Melissa, Oh?

My run could have appeared in an Apple commercial yesterday.
I was on a 5-mile run, and I had taken my water belt with me. Typically I only do that if I’m running 6 miles or longer, but I was feeling a little dehydrated. I was a little bored with my Shuffle playlist, so I put [...]

Apparently today is National Best Friends Day. It comes at a time in my life in which friendship and the very meaning of it has been something I’ve questioned.
So, what is a best friend? Being a little bit of a grammar stickler, I have trouble with those who claim to have multiple best friends. Don’t they [...]

This post is not just about exercising. This post is about how amazing my friends and family are and how exercising plays a big role in that.
Case in point:
Wednesday I rode my bike to TrySports (7 miles) for the group ride, only to have it rained out. Instead of calling it a day, Scott and I [...]

Every time I visit Florida I think about the old days. And when I say the old days, I mean a decade ago – when Jeff and I first started dating. He lived in Winter Springs and I lived in Rock Hill, so I spent Christmas break/spring break/ part of summer break in Florida. Days [...]

She wants to approve all baby bump photos before they get uploaded to Facebook, so I’m going to be careful about the ones I use here since she hasn’t told me which ones she likes yet. 
But I’m so excited about the first photos I’ve been able to take of my unborn niece, that I can’t [...]

So, this photo was not Photoshopped. But it sure looks like it was, doesn’t  it?

This image cracks me up. It was taken at the Marine Corps ball in November; my in-laws were in town this weekend so they gave us our copy then. This was taken by the portrait photographers hired by the Marines. They [...]

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It ain’t easy turning 32 on a Tuesday.
I mean, who wants to go out on a school night?
Well, apparently I have some of the coolest friends in the world because my birthday kicked ass and I didn’t even expect it to.
We went to a hibachi grill for dinner (Kabuto), and beers turned into saki turned [...]

Change comes, whether we like it or not.
Getting old beats the alternative.
You’re only as young as you feel.
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Sentiments such as those above have been whirling around in my head ever since I reached my 30s. My mom had me when she was 29 years old. So when I reached 29, I felt like that officially [...]

Surround yourself with people who actually matter.
Surround yourself with people who love you and respect you.
Surround yourself with nature. It’s amazing the clarity that can be found on a running path or a mountain top.
Always choose coffee with a friend over an evening with the DVR.
Over the past few weeks I’ve dealt with tragedy, with [...]

I used to *love* snow. I mean, what kid doesn’t? A free pass from school and something fun and new to play with … can’t beat that …
Then I got a job at a newspaper. And they had a lovely rule in which we had to drive into work even in inclement weather. Understandable, I [...]