Half Marathon Training Must Begin

Remember back on January 1^st when I set this little resolution to run a half marathon?  Well, I signed up for The Virginia Beach Rock N’ Roll Half Marathon on Labor Day weekend and the training must begin!  It will definitely get me in bathing suit shape, so I’m killing two birds with one stone!  I don’t want to push it too close to the race date, but given that I was focused on my dance competition, I decided on a 20 week training program.  It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it and I think I will be very happy in the end.  Thanks to a little Google search, I was able to find a 20 week training schedule.   

20 Week Half Marathon Training Schedule

Mon

Tue

Wed

Thu

Fri

Sat

Sun

April

Week 1

off

3 miles

off

3 miles

off

4 miles

3 miles

Week 2

off

3 miles

off

3 miles

off

4 miles

3 miles

Week 3

off

4 miles

off

4 miles

off

5 miles

3 miles

Week 4

off

4 miles

off

4 miles

off

5 miles

3 miles

Apr/May

Week 5

off

5 miles

off

5 miles

off

6 miles

2-3 miles

Week 6

off

5 miles

off

5 miles

off

6 miles

2-3 miles

Week 7

off

3 miles

5 miles

3 miles

off

7 miles

2-3 miles

Week 8

off

3 miles

5 miles

3 miles

off

7 miles

2-3 miles

Week 9

off

4 miles

5 miles

4 miles

off

8 miles

2-3 miles

June

Week 10

off

4 miles

5 miles

4 miles

off

8 miles

2-3 miles

Week 11

off

4 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

9 miles

2 miles

Week 12

off

4 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

9 miles

2 miles

Week 13

off

5 miles

6 miles

5 miles

off

10 miles

2 miles

July

Week 14

off

5 miles

6 miles

5 miles

off

10 miles

2 miles

Week 15

off

5 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

11 miles

2 miles

Week 16

off

5 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

11 miles

2 miles

Week 17

off

4 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

12 miles

off

July/Aug

Week 18

off

4 miles

6 miles

4 miles

off

12 miles

off

Week 19

off

4 miles

5 miles

4 miles

off

6 miles

off

Week 20

off

4-5 miles

off

4-5 miles

off

13.1 miles!

off

Who wants to join me?!? 

I apologize for my lack of blogging.  Life has been Ca-Ra-Zy lately!  I was away all weekend for a dance competition and as most of you know, the week before you leave your family, there is a lot get done.  On top of the normal things, I had to get spray tanned, do my nails, sneak in at least 2 dance lessons, interview people for a few open positions at my job, work fulltime, pack, and the list goes on and on.  A dance competition blog is in the works and I am really excited about it!

Much love. 

Joy Dare

March 20th: Three Gifts That Made You Laugh

Oh heavens, I chuckle on a daily basis for lots of reasons.

First, my unique sense of humor that only I seem to find funny!  It’s a gift to laugh at yourself and boy o boy do I have it!  Thank God because if I couldn't laugh at all my craziness, I’d be one miserable person.

Second, my orange rhythm dress.  Holy Cow that thing is competition for a neon colored car wash.  It’s basically a bathing suit top with orange fringe and some tacky beading.  I shudder and a laugh just thinking about it.   This weekend when I dance in it, I will hold my head proud and not bat an eye when I blind someone by the color or the fringe.  Haha!

Third, my Irish Catholic Granny.  While she isn’t physically on Earth anymore, my memories of her put a smile on my face and a laughter in my heart.  She had so many little tendencies that made me roll my eyes, but now they are so endearing, slightly crazy, but all in all hilariously adorable!  Yes, she pinched cheeks, worried about what everyone else thought about her, how she would be perceived, what the neighbors were doing, and what her grandkids were up to.  She smacked her lips when she ate, always used her fingers to pick at her food, could drink coffee anytime of day (That’s my kind of gal)  and always said “Oh Oh Oh” in a high pitched voice.  One day, I hope my grandkids think about me and laugh because they love my crazy side. 

What are three gifts that have made you laugh lately?

Much love. 

Celebrations!

This weekend was jam packed with celebrations!  Friday was a little spot light dancing celebration!  Little man, Hannah and her cousin came to the studio and watched me perform my open waltz in my costume.  Little man thought I did great!  He really enjoyed it and wants to learn how to swing dance!  Oh heavens!  That makes me happy!  I started teaching him this weekend and I actually caught him practicing and showing his best friend.  Watching two 10 year old boys in skinny jeans trying to east coast swing makes me giggle!  I love him!  He will know how to swing very soon!  The kids got swagger!

Saturday started with a cake smash for a first birthday and then a little birthday outing for little man!  He took two friends to the movies to see Oz (it wasn't that good in my opinion, but the kids seemed to like it) and then we have cake and ice cream back at the house.  Little man opened a few presents from us - skinny jeans, shorts and two shirts - he likes to look good.  His friends gave him money which made him a happy champ.  Naturally, a nerf war followed...and Ryan and I dominated, but not without injury.  I am so darn competitive, it isn't even funny.  That's what happens when you have brothers.  I dove behind the trash can, popped up, shot at the boys and dove back down..well, I slammed my chin and neck on the way down and two days later I am still feeling it.  Jeez.  I'm a nut sometimes :)  He wanted strawberry cake with blue icing!  All homemade of course!  It tasted yummy, but it reminded me of a unisex baby shower because of the pink and blue.

Saturday evening, I took Little Man and his friend to a benefit for children with rare genetic disorders.  They got all dressed up in black and white, behaved very well and had a blast deciding with baskets to put their raffle tickets in.  After an hour of debating which baskets they thought would be best for their sleepover, they made their decisions.  Well, those little buggers WON!! They screamed like little girls when they realized their number was called!  Of course we were sitting at the back of the room, so they proceeded to spring across the entire ballroom!  It was hilarious and adorable!  Luckily the benefit was for children, so there were lots of kids and a good amount of energy.

Needless to say, they ate all the treats in the bast that evening during their sleepover and they were both quite tired come Sunday morning.  Church was wonderful as always.  Father Michael gives the best homilies.  He is very educated, well versed and well written.  His homilies always leave an impact on you.  They are amazing.  This Sunday was about judging.  Don't do it. God loves us for who we are and it is not our job or our rite to judge others.  God is the only one who knows the whole story.  He knows the past, present, future. We don't.  He knows whats in our hearts and minds.  We don't. He said it much smoother, but that was the general gist of his homily.

Sunday afternoon LaSalle men's basketball team WON!  My best friend is beyond excited for these boys. Go LaSalle!!  This is a huge deal!

Sunday evening revolved around a little Leprechaun, a 25th birthday celebration and corn beef and cabbage that my hubby made.  He isn't a fan of corn beef, but I love it, so he made it for me!  Thank you babe!  I loved it!  He also made Irish Soda Bread and it reminded me so much of my days in Ireland with my Galway girls!  We were dirt poor and soda bread was super cheap, so we indulged and gained some poundage.  Heck yea!  Irish people rock!  This little cutie is a little over a month old and he was such a good little model for his mama on her birthday!  She wanted to get some pictures of him, so I set up my lights and backdrop for her.  She provided the pot of god and the adorable little man!!

Happy Birthday, Heather!  

It was a busy weekend, but it was a fun weekend!  I love weekends that are filled with friends and family and this weekend was exactly that!  Happy St. Joseph's Day!

Much love.

First Birthday Cake Smash!!

This weekend I had the honor of taking pictures of my very first CAKE SMASH!  Little Miss Avery is the most adorable brown eyed one year old!  She just makes me heart melt!  Her facial expressions are priceless and her calm demeanor instantly soothes those around her!  She is just a beautiful little light!  Children are amazing and make this world a better place!  

Love. Love. Love.

I'm a big girl now!

The first few tastes.  Yum!

I'm so funny!

Being dirty doesn't make her happy.  She's a princess!

She was sharing with J-man aka my little helper!

Mama, I'm dirty. 

All Clean!  Those eyes are precious!

I am so thankful for my friends who let me experiment my photography with them.  It's really quite a blessing to have such easy going people who are totally cool with homemade setups and experimental photography.  I am still learning my camera, angles, lighting, editing, and the list goes on, but with each passing photo taken, I feel a bit more confident in my ability.  

Much love. 

We Have A Pope!

I am Catholic.  I am a proud Catholic.  I am not a blind Catholic.  I know there are scandals in the Church.  I also know that the Roman Catholic Church has done an immense amount of good in the world.  This post isn’t about the Church though, it's about the newly elected Pope Francis I.

Yesterday was an historic day for Catholics and all citizens of the world.  The idea and concept of the Conclave of Cardinals is intriguing to many for several reasons.  To name a few, there is a mystery in the secrecy, a respect for tradition, and an awe that the Holy Spirit is guiding the College of Cardinals to elect the next Pope.  The Pope is a religious figure, but he is also a political figure, as has been seen across the ages, so this election is important regardless of faith or denomination. 

Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio from Argentina became the first non-European pope yesterday.  He chose the name Pope Francis I after St. Francis of Assisi.  When I heard his name choice, my eyes filled up with tears.  My Granny, who was a devote Irish Catholic her entire life, had a special love for St. Francis; therefore, he has always held a special place in my heart.  In the story of St. Francis, he asks the Lord what he should do and the Lord responds with something along the lines of Rebuild my Church, for it is crumbling.  In this time of struggle for the Church and all of those involved, I believe that Pope Francis is truly inspired by the Holy Spirit and is prepared to do great things for the Church and all those in need.  Everything from his sweet voice to his name choice to his humble address makes me confident in his ability to lead this beautiful church and make the world a better place. 

[May]  The Lord bless thee, and keep thee:

[May] The Lord make his face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee.

[May] The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, and give thee peace.

Numbers 6:24-26

 

I found this "Prayer for the Pope" that I was not familiar with, like very much:

Father, we pray for your protection and guidance over our Holy Father, Pope Francis I. Give him strength and wisdom to stand as a prophet for our times. May he be a light in darkness around which we gather in hope. We ask you to bring about reconciliation through his faithful teaching of peace and justice. Grant him compassion and care to live the gospel in love and service to all people. Let him follow in the path of Peter and Paul who, filled with the Holy Spirit, preached that the Lord saves all who call upon his name.

Much love.