I did it!!!

This past Sunday was my first half marathon. I wasn't planning on running it, due to a foot injury I got. I was pretty bummed out about it. I convinced my Mom to let me run a few miles of it with her. We decided I'd run about three miles in the beginning and then stop. I kept debating on just running the whole thing and saying forget my foot, or we'll see how it feels...I ended up crossing the finish line!!!! :)  I hadn't been keeping up with my training, due to the injury so it had been about 6-8 weeks since I ran long distance. I never expected the run to be so difficult. I knew it would probably be hard, but I didn't know it would be that hard! I was starting to get tired about half way through the race. I was getting really bad cramps, so bad it was hard to breathe, and it hurt. It hurt so bad, and I felt like I was struggling so much, I wanted to cry.  We ended up walking for a bit and that helped. After that my legs really started hurting, it felt like my legs were made of metal. They didn't want to move. I felt like I was running so slow. Towards mile 9 and 10 I just wanted to be done. I couldn't wait for it to be over. Every mile felt like an eternity. My Mom kept telling me to focus on something else, I tried and it was really hard..all I wanted to do was walk. There were a few inclines through out the race towards the end and I felt like I was dying. I kept pushing through all the way to the end. Once I turned the corner to the finish line was something I can never explain. It was the greatest feeling. Everyone cheering you on, seeing the finish line..the music, everyone screaming. I had an adrenaline rush and ran as fast as I could through the finish. My body hurt so bad when I was done. Thankfully my Mom massaged me. I felt so awesome after I finished, even though I hadn't finished as fast as I'd like. I am so proud of myself for accomplishing this after not training for such a long time. My Mom took care of me the whole way and stuck by my side the entire time. I'm so thankful for her. I had so much fun running this race with her even though I felt horrible most of the way. Words can't even explain how thankful I am for her, and how much I appreciate what she did for me that day. I really enjoy running with my Mom. I look forward to our morning runs together. As tough as this race was, I can't wait to do it again (and feel good). I know next time it won't be nearly as hard. Hopefully one day I will even run a full marathon with her!

A special note to my Mom:
Mom, you are amazing in so many ways. :)  You are so inspiring, and such a strong person. I am forever thankful for how much you helped me. I'm not sure I could have made it with out you. I've really enjoyed running together, and hope we can run many more races together. It's so awesome to experience something like that with you. I appreciate all the help and support you gave me that day. I will never forget that day! You were there for me when I needed you. You helped me cross that finish line, and you were with me every step of the way. You ran extremely slow with me, when I needed to. I know this was so hard due to my lack of training, but I did it anyways because you were there to help me. Words can't describe how happy I was to have you there. I can't wait to run many more races with you. It's such a cool bonding experience. Thank you again so much for everything you did for me that day.

I finally got my pictures from race day, unfortunately I have to order them in order to use them. I have some cell phone pics so we'll use those instead!

 I got this awesome picture to display, that I am very proud of :)

 Happy to be finished!

 This picture reminds me why I hate my legs so much..chicken legs!!!

 I think this was mile 3 or 4 when I was still happy :)

 Getting close to the finish, Zac hopped in and ran for a bit with me. So happy for his support this day

 Can you guess which one is my Mom? She is short like me!

I had to walk quite a lot due to pain and being tired, but all that matters is that I finished!

We have a new addition!

We have a new addition to the family!!! No, we're not pregnant, but it's fun to tease ;) His name is Louie, and although you've kind of already met him, I decided to dedicate this post to him! We adopted Louie about 3 weeks ago. We've been looking to adopt a pup for awhile, and we finally found our perfect match. He's a good little pup, although he needs to go to puppy school for some obedience and training. :) He loves to cuddle and follow mommy and daddy around. He also loves to chase his brother Frank (our cat). Frank usually ignores him, but every once in a while he fights back. I always tell Frank he should show Louie who's boss. Frank will always be the King in our house. :) Sorry Louie.

 Daddy and I love paying catch in the yard

 Although, I'm not the best at returning the ball :)

 I love when Daddy rubs my belly, it's my favorite

 Catch me if you can, I bet you can't!

 Don't you just think I'm so cute? I know you do.

 I may be little, but I'm sneaky and fast

My big brother likes to watch me from the window. I think he's mad because he can't come outside and play. Mom and Dad get mad because he tries to escape all the time. I don't get it, why don't they just let him come out and play.

Another few things that I enjoy, is giving kisses to my mom and dad, I love my kong, and my pigs ears. I especially like to hide them in the couch where Mom and Dad can't find them. :)

We love you Louie, and of course you too Frank.

Weekend Recap/Ryan and Katie's Wedding!

This Labor Day weekend we have not one wedding, but two! Zac's best friend Ryan got married. Zac and I actually met through Ryan. Their wedding was a blast! They got married at the same hotel my sister did a few months back. Instead of having a typical DJ, they had a band. Hey Jimmy was the name of the band. They were awesome!!! We all had a blast. I was a little worried at fist I wouldn't have many people to talk to since I didn't know anyone real well. I was sitting at a table with no one I knew, since Zac was a part of the bridal party. I was sitting with one of the bride's friends. She introduced herself right away and I found out she was a vegetarian as well. We had so much in common and she reminded me of myself, only very tall. She was a ton of fun and so nice. I ended up having so much fun and Ryan and Katie's family and friends were so nice and fun to hang around. Unfortunately, I didn't get too many pictures because my camera died, and I was having too much fun. Katie and Ryan, your wedding was beautiful and amazing. We are both so happy and excited for you. We hope you have a blast on your honeymoon. Ryan, thanks for bringing Zac around that one night. I don't know what I would do if I hadn't met him. Katie, I'm really enjoying becoming friends. You have some amazing friends that all say such nice things about you. I don't know you well, but you're a very sweet and caring person, and I only hope we can grow to become closer friends. We're so excited for your future together as a married couple. Our next wedding is today, one of Zac's co workers. They are getting married in their back yard. How fun! Last night was the first night we left Louie alone out of his cage. He did so well! We got home and everything was intact and he had no accidents. I'm happy it's a three day weekend. I'm looking forward to getting my extra rest on Monday. I'm also glad I'm feeling better. The past two days I thought I was getting suck. I'm not sure what it was, I just know I wasn't feeling good. Now that you know about my weekend, how was yours? What did you do? P.S..I wish I would've taken a picture of my hair. I curled it differently and it took forever..and I got so many compliments on it!

The kids...

 The Bride's beautiful dress

 Bride and Groom

 First Kiss

 So happy!

 

My oh so delicious vegetarian meal. It was so yummy. Eggplant ravioli!

 

Garter Toss

 The Groom singing some Blink 182

 The Bride singing Madonna...

 Congratulations you two! Being at their wedding makes me miss mine so much. I hope the couple had so much fun! Hope everyone has a good Labor Day weekend.

DIY All Purpose Cleaner

Are you into the latest craze of making your own cleaners? I've become much more health conscious over the past year. I don't like all the harsh chemicals and toxins in cleaning products you buy at the store, so I decided it was time to make my own! Not only is it super easy, it's much cheaper! I've really become to love tea tree oil, it has so many uses and I really love the smell. I buy mine at whole foods currently. A little goes a very long way! I also make my own laundry detergent. I'm still looking for a DIY dish washing detergent that works well, for now I'll buy the best green products I can. The only con with green products is they are more expensive, but if that means no chemicals then I'll spend the extra cash! Please READ all the ingredients and labels. It should not be toxic in any way. You can find numerous recipes. Just test and use what you like. I will share with you what I use! I hope I can encourage some to start making their own cleaning products. Here is the link to where I got the recipe from, their are some other recipes on their too! Love this stuff! Homemade cleansers. I saved old cleaning bottles and rinsed them out really well and just refilled with the new "green" cleaners.

All you need is: Hot water, vinegar, tea tree oil, super washing soda (can be found at most local grocers or amazon) and Dr. Bronners castile soap, which can be found on amazon as well, but I bought mine at Whole Foods. Next time I'd like to add lavender oil to mine, it's an anti-bacterial.

It's been too long

Hey gang! So it's been awhile since I've posted..and I can't blame it on my half marathon training, unfortunately. So I'll blame it on just being caught up in life's duties! ;)  I'm not going to post a recipe today. I will give you some awesome updates though, and not so awesome pictures. They're all coming from my cell phone today so do please keep that in mind! A few updates in my life...I haven't run in about 3 weeks and it's killing me! I hurt my foot awhile back so I've been doing a lot of resting. Not so sure if I'll be able to run the half marathon in September which is a huge bummer, but my Mom says we might be able to run one in October, so that's an upside! I was off work this past week, my family was on vacation. When I say my family, I mean the family I nanny for. I am excited to see the kids tomorrow I've missed them! I had an awesome week off though. I got to see my college friend who just had a baby, I got my hair done, visited my grandparents, went to lunch with a friend..and much more. The most exciting was getting a puppy today! He is so adorable. Oh, and I start school on Monday...boo! Hehe, I'm not a huge school fan but it's for the best! Okay, on to the pictures! Again, bear with me they probably won't be of the best quality. :)

 Okay, how cute are my grandparents? My sister and I and niece took them out to lunch! They love to hold hands.

 My niece, Zoe sitting on the cow

 My new hair..yes I did shave part of it!

 Meet Louie, the newest member of our family!

 What's outside Lou dog?

 We just picked him up, we couldn't be happier. We searched forever for a dog and we finally found one. So happy to give him a forever home.

Have a great week everyone! How was your weekend? What was the best part about it?

Pasta with Creamy Cajun Tomato Sauce

Oh, how I have missed my bloggy friends. It's been such a looooong time! Zac and I just recently moved and I've been so consumed by training for my half marathon, and getting ready to go back to school. A little update, we just finally moved into a lovely two bedroom house. I couldn't be more excited. We aren't homeowners yet but it's a nice starter place for us. It's also a change from an apartment. Also so nice! We have a huge fenced in yard, with plenty of weeds for me to pull, and grass for Zac to mow. :) We also have a 2.5 car garage. I love being in a house...also we were out of internet for for awhile so hence the no blogging. We are just about done here, have a few more things to unpack and hang. I will have pictures soon! :) My Mom made me this awesome sign I can't wait to show you guys. The first night we were here was not fun. Frank, my cat was scared of course as he is at any new place. It was about midnight when we found him missing. We searched the whole house and he was nowhere to be found. We figured he got out when we were throwing boxes outside. We went out with treats and kept calling for him, after about 10-15 minutes he finally came back. We were both so scared, I was so freaked out I started crying. I thought he disappeared forever. I can't imagine my life with out him right now. I'm so glad he was okay. Now he loves the house and he's loving all the windows he gets to look out. :)

As for my half marathon training it's going pretty well. I really owe my Mom for all the help and support she has given me. Mom, I love you and I couldn't do as well with out your help and support. She pushes me so much and is so encouraging. I will admit at the end of our long runs when she makes me speed up I want to be not so nice to her, but I keep it to myself. :) Sorry Mom! I want her to be proud of me so I just do it! I'm glad she is here to help! Yesterday we did some speed workouts...yeah so not fun! We ran a mile around the track and then did 1/4 mile sprints-or ran as fast as we could...it was hard, I felt like I wanted to throw up, my hip hurt, and my foot hurt. It was rough. We did that a total of four times. Then we ran three miles. It was my least favorite! I pushed through though. My Mom says a lot of times it's mind over matter. I totally agree, and if she wasn't there I probably wouldn't have done it. When it gets hard I tell myself I'm doing it for my Grandma. She has Alzheimers and is currently in the hospital due to a UTI. I hate to see her struggle and she is so important to me. I have many child hood memories with my grandparents. I can't imagine my life with out them either, and the older they get the more worried I become. I love you to pieces Grandma!!!! So when the running gets tough I power through for her, it seems to be the one thing that really works.

As for school...I've decided to go back to get my RN. Right now my dream is to become a midwife. I'll have to get my masters for that, and yes that might take me a very long time, but it will be totally worth it in the end! I  am starting school August 20th. Being a full time student, a full time nanny, and training for a half marathon will be rough but I can do it! :) Okay, so on to the recipe. I have to say I made this up...and I'm not bragging but, I'm pretty good! ;)  I used my Mom's heirloom tomatoes from her garden. They are soooo good. Thanks Mom! Again, I love you so much and am so thankful for you. I couldn't do this training and be so great with out you.

Pasta with Creamy Cajun Tomato Sauce
4 heirloom tomatoes cut in pieces
1-2 tblsp olive oil
kosher or sea salt and black pepper
4 tblsp butter
onion powder
garlic powder
red pepper flakes
1/4 c white wine
1/4 c whole milk
1/2 c half and half
1/2 c fresh shredded parmesean
pasta of your choice

I didn't have onions, or garlic for this so that's why I used the powder. If you have onions and garlic please use! It was still delicious with out it.
Heat oil over medium heat in skillet, add chopped up tomatoes and heat for about 15-20 minutes. Puree for about 25 seconds and return to skillet. After you have pureed your tomatoes get your pasta water ready, (always heavily salted!) Cook pasta until al dente. Before draining reserve 1/4 c to 1/2 c of pasta water and add to tomato puree. While the pasta is cooking add wine and seasonings to tomato sauce. Boil for a few minutes to reduce the wine.  Add whole milk and half and half. Add cheese and melt. Add pasta to sauce and cook for another 2-3 minutes. Serve and top with cheese. Enjoy! :) 

 Yum-O

 Frank's new favorite spot!