Lessons in Speed Work...

Nothing improves your 5k time

like running a rainy 3 miler

with a pup who hates water. 

But...

All gloat-filled PRs aside, 

this method is also the best way to find yourself 

giving aforementioned 60 lb water-hating Pitt Bull 

a bath before 7am on a Monday morning... 

...in the sparkly clean bathtub 

you just scrubbed not 12 hours ago. 

Blerg. 

Happy (rainy) Monday kids! 

Put a little Spring in your step!

Unlike chilly Chicago, 

Spring actually comes in April in Philly...

which is super awesome. 

Everyone (myself included) is noticeably happier. 

Here are some springtime pics of our hood. 

~~~~~

There are cherry blossoms around every corner.

Having never spent a spring 

in a city where these bloom,

I have to admit, 

I'm super enchanted.  

This giant beer has nothing to do with Spring...

I'm just happy I found a Happy Hour

with $5 Dos Equis Amber...

and friends to enjoy it with on Friday nights :-)  

Spring also means garden parties. 

Zack is a grill master. 

So good. 

We've also had one of those super hot days.

(86 degrees to be exact)

Which lead to strawberry DQ soft serve. 

Springtime selfie with the pup. 

Not having a porch means 

repotting plants in the living room...

very very carefully, 

I might add. 

Nice addition of JDog doing stretches on the sidelines too. 

New fav diner! 

 I mean really?!

How kickass is that sign...

and the dessert case? 

Anywhere with a case of desserts

gets my vote. 

Rewatching the Hunger Games

lead to rereading Catching Fire this weekend.  

Jax was not a happy camper,

as he too knew Spring meant more outside time.

And last but not least, 

Anthony has final crits soon...

So stuffing nutella inside chocolate chip cookies

seemed like the best medicine

to help him make it through the upcoming week. 

Now he'd better hurry up & come home

before I eat 2 dozen cookies. 

:-) 

How about you? 

How's spring shaping up? 

For my friends in Chicago 

with snow on the ground...

come visit! 

I'll save you some cookies!

(maybe)

Indddddddddddddy

Last weekend, my good friend
Renee got married.

Even better?
Many of my favorite people also live there.

Here are some pix from the craziness.

~~~~~

Steph, Molly and I after the ceremony

It's crazy that I've known these girls for more than 25 years! 

From Vegas trips to being teaching partners, 

Renee and I have definitely had some crazy times together. 

I was so happy to be able to be there for her wedding! 

Things I'm not good at: 

Making a decision about what to drink. 

So my usual choice is ALL drinks. 

Oops. :-) 

A good example of that? 

The photo below. 

About 10 years ago, 

(wow, I feel old)

Molly and I spent a Spring Break 

visiting Rosarae in Savannah....

and this pic was taken. 

While at the wedding, 

we got the bright idea to reenact it. 

(pretty close, right?)

Soon after, I received this gem

of Anthony and our friend Claire: 

Which gave us an idea that lead 

to lots of laughs over the weekend. 

If you want to try your luck at the pose, 

please don't hesitate and then send it my way! 

The view from the reception was great! 

Once the reception was over, 

a large portion of the crew weren't ready for bed...

so we headed to good 'ole Ike-n-Joney's.

Even Renee and Sam joined us! 

Congrats! 

On Saturday,

I took Molly's dog, Zoey out for a run. 

We also headed out to our friend Heather and Kevin's house 

to try his homemade beer and wine. 

On the way there, I realized I lost my ID 

in the cab the night before. 

Awesome. 

Good thing I didn't have to catch a flight the next day. 

Oh, yes, yes I did actually. 

But even better? 

My mom sent me this to see if it would work: 

Yep, that's my Indiana ID card from 1997. 

hahahaha.

Later that night, 

we went to watch the Final Four. 

At 31 years old, 

I had to beg the door guy to let me in. 

I definitely used the photo above 

as evidence of my age. 

Lucky for me, it worked....

and I got to introduce Molly and Corey to Fireball Whiskey. 

Lots of it :-) 

Good times. 

The next morning mom and dad joined us for brunch! 

And then, before I knew it, 

it was time to head back to Philly. 

(Again) Lucky for me, 

TSA was awesome and let me 

on the plane without ID. 

Long layovers mean lots of gelato. 

 Adios Indy!
Hope to see you again soon!