Wild + Free

My trip back home was really great last week. I saw a bunch of people I wanted to see. I ate a lot of my favorite hometown foods. I woke up and took long walks around town. I ran on my favorite roads. And I always make time to stop out and soak in the country views:

(BTW: These photos are from Father’s Day. Full disclosure: Ada had a huge meltdown at the canyon! Eeeeek. That wasn’t so much fun. So, we took her to a nearby creek. I can’t wait to head back there sometime later in the summer, hopefully with a tent.)

I forgot to give you guys a quick 10K recap. Now, I don’t have much proof that I actually did run in the race. By now I feel like I’m beyond the point of needing photos, medals, or other swag when I do events. So, you’ll have to rely on my account. Basically, I decided not to race all out but -- instead -- to run a solid workout on all those hills. The race starts each year at 9AM and usually the weather is quite hot. This year we lucked out with relatively cool temps, lower humidity, and cloudy skies.

After a mile warmup jog to the start, Stephen and I stretched a bit and before we knew it, we were off. I saw some people blaze ahead of me that I usually beat, so it was hard to keep myself from gunning it up the first hill. At the same time, I felt really solid and comfortable, which I’ve never experienced on this path. I wanted to enjoy the course and take in the scenery. So, I trudged ahead, not knowing my pace because I rarely run with a watch these days.

Talk about Zen running.

I made my way slowly up the first long incline. It’s over a mile long and by the top, I had to take a few walking breaks. Gladly. Even when I won this race last year, I walked a bit. It’s just my strategy on this course to conserve energy to speed downhill. The mountains ahead of me really took my breath away. I can’t imagine seeing them everyday, and boy did I used to take them for granted. Not this time.

Anyway, I made my way up another epically steep uphill mile or so before the course finished with a fast flat/downhill trend. I knew I wouldn’t PR, but I decided to hold back and just enjoy the ride. OK. I couldn’t resist sprinting to the finish. I always do that. For the first time ever, I finished the race without much panting in around 49:40, just under 8 minutes per mile.

I did have a momentary thought that if my training had gone well this year, I’d probably have finished in the 47s. But then I remembered the real reason my running took a backseat this spring (and entire year, if we’re being honest), and I just felt grateful for the whole experience. This is just a different season in my relationship with the sport.

Running feeds my soul, as corny as that sounds. This may not have been my fastest finish, but I felt so good being a part of it. I also ended up getting second place in my age group, so that was cool. Stephen earned second place overall (35:22 -- a PR for him on this brutal course!). I’ve come to this conclusion that racing just isn’t my thing these days. My head isn’t in competition mode. But running in general? That’s another matter. I don’t run tons of mileage because I’m trying to keep everything in moderation right now, but the ones I do complete are giving me such joy.

Happy Friday, friends!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

Father's Day Pancakes

Stephen's first (unofficial) father's day was a good one. The weekend started off with a 20K race across some intense, hilly terrian. I sat this one out and was still somewhat tired from last week's 5K race.

Stephen? He took the course head-on and finished in third place with a time of 1:15:35.

We kept the weekend low-key. Relaxing in the sun. Napping. (OK. That was mostly me.) Eating. But no celebration is complete without a special breakfast. Our favorite way to mark events is with pancakes.

Always, aallwwaayyss pancakes.


FATHER'S DAY PANCAKES

What you'll need . . .

• 2-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
• Couple handfuls of rolled oats (uncooked)
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• Pinch salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 2 cups water
• 1/2 cup almond milk
• 1/2 cup puree (pumpkin or other)
• Chocolate chips
• Chopped fresh strawberries

Method . . .

1. In a large bowl, whisk together the dry ingredients. In a small bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients. Note on the puree: You can really use anything. Applesauce, pumpkin puree, and we used a homemade carrot/parsnip puree!
2. Then pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until everything is well moistened.
3. Add in the strawberry chunks and chocolate chips.
4. Then lightly oil a pan and set over medium heat. Cook as you would "normal" pancakes -- until browned on both sides.
5. This recipe can easily feed two people for two days of delicious breakfasts. Just store extra batter in your refrigerator.

Later in the day, we took a nice, long walk (Stephen was still recovering from his race, and I wasn't feeling like running). Then we visited my dad (and mom) for Father's day.


I also got some time to learn some sewing basics from my mom and finish my very first project, "quick-change" baby pants.


I wrote way more about the project on (never home)maker, baby! this morning. Looks like I'll be sewing tons month in the next 23 weeks!

Hope you all had a great weekend. In other news, we were able to get our grocery bill down to $63 this week. And at least $14 of that was stuff we really didn't need. Our $50 is looking more and more possible! Now, don't forget to check out our Tazo Iced Chai Giveaway. It ends tomorrow at 9PM EST!

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!

Read more...

The High Maintenance Melt

Summer is surely in full swing. And we did a lot this weekend as a result. For Father's Day, we trekked to my hometown for the Pennsylvania State Laurel Festival. It's an annual event that features a 10K race, parade, carnival, and arts & crafts show. So, it's a lot of fun. It's a yearly excuse to get together with family and friends.

Here are just some of the highlights:


Not sure why I'm waving my arms and smiling with my mouth wide open in most of these shots. However, you can gather it was a fun weekend -- most definitely. Back to the 10K for a minute. Get this: Stephen WON the 10K. It wasn't the largest field in the world (maybe 100 runners or so), but with the elevation and a finish time of 36:59 -- we're all super proud of him. I scored second place in my age group, too (50:15 -- again, this course is HARD, so no PRs here!) . . .



Did I mention it was like 80 degrees and brutally sunny the entire time? I wore my Camelbak for extra support, and I'm so glad I did.



I even made a little time for some yoga with my wonderful friend Erin.


And, of course, we can't forget Father's Day. Here are a few shots of me and my dad (who was very kind to pose for me):




But enough about me. So, what's this High Maintenance Melt? It's a copycat sandwich from my favorite hometown cafe: The Native Bagel. Sandwiches are the best -- and when you put them on a bagel (remember the apple melt???), they get even better. Add cheese? Woah.


HIGH MAINTENANCE MELT

What you'll need . . .

• A bagel of your choice, toasted
• Light cream cheese or 2 Laughing Cow cheese wedges
• 2 slices of deli cheese (I used pepper-jack, but cheddar is also good)
• 1 vine tomato, sliced
• Handful of baby spinach, divided
• Brown mustard to taste

Method . . .

1. Turn your oven on to the broil option.
2. Once your bagel is toasted, let it cool slightly . . . then spread on a thin layer of cream cheese (or use those Laughing Cow wedges -- I love those).
3. Pile on a healthy layer a spinach, then tomato, then top with your slice of cheese.
4. Put under the broiler until lightly browned and bubbly. Squirt on some mustard for extra taste.

So, if THIS is being high maintenance, count me in. I won't apologize -- because it's easy and amazing. Anyway, stay tuned for the winner of the CSN Shopping Spree giveaway (to be posted later this afternoon)! And tell us -- do you have a favorite gotta-go-home event that happens each year? Just leave us a comment or email us at neverhomemaker [at] gmail [dot] com.

Like what you just read? You can subscribe to the feed of these posts or follow us on Twitter or Facebook to be the first to know what the (never home)makers are up to. And we’ll love you forever!!

Read more...