Determined. To Be…

…a runner, a sister, a lover…living a fit and happy life.

Tag Archives: blogging


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Oh, the blends I have met!

As I was lamenting on how I wish I was going to the BLEND Retreat, I started counting up just how many blends I have met over the years and how fortunate I feel to have met SO many! I thought it would be fun to go down ‘memory lane’ and share that very list here. These blends (blogger +friend= blend!) span everyone from fellow divorcees, to fellow daters (online and such!), to fit and fab, to any and all of the above. These blends are truly some of the friends that ‘get’ me most of all, that mirror me to a “T” in some cases, who have turned into some of my closest friends, and even, some that live closeby and I get to SEE them (relatively) often - the cherry on top, doncha think?

A trip down memory lane…oh, the blends I have met! (in no particular order!)

the amazing Lindsay Cotter - a beautiful soul, to say the least! (cottercrunch)

the amazing Lindsay Cotter – a beautiful soul, to say the least! (cottercrunch)

Momma Sunshine, Canadian Bald Guy, T! This was the most epic bloggy meetup in Maine EVER!

Momma Sunshine, Canadian Bald Guy, T! This was the most epic bloggy meetup in Maine EVER!

This picture cracks me up - also from the epic Maine bloggy meetup, Twister FTW!

This picture cracks me up – also from the epic Maine bloggy meetup, Twister FTW!

Meeting Lee (In my Tummy) a year ago this week, actually. SUCH fun (we met at a Digital Summit social media event, how fun!)

Meeting Lee (In my Tummy) a year ago this week, actually. SUCH fun (we met at a Digital Summit social media event, how fun!)
Tina Reale also happens to live near Lee, so I ALSO got to meet this beautiful soul (and AGAIN this year at the Chicago Marathon!)

Tina Reale also happens to live near Lee, so I ALSO got to meet this beautiful soul (and AGAIN this year at the Chicago Marathon!)

Marisa from the Immature Matron - she is such an intrinsic soul, and has turned into a good friend, too.

Marisa from the Immature Matron – she is such an intrinsic soul, and has turned into a good friend, too.

Meeting Shannon first at BISC in 2010 (??) to being honored to attend her wedding in October 2012 in Playa del Carmen. Love you friend!

Meeting Shannon first at BISC in 2010 (??) to being honored to attend her wedding in October 2012 in Playa del Carmen. Love you friend!

Meeting (again!) with Tina and Chelsey (Clean Eating Chelsy) at the Chicago Marathon - so fab!!

Meeting (again!) with Tina and Chelsey (Clean Eating Chelsy) at the Chicago Marathon – so fab!!

Meaghan, my beautiful kindred spirit, who lives not 10 mins away. We have so many similarities from our pasts, it's almost scary. <3

Meaghan, my beautiful kindred spirit, who lives not 10 mins away. We have so many similarities from our pasts, it’s almost scary. <3

BISC 2010 - blast from the past, much? Akirah, Shannon, and me!

BISC 2010 – blast from the past, much? Akirah, Shannon, and me!

Also from BISC? Meeting Erika (newlyweds on a budget), and fun fact? I get to see HER quite often as she lives in the same areas as my work!)

Also from BISC? Meeting Erika (newlyweds on a budget), and fun fact? I get to see HER quite often as she lives in the same areas as my work!)

For a second time? Heather!! SUCH a long time coming, and time flew by! (not pictured: Dorry! LOVED that surprise meet-up!!)

For a second time? Heather!! SUCH a long time coming, and time flew by! (not pictured: Dorry! LOVED that surprise meet-up!!)

Whew, I swear there are some that I am missing, but after scouring pictures, that is all I seem to have! (that is quite the list though already!)

Not pictured but met:

Amanda! BEST fact ever about our meeting? I got home from our coffee date and M proposed to me not an hour later…how’s that for an epic meet-up, and one we need to do again VERY soon!! Hell, if that happened when we met last time, can you imagine what would happen this time?!

Also from my weekend in Chicago? Snarkbutt Divorced (blog now defunct), MyHeartHasHope, IntrigueMe, NYSoonerGirl, and for a third time? Shannon! The best weekend of meetups ever! (oh and a kind of sort of meet up? I saw her running the Chicago Marathon but we didn’t get to actually chat, sad face! Heather!)

I do believe INRIS was one of the first bloggers I met! Great great guy :)

LiveLoveRunYoga - LOVE her, she’s awesome, AND another local!! :)

These Happy Miles – another fab local runner! we still have yet to meet up again, but we must…barre and running ;-)

Westford Mommy – yet ANOTHER local fab runner! She came to barre n9ne once, which was so much fun!! Also needs to happen again :)

Poise in Parma – gah, another fabulous meet-up – her brother lives in Boston, and it was suuuuch a fun meetup with Jess (somewhat!) recently. Redo needed :)

Adding all of these up, it’s kind of crazy how many I have met, and how many I *still* want to meet. So SO many. I am fortunate I have a job that has taken me to many locations where I have blends in, so I have been able to meet so many that way. And I have my bucket list of blends I still am dying to meet (Sarena, Spabettie, Christine, Naomi, Rachel - this one is in the works, must happen!, City Girl, Booshy (fun fact! I was in her town and we didn’t get to meet up in the 24 hours I was there but she left me a gift at my hotel. sweetest.thing.ever and the list goes ooooonn and onnn!)

Have you met a blend before? Do you have any on your list you would love to meet? And if you have met a blend before, doesn’t it almost feel like a blind date at first? ;-)  


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2012…the highlights reel.

I almost didn’t write this post, because it is SO hard for me to wrap up a year that was truly one of the best years of my life, but I thought a fun post in ‘highlight reel’ fashion would be a fun way to recap some fun moments.

2012 in highlights:

 I unseated comfort zones, from work, to running, to becoming certified in barre n9ne

I traveled, traveled, traveled (to wine country, Mexico, and the Bahamas)

I experienced an unforgettable wedding

I lived the shit out of Maine, lakation-style

Met blog friends in Atlanta, Chicago Austin, AND Maine ‘bloggy meet-up’ style

I spent more time with my family and sisters, and the most beautiful niece in the world

And the biggest highlight of 2012 most certainly has to be when M asked me to marry him <3

2012 is a year that I lived, loved, and played hard…a year I truly lived the shit out of. And 2013? I’m coming for you, like whoa. Happy New Year, friends, and thank you all for sharing this year with me, it’s truly been a blessed, gratitude-filled year. <3

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Numbers and dates.

3 days until my 33rd birthday (wow, why does that sound so *old* <–and I know it’s not, it just feels like a weird number, though it IS my favorite number, twice! 3!)

4 days until I sherpa the hell out of the Chicago Marathon to watch my sis kick some 26.2 mile ass and Heather  and others (and meeting up with many many bloggy friends!! Among others: Amber, Tina, IntrigueMe, MyHeartHasHope, Shannon, Ronda, NYSoonerGirl, MisterMamaSir and EVEN Snarkbutt Divorced, one of my VERY first blog friends!!)

6 days until M’s birthday (fast fact: this is the first year that we will be together physically, on his birthday. Last year I was traveling for work in Denver and the first year we were together, he was in Aruba!).

19 days until Mexico!! To see the aforementioned Shannon get married. Cannot.wait.so.excited.

And one more number? 10. The number of barre n9ne classes I am teaching this week. Holy wow. I’m halfway through and everything hurts. Hurts so good, that is ;-) Every single time!!

And that, my friends, is where my mind is at right now. A lot of fun and a lot to be thankful for. I am living a life that I never imagined, and one I couldn’t love more, even if I tried.


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12 redeeming miles.

Yesterday was yet another ‘sherpa run’ – at the tune of 12 miles.

I let it ‘marinate’ overnight before posting today, and just let the joy sink in.

For the very first time, I loved every single mile. I felt strong. I felt fast (for me!). I felt confident. I event caught myself smiling as we ran.

Smiling.

I never smile.

People walking their dogs or jogging past us probably think I’m either a) a huge bitch (even though I always wave and say good morning!) b) that I hate life or c) that there’s a bear chasing me and that’s the only reason I’m running.

Because I can imagine I look miserable.

But truthfully, I just am focused on my breathing, and ‘listening’ to my body, seeing how it feels, and well, running.

But yesterday? I could feel redemption almost from mile 1 (and mile 1 is ALWAYS my worst mile).

It was ‘chilly’ comparatively speaking to last week’s dreadful mental 11 miles, all of 50 degrees and I wore crops for the first time, rather than shorts. My hands were even pretty icy feeling at the start of it! But the air was thin, cool and absolutely perfect.

And the route tweaks were also worth doing. Rather than one long continuous route (which, as you know, I tend to favor over the same route looped!), I mashed together two different routes so the only ‘repeat’ road was one mile long (though the turn where we usually head back to our apartment complex was REALLY tough not to take!!), and that proved successful!

Fueling was also much better. I brought some honey stingers this time (thanks sis!) and my trusty healthy bites (thanks Lindsay!) and we brought two water bottles this time. Perfect.

I ran free, I ran joyously and I run-sherpa’d my heart out. M run sherpa’d ME perfectly too. He kept pushing me, told me how great we were doing, how we were pacing really well and to keep going, don’t stop, and charge up that mofo hill I hate. And I did. I hit every hill and didn’t stop. 

When we set foot at our complex, 12 miles later and in about 2 hours (!), though I was hurting and exhausted, I was thrilled.

We did it. Again. And redemption? Is so very sweet.

Next up…I think you know what, by now. Next week’s run is the milestone. And I can honestly say I can’t wait to tackle it.

*As I write this, my sister and Scott are *still* running their 22 miles…so mind-boggling as we texted bright and early at 5:15 am, as I headed to the studio, and she headed for her run. That is a long-ass time to run, just saying. Go sis and Scott, go!!!*

 


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Live More, Chronicle Less.

When I started blogging on February 21, 2009, (on my first/old blog), I was three months into my separation with my ex-husband. And I wanted to chronicle it. From sadness, to pain, to anger, to learning, and growing and everything in between.

Fast forward more than three years and I find myself at a crossroads. Where I (again) want to pull back and chronicle less about my life and just…live it.

I love this blog. I love this haven. I love this family of friends that I have made because of it.

But when I am not blogging or not reading blogs or not tweeting or reading tweets, I don’t miss it.

I realized this last week in wine country. When I was doing little more than posting pictures on instagram and haphazardly posting a pic or two on Facebook, and barely looking at Twitter, that I didn’t miss it. I didn’t feel like I had to catch up. I didn’t feel like I missed out on anything (FOMO!)

And not because I don’t still love reading about my ‘friends’ lives, from those I read (still) on divorce, to life, to running and fitness, to food. Because I do. But I don’t feel the penchant I did before to keep track of it all, all the time. To write about my daily life. And not even to write about M or our life and love together. (I think I am at a point where I love M *too* much to really share much of that here, in depth, anymore.  If that makes sense).

So, I guess…this is just me putting pen to paper to say that right now, I just plan to live more, chronicle less. 

Sure, I’ll still post a couple times a week, when I have something to say. I’ll still read blogs that I love. I may not comment as much, but I will be reading. This isn’t goodbye. This is just a shift in focus for the next little while.

Because I was getting to a point where I was being ‘too connected’ online and not as connected in living.

And those roles should really be reversed.

Life is too short to be anything but present. 

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