2012 Color Run!

Last weekend I ran in my very first 5k! :) It's funny, because I technically "run" a 5k all the time, and it's ironic because I just skipped 5k's and went right to a 1/2 marathon! But, this was my first real honest to gosh 5k, it was the color run. I ran it with friends and with my cousins-in-law. The color powder they use sticks to everything, teeth, tongue, clothes, shoes, hair... everything. And it was great! I can't wait to do it next year with my entire family, I think my kids would have a blast!

A treadmill running we will go...

I learned to run on a treadmill when I started running about a year and a half ago, so it never bothered me to run indoors. But, then the weather got nice and I learned the beauty of running outside! Ever since I started running outside, the treadmill has been hell for me, boring, slow going, and I get tired much faster on the treadmill than outside. Then my amazing sister told me about a treadmill workout that she heard about on Reluctantly Healthy. I had to tweak it to fit my needs and fitness level, but I LOVE it. You start at a walk for 1 min. I have short legs so I can't walk at a 4.0 on the treadmill, I start with a 3.8. After a minute of that I jog at a 5.5 for one min. then back to walking at a 3.8 for a minute. Then I jog at a 6.0 for a minute, walk at a 3.8 for a minute, run at a 6.5 for a minute walk at a 3.8 for a minute... all the way up to a 9.0 sprint (well it's a sprint for me!). Then I go back down to an 8.5 for a min., walk at a 3.8 for a min. run at an 8.0 for a min., walk at a 3.8 for a min., run at a 7.5 for a min. walk at a 3.8 for a min.... all the way back down to a 5.5 where I started. It makes the time on the treadmill go so much faster! And apparently it's a really good run for weight-loss, I'll let you know if it works for my weight loss! Another fun thing I do when I am not doing sprint intervals and I just want a nice jog, I run at a normal jog pace (5.5-6.5 for me, depending on the day) and I will up the speed or lower the speed by .2-.5 with each song I run to. Helps things to not get so boring! I used to think that if you were a runner it meant you NEVER walked! That is NOT true at all. A lot of marathoners train by running for one minute after every mile they run. I'm not an expert, but if I am tired and need a breather I will walk for a bit, and I don't think there's anything wrong with that. I can still be a runner. If you aren't out to run and you're out more for "Wogging" (fun word courtesy of my friend Jessica. It means walking and running together) at least it's getting out and moving!

Fall!

This has been such a beautiful fall! It has been warm, sunny, dry, and very colorful. Yesterday our family got out to enjoy the season, we went apple picking raked leaves and then carved pumpkins with our cousins. I love fall!

The kitchen is the heart of the home

I've heard it said a million times, the kitchen is the center of the home! Back in the day houses had kitchens that were completely closed off from the rest of the house, but today it seems that the more modern approach is a great room style. So, for our new house we chose to do a great room style with our living room, kitchen and dining all in the same open area. I have a huge phobia though with great rooms, I CANNOT stand when I have to walk through the dining room to get to the kitchen, to me the eating area has to be in a completely separate space. I don't know why I'm this way, but I am. I like more of an "L" shaped great room, with the dining room off on its own and the only reason to go in there is if you need to eat. OK, so the first room in our home that we chose to design was the kitchen. I have wanted white cabinets for years, but we have only had a custom home one time before, and that was before I knew I wanted white cabinets so badly. This time around I was pretty set on what I wanted. There's a couple of choices for white cabinets though, the modern style of stark white cabinets, a cream white cabinet (my sister has this and it is gorgeous)and there's the more country style white glazed cabinets when they use a stain to cover the white and make it very rustic and country feeling. I'm feeling more modern these days with the blues and greens and grey's, so we decided to go with the stark white kitchen cabinets and a black island. Our design center introduced me to my new favorite website, houzz.com! Pinterest has NOTHING on this website. It's where professional architects and designers put pictures of what they have done in houses, thousands upon thousands of awesome ideas. Here is what I found for an idea for our kitchen cabinets, island and backsplash, is that backsplash detail not amazing?! The counter top will not be black, it will be more of a lighter colored granite, the wall color will be almost identical and so will the trim work. YAY Houzz.com, thanks for sharing your talent and beauty with the world, I fully intend to take advantage of it!!

Contemporary Kitchen design by Huntington Kitchen And Bath Mountaineer WoodCraft

Definition of Shenanigan; a: tricky or questionable practices or conduct —usually used in plural b : high-spirited or mischievous activity —usually used in plural I like to think of it as enjoyable things that a person likes to do, maybe at times those things are a little mischievous! I have a new blog! SHOCKER! I know I blog a lot, some of you might be thinking, "Why is Shalie doing another blog?" Well, the answer is pretty simple; I had a lot of people ask me where my photography blog went. After moving, I decided not to do photography as a profession, I enjoyed it so much more as a hobby. However, I still want a place that I can put my pictures other than my private family blog. I also wanted a place that I could put a lot of the other hobbies and activities I enjoy, home decorating ideas that I find or create, exercise or diet tips that I am failing at or that have helped me succeed, crafts that are done by other people and I am just green with envy that I don't have the talent to do it myself, etc. I figured that since we are just starting the process of building a new house, it is the perfect time to get some decorating ideas out there too! It's like my own personal pinterest page, just much more detailed! Thanks to everyone who missed my photography blog, you guys make me feel like a million bucks and like I can improve the world with my point of view and my creativity. Thanks for visiting!