tree trimming!!

Natalie and John came over tonight for a Tree Trimming Party! We decorated our tree and set up our mantle! I made homemade marshmallows! They are really easy to make and a great addition to any hot cocoa :)

Happy Halloween!!!

Perfect Day

I could not have asked for a better Sunday! It started off with going to Church with the Bunks, I got to listen to Matt sing, and Lori preach! It was perfect. Then my mom, sister, John and I went to Blakes Cider Mill, shared some cider and doughnuts, and picked raspberries!! It ended with a nice dinner with my parents.

Ludington Triathlon!!

I ran my first triathlon!!! It was a sprint triathlon in Ludington, which made for an awesome weekend. Jonathan and his whole family camped that weekend and my parents came up Saturday night for my race Sunday, Natalie and John were even there too!! We all had lots of fun camping together, lots of campfires and good food!! My race went well, Jonathan's sister Molly ran it with me...the swimming was brutal but all in all it was an amazing experience!!

County Fair!!

Jonathan's Grandpa took us to the Saginaw County Fair!! It really was an afternoon well spent :)

My new friend!

Jonathan's new friends...there was a cow auction too!!

Best lookin' kid at the carnival :)

View from the death ride Grandpa made us go on!

I was nervous about going on this ride...then Grandpa reassured me it was "put together well"

Friends just relaxin'.... :)

Post rollerblading beverage :)

happy birthday brother in law!!

This past Thursday was John's birthday! We celebrated by going to Benihana then ice cream cake and lots of presents!!! I think it ended up being a terrific party :)

cherries cherries cherries!

This is my friend (And national cherry queen)'s family business! They are now selling in randazzo's and whole foods, go get some cherry salsa and vinagerette soooo good!! Just click!

Market Find: Natalie Robyn's Cherry Salsa detnews.com The Detroit News

Shared via AddThis

A watermelon is 91% water. It is also a source of lycopene. Lycopene travels throughout the body neutralizing free radicals. Free radicals are substances in the body that can cause much damage to us. They are able to oxidize cholesterol, making it stick to blood vessel walls and thicken them which can lead to hearty attack or stroke. Watermelon can stop that from happening.

I bet you want some watermelon now.?

Purchase NY

I went to Jonathans orientation @ Purchase College last week, we went with his parents and had an awesome time. While we were there I visited Manhattanville College where I was offered a position as a graduate assistant for next year. My and Jonathans school are about one mile apart, and they are very close to the city of White Plains which is beautiful....We have alot ahead of us!!

Detroit lovin'

So part of being my sister and brother in law involves coming with me when I get crazy ideas of places I want to go....Sometimes it works out and others times it is just a crazy experience....case in point = Detroit's Eastern Market & Rollerblading Club in Detroit.

Eastern Market was awesome, we got there early in the morning. I got some basil :) but best of all we got fresh ingredients to make Mojitos, nothin like fresh mint and limes!!

The rollerblading club started off as a great idea...we meet this group of 4% normal people and 96% crazy people on the river walk. We rollerbladed as a group throughout the city. It started off as alot of fun...then we were ready for it to be over and get to the bar to watch the Tigers and ended up having to separate from the group...Lets just say it was an experience...

chicago with my momma

This past Saturday night my mom and I booked a hotel for the next 2 days in Chicago, I guess you could say it was a spontaneous trip! We stayed right on Michigan ave - we shopped, went to lunch, went on a architecture boat tour. We also got to visit with my old teammate Callie and Jonathan's sister Stephanie. We went to a dinner and a comedy club with Steph and out to dinner with Callie and her boyfriend, I got to see their new apartment which made me very happy. It was a great trip, my mom and I had a great time!!

yeah, i like food...

My workout revamp has me thinking about my eating habits, which are usually pretty outstanding. Jonathan teases me that I only eat twigs, plants, berries..etc :) But I do have unhealthy habits, so I took a quiz to find out what kind of eater I am. I was pretty impressed, it defined me quite well....

Nostalgia Nosher

You love the way certain foods recapture the feelings of holidays past.

What triggers your eating:
Family get-togethers, your mother's recipe file. 'A lot of holiday foods bring back strong memories,' says Tammy Baker, a spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association. 'That emotional attachment is hard to resist.'

Stay-slim strategies:

Skip what isn't special

'Instead of blindly helping yourself to everything on the table, you might ask yourself, "What are the three things I would really like to have?" and take those," If you still can't choose? 'Remind yourself, "I know what chocolate (or bean dip or potato salad) tastes like. That's something I can have any day, so right now I'll have something else I really want."'

FYI.. I also found out what kind of eater Jonathan is....

The 'Inhaler': this person eats a four-course meal in under 10 minutes. Once he's done, he has a hard time remembering what the food tasted like.

P90X oh my!

(Thanks to Nina and Matt) Today was day 1 of the P90X Program. Only 89 more to go!! So far so good! It's pretty intense I was only capable of doing like 3 real push ups (out of about 200) before I had to go to my knees. But none the less I completed the entire day 1....Stay tuned and wish me luck on my 89 more!!

Lake City

This weekend I went to Lake City with Jonathan to celebrate his Grandpa's 88 and his cousin Sora's 4th Birthday! It was an awesome time! His aunt has a place right on the lake, we spent our time on the boats, laying out, grillin and havin' bonfires, no complaints here :)

life.

Since I haven't blogged since Memorial Day I have been trying to think of a good blog post which sorry to say I don't have...But here is a quick recap of my life.

- I visited Winthrop University in S.C to interview for their Graduate Soccer Coach...it went well, I am waiting to hear back...I have more schools I am interested in...it's all giving me a headache.

- I never see my boyfriend. It is no fun. Skype and the cell phone keep our relationship going, and I am tired of both of them. Note to Self: Live in the same town as your boyfriend.

- I am training for a triathlon. Swimming correctly is actually very hard. I have been biking a ton and swimming, but due to severe ankle pain I am putting off running for a bit. The triathlon is in Ludington and Jonathan and I are doing it together, our camp site is booked!

- I am trying to find a really good book to read. One that is inspiring, motivating and thought provoking....any ideas?

- I have been rollerblading with my dog, but she runs so fast that her paws get cut....I am now looking into puppy booties.

- I bought Coach rain boots and am looking forward to the next time it rains.

- My mom watched my "garden" for me one weekend and all my plants died. Go figure. They are slowly growing back now and I am worried they are way behind schedule. I have banana peppers, sweet peppers, eggplant, tomatoes, and some herbs.

- I am going up north this weekend to Lake City with Jonathan's family for his grandpa's birthday and I am pumped. I love up north.

- I am dying to eat at Kona grill I have been craving sushi for 3 weeks and have yet to get some.

- I reread the last 2 Harry Potter books and loved them as much as the first time.

Memorial Day

Memorial day was filled with the St. Mary's Polish Festival, BBQ'n, boyfriend & roller blading with dogs!

Momma Tess!

The Stewart family is 99.9% sure Tess is pregnant! It looks like she will be expecting puppies 1/2 Golden Retriever, 1/2 Black Lab! She certainly is a cougar!!

The best runnng partner

A dog, hands down, is the best running partner. I rotate between Gracie, my puppy nephew Gunner and Jonathan's dog Magglio, but really any dog will do!

Top 5 reasons a dog is the best running partner:

1.) They don't judge you for the pace your running, they just enjoy the run however fast....or slow!
2.) If you need to stop they don't tell you your slacking, they enjoy the rest ...your really walking because the dog is tired anyway right? :)
3.) When you're running you don't have to worry what they are thinking they are happy regardless if you take the long way or the short way back home.
4.) When you are not sure you really want to go for that run, looking at your pup and seeing how excited they get when they see their leash gives you the extra push to get out the door.
5.) When you are on your last leg home and wanna get that extra push your pup always has that extra burst of speed and encourages you to sprint it all the way in!

So go get a dog and go for a run!

Mothers Day Love

Mothers day was more of a Mother's Weekend for my mom. Saturday we had the Walk in Detroit and Sunday was my Alumni game. My mom came to the game and had lots of fun catching up with the other moms. My dad made a delicious rib dinner and Natalie and John came over, even Jonathan was there too! And after dinner Jonathan gave my dad a lesson in pool :) For a present I am buying my mom potted flowers for the front of the house with my first paycheck. My dad even let me take his Corvette to the Alumni game! All in all it was a great day! Love you mom!

Proud Alumni!

Sunday we had our annual Foley Soccer Alumni Game! Some people have mixed feelings about lacing the ol' cleats up again after "X" many years away from the game and choose not to come. For me, even though I haven't played since last years alumni game I LOVE coming back to play. I have so many great memories from Foley Soccer and just being there makes me think of all the great times I had, not to mention the 3 State Championships :) This year we had a great turn out (compared to years past) 12 alumni come and hopefully more will come each year. The alumni, still steller, won the game 6-1! Current team mom's had food for us after the game and it ended up being a really great time, full of " Do you remember when's!?!" & "What are you doing now?!?" Thanks to everyone that came hope to see you all next year too!

Kim's Kursaders!!

This past weekend we did a walk to raise money and awareness for Multiple Sclerosis. My team and I raised almost $700! The walk started @ Comerica Park went all the way down Woodward to the water front then back up to inside Comerica Park. It was a gorgeous day the clouds parted and the sun came out just as we made our way to Detroit! A lot of people came out to show their support and it really was an amazing day! Thank you to everyone who donated and showed their support it was truly a perfect day!

I went to the Cappuccino Cafe in E.L last week to visit Jonathan at work...I ordered a caramel cappuccino, and this is how he made it for me....he sure is full of love!!!

25!!

Happy twenty five Jonathan!!! For his birthday I made him a jar filled with 25 reasons I love him, here are some of my favorites....

• He thinks I'm beautiful in my glasses
• He cooks the best breakfast...full of love
• He wakes up early when we are camping to make a fire for me.
  

there are way more but those are my favorite.....Happy birthday babe I love you!!