August Foodie Pen Pals Reveal Day!

I had another amazing month of Foodie Pen Pals!  First I'm going to tell you a little bit about Foodie Pen Pals and then I will reveal the goodies!

Here’s what the program is all about:


-On the 5th of every month, you will receive your penpal pairing via email. It will be your responsibility to contact your penpal and get their mailing address and any other information you might need like allergies or dietary restrictions.
-You will have until the 15th of the month to put your box of goodies in the mail. On the last day of the month, you will post about the goodies you received from your penpal! 
-The boxes are to be filled with fun foodie things, local food items or even homemade treats! The spending limit is $15. The box must also include something written. This can be anything from a note explaining what’s in the box, to a fun recipe…use your imagination!
-You are responsible for figuring out the best way to ship your items depending on their size and how fragile they are. (Don’t forget about flat rate boxes!)
-Foodie Penpals is open to blog readers as well as bloggers. If you’re a reader and you get paired with a blogger, you are to write a short guest post for your penpal to post on their blog about what you received. If two readers are paired together, neither needs to worry about writing a post for that month. 
-Foodie Penplas is open to US & Canadian residents.  Please note, Canadian Residents will be paired with other Canadians only. We've determined things might get too slow and backed up if we're trying to send foods through customs across the border from US to Canada and vice versa. 

If you’re interested in participating for August, please CLICK HERE to fill out the participation form and read the terms and conditions. 

You must submit your information by September 4th as pairings will be emailed on September 5th!

This month I was lucky enough to get paired with Summer Blankenship this month! She tweeted me several times this month about her box being one of her best...and boy was she right!!!  It was slam packed full of goodies!!!  I also love that she sent me goodies in mind of my marathon training!  Thanks Summer!

Don't you just love getting packages in the mail??? :-)

She had everything wrapped in bubble wrap!

And the sweetest note...filled with recipe cards!!!!

I'm not a great cook but usually I can follow a recipe! :-)

And here's a picture of all the goodies Summer sent me!

• Dried cherries. Sooo good!  I'm usually not much of a fan of cherries but these were so yummy!!!
• Fruit strips. These were a hit with my boys!  They loved them!

• Buddy Fruit Pouches. These were AWESOME!  I've seen so many kids with these but have never tried them.  My boys and I both loved them!!!

• Dark Chocolate Espresso Beans. This was shared with the whole family AND the grandparents!  Sooo good!!! Who doesn't like dark chocolate with a taste of coffee???  YUM!
• Vega Energizing Smoothies. You all know how much I like these!  If you haven't seen my review of these you can read it here!  She also sent the Vega Pre-Workout Energizer and the Vega Electrolyte Hydrator.  I haven't tried these yet...I'm saving them for when I run those high mileage runs (like 18, 20, or 22).  

• Reusable Shopping Bag from Publix. I'm excited about using this bag on my next shopping trip to Publix!  I think I might use it next month when I am shopping for my Foodie Pen Pal!!! :-)

Thank you sooo much Summer for such an amazing package!!!!

I sent my box to Melissa...she doesn't blog so I can't show it to you...but hopefully she enjoyed her goodies from me! :-)

QOTD: What yummy foods are found only in your area?

Hurricane Road Trip!

Well as most of you know, me and my boys evacuated for Hurricane Isaac.  We headed to Tennessee with my friend Stephanie and her three kids.  We left Sunday afternoon when the storm looked like it was heading straight towards us.  It may have been a little early to leave since they hadn't even closed schools yet but we wanted to beat the traffic.  I was a little uneasy about leaving when I didn't know for sure about school but I felt like it was the right thing to do.  On the way there we got the call that school was closed Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  That made me feel a lot better about our decision to leave.  Fortunately, the storm made a turn west and here at home we only got a lot of rain and wind (that we are still feeling today). Although I am glad our home is safe....I so feel for the people in Mississippi and Louisiana where the storm went.  Such devastation.  I am praying for all these people and I know you are too.

So our evacuation turned into a mini vacation!  We stayed at Stephanie's in-laws' house and they were so nice and so awesome for letting us come and invade their house!  Not only was it me and my boys and Stephanie and her kids....but another one of our friends Michelle arrived on Monday with her three kids!  So we had a total of 4 adults, 8 kids, and 5 dogs in the house those 3 days!!!  Crazy!  But the kids all had a blast!  They got to "swim" in the hot tub (the water wasn't hot) which they LOVED!

They got to eat watermelon, have a bonfire, and see fireflies for the very first time!!!  They thought the fireflies were sooo awesome!!!

We also got to go to a pool at the town's rec center and swim.  Hayden got to jump off the diving board for the first time!  Hate I couldn't get a picture of it!  Our friend Michelle who came to stay too...it was her little girl Hannah's 11th birthday!  We ate lunch at a Mexican restaurant and she had some birthday fun there!

Stephanie's mother-in-law had bubbles for all the kids!  They of course had a blast with these!

On the way there I didn't get to take pictures of the mountains because it was dark when we got there.  I took TONS on the way home though!  I LOVE the mountains and although we didn't get to go hiking it is a definite must next time we go there!

The kids were in awe of the mountains and the side of the road where you could see rock!  My kids have never seen this...it's pretty flat and coastal where we are.

Such beautiful scenery!!!

It was really weird to me that they had "runaway truck ramps" for the big diesel trucks...in case they were going too fast coming down the mountain they could use these to slow themselves down!  Luckily, we didn't see any trucks having to use these.

As you can see I took so many pictures as we were driving!  It was just sooo beautiful and majestic!  Of course the pictures don't do it justice!

This was a bridge I saw from the road as we were coming into Chattanooga.  I learned later that it is a walking bridge!  (Running for me lol)

 

Sawyer's best friend Sophie moved to Chattanooga last Christmas.  So of course we had to stop to see her on our way home! Sawyer and Sophie have been best friends since they were babies!  It was one of the toughest days as a mom when Sophie had her goodbye party and Sawyer had to say goodbye to her.  He cried and cried and it broke my heart!  Luckily, Sophie came and graduated Pre-K with Sawyer and their class in May and she got to stay overnight at our house for one of the nights she was here.

They were so excited to see each other!!!

And I was sooo excited to see Sophie's mom, Stephanie!  I've missed her sooo much!!!

Here I am with my two Stephanie's!!!  Yes two of my best friends are named Stephanie!!!  :-)

I told you we had a ton of kids with us!!!!  They were all excited to be visiting Sophie and her new and gorgeous house in Chattanooga!!!

Always have to have a goofy pic with my children lol!

 Sophie held Sawyer's hand and walked him out to the car when it was time to leave.  So sweet!!!

It was sooo great to see our friends in Chattanooga!

I ate way too much yummy food while in Tennessee so I've got to get back on track.  I took my running clothes and shoes but never got the opportunity to run.  So I missed one of my runs for this week.  I DID do my burpees and planks every day though!  I just went to the privacy of my bedroom there to do them! :-)

Even though the hurricane didn't come our way, I am thankful we evacuated because we got a mini vacation out of it AND got to see Stephanie and Sophie!  It made it all worth it!  When we got home last night the boys cried because they had so much fun and didn't want it to end.  Back to reality!

Thanks Stephanie for letting us road trip to Tennessee with you!!!  We had a blast!!!

QOTD: Do you prefer mountains or the beach?

Wordless Wednesday

QOTD: What caption would you give this picture?

Tennessee Fun and Zipfizz WINNER!

I hope everyone is safe from the hurricane back home!  I am posting from Tennessee.  We are enjoying our visit with friends. The boys are having a blast! We had a bonfire last night and they got to see fireflies for the first time! They were pretty excited!

They've been having fun playing in the hot tub too! We only wish Daddy was here with us. 


I wanted to announce the winner for the Zipfizz Giveaway!!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Congratulations Vickie A!!!!  Please email me at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com with your mailing address so I can get your info to Zipfizz and you can get your free Zipfizz!!!

QOTD: Do you have fireflies where you live?

The Weekly Chase...Hurricane Isaac

It's time for The Weekly Chase!!! I'm so thankful Melissa at Live, Love, and Run started this!  It keeps me accountable each week and I love that!  Link up with us if you haven't already!


Here are my goals from last week:

• Goal #1: Continue the Burpee Boom Challenge. CHECK! I've done a total of 210 burpees this week!!!  
• Goal #2: Make an appointment for a sports massage. FAIL. Yep I totally forgot about this until Saturday when I was running 11 miles.  :-(
• Goal #3: Make Sawyer's 5th birthday special! CHECK!!! Sawyer had a blast!  You can read my recap on his birthday here.

Overall I did pretty good for the week.  And I got through the first week of my baby being in Kindergarten!!!  So that's an accomplishment for sure! :-)

Here are the goals for this week:

Goal #1: Continue the Burpee Boom Challenge. This is the last week of the challenge!  The goal is to do 250 burpees this week!!!  My plan is to do 40 burpees for 4 days and 30 burpees for 3 days to equal 250.  How is everyone else doing with the challenge???

Goal #2: Stay safe from Hurricane Isaac. Yes there is a hurricane heading our way.  We left yesterday and headed to Tennessee to get out of the storm's path.  I rode out Hurricane Ivan and Hurricane Katrina.  I didn't have any kids yet with Ivan....and that was one of the scariest nights of my life.  With Katrina Hayden was 3 weeks old.  Now that they are older I just can't stay for another hurricane.  It would scare my two boys to death.  My hubby however opted to stay.  Please say prayers that he stays safe.  

With all of this going on...I did not make any other goals for this week.  I'm not sure what the week is going to bring so I have to have goals that I know I can accomplish.  Please forgive me if I don't get to post much this week...I'm not sure what kind of internet service I will have this week.  I hope everyone has a great week!  And if the hurricane is in your path...please stay safe!!!

QOTD: What are your goals for the week?

Don't forget to enter my Zipfizz Giveaway!  It ends tonight at 12PM EST!

Runner Spotlights #2

This weekend has been super busy...again!  I had an 11 mile run yesterday morning.  Then we had the boys' birthday pool party yesterday afternoon.  They had so much fun!!!

After the party, Stephanie and I had to go pick up the stuff that didn't sell at the consignment sale.  The good news is that it seems like a lot of my stuff sold...ALL of my big items sold.  I did have a stack of clothes left and some shoes.  The bad news is I still don't know how much money I made but should find that out soon.

Another thing we are watching this week is this tropical storm that is coming into the Gulf...Isaac.  I'm debating on whether we should stay here...or if we should evacuate.  If we evacuate we will head to Tennessee with Stephanie.  Just so you know....it's pretty much coming straight my way!  :-(

It's time for another runner spotlight!  If you want me to spotlight you send me an email at mindy@roadrunnergirl.com!

This week I am spotlighting Melissa from 13 Going On Crazy!  Melissa is one half marathon away from completing her challenge of running 13 half marathons in 13 months!  Her last half marathon is next weekend in Disneyland!  What an ending!  Read on to learn more about this inspiring runner!

When and why did you start running?

I started running in the summer of 2005, my first summer living fulltime in LA. When I got started, I could run about 1 mile. Then I built up to 2 miles. I ran my first race in Phoenix at the Rock and Roll Half Marathon, in January 2006. From there, I took a short running hiatus and picked it up again in 2008 and have been signing up for races ever since.

What is your favorite race and race distance?

I took my first steps at Epcot in Walt Disney World, maybe that is why I love RunDisney so much. Though I love all RunDisney events my favorite is the Disneyland Half Marathon. Though this was my second half marathon, this was the race where I realized how much I love running and that it was a sport that I wanted to continue participating in.

What is your race day routine?

On race day I always and only eat a banana before the race and I pack a GoGo SqueeZ Apple Sauce in my pocket. I know that it is strange to be eating apple sauce on the run, but it works well for me. 

What is your most favorite piece of running gear?

I am a gadgets geek! If it needs to be charged I will most likely love to get my hands on it! My favorite running gear is my Garmin 610. Syncing my runs and being able to visually see how far I have come in terms of my training always pushes me to go harder and further.

Do you follow any diet or take any specific supplements that complement your running?

I eat very clean, no junk, nothing fried, and very balanced. I limit my carb intake to only 1 meal a day and it will most likely be at dinner, as I never know what the night will hold! I also drink at least 2 bottles of Smart Water a day, which is a lot of water for petite person!

What do you wish you’d known when you first started running?

I am a type A person, which naturally makes me competitive, I wish that I would have realized sooner that when it comes to running that I am only competing against myself.

What is your fondest running memory?

Each and every time I run right down the middle of Main Street towards the castle in both Walt Disney World and Disneyland it's the most thrilling and exhilarating moment for me as a runner. At this point of the race everything simply clicks. Besides crossing the finish line, this moment makes all of the miles, training, pain, early morning runs, and sweat worthwhile.  

What is one thing that most people do not know about you?

I love edamame and green beans, but I hate peapods!!

Here are all the different ways you can connect with Melissa!

Blog: www.13goingoncrazy.com

Twitter: www.twitter.com/13goingoncrazy

Facebook: www.facebook.com/13goingoncrazy

Pinterest: www.pinterest.com/13goingoncrazy

Instagram: 13goingoncrazy

Thanks so much for sharing with us Melissa!!!

QOTD: Do you evacuate for hurricanes? Or do you just ride them out?

Don't forget to enter my Zipfizz Giveaway!!! 

Sweating...Is it GOOD for you?

I sweat...A LOT!  Yes it's true!  I may even sweat worse than a man.  It's kind of ridiculous and kind of embarassing.  So after my 11 mile run this morning I was wringing the water sweat out of my running skirt!  That's a lot of sweat!  And it happens every time I run long.  I look like I've just stepped out of the shower with all my clothes on!  I guess sweating is good for you?  One of the ladies I run with said it gets all the toxins out of your body.  With how much I sweat there should be NO toxins left in my body lol!

So I did some research (what did we ever do without Google) and found out that sweat IS GOOD for you!  Yay!!!  Here are some benefits to sweating that I found on Fitday:

When you sweat, you breathe faster, your heart works more, your circulation improves and your metabolism accelerates, all in an effort to resume your normal body temperature. Because your circulation is increased during sweating, many of the toxins and impurities are able to exit your body by way of your open skin pores. This is a good reason to exercise to the point of sweating or to sit in a steam room regularly.

Your skin also benefits from sweating. Your skin pores open and any dirt or impurities on the surface layers of the skin have a chance to exit. Sweating regularly, if followed by proper cleansing, will help you to achieve softer and smoother skin.

It is believed that the immune system also benefits from sweating. When your body heats up, your body generates more white blood cells. This strengthens your immune system.

Sounds good to me!  I'm all for an increase in metabolism, toxins escaping from my body, softer and smoother skin, and a better immune system!!!  Now I don't feel so bad that I am a sweaty beast after running!  I'm helping my body out!!! :-) So yay for sweat!  #SweatPink!

This morning I ran 11 miles with the Sole2Soul Sisters!  These ladies just amaze me every week!  They are doing soooo great!!!! I can't believe we are only 5 weeks away from our race!!!

The run was great this morning!  I got to run the whole thing with my SweatPink (and Sole2Soul) Sister Holly from Running and Baking, Oh My!  She really helped me keep going...and stay on pace!  Especially during that last mile...whew it was tough!  We've decided we will be pace partners from now on!!! :-)

I'm so thankful to have great friends to run with...and that don't mind my sweaty self lol! ;-)

QOTD: Do you sweat a lot?  Or are you one of those people who barely glistens?

Fitness Friday and Birthday Celebration!

It's Fitness Friday!  Here's the rundown of my runs and workouts this week!

• Saturday- #plankaday 1:33, 15 burpees for the Burpee Boom Challenge, 10 mile run in 1:55:15 average pace 11:31
• Sunday-  #plankaday 2:15, 15 burpees
• Monday-  #plankaday 2:20, 30 burpees
• Tuesday-  #plankaday 3:04 A NEW PR!!!, 30 burpees

• Wednesday-  #plankaday 2:31, 30 burpees, 3.11 mile run in 31:02 average pace 9:59

• Thursday-  #plankaday 2:02, 30 burpees, 3 mile treadmill run in 32:59 average pace 10:59, free weights and machines at the gym...arms

• Friday-  #plankaday 2:22, 30 burpees

I did great with my runs this week but I'm still not where I need to be with strength and cross training.  I seriously need to make a plan.  I suck without a plan.  Plus...I walk into the gym and I just don't know what to do.  

Sawyer had an awesome birthday!  Thanks so much for all the birthday wishes to him!  And yes...you know I have to share pictures of his birthday celebration with you!  Warning...he's in this stage where I just can't get him to smile a real smile for pictures lol!  So some of them are pretty scary lol!

Here he is at recess at school!  I took sugar cookies up there to share with his class at snack time!

The men in our family all stick out their tongues when they are focusing or concentrating on something lol!  It's quite funny!

He made the funniest expressions when opening his presents!!!

Does anyone else's boys play with these "trash pack" things?  My boys love them!

Grandma and Papa gave him money to spend!  

Sawyer picked Mellow Mushroom for his birthday dinner...yum!!!

He asked for a funfetti cake with blue icing and sprinkles....so that's what I made him! :-)

Saturday we are celebrating again!  We are doing a double birthday party for both Hayden and Sawyer...it's a pool party so it should be a blast!

QOTD: Do you have any suggestions for me for strength training workouts I can do at the gym or at home? I need help!

Don't forget to enter my Zipfizz Giveaway!!!