Half Marathon Race Report

Well, SundayI ran my first official 1/2 Marathon. My training plan had me set for a 13 miler Sunday anyhow, so I figured why not?? My plan was to not really "race" too hard because I have another 20 miler next weekend, and I didn't want to risk getting injured or sick. I decided to walk through water stations reguardless of how I was feeling. I did good and stuck to my plan for the most part - I skipped one station, but stopped shortly after to stretch out my ankle.

Overall I am VERY happy with my run and my time. My official time is 2:11:52, with a big negative split in the last 1/2. I didn't really have a "goal" time in mind, but was happy to come in under 2:15. I liked the course - the first 6 miles were mostly flat with a few hills but they were not too bad - just enough to change things up. Miles 6-8 is mostly up hill, and a pretty good climb at that, at 8.5 we got to turn around and go back down, which was fun, and I'm sure a big part of my neg. split time. At 10.5 we did the last part of the first 6 miles loop again, which had some of those smaller hills, but nothing too bad and the last mile was nice and flat which was nice and gave me a chance to pick up the pace. My last 5K I averaged a sub 9 pace which was pretty cool, and I had enough in me to pass a good deal of people.

I felt nice and strong the whole time, and when I finished I was tired, but not exausted. I ran a good race and am happy with it! I think the half is a good distance for me and something I would like to work on a little more after I finish this whole MCM thing. HAHA.

Here are a few pictures. We didn't bring a camera, but I had my phone, so here are a few shots.

And here is one with the elevations just to give you a visual. Nothing too terrible, but not flat either!

Alright, well that's it for me today. I have a very bit to-do list wating for me now that the boys are doing quiet time so I am going to get a jump on all that! Hope y'all had a great weekend! love kp

Survey Says...

Well, I don't have a whole lot going on so any posting would just be rambling, so I figured it was a good day for a survey! I hope you all have a great weekend!!

Do you want someo​ne?​ just my hubby

Your paren​ts tell you they'​re movin​g to Mexic​o?​ Can we come?

Whats​ your best featu​re?​ dunno...I've been told I have good hair.

If you could​ chang​e your eye color​ would​ you? Nah...this color has worked for the past 28 years, I'll stick with it.

Do you like anyon​e?​ Nope...KIDDING! I like lots of people

Last perso​n you told a secre​t to? I don't think I know any secrets to tell...

Are you mad at anyon​e?​ Nope

Statu​s of you and the perso​n you last kisse​d?​ Husband.

What are you liste​ning to at the momen​t?​ The big kid playing "cosmic family" on the WII

Ever made someo​ne cry? Yes, I'm a bitch.

Slept​ in someo​ne else'​s bed? yup.

Did you ever date the last perso​n you kisse​d?​ Married him.

How was your day? Good

When was the last time you cried​? Watching Army Wives a few weeks ago

Do you hate anyon​e? ​Nah - life's too short.

Do you enjoy​ Taco Bell or Del Taco?​ Taco Bell all the way

​Last phone​ call recei​ved?​ Hubby

What are you weari​ng on your feet?​Flip flops

What was the last movie​ you watch​ed in the theat​er?​ Dark Knight

What did you do today​?​ Dropped big kid off at school, ran at the gym, went to the post office, picked big kid up, helped a friend with a printing project, cleaned house, played with the kiddos, went to dinner, got some new bras/underwear, chatted with the neighbors...that's about it

Did you hurt yours​elf today​?​ Thankfully no.

What are you doing​ this weeke​nd?​ Soccer game, going to pick up my race packet then off to the rodeo tomorrow, then Sunday am running my first half marathon.

Who did you last get into a big argum​ent with?​ don't remember my last argument

Are you typic​ally a jealo​us perso​n?​ nope

Is the last perso​n you kisse​d physi​cally​ attra​ctive​? I think so!!

Would​ you ever get back toget​her with any of your ex’s if they asked​ you? Nope

Is it easy to annoy​ you? not really

Would​ you have sex with someo​ne you had known​ less than 24hrs​?​ nope

Do you like hot wings​?​ yummy!

Are there​ certa​in thing​s that can'​t be joked​ about​,​ if anyth​ing?​ yes

Have you ever had a reall​y big fight​ with a best frien​d? yea...I guess, although it must not be too bad because I've never lost a friend over a fight

If you could​ get back in touch​ with one perso​n you'​ve lost touch​ with,​ who would​ it be? Lindsay Bolig - friend from childhood

Last time you had a sleep​over?​ Back in KB when Sam and J would spend the night at the house

Think​ a lot befor​e you fall aslee​p? Depends how tired I am

When will your next kiss be? Any time now

Do you have a best frien​d to lean on? Yes

Did you have a good day yeste​rday?​ yup

What is a diffe​rence​ betwe​en the last two peopl​e you kisse​d?​ Uh....I haven't kissed any non-family members in over 8 years.

Where​ is the next place​ you will trave​l?​ Washington DC for my marathon

Why did you kiss the last perso​n you kisse​d?​ Because married people like to kiss.

Have you ever worn the oppos​ite sex'​s under​wear?​ I sleep in hubbys boxers, so yea

What were you doing​ at 8:00 this morni​ng?​ Getting ready to get the kids out the door

Do you say sexy a lot? no not really

Do you have any gay frien​ds?​ Not that I know of

Do you want to get marri​ed & have child​ren one day? Done and done...

Do you like to have long hair or short​ hair?​ long

What is your favor​ite color​?​ pink, or black, or blue, or green.......

What was the last thing​ you bough​t? bras and underwear

Where​ do you keep your money​?​ bank

What was the weath​er like today​?​ Actually really nice and sunny!

Where​ are your mom and dad? Georgia

Would​ you pass a drug test?​ Yup!!

Last vacat​ion desti​natio​n you went to? West Palm for cousins wedding

Do you want to cut your hair?​ Nah, just got it cut last month

Who was the last perso​n of the oppos​ite sex that you talke​d to? My hubby and kiddos.

Would​ you ever consi​der movin​g to anoth​er state​ to be with the one you love?​ HA! That's pretty much the story of my life :)

Do you like sushi​?​ some...

When was the last time you spoke​ to one of your exes? few weeks ago I guess...hubby talks to him more than I do

Do you have empty​ bottl​es of alcoh​ol hidde​n somew​here?​ I have my own house, no need to hide!

Are you over the age of 25? yup.

Own brigh​t color​ed under​wear?​Of course!

Who is the last perso​n to text you? Sam

What was the best movie​ you have seen in the past two weeks​? ​don't think i've watched any

How do you think​ your lates​t ex feels​ about​ you? we're pals

When was the last time you wrest​led?​ wouldn't you like to know...hehe

How is your hair? ​it's okay

Do you like your first​ name? ​Sure

Last time you ate grill​ed chees​e?​ it's been awhile...but it sounds good!

Name somet​hing great​ that happe​ned today​?​ got to spend lots of time with the hubby and kiddos

How many diffe​rent peopl​e of the oppos​ite sex have you reall​y cried​ over?​ who knows, those days are long over.

Do you like your life as of now? LOVE IT.

How many kids do you want?​ Have 2 maybe one or two more

Have you ever kisse​d anyon​e whose​ name start​ed with A? yea

Tuesday at the Table

It's that day again, and you know what...I have been SOOOOO good about posting! So if you haven't looked you should go read up on what we've been up to...and leave comments, because I LOVE comments!! :)

Okay, so first off is this salad I had today at lunch. It was pretty much a little bit of everything. Lettuce (of course), strawberries, blueberries, some almonds, squash, chicken, dried cherries, and just a small drizzle of FF Raspberry dressing. YUM! It was very good - and kind of pretty too.

Last week before my b-day cake I got the itch to bake and had some buttermilk that needed to be used up, so I decided to make buttermilk pie. Boy oh boy was it good! I made a triple berry sauce to go on top...MMMMM Yummy. If you want the recipe I used for the pie you can find it here. It was sooooo good, which actually kind of surprised me. Being a somewhat southern gal this is not my first taste of custard pie (which this is basically what this is) but this one was 1203983523948 times better than any I've had before! MMMMM. Just take a look...

Last up is a quick easy side dish I make often for the boys. It's really great around this time of year, and I love it because you can use so many different things. It's basically just apples and peaches warmed in orange juice and a bit of brown sugar. Keep it nice and bubbly until the sauce thickens and your fruit is nice and soft, and there ya have it. An easy, not too terrible for you side that kids LOVE! I also do this with sweet potatoes, and it's fabulous!!

Bubbling away

So, that's it for me this week! I hope your weeks are all off to a good start and I'll be back again soon! And as always check out Sams blog to see what everyone else is dishing up!

Happy Birthday to ME!!!

So as I mentioned a few times, this past Friday was my birthday and it was a great one!!! It's a joke around here that if it's my birthday the hubby will either be out to sea or have duty - which this year was no exception - although on a MUCH smaller scale. Last week he had lockup duty all week which meant that he didn't get home until later than usual. But he WAS home which was great, and he made sure to make this birthday a great one. He hasn't been around for the last 4 birthdays so I guess he felt I deserved a little spoiling!

Friday he cooked dinner for us (fillet Mignon - YUM), potatoes, salad, etc. and bought a super yummy birthday cake for me. You can see a picture below. I also got to open all my presents. Some were some new cooking stuff from my parents, an espresso maker and necklace from hubby and the boys, and then my "Kel" day which I'll tell you about next. Here are a few pictures first.

Opening gifts...I have lots of help with this!

One of my little helpers...what a cheese

Birthday kisses!

My Cake - SOOOO GOOD!!!

I have help blowing out the candles as well :)

It tasted even better than it looks!!

So there are a few pictures for you. In addition to my gifts hubby set up a day just for me on Saturday! We did the soccer game, which was a blast by the way and big kid even scored two goals...however, one was for the other team, but that's okay, I'm proud of him!!! Then we went to the park for some family time. Then it was home so I could get ready for my day at the spa! He got me a spa package that included a massage, lunch, body wrap, facial, and pedicure!! It was SOOOOO nice. Just being able to relax in the quiet for hours! Then, when I got home I got to shower and get ready because he took care of getting a sitter so we could go out to dinner. His boss at work has two girls in college, and one was home for the weekend so he set it all up. I was so impressed, he had all of this planned for awhile, and kept it a secret until Friday when he told me what was going on. I have the best hubby!!! :)

Dinner was great. We haven't been on a date night since we moved here, so we were due! We went to this little Italian place downtown, sat outside and just enjoyed being out. We also got to watch some pretty entertaining people stroll by. Some of our favorites were the bachelorette party girls in 80's bridesmaids dresses, and then a male couple that was having a little lovers quarrel (sad for them, funny for us). It was a great day and night and such a nice break!

Then it was home after dinner and off to bed. Sunday I still got up and did my first 20 miler of my training! It was slow going but I did it and I am actually anxious for the next one (weird I know).

So, that was our weekend in a wrap. The only downside was Friday I drove off with my cell phone on top of the car and now its smashed somewhere on the road. SO - I am currently without, but one should be one the way in a week or so.

I also want to give my girl Sam a big shout out for PRing at her half marathon this weekend and breaking the 2 hour mark!! Way to go girl!! :) Hope everyone had a nice weekend, and I'll be back tomorrow with TatT!

the game

Well I've been talking about the soccer games, but had yet to post any pictures. So I thought I'd go ahead and post a few. The games are a blast and the kids seem to have fun! My favorite part about them is when the kids score goals for the opposite team, or when kids that are playing in the field next to us keep running and score a goal on our field. That's pretty funny too! It's been a good time, and we all look forward to it every weekend. Here are a few shots.

The team

The munchkin is one of the "Sharks" biggest fans

Dribbling down the field...

So, there you have it. Now for all you people that like to have a visual (Nat) you now can imagine what I'll be doing most Saturdays from now until mid-October.

So that's about it, oh and Happy Birthday to me!! I'll be back Monday to let you know how the weekend went! :)

cutie boys and some nature

Not really sure where this post is going to go, but there are a few pictures I want to share, so I guess I'll start with that.

It amazes me every day how fast little ones grow and change. Every day they pick up new things. My little guy is working on his vocab, which is lots of fun. Some of his first words (other than Mama and Dada) were "bella", "doggie", "more" (the sign and the word) and a few others. Now he likes to pick up his toy cell phone and say "hello", waves and says "bye bye" and is signing milk, thank you, eat, and says "night night" when you put him down for bed. He talk all the time, but some of it we have yet to decipher! He's an old pro when it comes to walking, and has now turned it into more of a run to keep up with big brother. And, as you see, he still has his amazing blue eyes that he got from his daddy.

The big kid is really enjoying school. He's learning a lot and I am excited to see how he progresses throughout the year. Right now they are working on the letter "m" and "s" and writing their names. He has known how to spell his name for awhile, but now he can write it which is really exciting, and I think pretty impressive for a 3 year old. But then again, I think everything my kids do is impressive! Haha. He's also learning some basic addition and other math skills and knows how to tell time. And one of the biggest changes is how independent he has become. He gets dressed on his own, puts his clothes and toys away, helps me when my hands are full with the little one, he's quite the little boy!

I am so lucky to be a mom. It happened a little earlier than we thought it would, but I wouldn't change it for anything in the world. These kiddos fill my day with laughs and smiles. And yea, it does get hard, and I am VERY tired at the end of the day, but it's worth every second. Okay enough rambling...

We have a cool nature conservancy/Forrest area here that you can pay to be a member of. Members get to attend fun classes there, and use the park whenever they choose free of charge. They also have all sorts of fun learning activities for kids, nature trails, wildlife, etc. Tuesday we went to check it out, and liked it so much that we are now members. The boys both enjoyed the "class" we went to. I use the term class loosely because it wasn't really a structured thing. It's called mud pies and they have everything from painting and crafts, to a sand-table, bubbles outside and lots of toys for little ones. It was great because there was age appropriate things for both of the boys, and they both had fun. On our way out we decided to explore a little bit. We didn't get very far because both boys were getting hungry for lunch, but I did manage to get a few cool pictures. We will be going back soon to take a little nature hike and explore some of the other stuff they have to offer!

There were so many butterflies all over...I managed to get a good shot of one

Busy little bees...

So, that's just a little bit of what we've been up to. I know this is a pretty random post and it's all over the place, but that's just me...random and all over the place!

Tomorrow is my birthday...I'm excited to see what hubby has planned for us on Saturday! We have big kids soccer game that morning, but I don't know what we are doing the rest of the day...I'll make sure to let you all know next week!

Also, if you haven't done so make sure to check out my website!! It's had a makeover of sorts.

The "pamantis"

Also known as a Praying Mantis, but the hot shot still isn't big on details, and he has his own shortened version of "pamantis" that he's sticking to for now. Anyway, on Saturday we decided to have lunch outside because it was a nice day, and we found this guy on our deck. I had the camera near by and took some pics. Check him out.

Pretty cool huh?? These things are all over here, and once you get over their creepy little heads they are pretty fun. Big kid LOVES them and tries to keep them as pets. But there was someone in the family who loved this one even more than the big kid...and that was THE Sammy!

She was trying her best to get a hold of this little guy. Running all over the place, up to the deck then back down to the yard. Here are a few pictures.

The Sammy eyeing the mantis...

the mantis eyeing the Sammy...watch out little guy!!

Sadly, I think the mantis eventually let his guard down because we saw The Sammy throwing something around in the backyard later that day, and upon investigation the hubby was pretty sure that it was in fact our little friend here. Boy was she proud of herself...Sammy the huntress...Ha ha!

Okay, well that's your story for today. Enjoy and check back tomorrow!!

Tuesday at the Table - and extra tid-bits

Okay, well at least I have been getting these posted if nothing else. Sorry folks...it's been, well busy like usual. BUT I have been SO very productive today, I am even getting the rest of the weeks posts done ahead of time!! How you may ask?? Blogger has this neat little "schedule" feature that lets me write posts and decide when they will actually BE posted. So make sure to check back tomorrow, and every day this week for your reading enjoyment.

However, I do have a few quick updates: I am getting my studio set up!!! I went and purchased lighting and reflectors, and backdrops, and so hopefully it should be up and running by mid October, AND my new website should be going live soon if the people ever get around to getting it up (note the hint of irritation in my voice). I'll keep you posted.

This week I will be attempting my first shot at a 20 mile run. EEK! I'm a little nervous because I'll be on my own sans running group (we're not meeting this week) so that will be different, but the hubby and the kids are going to meet me a few times along my route, so that will help keep my motivation and spirits up!

My B-day is Friday. Hubby has to work late (lock up duty) so it will be me and the boys, but we are celebrating as a family on Saturday night. Works for me :).

Okay, on to the eats. I made nothing on my list from last week...OOPS! However, I did manage to COOK this week. First off is chili. Friday was a very rainy somewhat cooler day so this was the perfect meal. Plus, hubby requested chili dogs for his b-day lunch on Sat, so this worked out for that as well. If you want my recipe feel free to email me. I think it changes every time, but the basics stay the same. This batch was one of my best yet! We served it up with mini cornbread loaves and all the fixin's.

The hubby made a happy face with his...haha

Mine

My other picture worthy item was the birthday cake I made for hubs. I used this recipe for the cake, and then did my own filling and icing. The filling was a raspberry white chocolate mixture and the icing was cream cheese (my FAVORITE). It turned out really nice, and we all enjoyed it (probably a little TOO much on my end!).

Okay, well that's it for me. Remember to cruise over to Sams blog to see what everyone else has cooked up this week! And...check back tomorrow for a NEW post...yes it WILL be there!!!

Tuesday at the Table and LOTS of little updates

A whole week has gone by...my apologies. Life just seems to be flying by at a rapid pace and I am just trying to hang on for the ride!! Before I get to TatT I'll post a quick update on things here.

* Okay I really did try and post this yesterday, but my Internet sometimes likes to do it's own thing and for some reason when it came time to actually post it wouldn't connect, and the above is the only bit that got saved... So, I am trying again, and I hope that next week I'll do better!

I don't have any of my own pictures of dishes to share this week, mainly because I didn't cook anything new or very exciting.

This past week has been so busy, and now that we have hit September things just stay that way until after the new year. Big kid started back at preschool last week! Aside from a rocky first day, things have been going VERY well, he is into the swing of things now and really enjoying his time there. I knew it would be hard for a school to compare to his previous school, but I think this one is as close as it gets. We are also busy with soccer, which has been a really fun time for the whole family!!

Running/training is going well. I did 18 miles this past weekend, so I am feeling pretty good about it. I'm by no means super speedy, but I keep trying and don't give up, so that's what counts. I get a small break (only 15) this weekend and then next weekend I do my first 20 mile run! EEK!!

In addition to school and sports, September also means the birthdays begin! The hubs is first, his is Sat, then mine is next week, then big kids early in October. Speaking of my B-day I got a fabulous box of goodies complete with cookies from Sam!! Thanks girl :). Oh...and the cookies are gone!

In addition to the mommy stuff, and running, I am also working on a new website/blog ( with LOTS AND LOTS of help from Sam ) which should go live here in a week or so. The biz has really started picking up which is great!

Hubby is working on his masters as well as another course for the Navy which I can't really remember what it's called but they sent a whole box full of books he has to read to the house last week, so he will be busy with those for awhile! Work is going well for him and we just love all the time we have with him here at home.

The munchkin is doing great, he has a mouth full of teeth now, top 4 bottom 4 and his first 4 molars are all in as well bringing the total to 12 teeth! He's a pro at walking now, and it's so cute to watch him walk around like he owns the place. His personality has really developed as well (little stinker) and more than anything he wants to do EVERYTHING big brother does!

Okay so now that I have updated things a bit...here is my deal for TatT. As I have mentioned before I LOVE the website www.foodgawker.com!! It's the best if you are looking for inspiration for new fun things to make. So I have picked out a few things and I am going to do my best to make a few of these this week!! So, check out the links!

chocolate-whopper-cookies - YUMMY

cinnamon-sugar-donut-muffins - Oh wow! These look great, and Sam baked them and said her crew gave them rave reviews! Can't beat that!!

anothermuffin: yes another muffin recipe...apparently we are only eating cookies and muffins so far! haha

chicken-pot-pie: These look delicious and they are in little individual servings...of course now I have to go find little oven safe bowls...hmmmm.

Okay, well I think that's enough for one week...I also have the hubs bday dinner to cook Saturday along with his cake, so I'll for sure have pictures of that! Hope you all enjoy the week. love kp.

Tuesday at the Table - full version

Tuesday at the Table:
Okay, so here are the pictures, but I'll blog about them tomorrow..deal?? Okay good...g'night!

Edited to add in the details!!

Okay, so here are the details that I didn't include last night because it was getting late and I have a bedtime these days. First of we have a veggie and cheese galette. I see these galette all over foodgawker and decided I was going to give one a try. Most are of the sweet variety with various fruits and berries, but I have seen a few of the savory category as well. I went with the latter. I had TONS of fresh veggies that I needed to use up from my last trip to the farmers market and figured this would be a good way to use them up. Here are the pictures, and I'll post my "recipe" below.

Summer Veggie Galette

What you need:

1 9" pie crust (make your own or use the kind that's already made - either way)

1-2 yukon gold potatoes

1/2-1 Tbsp olive oil

1 yellow squash (cut into rounds)

1 zucchini (cut into rounds)

1 small onion (sliced)

1/2 roasted red pepper

1/2 tomato (sliced)

1 cup shredded cheese (I used fontina)

salt and pepper

1 Tbsp milk

What to do:

Pre-heat oven to 400*F

1. In a large pot boil the potatoes about 20-25 min until tender

2. While potatoes are cooking saute onion, squash and zucchini in olive oil until they are soft. Sprinkle with a bit of salt and pepper.

3. Shred your cheese and cut up your pepper and set aside

4. take prepared pie crust and place it on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper

5. leaving about 2 inches around the edge, start layering veggies, starting with sliced potatoes, then the onions, squash, zucchini, and peppers. Next throw on about 1/2 the cheese. Layer with tomato slices, then sprinkle with remaining cheese. Fold the edges in making a "bowl" with the crust. (see picture) Brush pastry with milk

6. Bake for 40 min, remove and let rest for about 15-20. Dish up and enjoy!!

This can be made without the cheese if you would like. I only put cheese on the hubs 1/2 and my side turned out just fine. I just sort of threw this all together, so you could really use anything you wanted in the crust and it would be just as good! Enjoy!

As you all know I love to bake, and it had been awhile so when I saw this I just had to make it. My boys (all three of them) LOVE Oreo cookies, so this was an easy call!

fresh out of the oven

Frosted and ready to eat

Okay, so there you have it, this weeks edition of Tuesday at the Table. Sorry it was a bit late. I am still playing a bit of catch up from when I was sick last week, but I hope to be back soon with some updates and such. Hope ya'll are having a great week! love kp