My Renegade Playground!

 I did it!  And I had a blast.  It was a full team effort, with our team Captain falling back, to make sure that every person on our team crossed that finish line.  We all supported each other, walked when others needed to stop running, and pushed each other when some of us wanted to quit.  We did it.

We were filthy and smiling at the end.  The fun lasted all day, the celebration went into the night and the high that we got from finishing our first race still hasn't worn off.  I'm proud of my whole team and can't wait for our next race!!

Renegade Playground - My first 5K!

What will YOU be doing this weekend?  I'll be doing this...... 

This Saturday, August 9th, I'll be competing in my first 5K race.  It is a mud obstacle course in my hometown.  I've been working hard towards this for months now and I cannot believe its here.  

As a lot of you already know, I've been working hard on my health and strength for a long time.  Back in January, after almost 3 years of steadily gaining weight, I took my first step and joined a gym.  In February I joined a different gym (Anytime Fitness) and really started to love working out.  I do cardio, weights, and classes such as Surfset ,  Zumba , and Pound fitness.  I have so much fun, have met so many great people and have improved my body and mind a ton.  As of right now, I have lost 36 lbs since January.  I am 5 lbs away from my goal, and the muscles I have now are impressive, if I do say so myself!  

My gym is fantastic, but what makes it even better are the people.  My class instructors, Donna, Carina and Megan have not only trained and pushed me, but they have become my friends.  They have also motivated me to move outside my comfort level.  Megan especially has pushed me to try so many new things and have so many new experiences.  It is not uncommon for her to mention something like a burpee challenge or a 3 minute plank and have me attempt to do it (and sometimes I actually succeed!).  So when she mentioned running a race, I considered it.  Being someone who has never run, I was nervous, but the positivity surrounding me is astounding and so I signed up for the Renegade Playground.  A few good friends also signed up and we are running with a team from the gym.  For most of us, this is our first race.  Im so excited!  

So if you are local, look for my team, The Anytime Wrecking Crew.  We will be running the 9am wave, and will be the ones dolled up in all black and purple.  I'll be prepared to post lots of pictures and a follow up blog post as soon as I can.  Wish me luck!!!  

Recipe: Jalapeno Popper wontons

• 8oz Cream Cheese, softened
• 1 cup monterey jack cheese
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• 2 cloves of garlic, pressed
• 2 jalapeno peppers seeded and diced (to make them hotter 3-4 peppers)
• 1 package 50 count small wonton  wraps

In a bowl, combine the cheeses, cream cheese, garlic and jalapenos. 

 Arrange the wonton wraps in a single layer on a baking sheet.  Add one teaspoon of the filling to each wonton wrap (don't overfill!).  Dip your fingers in water and run your fingers along the edges of each wonton wrap, then fold diagonally.  Pinch the edges, sealing them tightly, and flatten out all bubbles along the edge. Fry the wontons in hot oil until brown and crispy.  Allow to drain and dry on a few paper towels.  Serve warm.   

Relay for Life recap

June 20 and 21st was my biggest weekend of the year.  I was part of the Upper Cape Relay for Life, which is a fundraiser for the American Cancer Society.  All year long I prepare for Relay weekend. I am a captain of the team "Nana's Angels".  We raise money for many loved ones, including in memory of Jackie Crockett, who was the Mom of a lifelong friend of mine, and in support of my Dad, who is an 11 year survivor.

As a whole, the Upper Cape Relay for Life raised $71,208.24 this year.  That is a pretty mind blowing number.  The money raised goes to help people who cannot afford early testing or treatment, get the help that they need.  The Relay For Life helps more people fight cancer and live longer lives.  Celebrating more birthdays is what we, as fundraisers, aim to do.

The Police Officers standing guard during the National Anthem

Kennedy singing the National Anthem

A cancer survivor speaking to the crowd

Luminaria bags line the track

Camp Nana's Angels

The survivor lap

That's my Dad.  He is hope. 

At night, the candles inside the luminaria bags are lit

They stay lit throughout the night, 

lining the track for all of the walkers, walking in support. 

And each year the word "HOPE" is lit up by luminarias on the bleachers. 

A little catch up.

I'm so sorry.  I'm way behind on posts.  I promise, I've been very busy preparing meals and crafts to post on here, but it seems lately that every second I get to sit down at the computer (or phone) is sucked up by emails or other business.  Let me tell you a little about what's been new in my life.

First of all, I am heavy into fundraising for the upcoming relay for life.  As some of you know, I try to raise as much money each year to help people battling cancer. My Dad is a survivor and I hope and pray that many more people get to live long happy lives because of the fundraising that I do.  This past weekend we had our big vendor blender to raise money for our cause.  Our team had over 20 vendors come together.  We hired Cinderella to do a meet and greet and photo opportunity.  We had a face painter come.  We had crafts and music. There were lots of raffles.  It was a wonderful day. This coming weekend is our big painting weekend.  We hired an art company to come teach a painting class.  Each person interested has registered to paint with us that night and the company is donating a portion of each registration fee to our fund.  After that, the big weekend is the Relay for Life weekend which takes place on June 20 and 21st.  We will have raffles, games, crafts and lots of other ways to raise as much as we can.

So the next big thing in my life lately is the fact that I have registered for my very first 5K!  It is a little shocking for me to be typing that.  I am doing a mud run/obstacle course in August.  So now my training begins.  And I hate running.  lol  What did I get myself into?!?!  I'm taking my gym time to the next level, training as hard as I can.  Building muscle, running intervals, trying to get my body into decent enough shape. It is hard but I am proud.  I'm feeling great and starting to see improvements in my body.  It's definitely not perfect or even pretty, but its getting stronger!

So bear with me.  I am working hard on making sure I have some pretty clever ideas for you all on the blog soon.  Check back with me often, follow me on Pinterest, and if you haven't already, check me out on Facebook.  I'll be back posting regularly soon!

Because we're happy!

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Jump, Jump!

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