Tag Archives: turkey trot

Thanksgiving

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Happy (late) Thanksgiving!

I fully intended to post the past few days but naturally the holiday made things a little crazy.

So let’s back-up a little shall we?

Wednesday night was spent making baklava and a salad that I would be bringing for Thanksgiving. Biggest bar night of the year and I’m in the kitchen with butter and flour all over my hands? We laid low though because we had big plans for the next day!

The alarm went off at 6am on Thanksgiving morning. After some coffee, Andrew and I headed to Fort Lauderdale beach for our very first 5k Turkey Trot! It was a cool 60 degrees but there wasn’t a single cloud in the sky.

The course was beautiful… they closed off A1A, the road that runs up and down the coast, so we ran along the shore for most of the race. Fresh, salty breeze and the sound of waves crashing made it easy for me to settle into my pace.

I had one goal, and that was to finish under 30 minutes.. and I did it! Though I don’t remember the exact seconds, my time was in the 28 minute range.

After stopping for a quick bite for breakfast, we showered and were on our way across the state for our Thanksgiving celebrations. My cousin married into a family a few years ago that has a place on Marco Island, just south of Naples, and they graciously invited us over for the holiday knowing that we wouldn’t be making it back to Michigan to see the rest of the family.

We made the 2 hour drive across the state to the Gulf side, and were greeted by quite a surprise. Their place was absolutely stunning… gorgeous penthouse with breathtaking 360* views of Marco Island.

After putting my eyes back into their sockets and setting my jaw back into place from all the gawking, I settled in for a glass of Cab on the balcony while Andrew went for the whiskey (he’s such a man).

I didn’t take any pictures because I totally left my chargers at home (rookie mistake) so all I had was Andrew’s phone and the pictures he snapped. But I can tell you that our dinner was delicious!

We had the typical Thanksgiving fair, and everything was so good. Everyone loved the salad I brought, which was spring greens, dried cranberries, candied walnuts and gorgonzola cheese with a creamy honey-balsamic dressing… so so good. But the baklava was probably the show-stopper. I’m telling you guys, learn how to make it and you will always be invited back the next year.

After dinner we watched the sunset, continued to drink wine and just relaxed. I couldn’t have asked for a better Thanksgiving-away-from-home, and was so grateful to be celebrating in such a beautiful place.

I hope you are all still having a wonderful holiday weekend!

Did you run a Turkey Trot? How was your Thanksgiving?

Saturday Things

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Guess what?

Yay! I talked Andrew into running this with me, so we’re going to need to put together fun Thanksgiving costumes. Any ideas? I was thinking of tarring and feathering myself in a less harmful way to resemble a turkey.. maybe honey instead of hot tar? What a mess that would be…

After I registered, I promptly got my booty off the couch and out for that 5 mile run.

I love the scenery in FL. On my run, I was thinking about my history with running. I’ve said this before but, I wouldn’t call myself a runner. The most I’d ever run before this year was 3 miles, with walking intermixed. Even still, I’ve been running on and off since I graduated high school and only just recently realized how much I like it. Maybe it’s because now I live in a place where I can run outside pretty much year round? Who knows.

Anyway, after my run I decided to treat myself to something I’ve been craving for weeks..

Falafel!

If you read my Foodie Survey then you would know I freaking love Mediterranean food. I’m part Lebanese, so naturally I crave the stuff. When I lived at home, once a week my parents would order out from this awesome place near our house, they made their pita bread fresh everyday.

Unfortunately, I haven’t yet found a good Mediterranean place to eat at since moving down to Fort Lauderdale. The place I got this from was more of a “fast food” type Greek place, so it wasn’t amazing, but I got my falafel and tzatziki fix so it’ll do.

And now it’s time to relax with a glass of Pinot Grigio and watch an episode of Extreme Makeover: Weightloss Edition (guilty pleasure, I’m in love with Chris Powell).

What’s your favorite Mediterranean food?

November Goals

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November is just around the corner, and before we know it, it will be over!

Seriously, November is such a busy month for Andrew and I… I’m almost scared that if I blink it will be December. Despite the hustle-and-bustle, there are some things that I want to focus on this month. And what better way to solidify these goals than to type them up and publish them in a post??

1) Drink more water

I know for certain that I don’t get enough water everyday. There are tons of ways to go about calculating how much water you need personally, but I like to always stick by the 8 glasses (1 cup or 8 ounces each) per day rule because it’s easy to grasp. So if I’m awake for 16 hours a day, which is normally true, it would mean drinking 1 cup of water every 2 hours… piece of cake when you look at it like that, huh?? On days that I workout, my water intake will need to be higher to compensate for the sweat-loss.

2) Run a 5k

You know it’s funny, I run 3 and 4 miles all the time so I know I can do it, but I’ve never actually signed up for a race. It’s been on my list of things to accomplish for a while now… Especially since I’m still toying with the idea of doing the Miami ING Half in January, I should probably get the ball rolling on that one don’t ya think? I already know I want to run the Fort Lauderdale Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving, I just have to remember to register.

3) Take Annie on at least 2 long walks per week

Since I can actually breathe when I step out the front door in the morning instead of choking on the humidity, I really want to get Annie out for longer walks. The only thing that makes this one a little difficult is that daylight savings time is coming soon so I’m not really sure when the best times to walk her will be since I’m essentially working full-time now. But we shall see.

4) Use the crockpot at least once a week

Seriously do I even need to explain this one? And now that it’s “cold”-er, soup, stew and chili is all that I crave! Plus it would make my life easier on those days.

5) Read more

Source

I don’t specifically know what I want to read yet, but there is a running list of books that’s tucked in the back of my mind. Tina Fey’s book Bossypants is top of that list, along with rereading Catcher In the Rye. I would love to reread more of the classics now, since high school was the last time I even thought of them. Funny how having a Kindle makes you want to read more. Hah, oh the irony of technology.

 

 

You guys! Please hold me accountable for these…

My list is short and sweet, but no sense in stressing myself over these goals. They’re suppose to be little, attainable goals to keep me grounded and sane during this chaotic month, not huge hurdles.

Call me crazy but I’m excited about all of them! Yes, even the water drinking.

 

Got any book recommendations, new or old? What are your goals for November?