As I wrote about in my last post on Monday, I recently lost all of the photos from my iPhone. (Don’t hold your valuables out the window of a moving airplane, friends.)

As soon as I got my replacement phone, I asked all my closest friends to send me whatever pictures they had of us together from the past couple of years. Thankfully I’ve gotten about 500 photos back and it’s been SO FUN to go through old memories from college.

 

(I’ll take blurry candids over staged perfect portraits any day!)

I thought I’d share a few of the photos my friends sent me today! It’ll be a good way to introduce myself a little more, in case you haven’t been following me from the Strong Like My Coffee days.

One of my absolute favorite aspects of blogging and social media are finding connections with similar people who might not be geographically close but are the “tribe” we all crave to find. In college, it was easy breezy to find friends that were so similar to myself – I was a collegiate athlete and I had a co-ed team of 40 guys and girls who all loved running, eating healthy, hiking, exploring, taking photos, and spending Friday nights at the frozen yogurt hut.

After graduation, finding that tribe is a different story. Everyone is at different stages of their lives, and I’ve really struggled to find the community of like-minded girls in my town to run, workout, and keep each other motivated! That’s where the “internet friends” come in. Through blogging and Instagram, I’ve found friends and connections because of our crazy similarities and I love that about modern technology!

So in case you want to be internet friends, here are a few personal things about me you might not already know. 🙂

1.) I grew up in the same blue corner house in Southern California til I was 18. Then I went to college for 4 years in Flagstaff, Arizona, and now I’m currently living in Idaho. There are only 2 things I miss about California: the bike trail on Victoria Avenue and Sprout’s grocery store. I still write to Sprout’s occasionally begging for them to open a franchise in Idaho!

2.) Running is my drug. I LOVE IT! I’m very fortunate that running has never caused me any pain in my legs or knees or lungs. I usually stop running because I run out of time or I get bored on the treadmill. Long distance and trail running are my absolute favorites and I always plan my vacations around new running spots!

I started running when I was 14, and I was recruited to Northern Arizona University for its NCAA Division 1 Track program. I ran cross country, indoor track (the mile, 3k and 5k) and outdoor track (5k and 10k). After graduation, I ran my first marathon in Phoenix and qualified for Boston with 3:27. 🙂 Completing the Boston Marathon is still a life goal of mine.

3.) The only reason I don’t have 27 pets right now is because I’m allergic to cats and dogs. I loooooooove dogs (more of my “friends” on Instagram are animal’s accounts than humans!) But I suffer horrible allergic reactions if I’m around their hair too long. So I compromise by volunteering at the humane society to get my fill of cats and dogs. I did get suckered into fostering an entire litter of kittens this past spring……but that’s a different story for a different day.

4.) 90% of the time, I’m listening to country music. The atmosphere of a country concert on a summer night is the best! I’m not a beer-drinker though, I’m definitely a wine girl. And I love trying to cook new healthy recipes at home. If I’m feeling too lazy to cook though, I’ve been known to consider frozen yogurt “dinner.” Another guilty pleasure is Gilmore Girls and Friends reruns…..I’ve seen both entire series no less than 10 times and IT NEVER GETS OLD.

Now you might know a little bit more about me. I’d love to hear if we have anything in common! Drop a comment, send me an email or private message, or follow me on Instagram. (@sweetlikemytea)

-XO, Kenz