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Showing posts from 2016

Some Highlights from 2016

Well Hello!!!!! I know it has been quite some time since I have posted anything. With work, life has been super crazy and FINALLY, finally I am able to sit down with some time for myself and relax and unwind. This holiday time frame has been truly cooko!! But we made it through and it was a good one actually, probably my best holiday with Things Remembered. So the long hours and craziness of the store made it worth it in the end. Today is New Years Eve and I thought a perfect time frame to look back on some of the highlights I had from this year. Its funny, this year was a weird year for me. It was up and down and a little bit of everything in between, but for me it wasn't a horrible year, but it also wasn't the greatest of years. I was trying to think of some highlights from this year and I thought at first nothing really great happened to me BUT  A lot actually did. It is those little moments that really make the impact. So here are a few of my favorite moments of the y

McDonald's Newest MacFamily & A Giveaway!!!

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Disclaimer: As a member of the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was given a gift card for my participation with McDonald's but all opinions are my own. If there is one sandwich that defines McDonald's for most people it is the Big Mac. As to my boyfriend James, it is the best hamburger you can order thru a drive thru. And here is a little secret of my own, I have never had a Big Mac. Yup! I have never ordered one. Mainly because of oh you know the whole weight loss issue thing I have. Ughhh, why can't good things be less. Well, my prayers were answered because McDonald's introduced for a limited time, in Florida, the Mac Jr. Yes, a littler version of the Big Mac with all the same taste, minus one burger. The Mac Jr. has a single layer beef patty with out the middle bun. It gives all the same great taste of the Big Mac, it just a smaller size. I sampled this one and I was loving it!! I 100% get why the Big Mac is such a huge hit and I prefer this smaller size. The pick

Top Ten Tuesday: Christmas Songs

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 It's beginning to look a lot like.... It's Tuesday, it's December and it is Christmas time!!! This week I am listing my favorite Christmas Songs. Let me start off with saying there is something so magical and special about Christmas songs am I right!! Christmas songs just give me a sense of peace but also can change my day in an instant. Thanks to my bestie   Nanci , she found me the Christmas station on the radio and now on my drive home from work, after a stressful day, I can unwind a little bit more with the sweet holiday sounds.  Okay so here we go... 10. The 12 Days of Christmas the MUPPETS version!! Growing up my mom had the Muppets Christmas carols record and I listened to that over and over, I even tried to find it on CD later on and had some luck, but the version they sing of the 12 days of Christmas always makes me laugh. 9. The 12 Pains of Christmas by Bob Rivers. So funny and so true. Especially the parking at the mall lol.

Top Ten Tuesday: Runner Themed Gifts

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Happy Tuesday!!!! This Tuesday as we are unwinding still from Thanksgiving, Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday, we are gearing up for our Christmas Shopping. Santa should be checking his list at least twice by now, as our lists of gifts are piling. I know I have quite a long one compling already and today we are going to help a bit with those in your life who is a runner. Being a runner myself, this list might just be my wish list also lol. So here are some of my favorite runner themed gifts. 10. A FitBit, Garmin, Polar or Apple Watch. I own a FitBit and a Garmin, I use my FB primarily and seriously I got one last year and it was life changing. I love LOVE it. It keeps me accountable but also tracks my miles and calories for all my activity, you can link your running app to it also and it will transfer to the app and keep track. I love anything that keeps you motivated and the Apple Running Watch, does just that also. It even asks you if we are running today

Top Ten Tuesday: What I'm Thankful For...

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Happy Thanksgiving Week!! Holy Moly I can't believe that Thanksgiving is in two days!! Two days. I remember at work we were counting down since August and then it is finally here. So this Top Ten Tuesday Nanci and I are counting down our Top Ten What We Are Thankful For. Which wow narrowing down to Ten is hard, but here we go.... 10. My DM Jen . I am employed by Things Remembered but my District Manager is my Boss, Jen. Jen and I have been working together now for 7 years and I can not even begin to explain how thankful I am for her in my life. She has given me motivation, inspiration and guidance like no other. She is a mentor to me in the store and also in life. I am truly blessed to have her as a boss, and leader but mainly has a huge influence on my life. 9. I am thankful for TR . Yes I am thankful for my job. My job is something I never thought it would be. It is challenging and fun and yes this time of year, it sucks a whole lot because it is busy and

Top Ten Tuesday: Thanksgiving Favorites

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Good Tuesday Morning!!! I missed last weeks Top Ten Tuesday because life is crazy. So I am back on schedule with today's top ten and today we are talking about Thanksgiving. I love Thanksgiving. I love the tradition, the smells, the food, but I mainly love what Thanksgiving does for family and friends. Here is my Top Ten Things I love about Thanksgiving. 10. I love running the Turkey Trot. The Turkey Trot is probably one of my favorite races all year. There are 1000's of people, it is usually chilly and it is 3 miles of fun along a local neighborhood and a great way to kick off the day. 9. Turkey!! Seriously I love turkey and we eat it all day long on Thanksgiving. We usually go to James's grandmas for lunch because they start dinner around 12 and then I put a turkey in the crock pot and let it cook all day so we have left overs all weekend long. 8. Cranberries. I love cranberry sauce on a good piece of turkey and it tastes amazing on a sandwich afterwords t

Five Friday Fun Facts

Good Friday Morning!! A couple of weeks ago I posted a post about myself. So I figured once in awhile to give you some fun facts about myself. 5. When I drink from any form of a can, I always take the tab of the can and move it over the mouth part. I have no clue when I started it or why but I do lol. 4. I still sleep with a teddy bear that I have had since I was younger. It is almost the size of me and when I am feeling sick I lash right on to it. 3. When I start a new show or series and I really like it, I become obsessed with it. I research the characters and the actors. I become so involved in the show inside and out. 2. I am an only child and always wanted to be an only child. I never wanted a brother and sister. I was never lonely or felt left out. 1. I don't wash my hair every day. I love when my hair is a little bit dirty. It makes it easy to straighten and style.

Top Ten Tuesday- Excitements of November

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Good Morning! Happy Tuesday and more importantly Happy 1st Day of November. We literally have two months left of the year and then 2016 is in the past. Holy crap when did that happen!! November is the start of craziness for me but also there are a lot of fun and little things that go on in November too!!  So this Top Ten Tuesday, Nanci and I are talking about some of fun and exciting things we have going on this month to kick off today! 10. First up for me is James's Birthday. I love LOVE when loved ones have milestones or events going on and I am able to celebrate it with them. Not sure what we are doing just yet, but of course plan on spoiling him a bit. 9. I am a HUGE Bobby Bones Show fan and the Raging Idiots and Nanci and I are going to see them November 19th, I am soooo excited!! 8. Cooler weather coming through in FL starts this month, hopefully. This morning there was a slight chill in the air, maybe it will last maybe not, but so far so

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Scary Movies

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Hello!! It is Tuesday again and to keep with the upcoming holiday next week, today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about scary movies!! I love scary movies. I love the thrill and the suspense. I think it is more of the gore and blood but the suspense leading up to it to make it scary for me. James on the other hand, does not like anything scary, but on Halloween we get to watch one scary movie hahaha. Gotta pick a good one this year! 10. Deliverance - This movie is not only scary but disturbing!!! That pig scene, still freaks me out. 9. Exorcist - Geez I remember watching this younger and I was terrified. It is so old school now but when her head spun around and green puke, oh hell no!!! 8. The Shining - YES this movie is all kinds of good and scary and suspenseful. I love the hotel vibe and well Jack is crazy. I had never seen it until a couple of Halloweens ago. I didn't realize how long it was and fell asleep but RED ROOM!! 7. Candyman - Say his name 3 times in the

My First Yoga Experience

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Yesterday I had a pretty amazing morning. I am a runner and I work out at the gym. Half the time I don't know what I am doing when I am at the gym but I try, each and every time. Yesterday I tried something that was 100% out of my comfort zone and different for me. My bestie Nanci invited me to join her over in Tampa at the Epicurean Hotel to do Yoga with a Twist on the rooftop. Well the twist part was you get a free alcoholic beverage at the end. I mean how could I pass that up, especially when you are able to do it with your bestie. The weather in Florida  has finally broke through a bit too and it felt like fall. I was all in! But a part of me was super nervous.... I am not comfortable in a class atmosphere... I don't like making a fool of myself. And when I am not familiar with it, I get even more nervous. This is crazy but I have only done one exercise class and it was taught by a friend. So this was new to me but I knew I wanted to do it. I was just being self

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Races

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Good Tuesday Morning!!! This Top Ten Tuesday we are talking about our Top 10 Running Races. Man this one is a tough one because I have loved every race I have run and have found some special and unique in each and every one. But let's give this a shot 10. Iron Girl Race Series Half Marathon and 5k, Clearwater I have ran each of these two race events when they came to Florida. I have done the Half Marathon 3 times and the 5k twice. The 5K was my first ever 5k race I had ran back in 2012, it is actually my first ever race. I love both races so very much, each very challenging as you are going over bridges and it is always hot, but regardless always such a great time 9. Gasparilla Race Series, Tampa FL . Gasparilla Distance Classic is a today event. On Saturday you have a 15k and then a 5k. On Sunday you have 13.1 and then a 8k. I love this race series, it comes around every February. I have been attending it since 2013, in some race form or another. This year I r

Let Me Introduce Myself...

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USo I have had this little piece of Internet heaven for awhile now, almost 3 years and it has grown and I have grown over those 3 years. I have branched out my blog a bit, and it is a work in progress for sure. But I noticed as I have changed, maybe readers have changed and I wanted to take it back a bit and Introduce, Well RE-Introduce myself, its been awhile since you found out who I am!!! Alright, let me introduce myself, my name is Angelina. I always introduce myself as Angelina, items on documents, my name tag at work, when I am new to meet people it is Angelina, BUT I prefer being called Angie. Angelina is only when I am in trouble :0) And when you really get to know me Ang. Funny story about my name. I used to hate my name. I am not sure why, I mean it is a name but I guess growing up it seemed so formal. So when I was in 5th grade we had a D.A.R.E graduation thingy. I told my teacher, please announce me as Angie Allerton, not Angelina. He didn't question it and I was

My Marathon Anniversary: Believe Me It's a Thing

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So two years ago at 8:00 on a very cold, fall morning, I stood at the starting line in Forest City, PA, anxiously awaiting the cannon to go off to   let me know the marathon was beginning!! 26.2 miles later, missing a sweat shirt and gloves, no more fuel in my pouch and with very tired, sore legs and arms, yes arms, 5:55 minutes under me and my family and friends off to the side, I crossed the finish line to my first FULL marathon. One of the biggest and hardest and most rewarding experiences of my life. Seriously, nothing compares to that moment, I still get chills thinking about it... It was hard and it was long. Not just the marathon, that bitch was crazy, but the training that lead up to it was even harder. I trained for that marathon for 6 months and the 6 hottest months in Florida. I learned a lot from that marathon and I changed in more ways than one. My weight went up and down, my legs got a lot more toned, my waist got a bit smaller and my confidence and my belief in

Top Ten Tuesday- Halloween Favorites

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Today's Top Ten Tuesday is all about the holiday of this month, HALLOWEEN!!! I love this time of year and Halloween is such a fun holiday. I have always really loved Halloween and everything thing that comes along with. So here are some of my favorite things about Halloween. 10. Candy!! ! I mean lets kick it off with something fun right? Halloween candy is pretty much the best candy out there. While I don't eat a lot of it, because I really don't have the control, but the small size candy pieces make for great portion control. 9. Carving pumpkins . There is something about carving a pumpkin into a Jack O'Lantern that just makes it all come together. 8. Hocus Pocus . Yup probably one of my favorite Halloween movies. I have watched it all my life and to me Halloween is not complete with out at least watching twice and the same goes for.... 7. BEETLEJUICE! BEETLEJUICE!BEETLEJUICE !! By far my favorite Halloween movie. Only really comes out this time o

Earth Fare: The Healthy Supermarket

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As part of the Tampa Bay Bloggers, I was given access to tour Earth Fare before their new grand  opening in Semionle FL and given a gift card for my participation but all views and opinions are my own. If there is one thing about me you may know, well probably more than one thing right now is that I love healthy items and shopping. And when you put the two of them in one place together and it will help benefit me, the community and keep me on track with my lifestyle, than it is a pure win win. Earth Fare is a Healthy Supermarket.... A new location opened in my area in Seminole Florida. Earth Fare prides are providing lots of local flare to the shelves, being organic and high quality. You can tell in each every corner of that store they mean business and want to provide you with an amazing shopping experience and help you stay healthy and strong. Starting with the bulk portion of the store, numerous and numerous varieties from granola, nuts, rice and mixed vari

Top Ten Tuesday-Pumpkin EVERYTHING 0:)

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Hey Ya'll its Top Ten Tuesday Time and today we are talking about PUMPKIN!!!! Seriously, I am a sucker and a lover of Pumpkin EVERYTHING. It can come Spiced or non Spiced and I will throw that bad boy in the cart, or order it from a menu or make it home. I have no clue why I love everything pumpkin but I surely do. And now that it is October and fall time, well for most of the areas, minus here in Florida, Pumpkin Season is in FULL swing. So lets talk my top Ten favorite Pumpkin items... 10: PSL! Yup lets kick it off with the most "basic" item there is, the famous, yes famous Pumpkin Spice Latte, most popular from Starbucks. The PSL is a staple this time of year, that spice taste, mixed with a little extra caffeine and I am in heaven. Starbucks has also interested this time of year, one you can make at home... I picked this up from Target, it actually comes in 9 and these are really really good. I take one with me to work and it is a nice little jolt and pu

Book Review: Szen Zone

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Most recently I was given the opportunity to review a really fantastic book by the author Gary Szenderski called the Szen Zone. I was given the book for review all opinions are my own. I am not familiar with Gary Szenderski but when I was contacted to read his book about finding and reaching a positive change, I knew it was something I really wanted to read. In the last year alone, I have really been getting into books that reflect living a happy, healthy and positive life. I have been reading books that help you achieve a positive outlook on life and how to make your own life more rich and fulfilling in a positive state. I could not wait to read this book. I was ready to feel inspired and take some really good positive moments. The book is broken into 8 Chapters and each chapter is touching on a particular topic. Inside of the chapters are short stories within and then a meaning behind it. It sort of reminded me of Fables. In the sense we read the story and then there is meani