Vacation.. all I ever wanted

Its only taken me a week and a half to post pictures from vacation... so without any further ado here are the pictures from vacation. we were on a cruise for 6 days [we had stops in both Jamaica and Grand Cayman] and then went to Ft. Myers for an additional 4 days.

We went with 2 of our best friends from Boston, Stacey and Ryan. We were due for a trip to Boston to see them, but we opted to go somewhere tropical instead. There's nothing better to me then being in the hot summer sun, with a drink in hand and your best friends!

I will let the pictures speak for themselves.. because lets be honest, who really wants to read what I have to write about each stop [and I will probably use to many periods to space out sentences and too many !!!! for words, and use ha! about every other picture, so I will let the pictures do the writing/talking for me!]

On our way to the ship in the shuttle from the hotel
packing the ever so important 12 pack of diet coke
[and justin taking in the "scenery"]
on the boat finally
Carnival
Officially the best day ever
Dinner the first night
[can you tell the neckline of the dress i wore this day??]
the next day was spent at see soaking up the sun
and that night we had the captain's dinner

the 3rd day
we were at port in Jamaica Mon
on our way to Dunn's River Falls
Renting Water Shoes
[yes, water shoes! circa 1990]
In Dunn's River Falls
Beach Party
with our tour guides [and their hats] Shauna and Kerry
getting back on board the boat
Day 3 Dinner
Day 4 was spent at Grand Cayman
on our tender to the island
Getting off the boat

Margaritaville
7 mile beach
Dinner that evening
the next day was set at sea heading back for the port in Miami
Dinner that evening
Poor Stacey wasn't able to sleep on the last night and was able to take a few pictures of us pulling into Miami at night
Before heading across the state of Florida, we decided to tool around on south beach for the morning
I joke around about the following picture being my highlight of vacation.. but it was pretty fun to be able to see where the Shore cast worked and lived!

We spent the next 4 days relaxing in Ft Myers with my uncle
Charlie brought out this hat for justin to wear, joking around... and he totally rocked it the entire day!
every time i look at this picture i just have to laugh
On our way to Sammi [Stacey's niece] 1st bday party
If your still looking through/reading this post, I commend you! I know its pretty boring to see the same people over and over again in a post, but I didn't want to bore you with 12 posts of vacation.

I loved every minute of being away from gloomy Ohio.

We are planning on taking another trip next spring and I can't wait!

Have you ever been on a cruise? We went on Carnival but I'm interested to hear about the other cruise lines? What islands did you go to? We're up for anything next year and would love to hear your suggestions!

What I've been up to

Sorry that I have been a little MIA lately, I have been trying to get back into a routine again after being out of one for 10 days on vacation...

and I'm not a big fan of being out of a routine...

In addition to getting my life back in a routine
I was also training for a 10 mile race that happened yesterday

I will be the first one to admit, I have never considered myself a runner, and my ultimate goal every race was just to finish...

until yesterday
yesterday was different
when I finished, I felt accomplished

I finished in 1 hr 46 minutes which is 15 seconds faster each mile than what I'm used to- i NEVER claimed to be a fast runner!... and It felt good!

**and yes, my headphones were amazing! they worked the entire time and I didn't have to fuss with them once!**

I can't wait for the 1/2 marathon in 3 weeks.. this race just proved to me that I am totally going to blows last years time out of the water! 25 more days!

So needless to say as I am training for this run and the marathon a few things around the house have been falling behind.

Tonight I am determined to accomplish the following list...even if it takes me the rest of the night!
yes, my suitcase from last week is still not unpacked.. its summer casual clothes.. and i can't wear them to work... what is it hurting for them to be laid out on the spare bed???

and yes... i promise [Grandma, Nonna, and Gammy <-- love that my grandparents read my blog <3] that I will write a post about vacation!!!! lets be honest, I have to have at least 1 fun thing on my to do list, and I certainly do not like dusting, laundry, or grocery shopping!

Wish me luck as I attempt to conquer this list.. it is going to take some time based off of the turtle speed I have been moving all day thanks to pushing myself a little harder than normal yesterday at the race!

Happy Monday!

Heaphone Dilemma

When I started running over a year ago I thought my biggest struggle would be finding a sports bra that fit and supported me.... boy was I wrong!

If someone would have told me I would have had the biggest headache trying to find the perfect pair of headphones I would have probably laughed at them...

but lets be honest... if i don't have headphones, i can't/won't/hate to run

so they are as big of a necessity to me as a sports bra

but I have gone through a few to find the perfect style for me

Each of the following did not work for specific reasons
[I sound like Goldilocks]

Phillips over the ear earphones
**Did not fit inside my ear correctly**
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Sony Ear Buds
**Shorted out when I ran long distances
[Sorry TMI but I sweat {like a man} and when my hair gets wet, it goes into my ear causing a short for my headphones]
and I had a problem with them staying in my ears**
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Skully Candy
**Same issue I had with the Sony IPod headphones
shortages and when I got sweaty the suction cup on the end of the headphone no longer suctioned**via

But alas....

Sennheiser Adidas BehindtheNeck Headphones

Justin found these headphones about a month ago
and we have been alternating who goes to the gym when so we can both use these bad boys
they are made by Adidas, and they are sweat and water proof
they stay in my ears and i don't have to fuss with them at ALL when I'm running

So since we are both running in a 10 mile run on Sunday, I thought it might be worth buckeling down and just buying a pair for myself...

so a trip to the Apple store and $70 I am hoping that I have the worlds best set of ear phones for running

Thank you Adidas for thinking about us awkwardly shaped ear, sweating runners when designing a set of headphones!


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So after spending at least $150 on headphones in the last year I think I finally have a keeper! Lets hope :)

And I promise I will recap our vacation sometime soon [hopefully tomorrow]
but for now here is a teaser for you!
Every time I look through our pictures, or hear Show Goes On it makes me want to go right back to vacation and the Caribbean! it was amazing :)

And while this post may focus on plenty of the superficial things in life please keep Japan in your thoughts and prayers today as they just experienced another Earthquake and are preparing for another tsunami. when is enough enough for them!?!?!

The Hormone Guide

**I hope to be back up and running tomorrow with a vacation post, but until then, I received this email from a friend today that I thought was too funny not to share!**

The Hormone Guide

Women will understand this!
Men should memorize it!

Every woman knows that there are days when all a man has to do is open his mouth and he takes his life in his hands!

This is a handy guide that should be carried like a driver's license in the wallet of every husband, boyfriend, co-worker or significant other!

DANGEROUS	SAFER	SAFEST	ULTRA SAFE
What's for dinner?	Can I help you with dinner?	Where would you like to go for dinner?	Here, have some wine.
Are you wearing that?	You sure look good in brown!	WOW! Look at you!	Here, have some wine
What are you so worked up about?	Could we be overreacting?	Here's my paycheck.	Here, have some wine.
Should you be eating that?	You know, there are a lot of apples left.	Can I get you a piece of chocolate with that?	Here, have some wine.
What did you DO all day?	I hope you didn't over-do it today.	I've always loved you in that robe!	Here, have some wine.

13 Things PMS Stands For:

1. Pass My Shotgun

2. Psychotic Mood Shift

3. Perpetual Munching Spree

4. Puffy Mid-Section

5. People Make me Sick

6. Provide Me Sweets

7. Pardon My Sobbing

8. Pimples May Surface

9. Pass My Sweatpants

10. Pissy Mood Syndrome

11. Plainly; Men Suck

12. Pack My Stuff

and my favorite one:

13. Potential Murder Suspect

All things LOVED in March

1. THE Ohio State Basketball Team
I absolutely LOVE March madness, I love filling out my bracket, rooting for the team that I chose in each game, and watching some amazing upsets [hello Moorehead state! i'm still impressed!] However, this year its more than just filling out a bracket and cheering on who I have going to the final dance.. its cheering for my beloved Buckeyes! and i have to admit - its been a fun season watching them! They just look like they are having fun [well let's be honest, they are having fun! they are #1 in the country!] and just to prove that they are just in it for a good time.. if you haven't seen the guys singing Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA - its totally worth watching!

2. Nude Shoes

I picked these lovelies up at Marshall's a few weeks ago. I wear them with just about everything! I love them, and they can go with brown or black!

3. Nature's Finest Jam

My mom brought this on vacation with the family last month, and I had to go out and get my own.. its just so fresh and delish!

4. Morning Star Spicy Black Bean Burger

I always tell people that I could be a vegetarian if it wasn't for bacon, and I could be a vegan if it wasn't for bacon [obvi], cheese, [and sometimes sour cream]. However, you will never hear me claim to be either - unless i claim it with my disclosures. We have been on a black bean burger kick lately - and speaking of kick - these have a little of one too! they are delish - we grill them up for dinner and even J likes them!

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5. LuluLemon

Remember this post? Well I think I may have found a place to solve the world's problems... err well at least some of my own personal problem!!! [can i get a hallelujah?!]

I have been told by a few marathon runners that LuluLemon is the end all be all place for workout apparel. Well while out shopping the other day J and I decided to stop in and see what all the hype is about! HOLY customer service! I loved it, they were totally willing to work with me to find a sports bra that fit! [please cue the hallelujah chorus again] and all of their merchandise has kind of witty names to it - kind of like OPI nailpolish!

I hope you have had a wonderful March!

Doesn't it seem as if it has just flown by?!!?

Inspiration: Plate Wall

So I often find myself day dreaming about how I can change things up within my condo....
because lets be honest, i will probably be in this condo for the rest of my life based off of the current state of the economy

one idea that i have seen a lot of lately is a plate wall... it was something that i LOVED but never really thought there was a place in my condo, until I saw Molly's plate wall on her blog it inspired me to find a wall to transform...

so what about this wall??
its off of the family room? that looks over the kitchen table


what do you think?

I would remove the clock and the corner wire piece - and add plates similar to the ones below

Molly's plate wall


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So do you think this would work on my wall? Using the colors in my family room?
[tiffany blue, artichoke green, chocolate brown and white]

I really appreciate your opinions on what you think!