Happy Monday everyone!

It was a rough start. Duncan seemed to have a boo boo on his eyelid…I saw some dried blood on his fur and panicked. Luckily it looks like he’ll be just fine and we can avoid a vet visit. I’m NOT good with Duncan boo boos!

Next up was the rain. It was pouring so hard AND the wind was whipping. I stood at the bus stop and battled my umbrella best I could but by the time the bus came my jeans were sopping wet from the knee down as were my feet:( Traffic was bad and I was over a half hour late to work.

But my boss helped me find our little space heater in the office closet! I sat and dried out the sopping wet feet and jeans.

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Dear space heater: I love you!

Within 30 minutes that debacle was a thing of the past. (Well my hair was tragic but when you have naturally curly hair you just learn to accept tragic hair on rainy days).

Then I found out my friend’s dog crossed the rainbow bridge:( She was 15 and I guess we knew her time was near, but it’s never easy to say goodbye to a furry best friend.

So my Monday was definitely starting off on the low end. A friend mentioned later in the day that today is actually called Blue Monday: the most depressing day of the year. I get it.

Thank god I had so much fun at my friend’s Little Christmas party last night. (It’s gotta be at least 10 years that I’ve been going. A few highlights:

  1. The menu. Beer was kept cold in the snow on the back deck (genius!). There were also plenty of beverage options inside. Dinner was a petit filet steak for each person, broccoli, green beans, quinoa, sweet potatoes and jambalaya.
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  2. The “Wrapped Crap” exchange: I received a “ZePad”. It was a $20 fake iPad that was actually purchased as a decoy for my friend’s daughter by her boyfriend so that he could eventually surprise her with the real iPad later on. They both knew I would get a kick out of it so they re-wrapped it and ensured that I was given that package.
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    It’s actually like having a very old computer. It plugs in….even takes pictures.

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    archaic group shot

    We tried to connect it to the internet but unsuccessful at the moment. I refuse to throw it out though. This is one wrapped crap gift I’ll be keeping even if it’s just to use the calculator function. LOL! There was also a bottle of French shower gel and in French it is Gel Douche. Yes we giggled like teenage boys.
    photo 3 copy Other wrapped crap classics….a stinky candle, and some mismatched glass coasters and a gaudy holiday coffee mug.
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  3. The conversations: I don’t get to see these girls often so it’s nice to talk about some funny stories of our past. One big topic of discussion was about signs we get from people who have died. Ladybugs, butterflies, feathers, coins, numbers, scents, songs, electronics going haywire. I think we were all in agreement that our loved ones continue to let us know they’re with us once they’ve passed on.
  4. The S’mores Dip: I did it again! I made a stellar dip. Actually I think my ratio of melted chocolate to toasted marshmallow was better this time around.

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    beautiful, perfectly browned toasted marshmallows combined with the right balance of melted chocolate. I approve!

I was so busy bitchin’ about my crappy monday that I forgot to mention I wore my pedometer today for the first time (you can read this post to see how I won it). While the rest of the blog world is testing out FitBits and Polar Loops, I’m going old school =)

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I am actually impressed that I made it to almost 5,500 steps. Duncan and I didn’t do our normal morning walk of 20-30 minutes and I didn’t go far at lunch because of the rain, so I’m guessing most days I probably make it to 7,500. I think they recommend 10,000 steps a day so I’m not far off. Tonight is cross training night so I’ll be bouncing on the trampoline for a bit. Tomorrow i’ve got a plain ole 3 mile run to do. I love week 1 of marathon training =)

I mentioned in this post that I’m getting ready to repaint all the rooms in my house. Well, I have been looking for new bedding for my bedroom. Today, I felt the need to cheer myself up so I finally pulled the trigger and ordered 2 different duvets and a decorative pillow. Here’s a little picture showing the purchases and also I tried to make a little representation of what the final product will look like. I’m painting my bedroom walls gray. My headboard is white and i’m planning on mixing the black and white toile duvet with the teal colored one…shams too. And then I got this cool petal covered pillow too.

bedding-ensembleSo that’s that. I’m off to bounce now. Have a great night.

Question: Do you like your current bedroom bedding or do you feel the need for a change? What are your colors?

Snowbody knows just how much I love the snow more than me. Really, I don’t know what my fascination with it is. It causes inconvenience in commuting, my back to ache from shoveling and it’s even canceled my flight twice. But I am a snow bunny! I love snow!

Yesterday, I shoveled a bit and then trekked in to the office. I was one of 5 people who made it in. While I waited for the bus, my hair, which was still wet froze. I could turn it upside down and it would still stand straight up.

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fro yo hair!

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ici-curls

I worked like a busy bee and then ran to my bus stop trying to make it back home before dark so the dog could have some snow time. But the bus took a LONG time to arrive. It was 11 degrees and I had on boots that didn’t keep my feet warm at all! (I’ve already started searching for better ones… L.L. Bean Sale anytime soon???)

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NYC sure is the gritty city.

It was dark when I got home but luckily it was so cold Duncan really didn’t want to belabor the “process”. He got straight down to business…

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this pee picture was actually from the night before so just imagine the snow is about 8 inches deeper.

I shoveled some more, had dinner and passed out on the couch. Thank god it was Friday. I was S.P.E.N.T.

Today I waited for the temperature to warm up so I didn’t go for my run until 2pm. (It was 5°F in the morning but warmed up to 25°F by the time I went. So Duncan got a little snow play action around noon…

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a doodle’s nemesis….snowballs! he chews each one off when we get home

And then I opted to drive to a National park by me to do my run figuring the neighborhood streets and sidewalks would be messy. I just assumed they would have plowed the running path. I was wrong! But I ran anyway. 4ish miles total…some in the snow until I realized it was really hard and then I moved out to the road praying my new sneakers wouldn’t get destroyed (thankfully they didn’t….not a dirty sludgy salty mark at all). It was so beautiful though. I only saw 2 other groups of people….an older couple walking and another couple cross-country skiing! (Now there’s a good way to enjoy the non-plowed running paths!)

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just before i started when I looked “fresh” lol!

riskkicks sotss-ecard5I got to wear one of the new Columbia jackets from my shopping spree a few weeks ago today. It was AMAZING! I wasn’t cold at all (even with exposed legs). And to think it was originally $130 and I got it for $49.99 WOWSAH! SCORE!

So now I’m eating chinese food and staying cozy for the rest of the night.

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I was too RUNgry to take a pic of my first serving which included the same + 2 dumplings. lol.

Tomorrow I’m off to the annual Little Christmas party that my friend throws each year. Everyone comes in PJs, brings a contribution toward dinner and we exchange “wrapped crap”. Oh I can’t wait to give you the recap on Monday. It should be a good time. And I’m bringing the S’more’s Crack Dip! I made it once before and it’s definitely worthy of an encore…

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S’mores crack dip

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did i mention i made it just for me? (I WISH!)

Okie Doke, enjoy the rest of your weekend.

Question: What’s your favorite Chinese food dish? I can never eat enough dumplings!

I woke up on New Year’s Day and decided I’d have Harry & David’s Moose Munch for breakfast. It just somehow felt like the right choice. I’ve got 364 more days to choose something healthier right?!

moose munch

breakfast of champions…starting the year off right  on my own terms.

After breakfast I waited for this guy to get up…

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We stayed out late on New Year’s Eve. He and his two pals Angus and Lu went a little overboard with the champagne treats.

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please give us more!

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hey! it’s midnight…give us those treats!

This New Years Eve celebration is for the dogs

This New Years Eve celebration is for the dogs

It was a fun night. Humans had a good time too! We put champagne in shot glasses for some reason. #champagneflutesareoverrated

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So finally when the dog woke up, we went for a walk. We saw Bambi!

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Then I left Duncan at home and headed to my aunt’s house for her annual New Year’s Day party. She’s 86 years old now and I didn’t want to skip out on this as I’ve done in the past (it’s mainly her friends). I got to drive a different way than usual so I took a pic of the Verrazano Bridge from a different angle than I usually do. (I have a weird affinity for the Verrazano Bridge if you didn’t know).

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My aunt had lots of fresh daisies in vases on the table.

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Her mom, my grandmother, Dorothy had been given the nickname “Dashing Daisy” from my grandpa. She always had a ton of energy and zipped around. I love the nickname and since I always felt closest to her as far as grandparents went I like to think I carry on her legacy….”Dashing” is nicely covered by my running, and “Daisy”….well, this is my Jeep spare tire cover…

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The sweetest things that my aunt had at the party were the dessert table…

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homemade italian cheesecake, homemade rum cake and a few other pastries that were delish

And this cardboard “resolutions” sign-in board…

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As I said, my aunt is 86 and many of the guests were seniors. Really? One man wrote that he wanted his wife to regain her sight! I hope everyone’s wishes and dreams do come true.

This morning as I was getting ready to go for a run I realized that I couldn’t find my favorite black running hat that I wore just a few days ago…

favorite black hat

favorite black hat

So I grabbed a substitute that I didn’t love but figured I needed to get out the door and didn’t have all day to continue the search.

black hat substitute

black hat substitute but the same vest lol!

There’s just something about favorites—hats, capris, socks, scarves, jeans….Next time I’ll just buy 7 of each of my favorites! (PS: I found my hat….it was in the dog’s toybox and it wasn’t his fault. I was straightening up before my friend was coming over and scooped up all his toys scattered on the floor and the hat must have been on the floor too and they all ended up getting dumped in the toybox. It was funny because initially I blamed the poor dog. Then I remembered.)

I covered 4.35 miles according to my Garmin….but lately mr. watch has been locking its satellite in the wrong spot. I start at my house and finish at my house yet at looking at the maps of my last few runs, clearly it thinks i’m starting a few blocks from my house.

mystery

I have lots of benchmarks along the route. I know it’s .3 miles to get to the main road and it’s exactly 1 mile when I get to the overpass that crosses the highway. Everytime I looked at my watch at these spots they were .06 off. It’s not the end of the world. I mean what’s the difference between 4.35 or 4.41? But I do wish I can fix it. #OCDwithnumbersrunner.

As for my new Brooks Ghost sneakers…..I still am unsure how I feel. It’s only the 2nd time wearing them. They definitely don’t suck, I just was hoping to feel like I had more spring in my step. I kept a 10 min mile pace which after using this training pace calculator, seems to be what my tempo pace should be as I begin marathon training…

pacesSpeaking of marathon training, mine begins next week!!! AHHHH!! I’m so excited and nervous. I hope my goals aren’t to out there. Meanwhile I found out that I won a special VIP package so I’ll get reserved parking and “upscale fare” in the VIP tent before and after the race. Hey, that’ll be my consolation if I don’t reach my PR goal of 4:40.

OK, off to batten down the hatches….we’re expecting a blizzard here in NYC. Hope your year is off to a great start.

Question: How was your New Year’s Eve? What did you do? Anyone eat something crazier than Moose Munch for their first breakfast of 2014?

I’m not a very sentimental New Year’s Eve person. Frankly I feel that EVERY MORNING is our chance to start fresh and set goals. I learned that from this guy:

C'mon ma! Wake up and let's go for a walk. I have a goal to chase more squirrels today than yesterday.

C’mon ma! Wake up and let’s go for a walk. I have a goal to chase more squirrels today than yesterday.

So last night I had what I hope to be the final casualty of 2013 (unless I drink too much tonight before the clock strikes midnight. =) I was tossing the ball for the dog and since I’m as clumsy as they come I threw the ball directly into the Christmas tree. Genius Sally! I heard the ornament shatter but was too afraid to look….thankfully it was just one of the cheap ball ornaments and not one of my expensive ones.

stop playing ball in the house

stop playing ball in the house

I had a final splurge purchase of 2013 too!

Brooks Ghost 6's

Brooks Ghost 6’s

Well, technically only 1/2 a splurge. I used a gift card that I got for my birthday a few months back to pay for half of these. My first pair of Brooks. I had mentioned my need to find a new style running sneaker back in this post because I could no longer buy my beloved Asics Cumulus 13s (they are now up to 15s). And after explaining my woes to the sales associate she had me try a few different options. First were the Brooks Glycerine. I immediately nixed them because just taking a few steps cause pain on the ball of my foot. But the second option were the Brooks Ghost and as soon as I put them on they felt like a great fit! I was concerned though that they didn’t feel as cushy as the Cumulus but figured I would try them.

So today I set out for my last 5 miles of 2013 and my first 5 miles in the Brooks.

turquoise, yo! #trendingcolorsin2014

turquoise, yo! #trendingcolorsin2014

And the verdict is…..

I’m really not sure yet. I felt they were lighter than my Asics. Almost invisible to me. (hmm, maybe that’s why they call them Ghost?) But….I felt there was no spring in my step and no cushion.  Usually wearing new sneakers I always have a zippy run. Today not so much.My shins felt tired and my knees hurt a bit.  But my lower back has been bothering me and I haven’t been eating very well lately so it might not be the shoes. Lol. I will continue to wear them a few more times before I decide how I like them. I’ve got time still to mess around since my marathon isn’t until April. And I still have enough miles left on my Asics for the beginning of training and my January races.

So now I’m off to hang with friends and ring drink in the new year.

I don’t know what’s in store for 2014. But I do know I’ve got a bunch of races to run and that always makes me happy. Bring on the small stuff!!!! I’m so ready to continue to sweat it all out and focus on the good stuff….the big stuff…the fun stuff!

 

Hope y’all have a stellar 2014.

 

Question: If you’re reading this post are you at least sipping champagne?