Blogger Problems

Can everyone see my comment box? I have had problems seeing and using other peoples for the last few days.  If you can see it please comment...if you cant see it please email me!

Thanks!

Memorial Day

This Memorial Day our hearts are particularly heavy.  A few days ago I remember seeing a few articles pop up about these soldiers losing their lives from a unit at Ft. Campbell.  I couldn't shake the bad feeling I had about this news. Unfortunately my bad feeling turned out to be right but luckily it was not as bad as it could have been.     
    Yesterday morning our friend Tom's wife called us and said that Tom had been the only person to survive an IED blast in Afghanistan.  He was out on a foot patrol when his team discovered an IED. The IED went off killing everyone but him. They sent another team out to check for survivors and that team was also killed by another IED.  Tom is now in a hospital in Germany where he has received two surgeries to remove shrapnel from his neck and stomach.  From what we understand he has more shrapnel in his body and the blast burned off a good portion of skin from one of his legs.  He was standing only a few feet from where the blast went off and it is a true miracle that he survived. 
   The good news is that he should be transferred to a hospital stateside sometime this week where he is expected to endure about 5 months of recovery and rehab. He is one of the strongest guys I know and I know he can pull through this.

    This memorial day I ask you to honor all of those who have made the ultimate sacrifice, but to especially pray  for the fallen soldiers from the 101st and their families.  Please pray that our friend Tom has a speedy recovery and please pray for his wife, kids and family.

Tom, his wife and son. His wife recently gave birth to a daughter who he has not met yet.

Tom and Dan getting ready to have some fun on New Years

Whoopsie! How Rude!

I just realized I forgot to thank Bombshells and Southern Belles for the Versatile Blogger award she gave me a few days ago!

I have already gotten the award and passed it on but I will still share 7 random facts about me:

1. I am still hunting for the PERFECT shade of pink nail polish..any suggestions?
2. We just went to our first jewish wedding tonight and it was a blast!
3. I used to hate country music until I met my husband, now I couldnt imagine summers without them!
4. I banned our DJ from playing Michael Jackson at our wedding..he looked at me like I was crazy.
5. Our next race stop is Missoula Montana but we are flying into Spokane and driving through Idaho to get there so I am looking forward to the mini road trip.  Anyone ever been to any of those places? Any tips?
6. I refuse to wear hats but recently had to wear one while in Dan's amory's kitchen preparing food for FRG. I hated wearing the hat more than making 200 some breakfast burritos. 
7. I really like to paint things. I think I like that you can see your accomplishment.

Well there you have it!
Thanks again Chelsey!

Happy Valley

A few weeks ago my friend Ryan (who we call Sass) and I traveled to State College to visit my friend Mark before he graduated college.  We were only able to stay for about a day but we packed the day full of excitement and adventure. First we started off by hiking up Mt. Nittany!

Sass- squatch

The climb was deceiving the website said you could get to the top in 18 minutes...um yeah if you were a mountain goat!  It rained, which caused my hair to look like a bird shit on it then attacked it,  so that's why there is only one picture of me :)

climbing the rocky terrain

Happy to get to the top

Mark and Sass being mountain goats

Sass and I being mountain goats

 

the view was better in person

 After that we made Sweet Apolita's Dark Chocolate and Raspberry Buttercream Cake with a Ganache drizzle.  OMG it was sooooo good. That is an understatement. I could not get enough of it in my belly. It was time consuming but the results were so delish.  Ours did not turn out as pretty as her but I bet it tasted just as good. 

The finished product

Big ol' slice of amazingness

 The fresh raspberries in the buttercream just were offset so well with the dark chocolate cake.  I would totally make this again but perhaps as cupcakes to save on time.

After we made the cake, which was pretty much our dinner, we headed out for the night to celebrate Mark's graduation.  The next morning we got up and took graduation photos with him and the lion shrine since we could not make it up there for the actual ceremony.

Doesn't he look handsome in his cap and gown?

    We then had the pleasure of exploring the PA Military Museum. The museum itself  was mall on the inside but  the exhibits rotate frequently.  Plus if you have a military ID you get in for free!  The building itself is very cool on the outside.

there were many more military vehicles parked on the property

They have a small gift shop and then you make your way through the exhibit. 

thought this vehicle was interesting looking

someone was glad he was wearing a  helmet that day!

They then have a HUGE 28th Infantry division ( Dan's unit) memorial outside where each unit has its own statue and all of the casualties from WW2 are listed. The PA Guard actually played quite a role in WW2...there is a famous photo of them marching down the Champs Elysees. 

The memorial is so large I couldnt capture it in one photo

They also have a an Argonne forest memorial that we did not get a chance to see however I look forward to seeing it next time we are in the area.

PS for anyone who thinks its weird I was hanging out with two dudes for a weekend without my husband... Ill give you a hint...their favorite ladies are Mariah, Beyonce, Whitney, Celine, and Cher.

New Years Resolution Revised

Pittsburgh Magazine released its 2011 Best Restaurants List so my resolution has been revised to this years list.  Now I have even more restuarants to enjoy!  I better get cracking (or eating)..only 6 more months left!

Pittsburgh Half Marathon Race Recap AKA Emily's First Half Marathon!

The race weather was mehhhhh. It was humid but the rain felt great. The race course was really nice actually mostly flat and you got to see a good bit of the city. The crowd support was excellent and most of all Emily met her goal of getting under 3 hours :)! I am so proud of her and we had an excellent time running together. A few of our friends came down to support us which was awesome. Here are some photos- enjoy!

I Can Haz Patrol Cap?

Max is confused....

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.9

The Pepperoni Roll Frenzy

If anyone is looking for a great fund raiser for their FRG, we found these to be really successful and by successful I mean they ate them like a pack of starving wolves.
Here is what you will need:

Crescent roll dough in a can
Shredded cheese
Peperoni
Tomato sauce

Separate the dough into the individual crescents then layer sauce, cheese, and pepperoni (we found 3 was a good number of slices). Bake according to the instructions.

We made over 200 of these puppies in about 3 hours and the guys loved them!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Favorite Photos Link Up

 First of all thanks for all of the Anniversary wishes and the words of encouragement for my training plan- so far I've stuck to it!


Do you all have a favorite photo of yourself or your spouse? Both of these pictures were taken by my friend Emily but are years apart. They capture moments of life so well and make me laugh every time I see them :)

this is when we went on spring break to Canada when we were juniors in college

this is at Dans parents cabin in Michigan, every New Years at midnight there is a silly string battle

 Anyway If you are interested link up :) If not I hope you enjoyed the photos!

Favorite Photo Link up- Tomorrow?

Would anyone be interested in sharing a favorite photo of something weekly for a link up?
This week would be of you and your SO...you don't have to be in the same photo just a photo you think embodies your personalites, or how you look, or an emotion..any takers?

OK I'm Really Going to Stick to It This TIme

    Even though I just completed my 8th half marathon yesterday, I have never really stuck to a training plan.  My plan was always just to run when I could and finish the race. Well I have made the decision to actually stick to a training plan for our next race which will be the Missoula Marathon (we will both be doing the half). I have definitely noticed that I have hit a plateau in my time and I know I can do better.  From here on out I am going to make running a priority (like the hubs does) and strive harder for my goals.  It feels great to cross the finish line but it feels even better to beat your goals.

    I came across this quote from General Patton (who was actually a 1912 Olympian in the Pentathlon):
"Now if you are going to win any battle you have to do one thing. You have to make the mind run the body. Never let the body tell the mind what to do. The body will always give up. It is always tired in the morning, noon, and night. But the body is never tired if the mind is not tired."

Happy 1st Wedding Anniversary!

Soo while writing this blog I realized I have no clue where the cds of our wedding pictures are eeek! So stay tuned for a future post:)

First Anniversary Dinner Party

Our 1st Anniversary is tomorrow!  Instead of going out to dinner I figured I'd have some of our closest friends over to celebrate with us. 

Our Menu is as follows (if all turns out well):

Cocktails:
Chambord Champagne Jello Popsicles
Pink Champagne
Wine
Beer

Appetizers:
ProsciuttoWrapped Melon
Tomato and Mozzarella Skewers
Panko Pesto Mozzarella Balls
Zest Lime Shrimp and Avocado Salad


Dinner:
Spring  Salad
Rustic Wheat Bread
Breaded Italian Chicken with a Feta Topping
Sweet Potato Gnocci with a Brown Sugar Butter Sauce

Desserts:
Mini Key Lime Tarts
Champagne Cupcakes with Flaming Strawberries
Cherry Wine in a Chocolate Coated Wine Glass
Our Wedding Cake Topper (hopefully)

Recipes and pictures will follow :) 
Oh yeah we are running the Pittsburgh Half Marathon tomorrow and its Emily's first Half EVER! Send her some love!

Friday Fill In and Happy 3rd Birthday Jake!

Dont forget to head over to Wife of a Sailor and link up!


1. Which was the best day of your life- Wedding day or Homecoming day? submitted by Pink Champagne, Gatorade & MREs
 (^Hey thats me ).... For me it was Homecoming day.  My wedding was great and I loved every second of it, but I already knew I was going to spend the rest of my life with him long before May 15, 2010 (yes our anniversary is coming up!). When I saw him get off that plane it was such a wave of emotions that I will never forget.

2. Were you a part of the joining the military question or did you sign up for the relationship when your man was already in the military? submitted by Cammo Style Love
No he wanted to join ever since he could walk pretty much ha. But he does discuss reenlistment with me etc. I can't keep him from something he enjoys so much.

3. What is your favorite Disney movie and why? submitted by Raising Roscoe
I have not seen any of the recent ones but I guess my favorite The Little Mermaid.

4. What is your favorite family activity to do on the weekends? submitted by Destination: RN!
Run, travel, or cook things together.

5. Where do you secretly wish you could be stationed with you/your SO’s line of work (realistically speaking, not everyone can be stationed on NAS Fiji)? submitted by Wookie & Co.
He is national guard so we do not get stationed anywhere besides tropical and sunny Pittsburgh, PA lol.

Our pup Jake turns 3 today (or 21 in puppy years)! Here he is through the years:

his first bath

bat ears

his auntie emily drew glasses on him- we called this his "henry sweater" just looks like a henry

i got a brother

life is hard being a pup

Army Ten Miler 2011

The date is October 9th. Registration is open now for military members and opens up for the public on May15th at midnight. It sells out FAST- I'm talking in a few hours. If you would like to run it sign up at midnight with me!
It is one of my favorite races and its a great feeling to be around so much Army and hear Hooah 1 million times ha.  If you are planning on running it let me know and we can meet up!  If you are thinking about running it- think no more and just do it!

Two Out of Three

Getting ready for a night out in happy valley to celebrate Mark's graduation :) Congrats Mark!

Published with Blogger-droid v1.6.8

Happy Cinco De Mayo!

Two years ago I sent Dan a Cinco de Mayo package while he was at a very small outpost in Iraq. It was one of his faves! They had the day off and were able to enjoy "near beer".

Lincoln National Guard Marathon Half Marathon Recap!

    So every year the hubs has to go to the Lincoln National Guard Marathon in order to qualify for the National Guard Marathon Team.  So thats where we were this weekend!  Warning this post is a little bit "rah rah PA and rah rah Dan".  I am lucky to have a husband who makes me so proud in so many ways! (Ok whenever you are done puking in your mouth please continue to read).

We got to Lincoln on Friday morning and our friend Sean drove from Chicago to meet us out there. He is now at Ft Riley if anyone knows any single ladies- hes single (and also took all of these pictures) lol! We went to 2 wineries this weekend and brought home 6 bottles of wine yum! 

   
The PA Team had to work the booth at the expo and here they are in all of their glory!

the yellow coats that hurt your eyes mean you are on the team already

 Soon enough it was time for race day!

yay all done!

The race for me was meh. It wasn't my best and it wasn't my worst.  There was strong headwind during the last 4 miles and my legs hurt like crap from almost the second I started running. Oh well I will try again for a PR!

   Dan finally got the PR hes been wanting for almost 2 years! His chip malfunctioned though so they timed him at gun time with a 2:54:43. His Garmin read a 2:54:36 so he was a bit frustrated- good thing he didn't start hat far back!  Dan also managed to get 5th in his age group overall and 1st in his age group in the Guard competition.

he hates getting his picture taken

and my camera sucks

An airman (airwoman?) ran her first marathon EVER and got 2nd woman overall and 1st woman for the Guard competition! Her time was 2:54:13. Congrats Emily!!!!

ya she is sponsored by Power Bar- how cool!

    The PA team got 2nd place overall in the Guard competition and swept the men's 25-29 age group awards. In fact all but one person on the team got a personal award.  Congrats!!! The PA team came leaps and bounds over the last 2 years and I am super proud to be from PA, married to one of its runners, and to be friends with the rest! The people on the team were really nice and funny annnnnd they didn't laugh when I told them my expected finish time ha.

PA Team award

SSG Stern- he is our coordinator

my babe

Sgt Jones

Lt Angove

Chief Gentry

2011 All Guard Women's Marathon Team

2011 All Guard Men's Marathon Team

PA and their bling

PS please bare with me while I am trying to do some editing to the format of my blog.