Running Recap 05/26-05/31

I want to start writing a recap on Saturdays of my running through the week. So here is how my week went!

My Monday run was a nice easy 4 miles.  Mr. J was out of town so I took the kids to my parents and let them run free while I went for a run.  My parents live in the country so it was fun to run in the wide open space and kind of see my old stomping grounds.

It is so pretty out there.  And the tractor just made it even better!  I grew up watching tractors, driving around them on the road, and even helping to drive a few.  This definitely was a great run!

My next run didn't come until Wednesday.  The boys were at school so Miss V went to visit her grandpa while I went to get a steady 5 miles.  Miss V & her grandpa had quite the adventure while I was running so I'm thankful to him for making their time together special.  I absolutely LOVE this path that I found.  It kind of wraps around and behind a housing addition but you would never know!  I loved this run!  Besides being attacked by a bird!  And I'm not kidding!  There was a red winged black bird that is nesting in a tree right off our local path and she is not happy with anyone walking or running near her so she swoops in and attacks.  Stupid bird!  I thought I only had to be worried about being attacked by a dog?!

Last but not least was my LONG run today! I'll be honest I was NOT wanting to get up this morning.  I laid in bed a good 10 min after my alarm went off trying to talk myself out of running. I could go later tonight. I could do it tomorrow? Maybe after lunch?  But I finally told myself to go and get it over with! And I'm SO glad I did!  I went out and did 8 miles and came home to a wonderful ice bath and a HUGE breakfast made by Mr. J.  I'm so thankful to have him!  He supports my running, cheers me on, and makes me awesome breakfasts! That's the best part of going early on a Saturday morning!  I come home and haven't really missed anything!

This is Brady (as in Tom) helping with my ice bath.  He thinks I add ice for him to play with.

Tomorrow is a rest day!  It will feel good to just rest!  Hope you got some miles in this week!

Love, Lacey

Mother/Daughter Weekend May 2014 - Part 2

If you missed part 1 of my Mother/Daughter weekend you can go read it here!

After my mom and I left Saugatuck, we drove down to South Haven to get checked into our B&B. After we checked in and rested for a few minutes, we decided to head into town and get some dinner and I knew just the place!

from Clementine's website

Clementine's is a favorite of South Haven.  There is always a wait to get in so go early, put your name in, and then go shop until it's time to go back!  When my mom and I went there was a 45 min wait so I put our name in, set a timer on my phone, and we went shopping! 45 minutes may seem like a long wait but it's WELL worth it! And with a lot of the shops on the same street you can find plenty to do to pass the time.

I decided to a have a drink at supper so I looked for a local wine or cider.  While they did have a couple local wines and beers, I decided to go with a cider from McIntosh Orchards. McIntosh is a winery right down the road from South Haven.  They only make fruit wine and apple or pear cider. I hadn't tried their cider before so I was excited to give it a taste.  I'm pleased to shared that it was delicious! Not too sweet, not too carbonated, it was just the right mix! Also on a side note my mom and I stopped at their orchard on the way home and did a wine tasting and all the wines we had were very good!

Another great thing about Clementine's is that they have a gf and vegetarian menu. The waitress also told me they train all of the cook staff about different allergies and have lists and signs in the kitchen.  I was really impressed!  We were hungry but not too hungry so I went with the New Zealand Green Lip Mussels.  I think there were 10 or 12 mussels in this dish covered with sauteed spinach & onions with BUTTER!! I squeezed some lemon juice on them and ate them like I had never eaten food in my life.  They were SO good!  My mom had a really nice side salad with chicken and  a cup of fruit.  Both looked really good and she said they were the perfect size for a light supper! 

After supper we walked down to one of my favorite places, the lighthouse!  This beautiful RED lighthouse is one of the most photographed in the country and you will see why! If you ever go you MUST walk out on the pier! Even if it's windy or the waves are crashing! It is well worth it.  If you can, go at sunset.  South Haven has some of the most beautiful sunset EVER!! 

See the lighthouse in the distance?!

Just stunning isn't it?

There she is! A beautiful sight! The amazing RED light house! 

This is South Beach. One of the best places to go in the summer.  The beach is clean and the water is clear!! Even I will swim here and that is saying something!

This was the last image of the night before we headed back to our B&B. This was actually taken from our parking spot and that sidewalk in the picture leads to the lighthouse's pier.  I just love this beach and lighthouse!  I can't wait to go back here again!

In part 3, I'll give you a sneak peek into a FABULOUS bed & breakfast that you MUST stay at if you are in the area! And I'll show you a breakfast fit for a queen!

Love, Lacey

Mother/Daughter Weekend May 2014 - Part 1

WARNING!  This will be a picture heavy post!

Some time around Christmas I decided that I wanted to take a weekend away with my mom. We don't get enough time together just the two of us and I wanted to take her to my favorite B&B in Michigan because I knew she would LOVE it.  We decided that the weekend after mother's day would be a great time to get away.  I booked the room and we set off for the mitten!

My mom busted out the Rand McNally (insert Miranda Lambert song here) even though I knew where we were going it's always fun to look it up the old fashion way!

Our first stop was a quaint little town called Saugatuck. This place is adorable! Lots of art galleries, clothes stores, a wonderful coffee shop and SO much more! And all the streets look like this! Tree lined streets with shops on both sides of the street. A great place to wander for hours on end!

We found a fun little shoe store called "For the Love of Shoes". How could I NOT go in?! They had some of the most unique shoes. These were a healthy $200 or they would have come home with me. and I would have worn then every day forever!  LOVED them!

While we were walking around we stopped into one of my favorite vineyard's tasting rooms. Fenn Valley Winery is a gorgeous little winery in Fennville, MI. Each year they put on a great summer festival in June. Mr. J and I went last year and it was WELL worth the $10 entry fee.  You can get more information here. If you are in the area or are going to be near it is a great time!  Food, music, and a tour of the most beautiful vineyard! So my mom and I stopped in their tasting room in Saugatuck and had a little sample.  I only bought 2 bottles so I don't think that is TOO bad!

This picture does NOT do this piece of art justice.  The "leaves" are made of copper and the flower itself is a hand shaped piece of glass.  The artist had so many of these in a garden. They were absolutely stunning.  I tried to take pictures but the pictures don't even come close! The artist had names for each one and told us stories of where she gets her glass and how each is formed.  It was VERY interesting!

Lunch was at a place called "Mermaid Bar & Grill"

I was hungry but didn't really know what I wanted so I went for a burger! It was just a cheese burger with pepper jack cheese but it was pretty tasty! Obviously I had to get mine with no bun but a knife & fork worked just the same! 

 

And the view from my our table!!  We were right on the water. We got to see people kayaking (even though it was 60 and a bit breezy!) and this GORGEOUS house across the way.  I tried to get Mr. J to move but he said no! 

Posted outside the restaurant!

And then my FAVORITE store that we found in Saugatuck! It is called the Pink Patio! Find them here on Facebook.  This store is like a little bit of everything for your yard.  It had decor, kitchen stuff, coffee, food, you name it, it might be in there. They had lots and lots of cast iron little yard art. They also had a sign that says "PARTY!!!"  The guys that run this store are the BEST! They are super funny and nice.  This is a definite must visit! 

After a fun day in Saugatuck my mom and I headed down to our B&B. Just a preview for Part 2 my mom and I go to South Haven! Get ready for even more pictures and a review of THE BEST B & B around!

Memorial Day 2014

There is nothing I could say to tell those who are serving, have served, or paid the ultimate sacrifice for our country, just what they mean to me. I come from a very military family. My dad was in the Army, my Grandpa in the Navy, My brother is currently a Marine, and many more that served in some branch or capacity. My Grandpa told me one time we have had someone serve in every conflict since WWI I think is what he told me! So to say that I bleed red, white, & blue is not an understatement.  I can't watch (or even think about) those coming home videos you see so often on the news where a mom or dad surprises their family.  I'm teary eyed just thinking about it.  My brother has served 3 tours in Iraq & Afghanistan and each time we were blessed to have him come home safe. I know so many other families are not that lucky. My heart breaks for them. The men and women who have given their lives for our country are true heroes! Those men & women that came home injured, either mental or physically, are true heroes.  I know it's easy to celebrate Memorial Day weekend as a fun start to the summer.  A great 3 day weekend to go to the lake! But take a few minutes and pray for those families that aren't able to grill out with their son.  The family that isn't able to walk their daughter down the aisle.  The families that so willingly send their loved ones into harms way, trusting that God has a plan better than theirs. Bless our military and their families this Memorial Day. Thank you all for your service, dedication, and humility. And to those that paid the ultimate sacrifice . . . thank you doesn't even begin to say what I feel. But thank you! And to those families of the fallen, your son or daughter, brother or sister, mom or dad, grandma or grandpa, did not die in vain.  Their are plenty of us out there that understand that freedom doesn't come for free and that we are blessed to be protected by our amazing military.

Love, Lacey

Fashion Friday! 05-23-14

I'd better get this fashion Friday up before it's too hot outside to wear it any more!  You girls that are going into fall might be able to get some good use out of this! 

Earlier in the year I bought a chambray shirt similar to this one and while I really loved it with my black leggings I had NO idea how to wear it with jeans without looking like a complete crazy person! So I turned to the one place that I KNEW would show me the way . . . PINTEREST!!! I found the image below and thought I can do that!!

It looked simple enough.  A simple chambray shirt with dark wash jeans! Throw on a scarf of your choice and you are good to go! I even have similar sunglasses and large bag.  Mr. J and I were going out on a date so I thought I'd try it out!

What do you think? I added a long black tank top underneath the shirt (you can just see if poking out!) and my Union Jack scarf (told you I have an issue!) and off we went.  Mr. J took this picture for me and neglected to get my shoes (just a nude pair of wedges) but you could totally put anything with this outfit.  I thought this was a super easy way to wear a chambray top with jeans! 

Question of the day!

How do you wear your chambray shirt?

Love, Lacey

Bloglovin

Do you know about Bloglovin?  Do you use bloglovin?  Well you SHOULD!!  It's an easy way to follow not only my blog (plug plug) but any other blog you follow.  Simply sign up HERE and then tell it what blogs you want to follow.  You will get an email (if you chose) each time the blogs you are following post.  There is also an awesome iPhone app that you can log on and read the blogs from your phone.  This is great for your morning coffee!

I don't have much else to say I just wanted to share this website because I really do love it!  I have many blogs I follow and it would take me all day to "check" them all each day. But with bloglovin' I can simply sign in and read all the updates!

Hope you check it out! Hope you love it as much as I do.  And let me know if you need some blogs to follow! I follow a little bit of everything!!

QUESTION OF THE DAY!
What blogs do you follow?  What is your favorite and that MUST read every day?!

Love, Lacey

*Disclaimer!!  I did not get paid by bloglovin' or get anything special for mentioning them!  I just really do love them and want to share my experience!  

Ipsy Glam Bag May 2014

It's that time again!!  I received my May Ipsy Glam Bag!!  If you don't know what Ipsy is, it's a monthly subscription package.  You sign up HERE for $10 a month and each month they send you 4 or 5 products in a nice make up bag!  It's great way to try new products!  You also get special deals on the products included so if you really love it and want to buy the full size or a different color you can! You take a quiz when you sign up and basically tell them what your style is, what coloring you have, and what types of products you are interested in and they send you things!  It's super fun!  So let's dive in and see what I got this month! 

First up is a moisturizer by Pur-lisse. It says for normal to dry skin. It says it's a hydra-balance moisturizer. It feels nice on my skin and there isn't really a smell to it.  Maybe a slight just plain lotion smell, but definitely does not have a fragrance.  I will use this and let you know when it's empty what I thought!

Next is a product by Hang Ten. It's an SPF 50 classic sport natural sunscreen.  First off the packaging is ADORABLE!  It's hard to tell in the picture but the orange is like a neon orange!  So cute!  The website says it's "Oxybenzone Free, Paraben Free, Retinyl Palmitate Free, Non-Greasy, Non-Nano, Synthetic Fragrance Free"   So if that is important to you this might be a good option.  It's smells a little like coconut which I love.  It smooths on nice and easy.  I think I will test this out next time I'm going to be out in the sun!

Our next product comes to us from a company called Hey Honey! It's is a Exfoliating honey peel off mask.  I remember doing a lot of peel off masks when I was in high school because it's so funny to see you peeling off your "face"!  I'm kind of excited to try it.  The consistency is  the typical peel off mask, "sticky" type. There is a bit of a sweet smell but nothing overpowering!  I think I'll try this tonight!!

This is the only make up I got in this months bag. It's an eye shadow duo by Pacifica.  I received Duo#2 called Moonbeam & Unicorn.  When I first opened this I thought oh that's a nice purple and the white might be a good highlight color. So I decided to swatch them on my hand and I instantly noticed the white is not white!  It's GOLD!!  When you blend  it out the white is still there but there is a GORGEOUS gold shimmer.  And the purple has an iridescent tone to it.  The purple is a little hard to work with as it's not very pigmented but I think if I use a primer that may help. This duo is really pretty!  And I can't wait to play around with it! 

And last but not least!!  It's a hair oil from balanced guru. It says it balances your frizzy hair (which I have sometimes).  It has sesame oil, Argan oil, jojoba oil, Tamanu oil, Lemon grass & Eucalyptus. I absolutely LOVE the smell of lemon grass so right away I was drawn to this product.  The directions say apply a small amount to your hair, no rinsing necessary. The key is a SMALL amount.  As with any oil, if you put in too much you will look greasy. I quickly worked a small amount through my hair and think it's nice.  Not sure I will use it all the time but maybe as a treatment or when my hair is feeling frizzy. 

All in all I'm happy with this month's bag. I love make up but I love trying new face and hair products too! So much fun to see the package come in the mail each month! I always have to open it right away!

QUESTION OF THE DAY

Are you a make up person?  Or a hair person?  Or a skin care person?

Love, Lacey

Slowing Down - May 2014

Every day for about a week, Miss V has come to me in the morning and said "Mommy will you hold me?".  Well the first few days I kind of huffed about it.  I had JUST gotten the boys off to school and sat down to drink my coffee and eat my breakfast.  Then I would need to rush around and get her ready for school and get myself ready to run errands all day. But by day 3 I suddenly realized a few things.  One, my baby girl isn't going to be a baby forever!  She will be 5 in about a month and although she isn't going to Kindergarten this coming fall, she will be in college before I know it. 

 Two, she isn't always going to love me like this.  I can HOPE she does!  I pray that as she grows we have the kind of relationship that she feels she can come and talk to me about anything and we can be good friends and love to spend time together.  But as most of us know, at some point she will think I'm stupid and not want to do what I think she should. So I need to soak in this time with her while she still says I'm her BFF!  

Three, (And to me the most important) SHE IS WORTH MY TIME!  Did you see what I said? She is worth every single second of my time. She is more precious than gold or silver and is more important than anything I have to do that day.  NOTHING is so important (even my coffee!) that I can't hold her.  Most of the time she doesn't want me to stop watching the news or drinking my coffee, she just wants me to hold her. I want her to know that she is worth my time! I want her to remember this when she is older and looking for friends or a boyfriend, that she IS worth people's time. That she doesn't have to chase anyone for them to love her. 

Some times life gets so busy and crazy and my To-Do list is a mile long! But nothing (aside from my marriage!)  is more important (or should be) than my kids!  They are only little for a short time.  They only live in my house for so long and then I have to let them go.  While they are here it's my job to show them what it looks like to be a loving, caring, productive member of society (or our family).  I wouldn't want my kids to tell someone they don't have time to love them because they are too busy or that person is interrupting their morning coffee.  I don't think that is how Jesus would have treated ANYONE let alone his own children! 

Learning to slow down is hard. But if you can take a step outside of yourself, see yourself through the other person's eyes and prospective, you will see the importance of slowing down.

Love, Lacey

Pink Ribbon Run 2014

This past Saturday Kellie & I ran a 4 mile race called the Pink Ribbon Run.  As the name would imply it was to raise awareness and money for research for breast cancer.

If you have followed my blog for any amount of time you may remember me mentioning that my grandmother had breast cancer.  But I don't think I ever mentioned that Mr. J's grandmother passed away in 2011 from cancer that had returned from breast cancer.  Her mother (Mr. J's great grandmother) also passed from breast cancer.  So breast cancer is something that is near and dear to our hearts.

I was more than excited to do this race!! (That's me with my arms in the air!)  I have been working with a running coach recently.  That still sounds super weird to say! I'm not a fast runner, a professional runner, or anything close.  I'm not trying to make the Olympic team, or even win a race! I'm simply trying to get better and faster! But my coach has been making me slow down and take my easy runs, EASY! I talked to him and he said that I could "race" this race but then I needed to go back out for another EASY 2 miles.  So I set my pace on my watch to 11 min miles (I told you I wasn't fast!) and set out to eat some miles!

I had so much fun at this race. Kellie and I stayed together for the first 3 miles and then I told her I was leaving her. I sped up a little from mile 3 to 3.5 and then just started to turn it on and pick people off.  By mile 3.9 I turned on the burners and FLEW!  I had one lady between me and the finish line and I wanted to beat her.  I definitely did! I finished the 4 miles in 43:07. Not too bad for taking it easy.

We will definitely do this race EVERY year! I will run for those who can't!

I LOVE my after race banana! And this pic was after we did all 6 miles!!  We were feeling good and happy to be done!

And that's me in BEAST mode!  I was so happy to eat those 6 miles I was ready to take on the world!

QUESTION OF THE DAY!  

What is a cause near and dear to you? Are you competitive?

Love, Lacey