Marvelous Monday (For Sure)

Happy Monday, kids! And yes, for the first time in ages (if not ever?), I do mean that! Today is a happy day for sure, since it's my first at my new job! It's still surreal to know that I won't be back at the center today (and that I have to drive to work...I think that's the oddest part for me right now...I've always been able to walk to work, since I only live a few blocks away, but now it's more like 4 miles...I could run there, I know, but then I would arrive all sweaty and gross and have to do it again at the end of the day after keeping an infant and a toddler entertained and safe [read: exhausted], so it just seems wisest to save my runs for before work and the weekends and drive to the house....but I digress), but I am very excited! It should be interesting to see how I adjust, since this is completely different from anything I've done before, and I've never cared for an infant this young (and while I love them, babies can be scary when you can't figure out what they need/want)....but my goal is go easy on myself and not be afraid to ask for help and as many questions as I want/need. Thankfully, the mom of the boys I will be watching is home with me for this first week, so that we can work together, and I can hopefully become much more comfortable with their routine. Marvelous indeed. What else is marvelous? Glad you asked (and that Katie provided such an awesome way to tell you...thanks for that, love!)...

Monday is marvelous because...

...giftcards from parents at school to a local grocery store enabled me to have some fun before hitting Trader Joe's for the usual eats. Most random purchases ever, I know, (and I assure you that's not even close to all the food I bought yesterday) but it was nice to get some treats I usually wouldn't (Molly, that Special K is all your fault since you kept mentioning it and got my craving going again)...oh and pretzel bread? All over that.....

...these lovely items are now in my apartment. Trader Joe's was out of the froyo last week, and I almost had a tantrum in the middle of the store (#noshame); thankfully, they remedied that situation for this week. And I've never been able to purchase a full container of Justin's nut butter before. If you think I was excited this weekend to get one, you would be entirely correct. And yes, I have already tried it on bread, pretzels, apples, and from my finger...it tastes amazing on everything.

...these items were discovered at Target. I have no idea how they jumped into my basket, but the gloves were only $2, and it's Runner's World....

....a friend asked me to go grocery shopping with him and introduce him to Trader Joe's this weekend. Seriously, does it get any better than that? Methinks not. And yes, I was highly entertained that he considered me a grocery store/food expert. Definitely a weekend highlight.

....I was able to pick up some treats for my family. I spent yesterday at home with them, and it was so nice to be able to get them each something they love without worrying about money. The day itself was marvelous, as well. My mum made huge burgers and minestrone soup for lunch and sugar cookies topped with mini Milky Ways for dessert, and then we hung out watching tv and chatting all afternoon. I love spending time with my family doing nothing, so yesterday hit the spot perfectly.

....I got over eight hours of sleep on Saturday night. I have no picture to prove it, but my clock read 8:30 when I woke up and I had fallen asleep a little after midnight. It was glorious and hasn't happened since Joe left. Clearly, my sleep troubles are his fault and have absolutely nothing to do with my own inability to quiet my mind at times. He should just come home now, right? Right.

....these beautiful flowers are now on my desk, brightening up my living room. I found them at Trader Joe's on Saturday. I love flowers, so these were the first thing in my cart. They make me smile whenever I see them.

...I had two great runs this weekend. I've been fighting a cold for awhile now, so I took Friday off. The weather was too beautiful to not take advantage of this weekend, however, so I decided to go out and see how I felt. Pushing myself hard was not allowed, and I just ran till I was done. Saturday found me completing 8.87 miles in 1 hour and 14 min (avg pace 8.25), while Sunday was done after 5.55 miles in 41 min (avg pace 7.32). I was very pleased with all of them but most happy with my mentality. Working to keep it up, too.

...crunchy cookie butter exists. No further explanation required.

...this was my run outfit on Sunday. Shorts? T-shirt? In January? Unheard of (and definitely not what I wore today...hello Brooks pants and Nike hoodie), but very much enjoyed.

...hockey is officially starting on Saturday. The Pens play the Flyers. Way to start the season, NHL schedule makers. Couldn't have picked a better game.

...my daddy and I have our first date of the year on Sunday. Part of my Christmas gift to my dad included a special daddy/daughter date at least once a month. This month we are going to check out a little historic town located between Pittsburgh (me) and Grove City (him). My dad said they have good ice cream, too...clearly he knows how to pick awesome dates.

Have a marvelous Monday!

How was your weekend? What is your NHL team's first game? Are you considered a grocery store expert by your friends? A marvelous thing for you?