The Philadelphia Marathon is one month from today! ONE MONTH. That’s 31 short days away. I am both so scared and so excited.

Scared, because I had a major hip flexor issue earlier this week. After my run on Monday evening I was in so much pain, hobbling around my condo gripping countertop to countertop as I walked around. There may have been a tear (or five). BUT, thankfully, it’s not anything major. I went to see Dr. Crabtree at Uptown Natural Care Center for some Active Release Therapy (ART) and will be going back a couple of times a week for the next week or so. In the meantime I can continue to run, which is great because on Saturday I am running the Monster Dash plus 5-7 additional miles (you know, for fun-ish).

Scared again, because I am not so sure I will be able to reach my goal time. I just don’t feel as strong as I did when I ran Grandma’s Marathon last June. But I still have one whole month to train my body and (probably more importantly) my mind to run that 26.2 miles.

But still, excited! Because I have been working towards this since August 2. Because I am running it with a bunch (what are we up to now, 9?!) other Calhoun Beach Run Club-ers, who are all amazing. Because I want to eat 4 post-marathon Philly cheesesteaks. Because running a marathon is such a thrilling (yet painful) experience.

Ok. I’m done with the marathon rant. That went on longer than it should have.

In non-running news, I did go to my first yoga sculpt class since forever ago. A co-worker had told me about Yoga Sol, so I went to check it out. It’s little studio in Northeast Minneapolis. There is no membership, but they ask for a $10 donation for each class. So great, right?! The sculpt class was fantastic. Lots of sweating, strength, and stretching – everything I needed. I’m excited to check out more of their classes, because I really just NEED more yoga in my life.

I also NEED you to check out all these great things I came across this week:

• This article was both hilarious and good to know. I’m glad I never described myself as a locavore foodie who loves yummo ‘za and orgasmic sandos.
• Dinners I want this weekend: Savoury Tomato Parmesan Crumble and Stuffed Chicken Breast with Pears and Brie.
• I have been saving wine corks for a little over 8 years now (I started when I studied abroad in Berlin in college) and have bowls upon bowls of corks spread throughout my condo. This bulletin board would be a good way to use some of them up!
• When I grow up I want to have a progressive dinner party like this.
• This is a great article on authenticity. Let’s be REAL.

A little long-winded this week, but sometimes that happens.

OH, almost forgot. I finally made a Just J.Faye Facebook page. Follow me!! If you want.

I hope you have a great Thursday and a wonderful rest of your week.

<3jd

My friends and I tailgated for the Vikings game last Sunday. And by “tailgated” I mean “wandered around the tailgate lot, drank beer, and didn’t dress up in Vikings gear.” That’s still tailgating, right? We just wanted to check out the tailgate scene before the Polar Vortex strikes again! The end to this nice weather is near. Must.Take.Advantage.

Maybe we’ll go back and I’ll dig out my old Viking’s sweatshirt (#PurplePride). Or maybe we’ll just go to the apple orchard instead.

On that note, here some fun things I stumbled across this week:

• Do you know what wine pairs best with your favorite Halloween candy? You do now.
• Joy The Baker is the first blog I ever started following, ever. It was way back in 2010. She just released her second cookbook, Homemade Decadence. I can’t wait to devour everything in it. Everything she creates is absolutely wonderful.
• How great is this doormat? I want to be greeted like that when I enter a place. Who wants to have a craft day with me?!
• Clutch essentials. All of these things = totally necessary.
• These pears. I want them.

So I will leave you with those things and get on a plane to Denver now.

Have a fabulous weekend! xoxoojenna

 My mom bought me this little candle last week and I’m completely obsessed. I rarely burn candles in summer, so I forget all about how amazing and delicious smelling they are. Now I remember. Thanks, Mom.

In other news, check out these things:

• Let’s face it, we could all use a little more plaid in our lives.
• Marathon training is a physical and mental challenge. This article on how to think like an elite runner is super helpful. I should probably re-read it before every long run… and every hill and track workout… or maybe just before every run in general.
• Sam Smith, break.my.heart. I’m Not The Only One.
• I really want a mini pig. Seriously, how cute are they?! I already have a name picked out…
• This oatmeal. This bread. This salad. This soup. This cake. Breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, dessert. Done.

HAPPY THURSDAY! xojd

Happy October! It’s definitely feeling like fall. Let’s be cozy and drink hot black coffee and eat delicious pumpkin bars and enjoy the perfect cooler running temps. Mmk? We can also carve pumpkins and tailgate and go for walks on crunchy leaves by beautiful orange and red trees.

Fall. Love it. Love these links too:

• I was excited to see that Kate posted another October Produce Guide! I posted the September one last month and used it for some recipe inspiration. There are so many delicious veggies and recipes. What will you make first?
• This Roasted Butternut Squash Pizza is calling my name. Must.Make.ASAP.
• It’s fun to watch Jeopardy! every now and again. I get really excited when I can answer one or two. But this category, yikes. They didn’t think that one through.
• Not going to lie, I am a Harry Potter geek. I need to go visit all of these places.
• The quotes by these business ladies are super motivating. Let’s work hard and learn lessons and be successful.

Yay Thursdayyyyy! xoxoxoxjenna

This week marked the 3^rd anniversary of buying my condo. Crazzzyyyy. I still remember the day my realtor brought me to see it. It was love at first sight. I never looked back and am so happy to be where I am.

Fall is a good time to reflect.

It’s also a good time to read fun thing online, like these:

• If you are a man, you need to read this. If you are a lady, you need to forward it to all your man friends. Being a gentleman is important.
• I gasped out loud when I saw this post. Vanilla Bean Sweet Potato Waffles? Gimme.
• This roundup of slow cooker recipes is awesomeeee. I can’t wait to break out my slow cooker and make them all!
• Find out what these 13 fitness acronyms stand for and what the concepts behind the mean.
• Confidence is key. Strike a power pose.

Sending you lots of Thursday love! xoxojenna

The weather was definitely fall-esque last weekend so I finally broke down and baked with pumpkin. I tried to hold out as long as I could, but the temperature dropped to 40 degrees. It just had to be done. I don’t regret it in the slightest.

I baked up these Soft Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bars on Saturday and did my very, very best to pretend they weren’t there for the rest of the day – #selfcontrol. On Sunday I met up with some friends at a bar for a mild form of Sunday Funday (I say mild because this only lasted 2 hours. Our current record is 6 hours) and brought these bars along with some plastic bags. I needed to give them all away, because otherwise I would just go home and eat whatever was left. Not necessary. Luckily they were easy to pawn off on people. The waitress was super excited.

Moral of the story: Let’s have Sunday Funday. I might bring treats.

Also, some interesting things I found on the web this week…

• I’ve been toying with the idea of getting a spiralizer for a few months now and have come to the conclusion that I absolutely need Because of this, this, this, this, this, and these. Do I need to have more reasons than that?! I could just get a julienne peeler too. Either way, one of those tools needs to get into my kitchen ASAP.
• This idea of pairing movies with food is wonderful. My friends and I are hoping to have a Will Ferrell movie marathon soon (saving it for a rainy day). Soooo we should probably have meatloaf, spaghetti with syrup, and, of course, scotch.
• These 15 career tips from smart women are pretty awesome. When an article posts quotes from Mindy Kaling, Tina Fey, Hilary Clinton, Nora Ephron, and Arianna Huffington you know it’s going to be good.
• And then there are these 9 ways to be a more badass woman. Do them all.
• This soup. This salad. This pie. Let’s eat.

Happyyyy Thursdayyyyy xojd