Greetings from Virginia! I’m home for the holidays and enjoying time with some of my favorite Guys. I also have the week off from work which is an extremely lovely break…
During my travels East, I also had an awesome opportunity to meet up with some of my favorite blogger ladies in the greater DC area. Last year, when I was in town, we met up for lunch, and we all had a blast! I was thrilled to hear that the ladies were interested in doing it again this year!
From 2012
Having landed in DC the day before, I had a little bit of time to prep for the party. I had sent my gifts ahead of time, and my niece offered to wrap it up for the party – – Thanks, Hailey!
It’s always tough coming up with gifts when you don’t know exactly who the recipient might be… but something homemade always works. So, I made this guy!
It’s a cable-knit headband/earwarmer… my latest knitting obsession. (Click here for the pattern.)
Knowing that a lot of the ladies run, I thought this might be a fun piece to help keep them warm in the cooler season in the DC area. (Note: I didn’t count on it being almost 75 degrees this weekend! It will get cold again…) I paired this headband with (of course) a copy of Wrapped in Red…
And, this fun yoga ornament I found. I mean, how fun is Santa doing Tree Pose??
I also put together a little something for the brunch… I mean, how could I show up empty handed? Especially when I love to cook as much as I do.
I made Skinnytaste’s Baked Mini Spinach and Sausage Arancini Balls – – Think sausage balls with brown rice and dipped in marinara. Amazing to say the least. Click here for the full recipe. YUM YUM!
With present and arancini in hand, I headed over to Dawn’s and was SO HAPPY to see these ladies.
L to R: Hilary (The Big Weight), Dawn (Fit Dawn), Ashley (Coffee Cake and Cardio), Monica (Run Bang Run), me, and Kate (The Kate Mixes) – – Down front: Avonlea (AKA Baby Busbee!)
Please note the blog-links above. These are some of the most inspirational, real bloggers I know. They keep me motivated… which is saying a lot some days! 🙂 If you haven’t read their blogs yet, now’s your chance!
Dawn was amazing to host us all at her place (and she conveniently lives in the same town as my brother!) And, planning a brunch is a big deal, especially when you have a 6 week old! Missing from my pics is the BEAUTIFUL baby Charlotte and her big sis Sydney who was napping when we took our group photo. And, also of note… Monica drove all the way from Raleigh to see us!! So awesome!
I can’t even tell you how nice it was to see everyone. I’ve always felt SO connected to these ladies… and it was so nice to sit and visit and catch up. A desire to be healthy is the tie that initially bound us together… and blogging, of course, but that’s just the beginning. There is so much I gain from each of them every time we’re together. Today was no exception.
We chatted, laughed, and talked about what we wanted to accomplish in the new year. I even brought home a new beautiful bracelet to remind me of all I want to capture in 2014. Thanks, Monica!!!
As Ashley mentioned today… it’s amazing how much can change in a year. And, gosh… she was SO right. Our group had two new babies this year, many half marathons on the books, and so much achieved just in our small group of six! It really makes you think about what you want to tackle next. Inspiring, I tell ya!
I’ll share my goals with you guys next week… but I have to say seeing these women sparked a much-needed re-energization in me. More about that next week too…
We didn’t have enough time, and we certainly didn’t take enough pictures, but it was absolutely wonderful to see each of these ladies!
To my fabulous DC/NC Friends – – Merry Christmas, my dears!!! I am so incredibly happy that Fitbloggin has brought us all together. To think, a conference that each of us randomly picked to attend, in the hopes of learning more about blogging… allowed us to meet and to be connected in the way we are today. To say I’m grateful to have you all (my “soul sisters”) in my life is an understatement. Looking forward to my next trip to DC, and our next gathering!!! (PS… I have some space in my carry-on if any of you want to fly back to Denver with me on Thursday.) xoxo