Up Early For No Reason

So, it's Saturday morning and I'm up before the sun. Got up around 6am today to go run 12 miles..however, mother nature did not have that in mind for me. It's about 40 degrees outside and raining. Running group got cancelled. Now I can't go back to sleep so I got up to clean, make coffee and wait for my visitors to wake up! I'm caught up watching on the best TV shows EVER made...

Two of my best friends, Sasha and Jenni are visiting me in Charlotte this weekend.

 Today, we're going to 2 wine vineyards in the Yadkin Valley here in North Carolina. I am so excited!

Raffaldini Vineyards

RayLen Vineyards

Make the most of your weekend too!

So Many Things. So Little Time.

It would be impossible to try to catch you up on everything that has been going on for the past few months. Bottom line, it's been BUSY. I haven't had any time to blog and it's one of the main things i've been trying to get around to doing! I'll touch on a few big things that have happened in the past few weeks!

Dexter is getting so BIG! He's turning into the sweetest dog ever! He's finally starting to learn (no bite, sit and come are the best ones he knows so far!). We can already tell he's going to be such a good dog!

My brother-in-law, Van got married a couple weeks ago! There are now 2 of us 'Parker' girl 'outlaws'! Their wedding was beautiful! Russell and I at the wedding...

My little BIG brother-in-law, Andrew got his Citadel ring last weekend! We are so proud of him!

The boys sporting their Citadel ring, and me supporting my miniture Citadel ring that Russell gave me back in '08 when he got his

We ran Race for the Cure to celebrate my friend, Chika's mother as a survivor! Made my best time yet, but missed my goal by 30 seconds!

Ran my first Half-Marathon!

So many exciting things have been going on in my life lately! I am sad that I missed so many opportunities to blog about them each on their own. I will try to stay on top of it, going forward!

1 Year Down

I've been MIA for a looong time. I have had so many things to blog about but I just haven't had ANY time to do it! We have a new addition to our family! We got a puppy and he's just precious. I'll post more about him later.

Meet Dexter

This past weekend was my 1 Year Anniversary with my husband! I can't believe how fast time flys by. We have already been through a lot in our first year of marriage. No telling what will be thrown our way down the road. We went to a wine vineyard on Saturday and ran into a sweet older couple who had just celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary this year. That is amazing and highly unheard of in society today....I wonder what things will be like 50 years from now..??

My husband did such a wonderful job making our 1 year anniversary so special! Props to him :)

Here's a little re-cap of all  my surprises:

1. He took me to my favorite spa and had a 'Couple's Training Massage' scheduled. It was so fun! We each had time on the table and the massage therapist taught us proper techniques and best way to massage. When we got out of our massage there was champagne waiting for us to enjoy

2. We went up the road a ways and went to a wine vineyard in the Yadkin Valley. It was BEAUTIFUL weather! We got to tour the winery and taste all of the wines that are made there. Perfect way to enjoy the day with lots of wine :)

3. Bling Bling-Diamonds are a girls best friend :) Russell decided it would be a good idea to bling out my wedding ring a little more! I'm not mad at it!

4.  We went to a very nice dinner on Sat night! It was so enjoyable and the food was A-Mazing! Good wine there too.

5. Since I am obsessed with Craftsman style bungalows and our new neighborhood that is full of them, Russell took me on the Elizabeth home tour on Sunday. It was so fun walking around our neighborhood and lusting after all the beautiful bungalows that we got to tour. One day...one day...

6. We took a blanket and Dex to the park and I took a nap :) Dex played and we just enjoyed the beautiful sunshine and the distant sound of a jazz band playing in the park.

7. Finally we settled down, ate the anniversary cake from our wedding day and drank some champagne.

My husband is so thoughtful and I am such a lucky girl..

Puppy Love

Who wouldn't want one of these adorable pups?? We'll be getting an addition to our family very very soon....

Half-Marathon Training Thus Far

Since I've been so far behind on my blogging I haven't had time to give an update on my half-marathon training! I'm about 4 weeks into training and it's going great (so far). I got my VO2 Max test results back and turns out my fitness level is 'Superior'. Wow, wasn't expecting that at all. I am thinking of taking another one after I get through all this training to see how much I have improved. I have a feeling that as I get into my 5th and 6th week of training, I'm going to be very humbled as I get up in my mileage. It's only going to get harder from here. This is my schedule this week:

Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Labor Day/Rest	3 Miles: EZ  Hill repeats	Cross Training:     Abs/Cardio        Stregth	5 Miles w/ 3     Miles at   Tempo pace	Rest	5 Miles:     Long   Distance       run

I'm trying to get a couple races under by belt before the big race day (November 12). I'm trying to find a 10K that I can run and I'm running the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure on Daniel Island on October 15th. It's been really helpful for me to have a group of runners that can hold me accountable and push me every week. If you're training for something, I highly suggest training with someone that is a little better than you! You will definitely benefit from them.

My New 'Hood

So much has happened in the last few weeks! I haven't had ANY time to blog and I've been missing it like crazy! We are suppose to be in our new house right now, unpacking boxes and furniture shopping. However, it seems that life has different plans for us. We are not living in that gorgeous bungalow, but we did find a great place that is BIGGER than our shoebox apartment. We are now in a condo in historic Elizabeth and loving it!

We are only 1 block away from all the great bars and restaurants of Elizabeth. So many things are within walking distance (including a Starbucks) and I'm finding myself quickly loving this side of town! We are so unbelievably disappointed that the house didn't work out for us, but know that there are bigger and BETTER plans for us in the future. We are appreciating the fact that we have a place to live now more than ever :) Soon, we will be getting a new addition to the family and I can't wait to take him on a walk through the park that is right down the street!

More blogs to come, I have a lot to catch up on!

Meet. Repeat.

One thing that I have realized as I am am getting into this half-marathon training is that I can really excel by setting small goals for myself. Small goals are what help us acheive the big ones (that whopping 13.1 miles)!
For instance, I ran a route today thru the city that I couldn't run strongly a few months ago. My goal was to not stop. Regulate my pace, and not stop. It was a small goal, but it felt good to acheive it. Think about that for yourself. Where can you set a small (realistic) goal? The more you do this, the less frustrated and disappointed you will be when you try to acheive those larger goals. Meet the goal. Make another goal and repeat!

Tomorrow morning i'm taking my Vo2 Max test bright and early at 6:00am. I'm anxious about it! I'll post results (if i'm not ashamed of them)

Vo2 Max Test

Next goal: Finish those darn gym sprints in 6 seconds!

This is so true. (and I wish I had a bod like hers!!)

-Off to take a shower, drink some tea and live amongst these boxes...