nine

In week 9 I was recovering from being sick and dehydrated which made my workouts tough. Needless to say I couldn't check out completely (as at times I wanted to) but I definitely took it easy this week. This week I also came to the realisation that the "newness" and excitement of beginning the training program has worn off and I have to dig a little deeper to find inspiration for daily workouts. I am in the process of reading 2 book, Born to Run and one I just started this week, The Complete Book of Running for Women. These books are helping me to realize that running is seeded in something more than me as well as give me inspiration for my runs For me running has an amazing power to increase my energy, decrease stress, make me feel healthier, help me lose weight, make me look more fit, and inspire me to live a better life. I may not be a fast runner, and win future races but I do know that running has improved my life and I am happy for that. So when I get down on myself for not having a good workout, or taking a rest day, I have to remember how far I have come and be happy in that. And instead of getting scared for the 'long runs' ahead in my training schedule I need to look forward to the opportunity to see beautiful San Diego on foot! 

Here is my week nine in review:

Days Run/Walking: 3 (One 4+ mile walk/some run at the beach, One 30 min treadmill run/walk followed by elliptical, One long run 4 + miles of hilly terrain)

sweet nothings {saturday}

You may be thinking....

or maybe not thinking....

it is Saturday right?

But anyways if you were thinking you may be wondering how 'sweet' and 'healthy' could go hand in hand?

Well after much searching and tweaking they can...

and taste pretty darn good if you are asking me...

but don't take my word for it, try this recipe (Adapted from Brown Eyed Baker) yourself!

GO...NOW....

it's Saturday, what else do you have to do?

Healthy {Peanut Butter-Oatmeal-Chocolate Chip} Cookies

Photographed by Sara

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons white whole wheat flour
½ cup rolled oats
1 teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ cup coconut oil
¼ cup unsweetened applesauce
½ cup peanut butter (I use Trader Joe’s Valencia Peanut Butter with Roasted Flaxseeds, crunchy and salted)
¼ cup granulated white sugar
½ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large whole egg
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

2. Whisk together the flour, oats, baking soda and salt; set aside.

3. On medium speed, cream together the coconut oil, peanut butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract. Add the egg, and applesauce and beat to combine. On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.

4. Drop dough (2 Tablespoons) onto prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12-14 minutes, or until the cookies are lightly golden on the edges (do not overcook). Cool completely on the baking sheet and then store in an airtight container at room temperature.

Side note: If anyone is wondering why I used coconut oil and are wonder where to get that let me explain. My friend Kristin introduced me to coconut oil as a healthier substitute to butter. Coconut oil is a saturated fat just as butter is but its molecular combination is such that the body is easier able to metabolize it. Coconut oil is stored as a solid in a jar and can be found at most grocery stores in the bakery/oils area. To measure and use you simply run jar under hot water until desired amount of oil is liquefied then measure it in the liquid form. The remaining oil in the jar will solidify and store just fine at room temperature.

crazy eight

Here is Week 8 recap:

Monday, January 16th: One hour run/walk through Balboa Park (3.6 miles). I felt that I was dehydrated and sore from yesterday's run so I walked more than I would have liked (once warmed up however I was able to more easily run), I then went to a work party and worked night shift as charge. At the party and throughout the night I ate enough sweets to last me the month : (

Tuesday, January 17th: 30 mins. of P90X Core Synergistics Video, then to a fundraiser 'Chicks for Beer'

Wednesday, January 18th: 20 mins. P90X Yoga (Obviously in 20 minutes I didn't get a great cardio or strength workout in but if felt really good to warm up and stretch, as I was surprised how sore I was from yesterdays similarly short workout), Work night shift.

Thursday, January 19th: Rest, Work

Friday, January 20th:  Rest some more.

Saturday, January 21st: 4 mile mostly run/ some walk from Mission Beach to Pacific Beach and back. The day was absolutely beautiful and I took advantage of the crisp morning air but luckily didn't have to sacrifice that for the sun! It was 48 degees when I started running and less than a hour later at 9 am when I finished, it was 62 degees. I hope we have many more sunny San Diego days like this one throughout the year!

At Belmont Park where my run starts and stops. I was in good company
with all the other runners and bikers on this beautiful day

The beautiful view throughout my whole run!

Sunday, January 22nd: Today marks 20 weeks until I run the half-marathon. Starting today I am aiming to run (or run/walk) 2-3 days per week with one being a 'long' run. It's not too late to decide to start training for a June marathon or half marathon, as all of the training schedules I've come across are not longer than 20 weeks. I planned on working out today but got sick yesterday afternoon and decided to not push it as I'm still not back to par.

Miles for this week: 7.6 miles (over 2 days with 2 cross training days)

Goals for Week 9:
- 3 runs and 2 cross training days.
- Focus on hyration and diet.

healthy recipe no. 7

Banana Berry Protein Smoothie

This smoothie is the perfect for breakfast or for a post workout protein boost! Makes one for you and one to share, (if enjoying alone, this is an easy recipe to split in half).

1 Cup Milk (I used unsweetened almond milk)
1 scoop Vanilla Whey Protein Powder
1 bag of Yoplait Triple Berry Smoothie Mix (can also substitute for 1.5 cups of frozen strawberries, blueberries and raspberries)
1 Banana

Blend together in blender until smooth. Pour into 2 glasses and enjoy!

healthy recipe no. 6

Chicken Salad
(recipe from my mom)

Serves a large crowd as a side or a family of 4-5 as a main meal

Salad:

One bag or medium sized salad bowl full of Spinach or mixed greens (or combo)
1 Can Mandarin oranges, drained
1/2 Cup Slivered almonds, toasted
1/2 small Red onion, diced
1 Avocado, diced
1 package Crumbled Top Ramen noodles (uncooked)
1 Roasted Chicken, meat shredded minus the skin
Mix all together. Dress with the following recipe just before eating.

Dressing:

½ C oil (canola or olive oil)
3 T red wine vinegar
2 T white sugar
½  tsp salt
½  tsp dry mustard
Fresh Ground Pepper
Seasoning packet from Top Ramen (Chicken Flavor)

Mix well with whisk or shake in a container, pour over salad just before eating. Dressing and salad (minus the avacado) can be made the day ahead and then combined just before serving.

Enjoy this yummy salad that could easily be served at a spa or bistro for lunch...it's that good!

Up Next: Berry Protein Smoothie

super freak!

So I am admitting to being a SUPER FREAK...in this particular scenario ONLY of course! Sprinkles, the first cupcake shop chain, opened it's most southern shop yet here in San Diego. I have been a sprinkles fan for a few years now and even talked about them in a previous blog posting. My friend Pati and I have long been excited about this since we found out our go to fro-yo shop near Pati's house was being renovated into a Sprinkles! First word was this shop was to be opened in Fall 2010, but Fall came and went and the new date was set to January 13th (apparently due to the early arrival of the owner's baby). To top off the opening we found out that Ali, "the bachelorette", would be at opening day to pass out cupcakes from 11 am -1 pm and her being one of my favorite bachelorette's we were even more all about making opening day a must (although I didn't think that I would even see her cause we were planning to get there at 9 am when they opened and surely we wouldn't still be there by 11, little did I know)! So now you may be on to the whole SUPER FREAK thing... really who goes to the opening day of a cupcake shop, at the time of opening
...oh just ME and hundreds or possibly thousands of other San Diegans (my fellow SUPER FREAKS!)

Store front

So at 9am and I met Pati at her house and together we drove down the road to Sprinkles! We got there and immediately saw a line (as predicted), little did we know at the time that it was actually 4 times as long as what you could see from the parking lot. Pati went to get us coffee while I got in line as we were in for the long haul.

Here we are half way there, still about an hour left.

Looking back at where we started, now half way there.

While waiting in line we got occasional smells of the cupcakes being freshly baked just inside, it was to die for! We also had a little photo shoot with Isaiah (the most well behaved baby EVER...not a peep for 2 hours...seriously an angel!)

All-Natural Faux-Hawk

A little over half way through the line, Candice Olsen, the founder/owner of Sprinkles and judge on Cupcake Wars, came out to talk to everyone in line and take pictures. She was very nice and gracious about everyone waiting to have one of HER cupcakes...talk about an ego booster! About 2/3 of the way through the line, Ali showed up! She was very friendly taking pictures with the Sprinkles die hards and even us! She looked just as pretty and charismatic as she did on the Bachelorette. This excitement helped make the second hour (the one I didn't expect to be there for) pass just a little quicker. Soon Ali was whisked away into the shop to start what she had come to do, a few minutes later her finance Roberto showed up! He looks better in person than on TV, but still had that quite/shy look about to him.

Forgive my early morning hair and workout clothes!

The only downside of seeing Ali was that there was a lot of publicity stuff going on inside the shop just as our turn was coming up to go inside. We waited and watched all the hub-bub going on around us on the warm, beautiful January San Diego day; if we had waited that long another few minutes wasn't going to hurt anyone! Once inside I could barely contain my excitement about which cupcakes to order. At that point I didn't even care which ones I got cause I now they are all delicious and I'm sure the ones I hadn't tried yet would be too! I ordered and while paying I was just a mere foot or two away from Ali and Roberto, they were very cute to watch together. From there we left and I headed to the gym to burn off my calories before I ate them!

Yumm...which ones to get!



Ali and Candice



Ali and Roberto with Candice and Pati in background


After working out and showering I felt like I had deserved a cupcake and had the coconut cupcake (a flavor I had never had before), it was SO GOOD! For later I have vanilla cake with vanilla frosting, vanilla cake and milk chocolate frosting, and dark chocolate cake with vanilla frosting...all simple classic flavors! I put one in the freezer for a later date and the rest I will enjoy this week! This opening day experience was a tad ridiculous/over-the-top, but very fun and memorable!

Clockwise from top: Black & White, Coconut, Vanilla Milk Chocolate, Vanilla

healthy recipe no. 5

Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins
(Adapted by Me from Joy the Baker)

Makes 12-15 muffins

1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/4 cups rolled oats (or 1 cup rolled oats, plus 1/4 cup flax meal, or oat bran)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce
1 medium mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup low-fat buttermilk
1/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1TBS honey or agave sweetener
2 tbsp canola oil
1 large egg, lightly beaten
3/4 cup blueberries (fresh or frozen)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Line a 12 cup muffin tin with paper cases or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
In a large bowl combine flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. In a medium bowl combine applesauce, banana, buttermilk, sugar, honey, oil and egg. Make a well in dry ingredients and add wet mixture. Stir until just moist. Fold in blueberries. Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.

Bake for 16-18 minutes.
 
Allow to cool in muffin tin for 5 minutes or so, then cool on rack.

Note: These muffins freeze beautifully.

Up Next: Chicken Salad

healthy recipe no. 4

McCann's Irish Oatmeal

For this hearty breakfast I prepared 1/4 cup of McCann's Instant Irish Oatmeal according to the packaging (you could also use non-instant, regular oatmeal or steal-cut oatmeal, just prepare it according to the packaging). I then cut up half a honey crisp apple and stirred it in the oatmeal just before taking it off the stove. I also mixed in about 1 tsp of honey. It was a very filling breakfast full of fiber with great flavor and texture and I recommend it for your next breakfast!

Other topping options include:
- dried fruit
- nuts
- brown sugar
- Stevia (a natural sweetener from the Stevia leaf)
- berries

Up next: Blueberry Banana Oatmeal Muffins

lucky # seven

Week 7 Recap:

Monday, January 10th: Walk/run (3.25 miles power walk/~0.75 mile run) with Pati around Lake Murray. Pati decided to run the half-marathon too so now I have a training partner close by!

Tuesday, January 11th: Rest

Wednesday, January 12th: 15 minutes on the elliptical, few upper body weights followed by 3.5 hours of hard-core cleaning of my apartment.

Thursday, January 13th: 30 minutes on the treadmill 13 minutes walking and 17 minutes running, and some more upper body weights. After walking to warm up I worked on running intervals with an increase in pace from my usual to try and improve my overall time/pace.The best part was that after my workout was done I felt like I could keep running but I had to get home and get some sleep before I had to go work the first of 3 night shifts in a row. I also focused a lot of my heart rate trying to keep it in the "fat burning zone" of 65-75% of my max while walking and not above the "cardio zone" while running. I did well in this for the most part and when I stop running it doesn't take as long for my heart rate to come down as it used to. My goal is that with more cardio conditioning/training my heart rate will lower and I will thus be able to run for longer periods and faster speeds....we shall see, only time will tell.

Friday, January 14th: Finally slept like a rock for the first time in a week! Work 2nd night.

Saturday, January 15th: Slept in before working last night.

Sunday, January 16th: Run 3.5 miles around Fiesta Island in Mission Bay. I did this run right after finishing working 3 nights in a row, I was surprised how well I was able to do in a workout after working 12 and a 1/2 hours. It was nice to be able to enjoy the beautiful San Diego weather. After my run I went to the Hillcrest farmer's market for some fresh, local produce.

Excitements for Week 7:
- Total miles: 7.5 miles on the road plus the treadmill workout

Goals for Week 8:
- Try to exercise before work or after work to ensure I get more workouts in.

healthy recipe no. 3

This recipe goes great as a breakfast side or as I like to have it as a healthy dessert. With oranges being in season, and a large bag of my favorite orange variety, Cara Cara's, from Costco, and a craving for something sweet, this recipe could not have been more perfect. This recipe has a little story behind it...In September, 2009 my old roommate, Megan, and I traveled to Spain. While in Barcelona we frequented a little cafe outside our hotel each morning for breakfast and each day we ordered the same 'desayuno natural' (translated: natural breakfast). This meal consisted of cheese drizzled with olive oil and sprinkled with dried oregano, a slice of nutty, grainy bread with a light tomato spread... AND...

Orange Slices with Honey and Cinnamon

1 Orange with the peel removed
Honey
Cinnamon

Slice peeled orange and in a single layer place slices on a plate. Drizzle oranges with honey and sprinkle with cinnamon. Enjoy the healthy sweetness!

Up Next: McCann's Irish Oatmeal

healthy recipe no. 2

Sweet Potato, Leek and Ham Soup

(from Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast)

Cooking spray
1 cup diced cooked ham (I used Canadian bacon)
1 1/2 cups sliced leek
2 TBS water (optional)
3 cups cubed peeled sweet potato (about 2 small-medium sweet potatoes)
1 cup fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups water
1 (5-ounces) can evaporated fat-free milk
1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Thinly sliced green onions (optional)

1. Heat a large Dutch over over medium heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add ham; cook 3 to 4 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove ham from pan; set aside.

2. Add leek to pan; coat with cooking spray. Cook leek, covered 5 minutes or until very tender, stirring occasionally. Add 2 tablespoons water to pan, if needed, to prevent burning.

3. Add cubed sweet potato and next 4 ingredients, scraping pan to loosen browned bits; bring mixture to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until sweet potato is very tender. Place half of potato mixture in a blender or food processor. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Process until smooth. Pour puree into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining mixture. Return pureed mixture to pan. Stir in cooked ham. Ladle soup into bowls; garnish with sliced green onions, if desired.

Makes 4 servings, about 193 calories each.

Note: I really enjoyed the creaminess of this soup without the addition of any cream or butter. The one thing I may change about this soup is that the ham doesn't really add anything worthy of not leaving out. Next time I make it I may leave the soup out and rather eat it with half a sandwich to get my protein in.

Up next: Orange Slices with Honey and Cinnamon

healthy recipe no. 1

This recipe is going to be the first of my healthy recipe series (length unknown). I will start off with some recipes from a Cooking Light cook book, Fresh Food Fast, since all the recipes have minimal ingredients, are healthy, and are quick and easy to make. I will try to mix it up with things I create, recipes from the Internet, and other cook books I have lying around that I have neglected to use. If you have any suggestions or requests for recipes just let me know, I am excited about this journey towards eating more healthful foods and I am excited to share it with you all! Enjoy!

Sausage and Barley Soup

(from Cooking Light, Fresh Food Fast)

Cooking spray

6 oz. uncooked Italian Turkey Sausage (I used Jennie-O)

2 1/2 cups frozen bell pepper stir-fry

2 cups water

1 (14 1/2-ounce) can Italian-style stewed tomatoes, undrained and chopped

1/4 cup uncooked quick-cooking barley (or if you have regular barley I part way cooked mine before adding it to the soup)

1 cup coarsely chopped fresh baby spinach

1. Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Remove sausage from the casing and place in pan. Cook til browned and in crumbles. Remove from heat.

2. While the sausage is cooking place stir-fry bell peppers and 2 cups water in a blender; process until smooth. Add stir-fry puree, tomatoes and barley to sausage in a pan. Bring mixture to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce heat to low, and simmer 10 minutes. Stir in spinach, cook one minute until spinach wilts. Place in serving bowls to serve and enjoy or place into 4 glass containers to store for later. (I placed 2 containers in the refrigerator for this week and 2 in the freezer for later)

Makes 4 servings, about 145 calories each!

Pictured above served with Parmesan Crusted Toast! (Not in the calorie total)

Up next: Sweet Potato, Leek, and Ham Soup

quiche me please

Here is a recipe that I created the other day. It turned out as a flavorful, light breakfast or any other time meal.

Quiche Tart

Pre-made Pie Crust

4 lg Eggs

1/2 Cup Non-fat Milk

1/4 tsp Salt

1/4 tsp Fresh Cracked Pepper

1/4 tsp Dry Mustard

2 Green Onions, sliced (only the white and light green part)

1/2 Cup Diced Ham (I used Canadian Bacon, but could use any meat in pieces)

1/3 Cup Shredded Cheese (I used a Smoked Cheese blend from Trader Joe's)

Preheat oven to 375 deg Fahrenheit.

Place the pie crust in a tart pan (if you don't have one you could use a pie dish). Place pie crust in dish loosely allowing the slack to fall into the corners of the pan and then lightly press dough into the scalloped edge of the tart pan (if using a pie dish omit this last step). TIP: Make sure to place in pan loosely and not press dough into the corners stretching the dough, regardless of pan/dish used, otherwise the crust will not stay in place during the baking process.

In a bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, salt, pepper, and dry mustard. Add the cheese, ham, and green onions, whisk again.

Pour mixture into your dish lined with the dough.

Place plan on a cookie sheet and place in oven for 35-40 minutes, cooking time depends on how large your dish is and what the dish is made of. Once the eggs look set it should be done and will still cook slightly longer once removed from the oven. You can also you a tooth pick to check if the eggs are done, it should come out clean.

Once slightly cooled, remove outer ring of tart pan, slice and serve.

oldies but goodies

When I go home to stay with my parents I get the best of both worlds, I get to see my family and see my good friends. Over both my Thanksgiving and Christmas visits to the Bay Area I got together with my old high-school friends. It is pretty rare for people to stay close with their high-school friends but most of our close-nit group is still that and I love that about us! Here we are going out the night before Thanksgiving!

The Girls- Me, Kate, and Libby

Christmas Eve Eve we continued the festivities...

Nick, Ashley, Kate, Libby, Mike aka 'Franchi'

Kate and Brian



Us Girls

I love having friends that I have known fo so long and that know me!

bread pudding

This is the amazing recipe for the dessert, Bread Pudding with Whiskey Sauce, we had on Christmas night. It is one of my mom's amazing desserts and anytime you need something sweet to share that is not difficult to make you will not be disappointed with this one! This was just too good to not share but I promise to share some of my newly discovered healthy recipes real soon!

Pictured minus the sauce

Pudding

¾ C Raisins
2 TBS Dark Rum
1 lb. French bread, cut into 1” cubes
3 C Whole Milk
1 C Half & Half
3 Eggs, Beaten to blend
2 C Sugar
2 TBS Unsalted Butter, melted
2 TBS Vanilla
½ tsp Cinnamon

Sauce

½ C (1 Stick) Unsalted butter
½ C Firmly packed brown sugar
1 egg
3 TBS Whiskey

1. Place raisins in small bowl. Pour rum over. Let soak 20 minutes.

2. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Generously butter 13 x 9 x 2 inch baking pan.

3. Place bread in large bowl. Pour milk and half & half over the bread. Let soak for 5 minutes.

4. Whisk egg with sugar, butter, vanilla, & cinnamon in a medium bowl. Pour over bread. Add rum soaked raisins and toss to coat.

5. Transfer bread mixture to prepared pan. Bake until top is deep golden brown (may puff above rim of pan) about 1 hour.

6. Spoon warm bread pudding onto plates. Spoon sauce over the bread pudding. Top with dollops of whipped cream and serve.

ENJOY!

six

Week 6 Recap: This week was another hard week of getting my training in one because of my work schedule and two cause I didn't want to overdue it or be too sore before I had to run my first race. Excuses aside I will be needing to make up for it for sure in week 7! On a positive note I have been eating very well, trying out some new recipes, and finished my first race!

Monday, January 3th: 2.6 miles run/walk, work night shift.

Tuesday, January 4th: Despite waking up planning to workout, after picking up a few things from the grocery store for my meals I planned out for the coming week I was no longer looking forward to running. Despite this I was able to convince myself to complete 20 minutes of the P90X Cardio Video, just enough to get my heart rate up and get me sweating! I'm happy I did it and ok with the fact that I'm taking this week a little easier cause I want to be able to run most if not all of the 5 K race I'm doing on Sunday!

Wednesday, January 5th: Today is 5 months until I will run a 1/2 marathon, this is both exciting and scary to me! I keep telling myself one day at a time which is why having this daily/weekly log is really helpful for me.

Thursday, January 6th: Another rest day...gosh working this night shift and trying to exercise is hard stuff!

Friday, January 7th: 35 minutes of P90X Yoga X

Saturday, January 8th: Rest for the run tomorrow!

Sunday, January 9th: Today I ran my first race the San Diego Resolution 5K (3.2 miles) Run! I had a loose goal to run the whole thing and not do my normal walk/run thing. When I crossed the finish line without having walked I felt very excited and proud of myself for accomplishing my goal! I ran at a steady pace of just under 13 minutes per mile (each totaled within a few seconds of one another); my end chip time was 40:44 (I was happy to finish in less than 45 minutes)! Since my training began this is the longest distance I have run without walking. My purpose in this run was to see what it was like to participate in an organized run with lots of people around so my first experience was not on the day of the half-marathon. I found it really empowering to see people of every age and size running and made me feel if that 5 year old can run then so can I! I am even more excited for the half-marathon now than before!

Excitements for Week Six:
- Total Miles: 5.9 miles
- First 5K race completed!

Goals for next week:
- Exercise 5 days (2-3 of them running)
- Continue with my healthy eating and try out some new recipes

a fiebiger christmas

This year Christmas (as most are for our family) was laid back, relaxing, and enjoyable. Christmas morning was just us 5; we opened gifts, had my mom's Eggs Benedict (my favorite), had naps, watched the crazy rain storm outside and Molly and I even went hot tubing in the rain!

Our beautiful Christmas tree that we cut down, seen in an earlier post.

Molly and I

Molly and Dad, we were waiting for Corie to wake up!

 Christmas evening was spend with our good family friends the Goheens. My dear friend Libby, her husband, parents and cousin Sarah came to have Christmas dinner and a fun gift exchange at our house! We all picked numbers and picked a gift from the pile or stole an opened gift we like from someone else, it was all fun and I think everyone went home with something they liked! We had a fun time playing with the gift that I bought, and Sarah picked...Table Topics, 'Not Your Mother's Dinner Party'. We went around the dinner table picking out and answering questions from the pile until we were stuffed from the most amazingly delicious dinner and dessert my mom made and tipsy from bottles of wine! It was a wonderful Christmas!

Corie, Molly, Libby and Sarah during the gift exchange

Marc, Mom, and Kent

Marc's 1st gift, he was happy when his wife stole it from him.

Cheers!





Sarah, Libby, and Mary cuddling!

family get-togethers

Over the Thanksgiving and Christmas holidays I was lucky enough to get to see my extended family on my mom's side. Unfortunately living far away from one another we do not get to see one another often and the holidays makes for a good "excuse" to get together. The first group of pictures is from the Friday after Thanksgiving getting together with my Aunt Kate and cousins Libby & Emily who live on the east coast. It is always fun to see them and catch up over a yummy lunch; it was also a great way to start off the Christmas season by picking out ornaments at Macy's.

Cousin Libby, Dad, Uncle Kevin, Aunt Cappy, Cousin Mike

Mama Sue, Sister Corie, Mom, Aunt Kate, Me, Cousin Emily

Cousin Love!

The Grand kids (missing 4) with Mama Sue

Our Christmas Eve tradition has always been to go to my Mama Sue's house for dinner. The past 3 years since she has been in assisted living we have gotten together on Christmas Eve at Scott's (a yummy seafood restaurant) in Walnut Creek, we even get seated at the same table. Not having my grandparents house to go to anymore definitely makes things different but overall it is good to just get the family together and celebrate Christmas over a delicious meal! Here are some pictures from this years festivities.

Mom, Uncle Kevin, Sister Molly, Cousin Mike, Dad

Mike, Dad, Cousin Tim, Tim's son Sean, Sister Corie

Sean, Corie, Tim's wife Michelle, Tim's  daughter Haley, Aunt Cappy

Haley, Cappy, Me, Mom, Kevin, Molly

Family

Sister Love