holidays – Page 2 – This Crazy Life of Mine

12
Dec
2014

Friday Happiness & Giveaway Winner

categories: 5K, Autumn, Best Damn Race, bikes, Christmas, Friday, giveaway, giving back, half-marathon, happiness, holidays, Jingle Bikes For Kids, Milestones Sports Jewelry & Apparel, niece, race, running, Santa's Twilight 5K, Toys For Tots, virtual run, winner

Life is so busy these days as they always are during the holiday season. So much going on and my blogging time has taken a back seat. But I wanted to take a few minutes to share some Friday happiness and announce the winner of my 26.2 Bangle Bracelet giveaway…

1. We delivered 10 bikes to Toys For Tots this morning for our beloved Jingle Bikes For Kids program hubby and I started in 2011. This was our third year and it will continue in 2015 as well. Here is the back story behind our cause, in memory of my dad. It feels to good to give back. We are thankful for the bikes donated to us this year.

2. Our house at Christmas… I am a sucker for Christmas decorations. I love our tree and how mismatched the ornaments are – they all have special meaning. This year was the first since since bringing Blue home in 2011 that we have put the tree in the main living room. It’s been in the family room every other year to keep him from bothering it. The addition of the fireplace media center is a wonderful thing and adds to the coziness of it all.

3. We are running two races this weekend. This should be interesting since I have not run since Space Coast Marathon. The last few days I’ve finally not been sore and I feel like I can get out there again. All that’s left is my bruised big toe. I fear I am going to lose the nail… But alas, we are doing the Santa’s Twilight 5K tomorrow night on Honeymoon Island. On Sunday morning, we are running a virtual half marathon for Best Damn Race Cape Coral. I am looking forward to both very much!

4. My niece Autumn! We had a girls day last weekend and it was too much fun. She’s 7 now and so much fun shopping and having silly conversations with. She makes great company and is so considerate. I so treasure our time together.

5. And I have a winner for the 26.2 Bangle Bracelet from Milestones Sports Jewelry… I was so happy about the number of entries I received for this! I am very excited to announce that the random winner is…… Angelina from Run.Chew.Sparkle. Congrats Angelina! I will contact you via email!

Stay tuned soon as I will be working more with Milestones Sports Jewelry and will soon have a discount code so you can save 10% off any item in their store!

29
Dec
2013

Favorite posts of 2013

categories: #11in2013, 2013, Autumn, Best Damn Race, Best Damn Race Ambassador, Big Brothers Big Sisters of Pinellas County, Big Couple, blog, bloggers, Bon Jovi, bridge repeats, bridges, Christmas, Daddy, Daughtry, family, goals, grief, Half Fanatics, half marathon playlist, half-marathon, holidays, hot yoga, hubby, inspiration, Instagram, Jingle Bikes For Kids, Little Brother, Live Life Active, miss you, motivation, Orlando, progress, running, Trader Joe's, vlog, weekend, weight loss, Weight Watchers 360

Another year is coming to an end… As I look through posts from this past year, it’s amazing how much has happened, how much was accomplished. Running, weight loss, personal growth, and more…. My blog has turned out to be the best form of a scrapbook I have ever done. And now it’s time for me to share my favorite posts of 2013. Since I just shared all my race recaps for 2013 yesterday, I did not include those in this list…

I have so much to look forward to in 2014 and continuing my blog is one of them. I hope you’ll stay with me and follow along!

Have a safe and Happy New Year! I hope you have a wonderful 2014!

25
Dec
2013

Merry Christmas!

categories: Christmas, family, greetings, holiday, holidays

As I spend today with my family, I wanted to wish you all a Merry Christmas!

However you spend your day and celebrate this holiday, I hope you have a special day!

15
Dec
2013

Race Recap ~ Santa’s Twilight 5K

categories: 5K, beach, Christmas, Dunedin, event, friends, fun, holidays, Honeymoon Island, hubby, PR, race, race recap, Santa's Twilight 5K, sunset

Saturday night was only my second night race that I’ve done and it was so much fun! Hubby and I, along with our friend Corinna, did the Santa’s Twilight 5K on Honeymoon Island in Dunedin. It was only the second year and I didn’t get to do it last year because I was sick. I was excited to do it this year.

The weather was nice, but very windy. Thankfully it wasn’t warm, it was on the cool side. We wore shorts, red shirts, and fun twinkling Santa’s hats! I’m so glad hubby thought to get them. It made it really fun and festive.

We arrived at Honeymoon Island early and just in time for a beautiful sunset. You know me and sunsets…. I took too many photos, but I couldn’t resist. I am just drawn to the water and the amazing colors of the sun at the end of the day…

I also took what may be my most favorite finish line photo ever. I have decided that all finish lines should be along the water and have beautiful twinkling lights like this one. So pretty!

The race started just after 7pm when it was dark. We all had glow necklaces to wear and we knew the course would have luminaries to light the way. And of course we had our fabulous twinkling hats!

Finally, we were off! We started towards the back to let the crowd thin out. Santa Claus was at the start line cheering everyone on as they started, The kids who were running were so excited!

I had not run all week and I was so excited to get out there. It just felt great! Thankfully, my baby toe that I busted last Tuesday did not hurt.

My first mile was the slowest, just trying to get around everyone. Just before Mile 2, the crowds thinned out and I was able to run a really nice pace. I ran the entire distance, no walk breaks. It was a really nice course and it was fun to see all the lights and the costumes of the other runners. I knew that I was finishing my fastest 5K race when I was almost at the finish just before 29 minutes. I finished strong at 30:56 with an average pace of 09:38 per mile. Pretty darn good!

After we all finished, we waited in line for what might be the best post-race goodies ever. Hot chocolate with marshmallows, a banana, cookies, and chocolate dipped pretzels. Sugar rush!

It was really a fun time. I always enjoy doing races with hubby and my friend Corinna. It’s such a fun way to stay active and earn a cool medal to add to our collections. This race will definitely be on my list for 2014!

And of course, now I have a new 5K goal in mind… It’s time to tackle a sub-30 5K. I know I can do it! I am even more determined to do it after seeing the official race results and how I placed. Wow!

Have you run any Christmas races this month?

14
Dec
2013

Another successful year for Jingle Bike For Kids…

categories: bikes, charity, Daddy, giving, giving back, holidays, hubby, Jingle Bikes For Kids, memories, Toys For Tots

This was our second year collecting bikes for kids. Hubby and I started Jingle Bikes For Kids last year and knew we had to do it again this year. We hope to do it every year, bigger and better each time.

Last week, our collection of bikes grew as we picked up several and one was delivered to us. We just loved seeing all the bikes in our garage. Last year, we delivered them directly to the Toys For Tots distribution center. This year, we decided to deliver them to the Toys For Tots toy drive at the Walmart in Oldsmar. It was a beautiful, cool morning and it was such a fun time.

We had a total of 13 bikes this year. There is nothing like seeing a truck full of bikes headed down the road to deliver. Hubby and I also purchased helmets for any that did not have them. In addition to the two bikes we purchased ourselves, we would like to thank:

Nancy D. (my mom)
Nick & Jenna D. (my brother and sister-in-law)
Erika G.
Corinna B.
Caroline C.
Carey & Melissa Birch
Tori & Patrick
Carol & Ken Lynch

Magic 94.9 and Fox 13 were broadcasting live and the 501st Legion was there. It was very festive!

And now, I will let my pictures tell the rest of the story…

When we delivered the bikes, all I could think about is how proud my dad would be to see all those bikes lined up. He loved nothing more than making a child happy at Christmas, and we hope to carry this on yearly to honor that wonderful Christmas spirit that my dad had.

If you have any questions about Jingle Bikes For Kids, or if you would like to donate a bike in 2014, please feel free to contact me at nanci.cernak@yahoo.com or via our Facebook page.

Tag: holidays