Weekend Update {I'm a Half Marathon-er}

Hey y'all,

This past weekend was an exciting one! After months of training it was finally the weekend of the Bull City Race Fest Half Marathon. Friday was low key at work. I am in the middle of a large project so that kept me busy and it was Employee Appreciation Day for all UNC employees so it was filled with free food. Not a bad way to kick off the weekend. The rest of the evening was spent relaxing watching TLC's Brideday Friday.

Saturday after babysitting in the morning I set off for downtown Durham to pick up my race packet. After picking up the race bibs and exploring the expo I decided it was time to treat myself to a new pair of riding boots after my last pair bit the dust after four years.

 My baby sister, kDi, arrived that afternoon to run the race with me so we set out our clothes and then it was time to head to Village Pizza and Pasta in Pittsboro to carb load.

 We took our pasta back to my place and it was time to ice my shins while watching Beauty and the Beast. I mean, the best thing about racing might be the necessary carbs the night before. I mean, who doesn't love garlic knots and penne in a pink basil sauce. 

 At 5:20am the alarm went off as we got ready to head to downtown Durham before the race kicked off. Yep, it was an early start and we got there in plenty of time before the race start at 7:30am so we had to take selfies and pre-race pictures between checking our bags and stretching.

 All smiles before the race!

 A quick selfie in line to start the race!

The race was filled with hills and my baby sister trained on flat land so it went a little worse then expected. My ankle was having a lot of issues after the first few miles and both of our hips were not our friends by the end of the race. Towards the end of the race we walked a lot but we finished without any major injuries and I am actually not terribly sore today! YAY for completing 13.1 miles!

 After the race and being stretched out by Empower Fitness!

One of my small group leaders was even there to cheer us on (we had to grab a quick selfie)! Thank you Ginger! 

The rest of Sunday included showering, grabbing food, and then heading to my parent's house for naps and watching some Downton Abbey!

How was your weekend?

A Whirlwind Weekend

Hey y'all,

So this weekend has been a bit of a whirlwind and I thought I would share a slice of my life. *beware of picture overload!

Friday was very busy at work but I was able to have a nice lunch out with friends during the middle of the day. After work I hit the road and made it to my parent's house in time to enjoy some yummy bbq ribs and chicken. The rest of the night was spent hanging out with my big bro, kDw, and catching some of TLC's Friday Bride Day. I mean, I don't have cable so I need to cram in my Say Yes to the Dress and I Found the Gown when I can. 

Saturday began at 5am. Yep, 5am on a Saturday since we had to hit the road by 6am for kDi's college graduation. We were out of the driveway on time and hit the McDonald's on the way. It had been so long since I enjoyed one of these.

We got to the PNC Arena a bit early so we had to wait in line for the doors to open but hey, we ended up with the perfect seats. The KID sister was one of 100 valedictorians, aka she graduated with a 4.0 GPA! Yep, she is a smarty pants which also meant she was seated at the front of the arena (sorry for the bad iPhone pics, I got the nicer camera later). 

Selfies before the ceremony!

Yep. Perfect seats. She also made it on the jumbotron due to her grad cap and the News and Observer had a picture as well!

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After the ceremony we grabbed a couple of pictures (and yes everyone was commenting and loving the cap!)

With the graduate! I am so proud of this KID!

Yes, her initials are KID and she is the kid sister ;)

The day continued with stopping by her apartment and packing her up. Then a quick lunch at Jersey Mike's commenced before we headed to Reynold's Coliseum for her departmental graduation. Again, we got there a bit early and found great seats. The only problem was that it was 3pm and there was no air conditioning. Luckily, the ceremony was pretty short. 

The NCSU College of Sciences Department of Biological Sciences graduates

SHE DID IT!
She crossed the stage and turned the tassel!

 After the ceremony we had hours to kill before our dinner reservation so we decided to take a picture break since kDi didn't take any senior photos. Here are some of my favorites including some pictures after the ceremony with the family and a few friends.

M and kDi went to Namibia together last summer!

 Outside of the Departmental Graudation

 All of us kids

 Candid pictures are the best. 

I mean, she is a Daddy's girl after all.

 All of the family. 

Myself, Mommy, kDi, Daddy, sDe, and kDw + photobomber

I think the wolf would be proud of her cap.

Then we were off to Brasa (a Brazilian steakhouse) for dinner but of course we took a few selfies in the car. SHE IS ALL DONE! GOODBYE STATE!

 She thinks NCSU is better than UNC.

 Yes the cheesecake was delicious. The entire meal was soooo good!

 This was the sunset on our ride back to our hometown.

Sunday was a lazy day after all of Saturday's adventures. We had a nice big brunch to celebrate the graduate and Mommy. The rest of the day was spent laying around the pool reading and watching some tv. Dinner was a yummy cookout with our family friends and neighbors and then we all watched Saving Mr. Banks.

Today, I had a dental appointment (yes my dentist is still in my hometown) and took the day off so I spent a bit of time with the graduate and my siblings before hitting the road back to the Triangle. 

I hope you all had a great weekend and congrats to all the graduates out there! I'll leave you with this last picture.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KID!

Hey y'all,

Today is my baby sister's birthday! I cannot believe that she is a whole 21 years old. 

Seriously, how did she go from fitting in my arms circa 1992 to being an adult?

While we were not the best of friends when we were little I can't even begin to explain the blessing she has been in my life. I truly would not be the same without her and I am so blessed to have her in my life and just a short drive away so we can continue our relationship. 

From marching band, to a capella concerts, to a House Divided, I am so lucky to have an amazing little sister who loves the Lord, everyone she meets, and the giant cats she will eventually work with (she is a zoology major that loves Big Cats).

Here's to the happiest of birthdays, and excitement of celebrating tomorrow night!

LOVE YOU kDi!

WILW & OHP {August 28}

Hey y'all,

There's a lot to love this week so let's get started. 

I'm loving...

...that next week I have a three day work week! Between Labor Day on Monday and my friend flying in on Friday from CT I will only be in the office Tuesday-Thursday!

...Carolina football starts TOMORROW! I was offered tickets to the game this week but the drive down would have made it impossible so I am jealous of everyone going down to see the game between the Carolinas (UNC vs. South Carolina).

Coach Fedora is excited!

...dinner plans with the baby sister, kDi, on Friday. I still can't believe that K is a Senior at NC State and I am trying to get in a lot of time with her since who knows where she will be living post May. 

My gorgeous baby sister.

...motivating myself to get healthy by joining some DietBets. The site is meant to have you bet that you will lose 4% of your body weight in typically 4 weeks or 1% a week. If you lose the weight you gain part of the pot. Therefore, if you are 150lbs for example your goal would be 6lbs or 1.5 a week. Come join me with blogger SkinnyMeg's bet (you can read her take on DietBets here) or the Blogilates Sweatember bet. 

...the Longchamp "Plantes" Large Tote. I love my Longchamp Le Pilage bag and I have had it for over three years. I used it all the time in college and it is starting to fray at the seams and tiny holes at the seams on the bottom. I have been looking into getting a new one since it is the perfect bag to carry everything for work, the gym and lunch. So I am loving the gunmetal color but I am such a black bag girl. Low and behold, a leather version of the classic style. Since I love my Kate Spade flicker Sophie which is a leather bag, I am going to try to hold off until my birthday in January.

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...it is almost FALL! This week it has been cool in the mornings so the scarves and cardigans have been put to good use. I can't wait to start rocking my riding boots again.

...RECRUITMENT! My chapter's recruitment process begins next week and I am so excited to meet everyone. Recruitment was one of my favorite things while in PBX and now that I serve as an advisor I am excited to be a part of the process and meet the future of my chapter. UNC Panhellenic recruitment kicks off this weekend with Bid day on Tuesday so good luck to all the PNMs. 

Now onto some beautiful pins I have been loving!

What are you loving and pinning?