5 Years Later (flashback Friday - Wedding Edition!)

Five years ago today, this happened:

I can't help but laugh...we've certainly aged a lot in five years!

Five years later and he still makes my heart skip a beat.

Five years later and he's still the perfect complement to every aspect of my personality.

Five years later and he's still everything I could ever want (and more than I ever knew I'd need) in a partner.

I am so grateful for these years and how we've grown together. Matt and I have changed a lot since we first started on this journey ten years ago, but we've always evolved in the same way and along the same path. At the end of the day, I know I'm married to my best friend, and you really can't get luckier than that.

ABK

(Because this is our 5-year-anniversary post, I stuck with wedding photos and kept it short and sweet. If you're newer to my blog, here's a little more about Matt's and my journey through the years.)

The Perfect 4th

I spent all last week deep-cleaning our house. We've officially lived here a year and we finally had a "house-warming" party. Really, it was a chance to celebrate our 5-year anniversary (a bit early) and the 4th of July with friends. Anyway, this was our first time having guests come stay with us in the new house, and it was wonderful.

When I wasn't cleaning, I was contending with this weather, so my workouts were really spotty. 

(This week we've had torrential thunderstorms every evening and have lost power multiple times. Fun stuff.)

I think mopping, vacuuming, moving furniture, and doing laundry made up for my missed runs.

We spent the weekend having too much fun to stop and take a bunch of pictures; Saturday's dinner out was the first time in ages that we had a group dinner and no one was on their phone! It was really nice to just enjoy each other's company and not be a slave to the screen.

The seven of us taking a break in the shade.

We did 3.5 miles down a calm, picturesque river.

We paddled Saturday morning and then spent some time in the pool. After dinner we set off fireworks and played Cards Against Humanity. I baked a cake before dinner and drinks...and frosted it after (as you can clearly tell from the pictures below haha). It wasn't the prettiest thing, but it sure was tasty!

I used King Arthur's GF chocolate cake mix and added vanilla Greek yogurt to the batter. I stuffed the middle full of strawberries...that makes it healthy, right?

I can't wait to have another reason to host a party. Having people over really does make a house feel like a home!

How did you spend the 4th of July weekend?

Did you watch the FIFA Women's World Cup? I usually don't like soccer, but we played so well I was captivated the entire time!

ABK

Last Week's Workouts

After a disappointing training week, I was happy to have one of my best weeks since May.

Monday, I used NTC to work on my core, glutes, hips, and abs. 

The alignment workout was much harder than I expected.

Wednesday I went for a run; I had to cut it short because I started to feel sick. I've been making a habit of stopping at the water stations on the golf course and running my wrists under to help cool me down; it's been helping, but Wednesday was not a good day.

I was aiming for 3.5, but called it a day at 30 minutes.

Friday I finally made it to four miles. I was so happy to be back up to four; I decided that no matter if I had to walk or take lots of water breaks, I would get the mileage done, and  I did.

I took it really easy, walked when I needed to, and generally just enjoyed myself on this one. After Wednesday's run I really wanted to finish no matter how long it took.

I was planning to run Sunday morning but Matt and I had a family emergency Saturday and we didn't get back to town until pretty late. (Everything is okay for now.) So instead I ran in the evening. Kristin had done 8 in the morning, but she joined me for the second half of my run anyway. She really helped me push through. 

I chose a 2.6-mile shaded loop that I really like, and I ran it twice. I'm sure I would have quit early if Kristin hadn't been there. This was also the first run since April or early May that wasn't just a romp around the golf course; it felt really good to be back on an actual route. And I forgot what a difference shade makes!

It's funny how I can feel so accomplished after 5 miles...distance is all relative, I guess, depending on how we're feeling.

I completed the first half at an easy 11-minute pace, but then needed some walk breaks during the second half of the run.

As far as my runs go, I definitely earned an A this week. I played it safe but still boosted my mileage, and I'm feeling really accomplished. Overall, taking cross-training in mind as well, I'd say I get an A-/B+. This week I'm going to dedicate myself to two days of cross training along with my three or four runs.

How was your week?

What tricks do you use to keep cool in the summer during a run?

What's your favorite at-home cross-training activity?

ABK