Day 31

Thank goodness it's Friday!

Day 30

Today I'm thankful for a few things:

1. I'm thankful that I had the opportunity to try out a new, adorable coffee shop called Cafe Mustache in Logan Square. I had about a half hour to kill before meeting two former coworkers for dinner. I took that time to thoroughly enjoy my chai latte and catch up on Twitter. It was heavenly.
2. I'm thankful for the delicious dinner I had with Linda and Christie. It's always great to catch up with them. The two of them really help me put life in perspective.
3. I'm thankful that I randomly caught the Luftwerk light show on the outside of the Chicago Cultural Center on my way home from dinner. I just stood on the sidewalk and enjoyed it. A few minutes well spent!
4. And, I'm super thankful for a rather balmy 30+ degree day. It was quite windy but warm!

Day 29*

I'm thankful for a relatively easy day at work, especially since I was by myself since my coworker had to stay home with a sick child. I actually enjoy days by myself every now and then...just so they don't happen too often!

Day 28

Today I'm thankful for a 5 hour work day due to the cold which gave me time to sleep an extra hour, workout with my husband, and spend a little extra time in the shower.

Day 27

Today I'm thankful that I have the proper clothing to wear in this freezing cold weather, polar vortex #2. It's supposed to get as low as -12 degrees F tonight! I wore my ski jacket and snow pants to work today. I may have looked ridiculous but I was reasonably warm.

Day 26

Today I'm thankful that it warmed up enough for me to get outside for a run. My short 3 mile run helped me clear my head and put me in a good mood for the rest of the day. Now we're gearing up for polar vortex #2. Definitely not looking forward to walking to and from work in negative temperatures and even colder wind chills. Brr!

Day 25*

We got home late last night after spending time with "old" college friends so I didn't get a chance to post. Anyway, I'm super thankful for my college friends, who are really more of my best high school friend's college friends but who have accepted me as one of their own. It was great to see everyone again last night. I haven't laughed that hard in a long time!

I'm also thankful that my husband came along with me. He was the only guy in the group but held his own just fine. He surprises me sometimes, in the best ways!

Day 24

Today I'm thankful for two particularly great coworkers who talk me off the hypothetical ledge when I get frustrated with my boss. I don't know what I'd do without you!

Day 23

Today, I was going to say that I'm thankful for a wonderful date night with my husband...and I am. We had a great dinner and saw Phantom of the Opera on Broadway in Chicago.

But I'm also thankful that I knew Leonard Sluzewski, my cousins' "other" grandpa. He passed away today after suffering another heart attack over the weekend. He was a very caring man, quick with a joke and a smile. My thoughts and prayers are with Mary, Jeff, Ben, Mitch, Yvonne, and the rest of Leonard's family.

Day 22*

I'm thankful that I'm involved in the Chicago Scholars organization. It's a wonderful organization that helps Chicago high school students apply for and graduate from college. I've really enjoyed being a mentor and getting to know the students.

Day 21

Today I'm thankful that John waited to workout with me after work since it was too cold to run outside. My arms and legs hurt already...a good hurt! Hopefully this is the start of a new routine!

Day 20

Today I'm thankful for many things. First, I'm thankful for Martin Luther King Jr. and his fight for equality.

Second, I'm thankful that John and I were able to visit Grandma Jo today on our way home from up north. I'm thankful that both she and my Grandma Rohrer are recovering from their hip fractures.

Last, I'm thankful for a safe trip home today. It snowed from Milwaukee to Chicago which slowed us down quite a bit but we made it!

Days 17-19*

Day 17 - I'm thankful for this:

Tyree Brown is a 10 year-old actor on one of my favorite shows (Parenthood) who took the time to respond to my inquiry about where he was both skiing and swimming...and then followed me back on Twitter. I may be a little too excited about this!

Day 18 - I'm thankful for an absolutely gorgeous day of skiing at Whitecap Mountains in northern Wisconsin with awesome friends. This may be a new annual tradition!

 

 

Day 19 - I'm thankful for another great day with friends, another day without cell phone reception (and only limited wifi in the lodge/bar) which was actually quite refreshing.

Day 16

Today I'm thankful for this from one of my Chicago Scholars mentees:

Day 15

Today I'm thankful for my (usually) wonderful husband. Tonight I came home from work with a stomachache so he went to Mariano's to get supper for us both: soup for me and food from the hot bar for himself.

Day 14

Today I'm thankful that I don't have to worry about money, especially since I received an unexpected bill from health care services I received last January and April. I'm thankful that my parents paid my way through college so that once I started working and making money, it was mine to do with as I wanted. I'm thankful that I have a partner who is really good at managing our money with me. I'm thankful to have one less worry.

Day 13

Today, I'm thankful for a beautiful, relatively warm day. It was nice to be out without having to bundle up too much! I'm also thankful that I had a pretty easy day at work since I was a bit tired from our travels yesterday.

Days 8-12*

Day 8 - I'm thankful for a safe arrival in Idaho. It was a long trip but we made it! First, our plane left Chicago about an hour late because the first officer didn't show up. Then, we barely made our connection in San Francisco. Due to low visibility in Hailey, our flight was diverted to Twin Falls and we were then bussed to Hailey. We left our apartment at 5:30 am CST and made it to Ketchum about 4:30 pm MST! John's sister Annie had the same kind of luck, arriving at 2 am...late but safe.

Day 9 - I'm thankful for a great day of skiing on fresh powder. I'm not sure if it was the rented skis or boots but I skied better than ever before!

Day 10 - I'm thankful to have great in-laws that I get along with really well. Today John, John, Annie, Natalie and I skied all day. Kathy met us at the lodge at the end of the day for happy hour, then we all made dinner together and played cards. Great day!

Day 11 - I'm thankful for an absolutely beautiful, snowy last day at Sun Valley. I'm also thankful for tired legs as it shows that I skied hard these last three days. I even did a few black diamond runs and enjoyed them...a couple of them raised my heart rate quite a bit though!

Day 12 - I'm thankful for good weather today and no travel delays. As I write this, we're on our flight from San Francisco back home to Chicago.

*I'll update this post with photos once I get them from my sister-in-laws. The one above is one of only two that I took!

Day 7

Today I'm thankful that I have a warm place to come home to and that I have plenty of warm clothes to bundle up in for being out in the cold.

I'm also thankful that today was the only day I had to work this week. We're off to Sun Valley, Idaho for some skiing tomorrow!

Day 6

Today I'm so thankful I got to spend this ice cold day inside my nice warm apartment. (The current temperature is -9 degrees F with a wind chill of -37 degrees F.) I slept in, got most of our Christmas presents put away, put away the laundry, and nearly finished packing for our trip to Sun Valley. And, I feel quite a bit better...woohoo! Unfortunately, tomorrow I have to venture out in the cold to go to work. Hopefully it won't be too bad out there!

Day 5

Today I'm super thankful for this:

I could definitely use an extra day to try to get healthy...and to hopefully feel well enough to get my Christmas decorations put away and my thank you notes written!

I'm also super thankful to my sister-in-law Natalie for sending me this adorable picture:

Journey and Natalie

2013 Running Recap

Many of the running related accounts I follow asked for 2013 totals from their followers and I realized that I've never really kept track of my miles in that way. I log every workout I do on dailymile. While it has a way for me to review the last 12 months, it doesn't have a specific yearly total. So, I'm going to add my miles to my calendar now as well so I have a better way to add up monthly and yearly totals. This year, I ran just over 275 miles, which is the distance between Chicago and Ephraim, WI at the tip of Door County. I went another 55 miles on the elliptical for a grand total of 330 miles. I think that's pretty decent but I'm going to try to improve on it this year.

I did a number of races this year, starting off with my very first full marathon in January (the day after running a half marathon). They don't call it the Goofy Race and a Half Challenge for nothing! It was an absolutely amazing experience and I can't wait to runDisney again!

With Shannon, the one who talked me into this!

I didn't do much running again until mid-March when it was time to start training for the Shamrock Shuffle and Crazylegs Classic 8Ks. These were both fun races that I ran solo.

 

 

John did the 2 mile walk with friends.

The next race I did was the Big Ten Network Big 10K in July. I had signed up to run this race with my friend Jess. Due to a series of unfortunate events on race morning, I arrived just in the nick of time to start. It was a pretty fun race but not as fun as it would have been to have run it with Jess. The slip 'n' slide at the turnaround point was awesome, well worth the reduction of pace. We also thoroughly enjoyed the post-race party together. We got to pose with the Stagg Championship Trophy and the ax and hold Bucky!

I think this was right around my first 10K time, without a slip 'n' slide!

 

 

The next race was the Hot Chocolate 15K in November. My mom, my friend Angie, Angie's mom and sister came down to visit and all but Angie's sister ran the race as well. Keith ran the 15K with me and John ran the 5K. I had a GI illness a few days before this race and while I felt better, I think it still affected me a bit. Keith was a good running partner, pushing me at the end when I wanted to slow down.

My results

John's results

Finishers!

To finish up the year, John and I ran the Festival Foods Turkey Trot in Oshkosh for the second year in a row. It's a nice little tradition that I think we'll continue. I ran the 5 mile timed race and John ran the untimed 2 mile run/walk. It was a little snowy but great weather for running!

This was faster than both of my 8K times this year!

A running store opened up in our neighborhood this year. They host free Pizza in the Park fun runs each month. We've attended most of them and really enjoy them. You run as far as you want (I usually run 3 miles and John usually goes 2) and then get free pizza afterwards. It's a pretty good deal!

One of the fitness club managers in our apartment building started a running club in October. Unfortunately, she has since relocated to a new position. But, I met Natallie and we have continued to run together on Tuesday evenings and some weekend days too. It's great to have a runner friend!

The only race I've registered for in 2014 is the Crazylegs Classic 8K in Madison. This has become an annual event with our friends Mark, KJ, and Marissa. This year will be our third year...but so far I'm the only one who runs, the others do the 2 mile walk.

I'm planning to stick with shorter distances (under 10 miles) for races this year as we continue to try to get pregnant. Then, once I'm pregnant, I'm signing up for whatever runDisney race occurs 6 months or so after I give birth!

*dailymile sent me a 2013 year end report and I want to link it here so I can see it in the future since I can't save it as a pdf!

Day 4

Today I'm super thankful for my best runner friend, Natallie. I really wanted to run this morning since today was the only day of the next several days with above zero "feels like" temperatures. But, I woke up feeling even worse than I did yesterday with this nasty cold I have. I had pretty much talked myself out of going for a run when Natallie texted me asking if I would like to run with her. I couldn't say no and am so glad I went out! (Though I've never been sorry I went for a run.) The weather was actually quite nice and my nose hardly ran at all while we were running. Plus, it was good to get some girl time in with a new friend. Run #1 of 2014 is complete!

Day 3

Today I'm thankful for a coworker who's still learning and eagerly took four of the five patients who walked in to be seen. I'm also thankful that John and I have an uneventful weekend planned. We both have colds and are feeling rather miserable. Here's hoping we feel better soon as we're heading out to Sun Valley, Idaho on Wednesday!

Day 2

Today I'm thankful for the beautiful snow and the opportunity to watch my Badgers play in person.

 

 

Oceanique

Back in November, I won a gift certificate to Oceanique, a restaurant in Evanston, from Choose Chicago. I had retweeted their tweets to win gift cards nearly every week since the summer and finally won! We had to use the gift certificate by the end of December which left Monday, December 30th. John and I got all dressed up (he wore a tie, I wore a dress and heels) and journeyed up to Evanston for dinner. It was delicious! I had turbot and John had sturgeon. We also received a small plate of ceviche and a sample of the skate entree. Dessert was divine as well and we received complimentary dessert wine.

John's not sure the meal was worth the price without the gift certificate though I think it was pretty darn close. Everything I ate was delicious (and I won't normally eat ceviche)!

Day 1

Today I'm thankful for a lazy day to start off the new year after a very busy finish to 2013. I'm especially thankful for my husband, our families, and our friends. We had a wonderful time celebrating the new year with old and new friends last night...and stayed out just a little bit too late!

Reflections on 2013, resolutions for 2014

2014. Wow! As usual on the first day of a new year, there were many social media posts and articles about new year's resolutions. I like setting goals and making resolutions for myself with each new year and reflecting back on them at the end of the year.

Last year, I resolved to continue the three resolutions I had made in 2012:

1. Keep exercising
2. Eat more vegetables
3. Enjoy the moment

In addition, I added three more specifically for 2013:

1. Rock my new job. The transition to being a nurse practitioner wasn't always easy but I'm enjoying it more and more. Luckily, I had an amazing mentor to help me out for my first few months. Now I'm serving as that mentor for my new coworker. There are days I really love my job and days I really don't. Overall, I think I do my job really well.
2. Make a baby. This resolution will be staying around for 2014 as it hasn't happened yet. We're still having fun trying though. Hopefully we'll have good news soon!
3. Explore (more of) Chicago. John and I did a pretty good job of this in 2013. We discovered a new favorite restaurant in Greek Town, went to a couple sporting events at Soldier Field, enjoyed some of the free events at Millennium and Grant Parks, went to our first Bulls game, and enjoyed restaurants in other neighborhoods.

Today I saw an article and a tweet that inspired two of my resolutions for 2014. 

What's your New Years resolution? Mine is to keep learning new things, eat less sugar and be thankful everyday for something
— Tyree Brown (@RealTyreeBrown) January 1, 2014

(This from a 9 year old star of Parenthood, one of my favorite TV shows.)

My resolutions for 2014:

1. Keep exercising. I've sort of lost my exercise routine lately but am determined to get it back. Luckily, I've found a running friend in my building to help motivate me. We meet every Tuesday evening so I usually get in at least one run per week.
2. Eat more vegetables. I think I'll be able to keep this on my list for the rest of my life. I do a pretty good job of this now but I think one can always eat more veggies!
3. Enjoy the moment. This one is going to be especially important for me this year. John finishes his post doc position in May and has applied to new jobs. Now we wait for news of interviews and job offers. The waiting is so hard for me! I need to remember to enjoy the moment and not look too far ahead.
4. Make a baby. As this hasn't happened yet, it's staying for 2014. Hopefully this will be the year we conceive. Here again, I need to remember to enjoy the moment!
5. Read for pleasure. This is the resolution that resonated with me from the article referenced above. However, I think it will be just as pleasurable to read from my Nook as it would be from a real book. My plan is to get ready for bed 15 minutes before usual so that I have 15 minutes to read before going to sleep. And, although I really need to catch up on my Sports Illustrated magazines, I'm reserving this time solely for books.
6. Give thanks every day. I really enjoyed the 30 Days of Giving Thanks I did in November. I'm going to try to do that every day this year. So, there are going to be way more blog posts from me than ever before. I probably won't remember to write a post every single day but I'm going to try to find something that I'm thankful for every day and write about it, whether I'm writing in real time or retrospectively (within a few days). 
7. Explore (more of) Chicago. I want to continue to explore this great city we live in, especially since we may only be living in it for six more months.