Weekend Adventures: the "athletes"

Because we already don't sleep enough with work and the new house, why not tack on endurance events to occupy our "free" time? A few years after living together we began to tackle exercise more seriously. Neither of us were getting any smaller...we ran our first 5k together about four years ago. It was the farthest either of us had ever run. Fast forward to this summer and we actually enjoy each others company during our 5:30 am runs around the neighborhood. This is possibly because we're still half asleep and don't 100% realize how crazy we Meg are is.

Matt has taken running to new levels. Last year he ran a 10 miler and this past May used his new found enjoyment of running to raise money for our troops coming home at the 9k Run to Home Base at Fenway Park. I'm really proud of him.

While I'm still trying to be a better runner, cycling has always been my true athletic passion. I'm about to ride my third Pan Mass Challenge, a charity cycling race supporting cancer research and care. It's in 9 days!!!  I'll be riding a century (100 miles) on August 4th. Training uses a good chunk of my weekend hours but the event is worth it. Wish me lots of luck this year because I haven't gotten in quite as much training as I'd like to.  It's also my Dad/daughter weekend, he rides with me.   

Wish us luck this year with our goals!

Meg's PMC profile: http://www.pmc.org/profile/MB0343

Her fundraising necklaces in her Etsy Shop: http://www.etsy.com/listing/101302673/bicycle-necklace-for-charity

 

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Blogging the Real Stuff & Our Dedication

A few months ago a buzz started around "blog world". It's time to get real with our readers. Why paint a pretty picture? We all watch reality TV for a reason! The drama, it's ok to let a little drama into blog world.

We're learning from what we like to read about. Over on Young House Love, I like when John shared the story of the leak in the roof, they became real to me in that post and made me want to read more. And a friend just started to blog about the Husband's side of pregnancy. Matt is following that one for warnings! We started our get real initiative in our post about Free & Cheap Projects. Were talking about keeping decor expenses in check and working at making up for going a little overboard in the beginning.

Because we hope to always blog the real stuff, good or bad, we are officially dedicating our blog to:

The Weekend Warrior

The real side of this blog, 18 Preston, is that Matt and I are weekend warriors. This is why you don't see regular blog posts. We both work 9-5s (actually make that 7-6s with a working lunch most days.) I travel for my job. I'm sleeping in hotel rooms about 6 nights a month, have been making Boston - LA flight every other week for the past four months. I drafted this blog post on an airplane. We can only get to laundry on the weekends. I regularly fall asleep on the couch by 9pm on Fridays. Sometime we feel like we're sprinting a marathon just to get to the weekend. And of course, then they go by so quickly!

So we're hoping to feature the challenges of home projects when you only have the weekend, those 48 precious hours each week to get those DIY projects done. If you're a weekend warrior and have tackled a large project we want to hear from you! Even if its just your handy man (husband/s.o.) who is the weekend warrior tell us about your self.  And leave a link to your blog in the comments section below!  Tell us what worked, and what didn't. How did you break up the project? How many weekends did it take? Tell us all about it! We want to feature other Weekend Warriors, just like us
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Summer in Instagram

I'm trying to get Matt on the Instagram bandwagon as well so you can see what we've both been up to, but for our first Instagram post you'll have to check of what my summer has looked like so far.

1. Some early games at Fenway Park and Matt's Run to Home Base

2. Coffee on the porch on the weekends

3. Making beer cocktails! This one is Hogarden mixed with a raspberry lambic

4. Two craft fairs so far for my Jewelry work

5. Several custom bridal orders completed

6. Produce from my garden

7. I LOVE oysters! Had some for our anniversary date

8. Cirque du Solie in Boston for our anniversary

9. Longest bike ride of the summer, 65 miles finished off with Ben & Jerry's

How's your summer so far? Is anyone capturing it with Instagram?

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What We're Cooking @ 18 Preston

I (Meg) cook ALOT.  It is hands down one of my most favorite things to do.  We're still surprised I haven't found a way to make it a living yet.  Last night we tried a new recipe from the latest Food Network Magazine and it was so delicious we had to share.  I often make tweaks to recipies either to make them more simple or so I can use what we already have on hand.  This one I stuck to and it's perfect and so incredible easy.  Add some brown rice and this is a perfect meal to impress some guests who love fish!

Soy Glazed Salmon with Cucumber Avocado Salad - by Food Network Magazine

Photo by Food Network Magazine

Get the recipe here: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/soy-glazed-salmon-with-cucumber-avocado-salad-recipe/index.html#

We're collecting more of our favorite recipes on this Pinterest Board.  Follow along to see what else we're cooking @18 Preston!

Dining Room Art Update

My heart was set on my large gallery frame wall the minute we knew the house was ours. My plan all along is to change the art out seasonally, using the frames to bring some decor into our home. I've never been too big on holiday decorating and I think I'll enjoy this subtle approach.

If you caught our first post about the dinning room update you saw what found a home in the gallery frames first. In true Pinterest fashion - paint swatches. While I still love these and have tucked them away to be seen again next spring it was time for our summer update.

The backstory about our summer gallery art is a spring trip we planned to Newport, RI. We went to school in Rhode Island and take an off season trip to Newport once a year. The trip has two missions. 1) eat at some of our favorite restaurants, and 2) visit our favorite antique store, ever! The Armory, to pick out vintage post cards of Newport.

Turns out we couldn't get reservations anywhere we wanted and the antique store was closed for renovations! Luckily there are still Irish Pubs, Starbucks, and Etsy. I found these post cards in an Etsy shop and they are perfect.

The Mount Hope Bridge one is our favorite because it's a Roger Williams University landmark, where we met! There is also a single frames antique postcard of Purgatory Chasam in Newport, where Matt proposed.

And this art update fell into our "free" & "cheap" projects list at $15 for the post cards mounted on scrapbook paper from the stash.

Have you done a cheap of free project lately? link it up over here!