little gi

What shall I do...

I love this time of year and today we had one of those absolutely gorgeous, sunny, big blue sky days. I stopped by my local farm this afternoon & spied these gorgeous peppers and immediately put a box in my bag.

Now to figure out what to do with them....

I'll have to have a look around pinterest. I may even just keep it simple & saute them with olive oil & some fresh herbs. Maybe add in some goat cheese. Mmmmmmm...I'm getting hungry already! Do you have any suggestions? I'd love to hear them!

Happy Wednesday!

xoxo
Gi

just keep swimming :)

one of my favorite mantras has always been "just keep swimming, just keep swimming..."  i love dory :)  but even though taking advice from animated characters may be crazy, it has always helped me so much when i felt completely overwhelmed or defeated "just keep swimming...just keep swimming..." i would say to myself...and i would do just that...."just keep swimming...just keep swimming"

but i never really translated it to help me with running at all.  weird i know...but i didn't. 

until the other day when i saw that little gem up there on pinterest.  *BAM* it hit me like a ton of bricks.  & let me tell you...i needed it. 

you see, i ran my first 10K back on june 12th.  and at about the halfway mark on the course "my head" did give out.  there was this crazy long hill & it was hard & i was tired....

so i stopped & walked.   & that kinda did it...  i defeated myself.  the "what were you thinking?" & "you can't do this!" started to work on my psyche.  i did get back to running again after that hill, but stopped a couple more times.  the damage had already been done. 

i did finish that 10K.  & i did finish strong (thanks to my amazing friend, colleen, who scooted up next to me the last quarter mile cheering & running along with me.  she's amazing.)   & i was really proud of myself for finishing. 

but that personal defeat at the bottom of that huge long hill just after the halfway point left a sour taste in my mouth.  i knew, deep down, that "my head" had given out on me.

so when i left this morning for another 10K i was a bit nervous.  would i be able to drown out those "i can't"s & replace them with "i can"?  i wasn't so sure...

but i did.

i did.

a big part of the credit goes once again to colleen.  we ran the entire race together & she kept me going.  just knowing i was keeping up with her encouraged me (she is a total speed demon!)

and i kept telling myself "your legs are not giving out, your head is.  just keep going."

even when we came up on a crazy steep hill just after mile 5.  seriously....after MILE 5! (the race course planner is evil...) i saw it first & basically shouted "YOU'VE GOT TO BE KIDDING!"  it was totally not what i wanted to see.  there was this crazy long hill & it was hard & i was tired...

but this time, i just buckled down & ran to the finish. 

just keep swimming...just keep swimming....

happy weekend!!

xoxo

gi

old dog still truckin' & surprising herself in the meantime...

Last week I did something I NEVER in a million years thought I could do.....

I ran 5 miles.

5.miles. For me, this was a major accomplishment & a challenge surmounted.  So on cloud 9, feeling like superwoman, I pulled out my phone & snapped a quick photo for my continuing 52 week project. 

Now my next challenge is a 10K on June 12th. 

Life Is good :)

Happy Friday!!

xoxo

gigi

old dog learns new tricks...

back in march i decided to start running.  bought myself an app for my phone & began plodding about in the neighborhood.  let's just say i didn't light the world on fire...

3 weeks of sick kids, rain, heel pain, spring break, busy busy all thwarted my big plans to complete the Couch to 5K running plan in my alloted 8 week time period.  what the?  so when Saturday rolled around & it was time to pony up to the starting line, i was majorly skeptical that i would be able to do it. 

& surprise, surprise....i.did.it!

ran (jogged :) every step of the way...didn't walk one little bit and finished in about 32-33 minutes.  i know it is just a 5K...but still, i am so proud of myself because i never had done that before!  even back in the day when i was only 27 & riding my bike 100 miles a week & working out like crazy, i walked during the corporate challenge 5K in central park.  i vividly remember positively DYING & out of breath & slowing to a walk back then....determining that i'm just not a "runner".

but i've always wanted to be a "runner".  it is just such an accessible method of exercise, requiring no special equipment, no expensive gym membership & not a huge time commitment.  you just lace up your sneakers & bolt out the door.  you get to breathe in fresh air & check out everyone's gardens in the neighborhood....

needless to say, i'm so happy i gave it another try.  & i've got to say, the Couch to 5K and Nike + apps have been so helpful to me.  that little voice in my ear telling me how far i've gone & how much longer i've got to go was just what i needed. 

plus the promise of a huge celebration brunch with the most awesome friends doesn't hurt either :)

gotta run! 

happy tuesday :)

xoxo

gi

52 week project {week 9}

still thoroughly enjoying the 52 week project 'round here and last week i chose to capture a bit of my new adventure:  running.

i've not really ran for quite some time.  i think the last time was after kate was born & i was on steroids and bursting with excess energy...back then i was getting up at 6 am to run on the treadmill for about an hour before the kids woke up.  i had worked myself up into quite a routine, it felt awesome. but then i fell "off the wagon" because of an injury & hadn't really been back running since. 

but then a friend suggested registering for an upcoming 5K at the Bronx Zoo and i found myself excited to get back into that running routine.  maybe, i could be a "runner" once again....that inner athlete was once again begging to get out...

so i downloaded a training program app onto my phone....a playlist that makes me feel like i can fly...and i nailed down a schedule that i can stick to....that i WANT to stick to.  and guess what...

i'm LOVING it!

and what is making the whole thing even more fun is a little "running squad" i've found on twitter among a bunch of sweet crafty friends.  they have been fantastic in keeping me motivated, inspired and on track.  it's just been so much fun cheering each other on...it's a great group & everyone has been super supportive.

can't wait to get out there again!  hoping to squeeze in a run tonight after mike gets home :)

happy monday! 

xoxo

gi

 

a friday snowy stroll...

we've had quite a bit of snow around here lately so today kate & i took a walk down to the lake after lunch.  it was absolutely gorgeous. 

of course, ryatt went nutso & ran & ran & ran & then ate his weight in snow.  ahhhh....a dog's life in the country....

there is just something about that huge, wide open stretch of snow....sooooooo cool.

lots of snow angels were made

after reading the photography critique on 52 week project last week i've been thinking about composition & angle more in my photos & i wish i would have gotten a better angle on that photo.  kate does this thing where she scrunches up her face while she swooshes her arms & feet back and forth.  sooooo cute!  & then when it started to snow, the little bugger was trying to multi-task & do snow angels with her scrunchy face AND catch snowflakes on her tongue at the same time.  hilarious!!!   good thing snow is in the forecast for practically every day...i get another chance to catch a good photo of her silly scrunched up snow face.

& guess i must admit, when i was doing snow angels with her, i noticed that i was scrunching up my face too!  hahaha!  is it a genetic thing or something??? 

annnnnnd...just in the nick of time, here's my week 4 for 52 week project.  kate took it for me actually.  guess that's cheating just a bit, but that girl loves to snap away!  

looking forward to taking another snowy lake stroll tomorrow & some more photos!

happy friday!!

xoxo

gigi

Get Outside is a common new year resolution between my sweet tweet buddies:  katie, tamar and myself. Join us on our little journey as we document our outdoor walks in three different countries!

slobbery kisses & a skippy-lou...

 

kate took this pic of my doggie, ryatt, & i on one of our walks last thursday.  geez louise...can't anyone in my family just sit nicely & smile for a photo????  haha! 

oh & that big snowbank on the side of the road?  it is about another foot higher now...we've had 2 more snowstorms since then...aaaaaannnnnnddddd...we are expecting yet another snowstorm tonight or tomorrow, i'm not sure....i stink at retaining information from the weather report.  i watch it & then 5 seconds later i'm like, what was the weather going to be again?  maybe deep down i just like surprises. :)  either way...i think at this rate we are going to have snow hanging around until may!

oh & here is a pic of my skippy lou, kate.  she skips ev.ery.where!  ahhhhhh....to be 5 again :)

hope you are having a happy tuesday!

xoxo

gi

get outside: scooterloo

it's been cooooooooooold here.  cooooooooollllllllld & icy & snowy.  but yesterday we got a bit of a break & the sun was out in abundance so we headed outside for a scooter around the neighborhood.

kate is so much more confident & daring on her scooter this year.  last year we had a little "episode" when when she fell pretty badly and refused to "ever ever never" go on the scooter again.  fear of falling & "being too wobbly" had taken over a bit.  but yesterday she just grabbed it & off she flew.  i was extra surprised when she didn't hop off at the top of the huge hill & hand the scooter over to me to walk with her, and instead just cruised on down adeptly & smoothly. 

go katie go!!!!

(struck by how different my outisde scene is from katie's.  WOW!  talk about opposites!!!)

ryan, meanwhile, just ran.  ran & ran & ran.....ooooh how i envy the energy that boy has :)

today we've got another snow day due to an ice & snow storm that hit last night, so the scene in the neighborhood is quite different today.  thinking we'll find a fun craft from mel & tamar's hip hip hooray for holidays series to occupy some time.  looks like we may get another storm on friday....

dear Lord....help me!  lol 

happy tuesday!!

xoxo

gi

Get Outside is a common new year resolution between my sweet tweet buddies:  katie, tamar and myself. Join us on our little journey as we document our outdoor walks in three different countries!

get outside: i spy evergreen

we've got another snow day here in NY so i'm finally getting to post my get outside pics from walk # 2 last week. 

like katie mentions in her post, i too am noticing that i'm seeing my little corner of the world quite differently, thanks to this little friendly challenge.  this time of year here in NY is always a bit loooooooong & can be a bit challenging.  it's cold, it gets dark early and outside often is a sea of white, brown & gray skies.  i know it's when i really start to miss summer & the sun & the bright colors...not to mention warmth :)

but as i headed out last Thursday last week, armed w/ my camera and bound & determined to find something interesting for my tropical locale friends, i kept seeing green.  LOTS of green. 

evergreens are a'plenty here in my neighborhood & it was so interesting to notice for a second just how many different varieties there are.  low to the grownd & sprawling.....three times the height of a house (& still not as tall as the rockefeller Christmas tree :)...light green, dark green, medium green, even blue tinted....and these guys are hardy too....doesn't seem like much can keep them down.  they survive heading up through power lines, crawling through gullys, right next to the street where, im sure, the soil isn't very rich.  i like a survivor...a fighter...that "i'm gonna grow & be my own kinda beautiful even against the odds" kinda attitude...pretty inspiring actually :)

here are some of the pics:

i've heard of "blue spruce" before, but i don't think i ever really noticed just how blue it actually does look. 

i laughed when i came up to this tree....it's little clusters reminded me of hula dancer skirts

this one had that bright, light green flash....set against all the brown & dark green it really stands out

& then there was this one...w/ sparse, thin foliage...but before you start to feel sorry for the poor dear...you notice the "bling"...pinecones!!!

today all of these gorgeous trees are blanketed in fluffy white.  it is stunning.  i still love summer with it's color explosions & lush & grandeaur...don't get me wrong...but i'm gaining a new appreciation for the quiet & understated beauty of winter.

happy wednesday!!

xoxo

gi

Get Outside is a common new year resolution between my sweet tweet buddies:  katie, tamar and myself. Join us on our little journey as we document our outdoor walks in three different countries!

 

goal 2011: get outside

one of my goals this year is to get outside more.  i LOVE outside.  LOVE.IT.  but i noticed that over the past year, it had become something i didn't do so much anymore.  i got caught up in "busy-ness" & running here and there or trying to get everything "done".  i did my workouts on a treadmill or an exercise bike to "squeeze it in" because the day was chock full of kids & chores & gotta go there-s and get that done.  so if i finally did have some downtime to myself, i found that i got in a habit of flopping down, bedraggled from all the running to & fro.

so i kinda stopped heading outside when i had a minute to myself.

and i've found out that just doesn't work for me.

i need that fresh air...that sun on my face....even that chilly NY winter wind.  i need it...it makes me happy :)

so...for 2011, i am determined get back outside. 

a few "tweets" later and the next thing you know, katie, tamar & i challenged each other & each of us have committed to taking a walk outside at least 3 times every week.  then tamar kicked it up a notch & had the fantastic idea of taking photos & sharing our views on our blogs.  sign me up! 

so here are some snaps from my walk today:

i'm lucky to live right near a lake and it was really fun to just walk down & spend some time noticing little things.  i love the skinny little trail of a deer or a fox or a dog or cat that snakes across the frozen lake.  so pretty :)  i pass by this stuff probably 7 times a day, whizzing by on my way to the post office, the library, to drop of a kid to whatever practice, etc.  it was so nice to slow down & just enjoy it.  yep...this outside thing is just what i needed. 

we are 3 women, from 3 different countries, in 3 different corners of the globe....this is going to be so interesting!

i'm really excited about this adventure!!

happy wednesday!

xoxo

gi