Wounded Warrior

July 24, 2013 by · 5 Comments

Something crazy has been going on in Texas this summer and more specifically in Dallas as I can’t really speak for the rest of the state. 🙂  It’s called rain.

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I was in top 500 or something like that so I also got a hat with my registration and every year they give you a pair of socks in addition to your race shirt.

I woke up race morning and this race really isn’t that far from my house though I was running behind and my fellow NTX Runners who were also running Wounded Warrior had planned a meet up for a pre-race picture.  Just a few minutes behind I was making my way over to packet pickup and juust made it under the awning of the building when all of the water from the sky began to pour down. All of it. Luckily, I’d found some of my NTX people so I wasn’t just standing their by myself since Teal wasn’t able to run this race with me due to high school graduation where she works.  We got a couple updates from a human being that the race was delayed 15 minutes and then another 15 minutes as there was just a massive crowd gathered together trying to stay dry.

For this race they have two distances, a half and a 10K, and per usual I was sticking with the 10K which started after the half did.  It’s too darn hot to be doing a half in June, amiright?  Except for this rainy race day.  I also began tweeting with some other local runners who were hearing the delay was even longer than what I had heard.  Eventually I knew I had 5-10 minutes before my race was to begin so I made my way to the start line in the rain.  I’d already made the executive decision that I was not going to even begin to mess with my phone and Runkeeper for this race.  The life of my phone was more important than music and having exact info on my race.

It rained for half if not more of my race.  They actually had to do a detour on one part of the race that runs on the Campion Trail because it wasn’t just kind of flooded over it was REEEEALLY flooded over.  As in if I ran through that I think the water would have been up to my hips, but I’m also short if you have noticed from all the pictures where I stand next to Teal. 🙂

Throughout the race I didn’t really know how I was doing and was just excited every time I passed a mile marker.  With less than a mile to go I spotted some friends on the course, Lisa & Lucy (who I still had not meet IRL until that moment).  That was  nice little boost at the end.  And then the race was over.  I was drenched and had no clue how I did, but was excited to have my 10K bling! 🙂

 

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I absolutely love this race!  It’s for an awesome cause, it’s close to home and I get a medal for running a 10K!  I didn’t get to stick around too long after the race as some friends of Brent’s were in town and I need to get to brunch. Priorities, people!  But I did get to see quite a few people at the end which was very fun!

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Julie and me

 

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Jesse & me – love his shirt!

I was pleasantly surprised to find out later that day that my naked run at Wounded Warrior was only 15 seconds behind my 10K PR!  I finished in 54:46 which was 9th in my age group.  Not too shabby!

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Ironman Texas Volunteering

July 18, 2013 by · 1 Comment

Two months ago today we were in  Houston for a weekend of volunteering, frunners, cheering and spectating greatness!  We made the four hour trek from Houston the night before with Beth’s sister, Kate.

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None of us left work early and then we decided to all sit down to eat dinner instead of making Teal have to eat and drive at the same time, so we were really setting ourselves up for a late arrival into Houston.  By the time our heads hit the pillow that night we knew that alarm clock was right around the corner. 🙁

But it was so worth it.  We met up with the DFW Crew that was volunteering and the rest of our volunteer group for wetsuit peeling (but let’s call it what it really is wetsuit stripping).  All of us volunteers watched the elites start the swim and then made our way over to where we’d be stripping athletes. 🙂  The worst part of the day was being present at the swim finish when people didn’t complete it in time and were stripped of their tag and done for the day.  Talk about heartbreaking!

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The crew with Mike Reilly

Once our stripping duties were over we got second breakfast/super early lunch, whatever you want to call it, before making our way over to the canal area to find the perfect spot to hangout and later cheer for the athletes.  We were there before the elites had started their marathon portion and man was it amazing to see all of them.  Where we were spectating enabled us to see the athletes 3 times on the run part.

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oh, race signs!

Or really since they ran along the other side of the canal you could say we saw runners 6 times…

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We had a lot of time out on this portion of the race and some time to kill, so we ate a lot of goldfish (shocking), maybe had a couple adult beverages and enjoyed the company of our frunners. 🙂

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A part from the people our group knew racing that day Teal had a friend Derek out there that she also got to cheer for – if only this picture of Derek wasn’t blurry!

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Thanks to the one company that had people passing out cowbells for spectators and a couple of the awesome ladies with us we had tons of stuff to cheer with and/or entertain us.

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We were both so excited and pumped to get to cheer on the power couple of Heidi & Brian. 🙂 These two worked their butts off for months preparing for this day, their hard work showed and paid off!

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Heidi minutes away from being called an Ironman!

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Brian minutes away from being called an Ironman!

The accomplishment of all of the athletes we encountered that day was inspiring!  You won’t catch us doing an Ironman, but man what a feat and such a neat thing for us to be a part of as volunteers and cheerleaders!

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A none blurry picture of Team Leub after they rocked their first Ironman!  Congrats to you both….two months later! You two impress us with your dedication, strength and accomplishment!

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Apparently this is what you look like after covering 140.6 miles each!

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Beth’s the Big 3-Oh!

June 24, 2013 by · 2 Comments

In honor of Beth’s 30th birthday we just wanted to remind her of we loved having her around the last 30 years.  Here’s a little bit from your closest friends and family:

Beth (not Beeper)- Congrats on turning 30! I look forward to more Stars, Rangers & Aggie games, sake bombs, Jurassic Park watchings, BYOB Thai & Greek places and our standard Thursday nights. Keep on truckin! Love, Brent

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Thirty years of memories: thankful God knew best our family expansion should not stop without Elizabeth Anne . . . that He wanted there to be “Beth”; destiny . . . a lady of many nicknames: “Beeper” . . . the giving of that nickname . . . youngest of the cousins . . . “The Beep” . . . precious drawings, especially the one of the person with king things in her hair . . . dress-up times with big sister  . . . “Wumpus McDougal” – where did that one come from? . . . at 5 years old sitting on a cooler in the kitchen at the farm asking “Mommy, how does Jesus come live in my heart?” . . . “Beeper Sue” . . . The threesome: Granny, Beeper and Lauren – poor Lauren, no nickname! . . .  softball – so focused and intent; awesome first baseman . . . Sky Ranch with Scott, almost not . . . “Beepster” . . .The blessing of being/having siblings . . . Wilderness with Kate . . . “If ever I win a certain award/honor I want it to be for having compassion – He answered . . . times of worship . . . brief time wanting no nicknames L . . . “Dizzy Daisy” . . . Fish Camp Director – ER survival . . . a beautiful bride gifted with a very good man for a husband . . . the Wonderful , Amazing bridesmaids/friends . . . an “Esther” . . . and now so many more memories to come . . . I am a blessed mom . . . love you much, “Elizabeth Annie” . . . oh, how many nicknames did I leave out, “Squeaky Beepy”? How many are yet to be added? . . .

Love you, Mom

Beth & Mom

When I think of Beth, I always laugh because she will tell people that we didn’t get along when we were younger. I think this is probably because I was the uncool younger cousin, and until my brother came along, I stole the thunder as the youngest cousin on the Lynch side of the family. I think this all changed when we decided we were going to be cousin/friends because we’re not just cousins, but we’re friends too. Cousins nor friends teach you to drive a car with your knees, only cousin/friends do that (I hope my mom didn’t read this). Beth has always been a great cousin/friend… even one time driving from College Station to Austin just to pick me up to go to dinner with her and her dad. I can’t imagine anyone else who I would want to be my cousin/friend! Happy birthday!

Beth & Chase

Happiest Birthday Seester!  I have been blessed to have a younger sister that is also a best friend.  We may not see each other every day now, but I don’t feel like we ever skip a beat.  I can’t believe my little sister is finally 30!  I promise Beeper,  it isn’t that bad. I can’t wait for 30 more years of traveling, family gatherings, wine drinking and fun.  I wonder if everyone will still think you’re my older sister now?  Love you; mean it!

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Beth & I

Since Wesley & Easton aren’t quite old enough to write out their own message they wanted to make you a video:

Happy Birthday EA.  I took 30 pretty tough so as a way of saving you the Google crying session I figured I would tell you things you should not Google when turning 30.

1.      What happens to your body when you turn 30

2.      30 things everyone should do by 30

3.      Is there really a biological clock and when does it start ticking?

4.      Am I allowed to still act like I am 20 when I am 30?

5.      Do you suddenly become and old person when you turn 30?

6.      Can I still buy clothes in the Jr’s section?

7.      How do you stop the wrinkles?

There. You’re welcome. I promise you don’t want to know the answer to any of that. Happy Birthday Beth. Live it up and I can’t wait to see what the next 30 brings. Hopefully more miles, more laughs, more wine, and more friendship!

Love you to my favorite running buddy and friend, Teal

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Happy Birthday Beth Lynch Holland.   As the years pass by and we grow older our memory starts to falter I will always be there for you when you “lose” your car in a parking garage.  So happy that you have been in my life the last 10 years.  Can’t wait to see where the next 10, 20, 30 years leads us and the fun adventures we will have.  Let’s never forget the best lesson we ever learned in college from a very wise woman in the bathroom of a bar, “sometimes you just got to sh*t it out :-)”

Love you! Mandy

Beth & Mandy

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BETH! I am so blessed to have you as a best friend, and I wanted the blogosphere to get a sneak peek at just a FEW of the pictures of some of our fun times together! Enjoy your 10,950th day of life, and just remember how hard I resisted using the song “Friends Are Friends Forever” by MWS. You’re welcome. Here’s to many, many more memories. LOVE YOU.

RAWE

<a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxvm5SkOw5o&feature=youtu.be" target="_blank">http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sxvm5SkOw5o&feature=youtu.be</a>

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Friday Food Finds {1}

June 7, 2013 by · 4 Comments

We are so fortunate these days with how readily available information is to us especially with blogs! From our own blog posts about the times we’ve done the Advocare cleanse to providing you with healthy recipes we think y’all know we are always on the look out for doing what’s best for our bodies.  Blogging, twitter and instagram have all played an awesome part in connecting our blog with other bloggers and finding food bloggers that share delicious and healthy recipes.  Delicious and healthy recipes that we love! So we wanted to periodically share some of the foods we find elsewhere and are constantly making at home with you!  So without further ado let’s really get to what this post is all about:

Fit Foodie Sam – Wonton Tacos: These are delicious and a fun twist to turkey taco meat!  This dish has become a regular at our house and they are easy to put together and don’t take long to bake at all.  I’ve also heard Sam has done a pizza spin on this recipe as well, which will be tried soon!

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Peas & Crayons – Confetti Pasta Salad: If you are look for a dish to bring to your next potluck, to a pool party, to a 4th of July party or if you happen to already be looking for dishes for Labor Day Weekend – look no farther!  This is your dish!  I have made Jenn’s dish multiple times in the past couple of months and have heard nothing but good things from everyone who has gotten to have a serving!

Happy Friday! And happy cooking! 🙂

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Wordless Wednesday No. 37

April 17, 2013 by · 1 Comment

miles for boston

pray for boston

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The Texas Half

March 25, 2013 by · 5 Comments

So once upon a time we signed up for the four seasons challenge and we kicked that off by running the Big D Half in April of last year, then slowly completed the Hottest Half in August and then we decided to skip the Tyler Rose Half in October since wedding stuff with Beth was wrapping up and we were busy!  Well, that’s only three halfs and that last sentence says FOUR seasons challenge.  The last race happened to be just two weeks after completely The Louisiana Marathon.

Which worked out perfectly because we were sad that the Louisiana Marathon meant that we would no longer have a matching number of halfs that we have run. 🙂  Yes, we are nerds like that, but you are reading this so you apparently still like us despite that.  Teal being the awesome friend and running buddy that she is still wanted to come and be there for the race.

Since so much time has gone by I don’t have a play by play of this to that mile for you (you’re welcome for that).  It was a chilly morning and the race was small enough that I was able to sit in the car with Teal for awhile to keep warm.  But when I did make my way to the start line I found a fellow DFW frunner, Caron! We both love getting to see her at races and talk with her!

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I had time for a quick potty break and then headed back to the start line to wait for about five minutes.  Then we were off and almost immediately ditched my zip up hoodie I had been wearing to stay warm which I found in the same place I ditched it after the race. Yay, small races! The first 3 miles were an out and back so that you hit the 3 mile mark right when you were running by the starting line again.  It was fun getting to see the leaders of the race early on and admire them for their speediness!  I also hadn’t really run in this area particular area of Irving so I was checking it all out, and trying to decide if I was running too fast or at a pace I could maintain throughout.

Like I said it was a small race so at right around the halfway point I saw Teal! My Runkeeper was at one point ahead on mileage and then got behind.  Around here a fellow racer asked me where I was mileage-wise and I think I said around mile 6 and then 30 seconds later there’s the 7 mile marker! 🙂  Ok, it might not have really been a full mile off, but when I saw the 7 that’s what it felt like. Ha

During this race I got to run by my husband’s office building though no one was in there…..it was still fun because it made me think of him.  In the last half of the race some of the miles were done on the Campion Trail which is where Teal and I did a couple of training runs while we were getting ourselves ready for Louisiana Marathon.  It was here I saw a fellow Private Training Zone member who asked me, “What are you doing?!” “Running a race!” Haha.  Always great seeing a familiar face!

The last two things that stand out to me about this race was as I was making my way over the bridge back towards the Irving Convention Center to the finish line the course here had blocked off one lane for runners so that cars had two lanes to themselves.  This suburban was heading in the direction towards me and another car pulled up beside the suburban, rolled the window down and yelled “WHY ARE YOU DRIVING SO SLOW?!”  Pretty sure I immediately rolled my eyes.  Can we all just take a minute to shake our heads at the yeller?

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Thanks for sharing in that moment with me!  I also applaud the slow suburban driver as they were simply being a cautious driver! As I got myself over the bridge and under the highway I saw Teal again! Teeeeeeeal!! She was telling me, Push! And you got this!  But I didn’t feel like I had that much give left.  Maybe that’s due to my lack of running between Louisiana and this race? Ha, but what I had I left out on the rest of the course.  Then there was the finish line!  Not only did a bring home a shiny medal from my 16th half marathon, but I also brought home a shiny new PR at 1:55:02!  I finished 13th overall in my age group.  So crazy that my half marathon PR stood at 1:56:39 since I ran my very first one in December of 2010 then December of 2012 I beat it at Dallas Marathon and come back to beat that in February 2013.  Running can be a crazy thing!

Tied at 16th again!

Tied at 16th again!

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Remember That Time LiAR Went to Louisiana?

February 28, 2013 by · 5 Comments

We never did show you the other parts of our Louisiana Marathon weekend did we? [Which by the way we heard registration for 2014 opens tomorrow!] Here it is even thought it was now over a month ago! 🙂

because mustaches are fun!

because mustaches are fun!

at the suggestion of our friend we hit up Mike Anderson's for our pre-race dinner

at the suggestion of our friend we hit up Mike Anderson’s for our pre-race dinner

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Then we both survived our races, had some tasty pizza Schlittz & Giggles before we drove down to New Orleans for the rest of the trip.

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we had hand grenades

then we saw a hand grenade

then we saw a hand grenade

where we dined Sunday night in NOLA

where we dined Sunday night in NOLA

fun on Bourbon Street!

fun on Bourbon Street!

And then we all went to bed.  We woke up and had breakfast at Mother’s before hitting the road for our 8 hour drive back to Dallas! Shout out to Michael for providing some entertainment for the car ride! Hannibal Buress and his jokes made the time fly except for the parts where we ran out of Hannibal Buress jokes to listen to! 🙂

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Final Louisiana Marathon Thoughts

January 18, 2013 by · 7 Comments

the la marathon 9.25.12

Well folks its time!! Louisiana Marathon time!! As you might have seen yesterday we are super excited to go, I mean heck, we have 26.2 reasons. Do you need more proof?? Yea we didn’t think so.

This time around will be a little different. We are not running this entire thing together, Beth will carry on for the full and Teal will run the half. A super tough decision but ultimately the right one! Now this is not totally what we had planned on so we are doing this one a little different. We decided that we will each make race signs for each other and keep them super secret until the day of! It’s actually kind of funny because both of us had this idea individually and then it just came out so we decided to make it a surprise! Fun, right?? So guess they will also be surprise for YOU! Stay tuned…

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We will set out eeeearly Saturday morning and make our trek to Baton Rouge via a road trip with our husbands. Whoa that is weird to say…we both have them now! We will make the stop at the expo, of course, and then head to dinner and bed! Duh, really what else is there to do the night before a race?  If you know something better we are totally up for suggestions!

As far as goals go, we, as usual want to run smart before anything else. Smart and safe! We don’t think this will turn out anything like the White Rock Marathon but if Mother Nature just so happens to be a biotch Sunday, we know what to do.  We are excited about this course because there is actually A LOT of it together. PLUS, for the second 13.1 we will easily be able to find Beth multiple times in that the race loops back around at some pretty hard miles. 15 and 16 turn into 21 and 22. Good job there race director, we like the way you think about the spectators too! The half marathon doesn’t split away from the full until about 10.5 meaning we can run with each other for that long. Our plan, well as of now is to stay together for that part and Teal will stay with Beth and almost pace her a little slower then she might just go normally (not slower per se but just at a steady  pace that’s not like “oh here I’m just gonna run my normal half pace”) hope that makes sense. This will hopefully help maintain energy throughout the race and avoid the ever scary problem of going out too fast due to adrenaline. We think this will be helpful but who the heck knows?? I think we both have mentioned to each other throughout this that the Marathon is a CRAZY BEAST. So even the best laid plans fail sometimes but we have super high hopes that this will be great!

Hopefully the fact that our signs are a secret will keep our minds busy and watching for what is to come and the time and miles will pass by super fast! This could totally work right?? RIGHT!!

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26.2 Reasons We Are Excited to Race the Louisiana Marathon

January 17, 2013 by · 9 Comments
1.  It will be our first time to run in Louisiana not just race but actually do even a run in this state!
2.  ROAD TRIP!!
3.  Look at this pretty bling we get to add to our collection:
la marathon medal
4.  This will be the 1st time either one of us has been to Baton Rouge! Unless there was sometime when we were little kids and do not remember………..
5.  We will have two of the most handsome dudes out there cheering us on!
just the two in the front, we don't know the guy in the white shirt! :)

the two in the front, we don’t know the guy in the white shirt! 🙂

6.   We can’t wait for the race swag! Whoever does the design work for their logos ROCKS!
the la marathon 9.25.12
7.  We heard the Race Director has a brother-in-law who lives in Texas – who doesn’t love a good Texas connection?!
8.  This is the Louisiana Marathon’s 2nd year and they have runners (as of 1/15/13) from 47 states and 12 countries participating.
9.  There are designated Cheer Zones on the course that are actually stocked with snacks, refreshments AND cheering supplies! Talk about a great race for runners and spectators!
10.  We get to run with each other until this mile, ok, really it is like until 10.5.
11.  We hear it’s a fast course which who doesn’t like a fast course?!
12. The weather for race day is looking awwwwwesome! *knock on wood*
13.  The course is suppose to be beautiful!
13.1.  Teal will finish her 16th half marathon!!
14.  People have constantly asked us WHY we are running THIS race, well, we think this best explains it: THE WHY
15.  This race starts and finishes right by the State’s Capitol.
16. To steal the words from Brian, we are excited to “carbeaux leauxd” for this race! 🙂 In fact let us point out one more time if you aren’t following Brian on twitter then you’re doing twitter wrong! Might we also point out, if you are in the market for a running coach you should get in touch with Brian! OK, enough about Brian….
17.  Po’ boys!
18. ALL of the snacks we have planned for the car ride! 🙂
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19. Not only are there cheer zones set up on this course, but a lot of great opportunities to see runners multiple times without having to cover a lot of ground!
20.  We will actually run on the campus of LSU!
21.  Race weekends in which Monday is a holiday are awwwesome!  Though please note Teal was the only one who didn’t have to request this day off from work. Ha.
22.  Our pre-race dinner at Mike Anderson’s…unless something happens between now and Saturday night to change that!
23.  The two of us and our husbands all sharing one hotel room the night before the race!
24. Craft beer at the Finish Festival.
25.  Gumbo, Jambalaya, Crawfish Etouffee and more food selections at the Finish Festival.
26.  We will end our trip to Louisiana with a celebration in New Orleans! 🙂
from Beth & Brent's trip to NOLA in 2009

from Beth & Brent’s trip to NOLA in 2009

26.2. Beth will finish marathon no. 2!
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December Goal Recap

January 11, 2013 by · 4 Comments

Don’t worry we didn’t forget about our goals during our hiatus in the month of December. Yah, yah, it’s the 11th and we are just now posting them…oops?  Story of our lives?!  Here’s how we did during the crazy month that always is December:

Teal-

1. Complete all marathon training runs.

Um, I really don’t know how to give myself a grade for this since I am not actually doing the marathon now. But at the same time I really haven’t altogether been running consistently either. There are many reasons why this has happened, all I am sure you really do not want to hear about. The holiday season is just crazy anyways and if I was still running the marathon it would have taken a lot of discipline to not partake in holiday festivities at the extent that is SUPER fun!

2. Go to the Ross Perot Museum.  This place looks awesome and just opened on December 1st!

F-: I blame my mother for this because she told me that she was going to go with my cousins and so I waited to go with them and then they never went so yea.. I’ll try it in January.

3. Not last minute Christmas shop although I may already be setting myself up for failure.

B-: I finished 2 days early! Haha! This is actually not bad and I had to do no wrapping of the presents the day of which hasn’t happened in a while!

4. Don’t be a scrooge and actually put up the Christmas tree this year

A-: I have to thank my husband for this! We actually put up decorations and a tree. It was only 3 feet tall but it was up! Anyone have one of those tall skinny ones they want me to have? That is what I decided I would do next year because part of my problem is my house doesn’t have a good “Christmas tree” spot. Anyone else have this problem? It drives me nuts! So a tall skinny tree is my answer for next year!

christmas tree mr kitties

Beth-

1. Complete all marathon training runs.

C+: I haven’t completed them and some of that is due to a weird pain in my lower leg, so ummm yah…..we’ll see how this all works out for me in a little over a week at the Louisiana Marathon.

2. Get another room in my house organized this month!

A-:  Last month I got our office darn near close to organized and our guest room darn near close to organized.  They both look SOOOOOOO much better!  There’s still some work to be done, but I am proud of what I accomplished so far!  I even spent part of an afternoon organizing our pantry because it was driving me crazy!

Isn't it purdy?!

Isn’t it purdy?!

3. In addition to organizing there are a couple of crafty projects I want to do around our house, so I’m going to commit to complete one of them this month!

F:  The closest I came to accomplishing this was printing out something I needed in order to do said craft project.  No craft project was accomplished……

4. Run a smart race at Dallas Marathon (only the half though).

A+: I’d say getting a shiny new PR at Dallas Marathon (half) accomplishes this goal!

5. Actually make use of my handy dandy Kitchenaid stand mixer and make Christmas cookies!

A+: I made two batches of Grandmom Lynch’s ginger snaps. They are deeeeeelicious!

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There you have it! We are kind of toying with revamping the way we do our goals, so you aren’t going to find any January goals in this post.  We’ll let you know what we decided to do! 🙂

Until our next post – have a fun and safe weekend! Good luck to all of our friends who are racing this weekend! May the speed be with you. 🙂

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