WIW: to work

Hello! Hello! Hello!  I'm pretty lucky to work at a bookstore that lets you wear basically whatever you want. The only guidelines I was given when hired were: 1) wear closed toe shoes and 2) don't wear anything you wouldn't wear in front of your grandma.  Easy enough! Sometimes I don't feel like dressing up so it's a company shirt and a cardigan or sweatshirt. But most times I enjoy putting thought into how I present myself to the world.

This is an outfit I wear on a typical day. It has comfort, style and function..easy to lift lots and lots of books! I have had this sweatshirt for a few years now, but have just now figured out to layer with it instead of just wearing a scarf. I love how just adding a nicer shirt underneath dresses up a simple sweatshirt. 

Since this is such a simple outfit , I like to keep it simple with accessories. A typewriter necklace is very fitting for a bookseller and you can never go wrong with a cute pair of flats!

.the details.

sweatshirt: Target

undershirt: Marshalls

necklace: gift

jeans: Old Navy

shoes: Target

.not just for girls....what we can learn from GOTR.

Last year when coaching for Girls on the Run for the first time, it was a tough year for me. I was going through a lot of personal things that truly affected my self esteem. But slowly through the 10 weeks this group of 15 young girls started to change the way I saw things, myself, and how I worked in this world. They saved me. I thought a lot about the lessons we were teaching this young girls and how they still apply to us as adults. Therefore, each week on the blog we will be discussing the same topics that the girls are learning about!

LEARNING ABOUT COOPERATION

We all know that we are suppose to work in groups well and that being a team player is a great selling point for any resume.  What we don't talk about is how hard this really can be! It's difficult at times to work with a group of diverse people all with different opinions and accomplish one main goal.  Raise your hand if you have even been paired in a group project with someone you don't particular get along and are not sure how to work with them! I'm sure we all have experienced this either in our schooling, work, or other areas in our life.  How did you accomplish it? Did you listen to the others, not just wait for them to stop talking so you can talk, but really listen to what they have to say and add? This is the first important step, hearing what all the voices have to say, then it's important that as a group to define your goal and how each person can have a part in that goal. When you look at the final result, if you really have cooperated with your group you will be able to see the areas in which everyone has uniquely added. Since we are all unique and add something special, it important that we let that shine through. 

STANDING UP TO PEER PRESSURE

Even though I am a 29 year old adult woman, I still fall victim to peer pressure...sigh, it is true. Peer pressure doesn't stop when you leave high school, college, or hit a certain age, it follows you throughout your life. The things we feel pressured about have changed, but the pressure is still there. Now it's about eating that cupcake, buying that expensive item you can't really afford, going out when you don't really want to, getting that trendy outfit to look younger, getting a better paying job, ..the list goes on and on.  Even though the things we feel pressured about have changed, the way we can handle the pressure is the same. What we teach at GOTR is to STOP, BREATHE, LISTEN, and RESPOND.  When you feel pressured stop, take a deep breathe (this will help calm you), listen to that little voice in your head, and then respond. This is an easy thing to do, but we all forget about it from time to time. Next time you feel pressured just remember that you do have a choice and it is one that should be respected, so stop take a deep breathe, listen to how you truly feel, and then respond accordingly. If the person respects you they will understand, if they don't understand maybe it's time to reevaluate that relationship. 

How do you work with groups? How do you stand up to peer pressure now that you are an adult?  I think these are topics that still affect us as adults and I would love for this to be a place of discussion.  I would love to have you leave comments where we can continue the discussion, help support each other, and feel safe to ask questions. 

Next week we will be talking about: Standing Up For Yourself and Gossip Hurts Everyone

.Girls On The Run (is so much fun).

Remember when I was going to tell you about one of my favorite organizations, Girls On The Run, and how how much I believe in the organization? Well, you are in luck cause now is the time to share it with you!! EEEECCCCKKKKKKKK!!! Are you as excited to learn about it as I am to FINALLY tell you about it?

First off, Girls on the Run was founded by the amazing, Molly Baker, in North Carolina back in 1996. Now it is an international organization (what!?!) with the Twin Cities chapter starting in 2011 by Mary Urban and Kori Fitshchen (thank you ladies!!).  The mission of Girls on the Run is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy and confident using a fun, experience-based curriculum which creatively integrates running. They envision a world where every girl knows and activates her limitless potential and is free to boldly pursue her dreams (umm...are you not already falling in love with organization?) Also, an important thing to note, is that this IS NOT a running club!! We don't train girls to run and compete, we encourage girls to keep moving forward be it running, walking, or skipping! It's about setting goals and working towards accomplishing them, in your own style and time!

The trained coaches work with the girls and teach a 20 lesson curricula that empowers the girls to have a greater sense of self-awareness, achievement, a foundation of team building and enhancing their communities, all in order to help them become strong, healthy, and confident women.  Some topics inclue how to handle peer pressure, dealing with body image and the media, feeling comfortable with our emotions, and community service project. As well as the curriculum that we teach each week throughout the 10 week program (we meet twice a week ) we have interactive activities such as running and playing games. This helps the girls apply what they have learned, reflect, and express their own unique selves (as well as gets them moving their bodies).

After the 10 weeks of running and learning the program all the girls, their running buddy, and the coaches run or walk a 5k!  This is sometimes the very first 5k a girl has done (as well as some running buddies) and they worked hard to cross that finish line! I remember my first 5k, I was 25 and I struggled throughout the course but crossing the finish line I  felt triumphant and proud! This is going to be what all the girls, their running buddies, and coaches will feel when they watch the girls cross the line at the 5k!

NOW YOU CAN BE APART OF THE EXPERIENCE TOO!!! For the first time the Twin Cities chapter is opening up the Girls on the Run 5k to the public,300 community members to be exact! So now you can join 100 girls, their running buddies, and coaches in this great conclusion to the season!! Below are all the race details:

• The race will be Saturday, November 16th at 9 a.m. 
• The run will start and end near the Nokomis Community Center at Lake Nokomis
• There will be a fun group warm up before the race and food and festivities after!
• Registrants will receive a race t-shirt
• This is a fun run and will not be chipped or timed
• REGISTER...here!
• More info on the race, click here

I have one free race entry to give away (aaaahhhhhh!!!!)! To enter, leave a comment below telling me either why you believe Girls on the Run is important OR what MAKES you unique and how you celebrate it! (I hope to have a lucky winner by next week! Make sure to leave a way I can contact you if you win!!!)

GOTR: website  facebook  twitter 

.life in iphone pics.

This is what I have been up to lately in life...according to my iphone..that is!

.corn art at Minnesota State Fair. 

.Hanson at Minnesota State Fair. 

.Zac Hanson (what a hunk) and I.

.my best friend got married.

.family movie night.

.morning walks.

.swing patrol.

.birthday girl.

.beautiful skyline.

.daddy's girl.

.sister time.

.stone arch bridge.

.fall is in the air.

.Maggie and Lily story time.

.Maggie and Lily at nap time.

.date night with Atlas Genius.

.Run Sho Run.

I feel like it's been ages since I talked with you all about running, I guess that is what happens when you take most of the summer off from blogging and running! I believe that last time we talked about running here on the blog was almost a year ago, after we finished our first marathon! What happened after the marathon was we took a few weeks off, and then that turned into taking the winter off (it's cold here in MN in the winter!), and then the spring, etc.

Actually, I did do some running in the spring, it just wasn't very much! During last spring I became a coach for a Girls on the Run (GOTR) team near my home. Each week we discussed different topics and practiced for a 5k! At the end of our time together, 10 weeks or so, the girls, friends, and coaches ran the 5k! It was a cold morning and the rain was pouring down on us, but it was the most fun I have ever had running 3 miles!! I loved cheering on the girls towards their goal and helping their parents accomplish the 5k as well!  Not only did I run the 5k with my own GOTR team, I also ran the 5k for GOTR in Mankato, MN. I ran this race last year with my sister and we did it again, hopefully we continue the tradition! The best part of this race was girls had their names on the back of their shirts so you could personally cheer them on when you were running past them! Of course, I gave some people shout outs because it is a big deal that they are pushing themselves and becoming healthy!(kato time: 34min.)

In June Dave and I ran a half marathon with my friend Jenna (we ran our first half with her last year!). We ran the Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth, MN which is partners with the popular Grandma's Marathon. As typcial Shoave fashion, we didn't train as much as we should have..but we did it!! The morning of the race was crazy foggy, you literally couldn't see your hand in front of your face! The race course is beautiful, for most of the run you are alongside Lake Superior...the only thing was you couldn't really see it with all the fog!! My favorite part though was watching runners in front of me just disappear into the fog like they got swallowed up, it literally looked like a movie! This half marathon has been my favorite so far, due to the wonderful atmosphere and energy. You have people alongside the course the whole time cheering you on, giving you beer (yes, my husband did a beer shot, a small beer bong, AND drank a smoothie during the race...and they were all from strangers!),and playing great music. I even made a friend on the race course who was running the race for the 22nd time! She watched the first ever Gary Bjorklund Half Marathon and decided she could do it, so she has every year since!! What a great inspiration! Our time wasn't that great: 2hr 48min due to elements out of our control, but we had fun and we finished, which I think is the most important!

After the half marathon I took a step back in my running and only did it from time to time. A month went by and I decided I needed to do another race AND I found one a few blocks away from my apartment AND it supported Girls on the Run!!!! Bonus: I knew a friend who was running it! The race was Esprit de She, which is a running series with Athleta and Lifetime Fitness. I can't begin to tell you how great it felt to be surrounded by 1,000 women who were there to support each other, run a race, have fun, and give a few bucks to an organization I hold dear to my heart! The fun thing is after you run your race, they give you free bubbly and the local stores give you good discounts!!!  (time: 32:01)

Last but not least, I just ran my latest 5k in September! This one, oh, this one I HIGHLY recommend if you live in Minneapolis!!! It was the O'Donovan's Mill City Suds Run in Northeast Minneapolis and it was a blast! I have never done a "fun run" before, so I wasn't sure what to expect. What I got was a lot of people, mostly dressed in fun costumes who were ready to run and drink beer...which was served at mile 2 and afterwards! My favorite costume was a group of friends dressed up as mario cart characters who ran to the theme music trying to crash and pop the others "life" balloons! They were having so much fun you couldn't help but smile! After the 5k you could grab your bbq lunch and more beer (or root beer) and join the party on Boom Island! The course was beautiful, the atmosphere was electric, and I would do this race again without hesitation! (3.37 miles: 35 min 33 sec.)

.can't have a Suds run without Suds.

RUNNING RECAP: 

Since the middle of October I have ran FOUR (4) 5ks , ONE (1) half marathon and currently am training for another half marathon next month.  When I first started this post, I truly didn't think I ran very much this last year but when I reflect on it, I feel different. It may not be what I wanted to do or as much as others do, but you know what I RAN five races this year as well as putting miles in for training and for fun! That is something to be proud of and gosh darn it, I AM!!!!

* Wanna know something exciting!!! Soon, I'm going to take the time and tell you ALL about Girls on the Run and what it means to me!!!  I'm already so excited about it!!!!!

.bachelorette party.

As you can probably tell from the heading...kids shouldn't read this...and you may not want to because there may be a pictures of some shaped items. BUUUUTTTTT...I held my very first bachelorette party last month for one of my very best friends and it was so much fun!  If you don't know, I love planning events, even though I usually get stressed out about it, I love doing events.....therefore I wanted to make this bachelorette party special!

We are a low key group of girls, so I didn't want to go all out crazy but keep it simple, pretty, and a tad classy. The bride to be loves Barbie, so I knew that had to be part of the party in some way.

I decorated using lots of tissue poms from the ceiling to help create a cozy and pretty sitting area. I also used a lot of pink and complimentary colors to brighten the space up. We started the night with appetizers, drinks, and some games. One of the games included Pinning the Macho on Ken, which was a hit!

We continued the night out in Uptown, a popular area in Minneapolis where we had a great dinner at Chino Latino and drinks at the bride to be's favorite spots. After a great night out we came back to my house to talk and fall fast asleep. Before each lady left the next morning they got a Bachelorette Survival Kit to help recover from the night before. 

The Survival Kit included: Barbie ban-aids, hair ties, chips, bottle of water, sunglasses, pair of socks, advil, hand sanitizer, gum and Barbie kleenexes. 

The Survival Kits were a hit!! I know that I used some parts of mine the next morning while I passed my day away on the couch recovering!!

.8 yr. old lady.

Maggie, our english-bulldog, turned 8 this month!!! This is our second birthday with her and of course we spoiled her again this year! We both have fallen head over heels in love with this little doggie and feel blessed to have her in our lives.

Maggie spent the day laying in bed with me, since I was sick and didn't go into work. She was one lucky dog, because sleeping in the bed in one of her favorite things to do!

Once Dave got home, the celebrations began. I cooked Maggie a special supper of summer sausage (last year she had chicken) and it was served while we sang "Happy Birthday". For dessert Maggie got a special birthday dog treat with frosting and sprinkles to boot! She devoured her food within seconds! And of course all of this was done while sporting a birthday princess hat!

.she always eats her treats in the living room...and is always messy. 

And what is a birthday without family birthday pictures...nothing! So here are our annual birthday pictures! Maggie, we are soooo happy to have you in our family! We couldn't have rescued a better dog that fills our hearts the way we do and we look forward to spending all the rest of your years with you!  

Here is to our old lady who moans when we try to wake her, farts in her sleep, drools, snores loudly, and couldn't care what is happening in the world.  We love ya and can't wait to continue to spoil you rotten!!

.mmmbop.

If you don't like boy bands,  then this is not the post for you. Because I am about to go all girl crazy about Hanson and you may even hear my 7th grade self scream over your  computer screen, so turning down the volume is recommended!  Now, let's talk about Hanson, shall we?  Back in 1996 (my 7th grade year) Hanson released their major debut record, Middle of Nowhere, which had their HUGE single, MMMBOP, on it.  I'm just going to say this now, but Middle of Nowhere is an AMAZING album.  I still listen to it as an adult and love every song AND I think they should re-record it as adults....it would be SOOOOO good!!

Since their first release, girls have been crooning over the boys and picking their favorite brother. Lots of girls were Taylor fans, some were Zac fans, and a few were Isaac fans. (let's just say though...Isaac is now a hottie!) Me, I was and still am a Zac girl!! I remember talking about Hanson with friends about how cute the boys were, what our futures would be like when we married one of them, and how we would love to go on tour with them...making all the other girls jealous of our love! 

I can't say I'm a crazy Hanson fan, like some, since I stopped listen to them for a few albums. I have been back on the bandwagon though since 2004, when they released Underneath. Every album they have released over the years is better and better. They continue growing with their sound, writing, and always meeting their fans expectations. I have seen them a few times before (or every time they are in the area) and always I am blown away.  This summer they played for FREE at the Minnesota State Fair...for FREE...yeah, FREE!!! 

I couldn't pass up seeing my boys for free two nights in a row...so naturally me and my other crazy friends headed to the state fair.  The best part of the nights was getting to be FRONT ROW for HANSON!!! AHHHHHHHHHH...yes the 7th grade girl went freaking crazy!!! I was singing at the top of my lungs, screaming like I was a teenager, and dancing my booty off! 

Seriously, I couldn't have been closer...since I had my water bottle on the stage! AAHHHHH!!!!  Can I tell you guys, those boys grew up to be beautiful men!! Men that are all married and with children..but let's not get lost in the details, shall we!?!? The sad part though of liking the drummer, is that you rarely ever get to see him (insert sad face). 

At the end of the first night I had touched a few of the Hanson brothers...and couldn't think it could get better than that! Then the second night, I touched ALL Hanson brothers hands and was satisfied with my outings!  BUTTTT...not my friend, if she had the chance to meet Taylor Hanson, she was going to take it. So like youngsters we waited outside their bus for the opportunity to see or meet them.  And can I say.....I would do it all over again!!! Cause not only now have I touched Hanson...I have now MET HANSON!

See...just look at how handsome they are! Okay, girls these are not the little boys that you remember from Middle of Nowhere, they are now men. Men who play great music, who are nerds about music, and who love their fans. My recommendation is you check out a few of their albums (my favorite is SHOUT IT OUT) and see for yourself.