Runner Gift Guide

The Christmas season is officially upon us and with that comes an onslaught of shopping craziness! Checking off lists, debating over the perfect gift for that special someone or friend, finding great deals...it goes on and on!

Know what?

I love it! The holidays are my favorite time of year and I absolutely love everything about it, including the frenzy of it all!


After lots of time and thought into gifts for the runner/Disney fans in my life, I've come up with (what I think are) five great gift ideas and I decided to share some of those ideas with you today!

#1 Legend Compression Socks

I've been a fan of Legend Compression socks for a while now and own them in several colors. My favorite part about Legend is their motto of "Right Not Tight" - these compression socks and sleeves aren't impossible to get on and they aren't overly tight, offering just the perfect amount of compression for better performance and faster recovery! Yes, I am an ambassador of this company and yes, I will receive a credit if you use this link for purchase, but so will you! Check it out for $15 off your first purchase!

#2 Lillian & Co Bracelet

Source

Although these bracelets aren't geared specifically for runners, how could you not love them with slogans such as "I Can Go The Distance" and "Keep Moving Forward"? These Lillian & Co bracelets are available in silver, gold, and rose gold and you can stack them to wear more than one at a time! I absolutely love these precious bracelets and might have one or two on my own Christmas list this year! (If you google it, you can usually find a coupon code somewhere for 10% off any purchase. Shoot me an email if you're having trouble finding one!)

#3 Gone for a Run

Y'all - this site blows my mind. If you ever need a gift for any runner in your life and are stumped on what to get them, look no further. Gone For A Run has gift ideas for just about anybody that ranges from shirts to Christmas ornaments, jewelry, and medal displays. Seriously, go check them out...you won't be disappointed!! I'm pretty sure just about every runner on my Christmas list received something from Gone For A Run as a gift last year! All orders over $65 receive free shipping!

#4 Endure Jewelry

I first noticed Endure Jewelry at the Princess Half Marathon expo several years back. Their jewelry is absolutely gorgeous and there's a wide variety of race experiences to choose from (not just runDisney inspired events). There's even a "build your own" option! If you're looking for high quality running/race inspired jewelry, this is the place to go! Free shipping on all orders of $75 or more!

#5 Runner Gift Box 

A couple of years ago, my sister-in-law combined several of my favorite running related items and put them all together as a gift box of sorts! It was such a thoughtful and clever idea and definitely a gift I'll remember for a long time! She knew I liked KT Pro Tape as well as GU and Raw Threads, so as you can see in the photo above, this box had a little of it all! So, if you're in the market for a gift for your favorite runner, think about some of the things they use while out for a run and combine them into one gift box!

That's it for 2017! What's on your Christmas gift list this year (running and non-running related)? 

Thanks to Running on Happy & Fairytales and Fitness for hosting this Friday Five linkup!

Holiday Weekend #2!

Continuing with our 2016 holiday weekend recaps, in week #2 you'll find a whole lotta rain, Christmas shopping, and time spent with my little guy!

We had a lot of fun this weekend and enjoyed capturing those moments to share with you! 

Check out a recap of the 2nd weekend of our 2016 holiday season below!

 

Have a great one! Stay tuned for weekend #3 and a recap of my first post-baby half marathon! :)

The Black Friday “Team”

Black Friday is one of my favorite days of the year apart from Christmas. I love the hustle and bustle of the holiday season and Black Friday is such a fun day to be out in it all! (If you’re into that sort of thing, that is!)

Over the years, stores have changed their operating hours and most are open on Thanksgiving Day now. We’ve done the overnight shopping thing where we started at 10 p.m. or midnight on Thanksgiving Day and shopped into the next day. This year, most stores opened their doors on Thanksgiving afternoon and to be honest, we just didn’t have it in us. Spending time with family was the #1 important thing on all of our lists, so we decided instead to wake up super early on the official Black Friday day and begin our shopping excursions from there.

There was one exception to this, however. If you remember from years past, I’ve been collecting JCPenney Mickey snow globes since the tradition started back in 2001. This year, JCPenney began handing their snow globes out at 5 p.m. on Thanksgiving Day, so I drove into town and stood in line for a few minutes, waiting on the doors to open.

My mom met us after she got off work.

When the doors opened, instead of being handed snow globes, we were given coupons. We asked several people where the snow globes were located (in the past, they’ve been handed out at the door) and we were told that we had to first make a purchase in order to receive the globe. No worries – I had a few kids to buy for so I did just that and was in and out of JCPenney in under 20 minutes! Mission accomplished!

Black Friday morning was when the real fun began!

We’ve been talking about making shirts for years! This year, we finally decided to make it happen!

Most of these ladies spent the night at my house and we began our day around 4:30 a.m. First stop was at Starbucks for breakfast and coffee!

I had my coffee and I was ready to shop!

When I say that the stores were “dead” at 5 a.m. ON Black Friday, I mean it.

This was taken at Walgreens. I was asked to watch my friend’s purse and I had to laugh at the lack of people in the store. Kohl’s was the same way – we were able to get in right in line to checkout with no wait.

Great deals AND no waiting in line? I love it! (Around 10 a.m., we noticed the crowds picking back up again, which made us glad that we started early!)

Guys, I LOVE this thing! If you’re a runner, you need this. It massages your calves and feet and feels AMAZING.

We had fun shopping and goofing off at the mall, Bed Bath & Beyond, and Best Buy, but we were in Target when “it” happened.

I momentarily separated from my friends and when I met back up with them, I asked if they noticed the news camera near the women’s clothing. They said yes and they saw the reporter filming a few clothing items. I thought it was strange to see them out because – again, literally – the stores were dead. All of the “crazy” things and crowds happened the night before.

After stopping to say hello to a another friend, we saw the reporter pass by – we made eye contact and said hello. She also said hello and started to continue on her way, then she did a double take. “Hi ladies! I’m with the local news station…anyone want to be on TV?”

Before we could even take a breath to respond, Melissa’s hand was in the air! It was hilarious!

She then asked if more of us would be willing to speak, because she wanted to use our “story” for the 6 p.m. news. Of course we said yes, and just like that, we were on our way to our 30 seconds of fame!

We didn’t have a buggy at first, so we piled all of our merchandise on the floor.

After speaking with each of us, she followed me to find a buggy.

This was so strange. I felt like I was on reality TV! Hah!

We filmed a few speaking segments with Monica and a few shopping shots, then we said our goodbyes!

We finished shopping around 4 p.m., (AND got a lot of good deals), then returned to my house for coffee while waiting on the 6 p.m. news.

Texting family and friends to watch!

To make things even better, were were one of the “top stories” of the evening. Sounds like there wasn’t much else going on around town to me…haha!

Did I mention that Black Friday was also Jason’s birthday? Well, we were finally all together for our official Thanksgiving meal as a family and we took a little time to celebrate Jason’s birthday as well!

(He bought this for himself on Black Friday….but don’t tell anyone!)

If you're interested in seeing our news clip, check it out here.

What a fun and memorable Black Friday, we had! I don’t know if another could ever top this one!!

Are you a Black Friday shopper? What do you think of the crowds?

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Don’t forget about the FitMas Week #1 giveaway happening right now! Giveaway ends on Sunday night at midnight – enter now for your chance to win!

Weekend Happenings

Happy Monday, y’all! We are officially in the single digit countdown to Christmas. The stores and traffic has been crazy here…you would have thought that Friday was Christmas Eve!

I had an eventful weekend full of fun times – here’s a few…

My Friday afternoon list began with lunch at McAlisters – I had the Turkey Cranberry Griller (minus the cheese) and it was delicious. Highly recommended!

After leaving McAlisters, I had a super long to-do list to tackle. I wanted to finish my Christmas shopping before the Christmas rush began, but everyone else must have had the same idea, too. Traffic was a nightmare! Despite the craziness, I was able to tackle 10 stores in one afternoon/night. Thankfully, it’s all done, wrapped, and under the tree!

Friday night was our first Christmas party of the season! A coworker hosts an annual Christmas party and we have so much fun! My entire department (there’s only 9 of us) actually shut down the party – we stayed until 1:15 a.m.! I haven’t stayed out that late in a very long time…

Saturday, I had a college graduation party to attend for a really good friend. So proud of her for sticking with it and reaching her goal!

We also brought the pups to see Santa on Saturday afternoon at Pets Mart. I have to say, I’m not incredibly impressed with Pets Mart’s way of doing these pictures this year. For the past six years (maybe longer but that’s as long as I’ve had dogs), they’ve had a person with a camera/printer and they’ve printed the pictures on site – after purchasing a $10 frame ($5 of it went to charity), you were able to take the frame home, complete with picture.

This year was completely different – for a $5 donation, photos could be taken with your dog on Santa’s lap…your own camera, no frame. I just wasn’t incredibly impressed. Oh well.

However, Madalynn was VERY impressed with the Guinea Pigs and wanted to “play”.

We didn’t leave Pets Mart without getting the puppies a fun treat to play with. I gave this coo-coo bird 5 minutes and I was right – he was ripped open and without a squeaker in no time!

On Sunday, we celebrated this little one’s 7th birthday. Check back on the blog tomorrow to see the yummy homemade treats I made for her to enjoy!

Last but not least, I ended my weekend with a long run (kind of backwards for me but oh well)! Heather and I ran 10 miles down our favorite route…and we watched the moon rise. We timed it just right so we didn’t get stuck in the dark. The air was cool and crisp and we had a very enjoyable run!

After a long, event-filled weekend, I was exhausted!

I hope you had a great weekend as well! Christmas is almost here…only 9 days to go!!

How was your weekend? Did you run any races? Parties? I wanna hear all about it! :0)

 

Black Friday Crime Prevention Tips

By now, I’m sure you’ve figured out that I’m a big Black Friday shopper. The tradition began back in high school (1999/2000) and has continued on to ever since. I’m not one to fight for deals or wait hours and hours to be the first in line at the door – my strategy is a bit different. I like to look through the sales papers on Thanksgiving Day, find items on my gift list, then create a game plan. I don’t typically go for the big ticket hot items that stores receive 10 each of – cause I’m not about to get in a knock down fight over a 40 inch LED TV.

I also like to bring friends along with me. Not only is it more fun to shop with friends, there’s definitely safety in numbers.

Earlier this week, the security department at my work released a few crime prevention tips for the holiday shopping season and I added a few of my own as well. I want to share these tips with you because it’s so important to protect yourself while battling the crowds. It’s ok to have fun, just be a bit cautious while you’re at it.

Crime Prevention Tips While Shopping

• Be aware of your surroundings and the people around you.
• Shop with a friend; there is safety in numbers.
• Don’t buy more than you can safely carry. Plan ahead by taking a friend or ask a store employee to help you carry your purchases to your vehicle.
• Avoid carrying large amounts of cash.
• Pay for purchases with check, credit or debit card.
• Carry your purse close to your body. Carry it under your arm and not swinging to the back of your body.
• Do not carry a wallet in a back pocket. It should be in the front pocket of your pants to avoid pickpocketing.
• Thieves or robbers often look for “high value” shopping bags with your purchases. When possible, slip bags/purchases in a plain nondescript bag.
• Watch purchases when eating at mall food courts; bags can be easily switched or taken.
• Have your car keys in hand before leaving a store.
• If you do return to your vehicle to unload packages, place them in the trunk. Do not leave anything visible.
• If you are with children, pick a meeting spot in case you get separated.
• If you must use the ATM, use it before Black Friday.

Crime Prevention Tips in Parking Lots

• If possible, avoid shopping during hours of evening or early morning darkness.
• Park in a high visibility area with good lighting and ample pedestrian traffic.
• Stay in your car with the doors locked until the store opens.
• Avoid parking next to vehicles with dark tinted windows, vans and large SUV’s.
• Try to walk with others, not alone.
• Walk briskly, confidently and directly through the parking lot. Be cautious of people handing out fliers or asking questions in the parking area.
• Watch for people who may be following you. If you sense someone is following you or you feel un­comfortable, return immediately to the store.
• You may want to consider having a whistle in your possession.
• Don’t allow yourself to become distracted by a cell phone call or text while walking to and from your vehicle.

Do you have any tips to share?

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