I Run 4:

I finally have been matched through I run 4 which is an organization where you can be matched with someone who cannot run and dedicate your miles to them. I have been waiting to be matched since August 26th and today I received an email that I am matched with Bain. I am so excited to dedicate my miles to him and push myself harder as a runner for all who cannot run.

I am reminded through this organization of the amazing gifts that we all have to offer and I am so grateful that this organization connects wonderful people together. 

-Much love. 

Teaching Blog

I have created and updated a blog that features what is going on in my classroom. If you are interested and want to check it out.... Here is the link:

www.riversideocs.blogspot.com

Enjoy!

The Best Pizza in Town

I have found the best pizza place in Durham. Pizzeria Toro is amazing! This place is packed and you have to sit right next to strangers... not for space conscious people... and you may come out of this place with a slight hearing impairment due to all the noise. After leaving the restaurant, Phil had to tell me to stop yelling since we had our whole dinner conversation through yelling and I hadn't noticed that I was still yelling when we left. :) 

But, it is worth it. The pizza is fired cooked in front of you and has the perfect balance of crisp and soft. The sauce was clearly homemade and the fresh mozzarella was delicious. I used some hot oil to spice up the pizza but honestly the pizza by itself was so good that I stopped using the oil and just focused on enjoying the pizza. Definitely worth a shot!

Appetizer: Crostini with fresh mozzarella: delicious but the pizza is better.

And, the pizza: it was delicious! Yummy.

Abundance

Over the past two years, I have read a lot of Wayne Dyer books. If you haven't heard of him he is definitely worth a few hours of your time. My favorite book of his is, "Power of Intention."

I was extremely moved by the book "The Power of Now" by Eckhart Tolle which I first read when I had very few friends nearby and was living on my own. Eckhart Tolle was what introduced me to Dr. Dyer. Since, reading Tolle and many of Dr. Dyer's books I have noticed amazing people come into my life and a more effective way of living my life: presently. 

Since reading his books, I have stopped worrying about money. I know, right. I have a budget and I know what is my bank account but I used to incessantly worry about money and his books taught me that if I worry about things to excess than I never will believe that they will come to me and since then I have had coincidences or marvelisms where I will receive exactly what I need versus me stressing about something that I don't have.

I find Dyer's books to be extremely on point and if you practice what he is saying you certainly will feel the abundance of the Universe. I know it sounds a little weird or maybe incredibly weird but if you are feeling down, or stressed out and you just looking for something new to read his books have helped shape me to become the person I am today and I am truly blessed for that.  

Random Happenings

Some random photos from the past few weeks. I promise I didn't eat as much ice cream as the pictures show in one week... :) 

Phil and I went to the Farmer's Market this past Saturday. He decided he was going to eat an entire loaf of bread... It didn't work out so well for him or the bread. Way too many carbs!

I decided to try Italian Ice which was a deliciously good idea. I had orange and coconut which were all made with no artificial sugars. 

This is one of my favorite places to go for frozen yogurt. Phil and I have a card which almost has a free small yogurt. They add the toppings for you which I feel is incredibly more hygienic and slightly more nicer than serve your own places.

Came across this sign the other day and immediately thought of Hayleigh. Had I known, that Blues Traveler was going to be here I definitely would have made it a to do since Hay and I love 90's rock bands.

Lewie on Phil's phone. He does this so people have to pet him... he loves attention.

My peppers from my garden nicely arranged in my Halloween decorations. I love Halloween! :) 

Tijuana Flats is celebrating Breast Cancer Awareness by offering pink tortilla chips shaped in the ribbon. I couldn't resist a picture of such a nice gesture from Tijuana Flats. That's why they are awesome!

Ramblin' Rose Triathalon 2013

Before the race started.

Lots of runnerpeeps

Running towards the gate.

A few months ago, Meredith posted on runnerpeeps a call for one swimmer and a biker to do a relay team for the Ramblin' Rose Triathlon. I leaped at the opportunity for the swim portion and Michelle decided to take a stab at biking. So, we signed up as the Peepettes.

I seem to have a reoccurring condition where I get excited about races then don't train for them.... I don't know what it is called but I am a professional at it so it may just be named after me someday. For this race... I didn't even get into the pool at all. Like at all for months I didn't swim....

The day before the race Phil and I went to pick up my packet and I had to rank my swimming ability from 1 to 10 with 10 being extremely fast: 250 yards under 3 minutes. Because I hadn't trained I picked 5 and still have the outline of it in permanent marker on my hand.

The day of the race, I could barely sleep so I woke up early and made my way over to the event location. They told me to be there at 6:00 and I made it by 6:30 and had plenty of time since I was only competing in one event. I found Meredith and Michelle and we took some team photos, listened to instructions and the national anthem then the 10's began as well as the wait.

Looking at the long line of swimmers was daunting. I knew that I was a strong swimmer but knew with my lack of training that this could be difficult. I finally got into swim and thought I was at the end... oh no. This thing was like a Disney ride long line inside as well. So, after about 20 minutes... I finally made it into the pool and immediately needed to pass people at every lap. I felt great. Definitely, would love to train more so that I could have been a 9 but felt really good about being significantly faster than I had thought.

When I finished, I ran outside and found the ladies cheering me on and without a thought Michelle was off on the bike. I knew I had some time so that I could change so I took the opportunity to get into some warm clothes. Meredith and I spoke to the other relay teams which was nice to see how everyone knew everybody and cheer every one on.

Before I knew it, Michelle was in and I was struggling to get the timing chip off and onto Meredith and then she was off. Michelle caught her breath and we walked up to get some water before Meredith came in. When we saw her coming in through the path we all ran through the gate together to finish the race.

Phil was so nice and took so many photos for us... Big shout out to him. :)

We all ate lunch together at Brixx and were planning our next adventure: Richmond Half. Can't wait!

Definitely will think about doing this by myself next year.... or maybe getting someone to ride a bike. :)

Weekend Happenings

A few weeks ago, Phil and I decided to stop for Loco Pops in Durham which was my first time. The board was definitely fun to look at. I decided on a Cognac Salted Caramel which had too much cognac taste for me. But, Phil enjoyed almost all of it as well as an Apple Pie Loco Pop.

This is one of my favorite healthy new snacks. Fresh popped popcorn is delicious... with just a little bit of oil and lots of pepper and garlic salt. Yummy and low on the weight watchers points! Win. My Grammie G. loves popcorn and I am sure she would be able to show me a thing or two about making it. 

After a very lazy Sunday, Phil and I decided to go out for dinner at a new sushi place: Mount Fuji Sushi. The sunset roll had the perfect amount of lemon on it but the sauces were taking over the deliciousness of the rolls. Slightly disappointed but their Japanese soups smelled delicious so I definitely will be back to try again. And, they give a discount to Duke employees on Wednesday and Sunday which is a plus. 

The Bright Leaf District is my new favorite find in Durham. It has small shops and has a small town feel for where it is located. It was nice to walk down the pathway which reminded me a lot of Portland, Me. 

Phil and I made a delicious white pizza at his place. Finally eating in. :) Someday, I would really love to have a bread maker to make my own dough. This one was a generic store bought thin crust which was okay but definitely not as great as homemade.