Lazy Sunday

Happy Sunday from a very confused Houston! For the past week, we've been experiencing record highs - our Christmas day temperature was 82 degrees. Yesterday was not much better, but just about an hour ago, the rain blew in and the temperature dropped drastically. Apparently we'll be waking up tomorrow to temperatures in the 40's. Texas weather, am I right?

Two days before Christmas at Magical Winter Lights

Anyway, I've enjoyed a VERY lazy Sunday, but I couldn't let the day pass without touching base with you guys. My Sunday surveys are one of the few things I keep regular around here. So, enjoy!

Do you prefer coffee, tea, or neither?

I’m not a coffee drinker at all, and rarely am I a tea drinker, but occasionally I will be in the mood for a warm cup of tea. Though I have only found one brand of tea that I truly enjoy – Cranberry Celebration by Cheers to You. Shout out to the Nutcracker Market for that delicious find.

What is your favorite dessert/treat?

I mean, hello, frozen yogurt! But I also love dark chocolate, and I can’t resist Pignoli cookies. Mandola’s in Austin, and The Dunlavy in Houston are two of my favorite Pignoli finds.

What is your favorite kind of animal and why?

DOGS. Because there is no love like the love of a dog. No matter how crazy of a day I’ve had, walking into my house only to be greeted by my precious pup will always lift my spirits.

If someone could describe you in three words, what would they be?

Determined, obedient, and thoughtful.

What is your biggest fear?

My biggest fear has to be not living up to my potential. In terms of my physical goals and my career goals and just how I treat other people. I don’t want to look back on my life with regrets. But so far, I can’t say that I have many of them.

Did you experience a healthy or happy tipping point in your own life?

Hmm, I’ve always been an active person. And I realized that when volleyball ended, I better find something to keep me in shape. Which is what led me to start running my freshman year of college. As far as a happy tipping point – I’ve always been a pretty happy person. I think my unhappiest was last fall, when I had just moved home and I had just started working and I was thrown into teaching and coaching and I just felt very alone. I dreaded going back to school for the spring semester, but I chose to approach my job with a better attitude, and it made all the difference in the world.

Have you ever broken a bone or had a serious injury?

I have never broken a bone (knock on wood), and I think the most serious injury I’ve had is the shin splints that left me out of the running game for three weeks. I’ve sprained my ankles a couple of times, and that broken toe in 2013 was a big bummer, but I’m grateful that it’s never been anything super serious.

What is your favorite childhood memory?

Man, I have way too many great childhood memories, and I know that I’m really lucky to be able to say that. I think what stands out to me right now are summer days at the neighborhood pool. In the mornings, I would ride my bike to swim team practice, swim for an hour or so, bike back home, wait for the pool to officially open, and ride my bike back up to the pool, where I spent the remainder of the afternoon. We would order Bucks Pizza, prank call people from the pool phone, mess with the lifeguards, and eat ice cream during adult swim. What could be better?

What are a few of your favorite movies?

Remember the Titans, The Breakfast Club, Inside Out, to name a few.

Do you prefer sweet, salty, savory, sour…?

This is a tough question! I was going to go with savory, but then I realize that I always try to add at least a little bit of sweet to my meals. Case in point: my oatmeal muffins that I make always include mini chocolate chips. The granola that I make always includes chocolate chunks. So maybe the real answer is: chocolate.

What are your current fitness goals?

I think the biggest one right now is the Houston Marathon. Which takes place three weeks from today. I had a really rough run last night, and it really brought down my running morale, until I realized that I needed to be humbled, I needed to give my body a rest, and I needed a little bit of motivation going into these final weeks of training. After the marathon, I’m not sure what my next challenge is going to be, but it’s sure to be something good!

And with that, I'm off to redeem my run from yesterday.  Here's to getting in at least three more posts before the year is up!