There is no other place like Nanny and Papa's

This past Friday I packed us up, and we headed to one of the places Casey can relax the most - his Nanny and Papa's.  He hasn't had much sleep the past couple of weeks due to work and was in need of some refreshment.  We ate ate, napped in conjunction with good nights sleep, attended a birthday party, and enjoyed spending time with family.

Saturday morning we struck out for a run.  It was pretty, but boy was it HOT.  I guess it wasn't any hotter than it has been this past week, considering all of the record high temps that have been set. 

This was my view during our run.  No complaints here!  Yes, I run with my phone...hence the blurry camera phone pic.  I like to plug in my headphones into it and listen to Pandora.  Obviously, I took this in mile 1, because trust me by the end of mile 3, pictures were the furtherst thing from my mind.

We stopped by BassPro in order to pick up a gift for Casey's cousin Brody.  He offically turned 5 yesterday, but we celebrated on Saturday evening.

The lighting makes this look even more intense?  I'm not sure exactly how to describe what is below.

We did not have tissue paper.  Therefore, we used the next best thing - BassPro adds.

That is Brody's aunt, and his little boy cousin that should be making a November appearance.  And the little boy is a friend.  A very, very cute little friend who was dead set on doing or eating nothing but cake. 

There's Brody, in the closest fountain.  That's about as close as I wanted to get, since I desired to stay dry.  Whoever invented the Splash Pad is a hero in these kids minds. 

*****

Sunday we had lunch at Cracker Barrel - Papa's treat.  We love CB. And Nanny and Papa.

The End.

Storage

is important.  Especially, when you live in a one bedroom apartment.  Living here does keep me in check with the amount of stuff we keep.  I clean out often, and ultimately try to maintain what we really need.  Also, I am always moving things around and try to get the most use out of the space we are working with. 
For example, my scarves have lived in a little brown ottoman since college.  It is impossible to see all of them because they are on top of each other, and they don't get the opportunity to "air out."  I was thinking of ways to fix this, and I remembered having what is known as an accordion hat rack and or mug rack hanging in my room when I was little.  It held all of my dress-up purses.  I called my mom and asked her if she remembered what I was talking about, and if they still had one.  She in turn consulted with my dad, and the answer turned out to be no.  So, my next option was to hit the antique stores/flea markets.  I went one day after work to one of our local shops.  I kept my eyes on all of the walls, because I figured if they had them, they would be hanging up.  Sure enough, I spotted one, way up high out of reach.  I asked the man behind the counter to help me, and we he pulled it down I noted that the price was $2.  Score!  (The others I had seen on e-bay were anywhere from $4-7.)  I paid for it, and came straight home to hang it up.

Not only is my brown ottoman available for storage again, but the scarves add color along with texture to our bedroom.  Which is very desirable according to my interior design friend.

I call that easy wall art.

 

My thoughts on athletic wear

A few weeks back, I hit the ground running.  Literally.  I have finally started running consistently again, and I love it.  I sleep better, have a better appetite, focus more at work, and overall just feel better about my body.  Also, I'm enjoying the fact that I am running for nothing else other than simply running.  In the past, I have either run in conjunction with my swim training (back in the day) or been training for a long distance race.  I don't think I'll be signing up for any races any time soon either.  It is nice to know that if I miss a day due to life's unpredictable occurrences, that I will be okay.  One slight problem did occur when I started back though - shin splints.  Yuck, whenever I get those I know it is time for a new pair of shoes.  I did some research, took Casey's advice among others, and settled on Reebok's latest line of running shoes called ReebokRealflex.  I know, I know, I've never associated Reebok shoes with running...but take my word for it.  These shoes are great!  Shin splints gone, and these shoes move with my feet.  They do not have to be "broken" in one bit. 
Now, I have been a faithful New Balance, Asics, and Addias running shoe junkie over the years, but the Reebok's are my favorite so far...just my opinion.

I also bought pink insoles that offer more support.  Basically, they just extend the life of the shoes and help out with shin splints.  I can really feel the difference.

Casey's had his a few weeks longer than me, and has been very pleased with them.

By the way, how many of you enjoy wearing Nike running shorts?  I wear them often, but recently bought my first pair of Soffe shorts, and I like them equally as much if not more than the Nike.  I feel like I have more room to move in them, and they are way cheaper!

And there you have it, my thoughts on shoes and shorts. 

 What kind of shoes do you exercise in?