Weekend recap

We had a busy, but fantastic weekend. Our school hosted its annual carnival Friday night. Our turnout wasn't as good as it usually is- we had a really bad thunderstorm and were under tornado watch, so a lot of people didn't show. I worked the concession stand and had a great time. I love people and being social, so putting me where I can talk to people is always good. It was a late night, and I was dead tired when I got home.

Saturday was mostly spent at home. We had a good visit with the hubs' grandparents and then went out for a late dinner and some ice cream.

Sunday was fantastic, as we had a guest preacher who preached a great service. Afterward, we went to lunch and came home and spent lots of time outside together.

Sunday night, we had an early birthday party for me at my mother's house. We had an excellent meal and an ice cream cake, and got to enjoy lots of visiting and fellowship. I very much enjoyed it and it certainly started my week off right.

Work it, girl!

Some of you know I started running again last summer. I ran daily starting when I was 12. I stopped when I found out I was pregnant with Emorie. Then the demands of motherhood got in the way and I just stopped.

Emorie was two before I began running again. I knew I ultimately wanted to run four miles at once. I started jogging one mile and walking three, knowing that every other month, I'd increase my running by one mile.  It was difficult and it took forever before I began to notice any real progress. Slowly but surely, my average pace per mile began to increase.

By the time I went back to work in August, I was jogging 4 miles at a pace of 14 minutes per mile. Now that I have been running again for ten months, I have altered my fitness schedule. I am running four miles three nights a week and doing strength training three nights a week.

I'm very careful about what I eat. I eat whole grains, proteins, fruits, veggies and lean meats. I've lost 25 pounds and feel better than ever. My blood sugar has been a lot better, too.

I have had to work hard to make myself stuck to this fitness regimen. I love competition, so I have entered several 5ks and a half marathon this year to stay motivated. I love the challenge and the feeling I get from beating my times in previous races.

What do you do to stay fit?

Spring Break re-cap

What a busy but wonderful spring break we had!

First of all, I kicked off my spring break by participating in the Briar Chapel Earth Day 5k on Saturday, April 12. I've been aware of this race for some time but have never participated. It was definitely an enjoyable experience, and while it wasn't my best time, I did improve a few minutes over my last race in March.
                              
Second of all, I participated in the 21 day challenge. If you're unfamiliar, you can read all about it in my organizing and housekeeping blog.  My wonderful dad came over and helped add three shelves to our cramped and disorganized linen closet. We also cleaned, scrubbed and created a giant "donation" pile. The super spring cleaning extravaganza is not quite over- we are installing closet organizers in E's room and the guest bed, as well as re-organizing mine and the hub's closet. Plus, my awesome daddy and I are adding shelves to my craft supply cabinet as well. Our home is finally coming together- we've lived there almost a year but we just haven't had the free time to accomplish everything we've wanted to do.

Thirdly, we celebrated Easter with what was honestly the best Easter service I have ever attended. The message was amazing, the music soul-stirring and I was richly blessed during the service. My baby girl looked beautiful and my husband looked handsome. We visited grandparents for Easter and spent some much needed time as a family.

                              
                             
                              
While we didn't travel anywhere, we didn't have an action-packed, fast paced spring break, we did accomplish a lot and manage to spend some wonderful moments together. I wouldn't have it any other way. Countin' many blessings, indeed!