Happy New Year!
So far my 2016 has been pretty status quo. I have no big (or small, for that matter) 2016 goals, resolutions, defining words, or themes.
Instead, I just intend to live as simply and happily as possible.
…with this little nut by my side.I want no drama, loads of kindness, tons of hugs, and plenty of rolling with the punches. I want to celebrate victories big and small, and everything in between. I want to enjoy my first year of marriage, and want to bask in watching Ellie grow up. I want to see the world through her eyes, instead of my 30-year-old-and-sometimes-cynical ones.
With my two best friends.In the effort to live more simply and coolly, my first blog post of the new year is in no way deep or profound or terribly thought-provoking.
Instead, here’s a “What I’m thinking, feeling, loving, and loathing lately” situation.
LOVING.Watching: Making a Murderer. Aren’t we all? I only have one and a half episodes left. (Brian has three episodes left. I am not a bad wife for going ahead watching more episodes without him. It’s not my fault he works until 3 AM sometimes…) Anyway, it’s been fascinating to watch, and I can’t wait to finish so I can spend six straight days Googling everything I can find about Steven Avery and the hot lawyers and all the theories and evidence and I can’t get enough.
Ellie, meanwhile, is not so interested in the murder story.Also, fun fact, my senior prom date was named Steven Avery. Not the one from the documentary. But a Steve Avery from Contoocook, NH. He wore an all-white tux, including a top hat, and he picked me up for prom in an RV. My dad was thrilled that I went to my senior prom in a “traveling bedroom.” Now Steve Avery lives a few doors down from my parents in good ol’ Contoocook!
Contoocook! So scenic!Oh, and watching this, on repeat, because it’s all perfect.
Reading: No books at the moment. (Any recommendations?) Since I stopped having a commute to an office, I don’t read as much (beyond internet things, which count). In the meantime, here are a few recent reads that have made me LOL:
- Uses of “Namaste” at My Local Yoga Studio, from The New Yorker. Considering I said “Namaste” at the end of my wedding vows, I give this two prayer hands up.
- 29 Hilarious Tweets About Going to the Gym. I really did laugh out loud (alone, in my apartment…) at #5, #6, #12, #13, #21, #24, and #28. OK, I laughed at all of them.
- This Guy Asked for Photoshop Help. I have no idea why I find this so hilarious. But when I found this, I couldn’t stop scream-laughing for like 19 minutes. People on the internet are clever and magical.
- 31 Hilarious Tweets About Eating Healthy That Will Get You Every Time. “Is the paleo diet the one where you only eat dinosaurs?” I like this one because I can really relate to all of it.
- 28 Pictures That Prove 2015 Wasn’t a Completely Terrible Year. STOP CRYING.
Listening to: Acoustic Covers on Spotify and the Hamilton cast album. And sometimes “Stand By You” by Rachel Platten.
I woke up like this.Writing: A lot! Some recent favorites (apparently this post is just a list of some random stuff)…
- Here’s Why You Should Take a Mental Health Day Right Now for Life by Daily Burn.
- What All Runners Think About for Self.
- How to Avoid Runner’s Burnout for Fix.com.
- The 7 Best Mental Tricks to Make Your Next Run More Fun for Self.
- 18 Easy Ways to Cut 100 Calories Without Even Noticing for Self.
I can help you work!Missing: My family. Tyler. Abby. New Hampshire’s wide open spaces.
Oh excuse me while my heart just busts right open. These two were so in love. It was the best ever.Africa. Running (yeahhh…more on that in a sec). Big grocery stores. Being able to drive places. Having more than one bathroom. Lifting weights (I could do it, and I swear I want to, I’m just lazy). November Project (on account of the not-currently-running thing).
MISS YOU KIDS.Needing: A haircut. A massage. To take control of the unibrow I’m growing. A decent night’s sleep.
BRIAN, DON’T BE MAD. This was too sweet not to capture.Loving: Snapchat (I’m AliOnTheRun1). Long walks in Central Park with Ellie.
Her ear doesn’t flop forward anymore 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 🙁 When Ellie cuddles with me (sometimes she wants her own space, but sometimes she wiggles right up to me and I love it).
SUN KISSED.Appreciating: My friends and family. My dear friend’s husband passed away on Christmas Eve after fighting an incredibly brave battle with cancer. They were just married in March, and he had to have one of his legs amputated soon after. He was back in the yoga studio as soon as he could be post-surgery, taking class again — on one leg — and it was the most baller thing I’ve ever seen. He was a fighter and a champion and sometimes life just isn’t fair.
I’ve been very lucky in my life. I haven’t experienced much loss. Brian and I got to have three grandmothers — ages 85, 91, and 92 — present at our wedding, and I feel grateful for all the people I get to have around every day of my life. I know that won’t last forever (how did this post get heavy? that wasn’t the plan!), so lately I’ve taken a lot of time to be present and grateful and namaste. Let’s move on. (Hug your loved ones. I’ll wait.)
Four generations of Feller ladies! Honey is 91 and Ellie is 16 weeks. I’m 30. My mom is somewhere in between all that.Exercising: Barely! Over the holidays, my left knee started to feel a little achy. So I stopped running. I’ve learned from my very many mistakes, and I don’t want it to turn into an injury, so I backed off right away. Ideally I would’ve jumped into the new year with a kickass workout plan and some racing goals, but instead I’m waiting it out a bit, and won’t run again until there’s no pain at all. (I think it’s just overuse, lack of strength training, lack of foam rolling, lack of stretching, tight IT-band, runner’s knee whatever. I’m not too concerned. I’m icing and resting and being a smart 30-year-old. For once.)
“But why do you have all these bikes if you don’t wanna ride them?”Meanwhile, I’m happy to report that after a several month (oops!) hiatus, I made my way back to Lyons Den for some sweaty fun this week! Turns out, your body doesn’t just “do yoga again.” Or at least mine doesn’t. All the things I worked so hard to achieve in 2015 — headstand, handstand, forearm stand, wheel for hours on end, savasana — are gone. They’re impossible. They hurt so bad. They feel terrible. But I reminded myself that yoga isn’t going to get easier without, you know, doing yoga. I’m so wise, I can’t even take it. It feels good/awful to be back at it.
Savasana!Eating: Everything. Mostly sugar and carbs. While everyone else in the world is doing Whole 30 (seriously, are all of you out there doing it???), I’m over here eating chocolate and white pasta for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. And snacks. And dessert.
Wearing: Only stretchy things, because “these sweatpants are all that fit me right now.”
Thank goodness for puffy coats and yoga pants!Celebrating: Life. Really. I’m in that kind of mood lately.
I also celebrate every time Ellie pees and poops outside. Yay!!!
Beep beep little taxi!It was lovely spending a lot of time celebrating both Christmas and the arrival of 2016.
Three Crazy Cristianos!On New Year’s Eve, I started the day by taking Ellie for her first full walk around the Bridle Path. It took us about two hours to complete the 1.67-mile loop, but she loved it and snoozed like a hungover adult for hours afterward.
THE MOST SPECIAL DAY. Ellie would love Giraffe Manor, BTW.At night, Brian and I went to a gathering at my friend’s apartment. It was actually the pre-party — they were all going out dancing after — but it was our main event.
Crouching Feller, Hidden Jazz Hands.Then we came home, snuggled the pup, and I passed out drunk on champagne at 11:30 PM. I woke up at 1:15 AM, completely confused and furious that Brian didn’t wake me up for the ball drop.
ONE OF US IS SOBER. The other one is me.
THIS IS HOW I FELL ASLEEP. I hate myself. (Brian OMG you’re sooooooo lucky. I’m your wife!)I rang in the new year by wearing my onesie for approximately 48 hours straight. Fortunately it still fits.
HAPPY NEW YEAR. LOVE, ALI ON THE RUNYou’re looking pretty decent so far, 2016. Keep that shit up.
RESPOND: How’s your 2016 going so far? Any resolutioners out there? Any big goals, plans, hopes, dreams? Anyone else still carbing hard while the rest of the world abandons us in favor of making healthy decisions? Most importantly, is Steven Avery guilty? DISCUSS.
25 Responses
#Ellie the absolute cutest!
2016 is the year of personal growth, change and commitment. Now I know every year should be that. Two layoffs in two years in two different industries. I am tired, drained, overwhelmed. I started 2015 off working out, seeing a nutritionist, losing weight and getting my stomach issues under control. By the end of the year I gained weight, gave up on eating healthy and just lost my motivation.
For 2016 it’s back and in full force. I made my word for 2016 Commitment. No goals. Just one word and stick to it in different areas: Friends, Family, Health, Fitness, Yoga, Meditation, Dating (that’s a scary one for me).
I love Ellie’s sweater so much!! OMG. Here’s to a new year full of all the wonderful things!
Enjoy your first year of marriage and the rest of 2016, especially the puppy. I have serious puppy envy over here, but I’m not brave enough to take the plunge (yet). You are killing it in your freelancing- loved reading your articles. If you ever need a nutritionist/dietitian quote or whatever feel free to email me- dietitianjessnutrition@gmail.com Keep killing it lady!
YES! I interview dietitians all the time. Shoot me an email (alison.feller@gmail.com) with some of your qualifications, short bio, etc., so I can keep you on file!
Can’t tell you how happy your blog and IG posts make me and how glad I am that you’re feeling good. It’s about you, but it’s benefiting me, too. You inspired me to get a Onepiece–LOVE it so much, and my kids are now used to me wearing it in public, because I let them go places in their onesie jammies (Batman @ 17, WonderWoman @ 12, TNMT @ 7). I also want a dog even more because of #elliegolden, and I just might be crazy enough to do it soon because what’s the difference between completely overwhelmed and even more overwhelmed, anyway? At least I’d have a dog to cuddle. Cheers to a great 2016!
I LOVE THIS. OnePiece is the best. I’ve somehow refrained from buying the Original in every color. I’m so glad you’re on board with the onesie love. GET A DOG. YAY.
Thanks for this post! I’ve been feeling the mega pressure from everyone else’s “do all the things” New Year posts. We also have a young puppy and enjoying this time and really enjoying life seem far more pressing than all those to do lists and ass kicking 2016 plans!
I spent NYE on the couch watching How to Make a Murderer (which upset me to the point that I could not watch the last episode.) Then, I spent a glorious week in Jamaica being a super fangirl for Hanson, and am sad to be back in the real world now where Pina Coladas aren’t included in my resort stay, and I’m not sleeping on a lounger in front of the ocean.
I want to be more like Cocoa!! She LIVES life tou know. She does not stress about everything like I do. So my intent is to live more and be less anxious!! Ellie is so sweet. Love the picture of her and Brian. And the way she lays on her back. Cocoa does the same thing. I was going to do the Whole 30 because it seemed like a good thing to do and then thought no. I want to eat good for myself and good food makes me feel good but so does sugar!! And if I want chocolate I’m going to eat chocolate!!
Your amazing
This former prosecutor/current defense lawyer thinks Steven Avery is innocent (again) and that town is all kinds of effed up.
What fun – I’m going to have the check out the author’s name when I read my Self articles. I didn’t realize you had done so many. Great job!
My new year is going Ok, but I do have a hip soreness thing going on. And, unlike a smart 47 year old, I am not resting it. Game on, right?
OMG the Eiffel Tower thing. I’m sharing that with everyone I know. 😀 Happy New Year!
Ellis is adorable!!
https://sweetpotatoesrunner.wordpress.com
I’ve only seen the first three episodes of Making a Murderer so far. I’m simply amazed that this kind of thing happens. I’m hooked, and can’t wait to see what happens next!!!
No resolutions here- just an ongoing commitment to not be too hard on myself (right now, I’m not being too hard on myself for eating several chocolates when I arrived at work tonight…), and to continue making good money decisions. It’s going to be a great year!
Happy New Year!
DID YOU FINISH MAKING A MURDERER YET? Can we talk about it?
DID YOU FINISH MAKING A MURDERER YET? Can we talk about it?
I love that Ellie blends into the floor, I looked at the picture, read the caption, then had to look at the picture again haha.
I love this so much, but especially the jazz hands with all the gals going out! That’s my type of new years, crashing the fun party and letting them leave for the other one and enjoying the champers!
Great post! And I am NOT doing a Whole30 this year! (At least not yet.) Perhaps it’s because I don’t have a wedding to prepare for later this year. Also, I’m really enjoying eating all the things right now. And my stomach is semi-cooperating, so I’m taking advantage. I also just started getting back into yoga after a few months off and it’s amazing how fast my hard-earned flexibility went away! I’m working on getting it back though! Happy New Year to you and your adorable family! (I’m so happy you finally got a puppy!)
I’ve been erring on the side of “lighter” reading lately and things that make me feel good. 🙂
Just finished “After I Do” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I actually just got married in December, and while it might seem slightly masochistic (the book is about a couple that decides to take a break from their marriage for one year to try and save it…but bear with me here!), I LOVED it! It was so honest and funny and sweet and made me really think about how I want to start my own marriage and the things I need to continue to work on. It’s essentially chick lit, but really well-written and the characters are so endearing. Check it out!
I’m also currently in the middle of “Living with a SEAL” by Jesse Itzler, who is a pretty well-known runner and entrepreneur who hires a Navy SEAL to live with him and train him for a month. It’s pretty hilarious and downright mind-blowing what this SEAL is capable of.
My husband and I watched Making a Murderer and were in disbelieve the whole time. It’s so crazy, and I feel especially bad for Brendan. The way his first attorney handled his case was atrocious. I initially thought that maybe Steven Avery was innocent, but I’m not so sure now. I’ve read that some of the evidence presented at court was not presented in the documentary, and it definitely seemed slanted towards the defense. There were certainly some shady things that happened, though. My questions are: 1) If Avery didn’t do it, who did? Even if the police department framed him, I don’t think they actually killed Teresa, so what in the world happened? 2) If Avery DID do it, WHY?? He was about to get a whole bunch of money. Why jeopardize that? 3) Why was there hardly any blood found anywhere? 4) How could both Brendan and his mom not know the meaning of “inconsistent?” Sigh. It was a crazy case.
I just read Station Eleven and loved it.
Reading: I’m starting Razzle Dazzle: The Battle for Broadway by Michael Reidel this weekend. (I needed something lighter after Middlesex and All the Light We Cannot See).
I spent Christmas and New Years super sick, and I’m happy to say that as of yesterday, I feel like I’ve rejoined the land of the living.
I don’t typically do resolutions , but it crossed my mind this morning that it would be fun/ny to have my focus be “WERK!” a la Schuyler Sisters.
Happy New Year!
I clicked on the 28 pictures link and now I’m crying at work. THANKS ALI.
I love this. For some reason I ate really healthily during the holidays but have started the new year powered exclusively by carbs and sugar. The guy who runs the coffee cart by my office is basically my dealer. #GiantBakedGoodsfor2016