Beautiful Weather+QT with my little family+Ironman Florida=AMAZING weekend!

What an awesome November weekend in Florida!  It started off with a hike in this beautiful fall weather with Dave and the pup!  Lucy loved it!!  She was darting in and out of the woods, running up and down the hills, and chasing everything that moved.  Meanwhile, I was enjoying the perfect fall temps and the changing leaves.

It was great to spend some QT with the hubs since we've both been working so much!

A little grasshopper decided to hitch a ride on my shoe :)

We then got up bright and early Saturday morning to head to Panama City for Ironman Florida....what an AWESOME experience!  Our good friend Kara was racing and did a fantastic job!  We are so proud of her and her accomplishments!  Every single athlete there competing was truly an inspiration, from the pros to the final finisher.  Watching each person cross the line and hearing those words "You Are An Ironman" gave me chills and made me slightly emotional.  Seeing the smiles on the faces, hearing the cheering of the families, and seeing the emotions of the finishers was so incredible.  I hope one day I hear the words "Khara, You Are An Ironman."  Only one way to get there....Let the training begin!  

Go Kara!!!! :)

One proud family!

The end to a fun day!  :)  (Except Lucy was not happy
with the gentle leader :P)

The Beginnings of a Crossfit Gym!

What happens when two guys in their 20's get bored?  Most would play video games....not my husband and neighbor.  Nope....what did they do?  They traveled out to podunk Florida in search of TRACTOR TIRES!!!  I tagged along, because come on...when do you get the chance to go on a tractor tire hunt?  We brought little Jonathan along too!  He was excited to hang out with the big kids!

  

So we began our adventure in Milton, Fl but came to find out we had to travel to Jay to find what we needed.  So we started the trek and before we knew it we were passing farm after farm with so many tires laying in the fields!  But we were all slightly nervous to go knock on some random person's door and ask them if we could have their tires....soooo the journey continued.  

After a few more stops (including a falling down barn & an abandoned building), we finally found this place....JACKPOT!!!!!

The guys went and asked and they were more than happy to hand over some tires....they definitely had plenty to choose from!

First, they found the BIG manly one!!  

Now the question was...how do they get it on the truck?  The big tire weighed in around 400 pounds!

They decided to each take a side.... (that's Mick in the back...he was the one who helped us out!  In honor of his help, Dave and Jesse are going to create a Workout of the Day and name it after him!

They got it in the truck....

And finally got it balanced on the edges.

Now time for the Khara sized tire!  Success!  This one was much easier to get on the truck.  Thanks Mick!

They were so proud of their find!

Now the challenge was getting it off the truck....WATCH OUT!  

Yay!  Now we have some tires to help diversify our workouts!  The dogs even love it!

What a fun adventure!  Now it's time to start doing some tire flips!

It Was a Soup Kind of Day

It was a chilly (relatively speaking) Florida morning....and I celebrated it with some good Chicken and Black Beacn soup (recipe courtesy of my dad!)!  Now granted, by the time we ate it, it was 80 degrees outside, but it's ok...it was still yummy and hit the spot!

Chicken & Black Bean Soup

 

 1.  Boil 2 chicken breasts. (You need 1 1/2 cups of chicken, so 

I used the extra and made some chicken salad!

 2.  Chop 1 carrot, 1 onion, and 1/2 red pepper

 3.  Drain and rinse 2 cans of black beans.

 4.  Saute the onions, carrots, and pepper in oil for about 5 min.

 5.  Add a little chili powder and cumin.

6.  Add the beans, a 16 oz jar of salsa, and 

3 cups of chicken broth.

**Let simmer covered for 20 minutes**

 7.  Stir in the chicken and let simmer another 5 minutes.

(I let it simmer for about 30 minutes to let the 

chicken take in some of the flavor)

 8.  Enjoy!  

We added some Mexican cheese, sour cream, hot sauce.

Perfect thing on a chilly day!  :)

A Week Full of Wedding Bliss

We recently got back from a trip to Virginia for my beautiful sister-in-law's wedding.  It was a week full of happiness, love, and family.  I am beyond thrilled for this amazing couple and wish them a lifetime full of happiness!
Here is a glimpse of how we put the decorations for the bachelorette party to use and my attempt at getting better at presentation!  Suggestions are more than welcome on how to improve!  :)

The sign!

The party favors and hot pink shoe name tags!

Strawberries & Grapes with mini white chocolate hearts throughout

Amazing cupcakes made by one of Heather's co-workers!  Not only were they pretty....they were DELICIOUS!

My imitation of Sonic's Limeade.
We took some cranberry gingerale, mixed it with limeade concentrate, added some ice and limes for garnish and Voila!  

 The final spread!

Semper Fi

Today was a PERFECT day!!!  Got an early run in, cheered on the Marines at a 5k, Sushi with some friends, and now watching some football!  Go Navy!

Lucy at the race (saying...really mom...ANOTHER picture!!!)

Go Dave!!!

 Such a pretty presentation! 

 MMMMMMMMMMM SUSHI!!!!!

Oops!  We ate 2 pieces before I took the picture!  

This was by far the best one!

Off to a bike race tomorrow!  I LOVE this!

Egg Yumminess

Yesterday I decided to get a little "creative" with breakfast (well, I used a Pioneer Woman recipe), but still, it was more than a bowl of oatmeal or a smoothie!  Huevos Hyacinth is what I attempted and once I got the cooking time figured out, it turned out pretty good!  It says to use ramekins, which I don't own, so I used my soup crocks!  Why not!

First you spray your ramekin and put a piece of ham in it.

You can really use any type of breakfast meat or deli meat.

Next, add a slice of tomato.

Gently crack an egg on top of the tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with your favorite cheese.
I used cheddar, but you can use feta, monterey jack, goat cheese, or whatever!

Broil on low for about 10-15 minutes...keep an eye on it!

I do the jiggle test!  Give it a little shake to tell if the egg is done.
Once it's finished, ENJOY! :)

We had some fresh fruit alongside of it!  What a great way to start the morning!  :)