Friends, I’ll be completely transparent with you- Monday Mash-Ups started as a total cop-out. My thought process went something like this: “I want to blog 5x a week, but I don’t have enough content to be able to blog heavy-hitting/super informative posts that often. How about a FILLER post called Monday Mash-Up??” And yet every couple of weeks, someone will tell me it’s their favorite series of mine! How crazy is that? Maybe it’s my uncanny ability to be able to make fun of myself :).

I don’t know about where you all are, but it is COLD here in Virginia. Real cold. Miss Virginia’s weather system is such a tease- it was 64 degrees on Friday, perfect for my first run since the marathon in October. And then on Saturday, she decided the time was ripe for bone-chilling winds and sub-freezing temperatures. Oh Virginia weather, why must you be such a flighty temptress? But as much as I rag on my state’s weather, I honestly couldn’t imagine living anywhere else.

Except England. I could totally manage that.

As always, lessons learned/things that transpired over the past week!

• Running is my preferred method of exercise, and swimming is Matt’s. He was a swimmer all through high school, so it’s his default form of workout. I’ve never been a swimmer out of a sheer lack of know-how, so on Saturday we went to the community center pool for a lesson. I don’t mean to brag or anything, but I’m pretty sure you’ll be seeing my face at the next summer Olympics. I definitely missed my calling as a swimming prodigy. (sarcasm)
• There’s nothing that’ll shred your ego like seeing your non-in-shape self in a swimsuit in the middle of the winter. There’s also nothing that’ll serve as a better motivator to get fit!
• Yesterday was my first time volunteering as a Sunday school teacher at our church. Lesson learned #1: when you ask a child what sound a lion makes, be prepared for the next 15 minutes to be filled with RAAAWWWRs every minute or so. Cure for said problem: ask them what sound a giraffe makes.
• Lesson learned #2: Singing Ludacris’ “Rollout” in front of a 7-year old: not appropriate. Especially at church. Especially when she’s the pastor’s daughter.
• Fact: wearing a cute apron make me a better cook. Or at least, I FEEL like a better cook. I’ve been coveting Anthropologie’s aprons for months now and was SO excited when Matt bought me one for Valentine’s Day!

See? Can’t you feel me channeling Julia Child’s spirit?

Happy Monday!