Your Whims Wednesday #234 {And Features}

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party

EDITED TO ADD: Opps! I had the code wrong when I first posted the party, sorry!!! Everything should be working now!

Your Whims Wednesday

Here are some of my favorite from last week's party!

 Thanksgiving Mason Jar by The Country Chic Cottage
A gorgeous Thanksgiving mason jar that you can make this fall!

Fall Leaves Outfit by Kiss Me Darling

 DIY Instagram Photo Stands by The DIY Dreamer
DIY Instagram Photo Stands. Do you have a bunch of beautiful Instagram photos in your phone that you would like to display in your home? Awesome! Then this Instagram Photo Stand tutorial is for you! This DIY Crafts makes a PERFECT gift too! thediydreamer.com
 Caramel Apple Spice Cake by Lou Lou Girls
Caramel-Apple-Spice-Cake
 
Wine Cork Pumpkin by Party Fetti
Pumpkin-9_thumb
 
Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
 
 
Featured on My Girlish Whims
 
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with 
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:
1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)
2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog. 
3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!! 
4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)


Your Whims Wednesday #233 {And Features}

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Your Whims Wednesday

Here are some of my favorite from last week's party!

Bloody Vampire Cocktail by Simply Darrling
Spooky Cranberry Vodka with Dry Ice
 
Faux Marble Clock by Lemon Thistle
DIY Faux Marble Clock
 
Halloween Spooky Spiderweb Hoop Art by Flamingo Toes
Halloween Spooky Spiderweb Hoop Art
 
No Bake Fluffernutter Parfaits by The Gold Lining Girl
fluffernutter parfaits 14
 
Halloween Full Moon Marquee by Fynes Design
Make this Halloween Full Moon light up sign
 
Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
 
 
Featured on My Girlish Whims
 
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with 
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:
1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)
2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog. 
3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!! 
4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)


Running (And Winning!) My Second Ever 5k

This past Sunday I ran my second ever race! It was just a 5k but I had a lot of fun and wanted to share the experience with you all. I blogged about running my very first 5k back in February of this past year.  It was a huge deal for me! I've only gotten into running since I started trying to lose weight so it's been less than two years that I been practicing at this point.  Running that 5k in February was an awesome experience, I finally felt like an official runner, this was something I could do!
 
 I've kept up my running consistently since that last race and have REALLY improved a lot over this past running season. I'm currently training for my first half marathon which is only a month away (!!!) The opportunity came up for me to get a free entry to this 5k through my work and it was only about 10 minutes away from my house so I decided on a whim to sign up. Since I've been training for my half I really have been focused on distance versus speed. I'm trying to keep my pace around an 8:45 min/mile for the half so obviously I'm watching my pace as well but my biggest goal has been making sure I can actually run 13.1 miles!!! So, when I go out to train I normally do one run between 5-6 miles during the week and a longer run of 8 or more miles on the weekend.  I never actually go out for a run and only try to run a 5k.
 
 
Now, of course I do run a 5k at the beginning of my other runs so I can see what my pace has been for that portion of the run.  On a training run the weekend before this most recent 5k I ran 8 miles and made a PR for my 5k of 25:09, and then went on and did 5 more miles haha. Needless to say, I was very curious to know what my time would be if I was only going out to run 3.1 miles.
 
So...before the race I looked up some of the times from the past winners.  And I started to feel...a little hopeful? There always seemed to be a girl who beasted it and ran the race in like 19 or 20 minutes...but then the next girls normally came in around 22 minutes or after.  I knew there was no way I could do it in 19/20 minutes.  But 22/23? Just maybe!!! I kind of got to hopeing I would do well and maybe place for my age group.
 
Well, the day of the race came. I got all prepared, ate an early breakfast, digested, stretched, went for a jog around the block to warm up.  Then I started nagging my hubby to get moving and getting a little snappy with him on the way over.  I was being a big grump! And then I realized why.  I was nervous!!!! Hah! Yes, I knew I could run 3 miles.  I've gone out and ran 12 miles at once before! But this was still only the second only race I've run and I really just felt nervous!! I looked around at all the other girls warming up and getting ready to line up and I felt inferior. No matter how much weight I lose or how many training runs I go on...a part of me is always going to remember what it felt like to be that 246 pound girl who couldn't run for even a minute without stopping.  I'll always remember what it felt like to be the girl in gym class huffing around the back of the track trying to finish that damned mile run we had to do once a year.
 
After I realized I was grumpy because I was nervous...I started to think a little more clearly.  I set myself up wanting to do well at the race but I told myself no matter what, really all I wanted to do was finish faster than the PR my watch gave me from my training run of 25:09, I didn't need to win any prizes, I just needed to try to beat my best!
 
So, race time! I started at the front of the pack so I could get a good start.  And off we went! The course was fine, a few small hills but nothing unmanagable.  I finished my first mile at about a 7:50 pace which I was happy with.  At this point the initial crowd of runners had died down and I knew I was towards the front 1/3 of the runners.  So, I kept going.  I finished my second mile a little faster at about a 7:30 pace and that's when things started to get tough.  I  normally run at an 8:30 pace or slower so I had been pushing myself to be faster now for two miles...and I was starting to feel it! I kept looking for ponytails...and trying to get past them hahaha.  I was able to overcome a few girls...but there was one girl who had been running pretty side-by-side with me up until this point that eventually pulled ahead and I just could not catch up with her.  By mile 2.6...I was feeling rough.  I was REALLY pushing myself!!! Thoughts of...how about I just lay down and crawl the rest of this? Or just a quick walk. Or....how about I just lay down and die. Hahahaha.  But. I knew I would be pissed with myself if I did any of those things so I just kept pushing and made it across the finish! My official time was 23:17.
 

Now...I knew at least one girl had beaten me...but I couldn't tell how old she was to know if she was in my age group or not! I was in the 20-29 female age bracket.  Turns out the lady who beat me was 41, and I ended up winning my division!!!!

When they called my name I was literally SO surprised.  My husband wasn't paying the best of attention at the finish line so he really wasn't sure if any other girls had made it through. "I think maybe one did?" Hah. Thanks dear.  Turns out I was the third girl to finish! The overall winner for females was a beast and finished in 19:58 but then after the other 41 year old woman it was me!!! I even beat the boy in my age division too ;) I was 17th out of 120 runners.

Apparently my last name is now Untermohlen too hahaha.  Whatever. Close enough.

I could not stop smiling after I got my medal.  I really thought I wasn't going to win anything after getting myself so physched up and nervous before the race.  It may be only a cheap little medal for a measily little hometown 5k race but I felt like I was ontop of the world :D


Losing weight is hard but has turned into a lifestyle change for me. Training every day is hard but has turned into a habit. Learning to accept myself, my body, and who I've changed myself into over this past year and a half? That still takes time.  So, I'm taking this cheap little medal and hanging it up in my cubicle of a reminder of all of the hard work I've put in over the past months to change myself and become a better me. And I'm going to like it :)

I'm also going to like the new running shoes I went out to buy with my prize! Official running geek now ;)

Your Whims Wednesday #232 {And Features}

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Your Whims Wednesday

Here are some of my favorite from last week's party!

Fall Mantel by Sandra at Home
Fall Mantel 2015 -- Sondra Lyn at Home.com 
 
Alien Invasion Cocktail by Made with Happy
alien-invasion-cocktail
 
Fall Table Centerpiece by Worthing Court Blog
Farmhouse Fall Table Centerpiece
 
Bacon Apple Cheese Appetizers by The Rebel Chick
Tailgating Recipe: Bacon Apple Cheese Appetizers
 
Spiral Chain Bracelet by Linkouture for A Dish of Daily Life
Make your own stunning spiral chain bracelet with this free and easy diy jewelry making tutorial. Makes a lovely handmade Christmas gift as well!
 
Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
 
 
Featured on My Girlish Whims
 
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with 
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:
1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)
2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog. 
3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!! 
4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)


Weekend Activites and Rent the Runway

It's been a hot minute since I've written a blog post but I thought I would pop in to share some pictures from this past weekend! I promise I still am crafting and do have a bunch of jewelry projects in the works to share with you all eventually :) For now you just get pictures of me though haha!
 
This past weekend we had a wedding to go to for one of my husband's old co-workers.  It was one of those weddings that started at noon so you knew it was going to be an ALLLL day event.  I didn't know ANYONE at the wedding so I really wasn't looking forward to going to it. Since I wasn't really looking forward to it the date kind of snuck up on me...suddenly it was the week of the wedding, I had nothing to wear and no time to drive around to 5 different stores trying to find a dress.  So, for my very first time I tried Rent the Runway!
 
 
For $40 I got to rent a designer dress and have it delivered to my door! I went online Monday night, picked out a dress, read a bunch of reviews and looked at pictures of how it fit other girls, picked out two size options, and it was shipped to me on Thursday! I wore it for the wedding and then dropped it off at a UPS box on Sunday. It was the easiest.thing.ever!!!!
 
And, I completely loved my dress. I mean, I think it looked pretty dang good ;) I used a 20% off code since it was my first order but I still think the price was pretty great: the $40 included getting two different size options for the dress, shipping both ways, and insurance against minor damage to the dress.  This is literally my new favorite thing.  I'm so doing this for a wedding I have in November!
 
Biggest plus? I was excited to go to the wedding then since I had something cute to wear! The wedding ended up being great.  It started really early and we had two hours to kill before the reception so we just bar hopped in the area while we waited...because what else do you do when you look good and have time to kill? Heh.
 
I got three solid workouts in this weekend at well.  I'm still sitting at a 90 pound weight loss (catch up on my story using the "weight loss" tag) and still working on maintaining the current loss and working ultimately towards a 100 pound loss...maybe one day.  I've been taking Barre classes since December of this year and I'm officially obsessed with them.  Every Friday morning I go to a 5:45AM barre class and it is the perfect way to start the weekend on a healthy note. Surprisngly it's gotten so much easier to wake up that early every Friday too since it's just part of my routine now! Coffee is a must though, of course.

 
Saturday morning I went to the gym for a workout before I had to get ready for the wedding and let me tell you.  I had so much FUN during that workout.  Who would have ever thought two years ago I would find working out so enjoyable????? I crushed 45 minutes and 500 calories on the stairmaster (aka death machiene heh) and then was super brave and went and did a half hour lifting weights in the free weights section of the gym.  I'm a little imtimadated of going into the free weights section of my gym because it's always packed with guys and I'm still kind of a weight-lifting newbie....but I'm really trying to incorporate more weights into my workouts so I just sucked it up and did it and it was awesome!! I ended with 10 minutes of abs and left the gym feeling amazing. Such a good full body workout...and very needed since I indulged in extraaaaa wine at the wedding reception and extra treats as well!!!!

Sunday I went for a nice long run outside: I'm running my very first half marathon in November and so I try to get a long run in every weekend.  I'm not doing any official training plan: I workout every day so I do lots of cross training and try to do one regular one during the week and a longer run on the weekend sometime.  I feel ready for the race, I've worked up to 12 miles and the race is 13.1 miles so I feel like distance wise I will be fine, I'm just trying to keep my pace up.  I keep getting faster though which I'm very happy about :D
 
After running was done Sunday the hubby and I headed out to go apple picking! This was our first official "fall activity" of the year and I was so excited to go out! I picked out the most adorable fall outfit with boots, leggings, an oversized sweater and matching scarf (just call me basic right?) and then it was like 70 degrees by the time we got to the orchard haha.  Opps! Ah well.

We ended up picking 23 pounds of apples....$37 later...dang! Them apples add up fast!!!
 
So we drowned our sorrows in a glass of hard cider freshly brewed from the farm ;)


After apple picking we went home and I pretty much cooked for the rest of the afternoon.  I really enjoy cooking but things can get crazy during the week nights, but we invited some friends over for dinner Sunday and I set out to make some yummy grub.  First things first though: I had to do meal prep for the week ahead! I meal prepped roasted veggies for all my lunches this week and meal prepped veggies for my dinner on Monday night since I get home late from an exercise class every Monday and just need something easy and ready to go to eat.  I also took advantage of all the fresh apples we picked to whip up a batch of my homemade apple sauce in my crock pot! 
 
 Then it was dinner time.  We enjoyed some wine we picked out at the Finger Lakes from when we visited this past September, some fresh baked beer bread (tastfeully simple brand) an apple/goat cheese/walnut salad, roasted butternut squash soup with bacon, goat cheese and chives, and freshly baked apple crisp with vanilla ice cream.  It was.so.freaking.good.

 Overall it was a lovely weekend...which made coming back to reality Monday that much harder ;) But hey, good news is we are already at Tuesday so one day closer to the next one!


Your Whims Wednesday #231 {And Features}

Time for another Your Whims Wednesday Party!

Your Whims Wednesday

Here are some of my favorite from last week's party!

Sequin Pumpkins by The Country Chic Cottage
Make these sequin pumpkins for your fall and Halloween decor! 

Halloween Yarn Garland by Growing Up Gabel
Decorate your mantle or home for Halloween with this easy Halloween garland! Made from yarn and few other simple craft supplies, this fun decoration is perfect for kids!

Apple Cider Hot Toddy by Lemons for Lulu
Apple cider hot toddy recipe that will warm you up ! The hint of citrus makes this taste nice and fresh! lemonsforlulu.com 
 
Autumn Metallic Wreath by Lemon Thistle
DIY Simple Autumn Metallics Wreath- so perfect for fall! 
 
Thanks to all who linked up! Grab a button if you were featured :)
 
Featured on My Girlish Whims
 
Now... onto this weeks party!

I show off my girlish whims weekly on my blog, and now I want to see yours with 
Your Whims Wednesday!

Guidlines:
1. Link up as many projects as you would like: as long as it is one of your girly ways, you can link it! I'd love to see crafts, recipes, style posts, etc. Anything and everything feminine :)
2.Please add my button (code at the top of this post) to either your blog post or somewhere on your blog. 
3. Take a quick moment to comment on at least one other entry. We we all love comments!! 
4.I'd love if you would follow me as well :)