Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day to my sweet husband! (Photo credit: madebygirl.com)

Olympic Love

Don't come a knocking when the Athlete's Village is rocking!! Do you know how many marriages are formed at the Olympics? It is pretty unbelievable....especially when you think about the amazing athletic genes that their future kids will inherit. The Today Show (my morning addiction) has a slide show on their site detailing a number of the relationships. One that boggles my mind is between current pairs figure skaters.....the big catch -- they don't skate together! They're on separate teams! Can you imagine? Plus they're competing on Valentine's Day....hopefully they'll be celebrating at another time!

I can't wait to watch the Opening Ceremony tonight! I loooooove the Olympic Games!

Fleece-tastic!

My all-time favorite fleece jacket is on sale (big-time!!)! If I didn't already have one, and if I weren't on a spending freeze, this one would be mine! Patagonia's annual sale is going on right now, and they have lots of amazing deals. Their R4 jacket is medium-weight (not too light, but not too heavy), blocks ALL wind (making it my total best friend), and wears really well (I've had mine for 7 years....and if it weren't for a little dog hair, it'd look brand new).

ABC's of ME

I can't remember exactly where I found this....but it's a lot of fun, so feel free to copy and paste and play along!

A - Age: 28

B - Bed size: King (and there's no going back.....a king bed is a DREAM to sleep in!)

C - Chore you hate: cleaning the floors

D - Dog's name: Daisy......and there's a good chance that puppy #2 will join our family in April. Potential names: Lucy, Scout, Lilly...

E - Essential start your day item: cereal....usually Honey Bunches of Oats or Cinnamon Life

F - Favorite color: anything bright and cheery!

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: Platinum

H - Height: 5'5" (and a half)

I - Instruments you play: None....I had a brief stint playing the flute in middle school, but I quickly learned that I have no musical talent.

J - Juice: orange...pulp-free please

K - Kid(s): None yet

L - Living arrangements: My first house with my adorable husband!

M - Mom's name: Alice

N- Nicknames: Em

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: once as a baby with severe asthma......and once in college with a severe migraine

P - Pet Peeve: people who are unaware of their surroundings

Q - Quote: Be the change you wish to see in the world -- Gandhi

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: 1 sister, 1 brother.

T - Time you wake up: 7am (thanks to Daisy)

U- Underwear: Hanky Panky most of the time....

V - Vegetable you dislike: Cauliflower....blech!

W - Ways you run late: Can't figure out what to wear!

X - X-rays you've had: My back multiple times.....I had two stress fractures in high school....it was brutal

Y - Yummy food you make: Baked goods galore!

Z - Zoo favorite: Polar bears

Grounded....and I couldn't be happier!

Right now I should be in DC. I was supposed to travel in for business Tuesday through Thursday this week. Turns out, Mother Nature had other plans -- and as such, I am still at home, and am relieved that I didn't have to attempt to drag a rolling suitcase around DC's snow-filled sidewalks! Our DC offices are closed for an unprecedented third straight day, and it sounds like everyone is going CRAZY with cabin fever!!!! I hope all that snow melts soon, and that nobody experiences any power issues!

Sporty Sunday

I hope you all had fun watching the Super Bowl last night!!! My sports day actually started a little early....I went to the gym and did the elliptical and SB ran 9.5 miles in the snow! Then we watched the Caps vs. Penguins game together. There is a great rivalry between these teams....fueled by two of the sport's greatest players: Ovechkin and Crosby. The game totally lived up to the hype...and the great part is that the Caps pulled out a win in overtime! Classic!

After the game, I did a little baking, a little napping - and then we headed next door to watch the Super Bowl with a bunch of our neighbors. The game was great, the food and conversation were fantastic....but the pictures of Drew Brees and his son after the Saints' big win are just beyond priceless (photos courtesy of Getty Images):Next up? DUKE VS. UNC this Wednesday! GO Duke!

Wispy Remedy!

The other day SB and I were in a running store, and I saw these adorably-patterned headband thingies. Turns out they're called "Sweaty Bands," and they're all the rage on the running scene. Click here for their web site, but basically they're cute ribbons with some sort of material on the back that helps control sweat, and stretchy elastic at the bottom to make sure the thing really stays on your head. I should probably buy a couple for my nieces - but I wonder if I'd like them too for tennis and running. The only thing is I have a really high forehead, so I'm not sure they'll look quite as cute on my head! Here are some pics of the "Sweaty Bands" in action, and my fave patterns:

(The green one has a reflective strip....perfect for runners!)

(all photos from the Sweaty Band site......this is not a solicited posting.....I just think the product is cute and could be very practical!)

Valentine's Day Gifties

I love Valentine's Day. I think it's a sweet holiday, and serves as a good reminder that we need to tell the people in our lives that we love them. That said, SB and I traditionally don't really give each other material gifts for V-Day. I mean, don't get me wrong - we will celebrate by going out to eat, cooking something fun together, running, or doing things like that....and maybe there's a mixed CD here, or a Reeses peanut butter heart there....but nothing super big. That said, if that tradition were to change (ha! I know it won't....especially given my current "shopping hiatus"), here are a few little goodies I have my eye on...Banana Republic SweaterRunning Outfit (Athleta) Potted Gardenia.....I just love the scent! (Red Envelope)Why, hello sweet tooth! (Vermont Brownie Co.)I can't wait to watch this movie....I really can't believe I haven't seen it already!!

Jeans and Boots

I'm a little late to the whole "jeans in boots" trend. I always admired it on other people, but I thought it was a look reserved only for the stick thin girls. Well it turns out (with the right balance of top and bottom) that's just not the case! A couple of weeks ago, I spent the weekend in Chicago with my best friends from high school. Well, EVERYONE there was wearing super cute boots with jeans tucked in. After a friend raved and raved about the "Intyce" Steven by Steve Madden boots, I bought a pair and have been learning to love the look! Here are a few looks I threw together on Polyvore:
(PS -- I'm on a self-imposed "shopping hiatus" for the month of February! AND of course I'm already dying over a few items that I just want to snap up. Must.use.some.self control...ugh!!)

Small ears? Who knew?

The traditional iPod ear buds have never worked very well for me. They pop out whenever I run, do the elliptical, or just turn the wrong way, and really they simply aren't comfortable. I figured they just weren't for my ears, and continued to rock the 90's style Sony Sport headphones (much to SB's dismay). Well (and I'm probably way late to this discovery) it turns out that people's ears are sized differently, and now there are lots of ear bud options with small, medium, and large sized buds! I picked up a pair of the Sony EX buds -- pictured above. The result: so far so good! I've been wearing the smallest buds, and they work well while running, they're comfortable, and I will continue to wear them!