Thursday, May 31, 2012

RW summer running streak day 4

Chris and I took off together for a quick 2.25 mile run before his LAST day of class before graduation! Beautiful day for a run but it was a tad warm. I felt super slow today, I'm guessing the heat and my cold (which is getting better, thankfully!)

Wednesday, May 30, 2012

RW Running Streak Day 3

Here we go, Day 3!

Sonya-3 Miles
Chris-3 Miles

Yes, we ran together :)

He's obsessed!

Max loves to play and thankfully had lots of people to throw the ball for him this weekend. Thank you family for dealing with our OCD puppy!

Tuesday, May 29, 2012

Yay for a short week!

Anyone else thankful it's almost Wednesday?  I had a great holiday weekend (more posts to come but I can't hang out at the bar until 3am and then get up 4 hours later to drive 5 hours anymore...sheesh!)

Here's our meal planning for this week:

Tuesday-Tilapia, basmati rice from Trader Joe's and sauteed green beans with toasted almonds (this whole dinner takes about 40 minutes to get on the table, not too bad!)
Wednesday-BLT's per request of Chris
Thursday-Grilled Chicken
Friday-Spinach and sausage pizza on the grill

Lots of grilling going on this week, it's been HOT here.

I think we're both looking forward to a low-key weekend and getting ready for the movers to come in a few weeks.  They were originally scheduled to arrive this Thursday and Friday but our closing on our Columbus house got pushed back a few weeks.  I'm kind of grateful because I don't think I would have been ready at all since we were out of town all weekend.

RW Running Streak Day 2


Did you see yesterday's post about Runners World Summer Running Streak?  There is still time to join us running at least a mile every day until 4th of July!

Day Two:
Sonya- 2 miles in the AM (before it got HOT) and BodyPump after work
Chris- 3 miles

Sonya's Total: 4.27 miles
Chris's Total: 4 miles

Are you with us?  Let us know how you're doing!

Monday, May 28, 2012

RW Summer Running Streak

Runner's World posts a fun summer challenge: running at least a mile every day from Memorial Day to 4th of July Weekend.  Chris and I have both decided to participate in the 38 days of running straight and I'm going to try to post our results.

Normally, I don't run every day so I'm planning on several 1 mile runs (days that I go to BodyPump or Yoga).

Day One:
Sonya-2.27 Miles with Alicia doing an interval run, followed with lunges, push-ups and sit-ups (Britt joined in for these after her 2.5 mile run)

Chris-1 mile


Here we go!  Are you with us???  If so, comment below!

Taking a moment to remember and say thank you

Even though many of us spend Memorial Day grilling, out of town or spending it with family please take a moment to remember what this day is truly for-honoring the men and women who have served and died for our great country, after all, freedom is not free.  Many, many service men and women have given either part or all of their lives to ensure we remain free.  Here are a few photos of my favorite veteran over his five distinguished years of service:

Dining In, 2006

Promotion Ceremony in Iraq, 2007
Iraq, 2006-2008
Task Force Falcon Military Ball, 2008 
Returning to Afghanistan after R&R, 2010
Ft. Bragg, 2006
Redeployment from Afghanistan, 2010

Grant and Chris in Dress Blues, 2010

Even though our time with the US Army is over, I will always cherish the years C spent in service to our nation.  I'm so proud of his willingness to serve and the strong solider and leader he became!

I would also be remiss if I didn't mention the soldiers who served and gave the ultimate sacrifice while serving with Chris on Task Force Falcon while deployed to Iraq in 2006-2008 (thanks Grant for sharing this):

SFC Keith Callahan - KIA 24 January 2007, Arab Jabour (South Baghdad), Iraq
SPC Donovan Witham - KIA 23 August 2007, Arab Jabour (South Baghdad), Iraq
SSG Sandy Britt - KIA 23 August 2007, Arab Jabour (South Baghdad), Iraq
CPT Erick Foster - KIA 28 AUG 2007, Hembis, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
SGT Andrew Nelson - KIA 28 AUG 2007, Hembis, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
CPL Ryan Woodward - KIA 8 SEP 2007, Tarmiyah, Iraq
SGT Ricardo Rodriguez - KIA 3 OCT 2007, Sherween Village, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
SGT Bryan Tutten - KIA 25 DEC 2007, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
CPL Christopher West - KIA 3 February 2008, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
CPL Miguel Baez - KIA 5 FEB 2008, Diyala River Valley, Iraq
SGT John Osmolski - KIA 5 FEB 2008, Diyala River Valley, Iraq

Please take a moment to read these names and give thanks for each and every one of them.

Thursday, May 24, 2012

So...we've got news!

Any guesses?  (NO, we are NOT having a baby...just thought I'd get that out of the way).  We found a house! We agreed on a price after several rounds of negotiations and our inspection is today.

Our new home is in the Rocky River suburb of Cleveland (apparently all the locals call it "River").  Here are a few photos of our new place:

Front/Side of house-the little flower box faces the street
The Den (aka my new office)

Dining Room

Soooo excited to have a DOUBLE OVEN!
(and a fridge with ice/water in the door)

Kitchen/breakfast nook
(yes, that's a wine/beer fridge)

There is no door directly to the back yard, we are thinking of
tearing out the window past the table to put one in for  M&L.

Living Room

Mud room between garage and breakfast nook
(I'm thinking make this a laundry room???)
We are really excited about this house.  We have spent many, many days searching for the "perfect for us" house (yes, I know nothing is perfect- in fact, this house doesn't have AC!)

Monday, May 21, 2012

Meal Planning-we're getting low!

Since C and I will be moving in approximately 1.5 weeks to our interim housing (aka, with our parents), I'm trying to use up the food in the pantry and freezer.  The moving company won't move food items and I wouldn't want them in storage anyways.  The menu until we move is based on getting rid of what we have while still maintaining a healthy, balanced diet.  My trip the grocery store yesterday was the basics: milk, eggs, fresh fruit and veggies, lunch meat.

Sunday: Zuppa Toscano Soup and fresh bread (lunch)
Sandwiches and long grain fried rice loaded with veggies (dinner)
Monday: C has a school function and I'm running errands but something meatless and easy
Tuesday: Parmesan lemon tilapia and sauteed green beans with almonds
Wednesday: Grilled chicken and Asian coleslaw
Thursday: C has class and I'm getting my haircut
Friday: Grilled steak and potatoes

I've been talking a lot about the way we plan meals and the why behind it so I thought I would share!

Method (easy):
1. Check out pantry/fridge/freezer
2. Select menu (I use cookbooks, blogs, magazines for inspiration)
3. Grocery shop

Why?
I plan our meals out for the week for a couple of reasons:
1. We (like most people) are busy.  If I had to come home and decide what we were having and defrost meat/have lots of prep work I'm sure we would go out to dinner a lot more.
2. Saving money.  By planning before shopping, I'm only buying the ingredients that we need and will use.  We also save by not having any last-minute unexpected restaurant nights out (well usually, there are exceptions to every rule).  That being said, we do usually have 1 day a week going out to dinner or ordering pizza or takeout.  Especially with all the traveling we've been doing for the house hunt.
3. Control over what we eat.  I like to know what we are eating and control the fat and salt content.
4. Variety.  If I don't plan a menu, then we have a lot of the same thing (example: grilled chicken and asparagus).  By planning ahead, I can investigate new recipes and mix things up so we don't get bored.
5. Left overs. C and I take food for lunch most days of the week.  I'm usually on the go, so my lunches consist of a protein or granola bar, apple and carrot sticks or some sort of salad.  C has access to a microwave at school so he can take left overs and heat them up (refer to #2, saving money and #3 control over what we eat)
6. I like to cook (obviously).  Since I like to cook and don't mind spending time in the kitchen, it's not an issue.  We do have a dinner OR dishes rule in our house; if you make dinner then the other person does the dishes.

Do you meal plan?  Why or why not?

Sunday, May 20, 2012

Weekend at home!

After many a traveling weekends, we were able to spend this one at home (yay). And it's our last weekend in this "home" before we move as we'll be traveling next weekend for the holiday. So, wonder what we were up to? Just normal stuff: laundry, cleaning, working out (we did a 12 mile bike ride on Sunday), a wonderful dinner out with C's parents (they were super-generous and took us out to very nice dinner for graduation), Jeni's ice cream and bath time for Max and Lila. They were as thrilled about it as they look :)
The Lila-bug (see tucked tail)
Max-a-doodle (trying to escape)

What were you up to this weekend?

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Almost (but not really) Homeless

At this rate, in 2 weeks C and I will be homeless.  Well, I'm being a little bit dramatic, we will be no longer be home owners and don't something lined up yet.  I am well aware that this is very, very different than actually being homeless and that we are very, very blessed. We are signing the paperwork to sell our Columbus house at the end of May and the movers are coming to pack us up and move our things into storage.  Since we are still in negotiations for our next house but won't be able to close before we have to be out of here, we will be moving back with our parents for (hopefully just) a few weeks.  Yes, you read correctly, in negotiations with the people from last week who rejected our offer!  They came back to us this week and asked to restart negotiations.  It's a good thing my job is flexible and our parents are kind enough to take us in while we work things out!

So our next task is to work on what to put in storage and what we'll need for a month.  As my Mom said, think of it like packing for a month long vacation!  We are no strangers to packing and moving (thanks to the US Army!)  My plan for this weekend is to work on my must-have list and find a way to identify those items for the movers so they don't accidentally get packed.  

What are your must have's?  What can't you go a month without? (for me its workout stuff, computer/ipad, my home office, cook books, my husband, our dogs and my pillow)

Tuesday, May 15, 2012

Meal planning

After eating left-overs from our Cinco de Mayo party/graduation party, you would think we would have had our fill of Mexican but no!  On Monday, I made Mexican Quinoa for our meatless meal and served with avocados.  This time I used already cooked qunioa to cut down on cooking time and added a can of black beans.  The whole process took about 20 minutes for a fast and filling dinner.      


Tuesday- Baked Italian Tilapia, asparagus and fresh baked bread 
Wednesday-Grilled bratwurst and broccoli
Thursday-Grilled chicken and skillet sauteed green beans
Friday-???

Most of these recipes are quick and simple!  The weather has been so nice, I don't want to spend time in the kitchen (that explains all of the grilling).  What are some of your go-to dinners?

Friday, May 11, 2012

The downfall of having a mobile office aka my car

This is what happens when you slam I'm the breaks to save a bunny in the middle of the street:

Wednesday, May 9, 2012

House Hunting-An Update

Not only have we been a tad busy with work (Sonya) & school (Chris and Sonya) but house hunting.  As you know, we're moving 2.5 hours NE to Cleveland, OH and the house hunt has been a challenge.  The process hasn't happened like I thought it would, but has been the exact opposite.  We sold our house in Columbus right away but have had some issues finding our next dream home.  We've decided that we're urban folks (as opposed to the suburban kind, nothing wrong with that just not what we want for our next house) and have now been looking for a new place to call home for about 3 months...long enough that it's not fun anymore.  We thought we were close a few weeks ago and put an offer on a home but it was rejected.  Then I saw another one I liked but C wasn't available to see it that day and it was gone in 24 hours.  But (fingers-crossed, both hands, I'm serious) the end is in sight!  We found a house we love and have moved on to the next step, making an offer.  So send up a few prayers for us or positive thoughts out there that this is the right "one" and meant to be ours!    

**an update on the the update**  Our initial offer was rejected but the buyers called back and now want to negotiate so here we go again!

Hopeful homeowners (and tired of making the drive), C & S

Monday, May 7, 2012

It's official!

On Saturday, we had a crazy, busy day because it was my MBA graduation! After almost 4 years of class work, it's hard to believe I'm finally done.  It's going to be strange to be home every night of the week and to not see my Capital classmates, after all, we've spent 1-2 nights together for the past 2 years, worked on countless group projects and have become friends! You can read about the start of my journey, the GMAT, when I was accepted to ECU, Going back to school and when I transferred to Capital.  We celebrated by attending the ceremony and a small family gathering at our house.  So nice to spend the day relaxing with family since they've been with me on this journey since the start!

View from my front row seat!

Some of my classmates
A Capital Tradition, walking thru the campus gate with Heather and Carrie

Diploma!

It's official!

And if you're wondering what I'm going to be doing with my extra free time, I am too :)  Next up is hopefully finishing the house hunt and getting ready to move.  

Sunday, May 6, 2012

The difference between a training run and a run

This morning I went out for a run, just for fun, leisurely Sunday morning run. My training miles and my "fun" runs are very different:

Training runs include:
1. Intervals
2. Timed miles
3. Mapped routes
4. A training mindset (meaning I push myself harder)

Fun runs are structured very differently:
1. None of the above :). I run 3-5 miles, depending on how I feel. I listen to my body and run a comfortable pace and distance.
2. I enjoy looking around the neighborhood.
3. Take time to think, reflect, meditate and be thankful.

What do you do differently on training runs than "fun" runs?

Saturday, May 5, 2012

Morning "Glories"

Our flowers are in full bloom and gorgeous! They always make me think of the childhood song "rise and shine and give God your glory glory" :). Anyone else or just me?