fun and it showed in my time. O well, I still had a blast and would do it all over again! And, Andy was an awesome husband and met up with me on my last .2 miles and helped me finish strong. (He finished his race before me since the 10k had an earlier start time, and he is a much faster runner than I.) Plus. Andy won in the raffle and got passes to go to some haunted house tour in town so we will have to check that out!

The rest of our Saturday was spent relaxing. Andy worked on a paper and I relaxed like a boss! Then we watched Gods and Generals (all 4.5 hours of it), with a dinner intermission. Sunday was also full of house cleaning/yard work/relaxing some more. It also included football and a trip to Target for me!

The two things that made me happy this Sunday, my husband and puppy in their Packers jerseys (don't worry, there is a Jets jersey on the way that should be here tomorrow!) Those boys sure do love their football!

And, my new Philip Lim for Target purse. By looking at instagram yesterday morning I was a little worried about what I would be able to get my hands on. There were some Targets with lines hours before the store opened and the Philip Lim stock was out within minutes. And, all of the purses are now sold out online. I guess that's one good thing about living in southern Oklahoma, my store was fully stocked (and probably still is)! I grabbed this lovely and am tempted to go back for another (the large taupe one).

Hope you all have a wonderful day!

Successful Labor Day Weekend

Having yesterday off of work was so great, even if we didn't do much. The long weekend of relaxing, shopping and movie watching was wonderful and I want to do it all over again. This morning Andy even mentioned that we had 3 days off (he had 4 off) and didn't get much accomplished but that is totally okay with us. We didn't fold laundry, go grocery shopping or to our training group which were all things that we should have done, but what are you gonna do.

Friday he was off work so he spent the day cutting the grass and hand washing our cars, until I got off work. Usually Friday is dinner out for us, but we were both in a lazy mood so we ordered pizza in and watched TV. We finished season one of Orange is the New Black which I was so bummed about because I didn't want it to be over. This is one of our new favorite shows and are so ready for season two. So, we started another Netflix original series called House of Cards which is equally as great.If you have Netflix, check out these two shows!

Saturday we woke up at 5:30 to go to our training group as usual, but ended up not going. My hip had started hurting Thursday night and still wasn't 100% and I didn't want to run 4 miles on it. And Andy was beat from work all week, so we went back to sleep. We finally work up around 9am, holy cow that is super late for me but it felt great to sleep in! We had breakfast and while Andy finished up some work on the cars, I played fetch with my favorite little guy!

We also went to see 2 Guns which was entertaining and hit up our favorite Greek restaurant for dinner, followed by a lazy night number two!

Sunday we got up, I made breakfast and we headed to OKC for outlet shopping! We only went to three stores but three was about all my debit card could take as we did some damage.  Andy wanted to do fall shopping at Polo Ralph Lauren as that is about all he wears and got some great deals. I added another oxford to my collection (pink stripes) since I wear them all the time. I was looking for the green stripes, but they didn't have my size, guess that means I have to go back, right? Haha

We also went to J Crew which I have missed so much over the past few years as we didn't have one in El Paso. I got some of my favorite sweaters (and am very tempted to order even more because they are the perfect sweater) along with a puffer vest that I have been coveting since last year. Then we went into Coach just to look at wallets and my wonderful husband treated me to the perfect one, did I get lucky or what?!?!

We had a late lunch/early dinner at BJ's Restaurant and Brewhouse which was one of our favorite places in El Paso. I was so excited to find one close by and it tasted as good as ever!

Yesterday we went to the mall for a few things. I got my eyebrows threaded for the first time and while it did hurt, they do look pretty darn good if I do say so myself, I might be a threading girl instead of waxing now! We also stocked up on fall smellies from Bath and Body and I cannot wait to use them and have that warm, cozy, fall smell all day long! The rest of the day was relaxing, plus a two hour nap which was wonderful!

Don't think I have given up on running though, I did a little run this morning which felt pretty good. My pace kinda sucked today, but at least I am out there getting in some miles!

Hope you all had as great a labor day weekend as we did!

Listen to Your Body!

Listening to your body is one of the most important things you can do! In my case, I am not running for anyone but myself and can do what I feel like. Some days what I feel like doing is nothing, which is not usually the right answer, but it can be.

Yesterday, doing nothing was the right answer for me. I was supposed to run 2 miles per my training plan, but I woke up and my legs were still hurting from a previous run, I had a splitting headache and my bed was just too comfy to get out of. So, I stayed in bed for an extra hour instead of getting up and running.

I made up for it this morning because Andy left for PT at his usual time and I never fell back asleep. Instead of laying in bed and checking up on Facebook, Instagram, and emails (what I usually do when I don't run in the morning) I was productive! I did my 2 miles and they felt awesome! I felt rested and my body was feeling good, it was also nice and cool out and the sun was just coming up. It was a pretty perfect morning run and I am glad I did it.

You just have to listen to yourself and see what is best for you that day. There is no rule saying you have to follow your training plan 100%, you can make adjustments as you see fit. If that was the rule, I would be a serious rule breaker.

What do you do? Do you stick to your training plan mile to mile? Or just go on what your body is telling you?

Hydration is Key!

Hydration is one of the most important things when running, and even when you are not running. When I was in high school, and sometimes in college, I would faint a lot. It was weird and I did not like it, and it happened so often that I could usually feel when it was going to happen so I at least had a little time to get myself seated somewhere and get it under control.

Until my mom and I were flying back from Greece with a layover in Germany and I almost knocked over a while display of cognac in a duty-free store as I was fainting. When we got home, we went to all sorts of doctors and they all told me to drink more Gatorade because I had an electrolyte imbalance (maybe those doctors got some sort of kickback from Gatorade, because they all told me the same thing haha). Well, drinking a million bottles of Gatorade a day was bad because then I started getting cavities. Gatorade has tons of sugar which is not the best. So, I stopped drinking Gatorade all the time and luckily I don't faint anymore.

I also love my morning coffee, hot or iced, I love it all.

But, coffee (caffeine) dehydrates you, so you need to boost your hydration back up during the day.

When I started running I knew I would need something more substantial than just water on my runs. Enter Nuun Hydration!

This is the best and I am so glad I found it! I first found out about Nuun on some other blogs that I read and knew I wanted to try it, no sugar and no carbs, but lots of electrolytes. Sounded great to me, but were to buy it in little ol' Lawton, OK?

Well, there wasn't anywhere to buy it here so when we went to Oklahoma City for Andy to pick up some new running shoes at the closest running shop to us (an hour and twenty minutes away) I figured I would pick up some Nuun. I did and I am so glad that I found it. Then, last month, Lawton opened a new shopping center which includes not only a Target (thank heavens) but also an Academy Sports, and they have Nuun in stock! So glad that I don't have to drive to OKC just for Nuun now.

They have all sorts of favors (14), but my favorites so far might be tropical or fruit punch. I will be ordering the watermelon soon because I hear that is awesome, and they are currently doing free shipping on their website!

What do you use to hydrate on your runs? Or during the day in general, because for me, Nuun is an all day affair, no just on a nice run. Have a great day!

I Love Planning

The title says it all, but yes, I really do like to have things planned out. That is why I loved getting a training schedule for our running groups, and was super excited when my new Lilly Pulitzer planner came in the mail on Saturday. Out with the old and in with the new!

Seeing the mileage that I need to put in for the day and getting to cross it out on my schedule when I complete it makes me feel really great. I feel like I have accomplished something and can go on with what I have planned for the rest of the day.

Also, since I got my new planner I spent Sunday afternoon planning some fall races for us while Andy had school work. I am pretty excited for the following races:

Saturday, August 24th: GloRun in Edmond, OK or Moore War Strong Run in Moore, OK
Saturday, September 7th: The Color Run in Wichita Falls, TX
Saturday, September 14th: Devil Dogs Run 10k/5k here at Fort Sill
Sunday, October 6th: Spirit of Survival! (Quarter Marathon for me and Half Marathon for Andy)
Saturday, October 26th: West End Center's 5k Spooky Sprint in Roanoke, VA

It is so much fun to have races to look forward to! We are currently only signed up for the Spirit of Survival as that is what we are training for with our groups, but I cannot wait to sign up for the others! What fun races do you have coming up on your schedule?

Weekend Catch-Up

I have defiantly been slacking in the blogging department lately, but I will get back at it. Starting off with our great weekend! This weekend involved a lot of relaxing which I was a big fan of! Friday night we went to one of our new favorite restaurants, El Greco, here in Lawton. Then came home for a relaxing night.

Saturday we were up bright and early for our training groups. It was a lot of fun, though I came home with about a million mosquito bites and my legs are itching like crazy. After our run, we came home and showered, then headed to Cracker Barrel for breakfast. That seems to be our new Saturday morning routine, and I am totally okay with that! After breakfast we headed out for some errands at Target and the farmers market.

When I got home, our new bedding had arrived! I was so excited and think it looks great, and matches our new bedside lamps perfectly! While I set up the new bedroom, Andy got to pickling. Yep, he made pickled watermelon rinds and a jar of pickled tomatoes and peppers. Now we wait, hopefully they will taste great in about a month!

Sunday was spent relaxing as Andy had a paper to write. So, I cooked a yummy breakfast of granola pancakes, eggs over easy and turkey bacon. Andy began his school work and I began laundry and catching up on the whole season of Real Housewives of Orange County. I also hung out with this little guy, every dog needs 4 toys in his face at nap time, no? Haha

Then we used our new storage bags, they are awesome and now all of our extra bedding fits nicely in one cabinet in the laundry room! (there is another full storage bag, but I didn't get a picture of that one)

It was a nice lazy day and was concluded with dinner at Red Lobster and the beginning of Shark Week! Everyones favorite week of the year is Shark Week, right? But I was rather disappointed in Megalodon, mostly because I think 90% of that was fake. They better step it up for the rest of Shark Week, or I am going to be one disappointed lady.

For the Girls!

That's right fellas (if there are any male readers other than my husband), this one if for the ladies.

Now, I am not one to buy the most expensive workout gear, simply because I don't see the point. It is clothing that you are just going to get nasty and sweaty in, and there is no need to spend $70 on a pair of capris or $50 on a shirt. Some people might see the difference, but I love gear from Old Navy and Target, and when I am feeling fancy I order stuff off 6PM.com because they have all of the name brand stuff for way less, and I am all about a good deal! However, two things that a woman should invest in are good running shoes and good sports bras.

I used to only wear C9 by Champion (the Target workout brand) sports bras. I thought they were good enough, and they run about $10-$15 so they were at a price point that I wanted to pay. But, once I started running more and more, I began to notice that they were not going to cut it. They simply did not have the support that my girls needed. They are good for lower impact sports, like weight training, yoga, etc, where you are not constantly and quickly moving up and down, but not for running. So, I began the search for the right sports bra for me. Everyone is built differently, so these might be great for some peoples runs, you just need to find what works for you!

Enter Moving Comfort! I read other blogs and reviews and a lot of people seemed to have good luck with the Moving Comfort brand. I decided that I wanted to try the Rebound Racer , which is made for high-impact sports. I already have three running skirts from them and I love those, so I figured I would give Moving Comfort bras a shot, but was not thrilled about the $50 price tag. Until, my birthday rolled around at the end of last month and I had an email pop up saying $25 off your purchase of $50 or more!

Needless to say, that was enough to put me over the edge and invest. Plus, they have a lot of their spring items on sale, so I ended up with the below!

Usually these four would cost me a total of $200! Yeah, I don't think so, I am not made of money and just cannot bring myself to spend $200 on sports bras. But, being the awesome (self-proclaimed) deal-hunter that I am, I got all of these babies for a total of $70!

They fit great, have adjustable straps (that are slightly padded), have a hook closure in the back, and are double lined so there is no free show in the rain or cold. As an added bonus, the coral/blue, purple/yellow and black/gray are the color combos of the skirts I have from Moving Comfort, and who doesn't love to match! Now, I just cannot wait until the new colors go on sale so I can scoop those up too!

Week One Complete

Last week was week one of our training plan for the Spirit of Survival race! It was a good week, followed by a group training session on Saturday! Plus, we got to pick up our training shirts, and who doesn't like a new training shirt!

We had a really awesome session of getting to meet with our training teams and doing our first training run, which is on the race course so it is nice to get familiar with it! A morning run was also the best way to start our Saturday!

After the run we came home, showered and hit up Cracker Barrel because I was starving. We had a yummy breakfast and then hit the road. We drove up to Oklahoma City for the day to get Andy a new pair if running shoes, and OKC is the closest running shop. Andy is now the proud owner of a pair of Saucony Guide 6s and he loves them. Still don't think that is going to make me stray from my lovely Mizuno Wave Riders though!

After the running shop we spent the afternoon at the zoo! I was so excited to go to the zoo because I love animals (especially elephants) and because our first date was to the North Carolina Zoo, so zoos hold a special place in my heart.

We had a lot of fun, but it was insanely hot and humid and we must have walked about 4 miles around the zoo on top of our morning training session, so my legs were shot. Finally, we hit Chili's for a late lunch/early dinner and then made the hour and a half drive back to Lawton. We had a low key Saturday night which included some wine, PJs and movies and I loved it! Now, I leave you with some cute animal pictures to get you though your day!

 Momma and baby!

 Who knew sea lions could paint?!?!

My favorite, a little elephant family!