San Antonio - Top 10 Things I'll Miss

So, as you know, or maybe you don't, Lake & I are moving to the Dallas area in ONE WEEK!  While we're so excited to take on this new chapter of our lives, leaving San Antonio is going to be so hard!  Lake has lived here for the past 10 years & I've been here for the past 8 years.  That's a long time!  San Antonio is our home, so leaving it won't be easy.  So before we say "good-bye" to the Alamo City, I wanted to compile my Top 10 of things that I'll miss about San Antonio.  So here we go:

10.  The Traffic...or lack thereof....

San Antonio is a pretty big city, kinda spread out, but it's nice to just be able to stay in your area without having to travel too far.  Other than when there's construction or when there's a drop of rain, traffic in this city is non-existent most of the time.  I know that I'm going to miss that, A LOT!  I've heard the horror stories of traffic in the DFW area, but I'm mentally preparing myself for it already.  I guess the I-10 construction in the DeZavala/Huebner area is just getting me ready....

9.  Fiesta Texas Fireworks on I-10

On any given evening during the summer, you can catch the Fiesta Texas fireworks display on I-10 heading west around UTSA to La Cantera around 9:15pm.  It's one of my favorite things about SA & about living in Leon Springs.  It's always a nice little treat to see as I'm heading home & BAM, they're the fireworks....I'm going to miss that.

enjoying the fireworks at the La Cantera parking lot
one warm summer night

**Side note:  If you park in the back lot at The Shoppes at La Cantera (around Perry's Steakhouse), you can catch an even better view of the fireworks show.  Show up by about 9:05pm & you can catch the entire show, it starts going really "crazy" around 9:15pm.

8.  The River Walk

I've been visiting San Antonio since I was a little kid.  We used to come up to SA as our "vacation" which I see it now & I'm like, "what did we used to do when we would come?", but the second that I get on the River Walk I remember how cool this city really is!  It's just so pretty & busy & just fun!  We don't necessarily get ourselves down to the River Walk "proper" all the time, but it's definitely the spot we bring out of town guests to.  It's nice to have something like that at our disposal, now I just wish we had taken advantage of it more.  

7.  Distance From The Valley
I can't even begin to imagine how hard it's going to be living over 9 hours away from my parents, grandfather, aunts, uncles, countless cousins & my best friends in the entire world (might as well be my sisters).  Right now, the drive down to the valley is about 4 hours (give or take with traffic & how fast I can get away with).  Now, that drive isn't happening, there's no way I'm spending 9 hours in the car, half of it driving on 35 Southbound.  Luckily, there's a direct flight to McAllen on American or direct to Harlingen on Southwest.  I already miss The Valley so much, losing the ease to get there is going to be rough.  Guess that's what FaceTime is for.....

6.  My Students!

I've been lucky enough to teach in 3 different districts in the area.  I started my career in Boerne ISD at a smaller school.  I look back fondly at those years & those students & it makes me smile.  I "grew up" a lot during those three years & I'm grateful for the time I spent there.  I ended my San Antonio teaching career at Northside ISD teaching students that I never thought I would teach.  I'm going to miss the pressure & fun of working on a daily "newscast" with my advanced students, I've learned so much over the past 4 years not only dealing with video/photo editing, but also just a lot from my students.  Being a teacher, in my opinion, is one of the hardest jobs in the world!  Career wise, I'm not sure what my future holds, will I be back in the classroom?, will I try my hand at something totally different?, at this point, I really don't know.  What I do know, is that I'm the person I am today partly because of my amazing students, the good & the bad....and I'm going to miss getting a whole new batch of them every school year.


5.  Fiesta!

I can't even deal.  Those days in April every year where the entire city comes together for a giant party are some of my favorite days of each year!  The food, the festivals, the friends, San Antonio knows how to throw a party, that's for sure.  I'm especially going to miss my Shrimp Po-boy from the French Quarter section at NIOSA.  I've said it before & I'll say it again, there's a few foods in my life that I miss, like my very favorite Nutella-Banana crepe from the best creperie right across the street from the Eiffel Tower along the River Siene in Paris....my shrimp po-boy definitely falls into that category!

shrimp po-boy...mmmmm....

 

4.  THE FOOD

Speaking of food....that's one of major things that I know I'm going to miss about San Antonio!  And it's not just the Mexican food!  We've discovered plenty of other amazing restaurants that don't have anything to do with Mexican food.  I can tie lots of memories with food & restaurants & good times, so maybe that's why this ranks so high on my list...

3.  The Junior League of San Antonio

I joined the Junior League of San Antonio (JLSA) during the Spring of 2008.  I joined to make friends, quite honestly.  During my first 3 years of living in San Antonio I was a busy cheerleading coach who barely had time to do anything outside of my job.  So when I left that, I decided I needed to find something to do with my new found extra time.  I joined the league with my friend Kathleen & knew only one other person in the JLSA aside from Kathleen.  Sitting at my first prospective member meeting I felt slightly inadequate.  I was sitting at a table with ladies who all knew each other, I looked at Kathleen & I think both of us were like....ummmmmm, I'm not sure about this anymore.  Fast forward 5 years & it's one of the best decisions I've ever made!  Not only have I made the friendships & relationships that I wanted to create when I joined, I've become a better person!
The JLSA has not only taught me how to be a better leader, but just a leader in general.  I've been out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions, sometimes I was shoved, but in the end, it's always been the best thing for me.  I've learned how to work with a whole array of women & I've formed relationships with ladies that I would never have the privilege of knowing outside of the JLSA.  And throughout all of this self-growth, I've given back to the city that has given me so much, it's really a perfect combination!  I can't thank the JLSA & the ladies of the JLSA enough, I've been changed for the better because of everyone that I've worked/volunteered with, laughed with, or on some occasions cried with (most of the time out of sheer laughter).  SO THANK YOU JLSA LADIES!  Even though I'll be transferring out soon, the JLSA will always hold a very special place in my heart.

2 & 1.  Our Friends & Family

Friends
Short & simple, we're leaving so many amazing people that we've been lucky enough to call friends.  Thinking back to 2005, the only people I knew were Mark & Kathleen.....they thought I should meet this guy named Lake, so we did, the rest is history.  My friend circle grew by one more with the addition of Lake in my life, & I also got his super awesome roommate Andrew in the deal!  Score!  I could go through our "friendship history" in the city but that would take a really really long time.  Over the course of 8 years I've become friends with some of the most amazing people & then those amazing people started having little people, the circle keeps growing!  Aside from my family, my friendships are the most important thing to me & I've been blessed to have such great friends!  There's not much more to say other than, I'm going to miss everyone so much!  VISIT US!

Family
And yes, this includes our friends that I consider our family.  My in-laws live in SA & I'm sad we won't be as close to them.  They throw the best bday dinners & it's always nice to go over to their house & spend time with them & hear about all of their adventures around the city.  I'm also sad to leave my brother, sister-in-law, niece & nephew.  Sure, they'll only be in SA for another year, so this was inevitable, but seeing them on a regular basis for the past 2 years has been priceless.  I've seen Maryn go from an adorable toddler to the sweetest little girl, over the course of two years.  And we met Hayden when he was only 2 weeks old, now he's a full blown 2 year old kid, who seriously says the most hilarious things!  It's been a true pleasure to have them so close, I count my blessings to be given the privilege of being their "Yaya."  FaceTime dates are definitely in order!  Also, M's bestie, Blythe lives in Dallas, so she's pumped I'm going to be living so close to Miss B!

While good-byes are never easy, I know we'll be visiting the area a lot.  I'm very excited to see where this new adventure takes us & who it brings in our lives.  We're very blessed to have called San Antonio our home & I'm really looking forward to creating a new home with Lake.

And of course...as in most situations in life, there's an SATC quote for that:

"After all, things change, so do cities, people come into your life and they go. But it's comforting to know that the ones you love are always in your heart... and if you're very lucky, a plane ride away" 

Week 4 - Finish It Up in NYC

So this post is a little late, but in case you didn't know, I was able to complete my goal of running/walking 100 miles during the month of July!  And I finished 4 days early!

I didn't run too much the week of our trip, got a couple of runs in early on in the week, thanks Ariana for joining me on one of them, but I took it easy after Wednesday.

We flew into New York City on Friday, July 26th.  When we got to the hotel our room wasn't ready yet, so we walked around our neighborhood & then over to Central Park.  It was only a block away.  We were able to get an idea on where we'd be running the next morning, we'd mapped it out already & the plan was to start at the hotel, run to see lots of "sights" in the park during the first 1.5 miles, then finish out the last 1.5 & grab some breakfast at a crepe restaurant off of Columbus on the Upper West Side.

Saturday morning we woke up around 7:00am & we were ready to get running by 7:30, the weather was amazing!  Nice & cool, upper 60s, a little humid, but nothing compared to Texas.  We ran over to the entrance of Central Park at E 76th & we were off!  Our first stop was at the Alice in Wonderland bronze statue, then over to the Hans Christian Andersen statue.  Then to Bethesda Fountain & Strawberry Fields, up north to Belvedere Castle & then, just finishing out the run.  It was such a pretty run, so many people out, doing the same thing, playing with their kids, walking their dogs, running in a marathon!, just being active, it was awesome!  As we finished, we decided to walk along the outer part of the park & I looked up to see how much farther north we needed to go & much to my delight & TOTAL surprise, we had finished the run on W 100th Street!  Totally coincidence, didn't plan it that way, it just happened.  Complete serendipity!  ;)

So, that's it, goal accomplished!  Was it easy?  Well, it wasn't the hardest thing I've ever done, but it wasn't easy either.  Was it fun?  Ummmmm, the encouragement & the sheer look of bewilderment on people's faces when I would tell them what I'm doing was fun.  My knees & lower back didn't think it was so much fun.  Would I do it again?  Maybe not 100 miles, but maybe something smaller.  Like my good friend Ariana, she's running 60 miles this month, like that mileage much more.

Anyway, like with most "physical challenges" it all ends up being mainly a mental game with yourself. Making sure you follow through, doing it even when that's the last thing you want to do, and trust me, I had those moments plenty of times over the month.  Especially with the fact that it's the middle of summer!  So I did it!  #100JulyMiles, DONE!  :)

Thanks to everyone who ran with me or "liked" a run check-in, or status update, or picture or who left me an encouraging word here or there, I appreciate that so much!!  :)

I'll leave you with pics of our Central Park run!

             

   

Week 3 - San Antonio & Its Running Trails

So over the course of this "adventure" of running 100 miles, I've had my share of running routes.  I think picking a place to run is half of the battle.  Running the same route over & over again is incredibly boring & that's why I hate running at the gym.  Nothing to look at & you don't change your scenery.

It wasn't until I started running 4 years ago, that I found out just how many running trails San Antonio has to offer.  And even if you run them over & over again, you can still add in slight variations here & there, start at a different trail head, run the other way, etc.  The people running said trails are always entertaining as well.  A good friend of mine have a "weirdest thing I saw on my run today...." ongoing text conversation.  These usually vary from seeing animals, to interesting fashion choices, to used....well, things along a run.  I definitely don't always see "weird" things, but when I do, she's the first one to know about it!  I also appreciate running trails because even though you're in the middle of the city, you always have some major highway just blocks away from you, you still feel like you're secluded, just you & the pavement.  It's relaxing & even therapeutic at times.

So what's my favorite trail?  Well, that's hard to say, but after logging all these miles recently, I'd have to say my favorite place to run is on the Riverwalk.  You can't beat the scenery, the people watching is fabulous & it's just a pretty run!  The only problem is the section between the Houston Street Bridge & Nueva Street Bridge, lots of stairs & more people, but other than that, it's great!  Bravo San Antonio, you definitely keep it interesting!

Now for the weekly numbers.  I completed Day 18 today with a 4 mile walk/run with Lake.  That places me at 80 miles total, so slowly but surely I'm getting there!  Now, according to my math, I should be at 67 miles, so I'm definitely way ahead of schedule.  I won't be running on Friday though & the plan is to run my last 3 miles in Central Park in New York City on Saturday.  We fly out Friday morning on my birthday!  We'll be there until the 30th.  I'm really excited about the route that we're going to run while we're there, should be a great way to finish this all out.  :)

Thanks to everyone for the supportive comments & "likes" on FB, Twitter & Instagram!  Thanks also to Lake & Kristen for helping me get through my miles this week, y'all are the best!  Until next week, when hopefully I'll be typing that I've successfully run 100 miles during the month of July!

Week 3 runs...all sorts of weather fun!

Is it really May? ALREADY?!

It's hard to believe that we're already into the month of May.  2013 is just flying right past us & so is the school year.  So far it's been a good year, the usual stuff here & there.  We haven't done anything too outrageous or crazy....just yet....

Fiesta 2013 has come & gone & it was another fun one.  This year, we did "Fiesta Light" only attending Alamo Heights Night, NIOSA, & I made my way to Taste of the Northside with my friend Lorena.  Lake was out of town at a car race with his dad....in which they placed 4th place.

In 2013 we've watched golf, babysat Maryn & Hayden, I got all dressed up for the JLSA's Fete du Cuvee at the beginning of March & got to visit my bestie, her hubby & my adoptive pup Biggie in Fort Worth very recently!

Am I still running you ask?  Why, yes, yes I am.  Trying to run as much as possible actually.  We'll be participating in Beach to Bay in just 2 short weeks!  I'm super pumped!  Our team name is:  The Coastbusters....yes, as in a play on the "Ghostbusters"  The team consists of Team Ellis, Team Gideon & Team Barbour, I'm anchoring our team, which I'm super excited about!  My leg is just under 5 miles, so I'm also a little nervous, but I think I should be able to handle it!

So what's ahead....WELL.....school ends in just 5 shorts weeks, the day after school gets out I'll be flying to Orlando with my parents, my baby cousin Clara & Maryn & Hayden to DISNEYWORLD!  It's been almost 3 years since our last visit so I'm itching for this trip!  CANNOT WAIT!  I'm currently planning our "character dining" & trip itinerary.  :)  I fly back on that next Thursday & then leave for Vegas the very next day!  Lake & I will be hanging with Team Walkup & hopefully some other friends....get on it y'all!  ;)

But yeah...that's kinda it, I'm sure I'll throw in a Valley trip over the summer as well as a trip up way north...to FTW, it works out perfectly...I have besties in the Valley & a bestie in FTW & I'm right in the middle!  Life it great!

What's up with 2013?

So I did it, I complete my resolution for 2012! 

I look back at it now & I'm like, that wasn't that hard, but then again, it was challenging & it did push me & it pushed my friends & I'm glad that I did it.  If anything, it kept me in shape for the entire year, forced me to wake up early on specific Saturdays or Sundays and to top it off, I got to run alongside family & friends throughout the entire year, it's kinda cool actually! 

So, CONGRATULATIONS to my friends who crossed the finish line with me!  (Anne, Mike, Kristen, Ariana & Mireya).  I'm super proud of you all & I couldn't have done it without you!

I'm doing it again this year, but not really like a resolution, I figure you can't have the same resolution two years in a row.  I haven't actually made a resolution this year.  I jokingly said that I'd "tweet" more....which actually I have been doing, but that's not a resolution, it's just kinda silly actually.  BUT if you are interested I do think Twitter would be more fun with more followers so my name is:  @ericavellis you can follow me & my ramblings there.....

So what to resolve for, up until last year I never really made any resolutions, just thought they were pointless, why do you have to wait till January 1st to resolve to make yourself better or lose weight or whatever...just start today, if you really want to change.....so I'm stuck!  I have been making more of a conscience effort to not be so busy & be home more.  Maybe a resolution to cook at home more often, or maybe to bake??  I got a pretty pretty baking cookbook for Christmas from my bestie, so maybe I'll take that on.  I hate baking though.....it's too precise.  I love cooking because you can change stuff up & if you go too heavy or light on something it doesn't totally ruin the recipe as it so often happens in baking.  But I'll give that a shot...that's not really a resolution though & that'll just make me fat!

Anyone out there have a suggestion for me????  HELP!  :)

In Case You Were Wondering......

The 2012 New Year's Resolution is still on & going strong!  To say I've been busy is a slight understatement, but oh well, whatever.

Now, let's talk races:

Saturday, August 25th - Jalapeno 10K Trailrun
Never have I EVER been so mad for an ENTIRE race, NEVER!  I don't blame anyone but myself for agreeing to sign up for this race but I think I was fearing for my life the entire time.  When someone says "trail run" I will completely believe that they mean crazy, rocky, hilly, dirty, branches ready to take your head off, TRAIL RUN! 
The run was through the back woods of McAllister Park which is very pretty, but you know when you're running on a trail & you see those crazy "off roaders" come zooming towards you from one of the side trails & you think to yourself....WHY?!?!  Why would you off road when you have a nice safe & clean paved trail right here in front of you....well my friends, on this day, I was one of those CRAZY people!
I ran this race with Mireya, I've given her enough grief since then so I won't here, but she seemed to enjoy it much more than I did.  I wanted to turn so badly at the 5K mark, but I stuck with it & finished in around 1:06...and to think, I was aiming for under an hour, HA!  I was so spent after that race was over, not even funny! 
Best part of the race was having brunch at Tre after the race....

Monday, September 3rd - Dry Comal Creek Wine Run
Ah, Labor Day, a day to take it easy & rest & not do anything....but run 5 miles.
I did this race last year & I figure any race that ends with a Sangria Slushie is amazing in my book! 
The race runs through a neighborhood off of Highway 46 which is across the street from the vineyard.  It's a 5 mile race but it's hilly.  I started off the race not feeling great, walked for a bit, then had a surge of energy to finish it out.  I ended up finishing just over 51 minutes, which was 2 minutes slower than my time last year, so that made me sad, but oh well, you can't win 'em all!
For this race we had a big group!
Myself, Lake, Kristen, Ariana, Mike, Anne, Leah & Sarah, it was fun & the food & drink after was good!  Glad I ran that one again, it will probably be a yearly occurrence. 

Sunday, September 9th - Mission Possible 10K
Second race for September & this one I'm happy to report was my best race ever!  (at least in terms of 10Ks)
The race started at Concepcion Park which is located on the south end of the river.  We ran north up the river towards the King William area, it was a really pretty route!  About halfway through the race I realized that my pace was pretty good & that I had a good possibility of PRing, so I figured why the heck not!  I kept up my pace & starting pinging people off in my head.  I was passing folks & checking them off of my list, kinda fun actually!  haha.  I ended up finishing the race just under 1 hour!  A personal best for me, I was so proud!  Mireya & I ran this race, she came in just ahead of me, I think it was a good race for both of us. 

Saturday, October 6th - 10 Miler Pancake Run
Yes that's right, 10 miles!  UGH!  This race!  OK, another race where I was really mad the whole time...but this time for a much different reason.
The race started at Blue Star Art Complex, we run up about a mile, then turned back down the river, then headed waaaaaaay south on the river about a mile and a half south of Concepcion Park....where there is absolutely zero shade anywhere! 
The race didn't start till about 8:20ish, this race should have started at 7:00am, it was just too hot & there wasn't any relief from the sun, it was miserable.  Seriously, I don't even know what my time ended up at....like 1:58 or something awful, I don't even care!
Someone who did do well was my freakishly fast sister in law, Leah.  I don't know what her final time was, all I know is that when we passed each other she was around Mile 7 & I was around mile 5.3....awesome!  A few of her friends & Lake also ran this race....everyone did great, I'm just glad that I finished in one piece & didn't throw up...though I felt I could have.......

So what's next? 

I think I'm done for October.....I have a 10 mile run to do tomorrow & probably 9 miles to do next weekend.....then it's November!

In November Lake & I will be running a 5K in Austin on the NEW Formula One Race Track, or at least that's the plan.  The race is scheduled for Saturday, November 3rd, then the next weekend we will of course be running in the San Antonio Rock N Roll Half Marathon.  I'm not sure what I'm "goaling" my time for, I'd like to PR which would be anything faster than 2:16, but I'm hoping for 2:10, we'll see, it'll all depend on the weather honestly.  Let's all start praying for cooler, crisp weather.....AMEN!

In December I'll be running the Color Me Rad Run on Sunday, December 2nd & then a few days later I'll be running the Light the Night 5K at Sea World, which is a SUPER fun run!!  That's it...the year's over....I told my mom even if I get hurt there's no way I'm not finishing out this stinkin' resolution!  I'm too close!

I'm also not letting Anne, Mike, Ariana, Kristen or Mireya not finish it either...DO YOU HEAR THAT FOLKS?!?!?!?  You think I'm annoying right now, just wait!  You're finishing this with me whether you like it or not!......but it's all out of love!  :)

I've had some people ask me about 2013, honestly....finding a race a month is a lot of pressure, it's been super fun, but I don't think I want to have to do a race a month again.  I do however already have a race planned for January...you should run it with me.

January Race - Resolve for a Better SA 5K

The Junior League of San Antonio will be hosting it's FIRST EVER 5K race!  The race will start & end at The Bright Shawl (819 Augusta) which is located on the northern end of downtown.  The race will run along the north end of the Riverwalk on the Museum Reach, it's going to be a really pretty run, I'm so excited to be apart of the planning for this race, I cannot wait!!  The race is on Saturday, January 12th at 8:00am, maybe YOU want to try to do a race a month for 2013....why not start with Resolving for a Better SA! 

Click here to sign up for the race!  If you can't run the race but would still like to support the Junior League of San Antonio, click here to check out my super awesome & fun fundraising page!!  :)  Any donation would be greatly appreciated & I'll give you a shout out on my FB page....you know that's SUPER cool!

PS--I forgot how much I love blogging...I need to not let months go by without blogging.....

26 Day Picture Project - Day #10

Day #10 - Spa Water

I've been on a "Spa Water" kick since I attended the AVID conference last month in Dallas. It's super easy & I've actually gotten more ideas from a pin that my friend Alison pinned a couple of weeks ago that had "recipes"

In the end it's all very simple, you chop whatever fruit you like & place it in the bottom of a pitcher, I personally like to muddle mine up a bit, then add a layer of ice & finally the water. Let it sit for a few minutes, then enjoy! The longer you let it sit, the more flavorful it gets, I do however suggest you tossing out the water after a day, even if you aren't done. If I use citrus of any kind I lightly squeeze the fruit before dropping it in.

So far I've tried:
Strawberry-Raspberry; Raspberry-Lime; Lime; Apple; Cucumber-Lime; I haven't been brave enough to add mint or basil, but I've seen recipes with it!!

Today's concoction is Strawberry & Cucumber, very interesting flavoring, love it! Thanks for the idea Mitra!! :)

26 Day Picture Project - Days - #4, #5, #6, #7, #8 & #9!

Day #4 - Happy 4th of July!

Here's my nephew, Hayden & my sister in law watching Hayden's first fireworks display! I'm not sure he really appreciated all the noise, but he sure did love the colors! 

I'm very happy to be there for his first witness of fireworks :)

Day #5 - What's Old is New

I had a lunch meeting today & decided to wear a new dress that I bought this past weekend at Old Navy (on sale no less!) & I wanted to wear fun heels with it, so since I just cleaned out my shoe closet I thought it would be nice to wear these shoes, circa Nine West around Spring 2005. I love when I can wear "old" things & make them new again.
Plus, I got lots of compliments & that's always fun! :)

Day #6 - Goodwill
I took in my Goodwill San Antonio donation today for Junior League of San Antonio! Getting my check marks done early ;) The house feels lighter now....

Day #7 - Sunrise Running
This picture was take at mile 2.6 during my 5 mile run on Saturday morning along Loop 1604, run was tough, but the pic sure is pretty! :)

Day #8 - BFFs

This past weekend some of my very best Valley friends came to visit! Weekend was filled with lounging, catching up & laughing :)
I've known Monica since we were 10 years old & I've known Cristina since we were 5 years old. They're the best! :)

Day #9 - Curriculum Writing 2012

Today started my first of 7 days of curriculum writing for school.....yeah, that's all I got.....

2012 Resolution - July Race #1

Race Goal:  37:30......I was really pushing myself on that, oh well, gotta shoot high I guess?!
Actual Time: 40:04, not even CLOSE!  :(
The Race: I ran the SARR Freedom 4 Miler on Independence Day.  The race started at the Mainland Trailhead of the Leon Creek Greenway which is off of Bandera Road.  I guess we ran east on the greenway, it was pretty flat for the most part, except for the final .6 of a mile, ridiculous!  All UPHILL!!  A little after a mile & a half I started to not feel really well, so I stopped for a little bit, but got back started after 2 miles.  My time at 2 miles was 21:19, so I think I did pretty well to finish the 4 miles barely over 40 minutes.  I felt great the last mile & a half.  Oh well, next time.....
Who'd I run with?:  My running buddy Anne & my sister in law Leah, they both owned that race!!  :)
Coming Up (July Race #2):  I'm running the Too Hot to Handle 5K at Boerne Lake on July 15th.  I'm not sure what time I should say.  I'm gonna say 27:30, which means that I really need to push myself hard during my training runs.  

Leah, me & Anne after the Freedom 4 Miler Race

Speaking of training runs, our 1/2 marathon training group is in FULL swing!  The only problem is that  we have been so busy that I missed 5 weeks worth of Saturday morning runs with our group!  Yikes!  Last Saturday was my first one back & yeah....that was no fun.  We were scheduled to run 4 miles, but everyone in the group voted to run 5 miles instead, which is fine, but I just couldn't keep up with that pace, so I got slightly lost & only ended up doing 4 miles, hopefully it'll be better next week.

26 Day Picture Project - Days #2 & #3

Day #2 - RAIN!

After this rain who knows when we'll see it again, I thought it was appropriate & maybe a little boring compared to my Day 1 picture, but it's OK!
I'll take boring over life threatening any day! ;)

Day #3 - Where's Maryn?!?!

My afternoon consisted of "shopping" with Leah & my niece & nephew at La Cantera, then getting some new decor for our bedroom at ZGallerie, then a pedi with Mireya, & finally dinner at Yardhouse with Lake, all in all a great evening at La Cantera!
Thanks & gig 'em!

26 Day Picture Project - Day #1

How did that even happen?!?!
So during my run last night it started raining, it didn't seem too crazy, but when it started pouring I decided I'd cut the run a mile short & head home, as I crossed to street & got on the sidewalk the tree that you see here fell....FELL! It didn't scare me really, I think I was more shocked....I was sprinting at this point & turned to go into my neighborhood & saw that another tree had already been knocked over on our street. The power was out, I couldn't get into the house b/c I couldn't open the garage.....
Long story short, I was invited into the home of a nice older couple down the street who let me use their phone & gave me a towel to dry off. I'd like to thank Ms. Rose & her husband for helping me today! :) 
Day 1, kinda crazy!

crazy scene, but all is well....well not with this poor tree, but no one was
hurt  :)

Other pictures of stuff that happened yesterday....up until the tree thing, I really thought one of these pictures was going to represent Day #1....but the tree really just took the cake, don't ya think?!

these absolutely cracked me up, they are multipurpose
sunglasses!  Ariana & I decided that you could use
them twice before they broke....

I've been on a yummy "flavored"water kick after
having some at the hotel I stayed at during the AVID
Conference in Dallas...yesterday's was with lime, today
I plan on trying out apples :)

The 26 Day Picture Project!

I can hardly believe that today is June 30th, hence today is the very last day of the month, which means that an entire month of my summer break has quickly dissolved into only memories, weird how quickly that happens.....

Not that I've been sitting around just twiddling my thumbs, watching TV & vegging, I could only wish that I had the luxury to do that, but alas, summer is flying by & I'm incredibly busy, but it's been quite fun!  I've been busy running, junior leaguing, emailing, conferencing, & unfortunately NOT cooking, which makes me really sad!  Usually summer is my prime time to get back in the kitchen, but it just hasn't happened yet.  I'm hoping July will lend it self to cooking, fingers crossed**

July is promising to be just as busy!  More of the same....it's still nice to have this time & I'm not going to lie, I have spent a few hours here & there just sitting on the couch, being lazy, watching re-runs of Grey's Anatomy & Sex and the City.  I've also gotten to see VEEP & Girls, which are both HI-LARIOUS!  Thanks HBO!

With my 30th birthday looming in less than 30 days now (27 to be exact) I wanted to do some sort of countdown or like bucket list or something.  I thought about starting it on June 26th, exactly ONE month before my bday, but I was driving back from the Valley & it didn't lend itself, then I was like, ah, oh well, not gonna do anything, but then on Thursday I got a brand new point & shoot camera & I got an idea, why don't I start on July 1st (my birth month, best month ever, just FYI) & take a pic of the coolest thing I do that day or the coolest thing that I see that day.  GENIUS!

This idea is actually a play of something I do with one of my best friends, except with her it's...."Weirdest/Randomest Thing I Saw on my Run Today", and trust me, we both see some weird/random stuff (chancla, chonies, live chicken, preggo test), I tell no lies!  So for 26 days I'll chronicle my life through pictures...through the eyes of an almost 30-year old....ah, it's the best I could come up with.

We'll see how well I can keep up with it....Stay Tuned!

Seven Years Later

If you would have asked me 7 years ago,

"Where do you think you'll be on May 31st 2012?" 

I really don't know how I would have answered you, honestly, I have no clue!  On May 31st 2005 I was a newly hired teacher working at Boerne High School & I had just taken 20 JV & Varsity Cheerleaders & 1 Mascot under my wing, I had NO IDEA what in the world I was doing.  There were some days that it was very obvious that I had NO IDEA what in the world I was doing & other days I think I hid it well....or at least that's the hope.....but looking back on 7 years of teaching all I can do is smile & be really really proud of how much I've grown as a person.

Nostalgia is a funny thing....it kinda sneaks up on you.  Life has changed since 2005 in so many ways...:

*I'm an old married woman & have been for more than 4 years now! CRAZY! Lake & I have traveled the world (literally) & I can't think of anyone else I'd want to share this awesome experience with, to say that I've been blessed is quite an understatement.

*I no longer work at Boerne HS & I haven't for sometime, but I'll always carry that experience with me, forever!  I'm happy to say that I still keep in touch with a handful of my colleagues from Boerne & that was probably the hardest part of leaving there, leaving my friends.

*I'm no longer a cheerleading coach.  During my first year of teaching I was convinced that I'd taken on the hardest job in the world, on top of being a first year teacher, I was also a first year coach & a cheerleading coach to top it off.  Each year was a little easier & a whole lot more fun!  I especially hold my "girls" (my cheerleaders) very close to my heart. Sure I haven't seen most of them in years, but I still think of them often & love to see what they're up to on Facebook.  They are all growing up, getting married, having babies, it makes me feel old, but I love seeing what they're becoming, it's truly a beautiful site!  The tears, laughs, bruises, & all the other things that accompany coaching 20 girls will always stay with me & I'm grateful for that..

*I'm in charge of the "news" at my school, whaaaat?!?  I have the funnest job & get to work with some pretty awesome-ly creative kids.  Everyday is a new adventure with them!  Just like with my former cheerleaders I look forward to seeing where life takes my Falcon's Eye News Crew kids, their talent is endless!

*I've run a FULL marathon, I'm insane, enough said.

*I LOVE SAN ANTONIO!  I mean I've always liked the city, growing up we'd come visit SA & run track meets here during the summer, it was always fun & always reminded me of the Valley but it was bigger with better places to shop!  ;)  During my first 3 years living in SA I didn't have time to make friends outside of school or to really get to know the city.  After I left coaching I found myself with spare time, which was a luxury I didn't have before.  I decided to join the Junior League of San Antonio, a women's volunteer organization that promotes volunteerism & develops the potential of women.  I wasn't sure what the journey would entail when I joined but I thought it would be a fun way to make some new friends & get to know the city better & also help out in the city!  What the league has given me I can never repay.  I've been pushed, sometimes shoved, out of my comfort zone on numerous occasions, but I'm a better person because of it!  I've also met some of the greatest women & friends through the league.  That's something that has definitely changed since 2005......

*I have FRIENDS!  haha, I mean I've always had my core group of HS friends that I'm still very close with & I talk to all the time, but in college I really only left with a couple of good friends (Kathleen & my roomies), I moved to SA knowing no one other than Mark & Kathleen.  I quickly welcomed some new friends in the mix, but it wasn't until I joined the JLSA & got more involved that I made my SA Circle of Friends.  Sure people have come & gone, faces have changed, but I love all the friends I've made in SA even if I've grown apart from some, I truly believe that people are placed in your life for a reason & sometimes that reason isn't meant to equal out to a life long friendship....but sometimes it is :)

So, if someone were to ask me today....."Where do you think you'll be on May 31st 2019?".....

I have no idea, really....and I kinda like it that way!