My favorite gifts of Christmas

My dad gives the greatest gifts.  He can often be a bah-humbug when it comes to Christmas so it's amazing that he even participates at all.  One year he bought me a shaving kit.  It's awkward getting that for Christmas anyway but from your dad????  Another year he went out and bought us all scratch tickets.  I'm pretty convinced that it was the ultimate last minute gift but it's now my most beloved family tradition (this year I won $25!). 

This year my dad was impressed by the progress I have made in my running so his gifts commemorated all the low points ;)

Maymont 8-Miler

DC Hot Chocolate 15k

Don't get me wrong, I really do love the gifts :)  In fact, the ornament my dad got me actually said mocha on it so he repainted it and added a Pandora running shoe charm.   I love it when you can actually see the thought and time someone has put into your gift....even if it does remind you of the worst race you have ever run.....ever.

The next gift is one that wasn't given to me but is one that my mom and dad gave to Alex (their future son-in-law).

For those of you that don't bowl 300's and don't have a different league for each night of the week, this is a rolling bowling bag.  It's way nicer than mine.  It truly says "Welcome to the family.  We like you better than Andrea."  I'm not kidding.  My brothers gave him bowling shoes too.  I still wear the stinky rentals at the bowling alley!

Finally, the last gift is one that I gave.  It was something that I gave to Alex that was really something I wanted but thought maybe he would think it was cool too and I could pass it off as a Christmas gift for him.

:)

I'm sooo excited to try some of these recipes!  Mmm, Katniss' favorite lamb stew with dried plums and Capitol-grade dark chocolate cake.  Each recipe includes a reference from which book and chapter that relates to it.  There is even a chapter devoted to recipes using small rodents!  Anyone else smell a theme night coming on???
What was your favorite gift?

Do you ever give something so that you can end up using it?

8-Mile

Well I did it!  Eight miles is done and over with :)  This was NOT like any other race that I have done.  First of all, it was trail race.  Second, the trail was barely big enough for your own two feet with a hill on one side and a cliff on the other.  Thirdly, where's my medal? 

So if any of you run, you know that running can often "shake things loose."  Because Alex and I decided to just drive down the morning of the race, we had to get up at o'dark-thirty and get on the road.  This did not leave me much time to do my business.  Basically at mile five I had to find a port o'potty.  I'm just glad that there was one because, from what I hear, going out in the woods isn't too uncommon for trail running.  Let's just say that this plastic hut was NOT brought in for the run; it had been there a while.  There was a good amount of cleaning that had to be done before I could even think about hovering.  In fact, I probably would have been better off communing with Mother Nature.

Anyway, when we got back onto the trail about five minutes later, we got stuck behind some dainty runners.  Let me remind you, there was no space for passing.  Every uphill and downhill they would stop running.  I am talking about hands up in the air and tip-toeing down tiny hills.  UGH.  So I have a feeling my time would have been a little faster if I hadn't been trapped behind them for three miles.  I checked for my time but it looks like it didn't read my chip but I did cross over with my dad at the same time.  His time was 100 minutes.  I didn't achieve my goal but I was still pleased with my first trail run.

Since we were in Richmond, we decided to celebrate with a trip to our favorite place Black Sheep! I finished the race at about nine, so sadly they were only serving breakfast.  Never fear!  We at breakfast and still ordered a battleship to-go!  I had the most delicious breakfast. 

It was called Green Eggs and Lamb.  It was an egg and spinach frittata topped with spicy lamb sausage and pesto.  Alex had some delicious gaitor and yellow grits.  My dad had the Barn and Bay Breakfast sandwich.

Ham, crab, egg and Mmmm

After lunch, Alex and I went back to Maymont House to take the tour and to scope it out as a possible wedding venue.  I really loved the stone exterior and the beautiful backdrop of trees.  Here are a few pictures:

I bet this place is breathtaking in the peak of Fall!

I hope you had a great Saturday!

~Andrea

Butterflies

Good Morning :)  I just checked the weather forecast for tomorrow's Maymont 8-mile run and it is going to be wet.  I guess I have had really good luck with races in the past because I have never run a race in the rain.  I don't usually run in the rain and really don't know what to wear.  I WILL be sure to bring a change of clothes for sure!

I'm starting to get a little nervous about the run.  I have no doubt that I can finish it but it still gets my butterflies going.  To get my mind off of it, let me entertain you with ten silly facts about me:

1.  I do not believe in Turkey Trots that are on any day other than Thanksgiving.  Turkey Trots have been a tradition in my family for a few years and it's one of my favorite traditions.  It helps me to feel less guilty about that second or third slice of pie ;)

2.  I have never broken a bone (knock on wood) but I have cut the tip of my tongue off with scissors.  I'm not even sure how it happened.  I was in middle school and clearly it wasn't my brightest moment.

3.  One of my favorite meals is a cold can of green beans topped with a can of tuna fish and Hidden Valley Ranch dressing.  YUM!

4.  I was in girl scouts even during high school!

5.  I wish I was a calligrapher.  Sometimes I practice writing with my left hand just to see how well I can do it.

6.  I went to three different colleges in four years and I still managed to graduate on-time and with honors :)

7.  I received two magazines today

I was way more excited for BHG!

8.  I don't want a big, poofy, expensive (especially expensive) wedding gown.  I don't see any point in spending more than $200 for a dress you will only wear once.

9.  I love Fall!  I want an outdoor wedding at sunset with beautiful trees all around.

10.  I'm a senior citizen at heart (refer to #7).  There is nothing better than a 9 o'clock bedtime after a late afternoon of scrapbooking.  I also want to learn how to knit, even though I have tried several times and haven't been able to "get" it.

I hope you enjoyed!

~Andrea

Notes from Nogales

Good Evening!  It's been a wild week in Nogales, AZ!  I went for a business trip to meet fellow coworkers in our satellite office and to see how the land border operates.  It's the WILD west for sure!  I saw more action in the three days I was down in Nogales than I saw in two years at Dulles.


The aftermath of an attempted drug smuggling

It was truly amazing seeing the CBP officers and Border Patrol Agents doing their thing on the southwest border.  They have my full and total respect for the jobs they do every day.

Out with BP at the International Fence

The next best thing about my trip was the food.  My coworkers made fun of me the whole time for taking pictures of my food haha.  Here's some highlights:

Mexican BBQ pork on sweet bread with mild sauce and cream

Chicken Mole

Ahi Tuna with Cowboy Caviar

I was instructed as soon as I was picked up from the airport that there was not going to be any dieting while on "vacation."  I thought I was on a business trip but I decided not to argue and just eat whatever was placed before me.  One of the best meals that I had I actually did not document.  It was a Sonoran-style hot dog.  You take a hot dog, wrap it in bacon, put it in sweet Mexican bread and top it off with refried beans, chopped onions, mild sauce and Mexican cream.  Beyond delicious!

I have successfully gained five pounds but tomorrow starts a whole new week!  I look forward to getting back to my normal eats and also doing some running.  Oh yeah, my Maymont 8-mile run is this weekend!!!!!  I'm pretty excited about it.  I'm looking to complete it in under 88 minutes.  I can do it :)

What's your best vacation?

~Andrea

Closer to my goal!

Happy Thursday!  This morning was wonderful when I stepped on the scale and I had lost another pound :)  Just one more and I will officially have lost thirty pounds since April (twenty since Patrice).  I'm very satisfied with my progress so far.  If I can get over to my parents house, I will try to post a "before" pic.  The picture that I want to post was from a couple years back (2008?) and I was at my heaviest weight of 235 pounds.  Whew, that was painful to say! 

On the road to a healthier lifestyle, I have found some things that I truly enjoy.  One of them I stumbled upon just the other day because I  had a coupon for them. 

Source



I love almonds and I love chocolate so these are a great fit for me!  What I love the most is that you can have a handful of these babies and there is less than one gram of sugar!  AWESOME!  These are my new go-to for a chocolate fix.  There is also a cinnamon flavor that I MUST try next.

Another fun discovery was kimchi.  We have a very eclectic buffet on the main floor of the building where I work and I go there sometimes for lunch or to grab a snack.  I try to keep it to veggies just so I don't blow my day on items swimming in grease.  On one mission to find veggies I noticed some cabbage and cucumbers in a reddish sauce.  I decided to try it and it was delightfully sour and spicy.  I have since googled it and learned that it is kimchi and I love it!

I have also come to the realization that I want to be am a runner.  I feel like I have finally gotten my running feet back under me and it feels great!  Recently, I have really noticed an increase in my speed and my endurance. I'm really looking forward to the Maymont 8-Miler and have no doubt in my mind that I will complete it :)  My goal is to complete the race in less than 1:25:00.  Only two weeks until the big day!

What's your favorite healthy snack?

~Andrea