Blown Away by Carrie Underwood

Friday night, I went to a stop on the Blown Away Tour in Atlantic City at Boardwalk Hall. The concert was worth every single penny. Not to mention the fact that Carrie Underwood told us that night that all the proceeds from the concert that night were going “back into the community.” As a selfless woman, she recognizes the need to “restore the shore.”

Hunter Hayes opened the show. He is the Justin Bieber of the country world and deservedly so. He is an incredibly adorable young man who is aged beyond his years. His performance of “Wanted” and “Storm Warning” highlighted his show.

When Carrie came out, everyone stood and made some noise to let her know how much they valued her talent. I had goosebumps when she came on stage. I couldn’t believe I was finally able to see this amazing young woman I have followed since she appeared on American Idol.

The best part of the show is when she performed a set on a platform that too her out over the audience.  The performance of “One Way Ticket” off her new album was a feature performance for her.  She threw down lei and her crew brought out huge beach balls for us to pass around the crowd. Toward the end of the song, confetti rained down on us for one final effect.

Carrie did a fantastic job putting together the set list for the show. She opened her show with “Good Girl,” the first track off The Blown Away album. She also featured many older songs off of her old albums. Fan favorites were “Wasted”, “Temporary Home”, “Remind Me”, “Before He Cheats.” Of course, she closed the show with a stunning performance of “Blown Away.” If you can catch one of her stops on the tour, don’t hesitate to get those tickets! She even donates $! of every ticket to the American Red Cross.

Half Time

Tomorrow is the big day.  I’m running the Richmond Half Marathon!  My very first half marathon, and definitely the longest distance I’ve run ever.   Even though I’m a workout fanatic, I’ve never been much of a runner.  I just don’t feel like my body was built for that kind of exercise, it doesn’t love the amount of impact.  But I decided to step outside of my comfort zone and challenge myself.  I chose a half marathon because I felt like it was an attainable goal given that I have an erratic schedule with grad school.  I really need some level of flexibility with my workouts, and I like variety in my workouts.  With a half marathon, as opposed to a full marathon, you don’t have to run every day, and you’re not doing training runs that take three hours.

I’ve been running about three times a week with longer runs on weekends.  The last few weekends I’ve done about 11 miles.  I feel like I’m ready because if I can do 11, I could squeeze in 2 more.  Plus I’ve been running on a hilly path and I think the race is a flatter course.  I’m super excited!

I’m ready with my race outfit.  I did a dress rehearsal with it last weekend to make sure it was comfy for a long run.  There is nothing worse than doing a long run with sports bra that rubs, or pants that slide down!  I think this outfit is going to be a winner for me.

You might notice that I’m wearing shoes that I bought last February from DSW.  Well, not really.  I actually liked those sneakers so much, I bought another pair.  Then it was so close to the race I figured I needed a relatively fresh pair, so I bought them again.  I actually had to write numbers on the insoles to remember which pair is which!

And don’t forget the accessories!

 

Wish me luck!

Do you have any fitness related goals this year?

 

Easy Peasy Pumpkin Pie

This recipe is simple, but it gets the job done.  Simply use a store-bought refrigerated pie crust such as Pillsbury to line a pie dish.  In a bowl, combine a 15 oz. can of pumpkin, a can of sweetened condensed milk, 2 eggs, and one tsp. pumpkin pie spice.  Fill the pie shell with this mixture.  Place in the oven at 450 for ten minutes.  Then reduce heat to 350 and cook for another 30 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.  It’s simplicity at its best and will please any taste buds during this harvest season.