The Best Year Ever

 

Ah, twenty-five. It stands alone, that number, unsure of whether to take a step forward or back. It shivers in the cold while everyone else has it figured out already; twenty-five is just now finding solid ground, settling in for the night, closing its eyes and dreaming about the future. My twenty-five’s pavement may be a little rocky, but both feet are planted as firmly as they can be. This next year is all about change, and it’s all good.

Somewhere during twenty-four I lost it – motivation, I mean. I started with it packed tightly away in my chest but somehow it managed to escape and the end of twenty-four faded into a blur of day-to-day dullness and routine. The color has drained from my kaleidoscope eyes and suddenly I’m seeing the world in honeycomb shades of black and gray. But I have big plans for twenty-five; twenty-five is going to be splashes of color and light and inspiration in gusts of wind and night air. What does all of this translate to? Writing, people. Lots of it. I temporarily lost the spark, the energy, the emotion…and this has to end now.  These past few weeks I became best friends with my couch and my wine glass (nothing new there), and abandoned something very, very dear to me. 

So twenty-five – ahem, tomorrow – marks more than one special occasion. One year older, (hopefully) one year wiser, one more year of love and family, of life, of breath, of the chance to become who I want to be while enjoying every step.

Oh yeah, it marks one more thing too. 

My Bachelorette Party.

Guess who has two thumbs and eleven tattoos and a blog and is getting married this June 22nd to an amazing man? THIS girl. I was waiting for the perfect time to tell you guys. And now that my head has momentarily stopped spinning, here I am. I can’t wait to post pictures, and share more details with you guys. And my epic ’80’s inspired outfit for my party tomorrow night is the kewlest. Photos to come, duh.

I love you guys. Thanks for stickin’ around.

xoxo,

Nicole

26.2 Memories

Hello, friends. Please hop on over to my running blog, where I recount my first marathon.

Thank you so much to those who have showed continuous interest and support during my training. The experience was amazing, memorable. I can’t wait to do it again.

 

Rock ‘n’ Roll 13.1

I thought I’d share a milestone with everyone this morning!

A year or two ago – as I’ve mentioned in previous posts – exercise was not a regular part of my vocabulary. But then I got into kickboxing – awesome – then I forced myself to go running (something I’ve always dreaded), and after those first few painful runs, I found myself beginning to enjoy it. I actually get up each morning now, and look forward to my runs. It’s definitely a therapy, and an addiction.

So on Sunday morning, in the beautiful, chilly breeze that flowed through the streets of Philadelphia, I completed my first half marathon. With extremely supportive friends by my side – and the amazing crowd that kept us going with cheers and bedazzled signs – we tore through the Philly Rock ‘n’ Roll half; bands played on the sidelines every few miles, which made it even cooler – and very rock ‘n’ roll, of course.

My predicted finish time: 2 hours, 30 minutes.

My official finish time: 2 hours, 30 minutes, 10 seconds. How cool is that?

Next goal: a full marathon.