Five on Friday

I am so happy it's Friday!!  I've had a long week of re-adjusting to the cold and Eastern time.  It was a totally different two weeks out in Arizona, but I am glad to be back in my own bed after all those days away! 

{ONE}

 
Upon returning home from my trip, I was welcomed with a fabulous swap package from Becca at How I Roll.  We were paired up as a part of the Chase Your Dreams swap that Mia from The Chronicles of Chaos hosted.  We had a great time emailing back and forth to learn more about our goals for the year.  Mine (posted here) include focusing on my health and finally reading through the Bible.  Becca got me some great stuff to get started on those goals!!  I love the book and journal - so handy for studying the Bible and taking notes.  The water bottle and headband are just perfect, too!!

{TWO}

Chris and I plan to finishing up watching the Best Picture nominees this weekend.  We still need to see The Imitation Game and Whiplash.  I have been reviewing the other nominees the past couple of weeks and will continue the next couple leading up to my Oscar predictions just before the big show!

{THREE}

I started my training plan for the half marathon I signed up for in April.  It has been a real struggle this week, but I have begun the journey.  I want to keep track of my progress here so I'm sorting out the best method for that now.  I have until the 15th to decide if I want to register for the NYC Marathon again.  I qualified back in November, but I wanted to see how these first couple of weeks of training went before I fully committed to running another marathon.  It's highly unlikely I'll back out at this point though.

{FOUR}

I am SO close to finishing Wild by Cheryl Strayed.  I was supposed to be done in January for my online book club, but I got a little distracted by all the craziness out in AZ those last two weeks of the month.  Anyway, I am almost done...and can't wait to see the movie.  I am hoping for some gorgeous scenes of that part of the country.  I have no desire to hike the trail, but some of the views sound like they are absolutely amazing!

{FIVE}  

 

I have a giveaway going on right now for some awesome Super Bowl swag.  Check it out HERE!!  I promise you won't be disappointed with these goodies!

Hope you all have an AMAZING weekend!!

Andrea :)

Five on Friday

[ONE]

I was super excited to see Kelvin Benjamin get drafted in the first round last night.  He participated in our National 7-on-7 Tournaments for three years when he was in high school.  I remember talking to him then about keeping the important things first.  I'm hoping he does well in Charlotte with the Panthers, but only time will tell.  I'll definitely be cheering for him though!

[TWO]

Speaking of the draft, Christopher and I will be attending tonight.  I am excited to be inside Radio City for all the action.  This is the first year since I started at the League that I wasn't able to work the draft on Day One so I am extra excited to be a fan tonight! 

[THREE]

I am running the UAE Healthy Kidney 10k on Saturday morning.  This race is a special one for me each year since I personally know a handful of people that have experienced serious kidney issues in the past.  Thankfully, each of them are doing well now!  I plan to donate $1 to The National Kidney Foundation for each minute I am on the course this year.  In the past, my time has been 1:19/1:20 for the 10k distance in Central Park.  I'm hoping for closer to 1:15 tomorrow, but mostly I am hoping for an injury free race!

[FOUR]

After one week, I am doing really well on my four week fit challenge goals.  I have done my exercises each day without too much issue.  I have been dilligent with recording what I am eating on my fitness pal - though I had a couple of not too great days when I was traveling for work earlier this week.  I am sticking with it though!  The running goal has been the most difficult to meet, but the extra couple of days at the beginning of the month have me covered...at least for this week.

[FIVE]

I am already super excited for next weekend.  The countdown is on to seeing my family (every single one of them!) and having lots of meetings to work out wedding details in Louisville with Christopher!  It should be a great weekend!  As of today, the countdown is officially on...

Andrea :)  

 

 

Five on Friday

[ONE]

We have a photographer for the wedding...and I'm going to order my dress after work!!  Yay!!  So very excited to have these two items checked off the list and D.O.N.E!  Looks like things are moving along planning wise which is great because we are just about to hit the six month mark.  Let the countdown begin!!

[TWO]

I am running the Cherry Blossom 10-miler this weekend in DC.  This is another race that I have been wanting to run for the past few years so I can't wait!  It should be a lot of fun.  Look for a race recap next week!

[THREE]

In case you somehow missed it, UK is in the Final Four this weekend.  My brother and dad are making the trip down to Texas to join in all the excitement.  I'm not a UK fan really, but I'll be cheering for them this weekend.  Go Cats!

[FOUR]

I'm going to see If/Then tonight with one of my friends!  So pumped to see Idina Menzel on stage!  This is one of the few times that I'm going to a show where I really have no idea about the storyline or the characters.  It should be quite a fun night!

[FIVE]

Still haven't seen Divergent yet, but it's in the plans for next week.  I did finish the last book in the series a couple weeks ago.  It was an interesting series.  I really enjoyed the first book and most of the second one, but it just went in a totally different direction in the last one.  I didn't mind the ending, but I just wish the style and content would have been a little more similar to the first two books.  It was written through two different viewpoints, but the first two books were only through the main character's point of view.  In the end, I didn't love it, but I did enjoy it.  And I am looking forward to seeing how the movie stacks up.  I've heard pretty good things so far.

Hope you have a great weekend!

Andrea :)  

 

 

Five on Friday: NYC Half Edition

 

[ONE]

The NYC Half is on Sunday.  I feel sort of ready.  I found out in mid-January that I got into the race via a second round of lottery drawings.  Between the craziness of Super Bowl and the insane weather, training has not been very easy.      

 

[TWO]

 

I have been training mostly on the treadmill for the past six weeks missing maybe two runs total for that entire time frame.  I took a bootcamp class on Mondays.  Tuesday was a longish run (5-6 miles) with Thursday and Friday being shorter runs (4-5 miles) and one long run on Sunday.  This past Sunday, I completed a 10 mile run that covered much of the beginning of the course and felt pretty confident, but I know those last few miles will be tough. 

 

[THREE]

 

I would be thrilled to finish the race in 2:30 something. If I keep a 12 minute per mile pace which I believe is possible, I will finish in roughly 2 hours and 36 minutes.  That would be ideal, but I know the west side of Central Park and its hilly nature will slow me down a little.  Hoping that I can regroup as I head out of the park and make up some time on the flat west side highway where I have done the majority of my training runs throughout the years.  

 

[FOUR]

 

My fastest half marathon time so far is 2:47 in the Diva Half that I ran four years ago so beating that would be ideal even if I end up in the 2:40's. I am as familiar as I have ever been with a course for this race so I'm interested to see if that helps or hurts me. 

 

[FIVE]

And, of course, the chilly weather could turn out to be a factor.  Right now, it looks to be in the low to mid 30s, but sunny!  I'll need more than the luck of the Irish to stay warm in those conditions :)

What are you doing to celebrate St. Patrick's Day this weekend?
 

Andrea :)

 

 

 

Five on Friday

[ONE]

Celebrating Chris' birthday on Wednesday was a blast!  He had a great time as evidenced by a lovely video I posted to instagram.  If you haven't seen it already, it is most definitely worth a watch.  You can find me at [alhadventures].  Check it out!

[TWO]

Running has been going pretty well.  I long for the warmer days of spring when running outside is possible, but for now I seem to be trucking along on the treadmill.  The NYC Half is just two weeks away now!  I can't believe it is already here!

[THREE]

Chris and I went to see the animated short films this week.  I wasn't as impressed with them as I had been last year.  Of the five nominated - Get a Horse, Mr. Hublot, Ferel, Possessions, and Room on the Broom - I liked Mr. Hublot and Possessions best.  Room on the Broom was cute as well.  Get a Horse and Ferel were the two I didn't care for as much.  However, the three honorable mentions I enjoyed more than any of the five nominated.  I loved À La Française, a hilarious bunch of chickens at the Palace of Versailles. Blue Umbrella and The Missing Scarf were both also quite enjoyable.

[FOUR]

We now officially have a church and reception venue for our wedding booked.  That also means we have set the date.  More on this exciting progress soon, but for now I'll just say we have less than 8 months to go before becoming Mr. and Mrs.- so excited!

[FIVE]

I am headed off to New Orleans today for work.  Since Mardi Gras is on Tuesday, I am sure it will be quite the trip.  Maybe I'll have some time to catch one of the parades in the evening!  Either way, it will be nice to escape the snow and general wintery nature of NYC this weekend.

*Don't forget to check out the Oscars on Sunday!*

Have a great weekend :)

Andrea :)

Five on Friday

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!! 
 Sending lots of LOVE your way today!!

[ONE]

I'm over winter.  It is very much overstaying its welcome this year.  Totally done with it.  I am training for two races right now...and I'm not a happy camper on the treadmill.  At this rate, I'm just hoping there isn't still snow covering the ground when I run the first one in mid-March.  Come out and play, Mr. Sun!  I know you're just dying to melt away all this messiness :)

[TWO]

I was blown away by the presence and confidence of Michael Sam throughout his recent interview with ESPN.  In case you aren't familiar, Michael announced he is gay.  He was the SEC Defensive Player of the Year with the Mizzou Tigers in 2013.  He is projected to be drafted in May.  I can't wait to see where he lands and how he contributes to that team on the field in 2014.  He seems to be a very intelligent young man that knows what he wants and isn't afraid to go get it.  He's also got some great people in his corner based on what I've seen so far.  For one, the timing of his announcement was nothing short of perfect.  And he is a very marketable fellow.  Look forward to following his story this off-season.

[THREE]

I loved getting to see my niece and nephew this past weekend!  They are getting so BIG!  And I just love them so much.  It was awesome to get to spend a bit of time with them...even if it wasn't nearly enough!

[FOUR]

Chris and I had to cancel our Vermont trip for the third time due to weather this weekend!  We rescheduled for next weekend so please keep ALL your fingers crossed that we will finally get to go then!  Seriously, we already had to cancel in December AND January.  We'll be having some impromptu Valentine's day fun at our favorite hibachi restuarant tonight instead!

[FIVE]

I'm sad to say I haven't too much of the Olympics coverage yet.  Boo!  I need to fix that real soon though.  (Anyone know when the figure skaters take the ice, next??)  Instead, we've been catching up on the last few weeks of the amazing True Detective series.  Are any of you watching?? 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!!

Andrea :)

Five on Friday

[ONE]

It was sad watching Jay Leno's final Tonight Show last night.  I loved watching him when I was growing up.  After moving to the Eastern Time zone, I didn't watch as much.  I always loved Headlines and Jay Walking though.  So funny!  He had two of my favorites as his final guests - Billy Crystal and Garth Brooks.  So glad I tuned in for his final week on the air!!

[TWO]

I started my training for the NYC Half yesterday.  I hadn't done much running since the marathon this past November, but it felt good to be back.  I only had 3 miles on my training schedule for yesterday...and it wasn't my easiest 3 miles ever, but it's progress!   Slow and steady wins the race...at least in my book! 

[THREE]

I've finally seen all of the Oscar nominees for Best Picture!  YAY!!  I am posting reviews on Tuesday and Thursday for the rest of the month so be sure to check those out.  I also rented Blue Jasmine and went to see August: Osage County with my parents earlier this week.  Both have nominees for Best Actress and Best Supporting Actress.  While I didn't love either film, the actresses in both movies were great!  I especially loved Meryl Streep...is it even possible for her to not be fabulous on the big screen?

 [FOUR]

We are headed to Kentucky tonight to check out venues for our wedding this weekend.  I am both nervous and excited!  I am ready for us to have a location and official date so we can get rolling on all of the other items we need to lock in, but we have multiple factors to consider with this decision so I want to make the most optimal choice possible. 

[FIVE]

Looking ahead to March, I'll be in a different city a couple of days each week via work trips.  It will be nice to rack up the frequent flyer miles, but I know I'll be exhausted when April rolls around.  Here's to enjoying (and relaxing as much as possible) the rest of February!

Hope you have a great weekend!

Andrea :)

Five on Friday

[ONE]

We are making some progress on the wedding planning!  We are set on making this happen in Kentucky so I have spent the past few weeks researching some venues and discusing ideas with Christopher.  This week we booked a trip to back to Kentucky to check out our top venues in early February!  We are excited to lock down a place and secure our date! 

 

[TWO]

In a very short window, the Bengals have lost both their offensive and defensive coordinators. This wasn't a surprise as they were both likely to leave this year.  I am particularly concerned by the loss on defense with Zimmer going to Minnesota. However, what is most concerning is that they filled the positions from within the current coaching staff rather than seeking some new faces with fresh ideas. Not sure I'm loving that choice....

 

[THREE]

Yesterday, I got some great news!  I was selected in the lottery to run the NYC Half Marathon in March!  I am most excited about this because it will give me the motivation I am needing to get myself back into running shape!  It's less that two months away, but I'm determined to have a great training and race day experience!

[FOUR]

The Oscar nominees were announced this week!  I was SO excited that I had seen nearly all of the Best Picture nominees already.  And I had plans to see those remaining.  I added Blue Jasmine (which is set to be at RedBox next week...yay for saving money!) and August: Osage County to my list to see before the big night in early March though!

[FIVE]

Finally, I am very much looking forward to this long weekend ahead.  It will be jam packed with fun as well as relaxation.  Exactly what I need before I head to New Jersey for Super Bowl next week!

Hope you all have a fabulous weekend!!

Andrea :)