I run for firemen.

This weekend is one I've been looking forward to for a long time! Although I really debated about it and hemmed and hawed about it forever, I finally registered for the WOMEN ROCK 10K taking place in St.Paul this Saturday... I'll be running 6.2 miles alongside my sister and some of her friends, as well as my aunt. Since the race is exclusive to women, the only men that will be there will be firefighters from the St.Paul Fire Department Calendar as they give all the finishers of the 10K a women rock pendant with a pink saphire! --Good looking men giving me jewelry just for running? Sign. Me. Up. Oh, did I mention the post-race party and my free champagne flute filled with bubbly? Or the pink running jacket that I will be wearing during my chillier runs this fall? Can't forget those important details! I'll stop now.... :) 

In all seriousness, I'm so excited to finally have another race to look forward to and to give me motivation to keep training. I've been consistent with my running, and I've grown to truly love it. I don't dread my runs anymore and I find myself looking forward to them--typically on Monday nights. The last two weeks have consisted of 7 mile runs. I've even stopped (most of the time) running with headphones in/music on because I found that I can really find peace when I'm on those long runs without it! I've come to realize that I'm probably never going to be a fast runner--and that is just fine with me. I run by feel, not by speed and when I focus too much on checking the good ol' garmin every few minutes, my run becomes that much less enjoyable, so I've learned to simply ignore it. A run is a run is a run! :)  

showing love for the locals!

Growing up, there were many things I hated about living in a small town. The drama, the gossip, the boredom, the lack of a Caribou Coffee, the list goes on and on! However, now that I'm an adult and am married with 2 kids, I live in an even SMALLER town than I used to.....And I love it! Being in Darwin, I'm so blessed to have so many wonderful communities surrounding us. What I don't love, however is that the nearest Target is 25 miles away, the nearest decent mall (and Caribou) is more like 40miles away. Not cool.
Luckily for me, our surrounding communities have some pretty awesome local stores in them and I love to do my shopping at them whenever possible! For instance, if you haven't been on HWY 12 recently heading through Dassel, then you may not have had a chance to stop by JM CREMPS, the new adventure store for boys. Ryder and I visited this store after having lunch with Max last week and he hasn't stopped talking about it since. He now refers to it as his new favorite store and he pointed out just about everything and told me to 'put it on his Christmas list' for Santa.... Ummm, a one-stop shop for ALL of Ryder's Christmas shopping??? YES PLEASE, SIGN ME UP! :) The store is actually right across the street from Max's work (how convenient ;)) in the old train depot. The store is simply amazing, with lots of different 'themed' rooms holding everything boys of all ages want to get their hands on: hunting, fishing, camping, toys, projects, books, the list goes on and on. Their grand opening is actually this weekend (Labor Day Weekend) and you will definitely make sure you stop by and check it out! If you can't make it this weekend-- check out their website!
Other favorites of mine include DeeAnn's Country Village in Litchfield, Little Red Hen and Whimsy Green Occasional Shops in Dassel, Chuck's Floral in Cokato, and Ali J Boutique and Happy Sol in New London. For some reason, my wallet is much lighter after visiting these stores, but I'm okay with that!
Happy Monday.... :)

I want to teach you...

It's a rainy kinda morning....cloudy, kind of chilly, and the kind of morning that makes me crave a caramel mocha, lounge in my sweats, spend an hour on skype with my bestie, play with my babies, and pin like crazy, obviously. So that is exactly what I've been doing and will continue to do all day today!
Speaking of my bestie, I was on her pinterest board today and stumbled across a blog with a link to "Raising a Girl: 100 things I want to teach my daughter" so I read it of course. I loved it.
I find myself thinking constantly about what kind of a girl I hope to raise Piper as.... Some of my favorites of the list were:
Beauty is a state of mind, not a state of body.
There will always be mean girls – that doesn’t mean we find a tower and Rapunzel ourselves away from the world.
Your daddy has loved you better and longer than any boy ever will.
Cook, decorate, clean, organize because you love to, not because someone tells you you’re meant to. (Amen!!!)

Staying up late to read a good book is never time wasted.

I’m on your side; especially on the days when it doesn’t feel like it.

Always fight fair. But don’t be afraid to fight

Long hair requires a really good conditioner.

A good cry is great therapy.

Dad will be the one helping you with math homework.

If it makes you feel uncomfortable, don’t do it, wear it or say it.

Challenge yourself.

Jesus loves you. Always.

You will always be my baby girl    ..........so very, very true :) 

For a complete list of the 100 things, click here :)   Hope you are all enjoying this rainy/cloudy/ishy day as much as I will be :)