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December Virtual Coffee Date

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 15 Comments



Hi friends! Grab a hot beverage because it’s cold outside (at least it is in Cleveland) and let’s catch up for a virtual coffee date! As I did last month, I’m joining Coco and Deborah for their virtual coffee today, while also sharing a fitness update for a fitness linkup.  I can hardly believe we are at December! Looking at my calendar is a little frightening, but honestly, I love the chaos of the holidays. So, if we were having coffee today, I’d tell you that …

I’d tell you that we just wrapped up Thanksgiving travel. We spent more than 20 hours in the car for a four-hour meal, but it was worth it.  I saw my aunt, two uncles, and cousin that I only see once a year. I also got to see my parents quickly! I’m so grateful B does all that driving while I maintain my passenger princess status.

I’d tell you that I’m still injury-free and even got to run a Turkey Trot in Connecticut with my son, which is always such a fun tradition. Running with him makes me so proud. I wonder if my daughter will be ready for three miles next year? At their ages, I could barely run one mile!

Speaking of running, I’d mention that it’s almost time to sign up for spring marathons and half marathons! I enjoy this off season (for me) and focusing on strength training and running when I can … but before I know it I’ll be ready to train for the Cleveland Half Marathon again!

I’d tell you that December is packed with fun holiday activities. Book club, a Nutcracker viewing with my daughter and her friends, a band concert, two school holiday concerts, a piano recital, and more. It’s busy, but it’s the best kind of busy.

I’d tell you that speaking of a crazy calendar, tonight we’re doing something fun! We’re going to see The SpongeBob Musical at the Beck Center. We’re taking the whole family, and it will be GM’s first time seeing a show in a theater. I’m so excited for him to experience it. We even got comp media tickets, so we’re making a night of it with dinner out and then the show.

Photo credit Steve Wagner

I’d tell you that we recently saw the new Wicked For Good movie. I took all three kids while B stayed home to work on the basement (he’s been working on finishing it as much as we can — new ceiling and walls). It was so fun. While the first movie was undoubtedly better, I love the musical, and seeing it brought to life on the big screen was amazing.

I’d tell you that the kids are off school for something like 17 days over the holidays. It sounds like a lot, but I do enjoy the extra time with them. By the time school starts again, though, we’re all ready for the routine.

I’d tell you that we just finished decorating for the holidays. There are two types of people: those who decorate right after Halloween and those who wait until after Thanksgiving. My husband is firmly in the second camp, so we just got everything up. The house feels so cozy now, and I love having holiday music playing in the background.

I’d tell you that I’m ready for holiday baking season. Last year I baked nine different types of cookies plus buckeyes, Chex mix, chocolate pretzels, and fudge. I’m not sure if I’ll hit those numbers again, but baking cookies is one of my favorite traditions. I’ve started making a list and I’m going to try to be a little more organized this year to keep track of everything I make and when. I already made my favorite graham cracker toffee and shared it with some friends, and we did some cut out cookies.

That’s what’s going on in my world. What’s new with you? How are you kicking off December?

  • What is your go-to holiday cookie recipe? I always want new baking ideas!
  • When do you start decorating for the holidays or listening to holiday music? Do you wait until after Thanksgiving?
  • Have you ever seen the SpongeBob Musical? What was the last live musical you saw?

Linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher for the Fit Five Friday linkup and the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah
 

November Virtual Coffee Date

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

Hi friends! I can’t believe we’re in NOVEMBER and already thinking about the holiday season! I’m here for it. I’m joining Coco and Deborah for their virtual coffee today, while also sharing a fitness update for a fitness linkup, so I’m excited to share what’s going on over here.  

Here’s what I’d tell you if we were chatting in real life:

I’d tell you that I’m ready for the holidays. I know, I know… we just wrapped up Halloween, but I can’t help it. I love the holidays. The cookies, the baking, the time off work, and most of all, seeing the magic of the season through my kids’ eyes. It’s pure joy. I’m already counting down the days until Christmas! And don’t tell my husband – but when he’s not home we’ve even started listening to some holiday tunes.

Bought him a holiday shirt on one of his days home this week

I’d tell you that Airline travel recently started stressing me out. I’m traveling this week and airline travel has been stressing me out lately. I’m not sure when this started, but I’ve been feeling more anxious than usual, especially with all the flight delays and cancellations due to the government shutdown. I’ve been triple-checking my itinerary, and even though I know I can’t control it, I’m still nervous! Anyone else get travel anxiety?

If we were having coffee, I’d tell you how wonderful it was to have my parents in town last weekend. The kids were so excited to have them here, and my parents were all in on Halloween with carving pumpkins, handing out candy, and all. It rained pretty heavily the first day they were here, but we lucked out with sunshine on their last day and snuck in a beautiful fall hike. The leaves were beautiful and it felt like the perfect way to wrap up their visit.

I’d also share that I saw an author talk this week! A fellow mom at the school my kids go to gets tickets through her work to see authors speak on occasion, and she texted me last minute with an extra ticket to see Liz Moore (author of God of the Woods) speak on Monday. I am so glad I went – she was a great speaker (really down to earth) and now i want to read some of her other books!

If we were having coffee, I’d share some good news. GM is on the mend! After his surprise emergency appendectomy, he’s finally cleared to go back to school next week. I’m feeling so grateful that B took him to the hospital when he did. His recovery has been smooth, and I’m just so relieved everything turned out okay. It’s one of those moments that reminds you how quickly things can change and how lucky we are when they go right.

We have played a lot of Play Doh this week

If we were having coffee, I’d also tell you how happy I am to be running again. After dealing with a hip injury, I’m finally back out there. It’s slow, and most days it’s still a run-walk combo, but I’ll take it. I’m just so glad to be moving again and not just walking or stuck on the indoor bike. There’s something about being outside, even for a short jog, that lifts my spirits. Especially on the weekends when I can run in daylight! I even got in a 3 a.m. treadmill slow jog before a flight this morning. So happy to be back at it!

2.5 miles at 3:19

So that’s me. What about you?

  • Does travel give you anxiety?
  • Are you ready for the holidays yet?

Linking up with My First 5K and More, Running With Attitude, Run Laugh Eat Pie, Runs with Pugs, and The Running Teacher for the  Fit Five Friday linkup and the Ultimate Coffee Date hosted by Coco and Deborah
 

Weekend Update: Summer Fun in the CLE

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

We had a great weekend! So much so that I’m bringing back my weekend update post series. Who knows, maybe I’ll keep it up?

Friday started extra early – I wanted to get in a little longer run than usual, so I headed out early and was able to get in 7 miles. I was able to catch the sun rise, which is beautiful this time of year!

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And then, thanks to working from home, I was able to enjoy lunch on the porch with LM And FW.20220715_132019

Friday night the weather was gorgeous – not too hot, not too cold – so B and the big kids decided to camp out in our backyard! This meant some card games in the tent, roasted marshmallows and then sleeping outside (GM and I stayed inside).

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The kids had a blast!

Saturday morning brought another run, this time I took out GM in the stroller and he used it for a nap, too, which was fine with me.

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That afternoon, we had tickets to the Guardians game. It was Christmas in July and they were selling Christmas Ale in festive cups! So I had to try one.

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Our regular season ticket seats weren’t available, so we say high up in the stands. It ended up working out, because it was HOT and we stayed in the shade.

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And we brought home a win! We’ve been to 3 games so far this season and they’ve won each one.

Sunday morning brought some showers, so I got out for a solo 5 mile run before staying inside most of the day. After a trip to the grocery store, GM, LM and I made some muffins together.

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I’ll have to share the recipe – they are pumpkin, banana, white bean muffins, similar to these that I make often.

Sunday night brought dinner at B’s parents’ house, where the cousins got to play together. It’s always nice to see everyone all together, especially the kids – they all get along and are similar ages, so it’s fun to see them growing up together!

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And with that, the weekend was over. But this week is going to go by fast – I’m taking off Friday to celebrate GM’s birthday — he’s turning 1!

2022 Cleveland Marathon Challenge Series – Race Recap

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 4 Comments

Was it really only just a few days ago that I was running through the streets of Cleveland with thousands of others, in my first in-person Cleveland half marathon since 2019? 

Okay, okay, I’m getting ahead of myself. But yes, just a few day ago, I completed the Cleveland 5k/half marathon challenge series, running a 5k on Saturday and half marathon on Sunday. As a race ambassador, I was able to take advantage of some amazing perks. Even nearly a week later, I’m still feeling proud and grateful for the whole experience — so here it is.

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Virtual Race Recap: Cleveland Marathon Virtual 5K

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

Well, here I am, 30 weeks pregnant (10 more to go!) and writing a race recap that I didn’t know I’d be writing.

It’s not a true race recap – like most of my races this year, there were no water stops, starting line, finish line or even crowd support. This weekend should’ve been the Cleveland Marathon race weekend. Every other year, since they announced it, I’ve participated in the Challenge Series (where you run on Saturday and Sunday and get a cool medal and additional swag!), but this year, the race is virtual right now, with a fall race (schedule TBD) in-person.

This year, I’m excited to hopefully run a fall race — I’m looking forward to have something to train for after giving birth and getting the okay from my dr (hopefully in early September). As long as the race is early October or later, i should be fine with running it hopefully!

But, I couldn’t let the virtual event just happen and not participate, especially as a race ambassador. So even though I’m by no means in racing shape these weeks, AND the fact that we were out of town, I knew I couldn’t NOT join the event. So, I signed up for the 5k, with the goal of running the entire thing (these days most of my runs are actually run / walks) and crossed my fingers to hope for the best.

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Here’s how the “race” went: 

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Summertime During a Pandemic

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Another month has gone by and we’re another month in a pandemic. It’s strange, really, sometimes it feels like life is normal and we’re just having our own normal summer … albeit in masks. But then other days, my anxiety catches up with me and I don’t know how much longer we’ll be able to keep things up.

Anyway, we’ve had a pretty good past few weeks. Besides all the running I’ve been doing in the mornings (I reached 100+ days of my running streak!), we’ve been keeping busy outside as much as possible while the weather is still nice. Here’s what we’ve been up to:

Using Grandma and Grandpa’s kiddie pool! It’s been great to go over there and spend time outside.

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Friday Morning – Cleveland Half Marathon

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 7 Comments

It was NOT an ordinary week in running. Why? I decided to get in my virtual Cleveland Half Marathon miles done and ended my week with a half marathon and 5k!  That’s right, I’ve completed my first virtual race and was able to get in a half marathon by myself Friday morning while my house was still asleep. 

Here’s a look at the week:

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A Running Injury?

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 8 Comments

Being “injured” (or whatever’s wrong with me) and not being able to run during his crazy, uncertain time is hard. I’m still getting in some miles – but it’s not as much as I would like at this time. Here’s to hoping next week will be better!

Here’s a look at this week’s runs: Continue reading →

A Thanksgiving Weekend in CLE

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Can you believe we’re already in December? Thanksgiving came and went last week and we’re finally getting into the holiday season. That means it’s been nonstop Christmas music playing here!

Here’s a look at what our long weekend entailed:

Wednesday, work let out around 3 p.m. so I picked up LM early and we headed to the library to run around for a bit. She has some molars coming in, so we didn’t get in much playing.

FW was in for a treat – he got picked up early by B’s brother, who was taking him to the movies. FW got to see Frozen 2 with his cousins, aunt and uncle. It was his first movie theater experience, and I think he loved it.

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Busy Weekend, Short Week

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

We had a busy but fun weekend in town. I’m not ready for it to be MONDAY, but I’m glad it’s a short week!

Our weekend included some early Thanksgiving celebrations, a friend in town, a girls’ night, a toddler birthday party and of course some running. Here’s how it panned out.

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