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~ My 1st 1/2 Marathon! ~







So, I did my 1st have marathon on the 27th. Did it go as planned, no it did not.  But did I finish, yes I did!

The weather was just flat our horrible... rained the whole time (not to mention it was cold)!  Even while waiting for it to start!  We were drenched by the time we actually started.

The whole experience was simply amazing.  I seen people in wheelchairs from people running bare foot!  The spectators, AKA our cheerleaders, were everywhere.  Most were making it a tailgate party, but still... the cheering, the signs, everything just make you want to push yourself.

Mile 8 my thighs were bothering me along with my left knee, but I tried keeping up the pace... I would alternate jogging and walking.  Come mile 10, my legs were done, I had to power walk the rest.  I did try to run, but it wouldn't work.  I did jog (slowly) past that finish line though!  I was determined not to walk across!

Should I have trained harder? Yes, I take full responsibility in that! :) I plan on doing the one next year, so all I can do is beat my PR, right?  The only one I technically have.

My goal was to finish in at least 2:30, I really wanted to finish in 2:15, but the 2:30 would have been fine.  I finished at 2:44:08.

5K was 34:16
10K was 1:10:08
9.9 Mile was 1:57:17

As you can see my pace was slowing down.  But listen, I'm not discouraged at my time, I am extremely proud of myself, I just know I have to train harder next time!

Oh, and I bought a Iphone case that is water proof along with a set of headphones.  The case was great, didn't get my phone wet, the headphones sucked!  Let me know if you want the brand name!
After I got done, I couldn't feel my hands, couldn't take my phone out of the case, couldn't open my water, my snacks, etc.  I literally just wanted to lay down and wait for someone to find me, I was that cold... shivering.  If it wouldn't have been raining, it would have fine.

Here are a few pictures that my mom got.  I refuse to buy the professional ones, because they charge like $29.95 just to download 1 photo, yes 1!! If there was just a flat out AMAZING one, yes I'd download, but come on... your running.. how cute can you look? I wish we would have gotten a finish photo... but sadly we didn't.


My fellow running buddy!

Crossing the line, the one in the blue shirt and black shorts.

Reunited with my peeps!  COLD!!


My bib and my finishers metal!



Oh, also I ran with my Pace DJ app going!  I strongly suggest this if you have a problem keeping a pace!

Long story short... if you put your mind to something, do it, DO NOT let others tell you that you can't! Prove them wrong! Finish it! It doesn't matter your time, just finish!  Be proud of yourself for this accomplishment!  Next year... I'm hoping I can get my stepsister to do it! 




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~ Instagram Recap ~

Just another week in the life of me! If you'd like to follow me... please do so here!

4-24-13 I received this in the mail from Melissa!  I actually plan to do my nails tonight while catching up on some TV.

4-25-13 Never in my life have I found a 4 leaf clover!  Of course, I wasn't searching every day. Today I found one!  I was hoping it would bring my luck for the 1/2 marathon. I guess you can say in a way it did... I finished it. :)
4-26-13 This was an attempt to make a Mother's Day bowl with my niece (for her mom).  It didn't turn out how I wanted, so I will try again.  The original post that I got the idea from can be found here.

4-27-13 This was before the start of my very first 1/2 marathon!  It didn't go as planned... but I did finish it! Be on the lookout for a post about it. 




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~ Spinach and Ricotta Stuffed Shells ~

Super tasty and filling dish courtesy of My Recipes.

You'll need:
  • 2 cups of Marinara
  • Cooking spray
  • 2 1/2 cups ricotta cheese
  • 1/2 cup grated fresh Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
  • Salt and pepper (to taste)
  • 1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, drained, and squeezed dry
  • 1 large egg yolk
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 24 cooked jumbo pasta shells




Just some information for ya:  They do have the frozen spinach at Kroger, 10 ounces of it, I put it the microwave to thaw it out and hand squeezed it, pretty simple.  The jumbo shells are ones you find at Kroger and Walmart.  I thought it called for the BIG BIG BIG ones.. like that fit in the palm of your hand, do they even make those? But it's right... it calls for jumbo.. that's the correct size.

Preheat oven to 350.

Spread 1/2 cup of the marinara over bottom of a 13X19 inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Combine ricotta, Parmesan, onion powder, oregano, salt, pepper, spinach, egg yolk, and garlic clove in a large bowl.

Posted this to Instagram with the caption "What are the Yeager's cooking tonight".

Spoon in this filling into the cooked shells.  Arrange the shells in the dish, you might have to squish the last few in there. Then spread the remaining marinara over the shells.  Cover and bake for 30 minutes.  We added some more Parmesan on top of the shells just because we are cheese lovers!







Those 4 seriously filled us up... actually 3 did.  We ate lunch around 2 and dinner around 7:30 so it's not like we ate our meals too close to each other.

I hope you enjoy yours as much as we enjoyed ours.

~ Instagram Recap ~

I'd love for you to follow me on Instagram: Tyeager

Just my little recap of what I posted this week:



4-15-13 These shoes came in white or pink.  I would have rather liked the white, but we all know how white can get?!?


4-16-13 Given the recent events from the Boston Marathon on 4/15 I figured it only appropriate to wear a running shirt the next day.




4-16-13 Just enjoying the nice TN weather before it got cold again.



4-20-13 And back to cold weather.  I told my husband once the AC comes on, it stays on.  I shoved my foot in my mouth, because I woke up to this Saturday morning!  I caved in and turned on the heat!  I figured it was ok since it was going to be 37 that night.

4-20-13 I am NOT a photographer.  If I'm good at photographing anything, it's landscapes, not people. So when I took pictures for a friend on Saturday, I totally impressed myself! 97 pictures, I had 10 that I loved!






~ Throwback to CMA Fest 2012 ~

Thanks to my ramble post the other day, I had a spontaneous blog idea to post about the CMA Fest for those that don't know about it. 

If you are a country music fan, you know what the CMA Fest is!  You might not have been to 1, but you've heard about it.  If you haven't been to 1, you seriously need to go!  Just 1 time will get you hooked!

We had 7 tickets, 5 of which belonged to 5 different individuals.  So the other 2 tickets I sold to friends of mine that couldn't make the 4 days. So each day we had new people to share the experience with!  It was seriously such a blast!!  When you get 7 girls together, fun stuff happens!  I would post a video of the McDonalds visit we had at 1am, but I think it was one of those "you had to be there" moments.  And also that time when we tested out those funky jelly beans.  You know the ones that taste like dog food or chocolate...... licorice or skunk..... you get the drift.  Out of the hundreds they had in their little boxes, I guarantee you NONE of them were the good kind of jelly beans!

The CMA Fest is 4 days of nonstop FUN! You will see loads of performers and even have a chance to meet them. I do have to admit though since they changed EVERYTHING last year, it wasn't as much fun.  But since last year was the first run through, they might have realized their mistakes and fix them. I sure hope so!

The daily stuff is free to the public, although if you have a 4 day pass (nightly concerts) then you get in like 30 minutes early to the free concerts (getting your grass seat). The daily free concerts are either performers that aren't so big anymore and also some that are up and coming performers that you've heard of, but not necessarily Carrie Underwood, Keith Urban, etc.

There are TONS of vendors up and down Broadway from free ice cream, testing products, beer, mini concerts, dog adoptions, jelly bean testing, etc.

Before the CMA Fest takes place you can register to win to meet and greets with certain artists. It's like a lottery.  You can win multiple ones or none.  You never know.  This is what they changed that I hated.  The 1st year I went it was like Black Friday running into the convention center to get in the line of the performer you want to meet! It was GREAT!

Here are just a few of my favorite snapshots I got from the free concerts in 2012:

Love and Theft

Montgomery Gentry. They were the opening act, so a bigger performer than the rest.

Kip Moore

Jana Kramer! Met her the previous year, she is SUCH A SWEETHEART!


The only lottery that I won last year was an acoustic performance with Love and Theft.  There were about 30-40 of us in a little barn built by HGTV.  I did also get a chance to meet Chris Lambton (on bachelor and HGTV), but I couldn't make it in time to get my tickets.



Then of course, each night... the BIG performers come out!  I think it's ABC that videos the concerts and then like in September they put it all into 2 hours for people to watch.  Pretty entertaining.
With 4 days tickets, whether you are in nose bleed or front row, you can get in a line that goes in front of the stage.  You basically get herded like cows, if you're lucky and the workers don't see you and push you through you can stay there for awhile, but if not... you are pushed through so quickly that you can barely enjoy it.

Here are some shots I got while getting herded through the line! :)

Miranda Lambert

Brantley Gilbert

Jake Owen

Carrie Underwood

Luke Bryan

Alan Jackson


Anyway, if you have a chance to go to this, please take it!!!! Also, if you have any questions or are more curious about it, feel free to hit me up!  I'd love to talk about it!

~ Sip, Read, and Swap ~



Back in March I signed up for my 2nd swap!
Swapping with people you don't know and getting to know that person is just so much fun!

I was linked up with Kim at The K.O. Story!  It's pretty ironic that I was linked up with her.  She is a wedding planner, for those of you that don't know me that's always been my dream to do that.  I did start up a business, but unaware of what the future was to hold, my partner and I decided not to renew our license.  I still help out whenever I can if someone needs it. What we both liked reading was on total different ends of the spectrum, but it was super fun to rack my brain for something to get her.  When you have a second, hop on over to her page, check her out! ♥


I received my package on Monday.  My husband actually opened it, we were supposed to get a long awaited package from Kirby (super long story)! He opens the package and pulls out the card.  Starts to read it and was like "Whoa, this isn't for me".  So he calls me and asked who Kim was... then realized that it was my swap partner that I've been talking about.
I couldn't wait to get home!  The box was rather big, but come on, shipping a book and a coffee cup can be quite the search when it comes to boxes!

I had sent her a few options of what to get and explained to her that I couldn't EVER find anything with a Y on it.  She looked and looked, couldn't find anything.  In her words, she was a bit "stubborn" and insisted that I get a Y mug. I literally laughed out loud when I read that in her sweet card she included.  So, what do you do when you can't find something you're looking for? HAND MAKE IT!!! And that's exactly what she done!


I mean, come on!!! Isn't that cute!!!! And not to mention this cup is huge!!! There are gold dots all over and on the side of the cup there is the all mighty Y! :)  I've drank out of it the past 2 mornings and will continue to do so! :)

Now for the books, which by the way she found on SALE! Can't beat that, right?!? :)  I started reading Nora Roberts recently (Bride Quartet and Boonsboro Inn) so she got a book that sounded good, The Search.  Being she found that one on sale, she was able to get a 2nd one!  The 2nd was is one of her favorites, which she mentioned I might like because of Nora Roberts.  This was is called No Place Like Home by Mary Higgins Clark. I actually think I've heard of this author before. I can't wait to read these! 



I was in a bad rut with books...but since my other swap and now this one... I'm set for awhile! :)

If you come across a swap, it's a great idea to get included in on it.  And don't forget, go check Kim's blog out! 




~ Please excuse me while I organize my thoughts ~

I am busy!
Very!
But I do it to myself!
I like to be busy!
Summer and warmer weather is also creeping up....which makes me even busier (if you consider busy by laying by the water).

Sometimes just writing stuff down really helps me sort things out... so I'm going to ramble on about what I've got going on the next couple of months!  Months, yes!

This week I should be getting my swap box from Kim at The KO Story. Super excited to see what I receive and I hope she likes what she got! ♥

I have a wedding to attend this Friday, the 19th. So far for the month of April, I've had 2 on Friday's.  Isn't that pure craziness!  The last one was my dear friend Karen that renewed her vows because they didn't have a wedding when they originally got married!

Isn't she beautiful!
That weekend we will be celebrating my stepfather's birthday!  Probably a little cooking out! Plan on bringing the pups out to my moms to have a reunion with their dog cousin (Bubba).  It's been awhile since they've seen each other! Let's hope the reunion goes well!

The 27th is my very FIRST 1/2 marathon!  I'm hoping this TN weather won't bring on the humidity! Humidity here is horrible!  My training isn't going as well as expected, but I'll finish it!

Then on May 4th is The Original Mud Run in Franklin, TN. I love mud runs!  They are just super fun and usually are for a great cause.  This one benefits The Special Olympics.  We usually do Tough Mudders (our 3rd is in September), which benefits The Wounded Warrior Project. Then from there we go to a KY Derby party! Here is a picture from last years KY Derby party, no we didn't dress up. :(


Sometime after May 4th I want to go spelunking. What is that you ask? Spelunking is a person that explores caves.  Is cave exploring for me?  Not sure, but it's worth a shot.  I'm going to do the Intro to Caving first, then if I like that I will do the Wild Cave Tour.  I'm super excited about that.

Memorial Day is also in May, which is kinda the opening of pool/water season. A good friend of mine is opening her pool for the first time, so Memorial Day is soaking up some of those rays! 

Also, in May I will be meeting up with Amber from My Three Bittles!  She is coming to TN for her sisters graduation, we plan on having some coffee or maybe hit up Panera Bread!  I'm hoping she will do the spelunking with us too! :)

Also in May be on the lookout for a new linkup (regarding TV show recaps) that Angela over at  Adventures To Remember and I will be hosting.  We are looking for another co-host, so if your interested in it, please email me!

So, there is May!  On to June:

June is the best month of all!!!  If your from around here or are a country music fan you've heard of the CMA Fest!  I've been 3 years in a row, but this year I decided to skip out.  Do I regret it? Yes!  Do I want to go now? Yes!  We had a lovely group of 7 girls last year go!


Saturday night was by far the best night of the concerts, only because Luke Bryan was playing!  

 I seriously wish I would have renewed tickets and if I didn't or couldn't go, believe me, I could have sold them! This makes me want to do a CMA Fest 2012 recap... so I guess if your interested, be on the lookout! However, I do plan on going to the free stuff downtown this year. I am also in the process of trying to buy some tickets from a couple that we met the 1st year that isn't able to go this year (they are smart and renew their's every year).

June is also our vacation month, we will be going to Orlando with Steven's family.  The day we leave Orlando to come home is actually the day some friends of ours are getting married in Pensacola. So we are going to look into doing some switch-a-roos with our plane tickets to see if we can make their beach wedding.

So does this post make your head spin? Haha!  It does me, but I feel a little better about putting it all out there! :) I'm a very organized person, maybe that explains it?

~ Instagram Recap ~

If you don't follow me on Instagram you should.  Follow me here: Tyeager

Just a little recap of the pictures I posted this week:

4-7-13 Sarah exhausted from playing Frisbee.  It was rather warm out and her poor coat is just so thick.

4-9-13 A lovely rainbow.  A double one showed up shortly after but my lovely Iphone didn't really capture it all that well.
4-10-13 The first steak we cooked on the grill.  I'd have to say it was mighty delicious!
4-11-13 Spicy Tuna Salad from Fujiyama!  This is seriously the best salad EVER!!! It sets my mouth on fire near the end of it, but I still order it every time we go there. Super addicting!

~ Vodka Pasta ~

This is an extremely easy dish and can be very good, just make sure you cook the vodka off! The first time I did it, I didn't let simmer it long enough and it tasted like PURE vodka!

You'll need:
  • 1 box of penne
  • 3 cups of marinara
  • 1 cup of vodka
  • 1/2 cup of heaving whipping cream (at room temp)
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan 
  • salt and pepper


I'm not going to tell you how to cook your noodles, it's pretty self explanatory.

As for the vodka sauce.... you'll want to put the marinara and vodka in a sauce pan and simmer for awhile.  As for how long, it's up to you.  Keep tasting it... eventually the vodka taste will die down, just depends how strong you want it. Personally... I'd say like 5 minutes or so.
You'll then stir in your heaving whipping cream, then remove from the heat.



 
Add the Parmesan (I like to add MORE, I ♥ cheese!) and salt and pepper to your liking. 

You can add your noodles to this or leave it separate and combine it to your liking when you eat.  I personally like to have more sauce than noodles so I never combine my sauce and noodles into 1 pan.





Bam! There you have it, vodka pasta! 
After you eat this, you'll never buy it from the jar again!

Enjoy! 

P.S. Mandie... I hope this one you can use (she can't eat seafood and I've posted alot of recipes with seafood, she called me out at our friends wedding we attended).  :)  The heat cooks out the alcohol, so you should be good!
 

~ Maggie and her Frisbee PhotoShoot ~

I've never really gotten to use our Canon as much as I want to. 
So, the weather was absolutely gorgeous this weekend, we took advantage of this opportunity!
I've always wanted to get a great shot of Maggie catching her Frisbee mid air.  This time she mainly just waited for it to hit the ground and roll, she barely jumped up to catch it, I guess she knew she was the model and didn't want to participate. Regardless we got some pretty interesting pictures. There is always next time to get that so called "PERFECT" shot!

Enjoy!



This is literally the only one she jumped up to get although we didn't get it mid air, oh well!


This one is just plain scary! Her skin is very weird.


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