Nicole's Creations

Nicole's Creations offers a monthly subscription service that delivers handmade jewelry to your door each month. There are two options, $10 a month or $20. I went with the less expensive option, and I have to tell you, I'm MORE than getting my money's worth! Nicole goes out of her way to read this little blog to get an idea of my style. And she completely delivers each month with a piece (or pieces) that I've completely loved!

I'm so late in sharing my May Nicole's Creations piece with you all! I got it WEEKS ago, but haven't had the chance to organize a post. But here it is finally:

Something a little different this month! I'm generally more of a bracelet person, so for the most part Nicole sends me bracelets. But this month I received this beautiful necklace! Here are some close ups:

 I love the antique-y feel of this pendant, and the pink stone in the center is perfect!

 The added seed beads in the macrame is such a nice extra touch!

Here it is on:

It really sits perfectly! I'll have to plan a night out to wear this one soon!

What do you think of my May piece from Nicole? If you'd like to try out the subscription, or even just browse the online shop, click here to head over to Nicole's Creations and see what she's all about!

Thursday's Threads

Happy Thursday friends! Following in my last few editions, I have three outfits to share today! We'll go back wards this time, just to mix it up. Let's start with my work outfit:

I'm supposed to be not shopping... but you know stuff happens and you find sweaters for $10. I loved this green and when I got it home realized it would be perfect with my gradient pants!

Top: Retro-Ology

It's just an apple green cotton sweater. But I love the cut and the color so much! Good find!

Pants: Rue 21

I've had these jeans for a couple years, but I hadn't been wearing them because I thought they were really small. I pulled them out after getting the sweater though, and discovered they are in fact my size. Oops. Glad I looked! They're fun and different!

Shoes: Old Navy

I swear, my wardrobe has just been waiting for this sweater to find me. These shoes are kind of straw-like, and the pattern reminds me so much of the sweater. They're even the same color! I've had the shoes for awhile too. They're ridiculously comfortable for being inexpensive Old Navy brand.

Accessories:
Necklace: Swarovski

I saw this little watermelon on Zulilly and decided it needed to be mine. I want to get an extender for the chain though, it's a little shorter than I like. So summery though! Love it!

Clutch: Nila Anthony

Ok, so we all know I love me a good fancy-pants leather bag. Truth! But when it comes to kitch, I don't mind a synthetic one. Plus Nila Anthony bags are really high quality synthetic materials. I think this purse is adorable and hope I get a lot of use out of it.

Bracelets:
Left:

That stone bangle was another Zulilly find. I don't know the brand though, sorry! I love natural stone so this was a must-have for me! The next one is one of my own creations. I think the beads are actually plastic, but they look like stone. Close enough! And of course, my trusty watch.

Right:

I know, right?! Can you believe I had a bracelet that was ALSO the exact same shade as this sweater? Well I do. This one came from Little Black Bag. Long ago.... It's a nice quality piece, and kind of heavy... but not in a bad way.

Next up... Running Outfit!

It seems we skipped from Summer to Autumn already... So cold here this morning! In the 40's! Brrrrr. So I had to wear all the layers.
Top: Saucony

I had gotten this long sleeve before running the Ragnar Relay: New England. I knew I wanted bright clothes for the night runs! It's very thin which I like, and even has a pocket for my phone!

Shorts: Pony

I think you've already seen this pair. And admittedly the two-in-ones shorts are over kill with the leggings... but they matched and I was in a hurry, so I went with it.

Tights: Hind

I love this brand. I've only ever seen it at Marshall's and TJ Maxx, but I have never disliked anything from them. These tights are awesome. They don't fall down, but still aren't too tight.

Sneakers: Mizuno Wave Sayonara

Last pair of these that I have... I love them.

And last but not least.... Riding Outfit!

Top: Aeropostale

This is an oldy. And you've seen it before about a year and a half ago I think. I still love it, and I think it's perfect with these breeches!

Breeches: Annie's USA

Sorry for so many photos. But Annie's has these awesome new breeches with the rhinestones on the pockets. I HAD to have them! And they've made a few improvements to the breeches too. The knee patch now have euro seat and and these sock-like bottoms instead of the velcro. They're still too long for me, but the soft bottoms fold up nicely without bunching under my boots. Annie's suggested trying the children's next time, but I'm not sure my bum will fit...

Belt: No Brand

I found this on Ebay. I'm guessing it's supposed to be a knock-off Hermes? But I've never seen an Hermes buckle like this one... I like it anyway though. The teal belt is a great color, and the buckle itself is silver toned with gold-tone edges. Best of all worlds!

Boots: Tuffrider Sport

I think I've mentioned having these before, but don't recall if I've shown them to you or not. They're similar to the regals, but are a dress boot (meaning no laces). They also have an added elastic strip in the front. At first I thought they were hideously ugly, but I actually rather like them now. They are SO COMFORTABLE both in the saddle and out. Great for everyday.

What are you wearing today?

What's Up Wednesday!

Happy Wednesday! We've had a few days of rain and ridiculously cold temps, but today is pretty gorgeous... Still a little cool, but not too bad! Life is busy as usual, so let's see what's been up this week!

Horses:
 This week wasn't as productive as I'd hoped. It started out ok, but the second half was kind of useless. I planned to jump Jampy a little on Wednesday and then again with the jumps bigger on Saturday. Wednesday went as planned, thankfully. A friend of mine came over and took some pictures for me too! I left the single jumps where they were at about 2'6"- 2'9" but I put the out of the combination up a little to 3'3". Jampy was a very good boy! Here are some photos:

Unfortunately, Saturday was CRAZY windy, and Jamp left his brain somewhere in his stall. When he's in that frame of mind, it's pretty much impossible to get anything accomplished with him. I tried lunging him for a while, and he was better when I got back on, but still distracted. Jumping would leave us both frustrated, so we did some decent flat work and called it a day. We'll try again this week.
Ducky's been a little sassy this week, but still a pretty good boy. I got some cute photos of him too! (And one naughty one.)

Rio's had a good week too. He's done some lunging, some hanging out, and a lot of grass eating. He also was the biggest complainer about de-worming.

Sunday our "rides" were pretty sad since my legs were all done with life after the half. Monday was a day off for the four-leggeds so yesterday was a flat day. Hopefully we can get a lot accomplished the rest of this week, because Sunday Jampy heads to Saratoga!

Running:
 Oh running. How I love to hate you. I guess it was a decent week in running. Albeit ridiculously hard. Vanessa, Pepper, and I met up Thursday for our usual 3 miler. It was fairly uneventful and a lovely morning.

I wanted to get one more short run done on Friday so I could have Saturday off. I procrastinated just long enough that I wasn't sure I could get much done. But I HAD to run something. I decided to hop on the treadmill and run just 2 miles, but try and do it relatively quickly. Goal accomplished!

I recapped the half already earlier in the week. It was hard. It was 13.1 miles. There were LOTS of hills. And emotions. I'm glad it's over! Here's another photo from the race of my bestest friend and me as we approached the finish:

Those are looks of relief my friends. RELIEF! The end was near.

Pugs:
The pugs have been doing what they do best. Embracing the lazy. And bringing me down with them! They're just the best ever.

We spend a lot of time on the floor. I should just sell the couch.

Other:
Um... I don't think I did anything at all that wasn't running, riding, or working this week. Even eating and sleeping were pretty limited. I'm super behind on sharing "stuff" on the blog. I need to show you what I got from Nicole's Creations in May, and I have a bridle review/comparison I want to do for my horsey readers.

That's what's up with me this Wednesday! What's up with you?

Truthful Tuesday

I think I'm a much cooler person on social media than I am in real life. In real life I'm generally too busy for much small talk and being nice to people... But on social media, I'm all "leave me comments!" "Be my friend!" "Talk to MEEEEEE"
In real life, it's hard to be funny. I always think of a great comeback way too late to actually use it. But on social media, I have time to come up with some wit before posting.
In real life, I'm a little... wide. On social media, I can just post pictures from the one angle I don't look super wide in.
Perhaps it's time I tried to bring social media Stacie out into the real world?

In the meantime, leave me a comment or two! Social Media Stacie loves to respond to those :)

Social Media Stacie:

aka: not wide

Real Life Stacie:

WIIIIDDDE

That's my confession for today... Anything you need to get off your chest?

Outrun Branford Half Marathon

 

Those of you who have been around awhile already know about my virtual running group Outrun38. Click over here to my recap of the 5K they hosted and to learn more about the cause we're fighting for. Also, if you're a runner, walker, or biker, head over to their Facebook page called Outrun the Odds and join us! In a nutshell, Outrun38 was started by a woman named Nicole to support her best friend, Liz, who is battling Cystic Fibrosis. It started as a tiny little Facebook group and is now a huge movement (and an official nonprofit)! They hosted the 5K last summer, and this past weekend the very first Outrun Branford Half Marathon.

As soon as I saw this was happening I registered right away. And though my training was less than consistent, I was excited to attend this event (even if it meant I had to run 13.1....). My excitement tripled when my very best friend since childhood expressed an interest in running it too! She's a much better runner than I, but I knew we could at least start together and find each other at the finish. Well, she had no such intentions and said she was going to run the entire thing with me. I was like... ohh.... you don't want to do that... I'm going to be walking a bit (or maybe a lot) and will definitely be very slow. Her response, "this group is about supporting one another. It was started originally to support a best friend! So I'm running with you!" Awww! That's why she's my best friend. Everyone needs someone like her in their life.

I was able to leave work a little early on Friday and head over for early packet pick up. I figured this would save some time on race day. So the morning of, my BFF Jenn, and my other friend Jill all carpooled over to the race. We left my house at 6:15 and arrived a little before 7. The bathroom lines were LONG and we missed the opening remarks sadly. But we made it to the start with plenty of time to spare! I took few photos, and none on course, so I apologize for the lack of illustrations. If you're able though, definitely visit the Outrun the Odds page on Facebook, there are SO MANY great photos!

The before shot, Me, Jenn and Jill

I'll say this: The course was HARD. The weather was not at all what was predicted. It was supposed to be in the low 60's and raining. It instead was in the 70's, mostly sunny, and humid. SO HUMID. We were warned ahead of time that there would only be water stations every three miles, but given the forecast, I wasn't worried about bringing hydration. BAD PLAN! I was struggling by mile 2. STRUGGLING. Also, the hills. I had heard it was hilly. It was not a lie. I didn't find most of them to be terribly steep or high, but they were constant. There were very few flat areas, if any. But the scenery was gorgeous. 

We ran first through a neighborhood with what appeared to mostly have older residents. And many were out in their driveways cheering us on! It may seem silly, but having people cheer you on is so very helpful in a tough race. Or any race really. We continued to run through some adorable neighborhoods, and eventually ran off onto what's called The Trolley Trail. It passes through wetlands and is a dirt path with tall sea grass on either side. It's not actually marshy on the trail, thankfully, and the scenery is gorgeous. There were even two wooden bridges to run over. Despite my struggles, I really enjoyed the course's scenery. (Not the hills.) After the trail we found ourselves pretty close to the shore and passing by some swanky homes. Beautiful area!

Jenn and I made a new friend named Russ along the way. We kept passing each other back and forth and finally chatted a bit around mile 9. He's from CT originally, and lives in DC now, but flew home to support the cause. We also met another runner who was as miserable as we were feeling. She was hilarious, and even complained that all the attractive firemen monitoring the course were all married. Comic relief is necessary on a tough day folks! I tried getting some volunteers (and even a police officer) to trade places with me, but no one took me up on the offer. The volunteers at this race were amazing. All so positive and encouraging.

After what seemed like 10 years, we were heading back to the finish and more hills. We passed through the seaside area of town and finally, FINALLY, we saw the finish! There is no better feeling than seeing that finish after your worst race ever. I walked a LOT. I averaged a 12 minute mile. That's pretty terrible for me. But considering my lack of training, the weather conditions, and hydration problems, it could have been worse! Having my best friend by my side the whole way definitely helped. Running a half marathon, even a disappointing one, is a pretty special experience and having  your best friend support you through your struggle is even more special.

The Finish! Me, Jenn, and Jill

But that's not the most heartwarming and incredible part of the day... Nope. not even close. When Jenn and I were at about mile 12, we saw Nicole heading back down the course. I thought she was just cheering people on, maybe seeing what was happening at the back of the pack. But that's not what she was doing. Not exactly... You see, Liz, (Nicole's best friend battling CF), was running the race too. That's a pretty incredible feat on it's own: A 38 year old woman with Cystic Fibrosis running a half marathon (that was ridiculously hard to begin with). But Liz had been in the hospital until a week and a half ago. She had to have a feeding tube installed and special treatments on her lungs. That's pretty serious business. And she RAN THE ENTIRE HALF MARATHON! She and a pack of her closest friends ran it together, all donning hot pink shirts with the word "Miraclemaker" on the front and "Determination powered by Liz" on the back, with a hot pink wheelchair rolling along with them, just in case. She didn't need that wheelchair. She completed the entire course. Nicole had been heading back to join the pack so she could finish with her best friend. Brian, the third founder of Outrun38 (and also the race director) met them at the finish. It was so emotional, it was all I could do to hold back the tears! (Me with my cold little heart...)

Nicole in pink on the left, Brian in blue facing away, and that's Liz hugging him

This was the hardest, most difficult half I've run so far. (Number 6 for me!) But it was probably the most empowering. Having my best friend support me, despite being fully capable of finishing at least 20-30 minutes sooner meant so much. And that moment when Liz crossed the finish... I can't even describe it. Amazing.