Sunday Morning, Rain Is Fallin’

Sunday morning was tough.  I knew I wanted to get up early enough to make it to City Island to watch my boyy run the Harrisburg Half Marathon.

I scrounged up a quick and filling breakfast and headed out into the rainy weather.

1 slice Manna Organic Bakery Rye Bread + 1/2 banana smooshed ontop, with a drizzle of sugar-free syrup alongside a vanilla Chobani

I checked out the map to see where I’d be able to catch him throughout the race.

With a quick kiss & a “good luck“, he was off!  I probably would’ve run it with him, had I known about it ahead of time, and had the Women of Faith Conference not been this weekend.  I was beat when we got home around 12:30PM and my 6:30AM wakeup call did not come easy.

I was trying to maintain body heat while watching for him throughout the race, but I definitely wanted to see the finish.  It was really chilly outside, and the misting rain didn’t help!  In the below picture, he’s in the white long sleeved t-shirt.

He did an awesome job, and ended with a time of 2:04!  Pretty great for his first race if you ask me!  So proud, babe

He’d kill me if he saw this picture.  Haha.  I couldn’t resist, though…  He was a trooper…gatorade stained shirt and all

I did miss church, so I headed home and fell asleep for a little bit, but then it was time to shower and get ready for the Bowman Reunion, which started at 1PM for lunch.

Feta salad, sliced peppers, cucumbers, broccoli, tomatoes, baby carrots, and black bean and corn salsa

Babe came with, thankfully, since he had to go back to school again at 4:30.  We got to spend a little time together before he left.  After the reunion, we went back to his house to watch some of the Steelers’ game with his Mom & Dad, and snuck in a movie, too.  By movie, I mean CASSETTE tape.

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House Party 4? Haha….not sure what inspired this choice, but it was funny and I had never even heard of it before.  Anyone else love old school movies?

By the time the movie finished, it was time for FFBF to head back to State College…besides, I had a visit to make to a special friend at The Manor. 

I told Herb that I would come and visit him at the Independant Living community that he was apart of.  I really had an itch to take his picture for you, but I didn’t want him to feel like he was part of some kind of “project” or whatever, so I refrained. 

Herb showed me around the place, introduced me as his “girlfriend” to a bunch of his buddies.  Haha.  He mentioned that most of his friends at The Manor were girls, and that the guys didn’t want to have much to do with him, but when he brought “pretty girls” around, they made time for him

He showed me the library, the dining room, his apartment, and allll the gazillion activities that the place offered.  He told me about how he speaks about history on Thursday nights in one of the rooms and how excited he gets to share his experiences with anyone who is willing to listen.

Apparently it was Grandparents’ Day!  I had NO idea, and was unprepared with no card, no nothing!  Although, I think he was just GLAD for the company, I desperately wish I had known.  In fact, I’m going to get him a card, I think, and give it to him before class on Tuesday!

When we got back to his apartment, we split a Diet Coke (yes, I broke the “no soda” rule) and chatted about anything under the sun.  I listened to stories about his grandkids, who he rarely sees anymore, but helped put through college, and his wife, who he missed dearly.  He even shared a poem he wrote with me!  He said that he only had shown two other people before that.  It was amazing!  Later, he walked me to my car, kissed the inside & outside of my hand, and told me to “be safe”.

1 Whole grain light english muffin with fat free strawberry cream cheese

On my way home, I thought about how much the time with Herb meant to him AND I.  I can’t tell you how many times he thanked me for coming to visit him.  Its been a long time since I’ve felt so appreciated!  He was just as much a blessing to me as I was to him, I’m sure of it.  Pretty sure I will be visiting again!

Dinner was served when I got home.

1 C. canned pumpkin + 1 C. chickpeas + sugar-free vanilla syrup + pumpkin pie spice = Pumpkin Protein Pudding!

Big old bowl of steamed veggies (broccoli, cauliflower, & carrots) sprinkled with Garlic Gold Nuggets

And the rest of the night was spent packin’ lunch and getting ready to take on the week!

How did you end your weekend?

XOX.

Over The Top!

Saturday morning, I was EXHAUSTED from the trip and festivities of Friday night, but could not resist taking advantage of the hotel gym.  After all, I had remembered not only my sneaks & shorts, but ALSO my heart rate monitor.  I DID take a photo of my stats on the treadmill, buuuuut somehow it was deleted?!  Disappointment.  Anyway, I ended up running about 3 miles, doing some plyo, and some ab work on the floor.  I could tell I was losing my fitness level…gahh.

Breakfast was next on the agenda.  The conference started at 9AM, so we were leaving at 8AM. (HORRID picture, I know)

Strawberry Chobani + 1 C. Fiber Select

Mid morning, after being on my feet, praising our wonderful LORD, I was a tad hangry, so I also chowed on a banana & a Cocoa Roasted Almond pack from THIS stash.  I shared the goodness with the group!

The events at the Conference got a little bit blurred for me, because everything seemed to be happening all at once, so I’m not sure if this was Friday night or Saturday, but one totally noteworthy couple, Steven Curtis and Mary Beth Chapman attended, spoke, and sang.  It was quite possibly my favorite part of the entire thing. 

Mary Beth speaking

This dynamic duo of husband and wife are the epitome of what marriage should be like.  They’ve made it through SO much together.  Mary Beth shared with us some of her struggles with depression and anxiety, along with their family trials and triumphs. 

Steven Curtis singing

The couple has three biological children (two of the boys play in the band with him!), and three adopted children, one of which, Maria was taken to be with Jesus last year through an unfortunate event that took a hard blow to the whole family. 

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One of the sons, was backing out of the driveway, and accidentally hit the little girl.  Could you imagine how tough that would be to overcome together?  It was a true tragedy and I can remember the day I first heard about it.  

He did a beautiful job, and brought tears to our eyes when he sang “Cinderella” for his beloved little one.  The couple now is an operator of Show Hope, an adopting supporter which is something I would love to do someday.  He sang another song that was totally amazing, called “When Love Takes You In“, which you can check out the video for here.

Anyway, switching gears, lunch was another boxed one provided by the conference, but I had another chicken sausage wrap.  Same as yesterday!  Snacks included apples, bananas, and string cheese.

Before I knew it, 5PM rolled around and the conference was over.  What an experience!  Every year is so different from the previous, even though each is based on similar ideas.

We stopped at Cracker Barrel on the way home for dinner, but my phone was absolutely dead, so there was no photo proof of my meal, unfortunately.  I ordered the Grilled Chicken Tenderloins and got two salads for my sides. 

Slept like a baby when we got home!

 

‘Cause It’s Ladies Night!

Long time, no see!    Sorry for the hiatus.  Weekends are tough for me in the blogsence.  I feel like I shouldn’t be stressing about what I’m going to journal on the blog as opposed to being out and enjoying events while they’re taking place.  I did find myself missing hearing from you all and thinking about how I wish I could’ve taken allll of you with me to the Conference. 

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Seriously, if you’ve never been to one you NEED to get there at some point in your life.  They’re hosted ALL over the country and you can see where WOF 2011 is going to be held in a city near you, here.  Life changing, I’m telling you.

Each year, the ladies in my family attend the conference together.  We go on a huge bus with Grace UMC every year, and the coordinators, Yonnie & Tina do a wonderful job of setting up the whole event. 

 This year the theme was over the top, which I found the color scheme and animal print to be totally appropriate.

We each got a cute zebra bag with hot pink accents and a black embroidered tshirt to wear, along with a nametag.  Meeting at the church at 4am wasn’t the easiest task, but it was worth it in the end. 

It was an absolutely WONDERFUL time and getting there was half the fun.  I even packed a delicious breakfast to enjoy on the trip!  Even though everyone said it looked like baby poop, I enjoyed every last bite.

Pecahy Vanilla Chai Oats

1/3 C. oats cooked in 1/2 C. water & 1/4 C. unsweet almond breeze + 1 scoop Vanilla Chai AM, 1 tsp. chia seeds, 1 mushed, juicy peach.

Anywho, this weekend was CERTAINLY not about the food.  It was about growing in faith, strengthening bonds, and walking closer to the Lord.  Although, I did come prepared with lots of yummy snacks.  I knew we weren’t “in Kansas anymore” when I woke up to this view.

Soon we arrived at our destination!

The pre-conference started at 10AM, and we got there a bit early.

Isn’t blogging wonderful for preserving memories?

I adore the women on the trip and could not imagine the conference without any single one of them.  My BEST friend even got to join us.  Where they are staying near Philly (while baby Bo is in the hospital) was fairly close to the Conference site!  Did I mention that Baby Bo is up to 2 POUNDS?!?   Please keep the prayers coming!

The Wells-Fargo Center (previously the Wachovia Center), in Philly is a gorgeous roomy venue with tons of seating and facility management.  The lighting and sound for the Conference was unbelievable.

Although I obviously could not record every presentation, here are a few of the speakers that we were privelaged to listen to:

Patsy Clairmont is a sweet, little firecracker who is my ultimate favorite…I’m officially a follower on Twitter, and she even replied back to my comment!

Anita Renfroe coming in a close second.  You can check out some of her newest video, here. 

Lisa Whelchel, aka Blair from the Facts of Life was a speaker as well.  I can’t even begin to tell you how honest, vulnerable, and inspiring these women are.  It’s funny how you can put people on such a pedestal, when really they’re JUST like you.  They face the same fears, disappointments, guilt, and struggles that WE do, even in their “stardom”.

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Andy Andrews, a new face to the Women of Faith Conference this year, was also a fantastic listen.  His love for his family, his relationship with God, and faithfulness have truly shine through in his speaking.

 I WISH I could do a summary of all the amazing stories and lessons I learned at the conference, but there’s just TOOOOO much to tell. 

Lunches were of the boxed nature and provided by the conference, but I packed my own.

1 Original Brat Hans Italian chicken sausage on a La Tortilla Factory ww wrap with lettuce, tomato, mustard, and onion.

Here’s a picture of all the other stuff I brough too for breakfasts, snacks, and dinner supplements, too!  I didn’t get photos, but there were lots of apples & banaynays eaten on this trip, too, courtesy of the coordinators!

Sugar-free chocolate meringues (40 calories for 13 & 5g protein!)

Primal Strips-teriyaki & thai peanut (deeeeliciouss)

When we arrived at the hotel, I immediately checked to see if they had a workout room…call me obsessive compulsive, but I was antsy to get back into a gym…ANY gym.  Lucky for me, they did!  Then it was dinner time.

My sweet grandma enjoying dinner

We had a buffet style dinner at the hotel consisting of chicken and eggplant parmesean with spaghetti and salad.  I wasn’t really feelin’ the boxed looking dinner, but threw together something delicious anyway!

Mixed greens, cucumber, tomato, and Cedar’s Cucumber Garlic strained greek yogurt dip mixed with water (for thinning) as dressing.

Plus, a packed Primal Strip + some whole grain goodness.

Light whole grain english muffin + 1 Sonoma Jack’s Pepperjack cheese wedge & sugar free apricot jam

Off to the CONCERT we went, where we jammed out to Mandisa for the rest of the night.  RECAP OF SATURDAY coming NEXT!