Moravian College Hall of Fame

Friday night was a wonderful night for our family.  My sister {Tara} was inducted into the Moravian College Hall of Fame for her accomplishments in cross-country and track while attending the school in the mid-late 90's. 

Tara's forte was cross-country in the fall and the longer distances on the track ranging from the 3,000 - 10,000 meters.  She was a several time Division III NCAA All-American, most notably finishing 3rd in the 3,000 meter run on the track and 7th overall in cross-country. 

Always the running supporters, my parents were very proud!  

Payton, here with my nephew, was so excited to be a part of the evening.  She told me that one day she wanted to be in the Hall of Fame too. 

Both Bobby T, our longtime friend, and I nominated Tara for this special honor.  Bob ran for Moravian with us and now is a very successful XC coach at Freedom, our high school alma mater.    

After the ceremony, we all posed for a few random photos...

Fred was very happy for Tara since he also was involved in Moravian athletics.  He is a year ahead of me in school and played baseball for the Hounds back in the mid-90's. 

Fellow teammate, Pat Egan, flew in from Ohio for the occasion.  Pat used to be a great runner on the men's side. 

Because two former runners, plus the 1989 men's track & field team were inducted this year, Jesse put his assistant coach in charge of the runners at the XC Regional meet and headed back to Bethlehem to show his support. 

The next day, the inductees were honored at halftime of the football game so I took Tara over for that event. 

Amos, the greyhound!

Proud sis!!

Patrick met us at the game and then we headed across the street for a celebratory beverage... 

It was such a fun weekend and Tara is well-deserving of this prestigious honor! 

As for my running, I did an easy four miles on Saturday and then came back with a 10-miler on Sunday with Jesse.  I ran between 7:30 - 7:40 for a total time of 1:16 and the second five was quicker than the first.  

Hopefully this week {with the warmer temperatures early in the week} I can get some good runs in before the Thanksgiving holiday.  Enjoy your Monday! 

Loving Lately

This past week was all about trying to find comfort and routine after the wrath of Hurricane Sandy, which sort of left me in a bit of a funk.  When I am feeling lackluster, I tend to look for things around me that I can wrap myself in, kind of like a warm blanket.  

For years, I have looked to crocheting as a way to relax in front of the TV after a long day.  In my opinion, the monotonous strokes of the needle weaving through the yarn is mind calming and serene.  Recently I started making children’s hats again, like this one.  Most of mine include affixed silk or crocheted flowers or tassels bouncing on the top.  

 

There is nothing like a girls’ night…especially with my own kids.  The other night, we treated ourselves to a meal that is normally not on our diet…Five Guys burgers and fries.  Healthy? No. Delicious? Absolutely.   

Sometimes finding the motivation to run in the chilly temps can be tough, especially after a long day at school.  But when I’m done…I feel better about myself and glad that I got out the door, even if it is only for 36 minutes and 2 seconds.

Willsey can be a handful, but he also is such a love.  The other night, my daughter and I were hanging out in the dining room doing homework as Willsey looked on from across the room, behind the sofa.  This was a first.

Tonight my sister will be inducted into the Moravian College Athletic Hall of Fame for her accolades in cross-country and track.  I sure am proud of her and can’t wait to be a part of the special evening ahead.  In my closet, I had a dress to wear…but not the right pair of shoes to pull it off.  Of course, my favorite store {DSW} had just what I needed with these.  I already own the exact pair in tan, so the black was an obvious choice because I love them so much.  They are classic and feminine, a combination that will work with any outfit. 

Nothing says comfort like a bowl of chicken noodle soup, and that's what I made last night.  We all needed a little something to take the chill off of our bones and this soup was the perfect remedy.

What are you loving lately?

Intervals on the XC Course and Race Updates

Yesterday's in-service for teachers {which ended at 1:10 pm} allowed me to vote AND workout all before 3:30pm.  It was great!  I met Jesse at Monocacy Park, a local place that is decent to run intervals which is also the home of several high school cross-country courses. Because of Hurricane Sandy, there was more debris than normal such as garbage, twigs, etc...so at times I felt like I was weaving in and out of an obstacle course.  Overall, I was happy with the results of the workout.

To begin, I warmed up for about 12 minutes and did my usual drills.  The workout consisted of 5 x 1200 and 4 x 200.  Here's how it went...
   
5 x 1200, with decreasing times and increasing rest
1 - 4:48.8 {1:15 rest}
2 - 4:42.0 {1:45 rest}
3 - 4:37.1 {2:45 rest}
4 - 4:33.0 {3:00 rest}
5 - 4:26

4 x 200, faster each time on 1:30 rest {1 & 3 were slightly uphill}
1 - 42.6
2 - 38.6
3 - 40.1
4 - 36.3

2 mile cool down

Lately, I have been feeling a little sluggish {kind of like a cold is coming on} but it never arrives.  Some days it is hard to get motivated and out the door because of the colder temps we have been feeling.  Ugh, I am not ready for winter running!  But once I'm out there, I feel better and sometimes, I even surprise myself.

On the racing front, for the past few months I was planning on running  Berwick's Run for the Diamonds nine mile race on Thanksgiving Day as part of a team with my Moravian alumni friends {Kim, Carla, Justine and Cadee}.  

This book was written by my college coach, Mark Will-Weber.

This race is one of the oldest road races in the country and is very popular among east coast folk.  The best part is the overall top seven men win diamond rings and the overall top seven women win diamond pendants.  Because the starting time for the race is 10:30 am and Berwick is about two hours away from where I live, I just couldn't make everything logistically work with family plans.  It was impossible to run the race and be at the Thanksgiving table in time for the turkey, and therefore I had to nix the race.  On the flip side, I am possibly looking at a few 5ks and 5 milers to fill in the gap before the fall racing season concludes.  Hey...when family calls, one needs to listen...right? 

What are your plans for the rest of the racing season?  Do you have any big races coming up?





      

Karaoke for 8 Year Olds

This past weekend, I held my daughter's 8th birthday party at my house.  There were ten children in attendance, both boys and girls, so I knew that I needed to have structured activities for them to do while at my home for two hours.  As part of the festivities, the children had a chance to sing karaoke and dance to the latest hits. 

When the children arrived, I had them sit down to decorate wooden frames with their names prewritten at the bottom with puffy paint.  They bedazzled them using foam stickers since glue tends to get messy and needs time to dry.  During the party, I took a photo of each child holding a large, blow-up microphone.  This will be sent home with the thank you note and they can place it in their frame to remember the day.   

 

In addition to the frames, each child took home a plastic maraca because after all, it was a music party...

Food was set out on my dining room table, buffet style.  No matter the party genre, I always have fresh flowers on my table...like these alstroemeria.  They are a type of lily that is rather inexpensive, lasts forever, and are readily available in any grocery store.  Disposable utensils make clean-up easier, however they look nicer displayed in clear glasses of varying heights. 

Since it was a child's party, I decided to have a children-friendly menu complete with mac and cheese, meatballs {courtesy of my mom}, veggies, fruit, and chips {which I never buy except for special occasions}.  For the mac and cheese, I used my mother-in-law's special family recipe.  The best part? You don't have to cook the noodles prior to baking.  Plus, I use half the amount of butter called for in the recipe.  It's always a hit with everyone, young and old. 

     
Yep...that's all of the ingredients you need for that recipe!

A friend at school let me borrow her karaoke machine so that, plus all of the songs I had on CD and on the iPod worked well for a good hour of singing and dancing.  At one point, I lost count of how many times we heard the 8 year old favorite, "Call Me Maybe."  To designate a performance area, I set up a mini stage complete with a black backdrop and surrounding balloons.    

Rather than a cake for dessert, I ordered chocolate and vanilla cupcakes without sprinkles and the children decorated them using a variety of candy picked up from the bulk candy isle.  

Payton's masterpiece!

Plus a few others as well...
 

A few of my girlfriends hung around while the party was in full force.  The moms had fun, along with the kids!

To me, all that mattered was that Payton had a fun time.  After the dust settled, she told me that it was the best party and that made my day.  Mission, accomplished.    
 

Loving Lately

Despite a week full of destruction and despair, I used some of my time at home to organize my closet, specifically the shoes.  It's almost November and I still had summer sandals on the shelves so it was about time that I switched them out for more winter-friendly versions.  This hallway shoe closet was one of many features that I loved about our house before we purchased it. 

A lantern given to us by my parents was a life saver when the power went out.  We didn't think it at first, but it was battery-operated and gave plenty of light.

This winter white sequined mini was a must-have when I spotted it on the rack.  I always like to look for items that transition throughout the seasons and this is no different.  It can be worn in the summer with a silk tank and strappy heels, or in the winter with tights, a sweater and booties.  It fit impeccably and will be perfect to wear throughout the upcoming holiday season.  

 

I never was one for long nails because mine are brittle in nature and tend to break and split.  I recently purchased Sally Hansen's Hard as Nails in hopes that it would help strengthen my otherwise horrible looking fingers.  I can honeslty say that after a week, my nails are {a little} longer and stronger.  The best part?  It's under $5.00 and can be purchased at your local drugstore.

I love to catch up with friends, such as my gals from Spring Garden Elementary.  Our kids are in the same second grade class at the school and we have developed amazing friendships along the way all because of our children. 

Yep...I openly admit that I'm wearing a Halloween headband and black & orange striped tights for the party at my daughter's school.  What we don't do for our children...

What are you loving lately? 

Hurricane Sandy

Hurricane Sandy came and went, but she officially left behind her mark that will be permanently engraved in the east coast forever.  The shoreline of New Jersey was reshaped on Monday night, leaving countless homes, boats and other structures floating in the aftermath of water and sand.  As I watched the news on Tuesday afternoon after we recovered power, I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  My heart goes out to those who lost, and to those who need to recover.  

There are many places in my area that are still without power and we are on day four of no school.  To this point, it is uncertain when all of the schools will have electricity based on the vast amounts of people the electric companies still need to reach.  Only time will tell, I guess.  

Over the weekend, Fred and I got our home "hurricane ready" by bringing in all summer items such as plants and furniture.  We cleared the gutters, bought non-perishable food, filled coolers with ice and made sure that every candle was out and flashlights were filled with fresh batteries.  Anticipation was exciting, yet scary.    

For dinner that night, we cooked on the grill because Fred had it ready to go and easily accessible on the front porch in case power was lost.  Our friend {Jim} also stayed with us on Monday night to join in on the hurricane craziness.

Fortunately, we didn't lose power until 9:00 pm so we had light and TV up until that point.  The girls took turns playing hairdresser and I certainly wasn't complaining. 
 

Clearly, Willsey had his fill and passed out on the floor...not impressed by the hurricane or the latest Food Network magazine!

Before we lost electricity, we heard transformers blowing all around us, followed immediately by a green glow of light.  We knew by the closeness of the sounds that we were soon to follow and sure enough, it happened.  For situations like this, I save all of my leftover, half-used candles.  I call them my power-outage stash. 

For the night, the girls set-up shop on the living room floor, complete with sleeping bags, princess pillows and Willsey!

Overnight, the wind was howling and it was so hard to get to sleep.  Both the girls and the dog were nervous, but flashlight puppet shows on the wall helped to calm any nerves for the time being.  In the morning when I awoke, the sounds of the wind had ceased and it was calm.  Fred was already up and outside surveying the grounds before heading out to find coffee.  After driving to several places, Wegman's was the only place in town with electricity because they have a really large generator.  We had a breakfast of coffee and bagels purchased by Jim the day before.   

Considering the possibilities, we only lost one tree.  But in the larger scheme of things, my family is extremely grateful for everything we still have.  

We survived the storm, but my thoughts and prayers go out to everyone else who lost homes, properties, businesses, etc.  Stay safe and recover.  That's what Americans do.  

Running for the week hasn't been all that bad:
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: Off because of weather
Tuesday: 5 miles in the afternoon {Fred thought I was nuts}
Wednesday: 5 miles
Today: Track workout with the Moravian XC team

Have a great day!