I’ve been saying that 2013 is my year, it’s all on me. So I signed up for the full Flying Pig Marathon. I ran regularly, I did my long runs on the weekend, and for the first time ever I focused on strengthening my core! But then moments that I didn’t want to pass up came along and the long runs maxed out at 10 miles. So a month ago I made peace with myself, the Half Marathon would do, after all 13.1 miles is quite the accomplishment. I was mentally prepared to achieve a personal best for the half. On Thursday dad sent an email rambling on about 54,000 strides, that’s all it takes to finish a marathon. I went walking with Anne that night and out loud I was tossing around the idea of doing the full. Anne assured me I could do it, all I needed to do was finish. It was at that moment that I started mentally preparing myself for the full which was to take place in 3 days. On Friday Emily questioned me every five minutes whether I was doing the full or not.  I told her that I would decide at the split on race day. On Saturday I drank some Gatorade, ate a large pizza and went to bed at 9:30.

Race day:

I woke up at 4:15am on Sunday and already the family text message had started. At 6:25 Timmy and I hit the rock and parted ways to our separate corals. I started the race running along side one of my life long friends which was such an amazing feeling, all around the energy was good. I was hardly phased by Gilbert hill; I was going for the full. Dad, Mom, Den, Coll and Ben were cheering at the split to guarantee that Timmy ran the correct course this year. High- fiving them as I turned right was motivation until Mariemont. I hit that wall that everyone warned me about at mile 16. I pushed it a little further, cursed a couple hills and then broke down in tears out on 50 when I was walking. I felt like a lost piglet out there and later I swore to Ben that I was running on I-71- nope it was just Columbia Parkway. I found jellybeans some where along the way and then I gave myself a little kick in the butt. About 5 and a half hours later I ran down the final stretch  to see my family lined up in the rain cheering me to the finish swine. You can imagine how emotional this little piglet got!

54,000 strides later I finished my first marathon!

Congratulations Timmy, Brookie, Em, Ryan and Kels! You all are rockstars! Thank you fam bam for cheering me along- you guys are pretty cool! Thank you strangers who looked me in the eye and told me I could do it and thank you other strangers who cheered for me by name. The support all along the way was amazing.

2013 you are looking good.

x oink x oink
Julie 

I am officially retired from working Saturday mornings, whew! I knew it was going to be a glorious feeling but not until this Saturday did I realize the benefits beyond sleeping in past 6:30.

I took the babies down to Fernbank and we played. Dennis ran around the jungle gym telling the other little kids not to climb up the slide, Cooper belly laughed with a new little friend and Bradley and I watched their every step like a hawk. When my nerves couldn’t take the jungle gym any longer Dennis and I tossed serious curve balls with one another while Cooper picked dandelions and did somersaults, oh Coop man. Bradley chilled in the fresh air and giggled, continuously.

A simple morning at the park with these little guys will forever take precedents over sleeping in. I am loving retirement and I am in love with aunthood.

xoxo
Julie

The sun may vanish for a day’s time,
But its beauty continues to flourish.

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Last Friday I received a package from Santa Monica. Those who say material things shouldn’t bring you happiness obviously never received a pair of shoes in the mail from their brother. This past fall when I visited Eric with my parents, Dad and Eric got matching shoes, OTZSHOES. The shoes are super cute and both raved on the level of comfort they provided. So last Friday when I pulled in the driveway coming home from Detroit, on the front porch was my very own pair of OTZSHOES. The moment my foot stepped on the cork based sole, I fell in love.

Of course I sported my new shoes to the office on Monday and several other days this week. Em and I met mid week to walk to Lytle Park to see the tulips in bloom. Em hightailed it in 5 inch heels while I bopped along in my OTZs. The tulips were on their way out but the park as a whole was bustling and vibrant with spring color.

And since you never know what’ll happen in a week’s time, you most certainly should always be wearing confidence boosting shoes to walk you through the week. Thank you Eric for the package of love, perfect timing. :)

Keep on walking and enjoy the weekend!

xoxo
Julie

<<<trading in this

 for this >>>

There is something about the change in seasons that I absolutely love. I always seem to forget what 70 degrees and sunny feels like after months of gloomy winter. Several times in the past week I noticed that I have actually greeted the sun with open arms and a wide grin on my face when I walked through the doors and felt warm air on my cheeks.

This morning I had to bid farewell to the predicted 80 and mostly sunny to greet 43 and cloudy. I was a bit sad so during my car ride I focused on the positives of my trip.

So I bring to you… THE PERKS OF DRIVING 4 HOURS and 28 MINUTES BY MYSELF:
1. I can pop as many bubbles I’d like, as loud as I would like.
2. I can occupy all the cup holders with my abundance of drinks.
3. I can impersonate any singer on the radio, without a co-pilot passing judgement.
4. I don’t have to apologize for stopping to use the restroom.
5. I can release full on road rage without scaring my passenger.
6. I can drive like a grandma when the speed limit changes to 70 with no one around to criticize.

whew! with all the rebellion in that car, I’m surprised I made it here on time! So while I bear with this 43 and cloudy for the remainder of the week I’ll leave you with this moment of sunshine from this weekend’s dinner on the veranda.

Cheers!

xoxo
Julie

A tune is a tune and an exceptionally good tune is an exceptionally good tune. I’ve had this smooth melody on repeat all week. This man is slowly stealing my heart. Enjoy!

Have a beautiful day!

xoxo
Julie

I never cared for sports growing up but I played them because that was the normal thing to do. Entering high school I still felt the need to join a sports team so I thought hmm cross country? It seemed pretty safe; I didn’t have to interact with a volleyball or soccer ball and I wouldn’t have other girls getting all up in my personal space. It would just be me and the open road. So it was decided, I would run cross country.

I was actually never a star but I had accepted that early on as did my cheering section. My parents and siblings would line the course and cheer for their “spider” when I was running particularly “fast” and when the exhaustion would creep up and my speed slowed they would yell “brick.” That was code for “Julie, pick it up. You are running so slow.” We thought “brick” sounded a bit nicer and that way they wouldn’t be judged by other spectators.  I was perfectly content just finishing race.

Throughout college I continued to run. Nothing crazy, just wanted to fit into my favorite pair of jeans. It was during these four years that I began to question what I was truly running for. Is it really just to maintain that bikini bod for all the raging spring breaks at the beach? I sure hope not because not once did I go to the beach for spring break.

These days I am running for myself. My run is probably more like a jog but I find that I’m  smiling more on my runs, I’m singing more and occasionally I burst out in laughter. I have never been happier out on the road.

I went running with Emily after work this evening and it was absolutely glorious.

{my little champ killing it on the bridge while shielding her eyes of the frightening drop}

Ask yourself what you’re running for or what you’re walking for. When you figure that out, naturally the motivation will come and the experience will be that much more enjoyable. I’m not saying it will be easy but you will be happy with yourself.  One stride at a time my little lovelies.

Have a beautiful Easter weekend!

xoxo
Julie

I have some skepticism when others fix my cup of coffee. I don’t trust their cream to coffee ratio. So today, I had my coffee black and my day was more productive almost instantaneously.

xoxo
Julie

{This moment, quite possibly, may constitute my love for the holiday: St. Patrick’s Day 2012}

Although I had to give me Irish jorts a year off due to the temperamental March weather, that does not mean I enjoyed my St. Patrick’s day any less. In fact, yesterday we officially declared March 17th my second birthday! The non- Irish folk are constantly questioning my love for the holiday, prompting a jaw drop on my behalf every time. You mean there are people in the world that don’t cheers to freckles or spout off blessings to friends that every road rise to meet them? That’s just unheard of in my mind. Come March 17th I like to celebrate my Irish heritage and solid middle name by wearing green, taking part in at least 1 Irish car bomb, enjoying 3 belly laughs, forcing at least 1 Irish car bomb on the lucky lads and lasses accompanying me and absolutely I will be raising a glass to the family and friends that surround me each and every day. St. Patrick’s day is that pot of gold at the end of the long winter tunnel. and I’ll drink to that.

{hanging with Zelda at The Lackman}

thank you for humoring the ‘solo’ leprechaun. it was a lovely day.

xoxo
Julie

Several years ago Em was flooring it out of the driveway and somehow ended up driving through the garden and hitting her mirror off on the light pole. I headed out to the side yard to find flattened shrubbery, holly leaves scattered in the driveway, a dangling mirror and a hyperventilating Emily. Mom and Dad weren’t home at the time so Em made me promise not to say a word. She needed time to figure out a plan. So while Em sped away with her mirror dangling in a baggie I did my best to clean up the scene of the accident.  Mom and Dad came home shortly after and immediately started the questioning. Julie, did someone drive through the garden? No.  Why are the bushes flattened?  I don’t know. Where is your sister? Not a clue. I was in the clear, at least I thought, until Em came home with her mirror still dangling. She told them the story; Mom and Dad learned that I knew all along. Em got her mirror fixed and I somehow got grounded, for “keeping a secret” is what they said.

After that incident I learned there was certain tact to keeping secrets. What might that be you wonder? A certain few may be filled in on the secret if deemed necessary. I don’t think Ryan was fully aware of my secret keeping tact when he asked me to get coffee with him back in October.  He told me he had a ring, he already talked to dad, the day it was happening, where it was going down, and THEN he asked me to be there so I could capture it all. Of course I said yes and then I agreed I would keep it a secret. I kept the secret for a whole 27 hours but then I told Coll. Coll told Ben. I told Timmy. Timmy told Brooke. Coll told dad. Dad I’m sure told Eric. Coll told Dennis. Dennis told Anne. And where was mom in all of this…. She was at home not knowing a thing, cooking tacos for all of her little secret keepers. See Ryan I told you I could keep a secret!

Coll and I knew he was a keeper when he asked us to be there for the engagement.  We knew at that point he understood how important our friendships were.  So on the night of the engagement Coll and I sat for an hour hiding, crouched behind a wall on the top of Ault Park Pavilion.  As soon as we spotted them in the distance, Coll yelled at me, “stay down I have it covered!” Ryan got down on one knee; Em said, “shut the front door!” Ryan popped the question; Em said “yes” and then proceeded to give Ryan a bloody nose. By this point Coll had taken 1000 shots and I had gotten caught up in the moment and only taken a few. Because I deemed it necessary that ONLY a few be in on the secret everyone was back at the house to share in the excitement with Emily and Ryan.

And here we are tonight 5 months later…

Em and Ryan your love for one another is no secret. Love is present in all your gestures towards each other.

Em we love you with all our heart and we couldn’t be any happier for you.

Ryan, welcome to our family, we are blessed to have you. I just hope you can learn to keep a secret like the rest of us.

xoxo
Julie & Coll