Next challenge

Upon leaving the gym one day late May I saw an advertisement for a Wounded Warrior 5k in July in the area.  Great!  I thought.  I have been wanting to run one for a while.

I talked to a friend of mine at work about a week ago concerning it.  She was telling me that they are also sponsoring a half marathon.  My eyes became quite large.  I was excited!

Then the rational part of me came into play.  It is 5 weeks away… enough training time?  It is in July… hot!  The trail… hills are included.

Well last Thursday I came to a decision!  I’m doing it.  I am so focused .  It will be a challenge because of the heat and the hills.  I’m not to worried about the training time because I can now step up my running  with some cross training of weights and maybe swimming.  As for the heat, the last couple of days have reached over 95 here (no AC!).  I have running in the mornings so it has not been too bad.  It has not been easy but it has been good!  Hills are just part of the road right?  I run on some everyday on my current route.  I feel pumped.  I feel charged.

20 July is race day.  More important than my training will be the reason why I want to run this race.  It is personal.  I have been associated with the military on (mostly) and off for the past 24 years.  I have been that military wife.  I have worked with  children and adults through deployment.  Unfortunately, I have watched as families have experienced lost.  This is the reason I want to do this.  I want to salute these true heroes.  And in some small way say thank you for what you have done.

So… my next half will be sooner than I thought but it will be amazing!

Happy 1st Day

I do not know why I always do this.  Habit maybe.  But I do.

I am on break until August!  Happy dance, please!  Monday morning when Hubby got up to get ready for work, I rolled over and smiled.  Hubby was not smiling.  What a great feeling.  The alarm was not O Dark Thirty.  It was a reasonable hour of the morning. Smile.

When he left, I went for my run.  I was happy.  I would have been dancing… if I could dance.  I came back and had breakfast on my porch.  I listened to the birds sing.  Smile.

This was the day I was suppose to indulge myself in Jane Austen.  I look forward to doing so every year.  However, yesterday I played.  Amazing Daughter, who was off, and I  went into town to look around and to have lunch out an outdoor cafe.  Smile.

The weather was warm.  It was beautiful.  The sun was out.  Gentle breeze and all that.  Smile.

What an amazing first day of break.  Today after my run and shower it is all Jane.  Hope no one calls.  I will be the one on the back porch with a HUGE glass of water and Jane.

See you tomorrow…. if Jane does not take too much time!

The Final Week- Squat Challenge

Yes, we have come to an end of the challenge.  However, it will not be the end squatting for me.  I successfully fulfilled my challenge (love that!) and lost 2 1/2 inches of my ‘generous’ behind to boot (loved that even more)!!!!

I will admit towards the end, squatting was a chore.  This week I focused on why and the technique of squatting.  That was very helpful.

I intend on keeping squats in my weekly workout routine because I like the results!  With more free time now (YES!!!!), running and weights will become a priority.  (Next half marathon just over a month away!!  More details soon.)

I always feel after a workout that I just gave myself a present.  Pretty good feeling!

Happy Monday everyone!

Castle Hopping- Part 3

Howdy!

When you plan a day of appreciating castles, food has to be involved.  It does with us!  The two castles that we went to see were more or less an hour apart.  Our plan was to have lunch in between castle viewing.

It was a gorgeous day so outside eating was a must.

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Perfect! Check that off our list!

Next we need something to quench our thirst.

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Amazing Daughter and Hubby had German Beers.  She a Radler and he a  Hefewiezen ( a wheat beer).

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Here is Hubby’s.

I settled for a chilled Pinot Grigio.

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Lots of water was also on the docket!

Then it was time for our meal.  Hubby and I did  not have anything special.  Soup for me and salmon for him.  However, Amazing Daughter ordered her favorite German dish!

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Kase Spatzle!  It is topped with grilled onions.  It is divine.  We all shared!

We chatted and ate and chatted some more.  There is just something about eating outside in the summer time.

It was a great day.  It was a simple reminder why we love living over here.

Thank you for tagging along on our castle day!

Happy Friday everyone!

Castle Hopping- Part 2

Welcome back!

The second castle is actually a hunting lodge.  Hubby and I visited this one last fall and told Amazing Daughter about it.  She wanted to check it out.  It is so worth a repeat visit!

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This is Lichtenstein Castle.  (I was playing with my camera!!!)  It is on the side of a mountain.  So very cool!

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This is the outer part.  The different shades of the stone.  Aging perfectly.

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From walking up the hill it looks tall and lean.

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Love the draw bridge!  This is the actual lodge.  You entered through these doors.

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This is underneath the bridge.

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Another look at the support columns that are needed to support the lodge on the side of this mountain.

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It was the simply things like this that makes this just a great place to visit.

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I found this fascinating.  I have no clue what it was.  Just a random stone column in the yard.  Makes you wonder what it was holding up.

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On the wall surrounding the lodge, they had a lot of this metal gargoyles.  I find it hard to believe that they are authentic to the castle.  But they are fun!

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What a view!

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There are several buildings on the grounds.  This is the path to one of them.  Love the stone walls with the moss.

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Here is the front of the building.  Don’t you just love the doors? (Yes, I was playing with my camera again!)

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The stairs on the side of the building.

As with the Burg Hohenzollern, we were not allowed to take pictures inside.  The interior was ‘quaint’ and very personable for a castle anyways.  We loved that it had its one ‘beer hall/pub’.  Just what a group of  men need after a long day hunting!

We had a wonderful day.  Of course, we had to eat!  I will show you that tomorrow!  Stay tuned!

Castle Hopping- Part 1

It is a very funny thing in Germany.  The sun comes out and suddenly you see everything coming out of the woodwork.  This past weekend it was one of those weekends that you dream about.  Sun, white puffy clouds, sun, mid-70s, and a little breeze.  Did I mention sun????

When this happens, you forget all the chores and plan out the day!  That is what we did.  It was FABULOUS.  Amazing Daughter had the day off from work.  It was one of those moments..

We hopped in our car and headed to Burg Hohenzollern.  Not a bad drive- 45 minutes.  Sidebar here, we love our GPS lady.  She has an American accent and is trying to pronounce German streets… quite hilarious actually.  I think we need to name her.

Okay back to our day trip!  Burg Hohenzollern is known as the castle in the sky.  If you are thinking steep hills, stairs you would be right!

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Here is the very top of the castle.  We parked and did the 15 to 20 minute walk to the grounds.  I just want to say they lied when they said 15 minutes…  We could have taken a bus but we wanted to walk.

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On the way up, the scenery was just breathtaking.  Lush greens.

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Spectacular views.

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It looks like a postcard!  This was the view of the town below.

Once we finally came into view of the grounds, we enter through this…

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Pretty impressive!

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Here is the top of the entryway.

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We continued our uphill climb.  Just imagine the work that it took to bring all of the stones up the hill!

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Second ‘entryway’.

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Check out the doors.

We know that the intent was to keep unwanted people out.  The doors were heavy.  Here is proof!

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These weights were used in the closing of the doors.

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Add this.  Pretty major stuff!  Big muscles were needed!

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I thought this was beautiful.  I love the winding stairs in this turret like addition to the wall.

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The BEAUTIFUL sun shining through.

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What a perfect place to place a bench.

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Here is what you get to see from the bench….

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Inside that winding stair case.

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Finally the actual castle.  It was very worth the walk.  There was a wedding this Saturday morning.  I cannot imagine a more beautiful location.

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Yes, again only higher up!

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This door was off to the side .  I just love that door.

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Love the balcony.

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How inviting!

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Shoes anyone?  In most castles in order to protect the floors they make you wear these over your shoes.  They are HUGE!

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See!!

At this point our tour guide said no cameras.  Of course, I was standing by the sign…. I was bummed.  It was an amazing place.  And to find out that it was hardly used.  It seemed like a lot of work for well, for what???

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They were setting up for the reception afterwards.  Just perfect!

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Then we headed back down again. I am so glad we walked.  We were able to talk on the way up and down (when I was not taking pictures!).  Treasured times.

This was only the first castle we visited.  Tomorrow is part 2!

Inching towards Summer

This is my last week of work before my long summer break.  Trust me, I’m ready.  I LOVE what I do.  I LOVE where I work.  However, recharging and relaxing are needed.

For some strange reason, I start to get reflective around this time of year.  I think that is a good thing.  I sit back and realize that my cup is truly overflowing.   I am blessed beyond belief.  But I also know that I can always become better.  Isn’t that what life is about?  Striving to be beyond good. 

As this week slowly (WHY???) unwinds, I will begin my mental transition to my summer routine.  This past weekend I made my traditional Summer Goal list.  I’m ready to start checking things off!

The customary start of summer for me will begin on Monday with Jane Austen in hand and a cup of tea in the other.  I will dive into the world of Lizzy, Fannie, Emma, and Anne.  It is the best way for me to start my break!

Cannot wait!

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Squat Challenge- Week 8

And one more week to go!  Yes, I was successful once again.  Yea me!  Actually, now it is just something I get to check off my to-do list.  I do not like that feeling.  I want to be doing it for a reason.  A good reason!  That is my focus this week.  To finish strong and to enjoy every single squat.

I have to admit that I’m very curious to bring out the measuring tape next Sunday evening.  As I have said many times before, I do not weigh myself.  I use my clothes as my guide.  It is a SUPER wonderful feeling that my clothes are looser!

700 more squats to go!!!

On a follow up note from Friday, all of my relatives completed their half-marathon  yesterday!  I’m so very proud of them.  I just know that in a day or so they will begin thinking about their next race!

Happy Monday everyone!

A Good Luck Message!

Happy Friday everyone!!!

This Sunday my sister, brother, sister-in-law, and niece will be running  a half marathon in Irving, Texas!!!!  Special right?

For my sister, brother, and sister-in-law this will be their first one!!!  VERY SPECIAL!  My niece  is an old pro at a very tender age after running many halves and a full!

I am so excited for all of them.  Actually, wish I was there running with them.  However, I will be there in spirit.  I will be the one that is telling them DO NOT STOP!  YOU CAN DO THIS!

The half marathon is sponsored by the Wounded Warrior foundation.  Being associated with the military, I’m in awe of this amazing group. 

So in honor of this fabulous occasion, I thought I would do a top 10 list about running a half marathon.

10.  All the people energize you!

9.  Free water along the way!

8.  Finding your zone…

7.  Challenging yourself

6.  Great music

5. Great excuse for buying running gear

4.  You get to block traffic

3.  Start Line

2.  Finish Line

1.  The sense of accomplishment

Good luck and remember YOU are having FUN!!!!!

 

 

My new toy!

I just love toys!  Grown up toys, that is.  How many times have you watched Julia and Julie?  Me…. too many to count.  I, of course, had heard of Julia Child when the movie came out.  LOVE HER!!!!  However, I never heard of Le Creuset cookware until I watched that movie. I know, I know….   Me being the type of person that before they buy anything, I have to put in some research (can you say Type A???), I was very fascinated by the cookware.  But boy is it expensive!!!

For Mother’s Day I received this!!!  I must have been a very good girl this year!

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GORGEOUS!!!!!

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Imagine the possibilities.  Stew, chili, roast, lamb, soups….

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It was love at first sight.  The color, the sleekness, the beauty!!!!  Oh I cannot wait to use it.  I am in search for an occasion.   It will be very soon!!!

Grown up toys are so much fun!