Goodbye 2014, Hello 2015!

Alright I know I haven't written in awhile...and I know that I'm a little late with the "out with the old, in with the new [year]" post, but it is what it is. :)

Wrap-Up of 2014:

I'd say that 2014 was a pretty great year. D and I kicked off the New Year with my parents which sounds somewhat lame, but was actually really fun and saved us a ton of money (we were initially planning on doing something in Chicago which would have been about $100 each). We spent a lot of time with friends in January and February, nothing super exciting. For Spring Break we went to visit my sister and her adorable kids in Atlanta. In April I did a 10k in Chicago with my friend Bethany (PR!), and during that trip we got to eat at my favorite pizza place--Piece Pizza. It is a pizza place/microbrewery in Chicago that is DELICIOUS!

In May we finished up our classes, and then in June...Ragnar! So much fun (well, the majority of the time!). Our van was full of  great people, and it is definitely something I won't forgot!

Our Van with our driver (D) in the middle :)

Our whole team after we finished

The rest of June and all of July were very busy! I went to a conference at Michigan State and gave a talk (my first one ever!), and a conference in Boston. During this time Dustin and I were both scurrying to finish our theses, which we did (!). After we defended, we officially graduated with our Master's Degrees in August.

The fall semester was our first official semester in the PhD program, so it was an exciting time. I took a great class about mechanical vibrations (I realize that sounds super nerdy...), and D was busy TAing for a new class, which was a lot of work! In September, we got our sweet doggie, Nova, who has been an amazing addition to our little family. :)

D and I ran the Monumental Half Marathon at the beginning of November, which was his first big race. My sister and her kids came to visit for Thanksgiving, so we spend some time with them, including a water park visit, a movie, Steak n' Shake, and lots of coloring. :) After Thanksgiving, we started getting prepared for our PhD qualifying exams, which are at the beginning of February. We took a few days off around Christmas to visit both of our families, but then we really got focused on studying. We stayed home for New Years, ate delicious food (chicken enchiladas), and shot off a small rocket. Low key, but definitely enjoyable. I'm happy with how 2014 turned out!

Goals for 2015:

I do not usually make any strict New Year's Resolutions, but I do try to think about things that I would like to improve, and goals that I have. Here are some of my big goals for this year:

• Pass Qualifying Exams: This is a big one! These exams are very intimidating, and if you don't pass (you do get 2 tries), then you kicked out of the program. I'd like to get them out of the way on the first try so that I don't have to go through the stress of studying for them all over again.
• Practice Spanish: I am making two trips to Spain this year (woo!). One with the orchestra, and one for a conference. I was getting very comfortable with Spanish by the end of college (I minored in it), but I haven't spoke it much since, and I'd like to be able to speak it while I'm in Spain.
• Run 800 miles: I forgot to say in my 2014 recap, but I just passed 600 miles in 2014. I think I can up that to 800 for this year (although with this extreme cold, I haven't been making a very good start). I want to be more consistent with my running and I definitely want to do some runs in Spain while I'm there!
• Break some PRs: I want to break 55 minutes in the 10k, and 25 minutes in the 5k. I would also really like to get my half time under 2 hours. Besides running, I want to do at least one sprint tri, and I hope to crush my previous time. Don't know if all of that is possible this year, but I'm definitely going to work towards it.
• Be more consistent with blogging: I like blogging because it helps me lay out my thoughts. It also acts as a journal that I can look back on and see how I was feeling, what I was thinking, and what I was doing. That is pretty neat! I'd like to be posting at least twice a week (hopefully more, but I will set that as a minimum). 
• Travel: 2014 was a low travel year for us (I did get to travel a little due to conferences, but I was alone and mostly just doing a lot of work) since we were finishing our Master's and then studying for qualifying exams. In addition to my Spain trips, D and I want to do a US trip in May, and an international trip in December. Not sure where we will go yet, but we always have a great time together!
• Enjoy the year!: I think we often get caught up in trying to "do" lots of things, but we don't really live in the moment and appreciate what is going on around us. This year I am going to be very focused on living life to the fullest.

That's it for now! Hope everyone is having a great start to 2015!

Four things Survey!

I haven't been tagged to do this survey (since I don't really have any online friends, ha), but I'm going to do it anyway. :)

Four names that people call me other than my real name:

1. I don't really have any nicknames! I always say when I have kids I'm going to give them names that lend themselves easily to nicknames.

2. 

3. 

4. 

Four jobs I’ve had:

1.  Lifeguard

2.  Zoo Keeper (I volunteered so not technically a job, but it was for a summer)

3.  Teaching Assistant

4.  Medical Device Tester (neat!) 

Four movies I’ve watched more than once:

1.  How to Lose A Guy in 10 Days

2.  10 Things I Hate About You

3.  Love Actually

4.  Two Weeks Notice

Four books I’d recommend:

1.  Eat and Run

2.  Ender's Game

3.  1984

4.  Perks of Being a Wallflower

Four places I’ve lived:

1. Morocco, Indiana (people often think I'm about to say I'm from Africa when I say I'm from Morocco)

2. West Lafayette, Indiana (Purdue!)

3. Chicago, IL

4. 

Four places I’ve visited:

1. Beijing, China. Went on a trip with the marching band--tons of fun!

2. Tuscany region of Italy. We went here for our honeymoon. :)

3. Manila, Philippines. Went here for 2 weeks for work. Awesome trip.

4. I went to Spain after I graduated high school--and I'm going back next summer!

Four places I’d rather be right now:

1.  Definitely back in Yosemite--what an incredible trip!

2. Somewhere where it is more than 30 degrees!

3. With my cute nieces

4.

Four things I prefer not to eat:

1. Black olives--they are the most disgusting thing I have ever eaten in my entire life.

2. Pickles! Even when I was a kid I'd hate if the pickle juice got on my sandwich--I still feel the same way about it. Gross.

3. Oysters. I've never actually eaten them, but the thought makes me want to puke.

4. Cheesecake. This one doesn't disgust me, but I put it on because people are usually shocked. I just don't think it's very good.

Four of my favorite foods:

1.  Veggie burrito

2.  Brownie with ice cream on top

3.  Mashed Potatoes

4.  Homemade bread

Four TV shows I watch

1.  Parenthood

2.  New Girl 

3.  The Mindy Project

4.  Everybody Loves Raymond (I haven't watched it in awhile, but I think I've seen every episode)

Four things I’m looking forward to this year:

1.  D's sister having her baby girl! :)

2.  A sprint tri in Spring

3.  Getting my big qualifying exams out of the way (and hopefully passing them!)

4.  A Spain trip with the orchestra for Spring Break and a trip to Spain for a conference in summer!

Four things I’m always saying:

1.  I am freezing! 

2.  I better go for a run.

3.  What do we have to eat?

4.  Nova, stop! (Always chewing on stuff or getting into things she's not supposed to, ha!)

Thanksgiving Recap

Hello all! Hope you had a great Thanksgiving, black Friday, and weekend. Let me start off with a recap of our Turkey Trot. We ran a 5k on Thanksgiving, the same one we had participated in last year; however, they moved locations. I was slightly worried because this was the course

which I thought looked very twisty-turny for only 3.1 miles. It ended up being quite nice though! It was pretty cold, actual temp was about 28, but it felt much colder. So cold that D started the race with his winter coat on. -_- I was not a fan, but the course had a short loop before it went past the start, so he was able to just drop it off there. Despite the cold, I felt really good, and was determined to run fast (for me). I ended up with a time of 26:04, which is a PR! I was very pumped to do so well, and my friend Bethany (who lives close, so also runs the Turkey Trot...as does her whole family), finished about 20 seconds behind me and D, which is a PR for her as well! Good day. :)

After that, we went home for a quick breakfast, and to get ready for our first Thanksgiving feast which was in Indy at D's aunt's house. We drove there, and ate some delicious food, drank some delicious wine, and got to visit with lots of great people. We left there around 3:15, stopped at home to get the doggie, then went to my parent's house. There weren't too many people there (just my sister and her family, and my grandma), but my aunt and uncle did come a little later.

We ended up spending the night at my parent's house, then drove home around noon, after eating breakfast and coloring with some cute little girls. :) The rest of the day wasn't extremely exciting, but it was definitely relaxing. On Saturday we went to a coffee shop all morning to study, then came home and cleaned out the gutters, raked the yard, and picked up sticks. Maybe not my first choice of things to do, but so glad it's done, and our yard does look much better. D's dad also came over and put up some blinds, so now we FINALLY have all of our windows covered. It is very awkward to feel like people can see into your living room at night!

Today we had a slow start, but I'm planning on getting a semi-long run in before the rain (it certainly looks like it's going to rain anytime now), and D went to campus to work. After I run, I am going to work on some research and study some more for area exams. We had a fun extended weekend, I hope everyone else did too! We didn't do any shopping on Black Friday, but I am considering trying to get some good Cyber Monday deals. :) Have a good rest of the weekend!

Our Anniversary!

Today is our two year wedding anniversary! :) I have such good memories with D and I feel so lucky to have him in my life. He truly is my very best friend. Let me take you back through our relationship a little bit. :)

At the end of my Junior year of undergrad, it was one of my best friend's 21st birthday. We went out to dinner (giant margaritas, anyone? :) ), and then went to the campus bars, since it was her first chance to do so. At the first bar, one of our other friends met us, and she had a few extra people with her. One of them (spoiler alert: my future husband, ha!) was talking about doing tensile testing, which was similar to what I was doing at my internship, so I started talking to him about it. We only talked a little bit that night, but I saw him again the following Thursday (leaving a different bar!). We went to McDonald's together and had root beer and fries (so romantic, right?), and started to get to know each other. 

D left soon after that to go to Pennsylvania for an internship, but we were both excited to have met a new friend, and we texted each other once in awhile over the summer. When school started again, we didn't see much of each other, but then Laura brought him to Andrew's surprise party at our apartment. I was super annoyed that he didn't tell me he would be there (and maybe I was a little tipsy), so I made him leave (well actually, we voted! haha), but after that we started talking again.

At the beginning of November we finally realized that we wanted to be more than friends, and we decided to go out on a date. It took about two weeks after that for me to realize that he was something pretty special. :)

My friend Katie, D, and I at my Senior Day football game

Our first Halloween celebration!

We had a great Spring semester together, and since I had already accepted a job in Chicago, D decided to come with me. He found a job shortly after, so we found an apartment together in the city. We enjoyed living in Chicago--lots of bike riding, outings with friends, and new experiences.

During Christmas break of 2010, Dustin and I (and our friend Anthony!) took a trip to New York City to see the ball drop for New Year's. We made our way through the crowd and ended up around 52nd street and 7th avenue where we waited about 4 hours until midnight. It was cold, but a very memorable New Year's Eve.

One year later in 2011, we went back to New York for a vacation. Dustin had been hinting about getting engaged, but made it clear that he did not yet have a ring, so I had no idea that anything was going to happen on this trip. On Wednesday, December 28, we went out for drinks in the evening, but then I was tired, so we went back to the apartment to take a nap. We planned to get up after a few hours and go to the Empire State Building since neither of us had ever been before.

Around midnight, Dustin started trying to wake me up. I said we could just wait until tomorrow to go to the Empire State Building because I wanted to keep sleeping. He kept insisting that I get up, so finally I gave in and got up. We hopped in a taxi and rushed over to the Empire State Building. There were very few people there so we got to avoid the lines and the view from the top was amazing. 

Us at the top of the Empire State Building

After we spent some time at the top, we went back down, and Dustin suggested that we go for a walk. We went to Times Squre, which was mostly empty (a very different sight then normal!). After walking around for a little while, we stopped at a McDonald's for ice cream. We sat there while we ate, and then Dustin suggested we walk home.

We started walking when I realized that Dustin was looking for a specific place. I asked him what he was looking for and he said he was looking for 52nd and 7th avenue where we had stood the year before for New Year's Eve. When we found it, he turned and faced me, then got down on one knee. I said yes, and the rest is history! :)

Two of our engagement pictures--we took them in Millennium Park in Chicago

We went back to Purdue to start grad school in the fall of 2012, so we decided we should get married sooner rather than later, before grad school got insanely busy. We decided on November 24, 2012. It was a beautiful day surrounded by both of our families and all of our best friends. 

Walking out of the church

Driving off to the reception in our limo

Like I said, such great memories! Tonight we plan on going to dinner and just spending some time together. I made him a photo book with a bunch of pictures we have accumulated over the years. Hope he likes it. :) Have a good day everyone!

Thanksgiving, my sister coming to visit, and two adorable little girls

Hey all! I am getting very excited about Thanksgiving coming up, mostly because my sister is coming on Saturday and staying for a week! She lives in Atlanta, so I only get to see her a few times a year. Here are some pictures of us.

At her wedding

Last Christmas

She has 3 kids: an 18 year old boy, a 6 year old girl, and a 3 year old girl. I love all of them to pieces, and am so excited to see them.

Emily (3 year old), Austin, and Isabella (6 year old)

Their whole adorable little family

Here D and I are making cookies with Emily and Isabella last Christmas.

They are coming Saturday and we're going to an indoor water park, how fun. Then they are staying with my parents for the week, and I plan on going there at least for a few days, plus seeing them on Thanksgiving. What a great week. :) Hope everyone else is getting some good family time in too!

Snow!

It is November. Sorry, I just had to remind myself considering it has snowed 3 times in the past week. Not normal Indiana behavior...although, Indiana weather is pretty much characterized by being non-predictable. The snow has been beautiful though. It keeps snowing just enough to cover the ground, so it makes everything look like a winter wonderland. :) The temperatures though...I could stand to add at least 10 degrees there. For example, look at the forecast for today:

A high of 23! Really. That is just ridiculous, Indiana. Please adjust accordingly. :D

Nova is experiencing the snow for the first time. She seems to really like it! She does seem confused why she can't smell the ground though. Yesterday I let her in and her whole nose/snout was covered in snow. It was pretty much the most adorable thing I have ever seen. Tried to get a picture, but she immediately rolled around on the rug and knocked it all of. I suppose she was cold, but she could have at least had the decency to let me get a picture before she warmed up. :)

I am getting so excited about the holiday season! My sister is coming to Indiana next Saturday (yay!), so I'll get to spend some time with my nieces. We are doing a Turkey trot on Thanksgiving morning (which, I almost have my parents talked into doing with us!), then going to Dustin's aunt's house for lunch, and my parent's house for dinner. Ha! We are going to go into a food coma by the end of the day. I guess I better be working out everyday up until then so things don't get too out of control. ha. Have a great day, everyone!

Winter Running!

Because of a combination of being super busy, and the loss of several hours of daylight, the past few weeks I haven't been working out/running enough. Of course I shouldn't make excuses, and I need to just alter my schedule to do everything I want to do. Today I brought workout clothes with me to campus so that I can just go straight to the co-rec on the way home. As a side note, I did a lot of running this summer, so I didn't go to our university rec center much, but I really take it for granted. It is such an awesome facility, check out some pictures:

Our huge aquatic center

The front entrance to the co-rec

View as you enter the facility

There is also a running track that overlooks several different gyms (making running in tiny circles somewhat more interesting, a rock climbing wall (you can see part of it in the last picture--bottom left). Even making this post has made me more motivated to get to the gym. What motivates you to go workout?