Project Me: 2011 Goals

Yes, Project Me. One of my lifetime goals is to be the best wife and mother I can be. I truly believe that that all starts with being the best person I can be. If I’m healthier and happier that will positively spill over into my family. With that said, most of my 2011 goals focus on me doing just that – getting healthier and in turn happier, too. While I’ve got a lengthy list of things that I plan on doing BETTER in 2011 and some pretty exciting business goals, I’ve narrowed down my Project Me: Healthy & Happier goals to five.

Run my SECOND marathon. To say I had an AMAZING first marathon experience would definitely be an understatement. I LOVED it and can’t wait to do another one in the fall.

Do a race per MONTH. Races to me are just FUN. I enjoy the whole experience and would like to do at least one per month. I plan to mix it up with 5Ks, 10Ks and a few half marathons. I’m working on my race schedule now.

Run 1,000 MILES. Hmm, sounds like I need to reserve a spot in Tall Mom’s club. I think know its doable and, quite honestly, it will keep me focused and on track. No pun intended. Ahem.

Dump my DEBT. This is indirectly a health and happiness goal. The stress of out-of-whack finances can be devastating to your wallet – and your body. Husband and I are committed to a cash only lifestyle and getting rid of our credit card debt. Woosah.

Rock a BIKINI on my birthday. In four months I turn 40. I’m OK with that, but I’ll be even better if I’m rocking a bikini with a beer in my hand on a beach somewhere. For real. For the first four months of this year, my BIGGEST focus will be on my birthday goal.

I’m aiming big for 2011, how about you? Leave me a comment, share your link or Facebook me. I’d LOVE to read your goals and cheer you on, too!

Winks & Smiles,

Party Over Here!

It’s been awhile since my party hoppin’ days, ahem, but yesterday I managed to channel my inner party girl and made the rounds to TWO parties. GASP!

I kicked it off with my niece, Haven's, 1st birthday soiree. Yes, ya’ll I’m a serious party animal; and this joint was poppin’! It started off like your typical kids party.

Isn’t she just a cutie-pie?

Then my kids wanted to breakout Just Dance 2. Why they keep wanting Mommy to school them I don’t know but after they BEGGED me to play I gave in.

My sister and me doing our best “Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.” Wham would be proud.

After that we were treated to a very special visit from the most popular dude on TV. Well actually our good friend was a good sport and transformed from this …

Layla and her daddy, “Uncle Ron.”

To this …

“DJ Lance Rock” in the Hizouse!

I’m not sure who had more fun – the kids, DJ Lance Rock or the rest of us.

Kickin’ it Yo Gabba, Gabba! style

After we picked ourselves up off of the floor stopped laughing we enjoyed a little cake.

Some of us more than others ... Haven has a sweet tooth like her Auntie.

Once Haven’s bash wrapped up I headed over to enjoy some holiday cheer with my running group, Get Fit Atlanta. My pace group’s fearless leader Barbara hosted a wonderful evening for us at her home.

Barbara – she’s on her way to running marathons in all 50 states!

Some of the gals - Olga, Lauren, Beth and Mimi

And we can’t forget the food. Yum!

It was a wonderful evening spent chatting about the fun times in 2010 and what everyone is planning to run in 2011. Most of us are starting off the New Year running the Resolution Run on Saturday which should be fun, but wet. Unfortunately, rain is in the forecast in the Atlanta metro area, but we will still be PARTYING running anyway.

Winks & Smiles,

Wifey’s 2010 Shining Moments

As a former publicist, I’m used to putting other people in the spotlight, not myself. I spent several years promoting other people’s work, talent and accomplishments and being very quiet about my own. As time goes on, I’m learning that it’s OK and quite frankly, necessary to celebrate yourself and to graciously share your triumphs with others.

Sometimes taking a peek back at what you’ve done can help propel you even further into greatness. It’s easy to remember what you didn’t check off the “To Do List,” but looking at what was accomplished just might surprise you.

With that said, here are my 2010 shining moments:

Disney’s Princess Half Marathon
I became a princess thanks to the wonderful folks at Disney and ran my second half marathon since 2005.

11 Year Wedding Anniversary
LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Husband. Anyone married knows each happy year is truly worth celebrating.

USTA State Championship
My 3.0 Women’s USTA tennis team won the Georgia State Championship and went on to play in the sectional tournament. Fun times.

Get Moving Race & Relax
My BlogRollin’ partner and I held our first Race & Relax event where we inspired 20 ladies to Get Moving by running in a 5K with us then treated them to brunch and the spa. We’re planning our 2011 schedule now.

Peachtree Road Race
After joining Get Fit Atlanta to train for my first marathon, I ran the Peachtree faster than ever before. It was a blast.

Spoke at Evo
I took my first trip to Utah to speak at EVO ‘10 The Evolution of Women in Social Media; and tackled one of my biggest fears (yes, I’m a punk) and rode the Ziprider at Park City. AWESOME.

Survived my First Ice Bath
Um, I took the plunge in September and woke up the whole damn neighborhood. Yikes!

Spoke at Blogalicious 2010
The Ritz. In South Beach. With 250 dynamic bloggers. Enough said.

Launched Run Wifey Run
I started this blog in October to chronicle my tales of Marriage, Motherhood and all the Mayhem. Oh, yeah and this little race I did called a marathon. Gasp!

More Freelance Writing
I’ve always enjoyed writing for magazines and other online publications. I’m pleased that I was able to add several more stories to my list of clips.

Ran my first Marathon/Tweeted for Washington Post
26.2, baby! Never in my wildest dreams would I have ever thought I’d be a marathoner … and tweet my race for the Washington Post. AMAZING!

Coca-Cola Live Positively Conference
I was invited to attend the first Live Positively Social Media Conference: Conversations with Coca-Cola in Atlanta. It was intimate and informative; definitely one of the best blogging events I attended in 2010.

Served as a Judge for Disney’s Dreamers Academy with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine
The DDA holds a special place in my heart. To be asked by Disney to serve as one of 10 judges who chose the final 100 participants was truly an honor.

PR’d the Atlanta Half Marathon
This was the first half marathon I ran in 2005. It probably took me 4 hours (I never looked at my time.) This year I shaved 30+ minutes off of my Princess run in the spring. I pushed myself … and it felt GREAT.

Spoke at Lavish
FAB-U-LOUS. That’s how I describe my dear friend The Broke Socialite and her first and highly anticipated conference – Lavish. It was all it was cracked up to be and I had a ball speaking on a panel.

While these things make me smile every time I think back to them, my biggest challenge and accomplishment is striving to be the best wife and mom I can be. I truly believe creating time and goals for myself makes me a better person – a better woman, wife, mother, daughter, sister and friend.

Cheers to a WONDERFUL 2010; and an even BRIGHTER 2011!

Winks & Smiles,

Christmas Tag

I used to LOVE tag when I was a little kid, even though I didn’t always get away. Apparently, not much has changed. The lovely Kerrie T at Mom vs Marathon tagged me with six, fun, get-to-know-you questions. Want to read them, here they go …

What is your FAVORITE time of day to run? Morning, definitely. I LOVE the beginning of the day, once the sun is out, ahem, and shining on my face. I like to make it one of the first things I do because the feeling I get after running leaves me ready to tackle my day.

If you could have ANY job in the world, what would it be? PG version? Just kidding. Sort of. Really, I’m not sure. I’m pretty close to doing what truly makes me happy already, but when I was younger I used to want to be a sportscaster. Watch out Hannah Storm.

Do you have a GUILTY food pleasure? (i.e. what’s your favorite empty calorie food?) Um, YEAH. Chocolate. And, beer. Do either of those count as food?

How and/or why did you START running? I’ve always thought running was sexy; and something I couldn’t do. I actually used to say, “I wish I could run.” One day I saw a television program about a marathon runner with prosthetic legs and I realized if he could do it without his own legs, I could do it with mine! I started walking and adding running spurts until eventually I was running through my neighborhood. Now I’m a marathoner.

Do you have any SPECIAL Christmastime traditions? Sure. We all get new pajamas on Christmas Eve; we have “table” gifts at dinner instead of using place cards; and we watch “Elf” together to kickoff the holidays.

What race/event are you MOST looking forward to in 2011? I’m still planning out my races for 2011 but I’m excited to do at least one race per month and to complete my second marathon in the fall.

My turn to tag …

YOU!

Seriously, consider yourself tagged by Wifey. I’d love to read more about you. If you want to answer the questions please leave me a comment so I can come and see your post.

Winks & Smiles,

A Few of my FAVORITE Things

I LOVE Christmas time. Everything from the tree, to the shopping, to fun nights with my family, to wrapping and cooking, and of course the reason for the season – Jesus’ birthday and that spiritual renewal that comes with this time of year.

I have so many highlights from this holiday like Christmas Eve church service; watching “Elf” with Husband and the kids; and not charging ONE gift this year – this is the first time I was CASH only (thanks Dave Ramsey); there’s too many to name but I figured I’d share a few pics of my FAVORITES with you.

My family. Hanging out Christmas Eve, too excited to sleep!

Husband – he’s one of my FAVORITE things all year round.

My niecey-pie! Is she just not the cutest? She's rockin' the tam and representing the rest of my family - my Mom, Dad, Grandma, Mother-in-law, Sister and Brother-in-law! (If one of them emails me pics I'll added them to the post - gasp!)

My mom gave Husband the Charlie Brown tree. Classic.

Our real tree Christmas morning.

Husband Santa left these in my stocking. Tennis and Running. He knows me so well.

My mother gave me these. Um, what is she trying to say? Ahem.

My dad gave Husband and my brother-in-law this. Again, with the beer? This might be my favorite gift and its not even mine.

My sister gave me a subscription to Runner’s World. Her and her tech savvy husband created this mock magazine cover to surprise me. LOVE it!

My table. Every year we have table gifts instead of regular place-cards.

It was a white Christmas in Atlanta for the first time in years so you know we had to get out and play in the snow.

Me and Milan having a blast.

You’ve got to have hot chocolate after an afternoon of snow!

We thawed out and played Just Dance 2 on Wii.

Miles hooking it up. My silly children – they actually thought they would beat me.

It was a wonderful weekend filled with family, friends and fun. Oh, did I mention food? Yes, it was filled with that, too. So much that I’m ready to get back to my healthy habits TODAY.

I LOVE you mac & cheese (you're a FAVORITE, too), but you’ve GOT TO GO!

Winks & Smiles,

Friday's Confession: I'm Ready to Roll

Friday's Confession ... I'm ready to roll.

Um, yes. I really am that corny. I've finished shopping and I've stepped into my Mrs. Claus apron. There's nothing but cookin' and wrappin' happening at Wifey's house ... and maybe a little sippin'. Ahem.

May you and your family have a safe and happy holiday!

Winks & Smiles,

Does RUNNING in Stores Count as Exercise?

I wonder how many calories running through the stores burns? How about squatting to get in and out of the car? Hopefully a lot because yesterday I found myself indulging in this …

And these …

And I washed it down with this …

Yes, it’s the holidays and I was out celebrating my sister’s birthday and squeezed in a little shopping.

My sister and me

Before we hit the stores we used our gift certificates we got from my Race & Relax event last summer – big fun! Then we went to Six Feet Under to partake in that wonderful feast you saw above. After that is when we really got serious and headed to Target.

Serious. Calories. Burned.

While I’m definitely on a mission to meet my birthday goal, I’m going to relax my food plan through the weekend and enjoy some of the treats I don’t normally eat any other time of the year. Instead of depriving myself I’m going to stick to good portion sizes and small meals – even if they’re made up of fried chicken and pound cake. GASP!

Oh, and I’ll be the crazy one lunging through the toy aisle at Target.

Winks & Smiles,

Resolution Run: 3 Reasons I’m Lacing ‘Em Up

I’ve decided to run on New Year’s Day in the Atlanta Track Club’s 2011 Resolution Run. Three reasons swayed me to lace up my running kicks and give it a go.

It starts at NOON. Not to sound trifling here but the night before is New Year’s Eve. That means some beer or champagne can be consumed in moderation and I can still get up to run. Ahem.

I’m suffering from race WITHDRAWAL. This is a no-brainer. I LOVE doing races – this is a race. Enough said. Oh, it definitely helps that several of my Get Fit Atlanta people will be running and lunching afterwards. It’s always fun to run with friends.

Running is a PRIORITY for me in 2011. I’m still working on my 2011 goals but running is an essential part of my plans. I’m officially hooked and see no better way than to start the year off doing something fun, that’s good for me, and that I LOVE to do.

Did I mention it starts at noon?

Winks & Smiles,

My Secret to Surviving the Holiday Break

Today is the first day of my kids’ two week school break. While I am genuinely excited to slow down and spend time with them I’m also afraid realistic that some patience and quiet time will be necessary. Oh, and some prayer.

I have my mother-in-law to thank for these words of wisdom which quietly lets me know she understands and Husband must’ve been a little terror loads of fun when he was little, ahem, but that’s another post.

May the force be with you and may you survive enjoy your holiday break.

Winks & Smiles,

Friday’s Confession: I’m Running TOO Fast

Friday’s Confession … I’m running TOO fast. Not my pace, my life.

Yesterday I got smacked in the face with a wake up call. School was delayed two hours due to icy roads, my kitchen sink wasn’t working – my garbage disposal is jammed – and the plumber can’t come until Monday, I didn’t get to write and post, no running or workout happened and then my daughter didn’t feel good and had to say home for the third day this week. Did I mention I haven’t Christmas shopped yet and had a full day planned of everything I was going to do. Argh. Obviously, none of this was major – thank God – but sometimes lots of little stuff is exactly what’s needed to shake things up and put them back into perspective.

As I started to stress out my daughter asked me to sit with her. After she curled up on my lap we sat and chatted. It was calming; and peaceful. As much as I thought I needed to get up and clean the bathrooms or check my email I realized that I really needed to sit there with her and slow down. At that moment I decided to put on the breaks and take some time to catch my breath. As challenging as it was I didn’t do much of anything. I had to slow my body and my mind down. I didn’t even tweet – gasp!

I put this quote on my Facebook page then backed away from the computer.

Midday Motivation: "Slow down and enjoy life. It's not only the scenery you miss by going to fast; you also miss the sense of where you are going and why." -Eddie Cantor

As women we’re often trying to do so much for our families that we’re speeding through our days. Good intentions are there but we aren’t because we’re moving too fast. As much as I LOVE this time of year I was starting to feel like it was passing me by. Today, I’m making the effort to slow down. I don’t want to miss the moment – or anymore hugs from my baby girl.

Winks & Smiles,

Deck The Halls and Bling the Tree

I thought about doing a “Wordless Wednesday” post but, um, I don’t know how to be wordless. Really.

It’s been too damn cold to run for the past few days, 15 degrees is where I draw the line, so I’ve been running around my house decking the halls and blessing my tree with a little bling.

Here’s a few pics from our tree blinging last night and my attempt at “Wordless Wednesday” – yes the photos still have captions. I’m new at this, cut me some slack.

My mother-in-law gave me this sign to keep the snoopers out; and my daughter made the reindeer resting on my shoulder.

It’s officially Christmas now. A little low-fat eggnog and rum, ahem.

You know Santa’s almost here, Miles almost smiled for a picture.

This one is ALWAYS ready to say cheese!

Even the dog is feeling the holiday spirit.

Our tree and all its bling.

 

Oops, the star was cut off the last pic. Ta-da!

Happy “Not-So Wordless Wednesday!”

Winks & Smiles,

Hello, My Name is Wifey and I’m Suffering From Race Withdrawal

It hasn’t even been a month since my last race and already I have the when-is-my-next-run-blues.

Gasp!

One of the many things I love about running is participating in races. I love the goal-setting, the countdown, the fun of the crowds, running with friends & family, the expos, the training, the pre-race pasta dinner, the post race beer, ahem, picking out my running outfit and the thrill of crossing the finish line – no matter how large or small the race.

I want to do a holiday race but my family’s schedule won’t allow it so it’s a wrap for me until January. I’m getting ready to plan my races out for 2011; there’s already a few I know – I’ll be rockin’ my tiara in February at Disney’s Princess Half Marathon then I’ll trade it in for a warrior helmet in May when I do the Warrior Dash with Husband and some friends. I plan to do a race a month and will tackle my second marathon toward the end of the year. I’m not sure which one yet. Chicago? New York? Savannah? There are so many great ones to choose from.

Anyone have any race suggestions – 5K, 10K, half marathons and “the Big M?” I'd love to hear your input. Oh, and if you’re a race junkie, too, please let me know I’m not suffering from withdrawal alone.

Winks & Smiles,

Friday’s Confession … I’m Avoiding My Abs

Friday’s confession … I’m avoiding my abs.

There. I admit it.

It’s kind of ironic since a sexy stomach tops my wish list. While this is the most magical time of the year, muscles don’t just miraculously appear. A girl can wish right? Yes, but she’s also got to DO.

Since I clearly was not blessed with the perfect-stomach-with-no-hard-work gene, lack of effort definitely equals lack of abs.

Today wraps up my second week of adding strength training after my morning runs. I’m already feeling the positive effects that strength training adds to my running, to my weight loss goals, to my body definition and to my mood. The sad thing is that I know better than to skip the middle – the center, the core of my body. Abdominal muscles are essential to our body’s movement.

So why am I avoiding them? Good question. Maybe cause ab exercises are hard and my abs are not. Gasp! I’m not sure why (there is no good reason), but it’s time to make a change. The rest of me already has a two-week head start on my abs. Yeah, I know, I’m only cheating myself.

As of today, I solemnly swear not to neglect my abs.

Anyone else with me? Abs, legs, booty, cardio – whatever you might be dodging. It’s never too late to decide to make a change. Holla if you here me.

Winks & Smiles,

Making Dreams Come True

A few weeks ago I had the pleasure of going to comedian and television star Steve Harvey’s house to take part in selecting the final participants for the 2011 Class of Disney’s Dreamers Academy, with Steve Harvey and Essence Magazine.

I’ve written about DDA several times online and for Heart & Soul magazine; as it’s such a special, life-changing event. Wait, I'll let Steve tell you about it himself (it’s a short video so don’t blink, I make two quick appearances) …



I was beyond thrilled when they invited me to be one of 10 select judges.

They sent me this picture and frame to say thank-you.

As you can see I was in good company with Gospel Superstar Yolanda Adams; Steve Harvey and his beautiful wife, Marjorie; Terrance J., host of BET’s “106 and Park;” Sports Radio Host and Commentator Stephen A. Smith; Dr. Steve Perry, principal and founder of Capitol Preparatory Magnet School; Angela Burt-Murray, editor-in-chief of Essence Magazine; Stella Ringer, Marketing Manager, The Coca-Cola Company; Walt Disney World representatives Tracey Powell, executive champion for Disney’s Dreamers Academy and Carole Munroe, Director, Walt Disney World News Bureau; and Dalonte Hall, a 2010 Dreamer.

I’m looking forward to attending the magical weekend in March 2011 and I thank the wonderful folks at DDA for honoring me with this opportunity to help make some wonderful, young dreams come true.

Winks & Smiles,