Five of my Favorite Things to do on the Day After Thanksgiving

The day after Thanksgiving is for many about "Black Friday" and shopping. But for me that is not the case. I've had my share of shopping with my mom when I was younger and I'm not saying I didn't enjoy it, but I'd rather sleep in and enjoy not having to deal with lines and crowds of people trying to get a good deal. 

Here is a list of five of my favorite things to do on the Day After Thanksgiving:

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! There will not be a throwback Thursday hiking post today, but I did want to write a bit about the things I am thankful for. 

Philly Half Marathon Race Recap 11/23/14

I ran the Philly Half Marathon that took place last Sunday in the "City of Brotherly Run and Sisterly Endurance." It was my first time doing this run and I enjoyed it. I had run in Philadelphia before for their Rock N Roll race but this was different, like a whole different magnitude, just because it was so big. The race offered both a full and half marathon and there were 30,000 runners running on race day.

5 Ways to Simplify Active Living to Make it a Sustainable Lifestyle

It's Tuesday and I am linking up with hosts Jessica Joy and Jill Conyers for their The Fit Dish Link-Up every Tuesday.

Today' s topic is "Keep it simple. How do you simplify active living to make it a sustainable lifestyle?"

Here are 5 ways that help me simplify active living to make it a sustainable lifestyle:

Half Marathon Training up to the Philly Half: 11/17-11/23

Here's a recap of last week's workouts:

Monday 11/17 - Rest
Tuesday 11/18 - 4 mile run while in DC. Very cold run but at least the sun was coming out.

Last Day in Washington DC: National Postal Museum 11/19/14

It was our last day in DC and I wanted to stick close to Union Station so we headed to the National Postal Museum as it was literally across the street from our hotel. I wasn't sure what to expect at the museum because I wasn't sure how stamps and mail could be fun. However, I was pleasantly surprised on how well the museum displayed exhibits on stamps, explored postal history, and explained how mail is/has been transported throughout the years.

A cool thing we found was the Create Your Own Stamp Design station. It was neat because it was a touch screen where you got to tap what features you wanted. 

TBT Hiking Post - Yellow Aster Butte

Happy Thursday!! Today's Throwback Thursday post is of our hike to Yellow Aster Butte. We never did a formal post for this hike, so I have put together a bunch of our favorite pics during that trip. I loved this hike as not only do you get awesome views, we also got to see my favorite animal while hiking, a marmot! :)

Yellow Aster Butte 8/4/08

The hike starts at Tomyhoi Lake trailhead and early on you will get great views of Mt. Baker. 

Day 4 in Washington DC 11/18/14

Today we visited the U.S Bureau of Engraving and Printing to learn about how are money is made. Tours run every 15 minutes from 9:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. and 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m. We made it to the 10:30 tour and with it being off peak season we did not need a ticket. Tours are free like most other museums in DC. :) 

Before the actual tour you can watch a video on how money is made. During the tour no pictures, videos, or cell phones are allowed in use so I was not able to take any pics. The pics below are all from the gift shop.

My Long Run Turned DC Running Tour

On Sunday I had a 12 mile long run scheduled and when I came across running routes, I knew I would be seeing some awesome sites. I knew part of my route would hit the National Mall along with the Lincoln Memorial but I winged the rest of my run and added the Jefferson Memorial, the Tidal Basin, and the Martin Luther King Memorial. I figured why not add more sites and tour the city. What an awesome run! DC is very runner friendly. 

I started my run pretty early, I think I left the hotel around 6:35am. There weren't many runners out yet, but I did see more by the end of my run. I started right by Union Station and headed towards the National Mall. Here I am heading towards the Washington Monument.

Day 3 in Washington DC 11/17/14 National Museum of Natural History

The weather forecast called for rain all day so we checked out the Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History. It was the perfect place to spend the day. There was so much to see.