Good morning!!! As this post publishes, I’m well on my way to Savannah. Woo, baby! I so look forward to not only running my first big race and seeing some amazing blog friends, but also to have a weekend away with Peter sans kiddos. That’s right! We’re kid free this weekend and treating it as a little getaway.

Thanks to some wonderful parents who scoop up the chance to stay with their beloved grandchildren for a few days.

Last night, my parents came to our house hauling their suitcases to act as our heroes and babysitters for the weekend. I made sure to give them special treatment by preparing a delicious dinner for us all to share.

I made a large batch of whole wheat penne pasta with some broccoli, mushrooms, and onion topped with marinara sauce. I always love adding extra veggies to help bulk up a pasta dish.

I also bulked up the meal with some ready made items for sides – some garlic Texas toast and a lite Caesar salad bagged mix.

I break out the big guns for guests, huh? Hey, I did say “delicious”, not “difficult”!

And delicious it was. The perfect meal to eat for race fuel-ups. #readytorunalready

FFF Features of the Week

I never expect you all to keep up with every post I write, so each week I play catch up with my favorites. Find the posts that I enjoyed writing the most, that sparked the most discussion, or that had the most cuteness…as well as one of my favorite blogs for you to check out. Give ‘em a looksy and I’ll be back later with Fun Fact Friday!

Featured Personal Post: Stuffed With Emptiness #4

This particular post went into my experiences turning to alcohol and the time I desperately hoped to be successful at suicide. Please read with caution.

Featured Workout Post: 5 x 5 Full Body Circuit

I skipped the features post last week, so I have to remind you all of this workout. It was seriously too much fun! Printable version of the workout in the original post.  

Featured Meal Post: Tofu Parmesan + Cheesy Spaghetti Squash

Another from last week that I can’t let get swept under the rug!

Featured Positive Post: Too Much Of A Good Thing

Some of my favorite things right now – tea and great Christian workout music.

Featured Fun Post: A Tale of Two Winners

Another Champion sports bras giveaway with TWO winners. Ends tonight!

Featured Cuteness Post: Out With A Bang

Halloween costumes. ‘Nough said. Click to see the full cuteness effect.

Featured Reading: Michelle @ Crazy Running Legs

I get to meet her this weekend since she is running her FIRST FULL MARATHON in Savannah. Plus, she’s all around awesome. Give her some positive energy before tomorrow!!! And Michelle – I know you will do fabulous!

• What’s a meal you like to make for guests?
• Any exciting weekend plans?

As I’m sure you have heard by now – it’s November. We have only two months left in the year. Hard to believe, huh? At least October went out with a bang! Are you ready to read about a stellar new workout and get an overload of cuteness?

I kicked off my last day of October with a frightfully good workout. Since I knew we had plans for the afternoon ahead, I hauled my booty to the gym to spend some quality time with the treadmill again. But first – a new workout!

The compound moves in a continuous fashion really had me sweating. I loved the use of the resistance band in this workout too. Always fun to mix things up!

Since I had such a sweat going from the circuit (and a little ole thing called a half marathon this weekend), I kept things light when I hit the treadmill. I didn’t mess around with speed work to entertain myself on the treadmill. I just set the speed at 6.2 and kept on running until I hit four miles.

I’m happy to report that my foot finally feels completely normal again. You may recall the top of my foot feeling sore after a long run a little over a week ago. It would still feel a little tender at times, which had me worried. I looked into it and found numerous suggestions to tie my shoes differently.

I followed this guide on Runner’s World and laced my shoes up in a parallel fashion.

No more pain! Who knew such a simple change could work such wonders? I guess trading in my old shoes for the new pair I had waiting for me helped too.

Most of the rest of the day proceeded normally – laundry, play time with the kids, getting work done during nap times, and so on. Then came the night and the excitement picked up considerably.

You thought I was going to dive right into the cuteness, didn’t you? Well, sorry to burst your bubble but excitement for me meant starting the night with a heaping bowl of chili.

I made Kelly’s recipe for chili (because I know she does a good one) and loved every Frito and cheese topped bite. Some things just need the old-school toppings.

Now that you have waited ever so patiently, time for trick-or-treating…

…and the corresponding explosion of adorable.

This season is easily my favorite time of year because I simply cannot get enough of the many family activities.

You can’t help but have some of the kid excitement rub off on you.

Makenzie had an absolute blast trick-or-treating since this was the first year she fully understood the process. Which also meant Peter and I had to be a little sneakier about nabbing a few pieces from her stash. You know you would do it, too!

Butterfinger, Reeses, and Twix make good race fuel, right?

She obviously has plenty. Today I will be sorting through it all, pulling out a small stockpile of her favorites (Dum Dums) and our favorites (above) for special treats, then donating the rest to Makenzie’s preschool. They are taking donations to send to the troops to have for treats and also to pass out to kids where they are stationed. Isn’t that cool? And friendly to the whole holiday maintenance balance thing. Win win situation for all!

• Favorite: Halloween candy? Costume? Holiday?
• What’s a surprisingly simple fitness tip that has made a big difference before for you?