Category: Uncategorized

Posted in Travel & Experiences, Uncategorized

A Weekend in Syracuse

Posted on by melissaburgess

15420805_10208507647912773_8315346953026149003_nAlright, so I’m a bit behind with this post but I wanted to do a quick write-up of our (my husband and I) trip to Syracuse a bit ago! On a snowy Saturday afternoon, we did the just-over-two-hour drive across the state to Syracuse! I’ve been through the city before (mostly passing by on car or via bus) but never been through, so this was a nice change of pace without going too, too far from home.

On our way out, we stopped at the Montezuma Winery in Seneca Falls, New York. I hadn’t been in about three years but wanted to make a quick pit stop. Great place for some last-minute Christmas gifts (I picked up some wine, a few glasses and other assorted decor). I love quaint little places like this. Sadly, the winery dog that was there last time I went was nowhere to be found. (I really, really love dogs, okay?)

Continue reading “A Weekend in Syracuse” →

Posted in Food, Health & Fitness, Uncategorized

My First-Ever Turkey Trot

Posted on by melissaburgess

15203373_10208349248512887_3023534357833240576_nWell, I can say it: I did it. For the first time in my life, I completed the annual YMCA Turkey Trot. Buffalo’s Turkey Trot is known to be the oldest consecutive annual footrace in North America, with 2016 being its 121st year.

I made the decision to sign up fairly early; I know it sells out (they cap it at 14,000 runners) and I was determined to do it. Sure, I said I’d walk/run more and get into better shape for it – and that didn’t really happen – but in the end, I did it, and I’m proud of myself for not giving up.

I’m not going to lie and say it was easy. I think over the course of the 4.97 miles, a lot of different things went through my head. It went something like this:

At the start line…. well, actually, about a half-mile BACK from the starting line is where my race actually began. I’m smart enough to line up behind the 10+ mile pace flag, but not at the VERY back of the crowd. With the massive amount of people running, it took me a whopping eight minutes from the time the race actually started to the time I actually crossed the start line. Wowza! By the time I started, a lot of people had already gone at least a mile, if not more.

Continue reading “My First-Ever Turkey Trot” →

Posted in Love, Marriage & Relationships, Uncategorized

50 Reasons I’m Thankful For My Spouse Challenge

Posted on by melissaburgess

This week, clearly part of the American Thanksgiving Holiday, the wonderful folks over at Beating 50 posted this challenge:

“In light of thanksgiving, we wanted to invite you all to join us in making a list of 50 reasons why you are thankful for your husband or wife (or fiancé, boyfriend, girlfriend). Let’s thank our loved one for the little things and the big things! Thankfulness produces joy, and joy is what we want our marriages to be marked by! We hope that our lists of thanksgiving, inspire you to write and share your own with your spouse!”

This was my first Thanksgiving as a married woman, and really our first holiday as a married couple! (We got married in mid-July.) We’ve spent the last few Thanksgivings together, but there was something different about this one. Just knowing that we’re married and we’re really a family now, just made everything feel better, more connected.

So, Beating 50, I’ll take your challenge. Fifty reasons I’m thankful for my husband… here we go!

Continue reading “50 Reasons I’m Thankful For My Spouse Challenge” →

Posted in Books, Reviews, Uncategorized

Book Review: “Sorry, Not Sorry”

Posted on by melissaburgess

Lately, this site has turned into “book review” central. But what can I say? I’ve been reading a lot of gems recently and have enjoyed writing about them, in the hopes that others will be inspired to pick them up themselves. Sorry – not sorry.

Funnily enough, that’s the title of the book I’m sitting down to review today; actress, singer, celebrity Naya Rivera’s autobiography: “Sorry Not Sorry.”

Before I delve into my review, I have to point out: I picked up this book largely because I followed Rivera during her time on the hit TV show Glee. I was a “Gleek,” as they called us, watched the show devotedly when it aired (and even after) and saw the in-concert show twice.

Seeing her book ready to hit the shelves absolutely intrigued me, and I knew I had to pick it up. I put in a request at my local library, and shortly after the book was released, it came into my eager hands.

Continue reading “Book Review: “Sorry, Not Sorry”” →