Hey, hey, hey FFF friends! I’m feeling good and spunky so let’s get this post going.

You would think I have some serious good news to report with that chipper greeting, but I don’t. Not really anyways. Today has trucked along like many other Wednesdays. I woke up at the ripe hour of 5:30 am to have my usual hour of morning time before needing to get dressed and out the door for my run. Quick pause – why does 5:30 am seem soooo much earlier than my normal 6:00 am wake up call? It felt like I lost two hours of sleep rather than thirty minutes. And yes, I know some of you crazy people (that I love dearly!) wake up at insane hours like 4:15 am. You crazy. Crazy crazy crazy!

Well. So much for a quick pause, huh? I would say sorry…but I just type and things like that happen. It’s natural. Anywaaaayyyyssss….

This morning I drove to the running path with a smile on my face ready to take on a five mile tempo run. My plan called for a one mile warm-up, three miles at an 8:20-8:25 tempo pace, then a one mile cool down. My legs took until mile four to catch up, but I’m still very pleased with the run. 🙂

• Mile 1 = 9:43
• Mile 2 = 8:39
• Mile 3 = 8:38
• Mile 4 = 8:19
• Mile 5 = 9:04

Interesting that my pace doesn’t look that different over the course of the run, but it sure felt different. And boy can you tell it takes me a couple minutes to find a steady pace at the beginning. Up down up down. Ha! Please excuse my running dweebism. I’m queen of the tangents apparently today.

After that the day looked pretty normal. I had some breakfast. I played with the kids. I tried to sneak in a few emails to catch up on. I put away dishes. And then, suddenly, something hit me out of the blue. I didn’t want to just coast through the day taking the precious people in my life for granted. Namely, Peter. I love trying to sneak in little spontaneous surprises for him and it saddened me that the last time I could remember was bringing him hot cocoa by surprise back in December! For shame, Tina!

So I pulled out some paper and jotted him a little love letter right then and there.

Then, packed the kids in the car and drove out to his work to slip it under his windshield wipers for him to stumble across when he gets out of work.

Little gestures like that make my day and I know he will appreciate it as well.

Peter and I certainly put forth the effort to show each other our love and support on a regular basis, but there’s just something about simple surprises that goes a long way in my book. It goes above and beyond and, in my opinion, keeps the spark more alive by lessening the opportunity to take each other for granted. Sometimes I have to remind myself that relationships take work and we shouldn’t just coast on through, even if they run well without the extra steps. I need to do these things more often! Heck, it will probably brighten my day even more than it will his because I’m a romantic cheeseball.

Now, I gotta get going. A typical Wednesday day has now become a typical Wednesday afternoon/night. Busy busy busy!

• What time of the morning is that breaking point of being too stinking early?
• What small gestures mean the most to you from a loved one?

Good morning, beautiful. How are you today? Have a good weekend? I sure hope so! Things were pretty good around here. Catch up, why don’t you?

• The Musical Fruit – yes, I talked about farting this weekend
• I Got My Hair Did – I got a haircut and also the FFF features
• Self-Love Reflection: Fight Cancer With Food – her story gives me chills!
• One Month to Live: Live Passionately – insights from my new book study

Now that you got yourself all caught up, I have even more to share with you from the weekend. I did good on Saturday morning. I achieved a new PDR and then followed it up with a pancake creation that I still have dreams over. First, let’s start with the run.

Nine miles. NINE. MILES! I strangely love long runs and couldn’t wait to go out and tackle the distance. I decided to go with the running path for this week’s run and made the trek out as early as possible. I really appreciate having such a great running path to use for long runs. It motivates me to come across so many other people out caring for their health and I like not having to worry about as many crosswalks and bug attacks. I also like knowing I can easily reach one of these when needed…

Yea. That is a welcome sight for someone who ate too much fiber. But I would have no idea who that could be. Purely hypothetical and we’ll leave it at that. 😉

Despite that quick break in the run, things went incredibly well. Nine miles with an average 9:18 pace ain’t half bad I would say.

What a way to start the weekend!

After taking care of my legs with some stretching and icing, I had to get to work taking care of my stomach. Last week, Gabriela posted about her love for the chocolate and coconut combination. That sparked an urge in me. I needed a chocolate and coconut flavor explosion. I needed these Chocolate Coconut Pancakes. Oh, yes. I did. And I think you need them too.

Chocolate Coconut Pancakes

• 1 1/4 cups flour (I used whole wheat pastry flour)
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup unsweetened chocolate almond milk
• 1/4 cup light coconut milk
• 2 tablespoons canola oil (or applesauce)
• 1 large egg
• desired amount of shredded coconut

Mix the dry ingredients – flour through salt – together in a large mixing bowl.

Make a well in the center to add the wet ingredients – almond milk through egg. Stir until the mixture forms a well-blended batter. Fold in your desired amount of shredded coconut. I used one large handful.

Spoon batter onto a lightly greased, hot griddle or pan. Cook 2-3 minutes until small bubbles form and edges set. Flip and cook another 2-3 minutes.

Plate and garnish with extra cocoa powder, shredded coconut, or powdered sugar. Go mmmmmmm.

These babies make me giddy. Promise to make some? Because I’m out and need more. Like, stat pleaseandthankyou.

• Are you a fan of coconut?
• Best part of your weekend?