And I plan on celebrating all weekend – or at least until I crawl over the finish line at the Cleveland Half Marathon!
Happy Thirsty Thursday!
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Well, hello there. No, I didn’t forget I had a blog. Life got in the way – work, play, trying to run, planning a trip, etc. Now back to regularly scheduled programming… I spent the past 5 months keeping quite the secret. Actually, it was probably one of the biggest secrets I’ve ever had to keep. My best friend’s boyfriend of 5 years told me his top-secret plans of proposing to Mac the second weekend of May. What was my reaction? Well I was giddy and wanted to talk to her – but obviously that wasn’t in the cards. Instead, I reached out to two of our other closest friends and got to planning our trip to Chicago. Not only was the boy planning a day out in the city doing some of their favorite things before he popped the question, he was also orchestrating quite the surprise engagement party full of close friends and family members. Exactly what Mac deserved after the year she had (shitty is an understatement). And it was quite the success. We laughed. We cried. We danced. We drank. I couldn’t be more excited for these love birds!  The newly engaged couple.  Look at that finger!
 Being obnoxious in a cab  Christmas Ale shots to start off night two.  I need more of these girls in my life! Congrats to Mac and Thom – I love you guys! About two months ago, I asked my 4 best friends and soon-to-be sister-in-law to be part of Dean and I’s big day. The problem was, only one of these five girls currently lives in Cleveland. Originally, I wanted to ask all the girls to be in the wedding in-person. Unfortunately, with having them scattered between Chicago, South Carolina, Ann Arbor and Cincinnati, I knew it would be near impossible to ask one without the cat getting out of the bag before I saw the next. My solution? I would send them a package asking them to be in the wedding. Champagne? Hand-stamped card? Cupcakes? A stripper? It all has been done and I wanted to be certain my friends/family felt appreciated.
These custom spools were made by hand with a personal message on each. The girls all said ‘yes’ so I’ll venture to say they loved the spools and they’ll forgive me for not asking them face-to-face! Wedding countdown: 14 months. People are already giving us a hard time about this long engagement – I hope we don’t regret it Similar to a social-climber, I think I may be a run-climber. I’ve always ran faster when participating in a race – whether it’s a 5K or a 10-miler – my time is almost always better than it is when I run solo.
 Off to the races! Saturday morning was gloomy, cold and I wasn’t very mentally focused for the race. However, after pushing through the very clogged and annoying first mile, I got into a groove that got better and better as the miles passed (I never checked my iPhone, but I knew I was doing pretty well). It was also nice to know I had my support team in attendance as Dean didn’t have to work and Cabela came along for the excitement of Edgewater Park.  Two tired girls. I think I have a new favorite race in the Cleveland 10 Miler. I’ve ran in it the past but never realized how ideal it is (for me). It’s entirely flat with a decline in the last mile (holler!), scenic, relatively a small race and offers great views of the Cleveland skyline at the finish line.  Tip: don't walk on sand after running 10 miles. My official time for the race was 1:19:55 which is a PR for me. Some of these splits are really hard to believe. Hence, why I believe I am a run-climber  This is RARE. Do you tend to perform better when you’re running alone or participating in a race? Over the past 12 months my passion for spinning has sky-rocketed. I used to casually spin to get a great workout in. What was once a means to sweat has turned into something more – it’s a wonderful way to un-plug, decompress and detox. As Shibani says, it’s cheaper than therapy.
So when I received an email explaining how one of Psycle’s instructors has made it to the final round of Bad Girl Ventures, along with 9 others, hoping to kick start their business I wanted to help spread the word…
Plus, Anne and I used to ‘run in the same circles’ in high school and beyond! I think Anne’s idea is entirely innovative and would be a great addition to the city. Do you agree? Help Anne by taking this short survey. If you participate, you are entered to win a $50 Lululemon gift card! Good luck, Anne! What was hatched a few weeks as a low-key fish fry and bonfire at our place quickly escalated into a social media soiree. And I loved every minute of it! Saturday night over 20 friends (who were once only internet acquaintances) joined us for fried shrimp and calamari by Chef Deano, tons of appetizers & snacks and plenty of drinks (including Crack Juice from Seanski). Before things got too crazy I managed to snap a few semi-reasonable pics:  You'd be surprised how many people could fit at this table!  Shibani brought Cabela a present!  Allison showcasing some of the grub.  Calamari. Straight to the face! After we filled our bellies with all sorts of delicious snacks from oriental salad to meatballs to buffalo chicken dip and much more, we took the party to the backyard so Dean could light a fire. I’m fairly certain I’m marrying a pyromanic!  Who brings fireman pants to a bonfire? Lzone, that's who. Did I not mention the dance party? We sang, laughed and generally made fools of ourselves by busting a move not only on the floor, but on our coffee table! A sure sign of a good party, in my opinion.  This is how you party in the suburbs. Thanks to all who came over! I haven’t had that much fun in a long time The past two Friday nights I have been relaxing at my home with wet hair, in my sweatpants, wearing glasses, drinking wine and completely loving every second of it. One of these two evenings, my friend Courtney stopped by to ‘say hi,’ which led to me heading to Tremont, hitting after hours in Lakewood and being up waaaaaaaaay past my bedtime. The following Friday, a handful of my co-workers were out at Dean’s favorite bar for Charlene’s birthday and convinved me to put on some jeans and head out like a champ.  I wasn't covering anything at all, really.  Crashing a birthday party like it was 2002. What the hell has gotten into me? This one is for you, Bobbo. We love you. 29 years young and one Hell of a fighter, you inspired many and will never be forgotten.
I’ve been in somewhat of a running rut for the past month or so. I’ve been struggling on my long runs – whether it’s cold weather and achy joints or a complete lack of motivation, I find it hard to get up and go…and actually enjoy myself.  Why do those girls look so happy? Oh, there’s that half-marathon in about a month. I’ve always trained my ass off for these races and for some reason I haven’t taken it seriously this year. I still love running – I just need some motivation and a change of scenery – 99% of my runs start in my driveway. That being said, runners – where are your favorite places to run on the west side of Cleveland? And what do you do to pull yourself out of the workout rut? I gotta turn this ship around on my 7-mile run this weekend! This past Saturday Dean and I channeled our love for food and Cleveland and made a detailed itenerary with stops planned at The Westside Market, Gallucci’s and Zagreb’s Quality Meats. Sadly, Zagreb’s was closed for the holiday weekend – our garic breath will have to wait for another day (shucks!). For garlic sausage lovers, make a trip to Zagreb’s – their meat is fantastic (TWSS)! All wasn’t lost though. We ended up picking up 15 lamb chops (and 2 lamb bones for the dogs) from Foster’s meats, fresh chicken breasts, salsa, hummus, Urban Herbs and fresh produce from the market.  Dean's favorite lamb shop
 Freshness  Easter Dinner! After a quick stop at Market Garden Brewery we were hydrated for my first trip to Gallucci’s! It’s been an on-going joke between Dean and I over the past few years that I haven’t been to what is one of his family’s favorite Italian stores. I’ve always been busy or the store has been closed when they’ve made trips or I’ve want to drive out to Gallucci’s – not this time though! Having been a fan of their meatballs and other delicacies, it was safe to say I was just a little excited to embrace the Italian. We bought plenty of goodies. Some of our favorites include: Gallucci meatballs, Mama Gallucci’s pasta sauce, unfiltered extra virgin olive oil, fresh spices, parmesan cheese and of course pasta. Yes, we’ll be eating well for the next few weeks. I better get my butt to the gym!  Success! |
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