Marvelous Random Facts

Part of me was hoping to wake-up this morning to an email from our office saying that it was closed due to yesterday’s holiday – what a joke!  It’s Monday AND it’s April Fools Day…

I hope that y’all had a wonderful weekend and Easter holiday if you celebrated!  To be honest, I completely forgot that Easter was this weekend until a sales associates at one of the apartment complexeswe were looking said that they would be closed in honor of the holiday…  Whoops!

Ryan and I traded egg hunting for apartment hunting but we’re going over to my momma’s house tonight for dinner, better late than never!

A couple of weeks ago, Katie from Live Half Full nominated me for the Liebster award – thanks again Katie!  I had a marvelous time participating back in December [check out Liebster #1 here] so I’m happy to have a second chance!

11 Random Facts About Me

1.  After many “health hiccups” I ran my first half marathon!  I have 2 more this spring [Nike Women's in April and ZOOMA Annapolis in June] plus another this fall.  Maybe a full next January?  We’ll see!

2.  I’ve recently developed a liking for Pilates, after crowning myself as the worst yoga student.  I lack the inner “om” – child’s pose is my favorite.  Maybe if the classes were only 30 minutes I’d do better?

3.  Recently, one of the most commonly asked questions that I get is “When are you and Ryan expecting?”  We don’t have any immediate plans, but it is definitely something we’re looking forward to in the future.

SONY DSC

4.  The cold temperatures and the dreary winter weather puts me in a serious funk.  I don’t wanna jinx it, but I’m so thankful that spring has finally decided to grace us with its presence.

5.  It’s inevitable that whenever I start running longer distances, I always lose toenails.  I’ve tried what seems to be every trick in the book – band aids, bigger shoes, thicker socks – nothing has helped, besides a pedicure.

6.  When it comes to alcohol, I prefer bubbly or sweet wine.  If we’re talking hard liquor, I like it straight and dirty aka shot style…  I’d rather get it over quickly because I cringe with every sip I take of a mixed drink.

IMG_6190

7.  In January Ryan and I went on our honeymoon cruise to the eastern Caribbean [pt. 1 and pt. 2].  Royal Caribbean truly knows how to cater to their guests…  We already re-booked a cruise to the western Caribbean for next January!

8.  I used to hate the TV show Seinfeld but ever since I moved in with Ryan, we watch it every night – it’s his favorite show.

9.  It’s no secret that I prefer sweet over savory in the morning – I like to start and end my day on a sweet note.  I could eat pancakes topped with a dollop of *chunky* peanut butter every single morning.

IMG_3365

10.  I prefer playing with numbers over words so I’m a Sudoku dork.  Samurai Sudoku’s are my favorite – the tougher the better.

11.  When I was younger I joked that I’d marry an old rich man first and when he kicked the bucket I’d marry my true love.  That way I’d have both love and money haha!

Katie’s 11 Questions

1.  What’s your biggest goal for 2013?  To run my first half marathon…  DONE!

2.  What’s your favorite way to relieve stress?  To workout.  It doesn’t have to be an intense sweat session, but doing something physically active helps me to mentally disconnect from the world around me.

3.  What’s your favorite beer? (or drink)  I don’t care for beer – er, rather my belly doesn’t care for beer – but pour me a glass of wine and I’m a happy lady!

4.  Workouts – morning or night?  I love how accomplished I feel after a morning workout but ever since we started taking TNT classes and my runs have gotten longer, I’ve been doing more afternoon workouts.  I’m hoping to get back into a morning routine.

IMG_4280

5.  What’s your biggest motivator?  My health.  I know that some things [such as illnesses] are out of my control, but I have the choice of what I put in my body and how hard I push myself on a daily basis.

6.  What type of blog topics would you like to read about more on Live Half Full?  I love reading blogs that have a balance between food, fitness, and fun.

7.  What’s your favorite season and why?  Summer – I love bright and sunny warm weather!  One day I’d love to live at the beach.

8.  Any fun trips planned for 2013?  Our big trip this year was our honeymoon, but we have a handful of destination weddings later this year that we’re looking forward to attending.

IMG_2911

9.  What’s your favorite current television show?  I’m a big reality TV fan but I’ve also gotten back into Grey’s Anatomy.

10.  Do you celebrate anniversaries with your significant other?  Yes!

11. Do you cook dinner every night?  Yes, whether it’s 100% homemade or semi-homemade, dinner is always served.

IMG_3829

My 11 Questions

1.  What’s your favorite holiday?

2.  If money wasn’t a factor and you could travel anywhere, where would you go?

3.  How many pets do you have?

4.  Dark or milk chocolate?

5.  What would you choose as your last meal?

6.  If you could dine with a celebrity, who would you choose?

7.  What’s your dream job and are you currently doing it?

8.  What’s your favorite workout song?

9.  If you could relive one moment, what would it be?

10.  What’s your favorite springtime activity?

11.  Apple, blueberry, or cherry pie?

Thanks to Katie’s marvelous link-up, I’m opting not to nominate anyone specific but rather I nominate all of y’all – there are so many marvelous blogs!  Answer 1, 2, or all of the questions above :)

— Allison

Signature

Five Things Friday 3.1.13

It’s Friday, it’s Friday…  Everybody…  It’s Fridayyy!  I have sung that [annoyingly catchy] song in my head every.single.Friday since the first time I heard it.  Anyone else notice how the most annoying tunes are the catchiest?  I don’t think that’s all too ironic.  The latest – McDonald’s Fish McBites…  Fishay fishayyy!

[source]

Thing 1.  Last night I planned to have a date with Benadryl because my sleep schedule has been completely berserk this week but because I was so tired, I completely forgot to pop the pills.  I slept until 7AM, only getting up to go to the bathroom once - totaling a whopping 9 hours of sleep, solid.

IMG_3868

Ryan caught Charlie & I snoozing via Snapchat

Thing 2.  I’m a dork for numbers, math was my favorite subject and I zoom through sudoku puzzles.  So I think today’s date is pretty sweet – 3.1.13.  Don’t judge, but sometimes when I’m out running my brain starts spewing off random math facts.  For example, if I saw 1257 on someones mailbox I might start thinking…  1 + 1 = 2, 2 + 5 = 7, 7 – 5 = 2, and 2 – 1 = 1.  I don’t know why, I can’t explain it, but it helps to pass the time.

IMG_3883

How many licks does it take to get an empty Cho container?  A one…  A two-HOO…  A tha-three…  A three!

Thing 3.  This weekend [Sunday] is Ryan and my 6-month wedding anniversary.  Holy heck, time has flown!  I joke with him that I’d love to get married every year just so I could plan it all again.  I love all that kinda stuff – going dress shopping, choosing the color scheme, finding the location, selecting the vendors, going to the tastings…  As I’ve said before, I’d love to be a wedding planner!

IMG_3899

Thing 4.  We ran out of eggs yesterday so oats were what was for breakfast this morning.  The consistency of oatmeal on it’s own is tasty, but it’s even better when it’s doctored up with some Greek yogurt.

IMG_3914

Creamy Cinnamon Raisin Oatmeal

1/3 cup of oats

2 tbsp raisins

a dash of cinnamon

1 1/3 cups of water [I typically use a 1:3 ratio of oats to water - makes them super fluffy]

1 tbsp SF Torani syrup

1 6-ounce container of plain Greek yogurt

peanut butter

~~~

1.  In a nonstick pot, combine oats, raisins, cinnamon, and water.

2.  Bring oats to a boil and reduce to a simmer.

3.  Cook and stir for approximately 10 minutes or until oats are at your desired consistency.

4.  Pour yogurt into a medium bowl and top with oatmeal.  Swirl to combine.

5.  Top with peanut butter and enjoy!

Notes:

  • Feel free to omit the cinnamon and raisins and substitute apple pie spice, nutmeg, pumpkin pie spice, or any dried fruit
  • Flavored yogurt would be a tasty alternative
  • I often will top it all off with a handful of cereal or granola to add a little crunch

Thing 5.  Today is yet another foodie holiday - National Peanut Butter Lovers’ Day!  Unknowingly, I had a spoonful of Peanut Butter & Co.‘s Cinnamon Swirl with breakfast and packed a Chocolate Peanut Butter Quest Bar as an afternoon pick me up.  Both were tasty but what I’m really drooling over are all 45+ of these recipes

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

This weekend I’ve got a coffee date with these lovely ladies, a long run, and seeing another friend for a bit, but other than that I’m looking forward to a relaxing weekend.  Maybe cross off a few blog to-do’s that I’ve procrastinated doing such as updating plug-ins and fixing busted links.  And maybe, just maybeee, I’ll tackle the piles of laundry that have been sitting on our windowsill begging to be ironed.

Question:  Name the tune I referenced under Charlie the Cho bandit’s picture.

Question:  What’s your favorite way to eat peanut butter?  Feel free to link-up if you have a recipe!

— Allison

Signature

Marvelous Long Weekend 2.18.13

Happy Monday :)   To all y’all who had a 3-day weekend, I hope you’ve enjoyed yourselves!  And to all y’all who unfortunately had to work, I hope your day was easier and lighter than usual.  Nonetheless, we’re all already one day closer to next weekend…  Is that looking too far ahead?

I fell asleep last night sometime around 10PM and slept better than I have the past few nights thanks to Benadryl – not just the allergy drug.  Today I took advantage of having nothing to do and no where to go.  I had a few tentative plans but opted to take it easy and stay at home.

Thanks Katie for hosting another marvelous link-up!

Marvelous…  Thrift store finds.

IMG_3451

Marvelous…  Spending the afternoon with good company.

Marvelous…  Feeling restful after a good night of sleep.

Marvelous…  Sitting on the couch while sipping a cappuccino and cuddling with Charlie.

IMG_3476

Marvelous…  Watching the Today Show.

Marvelous…  Cleaning the bathroom and kitchen from top to bottom [and Ryan vacuuming] – who doesn’t like a clean apartment?!

Marvelous…  Teddy Peanut Butter and TJ’s Strawberry Preserves.

IMG_3465

Marvelous…  Driving Ryan to PT only to find out that it’s actually tomorrow – whoops!  But that meant he got to browse the aisles at Home Goods with me.

Marvelous…  Swinging by my momma’s house just because we were in the neighborhood.

Marvelous…  Egg scrambles – they may not be pretty but they sure are tasty!

IMG_3473

Marvelous…  Making lists and crossing things off.

Marvelous…  Clean, warm clothes.  Even if I still have a pile of clothes that need to be ironed.

Marvelous…  Going for a 4-mile run outside with the sun shining.  It’s crazy how after Saturday’s run, 4 miles felt a tad short.

IMG_3484

Marvelous…  Cantaloupe.

Marvelous…  3-way chats with Ms. Run Within and Ms. Heart, Sole, & Cereal.

Marvelous…  Watching The Bachelor home dates.

[source]

I hope y’all had a marvelous Monday and while we’re at…  I hope that you have a terrific Tuesday, a wonderful Wednesday, a thankful Thursday, and a fabulous Friday ;)   Tomorrow morning I have the first of two procedures [the second is Wednesday morning] and hopefully will get some news – at this point, any news is good news!

Question:  What was marvelous about your Monday?

Question:  Did you have a 3-day weekend?

— Allison

Signature