Thank you for all the nice comments on my wedding photos – you all are so sweet. I’m looking forward to doing a wedding re-cap on our anniversary!

Re-reading all those comments really made my day today. It was one of those days. You know, one of those days where everything is hard, you get nothing accomplished, and the world just sux in general. I’m normally really upbeat on the blog, and my life is pretty darn great 90% of the time, but it’s that remaining 10% that gets to me.

Not to get too personal, but my ex and I don’t have the best relationship. Yes, it’s not horrible, but it’s not great either. We remain friendly for C’s sake, but I normally take the brunt of everything. I do it because I love C more than anything in this world and I don’t want him to ever see his father and I fighting or disagreeing about him. I’ve really learned to just let the things that he says or does go. It’s taken a REALLY long time to get to this point, but it’s so worth it. I’m the only one who ends up getting upset in the long run anyways, so why waste my energy?

However, the past few months I’ve really been affected by him. I don’t know if it’s the way he’s handling things that is getting to me so bad, or if I’m just under a lot of stress and don’t have as thick a skin as I did before, but I haven’t been able to just “let it go”. This is not healthy. I’m already stressed out from all the jobs I take on and being a mom and wife. I can’t afford to let him affect me this way.

So, today is the day that I vow to “let it go” from now on. I know I may have some setbacks along the way (hopefully none involve me punching him in the face), but at least I’ve acknowledged the problem and I’m aware that it IS a problem. I want to get back to that happy place where the things he says and does don’t affect me.

Not only for me, but for this guy, too:

Here’s to a new day!

Do any of you have any advice on how to “let it go”? I’m open to suggestions!

Wow, today was a long day. I swear the days are longer when I don’t have any evening plans. I’m so used to go-go-go that it’s hard to relax. Since I’m helping out a friend and subbing her class tomorrow night, I decided to get a sub for my class tonight so that I would have one day off during the week (M-TH). My IT Band thanks me for this. As does my son.

So, after picking up the kiddo from school we stopped at the grocery store. I don’t discuss my diet so much on the blog, but I’m totally and completely 100% in love with the Caramel Oikos yogurt. I eat one almost every morning mixed with my favorite cereals (a mixture). In an effort to try new things (try before you cry!), I thought I’d branch out on the greek yogurt front.

Plain and Vanilla (both 0%)

What did I think?

The vanilla is DELICIOUS! The plain was WAY too bitter for me. I just couldn’t do it. For all you greek yogurt lovers out there, is it the brand I bought, or is it this bitter (and sour) all the time? Ew. Hated it.

I also got another new product:

I’ll be honest, I was definitely a little weary when I opened it up.

It looks harmless enough, right? I put a little in my yogurt, mixed it up real good, and……………….meh. Again, even with the PB2 mixed into the plain yogurt I wanted to gag. It was better in the vanilla, but I liked the yogurt too much by itself that I just wanted to eat it plain. The jury’s still out. I sure hope I like this stuff, though, since I now have 4 jars of it on top of my fridge!

On the home-front, we got something very exciting today:

What could it be…….

Our wedding album (almost 2 years later, btw)!

I’m not so impressed with our photographers and how long it took us to get this book, but the pictures are fantastic so I guess it’s a wash. Pick your battles, right?

Here are 2 of my favorite pages:

This is such a Heather pose:

I don’t think the photographer liked when we kept throwin the peace sign! Hehe. Love it.

Peace out, kids.

Do you like PB2? What’s your favorite way to use it?

I can’t believe that yesterday was the fifth week of training for Team Challenge already. It’s going to be December 5th before we know it!

Since our training runs are done at a trail that is about a half hour from our house, we always leave a good 45 minutes early to make sure we’re on time. I really don’t want to be the coach that gets to the training late. So this is what Sunday morning looks like:

Bedhead hair, Saturday night’s makeup, and puffy eyes. Training for races is not always pretty, my friends. (and check out Diddy, that dog ALWAYS has to be between me and J!)

We met at our normal location and talked about goals. I had sent out an email prior to Sunday explaining S.M.A.R.T. goals:

• Specific – This is the What, Why, and How
• Measurable – Establish concrete criteria for measuring progress (I will run 3x this week for at least 20 minutes each run)
• Attainable – Set goals that aren’t too far out of reach so that you feel a sense of success
• Realistic – This does not mean “easy” – it means “do-able”. Set the bar high enough for a satisfying achievement!
• Timetable – Specific timeframe – ours was for this week only

I told the group that my goal this week is to stretch every night and to ice my knee after my runs. This definitely meets all the requirements, and is something I struggle with!

We then went around the group with everyone stating their running goals for the week. It was nice to hear the different goals – some were pace related, others were to just run and not walk, and others were even to get more rest! I think it’s good to get everyone talking and being more interactive. I’ll get these people to open up if it kills me.

Can you spot my favorite plaid shorts??

I like the shot below because you can see the railroad tracks. This trail goes on for MILES. So you can always ride the train (for $1) back to where you came from. They’ll even put your bike in the back if you’re riding! It’s pretty great.

And then we set off for our 50 minute run. I headed out early with one of the faster boys for 2 miles (8:40 was our first mile!) and then started running/walking back and forth to spend time with almost everyone. I ended up running about 5.25 miles. Not too bad for walking, too!

For a little fun, we had a breakfast bbq after the run. Ryan manned the grill:

I brought homemade coffee cake muffins. Somehow I forgot to take pictures(!!). But they turned out INCREDIBLE. Martha sure knows what she’s doin.

We had a pretty great spread with eggs, sausage, muffins, and fruit. Plus, it was fun!

AND Diddy had a playmate:

This is Ryan’s 12 week old husky-mix puppy, Griffy. He’s the softest, cutest pup!

I think it was a successful training day. I like the fact that everyone stuck around and didn’t just jump in their cars afterwards to head home. Dare I say that there was even a little bonding? I can only hope.

How do you spend your Sunday mornings? Are you up early, or are your Sunday mornings nice and lazy??

This weekend was spent experiencing many “wins“:

1. Friday:

Hello, fun package that the UPS man dropped off!

A few weeks ago I “won” a giveaway on Lindsay’s blog, and it was delivered on Friday. Great way to start my weekend! But never did I expect such a big package (TWSS?)!

What was in it, you ask?

My beloved NuNaturals! I was mad excited when Lindsay told me I won this giveaway because we LOVE NuNaturals in our house. The Baking Blend and Liquid Drops are our favorites.

Thank you, Lindsay and NuNaturals!!

2. Saturday morning

I had to teach at the gym so J headed to the WestSide Market for some veggies while I was gone. I cannot send that man to the grocery store or market by himself. Because this is what he comes home with:

WOW. The cupcakes from the WestSide Market are incredible! Sometimes they don’t look the prettiest, but they taste the BEST. This one was a turtle flavor. Check out the caramel center:

I only had a bite, but this was a “winner“! The frosting was so creamy and delicious. J didn’t waste any time putting it down.

3. Saturday night

We headed over to our friend’s house to catch up and spend time with this cutie:

We ordered takeout from the Winking Lizard and just hung out. It was a great time.

Actually, it was a “winning” night in my book.

So, what about you? Did you experience any “wins” this weekend?? Do tell!

It’s hard to believe that it’s Fall already, when we’re experiencing 88 degree weather in Cleveland right now! Where are the orange leaves, long sweaters, pumpkins, and boots?? Really. Cleveland’s weather is so screwy. Is it unusually warm where you are?

So, in order to welcome Fall, I thought I’d say goodbye to Summer by recapping my TEN favorite things:

1. Baseball games (even though they were painful to watch!):

2. Grilled veggies:

3. Summer races:

4. Ice cream!

5. Outdoor Bar Patios:

6. Pool parties

7. Summer vacation

8. Bloggers!

9. Fireworks

And most importantly………..

10. Spending lots of time with these handsome guys:

Summer, we had a good run this year. Can’t wait to see you again in 2011!!

What were some of your favorite things from the Summer?

So, while we were in Chicago for the half marathon we hit up Molly’s Cupcakes. Did you really expect anything less? We all know by now about my intense love for sweet things.

Molly’s Cupcakes was the VERY FIRST cupcakery I had ever been to. My sis took me there the first time I went to visit her after she moved to Chicago (and I haven’t been the same since!). Since it was our cousin, David’s, birthday the week before the race we thought it would be nice to get some cupcakes to celebrate! And, who are we kidding, we probably would have gotten them anyways, but at least this sounds better, right?

The first thing I noticed when we walked in was how crowded it was. It was 4:00 on a Saturday afternoon and the place was jammin.

The next thing I noticed?

A sprinkle station! Love this idea.

There were so many choices…..

…….that we ended up letting the girls working the counter pick for us!

I love the “Build You Own” idea. So, we let the girl know we wanted 12 mini cupcakes and to have at it.

What’s even better, is that if you build your own they actually make the cupcakes right in front of you. They match a pre-made cupcake flavor with a frosting and frost them right then and there.

So, while we were waiting, I tried to take a look around without looking too touristy. I think my camera pretty much blew it for me, though. But how cute are these chairs at the bar?

Everything about this place just screams cute. The little touches like the “build your own” and the swing seats are what make Molly’s so unique!

Even their logo is cute:

If I didn’t love the place so much, I’d probably be puking from all the cuteness.

So, what did we end up with?

Vanilla, chocolate, carrot cake, and red velvet cupcakes with a plethora of frostings. I only tried the carrot cake and red velvet, and the cream cheese frosting was TO.DIE.FOR. Wow. It was so creamy and rich – just what cream cheese frosting is supposed to be.

I’m pretty sure the birthday boy enjoyed his treat.

I love that Molly’s and Tarascas International are starting to become traditions when we visit my sis. I LOVE traditions, and I think it makes our trips just that much more special.

So, what reigns supreme for you?  Cupcakes or cake?

Ahhh……Tuesday nights…how I love thee. Besides tomorrow being halfway through the week, it’s also my day off from teaching at the gym. I love that I get to come home after work and just have time for me and the fam!

Thanks for all the comments about the pickles. I’ve been trying to convince J to write a “husband post” for awhile, so maybe this is just the thing to get him on board! I’ll see what I can do……

This past Sunday was week 4 of our group training runs for Team Challenge. 45 minutes was on the schedule. We met at 8:30 at our usual spot and had another great turn out! Before we run I prepare a topic to discuss/educate for a few minutes since this is the first time most of these people are running.

This week I shared my experience from the Chicago Half Marathon. My best advice is to BE PREPARED. Lay everything out the night before and triple check your list. One thing that’s commonly overlooked is checking to make sure your iPod, Garmin, or whatever it may be is charged! You don’t want to be running around at 5am trying to find your headphones or safety pins to attach your race bib (race day is already stressful enough!). I also explained how it’s normal not to get a lot of sleep the night before the race and to not freak out too much over it. It happens to almost all of us, and we live.

Then we were off!

There are a few boys a lot faster than me, so when I started in the back of the pack I found it difficult to catch up!! I caught our fastest girl, Bethany, though, and ran with her for the whole second half. I need to learn to start with the boys and then fall back to see everyone else. It’s hard because I’m trying to run/walk with everyone. I want to get to know them all and let them know I CARE. I’m their coach, you know.

The speedy boys afterwards:

Nick, on the far left, is trying to set a PR of under 1:30. Holy heck!

Here’s the crew all nice and sweated up:

Can you tell it was Browns day? Also, see C in the middle?? He ran the entire 45 minutes with the team – I’m so proud of him!!

Anyways, what I tried to stress the most is that race day is what it is. You can prepare mentally and physically and just end up having a bad day (like what happened to me in Pittsburgh), or everything can just fall into place and you have a perfect day (like Cleveland!). The point is to NOT QUIT. It may feel overwhelming, and it may be emotionally draining sometimes, but you CAN do it. And my job is to help them get there. Pretty cool job, huh?

What’s the coolest job you’ve ever had?

Sup, friends?? How was your Monday? Mine was OK. But luckily my Group Step class tonight took all the worries away (for an hour at least). I know I mention this class a lot, but I really can’t tell you enough how much I love it. My favorite, hands down. It always changes my mood around and I leave feeling like a whole new person. Does that ever happen to you?

Anyways, some of you actually guessed my teaser picture from yesterday!

Ever since J and I met, he has been telling me how he makes these mad zucchini pickles (we eat A LOT of pickles) and 5 years later he finally got around to making them.

After I left for my lunch date with the girls on Saturday, I found out through Twitter/Four Square that J and C were at the Westside Market. I love that we find out each other’s whereabouts through social media, btw. So I immediately knew what his plans were for the afternoon.

He took some pictures for me, but they were done with our point and shoot so he did his best. But I thought you’d like a little picture story:

Lots and lots of pickles!!! My husband is addicted. Oh, and so is Allison. J is totally feeding her pickle obsession. Seriously. I think she went through a jar in 2 days! And I’m not gonna lie, I’m pretty sure J loves being her enabler. Hehe.

In addition to the sour (and spicy!) pickles, I got busy in the kitchen on Sunday afternoon baking brownies for the boys. I had a random block of cream cheese in the fridge that needed to be used and I knew just what I wanted to do with it.

I used Smitten Kitchen’s recipe for cheesecake marbled brownies, and they are most rich, creamy, and moist brownies you’ll ever eat.

Mmmmmm………check out those swirls.

The addition of the chocolate chips on top is genius.

I asked J if he wanted me to take some to work since I probably won’t eat any more and C didn’t like the cream cheese and he responded with “Nah, I think they’re fine here.” Gotta love a man’s metabolism.

Hope you’re having a great start to your week!

What makes Mondays good for you?

I love my Monday step class because all my participants are genuinely excited to be there. It really makes teaching extra fun!

Helllooooo!!! How was your weekend?

My weekend was full of food and exercise. Friday started with a Hot Yoga Powerful Flow class at a yoga studio near me, Inner Bliss. I had heard such great things about this place so I was curious to check it out for myself. Well, I’m still sore today so I think that says a lot! I’m even thinking about torturing myself again this coming Friday. hehe

Saturday morning I taught a killer abs class (it hurts to laugh today!!) and Group Power, and then went to lunch with some girlfriends! We went to Paladar as a part of Allison’s Chevy Girls on the Go program. Check out her sweet ride (lucky duck!):

Paladar Latin Kitchen & Rum Bar is a fresh, colorful and fun Latin American restaurant experience inspired by Central & South America, Cuba and the Latin Caribbean.

The weather was seriously perfect so we sat out on the patio. We were all starving so before we even got our drinks we ordered some spicy guacamole and fire roasted tomato salsa. I wasn’t really impressed with either of the dips, but the chips they brought out were a pleasant surprise.

These were a blend of plantain, yucca, malanga, and corn tortilla chips. So much better than your normal tortilla chip. We definitely did some damage to these bad boys.

Kristin and I split the veggie quesadilla (no mushrooms, thank you!) and I also got a cup of the cuban black bean soup.

You know, I have to say that both were fantastic. The ingredients were so fresh and flavorful. I was really impressed! Plus, our waitress was very helpful, yet not overbearing and the patio seating was a bonus! It was nice to have a leisurely, Saturday lunch with some good friends.

My beautiful girlfriends, Angelina, Kristin, and Allison.

So many more food happenings took place this weekend, but I want to save them for my next post. So here’s a sneak peak to hold you over:

Looks great, right?

And like I said in the beginning, this weekend was full of food and exercise. In addition to yoga, abs, and Power, this morning was week 4 of Team Challenge training! I LOVE Team Challenge, and I LOVE training with this group of people. They are so dedicated and inspiring – it’s really a pleasure. I’ll recap today’s training later, too.

So much to catch up on!!

I hope you had a great weekend. Was it full of fun, food, and exercise??

Just a little warning, this is a dog lovers post.

Every year after the city pool closes for the season, they leave it open for one more day for the locals to bring their dogs to swim. I’d heard from friends that this is a great time so we called Allison and made a playdate for the pups at the city pool last week.

We had no idea how Diddy would take to the water. He sits still for his baths, but that’s the only experience he’s really had. He was quite overwhelmed when we got there (as was I!):

(And that’s only a small section of the pool)

So, how did we get Diddy into the water?

I gotta be honest, he wasn’t one of those dogs running around in the water chasing tennis balls. He just kinda stood there once he was in. I don’t think he understood that he could just walk like normal. I’m not sure he could see the bottom? Every time he would walk he would lift his paws all the way out of the water like he was tip toeing – it was hilarious.

Poor Allison, her girls were having NONE of it:

I think they sat on her lap the entire time. In their defense, though, some of the dogs there were pretty aggressive and all up in their business. I would be sitting on my mom’s lap, too, if some weird boy was sniffing me.

J and I finally decided to show Diddy some tough love. C and J got in the deep end and I literally just threw him in.

Much to our surprise, he swam!!! He didn’t like it, but he did it. So after 3 times of torturing our poor pup, we let him just hang out with his girlfriends for a little and then called it a night.

For $5.00 this was definitely something fun to do with the family and pups. I think we’ll try it again next year and see what happens. Maybe we need to bring Suzanne and Bacon? After how those two got along at the BYODD, I bet Diddy would do anything for that dog.

If you have a dog, does he or she like the water? Do they swim??