Too early for Christmas music?

After the first weekend of digging out my car, scraping my windows, and damp socks after trumping through the snow, I reserve the rights to:

1. Set my Pandora station to Christmas music.

AND

2. Drink an unlimited number of these until I can smell the first spring flower.

November Race #3

This morning in the twin cities we woke up to snow. A LOT of it, coming down in buckets.  I waited for a call letting me know the 9AM race was canceled but when my phone hadn't rang at 8:40 I headed out in a cotton sweatshirt, a headband, and my Laura-made gloves.

We sloshed our way through icy roads and fallen trees while listening to the winter storm thunder. It was the fastest 4 miler of my life! Race 2 of 3, check!

Hot Chocolate 15k

The run in Chicago this past weekend was a blast!  For the first weekend in November, we couldn't ask for better weather and it was a great way to celebrate my dear friend Alex's birthday.

   

Back in Jr High another dear friend made me a pair of mittens. Thanks Laura! They are still working like they were 8 years ago :)

 For some reason Alex's registration was for the 5k instead of the 15k. She swears it was a mistake...I'm still unsure.  Just kidding Al!  She finished every step of the 15k like a champ.

 We ran right along Lake Street - what a beautiful view!

 This is after the race. Al and I ran with a friend, Maergrethe who housed us the night before. Thanks Maergrethe - it was so nice to see you.

 This race had the best post-race party ever. Ghiradelli chocolate fondue and hot chocolate. Yum!

 At the post-post-race celebration (aka Alex's birthday celebration) I got to enjoy two of these beautiful drinks. I love seeing the "Bock" name in random places!

Internet Favorites

Well, my writing was consistent for about a week, not too bad!

Things have been a bit hectic lately with traveling to Boston, having someone very special pass away, off to Iowa for the weekend, and preparing for a Chicago race on Saturday!

I spend the majority of my day working online so when my brain needs a break, I've got a list of things to distract it with. In addition to my Google Reader subscription that updates me on blogs, here some recommendations to check out.

Internet favorites:

Groove Shark
 - This site is like Pandora on steroids!  It lets you create your own play lists and has A LOT of music options.

Ellie Krieger
 -  This cooking genius has TONS of tutorials for healthy cooking. Sometimes I'll click through them while I'm working, I'm excited to try some of the recipes out!

Caribou Coffee
 - I'm a big coffee fan. Right now Caribou Coffee is my top choice.  Their website has a "I Stay Awake For" section that people can submit their quotes on. I could read those things for hours!

My Utmost for His Highest 
- This is a must!  For a while I was starting my day off with these short devotions but now I find they are a good retreat in the middle of the day.



That's all I got for today!  In case you didn't already have enough things to distract you during the your day, here are a few more :)