What I Love Wednesday, 2011 in Review

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So I have been waiting to put this together for a little while...I didn't start this blog until April of 2011, but I had a few exciting things that happened at the beginning of the year as well, so I will start there.  I thought what better way to recap such a rewarding year, than in a What I Love post...because although there were ups and downs, tough spots and glorious accomplishments, I loved my 2011 - and can't wait to make 2012 the best I can :)

Thanks Krystina!

January:

• My mom and I ran a half marathon through Disney World - her first half marathon ever - she made it a goal to do one for her 50th birthday (September 2010), and started training that week! She finished just over 2 hours which is amazing in my eyes, she was paced, smooth, and I was (am) so proud of her!

obligatory ride on Space Mountain with our medals of course! 

• I was asked to join the Luna Chix Boston Run Team - this was such an amazing opportunity that I am blessed to have been able to accept and be a part of for 2011, and one of which I hope to continue to contribute to and run with for the next several years to come.  I have some exciting things coming up with the Chix this spring, and I can hardly wait! These girls are truly amazing, talented, kind, and supportive - thanks ladies!

February:

• My family and I took our first family vacation together in almost 7 years! It was also my first time to Mexico, ever - and it was a gorgeous, sunny, eventful, at most times enjoyable event.  My family is not very great at the "get away all 5 of us together for a week in a far off place" kind of thing - but we all came back alive, I turned 24, got a great tan, stayed active, and saw some incredible cliff divers - oh, and we all came back in one piece, which was big, since there were tourists getting their heads cut off while we were there (Acapulco) 

March:

• I got Tripp to run a road race with me, and on the day of the St. Patty's Day parade at that! We then had an epic St. Patty's celebration following the race at our place in Southie

April:

• I started this wonderful piece of my life in the form of this blog and began my online relationships with some pretty incredible people (and by relationship, I might be refering to blog stalking, but anyways...) including all of my awesome readers and followers!
• I signed up for my first marathon - Amica Newport, RI Marathon
• I went to the Luna Chix Annual Summit out in Berkley, CA and met some crazy chix and had a great time trail running, yoga-ing, eating, and hoarding massive amounts of Luna bars home with me :)

May:

• Tripp, and I ran a 200-mile relay with a group of our close friends and we killed it with an 8:03 min/mi pace!

My awesome Van #1

LOVE night running - no lie

Handing off to Tripp after my first leg

• I took part in my first ever (and hopefully not last) Figawi experience - and made it out of the tent party alive to tell about it!!

June:

•  I ran my second ever 10k and set my new PR 44:49 - the BAA 10k

• I visited San Diego for the first time, got in some awesome runs and spent some time with an old friend
• I celebrated my good friend's Katie's Bachelorette party with her and some friends in Newport, RI

July:

• I officially started training for my fall marathon - on a week-by-week training schedule that I had devised from various sources and from activities I know I enjoy doing.  In hindsight, this was not the best strategy, and I would train a lot smarter next 26.2 (if I sign up) and stay on a healthy schedule

• We attended and helped cook the annual Burd Family Clam Bake

Since this is already pretty long...I will do a continuation tomorrow - but already I am getting nostalgic on the year, and really wanted to just re-post every amazing thing I could think of - but because I love you all, I thought I would stick to the highlights!

I just want to take a moment to thank you all again for either following along on this journey or just hopping on in the past couple of weeks.  I am hoping to get back to my early-stage posting soon....so thanks for sticking with me - I cherish and appreciate you all....stay tuned for August - December!
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When you look back on 2011 in its entirety, were you pleased with your choices and actions?

I honestly am - I took a lot unknown leaps last year, and they are all chances I am happy I took when I look back on them - not all of them were smart, but all of them taught me something in one way or another.

What kind of topics would you like to see more of on Happy, Healthy and Strong? 

Looking back at all of my old posts, I see a lot of change, and I am not sure I am happy with it - my content is not as exciting as it once was I fear - please help me make this a more enjoyable place for both of us :)