July mid-month wrap-up

July has been a great month so far, well....minus having summer school.  However, I did get some students to switch clinic shifts with me during the 4th of July week so that I could make it to Ohio to spend some much needed vacay time with my boy and his family.  We went to a amusement park, rode go carts, climbed rock walls, went in bumper cars, played laser tag, and much more!  It was a ton of fun, and I never thought I would like all of those things so much!

His family also has three birthdays that they celebrate around the 4th, and now our anniversary.  They got us a cute little cake with our wedding colors on it!  It was sooooo good.  I'm still craving it.

Mike also took me on a mini-second honeymoon to Bar Harbor...............
Road.  Haha!  He found a Bar Harbor Road near us, and took me there to celebrate our "second honeymoon".  That boy is so sweet I can hardly stand it. 

In prep for the Color Run, we needed to get Mike out and running during our little vacay.  The easiest 3 miles in my life turned into the most painful because I tripped over something and scraped up my knees pretty bad.  They were bandaged for a while due to bleeding, but now they have bruised over.  It's almost three weeks later and they are still sore.  Just my luck!

Ever since that little vacation we've been back here at home relaxing.  I've been studying late for exams (hence the gigantic coffee that I was drinking at 9pm), we went to a Coldplay concert (my dream come true, it was AMAZING!!!!!!), and I got a haircut!  First one in a very long time. 

 Hope all is well with you!

xoxo

June

June, oh June.  

It was probably the hottest month I've ever experienced here on the east coast.  It consisted of me running a lot, mixed with sweating even more, mixed with rehydrating less than necessary.  I was basically dehydrated the entire month.  Hah, it's funny now, but it wasn't then.  I woke up thirsty, spent the day thirsty, and went to sleep thirsty.  No matter how much water I drank, I could just never catch up!  I lost 3-4 lbs each run on average, and that's just because even if I woke up at the crack of dawn to run, it was still 92 degrees with 100% humidity.  I learned to go on a run, and immediately jump into the pool when I got home.  That was fun.  Cooled me off quick, and sometimes I would even get some swimming in for extra exercise.

It's still hot, but I'm learning to drink eight glasses of water a day.  Dehydration headaches are not fun!  

One good thing about all of the running is that the runs have gotten longer and smoother.  My speed is increasing tremendously, and it's just because of the mileage I'm getting in each week.  So far it's between 30-40 miles per week. The scenery around here is pretty breathtaking as well.  I've taken a couple pictures of my running path that I've included in the wrap-up collage. 

Chia, remember that? Well, I've been eating it and/or drinking it consistently since I started using it.  I really notice a difference in my energy level, and it is suuuuppppeerrr good in my oatmeal. 

Between studying and studying I realized I needed some kind of artistic outlet, so I decided my nails would be it.  I did an ombre glitter polish.  Turned out pretty fancy, but was a super pain to remove.  Anything for beauty, am I right? *cue cheesy smile now*

Summer school is rough.  It's even rougher because it's mandatory and you have to actively participate.  I've been stabbed in the eye, poked with a metal thing, and had a needle stuck into my tear duct while releasing saline through my nose into my mouth.  It tasted wonderful....not.  I'm pretty much over summer school right now, but I'm still truckin' along.  The only good thing about going to school in the summer is 1.) the drive (yes I know I shouldn't be taking pictures while driving), and 2.) seeing the little baby ducklings in our pond!  I love them soooo much.

A new fro-yo place opened up nearby.  Anyone who knows me knows that when I moved out here, I fell in love with frozen yogurt.  The fact is, I love fro-yo, but I hate the pricing.  You think $0.25 per oz is cheap, until you end up spending $11.00 on a bowl once you weigh it.  Whoops...haven't been back since.  It's probably a good thing.

I got Mike tickets for the Childish Gambino concert, and of course it basically tornadoed on our walk to the outdoor concert.  We were huddled under a flimsy umbrella for about 10 minutes in hurricane force winds, rain, and lightning.  It was just like in the movies, except way less glamorous.  I bet you can't guess what we did when we found out the concert was cancelled!!!  Obviously got fro-yo. *it wasn't from the same $11 place*

I tend to really get some great pictures of the surrounding area on my phone while I run.
The baby geese are one of the most amazing things I've seen on my runs.  I've been running past them for months now, and they are not babies anymore!  It was so cool to see them grow, and they are now ready to fly away.
I also live by a castle, so one day the clouds were aligned, and I got this perfect shot.
Oh, and obligatory Tip Tip when I get home.  See!  It's so hot even she has to cool off on the tile!

Sentimental Sweets

Anyone that knows me knows that I am crazy for sugar.

Yesterday I came upon a most wonderful website called Candy Crate. Anything that mentions candy, sugar, chocolate, or sweets in general gets my attention, and this store, even more so, because they sell "nostalgic" candy. I'm probably not old enough to have a sense of nostalgia for anything, but when it comes to candy, anything goes.

I figured I'd check it out because I have a few favorites that you can't find anywhere around PA, and I was confident we weren't going to have school today (I was wrong..incidentally, and the two hours it took to clean off our cars this morning was a reminder that I should have done optics last night).

To my surprise they had everything I wanted, and more! It even awakened memories of some amazing confections that I didn't realize I missed until now.

Let's begin my journey down *sweet* memory lane.

Fruit stripe gum. The flavor was so-so-so good (for about 20 minutes), but I remember when I was younger, it was the only gum I'd actually request be purchased (I'm not a big gum chewer).Keeping with the theme, my Grandma would consistently have Adams clove chewing gum in her odds and ends drawer every single time I would visit. I would have never known how much I truly love this gum if she didn't introduce me to it. Now, just the smell of it reminds me of all of the summers at Grandmas. Lovely.
Licorice rope. I don't think I really need to explain, but there are certain brands out there that create strawberry instead of cherry, and it makes all the difference in the world. The Nut Goodie. Whatever sweet, gooey, creamy, caramel-y stuff they add to the interior of this treat is to die for. I wish they made it as a frosting; I'd frost every cake I make with it for the rest of my life. It's that good. Brach's strawberries. Once again, a treat that is really hard to find (except for in 60 pound bags that would take a year to devour). Candy Crate has them in five pound bags, that is more manageable. Might last a week around here.

And we've made it to the end. My all time favorite sweet treat ever. The Twin Bing. Oh heavenly! This baby is the best of the best, and to make it even better, they manufacture this brilliant piece of amazing in my hometown in Iowa. This has the best chewy, cherry interior, covered by the most delectable chocolate, peanut exterior. It might not look/sound amazing, but the combo of the two make it divine.

{photo source}
CandyCrate