Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like a room without a roof
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like happiness is the truth
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you know what happiness is to you
Because I'm happy
Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do
It was a happy, happy weekend! Let's get right to it...
Friday
Happy Birthday SBG! I can't believe she is two today! My heart is so full and I really feel like these two years have flown by. SBG is also clearly happy about her big day!
We had a sweet family party. It was so fun and intimate. We made homemade pizzas for dinner. YUM!
I LOVE the cornmeal pizza dough that we made for our pizzas. Martha Stewart has a fantastic, easy recipe and you can find it HERE.
After the pizza dough is made all you have to do is add a pizza sauce (I found one from Prego with no sugar) and your favorite toppings! We had: shrimp, organic arugula, organic mushrooms, salami (you can get great salami without nitrites from Whole Foods), onions, organic red bell pepper and mozzarella cheese. Everyone got to make their own pizza and it was so fun!
I steamed some organic kale and voila - easy, healthy birthday dinner.
After the pizza dough is made all you have to do is add a pizza sauce (I found one from Prego with no sugar) and your favorite toppings! We had: shrimp, organic arugula, organic mushrooms, salami (you can get great salami without nitrites from Whole Foods), onions, organic red bell pepper and mozzarella cheese. Everyone got to make their own pizza and it was so fun!
I steamed some organic kale and voila - easy, healthy birthday dinner.
The theme was simple - a crisp white tablecloth with pink and red roses. The flowers were beauties and they really popped on the white tablecloth.
I didn't go the traditional kid's route with characters. I just wanted a girly, intimate, low key feel for our Friday evening birthday girl.
I made a delicious chocolate cake. You are going to LOVE this cake! It is so, so easy to make and it is so GOOD. I may never buy a cake again. I have to get the decorating down, but it tasted out of this world. You can find the recipe for the cake and frosting here and here!
The big kiddos loved helping the birthday girl blow out her candle!
And she loved licking the icing...
We had such a wonderful evening and I'll always keep the memories tucked away inside my heart for future bursts of happiness.
Saturday
I made sure to get 30 minutes of core work in and tried P90x for the first time!
It was fun to mix things up a bit and I was careful not to do anything to hurt my knee.
We also went to one of my favorite places - Williams Sonoma - for a kid's cooking class! The big kiddos had so much fun cooking and eating...
Randomly, I have to say I really enjoyed my dinner on Saturday night...
It was a total mish mash of healthy stuff - Red and yellow organic bell pepper, wild rice, sauteed organic spinach, steamed organic collards, sauteed shrimp and a tiny bit of roasted turkey + cornbread. So delish.
I had to share :)
Isn't it funny that THIS is what excites me on a Saturday night - not going out.
Just staying in and eating mish mash.
Gotta love it.
Sunday
Sunday was all about running. My sweet friend Kristin (you can read about how we become friends through our love of running HERE) was running the Surf City half marathon - we were supposed to run it together and then my knee got in the way :(
But I was absolutely going to go and cheer her on!
So, I got up at 5:30 am and got ready. It felt kind of strange to be going to a race and not actually running (patience!).
Turned out to be a beautiful day and I soaked it the sun and the beautiful view. They don't call it Surf City for nothing...
I arrive in Huntington Beach and forgot that THOUSANDS of people come from all over to run this race. I had to park a mile or two away from the starting line.
So, as I am thinking to myself "Where in the world is the starting line and will I remember the way to get back to my car?" I see a woman with a race bag in her hand, but didn't have racing clothes on. A spectator!
I asked her if she knew where the starting line was and we ended up walking and talking together the whole way. Turns out that her husband was running the race and his goal time (under 1:40) was the same time as my friend's goal time! Score!
We ended up hanging out together for the morning - her name is Christie and she was lovely!
The half marathon is an out and back course, so it is tough to be in multiple places for cheering. After finally figuring this out, we decided to park ourselves at mile 12 and wait.
Right on schedule, Christie's husband Ramon comes running swiftly along at mile 12...
And after Ramon went by, I knew Kristin couldn't be too far behind. And all of a sudden I see her!! I was so excited and started wildly cheering, knowing that she is going to run at least 1:40, most likely much faster. And then she was gone and I didn't. get. a. picture!!!
When we finally met up later, she wasn't feeling well and that definitely was not the time to take a picture. But she ran 1:38 (between 7:29 and 7:33 pace!) and I felt so happy for her success!! Yay!! We talked about how we can't wait to run in a race together soon.
But I met new running friends and that was really cool...
I put on my reporter hat and Ramon was kind enough to answer some questions for me about his running. I love talking to runners about what they've done, where they might be going and the journey to get there.
Ramon started running long distance five years ago (Nov. 2009) and since then has run 12 marathons (3:31:03 PR - goal is to run sub 3:30) and 18 half marathons (1:33 PR).
Really impressive.
He finished the Surf City half in 1:35:11 and runs about 30 miles a week. He said that for his training, he runs how he feels and that he loves hills!
He used to do a lot of speed work, but too much led to an injury.
What gear does Ramon like?
ASICS Gel-Kayano 20 for shoes and an Ironman watch (He mentioned that his plan was to switch to a Garmin. Note: Ramon, you gotta get the Garmin - you won't regret it :)
One thing that I wanted find out from Ramon was a quick analysis of the Surf City course and the overall race.
He said it is a great course to go for a PR (only a few minor hills). Race was well organized, started on time and provided fluids throughout the race.
He only had positive things to say about the race. Sounds like a winner!
Ramon said his goal is to run a race every month this year and in March he will be at the LA Marathon.
Good luck with your training Ramon!
So, after I left Huntington Beach, I headed back to LA for my annual eye check up. I love going to see my optometrist Dr. Moscott - he is always friendly, informative and funny!
Dr. Moscott and I were having our usual catch up on family and life when we started talking about running. I can't believe in all these years, I never knew he was a runner!
I was curious about his running routine and this is what he shared with me...
"The hardest is the first mile, because your mind is always racing. Then you go into a meditative state and your brain is no longer thinking about everything you have to do."
Dr. Moscott runs five miles, 3 to 4 times a week.
He told me he doesn't worry about time and just likes to get aerobic activity and enjoy being on a run. He loves the experience of simply being there.
Don't you love that philosophy?
Doctor/patient and runner/runner!
8 weeks of zero running! Such a journey this has been, but I'm getting antsy.
I miss running.
Patience.
We had Super Bowl fun Sunday afternoon.
I made guacamole...
And we had a relaxing time just enjoying each other.
Run #likeagirl was the highlight of my night.
Yes, I run #likeagirl and you know what?
It's very cool.
And I am proud to say my daughter runs #likeagirl too!
Did anyone race this weekend?
How many miles are you running this week?
Happiness Is Running Life!
xo,
Natalie
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