moving forward, Thankful

Thankful #5

Movin' it with Michelle

Today was a pretty hectic day, so this post will be short and sweet.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. The ugliness in my life, for it helps me appreciate the beauty.
  2. Two years ago today my husband returned on U.S. soil after being deployed to Iraq for a year. So I am so thankful he came home safely, again.
  3. Quick dinners for busy nights. I made a large batch of meatballs on Sunday so I didn’t have to cook today! Winning!
  4. My dog. Even after the hardest day at work, he’s there at the door to greet me and he makes all the “yuck” go away.
  5. 70 degree evenings. I’ve my slider opened and am listening to the sand cranes wiz by while they sing their evening songs.
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My Sammy, begging for food more times than not, LOL

 

What are you thankful for today? Do you have pets? How is the weather where you are at?

Cheers,

Michelle

half marathon training, moving forward, Thankful

Week 8 long run/Thankful #4

Movin' it with Michelle

I have been down for the count for exactly 3 weeks. My last long run was Christmas where I was able to run 5 miles fairly easily as I’ve been running 3-4 miles for quite some time. I’ve only walked/ran a couple of times since then, so decided I either 1. get off my butt and run (even if that meant some walking due to coughing still), or 2. ditch the notion of running the Gasparilla half marathon on February 24th in St. Petersburg FL. My hubby is also running this race, but is three weeks ahead of me in training and I know he didn’t want to slow down to run my slower pace so I sent him off for his long run so I could run solo.

The temps were in the perfect low 60’s and there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. There were however, left over winds from the crazy storms we got last night which took my breath away several times. I ran the first loop (3.2 miles) slowly but I felt quite strong. I started to feel a little light headed, so I ran past my house to fuel and take a potty break. I had a HUMA chia gel which are my go-to for long run fueling, some water, and I headed back out. I did ok until I hit mile 5 and this was my “wall” to today’s long run. I slowed to a pace of 11:54 and mile 6 was an 11:53. Thankfully I caught a second wind and my last mile was 11:14 with an average pace of 11:18. I am learning that it’s not always about pace, and that I need to celebrate the distance.

 

Today I am thankful for:

  1. Long runs=therapy sessions. I am thankful for the hour and twenty minutes I had to myself to think, process issues and just enjoy the sunshine.
  2. The ability to run as I get older. My knees have 30+ years of running in their  history and I often struggle with a short run. Thankfully supplements, creams, and knee braces are my saving grace.
  3. Sleeping in. I know, I used this one yesterday but having the extra day to the weekend did wonders for my sleep deprivation.
  4. Sunshine and perfect running weather.
  5. Perspective. I used to always worry about running faster and running farther. Now I simply try my hardest and enjoy every mile.

Did you work today? What’s your favorite way to release stress? Are you training for any races right now?

Cheers,

Michelle

 

Disney, Thankful

Epcot Festival of the Arts/Thankful #3

Movin' it with Michelle

We had gone back and forth on whether or not we were going to go to Epcot’s Festival of the Arts today. With all the storms up north, or temperatures plummeted into the 40’s with gusty winds of 20-30 mph. BRRRRR!! But I am so glad we ended up going despite the chilly temps. Epcot is my favorite of all the parks, and we always end up having a great time. It was the perfect wrap up to my birthday weekend.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. My family. They have taken such good care of me these last three weeks and went above and beyond to spoil me.
  2. Yummy food. I truly enjoy a good plate of food and love that my daughters have grown a love for food as well.
  3. Living within driving distance to Disney/Epcot. We love the  parks and festivals and all they have to offer throughout the year.
  4. Naps. Now that I am in my mid-to-later 40’s I catch a 20 minute cat nap whenever possible. Who knew someone could be SOOOO tired. I blame my inability to sleep more than a few hours at a time.
  5. Days off. I have tomorrow off, and I tell you what, I am ready for a day of just relaxing!!!

Here are some pics from the Festival of the Arts today:

 

Us!
Deconstructed Rueban sandwich
My baby
Sushi “donut”
Deconstructed BLT-YUM

What are you thankful for today? Have you ever been to the different festivals at Epcot? Are you working tomorrow?

Cheers!

Michelle

moving forward, Thankful

Thankful #2

Movin' it with Michelle

Today was a beautiful day. While not quite “beach” weather for this now transplanted Floridian, the sun was out and the ocean was calling me. We decided to celebrate my 46th birthday today since in fell on a work day last Thursday. Lunch in Tarpon Spring FL, followed by walking around a craft fair and spending an hour on the beach listening to the waves crash completed our afternoon. We finished the day with dinner, at a place called Rooster and the Till in Seminole Hghts FL, which I’ll talk about in a separate post.

Today I am thankful for:

  1. Living within driving distance of the beach. It truly heals what ails me.
  2. Simple things like craft fairs and small towns.
  3. My dog. I swear he loves me more than anyone else on this planet.
  4. My family. We had such a fun day just bumming around, and I wish my oldest could’ve shared it with us.
  5. Sunshine. While it does rain here a lot during the summer months, more days than not the sun is available to soak in the rays and erase any stress even if only temporarly.

What are you thankful for? What’s your favorite place to eat out at?

 

Sunset Beach, Tarpon Springs FL

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward, Thankful

Thankful #1

Movin' it with Michelle

My friend Maria over @RunningFlaps is posting daily 5 things she is thankful for. While I will be realistic that I won’t post every day, I am going to make a concerted effort to post daily. This will one, help me in my goal of writing more and two, help me appreciate my daily life. Here goes…

  1. I am thankful for my family. They spoiled me with cards and flowers for my birthday yesterday and we have a fun filled weekend planned to celebrate my 46 years on this planet.
  2. I am thankful for my job. While I don’t love it, it helps provide for my family.
  3. I am thankful for living in Florida. Tomorrow I will get my first taste of Vitamin “Sea” in almost 6 months and I really need it.
  4. I am thankful that my almost 3 week cold is finally starting to go away. While I still have my cough, its loosened and lessened and I will celebrate small victories.
  5. I am thankful for the hundreds of Facebook messages, texts, phone calls and messages wishing me a happy birthday yesterday.

What are you thankful for today?

 

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward

Faith

Movin' it with Michelle

Today was a rough day. Heck, this year has been rough from day one. Between getting bronchitis for New Years, and the relentless work stress I’ve endured over the last year and a half, lets just say STICK A FORK IN ME.

I don’t usually talk about work on here. It’s bit me in the butt before, so I usually keep my work whoas to myself. No, whoas isn’t a word. But a couple of months ago I stood in the middle of my lab and prayed. I am a firm believer in faith, and while I don’t go to a physical church, I pray, and I pray a lot. I asked God for help…was this really it for me in my almost 30 year career? He answered that call literally 15 minutes later with a call from a recruiter about an amazing opportunity. Resume updated, reference list updated, and several phone interviews later and I felt like I was well on my way.

The holidays set things back quite a bit but I remained positive. There HAD to be something better out there for me. Today I had a rough day at work, but since my cough was getting better I headed out for a walk/run. My daughter joined me for the second half of my walk, and shortly after she joined me, I got the text. I wasn’t chosen to move to the next round. My heart dropped.

 

I asked God why on earth he’d tease me with such an opportunity knowing how much I’ve struggled in my current position? Why give me that sort of hope. Why?

I don’t have answers for these questions. I only have to keep the faith that there IS something better out there for me.

 

How do you deal with difficult situations? Have you ever suffered from disappointment like this?

Cheers,

Michelle

food, Recipes

Blue cheese beef meatballs, mushroom gravy and cauliflower mash

Movin' it with Michelle

This year has started out a little rough for me. While I had talked about Self-love last week on the blog, with intentions of making more time for the things I love AND me in general, I instead continued to battle this wretched cough/cold. This weekend I finally felt better enough to venture out of the house with my daughter, and we got our nails done, ran errands, had lunch with a great friend and did a little shopping. I was a little worn out this afternoon, but was determined to get back to my Sunday supper ritual.

Today’s menu consisted of Blue cheese beef meatballs, mushroom gravy, and cauliflower mash with a side of sautéed asparagus.

Blue Cheese Beef meatballs

One pound of ground beef

1 cup of blue cheese crumbles

1 egg

Salt and pepper to taste (about 1-2 tsps. of salt, 1 tsp pepper

1 tsp of dried oregano

Combine and let chill for an hour. Bring to room temperature while the oven is pre-heating to 350 degrees. Bake for about 30 minutes or until fully cooked.

Cauliflower mash

1 head of fresh cauliflower

1/4 cup of low fat cream cheese

2 tsps. of unsalted butter

1-2 tsps. of salt, 1 tsp of white pepper, 1 tsp of garlic powder

Cup up cauliflower and cook in boiling water until soft.

Combine all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process on high for around 2-3 minutes.

Mushroom gravy

1 tsp of unsalted butter

6-8 portabella mushrooms, chopped

1 garlic clove, minced

1 package of Lipton Onion soup mix

4 cups of unsalted/low sodium beef stock

1/4 cup heavy cream

2 tsps. of corn starch and cold water, mixed well (this is called a slurry, you’ll add it to thicken the gravy)

In a sauce pan melt the butter and add the mushrooms and garlic. Cook until lightly browned. Add in the beef stock, and onion soup mix until combined thoroughly. Add in the heavy cream and the corn starch slurry and bring to a boil. Reduce down, and let simmer for 20 minutes. Puree or leave chunky! Your call!

I rounded the dish out with some simple sautéed asparagus with a little salt, pepper, and a pat of butter.

cauliflower massh

Enjoy!!!

moving forward, real life adventures

Self-love

Movin' it with Michelle

This year on the blog I will be talking more about some good ole real life adventures and life in general. My goal is to write more, and knowing I have struggled with making myself a priority over the last several decades, I thought this would be a good Saturday evening topic.

Looking back on my life, my priorities have always been targeted on something other than me. My husband and taking care of things while he was gone on deployments, my kids and their happiness, and my job and juggling work and home life have always left “Me” at the end of the very long list of things I have been responsible for over the last several years. Because of the large bucket of balls I have juggled over the years, I have lost friendships, and somewhat have sort of lost myself. Now that my kids are getting older (one is grown and so far still out of the house but still struggling to find her way, and one is now 12 and is becoming more independent and self sufficient), I really want to see how I can make ME a priority this year.

Here’s a few things I have in mind for the upcoming year:

  1. I’ve updated my resume and am ready to start looking at progressing in my career. I’ve always taken the back seat to make sure I am home for my family, but I think the time is now to see if I can actually move forward in my career.
  2. I’ve signed up for a half-marathon the end of February with my husband. My training is on hold during the course of fighting this horrible cold, but I’ve still got plenty of time to properly train.
  3. I will make more time for the friendships I’ve made here in Florida. I’ve been lucky enough to be blessed having an old Air Force girlfriend here, and have made a couple of friendships I hope to develop. I’ve learned as you get older, it really is harder to make friends.
  4. Write more, and more often. Be it short excerpts, recipes, or just simple dialog, WRITE.
  5. Above all else, love myself a little more. Stop counting the grey hairs and wrinkle lines, and remember that I have been through so much in my life. I have earned every grey hair and every line that is carved in to my face.
  6. Lastly, continue on with my mantra of “Keep Movin’ Forward.” Yes, I am middle aged, yes, I will be 46 in a little over a week, but my life is far from over. I need to remember that it really is NEVER too late, and I still have time to do the things I want to in this life.

I watched one of my favorite movies tonight, “Mr. Holland’s Opus,” and was reminded that life may not always turn out how we wanted, but if we can touch other people’s lives and make this world a better place we should have no regrets.

receving-love-mlm-quote

What are your goals for this year? Do you have a favorite movie that resonates with you? I’ve thought about renaming the blog…any suggestions?

Cheers,

Michelle

moving forward, real life adventures

Friday night musings

Movin' it with Michelle

So it’s Friday night and I am ready to party…NOT. This darn cold has set me back nearly a week, and it’s taken everything in my power not to sleep 24-7. I called in sick on Wednesday, which is something I never do, and the last two days I coughed nearly non-stop. From what I hear, this cold is lasting up to three weeks, and I just don’t have time for that…I’ve got a half marathon to train for!!!

friday-nightexpectations-friday-night-reality-friday-nights-be-like-5589710

But the reality of it all, is that I shouldn’t complain about having a silly cold or my lapse in training. See, my neighbor lost her husband just a few short days before Christmas at the young age of 43, as he died suddenly in his sleep. He is leaving behind a wife and three children, and while we weren’t super close to them, we did spend some time with them over this last year and the loss is palpable in my neighborhood. Life. Is. Short.

So sleep in if that’s your fancy.

Tell those you care about, that you love them. Don’t just assume they know.

Pursue your dreams, and never settle.

Eat that slice of cake, or have that basket of French fries.

Live.

Keep Movin’ Forward.

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Have you ever lost someone suddenly? What is your guilty pleasure?

Cheers,

Michelle

 

goals, moving forward

New Year goals and thoughts

Movin' it with Michelle

I started out my 2019 with a nasty cold that has left me down for the count the last two days. Thankfully we were able to ring in the new year with some new friends that are also from the Chicagoland area, and are now Florida transplants as well.

I wanted to start my new year out with a run and list of goals for the year, neither of which have happened yet. So here’s my first draft, or more so a rough draft of some goals I have this year.

  1. Run at least 2-3 per week, and do core daily, even if that’s just a plank daily. I still have the #sixpackbysummer goal, and summer in Florida starts in just a couple of months. I am almost at my weight loss goal from last year, so I will continue to maintain and maybe lose an extra lb. or two.
  2. Sign up for more races, because to be honest its hard to keep my running motivation if I don’t have a race coming up. Our next half is the end of February in St. Pete, Florida. No goal time for that race, just want to finish strong. I missed last week’s long run, but hopefully this cough will be gone by the weekend so I can make up for it.
  3. Love myself more, and put myself first more. It’s always been about my family, my job, etc. etc. I need to make it more about me, cuz hey, my 46th birthday is right around the corner and I don’t have all the time in the world anymore.
  4. Write more, really write…I always wanted to write a book/cook book but here another year has passed and I haven’t pursued either. Again, time isn’t something I can waste anymore.
  5. And lastly, figure out how to make a living doing something I love. Not that my job isn’t important or that I dislike it. But I am ready to either move up in my career, or move on. But of course there are those bills to pay, so we shall see. I am not giving up hope.

What are you goals for 2019? Do you do resolutions?

2019meme

Happy New Year everyone!

Cheers,

Michelle