A Very Cold Weekend

Our friend Ashley is staying with us this weekend.  So far we've spent this weekend around the dinner table enjoying homemade pizza (delicious!) and red wine, running, and doing a little retail therapy.  Ashley and I decided to brave the cold and headed outside for a run, which felt great!  I think I'm turning into a winter runner because the cold weather (above 15*F) doesn't bother me as much as it used to.  I'm not a fan of running on crappy roads but I love running with friends, so I was game!  We were very careful with our footing, focusing on traction and dodging patches of ice and snow.  At some points we were tip-toeing and speed walking to avoid falling, but in the end, it was a rewarding and refreshing run.  We made it back just as it started to snow.

We made it back safely!

   

Our splits according to Runkeeper.

Sunday was even colder but that didn't keep us inside.  We went for a walk at Valley Forge where we shared the path with many snowshoers and cross-country skiers.

Winter is Here

There's no doubt about it.  Daisy loves the snow.  I'm over it.  The first few snowfalls were exciting but now the perpetual grind of winter is becoming monotonous.  Only two months until spring begins!

My running schedule has been pretty non-existent this winter as I like to run outside but early nightfall and poor road conditions make it near impossible to run outside.  I can feel the progress I made in running slowly fade away, which frustrates me.  I'm trying to be positive and tell myself that inconsistent running is better than no running, and that daylight and road conditions will soon improve.

I had a half day at work last week and managed to get out for what was suppose to be an easy 3 miles, but it felt much harder and took a lot longer than I had hoped.  Looking forward to getting out there again this weekend.

Welcome 2014

We welcomed the new year with family and friends at Mom and Ben's new home.  The traditional meal of pork and sauerkraut was had along with delicious chocolate lava cakes.  Yum!

Their new home is wonderful!  I love that it feels like home and not just a place with four walls.  It definitely has a comfortable feel to it and lots of natural light.  I love visiting them and spending time getting to know the area once again.

Speaking of homes, we are in the process of buying our very first home (!).  The process is very exciting and overwhelming, and has been a huge learning curve in many ways.  I've had so much fun documenting our experiences on this blog that I decided to create a separate blog just for our journey as homeowners.  You can read more about it at www.lifeonoak.blogspot.com.

We also celebrated Bema's birthday this month with dinner, desserts, and birthday cards.  It was another great night around the dinner table with family.