.:my LAST 1/2 marathon:.

when i signed up for this race, i didn't expect it to be my last one. while i wasn't surprised when my doctor told me that after this race i needed to quit running and take on less impact activities,  i had a 'minor' freak out. what was i going to do with all the time that i had spent running? how was i going to stay in shape and more importantly, how was i going to 'escape' to keep my sanity?'.

i began cherishing every training run and every run resonated emotions that i have ever noticed before. i found myself in tears, more than once, running my typical route to my typical playlist not only realizing that these moments were limited, but also frustrated. i was frustrated that my knee was having a hard time keeping up with the rest of my body. i knew my knee was bad, but apparently, i was ignorant at how rapidly it was deteriorating with every mile that i had ran. as the run became closer, my training transitioned to the elliptical. three weeks before, i was feeling confident that i would be able to at least finish strong....and then i got sick with strep and a double ear infection. needless to say, by the time i hit the starting line, i wasn't running for a PR anymore, i was running to finish. my only goal now was to run the entire way.

the morning of the run, my mom, brother and i drove to the starting corrals (in a Camaro, might i add-my brother knows people, nbd). we stretched, hit the restrooms and said a prayer before joining the rest of the runners. my brother headed to the front of the pack, knowing he was going to kick ass, while my mom and i hovered in the 2 hour time group reminsicing about my first race, our first race and how this crazy world of running brought us closer. 

the course was absolutely breathtaking. from the streets of Vancouver, to the Redwood trees of Stanley Park and along the seawall of the coast, the views were spectacular. Lululemon did a great job keeping us entertained along the 13.1 miles. there were neon people rappelling off the Lululemon factory, mermaids hanging out by the bay and our turn around point was in front of the FIRST Lululemon store, cool, right? thank goodness the views were great because it helped take my mind off how not in shape i was. even after 6-ish ibuprofen, my knee was stiff and sore by mile 4 and it all went downhill from there. i honestly can't even remember our time, it defintely wasn't a PR, but i ran the entire way, thanks to my mom! my mom was an awesome companion, either staying by my side or going ahead a few steps to keep pushing me. and my brother? he killed it coming in around 1:36. what a stud!

of course, i have pictures to share:.

obviously, still feeling good....

in the zone:.

contemplating how much that sucked...

his first and last time coming to my running events

we did it!

honestly, i thought i was going to have a lot of emotions over not running anymore, most of them being sad, but the way my body felt after this run made it easier to walk away. it's been 6 weeks since i last ran and my knee has never felt better (ok, maybe it did when i was 14). i am grateful for everything that running has done for me. from weight loss, to being a great transition out of competitive sports and to seeing beautiful scenery, i realize that i am stronger mentally and physically to move on yet again to something better for my knees. as my brother keeps getting himself more involved in the running world and my mom continues to succeed in her journey, i'm not jealous or bitter, but i am happy for them. i hope running brings them all the things that it brought me.


always striving for more,
dee b.

.:Summer Vacation 2012:.

i have been trying to think on how i want to recap our vacation in Seattle and Vancouver last month, but i decided the best way to do that is through pictures!!!! you guys don't want to read a novel on how awesome it was, you'd rather see it, right???

SEATTLE:.

lovely link ride in Seattle after being up since 3:30 a.m.....

visiting Pike Place Market made the long day of traveling worth it! 

we HAD to wait in line to get coffee at the very 1st Starbucks....

Vancouver:.

we drove across the border to Vancouver.....in a mini-van.....

Canadian money is WAY prettier than US

our home for the week

Stanley Park:.
from Redwoods to walking along the bay, the sites were breathtaking. we decided to rent bikes and explore....

Whistler:.

although we had to pile in the mini-van for a 2 1/2 hour drive to Whistler, it was the highlight of the vacation for all of us. while i could have done without the gondola rides and being suspended higher than comfortable, the views were completely worth it! 

home of the 2010 Winter Olympics. 

my oldest (yet little) brother.

party's here!

unbelievable, right?

wishing my feet were on the ground at this point.

another highlight for me was having the BEST mocha at a small shop called JJ Bean. we found it in the corner of the farmer's market on Granville Island. i had to make a special pitstop to get another one before we left!

this picture isn't great quality, but this was at dinner our last night in Vancouver. we haven't gone on vacation as a family for a few years and this was a first having all of us bring our significant other. honestly, i couldn't have imagined a better time! 

another highlight: this was mine and drew's first time going on vacation together. between catching flights, navigating in a new city and spending a lot of money traveling with someone, especially a significant other, can be nerve-wrecking. again, i couldn't have imagined a better vacation with him. we made so many new memories and inside jokes; he is the best traveling buddy, ever! i am really hoping we can afford to start traveling more soon! 

i am sure some of you may be wondering how the magnificent Inaugural Lululemon Seawheeze 1/2 marathon went, but unfortunately, you will have to wait for the next post. i have more pictures and stories to capture my last 1/2 marathon! i truly promise it won't take me long to get that post up, but until next time....

always striving for more, 

dee b.

.:my friends are better than yours:.

seriously, my friends deserved this post WAY sooner than now!

so my birthday has come and gone (approximately a month ago), but i haven't had the proper amount of time to devote to recap it-

23, no big deal, right? that's what i thought, but my friends had other ideas...

first off, i don't really believe in the whole 'birthday week' thing, but with that being said, i wish i would've spent my 'birthday week' any other way than being sick. being home from work just about all week with a double ear infection and strep throat, i was just hoping to be able to get off the couch in order to go to 'dinner' that drew had planned for us. little did i know, i was expected to do a lot more than dinner....

although still feeling a little under the weather (and not being able to hear out my left ear), i fully intended on making the best out of my birthday! one of my closest friends, lisa, took me out to breakfast at grandview (yum!). after breakfast, lizzie (drew's sister) and i hit the Mall of America! it may be possible that i probed lizzie a few times about what drew had planned for my birthday (we were celebrating it the day after, saturday), so i could get an appropriate outfit. lizzie did an extremely good job of acting very non-chalant about not knowing. anyway, when i got home from shopping drew had brought home some crab legs for dinner and we had a low key evening in.

saturday morning/afternoon, we had a blast goofing around at the science museum, watching a movie at the Omnitheater and having a wonderful lunch at cossetta's (highly recommended for all pizza/pasta lovers!).

after the science museum, lisa 'cleared' plans with drew to steal me for happy hour for a couple hours. me, being the casual, yoga pants wearing freak that i am, i went to happy hour pretty dressed down thinking i had an hour or so to finish getting ready before drew and i had dinner reservations, wrong!


on our way home from happy hour, drew had called me and told me to go in through the back door because his dad was working up front and had his tools out (this was the second reminder to go in the back, but i was oblivious because this was totally logical). when we pulled up in the back, lisa asked if she could come in and use the bathroom. lisa lives maybe a mile away from my house, but i didn't even think that this was a little weird, so i happily obliged!

well, i will let the pictures tell the rest....

lisa was always known as the mother figure throughout the college; from cooking to cleaning to making sure we were always healthy and happy! she is also the #1 planner and organizer.....i like to say that we balance each other out. a very special thank to lisa  for everything that you did to make sure my 23rd birthday was unforgettable. <3 

the ladies-thank you!

best friends since day 1 of kindergarten 

my totally awesome older brother and sister-in-law drove 2 hours to join in! not only did they  join in, but they brought our new addition, helen!

drew's mom and grandma, thank you for helping with the food!!! 

childhood neighbors, forever friends--such an amazing surprise that you made it!

still not believing that he pulled it off???

and last, but not least, a special thank you to Drewy, the old ball and chain

i think it is fair to say that i have an awesome group of friends and family who i am very grateful for--i could not have DREAMT of a better way to turn 23!

THANK YOU ALL FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART! 

always striving for more,

dee b.

(not pictured, lizzie and all of her friends--super sweet of you guys to stop by :) )

.:protein balls!:.

here is the protein ball recipe that i promised! like i said before, these are a staple around our house whether we just got done working out (or on our way), need a snack on a bike ride or simply, just need a snack! they are super easy to make, relatively inexpensive and the best part, you can make a few batches at once and freeze them!

 ok, you get it, they're good and worth it--

 ingredients:.
 >> 1 cup protein powder (vanilla, chocolate, cookies and cream--feel free to improvise)
 >> 1/2 cup peanut butter (i have to do separate batches:. almond butter for me, peanut butter for drew)
>> 1/2 cup honey >> 1/3 cup oats (raw/not cooked, i use quaker oats)
>> 1/4 cup sliced almonds
>> 1/4 cup soy nuts
>>1 tbsp H2O
>> bag of chocolate chips (i buy the dark chocolate mini chips, again improvising here is ok--there are alternative endings for these based on your preference and patience)

mix all of the ingredients until they are evenly blended, put in the freezer to stiffen (about an hour).

 roll into 2 inch balls (i put them on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper, easier clean up, duh). put back into the freezer.

 ok, so here is alternate ending #1:. if you decided to mix the chocolate chips in at the beginning of the recipe, then you're done! just let them stiffen in the freezer until you can put them in baggies or storage of your choice--this of course, is my favorite ending :)

 alternate ending #2:. do not mix the chocolate chips in at the beginning of the recipe. allow the protein balls to stiffen in the freezer for a good 1-2 hours. melt the chocolate chips and dip the protein balls into the melted chocolate. beware:. they melt and get sticky pretty quick, so you have to move fast! end with putting them back onto the cookie sheet and back in to the freezer until they are ready to be stored.

we always store ours in the freezer (they thaw and are ready to eat very quickly), but the fridge may work as well....

 nutrition facts:. approximately 135 calories and 12 grams of protein per ball. enjoy!!!!

 always striving for more,
 dee b.

excuses, excuses

well friends, here i find myself with another month that has passed and no post! life happens, sorry, i am not sorry!

i didn't forget about you guys, i actually have been keeping a punch list on things to update you on!

first, my garden!

here is a picture of my FIRST zucchini-don't ask me why it turned out all lumpy... 

...but it sure tasted good! i must admit, it was pretty cool to prepare something that i had planted as a seed just a short time ago!

here are my first tomatoes that are starting to bloom. i am not sure how long it will take them to ripen for picking (note to self, 'google' that later...). i also have one tiny, brave, green pepper that is starting to peek out, but i didn't want to get too ahead of myself by taking a picture of it! more on my garden as it comes up (literally).

second, our place!

i know i promised pictures of our new place, but unfortunately (and fortunately) we are still playing around with the arrangement, accumulating new pieces of furniture and figuring out our new lives together under one roof! i haven't even though about decorating or hanging anything on the walls....but to be honest, i can't complain one bit. we have spent the past 7 weeks (already?!) compromising, compiling, discussing, and reminding each other that where we are right now, is exactly where we are meant to be. i am not ashamed to say that we have spent a few nights stepping over piles of clothes or letting the dishes sit overnight, so we can simply sit and enjoy our 'home' together. speaking for myself, i have moved at least once, sometimes twice, a year since i graduated high school, so having the feeling of being settled and having the comfort of 'home' back is invaluable. this has been especially apparent to me the past week as i have been very sick. i ended up getting strep throat along with a double ear infection and have been laid up most of the week on different cocktails of medications. i am finally feeling better, but simply, having the comfort of home was very humbling and something that i became extremely grateful for. plus, living with my hunk of a best friend isn't so bad either :)  

how is henry adjusting? well, after much debate about where to put medusa (the lovely ball python i inherited in this move), she ended up in the office right by his litter box and food dish--he couldn't be more fascinated! we had to do some customizing to her cage, so he couldn't make himself too comfortable around her, but he loves to just sit a watch her, this could be love at first sight! 

another thing we have been debating is whether or not henry needs a friend (aside from his one true, love medusa) around the house since drew and i find ourselves leaving whenever we feel like it; whether it is a quick run to the grocery store, a long afternoon bike ride or a late night happy hour. he may be the only cat who suffers from spoiled, only child syndrome (yes, that is his very own drinking fountain). 

                                              

alas, meet the new addition to our little family!

we don't have her quite yet (thank goodness, because we haven't even thought of any names!), but she is a birthday present from my brother and sister-in-law, pretty precious, right? ok, go ahead with the crazy cat lady comments, i've already decided it's my coming to old age that made me say yes. i am nervous about bringing this little peanut into henry's domain, after all, he is King Henry.

ok, ridiculous picture, i know, but seriously, he's pretty fricken handsome. i do have a lot loyalty towards him, so i am not sure how a little kitten will do around here--we will have to start off by making sure medusa knows that she is not her next feeding.....

we are open to hearing suggestions for names and i am definitely open for suggestions on anything from gardening to decorating/organizing a new place! i am really hoping to post an amazing protein ball recipe (they are staples around our house) REALLY soon! 

always striving for more,

dee b.