Spring Break!

We officially began Spring Break last Friday and my school is VERY *happy* to enjoy a week off in this gorgeous spring weather! Click the link below to see just how happy we are :) Enjoy!

Brookfield is HAPPY!

5K Fun

One of my 30 before 30 goals (which I promise to do an update on before my 30th... in a month!) was to run my first official 5K. Well, been there, done that... a few times actually. This past Sunday, Andy somehow convinced forced me to run a local 5K with him "just for fun". He took the liberty of signing me up, completely covering my entry fee, and driving us to and from (clearly he wanted a buddy!). So, being the ever so compromising wife (HA!) that I am, I agreed.

Now, just for the record, I do actually run frequently. I typically run anywhere between 3.8 and 5 miles, 3-4 days a week. You would think with my competitive spirit and actual tendency to run, I would be all about 5 K's. Not so much. I put way too much pressure on myself to have great runs when it is an organized event like a 5K- particularly when my friends are also running. My competitive spirit comes out and I literally get anxious about my performance- who I should be faster than, who should beat me, what my time should be, etc. It's ridiculous. So I typically avoid running these races and just stick with my personal, leisurely running routines. But Andy really seemed to need a running buddy, so to the 5K I went.

I was honestly shocked at what a great time I had. As with my previous 5K's, I expected to dread every second of my run, running curse words for Andy through my mind as I trotted along to the finish line. But I was very pleasantly surprised with how much fun I had (seriously, don't tell Andy- he'll make me do another one!) The weather wasn't too hot or too cold, the course was ideal- not too many hills, not too many straight-aways to get bored on, and my time was phenomenal for me. I got a personal record by almost 2 minutes, finishing the race in 25:43. I felt great when I finished- accomplished, productive, and not like I was about to drop dead.

After the race, we grabbed some free food (honestly, I might just do another 5K if I am rewarded with a Krispy Kreme glazed donut) and waited for the awards. My hubby is quite the runner and almost always places in his age group. So no surprise, Andy got 1st place in his age group. The most shocking thing was that I would have gotten 2nd place had I been in the 30-39 age group, but because my birthday isn't for another month, I got 7th in the 20-29 group. Still a very proud moment for me! All in all, it was a really nice Sunday morning with Andy... and it didn't totally suck to be done with my exercise for the day by 9:30am :)

25 Things You Don't Know About Me

Hello, my name is Heather and I am an Us Weekly addict. One of my favorite things to read is the lists that celebrities do of 25 things people don't necessarily know about them. Since it appears Us Weekly is not going to ask me to complete one of these questionnaires anytime soon, I figured I'd try to make my own. Here goes:

1. I had no name for the first 2 weeks of my life. I was simply know as "Baby Girl McDonald".
2. One of my greatest guilty pleasures is theme parties. I LOVE any excuse to dress up or wear a costume.
3. Another is obviously reality TV shows and Gossip magazines (ahem, Us Weekly). 
   
4. I never received anything below a B in my entire schooling career. Yes, I'm bragging- but I am very proud of my hard work.
5. I prefer salty snacks and foods to sweets. Give me chips and dip over a cookie anyday!
6. Andy and I dated long distance for 4 years in college while I received my undergrad degree and masters at Virginia Tech and he finished undergrad and his MBA at Clemson.
7. I am a certified sports-crazed, fanatic. I love football, soccer, baseball, basketball, and volleyball.
8. On that note, one of my biggest dreams for the future is to see my Hokies win a national championship in person.
   
9. Cheeseburgers are my absolute favorite food. I could eat them anytime-morning, noon or night!
10. My favorite author is Jodi Picoult. I love the way she write stories from multiple points of view.
11. One of my favorite books, however, is The Godfather. I was shocked to have enjoyed it so much when I was assigned to read it in my first English class at VT as a freshman.
    
12. I am a homebody and would prefer to stay in most nights in my pj's with a good book.
13. If I could have any job on the planet, I would be a professional athlete. 
14. I have an obsession with organization and things always being "put in their place". 
15. I also make lists for everything. And I mean ev-er-y-thing. I even have a daily to-do list in my planner that includes things such as "Work 7-3" everyday. Serious OCD tendencies.
16. One of my biggest challenges is being spontaneous. I am such a planner.
17. My husband, Andy, is my biggest running motivator. He runs every single day and inspires me to push myself.
18. There is nothing more valuable to me on this earth than my family and my friends. 
19. I am the youngest person in our group of friends and am therefore, the last to turn 30. Makes it a little more bearable since they already hit the milestone :)
20. I am a big fan of living in an area that experiences 4 distinct seasons. I love the cool, crisp air in the fall, the beautiful falling leaves and football season. I love cold, snowy winters that include snow days and fires in the fireplace. I love seeing the flowers poke out of the ground and the warm sunshine beating on me in the spring time. I love vacations and long-hot days poolside in the summertime.
21. I had my tongue pierced during college. Clearly my rebellious stage of life.
22. One of my biggest flaws is that I continuously compare myself to others. I'm working on it everyday.
23. I am terrible at confrontation and conflict, but absolutely love watching the crazy Housewives on Bravo go at it!
    
    
24. My go-to beverage of choice is an ice cold beer. Although, I've never turned down a nice glass of red wine either.
25. I wasn't even sure I could come up with 25 things about me for this list. Cheers to that!

I'm baaaaaaack!

Wow. I can't believe it's been so long since I last posted. I could come up with a million different reasons and excuses for my lack of updates, but let's be honest- it just hasn't been much of a priority lately. It's been a long, exhausting, crazy, stressful 6 months. But, I finally feel like the light is at the end of the tunnel and life is beginning to get back into some sort of routine for us. I promise to catch up on most of the big things I've neglected to share, such as our new house, but first I'll start my next full-post with something fun to re-introduce myself :) Enjoy!

Our 3rd Anniversary

Today, Andy and I celebrate 3 wonderful years of wedded bliss. I guess I can no longer even attempt to claim that we are still *newlyweds*, huh?! Just another old, married couple.... and we couldn't be happier about it :)

It is always so wonderful for us to spend our anniversary looking back and reminiscing on what we were doing 3 years ago on our picture-perfect wedding weekend. I still remember the mild summer sunshine we had for our gorgeous outdoor ceremony (amen, because with the heat we've had this summer- I'd be freaking out!). I remember the unconditional feelings of love and support we received from all our friends and family who joined our celebration. I specifically recall waking up on my wedding day and feeling like every little thing was right in the whole wide world. Our day was the most perfect we could have ever hoped or wished for and we are so lucky to be able to look back at all of our wonderful memories.

 For our 3rd anniversary, we are having a pretty low-key celebration.We have had a very, very busy summer and have a lot going on in the Saulitis household -er- households?! Instead of finding cute little gifts to meet the 3rd anniversary "leather" tradition, we bought each other a house! I promise I will post more information (and definitely pictures!) as we transition into our new home in the not-too-far future! Since we are in desperate save-all-the-money-mode these days, we plan to celebrate our anniversary by Andy going to work and Heather packing boxes at the condo. Romantic, huh?! This evening we will have a nice dinner at home while watching our wedding video together and looking through our wedding album. Sure, we'd love to go out and spend tons of money on a romantic night, but we are content with a nice evening in as we reflect on all the fabulousness of our wedding weekend 3 years ago and look forward to many more anniversaries together in our new home!

29th Birthday

This past Friday I celebrated my 29th birthday. We started the celebrations a little early on Thursday evening by going bowling with some friends to kick-off the weekend. I have always LOVED my birthday- so I try to drag out the celebrations as much as possible :) Friday I celebrated at school with my amazing co-workers and 5-year olds. I think they may have been more excited than I was! That evening, my parents and Andy's mom met us for dinner at PF Changs for a birthday dinner and then my parents came back to our house for gifts and cake. On Saturday night I met up with some of my bestest friends from highschool. We had cake and festivities at my friend Chris' house and then ventured to see The Legwarmers, an AWESOME 80's cover band... all in our 80's gear! It was such a fun way to celebrate the beginning of the last year of my 20's with such great friends and family. Every year on my birthday I am reminded how lucky I am to have such loving, generous and fun people in my life. Here's to hoping 29 is an amazingly wonderful year!

30 Before 30 Update

So, it's been a fairly unproductive year since I last updated this list. Fail. I have a feeling this list is going to become my "30 before 40" list also. Oh well. I could blame it on the most time-consuming school year I've had since my first year of teaching, or a plethora of other things, but I'll just say- I clearly don't take enough time for myself and the little pleasures in life. Maybe I should add that to the list?! :)

1. Get married! Goal complete! Andy and I will celebrate our 3 year anniversary this July :)
2. Climb Old Rag mountain
3. Coach a high school sports team, preferably girls soccer or girls volleyball. Complete! I completed my 2nd year of coaching highschool girl's volleyball at Centreville HS last fall.
4. Go camping for a weekend
5. Rent an RV and travel to a Virginia Tech football game.
6. Go to Europe for the second time
7. Swim with dolphins. Andy and I got to hang with some dolphins when we went to the Bahamas in 2011.
8. Drive across the United States
9. Cut my hair short even though it terrifies me. Done in the fall of 2010 and I am doubting it will ever happen again :)
10. Go to Australia and see the koala bears
11. Eat Sushi for the first time. Complete.
12. Get a dog (or two!) that is me and Andy's pet and not our parents'.
13. Watch my friends fall as happily in love as I am and attend their weddings- In progress. Andy and I continue to celebrate the love of our good friends with weddings throughout the years!
14. Watch all of the movies currently in my Netflix queue- I have made excellent progress of this in the past few months! Not there yet though.
15. Learn to cook well, not just make dinner.  Shout out to Pinterest for my inspiration in the kitchen... most of the time.
16. Visit Mikaela in Maine and eat a real Maine lobster. If  I accomplish ANYTHING this summer, this is it!
17. Go to an NFL Super Bowl 
18. Go to a National Championship Game in college football
19. Run an official 5k. I completed my first official 5K in May 2011 and am running another in 2 weeks.
20. Learn how to not kill plants
21. Send a photo Christmas card. Done.
22. Buy a townhouse or single-family home. Hopefully in progress... what a headache of a process though :/
23. Save enough money to keep our condo and rent it. See above
24. Buy a new car.
25. Go on a winery tour bus with my best friends- Winery tour last summer.
26. Get involved with the Girls On The Run program at the elementary school I work at
27. Give a toast at a special event. I made a brief toast at my Dad's 60th birthday celebration.
28. Continue to take trips with my amazing parents. Crossing this off the list as we plan yet another vacay this summer!
29. Host a formal family dinner at my home
30. Begin the journey of becoming a mom