a life beyond running shoes.

in the midst of coming off of vacation and looking forward into the holiday season... i hunkered down with a few books to pass the time.   i will admit that i actually let my children watch just a bit too much tv while i was reading one of these. kitchen counter cooking school. by kathleen flynn. oh how i loved this one.  all these lovely women learning how to cook, use a knife, cut up a chicken.....learning about healthy options that don't cost too much.  and oh how i wish i had been in this class. to be on the journey of exploring food and cooking skills along others.... i was envious.  what a quick but fun read. it also includes recipes for simple things....like vinaigrettes.   i loved it...and have to thank my sister-in-law who recommended it to me over a year ago.  thanks, tiff! tiger in red weather . by liza klaussmann. well.....it was a bit 'gatsby' for me.  too indulgent, too long island, too much despair.  AND then there wa...

we got to really celebrate our 10th wedding anniversary.  sunrise. dinner at sunset. hiking.  shaved ice (aka snow cones) while watching surfing. more sunrises. snorkeling. despite the one day meeting that husband had (like the obligatory timeshare meeting that you have to sit through in order to get to stay there), we had an amazing time!! this was my first time snorkeling and i LOVED it!!! one of my highlights was running on the beach with hubbie.  funny how it takes vacation for us to see this activity as a luxury. it was amazing to finally get some nights away from kids and enjoy just having time together. thank you friends and family that helped make this happen!!! maybe it won't take over six years for us to do it again! and i read two books:   the weird sisters  by eleanor brown   and eddie would go by stuart holmes coleman:  one a novel threading shakespeare quotes through a story about sister all with fata...