Gretch Runs

Happy half-way point of the year! Can you believe it? This year has been full of so many twists and turns, so I can't imagine what the end of the year will look like. I had a really fun month, so let's get into some highlights. - I did two markets this month! One was at Boxyard RTP for their anniversary party and included a silent disco. Unfortunately, it started to pour about halfway through and we had to shut down, but the first half was great! My second market was at a local farm by my house for their blueberry festival. It was a really hot day so there wasn't a huge turnout, but I still enjoyed being there and meeting other local artists. - Dan and I went to a concert we've been wanting to go to ever since we moved to North Carolina- the NC Symphony has a summer series at a local outdoor amphitheater with the most beautiful, wooded setting beside a lake. We brought along a picnic and met up with friends to enjoy Beethoven and Tchaikovsky! It was such a fun night. - ...

Somehow two months have gone by without a check-in! Life has been both hectic and monotonous at the same time- I'm still job searching (somewhat..) and have also been doing a bit more travel. Since my last post we went on an amazing trip to Norway- I'm working on a few posts about it because there's so much to share! In the meantime- Here are some highlights from April and May. - I finished the 100 Day Project! The last day of it was on June 2. I made so many fun things during the 100 days- I posted a little recap on my Instagram (@GretchCrafts) but I think my favorite was the kitty couch (using Selma for scale!) - I also learned how to knit! This is something I wanted to learn for a while, but especially after our trip to Norway and visiting all the yarn shops. So far I've just made the Sophie Scarf, but I'm finishing up my first top and have plans for a sweater next. - Dan and I took a trip to Chicago and Milwaukee for a long weekend. We got to visit 3 new basebal...

We're already a week into February somehow, but today I'll be sharing a quick check-in from the month of January! For the most part, it was a pretty normal, unremarkable month. I didn't go on any trips or have any major projects at home, so I got to rest and relax after a crazy 2024. Here are a few highlights: - I did a trail race that started at Occoneechee race track, went through greenways to Occoneechee Mountain, ran to the top of the mountain and back to the track. It was such a fun race and I did way better than I expected! - I played a lot of tennis and joined a gym. Last year (and honestly every year since 2020) I felt kind of in a rut physically. I like having a routine and having a regular workout plan, so I'm really happy to have a place to go again. My gym has a pool, tennis courts, racket ball, classes, and all the machines you need. It's a community center so it's not super fancy, but the price is right and I'm really enjoying it! I'm also ...

Good morning everyone! I hope you're all settling into the new year. I know for me, a new year is always a welcomed fresh start, and one that I really needed. Last year was kind of a stressful and very up and down, so I'm excited for this year to be full of new experiences, getting back in better routines, and taking better care of my health. With that being said, I always start the year with resolutions. I love a goal and checking things off, so for the last few months I've been keeping a list of new experiences I wanted to try. These are things that I've been wanting to try and haven't made an effort to do, or new things that I've heard of and wanted to give a go! I'll be tracking them as I cross each one off, but here is my list: Tarot Reading - I feel like a lot in my life is kind of up in the air right now, so I'm thinking it's a good time to try a tarot reading. I've never had any kind of reading done before, and to be honest I don't kn...

Hello! Does this thing even work anymore? It's been a very long time since my last post, and that's mostly because my last few months have been very busy. Between a lot of travel, keeping up a busy social calendar, exercising, and working crazy hours, I kind of let everything else go by the wayside. But- I'm excited to be back and hopefully will post more regularly in 2025! In the meantime, here are a few highlights from the end of 2024 as well as a few favorites from the year. - I got to see Earth Wind and Fire in concert with Chicago! They're one of my favorite bands so I was really excited to see them. This was also my first concert at Coastal Credit Union, which is a really cool outdoor concert space in Raleigh. I also saw Gerald Albright at the Raleigh Improv and that was a really fun experience. - I did another sprint triathlon and placed in my age group for the first time. I did the same race last year and took about 10 minutes off my total time which I'm rea...

I'm a little late with my post this month- to be honestly I've been so sucked in with the Olympics lately that everything else has kind of gone out the window! I got really into rugby last week, and now this week it's all about track and field, the finals for team sports (soccer and volleyball and basketball). I also really liked kayak cross- if I could see myself competing in any Olympic sport it would probably be that one! In August I have some exciting plans that I can't wait to share in next month's recap, as well as another sprint tri to prepare for my big Olympic distance tri in October. It's going to be a busy month! But for now, let's recap my goals. To be honest, there wasn't a lot of movement, but I'm hoping to change that this month. Fitness ANNUAL GOAL: Try a new class each month.  This month I tried out Kick and Burn at my local gym. It was a kick boxing class and was pretty tough and left me really sore afterwards. I also tried out a pr...

And just like that...half of the year is over! It's hard to believe we're already in July, but at the same time this has been such a busy year full of tons of fun adventures and changes in my life that it also feels like it's been the longest year ever. I just got back from a whirlwind trip to California to help crew and pace a friend that was doing the Western States 100 mile race (so much fun!). Now I'm back to recap the first 6 months of the year and check in on my goals. Let's go! Fitness Run a trail race.  I guess I can technically check this one off- while I was in California I entered in a fun race that started at base camp in Olympic Valley (where the 1960 winter Olympics were held) and finished 1,800 feet higher at High Camp. It was a really tough but fun run/hike and had the most gorgeous views! I'm also entered in an actual trail race in October so I'll definitely check this off later this year. International triathlon.  I completed a sprint tri i...

 Hello! Last month I mentioned that I've been super busy and haven't had time to come on here recently, and that definitely did not let up in April. We started the month in Dallas- we visited the city to see the solar eclipse in the path of totality (pun not intended, but TOTALLY worth the trip- it was an amazing experience) and also got to visit a new baseball stadium, see the musical Chicago, and visit the JFK points of interest.  The following weekend, I sold at my second vendor market (at Edit Brewing), then went to Asheville for a friend's bachelorette party. It was so much fun- we did a pub crawl/ghost tour, then a scavenger hunt where each stop had a fun activity (beer tasting, wine tasting, painting ceramics, hot sauce challenge, library book search, and chocolate truffle tasting). Then, the next weekend two of my friends from Pittsburgh came to stay with us which was a blast! We just got back from a camping trip at the Outer Banks, so I'm just kind of exhausted...

It’s been a MINUTE since I’ve been here- February and March were both such crazy months that I feel like I haven’t even had a minute to myself, let alone to do anything extra! February in particular was insane- I had 2 trips to Pittsburgh for work, also went to Virginia to teach my first crochet class (!), and went on vacation to Argentina (!!). Much more to share about that trip, but for now let’s just get caught up on my goals! I’ll give updates for both months and just share the updates for goals I’m crossing off, so let’s get right into it.   Fitness   Day Hike.  I’ll talk more about this in my trip recap, but we did a ton of hiking while we were in Patagonia, and one of them was a full day hike. Definitely counting that for this goal! ANNUAL GOAL: Try a new class each month.  In February I went to my friend Erica’s treadX class at Flow Corps. This was such a fun but hard class- the class is divided into treadmill and pilates/strength. I was so tired at the end b...

January was such a busy month- not only did I pack my schedule full of social activities (3 book club meetings; hosted a "board" party, a progressive dinner party with my neighbors, dry January non-alcoholic beer taste test, a movie night, and a game night; brewery yoga; Bunco holiday party) but I also had 3 releases for work that made me work nights and weekends, as well as a new project that made me travel in to Pittsburgh for a week! To say it was hectic is an understatement, and February is going to be even more busy! One of the highlights of my month that I talked about above was a neighborhood progressive dinner party. This was an idea a friend posted about and I shared with my neighbors a year ago- we finally made it happen! The way we made it work was that each course of the dinner was hosted at a different person's house. We started with cocktail hour at Wanda's house, then moved to my house for appetizers, went next door to AL's for the main course, then...

We are officially one week into the new year, and today I’ll be sharing my goals! This is probably more exciting to me than any other post that I create in a year. I absolutely love making goals for myself (in fact, every week I sit down and make a  list for the week and love to check each item off). This year I decided to do something different than usual. I keep seeing people doing 24 for 2024 lists since it’s such a nice and even number and breaks down to 2 per month, so that’s what I decided to base my goals on this year. I broke them down into four different areas, and tried to make 5 regular goals for each area as well as one year-long goal. Let’s get into the goals!   Fitness Run a trail race. I love to run trails and don’t get out nearly enough, so my goal this year is to make that happen. One way to force myself is by signing up for a trail race (hopefully more than one!). I already found a half marathon in May, so that will be my goal. I’m also looking for a few oth...