15 of the HARDEST Miles + Friday Favorites!

15 of some of the hardest miles of my life, done and done.

I helped Andrew through the first half and then he started feeling great and I started feeling terrible and he got me through the second half.  <— When I asked him at mile 11 why the heck we were doing this he told me to just keep going.

After I finished I realized that’s why we are doing it… we are doing this together.  It is out of both of our comfort zones.  It brings us even closer together doing something hard and helping the other person to reach a goal.  Many of our runs are fun and I love frolicking through these mountains but days like yesterday are beyond rough and if I could have found an Uber up there on the trails, I would have taken it back home no questions asked ha.

It was ridiculously gorgeous though and it felt like there was not another person on the planet besides the two of us.

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The snow was not slippery but it was powdery for the majority of the miles which felt like running on sand.  I think that is what made it so hard for me.  Hopefully I at least gained a calf muscle from the day.  Our legs were burning.

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We stopped half way for candy and then turned around and realized we had a tailwind the entire way and had a headwind to go into on the way back, ha.

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We survived and matching made the experience more fun.  We gained about 1250 ft total and our average pace was 8:56.

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Andrew went to get Knox from school and I stayed with my mom and waited for Skye to wake up from her nap (she just napped there while we ran).  I was never cold during the run but once I finished, I was wet and shivering so my mom and dad gave me dry clothes to wear.  PS Andrew didn’t use gloves the entire time… it was like 28 degrees?!?

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Knox was done with school.  We got to talk to my parents for awhile.

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Post-run hot chocolate was necessary.

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The other three highlights of the day were shopping with the kids for the Angel Tree, Knox’s wrestling practice and picking up pizza on the way home.

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I’ve got some favorite things this week to share!

*George W. Bush’s eulogy for his father.  I cried.

*I am pretty sure that these were actually made by Trader Joe’s for Brooke.  We both loved them—> add a little ice cream on top and you’ll really be excited about life.

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*A few weeks ago a few of you told me about weighted blankets when I was talking about having troubles falling back to sleep in the middle of the night.  Janalyn told me about this one below and I totally copied her.  I have been sleeping so much better now with this blanket (maybe placebo effect but probably not;).  You can get it here but I bought it at Bed, Bath and Beyond with a retailmenot 20% off coupon.  Merry Christmas to me… I sleep like a rock with it.

PS I thought the blanket would be too hot but even Andrew agrees, it doesn’t overheat you in the slightest.

PPS I gave one to my mom and her fitbit has told her that she has had deeper sleep once she started using it.

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PS this is how they say it works and I agree with it:)

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*CONAN HAS A PODCAST!! I have only listened to two of them so far (with Kristen Bell and Will Ferrell) but it is amazing.  I legit had to stop twice during one of my runs because I was laughing so hard and it was making my stomach cramp.  I just love Conan and miss the days of watching it every night with my roommates in college:)

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*I love these little trees at Target for decorations.  They are only like $3-5 and so cute.  I keep finding more spots in my house to put them.

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*Try it, it works.

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I love hearing from you guys!  If you want to be featured then send it in to [email protected]

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Stephanie!!!  “This is me after my last 5k of 2018. I did one 5k each month and if you count my ‘test run’ races last year it’s my 14th straight month of 5ks!!!!! Next year I’m upping the ante to still run a 5k every month except for the 4 months when I run a 10k. And 2020 is, god willing, all about half marathons even with my dang arthritis knee.  #teamnolimits #teamawesome #teambrooks all the way!!!”

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Ginette!!!  “My running accomplishment is not so much a PR or even a race (although I did complete a 5k race in my 3rd trimester!) I am currently 33 weeks pregnant and at this point finding it harder and harder to get out there pain-free. Huge disappointment to say the least. My body was able to run this far into my pregnancy and for that I am SO thankful. Right now I am running 1 mile (with stroller) and walking a few extra miles on top of that… just to keep my running legs. But just getting out there is what keeps me sane, healthy & happy.

I believe wholeheartedly that because I ran in this 2nd pregnancy, I was able to have a WAY better pregnancy than with my 1st. My doctor HIGHLY recommended for me to keep running. And she was right on the money. In my 1st pregnancy, I had hypertension from the very beginning and gestational diabetes. And now in this 2nd pregnancy, I have zero hypertension and the gestational diabetes is so minimal that I can even eat bread and desserts (in moderation of course) with no insulin needed!

I’m going to keep running as long as I can. Literally 1 mile at a time!”  Her IG is HERE!

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Maureen!!!  “On Sunday November 18th, I ran my first marathon at the Philadelphia Marathon!! I was so nervous leading up to it that I was basically in tears the morning of and my boyfriend gave me a pep talk while he was half asleep before I left. I started slower in the first 10k and worked my pace down. At mile 25 I saw the clock and knew I could finish in under 4:20 if I pushed it. So I just ran hard. Mile 26 was 8:44 and the last little bit was run a a 7:50 average pace. I finished in 4:18:22 which is a 9:51 pace and I’m so dang proud of myself. When I met up with my boyfriend after I burst into tears as we hugged because I was so proud and happy! I definitely caught the marathon bug. I have a race recap here.”

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Miranda!!!  “My friend Lori and I ran the Buckeye Woods 50k last year, and it’s an awesome race!  It’s on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, which is a great time to get 31 miles in :) We decided to drag our friend Maria in it this year.  Everyone runs a mile around the pavilion first, and then we’re off on 5-mile loops!  We run around a beautiful lake, on crushed limestone paths through the woods, and then on a trail through the woods before it loops back to the pavilion.  It’s so nice to be able to go back to the pavilion after every loop to eat, use the bathroom, whatever!  I had my border collie, Maggie, with me (not planned), and I thought I’d run a loop with her, put her in the car for a loop, run a loop with her, etc.  Well, she goes with me on all of my runs, so I changed my mind and decided to let her run as far as she wanted to go.  She did the whole thing!  We weren’t out there trying to crush the race and push the pace (it was wayyyyyyy too muddy for that!), but she totally kept up with us at our 9:45/mile pace.  She spent some time recovering this week, like I did, but she was back to playing and scampering around before I was!”

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What are your weekend plans?! 

Anything that you do that helps you to sleep better at night?

What was the last really hard run thing that you’ve done?

Do you have a favorite comedian?

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53 comments

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Way to go on that snowy run!

Tonight we have a Christmas concert to go to and I am so excited!
I don’t get much snow here, but I totally get so cold and shivery after a run, too. Even sometimes in the summer, after taking a shower, I may still have to put on sweats and socks to warm up!
I like to do puzzles (logic puzzles or sudoku, I’m a nerd) at night and within 20 or 30 minutes I am out. Occasionally I fall asleep with the pen in my hand and get ink on the sheets though………….oops!

Bryan Regan is freaking hilarious. A clean language comic, too! The cds of his stuff is great, but he does a lot of facial stuff sort of like Jim Carrey, so seeing him do his routine is best. Check Amazon or Netflix, you can probably find plenty.He has hilarious bits about guessing someone’s gender wrong, asking someone who isn’t pregnant when their baby is due, saying “you too” at inappropriate times, and Hooked on Phonics jokes. SO FUNNY.

have a great weekend!

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Enjoy the concert tonight Loribeth! That is such a good idea to do puzzles right before bed, I love that idea (minus the pen on the sheets haha). YES YES YES… we love him. He really is the best. Thanks, you too!

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Wow!! Y’all went at a really fast pace for running up a mountain in snow! And the matching is seriously SO adorable. :)

I need to try one of those blankets! My goal this weekend is to sleep. Sleep a lot. I haven’t gotten a lot of sleep this week, so I plan to catch up. I also watch the Heisman presentation every year, so I’m excited about that! I’m also going to get all of my Christmas cards in the mail (hopefully today!!) and catch up on some writing that I need to do.

Hope that y’all have a wonderful weekend, Janae!

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I think that is a fabulous goal this weekend… I want to join you! Thanks Natalie, you too!

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A small bowl of cereal before bed is like a sleeping pill for me.

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I will be doing this. Thank you!

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I have been thinking about getting a weighted blanket for a long time… I should just go get one. I’m surprised that it doesn’t make you feel overheated.

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I was surprised too! If I sleep with my quilt then I wake up sweating but with the weighted blanket I don’t feel hot in the slightest. Have an awesome weekend!

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Running on snow is definitely a calf killer! I always feel like I’m only just trudging along, trying not to fall, when I run in the snow. Good job for sticking to your run even when you felt like stopping. Also, a huge congrats to Ginnette for continuing to run during her pregnancy. I’m in my 14th week of my first pregnancy right now and have been trying to keep running. Seeing other women do it is such an inspiration! xo, Ali

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YES… it really is! I woke up and my calves felt so tight today. CONGRATS ON YOUR PREGNANCY ALI! I am so happy for you. Will you please keep me in the loop with how you are doing and all of the exciting things!? I hope you are feeling well!

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Where is your running jacket from? I need something for my morning runs in the dark that will reflect but keep me warm.
Thank you much, love reading your stories!

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It is the Brooks Canopy Jacket and I love it! Have a wonderful weekend, Sara!

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Miranda – if you see this – you and your friend look like sisters! Also, your dog looks so sweet :)

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I totally thought that too! And they look crazy hardcore with all of that mud on their shoes:) Have a great weekend, Amanda!

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Gotta LOVE those runs where you realize you have a pretty good HEADWIND on the way BACK! My trick for that is to tell myself that I’ll probably confront that during a race and by being tough NOW, I’ll be able to say to myself, “You’ve been there, done that!!!!” during the race. And, I’m so jealous of your trail run fuel these days!

Weekend plans include celebrating my daughter’s birthday!!!! Her dinner of choice is Chick Fil A :) Then she wants to go to the tack shop (she’s a horse lover) tomorrow. I think my husband will take here because she’ll be there for HOURS, and I’m not always the most patient person. ha ha We’ll finally cut down our Christmas tree, too, because last weekend was so RAINY!

Sleeping–I have trouble waking up in the middle of the night. I started using a white sound machine (from when my girls were babies–ha ha)l, and that HAS helped. It’s funny b/c I don’t take it on trips/to hotels, and thankfully I sleep okay there. Weird! I also have a tiny snack every night before bed, esp. if I’m training hard!

Hope you guys have a FUN weekend!!!!! Do you guys have a birthday celebration for Skye planned this weekend???

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YES… been there, done that = I love it! Hahah I’m really soaking in this candy as fuel thing. Whenever I talk to trail runners that are experienced they all still use things like gel and I just want to pretend that it’s totally a good plan to just eat candy for the 50 miles;) HAPPY BDAY to your daughter… I like the way she thinks! Sounds like the perfect weekend.
Yes, we are having family over on Sunday and tomorrow we are doing all of her favorite things;) Brooke and Knox are so ridiculously excited… they have been having a countdown for tomorrow for awhile now. Thanks Jen!

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Oh, I LOVE running up there but have never done it in the snow. Beautiful pics!

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Isn’t it gorgeous up there?!? Have a wonderful weekend, Amy!

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Thank you for sharing about the blanket! I’m excited to try it!! Merry Christmas to me too. Have a great weekend!!

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Oh I hope you love it… it is the best! Let me know what you think:) Thanks, you too Irene!

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I feel like the first few paragraphs could have been scripted from a date in the Bachelor. Haha. We made it through this run together and now I know we can make it through anything. Our journey together is just beginning. Okay. That isn’t what you said at all. But that is what WOULD have been said if contestants went trail running together ;). All I know is, I wouldn’t survive that date. You guys are awesome! Even if you like cheesy bread……

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WHAT IS THERE NOT TO LIKE ABOUT CHEESY BREAD?!?!

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Here’s a little hack for anyone who gets nervous going to the dentist: have the assistant leave the lead apron that they put on you during xrays on. It does the same thing as the weighted blanket and helps you feel calmer. I know this, my dads a dentist ? haha (as long as the dentist themselves isn’t the reason you get nervous…in that case you need a new dentist.)

I’m going to go find one of those little trees for my kids to decorate so they stop decorating my tree haha

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YES YES YES… I have done that at the dentist! I need to go to your dad! Okay, I didn’t even think about that… my kids will love to decorate these. Have a wonderful day, Jenny!

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If you want his contact info I can send it to you, just let me know! He is the best, and not just because he’s my dad ;) ask anyone who goes to him!

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Seriously, how do you stay warm on these wintery runs? I’m a pre-dawn runner and it’s been around 25 without wind chill lately in the AM . By the end of my 4 miles (which is tiny compared to your runs), my thighs are frozen. I’ve got a pair of wool underwear and a wool skirt. Those do a decent job for my butt, but even then it’s still chilly and my thighs are just frozen.

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Pre-dawn feels WAY colder to me than later on in the day… those pre-dawn runs really get me. 4 miles is not tiny… that is plenty of time to be frozen. What kind of tights do you wear? Mine all have fleece lining for the really cold days. This post has my favorite pieces that keep me warm:
https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2018/11/the-clothes-we-wear.html

Good luck, being cold on the run is the worst!

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UnderArmour cold gear which have the fleece lining. Plus another tech style pant over them for an added layer.
https://www.underarmour.com/en-us/reactor-legging/pcid1298166
I might just try taping hand warmers to my legs and see what happens. The only good thing about running at 5:30am is that no one is out to see how ridiculous you look.

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That is not a bad idea… I might copy you haha! Those leggings look amazing:)

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My weekend is mostly working, baking, and a Christmas party on Sunday.

The last really hard run thing for me has just been sorting through all my pain and weirdness these last few months. I’m grateful there’s been nothing severe or crippling, though. Physical therapy has helped quite a bit. Speaking of, my PT says she thinks I’ll be good to go for the marathon! I still have a little doubt but as long as nothing gets worse in a week then I’ll probably go for it!

I need earplugs, a fan, and something covering my eyes to sleep haha. I can do without the fan if I’m tired enough but the other two are non-negotiable.

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Oh I am so glad your PT says you are game to run the marathon! I hope that things only get better from here. I should try an eye mask at night… hmmm. Happy weekend and enjoy the party and baking!

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What hydration vest are you wearing? I’m going to run my first 50 next year and am thinking about upgrading my current Camelbak to something different. Have a nice weekend! :)

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I love the Salomon Skin (I have the 12). It fits more like a jacket then a hydration pack which I love! It has 2 bottles in the front and a blatter in the back!

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YES… I have the Salomon Skin (I copied Toby). It is amazing… I’m obsessed. Have a great weekend and keep me updated with your 50 training!

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Girl….you need to bring a full change of clothes to your mom’s house! I have to get out of my wet/cold clothes IMMEDIATELY after I run or I get the brrrrrrrr-freezings all day! I’m just cold thinking about you :)

Y’all are awesome !

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Hahaha I will from this point forward… I could not believe how cold I was after. Thanks Toby for your encouragement… I want to be just like you. Can Andrew and I take you to lunch to ask you all of our questions?!

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Today is my husband’s birthday and tomorrow is mine! We are doing a low key celebration but plenty of dessert will be happening! I haven’t tried a weighted blanket but I do use my Google Mini to play sleep sounds. I also have my essential oil diffuser on for a while and it turns itself off after I’m asleep. I feel like it helps me sleep better!

Hardest run thing would be running at 4% incline and 7.5 speed on the treadmill this morning. I’ve been taking a running break and that about killed me. Running in actual elevation would knock me out for sure, lol.

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Your birthdays are just one day apart… how cool! Enjoy all of the dessert:) You have an awesome sleep set up… I need to check out this Google Mini!
Um 4% incline @ 7.5–> OUCH! Way to go Virjinia! Happy birthday (I love 12/8:)!

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Going to see the musical Billy Elliot tonight and I am SO EXCITED.

Hardest running thing I ever did: I ran a 5k 10 days after arm surgery. I was cleared to run and the first mile felt okay, but then my arm/shoulder started hurting crazy bad and I went from running a 9ish minute mile to a 13-minute mile. But I ran the whole thing, even if I had to spend the whole day in bed after! Grateful to my dad for staying with me the whole time.

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Okay, that musical sounds like so much fun, enjoy. I am SO sorry about what you have been going through with this surgery and recovery. You have an amazing dad. Keep me updated on your recovery and coming back to running. Thinking about you!

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It’s Honolulu Marathon weekend! I’m not running it, but it will be a busy few days. Les and I are hitting up the expo today (it’s a 3 day event.) I’m doing my long run tomorrow. Then it’s lights out early on Saturday night. Les will ride with the cycling teams who escort the wheelchair racers – they meet at 4:00. Race starts at 5:00 and I plan to see the wheelers and elites off, then be at the finish when they come back. The wheelers take about 1:35-1:45 so it’s a quick ride for Les and the team as they help keep the wheelers safe. Post-race breakfast at Cinnamon’s and back to bed by 10:00!!

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Really?! That is so so cool! Sounds like the best weekend… and I NEED CINNAMON’S AGAIN (send me some). Enjoy!

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weekend plans = my 1st 50K tomorrow!!!!!

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AHHH DEB!! I am so so excited for you. You are going to do amazing. Please let me know how it goes (and give me any tips you have learned after;).

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I just saw that Target now has its own weighted blanket too! cheaper, but looks like its sold out right now.
i started using a simulated sunrise alarm clock… not to help me sleep but to help me wake up in the morning better. It is like a happy lamp, but it slowly (over 30 mins) starts to light up and get brighter and brighter until the time your alarm goes off.

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AWESOME!!! I will have to look at that one too… a happy lamp, that sounds brilliant!! Have an amazing weekend, Krista!

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Hi,
I saw this article and thought of you!
https://www.nytimes.com/2018/12/05/sports/courtney-dauwalter-200-mile-race.html

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OMG! I am so getting this weighted blanket for my daughter. She is a nurse working L&D 12 hour nightshift and anything to get a better days sleep is so worth it! I am really excited about this! Thanks so much!

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Can you please post your winter gear. I’m in desperate need of some. Thanks a bunch!

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HEY!! YES… you can find it here:

https://hungryrunnergirl.com/2018/11/the-clothes-we-wear.html

Have a great weekend!

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George Bush’s eulogy made me cry too, and I do not cry often. I was in high school when Bush was president and I always thought he was such a role model and a class act…Same sentiment to that man you Utahans just elected to the Senate ;)! Hope you and your family are well!

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Looks like it’s freezing there! I’m really excited, I’ve been searching for a weighted blanket for my son that was somewhat affordable and I found one at Costco (online)!! And it’s $20 off right now which made it even better!! I love costco a little too much lol. I was going to get one for myself as well but with Christmas ther are too many expenses lol. I have to take a melatonin sometimes because my mind likes to go crazy as soon as I lay down to try and sleep. Hope you have an amazing weekend!

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What running vest are you wearing?

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