#Thankful

I am so sad the long Thanksgiving weekend is over! It was full of family, food, drinks, games, running and fun! Here is a snapshot of some of the events...

After a leisurely morning/afternoon on Wednesday (I love how we get the day off work), I picked up my new kitten! And ,no, she still does not have a name. I am simply calling her "baby cat."

Still no name!!! She got so much love from her family over Thanksgiving!

Then on Thanksgiving morning, my siblings and I ran our annual Turkey Trot 10k! It was hilly, but I did a course PR and the course is beautiful. However, every year I do this race I am always surprised at how hilly it actually is...I need to remember this better.

We spent the rest of the day hanging out, eating and playing cards/doing tequila shots:)

Friday was gorgeous, so we did a walk along the river and into Belle Isle. We also went to Triple Crossing Brewery and an awesome dinner place called Family Meal before going home and playing more cards and taking more tequila shots...

Saturday was full of football and small business Saturday, and we even got started on our 2nd puzzle of the week. I think we are obsessed.

On Sunday I introduced my kitten to her big brother, Tony Romo, with limited luck and got to see my friend Emily's new baby!

High school friends!

As least Romo is staying in the room instead of running away...

The next few days will sure be an adventure in new kitten adjustment at my place (any tips?)! And the next few weeks are full of fun holiday events, and I am excited about being done with classes for the semester in a short 9 days (December 8th!) :) Hopefully work will go quickly this week, and I am entering it feeling very thankful for the wonderful people in my life! Too bad I did not sleep as much as I intended to...why does that always happen?

How was your Thanksgiving?

VB and RIC

I finally have something to post:) I went to Virginia Beach this weekend to visit a friend and then the UCI Road Championship was in full swing when I came back, so lots of fun events!

We'll go in reverse order to the scene on Monument Avenue for the men's time trials!

Back up to Saturday with this cutie and some sunshine:)!

So thankful to live so close to the beach:)!!! Feeling very proud of my city today.

Weekend Update

Hello friends! I hope each one of you had a great weekend. I don't know about you, but I think the weeks are just flying by, especially now that it is SPRING. I am never as happy to be alive as I am when the trees and flowers blown and I can finally be outside again without freezing:).

This weekend started with a great 7 mile run with my running group on Saturday, and then I spent the entire day with friends celebrating the marriage of Ms. Lauren Malakoff! I have known Lauren since high school (even though we went to different schools) and kept in touch through college and her moving to Raleigh. She had a wonderful shower and then afterwards hosted people at her parent's house for an evening of catching up, basketball, and lots of laughter. It was lovely:)

The girls at the shower:)

Goofing off with selfies while gifts were being opened

On Sunday I went on a shorter run, did laundry, met grad school friends for lunch, and did my grocery shopping (I finally made it to Trader Joe's after months of not venturing out to the store)! Then I enjoyed the beautiful afternoon wandering around the canal walk and river- it was beautiful!!

Brown's Island in bloom

The River City (aka RVA)!

Overlooking Gamble Hill Park

I hope you had a nice weekend and are gearing up for another great week! I am looking forward to my book club this evening and (hopefully) not having to go into Jury Duty tomorrow. I will keep you updated if I do:)

Hands On Richmond

Hello and Happy Weekend-ing!

I am sad it is already Sunday but wanted to share with you a fun event I participated in yesterday.

Friday night was homecoming at my school, so after a fun day at work (including a pep rally), I worked the football game with a bunch of coworkers and got to enjoy a little bit of time out at a new bar in the Richmond area, Viceroy. Due to my early morning on Saturday, I kept my socializing light and was home and in bed by 11:30.

Coworkers loving a little school spirit at the pep rally!

Yesterday morning, after a quick 3 mile run (I find that the day after I have a lot of carbs, it feels really good to run), I volunteered at "Hands on Richmond" day from 9-1 with a team of friends at The Virginia Home, a home for adults with physical disabilities. This day is a city-wide day of supporting local organizations through volunteering. The place my group was assigned is located along the beautiful lakes at Byrd Park. While there, we worked on creating a garden for the residents that they can access with wheelchairs. We pulled weeds, raked, trimmed and cleared plants (I worked out a lot of aggression with garden sheers!), and built a raised garden bed (the boys did that, let's be honest).

The team bright and early, ready to go!

Outside in the garden area with one of the residents.

It was very nice to give back to the community in a city-wide event and learn about The Virginia Home. It is a great facility doing a lot of good for it's residents.

The day also involved food and booze for the volunteers afterwards at Hardywood, a local brewery that hosted the "after-party" for everyone. My group ate tacos at a food truck and got to enjoy Ukrops cupcakes and Starbucks treats from sponsors! I ran into many other friends there and even met two current and former NBC12 anchors, which are like my version of local celebrities.

To cap off a very "Richmond Community" weekend, I then ventured to Ellwood Thompsons local grocery with some friends to become even more educated on keeping my eating and kitchen clean to hopefully stabilize this crazy mood I have been in this week! And then I watched Ohio State win and Florida State crush Clemson with some friends. Can't end the day in a more American way, right?

This morning, after an almost 10-hour slumber, I appreciated the beauty of Richmond with a 5 mile run. It doesn't get much better than Richmond on a fall morning, especially knowing I helped our community yesterday.

I hope you were able to give back some this weekend, and if you didn't, be sure to look for local events coming up in your own community!

Richmond, VA

For the past two weeks I have been doing a lot of evening walks. I love walking around as the nights get cooler and the sun sets a little earlier, because it is truly a beautiful time of day. I live in an area where I can go on a walk and hit different scenery everyday, because there are so many great routes. Walking has also made me appreciate how wonderful Richmond is. I know many of you who read this are from Richmond or currently live here, but many of you may have never even visited Virginia before. Virginia is GORGEOUS. From the mountains to the beaches to the country to the Metropolis that is Northern Virginia and D.C., you can experience just about anything in this state. Four distinct seasons, beautiful wildlife and foliage, wineries, and such a rich history from the battlefields to Jamestown, it is a one of a kind state.

On my walks I always appreciate the beauty of the city even more. Growing up I didn't do too much in the city because we lived in the county to the south of the city, but the city of Richmond is very unique. There is the historic shockoe slip, the canal walk along the city, Carytown shopping, and the great Boulevard that runs through the fan (best neighborhood) and VCU. There are great races such as the Richmond Marathon (voted "friendliest" marathon) and the Monument 10k, as well as many social leagues and a great bar scene. The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Virginia Historical Society, Byrd Park and the Science Museum give people of all ages great entertainment. We also have two huge outdoor malls and a wonderful old discounted movie theater. Concerts in the summer and fall keep music lovers happy and dogs love the outdoor events that welcome them. Affordable housing, great options for schools and active neighborhood organizations. What more do you need?

Virginia Museum of Fine Art's courtyard

View of the city on the James near Brown's Island

The Boulevard in the Fan

The Canal Walk

Byrd Park Fountain

Carytown!

Come visit if you have never been, and if you live here, take time to appreciate it:)