Taking Time to Reflect

As I walked down Stump Rd. in Pipersville, PA this morning I wasn't chilled by the fall PA air or dreading the wind in my face (though it's much colder than I'm used to these days). Instead I was warmed with the familiarity of the sun rising over the field adjacent to the neigborhood where I spent my teenage years and delighted at the brown leaves whipping at my feet. This was the route I walked to my bus stop with my sister hundreds of times. It feels good to be home.

The only thing that would make the trip better was if Doug was able to take it with me. This is the first Thanksgiving we've spent apart in years.

I made the trip from my sunny SC home back to PA to celebrate Thanksgiving with my families (yes, I have many) late Tuesday night. A co-worker of mine and I loaded up her Altima and took the 11-hour trip together. The time went surprisingly fast and our excitement to go home (Bucks County, PA for me and Long Island for her) only grew with each mile we traveled. We had one or two interesting encouters on the way, but for the most part the drive went well. Kelly dropped me off at a Dunkin' Donuts in Bordentown, NJ where I arranged to meet my Dad.

Kelly and I parted ways, she continued on to NY, and I caught up with my Dad over a cup of coffee. After only getting 2 hours of sleep in the car I had that auto-pilot feeling...when you're not exactly sure how you keep on going but you just do. We drove up route 29, along the Delaware River, which looked mostly unchanged to me since the last time I drove it with my sister 4 or 5 years ago. Memories came back all along the drive. After 30 minutes we reach my Dads where I relaxed with my little sister for the rest of the afternoon. I was so exhausted I wanted to keep it low key. We ordered in Chinese. After dinner my Dad and I met up with my Uncle mark for a drink at a new bar in the area, Blondies Sports Bar and Grille. This location is brand new, so they don't have the website up yet. They also have a location in AZ and NV. We decided to check it out because two of the owners are old friends of my Dads.

I tried to hit the sack early because packet pick-up for my 5-mile Turkey Trot was at 8am. It was a beautiful race! I ran with my sister-in-law, uncle, cousin, and close family friend. We celebrated with Bloody Mary's afterward.

Next on the agenda was the highlight of the day: EATING! I enjoyed a traditional Thanksgiving meal with my grandmother, mother, sister, and my mother's boyfriend Scott.

After dinner I had plenty of time to reflect on what I'm thankful for:

My wonderful husband, Doug, who makes me laugh everyday and has an incredible way of dealing with me when I'm stressed or overwhelmed.

My family who loves me unconditionally. It's gigantic and there's no way I can picture everyone but here's a shot of some of them at our wedding.

My wonderful friends I've met along the way

My kids (and others)

Having my health and the ability to stay in shape and run

My marriage, which is better than I ever dreamed.

I have so many blessings in my life <3. I'm looking forward to the Stewart Thanksgiving tonight and a wedding tomorrow. More fun to come!

Cruelty-Free is the Way to Be

Sooo most people love animals. Most people. Those that don't basically suck, and I'm okay with saying that. The problem is that even most animal lovers are either unaware how badly animals are abused and exploited or simply refuse to recognize it. Most people think animal testing is acceptable when being done fore medical purposes, like finding a cure for cancer or medicines for rare diseases. What many don't know (or care to recognize) is that more than 2/3 of animal testing has nothing to due to medical advances. Most testing is done for consumer products or sheer curiosity.

Why would anyone intentionally ignore it you may ask? Well, because ignorance really is bliss. Just ask any meat eater that refuses to visit a slaughter house to meet the pig whose flesh they'll consume in a week. Most people would rather be blind to the suffering that goes into their products and food. Most humans don't want to have to sacrifice something they're accustomed to having, like meat or that specific shampoo they like so much, for the sake of compassion. If I'm aware that a bunny had painful injections in his eyes, had his fur burned of and nails ripped out for the sake of my eyeliner I wouldn't want to buy it (if I had a conscience, that is). This knowledge would make shopping for clothing, cosmetics, beauty products and food challenging.

I'm writing to let you know that it's not as hard as it seems. Cruelty free products are popping up everywhere, making products made without harming animals much more accessible AND affordable. YAY!!



Funny Pictures

To encourage consumers to seek out these cruelty-free options we need to give them the motivation to do so. Just understanding what animal testing is about will motivate anyone with a heart.

The most common form of animal testing is called the Draize Test. This is when a product, like shampoo or toothpaste, is put directly into the animal’s eyes to determine a lethal amount. This practice is cruel and ineffective because mice, rats, cats, and bunnies are very different from humans. Even if tests are being done for medical reasons the results are mostly irrelevant to humans.

"The Food & Drug Administration recently reported that of all drugs that test safe and effective in animal tests, 92 Percent are found to be either unsafe or ineffective in humans."

So why do we continue to subject animals to this unnecessary and cruel testing? They endure severe pain during these tests, abuse and neglect while being caged and immense amounts of stress for no end result. WHY?




Did you also know that some of the animals that wind up in laboratories have been stolen off the streets, adopted from shelters and obtained from "free to a good home" ads? The chances that your cat that "ran away" when you were 11 ended up being tortured in a lab are pretty good.

Watch the video. Anyone with a soul can't argue that this isn't wrong.



Furthermore, testing on animals doesn't tell us how humans will react to products. I argue that the best way to find out how a product or medicine effects humans is to test on humans. Here's a thought, with all the unemployed people out there why not pay HUMANS to endure these tests. I know people that I volunteered for this type of work. Or, better yet, why not test on humans serving prison sentences for violent crimes. We might as well make them work for our tax dollars that feed and house them.

The bottom line is that the only way we can encourage companies to stop animal testing and using animal products is to STOP BUYING THIER PRODUCTS. By not participating in the cruelty you can make a difference. You can also write the companies and let them know you've decided to stop using their products because they continue to use cruel and ineffective testing methods on animals.

Here are some links for how to find cruelty-free products. If you're not willing to speak up for these animals I at least urge you to not participate. Would you want your family dog, cat, bird or bunny to suffer this way?


Click Here to Access a Database of Companies that Do and DO NOT Test on Animals

For those of you who dislike PETA, Click Here for Another Way to Find out Companies that Do and DO NOT Test on Animals


Clothing, Shoes, Cosmetics, Hygiene Products, Cleaning Products, Laundry Detergent, Perfumes... they are all included in these lists. Please take the time to know what you are buying (and therefore supporting).

With my Feet on the Dash, Twizzlers in Hand

When I was a little girl I remember my Dad telling me about how he and my mom drove through the Redwoods. He explained that they were gigantic trees in northern California, bigger than anything I'd ever seen in PA. He said some were big enough that cars would actually drive through a man-made opening in their trunk. I was fascinated. I wanted to see it for myself so badly. I was sure that one day I'd make it to California, preferably via beat up van after driving across the country the way my mom and dad did back in 1981. I can picture taking this trip, driving through the desert with my feet on the dash. We'd be listening to the local radio, snacking on Twizzlers to keep us up, and stopping at every odd or interesting looking place. We'd have no schedule and no obligations. Our only duty would be to explore.

It was around 2001 that I finally saw the redwoods, but this was after Googling it in my High School library. That wasn't the only thing I Googled that day. I looked up San Francisco (which led to an obsession with the Haight-Ashbury culture of the 1960s) and Los Angeles; I looked at pictures of cowboys in Texas, the world’s largest roller coasters in Cedar Point, Ohio, the moose in Alaska. I wanted to see it all. I wanted to ski in Colorado, surf in Laguna Beach, hike at the Grand Canyon and smoke pot in San Francisco.

I grew up in a rather convenient location to have experienced a lot of culture and diversity. Just outside of one of the oldest cities in our nation, Philadelphia (Go Eagles), 2 hours from Manhattan where I later spent time try to be a model and magazine writer (lol), and 2 hours from the New Jersey beach. Washington DC was a regular field trip and the Baltimore Aquarium was close enough for a Saturday day trip. I'd seen a lot...but not nearly enough.

Now 27 years old I've yet to make it off he East Coast. I've been everywhere from Maine to Florida but I'm ready for more. I can't possibly list all the places in the US I want to see. And don't even get me started on international travel. I simply am too hungry to learn and desirous to see it all.

I suppose the smart time to abandon a responsible daily grind type-of-life would have been after college. But I was already working 2 jobs and trying to establish an adult life. I was buying homes and cars. I had a dog...

Now I'm 27 and envious of my friends who visit family in California, spend New Years in Geneva or the summer in Paris. When will I get there? Is it too late? I'd like to have a family soon. Can I travel with children?

These thoughts are spinning around my head more aggressively this week because an acquaintance of mine not only just accomplished my road trip dream (this dream belongs to many) but also documented it a long the way. His video has gone viral, and rightfully so. Congrats, Brian. What an incredibly accomplishment.





Here's a link to learn more about his trip.

I can Always Give More. Always.

This blog post is a little delayed, but hey- better late than never, right?

Last Saturday, November 5th, was Savannah's Inaugural Rock n Roll Marathon and Half Marathon. Twenty three thousand runners and runner supporters descended on the quaint little city of Savannah, GA to run, celebrate and rock out. We anxiously lined up at the start line as early as 6am, freezing our little running tooshies off, for a chance to participate in a nationally recognized race. Some traveled far and wide for the event. I traveled across the Savannah River from Bluffton, SC. Despite my close proximity we still left at 5am. Yea, you heard that right.

I met with some running buddies in one of our regular spots. Even if I wanted to be tired it wasn't happening. Everyone was pumped up for the race. After finding our VIP parking spot just 2 blocks from the Start (thank you to the local news station for supplying my friend, Chris with this), we stretched, hopped around, used the rest room, noshed on cliff bars...basically we killed time until the fire gun went off at 7:30am. And the race was on...literally.

I started in corral 7, lumped together with other runners who expected to finish our 13.1 half marathon in around 2 hours. The only other half marathon I've participated in, the Bluffton Half Marathon, was a flatter course with far less people (200 vs. 20,000). Still, I had been training and thought I could at least do as well as I did in the Bluffton race (2 hours 23 seconds), if not better.

I thoroughly enjoyed the course. Although I live pretty close to Savannah I honestly don't spend much time there at all. Winding through the different neighborhoods on foot gave me an entirely new perspective on the city. The streets were lined with spectators, friends of runners as well as residents and volunteers, cheering us on and supplying us with everything from water to high-fives! The energy was electric and incredible.

Somewhere around mile 6 I felt my pace start to slow. I ate a Gu Energy Pack for a quick pick-me-up. For those of you that don't know, Gu is exactly what is sounds like...sticky gu that you squirt into your mouth, loaded with sugar and carbohydrates for both instant and sustained energy. It did the trick! I was able to hold an 8.5 mile an hour pace.

You can learn more about it here.

When I hit mile 12 I had no idea what my time was. I didn't have a watch, an iPod...nothing. Sure, there were clocks on the race route but seeing as I started in corral 7 there was at least 7 minutes on the clock when I crossed the start line. I was determined to make it in less than 2 hours so I started pushing harder. I'd pick someone ahead of me and make it a goal to pass them. Once passed I'd set my sites on someone else. I continued this way until I crossed the finish line.

I felt incredible. And terrible… All at the same time. I proudly took my medal and banana and posed in front of the Rock-n-Roll sign for my post-race photo. I opted not to purchase it because it's terrible. CJ and Jonathon look much prettier after a race, so here's a photo of them.

It wasn't until the results were posted online that I found out I not only beat my previous time but actually shaved 7 minutes off it!! That's right! I finished in 1 hour and 53 minutes. Now, this hardly compares to the 1 hour and 37 minutes one of my friends finished in BUT it's still something to be proud of! And proud I was!

I couldn't believe it. Seven minutes?!? All I needed was a little uncertainty and a little doubt to make me push harder. I've had a great group of people to help me prepare for this race and none of us plan to stop here. On the ride home we discussed our next big race. Maybe a triathlon? We'll certainly throw in a handful of local 5 and 10ks. But more importanly, now I know I can give more. I can always give more. Now that I've recognized this I've decided that when the Rock-n-Roll comes back next year I'm going all out. I'll be completing the full 26.2 marathon. It's completely do-able. Luckily my friends are up for the challenge as well. I can't wait!

Happy Running :)