Today was an awesome day.

It started off with an almost 5k on Bayshore with friends, Mr. KKM and Deb, our triathlon trainer. Deb is a plethora of knowledge and gave us some much needed tips on running and walking form, shoes, stretching and more.

After our little jaunt on Bayshore, Mr. KKM and I decided to head to Tampa’s local historic district, Ybor City, for the annual Cuban Sandwich Festival. Tampa is definitely known for it’s Cubans, but everyone claims that they have “the best”. So every year restaurants, cafes, bars and local dives come together for a day of battle offering samples of their version of this ham, pork, salami, Swiss, mustard and pickle Cuban breaded delicacy.

We got to Centennial Park around noon, and let me tell you… we weren’t the only ones that had the idea to check out this festival. The place was PACKED! The line to get into the sampling was over an hour’s wait, and aside from that, there weren’t any vendors actually selling Cubans. We walked around at some of the tents and checked out things for sale, listened to some music, then decided to head across the street and just go buy our own sandwiches at our favorite spot for Cubans- Gaspar’s. We hadn’t eaten anything since our snack of a breakfast before our run, so we were pretty hungry.

So hungry that I failed to take a pic of what we think is the best Cuban until I was almost done with it.
Oops.

Here’s what we think makes a good Cuban:

• Chewy and fresh Tampa style Cuban bread (flaky and made with lard).
• A few slices of ham. Many places pile ham on their Cubans as cheap “fillers”. 
• Roasted Cuban pork made with mojo (sour oranges + garlic)
• Swiss cheese
• Salami (which is optional, but adds a nice wine-y, sour flavor to the sandwich)
• Pickles (dill, not sweet!)
• Pressed with a little butter on the bread.

Although the guy orders them without pickles, he still thinks that this version of the Cuban reigns supreme, and I agree. Scrumptious to the last crumb. Oh, and if you try Gaspar’s, opt out of fries and get the cinnamon sugar plantain chips that come with the sandwich. You won’t regret it!

We rested up for a few hours before it was time to go shrimpin’! (which ain’t easy).
I’ve done my share of fishing and crabbing, but shrimping was completely new to me. The guy had it all planned: nets, bait buckets, head lamps and beer.

 

 

Mexicanfood is up there in my top favorites, so when the people at The Lime in Tampa (@limebartampa on Twitter) wanted to get some local bloggers to come in and try their restaurant, no arm twisting was needed.

There are SO many awesome places to get Mexican food in the Bay area, and believe me, I’ve had the best and the worst, but upon looking up the menu online, I knew that The Lime wasn’t just your standard taco dive.

Their tagline is Fun, Modern, Mexican. 
Agreed. Agreed. Agreed.

The atmosphere is definitely fun. When I first walked in, my eyes immediately centered on the bar straight ahead. It was bright, and packed with people watching the game (Go Rays!), drinking these obscene looking Margarita/Corona thingys (I’ll get to that in a second), and chatting it up. It’s definitely a great place to go on a first date, or with a group of friends before a big night out.

We got there around 7:15 and only waited 5 minutes or so to be seated. The hostess staff was super welcoming and offered to get us something to drink while we waited.

Of course I was still eyeing that beer/margarita monstrosity, but I politely declined as I wanted to READ about what it was before diving into something that intimidating. (Margarona. Noun. A margarita with a bottle of Corona hanging out right inside.) Whoa baby.

We sat down adjacent to the party room, which looked awesome by the way, and started to break down the menu. Our server gave us the ins and outs of what was what, and showed us a great specials list (which, he informed us, changes every few weeks or so).

When they said “Modern Mexican”, they weren’t kidding! Being a foodie, I love trying out new spins on old favorites, so I was pretty much fixated on the Lime Street Tacos section and the awesome flavor combinations described in each one.

Prices weren’t bad at anywhere from $3-$4 per taco, but for $11, you get to pick three tacos from the selection plus a side. That sounded like a great deal to me, and a perfect opportunity to get my lips around some variety, as there was just SO much to choose from!

I ended up ordering the Tuna Caliente (seared spicy tuna, julienne cucumber, avocado, scallions,
nappa cabbage, grilled pineapple & spicy aioli), the Piccadillo (seasoned ground beef, rice, refried beans, cilantro, jalapeño & salsa fresca) and the Ancho Chicken (grilled chicken breast, avocado, pickled red onions, cilantro, queso fresco & chile de arbol) with a side of beans and rice. Mr. KKM ordered the same thing, but he chose 2 of the Piccadillo tacos and one Taco Americano (grilled chicken breast, lettuce, tomato, onions, cheddar cheese, sour cream & guacamole) with a side of fries and queso blanco. We also ordered  bottomless chips and salsa (we love figuring out who in Tampa has the best of the best), and I broke down and ordered the Margarona a mango margarita on the rocks. Maybe next time, Lime, maybe next time. 😉

Within minutes we were munching on some amazingly thick and salsa worthy chips. I loved the spicy seasoning on them, and the salsa was just how we like it- a little heat, thick, not too chunky, and totally unspillable (nothing’s worse than drippy salsa!). My margarita also made it’s way onto the table. Our waiter had me sold at “our own lime juice base” and let me tell you, that freshness came through. The drink wasn’t too tart, nor was it too sweet. The mango was just that- a mango puree! No artificial flavoring here. This ‘rita was the real deal. Absolutely scrumptious. If it wasn’t for the fact we were headed to the casino afterwards, and that I didn’t want to be completely unaware of my spending, I would have had another. 😉

As we waited for our dinners to arrive, we gabbed, took some pictures and people watched. It seems as though many of the people here are SOHO locals- just walking in from the street. The place is really casual, but there were some diners there that you could tell were fueling up for a big night on the town. That’s the thing about The Lime- no matter what you’re up to on a Saturday night, this is a great stop for reasonably priced food that you’re not going to wait 2 hours for, so your night can get started that much faster.

Once our tacos made our way to the table, I immediately whipped out my camera to snag a shot. The presentation was smart and simple- a three sectioned plate with each taco placed open-faced in their own little nook, and they smelled amazing!

I took a bite of the beans and rice first. Both were good, but not the star of the show.

I decided to tackle the Piccadillo taco first. The meat was flavorful, juicy and tasted just like my Abuelita’s Piccadillo. Very, very good. I loved the contrast of the salty meat with the salsa fresca. Delish! I finished the whole thing. The second taco I dug into was the Tuna Caliente. When I go back, and there will be more trips to The Lime in my future, I will be getting the trio once again with three Tuna Caliente tacos. Good lawd, they were mouth watering. The just-seared tuna mixed with the pineapple and aioli was just amazing. Hands down the best taco I’ve ever had. It was so good that I didn’t want to eat the third taco and lose that delicious flavor that was dancing around in my mouth. But I did. I mean, I didn’t want to leave poor little Ancho Chicken out of the party. The third taco was good, but unfortunately, the bar had been set, and there would be no changing my mind at that point. Tuna Caliente hit the jackpot. Mr. KKM seemed to enjoy his meal too- especially his fries. They were seasoned and tossed with a chipotle spice mix and came with warm queso blanco for dipping. The Lime takes cheese fries to a whole new level of yum.

We were both too stuffed to add on a dessert, so we called it quits. We’ll have to go back, though, for the Banana Churritos. Drool.

Overall, our dining experience was laid back, enjoyable and satisfying (ahh, Tuna Caliente, I will dream of you). We learned all about $2 Taco Tuesdays and Brunch before we walked out. Hmm, Taco Tuesdays? Sign up me! We’ll definitely be back to check out that, and will probably bring a friend or two to introduce them to all that is Lime.

Have you tried The Lime in SOHO? What was your favorite thing on the menu?

*I was compensated in the form of a complimentary night out for sharing my opinions of The Lime by the owners of the establishment. I received no monetary compensation. The views expressed are solely my own.

I don’t always like admitting to shopping at Wal-Mart, but I’m super excited about a little something I purchased today….

A new sports bra.
Well, kind of new.

About 4 years ago I discovered Just My Size bras. As a plus sized active woman, with DD’s, finding supportive bras for running, or any activity for that matter, isn’t an easy task. When I decided to take JMS’s sports bra out for a spin, I was instantly hooked.

The bra has come a long way from it’s plain white, cotton days. The newest version of the Active Lifestyle Wirefree bra comes in a variety of colors, is made of moisture wicking material, has inner cup slings for added support and an extra wide bottom band to keep those puppies locked and loaded. It clasps in the back, but they’re padded for extra comfort. Trust me, I wore the last of these bras until the elastic was all stretched out and the clasps were still snug, covered and comfortable against my skin.

There is just nothing else out there that will provide these big boobies with the support they need to workout pain free and comfortable. I mean nothing is worse than having your lady parts bouncing up and down during a run or Zumba.

I’m glad that they’ve broadened the color options because I do feel a bit jealous of those ABC gals who can pick up the cutetest, most colorful bras at their local sports store, while us Doublers were stuck in bland land.

I purchased mine at Wally World for $15.98, but if you hop on to the JMS website, you’ll see that they’re on sale for $10.84! The only thing is, shipping starts at $5.99 for ground, so it’s only a deal if you plan to purchase more than one. They do, however, offer more colors on line, so if you’re looking for variety, that’s the way to go, as the only colors I saw at the store were the fushia/purple (seen above) and white. I think I’ll be ordering the gray and light blue next!

Besides my awesome shopping find, I also had a perfect night with Mr. KKM at the Ray’s game! I grew up watching the Braves with my grandfather, Abuelito (on my dad’s side). Florida didn’t have any baseball teams at the time, so because Atlanta was the closest city that had a team, we were HUGE Braves fans. I My family and I took many road trips up to Georgia to catch a few games every year, so they’ll always be a nostalgic part of my childhood. When I heard we were playing them in an interleague series (we’re American league and they’re National), I jumped at a chance to take a walk down memory lane and check out a game.

Our seats were awesome! We sat in the press level section and had a perfect view of all the action. We were also completely alone in the section, which was an awesome perk! No rowdy fans, no getting up and down when people want to squeeze out, and lots of room to spread our feet out and relax. It was grand.

Although I’m a Rays fan, I did sneak in a few cheers and hoots for the Braves, especially when one of my childhood heroes, Chipper Jones came up to bat. I still can’t believe he’s playing. He’s been with the Braves since 1990, and I can still remember seeing him at the old Fulton County Stadium in Atlanta back in 1993. Ah, the good ol’ days. (I’ll have to dig up some pics and scan them in). 😉

All in all a great day and an memorable date night with my sweety.

What’s your favorite workout accessory? Do you have a go-to sports bra brand?

I mentioned my mother singing Last Dance at a trip to the fair once when my brother and I were younger. She LOVED Donna Summer, and I’m sad to see that she’s passed.

Maybe, somewhere, somehow, mom will get to meet her and do a duet.

Wouldn’t that rock.

As I was looking at some fellow blogger’s websites this evening, I stumbled upon an awesome article dedicated to the misconceptions that many new runners often face. It’s a great read and will definitely clear up any confusions that may pop along the way.

Check it out here!

-Steph

When I was given the news that my mother only had a short time left to live, I began hoarding anything and everything that reminded me of her. Greeting cards, papers, mementos. Anything really. I collected these things from old boxes, drawers and other storage areas in hopes to keep ahold of as much of my mother I as could. Although I hadn’t even lost her at the time, I knew in my bones that it was coming.

For a few days after my mother’s passing, I was overwhelmed with the “stuff” she owned. You really don’t think about it when someone is alive, but once they’re not physically here anymore, everywhere you look, you see them. From items like jewelry and keepsakes to simple things like contact lens cases and shoes. The person is literally everywhere, and it’s a very final feeling.

I knew I couldn’t keep everything. It would be impossible to. And even though we’ve donated her clothing and have begun to organize at my Dad’s house, Mom is still everywhere. Something as tiny as tube of lipstick sitting in the top drawer in the bathroom is enough to put tears in my eyes. I mean, when someone passes, every remnant of their being is still apparent. It’s a very weird feeling to see her handwriting on scrap papers in her purse, her hair wrapped up around a hairbrush, or frozen foods in the freezer that you know she bought, and know that the person doesn’t exist anymore. I know, I know, she exists in my heart and in memories. I get that. But I’m a science teacher. Of course I find comfort in the memories and the thought that one day we may be reunited again in some realm or aspect. But at the end of the day, you know my mind goes directly to the science side of things. It’s a difficult reality to grasp. I will continue to live my life here on Earth never interacting with my mother on a physical level again. Yes, I see her in my dreams, in my memories and maybe in my future children one day. But it’s not the same. And until someone actually experiences the loss of a parent, especially as young as I did, they will never truly understand how I feel.

As hard as it is to write these emotions down, I can only imagine how difficult it must be to read them. It does help me though. Blogging has become a way for me to express the words I have difficulties expressing verbally. It’s just who I am.

I don’t want to say I dreaded the first Mother’s day without my Mom. I knew that I wanted to make it special. I did not want to stay at home festering in sadness. I originally had plans made with friends and even some family members, but in the end Mr. KKM and I decided to forgo all plans and just enjoy a quiet day together. We ended up going back to bed and sleeping in until almost 10am, then hitting up Lupton’s for one of our favorites: brunch. He then took me shopping, then to a local favorite farmer’s market before we came home at vegged out on the couch for a while watching the Rays game.

While he finished the game, I whipped up a batch of oatmeal raisin cookies from scratch, then invited my brother and dad over for a barbecue. After the burgers we headed out back to the park behind the house for a little early evening Geocaching with the pups, and a little romp by the Hillsborough River. It may have seemed like a laid back typical day, but it was a very special one indeed.

While shopping I stumbled across something I didn’t, at the time, know I was looking for: A memory box. 

 

 

I know as time goes on I’ll find more items to put into the box. For now, this is a great start. Before I closed it I placed a pair of my mom’s pajamas inside as well as a pair of the Crocs she loved to wear at the beach and going around town.

I don’t know how often I’ll open up the memory box to look through it, but I’m glad to know it’s there for when I need it. I know that it’s just another tool in my “grieving my mother” toolkit to help me learn to deal. If there’s one thing I know about myself, is that I’m notorious for my “figure it out” attitude. And you know what? Although the loss of my mom is a huge loss, I’ll figure it out as I go along.

Happy Mother’s Day to all the mothers out there. And if you’re missing your mother like I am, I hope you were able to find the silver lining today like I did.

-Steph

There are so many different kinds of Moms. Today, while you celebrate and thank your own Mom, look for ways to bless other Moms around you, too:
Moms who sacrificially gave their baby to adoptive parents
Surrogate Moms
Those whose Moms are no longer with them
Those whose Moms are suffering with Alzheimer’s/dementia
Moms who’ve tragically lost their children
Moms whose children are serving in our military
Moms whose husbands are serving in our military
Single Moms
Moms whose children are suffering with illness
New Moms
Military Moms
Moms waiting to give birth
Women who have filled the role of “Mom” for you

Today is the first Mother’s Day without my mom. Yesterday was an amazing day filled with her spirit and her memory.  Today will be the same.
Miss you mom.

As a teacher and a blogger, I’m usually not at a loss for words, but today I’m feeling like I just cannot sum up the emotion, excitement and pride that I’m feeling after participating in the first annual Jogging for Judy race through Miles for Moffitt.

Today wasn’t about grieving the loss of my mom. Today was about celebrating her life, as if she had been alive, she would have been right there, dressed in orange, chugging along down the course with us. That’s the thing about my mom. If excitement was to be had, she’d either be the one making it, or joining in. My mom taught me how to live, and how to have fun. It’s the one thing I’ll always hold on to.

And Miles for Moffitt? Sign us up for 2013. The spirit of Team Judy is alive and strong and you will see us make an appearance in many more races benefiting those fighting cancer. My mom wouldn’t have it any other way.

I am overwhelmed at the amount of family, friends and co-workers who woke up VERY early on an absolutely gorgeous cool May morning to Jog for Judy. I knew we had about 40 runners in total who were signed up to do the race, but when you actually see us all together in one sitting, it’s a sight that brings a smile to my face. All of these people came out because I organized a team. All of these people came out because they loved my mom. All of these people are rockstars in my book.

Steph

Nothing gets me more excited than a good ol’ night before a race.
The anticipation is sometimes so strong, it keeps me from sleeping! (good thing we took that 3 hour nap after work!).

I signed up our team over a month ago. Actually, my mom was still alive at the time and got the opportunity to hear all the details and see our shirts before she became incoherent. I’m really glad that I got to tell her about this. I know she will be proud of every single one of us tomorrow, and I hope that every member of Team Judy will be able to feel her presence with them on the course. 

Mr. KKM and I grabbed a quick dinner (have you tried Wendy’s new flatbreads? Yum!) then headed over to my dad’s house. We’re spending the night there so we’ll have one less thing to have to worry about in the morning. It’s suggested that racers arrive no later than 7am, as they begin to close the roads around that time. We are planning to get up around 5:30, hopefully giving us enough time to force down some breakfast, figure out a carpooling plan, then make the trek over to USF.

I made the mistake of not using music for my last race, the Gasparilla 15k. I wasn’t going to do that this time around. After tracking down an Iphone charger, I took a nice long look at the huge library of awesome music I have on that ol’ device and built a playlist that I think will be just what I need to go for a PR.

Yes. I said it. PR.

I haven’t actually committed to trying to PR in quite some time. I really couldn’t set a PR for Gasparilla as I had never done a 15k before, but I’m planning to try and complete tomorrow’s 5k in under 45 minutes. My fastest 5k time has been 47:12 at Purplestride 2010. If I can maintain a 15 minute mile at the most, I will definitely be able to come in at 45 or under.

To help me with this goal, I plan to keep up a good pace with some kickass music. Here is tomorrow’s playlist:
Alligator Pie- DMB
American Girl- Tom Petty
Alive with the Glory of Love- Say Anything
Corn Bread- DMB
The Distance- Cake
Dog Days are Over- Florence and the Machine
Empire State of Mind- JayZ and Alicia Keys
Forever- Chris Brown
No Homo- Lonely Island
Perfect Situation- Weezer
Pumped up Kicks- Foster the People
Rumour Has It- Glee
Shiver- Coldplay (my personal favorite!)
Tighten Up- The Black Keys
With or Without You- U2
Fix You- Coldplay
Miracle Drug- U2
My Hero- Foo Fighters (my finish strong song)

For now, it’s bedtime. There will be no PRing if I’m a sleepy girl! See you in the morning!
GO TEAM JUDY!

Steph

I can’t believe that it’s already been a month since I originally signed up Team Judy for the Miles for Moffitt race. We’re only four days away from toeing the line, and I am more than excited to get all of my family and friends together for what hopes to be an inspiring experience for all of us in my mom’s memory. The T-shirts were delivered on Friday, right before we left for our camping trip, so I decided to dig through them tonight, organizing the orders to get them ready for tomorrow’s delivery.

 (There’s even an itty bitty one for Baby Sean)

 (Team Judy packet pickup. That’s a lot of bibs!)

My first mother’s day without my mom will be tough, no doubt. But having this race in her honor will help (so will the open water swim and tri training I plan to attend Sunday morning!)

Before you ask… YES, Mr. KKM and I have been keeping up with our 45 day challenge workouts, in fact, today we completed day 13). Really, to be completely honest, the workouts seem to be a good mix of cardio, strength training and cross training, in a relatively doable amount of time (and our planks are getting longer!). It’s been a fun bonding experience for us, and we’re starting to feel (and notice) some changes. 32 more days to go!

Sunday evening I also hosted my first Meetup with the First Time 5k’ers! We met at Bayshore park for a 1 mile walk to get to know each other, set some goals and figure out fitness levels. Of course, Mr. KKM was there for morale support (and a mini-workout), but I also forced convinced my brother to meet us out there, as he has become quite the expert on muscle toning, nutrition and weight loss- perfect for anyone who has other goals in mind, aside from a 5k! About 15 members showed up and everyone seemed very positive, excited, and ready to sign up for their first race! (I think) 😉 Our next get together is scheduled for Wednesday at Al Lopez Park. It’s actually broken into 2- at 6:30pm, we’ll be meeting for Day 1 of Couch to 5k, then at 7:15pm, we’ll be meeting for a 1-2 mile beginners walk. Interested in joining us? Check out the Meetup Page for more information!

Have you ever organized a team for a race? How did that go?