I feel a bit like I’ve stepped into Thoreau’s world of simplicity and serenity. Except instead of looking out on Walden Pond (which I have actually been to in real life 🙂 ) I have the marsh and ocean.
We packed up and hauled out this morning with sack lunches for all to eat on the trip down. I’d always rather eat a homemade sandwich in the car than stop for fast food .
I made 8 ham, mustard and spinach sandwiches on Whole Grain Goodness. Mine snuck in a glazed pineapple!
We also used up some of the fruit in the house, and Matt and I shared this pear. Wish I’d had one of my own because it was an excellent pear!
Matt requested one of his Christmas Resee’s for dessert and gave me the first nibble 🙂
After a quick stop for a few more groceries, we were on our way to Bald Head by boat.
Soon enough Old Baldy was in sight!
As soon as we arrived the sun came out. It was PERFECT weather for both napping and running. Our group was equally divided with Mom, Dad, Larbs and Karen taking naps and Kanz, Matt, Andrew and I heading out for a run. As much as I wanted a nap, we knew a run would be equally as energizing!
We were right – the run was awesome!!! Basically anytime I run with Matt A. it’s awesome. He inspires me to run fast!
I shocked myself with an 8:05 first mile (which felt so easy!) followed by an 8:02 mile!!!! We slowed a bit for 3 and 4 to let Andrew catch up and because Matt engaged me in conversation about races and I got a bit of a cramp. Mile 3 was 8:22 and mile 4, 8:29. Matt sprinted ahead for mile 5 and I finished in 8:23. I did the whole 5 miles in 41:24 – a personal record for me for sure!!
After a hot shower and some lounging we all rendezvoused in the living room for some reading
Nothing like a fire on a cold winter night!
Again, my exercise curbed afternoon snacking appetite and I was pretty hungry for some snacks.
I had a couple of these Honey Cashews
And a few cheese straw bites
and 2 cheese + crackers
Instead of beer I sipped a mocktail of soda, bitters and lime.
I decided to take tonight off of drinking. It would be so very easy for me to have 2-3 drinks per night on this 9-day vacation and not bat an eye. If you do the math, that’s probably an extra ~3,000 calories in alcohol alone. While sure I am active, and sure, I am definitely going to have some good drinks and enjoy myself, I’m going to see how it goes for me to skip alcohol some nights. I mean, it can’t be that good to not be able to go through a night without a drink! I have lots of other things to enjoy – food, desserts, company. And it sure will feel good to wake up in the morning feeling chipper.
It actually wasn’t the least bit weird not having any alcohol tonight (thanks to the mocktail!) and I did have a few tastes of Matt’s beers and wines for the flavor, but nothing to accumulate to much.
[I don’t want you guys to think this is a big deal – I am just sharing some of my thoughts with you.]
We’re all taking turns cooking this week and tonight was Larbs, Matt and Karen’s night.
They made a fantastic chili + cornbread dinner. Karen made the chili in advance last week and frozen it so they just assembled the salad and cooked the cornbread on location.
Topped with Oikos and cheese
Trader Joe’s cornbread is the BEST!
After dinner the Christmas cookies came out!
Kanz and I shared a few different kinds. The buckeye was my fav!
[NOTE: For the purposes of confusion, MY Matt (who I call Kanz is real life) is going as Kanz and MATT means Larbs’ Matt]
I did not sleep well last night because just before bed I went into my bedroom and turned around I had STEPPED ON A ROACH!!! Luckily I had on shoes, but gosh – talk about heebie jeebies!
Roach fear combined with a sugar rush from cake and dehydration and overheating with my new flannel PJs gave me major insomnia. So I’m zonked tonight and can’t wait to hit the hay. Nite!
The seasonal Reeses are always the best
those are some damn fast mile times!
You must love him a lot to share that pear…I’m such a fruit hog! Sounds like you’re having a great vacation. I like your philosophy about (not) drinking. It’s sad when it becomes an essential component of every gathering, when people can’t have a good time without it!
I don’t think it’s necessary to drink every night of a vacation. I think it’s fine to take a break and be able to truly enjoy it when you do have it. I’m not much of a drinker anymore, but I actually enjoy the flavors of food more without alcohol. So I do one or the other, usually; instead of appetizers, I’ll have alcohol, etc.
Love the idea of making the chili ahead of time, it looks YUMMY!
Jenn
Those sandwiches you made look great!!
I’m in NC again this year as well, only I’m leaving tomorrow! I hope you have a blast.
Isn’t the water level crazy??
Congrats on your PR!
It’s definitely possible to have fun on vacation without drinking every night. I think it’s sad that some people don’t even GO out if they find out there won’t be booze.
You are getting to be a speedy runner these days! You and your family eat in such beautiful environments….that or your an amazing photographer 🙂 Love the book worms in your fam!
I think your approach to the booze is very smart! My approach to the roach would be a lot different…like get the HELL outta there!!!
Great job on your miles!!! I also agree on packed lunches can be way better than fast food.
What a fun day — yay for vacation! 🙂
Wow, what gorgeous views! Sounds like a perfect way to spend the “Day After Christmas.” 🙂
Get a good night’s rest!
You’ve probably shared this before…but…is Larbs a nickname for another name???
Yep! Laura Elizabeth Younger
love that you’re taking turns cooking. have a great time!
Eeeeek! I would’ve freaked about that roachie!
I’m not sure I could have stayed in my room after seeing the roach – so you’re better than I am!
Aww this looks like the perfect day. I’m so jealous of the boating!!! It’s wonderful that your whole family (or at least half) do fit things together. 😀
Looks like you had a lovely day, Kath! I really admire your mocktails and keeping your drinking to the minimum for the majority of the year… but I think it would rock the blog if for once you loosened up and got drunk! I know you’ve got it in you. Not sayin you should make a habit of it!
Dara,
There were plenty of times in the past 2.5 years of blogging I’ve been drunk – you must not have noticed! I just am so miserable when I drink too much and am hung over that I just don’t think it’s worth it. I’m sure I’ll drink to much sometime in the future, but I don’t plan to plan on it!
The scenery is gorgeous!! And you actually went to Walden Pond? I want to go!
Totally understand about the alcohol. I love the family reading session!! You are getting fast girl!!!!
I give you major props for drinking when you want to but not drinking if you don’t…and it’s great your family is supportive of that. Sometimes I’m in situations where I feel like I “should” drink even if I don’t really want to, so I have a couple and while I don’t even feel the alcohol, it’s a few hundred calories I didn’t need. I think I’m going to try even harder to stick to my guns and NOT drink when I don’t feel like it…and more often, I really don’t! So thanks for the reminder while I’m on “staycation” this week.
Have fun on your vacation! Hope the weather is good for you. We have been in the OBX since Thursday and have had pretty cruddy weather.
What a wonderful winter vacation you’re having! Reading by the fireside? Christmas cookies? Cornbread? The beautiful harbor? It all looks so refreshing and relaxing. Enjoy yourself!
I like that idea of taking turns with who’s cooking – looks like a great time!
kath! i need your advice. i’m 20 years old and i’m going on a new years trip with a bunch of friends. as you may already know, the plan is basically to drink like there’s no tomorrow for 5 straight days. i don;t want to be the “party pooper” but i also want to come back home not feeling like i don’t ever want to leave my bed for the rest of my life.
what do you think?
If you still want to drink but not to the excessive levels of everyone else, I would HIGHLY HIGHLY recommend alternating between one drink then one glass of water. Speaking from experience, I find that to be helpful.
MOCKTAILS. If you have a drink in your hand – even if it’s just water with a cherry or soda + lime – people will leave you alone.
What an awesome run, congrats!!
If I see a bug I can’t sleep at all…..I’m such a baby haha
Great job on the mile times, that’s awesome! I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your thinking on the alcohol…it’s not like you’re saying it’s bad, you just have some reasons why you’re not going to drink as much as you’d like! Hopefully there won’t be any more roaches and you can sleep like a baby the rest of the time!
what a fun vacay! well, minus the roach.
my hubby is convinced the holiday shaped reeses taste better than the normal cups….
I love packing my lunch on road trips—and everyone is always so jealous that I get to eat when I get hungry, rather than waiting to find fast food somewhere.
I think it’s great that you’re going to be mindful of drinking alcohol during your vacation. I notice that when I spend week long vacations with family lately, I tend to start “expecting” a glass of wine to get dinnertime started. And I don’t think that’s great either, so a good balance is a great thing to find!
probably a random question but it has been bugging me. why is it that every blog i read uses plain yogurt in place of sour cream? is there no organic sour cream? or is it just the fact that, well with the name sour cream there must be something “unhealthy” about it, ha! just curious.
I mostly just use it because I always have yogurt on hand (it’s so multipurpose) but rarely have sour cream. With yogurt you get calcium and it’s higher in protein than sour cream.
congrats on the new PR!! thats amazing!!
the boat looks perfect and so glad the weather held out for you!
I think I may make some chili tonight 🙂
Wow!! You rocked that run! You’re awesome Kath. Sounds like you deserved that R&R 🙂
Major creepies to that roach – ick!
I think the mocktails are a fabulous idea!
Everything looks so cozy!
HATE roaches!
I love homemade sandwiches for road trips. So much healthier and I love my own combinations compared to the same old subway ones.
Running with someone who pushes you is an awesome experience. I like the push that my best friend from college gives me when we run races together.
That’s a fast 5 miles! Way to go, keeping up with the fellas.