3rd Annual Girls' Wine Trip Weekend

This past weekend was the 3rd annual girls' wine weekend. Myself, my mom, sisters and aunt all headed up to upstate NY and stayed at the Hilton in Ithaca, NY. We had a great time touring the wineries, sampling wine and food while being taken from one to the next by limo - in style!! Of course there is always something interesting when we're together - first our hotel had no hot water at all on Saturday, of course - that's the day I decided to run on the treadmill before breakfast! Sunday wasn't much better, it was lukewarm but at least somewhat bearable. We had a great dinner at Simeon's on Friday night but had less luck on Saturday when we went to Madeline's based on a recommendation to go for dessert. We called at 6:30 and made reservations for 7:30pm. When we got there we told the waiter we were just going to get appetizers and then have dessert, no problem, right? Wrong! The waiter came back after taking the appetizer order and tells us "just so you know - we typically take reservations for full dinner service on Saturdays because it's a busy time . . . but I'll go ahead and do that" Of course this makes everyone uncomfortable - what are we supposed to do? leave? There were open tables and it definitely wasn't very busy. Everything worked out in the end, but why the need to make people feel unwanted?? The waiter's approach was just very pretentious and snooty - it's not like we were dining at a 5 star restaurant in NYC!!! Ahhh, always something to laugh at.

  All in all, it was a good trip and I ended up 9 bottles of wine richer. Our wine refrigerator is now officially packed! Just in time for the holiday season :) 

 Now it's back to the daily grind for the work week. Looking forward to a trip to Washington DC to run the Jingle Bell 10K around the tidal basin! 

 - Kel :) 

Family Rocks!

. . . at least the one I was born into does :) Last night was "extended" family game night at my cousin Kacy's house. It was a classic family game night not soon to be forgotten. We had an amazing dinner, played Rock Band, played Catch Phrase and played Cranium. Oh yeah and we had birthday cake for Jackie, had sliding races across the wood floor and had just a plain old good time catching up and joking around!  Here's a fun picture that just about sums up how things go when our families get together! Can't wait until the next gathering!!!! 

Runner's High

So yesterday Kacy and I ran the Philadelphia Half Marathon . . . unfortunately neither one of us had too much success in training before the race . . . we each had our longest runs around 8-9 miles - but, we managed to put together a pretty good race despite the training and the cold weather. The course was really great in my opinion, for the scenery. The downside was the condition of some of the roads. I might be a little biased on that because my back and legs seem to be really sensitive to uneven roads. The course itself was a really good sampling of Philadelphia's neighborhoods. Art Museum, Logan Circle, Old City, Penn's Landing, South Philly, Center City, University City, Philadelphia Zoo and along the Schuylkill River! I really did enjoy this race and I think Kacy and I were both happy to have finished around our "usual" time - 2 hours and 20 minutes. I think we decided that if we actually committed ourselves to a training program we could shave at least 5 minutes off our time. I think it's possible and it's already marked down as a goal for next season! Congrats to us, and the thousands of people who did the half-marathon and especially those who finished the full marathon (!) Now, it's a day or two of recovery for me before getting back into the swimming, running and indoor training routine!!!

- Kel

I'm back :)

It's been a long time since my last blog and it's funny how each day I didn't write something I felt a little guilty! But my reasons were good for the most part for being absent - I was sick for about a week with a nasty cold which refused to get better despite an arsenal of cold medicine. Work being busy and mentally preparing for running a 1/2 marathon in the cold also took it's toll. Oh yeah and going to sleep around 8:30 every night trying to kick the cold did it too! Well, enough of the excuses . . . I'm back and hope to continue to keep up with the blog. Right now I am focusing on packing some more stuff here at the apartment before KC comes over - then we get to really get into running mode for the 1/2 marathon tomorrow - we have the race expo today and the race tomorrow morning at 7:00am!! Way early and predicted to be seriously cold. I think this will probably be the coldest weather I have ever run a race in - should be fun! Wish us luck - the temperature isn't expected to get above freezing during the race! I'll try to give a mini race report tomorrow :) 

 - Kel 

Puffs are my new best friend

I have had a cold for the past 5 days or so . . . and as usual, it sucks! I guess it would be expected given the crazy and inconsistent weather here lately going from the 30's to the 70's and back again! In the midst of my stuffy nose and brutal headaches, Tylenol Cold and Dimetapp Elixir, my bestest friend has been my box of Puffs Plus with lotion :) It has saved my nose from that inevitable rawness and redness. That is my shameless product plug for today. . .

What bothers me the most about being sick is that it throws off my workout schedule!! I hate when you're in a really good groove and you actually have to take time and just lay around. For most people that doesn't bother them, but for me it drives me nuts to sit still!! I hope that I can still make it through my half-marathon next Sunday - wish me luck!!

- Kel

I hate packing!

 Again . . . I find myself packing up an apartment to move. Granted, this time we are just moving to a different unit within our building, I still have to pack up and downsize on the things I don't absolutely need. Let's see, how many times have I had to pack in the last 5 years: 

1. Edison, NJ - to - Bradley Beach, NJ

2. Bradley Beach, NJ - to - San Diego, CA

3. San Diego, CA - to - Philadelphia, PA

4. Philadelphia, PA - to - Philadelphia, PA (across town)

5. Philadelphia, PA - to - Philadelphia, PA (within the building)

That's an average of once a year LOL. I guess I should be an expert by now. If nothing else, I have learned to label boxes, wrap frames and glass items and get rid of anything you haven't touched in 1 or even 2 years! Hopefully this move will go smoothly . . . we can move to the new place on December 1st :) Wish me luck!!!!

- Kel 

wow that race really kicked my butt!

So my race report is as follows:

hills

roots

slippery leaves

mossy (and slippery) bridges and steps

have fun eating dirt

ankle sprains

FUN!

I'll be honest and say that the Hashathon in Cheesequake Park yesterday was probably the toughest 6 miles I have ever run! The course was technically and mentally challenging because you had to constantly pay attention to what was on the ground . . . many hazards! I slipped and tripped a few times but managed to save myself from eating dirt. I did roll my ankle a few times, and twisted it pretty bad in the last mile but managed to finish . . . also probably my slowest 6 miles I have ever run! But above all, it was a good time and we even got a few laughs in, feeling like little kids running up and down hills, jumping over logs and grabbing onto trees to steady my balance. It was a tough race and my quads and shins and knees and ankles are all paying for it today. The verdict: RUN IT! 

- Kel 

Trail Run!

I am excited to run a trail run sponsored by Jersey Shore Running Club and the Rumson Hash House Harriers tomorrow . . . it's a 6 mile race which boasts that "nearly everyone finishes intact" LOL I figure it will be a great way to break in my new Brooks trail running shoes!! I must say that I haven't done too much trail running in Philadelphia, but I'm pretty sure that's just because I haven't found all the trails I've heard about in
Fairmount Park yet. San Diego was fun for trail running around the canyons, but there aren't too many canyons in my urban neighborhood!!! Well, I'm off to have a nice carbo-load dinner with Mom, Dad, Jax & Bry! Wish us luck - I'll give a race report tomorrow :) Then, I'll start preparing for my 10 mile training run next weekend to get ready for the Philadelphia Half Marathon on Nov 23rd!

- Kel

Politics and Presidential Elections . . .

. . . can cause you to lose sleep, literally. Apparently here in Philadelphia winning a World Series isn't the only cause for unnecessary mass-marching, yelling, screaming and horn-blowing. You see, I live on the main street here in Philadelphia and on the evening of the World Series win we literally saw tens of thousands of people marching/running/stumbling down the street towards City Hall from our 9th floor window. Unfortunately for us, the entire city decided to repeat last Wednesdays performance after Obama was officially declared President. Don't get me wrong, I am excited for the results of the election, but not when it comes at the price of me not being able to get peace and quiet until after 1am . . . on a 'work' night! Needless to say, I was pretty beat on Wednesday - enough to skip my usual workout after work. Oh well, that is my rant for today - I've moved on and have been working on catching up on sleep :)

- Kel

my career

So when people ask me what I do for a living and I tell them that I am a Speech Therapist they

 often ask "can you help me speak clearly when I'm drunk" or "ohh, so you work with people who stutter?"  I usually laugh at the first question and respond to the second with "well, yes, some speech therapists specialize in working with people who stutter, but that isn't what I do" If they're still interested in what I do, I explain it a little further by telling them that I work primarily with adults in a hospital. Some people then figure that I work with people who have had strokes. And. . . this is true. But - in all honesty, we can see patients who by their diagnosis alone you would never guess that they would ever need a Speech Therapist. You see, a big part of what we do in the hospital setting is evaluate people's ability to swallow (insert off-color remarks here) People may have difficulty swallowing just like they would have trouble with walking, using their arms or talking. So, we see people who have had strokes, brain injuries, heart surgeries, brain tumors, cancers of the head, neck, throat, heart surgery, lung conditions, trauma, etc. So as you can imagine no 2 days are ever alike in the hospital and you meet many very interesting patients and families along the way. I'm sure more stories will come to mind as I continue on this blogging adventure but until then . . . here is the cover photo of a magazine article that myself and a co-worker were featured in :) 

- Kel 

First Olympic Triathlon on the schedule!

I officially registered today for my first Olympic Distance triathlon :) That means I have to work my way up to swimming .9 miles, biking 24 miles and then running 6.2 miles. I think I am up for the challenge. I hope to get a few shorter Sprint Distance races in before this race on Sunday June 28th. Ocean swims will be key this spring/summer too! I hope Kacy will be along for the 'float' :)  Put it on your schedule now so you can join me, or come be a spectator!

- Kel 

P.S. I'm planning on doing SheROX - the all-women's triathlon this year too - that's on Aug 2nd.

It's only fitting . . .

. . . that my first blog post be a review, of sorts. I'd like to share with everyone a great bottle of wine. Last night, Bryant and I opened a bottle I purchased last year during the Holiday Wine Trip in Seneca Lake which is in Upstate, NY. The bottle ran about $40 from Red Newt Cellars. It is their 2005 Viridescens which is a blend of Cabernet Savignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Syrah. The wine was smooth and had a somewhat 'spicy' taste to me. We snacked on our favorite wine crackers and enjoyed every drop of this bottle of wine. I would highly recommend it! Unfortunately, I doubt you can find a bottle of this wine at your local wine store! 

 - Kel