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Saturday, July 30, 2011

barefooting update...

It's been about 4 weeks since I bought my NikeFree's.  At first I didn't experience any leg fatigue or pain.  I've done a long (ish) run, a bunch of 5k length runs, and even a 5k race.  
I have slight shin pain (chronic issue) not as bad as I would think though, and it's not constant.  Otherwise nothing! :)   
I was definitely thinking it would be a rougher transition to a piece of running footwear that didn't have a lot of support.  It seems it's going pretty smoothly so far!  

Gotta get out there for a run...
Enjoy yours!


Thursday, July 28, 2011

going neutral





So, I know my posts have been on a slight hiatus! For that I am so sorry, I actually do not have Internet right now so it may be a trend for a while. There is so much going on at work, in life; I just want to keep a neutral spine, and a positive outlook.

Anyways, here's a peek at what I am wearing today.

Sleeveless sweater- Calvin Klein
Tank- target
Jeans - aero
Bracelet- no name found at the public market

Monday, July 25, 2011

lovin' the weekends

This weekend was absolutely splendid. Here's a short recap -

Friday- Wendy and I enjoyed a relaxing gals night out. Pedi's and dinner! The pedi's were Devine, just what I needed. We went to Applebees for dinner, ordered their sangria at the bar and ate some disgustingly unhealthy food! So much fun!

Saturday: Chris and I ran the Ten Ugly Men 5K race. It was SO HOT! I didn't PR, but I did reasonable considering the heat(28.32). After we went home to take cold showers and recoup to head back to the festival.
(every year the Ten ugly men do two charity events, the festival and the Ugly Disco)
So, there we were - Chris was playing kickball in the tournament (they won the championship!) and I hung out with our friend Sean. We walked, drank beer, ate delicious food and enjoyed some mediocre bands playing good music.

Sunday- I went into work for a few hours and then Chris and I headed out to my parents house. We smoked ribs, hung out in the sun and the pool. It was literally the PERFECT day! Sun was hot, but the breeze was cool and the pool water was so inviting. We came back home to our friends Will and Heidi hanging by a campfire making hobo sammies. :), and then we enjoyed a great episode of True Blood.

What did you all do this weekend?

Wednesday, July 20, 2011

the heat...


It's 93 degrees right now and it's nearly 5pm EST.  It's going to be a brutal 100 degrees tomorrow, and I'm praying for a thunderstorm (and a power outage at work? yes, please).  

What gets me through are thoughts of showing too much skin, short shorts, halter tops, festivals with wine slushies and lemonade, iced coffee, sleepless nights, and trips to the air conditioned store.   

As a kid I remember sitting in Kimmy's house playing Nintendo 64 and literally whining it was so hot!  Once Kim's dad was up, he worked nights at Kodak, we could go in the pool!  We played Baywatch off the raft for HOURS!  Then we would bath in the sun on the scorching hot concrete driveway, lying on the thinest towels.   Inevitably we would hop back in the pool to cool off again, rinse and repeat.    We had some great summers, definitely some hot summers, but great they were.  

What gets you through the hottest of hot days? 

Sunday, July 17, 2011

how to... dress for a wedding?

Tis the season for summertime weddings!  I never know what to wear.  Of course, you don't want to overshadow the bride... yet, you want to look your best out of respect for her.  It's challenging to say the least. 

White is OUT!  Do not wear any kind of white dress to a wedding - my personal opinion of course, is not to even wear a flowered white dress.   What should you wear, you ask?  Well here are what I will be trying to rock to the 3 (yes, 3!) weddings I have this coming August... 

Now for the financially frugal, or savvy (whichever you prefer), places like Forever 21 and Charlotte Russe offer some really adorbs dresses.   And for only $15-$30/dress you can probably afford to get 2!
Here are my favorites: 



Paisley Print Maxi with Leatherette Trip via Forever 21

Some weddings may be fancier then others; this dress offers a great deal of pizzaz.  It can be dressed up with the appropriate accessories and heels.  Or, for the casual BBQ style wedding, a nice pair of gladiators and an adorable understated clutch will do the trick.

For a mere $24.80 it can be yours...












Ruffled Floral Print

This one is a little bit more dressy, yet still wearable outside of a wedding scene.  

Dress it up further with cute chunky heels and some bangles and you're all set.

Another steal at $22.80











For the more financially fortunate, I'm absolutely adoring these items for summertime weddings... 

Pleated one - shoulder dress

From Banana Republic, a store I literally drool over.  This dress is summery and I would TOTALLY rock to a wedding!

Cost: $98.00













Twist-strap Dress

Very understated, cool and comfortable.  Perfect for dual purpose.

Cost: Currently $34.99-$49.99 depending on color.  I prefer this rusty rose though :)












And for the disgustingly stinkin rich, I found the following dresses which I could not stop starring at!! 

Miu Miu | Floral Print Silk Satin Dress

This dress screams elegance.  Perfect for a fancy wedding, yet not too constricting so you can party down at the reception, and look incredibly important sipping your cocktails?  Yes, please!

Cost: $1,960













Dolce & Gabbana | Printed Silk Satin Dress

When I first saw this, I was parrusing through Net-A-Porter on my iPhone, and I had to zoom in.  I was so taken by the print!  It's simply Italian countryside on the top and Limoncello in Venice on the bottom!   Although this may fall into the "looking better then the bride" category, it's still very summery and I would say appropriate for the reception at least!

Cost: $2080











You don't need all the money in the world to look great at a wedding that isn't yours - although, that D&G dress might be worth saving a whole months salary to purchase! :)  

What is your favorite style to rock at a wedding? 

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

on being barefoot...



I'm sure we all grew up the same.  By that I mean, running around with no shoes on in the summer time. Feeling that cool grass between your toes - or maybe the boiling sand...  Grass stains from the freshly cut lawn, or mud from a rainy day.   I personally love being barefoot, so when I read about this Barefoot Running theory it definitely sparked my attention.  

I've decided to go ahead and try this to the best of my ability.  What I mean by that is, I have various chronic injuries from the years of running and Irish dancing and a nasty pronation issue.  So, instead of going cold into running with zero footwear to protect my little piggies, I decided to go with the NikeFree sneaker.  A sneaker which offers significantly less support than the Mizuno Wave's I was previously/currently sporting.   

So, far I'm seriously impressed!  No pain in my calves or achilles tendon - no pain in my shins (chronic issue) - no fatigue in my legs while running.   Overall, I'm happy.  Now, I've only been running in these things for a week... still, I will keep you posted as to the status of this endeavor.   

If you're a runner - check out the Theory, and the new inventive footware they've come out with (Vibram Five FingersNew Balance MinimusNikeFree and many more). 




Friday, July 8, 2011

haut, hott, HOT


As I get ready for work in the morning I like to listen to the news.  It's really the only time I tap into what's going on outside of my own little bubble and, honestly, to check the weather! 
The weather man reported today that this weekend will be a scorcher!  High 80's through Sunday, and I can't be happier!    Although Saturday our kids have a Feis (competition), and they are looking SO GOOD by the way, I will be inside most of the day.  But, Sunday I have the day to enjoy the sun, bronze my skin, and enjoy some nice cold adult beverages.  Maybe I can even talk Chris into having a camp fire in his back yard :) !!   As they just instituted mandatory 10 hours of overtime starting next week at work, I see my spare time during the week swiftly drifting away.   This will make every weekend the absolute epitome of a "stay-cation".  As I will try to relax, and cram-a-lam everything I'd normally do during the week, into what seems like the smallest window of two days!  Still, even with being busier than a bee - I will take time, even if just a few moments, to sit down and enjoy a Mojito. 

How will you be spending your weekend?

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

the green mountain state...





For the 4th of July holiday we visited Chris's family in Vermont.   It's always a fun and relaxing time, and this trip we decided to conquer Camel's Hump - one of the highest peaks in Vermont.   It was by far the toughest hike I've ever done.  Lots of big rocks and balancing - my calves are still sore!   I, of course, did it in my Chacos and ended up with Green Mountain soil in every crevice of my toe nail beds.   It was the perfect day for a hike... cloudy, not too hot, and had just rained so just slightly humid.   However, when we reached the summit we were a little disappointed with the not so 360 view we'd been promised.   Unfortunately it was SO FOGGY that all we saw when we looked up off that highest peak was WHITE!   It started to clear up slightly as we headed back down the mountain, the lack of reward for the 1.5 hour hike made the walk down a little harder than normal, but it was worth the struggle and  I would definitely go back and do it again!   

I hope your weekend was as fun, fireworks, and family filled as mine was!

xx