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When I was younger I thought that the only path to happiness and success was to choose one path and stick with it.  Determine your career, Determine your major, determine your one BIG HAIRY GOAL.  Strap on your bull horns and plow through everything until you succeed.  I tried this so many times.  I had one goal that I’d focus on, I’d plow though my straight and narrow path and rarely achieve. 

Somewhere in the process of growing up (read: in the last year or so) I realized that I was limiting myself for fear of failure … but continually failing because my heart didn’t want just one goal. I wanted to dream, think bigger without fear.  Wander. 

And so I let myself.  I dreamt up lots of goals, they weren’t all along one path and they didn’t all make logical sense.  I started to think bigger, to go outside my box.  What I became was happier and shockingly, more focused.  During that out of box dreaming I landed upon a few goals that I REALLY wanted. 

I’d be amiss if I didn’t point out that “growing up” for me meant finding my compass.  That one thing that grounds you and makes you realize that exactly what you are is and always will be good enough.  Everyones compass is a little different, mine was family.  Yes my husband and my kids but also the greater unit of family.  Its like being in an envelope that I share with others who support me, acknowledge my mistakes, forgive me, and help redirect me.  Its a support system that I never knew I could have or that I wanted. I don’t think wandering without a compass is possible. 

Here I am now with a few BIG HAIRY GOALS.  No, I honestly don’t have clear direct paths of how to achieve them and I don’t want one.  I will never put my bull horns back on – I really hated those things.  I’m wandering. and figuring things out as I go, but mostly accepting that the twists & turns along the way are part of the joy of life. 

So I will be here, wandering around and talking about the highs and lows of it, because I honestly miss this blog. 

I have decided to turn comments off for now.  I love those who I’ve met through this blog, but lets be honest, it hasn’t been all rainbows and sunshine up in here and I’m treading lightly. 

I apologize for both the bib transfer and for using a time that wasn’t mine. Please understand that I respect the BAA and the Boston Marathon. I personally know how hard it is to qualify and how hard we runners work to have the privilege of running this marathon.

I made a mistake, I made a bad decision and I have been punished.  I feel very sorry. 

My hope is that with this apology the hatred out there can stop.  Running is about camaraderie, I am so sorry for bringing negativity out of the community that I think is beautiful.  We all make mistakes, we are human.  I claim this mistake with no excuses and accept the punishment with as much dignity as possible.   

I wish all of those runners running in the 2016 Boston Marathon a great race and many happy miles.  

The Boston Marathon. It’s THE race. For us amateur marathoners it’s the shining star, the center podium.

If you have been following my journey you know that Boston, even though I have qualified twice, has eluded me. I have been unable to run with my bib 2 years in a row. The first time because I had just suffered a miscarriage and the second time because I was pregnant.

This year I was able to run. Yes I had a baby via c-section 7 months before the race. Yes I had complications from said c-section. But gosh darn it I am healthy and recovering and NOT pregnant … So I was going to run BOSTON!! I trained my little postpartum heart out.

And then the other shoe dropped.

As I said before I was unable to run with my bib last year. However someone did run with that bib. I gave it to a friend. I didn’t sell my bib, she didn’t pay a dime for it and I didn’t pay her to run with it. I gave it to her with the thought that someone should love the bib. Someone should enjoy the miles that I worked so hard for. It was a stupid thing to do, but I swear it was entirely innocent.

Based on an “anonymous tip” the BAA found out. They had photo proof that I wasn’t the runner who ran with my bib. This breaks their rules and disqualifies me from running in any further BAA races.

My heart is broken. I’m embarrassed and ashamed.

I did what so many of us do, we transfer bibs that are non-transferable. Some even sell them. We think it’s innocent, we don’t think we will get caught.

I know I broke the rules and therefore fault no one but myself. I take full ownership of this. BUT let me be an example, I hope that other runners are reading this and think twice before they make a mistake like i did.  Don’t get yourself get disqualified from a race series, it’s a terrible feeling.  

To the Boston Marathon, I don’t know if I will ever be at peace with this. It’s a tough pill to swallow … For now I will continue to strive for another qualification and maybe, just maybe you will forgive this mama for the mistake she made.

The thing about life is that there are ups and downs, there are times when curve balls are thrown at you and they sting. I’ve had some big ups and downs over the past 3 years and although this may seem like a low, its hard to see it that way.  When I look at the face of my beautiful baby boy its crystal clear: APA > Boston … I’d give up this race and pretty much everything else for my family (obviously). Our 3rd child has been a lesson of patience and true love. It took a lot of patience for him to come into our lives and now that he is here I would go through it all again to love this little boy.

Its not unlike running and marathoning … the journey isn’t always pleasant and man sometimes it hurts but the pure joy of accomplishment makes us love the run.  And we will always run, because no matter what the journey feels like we keep training because we truly love it. So I continue on, running and accomplishing and all the ups and downs that go along with it. I learned a lesson here, but it will never deter me from doing what I love to do.

My little man is almost 10 weeks old … and honestly I am just getting brave enough to relive his birth.  It was a beautiful and easy experience until it wasn’t, and then it got bad.  The result is an amazing little boy and I am so grateful, but there were moments when I was as scared as I’ve ever been for myself and my health.   I’m going to break it down into 2 parts, the good and the ugly.  

Here is the good … 

APA came into the world at 37 weeks, 5 days old. 

Short Story, my water broke and I had a C Section resulting in this guy:

6lbs 11oz 19.75 inches of sweetness.

The long story is much longer, so stick with me on this one.

In the week preceding APA’s arrival I was a beast. I was uncomfortable to a level that made me tear up constantly. I was having contractions that would take my breath away and harden my entire belly. On September 3rd I knew that it wasn’t going to be much longer. Sure enough I woke up on at 3am on Sept 4th with a leak. It was a little one, but absolutely out of the norm. I’ll be honest, at that moment I was really tired and I decided that I would lie back down and see if anything else happened.  I was hoping to have a VBAC and was waiting for progress to go to the hospital. 

I woke again at 7:30am and sure enough there was a little more “leaking” … I finally sprung into action, knowing that I shouldn’t wait too long before calling the doc if my water was broken.  I showered, I got my things together and I alerted VC that this was happening. I called my mom, who was coming to the hospital with us.  I also called the twin’s caregiver and asked her to head to our house and consulted my OB BFF Meggie. Doing all of these things, I almost forgot to call the doctor! I finally called them and they said to meet at Mt Sinai Maternity as soon as possible.

When my mom and our caregiver arrived I was frantically making breakfast for the twins, getting my things together … and waiting for VC.  Funny story.  G1 had an eye allergy that was bothering her and VC ran to CVS to get some drops as we were waiting for everyone to arrive.  I think that he didnt see the urgency in heading to the hospital, as I wasnt actively laboring badly so he stopped to get himself breakfast and a coffee.  30 mins later he wandered in coffee in hand!  I’m laughing about his laissez faire attitude now, but in the moment I was just a tad edgy! 

We were on the road to the city by 9:30am and checked into the hospital by 10:15. It was a really quiet day on the maternity floor … note to self have a baby the Friday before a holiday weekend.

Once checked it was confirmed that my water had broken and I was consistently contracting however I wasn’t dilated at all. Being that I am Group B Strep Positive I had a decision to make. I could either induce with piotcin or have a C Section. Inducing was not the doctor’s first choice because of the strain it may put on the baby and me.  I was hoping to VBAC, but I knew that a C-Section was possible being that I had one with the twins and I went into the birth knowing that either one could occur my decision to go with the C-Section was mainly for the health of the baby. The induction would have been hard on him, especially given that my water levels were low. It wasn’t a hard decision for me, as I knew that I could trust my doctors.

I mentioned earlier that I spoke to Meggie about what was happening in the morning.  That was invaluable, she walked me through exactly what my options were going to be when I got to the hospital.  That gave me time to think on them during the drive over and have my mind settled when I arrived.  It was way better than making a spur of the moment decision.  Thank you Meggie!!

Given that I hadn’t eaten since dinner the night before we were able to schedule the C-Section immediately.  I had an OR time of 1pm and we waited for nothing more than an hour before I was walking into the OR. This experience was so incredibly different than my emergency C Section with the twins, I was walking into the same OR that I had been rolled into at full speed 5 years ago. (The G’s Birth Story) The events leading up to the C-Section were so calm, and the surgery was methodical and organized.  Most of all I was actually really calm.

They placed the spinal anesthetic and let the numbness take over.  The process of a spinal was uncomfortable, but not overly painful for me … the hardest part is hunching over your large belly.  I also was very nervous that I wasn’t going to be numb enough, but the anesthesiologist talked me through the numbness taking over and assured me that I wouldn’t feel any pain.

The curtain was placed and VC was allowed into the room (again totally different than before, he wasn’t allowed in the room for the G’s birth) he sat next to my head and held my hand as the section began. I had been warned that I would not feel pain, but that I would feel the tugging and pulling of the surgery and that was 100% true. It was really weird. Not in a painful way but in an OMG there are hands in my abdomen kinda way … It was about 15 mins and suddenly there was a huge push on my belly, a massive sense of relief and a cry. Asher was in our world.

They brought him to me for a second and then took him to clean up and clear out some fluids that were in his mouth and nose. The entire OR immediately said “he looks just like his dad”. I hadn’t gotten a good look so I was craning my neck trying to catch a glimpse while VC was snapping photos of him. Finally they brought him to me in a little bundle and placed him on my chest.

There is nothing quite like the sensation of having a warm tiny human emerge from your body and then cuddle up next to you moments later. I didn’t have that with my previous birth. The Gs were whisked away to the NICU while I was still under general anesthesia and I didn’t see them for over 24 hours later. FYI – this method is much much better.

The process of closing me up took a lot longer than I thought it would. I guess I am happy about that, the doctors were diligent and my scar is perfectly in line with my previous one. At some point they took APA away and weighed him, cleaned him some more and placed him in his bed. I was amazed at how calm he was. He let out a little cry when he came out, but other than that had been quiet through the cleaning and weighing and now was sleeping in his little bed.

We finally made it into the recovery room with APA by our side and the nurse asked if I would like to feed him. Nervous, I took him and placed him onto me. He immediately latched and started to eat.  Again, this was 100% different than the twins who were too tiny to latch when born, and never really did. It was in that moment that I felt connected to this boy.

I knew him in my belly and I felt his heartbeat when he was first delivered, but skin to skin connectivity made my heart leap. He was really here, in our lives.  We were now a family of 5.  

To be continued … 

However the aftermath was not quite so pretty.

For 24 hours after APA’s birth I was great. I had a bunch of visitors come to the hospital, I was up walking and talking and eating and basically on cloud 9.

 The next day (day 2 postpartum) was not so good, I felt blurry and tired. My mind wasn’t able to hold a good conversation and my pain level was pretty high. That night at 10pm I began shaking uncontrollably.  It just so happened that I was alone in my room at that moment, VC had stepped out and my mom had gone home.  I buzzed the nurse and could barely get out the words “I cant stop shaking” … I dont think they heard the urgency in my voice and I had been 100% healthy leading up to this, so it took a good amount of time and a few more buzzes for anyone to come to my room.  When they finally did they found me with a 104 degree fever, freezing cold and seizing.  

This went on for about an hour at a time and for the next 2 and a half days.  

I had contracted an infection in my uterus during the surgery and the process of fighting the infection off was really hard for my body.  I continued to spike fevers of 103-104 and have periods of seizing. During these periods I couldn’t control my body, my muscles would tense up causing intense pain because my abdomen had just been sewn shut. I was also freezing cold, and shaking but sweating buckets.

There were a few really low points, one in particular when there were no less than 4 nurses and a doctor surrounding me.  They were trying to get me warm, and had to test for sepsis in my blood. The process is a lot of needles and blood draws.  During the draws there were multiple people trying to hold my body still and keep me from shaking.  Another less than awesome moment was when my IV came loose from being bumped around and they had to reissue the IV in a different spot.  The nurse tried so many times because I couldn’t control my body to be still enough for her to find a vein.  No bueno.  

I’ll be honest, it was the most scared I have ever been for myself. I am typically very calm and controlled, I have a high tolerance for pain and roll with what happens … but this. I could see the fear in my husband’s eyes, I could see the high level of concern with which the doctors and nurses were treating me, I could feel the tension. Each time my fever would spike or my blood pressure would be frighteningly low I would worry more and look at this little infant next to me that I could barely take care of.

VC was incredible during this time, he would help me pump milk and would feed APA with a bottle. He took over all things baby and meanwhile layered me with blankets and broke little bit of crackers for me to choke down.

Finally the fevers subsided but the antibiotic and pain killer combination was so strong that I had been vomiting every thing I put in my mouth.  It took another 2 days and IV infusions for that to stop.  On day 5 I was able to walk around again, keep liquids down and eat small amounts of mushy food. I really think this only happened because I requested to stop all pain killers, they were too tough on my stomach and I would rather deal with the pain than the constant vomiting.   It was also determined that I would not be able to handle oral antibiotics, so I needed to be fever free and off the IV infusions for 48 hours before I could be released from the hospital.  

When I was released I knew I wasn’t 100%. However I wanted out of the hospital, I wanted to be home where I could sleep without people poking and prodding me and in my warm comfy bed.  For the next 2 weeks I was in constant fear of another fever spike. I was completely worn down.  For the first week I was able to stay awake during APA’s feedings only, but slept every other moment.  The second week I started to be awake a little more and have more energy to walk around but I was so swollen from all of the fluids. I could barely bend my knees and my breath was labored from swelling in my abdomen.  I was a mess.  

I really have to thank my husband, my mom and our caregiver for help during this time.  I was barely a functional human being and could not have cared for myself and my baby on my own.  It truly takes a village.  

Amazingly after those 2 weeks I was functioning really well, I still had some healing to do but I didn’t have any fevers, chills and my pain level was relatively low so that I only needed to take Motrin a few times a day.

On this side of everything I see my beautiful baby, I feel my healing body and I am so grateful that I made it through that.  It was scary, and something I didn’t even consider as a possibility for happening.  My previous birth was also scary (The G’s Birth Story) however once the C-Section was over I had smooth sailing, I recovered fast and never had any hiccups.  I made the choice to have a C-Section rather than be induced this time with the assumption that would be the case again. I guess you just never know.  

My takeaway is this: Childbirth is a huge event for a woman’s body, and should be seen as such.  However we are blessed to have such amazing bodies that endure and heal.  Neither of my birth experiences were “normal” and there is a part of me that is sad about that, but I feel pretty strong and incredible for housing 3 children and going through some serious measures to bring them into this world.  

And to those of you reading this, I don’t tell the story to inflict fear! I promise I would do it all over again in a heartbeat … the prize at the end of the tunnel is magnificent.  But I want women to be more educated on the possibilities of what can happen during and after childbirth.  I wholeheartedly believe that there is a darkness of information on the subject and we need to share our stories to educate each other.  

I really can’t believe I haven’t posted since June. Life really flies by when you’re not looking.

The truth is, I’ve missed this little corner of the internet. There are quite a few things going on in my life right now (read: newborn, new town, super busy twins, postpartum fitness) … and I really want to share!

I don’t know how much of it will be about running … I have a big race coming up in the Spring that I will start training for soon. However I do know that I will be sharing more of my adventures as a fitness loving mom of 3.

A little recap of where life is at right now.

This guy was born 6 weeks ago. #APA is the sweetest little muffin, a fantastic sleeper and an all around love bug. We are very blessed

(birth story in the works!)

These 2 are turning 5 next week!

(birthday party happening next weekend!!)

#TheGs are enamored with their little brother and smother him with love. They are also in a new school this year, with lots of new friends and new adventures. That in addition to Ballet, Tae Kwon Do, Basketball, Hip Hop, Sports Conditioning and Piano keeps us all VERY busy.

#APA is my little sidekick, accompanying me to the kids classes, all of my walks and appointments. He is a trooper for sure, and his portability is WAY different than the twins were. I also find myself being more flexible with his schedule – which maybe makes him more adaptable?! Not sure, but more musings on that to come.

I am 6 weeks post C-Section. I had complications with the surgery and have had to take it much easier on myself than I did after the twins birth. I walk, I have been doing barre class and light weights. My favorite thing to do these days is take #APA in the Ergo and walk up the big hills in my neighborhood He sleeps, I get a good workout, its a win.

However I find that if I push myself too much I pay for it with swelling and pain. I see my doctor this week and am hoping to get a better read on when I can step up physical activity. I miss sweating, running and endorphins so so much. I look forward to the feeling of tacking the day after a great run.

And thats life right now, its a fine balance of hectic and quiet moments … and I 100% love it.

Talk soon! APA’s Birth Story and Month 1 recap coming this week. I’m also thinking of going back and writing some on pregnancy. Thoughts on that?

As you know I have been working with Mountain Athletics from The North Face to share the details of their new app and clothing lines.  (Post 1, Post 2)

I wanted to check in with you guys and let you know how much I am loving training with the Mountain Athletics App.  

Being almost 7 months pregnant, Im feeling the effects of summer on my running.  Its hot outside and I’m feeling more and more tightness across my abdomen when I run.  So my cardio has been a mix of light jogging and power walking.  

Except for this one little race … which I placed 2nd in the stroller division.  Maybe my purple North Face shorts were the lucky charm?! Or maybe it was the strength I’ve built up by using the app?!  Who knows but I’ll take it.  

I have been trying to keep up with strength … because I know that as long as I keep my strength and fitness level up I will (hopefully) have an easy bounce back post birth.  

The issue there is coming up with the strength routines.  Thankfully, The Mountain Athletics App has been an easy go to for a great mix of cardio – plyometrics and short distance running – and strength – think AMRAP-style workouts- and rest.  The best part being the form cue videos which guide you through an exercise If you aren’t sure how to do a move.  

(App is free for IOS users and for Droid users the videos can be found on You Tube) Download the Mountain Athletics App

The programs on the app are 6 weeks long, but you can skip workouts if need be.  For instance:

As much fun as this workout sounds, I can’t do 2 of the 4 exercises during pregnancy so unfortunately I skipped it and moved onto something I can complete.  

I really believe in the accessibility that The North Face is giving fitness.  Being a busy mom, I need things that I can do and start on my own time and that don’t cost an arm and a leg.  With this app you can work out at any time and The North Face has some really great events every two weeks, which are totally free.  I give The North Face 2 thumbs up for supporting the goals of all different types of athletes.    

Make sure to follow The North Face on Twitter

Check out The North Face, Facebook for even more!

In short, this was the perfect race to run with a friend.  I would love to travel to all of the races Destination puts on and make them girls trips!  Obviously next time I would like to be able to taste some of the yum wine they were serving at the after race party … but all in all great location, perfectly executed and the best post race party I have ever seen.  #winning Destination Races 

The longer version is this … 

Addie and I arrived to the race basically as it was starting.  Not for any other reason but that there were 4 kids all together in her house and the morning was straight chaos.  (thank you to our lovely husbands for taking over that mayhem!)  BUT we made our way to the starting line and got going as soon as we could.  This did mean that there were virtually no crowds around us for the entire race but I don’t think it would have been too crowded anyway.  They cap the race at 3000 runners.  

The course was drop dead gorgeous.  We wound our way through vineyard lined roads, covered with green weeping trees for shade.  It was rolling hills, but nothing that stood out as “whoa thats a monster hill” 

Addie was a great sport and wogged alongside of me.  I’m slooooow right now and also take a lot of walk breaks so thank goodness I had a friend to talk to along the way.  I love running for so many reasons but my top reason has to be the social part of it.  Spending a few hours catching up with a good friend on the course is my idea of a perfect saturday morning!  

The course was lined with water stops, medical tents and crowds from the nearby farms.  There was even a halfway stop with little shot glasses of wine!  Addie and I enjoyed the crowd support as well as the friendly runners!  Even Mr Incredible was out on his bike blasting some awesome 80’s jams and cheering for us!

We finished with smiles on our faces.  

I was pretty worried going into this race, I wasn’t sure how 6 month preggo would do in the humidity and for 13.1 miles.  But I am happy to say that Baby A and I did great!  Yes we went along at a snail’s pace and took walk breaks – but I didn’t start to get uncomfortable until mile 12.  When I did, I just slowed down, took some water and pushed through.  Soon we were done and once I sat down for a minute the discomfort went away.   Baby A was a trooper, he kicked at the beginning and then settled down.  I’m not sure if they were kicks of protest or happiness – but I’m going with happiness  

After the race we were given the coolest medals -complete with a wine stopper and corkscrew – and wine glasses and were sent through the vines of grapes to the wine tasting/post race party.  

There was a band playing, a bunch of vineyards doing tastings and runners laying on the grass enjoying the beautiful views and sunshine.  

Source

Perfection … except that I had ice tea.  Whomp Whomp.  Next Time!

Destination Races is absolutely on my radar for an upcoming girls weekend … post baby!  Who wants to take a trip?! They have quite a few locations.  I have my eye on Oregon and of course Virginia again next year – when I can run like a normal person and partake in wine!!

Thank you to the wonderful people at Destination Races for sponsoring mine and Addie’s race entry.  I will absolutely be back next year!

Life is crazy right now … Twins, Pregnancy, Coaching, Family, summer camps and plans, etc.  Its all keeping me happily on my toes.  

I am clearly super naive because I underestimated exactly how exhausting it is to grow a human and chase 2 four year old around.  I imagine that taking care of an infant while trying to keep up with said four year old will be equally crazy.  That is why when The North Face asked me what  #ITrainFor… my answer is LIFE.  

I’m really trying to keep my fitness alive during this pregnancy and honestly I am proud of myself for what I’ve been able to do. Running and walking have been my primary forms of fitness mostly because I can do it with my crew … 

However as I get closer to my due date I have been really trying to incorporate more strength into my routine.  

Enter the Mountain Athletics from The North Face App (get it here: Download the Mountain Athletics App its free for IOS) It is a 6-week activity specific strength and conditioning program that’s designed to help with sports like running, skiing, climbing and mountaineering.  My opinion is that it can help you train for really anything you can come up with.  The programs are extensive and a complete, total body workout that will help you build strength while promoting proper form, technique and pace. 

Key Features:

• Step by Step instructional videos that promote proper technique
• Calendar based to help you stay on track
• Integrated session timer that helps make efficient use of time
• Badges you can earn during training to keep you motivated
• The ability to share progress and workouts on real time social channels.

The App gives you a choice to train for Running, General Fitness, Alpine Climb, Climbing, Backcountry or All Mountain Skiing.  

I choose General Fitness … which is what I felt was the closest to LIFE   Here are some samples of the workouts 

I kind of LOVE the workouts.  I find them to be challenging but not super time consuming or intimidating.  My biggest challenge with strength training is always that I’d rather spend my time running.  With this app I feel like I can do a quick strength session without having to compromise too much of my running time.  And WHOA is it effective.  I absolutely feel stronger.  Bring it on LIFE.  

The only critique that I have of the app is that it doesn’t give modifications.  Obviously I am not able to do everything that it calls for … but I have some knowledge of what I should and shouldn’t be doing during pregnancy.  If you are pregnant or have any kind of injury, I suggest using this app only with some previous knowledge of what modifications should be for you.  

So check it out! 

And if you are in the NYC area come to a group Mountain Athletics workout!  The North Face is holding FREE twice-weekly Mountain Athletic workouts in five cities across the country.

Each session will be led by two The North Face trainers who will take you through workouts aimed to prepare you to achieve your outdoor goal. Details here: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-north-face-mountain-athletics-training-new-york-tuesday-tickets-16041725232 Let me know if you’re going, I am dying to try one.  

And don’t forget that you can win a $500 gift card to The North Face here: The North Face Mountain Athletics Collection Give-Away!

Check out The North Face, Facebook for even more!

Make sure to follow The North Face on Twitter

The word escape brings up so many thoughts in my head.  Sometimes I want to escape a crazy day … sometimes I want to escape with those who make my day crazy.  Most days don’t have the luxury of what I would deem a real escape (read: tropical island + hammock + private beach to run on) but summer around the corner makes me want to create little escapes in our every day lives.  

My escapes are always fitness related.  A run outside in the sunshine soothes my soul. 

But I don’t have to be solo to escape, which is almost impossible with two (almost three!) children … Escapes can be created with the little ones around me too!

Still being new to the suburbs, our surrounding yards feel like an escape.  There is just something luxurious about eating your breakfast outside after a good scooter ride  

Scooter ride and breakfast on the front stoop.  In our PJs.

Gardening. in our PJs – do you see a theme here?  Escapes do not always wait for clothing changes!

Another escape that means outdoor fitness for all of us is hiking.  The kids love it and so do I.  We are super lucky to have a Nature Preserve minutes from our house that we can walk over to whenever we need our dose of nature. 

Hiking through the local nature center

When we take the time out to escape our routine we all laugh more and generally look at life as if its one big adventure.  As we should because really … life is a great adventure!  

I have so many more escapes in mind for us this summer.  

• Taking my books onto the porch for solo reading while the kids are napping
• Taking my runs outdoors instead of the treadmill at the gym 
• Collecting seashells on the beach
• Grilling dinner and enjoying it on the patio
• Finding Fireflies
• lying in the grass and watching the sunset