Making it through Monday...

While I am certainly no fan of Mondays, I have to say I am SO thankful last week is over and a new week has begun. The past seven days literally kicked my tail...

To start, late last Wednesday, a large government bid was dropped into my lap. I was asked to complete the technical volume write-up, similar to another large bid we completed in 2010. That one took me a solid month in a half. The time I was given to complete for this bid? A day and a half. Seriously?! While I greatly appreciate being asked to take part in something of this magnitude, there is no excuse for those who have a total lack of knowledge and concern to (1) be in the position they are, and (2) be the ones making the final decision on something this big. In the end, the project was completed; and although it was done well, it most certainly could have been done so with a great deal more accuracy and efficiency had there been more any communication and/or preparation. Regardless, there were a certain few people who really pulled together for the sake of teamwork, and we were able to get it done. SO very thankful for them!

In the middle of all that, I had my very first biopsy Friday morning. It is on my face, but luckily it's fairly small and where my jaw line folds into my ear, so it's pretty hidden. I tried hard not to freak out before going in to get the spot checked, and did a pretty good job at that. But of course after it was all over and hearing the dermatologist say she's almost certain it's skin cancer (basal cell carcinoma, which thank goodness is 100% treatable and shouldn't come back once removed), I finally broke down that evening. Just a little too much after working 11+ hours three days in a row. I'll find out this Friday exactly what it is, once the biopsy has been analyzed. Skin cancer or not, it could be A LOT worse. Still...it's not something I was prepared for.

Thankfully I was able to get some actual marketing work done on Saturday (I should seriously hide a sleeping bag at the office...#ilovemyjob #ilovemyjob) and was even able to help out (if only for 20 minutes) at our first ever job fair. We truly have an amazing HR team!

Keeping on with the positives...

After our 7-mile run Saturday morning, Autumn and I had an awesome, albeit super random conversation. We stopped to say goodbye at our "corner" and figure out what time to meet on our next run, and then next thing we know, it's 25 minutes later! Autumn has truly become one of my closest friends, and I am beyond grateful for her advice, guidance, and encouragement. Has anyone (mainly runners) read Mile Markers? If you have a female running buddy, whom you share just about everything with due to the fact that you're running for multiple hours together and it would just be weird if you didn't talk, you should DEFINITELY read this book!

Buster and I had great run on Sunday afternoon, after which I did some spring cleaning, finally got a few loads of laundry done, and spent some much needed quality time with the hubby.

The NYC Half is this Sunday! While I've been having a minor issue with my left foot, I couldn't be more pumped about this race. Running through Central Park, Times Square, Ground Zero, and more – and running it with my cousin, Missy, in one of my all-time favorite cities in the world – I can't wait!!

On an even more positive note, the countdown is on for our Italy trip! A HUGE thanks to one of our friends for her Rome tour guide recommendation. We are even more excited now, if that was even possible.

And finally, today marks exactly five years (even to the day of the week) that Brent proposed! Read the super sweet story below...if you are so moved. :)

Happy Monday, everyone!