My Thanksgiving and My Favorite Black Friday Deals

Thanksgiving Day was great! I started my day off with a Turkey Trot and then went home to finish up my cooking. We ate about 2:00 p.m. and the food was great. We had turkey, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables, rolls and sparkling apple cider. We also had smoked turkey breast from Honeybaked since my daughter loves it and insisted on it. Grandma made her famous Harvey Wallbanger cake for dessert which is to die for!

 

My dogs were upset that they were not included in the Thanksgiving feast but they did have their own little Thanksgiving doggy feast. The remainder of the evening was spent reading through the Black Friday ads and planning out our shopping for the next day. We headed out the door at 5:00 a.m. for Black Friday shopping and the stores were dead. I guess everyone started their shopping on Thanksgiving Day which I vowed not to do.

I actually did most of my shopping online since most stores offered some great deals before Black Friday. Most of my shopping is done and I have very few people left to buy for. I won’t bore you with everything that I bought but I think that this is the best deal that I scored on Black Friday. 

The tumbler offered at $10.00 off the regular price of $75.00 on Black Friday and since I have a Target REDCard, I got another 5% off the price! DEAL! The Espresso Refill Tumbler grants me one free grande espresso drink of my choice with all of the extras every day in January, 2014. This is a great deal for me even though I know that I will not go every single day in January.

Oh and the cutest Black Friday deal that I scored was these red sweaters for my little fur family. They were not impressed with the deal but they sure looked cute in them! 

How was your Thanksgiving?

Did anyone else invest in the Starbucks Espresso Refill Tumbler?

Three Things Thursday

1. I was so excited to find out that my Caramel Brulee Latte as well as the other holiday drinks have returned to Starbucks for the holiday season! I knew they were coming soon because everyone has been posting about the return of the holiday cups! Now I have to be even more careful with a bowl full of Halloween candy at home and Caramel Brulee Lattes at Starbucks! Life is full of tough choices!

2.I have not had any shin pain at all this week. Normally I can feel the pain just by touching my shin but it his not there. I ran 5.5 miles on Monday and I am planning on running another 7 miles this weekend to give my shin a test run. I have decided to go with a size 8-1/2 in the Mizunos since bigger is better than smaller, right? I am praying for a great run with no pain afterwards.  My marathon training is three weeks off schedule and I am not sure what is going to happen if I don't catch up soon. Worst case scenario is that I run the half marathon instead.

3. I am sure you are all tired of hearing about my home refinancing issues but I will update you anyway. The new closing date for my loan has been rescheduled to November 19th. It better happens this time since Christmas is right around the corner and I don't want to be stressing out over this in the month of December.

What is your favorite holiday drink from Starbucks?

Pumpkin Spice Lattes and My Trial Run

So this trial run has been on my To Do List for the past couple of days and I have not done it.  I said I was going to do it yesterday and just didn't. I thought about it and then just decided that it was better to just stay in bed and do it tomorrow. I even told myself that even if I didn't run that I would go to the morning spin class but I skipped that too! I have did a busy day yesterday which included getting my teeth cleaned, pet food shopping, lunch at CPK, and gift shopping for a family birthday party that we are attending today but that has nothing to do skipping out on my run.

Today I woke up early and almost got up to go for that run 10 times and just didn't do it again!   The weather was perfect but that still wasn't enough to get me to do it. I thought to myself if I try to go for this run and my shin is still hurting it is going to ruin my day and I wasn't in the mood to feel like that today. I didn't get out of my bed until 8:00 am which almost never happens! Instead of running, I suggested that we grab some pumpkin spice lattes and then take the puppies to get their shots. Great idea, right? I have never tried a pumpkin spice latte and it was actually really good so now I understand what the hype is all about. 

The puppies got their shots today so they are not very happy with us say the least. They get really quiet and actually stay calm for a change. They are 19 weeks old today and are getting so big! Jackie weighs 8.2 pounds and Chiquita weights 6.6 pounds.

The rest of my day includes haircuts for the boys and then the birthday party. My trial run is not in the plan for the remainder of the day. Will it happen tomorrow? I really don't know!  I am not sure what is wrong with me but I really need to get my running mojo back! 

What do you do when you feel like you are losing your running mojo? 

My Very First Giveaway: A Few of My Favorites!

In celebration of my One Year Blogiversary, which happened back in June (oops), one lucky reader will receive all of the following. All of these items that I am giving away are some of my favorites that I want to share with you. 

1) 3 GU gels: I cannot live without this stuff on my long runs and during races! These are a few of my favorite flavors!

2) nuun:  This is one of my favorite forms of hydration! Fruit Punch is my favorite flavor and I hope you like it too!

3) Body Glide: After my first marathon I knew that Body Glide was a must and it works wonders for me! No more chafing for me!

4) Nathan Handheld Hydration Bottle: I always carry my own hydration no matter the distance since this summer has been crazy hot! I love this Nathan handheld hydration bottle because there is no top to open. All you have to do is squeeze it!

5) $15 Starbucks Card: I always reward myself with my favorite Starbucks drink after a good run and I want you to do the same! My favorite drink is a Soy Caramel Brule' Latte that only comes out during the holidays.  I can hardly wait!!

 DON'T YOU LOVE THE BONUS STICKER THAT I AM THROWING IN??

To Enter this Giveaway all you have to do is:

+1: Follow my blog Boston Bound Brunette via Google Friend Connect and leave me a comment telling me that you are a follower!

For Bonus Entries you can do these things too:

+1: Blog about this Giveaway and send me the link in a comment.

+1: Follow me on Twitter: Tweet about this Giveaway and then send me the link of your tweet in a comment.

+1: Follow me on Instagram (bostonboundbrunette) then leave me a comment telling me you follow me on Instagram.

The giveaway ends at midnight (local time) on September 17, 2012 and is open to anyone who wants to join! The entries will be numbered based on the order that they are received and the winner will be selected via random.org. The winner will be announced on September 18, 2012 and the winner must respond via email within 3 days of the announcement or an alternate winner will be selected. 

GOOD LUCK!!

Happy Friday!

Or should I be saying Happy Friday the 13th?  For some reason Friday the 13th makes me feel like I should be very cautious! When I drove out of my garage at 4:30am to head to work, there was a black cat sitting on my front lawn. Great! I guess I am feeling a little superstitious today.  

I don't have any big plans for the weekend, but I am excited about my long 13 mile run that I have planned! This will be the longest distance that I will attempt since my half marathon on May 6th so I am kind of excited about it.  Other than my long run, I have lots of small things that I need to get done like haircuts for the boys, Costco shopping and dinner at my favorite Thai restaurant tonight. I can hardly wait!

If you haven't heard, Starbucks is giving away Free Refreshers today from Noon-3pm.  I tried a sample of the Very Berry Hibiscus and it was pretty good. I really enjoyed the blackberries they put into it!  Stop by and pick one up today to beat the heat. I know I will be getting one!

Have a Great Weekend!

Any long runs on the agenda this weekend?  

The weather has been pretty crazy this week in Southern California so I am looking forward to an early morning long run that does not include the treadmill!

Progress

I feel like the pain in my leg is starting to feel better.  I haven't actually ran yet but I feel like I am making some progress since the pain associated with other forms of cardio is minimal.  On Friday, I did 30 minutes of the elliptical and did a speed walk/jog on the treadmill for a mile.  There was no pain but lots of fear in my mind so I didn't dare push it!  I had no pain the following day so I will attempt the same today at the gym and maybe try an extra half mile on the treadmill.

On another note, I am thrilled to tell you that I have two weeks until I complete the final course of the MPA program!  I will have a Master's degree!! Yippee!!  I wasn't going to participate in the commencement in June but everyone thinks that I should so maybe I will. The next two weeks will be very intense as I have lots of reading and studying to do!  I am nervous about the whole thing but I have to do it! It kind of keeps my mind off of running too which is a good thing right now.

Without running in my life, things are really different.  Everyone's schedule is usually based around my training and my race schedule but not anymore.  I am hoping that this will soon change.  I miss running so much and I can't wait to get back out there!!  I am probably going to be overly cautious at first but eventually those fears will go away and life will be back to "normal" again.

Have a great Sunday!  I will be spending most of my day reading! FUN! I have tons of it to catch up on!  I am off to Starbucks to grab a Caramel Brule Latte to keep me awake. Starbucks is an expensive habit but I have figured out a way to support it for the most part and it costs me almost nothing!

What are your Sunday plans?  What is your favorite drink from Starbucks? Are you a Starbucks addict like me?