Ahh, so much to talk about. Where to start!? An outline of things to be discussed?

Vibram 5 finger shoes
Black Friday shopping
POM recipe contest
My new favorite cereal
First family photo session
Holiday gift ideas

I guess I’ll just dive right in :P

1. my new obsession – Vibram 5 finger shoes

I know, kind of weird looking…but I am SO excited about these!! If you are a runner, I suggest your next pair of running shoes be these. If you are skeptical at least do some reading on them. What I have noticed so far:

positives:

Didn’t experience my typical knee/ankle joint pain
I ran my typical 4+ mile run 5 minutes faster
running properly by landing on my mid-foot/ball of foot and rolling up to my toes [without having to think about it!!]
no harsh jarring from heal striking [and much quieter]
my sluggish mile 2 is not sluggish anymore
my legs feel MUCH lighter

negatives:

these take time to get used to and build up to the typical distance you run [ie, start only running 1 mile and SLowly increase over a few weeks – lots of new muscles to build up]
EXtreme calf soreness while getting used to them, but my calves are going to be super defined in no time
I have some foot pain because I think I overdid it a bit :( woops

Kenna is intrigued…

Runners!!! I urge you to check these out.

If you have any questions PLEASE ask me!! :) My husband and bro-in-law both just got these as well and are just as crazy about them as I am.

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2. Laura and I went to the REI in Boulder at 7:30am. The first 300 shoppers got a giftcard ranging from $5-100! We thought there would be a huge line, but there were only about 20 people in front of us. Laura got a $25!! I only got $5…but that’s still something!! I used it to help buy a gift for my bro!

The sky was gorgeous!!

We also went to Macy’s + World Market. I LOVE World Market. Great place for unique gifts and especially for finding fun stocking stuffers!! It’s a really good place to shop if you’re making gift baskets.

Gift basket ideas:

Italian basket – olive oil/pasta/sauce/hard salami/cheese/bread mix
Wine basket – Wine [awesome wine selection there], crackers, cheese, cracker spreads
Sweets basket – British cookies, fancy chocolates, single serving hot cocoa mixes, tea

When we got back to Laura’s apt we found her hubby making this crazy concoction! Wondering what the circle in the middle is?? It’s an EGG!!! Travis is so crafty…the chocolate chunks have bacon inside!

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3. The deadline for the POM blogger recipe contest has caught up with me! I am making pomegranate granola bars!! The recipe + photos have to be submitted by midnight tomorrow night…eek! I got the final recipe all worked out today and just have to photograph the bars in the morning and type it all up.

The bars will be drizzed with a POM sauce. I started by reducing POM juice with a little honey.

Then combined it with powdered sugar and a few other things.

Pretty pink-ish icing!

oats + nuts + coconut

Pouring in the gooooooo :)

Photos of the final product on Tuesday!

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4. My new favorite cereal!! Not too sweet, but suuuper crunchy and the serving size is 1c, which is a perfect amount. Awesome as an oatmeal topper as well.

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5. First family photo session!! I offered to take photos of my friend Melissa + her family. Remember her adorable son Jake?? I thought it would be fun to photograph something other than food, even though I don’t exactly know what I’m doing, hehe. We met at a huuge park in Denver [wash park]. It was pretty cloudy and chilly but really fun!! Melissa, Matt, + Jake were great models and I think there are some really cute ones! Chris was there to help me a bit and give me ideas/suggestions on camera settings, etc.

I’ve been friends with Melissa since the 6th grade. I am loving that we finally live in the same state together!! She is one of my best friends and was in my wedding :) I was in her wedding too, where she married Matt, who happens to be hilarious + awesome! Their son Jake is now 7 months and getting cuter by the day. He is such a well tempered, happy baby.

Okay, here are some of the photos!