The 30th birthday festivities started a little early on Sunday with an accidental surprise party.
My friends planned an early birthday pool party for me since my birthday falls on Father’s Day…and they forgot to tell me about it! I was teaching yoga on Sunday morning and after class one of my friends said, “I hope the weather stays nice today.” I said, “me too…I want to lay out.” I was secretly hoping in my head that she’d invite me over to her pool and then 5 minutes later they came back in the room and said, “You do know we’re having a party for you this afternoon, right?” I had no idea! It was hilarious. A fun surprise though!
So clearly my Sunday afternoon plans changed and I quickly left the studio, ate, blogged, ran and headed over to the party. Unfortunately, the early morning sunshine turned into clouds and drizzle but we still had a great time.
We did lots of snacking, hung out in the hot tub (in the rain) and of course enjoyed plenty of cocktails! 🙂 Of course my camera died a couple hours into the party so the rest of my photos are from my iPhone.
The rain finally forced us inside so they broke out the cake. Strawberry – my favorite! We had one “3” candle and a bunch of normal candles in the shape of a “0” on a snowflake plate. It was perfect! 🙂
And it wouldn’t be a yogi birthday party if I didn’t incorporate cake balancing asanas into the celebration.
Rain or no rain, all I felt was sunshine and love. I didn’t care that the weather wasn’t perfect. I didn’t care that my hair was a curly mess. I just felt so happy to be with my friends. It was incredibly kind and thoughtful of them to organize this party for me and to give up their Sunday afternoon to celebrate my birthday! 30 here I come!
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July 22, 2026
I am such a creature of habit when it comes to breakfast. 95% of the time I’m craving a breakfast that is on the sweet side. That mostly alternates between smoothies or yogurt bowls with overnight oats, chia pudding or oatmeal occasionally thrown in there. On the rare occasion I go savory – it’s scrambled [...]
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July 19, 2026
I want to bottle up this summer and make it last forever (well, maybe minus the wildly hot and humid weather that makes running a big thumbs down). I mentioned this in my last post…but I am really enjoying the slower pace and the days that feel like they have more space. While I’m trying [...]
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July 10, 2026
Happy Friday! I hope this post finds you well and enjoying the summer. We are in the dog days of it over here in Charlotte – the heat and humidity is off the charts – but it’s something I’ll embrace because I deeply appreciate the massive slow down that summer has brought. A lot of [...]
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June 21, 2026
I recently traveled to Big Bear Lake, California for the inaugural Big Bear Peaks + Pines three-day stage race hosted by TransRockies Running. This was my third TransRockies event in 12 months (see also Colorado + Moab) and I’m here to tell you that they can do no wrong when it comes to race organization [...]
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May 30, 2026
Happy weekend! Another week in the books! I got three runs in (6.5 miles, 5.5 miles, 5.5 miles) and I have a trail run planned for tomorrow. Total weekly mileage will end up around 30-35 miles depending on if I go for 13 or 17 tomorrow! I’m 16 weeks out from the Golden Ultra so [...]
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May 23, 2026
Happy Memorial Day Weekend. It’s a very rainy one here in Charlotte and while I am a little bummed not to be spending the weekend in Florida with the fam or by the pool at our swim club (just opened for the season!), I’m also welcoming a slower pace and time at home. It’s been [...]
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May 3, 2026
Hi and happy May! As we roll into the first full week of a new month, I have almost a month’s worth of lunch ideas for you. It’s a great mix of sandwiches, bowls, salads and wraps. I hope you enjoy and find some inspiration for your midday meal! Open-faced chickpea salad sandwich on toasted [...]
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