#16: Ask five people for their favorite books and read each one (Brett)

I'll be honest, I'm sure that Brett would not necessarily categorize this as his favorite book, but I'm counting it since it did come HIGHLY recommended by him.  Plus he read it in warp speed - which is saying a lot for someone who is a self-admitted slower and intentional reader.  With my best's recommendation, I decided to figure out what the fuss was about with "The Hunger Games."  And, of course, as with any series - I couldn't stop after the first book and read all three. 

Since I don't want to spoil the books for anyone, I won't go into detail about the content.  I will say that the first book blew the other two out of the water in my opinion - which was frustrating, since I really wanted all of them to live up to the first one.  Also, generally speaking, the writing quality was not exactly stellar.  I suppose people might argue that it is a series written for young people, so I shouldn't be too critical.  But in my mind, that is exactly why I SHOULD be critical.  Argh.  I will give Suzanne Collins, the author, some credit though - since I read all three of the books in record speed, determined to find out the story of Katniss Everdeen and friends. 

Also, I can't lie about the fact that I will definitely be in line to see the movies when they come out as well! 

#19: Cook 5 new-to-me dinner recipes (recipe 5)

So, I am going to fully admit that I am cheating a bit with this recipe - but since it was new and absolutely delicious, I have rationalized it "counting."  This can't technically be considered a FULL "dinner recipe", but one of the components was new to me....so there! 

On Sunday night, Shannon and I decided to prepare one of our "go to" recipes - spaghetti squash with turkey meatballs and marinara sauce.  We like to cook up an entire squash and a bunch of meatballs, so that we are guaranteed dinner for both of us for at least two nights during the work week.  When we have done this before, we have paired the squash and meatballs with a jarred tomato sauce.  Prior to our grocery store trip this past weekend, however, we decided to tackle making our own basic marinara sauce. 

I found a recipe online and after realizing how easy it was going to be to prepare a homemade sauce, I knew we absolutely had to give it a try.  The recipe called for olive oil, garlic, San Marzano tomatoes, basil, sugar, salt and pepper!  Shannon and I improvised a bit and also sauteed a little chopped onion and mushrooms with the onion and garlic cloves.  The two items were a wonderful addition.  I think the recipe lends itself to addition of whatever you might be in the mood for - whether it be ground beef, zucchini, cheese, peppers, whatever! 

I ate my first serving of the homemade sauce with the spaghetti squash and the turkey meatballs and it was ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS.  There is no doubt in my mind that I will make this sauce again and again due to its ease of preparation, the low cost of the ingredients, and the fact that it's free of artificial flavors and additives. 

DELISH!

#35: Visit 5 restaurants I've never been to in my hometown/surrounding area (breads 'n spreads)

Although I have been living in downtown Harrisburg since 2008, there are still a number of restaurants I have yet to visit - especially many of the ones that have been popping up in the midtown area.  This past Friday I had a meeting at the relatively new location of our local community college (HACC) with members of a campus activities consortium I am part of in the Central PA area.  We broke for lunch and headed over to a restaurant that I have been wanting to try for a while called breads 'n spreads. 

The woman who greeted our large party when we came in (I believe she is the owner) could not have been nicer!  She was ready and willing to answer any of our questions and was quick to run down the list of yummy sounding specials, including a Greek style tzatziki turkey wrap.  It sounded so tempting and I promptly ordered it for my lunch.    The sandwich did not disappoint and neither did the unexpected pasta salad that came on the side. 

After my positive experience on Friday, I took Shannon back on Sunday for brunch.  We both had egg sandwiches, which were quite tasty - although not overwhelmingly special.  They were served with roasted potatoes with feta cheese.  The potatoes were good, but a little oily for our taste - although, that didn't stop us both from finishing all of it! 

I'll definitely be back at breads 'n spreads - even if it's just for the nice walk from my apartment and a cup of coffee. 

#54: Try 5 "classic" cocktails I have never tasted (Sidecar)

I spent the last weekend in January in one of my favorite cities, Philadelphia, celebrating the engagement of my best friend, Brett.  Yes, while at the lovely (so I have heard) Shorecrest Bed & Breakfast, my BFF was proposed to by his wonderful partner, Jake.  They are absolutely wonderful for each other and I am beyond thrilled to see Brett so happy.  

Jake and Brett :)

After a delicious dinner at Alma de Cuba, we headed over to the engagement soiree over at The Twisted Tail.  After greeting both Brett and Jake with congratulatory hugs, it was time to get a drink!  Brett quickly reminded me of his suggestion of trying a sidecar - a beverage I have never actually tried but have heard good things about.  A sidecar is traditionally made with cognac, an orange liqueur (like Cointreau), and lemon juice.  Mine also had a yummy sugar rim!  I found the drink to be REALLY delicious - sweet but not TOO sweet for me (I'm usually the girl who orders dirty martinis and vodka clubs, so I'm definitely not a fan of anything overly candied).  

Sidecar

The night continued with some delicious beers and wonderful conversation and company.  Cheers to Brett and Jake - I love you both so much!  Yes, this entry is short - partially because a blog entry just would not do justice to the love and strong friendship (10 years and counting) I have with Brett.  With that, here's a video that always reminds me of my best... :) 

"...you're ready, let's go anywhere.  get the car packed and throw me the key, run away with me..."

#30: Try 5 new foods (purple Brussels sprouts)

The night of the big sub-2 hour half marathon extravaganza, my mom had made reservations for us to eat at California Grill.  The restaurant sits atop The Contemporary Resort (where we were staying) and provides a scenic overview of the Magic Kingdom and the Seven Seas Lagoon.  My mom, dad and I ate at the restaurant two years ago when we came for the half marathon and, in addition to salads and entrees, forced ourselves to order a cheese plate, desserts, and after dinner drinks to make sure that we were able to hold our table to see the beautiful fireworks display at 9pm.  It turns out we had a pretty nice view of the fireworks from our hotel balcony, so we didn't feel the need to stretch our dinner out so dramatically this year.

This year, I ordered cast iron-seared bison with truffle mac & cheese, brussels sprouts, cipollini, smoked bacon, and glace de viande.  Evidently glace de viande is French for "meat glaze" - makes sense...yet I still had to look it up, not gonna lie...  When my entree came out, I was excited to see that the brussel sprouts were PURPLE and, therefore, a food that I have never tried - or at least that I don't RECALL trying.  Purple brussels sprouts are available during the winter months and were originally developed by breeding a red cabbage variety with a green brussels sprouts variety.

I can't say I noticed any difference in taste between the purple variety and the green I am used to - but I LOVE brussels sprouts, so I was one happy little marathoner!

#10: Finish a half marathon in 2 hours or less

For the fourth year in a row, my parents and I spent the first weekend in January in Orlando for marathon weekend at Disney!  This time we brought Shannon along - she didn't run, but was there to cheer us along...well...sorta...but more on that later!  We are by no means Disney aficionados or fanatics but we continue to go back year after year since we still feel there is something magical about the entire experience.  In regards to the parks, as adults, we have found that we don't worry as much about hitting every single ride - but rather we focus on our favorites, utilizing the Fast Pass system to our advantage.  We eat delicious dinners and relax with some drinks in our hotel room.  As far as the marathon, I would say that of all the runs I have done over the years, Disney continues to be my favorite.  There is something to be said about being surrounded by 27,000 other people (from all ages, heights, weights, etc.) - all gathered for the same purpose:  to cross that finish line!

Now onto the race details!  In order to interfere as little as possible with traffic for people trying to go to the parks (I am assuming), Disney has the earliest start time of any race I have participated in thus far:  5:30am.  This means that you have to board transportation to the race start by 4am - meaning you must wake up around 3am.  It's QUITE the task to get up that early in general, let alone having to get up that early and then run 13.1 miles.  Yet, I have a better perspective on the entire situation after getting up at that time last year and running 26.2 - so I was in pretty good spirits!

After scarfing down a bit of coffee, water, and a bagel with peanut butter, we were on the monorail headed for the start.  Once we arrived, we immediately got into a porta-potty line and tried to stay warm with our plastic trash bags and body heat.  The next hour or so was pretty boring - so I'll spare you the details - but eventually we made our way over to the corrals.  My dad and I (somehow) were put into corral A - way near the front, right behind the elite runners.  When I got my corral assignment the day before, the woman who gave it to me commented that I must be a really fast runner.  I wanted to inform her that there obviously must have been some mistake!  At any rate, after the national anthem (sung beautifully by a Disney cast member), a little show by Mickey, Donald, Minnie, and Goofy, and some fireworks, we were off running!

Prior to starting the race, I was aiming to try to keep up with  my dad as much as possible.  He ran a sub-2 hour half marathon last year and since I thought it was an attainable goal for myself after running 2:00:47 at Hershey in October, I knew I'd be able to pace well with him.  My dad unfortunately was just getting over a cold and was not his normal running self.  I ran with him until about the 5-6 mile mark before leaving him in the dust...hahaha...just kidding, he definitely had the elements against him on this particular run!  I myself actually felt really great during the run.  I ran the course before, so that made me feel more calm knowing that there weren't going to be any unexpected hills and that I was aware of the points where there may not be as many spectators.  I also knew to look for Shannon around mile 5, which was right outside of the Contemporary Resort (where we were staying), and was ready to wave at her while she cheered for me!  When I got to that point, I realized it may be more difficult than I anticipated for her to spot me (and vice versa) as spectators were positioned on both sides of the road and it was still dark outside.  Just when I thought all hope was lost - I saw her - and had to shout her name about three times before she turned to look at me.  I actually think she may have been sleeping with her eyes open - that's how super psyched she looked to be outside at that hour...  only kidding!  It was absolutely wonderful to have her there supporting me.

I knew that I was doing pretty well in terms of speed - although I made the mistake of forgetting my new running watch that Shan bought me for Christmas!  I stupidly left it in my hotel room so I wasn't sure exactly how I was doing time-wise - but I had a feeling (based on the clocks that were positioned at every mile) that I was going to be REALLY close to the 2 hour mark by the finish.  Needless to say, once I was a 1/2 mile or so away from the end, I started to PUSH IT.  When I crossed the finish line, the clock said 2:01:48, so I figured I either made it or missed it by SECONDS in regards to what my actual chip time would be - since I was pretty sure I started just a few minutes after the elite runners.  Turns out,  my official time was 1:59:49 (originally 1:59:51 according to the text message they sent Shannon - but I later found out it was 2 seconds slow)!!!!  WOO HOO!

HALF MARATHON CHAMPIONS...okay, maybe just "finishers"

I am not going to lie, I was/am pretty darn proud of myself!  Honestly, I think what makes me the most proud is when I think about how far I have come in terms of my running career.  Let me break it down for ya'll...

• 2008, Country Music Half Marathon (first half marathon) in Nashville, TN:  2:18:15
• 2009, Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, FL:  2:25:05
• 2009, Yuengling Shamrock Half Marathon in Virginia Beach, VA:  2:20:45
• 2011, Walt Disney World Marathon (first marathon) in Orlando, FL:  4:36:37
• 2011, Hershey Half Marathon in Hershey, PA:  2:00:47
• 2012, Walt Disney World Half Marathon in Orlando, FL:  1:59:49

So over a five year period, not only did I lose (and maintain) a 25 pound weight loss, I also shaved over a minute/mile off of my pace!  And I promise all of you, my goals of challenging myself to be faster and stronger don't stop here - I want to work more on my overall fitness and strength which will hopefully help my running as well.  And, not to be TOO cliche, but if I can do it, YOU CAN DO IT!  Just don't give up!  It might difficult at first, but it WILL get easier.  You just have to believe in yourself and push through the hard times.  I have found that running is as much a mental task (if not more) than a physical one.  My long runs are really just cheap therapy and I'm at a point where I'm not sure what I'd do without a couple of hours on an open trail or road.  I love it!

After a successful Saturday half marathon experience, we were able to treat ourselves to a much deserved mini vacation!  One of the highlights for me was our Sunday night "Drinks Around the World" experience at Epcot - a tradition that we will definitely continue in the future!

CHEERS!

#19: Cook 5 new-to-me dinner recipes (recipe 4)

In honor of saying farewell to 2011 and welcoming in 2012, Shan and I decided to have a fiesta for two! We donned some amazing mini yellow sombrero headbands and set out to whip up our last meal of the year!  

In addition to some delicious chorizo/shrimp/pepper/onion quesadillas, nachos, homemade guacamole, salsa, and sour cream, we also created a delightful ceviche.  We found a recipe for Red Snapper Ceviche compliments of Food & Wine - although we substituted scallops for the red snapper.  We also sliced then chopped some fresh mango and added that to the mix as well for a nice, sweet addition. Everything was amazing, if I do say so myself!

I'm not one for New Year's Resolutions, but here are some of my goals for 2012:

• Continue to cook healthy meals for dinner
• Pack my lunch consistently 
• Continue to incorporate the Insanity workout into my routine
• Work to be the best possible version of a partner, family member, and friend that I can be

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!