Hopefully This (Stay)cation Will THAI Me Over Until Disney In November.... Part 1

'Stay'cation-Vacation....

Ugh. What dreadful words. There are few things worse than a 'stay'cation. I liken it to a root canal or stubbing your toe on a coffee table or the foundation of your bed... Unless of course it means NO WORK and getting to spend time with your two best friends!!!

Miguel and Ace

Well sort of. Wednesday morning (7/31) we packed the car, to the point of bursting...I think we both thought we'd actually make it to Monday at the beach house....silly us. We had two suitcases, our bag of work out clothes & accessories, a bag of toiletry items and medications, of course a box of shoes and a bag of laundry that we thought we might want to wear so we would do a wash. Miguel's mother came and picked Ace up and we were off!!!

It's hard to explain the raccoon...but just know we are children and that Miguel is the love of my life because he always makes me laugh

After we got to the beach house we unpacked and relaxed. Even though I'm 26 (I KNOW RIGHT!!!) I still get car sick. So I usually need to lay down after car rides longer than 30 minutes. That usually ends up being okay with Miguel because usually that's when he works out. 

We had such big plans for this vacation but alas did not act up on all of them. One that we did was going to the Clinton Outlets. They aren't incredibly high-end but have some gems.

Entrance

The bag confirming the purchase of my new leopard print bag <3 . Love

I ended up falling in love with an 'affordable' bag and Miguel got it for me. Birthday present #1 [Happy]. I have more that a purse addiction by the way. It is totally a curse. But I have been good since running, I have actually almost considered selling some of my Coach bags just to finance races and gear! *GASP* It is true! I would rather spend my money on things I can actually use. While at the outlets we also visited the Finish Line store that was not an outlet with lower prices, and the Nike Outlet which had okay prices but the deals you get online during sales are better. After our car trip, mini nap, and shopping we got hungry. 

I will preface this by saying I am very hesitate about trying new foods as I am incredibly picky, that being said. I. Love. Crab. We decided to go to Johnny Ad's because Miguel heard that they had a soft-shell crab sandwich. He has been talking about trying soft-shell crab for at least 2, maybe 3 years. I'm so glad I let him talk me into trying it. I will say the idea of eating a crab AND it's shell after only eating it after I cracked it's shell threw me for a loop until I did eat it.

Sign from the road

Menu, sorry it's so hard to see

The inside has a ton of character.

We sat outside in the beautiful weather. You can see Miguel in the back.

Drum Roll Please! Here is the gorgeous sandwich!

One happy boy.

We ended up splitting the sandwich because I wasn't sure if I was going to eat it, plus it was like $12 for the thing. But I will say it was absolutely delicious. I am impressed with myself for trying something new and so happy I did!

We then went back to the beach house and relaxed and talked about what we wanted to do for dinner. I spent some much needed time on mapmyrun.com looking up routes of where we could run around the ocean and such....and maybe a nap happened too, who's to stop it?! We then got ready and excited to go into Old Saybrook and visit Touro Grill a Brazillian style Rodizio which is like 'Meat-Fest-[enter year here]'. Rodizio's are usually pricey but are worth the money. Waiters bring around different meats on skewers and you get to try sometimes 15 different things and always have a buffett of sides you can have too. Brazillian food is probably Miguel's and my guilty pleasure...

The car ride from Niantic to Old Saybrook is maybe about 15 minutes. I tried calling Tuoro Grill to see if we could get a reservation but no one picked up....We didn't think anything odd of it....until we got there and noticed no one was in the parking lot and that the lights were off inside. We realized maybe they didn't pick up because they were closed...like out-of-business-closed. After that heartbreaking discovery we traveled around for another hour looking for a place to eat and finally in a last resort attempt went back to Main Street in Niantic.

Best. Choice. Ever.

Restaurant sign

Food Menu

Drink Menu

Our complimentary appetizer, like pillows of delicious air

Miguel looking over the menu.

My meal. Drunken Noodles w/ chicken.

Miguel's Meal. Drunken (Jasmine) Rice with beef.

We got orange slices with our check.

Delicioso. Then we went back to the beach house, satisfied with our meal choice and very full and relaxed and watched movies.

The next day (8/1) I had planned on waking up and running but couldn't move. I don't know if it was the way I slept or the bed I slept on but I had not gotten a good sleep at all. We decided to go to this little bakery on Main Street we had been to one time before and gotten dessert for his parents. We hadn't eaten there though.

This bakery is like an Italian gem.

Menu on the wall

Cases filled with goodies

Miguel and I both got the Bacon, Egg and Cheese sandwich.

Can you SEE how much bacon!

It is officially my favorite breakfast sandwich ever! I was so happy we had another good meal! Afterwards we went back to the house and just hung out. Miguel as usual worked out and I spent time online and we decided to watch movies. It is so rare we just get to be lazy and relax. We definitely took full advantage of the no plans and doing nothing...but something didn't seem right...something, or rather...someone was missing....

ACE! We couldn't bare to be without him...so yes...our 6 day vacation was cut short. We came home. Once we got home and unpacked Miguel's mother dropped our baby back off. We could not have been happier to be with him. <3

Not only is Ace our 'dog' but he is our son, our best friend and the love of both of our lives.

August 1st is also the unofficial, made up anniversary date for Miguel and I. We never did the whole "Ohhh 4 months, 3 days, and 5 hours, love you bae!" thing, sorry if anyone does that but we aren't like it. We celebrate years, if we celebrate at all. This year...is 8! August technically is our anniversary month but I refuse to share my birthday with anything else. Yes, it is bratty.

These are some of my favorite photos over the years. Not in any particular chronological order...I'm genuinely sorry that I am gushing too. It's just after 8 years he still gives me butterflies (even if I want to stab him with a fork every now and then).

Ugh. He is my other half.

We spent the rest of the night relaxing with Ace and loving up on him for the night he spent without us.

QOTD: Have you ever cut a vacation short for any reason? This was my first time ever. I'm curious about you guys!

#WhereIRun - Girls Gone Sporty Themed Blog Post

I am one of the lucky gals that is part of Team Fantastic with Girls Gone Sporty. This past week one of my team mates suggested we do a Themed Run! So here is #WhereIRun 

Let's start this off! 

The most typical course I run is the 5k one I have around the neighborhood. OF COURSE you know my best friend and favorite running partner Ace of Base is with me as usual.

Perfect weather for our run today! This is hill #1, to the right is the house were two of Ace's girlfriends are (yes he has more). One is older than him her name is Shadow; She is his original love. There is a new, younger one named Izzy who fell in love with him and showers him with kisses. They are both pit mixes and they ADORE him as much as he adores them... but what can I say, my little man is a chick magnet.

This is one of the very few downhills that exists.. I love the fact its all tree lined.

I really detest hill #2, this is only the middle of it. It is gradual but unforgiving.

Okay, so I know hate is a strong word but hill #3 and I have a love/hate relationship, I just love it when I'm done.

This is my 1 mile mark, I can either go straight here and add another .5 to my mileage or go right and start to loop back home, today I looped back home to the right.

This is my favorite straight away. It's a straight shot and it's under a canopy of shade. Can you say love! Ace enjoys this too because we usually try to pick up the pace here.

 

How pretty is this!!

Here is the 2 mile mark. You can't see much in the back of the photo because it is our FAVORITE DOWN HILL!!!!! YAYY!!! This is the only time I can beat Ace. We like to race to the stop sign and see who crosses first.

Ace's favorite pooping spot...Sorry I had to share it. There have been two separate occasions where I have taken him out to use the bathroom BEFORE we go on our run and he still poops at this exact spot.

Why what is this...another hill perhaps!? This hill leads us toward our least favorite part of our run. Truthfully I think Ace and I would rather run the big hill over and over again rather than run this piece of the 5k course...

Welcome ladies and gentlemen to the Seventh Circle of Hell. Just about every house on this street has a dog and an owner that just leaves them outside.

Yup...I got you two...One day. One day I will stop and knock on their owners doors and ask that someone pay attention to them. I know they are only in attack mode because they are lonely but I cannot stand to hear Ace whine and cry when there isn't anything I can do to stop them from barking at him. They aren't always outside but unfortunately these are the two that were outside today. Maybe I'll just throw them a treat next time so we can run through without being verbally abused.

This is the sweet spot of the 5k or 10k, no matter which run I do this downhill is always at the end. I love it.

Run finished! I hope you enjoyed coming along with me and Ace!! I'm so glad I was able to share it with you all!!

These are my two favorite views after my run. A tired puppy and the view from my porch... you can insert a sigh here. :)

Meglovin' Monday

Holy hell...Yup. I did it. I just came up with that. Meglovin' Monday. I am actually astonished at myself with the creative genius that just happened. Hold on for a second while I sit in awe of how witty I am..........

Okay. I'm done.

 So the idea of Meglovin' Monday came from this...about 10 minutes ago. I'm just sitting here relaxing after work with a lovely snack. My favorite Crisps (I feel very English when I say that, and I can't ever not say it with an accent).

I was reading my best friends blog post about her virtual runs and how her training is going for our first half marathon together, Disney's Wine and Dine Half Marathon and I starting thinking...I want others to love her like I do...well maybe not to that same degree but I want them to realize how awesome she is....So pow! Meglovin' Monday arrives. Each Monday I will highlight one blogger and their .com to hopefully spread the love that I have for all the ladies that have helped me get through the last month or so. True #runnerslove for y'all.

Stop by her blog A Dream Is a Wish Your Heart Makes... Her name is Samantha and she is awesome, show her some love and support!

"Pain is temporary, Quitting is forever"

Sunday-Runday

It's been about 2 weeks since running, not only energy and health wise have I been "eh" but work has taken up quite a bit of my time as well. Luckily both yesterday and today I ran. Although hot and somewhat death like felt amazing to be completed. I am hoping to take my time, start easy and build my way back up to where I was running before. 
I started out Saturday by running only 2.24. Incredibly difficult but completed!!! Then today I did about 2.61 today. I'm staying around a 13 minute mile which with the 80 degree heat, I am completely okay with. I'd like to hit 3 miles tomorrow and start kicking it up from there. My goal is to do 100 miles in August. Crossing my fingers and staying positive! 

Thinking realistically....I should probably hold off on the 10 miler on my birthday. I don't want to be miserable and after these 2 days I do not feel ready at all to be in a competitive arena such as a 10 mile race. I think where my head is at now...I couldn't take that blow to my confidence.

"I am today"

Okay...so I am writing this as my last pity-party post....Got some of the test results back from the Dr. on Tuesday....I have been very all over the place this week since hearing from them. I'm not actually dying which is great, but to me....at this point I wouldn't even consider myself to be Kelly Blue Book Value FAIR...I'm obviously being somewhat dramatic...in the grand scheme of things many, many more people have it worse off than I do. I get that and I am grateful for the life I have....I really just can't handle these kinds of changes right now. It took so much for me to become a runner...now that this is affecting it I am very frustrated. 

I'm frustrated that there isn't much I can do right now... to help myself. Plus the doctor put me on a lactose free diet....(I had a calzone today, best or worse choice ever?? Not sure.) I am pretty much a mouse when it comes to cheese...I could live off it. I also love milkshakes with fries and whipped cream on ice cream and I like a good old fashioned bagel with butter every-so-often. EVERY THING I EAT INCORPORATES DAIRY...which is why I'd like to think I have yet to break a bone...they must be as hard as those 300 guys abs. :)

Thinking about my health and where I want to go in life, ya know, with my birthday coming up in 9 days....26 years old....past my quarter-life phase... I started thinking about where I thought I would be 10 years ago.... first I wanted to be a vet, then a business woman, a cupcake baker, a bar owner, a cop, a marshal, a district manager, a housewife, a rescuer, a head guard (at a Disney pool), a Disney employee, a wedding planner, an event planner, a professional blogger (I know, right), a designer and many more. Most of which I have half-acted on....but as I approach 26 I wonder where I will be in the next 10 years...

I probably shouldn't have watched the show The Pretender when I was a child...I think that is where I can't really make up my mind....The main character could be anything. I remember one of the episodes he was in a hospital and someone said "Are you a doctor?" and he replied "I am today". I'm going to try and make that my new motto.

QOTD: When did you know what you wanted to do for the rest of your life...did you get there? How long did it take?

PuppyTime! Thursday-Fursday Edition!

Thursday-Fursday

Okay...So I have been on my latest dog obsession...I want a full pit (or well, closer to a full one). My Facebook feed is overflowing with dogs in need of good homes, unfortunately those who don't make it into a rescue, foster or forever home....don't last very long in shelters.

I adore rescues for the simple fact that even though they really do not 'make' money they somehow make it happen for those animals in need.

Today's puppylove is coming to you from Ohio. The rescue is called Cincinnati Pit Crew.

AND today's pup is LOLA! The reason I am putting her up here is well...she is the one I want. If it doesn't work out for me, then I hope one of you will be able to give her a forever home. I want to give the rescue and Lola some more exposure by featuring them.

oh my god.... I can't even....ugh! She is beautiful.... I am so in love with her. She is on petfinder.com. This is the blurb CPC added next to her picture:

Lola is about 8 weeks old! Look at that sweet face! She is so soft and loves to snuggle! She is a very sweet girl looking for a family to call her own! She is working well on her potty training and does well in a crate. She will be spayed soon (prior to adoption) and is UTD on vaccinations and microchipped. Lola's adoption fee is $200.

DID YOU GUYS SEE THAT! $200......you CAN NOT tell me that at a pet store or at your 'local' breeders' you will find someone this gorgeous and for this cheap! AND do you know what is just as great as knowing you saved a life... that you actually saved 2.... The one you bring home and the one who gets their spot in the rescue.  

THIS is the specific reason why I love rescues. They don't just clear out and close up shop, they continue to take animals in. This is why I am trying to raise money for Running for Rescues with my virtual run. Here is the link again if you haven't heard about it!

REGISTER HERE!

Remember it's only $15 and you get a sick medal <3

Wishin' and Hopin'

So like I said a little while ago, I am planning a HUGE giveaway for my 1 year runiversary. Out of the 9 companies I have contacted, 5 have gotten back to me so far! I am very excited but mostly grateful that these companies have taken the time to read my emails to them and agree to support me in celebrating this milestone!

I cannot wait to debut the giveaway!!!! #HappyRuniversaryMeg is gearing up!

On another note...I have some health concerns I am working through, which has prevented me from running. I never thought of myself as a hypochondriac or a worrier....but I have been getting stupid with this and there isn't much a reason to freak out just yet. All preliminary stuff. Miguel has been amazing and reassuring me I will be fine but I guess we will see...

I will be completely honest, I am frustrated and constantly in a crappy mood because I don't have the energy to run. By the time I get home from work I don't feel good and have little motivation to do anything other than nap...I just want to feel good enough to get back out there.

Hopefully by this time next week I will feel less work & health stress with a vacation on Wednesday with Miguel!!! Although, I think I might vomit from spending just shy of a week without Ace of Base...How could anyone be away from this puppybutt!

We are going to relax and spend time together. That is what is pushing me through the week. I am SO happy. Miguel and I have not been on vacation in I think 2 years?? And who knows...someone might come home tatted up :)