Hi there. Happy Monday!

Last week seems like a distant memory. Monday and Tuesday it poured rain. Tuesday evening Mr. SOTSS and I saw the movie The Founder, the story of how McDonalds came to be. the-founderIt was very important that I saw it because my cousin wrote the movie! Isn’t that cool? He also wrote The Wrestler, Big Fan and Turbo. robert-siegelAnd then Wednesday I had jury duty….hard to believe I stressed so much about it. jury-dutyI lucked out and only had to serve for a whopping hour and a half! I was home in the afternoon and took Duncan out to the park to celebrate that the rain had passed and we could finally enjoy some sunshine.

Yay for sunshine and no more jury duty

Yay for sunshine and no more jury duty

I also went on another night hike which I’m really becoming addicted to.

Thursday I worked a ton but got out for my once-a-week run (still trying to rest the darn hamstrings!). A short run that felt hard thanks to the super high winds.windy-run

And then Friday began my super fun weekend getaway with Mr. SOTSS. He booked our 3rd annual ski weekend in Vermont as a Christmas gift for me. And this year was just as fun.

Two years ago was when I had that little snowmobile “incident”. Last year we stayed at the same B&B as this year and let’s face it, the best part of the trip might have just been the amazing homemade breakfast options they served. Spiced apple waffles that were the perfect texture….soft and doughy on the inside and crispy and flakey on the outside. There were also homemade cinnamon rolls and coffee cake.

cinnamon-roll

Cinnamon roll!

Yes, I took a 2-day break from the whole healthy eating thing. But I’m back on the wagon today.

We drove up Friday morning with a stop at my friend’s house to drop off Duncan. He is very lucky to get that extra hour and a half with me before drop-off.

Wait? Am I going with you to Vermont?

Wait? Am I going with you to Vermont?

Road trips are my favorite. I'm such a traditionalist. A little hand holding and some good tunes.

Road trips are my favorite. I’m such a traditionalist. A little hand holding and some good tunes.

After grabbing dinner we just settled in for the night.

More »

Hi there.

Last night at 7pm I went for a run. It felt good.

4 miles in the dark

4 miles in the dark

I’m recovered from the Staten Island Half. I did feel slow the second 2 miles but no aches or pains. YAY! And since it’s been a while since I’ve gone for a run in the dark I enjoyed the spooky (and not so spooky….um…sorry Minnie Mouse isn’t capable of being spooky) decorations.

Boo!

Boo!

Minnie Mouse

Minnie Mouse

Skeletons having good conversation

Skeletons having good conversation

I’m enjoying this amazing month! October is my favorite month color.

My favorite color is October

My favorite color is October

My birthday is in 5 days. But more than that, there’s something so comforting about the cooler temps (well except that we hit 84 degrees the last few days….can you say Indian summer?!) and the gorgeous colors of the trees in peaches, reds, and greens.

An action shot. LOL

An action shot. LOL

Gorgeous colors

Gorgeous colors

Add in my favorite attire of hoodies, puffy vests, jeans and boots and baking apple crisps….apple picking and pumpkin picking too! Just no pumpkin spice. I am not a fan. Cinnamon is good though.

I baked this and ate this all by myself :)

I baked this and ate this all by myself 🙂

An apple picking day isn't complete without climbing into the tree for a selfie

An apple picking day isn’t complete without climbing into the tree for a selfie

best friends

hoodies and leaves!

Last Sunday we went pumpkin picking. pumpkin

:)

🙂

Love that we all look the same height in shadow. :)

Love that we all look the same height in shadow. 🙂

In the corn maize maze

In the corn maize maze

And I made my Nemo. nemo-pumpkinNot sure it came out as good as the one I saw on Pinterest but i struggled to find paint that wasn’t all dried up. I finally ended up using white wall paint (satin finish lol!) But since I had no black paint I had to use a Sharpie. Um…. Using Sharpies on pumpkin skin isn’t easy.

It’s also Breast Cancer Awareness Month! I usually coordinate my mammo in October but since I was so late making an appointment I’m going next month.

Favorite month?

Favorite season?

Favorite temperature?

Favorite thing to make with apples or pumpkin?

 

I’m just enjoying life as best as I can lately. I have a lot on my plate these days and my goal is just to try and keep my mindset in a Zen, happy place. Nobody wants a Scrooge around right? Here are 5 things to keep me happy lately:

  1. Running: Of course! I ran on Friday around the neighborhood for an easy 3 miles. fri-statsSaturday was a special run. It was the Big Chill 5k held on the campus of Rutgers University. Over 8,000 runners and walkers donate toys as their registration fee and then run. I got to see Jane and Mr. SOTSS ran as well.
    Me and Jane

    Me and Jane

    The entire back wall eventually is totally filled with donated toys

    The entire back wall eventually is totally filled with donated toys

    Me and Mr. SOTSS....It was super sunny and I was squinting just a tad.

    Me and Mr. SOTSS….It was super sunny and I was squinting just a tad.

    While I didn’t pay the extra fee for a timing chip, my Garmin let me know that I ran a 9:26 pace and finished in 29 minutes! That’s pretty unbelievable considering A. I’ve been so slow lately and B. there were so many walkers to dodge and weave that I for sure wasn’t able to run freely leaving me to believe that my time would be much slower.big-chill-statsIn addition to running I also registered for the Cherry Blossom 10-miler lottery. It’s a very popular race held in Washington D.C. in April. After the Big Chill, Mr. SOTSS and I joined Jane and her posse for breakfast and we made the decision to enter the lottery. I’m looking forward to it if I get in. I want 2016 to be the year I run lots of shorter distances and 10 miles has always been a favorite distance of mine yet I’ve never run an actual 10 mile race.

  2. Getting in the Holiday Spirit: Yup, I put up my tree and decorated a little outside while Duncan napped. That’s about right.
    Woke up for the picture

    Woke up for the picture

    Boy do I enjoy revealing all my ornaments each year that have been in hibernation for a year. And I had a new ornament to put up. The one I bought as a souvenir from my trip to Jamaica this past summer.jamaica-ornamentEach ornament brings back warm fuzzy feelings. Totally made me happy.

    Why yes! May ALL your miles be merry =)

    Why yes! May ALL your miles be merry =)

    Running chick!

    Running chick!

    marathon ornament

    marathon ornament

    Doodle ornament

    Doodle ornament

    outside-2

    My cute lil snowman

    outside-1

  3. Spending quality time with my honey: We spent lots of quality time this weekend which culminated in a lovely hike today with the dogs.
    The boys in my life

    The boys in my life

    Even though it's December it is still officially Autumn. 50s and sunny.

    Even though it’s December it is still officially Autumn. 50s and sunny.

    And speaking of doggies….

  4. Cute doggies!: I’ve had to do a large amount of freelance work today and seeing them cuddled so cute around me makes me happy.napping-doggies
  5. Family dinner: This past Thursday my mom and dad had me over for dinner and homemade apple crisp. apple-crispIt felt really good to tell them all of the things in my life lately….the good, the bad and the ugly. They are so supportive and just want me to be happy….so….I’ll try as hard as I can to keep this mindset that way.

So how was your weekend? Can you tell me 5 things that have made you happy lately?