Sis & Mr. J

Nittany Lion Love.

This weekend, my beloved, amazing, brilliant, crazy, beautiful Sis got engaged. Her (awesome) boyfriend of many years, Mr. J (that's right, you've got your own SeektoBe name now buddy!) got down on one knee in the middle of my parents' living room and shocked her socks off with a heartfelt proposal and straight up stunna ring. Sis called me crying, her voice still audibly shaking from the shock and joy. There aren't many surprises in life more moving and merry than a truly unexpectedly timed engagement. 

So now I get to be a Maid of Honor (woo!) and I get to watch my baby sister become a bride. Thinking back to her Bat Mitzvah, I remember watching teary eyed, unexpectedly moved and full of pride at age 17 as my 5-years-younger sister read from the torah and blew me away with her poise and accomplishment. I already realize that this too will be one of those "I know I'm not your parent but I feel compelled to protect and raise you" moments of pride and I cannot freakin wait. I cannot wait to stand back and support and watch as my little snug takes the next step towards her own adult life. And I cannot wait for her to experience all the joys of new love and true love and all the his and hers moments in between. Mazels to you Sis and Mr. J, I couldn't be happier for you.

Roadtrippin'

Hit the road!

Have you ever taken a road trip? For several years Sis and I were devoted to week-long adventures on the road and Dr. H and I never hesitate to turn a drive into an adventure. Something about the time spent in comfy clothes chatting, listening to great tunes and throwing your hands out the window to feel the wind blowing past is just a whole lot of fun. Here to help you hit the road are some Merry Meri tips and tricks for road trippin'!

* Take the Scenic Route (literally).

When taking a road trip, getting from A to B should not be your only objective. Consider taking scenic routes and avoiding highways and leave time each day for detours. Some of my favorite road trip memories were the result of unexpected pit stops prompted by the "Attractions at this Exit" sign (like caverns in West Virginia... Sis and I always stop for caverns:)

* Plan ahead (but maybe not too much).

My road trips always have a route selected and highlights along it to serve as a guide, but I don't always make hotel reservations in advance or book things that require the trip to function on a strict schedule. Allow yourself flexibility so that you don't feel rushed and be open to the idea of settling in for the night wherever you find yourself when you get tired. Want to take the adventure up a notch? This list of camper and airstream rentals looks pretty awesome.

* Make a circle.
Don't travel the same way twice because what's the fun in that!? When setting your itinerary, try to make a loop that will allow you to visit different places and view different sites while driving. If you belong to AAA (which I highly recommend!) they are an AMAZING resource for road trip planning because they can create a customized "TripTik" of your route with suggested stops along the way. Yup, it's pretty sweet.

* Pick ridiculous destinations (say yes to the penguin encounter).
Always wanted to go to the roller coaster capital of the world? Need to stop for a kayak on a lake? How about a taste of fried chicken from the pub near Thomas Jefferson's house? In my opinion, the hokier the better when it comes to road trips. So go to the ballpark just to eat the "famous" chili cheese dog or discover that there's an aquarium in Kentucky just across a bridge from your stop in Cincinnati (and say yes to the live penguin encounter!)

* Bring the essentials. 

Things you definitely need: An excellent playlist, snacks, a GPS/phone and car charger, a camera (and you better bust it out in the car AND at each destination) and 1 outfit for every sort of activity (aka, 1 workout outfit, 1 comfy outfit, 1 "somewhere nice" outfit, a bathing suit and a sweatshirt). I also highly recommend bringing along a few stamps (because people love getting postcards:)

Game on Princess!

Well my merry friends, race weekend is upon us and Sis and I are currently en route to what will no doubt 

be a magical weekend in the happiest place on earth. 13.1 miles here we come!

Wish.

Us.

Luck!!!!

It's Game Time Princess!

We will win the argument Sis!!

This morning I began a 12 week half marathon training program. For the next 3 months I will haul my body out of bed early and drag my end-of-day tired ass to the gym late, in order to prepare for the Disney Princess Half Marathon which I am running with my sister at the end of February. Body, mind... it's game time.

I'm sharing this with all of you for a few reasons. First, I am absolutely out of my mind excited to run this race. A diehard Disney fan, Magic Kingdom enthusiast and happiest place on earth believer, I cannot think of a better idea than dressing up like THIS and participating in THIS. (Getting goosebumps right now just watching that... seriously.) Most importantly, I'm pumped to embark on this challenge and adventure with my sister, who has never run this far before, but who I'm 100% certain has the strength, energy and persistence to do it. We are going to have so much fun pushing ourselves to this very rewarding weekend together (we've already made princess dinner reservations for that Friday night, we are NOT messing around!) And last but definitely not least, I'm sharing my Princess dreams with all of you as a form of accountability. It took a solid 5 minutes of mental motivational speech to get out of bed this morning and the weather is only getting colder... My hope is that by putting this goal out into the blogosphere, I'll have to stick with my training and get my booty into decent shape. Because if I see any of you in real life, you just might ask how the running is going and "I thought about it from the warmth and comfort of my couch" isn't an answer I'm prepared to give. So here's to my next big endeavor, to sharing it with my sister because she's my lifelong partner in crime (and crazy!) and with all of you because nothing motivates like telling hundreds of people that you're wishing upon a star for one of THESE.