I DID IT!

Y'all, I did it! I finished my 5k! Did I make my goal of 25 minutes, no. But honestly I think that was a bit of an unrealistic goal. I am just not ready to run consistently at that pace. I did, however, run it in 26:34. I am pretty proud of that. I do think I could have done better. I definitely could have paced myself  better, but I got a little to excited and I felt great at the beginning of the race. I also think I could have done better if I own up to my asthma and actually used an inhaler. But I am not going to sell myself short. I set a goal, I worked towards it consistently, and I got pretty darn close. That is a win in my book. Do I consider myself a runner now? Not by any stretch of the imagination. I do have a new appreciation for overall health and the benefits of exercise and eating healthy. Will I run a 5k again? Most definitely. It was a great experience. I had a blast running it with my sister and it also benefited the Semper Fi Fund, which is an organization I really care about. So thanks Meg for encouraging me to do it. And thank you to all of my other supporters out there who listened to me complain and encouraged me to keep going. I know a 5k doesn't sound like a great accomplishment, but for me it's a little bit like getting a gold medal, even if it did take me 4 whole months to train. I'm thinking there won't be any marathons in my future. I will leave those up to my dad.

Want to learn about the Semper Fi Fund? You will find information here.

Spring Wreath

I thought I would share a little DIY project because it was probably one of the easiest (and cheapest) projects I have ever done. No seriously, a few supplies and a few minutes. That's my kind of DIY!

MATERIALS

grapevine wreath: $3.99

(Hobby Lobby and Michaels sale plain ones in different sizes for very cheap)

hot glue gun

glue sticks

fake flowers: $5

(I would recommend trying the dollar store)

wooden letter: $1.99

(Michaels and Hobby Lobby both sale wooden letters of different sizes)

ribbon: $2.99

Total: $12-$15

You may need to start by painting your wooden letter. In my case, my letter was already the color I wanted it to be. Place a line of hot glue on the top and bottom of your wooden letter. Place the letter on the right side, towards the top, of your wreath. Set the glued parts on areas where the wreath sticks out for better hold. Hold the letter for about a minute. Next, pick your biggest flower and put glue on the bottom. Also put glue where you will be placing it, diagonally across from the wooden letter, on the wreath. Press the flower to the glue and hold for a minute. You may need to add more glue to the undersides of the petals in order for the heavy flower to stay. Work your way out on either side of the first flower, by glue the bottom of each flower and then where you will place it on the wreath. Once all of your flowers are in place, string a piece of ribbon through the top, back side of the wreath. pull the ends up and tie a bow. Now you are ready to hang out wreath! 

I suggest using suction cups or command strips upside down on the inside of your door to hang it. I figured this out after some trail and error. Works like a charm!

Until next time,

M

Color Me Rad

Remember this post? And then this one? Well no, I didn't give up. I have still been running. I even ran a 5k!

Ok, so we may have jogged the entire way, but it was still a 5k! I ran Color Me Rad in Richmond, VA back in April with some other Marine wives. This was mostly a fun 5k, rather than a competitive 5k. For the most part, people walked the entire thing. It was a blast, though! My favorite part was the "color party" at the finish line where everyone throws up bags of color at the same time. I totally recommend Color Me Rad if it is in your area!

Before! One of other wives and I made T-shirts and tutus! A definite must if you are considering a color run! They even give you cool sunglasses and "rad" tattoos

  

During the purple color station

After!

I am still running a more serious 5k with my sister at the end of May. Let me tell you though, training has been tough. Yeah, I know, how hard can 3.1 miles be? Honestly, I don't think I was cut out for this running thing. Things were going along great, I was making tons of progress on the treadmill and feeling great. I even got new shoes thanks to the wonderful people I work for! 

Brooks Ghost 5

The most amazing socks. Balegas, clouds on my feet.

Everything was going along just great, then I decided it was time to take it to the streets. Y'all, let me just tell you, it was a struggle. I felt like I had never run in my entire life, even after 2 months on the treadmill. I kept at it, running 3-4 times a week, but progress was slow. Every time I run it just hurts. I know, I know, running is supposed to be hard. I just feel like I should be better at it by now. Why does it seem like it comes so easily to some?? What's your secret people??

Then, life came along. I am pretty good at coming up with excuses, but this was a good one. I mean, I found out I was moving to another country! Give me a break! Then the reality sank in that my 5k is in 2 and a half weeks! In all reality, no one really cares how well I do but me. I, for one, don't want to embarrass myself out there, and two, I haven't worked this hard for nothing. So I guess we will see in 2 and a half weeks!

Currently welcoming all advice, encouragement, or even some "suck it ups!"

Until next time,

M

We are moving to Okinawa

Konnichiwa friends and family!

Jake received his orders the other day and we are headed to Okinawa, Japan for 3 years. Yes, we are nervous, but we are so excited! Our wonderful friends, the Grey's are headed there as well, so we are thrilled!

A few weeks ago, Jake found out that he will be a logistics officer in the Marine Corps. A logistics officer ensures the infantry has everything they need to complete missions. It was not his top choice, but he is still very excited and knows that it is a very important job in the Marine Corps. This week, we received our orders, which tell us exactly where we need to go. Jake will graduate from TBS May 29th (it's coming up SO fast). Then, he reports to logistics school June 2nd in Camp Leguene. NC. While Jake is at logistics school, I will be staying with my parents in Charleston, SC. Words cannot even explain how excited I am for this. I am married and graduated from college and will be living with me parents, but honestly I couldn't be happier. I will get to hang out in my favorite city all summer and get to spend lots of QT with my parents before being abroad for 3 years. Charleston is within a few hours of Camp Lejeune, so Jake and I can see each other on weekends. I will also be close to one of my very best friends, Sarah, who I haven't seen in a year who lives in Savannah, Georgia. (Can you tell I'm excited to be in Charleston).

Anyway, Jake will graduate from logistics school August 21st. We will then have a few weeks of vacation and getting ready to leave. We have to be in Okinawa no later than September 20th. So, that gives Jake a month to have a break, see friends and family, and get to Japan. There is SO much to do before then. We have to have all of our stuff ready to be packed in crates to go to Japan before the end of this month. Talk about a short deadline. Luckily, Jake and I don't have much stuff so it won't be too hard to get everything together. Another awesome thing, I don't have to pack one box. After moving around so much in college and packing completely on my own to move to Virginia, this fact makes me grin ear to ear. YAY for moving companies!

So you might be wondering, where is Okinawa...

This gives you a pretty good idea where it is (the red star). It is an island 400 miles south of mainland Japan. Of course, we plan to take every opportunity to travel to places around Okinawa. I already have a million places on my must see list. We have 3 years, I hope we can fit everything in!

In case you were wondering what Okinawa looks like

This is not an exaggeration, that's exactly what it looks like. We will be living on a beautiful tropical island for 3 years?? I'm not complaining. We will be sad to be so far away from family and friends and we know it might be quite the culture shock, but we would be crazy not to be over the moon about this once in a lifetime opportunity. Of course, we will be keeping up with our blog so stayed tuned for many exciting posts ahead!!

Until next time, 

J and M