What's different this time around?

Caitlin's recent post on her 15 miler had me thinking about how my marathon training has changed this time compared to the past. I've been thinking lately "geez, this mileage is pretty low for marathon training." But ultimately, I think that after a lot of trial and error, this is not a bad thing.

A few things I'm doing differently during my FIFTH marathon training cycle are:
1. running fewer days per week, thus resulting in lower mileage
2. not sticking to my hill/speed workouts
3. not obsessively adding on a mile or two to a 6.5 mile run just because I think I have to hit 8 miles
4. actually doing my physical therapy exercises, more stretching and yoga consistently
5. listening to my body

Some marathons I've stuck to my training plan like glue. I can't say that was a bad idea. During my first marathon training for example, I did not stray a bit from the training plan, which was based on running for time not miles. I did every hill and speed workout, long run and recovery jog as noted. It resulted in a fairly pain free marathon and my BEST marathon time yet. Go figure.

Since then, my social and work life got busier and as a result, each marathon cycle was a little less focused. A few marathons I was even coaching high school lacrosse and working full time so those training plans took a bit of a back seat. With each marathon after the first it seems I've been injured and not been able to run them at my full potential.

This time my body is somewhat stronger, but it's still a work in progress. And, thanks to a busy and fun summer, I've missed several of my Thursday SPEED workouts. And lord knows that speed helps you in the marathon.

The difference this time around is, things aren't perfect, but I'm not freaking out about it. This won't be a Boston Qualifying marathon for me, but I think it will be strong and I'm perfectly fine with that. I've decided on continuing to run strong and fit in some speed and hill work where I can and just stay healthy (i.e. do my stretching and P.T.).

Instead of acting like this is an all or nothing marathon, I've decided to enjoy it all (the training, the race, the blogger meet up) and focus on getting my left hip/glute area strong afterwards. After all, you can't always count on a PR. I'm already excited to turn my focus to cross training, yoga, weight lifting and cycling and only running a few days a week (if I can mentally stand it).

This is me not freaking out in the Redwoods because really, why would you? ;)

Stay tuned for tomorrow's full on Redwoods recap!

What has worked for you when you're training for something big? And when you've finished that big event, do you take a big break off from whatever it is or do you turn your attention to something new right away?

You can also find a few of my other Boston Qualifying related posts here:
My Thoughts on How to Qualify for Boston
Your Thoughts on How to Qualify
Things About Me

Join me on the long run: Monterey style

Marathon training while you're out of town isn't always the easiest thing, but I wanted to be sure to get in 13-15 miles in Monterey not only for my training, but to enjoy a city the best way I know how. Saturday, I hopped out of bed and munched on a peanut butter cookie Larabar while getting ready for my run and blogging.

I headed out around 8:30 am, leaving the manfriend on his own. Because we were in such a beautiful city, I decided to carry my camera with me (and my water bottle) so I could capture the sights.

The clouds were in full effect when I started and the temps were high 50s or so. Perfect running weather!

I opted to head from our hotel down along the waterfront, past the marina and the wharf, through cannery row, past the kayak and scuba diving lessons, past Lover's Point, past lots of Team in Training runners and walkers, past Point Pinos Lighthouse and a golf course and finally turned around!







And I just happened to pass by my dream home!

Can you see the lighthouse?

I finished 13 miles in 1:53. I was tuckered out and ready to jump in the pool and find some grub after eating only a Larabar that morning.

While the run took me a while longer from stopping to take photos so frequently, it was totally worth it! I not only got my marathon training in, but some sightseeing too! I arrived back to the hotel to find that manfriend even did his own sightseeing while completing a 40 min run! Someone's becoming quite the runner.

Check out my new mug! I love the beach front on one side...

and the Redwoods on the other! Reminds me of our fabulous weekend and sunny California.


What's your favorite vacation destination to run in? I have to say, after this weekend, running in the Redwoods might not be beat (and I've even run while in Geneva, Switzerland so that's saying a lot)!

In case you missed my quick recap of our drive down highway 101, check out the BIG trees!

BIG trees

It may have seemed that I slipped off the face of the earth, but no, we've just been doing a lot of this the past few days...


We had lunch on the side of road near Crescent City, the first time we'd seen the California coast line on our drive.


After 5 easy hours of driving, we reached this...

Yesterday, we drove all day, from 8am-7pm. After passing this lovely view in San Francisco, we reached Monterey around 6:45 pm.

We checked into our hotel and headed over to the brides house to meet up with the girls and say hi to all the old college friends. As usual, it was good to catch up.

The manfriend finished his book (Into the Wild) and then came and picked me up after the conclusion of the girls night. He was hungry so we made an 11:30pm pit stop at Denny's for an omlette for him and an english muffin for her.

Today's agenda: long run for me (~14 mi), food and maybe a quick dip in our beautiful pool, wedding @ 1:30 pm at Carmel State Beach Park and then the reception at the Old Whaling Station. Should be fun!

And then of course tomorrow, there's MORE driving. Happy weekend!

The 20 miler that was

After last week's disasterous 18.5 miles, I felt much better after Sunday's long run came and went. Why? Because I attempted 20 again in hopes that I could step down this weekend because manfriend and I are off to a wedding in Monterey, CA! And I was even more relieved when I finished 20 miles with fairly little pain.

Friday's BBQ with the runners went as well as can be expected. There was plenty of food, beer and laughter. After spending most of Saturday on our bikes and rehydrating, I was ready to tackle the run come Sunday. I parked at the running store early so I could get 4 miles in prior to the group run.

The 4 miles came and went and I met joined some friends for the next 5 or so miles. It's amazing what chatting with others will do to your mood! Instead of me focusing on the miles, the pain or the sweat dripping down my forehead, I was focused on a conversation. Lesson learned.

As a few of the runners turned around, I continued on solo headed toward Dorris Ranch, a place with some great filbert and hazelnut orchards that provide shade and dirt trails. After tackling the steep 1/4 mile hill, I enjoyed 2 x 2 mile loop through the orchards. At that point, the Garmin hit 14.5 mi and I headed back.

The last few miles were tough as always, but I surprised myself by being able to pick up the pace with 3 miles to go. I finished 20.35 miles in 2 h 53 min, which was an 8:30 min/mi average! It's not a Boston Qualifier, but at this point, I don't have high hopes of qualifying. I'll save that for a marathon when I don't have any ailments to heal (whenever that may be).

I stretched for a few, chugged some water and bee lined it to Starbucks where I bought an iced coffee and a chonga bagel w/ cream cheese. I also inhaled a banana, almonds and some dried cherries within the next 15 minutes. Gotta love a post 20 mile run appetite!

Congrats to Lisa who also had an awesome long run this past weekend!

Question(s) of the day: Have you ever been to the Redwoods in California? If so, what was your favorite part? If not, what's your favorite national landmark you've been to?

The manfriend and I will be camping in the Redwoods (hopefully we don't get attacked by bears) and then driving the rest of the way down to Monterey! Hopefully, he won't be too sick of my singing or constant babble by Monday. I haven't seen a lot of national landmarks (still want to see Hoover Dam, Mount Rushmore, Yosemite, Yellowstone...), but I did love going up into the St. Louis Gateway Arch. It is a very cool story to hear how it was built and then see the view from the very top!

What's holding you back?

Yesterday afternoon, I went to see Eat Pray Love with a few girlfriends. I loved the book and I also enjoyed the movie. And pretty much anything with Julia Roberts in it.

Here's the thing, movies and books like that remind me how important it is to slow down, even if it is just a silly little chic flick about a woman who felt lost in marriage and life and went to find herself in Italy, Thailand and Bali. I'm okay with it because part of me just might run off to those very same places if I had some kind of trust fund.

Alas, there were a few really poignant moments in the film that made me want to really soak up life as I wish it to be.

As I left the movie and walked back to my car, which was across the pedestrian bridge and past a park, I stopped a few times just to breathe in the last bit of summer and stare at the way the light hit the water and trees and the people enjoying it all. It truly felt like summer. Summer has a different attitude, there's not question about it.

Part of the movie was about letting go. Acknowledge those thoughts and feelings about whatever it is you still harbor guilt/resentment/love for, but have moved on from and think positive energy for that person/thing/situation. A while back, I decided to let go of some shit that happened back in college because IT was holding me back for a long time.

Here's the nitty gritty. Three of us (out of five girls living in a small house together) shared the newer bathroom. Once a week one of us would take turns cleaning the bathroom. One of the girls had been a best friend, the other was a high school friend of the best. One day, after not putting all my shower stuff back from a long weekend lacrosse tournament, I resorted to using the girl's razor. I know I'm not OCD, but I really don't see this as a huge crime.

Well folks, that was the tipping point. The high school friend of the best was very neat and set in her ways and therefore chose to hate me for the rest of our senior year (and beyond). The two girls essentially gave me the silent treatment for the next 6 months or so without so much as a discussion or statement of annoyance with me using the razor.

I felt alone and punished like the girl in the Scarlet Letter even though I still had two friends in the house. It was a miserable way to end college. I did finally get an apology on the night before graduation from the former best friend for giving me the silent treatment, but nothing from the other roommate. I spent a month at my grandparents cabin rejuvenating from the stressful completion of college before launching into my job search.

Even after college when I'd see her or did her a major favor last year, she never released me from that guilt. I could see it every time she ignored me or would barely answer my questions when I tried to make conversation.

Last year after I did her a big favor and got not much more than a "Thank you," I decided that I wasn't going to let this hold me back anymore. I was letting that nasty shit go. It was after all, a freaking razor. And I am not a terrible person for using it.

Do you have something that holds you back? Why do you think you deserve to hang on to those negative feelings? How will you let it go?

I truly believe that getting this stuff out in the open no matter how guilty you or the other person were, is healthy and helpful for others to read and for ourselves to slowly release the hold that guilt or pain has over you.

And for more reading:
Second Skin recently told the Bad, Ugly and Really Ugly of a friendship gone awry.

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin which often offers tiny thoughts in her posts about how to become more focused, happy, the person you were meant to be. It's also easy because she does v logs requiring those of us too lazy to read, the opportunity to just sit and listen!

Makeunder My Life's recent post on What to do when you don't know your purpose (yet), which I personally connected with. Some great ideas for living a life with purpose and surrounding yourself with the things and people you need.

*Okay, time for bed! I'm going to go read a BOOK! Halleluiah. Currently reading: This Charming Man

Errands by bike and your opinion needed

This morning I woke up just a wee bit tired and dehydrated from a fun barbecue last night. I took Jonah Bell for a walk and came back to start coffee and french toast to convince someone out of bed. He finally mosied out so I could lure him into my plans for the day. Muahhahaha!

We decided to hop on the bikes sans spandex (shocker, I know) in route to the farmer's market and a few other errands. I managed to escape the market with spending $20 and coming back with some fresh corn, red and green bell peppers, locally made orange and hazelnut choc cookies and a few goodies for my farmers market exchange box.

The manfriend snagged a few of these potato donut holes from a local bakery. It's definitely an effort in self restraint when I successfully pass baked goods without purchasing any!

Even with two bike locks around manfriend and my bikes, I was nervous the entire time about their safety. Gah. I hate having to worry about them so much.

We trucked on to the pharmacy and then my eye doctor office to browse their glasses selection. I'm in need of some new ones because a) I want some I can wear in public occasionally and b) manfriend thinks my current pair are nerdy. For reference, here they are.

Now here's where you come in, dear readers! Tell me which pair you like better, a) or b)?


It was really hard to choose when I was at the office so they let me check them out for a few days to try. After looking at these photos, I'm pretty sure I know which pair I'll choose.

After that, we rode over to Cafe Yumm so the manfriend could fill his belly. Cafe Yumm is great because it offers a healthy, fairly affordable menu with quick service. Their standard dish is the yumm bowl, which includes rice, black beans, olives, tomatoes, avocado, sour cream, cheese and yumm sauce. I snacked on a Cherry Pie Lara bar so I could enjoy some leftover BBQ eats when we got home.

We rolled into the driveway with full bags and 13 miles of riding completed. It felt nice to do our errands by bike and actually enjoy a Saturday in town!

Did you make it to your farmer's market today? Do you wear glasses or contacts?I've worn glasses and contacts since 4th grade, but have never liked how I looked in glasses. Here's to hoping I like this new pair enough to wear around more often!

Okay, time for some rest. We have a birthday dinner to attend tonight and another attempt at 20 miles tomorrow. Wish me luck!
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And just in case you haven't heard the news about the newly created Healthy Living Blogs site, check it out! It's such a great resource to find more bloggers writing about their food, fitness and living healthy. As if I need more blogs to add to my google reader... ;)

Healthy Living Blogs is a new resource for the health blogging community. Created by Lindsey of Sound Eats, HLB is a site designed to enhance the positive community of the healthy living blog world. Bloggers and readers can explore the site and find more blogs to love, bloggers in their area, and forums to deepen healthy discussion and support. If you're interested in having your site listed on HLB, simply send the following information to healthylivingblogs@gmail.com and check the site out for yourself!

Email subject line: MEMBERS

Your name (please share if you prefer to go by first name, first and last, or however you prefer to be known on the Internet)

Blog Name

Blog URL (please start with http://, not www.)

Your twitter handle, if applicable

Your location (if you prefer not to disclose this information for privacy's sake, that is completely understandable. We'll simply include your blog listing in the A-Z listing, not by location, too)

Any specific labels (i.e. vegan, gluten-free, weight loss, running, etc.)

Fun Fact Friiiiday

Whoop Whoop, we made it to the end of the week again, friends!

1. I was born 5 lbs 7 oz and had to wear premie diapers. My mom had to leave me at the hospital for a week or so bc I had jaundice so I had to lay under the heat lamps.

2. My middle name is Joy. My high school friends used to say "happy happy joy joy" or joke how I was so joyful all the time. Let's just say I had a tendancy to be a little biotchy back then or I'd like to think snarky. Basically, I just said what I was thinking.

3. I wanted to be a gymnast or ice skater when I was in grade school. As I got older, I was positive I wanted to wear a suit and heels to work, but didn't care what job I had.

4. I was a band nerd and I don't regret it. I played flute and saxaphone from middle school through the end of high school. It brought me some of the best friends in the world.

5. In hs, I played sport after sport. Volleyball, ski team, track and spring soccer. I was a busy girl. Homework was not my highest priority.

What did you want to be when you were growing up? And what do you do now (for work or fun)?

Prized Possession

There are many things that are nice to have. Things I swoon at every time I put them on...a pair of earings, a Michael Stars shirt, a lived in pair of Sevens. But those things aren't necessity, I simply like them...a lot.

After getting out of work early from our staff retreat, I began racing around to complete a myriad of errands for a BBQ manfriend and I are hosting tomorrow. After dumping everything at home, I headed off to running with my running gear in my gym bag that I had packed this morning.

Foolish me had forgot a female runner's most prized possession...the sports bra. I can't run 1/4 mile without one. Sure, I could run around a bit in jeans or the wrong shoes, but you won't see me running around without a sports bra unless I'm running across the street or being chased by a bad guy.

And of course, this morning in my rush, I couldn't find the most supportive one I like to use for SPEED workouts and just forgot one instead. I ended up walking a few miles with the girls who are either injured or choosing to walk and then headed home where I found a sports bra and went on a run. Thank the lord.

A marathoner can get a little psychotic if she doesn't get her prescribed run in. Know what I mean? Seriously, I felt like I was going to freak out if I didn't get some serious work done on those legs. I set my sights on a 6 mi tempo run and told the manfriend sianara.

I ended up doing .5 mi easyish and then picked it up for the next 5.5 miles. Every time I looked down at the watch it was reading something near a 7:50 mi which is a bit fast for me (and I was sure I couldn't hold), but it stuck. Every time I tried to ease back a bit, I couldn't. Some days it feels like it's either this speed or nothin'. If I ease back I'll drop down to cool down pace. Does that ever happen to you? Either way, I got my speed work in.

Seven miles in the bag and one happy camper!

P.S. Hosting events is hard work. That's probably why I rarely do it. You overprepare just so your guests are completely happy, which is cool. And you start over analyzing everything and purchasing enough for twice the RSVP'ed amount. These runners better be hangry! I've purchased exactly 48 hamburger buns and 45 hamburgers, not to mention a bunch of other stuff.

Reliving the weekend

A photo recap does this place more justice than many words. Let me just say that the weekend involved nice brisk walks with grams, plenty of clean eating, generous portions of red wine, manfriend's first ever sailboat ride and canoe trip, a deer sighting and quite possibly best of all, floating on air mattresses in the Puget Sound. It was soul soothing and manfriend loved every second. He's now officially hooked.












So now you've seen it! My grandfather's grandparents bought this property way back when. It's cool to see how many generations have used it as a vacation spot. I can't wait to get back.

Meanwhile, we're experiencing crazy weird weather OR summer has just decided to end. It rained last night at the end of our 3 mile run. There was also a little thunder and lightning. And yes, you heard it here first, manfriend ran two days in a row!

Back to reality

I'll check in for real hopefully tonight, but just wanted to say that yes, we came back from the cabin. We didn't want to. Sunsets, salt water, grandparents and wine can make a girl very happy.

And it was even harder to come back to work this morning. My head is still in a fog. I also did yard work and stayed in my pj's this morning as long as possible before racing to get to work for a meeting.

Manfriend loved the cabin and now wants to become a teacher so he has three months off every summer. I'm not gonna lie, that sounds pretty sweet to me too.

We were discussing the summer attitude on the long car ride home (5+ hrs). I've noticed how much more care free and less stressed I am during the summer than the rest of the year. I guess it helps when you're getting some Vitamin D regularly and always have another adventure to look forward to.

And at the same time, I'm really looking forward to pulling on jeans and sweaters this fall. It feels different this year than before. Perhaps I'm just appreciating each season for its own. We'll see what I think after a few straight months of rain and cold.

On the training front: Friday was a rest day. Saturday, I did a speedy 3 miles at the cabin with two steep hills (2 min each) and a 30 min walk with my grams. Sunday included 10 min dumb bells, 30 min yoga and physical therapy exercises on the deck. Monday was another brisk 30 min walk with grams and a 6.85 mi run with the group. Manfriend even made an appearance and busted out 5 or so miles!

During most of yesterday's run I could just feel the weakness of my left hip/glute. It's frustrating to know that it won't heal overnight. But I do know that after this marathon I want to take a break from racing for a bit and focus on getting that left side strong and my body balanced.

How's your week going? What's your current fitness challenge?

The 20 miler that wasn't all that

Going in, I knew this notion of a 20 miler after a long day at work in warm temps wasn't going to be the best run (or best idea) ever. But because we're driving five straight hours after work tomorrow night to get to the cabin and the roads are fairly hilly in those parts, there was not another option.

I started off just after 5 pm with my gatorade/water, Clif shot bloks, donning my sunglasses and slathered in sunblock for the 87 deg temps. I chugged away just fine for a while, stopped to stretch around mile 4.5 and kept on chugging. I planned to run along the river because the temps are cooler there. Definitely a smart decision!

Around mile 11, I started to mentally (and physically break down). There were walking breaks here and there when I felt on the verge of throwing up. Soon enough, I was back to my office with 16 miles under my belt. I had 1/2 of a almond butter/jelly english muffin and got my butt moving again.

This time, I headed for the grassy intramural fields across the street where I peeled off my socks and shoes and ran barefoot for 1.5 mi or so to give the bod a little break from the pavement. With wet feet, I shoved the socks and shoes back on and finished another .5 miles and called it a day.

On the drive home, I finished the english muffin and drank a lot of water. When I walked in the door, manfriend had spaghetti ready for me. I promptly headed for the ice cream (and advil), then turned on the cool water for a bath and ate spaghetti in the tub. Classy, eh? I think I'm gonna sleep well tonight.

Miles: 18.5
Time: 2:45
Time spent walking: 5-8 min?
Pace: 8:55 (hard to imagine since a lot of the miles were terribly slow, but I'll take it)

Usually, I force myself to complete whatever mileage it is my schedule dictates. But because of the conditions, I gave myself a pass tonight and I'm glad I did. I could have busted out an ugly 1.5 miles, but it wasn't worth it. Do you listen to your body during your workouts or training OR are you more like me and try to force it to overexertion?

P.S. Hearing all the chatter on the blogs and twitter about the Healthy Living Summit makes me wish I had bit the bullet! While it's kind of nerve racking to think of meeting all these bloggers in person whom I keep up with on a daily basis through the web, I'd love the chance to talk with many of them in person.

Next year, I'm definitely going to do my best to make it happen. I love that it's still small enough to get to know people (with 200 attendees) and not crazy huge like BlogHer! Good luck to DOTR who has a little speaking to do at the HLS!

Look at this haul!

A while back, The Transplanted Baker called for those interested in participating in a Farmer's Market Exchange, much like the holiday blogger cookie/ornament exchange. Dutifully, I said yes and then got WAY busy.

Nearly all of July I was either out of town on the weekends or running my arse off, spending time with my youth mentee or something of the like and didn't make it to the Saturday Market. I'm getting close to having all the ingredients to ship my box, but I am shamefully late on meeting the July 31 deadline.

Alas, look what just arrived in the mail earlier this week from my exchange partner! A ginormous box filled with goodies. I promptly dumped them on the living room floor like a kid on Christmas to see what I had received.

So here's what I got: A super sweet reusable bag from her the Mill City Farmer's Market, wildflower honey, wild rice, goat's milk lavendar soap, muffin mix, Pop a Cob corn! (so cool-you just put the cob in a paper bag inside the microwave and it begins popping), homemade strawberry jam, garlic, pure maple syrup and some photos of her house, kids and their garden.

How good to tart cherry breakfast muffins with oat and flax sound? Super good. I can't wait to make these babies!

It should be noted that I exclaimed "Oh my god!" many times as I poured over each item I received. How amazing are bloggers and blog readers? As you can imagine, I am now more than ever feeling the need to get my goodies out the door and on to their recipient seeing as how she was so generous to me. But first, a few more trips to the farmers market.

I may even find something for my box this weekend up in the Puget Sound while visiting my grandparents that I can include. Which by the way, I'm so excited for. There is something about being in a place where your cell phone doesn't really get service, campfires are necessary for morning warmth, sailboat rides are required, and showers feel like a luxury. I'm also excited for the manfriend to experience the cabin for his first time!

Here are a few posts of past trips to the grandparents' summer cabin...
Oh Weekend Don't Leave Me Now
Technology limited and loved it!

How often do you truly unplug? Does it make you feel totally relaxed or honestly a little anxious? As a high schooler, it used to make me a little anxious, but now I love the forced opportunity to just breathe and enjoy without distractions.

Wedding reception and cupcakes galore!

After grabbing dinner, it was already 6 pm, time for the wedding reception at the DeSoto Rooftop Terrace to begin! Much to my disappointment, we arrived full bellied to plenty of delicious looking food, including portobello mushroom sandwiches, greek cous cous salad, grilled veggies, salmon and more! I still snagged a few mini sandwiches because they looked so darn good.

We also snagged a table close to the bar and got a round of drinks.

The rooftop

Bride and groom looking fabulous

Soon enough, I spied the dangerously evil cupcakes. I tried both the choc. w/ raspberry icing and choc. w/ peanut butter frosting. The pb was rich, but to die for. Thank god for mini cupcakes!

Little bro Max looking studly

Manfriend and I being silly

And a serious one now...

I never got a full body pic with dress and shoes, but I wore these fabulous gold shoes from Tar-get. They were comfy and the heel wasn't too tiny to get stuck in the wooden slats.

The black strapless dress worked pretty well. I spent $20 getting it altered because it was a dress I bought in college and a few sizes too big. I also spent $18.50 on the pinkish flower from JCrew. I just wanted something a little more visually stimulating than a black dress. I could have also used some fashion tape to keep the dress in place bc that's part of the reason I didn't dance much. Didn't want the girls to make a showing. ;)

Grams and I with matching pashimas. Isn't she so cute?

The wedding party did a coreographed dance to Thriller after the bride and groom's first dance. The bride is a dancer and it actually went pretty well. I also loved that the bridesmaids wore an array of purple/pink dresses in various JCrew styles.

The dance floor was rockin' for a few hours as soon as the Thriller dance ended. I danced maybe 7-8 songs, but otherwise chatted and let the younger guests boogie down.

Me scarfing a cupcake at the end of the night. I didn't drink too much (two glasses of wine maybe), so I compensated with cupcakes.


Since it is Tuesday, I'm already thinking of the weekend. Manfriend and I are headed up to my grandparents' cabin so I won't be able to do my long run there (it's super hilly). Instead, I'm aiming to do my 20 miler after work on Thursday, DOTR style. Hopefully, it won't be too hot. Does anyone do late night runs bc of your schedule or the temps? I hope my bod is able to settle down a few hours after my run so I can sleep.

And on another note, you need to bake these Super-Charge Me! Cookies. They are awesome. I whipped up a batch tonight! The best part is, the batch makes 10-12 cookies so you aren't left with a ton of cookies just asking to be eaten.

Tonight's random question: Did you ever watch soap operas growing up? My mom and I used to watch General Hospital (which I just saw a commercial for) and All My Children. It's amazing that some of the same actors are still on GH!