2014 was a heck of a year. It kind of wore me out, and a lot of what happened was unexpected! But I'm so grateful for the friends and family who kept me sane through it all. I ran 56 races (including 2 marathons, 18 half marathons, 8 10k's, 10 5k's and 3 relays), bought a condo, wrecked my car, had my blog grow like crazy, met tons of amazing people, was reminded that I have the most generous and caring friends ever...
While I do look forward to the new year, I also remind myself it's just another day on the calendar. Any day (and every day!) is a good day to reflect, set goals, appreciate what I have, and spend time with my favorite people.
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Wet n Wild Fergie Centerstage Lipstick in "Fuschianista"$3.49 for 0.1 oz This color is GORGEOUS. "Fuschianista" is a bright blue-based fuschia with a blue/violet sheen to it (you can't see it in the photo of my lips but you can see it in the photo of the lipstick, top right), it has a satin finish, and is unscented. This particular color is really bright and fun and bold--people will notice and ask you what you're wearing. When I first bought it, I was a little chicken about wearing it, but I found it really flattering on my NC25ish skintone. It's not moisturizing, but it's not drying either--kind of standard lipstick. It feels pretty good on my lips, and has slightly above average staying power for me. What really makes this lipstick amazing, besides the shade, is the pigmentation, which I think is pretty great. For less than $4, it's a winner, and I'm interested in trying some of the other shades in this line as well!
Lipgloss+Spandex rating: Emma Watson... cute and smart and Hermione Granger, right? ...but truly, she is beautiful, and absolutely BRILLIANT, and absolutely deserving of being U.N. Women's Goodwill Ambassador. I was blown away by her speech. I LOVE how she defines and describes feminism. Click here to read my race recap of the 2014 Holiday Half on Run Oregon!
Can you believe it's half way through DECEMBER already?! Things have been crazy and so I'm just now getting around to posting this review of the August 2014 BeautyBox5! Beauty Box 5 is a monthly subscription service that delivers five beauty or skincare samples to your doorstep for only $12 a month (and the shipping is free)! Ordering recurring boxes gives you an even greater discount--a quarterly membership is $30 ($10 per box) and an annual membership is $99 ($8.25 per box)!!! At the moment, it looks like New Yearathon will be my first race of 2015! :D I'm hoping that my first weekend of 2015 will be a double race weekend with New Yearathon 1 miler and 5k on Saturday the third, and Resolution Run 10k on Sunday the fourth. I wouldn't have it any other way! If you're thinking of signing up for this race, be sure to do it soon, because the race is filling up FAST. New YearathonDate and time: Saturday January 3, 2015 @ 8:30am Events and price: 1 Mile $14 5k $22 1 Mile & 5k $25 Kidathon FREE ($10 for a medal) **NO day of race registration** Location: Cook Park; Tigard, OR Beneficiary: N/A Swag: Every finisher gets a nice, hefty Uberthons medal. There will be hot cocoa and post-race snacks. Pins for age division winners; necklaces for those running their first 5k with Uberthons (even if they've run any other race prior--your first Uberthons 5k is special!) Course: The 5k contains both dirt and paved trails. It's nice--pretty, well-marked, and not hilly. Past recaps: 2014 New Yearathon Last year, after multiple requests from runners, Uberthons decided to put together a small, no-frills January run at Cook Park in Tigard, Oregon--the 2014 New Yearathon. Shortly after creating the event, runners clamored for a medal to be added to the race, so Uberthons added that to the race too! It'll be cold, and the picnic shelter can get chilly, even with the two space heaters, so be sure to dress warm and get there early, since the parking lot fills quickly and there's no bag check. I love that Uberthons has kiosks where you can check your official time immediately after the race. I'm also excited to see what Uberthons has in store for 2015! Last year they had their Uberthons Jacket program, and I've heard they're doing something different this year but haven't announced what. They're also bringing back the pins for age division winners. I'm excited to see that New Yearathon is returning for 2015 and can't wait :) Even though I'm slow and not in race-shape right now, it'll be a good race to transition back into it! I've totally been inspired by fellow Run Oregon blogger Matt Rasmussen's Christmas playlist on rdio. I saw one of my fave "Christmas songs" on his list and realized I wasn't the only one who liked Fall Out Boy's "Yule Shoot Your Eye Out"! Truth be told, I can get a little Christmas-ed out. I used to really resent seeing all of the Christmas decor at the mall before Thanksgiving had even passed. And a WHOLE ENTIRE MONTH OF MARIAH CAREY CHRISTMAS TUNES is enough to drive a person insane. The over-commercialized and syrupy sweet Christmas season is enough to give me cavities. But, this year, in my very own condo that I purchased this year, things are a little sparse, but I've found my own Christmas spirit. It's not as shiny and sparkly--it may be a little alternative, a little emo, a little rock, and a little angsty. Maybe even a little Halloween-y! But it's more ME, and it's not stuff you'll hear on the radio for HOURS UPON HOURS EVERY DAY UNTIL CHRISTMAS. Click here for my playlist: Marilyn's Christmas Music Mix: No Sugary-Sweet Crap! Hope you enjoy it! What are your favorite Christmas songs? WOO HOOOOO!!! Get Bold Events has gotten into the holiday spirit and is giving a nice present to one lucky Lipgloss+Spandex reader: one entry to the 2015 Resolution Run, your choice of 5k or 10k!
Check out my race preview of the 2015 Resolution Run 5k and 10k, and also my race recap of the 2014 Resolution Run 10k here. Giveaway ends 12/13/2014 at 8:00pm PST. Good luck! :D Resolution RunDate and time: Sunday, January 4, 2015 @ 10:00am
Events and price: 5k or 10k $42-45 1k Cub Run $15-20 Polar Bear Slide (free) Location: Battle Ground Village; Battle Ground, WA Beneficiary: Clark County Fire & Rescue Fire Cadet Program Booster Club Swag: Tech t-shirts (see below!) and goodie bags. New for 2015--all 5k and 10k finishers will receive a medal! Post-race pancake breakfast, beer by Northwest Public House & Brewery. FREE photos on their Facebook page after the event. Course: The 5k and 10k courses are both fairly flat and fast.course maps with elevation charts are available here. This is an event running friends had told me about for years, and I finally ran it for the first time last year, and I was kicking myself for not having run it sooner! (I had a great time--check out my recap of the 2014 Resolution Run). Although it's usually cold that time of year, there's definitely something special about doing a race in January and starting the year off with a running/walking event. It doesn't hurt that there were plenty of firepits and heat lamps to keep us warm before and after the race also! Resolution Run is a great race because Get Bold does a nice job of putting on events that are well organized, super fun, are just the right size (last year's run had about 470 runners and walkers). Elba and the "Bold Babes" have a contagious energy and they work hard and play hard--Elba tends to be one of the first people to do the Polar Bear Slide--and they also care about their local community, which is why the beneficiary of this race is the Clark County Fire & Rescue Fire Cadet Program Booster Club. The designs on this year's tech t-shirts is really cute and wintery, and I'm excited that they're bringing back finisher's medals to this event. And I love that there are HOT PANCAKES and BEER to enjoy afterwards. Stay tuned for a **giveaway** for one entry to the 2015 Resolution Run 5k or 10k! I'll be posting details on my blog and facebook sometime during the next few days... |