I am liking my new normal.

I feel like we live in Alaska with all of this snow.  

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We did the usual Sunday activities and Brooke insisted that my necklace looks way better on her than it does on me.

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The whole family came over for the classic Sunday dinner:  Roast, vegetable, rice and JELLO (Utah is pretty much famous for this.. it is kind of a big deal and for some reason we put fruit in our jello?).

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Day #8 for our Christmas Traditions started off by watching a Christmas Devotional together.

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And then things moved into the kitchen to combine three delicious items together.  Any guesses to what we made with these ingredients?

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The kids were very into it except Brooke just kept eating all of the ingredients.

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The finished product.  Donut snowmen.

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After Brooke went to bed I went to Megan’s Christmas party and it was a great time.  We hung out together in college all of the time so it felt like a flashback and I liked it.  

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 I am liking my new normal.

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New HRG BABY post!!! PS she is almost 16 months!?!?!

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PLEASE tell me the absolute best part of your weekend?  Oh and also include the best food that you ate over the weekend too!

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103 comments

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So happy you are liking your new normal :-) Your positive attitude is really inspiring! The best thing I ate this weekend was a double cheeseburger (from mcdonalds, don’t judge) with eggnog. Yum!!!

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Best part: not being rushed and having some down time to get over a cold.
Best food: my mom’s turkey soup which she shared with me when she found out I was sick. :)
I love the snowmen!

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That sunset is beautiful and those snowman donuts are really cute! My weekend was pretty relaxing, but I did enjoy a nice coffee with a friend here!

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The best part of my weekend was going to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park! Christmas markets, crepes, waffles, mulled wine, and fair ground rides. Totes amaze.

Best food = Greek wrap I had at the markets the next day. Love halloumi!

Utah looks gorgeous in Winter.

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Brooke is right, that necklace looks so much better on her :)

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Those donut snowmen are AWESOME! I wish I had thought of something like that! The picture of Brooke with her arms in the air in the snow is precious- I think it’s safe to say she likes it ;) Utah is gorgeous. I’d love to get out there and ski one day.

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I was complaining about the tiny bit of snow we got yesterday. It’s nothing compared to yours so I will stop.

The best part of my weekend was holding my 3 month old niece the entire church service yesterday. I can’t get enough of her!

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Beautiful sunset! (And yummy treats!)You’re positivity is inspiring! Good for you girl :-) Best part of my weekend was hanging out with my kids. My two runs were good, but not great…And best food was my chicken tortilla soup!!

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Does Brooke’s grey sweater come in my size? Adorbs.

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I co hosted a shower for my little cousin at a cute as pie restuarant on the intercostal in Miami. Best food was hands down the double dessert. Cappuccino flan and vanilla cake with raspberry filling. Mmmm.

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You look so pretty at the party!!!

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the best food I had this weekend was turkey meatballs stuffed with mozzarella cheese…sooo good!

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That sounds delish!!

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Best part of the weekend was coming in from my long run and snuggling by the fire with my kiddos.
FACT: there are more fireplaces in Houston, TX per capita than any other place in the US. interesting isn’t it?

best food, beef kabob with seasoned long grain rice, pita and steamed veggies. it was amazing.

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We’ve been iced in in Texas. So the best part was staying in with husband and kids watching Christmas movies and football.

And we made a Texas chocolate sheet cake. Best thing I put in my mouth all weekend. Yum.

So glad you are enjoying your new normal.

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I like that you like your new normal. I often think and say the same thing. Took me a while but once I realized I “liked my new normal” I never looked back! My son is 10 and still eats the components of a cute dessert project. Adorable snowmen, I should do that with him. He ate part of our gingerbread house attempt last week before I could fully build it. Oh well. Best thing I ate over the weekend? Hmm. Probably my Cold Stone Creamery sundae in the chocolate dipped waffle bowl.

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you have the best hair. just sayin. I love it!

I also LOVE that necklace…i have one sitting in my online Forever 21 cart that I keep meaning to buy!!

The best part of my weekend was seeing patient partner, Everett, and his family yesterday at our Kickoff for the 2014 Boston Marathon party. He and I are a team that raises money for Children’s Hospital Boston, and in return, the hospital gives me a number to run Boston every year. From now until April-we hound our family and friends to raise $10,000 :)

I blogged all about it yesterday… The team i run for even made Everett and I a SUPER COOL sign that says “Entering Boston” with our names on it (it looks just like the offical marathon signs!) Yesterday pretty much tipped the scale in awesomeness!

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Best part o fmy weekend was just being home with my family and running on silent, snow covered roads! I was lazy and happy :)

What a lovely weekend you had! We got our first snowfall of the year and it has been hard to adjust my “I run exactly on time” to “I better leave early because everything is slower now with the snow/ice!”

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Jello is seriously an under-appreciated food… I always forget how much I enjoy it until I eat some and wonder why the heck I don’t do it more often. And while I’ve heard of fruit being added, I don’t think I’ve ever tried it with bananas. Kind of brilliant.

My weekend. Oof. It was cold, so I spent the majority of my time inside trying to avoid being outside as much as possible. I -did- manage to eat some pretty awesome food, though… the best of which was probably a batch of chocolate gingerbread bars.

Happy Monday, lady!

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best part– Christmas party with the friends! best food– hash browns sunday morning… yes please.

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The best part of my weekend was friends coming over to hang out on Saturday night.

The best food we ate was probably homemade Indian food that my friend’s mom made us (she’s from India). Even the leftovers were incredible.

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love that you are loving your new normal-that’s great :)

best part of our weekend…we made it to Niagara Falls and it’s freezing and beautiful! i also ate “pistachio brittle” and it was d.e.l.i.c.i.o.us. !

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You are coming up with such creative holiday ideas! I hope when I have kids I can think of fun things like that. The best part of my weekend was getting a new 5k PR and winning the award for top female! (It was a small race, and the actual female winner was disqualified, but it was still pretty exciting!)

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That snowman dress on your friend is awesome! I would look awful in it but she is totally rocking it at the Christmas party!

Best part of my weekend was eating cheesy bread from this new pizza place. It was soooooo good. If tons of other people weren’t around I think I would have easily eaten the entire order myself. I normally don’t even like cheesy bread!

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My best food was from my bookclub! It’s made up of Chicago Healthy Living Bloggers and it’s a potluck, so people bring some great treats!

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I live in Texas and we were iced in all weekend and actually we still are. I did lots of eating and my favorite thing that I made was this Taco Chili in the Crock Pot….. you should definitely give it a try!!! http://www.hungryhealthygirl.com/2013/12/09/taco-chili-in-the-crock-pot/

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The best part of the weekend was a hot bath bath and a night on the couch watching Mrs. Santa Claus after my 19 mile run. I love that feeling.

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Your new normal sounds awesome! Those snow man donuts look so amazing! :) So much fun for Brooke!

This weekend I had a great long run and I also had a really fun 5k race that was awesome! This weekend we had some Olive Garden, and I always ask myself why do we wait so long in between eating this meal! :)

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The best part of the weekend was getting outside for both of my runs! 7 and 15 miles before the weather set in :)

Best thing I ate- smoked mozzarella stuffed meatballs…mmmmmm….

And I LOVE JELLO. And I don’t live in Utah :)

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gorgeous sunrise! highlight of my weekend was a sleet-y, snowy five-mile race. it was freezing, but fun!

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The best part of my weekend was attending a baby shower for a good friend who is expecting a boy in a month :) The favours were almond sugar cookies – best thing I ate all weekend for sure!

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Best part of weekend – baking homemade bread. Best food from weekend – the aforementioned bread :-) and Thai shrimp tacos (not homemade). PS – That’s neat that the fam is doing a devotional together.

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I know I’m lame, but I’m really happy for you Janae to be able to say that you’re liking the new normal. You deserve it.

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I love the snowman donuts! Best part of my weekend? The neighborhood get-together we hosted on Friday night!

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Best part of my weekend was catching up with a high school friend and the best thing I ate was an avocado and jack cheese omelette with a side of a mimosa made from champagne and pomegranate juice. Delish.

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Glad your new normal is working out for you and brooke!

my grandma would always put tangerines in orange jello, so thats the way i make it now:)

best part of my weekend was watching my sisters/niece perform at a light show. it was freezing cold, but really fun!

best thing i ate was rally (checkers) french fries! you can buy them frozen at walmart.

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whenever I was sick as a kid my mom would make me jello and put those fruit cups in it so now I associate jello with being sick

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Beautiful picture of the sun setting (rising? I can’t tell…). The best part of my weekend was hosting a wreath decorating party for some friends. Everyone brought some decorations to share and they turned out beautifully! Best food of the weekend was some sun-dried tomato & basil hummus. Delicious!

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I love seeing the backyard pictures. I want so badly to live in a place with some mountains :) the views make the cold worth it!

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Best part was work Christmas party.
Best thing eaten was artichoke dip at that Christmas party.

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I love how close you are with your family! My parents and sister live in Dallas with me as well but we don’t see each other much :( I guess everyone is just really busy. We are still a close family though.

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Best part of my weekend: running 15.5 miles (the longest I’ve run since I broke my arm 6 weeks ago) and feeling GREAT the whole time! It took a long time to get back to my pre-accident fitness, and it is so encouraging to feel like my old self again!

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Love the Snowman Donuts, what a great idea! I’d probably be likt Brooke though and just eat the ingredients haha. Favorite part of the weekend was being able to dye and style my Aunt’s hair, she loved it! And favorite thing I ate was ice cream, I finished off the carton ;)

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You have a great new normal! And oh my, donut snowmen are so cute! Best part of my weekend was my awesome 6 mile run in the chilly weather. This cold weather (tho we don’t get nearly as cold as you) is making me actually love running for the first time ever! So exciting!

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New normal ~ yeah:) Your weekend looked like fun packed. My weekend was spent making 5 pairs of flannel pajama bottoms for some little friends of ours, getting a massage which really helped my arthritic back, and staying inside while it was freezing rain outside (this is really interesting stuff!). The best thing I ate this weekend was steak tacos from Cafe Rio! Seriously awesome stuff:)

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My Sunday in general was my favorite! A new PDR (18 miles!), I cooked a turkey for the first time (18.5lbs!!) and it turned out amazing, AND I had my holiday party!

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Best part of my weekend was seeing the Christmas POLE (yes they light a pole) all lit up in our city! And hmmm the best meal – can I count tonight’s? I have buffalo chicken in the crock pot, I’m pretty sure that is going to be amazing!

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The best part of my weekend was spending lots of time with my family. And the best thing I ate was pizza and froyo from Costco. I love Costco, because I’m weird like that.

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That sunset picture is beautiful!

The best part of my weekend (and also the best thing I ate) was celebrating our six-month wedding anniversary with my husband, and to do that, we stayed in with some pizza from Whole Foods and some warm cookies and milk, and watched the Sopranos.

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Absolute best part of my weekend: Christmas Movies Galore and homemade soup!

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Best part- waffles with peanut butter for brunch yesterday!
Worst part- our ride to/from church had his car’s engine FREEZE while we were at church yesterday. Yaaaaaay Montana ;)

Brooke is getting so big now!!!!! I can’t handle it!

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Your new normal seems pretty awesome. I’m so glad you are enjoying yourself. :-)

Best part of my weekend…a new 1/2 marathon PR, 1:39:21!

Best thing I ate…a piece of Smith Island Chocolate Cake (local to MD’s eastern shore).

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Best food over the weekend is a tie between a cheeseburger and fries Saturday night or Thai food on Sunday ;-) Although Sunday night would have to be the best moment – I was able to meet up with some aunts of mine that I don’t see too often, so that was nice!

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So glad you are liking your new normal :)

My weekend consisted of studying for finals, but even so, the best part of my weekend was going to IHOP with my roommates to study and eat!

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I’m so glad you are liking your new normal. It is so hard to get to that place after a divorce, but you seem to be doing really well. The support from your friends and family is amazing! Yay for feeling normal and happy! :)

The best part of my weekend was snuggling up on the couch with a blanket and warm chai tea latte watching Elf after a long day of shopping in 20 degree weather!

The best thing that I ate was sushi over lunch on Friday. My fiance took a half day from work so he picked me up for lunch and we went to Drunken Fish for delicious sushi.

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So glad you’re loving your new normal! It seems like you’re feeling a lot happier, which is great! The best part of my weekend was watching Christmas movies (and Dinners Drive ins and Dives) with my sister and the best food I ate…pancakes!

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Best part of my weekend- running a 10 miler in 10 degree/blowing snow/windy weather, but accomplishing it!!!! And I love that you asked the food question…because last night I purchased Blue Bunny Peppermint Stick ice cream and wanted to eat the whole box in one sitting (of course I didn’t though).

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I put the wrong website on my main post!

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best parts of the WE: early morning run (freezing) and a walk at a lake in the mountains (warm sunshine)
best thing eaten: homemade spanish potatoe tortilla

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Best part of my weekend: have an hour long FaceTime date with my brother and his wife who live far far away.

Best food: pizza from a yummy little pizza place in town

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Those santas are ADORABLE! Did you all eat them?? I’m super curious about that flavor combo, ha!

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Love your attitude, Janae! I’m in the process of watching my relationship tear at the seams so it’s good to see that there is a light at the end of the tunnel. So glad you have your family close to comfort you. And brookester. Too cute for words.

The snow finally showed it’s ugly face in Wisconsin-it can leave now :)

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I love the snow pictures!! Snow is my favorite, I know I’m crazy! :) And those donut snowmen are so cute.

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We got our first snowfall here in Philadelphia, so I just behaved like my cats did and stared out the window for hours. And drank too much hot chocolate, watched more of The Office reruns, and made chocolate chip cookies.

My favorite new food is Sesame Chicken with white rice. If you’re not already obsessed with Budget Bytes, you will be after this recipe!!!! http://www.budgetbytes.com/2013/08/easy-sesame-chicken/

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Best part was cuddling under a blanket and reading a book to my son. Best food was my husband’s homemade baked mac and cheese! YUM!

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I love those snowmen you guys made! That’s the cutest idea. I’d eat all the ingredients too if I were Brooke. The best part of my weekend was hanging out with my little family all day Sunday and watching the Bronco’s game together.

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The absolute best part of my weekend happened on Friday…so technically before the weekend started. But, I had my first ever snowstorm! I know most people are sitting there like “groan groan ugh” at snowstorms, but I was so happy with all of the snow. Then again…I didn’t have to drive anywhere or leave my apartment for anything!

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What a fun festive day!!

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Love your donut snowmen — so cute!

Glad you’re enjoying your new normal! You certainly seem to be making the best of it :)

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Such a good weekend–I found THE BEST small pet store in my neighborhood and got a great fairisle sweater for the pup’s santa photos, turned in the keys to my (and ex-bf’s) old apartment, and dropped 5 inches of hair, and that was just Saturday! Sunday we went shopping and got TWO rounds of santa photos. The family thinks I’m crazy for planning to send Christmas cards for just the pup and me, but why not it’s so fun and easy with shutterfly around :)

PS–I commented on your dig deep post a few weeks back after a fairly devastating break up (thanks for your comment it was a HUGE bright spot on a very difficult day). I now live in the grandparents basement and am starting to like my new normal too :) I’m so glad you have found so much love and joy in yours.

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Best part of my weekend: ALL my shopping and decorating done!!! I shipped a Christmas package off to my daughter in Ireland and I am ready to sit back and enjoy!
Best food: Came home from church to a crock pot full of your mom’s Taco Soup!! Thanks for the recipe! Heather and I LOVE it!!

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I am in Dallas and we got the rare ice storm of the century this past weekend. It turned out to be such a blessing in disguise because it forced me to stay inside and relax. (Thankfully we bought finally bought a spin bike which came in the day before the storm started. ;)) But by the time we were able to get out of the house on Sunday, we went straight for some sushi. Best. Sushi. Ever.

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Best part of my weekend—was the entered day Sunday. Brunch, Christmas tree shopping and decorating, chili, football, family. Good stuff.

SO GLAD you asked about food. I had the best brunch ever yesterday. It was at this local restaurant called MaMosa’s. (If anyone is ever in Grants Pass, OR you must go to MaMosa’s!) They use all local food and bake their own bread. Yesterday’s special was a Sweet Potato Omelet with bacon, Havarti cheese. It was AMAZING!!!! There was also county potatoes and a homemade english muffin with homemade preserves.

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I personally LOVE your new normal. I couldn’t be happier that you came last night. Let’s make it the regular. Kapeesh? Love you to pieces!! xoxoxo

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The absolute best part of my weekend was finding out we are having a BOY!!! :D I love the donut snowmen! Might have to steal that idea for later!

xo

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Best part of my weekend? Honolulu Marathon!!!! I was a spectator and my husband’s cycling team escorted the wheelchair racers, we also had some friends running. One of the coolest days ever! The winning “wheeler” finished in 1:27. My husband said it was a privilege to ride with such athletes – his wheeler was 3rd. The cyclists provide light and keep the course clear of wandering spectators. I was at the finish line when the wheelers came in, also saw the winning men and women. The energy on the streets at 4:30 a.m. was amazing.

Best food – Macadamia Nut pancakes with coconut syrup, post marathon.

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Oh I am so jealous about the snow – it’s fabulous stuff and I’m getting desperate for some snow here! Am loving the amazing sunrises and sunsets this week :) Our living room was glowing orange on Thursday morning!

Fruit in your jelly is totally normal – my mum has always done this.

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Such a happy post!

Best part of my weekend? Running across the finish line at my first ultra, a 50K!

Best thing I ate? The miso soup after crossing the finish line.

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Best part of my weekend- first swim in our new pool with my family. Unlike Utah,(amazing snow!) its starting to get hot, hot ,hot here.
Best food – Yum Cha with my kids’ therapy team.
You live in a beautiful place Janae.

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The title of this post made me smile… even more than the HRG Baby post and I didn’t think that was possible.
srsly you and Brooke make my day better. Thanks for blogging your way through and into your new normal (0:

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Best part of my weekend was actually getting out of the house for a bit after being stuck inside all weekend because of the ice. Best thing I ate? Hmm with being stuck inide we baked a lot so it’s hard to decide between the peach raspberry pie, my mom s homemade cinnamon rolls, a Reese’s pieces skillet big cookie, cranberry chocolate biscotti or the homemade oat honey bread my sister made. I think it was the skillet cookie! :)

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Brooke’s sweater dress is too cute- I am jealous you get to shop for all her adorable clothes, so fun!

I ran a half marathon yesterday with my boyfriend (his first! Recap here- nyviewsnikeshoes.com) and afterwards we had brunch followed not long after by dominoes pizza- so good. Love post-race feasting!

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That last pic is gorgeous! GOod shot :)

And your necklace on Brooke?? Pricelessssss.

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Best part of my weekend was getting my Boston Qualifier time! I decided to randomly sign up for the Whiterock Dallas marathon 2 weeks ago but found out last Friday it was cancelled because of ice so I found another marathon to run instead! I ran a 3:05… I was very happy with it considering I haven’t ran over a 14 mile long run or more than 3 runs a week since my 15 month old daughter was born! It was run on pure heart and mental strength for sure! My daughter has recently been walking around and talking on my cell phone all of the time too! And uses her hands when she talks also! They sure pick up on everything ha!

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St. Jude Memphis Marathon was cancelled. That’s not the best part. Best part was the entire running community who would’ve ran raised over $8-million for the kids of St. Jude! And for those of us who could make it to the start line, we all ran an unofficial half or full.

And then I slammed snickerdoodle cupcakes into my face. It was great.

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Beautiful pics! My favorite part of my weekend was getting a PR at CIM. The temps started well below freezing and ended at “still really freaking cold.” But it was a beautiful day and I enjoyed *almost* every step of it.

Then I ate In N Out. Yum.

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Those snowmen are adorable! Best part of my weekend was getting tickets to the NCAA Volleyball Regional and watching the Huskers win! The tickets are always sold out.

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The necklace actually does look cute with Brooke’s sweater. LOL.

You have such a wonderful attitude. So many people would be sulking around this time of the year if they were going through something similar, yet you always choose to remain positive. Love you for it.

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I had an oatmeal cream whoopie pie made by the Amish. You KNOW it’s good when they made it!

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Best part of the weekend: scoring 28 points in my basketball game! I made pumpkin scones also so that was definitely the best thing I ate.

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The absolute best part of my weekend was hanging out with my brother, sis-in-law and my two A.D.O.R.A.B.L.E baby nephews! :)
The best food I ate this weekend (if it could be considered food) were the delicious brownies my sista made! <3
ps. My one year old nephew looks so much like Brooke it's unbelievable! (Oh, and his mom's name is Brooke too!) :)

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Love that picture at the end!! Best part of my weekend = 3 hour nap yesterday:)

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Brooke is just the cutest.

Best part of my weekend … Florida State is heading to national championships!!!

I had shrimp& lobster quesadilla that hit the spot pretty good on Saturday. Love me some dillas.

Your “Alaska” looks to die for right now …. nice and warm in FL but I need to get in the Christmas mood! I think an icicle like yours in the pic would do the trick… thank goodness for icicle lights ;)

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Best thing I ate over the weekend – sweet and salty Kettle brand chips! And a “healthy” cherry coke!

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This post makes me happy! So glad you’re falling into a new routine & loving it!

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I love, love how close your family is.

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I LOVE your new normal. PERFECT for you & Brooke <3 <3

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I made those snowmen for the Christmas party my husband and I host, so cute!
That is a gorgeous picture and it makes me happy that you’re liking your new normal. You deserve happiness!

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The best part of the weekend… Working, I love my job at Sole Sports!! It is a running specialty store, and I love going to work!!! Best food… Oh.. Talenti Gelato, they have holiday flavors.. peppermint bark and eggnog. I had both. SO YUMMY!!

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We are getting way too much snow here too, not to mention how cold

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I want snow like that! I like your new normal for you & Brooke too!
Best part of my weekend – getting 2nd place in my age group in a half!

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New normal is the perfect way to describe it. Soon it will just be.. normal.

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Best part of the weekend: our first significant snowfall!

Best thing I ate: homemade chili!

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