Race Bucket List

I think it is safe to say that every runner has a bucket list of races that they want to complete. For me there are 4 that I have always wanted to complete and 3 of them I am already registered for.

Tinker Bell Half Marathon. I promise you that this will happen in 2016! It has been a race that I've always dreamed about completing, I want to go all out and dress up because it's just what you do when you run a Disney race. :)

Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon. This will be my 2nd marathon and I am beyond excited. The idea of running through New Orleans with thousands of other people is really cool to me. February 28, 2016 is going to be an awesome day.

 Pensacola Half Marathon. Ever since my sister moved to Florida this is a run that has always been stuck in my mind. Running along the bay is going to be absolutely amazing, I am all about views when it comes to running.

A Christmas Story Run 5k. This race takes place on December 5, 2015 in Cleveland where the movie was filmed. We can't make it to Cleveland so we signed up for the virtual race. This is one of my favorite movies and to participate even from far away is still pretty awesome. I am obsessed with the medal for this years run.

How rad is this?!

I can't wait to officially check these races off my list! 

Hope you all have a great weekend.

I Finally Have Free Time!

Now that I don't have school work to occupy my time I am slowly finding more things to do and to catch up on.

I am terrible when it comes to watching television shows but I have caught up on 2 awesome shows:

I have finally jumped on the Game of Thrones bandwagon and I'm hooked (thanks to my sister). I finished all 5 seasons in a matter of a week and I can't wait for the next season.

Masters of Sex! You all need to watch this show, it's actually a true story about Dr. Bill Masters and Virginia Johnson (google them). I love Michael Sheen so I knew I would enjoy this show.

I have also been spending more time trying new recipes, I made Pioneer Woman's Roasted Red Pepper Pasta last night and it's to die for, do yourself a favor and make it. :) You can thank me later.

I've finally found the time to work on our race scrapbook a little more, I take our race bibs and combine it with a photo from that particular race. It's so fun to look back on all the fun we have had!

It's been nice to have time to actually do things and not feel like I'm neglecting school. I also have plans to get my hair done and go for a mani/pedi. I will make that happen haha.

Happy Wednesday!

Ainsley's Angels Sunset 5k

Saturday night we headed off to Lake Charles for the Ainsley's Angels Sunset 5k. The great thing about races in Lake Charles is that most are run along the same course. Being able to run along the river is always nice regardless of how hot it is.

If you have never heard of Ainsley's Angels definitely go check out their website they are an amazing organization. It was started by a military family for their daughter who has a terminal illness.

It was incredibly hot out even at 7:30 when the race started but it was worth it to participate in such a great cause. We kept our paces slow and steady and just enjoyed the company. 

The finish line festivities were pretty awesome! We were treated to frozen yogurt, jambalaya, gumbo, and any other delicious food you could think of. However all I could think of was Starbucks and black iced tea lol. 

We will definitely participate in this one next year.

I don't have another race scheduled until mid-September but we will see if something pops up. :) 

Hope you all had a great weekend!

A Few Things

We are finally getting settled back into a routine after vacation which has been nice. My in-laws arrived into town yesterday and will be here until Tuesday, it will be a nice visit with them. I haven't had a chance to write a proper post lately so here are some things going on in our neck of the woods lately:

*I celebrated my 30th birthday yesterday! Holy cow, it feels so weird to write that out. It was a good day though.

*I registered for a few more races over the next few months and I'm really looking forward to them. It's hard to find races in this area so when I do I jump at the chance.

*New neighbors moved in a few days ago and that is always a nerve wrecking experience. However, they are incredibly nice. No kids with 2 pets and she loves to run! I think I just made a new friend haha.

 *I am slowly working on new recipes for my food blog, I am really excited to get it back up and running on the 1st.

*On Sunday my last class will end and I will be finished with my Bachelor's degree in Psychology. My official graduation date is August 15th and I am over the moon excited. It has only taken me 23 months to complete my degree, it has been a lot of work but so worth it. I'm looking forward to a break before getting started on my Master's in October.

:) I love this meme.

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Block Leave Part II: Orlando

We left Houston a day early to head to my sisters in Florida. She was so surprised and it was a great way to start off our time there.

Bright and early Sunday morning we hopped in the car and headed to Orlando. We arrived at our hotel the Cabana Bay Beach Resort and was instantly impressed. It's a resort on the Universal Property and it's amazing! Not only did they have two pools, water slide, bowling alley, restaurants, lounges, and arcades but the service was impeccable. I was able to get a really great military rate by calling them directly.

As soon as we took our stuff to the room, we put on our swimsuits and headed to the pool. The kids loved the water slide and it was nice for the adults to just relax.

Since we were staying at a Universal Property we got 1 hour early admission to the Harry Potter areas of both parks. We also decided to purchase the Unlimited Express Pass for all 3 days (we received a military discount on the tickets as well as the express passes, always check your travel place on base first) and boy was it worth it. Being able to walk right to the front of the line with the kids was a lifesaver, the majority of the time at an amusement park is spent waiting in lines. Not having to do that was amazing and also the child swap option was great! 

It was fun going back and forth between both parks, the Hogwarts Express train made it much easier. 

We had a blast for all 3 days! We explored the new Harry Potter lands, rode all of the rides, and enjoyed the relatively nice weather. My two favorite areas were Daigon Alley in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Simpsons Land. The majority of the rides are 3D and 4D motion rides which was awesome. The graphics were amazing.

One of the days we left the park a little early and decided to go bowling at the hotel. It was an exact replica of the bowling alley in The Big Lebowski, which if you know me you know that is one of my favorite movies! We bowled two games, enjoyed some drinks and had a blast.

Our third day at the park was our nephew, Grayson's 4th birthday. He got a special button and even got to meet Spider-Man, which is exactly what he wanted.

One of my favorite pictures is of me, my sister and niece with Betty Boop. My Mom loved her and my parents used her as their signature image on my Dad's race car. I have to say that after taking the picture I got really emotional. It was pretty cool!

Our 3 days at the park were amazing! I highly recommend a trip to Universal, both parks are amazing!!! The Universal City Walk is also full of restaurants, 2 miniature golf courses, and a movie theater. It was so nice to go on a vacation with family and just have fun. I hope we get to do more trips like this because it was so worth it.

Our last night in Orlando we headed off to Medieval Times. We have been a few times before but this was the first time everyone else got to go and we thought it would be special for Grayson's birthday. Kyle set up for Grayson to be knighted in a public ceremony and it was so special, we also had front row seating. Kylie even received a flower from our Knight during the show.

After we returned to my sister's we decided to take the kids for a day and have fun. We took them go-karting, miniature golfing and for frozen yogurt. Little did I know this was all staged.

After getting home I was surprised with a party for my birthday (which is Thursday ahhhh the big 30!!). It was so special! Kyle, Lisa, and our friend Jessica planned a wonderful party for me and I'm so grateful.

While I loved Houston, I would definitely say that this week was my favorite!

We had a great 2 weeks of leave. Now it's time to get back to normal and get ready for my in-laws visit at the end of the week.

Block Leave Part I: Houston

We headed off to Houston on July 6th, our first stop was the USS Texas and the San Jacinto Memorial! Kyle and I love exploring battleships and taking in all of the history. It was a great way to kick off our adventures in Houston.

The second day we spent it at the Zoo, Aquarium, and the Kemah Boardwalk. We walked around enjoying the beautiful weather at the Zoo. It was incredible, if you are ever in the area this zoo is a must! It is a 55 acre zoo and the grounds are stunning.

The Kemah Boardwalk was a lot of fun. It had restaurants, an arcade, rides and it was situated right on the water. It was gorgeous! We played some games (of course I came home with random stuffed animals haha) and rode an awesome wooden rollercoaster.

Wednesday we spent the day at Schlitterbahn in Galveston Island. We have been to the original in New Braunfels and it was so much fun! They had approximately 15 water slides and 2 lazy rivers. The highest slide was 81 feet high and intense. We were exhausted by the time the day was over and slept like rocks that night.

Thursday, we were off to NASA! Wow it was incredible! The highlight for me was being able to see the original Mission Control. Seeing where 41 missions were controlled to include all of the Apollo missions was truly amazing. We spent the day exploring and feeling like we were a part of history. If you have a chance to go, do it! You won't be disappointed.

Afterwards our last stop was Seawolf Park in Galveston. The USS Cavalla is here which is the submarine that sunk the Japanese air craft carrier that led the attack on Pearl Harbor. We also figured out that Kyle could never be in the Navy, he is way too big for those tiny hallways on submarines haha. :)

We loved our time in Houston and hope to visit a few more times before we move. 

Stayed tuned for Part II of Block Leave: Orlando!!! 

Hope you all had a great weekend.

I'm Alive!!

Well our vacation has almost come to an end, I can't wait to recap everything. It has been an amazing two weeks.

Can't wait to catch up with everyone and see what is going on. I will leave you this gem:

Happy Thursday!!

Checking In

We are having a blast on our vacation so far! Here are a few fun snapshots.

Happy Wednesday!

Festivities on the 4th

This weekend didn't go quite as planned but it was still fun.

Saturday morning we were up bright and early for the 4 Miler on the 4th down in Lake Charles. It was ran along the river again and it was beautiful but oh so humid. Kyle's shirt is actually light gray but you can't tell because he was drenched after the race. I was too but thankfully you couldn't tell. ;) It was such a fun race and can't wait to participate next year.

That evening as we headed off to the Freedom Fest on post where Lonestar and Trace Adkins were performing it started down pouring! Well instead of waiting it out to see if the event went on we headed to our favorite Mexican restaurant, invited some friends to join us and then went back to our house afterwards to play board games.

It wasn't quite the 4th that we had envisioned but it was still fun.

Today is the official start of our vacation, we are off to Houston for the week and then Florida on Saturday! I may or may not pop in later this week to say hi.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Love/Hate

The awesome Pinky tagged me in this fun Love/Hate post and I thought it would be fun to play along. The rules are pretty simple post 10 things you love, 10 things you hate, and tag 10 awesome bloggers to do the same. 

Things I Love

Disneyland: I love Disneyland so much that I tear up every time I go, I'm not joking.

Spending the day out with Kyle: I love days when we go to the mall, out to lunch or just lounge by the pool. It's the best.

Talking to my sister: We have some of the best conversations, we could talk for hours about nothing and end up laughing hysterically.

Apples and Peanut Butter: I could eat this everyday and not get tired of it, I don't feel the least bit guilty either.

Running half marathons: I know this sounds crazy but there is nothing quite like that feeling of crossing the finish line knowing you just ran 13.1 miles.

Getting my nails done: I don't do it as often as I would like, even though Kyle tells me to go.

Concerts: I have been to so many concerts and nothing compares to live music.

Spending time with family: Any chance we get to spend time with family is awesome, we have been able to do that a lot in the last couple years. I'm so thankful.

The sound of rain late at night: I always sleep the best when it is raining.

Clean sheets: Even before we go on vacation I wash the sheets, there is nothing like crawling into bed afterwards.


Things I Hate

Being late: It stresses me out so I always do my best to be at least 10 minutes early to everything.

People who cause unnecessary drama: I have no time for people who just want to cause problems.

Mosquitos: Yuck!

People who don't take care of their pets: This really pisses me off.

Going to bed with a messy kitchen: I am ridiculously OCD when it comes this.

Beer and Wine: I never acquired a tasted for either, pass the hard liquor! ;)

Competitive people: I just can't with people like this especially the ones who make it obvious and ruin friendships because of it.

Living in big cities: I was born and raised in Vegas so I don't enjoy the big city life anymore. I would take a quiet small town over that chaos any day.

The word "moist": It literally makes me cringe.

Driving in the rain: It brings out the worst drivers and I have zero tolerance for stupid.

I'm supposed to tag 10 others to do this but I thought it would be fun to leave it open for anyone to do it, I would love to see your answers! :)

Have a great weekend and a very safe 4th of July.

Food Is My Friend!

There is no denying that I love food, I love eating it and I love making it! So in honor of a new month, I wanted to share with you some of my favorite recipes. Oh and starting August 1st, I will be bringing back my food blog, Army Wife in the Kitchen!

S'mores Nachos! The awesome Chelsea at Anchors Aweigh shared the recipe and they are to die for! Kyle and I stood in the kitchen devouring them, they didn't even make it to the table haha. You must make these!

Whipped Cream Chocolate Pudding Cake! This is a recipe that my Mom taught me how to make years ago. It was always her go to cake for the summer because it's kept in the refrigerator. It's one of my favorites and frequently requested by Kyle. Plus, how can you beat a cake with 3 ingredients. :)

Homemade Blueberry Muffins. My sister sent me home with a huge ziploc bag full of blueberries from her tree and I knew I wanted to make muffins. I found this super easy recipe and in a matter of a few days they were gone. My niece and I loved them, they are delicious and have so much flavor.

Chicken Fettuccini Alfredo, I found this recipe a while ago on Martha Stewart's website and instantly fell in love. It is incredibly simple but really flavorful, whenever we need to carb load for a race this is what I make.

Country French Omelet. I am always looking for easy breakfast ideas and this one is a winner. I saw it made on Barefoot Contessa and thought it looked easy enough. Wow, it was simple to make and has huge flavor. It's amazing what can be done with eggs, bacon, potatoes, and chives. This is a must!

What recipes are you loving lately?!