On a great weekend.

The past few weeks have been filled with celebration and lots of family time. This weekend was no exception! We all took the trek to Maryland to celebrate my sister-in-laws graduation, earning her PhD in Clinical Psychology. A lovely crab feast on the Chesapeake Bay was held to celebrate. We all enjoyed mounds of Old Bay covered blue crabs, National Bohemian beer, volleyball playing, kayaking, and smiling faces all around. Congratulations to Linda for her hard work and thanks for having us all there to celebrate!! Here are some pictures from the par-tay.

And of course, what would a family gathering be without some silly pictures:

Next up on the weekends agenda, Warrior Dash!! The Warrior Dash commences my three 5K's to finish this season. I'm proud of myself for my attempt, but I can't say I was the most competitive contender. Although, we DID have tons of fun...and in my book that's what it is all about.

We ran through mud, jumped over fire (although I jumped over the short part of the fire...don't judge), ran through more mud, climbed a tall cargo net, crawled through the mud in the dark, slid down a water slide, drank beer, ran through even more mud, crawled under barbed wire, and ran through EVEN MORE mud...all in all having a great time. I haven't seen the official pictures from the race, but here is our before and after pictures. I highly recommend it to anyone who really loves to get muddy!!

L.I.F.E.G.O.E.S.O.N.

A friend made me a mix tape yesterday (love you.), and it started with this song. What perfect timing for a simple reminder. The lyrics - what you don't have now will come back around will come back again, you've got heart and you go in your own way - really reminded me today that there is no rush to do EVERYTHING. With the past few weeks so jam packed with meetings, banquets, weddings, papers, reading, updating, and millions of emails. It's important to keep two feet on the ground and remind yourself that what doesn't get done today will still be here tomorrow and you'll get there when you get there.

There are so many people who rush through the day to check as many things off their to-do list as possible. I'm guilty too (so sue me....). But just remember that you'll get there your own way.

On another note: I've completed 2 - 5K's this year. The first went GREAT! Although the winner of the 10K ran in just as I was finishing, I'm still proud of myself for pushing to run without stopping for about 80% of it. The second 5K was not as impressive. I spent all day yesterday walking around in heels coordinating a wedding (Congrats Margaret and Todd!!! pics to come!), needless to say my feet were swollen about twice their typical size and were on FIRE! Poor planning on my part. I did however walk the route with two coworkers from my last job. It was actually really nice to take my time, take in the scenery, and catch up with old friends! To the left is a picture of the scenery we were able to enjoy!

Next up: Warrior Dash...I think I'll actually need to start getting my butt in shape for this one! :)

Peace, Love, and Awesomeness!

To Run or not To Run...that is the question.

It's absolutely beautiful outside and I can't say it's not a great motivator to get my butt outside and get moving. I've been running pretty consistently at least twice a week, two miles each but can't seem to get motivated to run much more than that. I was also seeing a Personal Trainer for about 2 months in January/February but now that's over, and it's self-motivating time!!

Two of my co-workers just finished the Quintiles Half Marathon (goooo girls!) and really kicked butt! One had been training for just eight weeks and ran the entire time. I'm totally envious of her determination.

Soooo....after reminiscing her experience, she turned to me and said....Sami why don't you try to do it? Well, the truth is, I've always thought about it, but just can't get myself trained to run 4-5 times a week. It's a BIG commitment. But how awesome would that be? So we sat down and printed out some 12-week training schedules to maybe at least get my foot in the door to start training.

I have already signed up for a few 5K's in the next couple of weeks including Azalea Big Buddy Run, NC Aquarium at Fort Fisher 5K, and the Warrior Dash. Wish me luck on these...and tell me what you think...to run or not to run...that is the question.