teeny triathlete

guess my mom knows i've been slacking

in the exercise department lately,

'cuz she sent me these pics to keep me motivated...

thanks mom!

SWIM!
triathlons would be SO much easier
if someone could hold you while swimming
...any takers?

BIKE!
not sure if the snow suit was for temperature purposes
or to act as airbags in case of a crash.both seem plausible,
although i'm convinced i've gotten klutzier as the years pass. 

RUN!
yea,
still haven't quite gotten the hang of that one.
pun fully intended.

31 days until the newport tri!  1.5 days until vacation...heck yes!

gizmos and gadgets

yesterday my phone battery was dying.

my car charger was nowhere to be found.

and i thought

"hmm, wouldn't it be great if i there

was a USB car charger? then i could charge

my kindle, ipod, phone, gps, etc all with

one little do-hickey!"

of course it exists.

and target had ONE left.

for $10.99! 

yay!

so cool!

i'm certain that i could've found one

way cheaper on amazon.com (like this image below for $3),

but i needed it pronto.

no time to wait around for shipping.

minds out of the gutter people.

also realized after i made the purchase

that my phone's really capable of

replacing my kindle/camera/ipod/gps

while in the car,

but let's not get crazy!

besides, 

i like having a purse filled with electronics.

it freaks the TSA people out.

spread the word, not your germs.

i got shot.

the TDaP adult booster shot.

my arm hurts, 

but i feel so much better for finally getting it.

i've been wanting to for months,

but it seems that doctors around here

only book appointments 9-12 months in advance,

less than ideal.

luckily, i just found out that 

the CVS minute clinic now has the vaccine.

so quick and convenient,

no appointment needed,

and they took my insurance, 

bonus!

but no cool sponge bob or dora band-aids,

otherwise you know a pic of that would be up on the blog.

but let's get serious,

pertussis - the "p" in TDaP, aka whooping cough -

is making a come back,

and if an infant gets it, it can be fatal.

the best way to fight it is to vaccinate yourself.

please go to Sounds of Pertussis to get the facts.

_._._._._._._._

a little about why i'm helping spread the word...

i remember getting my Nikon D90 for my birthday last year and wanting to learn how to take better pictures.  i stumbled upon digital-photography-school's website.  the first article i read was written by a photographer named Natalie Norton.  the way she explained the intricacies of photography was exactly what i was looking for, and she was hilarious, so i was quickly hooked.  i read all of her articles.

i remember venturing over to her website Picks & Kicks and reading, for hours. going through the archives and getting a glimpse of what made this woman tick.  each post was inspiring. her dedication to her family, her commitment to her faith, her love for life, and the way she honed her craft, all so personal, honest and real.  the pictures of her adorable children acting like crazy little monkeys definitely didn't hurt either.

i remember when Natalie blogged about the newest addition to their lovely family, Baby Gavin.  the sweetest little baby pictures that followed over the next few weeks were beautiful.  her words warmed my soul during that holiday season.

i remember checking the blog the first week of January and painfully reading about the health issues Baby Gavin was facing.  i remember praying.  and sharing the story (and link) with others.  soon many around me were following Natalie's tweets and blog...chatter around the office and home focused on 'did you see the blog?' or 'is there any update on gavin?'.  prayers and positive thoughts were sent their way all day, social networking and prayer networking is a powerful thing.  it is way more powerful than stupid pertussis.

i remember a few short days later checking Natalie's blog/twitter and there was nothing. no updates. no new prayer plea. nothing but silence. i kept refreshing, all evening long, and even once when i woke up in the middle of the night. my prayers grew more desperate as i sat waiting for the news.  i remember getting to work, checking the blog, and seeing the heart wrenching news that the Norton's youngest son had left this world.

not a day goes by that i don't think about that week.  i think about how this family, living across the country, brought so many strangers together to focus on one goal.  and how to this day their spirit remains strong, positive and loving.  how their faith in this life, and the next, helped to restore and strengthen the faith of so so many.  thank you, natalie & family!

but now the fight continues, and you get to help out.  do your part, get your shot and leave a comment letting everyone know you're immunized and supporting the cause!

don't mess with breakfast.

breakfast is hands down my favorite meal.

i could eat it all day long.

from the simple and satisfying bowl of cereal,

to weekend morning masterpieces,

it's almost always my first choice

in the 'what should i eat' game.

and it's gotta be sweet,

savory breakfast should just be called lunch.

there aren't many breakfast places nearby,

so i took matters into my own hands...

stuffed challah french toast

with a mixed berry sauce,

thick cut applewood smoked bacon

and yukon gold baby potatoes

(not pictured, they were still sautéing!)

 yea, that's a lot of food for two people,

darn guess i'll have to eat leftovers all day long :)

who's hungry?!

best part about this french toast is that

all of the work is done in advance the day/night before,

so your kitchen can (in theory)

be clean once breakfast is done!

Overnight Challah stuffed french toast 

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf of delicious Challah bread...i used raisin, yum!
• 2+ cups berries (i used a mix of blackberries, blueberries and raspberries - approx half pint each)
• 2 cups skim milk
• 1 cup heavy cream (note if you have half-and-half you can use that instead, just change to 1 cup skim, 2 cup half-and-half)
• 8 eggs
• 2+ tablespoons of sugar (if your fruit is tart, add a little more sugar!)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• Orange or lemon zest (optional)
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier liqueur (optional)

1. Butter a 9x13 casserole dish
2. Slice bread into 1 inch pieces
3. Cover bottom of dish with about half of the bread slices
4. Sprinkle berries evenly across the bottom bread layer
5. Combine remaining ingredients in a large bowl.  Whisk until well mixed.
6. Pour half of the mixture over the berries and bread.
7. Add the rest of the bread slices (this makes the top layer, it's okay if it doesn't cover it completely, the bottom's the best anyway!)
8. Pour remaining liquid mixture over the top layer of bread
9. Cover with foil and refrigerate overnight
10. Preheat oven to 350.  Remove foil and cook for 40 minutes.

Enjoy! 

brick workout

every triathlete reaches a point in their

training schedule where the dreaded

brick workout comes into play.

today was one of those days.

a brick

is a combo workout day

intended to simulate race day conditions

with back to back

torture.

to combat the mental

and physical

pain that comes along with

biking super hard

then immediately running on

sore legs,

i've come up with a stupid

acronym for BRICK which makes me smile...

since even my google machine has failed

to tell me why the heck it's called a brick workout...

Bike - Run - Interval - Challenge - Kickass!

it helps keep me motivated...

up until right around the moment

i clip my bike helmet on to my head,

and then reality sinks in,

ick.

hopefully it pays off on race day,

because i know my legs are going to be paying for it tomorrow!

ouch!!

and since posts are boring without pictures,

i thought i'd share this little pipsqueak with you...

Kara - the little triathlete (support team) in training! xo!

totally putting spokiedokes on my bike,

they've gotta be tri legal :)

my new phone is INCREDIBLE!

my phone arrived last night

and i'm completely obsessed with it,

so obvi there was no time for blogging!

i am so happy with my decision to get the

verizon droid incredible by htc.

it ROCKS!!

might take me a good week to figure out

how everything works,

but so far i'm super impressed...

and only slightly confused by all of the notifications

that keep popping up :).

nifty case found on amazon, hoping it doesn't get dirty in 2 seconds.

not sure if you can see it in the second pic, 

but when i unlock the screen weather animation rolls by...

today it's cloudy so clouds float over the home screen 

(it's not just a terribly hazy picture!)

so fun! i love little features like that!

and if you're wondering why i picked this phone

over an iphone or blackberry,

the logic would go a little something like this:

i love apple,

but i hate at&t 

(with a passion).

i like google

and i like verizon.

i don't like waiting around to get new things

if i know i can have them right now.

 and i like spending very little money

and getting something cool.

so really my hatred for at&t

and my impatience led me to the droid,

but i don't think i'll be disappointed!!

summer reading

i was so looking forward to coming home

to my new phone

(droid incredible, yay!)

and reading through the manual - 

because, confession...i'm a nerd,

that's what i do,

it's how i learn about all of the stupid features

that no one uses but i get excited about - 

but nope, fedex lied.

jerks changed the delivery date.

it was coming from philadelphia,

how did it not make it in one day?!

anywho,

instead i'm going

back to the book i've been working on

for the past week or so...

The Help

by Kathryn Stockett

i love it.

it's a fast paced story

told from the perspective of

three very different women.

i kinda can't stop reading it,

it's suspenseful,

insightful,

funny,

sad,

pretty much everything all wrapped into one.

and makes ya really think about

how easy it is to treat people nicely,

but how rarely it actually happens...in 1960 or today.

i am obsessed with reading,

have been for as long as i can remember,

i used to fall asleep reading most nights when i was younger,

nerd...remember?

partially because reading a book 4 inches from my nose

was the only thing i could do without wearing glasses,

but also because i love the thrill of being

immersed in a different story/life,

learning new ideas,

and being challenged mentally.

and now i have access to thousands of books at the push of a button...

watch out credit card! :)

hooray for KINDLE!!

don't get me wrong, 

i still love a real book every once in a while.

the smell,

the feel of the pages,

the ability to pass on to someone else.

but this little gizmo is

perfect for summer.

or trips.

or note taking.

or sitting in my purse without getting ruined/taking up too much space.

plus she looks so pretty in her

m-edge case and decalgirl skin!

(only switched that kindle 'snooze' button about 7 times before i found
 a blog worthy background, nope, i'm not crazy at.all.)

what are you reading this summer?!

open windows

the weather this weekend was marvelous.

a rarity for pennsylvania.

sat on the deck friday night for dinner...

and didn't sweat.

soaked up the sun yesterday while reading...

and got a decent tan/slight burn on the stomach.

and the air got turned off!

that NEVER happens.

i opened all of the windows

and let the lovely breeze in.

it was so nice to air out this stuffy place!

but i forgot about all of the not so wonderful things

about opening the windows....

yesterday afternoon i sneezed a few times in a row...

and a random neighbor working out in their yard said 'bless you'.

that was nice, 

but slightly creepy.

last night i fell asleep listening to a man

using a saw/sander/router down the street.

he was literally out there all day and all night.

this morning i woke up

to the sound of fire station's alarm going off.

followed immediately by a train blaring through town.

it was around that time that i realized i was sweating to death...

breeze in also means serious humidity in too, ick.

and then the neighborhood dogs started barking like crazy.

so i grumpily rolled out of bed at 7am

and made myself a nice treat...

spiced peach (well i used nectarines) and blueberry muffins!

it's amazing how quickly a good breakfast

can make me happy to be up early in the morning!

recipe found here: King Arthur.

fyi - this batter is super sticky, 

be prepared to cleanup immediately 

unless you want spiced cement in your mixing bowls!