See you next year!

This past week has been crazy. I was in Texas from Saturday through Tuesday for work and I've just been playing catch up on work because I will be off all next week until January 2.

I'm not sad to see this year end. While some amazing things have happened, the second half of this year has been kind of a bust. And it's just getting a little bit worse at the moment. I can't really talk about it, but know I'm not in the best place right now. Because of it, I'm eating like there's no tomorrow.

I'm tired of being stressed and feeling/eating like this. So I've decided, I'm going to enjoy my week off, enjoy being with my family, especially my niece. Re energize and plot out my next moves. I have big big plans for 2013 and I plan on seeing them through!

So this will be my last blog of 2012. I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a wonderful New Year!! I'll see you on the bright side of 2013!

Not quite ready to let go

I feel like this little blog of mine is dying a slow and painful death. I feel like I have no words for it lately. I'm not ready to let it go just yet though. I've had this blog for years now and it really shows just how far I've come as a person. I've grown so much on this blog and it's helped me work through a lot of crap.

I don't post very often, but I do still like updating. We'll see how much longer I'll keep it up though. Maybe if things start to change (ie find a new job or get a boyfriend lol) I'll get a burst of energy and enthusiasm for writing.

This weekend I'm going to Texas for work. I didn't realize it at the time it was booked, but going away for 4 days the week before Christmas blows. I'm missing out on so much this weekend. So many holiday parties to be had. And I'll be stuck at a convention. Thankfully I'm going with my closest friend at work and we do get a decent amount of down time. Here's hoping for warm weather and really good tex mex!

Also I've been done with Christmas shopping for weeks now and I wrapped all my presents this past weekend. So I'm ahead of the game. When I get back, I'll only have 3 days to work and then I'm off for 11 days!!! Yay!!!! I cannot wait for this! Christmas this year should be awesome. My brother and his family are coming up for a few days. So I'll get to spend Christmas with my niece, bake cookies and do all that fun stuff with a toddler. Then I may be going down to the DC area for a couple of days to spend more time with them. And hopefully see some of my friends from college.

It's been so crazy busy for me and it's just going to get even crazier starting this weekend. It's going to be a whirlwind and I hope I'll be able to take some time and just enjoy everything around me. I just love this time of year!

Thankful for long weekends and races

Thanksgiving was great day! I love spending time with my family and the food! Oh the food!!! It was just the best ever. The turkey was probably the best my mom has ever made. The mashed potatoes which are by far my favorite were divine and the desserts was out of this world! I ate until I about busted.

I had gone out the night before and didn't get home until crazy late. Then woke up with the chickens on Thursday. I ran 5 miles to prepare for my day of eating and then went to my brother's football game. He's a coach and it's the biggest football game of the year. Thousands of people go and it's always fun to see people you went to school with. Then it was a whole day with my crazy family and eating. Needless to say, I went to bed at 8:30 that night. I was exhausted. However it was a good thing because I was up at 4:30 just in time for Black Friday shopping!!

Yes I am one of the crazies who goes shopping. I have to say though the crowds weren't bad at all and I was able to get everything I needed and more. I am officially done with my Christmas shopping! :) and of course I got some goodies for myself.

The rest of the weekend was nice and relaxed. Which is what I needed. I was able to decompress and relieve some stress. Then on Sunday I ran my first 15K race.

It was the hardest race I've ever did. Not only have I never ran 9.3 miles before, but the course was extremely hilly. The race itself is called a challenge and they are not kidding. One steep hill after another. At some points I was practically walking because it was such a huge hill. Also it was freezing out. It's a very weird feeling to be sweating and also freezing at the same time.

Finishing that race was one of the most accomplishing things I've ever done. It also made me realize I really need to buckle down and train for the half marathon I'm doing in May. I finished the race in one hour and 41 minutes. About a 10:45 min pace. Which is exactly where I wanted to be! If it wasn't for those hills, I think I could have shaved at least 10 minutes off that time. It's so crazy how far I've come and how much your body is capable of doing. I'm amazed every day at the fact that I can do races like these now.

Weekend Trip and Race in Boston

Time really is flying by. I can't believe it's Turkey day in two days!! It is by far my favorite holiday and I cannot wait to see my family. Since the hurricane things are slowly getting back to normal. There is no more gas problem here thankfully and we are starting to rebuild. It feels good to be getting back into a routine again.

This past weekend I went up to Boston with some friends from the gym. We had an amazing opportunity to do a Spartan Race inside Fenway Park. It was one of the coolest things I've ever did. The race was awesome and I did pretty well in it too. I finished in the top 30% of all racers! Not too shabby.

About to Start!

Fenway!

Climbing over a wall! All by myself for once

Climbing up a ladder over rafters

Carrying concrete

Down a cargo net

Box jumps

All my gym buddies inside the dugout

Spartan Finishers!

On the field!

This was an experience I'll never forget. A lot of the obstacles I was able to do all on my own for the first time. Which was amazing for me to be able to do. Now I only have two days left of work before the long weekend. I can't wait to relax, eat awesome food and do some serious shopping. Followed by my first 9 mile race on Sunday!! EEK!!

"The New Normal"

After that bitch Sandy came through, we had to deal with yet another storm yesterday! I'm starting to think the world might really be coming to an end. We can't take much more of this here in NJ. My drive home from work was awful and scary. I think my town ended up with 6 inches of snow! Even though more and more people were getting power back, a lot more are without it again.

It's just crazy here. It's weird seeing the army national guard on a regular basis in your town. Having friends not have power for over 10 days. It's just nuts. Luckily we still have power but I'm a little worried. There is a wire about to snap and is hanging super low on my block. I hope it gets fixed soon or we may be back without power.

Thankfully because of the odd/even license plate system, getting gas is so much better. I only waited about 10 minutes this week, and not an hour like it was. Hopefully the more people who get power back the sooner things will be back to normal and they will lift the odd/even rule.

I just hope that the weather will stay nice for a while so we can actually start to rebuild the homes and businesses that were washed away. It will take months, even years, and nothing will ever be the same again. But hopefully by the summer there will be enough stuff back up and running, and we can enjoy an awesome Jersey Summer once more!

Let there be light!!!

I got power back last night!!!! I am so lucky because most of my town still has no power. Its so crazy where I live. I can't believe the pictures I'm seeing posted of my town. Totally heartbreaking. I know it's going to take a long time to even begin to get back to normal, but slowly and like always NJ, will pull together and come out of this stronger than before!!!

F you Sandy

Hurricane Irene has nothing on what Hurricane Sandy did to NJ in the past few days. I am in utter shock at the devastation in my town. The entire county is without power and I know many many people who's homes have been completely washed away into the ocean.

On facebook there is just picture after picture of my town and the effects of the storm. We have no power but are lucky enough to have gas so we are still able to shower and cook food on the stove. They say it'll be up to a week before we get power. But I count myself very very lucky that only our power is out right now.

I'm back to work today. My office somehow still has power even though most of the town does not. But it's good to get out of the house. However it's hard to get gas so unless I can find somewhere to pump soon I'll be stuck at home again.

Two towns right next to me are destroyed. Beachclubs and roller coasters on the boardwalk washed into the sea. It's totally insane. I could never imagine it would be this bad. I feel helpless as well. I wish there was something I can do to help my friends. Hopefully in a few days we'll start to get power back and will start to rebuild near me.

I am a Tough mudder! Pics

This past weekend I did a Tough Mudder. A 12 mile obstacle course here in NJ. It's one of the best mud events out there. Also something that I truly never thought I could do. About 2 years ago I remember watching friends complete this and thinking to myself I could NEVER. Really. I was still so very overweight and couldn't imagine running 12 miles, let alone doing the obstacle that there were doing.

Yet this past weekend, there I was, doing my very own tough mudder! It was so surreal the whole time I was doing it. I kept thinking to myself how impossible I used to think this would be. Yet there I was, with four friend, totally rocking it. We finished in about 3 and a half hours! Unlike the Spartan Race I did a few weeks ago, this was so much FUN!!! It was hard and I am very bruised, but the whole time we were just laughing and having a great time.

This is such a wonderful event because everyone is helping you. Not just your friends, but strangers helping you up hills and facing your fears. There was a part where I totally freaked out. The part were you have to run through electric wires. I was standing there freaking out. A girl came up to me, grabbed my hand, and we ran through it together. And then shared a giant hug afterwards. I didn't know who she was and yet she was there for me. That's what these events are all about. Teamwork.

There are signs posted everywhere about how tough you are and how this isn't a race but a challenge. And that is exactly what it is. It's not even timed officially. It's all about completing it to the best of your ability. I will absolutely do this race again next year! It was a blast and I only hope to do that much better next year.

Here is my team and I about to start. We are so nice and clean!

Not so muddy yet!

Lots and lots of mud!!! But still smiling! Oh and if you notice I'm bleeding down my leg. lol. It didn't hurt though! Promise

Finishers!!!!!!

Love my gym family. We killed it!



I'm back!! (Pictures of my trip!)

I had the best time in Florida. It was a much much needed break and really helped me destress. I got to do and see so much!!! This is only a handful of pictures I took from my phone. I have way more on my camera. I was able to go to Seaworld, Aquatica (water park), Universal, Disney (Epcot and Magic Kingdom!). It was great. All that walking around was rough though. I just hope it helped counter all the yummy foods I ate!!

The best day I had was the day we went to Epcot. Which I have no pictures from. I was way too busy eating. Word of advice, if your going to Disney, go during the Epcot food and wine festival. It was the best experience ever. There are 29 countries/types of foods that you were able to sample from. I ended up hitting 14 of them that day. lol. They are small plates that cost about $3-5 a plate.

I had a Margarita in Mexico, Ravioli in Italy, Karaage Hand Roll (crispy chicken in a sushi roll) in Japan, Waffle in Belgium, a creme brulee in France, a lava cake in Ireland, Cheese soup from Canada, and something called a griddled greek cheese with pistachios and honey from Greece. Which was so amazing I got it twice. That is just a few things of what I ate that day. I had to be rolled out of Disney basically. It's a great experience and something I think people need to experience at least once!

The day we went to Magic Kingdom I was a total kid. I bought a Tiara and tried to take pictures with characters!!! I even did a character breakfast that morning with Minnie, Goofy and Donald Duck! It was so fun acting like a kid. It was great to escape reality for the day.

Me with Cinderella! I also posed with Sleepy Beauty and Rapunzel!

My friend and I on Dumbo!

At Epcot I got to meet Mary Poppins

Universal I met the Grinch! He loved me.

Best part of Universal is Harry Potter world!! I am a huge huge fan of the books and movies. This place is incredible! I had a butterbeer, pumpkin juice (delicious). I got to see Hogwarts up close. Went shopping at Ollivanders, Honeydukes (great candy) and Zonkos. It you love Harry Potter this is a must see!!! Absolutely amazing. I want to go back when they expand the place.

At Seaworld I got to see the whale show and the dolphin show. I am slightly obsessed with Whales and Dolphins so this was great. I love love Orcas!

The last day, we both were exhausted. So we stuck by the pool all day. The perfect ending to my trip. Getting sun and going into the pools and hot tubs all day long. Paradise.

This was a great trip. One that felt long enough to enjoy and where I was actually looking forward to going home at the end. I'm happy to be back home, and oddly I am loving the cold weather after a week in Florida. lol.

Much needed vacation coming!

On Sunday I am leaving for a week to go to Sunny WARM Florida!

It really can't come at a better time. My life is in a tailspin and I need a time out. I need to be able to relax and unwind. I haven't been able to for weeks, maybe even months if I'm being honest with myself.

These past two weeks have been a nightmare for me. On all ends. I can't wait to escape for a week and hopefully get some clarity on what my next steps should be. Ever have that feeling, where you standing on a cliff about to take a leap into the unknown.

That's where I feel like I am right now. On the verge of something big. But I don't know what that something is yet. I can feel change coming at me and fast, but I just don't know what it is yet. I hate this uneasy feeling I have 24/7. I haven't been able to lose any weight for months, and I know it's because of this stress. My eating and workouts are on point. But my sleep and stress is threw the roof.

Either way in exactly 48 hours from now I'll be laying by a pool soaking up the sun. I cannot wait! I've never needed a vacation more than I do right now.

Time is Flying

Things have been crazy lately. I haven't had a moment to myself. Work is crazy busy, and my outside life is crazy busy as well. My gym is having their annual team challenge and I somehow became a captain again! I really didn't want to, its a lot of work, but I was voted in!

Thankfully my co-captains are awesome and are a huge help! We've already had a shirts made, and a team picture done. Now it's just time to concentrate on the daily challenges we have to do. I'm hoping this challenge will help me get back on track and lose this last 20 pounds that just doesn't want to go away!

Other things in my life are brewing. Hopefully new opportunties on the horizon. I can't say anything yet, but keep your fingers crossed for me!!

I am a Spartan (aka the most difficult event I have EVER accomplished)

This past weekend I did a Spartan Race. A super spartan race to be exact. It is a mud run type obstacle course. Only this was in an actual mountain and Spartan races are considered the hardest events in the whole mud racing world. It puts Tough Mudder to shame apparently.

Going into the race, it was supposed to be 8 miles long. I knew it would be difficult but I felt prepared. I was running up to 7 miles at a clip so I felt confident. I was hoping to finish around 2 hours. We get there and I knew this wasn't going to be like the other races. You are going up the mountain almost the entire time. 3000 feet elevations. There was no running, it was way too steep for that. My anxiety kicked in. I was freaking out. Then the worse news, the race was actually 11 miles long!! I was not prepared for that distance!!!

I got to meet the owner of Spartan Races right beforehand. One of the girls from the gym is actually really good friends with him. As soon as I shake his hand, he says "You know your gonna get hurt right?". W T F. Even on the papers when we get our bibs it says, there is a very real possibility you will die today.....

I shake it off. Figure he's just trying to scare me. We all line up and start to get fired up about the race. Then it begins. And you start literally running up the mountain. For about a mile. Maybe longer. I started running but soon me and everyone else was walking. I was already hurting but then I found out that this is just the first of many inclines we will be doing that day.

The first 3 miles I felt good, I was killing the obstacles and even with the inclines I felt fine. Then all hell broke loose. It got insanely hard. We were going back down the mountain. Which is just as hard as going up hill. It kills your knees and hips. We go to this cliff where we are supposed to jump from 24 feet into a pool. I get there and looked down and decided to skip it. I was way too scared. It was the first obstacle of the day I wouldn't be able to complete. Which meant I had to do 30 burpees. Oh yeah, with this race any obstacle you can't complete you have a penalty and have to do burpees. Awesome.

After the cliff jump there was the highest incline we would be doing. It was at least 2 miles and at some points was crazy steep. It took forever and I was starting to hurt really badly. We do that and then do some obstacles including flipping tires and carrying a sandbag up a quarter mile hill and back down. And then it was back to climbing the mountain. We get to what I think is the top, and was sadly mistaken. There is a huge cliffs that I have to climb up.

That was just the beginning. The top you see in the picture? Well it's lying to you. It just keeps on going!!! This was the most difficult part of the race. It never ended. I got to what I thought would be the top and saw how much more there was to go and I lost it. I completely broke down and started to cry hysterically. I was in so much pain and this was the most mentally difficult thing I have ever done. There were people scattered all over just laying there not being able to move anymore. It wasn't just me. Everyone was hurting. I was crying so badly and finally the nicest man came over to me and helped me up the rest of the way.

He never left me and if it wasn't for him. I would probably still be on the mountain. When we finally actually got to the top, we still had another 4 miles to go. It really just never wanted to end. I started to get upset again, but I just kept on pushing. Thankfully one of my gym friends was with me almost the entire time. If it wasn't for her I would have quit. I know it.

Finally after more horrible obstacles we were in the mile stretch. That's when the obstacles really started to pile up. I was completely delirious at this point. I was mentally broken. And then the final obstacle was a barb wire that you had to crawl/roll under for almost a quarter mile. And it was mostly rocks and mud. It took what felt like forever and it hurt so bad. I pushed through though. I was so close I could taste it.

I saw the finish line. There were two guys there with those giant qtip thingys that you can beat people with? Ready to pummel me. I walked right up to them, and screamed NO! I think they knew I was serious cause they stepped aside and let me pass. I crossed the finish line, saw my trainer smile and I started to cry again. I actually finished.

It took me 4 and half hours but I completed it. Only 1/3 of the people that day actually finished it. That says a lot about how difficult this actually was. It really took a toll on me though. Not only was I crazy sore, but mentally I was out of it. For days. I never wanted to work out again, I felt broken. No one can truly understand what I went through that day, besides the people that were there. I am finally starting to feel back to normal again and starting to grasp at what exactly I accomplished. I not only was able to finish, but I finished in the top 50% overall and 30% in my age group.

As difficult as it was, it really showed me how much I am capable of. Even when I was breaking down, quiting never even crossed my mind. I pushed through and finished it. I am no quitter and I know that better now than I have ever before!

Here is my gym crew before hand. All smiles and ready to go!

Me and my trainer after the race. Exhausted but happy to have finished.

I really am crazy, because I went out that night. I think I was on a high still because I went crazy that night. But paid dearly for it the next day! I couldn't move. I was so out of it, I felt like I was drunk. But this was a weekend I will never ever forget!

Color Run Chaos (Pics)

I did my first and last color this weekend. I have to say I'm pretty disappointed in how unorganized the event was. It put a damper on the whole event for me. The traffic to get there was so bad. It took over 2 hours for me to get there(when it should have only been a half hour) and we had to park over a mile away from the event. Once we actually got there, there was no one there to tell you where to go, where the start was, where to get bibs. Anything. We wandered forever just looking for the start.


We were supposed to start at 9, but because of the traffic and confusion, we didn't get on the course until after 10. I know this is considered a fun run and not for timing, but I was really surprised at how little people were running. Everyone was walking it seemed, and I saw dozens of people cutting across the grass. I don't understand, why would you sign up for a 5K only to cheat yourself?

The color stations were fun though. The very last station though had run out of color though, but I was already covered so it was fine. I wish I had more fun, but it was so chaotic it was hard for me to enjoy it. Not to mention I was starving! I only had a protein bar beforehand at like 7am and it was now almost 11 when we finished. I do a lot of races, almost all of them give you some kind of food for free. Whether it be fruit or a bagel. They give you something. Here if you wanted to eat, you had to pay.

So be warned. If you want to do a color run, be prepared for traffic and chaos. While the photos are fun and the color part was fun, it wasn't worth it for me. Especially considering the cost of the event. Also it took me another 2 hours to get home. Which compared to my friends was fast. I was happy I didn't park in the parking lot. I had friends who sat trying to leave the parking area for over 2 hours, and then had another 2 hours to get home after that!

Before the color run. All nice and clean

After

My crew for the day. They made the car ride a lot of fun and the traffic bearable. They are the best!

They gave us a packet of color to throw at the end in a big group. That didn't happen, so I just threw it on myself. lol.

Reunited

I had a great weekend. I took off work last Friday to spend the day with my niece. She's finally back in the US for good and they spent a few days in NJ before heading down to there home in DC. It was a great day and so worth me missing a day of work for. We went to the beach and then to a BBQ that afternoon. She is fearless in the water. It's amazing.

Loving the sand and the waves

She loved getting knocked around by all the waves. She would hold my hands and then kick out her feet!

Then on Saturday we went up to visit my grandma. Since a lot of my family haven't seen my niece in well over a year, we had a little party. It was great and my niece looked adorable in her little party dress.

Here we are on my grandma's stoop.

The weekend was great but ended way to fast. I miss her already but am looking forward to seeing them again in a few weeks. It's great know that they are only a car ride away now. No longer a very long plane ride! I am looking forward to seeing them much more often and creating awesome memories with her.

Before and After Picture

I had a friend of mine put this picture together to celebrate my gym's 3rd year anniversary. It's so easy for me to forget sometimes just how far I've come in just two short years. This helped put the fire back under me to get moving again and to finally hit my goal weight!

What do I want to be when I grow up?

I'm 28 years old and I have no idea what I want to do for the rest of my life. This is something I've been struggling with for a few months now. I've been at my work for almost 5 years now and I think I'm ready for a change. I've become complacent and a little bored. I've also been given promises of a new job that have yet to be seen through.

I love where I work though. I love my friends here and the benefits/perks they give us. It's truly a wonderful company. I just feel stuck lately. And I don't know how to get unstuck. I say I need a new job but I haven't even so much as looked around. Mostly because I have NO IDEA what I would want to do next. I know if I were to make a change, it would be to something totally different. And that is so scary.

The unknown is terrifying. And I would be jumping in feet first. I just wish I had some inkling of what to do next. All I do know is I need to stop talking the talk and start walking the walk. I need to take action in some way.

I hate feeling so lost. It's making me sad and not only that, it's making me overeat. I'm up like 8 pounds right now and I am absolutely miserable. I feel awful inside and out. Today's a new day though. I'm back on track with my eating and hopefully this weekend I'll be brave enough to start looking around for new opportunities.

Stepping out of my comfort zone

This past weekend made me realize that I've become a little too comfortable in my life. I love my life right now, but I'm complacent. I need to start pushing myself more and really stepping outside of the box.

I've decided starting in August it's time to start doing new things. While I do go out a lot, it's always to see the same people and places. I'm never going to meet a boy if I'm always going to my friend's houses. Or going out with couples all the time. On Friday I went out with my friend from school who was up visiting. It was great because we talked to so many different people. Whereas usually I'm parked at a table with my friends. I need to find a single friend who lives in this area to go out with me. Or maybe I can get my friends with boyfriends to ditch they boys for the night and be my wingwoman.

Then on Sunday my brother invited me to go to the Haskell with him. If your from NJ you know that it's a huge horse racing event that happens every year. I was exhausted on Sunday. My friends from college had just left, and I was planning on relaxing on the couch, recovering from a slight hangover. Anyway he invited me and I was on the fence, but then said, nah I'm going to stay home I think. My brother then asked, "Why?"

Such a simple question, but it had a huge impact on me. I have no good reason why. Was I really going to miss out on something fun just so I can catch up on my DVR? Again I'm never going to meet someone sitting on my couch at home. So I quickly threw on a dress and we went.

I am so happy I did. I saw so many people there and it was a great day. I paced some bets (lost each one) and just mingled with people. I would have missed out on a great day, all to watch TV. So I've decided I'm going to make a conscious effort to do something new each month. Whether it be on my own or with some friends. I need to do something I would normally not do.

Maybe I'll meet someone, maybe I won't. But I'll have fun doing new adventures and I won't regret putting myself out there. The unknown is a scary scary place, but the best things usually happen when you step outside your comfort zone and into that unknown.

Family Fun

This past weekend was really busy and fun for me.

On Friday night I got together with two of my oldest friends. We spent the night laughing and looking at old yearbook pictures. I can't believe how awful I looked when I was in middle school. haha. It was a great night and there was so much laughter. I really needed that.

Saturday my brother and I went to the shooting range together. This was the first time I've ever been! I was so freaked out when we got there. It's so loud and there's shells flying all over. It was really overwhelming. Thankfully after a few rounds I started to get the hang of it and felt a little more comfortable. Now I can't wait to go back there and practice some more.

After that we went to my twin cousins graduation party. Thankfully the heat wave broke and the weather was perfect on Saturday. There was a lot of family there that I hadn't seen in a few years, it was nice to catch up with everyone. Also we got to take a family picture which was great.

Here is a picture of my mom, brothers and my grandma being totally inappropriate trying to grab my brother's package. lol. My family is crazy and I love it.

Sunday I got to hit the beach again. It was packed! I had to fight for a little piece of sand. I have never seen the beach that crowded before. The water was also really rough. I saw two people getting rescued because of the current.

All in all though it was a great weekend. Jam packed but a lot of fun! This coming weekend my friends from college are coming up for a visit. I can't wait for them to get here. I want this week to go a little faster already.

My Second Mud Run (aka I'm addicted!)

Last Saturday I did the Rugged Maniac 5K in NJ. It was a blast!!!! I love these races. It really pushes you to your limits but it also makes you feel like a kid again! Even though your covering a lot of miles you don't really feel it because of the obstacles.


I am officially hooked!

This run was a whole lot dirtier than the last one. I was crawling though the mud, going down a huge slide into muddy water, and climbing countless walls. I finished in 50 minutes. Not too bad for a 5K. If I would have ran it on my own I would have come in a lot faster. But I ran with my gym buddies so I made sure to stay with them. That's what these races are all about. Team work. It's not about the time, it's about helping each other out. And conquering things you never though you could do.

There was a tunnel with a rope that I had to climb up. Looking at it, I thought I would have to skip it. I didn't think I had the upper body strength to pull myself up like that. But my friend was right there cheering me on. I couldn't believe that I was able to do it and that it was so easy! It's insane sometimes. How different I am now.

Even though my eating hasn't been great and I'm up a couple of pounds in weight, I was still able to rock this mud run. I know I will never be the person I used to be. That I will never let myself get off track. Sure there will be detours but nothing I can't easily bounce back from.

My next mud run will be in September. This one is 8 miles!! EEK!!! It's going to be tough, and the distance scares me, but I know I will be able to conquer it with my friends.

Here is a picture of some of us after the race, enjoying our free beer. I'm the one all the way on the left, with no shoes on. lol

Mini Vacation

I took a little vacation last weekend. It was much needed. I had off July 4, so I decided to take off Thursday and Friday to make it a long weekend.

I had barely any plans, just to relax and go to the beach. I've been on the go so much lately, that it was nice to not have any plans and to just enjoy myself. I went to the beach almost every day except for Saturday. It was way too hot out that day. I get antsy and bored quickly at the beach so I have like a 3 hour max before I need to leave. Which left me with most of the day to do whatever I pleased.

I went to a fair one night, a BBQ another. Out to lunches and dinners. It was wonderful and really allowed me to relax and recoup. Plus my brother is back from India as on Sunday! He'll be spending the next few weeks here in NJ so it's going to be great to spend time with him.

On Sunday my mom made lasagna to celebrate his return. It was delicious and the perfect way to end my little mini vacation. Now I'm back at work (happily) and ready to get back into my normal routine.

Week Long Celebration (pictures)

I turned 28 on June 28 last week. It was my golden birthday so to speak. Since it was such a big day, I packed my week full of fun activities! I was a little too ambitious and I'm still exhausted from all my celebrating.

Last Wednesday I went to see the Beach Boys in concert. I love love love the Beach Boys. I've seen them in concert at least 6 times. They were my first concert ever and I've been hooked since. The place was packed. We got lawn seats but even on the lawn we have to squeeze into a spot. They look terrible, but they still sound AMAZING. Seriously I can't even believe how awesome they were. It was one of the better concerts I've ever been too.

Here I am at the concert with my friends.

Then on my Birthday I had to go to work. However after work a bunch of my friends from work we all went out for drinks at this local dive. I drank way too much. I don't know what got into me but I went to town.

Here we are doing a shot in my honor.

Me using a pool cue as a microphone....

It was so much fun, we were there for a really long time. I got pretty sick once I got home too. What's worse was I had to go to work in the morning. That was not fun. Then that night on Friday, for my birthday my friend got my concert tickets to see Badfish on a boat that went around NYC. It was beautiful out but really hot.

I thought it would be cooler on the water but it was really hot out. Everyone on that boat was a sweaty mess. It was still a lot of fun though. The band was awesome, they sound just like Sublime. And it was gorgeous being on the water. It was a great birthday gift.

Here I am on the ship

My friends and I next to the Statue of Liberty

Then to wrap it up on Saturday I went out with my gym family. We went to a resturant that looks right onto the ocean. It was a lot cooler on Saturday thankfully so we were able to sit outside and enjoy the night. It was a great way to wrap up my week long birthday celebration!

My trainers

Enjoying the night out!

I had a great Birthday. I know a lot of people dread getting older and getting closer to 30, but I'm in the best place right now. I am looking forward to what 28 will bring me. I have a feeling it's going to be a wonderful year. If it's even half as good as 27 treated me, then I know it'll be amazing.



My Friend's Wedding (Pictures)

The wedding was a great success! The dress fit perfectly and everything was beautiful!!! I got down there early Friday and we went right into it. Got our nails done, went out to lunch and just hung out talking about old times. It was so much fun. Then it was time for the rehearsal dinner. The venue was gorgeous and totally suited them. It was great to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in years. Then it was time for the dinner. The food was delicious but I was still being very careful with my eating. I was determined to look great for this wedding

Soon it was the big day. We ordered a huge breakfast, knowing that the next time we would be able to eat wouldn't be until dinner that night. We all got our hair and makeup done soon after. The two women did an amazing job. I never felt more beautiful. It was just so much fun getting out makeup down and just being with my good friends.

Then it was time to take pictures. My friend wanted to take pictures around the city so we walked around Baltimore in our best dresses. lol. The pictures are going to be stunning and it was so much fun being out there. So many people were cheering for us. It was great. Thankfully the heat broke and it wasn't nearly as hot outside as it had been!!

Then it was Wedding Time!

Here we are, getting ready to walk down the aisle.

Me and my groomsman for the evening. I love this picture.

Watching my friend marry her best friend. I could barely hold back the tears. It was a simple and beautiful ceremony. The groom was this adorable mess. I loved it.

The photographer asked me to hold his lighting. My friend thought it was hilarious and snapped a picture. This ended up being one of my favorite pictures.

My good friends, dancing up a storm

Photo op time!

Me and the Groom. He's so happy!

Toward the end of the night. She was on cloud 9.

After the reception we went back to the hotel bar. I got maybe about 2 hours of sleep that night. That's how great it was. Everyone at this wedding was so happy and it was just a great group of people. No problems or drama. Just everyone having a great time, celebrating their good friends getting married. This wedding is definitely one for the record books. I had a blast and wished it didn't end so quickly.