Geez! Life has been whirlwind lately. I have a whole slew of post ideas that require my focus, yet I’ve been so busy with work and other commitments that I can’t seem to find the time to work on them.

Meanwhile, every year during the month of December, I want to slow down time and just sit and enjoy the twinkling lights on my tree and sip hot cocoa, but instead I’m scrambling to buy and wrap gifts in between working.

He agrees. He'd rather not have to work and buy and wrap gifts. Oh wait, he doesn't.

He agrees. He’d rather relax and not have to work and buy and wrap gifts. Oh wait, he doesn’t.

I took my niece to Six Flags Great Adventure on Sunday so we could get our season passes for next year. We hit up one of the roller coasters while we were there (Superman) and then went to the outlet stores a few miles away to shop.

Superman! My favorite ride at Great Adventure

Superman! My favorite ride at Great Adventure

That roller coaster in the background? We went on it earlier this year and we both freaked out because the safety harness felt loose!

That roller coaster in the background? We went on it earlier this year and we both freaked out because the safety harness felt loose!

Holiday in the Park!

Holiday in the Park!

I went for a quick run on Monday evening just before sunset to regroup.

i love when the sun sets and the moon shows up at the same time

i love when the sun sets and the moon shows up at the same time

I was feeling so frazzled and had so many things to tackle that it was easier to go running and think about how to prioritize my to-do list. I really love that aspect of running.

I had to bring my Subaru in for service on Tuesday and squeezed in a second run while I waited for it to be ready. It wasn’t a pretty route.

not the most scenic to run by

not the most scenic to run by

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I stopped to take a phone call from the doctor’s office to schedule an appointment which slowed my time overall but I actually kept a decent pace.

I basically ran over one of the biggest highways in New Jersey. But a run is a run right? There will be plenty of more scenic runs in 2017.

I also ran some errands with Mr. SOTSS while waiting for the car. We stopped at the post office for stamps. I hung back with the pooches.

Do you think he'll come out with biscuits?

Do you think he’ll come out with biscuits?

It’s really cold out today. Windy and in the 20s. Duncan gets static ears every year when it gets so dry in my house from the forced air.

So you're saying I need to tame the frizz?

So you’re saying I need to tame the frizz?

I took him to the vet this morning for routine stuff and to buy a 6 month supply of his heart worm and flea and tick preventatives. Geez. So expensive! Cost me over $300 in total. And he didn’t seem too appreciative. More like….”Can we go now?”

The "I got blood drawn" look

The “I got blood drawn” look not to be confused with the “you made me wear a halloween costume” look.

I took him to Petco after to pick up dog food…cha ching! img_8062And now he’s at the groomer which costs as much as a salon haircut and color. Plus, I’ll probably give his groomer a larger than usual tip for the holidays. In other words….I’m pet poor at the moment. But I wouldn’t have it any other way. 

We’ll I’d better get back to working to keep the kibble on the table.

Hope you’ve had a good week so far.

Anyone have fun weekend plans coming up?

Any solutions for static electricity (and shocks) in the winter?

Roller coasters? Yay or Nay?

Hi there,

How goes it? It’s finally starting to feel like December now. It was cold and windy on today’s run. A real feel temp of 27 degrees. I bundled up.

hat, buff and hoodie over a long sleeve shirt

hat, buff and hoodie over a long sleeve shirt

and I even wore leggings instead of capris

and I even wore leggings instead of capris

I’ve run a lot around the neighborhood in the last couple of weeks and kept thinking I should do another edition of holiday decorations. In 2013 I felt the need to analyze a whole lot, especially the square snowman. In 2014 I was injured but walked the hood and couldn’t get over the amount of non-holiday holiday decorations. An eiffel tower and a crown? What?

This year I noticed a large amount of candy canes. Fuzzy, ones, tall ones, short ones….even blue striped ones!

Fuzzy candy canes

Fuzzy candy canes

2 sizes of candy canes but can we talk about these adorable pigs too?

2 sizes of candy canes but can we talk about these adorable pigs too?

Blueberry candy canes?

Blueberry candy canes?

It was a rather slow 3.5 miles as I stopped frequently to snap pics but I’m happy I got the miles in. img_7957

In other news Duncan has been as cute as ever lately and I’ve had to document his cuteness with these pics…

The ready to play look

The ready to play look

The lazy look

The lazy look

the "take the pic already so i can have that cookie you're dangling to get the perfect shot" look

the “take the pic already so i can have that cookie you’re dangling to get the perfect shot” look

the cute and bored look

the cute and bored look

I had a weird experience the other day. As I was driving across a bridge this huge blob of paint landed on my windshield. At first I assumed it was bird poop so I used the wipers and smeared it. Once I realized it was paint I freaked out. But after a solid 30 minutes of scraping with my finger nail and a rough old towel I got most of it off.

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I love my very short conversations with Mr. SOTSS today.

morning-convo evening-convo

We just saw each other yesterday so we’re all caught up. Tonight I’m hanging with the pooch and filling out my holiday cards (although I keep getting distracted with Facebook and Words With Friends).

So what’s new with you all?

Anyone see any good movies lately?

Any exciting weekend plans? 

Hope everyone is doing ok. I can’t believe how fast the days are flying by. How has it been 10 days since my last post? Let’s see..here’s what I’ve been up to since I ran the Fall Flat 5k:

I had an annual physical. I’m healthy! So all my aches and pains just mean i’m old!

I ran a bunch. All goal-less miles. (More on this later in the post)

a 5k around the neighborhood last Tuesday

a 5k around the neighborhood last Tuesday

Thanksgiving pre-calorie burn.

Thursday’s Thanksgiving pre-calorie burn.

5 miles on Saturday just because I had an hour and  the sun was out.

5 miles on Saturday just because I had an hour and the sun was out.

And.....today's 4.4 miles that made me think about goals for 2017

And…..today’s 4.4 miles that made me think about goals for 2017

I spent Thanksgiving at Mr. SOTSS’ mom’s house. Her and her husband just moved into their home this year and were excited to host a big gathering. I managed to spill an entire glass of white wine on myself but otherwise the evening was fairly typical.

smiling despite the fact that I spilled my drink

smiling despite the fact that I spilled my drink

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I’m thankful for my health but not my clumsiness! Actually I wrote I’m thankful for coffee but didn’t take a picture of that leaf. 🙂

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Always thankful for the outdoors and my puppy

I completed my annual holiday card design which I’ll reveal later this month but here is a picture of Duncan I took for the idea.img_7651

I went to see the School of Rock on Broadway yesterday with Mr. SOTSS and his fam. It was really cute.img_7732

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So 2017 is just a month away and I’m feeling like I should have a better handle on my goals for the year. Not just in running, but in life too. As I ran today I felt so ambivalent to how many miles I should run. Maybe that’s a good thing? But ambivalent is definitely not a word I want to use for long. And I feel like it’s the way I’m acting toward a lot in my life.

I’m not sure if I’ll be running any full marathons in 2017 but I just took advantage of Cyber Monday deals and registered for the 2017 NJ Half Marathon in April. So that’s good. #patsherselfonthebacknjm-recipt

I wish I felt ready to lay down some big goals for 2017 for but I’m not there yet. I just know I should be focused. Workwise, I know I want to gain some new clients in the first quarter of 2017 which means I need to market myself better. I know I want to work on my flexibility and strength more which means I need to cross train better. And I definitely want to cook more and eat out less. I guess this is a good start.

How do you put your thoughts into action?

Do you like to set “new year’s” goals? I don’t like the whole resolution thing but I always feel a new year is a chance to start fresh.

U.S. peeps: Do you feel that the time between Thanksgiving and Christmas flies? 

Hi there

Before I get into today’s post I just wanted to share this sweet pic of me and my friend Sue from last week’s road trip to visit hersally-sueA sign I’m happy is my eyes practically closed….the bigger the smile the more I squint.

This morning I ran a local 5k trail race called the Fall Flat 5k.

Fall Flat 5k on a perfect Fall day

Fall Flat 5k on a perfect Fall day

It’s in a park that is just 10 minutes from home and while I’ve participated in some of their other events this was the first time running this particular race. Bib and shirt pickup was a breeze and since I was an hour early I enjoyed the views of the lake before sitting in my car for a bit. (This was clutch because I sat on a wet bench and used my heated seats in the car to dry off before the race began. HA!). img_7596Frankly, the sole purpose of registering was to see and chat with my friend Gina. It made me giggle when I thought that my goal for the race would be “conversational pace” but not in the sense of speed….more about the ACTUAL CONVERSATION. 15036309_10210994186871054_6300768106909354973_nWell, I hit my goal! I talked non-stop for the entire 3.1 miles and Gina got a word in every once and a while 😉 The entire run went by so fast that it left me wishing we had a longer course to run just to keep the conversation going. fall-flat5k-finish

It’s so important to make time for fitness but also to make time to connect with friends too. I’m determined to make 2017 the year of conversational pace! I want to commit to running (and chatting!) with friends at least once a month!

 Do you run solo or with a group? Like local races? Do you like to talk or zone out when running?