Learning to Run With a Partner

When I started running over two months ago (holy cow thats a long time) I was SO thankful to have someone who wanted to run with me.  I really do not think I could have done it without Lauren.  She inspired me and kept me moving.

When we started off it was great because we were in the same boat and ran at the same pace.  We wanted to go the same distance too.  This made it super easy to run with each other.  And when we were apart I missed her.

Well then gradually our paces changed.  And I started liking running alone and being in my head.  When we were together I felt like we had to be talking, and this made running really hard for me because I could not catch my breath.

But I didn't want to not run with her.  I loved have an accountability partner in the mornings.  I loved her encouragement.  And I loved the time we got to spend together.

But we also needed to run our way.  So we came up with a plan.  We start together, we don't talk, and we don't worry about leaving the other behind (mainly her leaving me behind because I am slow).  And when we saw each other on the paths we waved and jumped and fist pumped the air.

We still have the accountability and I still think of her as my running partner.  We just may not always be side by side.
I don't know if I have said enough how grateful I am for this woman.  She is an amazing friend and I love her to pieces:)  Thanks Lauren for all you do for me and sharing your wonderfully big heart:)
*pictures were taken on a cold snowy morning after not my favorite or best run. please ignore the sad tired no makeup faces

Easter Break

Being a college student there are few things more I look forward to than a break.  Even if the breaks are only two weeks apart.  You will hear no complaining from me on that one!  From early last Thursday morning till yesterday afternoon, I enjoyed a nice long break from school:)
Pretty much all weekend was spent around the table playing cards.  And if you think your family is competitive...come play a game with mine.  I really didn't get that gene, but everyone else did.  
The other half of our time was spent on the water.  With Dad's new boat and the warm weather coming, I could not have been happier.  I think better with the wind in my hair and the sun shining down on my pale pale skin.
Some good food was definitely enjoyed.  Case in point the dessert pizza!  Yummo!  Add that to homemade lasagna, steak and potatoes, and then ham and I was one happy camper!
Every year for the last 10 or so years we have spent Easter on the island just so that we could go to the sunrise service.  Mom drags us all out of bed at 5:30, but it is always worth it! 
Hope everyone else enjoyed their Easter just as much as I did:)

Picture Perfect

I mentioned earlier this week that Lauren and I went out last Saturday to take some new pictures.  We both felt like we needed some new ones for our blogs.  Have I mentioned before how much I love this girl?  She is seriously one awesome friend.
It was an over cast day, which apparently is perfect for picture taking.  Our goal was to get good pictures without you being able to really tell where we were.  You see here at Milligan there are some iconic picture taking spots.  
And of course we wanted to use those spots because they really are great for pictures.  Overall I think we both did a great job of capturing each other (even if it was my first time using such a nice camera).

You can't expect me to be serious the whole time now can you?!

This lady is so use to being behind the camera and hates being in front.  But I think I got some good ones for her:)

Outfit change time!  And like I said...I'm not a serious person.

Bottom left has been deemed The Mosby Face.  Apparently I make this look quite often...

So tell me what do you think?! Which ones do you love the most?  I will be getting a blog makeover soon and want to know which one to use!

Dandelion Detox

I posted last week about this Dandelion Detox that I was doing.  I have seen all over Pinterest and other blogs different kinds of detoxes and I really wanted to try one.  I think it is always a good idea to clean out our bodies, as long as we do it healthy.
I wanted something simple and that is what I found.  It originally comes from Jillian Michaels, but I found it on this site.  I was a little nervous at first that I would not like the taste, and then not be able to finish it.  But I LOVED it!
Here is what you need (pictured above) Dandelion Root Tea No Sugar Added Cranberry Juice Lemon Juice Water
You combine together 1 tea bag, 1 tablespoon of Cranberry Juice, 2 tablespoons Lemon juice, and 60 oz. of water.  I let it sit over night to get the best flavor possible. ( It really just tastes like unsweetened tea with lemon)
You do this for 5 days and can lose up to 5 pounds.  And I actually did lose the 5 pounds.  BUT  when I started this I also started back up my seriously clean eating like I had done this past summer.  I do believe I would have lost at least half even if I was eating like I had before.
One key is to make sure this is added to your daily water intake, not a substitute.  60 oz. is nothing for me.   I usually drink around 100 oz a day.  The more water you drink the less you retain.  Again DO NOT substitute this for you water intake.
So what does it do?  Well Dandelion Root helps with your digestive system.  It goes in and tries to clear out.  According to Livestrong.com here is what it can do: 1. It is a mild diuretic (makes you pee) During this increased urine production, there can be reduced fluid retention, flushing of toxins from              the bladder and kidneys (helping them to work better) 2. It is a mild laxative (makes you poo) It aids in digestive discomfort and helps increase healthy bacteria in the digestive track which imporves digestion.
So your probably wondering if I was having to poo all the time (TMI?).  The answer is no.  It just made me more regular.  It may make you poo a little more than usual, but you do not need to sit by the toilet while drinking this.  Also, yes I had to pee all the time but that is completely normal for me.
If you are wanting to try a detox I definitely recommend this one to everyone.  It clears you out without you having to do anything extreme.  If you try it let me know so we can compare notes about it!

Let's Talk Food!

Oh how I love this link-up!  And it does not get much better than talking about food!  As promised in the video, below is the recipe for Baker's German Chocolate Cake.  Like I said TO DIE FOR good!  (And I don't even like coconut and pecans all that much)

Ingredients for Cake

1 pkg. (4 oz) BAKER'S GERMAN'S Sweet chocolate

1/2 cup water

4 egg whites

4 eggs yolks

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. salt

1 cup butter, softened

2 cups sugar

1 tsp. vanilla

1 cup butter milk

Directions

Heat oven to 350 degrees

Microwave chocolate and water in a large microwavable bowl on high 1-2 minutes or until chocolate is almost melted, stirring after 1 minute.  Stir until chocolate is completely melted.

Mix flour, baking soda and salt.  Beat butter and sugar in large bowl with mixer until light and fluffy.  Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each.  Blend in melted chocolate and vanilla.  Add flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beating until well blended after each addition.

Beat eggs whites in small bowl with mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form. (Sounds hard but you can do it! Stiff peaks means they will stand on their own and not fall down.)

Add egg whites to other mixture; stir gently until well blended.

Pour batter into 3 (9-inch) greased round pans.

Bake for 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean (You almost can't overcook these cakes.  I thought I did but the icing works wonders on it!).  Cool cakes completely before adding icing.

Ingredients for Icing

4 egg yolks

1 can (12 oz) evaporated milk

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup butter

1 pkg. (7 oz) BAKER'S ANGEL FLAKE Coconut

1 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Whisk egg yolks, milk and vanilla in large saucepan until well blended.  Add sugar and butter; cook on medium heat until 12 min. or until thickened and golden brown, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat.

Add coconut and nuts; mix well.  Cool to desired spreading consistency (this takes a while to do...as in almost an hour.  You can towards the end put in the fridge for a short period of time)

Add icing to your cake and you are done! I got this recipe off this site, but if you buy the BAKER'S GERMAN sweet chocolate and look on the back that is the recipe I use.  They are pretty much the same thing.

Weekend Recap

Weekends always seem to go by way too fast.  No me gusta.  This one was quite a fun little one for me with lots of reasons to be proud!

1. Friday I headed to the gym to get my workout on.  I have figured out that by adding weights into my routine I do better running.  Yeah no brainer there!  But I got in over an hour at the gym and felt so great after wards!

2. Lo and I went running on Saturday and our goal was to hit 3 miles! As you can see I did that plus some! I am SO beyond proud of myself for how well I have been doing.  I have been going at this for almost 2 months now.  I am even prouder of Lauren.  She ran 4 miles on Saturday!! Love her for being there and pushing me!

3&4.  Before running on saturday Lauren and I did a little photo shoot.  We were both in need of some new pictures for our blogs and decided to make this happen.  I had never used such a nice camera before and it got me so excited to get one of my own!  Can't wait to show you all the other pictures taken:)

Hope everyone else had a great weekend too:)

Prayer Chain

Linking up today with Amy and Melissa for the Prayer Chain! I love this linkup and have been so busy the past weeks that I have not been able to link up.  But today I have lots of praises and requests!
Praises I have finally chosen a grad school! It is so refreshing to know where I will be going after I graduate!
I ran 3.2 miles yesterday! It has been so much fun learning how to run and seeing myself improve over time!
Requests I am in the process of looking for a job back home.  My problem is I cannot take a 9-5 job because starting the second semester of grad school I will have a practicum and internships to do.  I know God has something out there for me, and I am praying He will reveal it all soon.
Motivation to make it to graduation.  I have major senioritis! I don't want to do anything that is school related ever...but I have to make the grades in order to stay in grad school!
Thank you for all of the prayers and please know I will be praying for all of you who link-up as well!!