Now I Actually Feel Old

This year, Matt pulled out all the stops and really surprised me for Valentine's Day and my birthday. I was impressed when he chose a restaurant and made reservations in advance for Valentine's Day - usually we go back and forth and can't make a decision, and we end up waiting for a table once we finally decide - but little did I know he had a bigger surprise up his sleeve.

I spent some of the evening kind of teasing him for making me drive to meet him for dinner (he was working at the studio) and for not brushing his hair to my satisfaction (yes, I am annoying). I gave him points for the reservation and changing into nice clothes; he even wore a pink shirt so he was very festive.

"You're earning a C+ right now," I told him.

When we got home from dinner, though, he quickly proved me wrong. I wasn't expecting an actual gift; we really don't do much more than dinner and cards on Valentine's Day. When I opened the watercolor print he'd gotten me, I was so surprised and touched that I started to cry.

"And you thought I earned a C," he smirked.

Matt had remembered how much I liked my lemon painting last year and when he was working at the art festival one day, he searched around to find something he knew I'd love. He surprised me with one print on Valentine's Day and a second on my birthday (which is the day after).

He picked out one of my favorite poems for the second watercolor; how did he know?!

He went out of his way to have them framed, too, and finally framed my lemons!

We hung them in the dining room.

Getting art as a gift had the weird effect of making me feel old, but in a good way. Mature. Most of our art up to this point has been pieces my parents had retired from their house; I love the Chagall print and other paintings we've gotten from them, but it feels really good to have art that is specifically ours. And I love that Matt knows me so well that he picked out literally the perfect pieces for me.

Now...I wonder how I'll top this for his birthday in August!

I couldn't finish this Valentine's Day/birthday recap without talking about my 7:15am birthday party! Stacey (our art teacher) told Elizabeth and me to come to her room before buses arrived. There we were greeted by a special little birthday party, complete with gluten free brownies and party hats!

We "blew out" some unlit candles because of fire codes.

I guess if there's any cure for feeling old on your birthday, it's acting like a child.

Do you like to collect art?
What is the most special gift you've received?
How did you celebrate your last birthday?

ABK

Christmas & 3 Gifts I'm Already Loving

This year, Matt and I were able to split our time nicely between families for Christmas Eve and Christmas. On Christmas Eve, I ran in the morning (the longest I've run since BDR) and then we went to his mom's and helped cook dinner and spent the evening together.

I saw lots of deer on my run, and they stood still and made eye-contact with me while I stopped to get pictures. Deer are considerate like that.

I enjoyed a nice sunrise and 5 miles.

Christmas Eve dinner!

On Christmas, we spent the day with Matt's dad's family and got to see his cousins and Nana. It was a very full (and fulfilling) day.

A very green Christmas.

After dinner with Nana!

This year, it was clear to me that no one is easier to shop for than runners! We're drawn like magpies to new gadgets and accessories. I don't usually make a post about "gifts to get your runner this Christmas" because I feel like the internet is full of them this time of year, but this holiday season, I've received three gifts I really wasn't expecting and already love, so I had to share my delight!

1. The Apple Watch. Now, it's no Garmin, but for me, that's a plus. I love that the Apple Watch lets me access my apps and has a workout app of its own. I can dictate texts through it, which is a must for me, and it's so pretty!

I've been playing around with the workout app vs. Activity vs. Nike+ via the watch, and all three have their benefits. 

Yes, that's a picture of a picture of a picture ad infinitum.

I love that the Nike+ app lets me track my pace during runs and brings up the cheers as they come through, so I can see who's cheering as I go instead of when I'm finished. The display is easy to read and the watch itself is super easy to use.

I also like that I can use the watch as a remote camera, which I know will come in handy once I practice working with it more.

2. The Palm Massager. Steph surprised Matt and me with this mini TENS unit, but Matt is a little skeptical about giving it a try so it's mostly mine for now. When I was in college, I had really bad migraines and used a TENS unit as treatment, so I'm familiar with it and already know how it works for me. I know the effects might be mostly psychological, but who am I to knock the power of placebos? If nothing else, it feels nice to have a little electric-massage after tweaking a muscle.

Who's up for a little light electrocution?

I've started my 30-day cross-training challenge, and Tuesday my back was a little sore from all the core work. After 30 minutes with the Palm Massager, I felt better. Not perfect, but much less stiff! This is definitely a gadget I wouldn't have even thought to get myself, but it's going to become a recovery staple for sure.

3. The Lululemon Wild Tank. This was a gift from Kristin and my first piece of Lulu apparel. Kristin owns it in multiple colors and I always comment on it when she wears it; the strappy bra and the low back is just really cute! Most of my running clothes are pretty basic and utilitarian, so it's nice to have something pretty, eye-catching, and fun in my drawer.

Lulu isn't something I'd ever splurge on for myself, so I'm especially grateful that Kristin snapped it up for me! I wore it on my Christmas Eve run and during my core workout afterward and it was so comfortable.

I received some other wonderful gifts, like a daily running calendar I can't wait to break into on January 1st and some decorative accents for our house, but these are three gifts I wouldn't have thought to get myself and they're fast favorites. I guess my friends/family know me better than I know myself!

Did you receive anything surprising this year?

What is your favorite kind of gift to receive?

Are you a good gift-giver? Admittedly, I'm not great at it. That's why I always include a handwritten card - I work much better in words than gifts sometimes!

ABK