Kelly Trepp, Author

For the better part of the last week, I have been in the sunshine state, praying for a miracle; and God has answered those prayers. My 80-year-old grandfather discovered a Meningioma tumor in his brain in November. At the time it was considered benign, as are most meningiomas, and the diagnosis was to observe the tumor's growth over the next year and see how it was progressing. Unfortunately, my grandfather started showing symptoms of the tumor shortly thereafter, having seizures that were taking a toll on his fragile body. After more MRIs in mid-March, the tumor appeared to have grown in size by about 20 percent. Surgery was now a necessary reality. So how did I take this news? That my grandfather, whom I very rarely get to see because he lives in Florida half the year and two hours away the rest of it, was going to be having life-saving surgery? I packed my bags and booked the last flight out on Friday evening after work. It's not really as heroic as I make it sound.

I'm not sure that when I initially got the idea to begin training for the USA Rock 'n' Roll Half Marathon and subsequently registered for the race as a birthday gift to myself, I had any plan for what comes next. There was a time that I considered the Marine Corps Marathon as the next logical step, but if you know me, I have lots of dreams and little follow through. I had the registration form filled out before the race sold out and decided to let that one slide, as there are a lot of things going on in my life right now that might keep me from having time for the appropriate training. I did not want to take the spot of someone who could fully commit themselves to the challenge. Now there's a graceful excuse reason if I ever heard one. Over the last few days, I have taken some time to peruse my options and apply an appropriate training schedule. These are the events I have already registered for coming up: Sole of the City 10K April 21 10K (or 6.2 miles) is

Photo Courtesy of Rock 'n' Roll USA on Facebook As most of you know, I completed my first half marathon this past weekend. I took my place alongside 30,000 runners to race through the streets of DC in the inaugural Rock 'n' Roll USA 1/2 Marathon & Marathon . I cannot describe the emotions I felt after crossing the finish line sufficiently for you to understand unless you have done it before yourself. There were waves of accomplishment, regret, relief, disappointment, satisfaction, and a strong urge to do it all over again. Let us begin at the beginning... My sister woke up at the crack of dawn to meet us at the hotel in Largo, just outside DC. We chose Largo for three reasons: 1) cheaper than staying in the city; 2) only a few stops away from the Stadium/Armory stop on the Blue Line of the Metro where the race began and finished; 3) less people would be going our way on the Metro after the race. That third reason was pretty key in planning our escape after th

I promised I would get these recipes up, and who doesn't love to revisit a holiday? Better late than never, right? All of the recipes are included at the bottom of this post. Hubby and I don't usually go big for Valentine's Day, but we decided to make a change this year as it was our first Valentine's Day as a married couple. There is a local gourmet kitchen and catering store that offers cooking classes. Quality Street Kitchen & Catering offers classes in an array of cuisines. Valentine's Day found a DC based chef preparing a succulent Beef Tenderloin with a Port Wine sauce, and a side of Potato Gratin. Have I got your mouth watering yet? If not, feast your eyes upon the chocolate covered strawberry at the top of this post, then read on. When we arrived at Quality Street, we were greeted by glasses of sparkling Moscato and chocolate dipped strawberries. (We enjoyed the Moscato so much, we ended up taking two bottles home). Along with half a dozen oth

Hello bloggers, long time no see. I have neglected you, and I apologize. There have been some family health issues and with the race coming up, I have been filling all of my time with running ad family. My taper week begins now! And my first half-marathon is five days away. The weather is projected to be balmy, which is against every thing that I had planned for, but I am really looking forward to seeing the sun. I set out for my long run on Sunday, rather than Saturday, because the weather was closer to the prediction for the day of the half. I wore my Lululemon Run Inspired Crops , Under Armour Cold Gear Fitted Mock Neck Long Sleeve Shirt , my newly acquired SPI belt , and my CamelBak . I decided that the Mock Neck is not going to cut it on race day. As much as I LOVE that thing, it is not made for a 70 degree day. Hence the **Cold Gear** label . I think I will opt for my Under Armour tee shirt instead. 1 mile in, I had to pee. Apparently, using the restroom three times befor

I finally get back on track with my blog posts, and then BAM! It's 7:30 at night on a Thursday and I am still at work. My post that I had planned for Friday is incomplete and I am going to miss my run tonight. On top of that, they fed us pizza. PIZZA! Don't they know pizza is my weakness?! I shudder to think how many calories I ate. But I'll tell you anyway. It was in the ballpark of 600. **shudders** Oy vey. What a day! (What a workout I'm going to have to do to wash away this day!) I know I promised earlier this week that I would have those Valentine's Day recipes up by the end of the week, but they are going to have to wait until next week. Please be sure to check back for them! They are delicious and you will not be disappointed. Until then...