Half Marathon...in Blacksburg!

Calling all runners!!
Come run the beautiful streets and trails of Blacksburg with me this fall!
Announcing: The Hokie Half Marathon September 15, 2013

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SO PUMPED FOR THIS!
For those who know Blacksburg, you are probably thinking this won't be the easiest race. And you are right.  It starts at the CRC, runs down South Main St all the way to the mall, runs down the length of the Huckleberry, runs up Preston, down Airport, then back on the Huckleberry and towards the CRC to the finish!
Definitely won't be the easiest half this season, but I'm excited to be a part of a new tradition in here Hokie country.
Ready to sign up yet??? :) Find registration here :)

Speaking of running...I've started my "Runner's Bucket List" which I would like to share on the blog soon to get some input! I'd love to see if any of y'all have run the races I have in mind! I'd also love some advice for taking the next step towards running a full. Keep an eye out for that!
Have a great week!

Sunday Verse

Yes, it is raining here today...but LET US REJOICE! The Lord has given us another day.

Have a happy Sunday :)  

I'm Currently Loving...

I sort of missed out on WILW, so today I'm going to share some things that I'm "currently loving"!
{Paper Straws}

I am just obsessed with these cute things! Especially if they're in a mason jar. Perfection. I'm thinking of getting some for my graduation party...any idea where I can find them in stores? :)
{Beach Themed Bathrooms}

I got to paint/decorate the half bath at home & I went with a beach theme.  I painted the walls a bright coral color, however I love this soft blue as well! I really like the idea of putting shells in some apothecary jars. I have so many shells from various beaches!   {Countdowns}

 And by last day of classes, I mean last day of everything undergrad! I don't have any finals scheduled for exam week so once the clock strikes 12:15 on May 7, I'm done. *time to partyyyyyyy!* Then we have 10 days to go after that until graduation!   {Sangria}

Citrusy Champagne Sangria

I tried sangria for the first time at the wedding! It was so delicious. Very fruity and I could hardly taste the wine...which was good and bad. I downed it! I want to try more sangria recipes now. I love sweet, fruity drinks so I'm excited to find new recipes. Do you know of any good ones?? 

What are y'all loving these days?
  Have a wonderful week! Almost FRIDAY!

Scott Wedding Festivities!

Announcing...Mr. & Mrs. Scott!
On April 13th we went to one of the BEST weddings I've ever been to! My older brother's best friend Corey married his other best friend Dayne.  James has known Dayne since high school and James and Corey were roommates at Longwood University.
A verrryyy long story short, James brought Corey & Dayne together and the rest is history! They are now newlyweds! James was the best man and I WISH I had his speech on film. It was so wonderful.
I had wayyyy too much fun eating, drinking, laughing and dancing the night away with my family and all of the people there. It's fun to go to weddings where you know lots of the guests!   Anyway, here's a few pictures to recap!   Their program {love the colors}:

These flowers at the end of the rows of seats were so gorgeous!

The bride standing strong as the wind pulled her veil/her whole body!:

Married!

Gorgeous!

Obviously I lovedddd this! Took a picture before they even had the sweet tea and lemonade in there!

Little brother:

Courtney, James' other BFF, and James:

Big brother:

The gorgeous Rockwood Manor:

Let's get this party started!

Table 20! Seriously love the flowers!

Fun favors {that Sadie tried to eat the next day...}:

FUNFETTI! Definitely my kinda wedding cake. Oh, and a beer. What a combo.

I cannot wait to see the professional photos when they're done! We literally did not leave the dance floor. A great mix of oldies, new jams, square dance songs, etc. I love weddings that turn into dance parties! They are so fun!
What are your favorite wedding styles? Dance parties or a more "chill" setting?
Happy Wednesday!!

Lilly Pulitzer for Estee Lauder!

True story. This was my conversation with the lady in Belk: "Hi, can I help you?" "Yes! To be honest, I really just want the Lilly gift with purchase. I've never bought Estee Lauder before!" "Okay! Let's see..." She then proceeded to find me something basic that would put me at the limit! {I ended up with some bronzer which I actually do love!}
No shame here. I couldn't pass up this ADORABLE make up bag. It came with some fun products inside, such as a mascara, a lipstick, some lotion and day creme, & a matching Lilly mirror!  

I love the size and shape of this cosmetic bag. Definitely cute to throw in your tote with your every day essentials!
Anyone else grab this GWP? Or one similar?

Sick & a Surprise Visitor!

Friday started off wonderfully! I went to kindergarten and celebrated being an American with the cutest little Americans that I know. We made eagle headbands and paraded around the room singing our George Washington and Liberty Bell songs! We also played for them God Bless the U.S.A. and, although they didn't know the words, by the end of the song they had caught along to the chorus and were singing along as Miss Willis and I tried to hold back our tears. During last week's craziness throughout our country it was heart warming to be able to talk about and celebrate our freedom with these precious kids. It was priceless!
However, fast forward a few hours and there I was on my couch from 2:00 pm until bedtime sick as a dog. Not fun! I guess that's what I get for spending my days with germy kids.
Friday was pretty rough - not to mention it rained all day long! - but then Saturday morning came and whoooo walked through the door at 9:15 am???

This guy!! <3
I don't even care that I look like a hot mess in that picture, it went public. Y'all have no idea how many times he has surprised me by driving home to see me. I still haven't be able to catch on this late in the game! I like to think I'm pretty sneaky, but I'm not. He had me fooled.   Needless to say, I was so happy to see him! I didn't think I'd be seeing him until the 9th of May or so. Definitely made me a happy girl. We had a really chill weekend - watched some baseball on TV and just hung out.  Wish I had been feeling better so we could have done more, but I know the purpose of his visit was just to spend time with each other no matter what we were doing...and that's exactly what we did!
I have the best mama, who made me food and yummy cold drinks to help me feel better, AND the best boyfriend who drove 6 hours to help me feel better!

Definitely feeling blessed.

p.s. 25 DAYS UNTIL GRADUATION, WHATUPPP!!!

Virtually Run the 3.2 for 32!

I carried my phone while I casually ran the 3.2 for 32 last Saturday.  I figured I could share the course with y'all on here! My Hokies can tell in these pictures where I am but I'll provide some commentary. Essentially, this "race" is HUGE. Thousands of people. It isn't really a race though - no time or anything. You wear a bib, but instead of a number it says "I run 3.2 for..." and then everyone writes in who/what they run for.  On my bib I always write "Austin, Mary & ALL Hokies <3" Releasing the 32 white balloons and thousands of maroon and orange balloons:

This year was sort of windy and tons of balloons got stuck in that tree. Awkward.

Running down West Campus about to go around the duck pond!

Just carrying a telephone pole:

These guys didn't beat me but the corps guys with huge heavy packs on did!

No pictures at the duck pond. So crowded! But there were two acapella groups to keep us motivated!

Some bagpipers across from Cassell to encourage us:

Heading into Lane:

Running through the tunnel:

Reach for excellence!

 Enter Sandman was playing. Any Hokie knows this is unreal:

Heading up the hill by Stadium Woods. My neighborhood to the right!

Back on the main campus area, turning the corner by Torg to the finish:

Finishing HOKIE strong!

Waited to watch my mama finish!

Wearing my "I Only Run in Maroon & Orange" shirt from the expo:

Love my Hokies.

Hokies love Boston

  Between the events in Boston & the anniversary of April 16th here in Blacksburg, I can't find the right words for this post.
All I will say is this: Boston, we are here for you, just as you were there for us six years ago.     Prayers.

Friday Five: 5 Favorite Grad Photos!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday! Man, I am SO glad that Friday is here. I have had a heck of a week! I substituted in a first grade class Mon-Wed and had soooo much fun. I worked Monday and Wednesday - which was an early release. We made kites that took about an hour to put together, and then five seconds to get unbelievably tangled. Thursday was a "normal" day...and I started a new workout video! Jillian Michaels' Ripped in 30. Have any of you done this video? Obviously I did level 1 and HOLY smokes it was pretty tough! I had done a bit of jump roping before hand so I was already a little sore from that (it's more of a workout than I remember!) but I'm hoping I get used to it!
Anyway, today is Friday and I am substituting in my kindergarten class! :) I have missed those babes so so so much during all of these sub days I've done so far. They are too cute when they see me with another class in the hall - they get so confused! It's like I'm cheating on them! I am so happy to get to spend the whole entire day with those sweet kids.
I'm going to leave you with a little Friday Five fun and share my 5 favorite pictures we took last weekend.  Mom and I went around campus to shoot some pictures to use for my graduation announcements. I'll share those later! :)
At Lane Stadium:

At War Memorial:

At Burruss:

Oh my gosh...I am in love with my school! The only reason I am "OK" with graduation is because I'm not moving away from Blacksburg quite yet! I can still take a jog or walk my pup through this beautiful campus anytime I want to :)  
I mean seriously...I could not say goodbye to this yet...

Tech, Tech, VPI til the day I die!

TGIF!