Weekend Recap

This weekend was easily one of the best weekends I've had in a while! The weather was absolutely gorgeous so we spent as much of it as we could outside. Saturday morning I ran in the Marlin Run 5K in Pawleys Island. I was super excited and nervous at the same time to run in the race. I have been training for a 5K using the couch to 5K app but I haven't finished the program so I didn't know if I was ready. I decided to sign up anyway and I am so glad I did! It was a smaller 5K with 76 people running in it. I told myself I would be happy if I could finish in 31-33 minutes but when I got close to the finish line and saw 28 on the clock I knew I could finish in under 30 so I sprinted the rest. I ended up with a time of 29.22! Considering this is only my second 5K ever and my first one in several years .. and I haven't finished my training program I was thrilled with the results! I did have to walk some in the last half so I'm hoping to continue practicing and run another one in April. Here was my breakdown:

Time: 29 minutes 22 seconds

Avg Pace: 9:27

Mile 1: 8:49

Mile 2: 9:08

Mile 3: 10:21

Mile .10:  9:01 <--not positive because I forgot to turn off

 my map my run right away

30th place out of 76

After the race they provided all of the runners with a Chick-fil-A sandwich and a Michelob Ultra.. umm yes! If this is how all races are sign me up! We had made the drive down to Pawleys for the day and the weather was so nice I had packed a change of clothes so we could spend the day down there. We went shopping at some of the cutest seaside stores and then headed to Murrells Inlet to grab lunch and watch the UNC game. We love visiting the Marsh Walk at Murrells Inlet because there are so many neat places to go eat and have a drink right on the boardwalk. There were tons of people out and live music to listen to. It was the perfect way to spend the day!! 

We found these pictures at a little place called Seaside Cottage... the cutest store if you are ever in the area!! I LOVE them and cannot wait to have them framed and hung in the living room! 

That night Justin and I went over to a friends house for a shrimp boil and bonfire. It really was the perfect day!! Sunday was spent at church, lunch with my parents and then visiting for a bit with Justin's parents, and FINALLY getting the tubs of Christmas items that have been tucked away in the guest bedroom put away in the attic. I made a trip to find frames for our new pictures but forgot Hobby Lobby was closed so I'll have to try again this afternoon. I hope you all had a lovely weekend! 

Five on Friday

Happy Friday! Linking up today for 5 on Friday.

1. I have a thing for cookbooks. Not just any cookbook though.. I really love cookbooks that are not only useful (I want to know what the majority of ingredients are and find recipes that I would actually make) but also cookbooks that are pretty. If they are "southern" and tell stories in it.. even better. I'm sold! For my sisters birthday I bought her the cookbook Deep Run Roots. It is written by Vivian Howard who is the owner and chef at Chef In the Farmer in Kinston. This book meets all of my criteria... the recipes sound delicious, the pictures are beautiful and there are lots of stories included. I ordered it off Amazon and was surprised at how thick it was when it came in. I highly recommend! 

2. I have major SPRING FEVER! The weather here has been amazing this week! We have been in the high 60's and low 70's almost every day. I have had the windows open in my classroom every day just wishing I could take the day off to enjoy it. I can't wait for Saturday to enjoy some sunshine!! 

3. Speaking of Saturday... I made a last minute decision to sign up for The MarlinRun 5K in Pawleys Island this Saturday! I am not quite finished with my couch to 5K training but I wanted to run it anyway. The weather is going to be perfect and it is a great excuse for Justin and I to head down to the south end and spend the day after the race! Wish me luck! I'm super excited! 

yes, I can do that (;

4. This past weekend my grandmother gave my sister and I 2 of her old cast iron skillets she is no longer using. To say I was excited is an understatement. There is just something about a cast-iron skillet that has been used with love and then passed down that is so special!! They did need to be seasoned again so I used this handy and easy guide from southern living. 

5. Next weekend we are celebrating Justin's 30th birthday!!! We decided to have a joint birthday party with him and my brother in law whose birthdays are just two days apart. What is fun is that my husband is a HUGE UNC basketball fan and my brother in law is a huge Duke fan. We decided to watch the Carolina Duke game as their birthday party. So needless to say one of them is going to have the best birthday and the other it may be the worst. Ha, Let's just hope they are still friends after!! 

Podcast

Over the past year I have been listening to tons of podcast. I started mostly listening when I was driving long distance but since then my podcast listening has evolved to any time I'm in the car, cooking and cleaning around the house, running, getting ready in the morning. Basically, all the time. I LOVE getting new podcast recommendations to subscribe to so I'm going to share some of my favorites today. If you have a podcast you love send me the name!! 

First up on the list is The Happy Hour with Jamie Ivey- This podcast is always two girls chatting about pretty much anything. This is probably my favorite one because Jamie Ivey  and her guest are so inspiring. They talk a lot about faith and church which I really enjoy listening to! 

Next up is Reality Life with Kate Casey- This is almost embarrassing after posting about The Happy Hour but I can't help it! I love Bravo TV! The Housewife shows, Summer House, Southern Charm and Vanderpump Rules are my go to. I know trash TV but I can't stop watching. It is my guilty pleasure for sure! This podcast talks about all of these shows. I just can't get enough(: 

Similarly, Straight Up with Stassi- It is hosted by Stassi a cast member of Vanderpump Rules. She talks with other people about random things but sometimes gives little behind the scene information about the show. Another favorite for sure! 

This is the newest Podcast I have started to listen to- I Do Declare!- I actually found this one about a week ago after reading someones blog. I really do love new recommendations! This one is two sisters talking about everything from recipes, TV, and just life in general. I feel like I am just listening to two girlfriends chat. (I really feel that way with most of the Podcast I have listed which is why I think I like them all) 

Last, Newspring Church- I love listening to church sermons on audio during the week. This particular church is a mega church in SC. I attend a different church but have visited this one several times. The messages are normally pretty inspiring so I like to tune in! 

Do any of you listen to Podcast often? If so which ones do you love? I would love to know! 

Weekending and Couch to 5K

This past weekend Justin and I traveled to Reidsville to visit with family and celebrate my sisters birthday. I hadn't been to my hometown since Christmas so I was really ready to see my family and visit! We got to town kind of late Friday night after working all day so we didn't do much other than making a quick stop for Mexican half way. On Saturday the weather was GORGEOUS! As it has been really all week. I have major spring fever as a result! We spent  most of Saturday visiting with my grandmother, helping her do some chores around the house and doing a run around the neighborhood. That night we celebrated my sisters 25th birthday! We went to a Japanese steakhouse for dinner where to cook on the table. Way too much food but lots of fun! Sunday was filled with church and then heading back home with a stop to see Justin's parents for dinner. Nothing crazy over the weekend but a little family time was good for the soul! 

My sister, Ginny, and her new husband Doug! 

we snagged a couple pic as well(: 

 Ginny and my dad (in case you are wondering my sister isn't throwing gang signs.. she is doing the "best buds" sign her and my dad have done since we were little (; 

with my sweet grandmother 

Lots of pictures of my sis, but isn't she just the cutest?! So now my couch to 5K update. I'm finally starting to feel like a RUNNER! It is an awesome feeling. I can totally see why so many people are dedicated runners. This is my recap of week 5 C25K.. you can find weeks 1-4 here. 

Week 5 consisted of some 5 minute jog intervals, then 8 minutes then ended the week with a 20 minute jog. YES- TWENTY. The jump went from 5 minutes, to 8 minutes to 20. I was terrified for this week but I DID IT! and now I feel more confident about my running than ever. 

Day 1- The first day of 5 minute jogs wasn't too bad. It pushed me but I did it and felt good about it. 

Day 2- The second  day of 8 minute jog intervals I was excited about because I was doing it with my sister in Reidsville. What I didn't account for was ALL of the hills in my hometown that we do not have at the beach where I live. The first 8 minute span went really well and went by fast. I think that had a lot to do with talking to my sister! I'm usually running solo. The last 8 minutes was mostly up hill and in the sun. It was tough. Really tough. I felt discouraged at the end but called it a day. 

Day 3- Day three made a jump to twenty minutes straight jogging. After being discouraged on the 8 minute jog on day 2 I was super nervous and felt like there was no way I would be successful. I knew I had to at least try though. So I tried... and I DID IT! Yall... I was so proud of myself! I know 20 minutes- 2.09 miles isn't record setting or anything but for me it was the most I had been able to do in at least 2 years. So yay!! Now I am feeling better than ever about running and really motivated to get out there again and sign up for a 5K. So a little more specific about the day 3 run- When I heard my map my run come on and say I had ran 1 mile and was 9 minutes 20 seconds, I had also just reached the front of my neighborhood so I slowed down to a walk for about 20 seconds. After the 20 seconds I realized I was a) not about to die and b) could easily start running again. so I did! At the 17 minute mark I really wanted to check my time and decide if I should turn or keep heading back to the house so I slowed down to a walk again for no more than 10 seconds. When I saw I only had 3 minutes left I picked it back up. So of the 20 minute run I walked for no more than 30 seconds. I wanted to put that in here just to be honest and to be able to look back at in the future. 

I'm feeling good about running but wont be finished with the C25K for three more weeks. With the weather so nice I'm considering signing up for a 5K in Pawleys Island this weekend? We will see!! I haven't decided yet. Happy Wednesday!

Valentines Day and Running

This year Justin and I decided to keep our Valentines very simple and inexpensive. We have a trip to Mexico coming up in April so we are trying to be conscious of that when it comes to our spending. I planned on cooking a nice dinner at home for Valentines but when Justin told me he had been to the doctor on his lunch break and was under the weather I decided to switch it up a bit to make our evening even more relaxed. So.. pizza it was! Papa Johns makes heart shaped pizza on Valentines day and this just so happens to be one of our favorite foods. Easy choice! I jazzed up the box a little for fun. Carolina basketball is an obsession of J's so it was only appropriate to include a picture. He said it was his favorite Valentines yet, even being sick. There you have it- simple for the win! 

On another note, that has nothing to do with pizza. Quite the opposite in fact. Running! A few weeks ago I decided to try out the couch to 5K app in hopes to train to run a 5K and dare I say even a 10K this year?! Running has never been my thing although I have always wanted it to be. It is something that has never come naturally to me and is probably as much as a mental block as a physical one. I did have a period of time a few years ago when I really got into it and ran a 5K. After the race I took a "week" break that never ended. I was able to train and run for a 5k a few years ago so mentally I KNOW I can do it again, but dang it if it isn't hard! I am using the Couch to 5K app and just completed week 4. I'm feeling good about it but it's tough at the same time. I really started at beginner level (as in 1 1/2 minutes of jogging before I felt like I needed to walk) but have made progress every week. It's crazy to think the first day a one minute jog had me out of breath but four weeks later I am up to 5 minutes of jogging at a time no problem. I want to track my progress on here for accountability and also because I was searching the Internet for blogs when I first started but couldn't really find much on others that had completed the couch to 5K program. Here is my Couch to 5K thoughts on weeks 1-4:

Week one: 1 minute jog, one and a half minute walk intervals for  20 minutes. This was really easy for me. I only did one day of this and then skipped ahead to week two for a little more of a challenge. 

Week two: 1 and 1/2 minute jog, 2 minute walk intervals for 20 minutes. Who knew the extra 30 seconds could make a difference from week one! It did though. This week was doable but not easy. I felt like it was the right amount of timing for me. 

Week three: 3 minute jog and walking intervals for a total of 30 minutes. I was nervous to make the jump to 3 minutes but I did it! It wasn't a piece of cake but it was once again, doable. I felt like I was ready for the increase in time but any more would have been difficult this week. By the end of week three I didn't feel ready to move to week 4 (5 minute jogs intervals) but wanted to keep with the program so I did. 

Week four: 5 minute jog and walking intervals. It's embarrassing how nervous I was to try jogging for 5 minutes but I DID IT! It wasn't easy but I could do it. I was so proud of myself after each of these workouts. I just finished week four (each week is three workouts) and feel as if 5 minutes is still the maximum time I can jog at a time but I want to attempt week 5's jump to 8 minutes. I'm hoping I will surprise myself and be able to do it but we will see. I'm telling you... I have to get out of my head- running is such a mental block for me!! It's like I almost have it ingrained in my head that I can't do it even though deep down I know I can. 

The goal is to finish the couch to 5K program and sign up for at least two races this spring. Has anyone else used the couch to 5K app or have any tips for a new runner?!

Welcome Back!

Why hello there... anybody still out there?! It's only been six months since I last stopped by to update this little blog. Crazy right? Life is busy as I'm sure you can all relate. As I reflect back on the last 6 months and what is to come this year I can't help but to be a little sad that I don't have our day in and day out life documented over the past few months. I started my blog when I was in college back in 2011 and love being able to look back to reminisce on those years and what I was interested in back then. How things have changed!! I plan to start blogging again so I don't miss out on documenting any more of our day to day adventures. 

SO.. I'm going to play a little catch up on some of my favorite moments that I missed out on posting. Warning- picture overload!! 

On August 8th we celebrated our first anniversary in Wilmington! 

In late August we took a birthday trip to Floyd, VA with some friends and my mom to visit Chateau Morrisette winery and attend their Beach Music Festival. 

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family! 

In October my friend Jessica got married and I stood by her side as a bridesmaid!

 In November we took a quick trip to Alabama to visit my moms family and attend my cousins wedding reception 

In November my little sister got MARRIED! Yes! More on this to come

Lots of Christmas festivities in December

and in January my mom and I filmed an episode for the show Beach Hunters on HGTV! seriously, so awesome! More on this to come also! 

I am SO happy to be back to blogging again. I hope you will follow along! Happy Monday friends!