fitness plan

With this new year comes new challenges and adventures that we all aspire to. For me, this spring I am training for a 1/2 Marathon with my mom. Now don't be too impressed, I am power walking some of it, but I would like to try my hand {well more like my feet} at running some of the miles. I wish I could train to run it all, but after a knee problem that I developed in high school, it prevents me from running for longer then a few miles

I did participate in a 1/2 marathon a few years ago but didn't take it to seriously and didn't think I would really need to train for it. Boy was I ever wrong!! By the end of those 13 miles I had blisters, pulled muscles, and I felt like my legs would rip into a dozen pieces. I had never felt quite like that and I promised myself I never would again. After all, it wasn't a casual 13 mile stroll where I could stop to sniff the flowers and take a break, this was hours of power walking and running in short sprints.

This time it will be much different. I made an 11 week schedule for my mom and I, that has us training 6 days a week with the goal being our 1/2 Marathon. Along with the fitness plan I will also be restricting my diet and trying to fuel my body with the proper nutrient that it will need for the training that I will under go. We will be starting right after B and I get back from California, on our strict fitness plan!

fill in the blank friday

If you didn't know by now, these posts derive from Lauren, who just had a beautiful baby girl, Fern. Go check out her amazing birth story, it's so inspiring and certainly makes me want try a natural birth someday.

These are pretty much the perfect blanks to fill in this Friday for me, because Brian and I are in the final few weeks till we leave for California {where I grew up and where much of my family & friends still live}. Never mind about the 'few weeks', we only have 12 days to go!

1.   My favorite place I've ever traveled to is  England! Who could not love going over seas and seeing the amazing world of wonder. I also love Mexico because I've been there a few times with different people and loved all the amazing memories from those trips.

2.   Ireland, Greece, New Zealand, Germany, France, Italy  are some places I'd love to go someday.

3.   I pass the time on a place {or bus, or car tide or train} by  listening to music, writing in my journal, and mostly day-dreaming of what just happened or what is yet to come!

4.   My 3 must-haves when I travel are  a good book, my camera, 

5.   My favorite travel companion is  someone who knows me really well. That's why traveling with B will be so much fun.

6.   The craziest thing that ever happened to me while traveling is  I got stung by a jelly fish. Well 3 of them to be exact on 3 different days in Mexico!!  I guess they just loved me there. The 1st one was the worst, it stretched from my left wrist and wrapped around my arm up to my shoulder. The locals kept telling me to have someone pee on it, and I instantly thought of the friends episode. Anyone know which episode I'm talking about? Yeah, my friend Brittany and I gave each other one look, busted out laughing and just grabbed a bag of ice.

7.   The most exotic food I've ever tried while traveling is  a buffalo burger. That's about as exotic as I get sorry to disappoint, but I really don't have the urge to ingest weird food just to say that I did it.

8.   If I could live anywhere else, I'd live in  Ireland or England. I love the mix of cultures there and the quaint way of life, and that way I could still speak English.

9.   I have been to  38  states in the U.S.

dread to delight

My palms were sweating, my hands shaking, and I felt that my brain would explode with the information that I had been cramming into it for the past few weeks. I was way more nervous then I let on to the lovely ladies at the front desk who made me turn out my pockets and lock my purse away for the next 3 hours. Even those closest to me, my family and friends, I tried not to show just how terrified I really was.

I was terrified of failure.

I had been dreading this particular day for about 1 1/2 years and it was finally upon me. It was upon me in a very official way as I sat down at the computer that was reserved for me with a camera eyeing me for the next few hours while answered the 4 sections of tedious questions.

As the exam wrapped up I thought I would feel relieved, but as it grew closer to the end I got more and more nervous. I entered in the final answer and sat there staring at the blue screen for the longest 6 seconds of my life. As meaningless words filled the screen, there was only one word that I was looking for: 'pass' and I found it nestled in the bottom corner of the screen almost hiding from my eyes just to make the process more nerve racking.

I had passed. I had passed the longest exam of my life to become a Certified Medical Assistant. It still wasn't sinking in. I returned to the front desk to gather the papers I would need to prove that I had passed this exam that left my head sore and tired, but at that point I didn't care. While I haven't had any exams for school in months, this particular one {being the largest of my career} was the final stamp on my education. It was the final stroke that pulled me into the medical world.

I don't think it really set in until yesterday morning when I strolled into work, only focusing on trying not to fall as my boots slid over the slick icy covered sidewalks. There waiting for me at my desk was a symbol of celebration in the form of a wonderfully colored cake with the words "Congratulations Emily CMA." I fought back the urge to burst into tears as I realized how much my co-workers wanted to celebrate this accomplishment with me just as much as I did. It totally made my day!

my latest obsession

I used to think that all teas where alike, from Lipton to Celestial Seasonings {which was my favorite till now} but my opinion totally changed when I stepped into a local tea shop called Infinitea Teahouse. This tea shop contained tin upon tin of various types of loose leaf teas. It was more than I even knew existed and I instantly knew I couldn't wait to try some. After we {B and I} looked through the mile long list we picked out a few to try. I bought a few accessories {the picture below: loose tea infuser basket, thermometer, and piggy timer} to add to my new collection of tea along with a clear latch jar to keep everything together.

I love sweat drinks. Just follow me around in the morning and you will see just how much coffee {with creamer} I drink, or the sweet alcoholic drinks that I would pick any day over the bitterness of beer. So when it comes to tea, I always thought that honey was a staple in any cup of tea to cut the bitterness. Little did I know that it was bitter due to the inaccurate way I was steeping my tea. Not with Infinitea though, they give you the specific instructions so that you can maximize the flavor, and in my case leave out the artificial sweeteners. So with each variation of tea, comes it's own specific instructions, for example the Coconut Truffle black tea {B's favorite} steeps for 3 minutes at 212 degrees while the Wild Cherry herbal tea {my favorite} steeps for 5 minutes at 212 degrees.

You can check out their website for more information. I don't think I will ever go back to boxed tea again!

XOXO Emily

fill in the blank friday

1.   The last thing I ate was {what I am having now} coffee, and lots of it!

2.   The last song listened to was Jennifer Lopez's 'On The Floor', I was at the gym and in an exercise class.

3.   Using the letters in my name I can spell {Emily} lily, mile, em, lime, lye, lie, elm, el.

4.   If I had to dress in one color for the rest of my life I would pick: purple. I am hoping that this means jeans and other pants can be included. It's not my favorite color but I think purple is pretty much flattering on everyone and I love wearing purple shades of eyeshadow with my dark brown eye.

5.   If you were to look in my bad right not you'd find: a first aid kit {the medical person in me also caries a more extensive one in my car} my wallet, a reusable bag, make-up,

6.   When I finish filling in these blanks I'm going to go shovel some snow then jump into a nice warm shower! I love winter weather!!

7.   My all time favorite song to dance to is: {I'm gunna cheat and pick a few} Do What You Want or Invincible by OK GO, Le Disko by Shiny Toy Guns, California Girls by Katy Perry, {totally from high school}: In the Ayer by Flo Rida, Wannbe by Spice Girls {I have very distinct memories of dancing to that song in the dorms}, and of course Fruit Salad by the Wiggles {that one's for you Danielle!!}

Check out Lauren at the little things we do to join in on this friday fun!

XOXO Emily

what I am lovin in december

By now, you probably know what these are all about, if not you can check out my previous 'what I am lovin in {enter month here}'. December was one of those totally crazy months that flew by, and so much happened. I haven't been blogging as much as I've wanted to as of late, but a goal for this year is to focus more on my blog and branch out in new directions with it.

Seasonal Christmas Celebrations
This month everything from wrapping Christmas presents to decorating the house in festive decor, this month had a very distinct theme. In this picture, our cute little kitty tried to help me wrap presents while I sprawled my Christmas tools all over the family room coffee table.
Photo source: my own photo

Revlon Lip Butter
These have been a recent necessity of mine. I am not normally a fan of lipstick so these are perfect for me. They provide plenty of moisture while giving a wash of color.
Photo source: here

Christmas music
There is nothing better than the wonderful sound of Christmas carols during these winter months. I resisted this year to wait till after Thanksgiving to start the music and treasured each day that artists like Amy Grant rang through our house.
Photo source: here

Neutrogena Natural Face & Body Bar
If your are like me, then you like a very clean feeling when it comes to washing my face. I love that squeaky feeling of a clean face and that's what this Neutrogena bar soap does. The original Neutrogena bar {that is supposedly 'fragrance free'} smells terrible but the natural version is amazing.
Photo source: here

Modern Family
Yes, I have another favorite show this month and this one was introduced my my sister. If you want a show that keeps you laughing and entertained, try this one out. My sister graciously gave me the 1st season as a Christmas gift and I've watched almost all of them already.
Photo source: here

Carmel Filled Chocolates
Chocolate has been pretty abundant during this time of year and this season was no different.
Photo source: here

Snow
We certainly haven't had much but when the weather permits, I have really enjoyed the beautiful wonderland that snow emits. Even though the weather hasn't dipped below about 20 and we've broken new records for the heat I still wish we could have a little more snow.
Photo source: here


Peppermint Mocha Coffee Creamer
Coffee is always a necessity in my day, but the Christmas season always has the best coffee creamer flavors. I always joke about stocking up for the new year, maybe I'll actually do that this season.
Photo source: here

Oreo Truffles
I have made at least 6 dozen of these amazing truffles. They are the easiest desserts to make {with only 3 ingredients} and they are one of my favorites. I took a few dozen to work and 4 people asked for the recipe. That is a good sign that they are a recipe to keep.
Photo source: my own photo