Let’s Wine ~~ July, 2017

Well, as I have been reading on so many other peoples’ posts this past week, the big collective we can’t believe how quickly summer is flying by! It’s already time for the July installment of Let’s Wine! So grab a glass of your favorite varietal (or any other libation of your choosing), and let’s reflect together on this past month!

Some quick stats as I close out the month:

Walking/Running:  111.1 miles (and yes, indeed, I will take credit for that last 0.1!)

Biking:  10.2 miles

Gym Workouts:  4.5 hours

Wine Consumption:  Back on track and enjoying some refreshing Sauvignon Blancs as well as some great Rosés on these cool summer nights

I didn’t look back at my history, but these are probably the most miles I have run in a single month. Ever! I’m using a different plan for marathon training this year, which is fairly aggressive for this Accidental Marathoner. While I haven’t hit all the scheduled runs on the plan, I’ve been doing a decent job of getting some respectable miles in. With just under 10 weeks to go before the Chicago Marathon, I’m feeling pretty good about my progress.

July has been a great month on the home front, too. On the 1^st of the month my mom and I attended my cousin’s son’s fiancé’s bridal shower (that’s a lot of apostrophes!) in the city. It was a great party with (way too much) amazing food, and it was fun meeting the bride-to-be’s friends and family.

Fourth of July weekend always is a great time for my family, with my eldest son’s birthday on the 5^th. This year was even more special as we celebrated his 25^th birthday. Holy moly, a quarter of a century old! Where did the time go??? My first baby is all growed up!

Mid-month my niece and I flew to California for the Napa to Sonoma Half Marathon on July 16^th. We met up with one of my best friends, stayed at a beautiful ranch property in Sonoma, and then the day before the race we headed up to Healdsburg to visit a friend’s winery. And once again, this beautiful race did not disappoint!

Wedding planning is in full swing here as well. As the mother of the groom I don’t have too much to do, but last weekend I hosted the bridal shower and it was absolutely perfect, if I do say so myself! I really can’t take all the credit, since the restaurant pretty much took care of everything. I literally just had to show up and enjoy the party with everyone else. I did, however, put together a running slide presentation, with several side-by-side photos of the future bride and groom living parallel lives in different parts of the country. I also had fun making the favors for these die-hard Cubs fans!

Last week I bought by dress for my son’s wedding, which was much less of a feat than I would have predicted. I wasn’t even dress shopping, but saw it, fell in love, and bought it on the spot. It is literally the first and only dress I tried on…which is exactly what I did for my own wedding dress 29 years ago! And now the search for matching shoes and accessories…

My youngest son has been home from college for the summer. We are lucky enough that the two who have already graduated live in Chicago. I’m never happier than when all of my boys are together. Last weekend they headed to Glacier, Washington with the rest of the groomsmen for my son’s bachelor party. The wedding is in less than seven weeks, and we are all so excited for a great celebration. Stay tuned!

How was your month? Did you meet your workout goals? What fun things have you been doing this summer? It will be gone in the blink of an eye! Cheers!