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Holy, moly, it’s cold out there! My usual M.O. includes drinking a full pot of coffee in the morning, but with the wind chill well below zero in Chicago this week, why not pour yourself a cup of Joe and enjoy some with me as I brew myself a second pot? If we were having coffee, I would tell you I have majorly slacked on my diet in the past month. I’m usually not too bad at this time of year, but between a trip to Vegas in the middle of December and hosting both Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our house, well, youRead More →

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As the year draws to a close, it’s time for the final installment of Let’s Wine! Why not pop open a bottle of your favorite bubbly and enjoy a glass (or two) as I reflect upon this past year? Overall it has been a great year, both personally and professionally. I have been working in a variety of nursing roles in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) setting since graduating from nursing school in 1983, and in July of this year I celebrated 30 years in my current job along with the 30th anniversary of our NICU. I was even featured in a promotional video that youRead More →

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Oh Lordy, Lordy, December has come and gone and it is once again time to enter the runfessional! It’s been a productive month for me in so many ways–except when it comes to running…and blogging. I have been pretty much absent from social media this past month. Sometimes that’s a good thing.  I’m linking up with Marcia’s Healthy Slice for another Runfessions session! The last time I ran was during the Ragnar South Beach in November. That’s right, it’s been six weeks. Not good. But I also have to runfess that I don’t feel too bad about it. I was sick for a full two weeks after that race, and IRead More →

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It’s that time of year! December 1st is here, and for many of us, that means it’s time to launch into full panic mode as we haven’t even started our holiday shopping. For me personally, Black Friday left me a little meh. I bought one gift item online but most of what I saw that day didn’t seem like that much of a deal. Cyber Monday came and went without much luster for me either. And so begins my annual trek to stores both physical and virtual, trying to find just the right gift in just the right size at just the right price. IRead More →

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This is a sponsored post. I was given a copy of Fresh Tastes From A Well-Seasoned Kitchen in exchange for my honest review.  All opinions are my own. I also have added affiliate links, meaning if you purchase any product through a direct link in this post, I will receive a small percentage of the purchase price from Amazon. This will not change the cost to you at all, but it can help support the ongoing costs of maintenance and upkeep of this blog. With Thanksgiving and all its trimmings now a thing of the past, it’s time to start thinking about your end ofRead More →

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November is almost over. How can this be? Weren’t we just complaining about the brutal summer heat and humidity? I know I was! Well, it’s the last Friday of the month and I’m linking up with Marcia’s Healthy Slice for another Runfessions session! Let’s head on over to the Runfessional, shall we? I runfess that today’s Black Friday sales have me feeling kind of…meh. I’m seeing 10% off on many sites. Really? That’s barely a sale. I need at least 30% off to consider it a great deal. And of course if I can layer discount codes, all the better. Right now I’m sitting in my kitchen sipping hot coffee andRead More →

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In my last post I talked about the road to Ragnar, which was an adventure in its own right! In this post I will talk about the race experience itself. Our co-ed team was made up of 11 runners. In Van 1 (actually Yukon 1), our runners included Shawn, Andrés, Diana, Erin, and Kelly, with Erin & Kelly’s dad (AKA Van Dad) as the driver. I was in Van 2, along with Captain Angela, Rosie the Narc, Alissa the Bug Lady, Aimee the Airport Evacuee,  and Tina the Rainmaker. Prior to race weekend, the only person I knew was Angela, but you quickly get toRead More →

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This is Part One of a Two-Part Series, as there is just so much to tell! This past weekend I had the opportunity to participate in a 200(ish) mile Ragnar race along the coast of Florida. If you’ve never heard of a Ragnar race, they are a series of road relay races that typically include teams of 12 runners (or six runners for ultra teams) that tag-team it across approximately 200 miles from Point A to Point B. Most of these races are held in the U.S., but there also is one in Canada, and there recently has been a race added in the U.K.Read More →

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I can’t say I don’t set goals for myself. In fact, I generally do. But I usually don’t share them publicly. Knowing myself, I’m sure it’s because of the stupid notion that I would rather not put myself out there at all than put myself out there as a failure. Case in point:  The first year I did the Chicago Marathon (2013) I told no one. And by no one, I mean NO ONE. Not even my husband. I didn’t tell him until two weeks before the race, and I literally called my BFF and told her for the very first time immediately after crossingRead More →

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And in the blink of an eye, October has come and gone. It seems the older I get (and as of today, I’m another year older), the faster time seems to be flying by. How was your month? Why not pour yourself a nice glass of wine as I reminisce about mine? Some quick stats for the month: Walking/Running:  77.8 miles, including two marathons in two weeks! Biking:  None Gym Workouts:  Nada Wine Consumption:  Onto the reds with the cooler weather upon us. Mostly Pinot Noirs for now, but I’ve also enjoyed a few Merlots and Cabs along the way My running/gym workouts have been waaay down (or non-existent) thisRead More →