Take A Walk With Me

Working Out During Lunch

2010-06-22T13:05:00.001-07:00

So today I attempted to work out during lunch. I think it's something I may start doing every other day of the week. I got up this morning, determined that no matter what I was going to hit the gym. So I packed my bag of workout clothes, some baby wipes, all the essentials, and headed out the door. I got lucky and was able to snag a sandwich to eat before my workout and then headed out in the middle of this hot, disgusting 100 degree day at about 1:40.

I decided to wear my new Nike running shorts and a coolmax shirt since I'd be running to the gym. I believe it's about half a mile to the gym from where I work. Maybe a little less. But running in this heat was no fun at all. By the time I got on the elevator to get up to the gym, I was slimy from sweat.

Today I decided to a little bit of circuit training since I've been running so often. I did 3 sets of 15 crunches on the inflatable ball. I then did 3 sets of 15 of side obliques on the back extension, plus 3 sets of 15 back extensions. I did 3 sets of 15 bicep curls and tricep curls and 3 sets of 15 rows for my back. Then I cooled down a little by doing 3 sets of 30 side crunches with an 8 lb medicine ball. Then I high tailed it back to the office.

I honestly feel really good and am so glad that I went to the gym during lunch, especially since I knew I wouldn't be able to work out today after work because we have puppy class with Dexter.

I definitely recommend this to anyone who feels awful by about mid afternoon. Usually right about now during the day (3:30) I'm fighting to keep my eyes open. But I'm feeling pretty good. Yes, my hair has to stay up in a clip and no amount of baby wipes can make me feel as refreshed as taking a shower would, but honestly I am proud of myself for making the effort. I'm going to try this again on Thursday and Friday and see how it goes.

My work outs aren't near as long as they would be if I was going to the gym early in the morning or late at night, but just knowing I got about a 30 minute workout into my day when I could have poo-pooed it off. So go me!

As for last week, it was another hard week of trying to be motivated...though I was successful and worked out. I can't remember what I did last week but I do remember Sunday and yesterday's work out. Sunday I ran 5.25 miles and walked another .25 on the treadmill since I managed to procrastinate all day. I do want to add that I did that about 2 hours after eating Freebird's and boy howdy! Let me tell you what! That burrito and guacamole was like a brick in my stomach...I felt terrible and I kept belching up nasty avacado/garlicy stuff.

Monday before my teaching interview I went to the gym to burn off some steam. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine with a 5 minute cool down. When I'm on the elliptical 100% of the time I choose one of the "cross training" options. I put the resistance at an 8 and tried to keep my pace at about 160. I think I managed to do about 5 miles and burned about 575 calories.

Later on that night, I met up with my friend, Brandi, and we ran 3 miles. I think we ran it in 34.18 minutes with an average pace of about 11.24 minute miles. According to my RunKeeper we burned about 343 calories...but if you ask me, running in that heat I'm sure we burned more than that!

So there's that...I'm going to sign up for the Tour des Fleur 20k that's held in September. Last year I ran the 10k and by the time September comes around the 20k should be a piece of cake. It will also fall on the weekend of my 2nd anniversary with my husband! So that's exciting! Other than that, that's all I've got. I've been tempted to sign up for the 2 hot 2 handle in July as well but I may wait and see on that.

So for anyone who's keeping up with me, that's what's going on. More later!

Another Week ...

2010-06-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

I don't know why I tend to fall off the wagon so quickly. I guess the good thing about it, is realizing I fell and getting back on track.

I've indulged too much in wine for a week and too much in sweets (lots of it ice cream). I'm sure I've gained some weight. Hopefully, a change will allow me to lose the weight (and bloat) that I've gained quickly and I'll be back to where I was pre-laziness.

Last week I was horrible about working out, so today is the day I get back on track both with my working out habits and my eating habits.

Today: 3 mile run. I'm meeting a girlfriend after work at the 24 Hour Fitness on Harwood. I've got puppy class at 7:45 and then hopefully my husband and I will make it to bed early enough to get up and go work out on Wednesday.

Wednesday: gym-45 minutes on the elliptical machine. 3 mile run in the evening...sometime around 8:00.

Thursday: gym-30 minutes elliptical with some inner/outer thighs and ab work thrown in. maybe another 3 mile run for good measure.

Friday: gym- 30 minutes elliptical

Saturday: run- 4 or 5 miles. I'd like to also go to a class at 24 hour since I haven't been able to go to one in over a week. There's a 24 Hour LIFT class that starts at 9:00 that I'd like to go to after I run. Could be an interesting way to start my day.

Sunday: Walk. I think it would be a good day to go for an early morning walk with my husband or maybe even ride bikes.

As far as food is concerned....I'll go ahead and list out that to keep me on track and accountable:

Today:
Breakfast: grapefruit, skinny vanilla latte, lite and fit yogurt with strawberries and flaxseed granola.
Lunch: Progresso chicken noodle soup, Yoplait raspberry yogurt, 4 saltine crackers
Dinner: Grilled chicken, potato salad, mixed greens salad with light raspberry vinaigrette, and asparagus.

My breakfast and lunches are generally the same every day. Minus the skinny vanilla latte. That was a surprise from a coworker :)

Wednesday dinner: tilapia, brown rice, squash, bell peppers, mini corn bread muffins

Thursday dinner: Not sure. I have a jewelry party I'm going to. So maybe I'll be eating dinner over at my in-laws.

Friday dinner: jalapeno and cheddar hot links with mac and cheese. Maybe a beer. It's Friday. We usually treat ourselves to something quick, easy, and comforting :)

So that's me. The imperfect training and schedule me.

Training the first few weeks

2010-06-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

So I guess I'll put in my stats for training so far.

I'll start with last week. Starting with Memorial Day.

Monday, May 31st: Run 3.6 miles. I don't have the time for it but it took me a while and I broke it up into 2 different runs. It also didn't help that I decided to run at the hottest part of the day 11:00 and 12:30. :/ The second I got home I went out back, turned on the water hose and doused myself with water.

Tuesday, June 1st: 24 Hour S.E.T class. Seriously an awesome class! I did put too much weight on the barbells and ended up having ridiculously sore arms for about 5 days afterwards. Not cool. Lesson learned.

Wednesday, June 2nd: 3 mile run. Don't remember how fast it was...but I know I had to stop about 2 times for a walk break. It's effing hot out there! And hills are the devil.

Thursday, June 3rd: Turbo kickboxing. By far one of the best classes I've ever taken. It's so hardcore. You don't stop moving for an hour. I'm literally pouring sweat within 20 minutes. It kicks your A$$. Benji, the instructor says at the beginning of class that it can burn anywhere from 500-1000 calories if you really put yourself into it. I always hope that I'm one of the people who's lucky enough to burn 1,000 calories! :)

Friday, June 4th: Off Day

Saturday, June 5th: 4.51 mile run. My friend Brandi and I are kind of torn on whether this was really a 4.51 mile run or not. We initially set out for just a 4 mile run but when I hit the "stop" button it said we went further. Supposedly, we ran 4.51 miles in 46.45 minutes with an average pace of 10.22 (not buying it) and I burned a total of 460 calories. Looking at the map, it looks like my Run Keeper freaked out on me and added in a half mile at the end of our run which probably contributed to the "10.22" pace. I'd say it was closer to a 11.45 minute mile. It was already burning up and we started at 6:30. I'm thinking I may need to start running at 5:30 to make up for it since we're training in the heat of summer.

Sunday, June 5th: Off Day

Monday, June 6th: I got lucky yesterday and was able to have the whole day off. Since I was at home and needing a distraction from trying to clean my whole house, I went up to the gym and did 45 on the elliptical machine. I did one of the cross training options on a resistance of 8 for 35 minutes and 7 for last 10. I think the total "distance" was 5.0 miles (that was with the cool down) and total calories burned was somewhere around the 568 mark. I flipping love the elliptical machine. I always leave feeling like I pushed myself.

After that, I came home and chilled out. Cooked dinner for my husband and then went for a 3 mile run at 8:00. I did 3.02 in 35.13 minutes. Average pace: 11.39 and I burned 357 calories. Every time I look at my run keeper I always think I have the worst pace ever. I need to work on that.

Tuesday, June 7th: Today is the S.E.T class again.

Wednesday, June 8th: Usually there is yoga but I'm not sure if the instructor is going to be at work. If that's the case, I'll probably just do another 3 mile run at 8:00. I'm even tempted to push it another 30 minutes to 8:30. It's just so hot out there...

Thursday, June 9th: Turbo kickboxing. Yes!

Friday, June 10th: Run. Probably 3 miles.

Saturday, June 11th: Run. I'm guessing either another 4 mile run or a 5 mile run.

Anyway, I guess that's it! Lots of training! Lots of working out! Gotta keep it up! I was thinking yesterday when I was running how much it sucks. I mean, seriously. It sucks training. It sucks being hot. It sucks not being able to breathe. It sucks not being able to just sit on my couch and watch my Netflix DVD of Friends all night. It sucks when sweat gets in my eye every 5 seconds. But you know what doesn't suck? The feeling I get when I finish that run. It doesn't suck when I look in the mirror and see that even though I've only been training for a few weeks I can see improvements in my legs. It doesn't suck when my husband can't keep up with me! :) It doesn't suck when a lady watering her yard asks me if I need to "cool off" and hoses me down with water (I told her "thank you" about 10 times...it seriously felt so good). It doesn't suck when I think, "I could have done nothing tonight. I could have sat on my a$$ and done nothing and felt totally awful but instead I kept my running date with myself and ran".

So as my dad would say, "And that makes me the winner!"

Officially Training

2010-06-03T08:35:00.000-07:00

Well, it's official: I signed up to run in the Dallas White Rock Marathon in December!

Offical date: December 5, 2010.

I will be running 26.2 miles! I can't believe it and I'm honestly scared about it...but I've got six months and I've got a plan to follow and I believe in myself.

If you've followed my blog in the past you know I've had issues even getting to the half marathon...I signed up for two last year. Both of them I was unable to participate in. The first one, I had just gotten over the flu and the second one, I had severly sprained my ankle about 2 weeks before. I'm hoping and praying nothing like that happens again. On top of not wanting to waste the $$ it cost to enter a race, it's heartbreaking when the hard work, dedication, and hours of training go wasted.

Winner, winner!!

2010-02-05T07:25:00.000-08:00

My goal to go to the gym last night and do fartleks was attained! Here's what I did:

3 minute walk (3.5)
10 minute run (5.5)
1 minute (6.5) x's 10
1 minute (5.6) x's 10
11 minute (5.6)- I even finished the last 90 seconds of the run at a 6.0
7 minute walk to cool down

I burned over 500 calories and ran over 4 miles. I'm really proud of myself. I paused the treadmill every 10 minutes or so to take a big drink of water and just calm myself down for about 20 seconds and then started back up again. I felt amazing.

Doing that run and doing it with energy to spare really encouraged me. I have felt pretty down about my running ever since I sprained my ankle and now I'm starting to feel like it's coming back to me.

I'm going to take it easy today but if I manage to squeeze in a workout tonight, I'll be really proud of myself.

Tomorrow morning I'm waking up early and going for another run. Hopefully I'll manage to go 5 miles or so. I feel really confident that I can do it.

I haven't said anything but I've been tracking my food intake and my calories burned this whole week to see where I stand and what I've been doing. It's been a really good tool for keeping me accountable. I'll probably push "Publish Post" on it on Monday, so it will be far down on the list, but I may start doing this more often so that I can look back on what I did for the week and why I did or did not see a difference in weight or my level of energy. I've noticed I may not be consuming enough calories throughout the day, especially when I do hard workouts...but I honestly don't feel like I've been depriving myself. I have a snack when I feel hungry and I listen to my body when I'm full.

My parents are in town this weekend so it will be nice to see them and spend some time together before they head back to Wyoming. And of course it's Super Bowl Sunday!! I still haven't decided who I'm rooting for. I mean, football was over for me 3 weeks ago when the Cowboys got slaughtered by the Vikings...and then I was *kind of* rooting for the Vikings to whoop the Saints since I figured this was probably Brett Favre's last hoorah (I mean, the dude got run over by the Saints defense that last game...I bet he's still recovering). So I'm just not sure who I want to win. Usually I go for the underdog. In this instance, I don't think there is one. Both the Colts and the Saints are amazing teams and have done awesome jobs this year in every game they've played. I'm leaning towards the Saints...but either way, it's not my Cowboy's playing so I'll only be half interested in the game.

Who are you rooting for on Sunday? Do you even care? :) What is a milestone or accomplishment that happened for you this week that you're really proud of?

Happy Friday and have an amazing weekend!

The Hard Part

2010-02-04T08:13:00.001-08:00

The hard part of working out and staying consistent for me is Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. This morning I had every intention of getting up at 5:00 to work out but my body just wasn't ready-much like it normally never is at 5:00 in the morning. But I'm just so tired. In fact, I'm so tired today that I've finally decided today's the day for coffee. 2 1/2 weeks and I'm finally having a cup of Joe.
So since I didn't get my lazy a$$ out of bed this morning, I'm going to go tonight. I'm doing a fartlek session today again. Here's the goal:

10 minutes-5.6
1 minute-6.4
1 minute-5.6
(alternating 10 x's)
10 minutes-5.5

Monday was pretty decent but I'm hoping to do better this time on my speed work. It's really hard and I may have to stop for a minute but I'm determined to finish.

Also, with the give and take of working out and making sure a good meal is prepared my husband has thankfully agreed to cooking our dinner tonight (chicken cordon bleu-minus the ham because I totally forgot to buy any at the grocery store so it's just chicken and bacon with swiss cheese) while I go to the gym and get my sweat on. I love that he's being so encouraging of my goals and wants to see me succeed. He tells me every day that he's really noticing the changes in my body and that's so good to hear.

Ever since my weigh in on Monday I've been feeling a little frustrated about the scale and while I know it's muscle that I'm building I don't like to the number I see. I know it's all a head game and I've just got to get around it. I don't want to get too discouraged because then I'll let myself slip up and I don't want to do that.

I've got to keep my eye on the prize...which is to permanently change my lifestyle. I can't keep being lazy and eating whatever I want and drinking too much wine. That's counterproductive and making me unhappy with myself. I'm also considering joining a yoga studio. After doing these yoga sessions at work every Wednesday, I feel inspired and I really want to do more. I enjoy it so much and while I know yoga classes are offered at the 24 HR Fitness I go to, I would really like to go to a place with people who are trained in yoga and know what they're doing.

There's a yoga studio about 3 miles from where I live and just down the road from my gym that I'm considering trying out. They have a special for new comers 10 days for $10. I need to crunch some numbers, see where I can cut back on some spending and obviously talk to my husband but I feel really inspired to start up. I've already got a schedule written out for when I would go do yoga and when I would go to the gym.

So anyway, my point of this whole post is that right now I'm struggling. I know I feel better and have gained muscle and lost some weight, but sometimes it gets agonizing how I don't see the results as fast as I want to. And late in the week is when I get tired and don't want to wake up in the morning or come straight home from work and put on comfy clothes and veg in front of the TV.

Not tonight though! Tonight is the gym. And tomorrow morning is tae bo and 30 Day Shred. I can do this and I can find the energy!

When do you struggle? What helps you stay on track or what helps you get back on track?

I Love Sprouts

2010-02-02T09:43:00.000-08:00

I've been really getting into a lot of healthy blogs lately and I constantly find myself jealous of all the delicious and healthy foods they eat. Everyone is always talking about Chobani or KIND bars or rice milk...It just made me curious.

Steve and I live by a Sprouts store. We hadn't ever been inside but I was determined to go this past weekend. I know I wanted some grapefruit and Walmart doesn't have the greatest selection, so I went with the intention of getting some produce and being on my way.

Didn't happen.

That store is like heaven. I swear to you. I was so excited! I got most of my produce (grapefruit, zucchini, squash, lettuce, onion, cucumber, green onion, and of course-asparagus). My new obsession? Chobani yogurt.

This is just a stock photo...but I had this flavor last night. I really enjoyed it. I put flax seed granola in it and it was Oh.My.Gosh yum! It's a greek yogurt, so it's a lot thicker than the yogurts like Yoplait and Dannon. What I like about it, is that is has about 15 grams of protein in it. It filled me up last night and it was the perfect amount. Lots of times when I have yogurt, I still feel hungry afterwards. With Chobani I felt fulfilled and satisfied. I have a pineapple flavor waiting for me and I can't wait! I only got 2 because I was afraid that maybe I wouldn't like it...but it was delicious. I can't wait to try the other flavors!

I also bought some KIND healthy snack bars. They were $5 for 5 at Sprouts. I had also read about these bars on some blogs and thought it would be interesting to try them. Steve and I split the apricot and nut bar. It was delicious! It tasted so homemade and the flavor was intense. I enjoyed it so much more than all the other fitness bars I've tried. Most of those taste pretty terrible if I'm being honest and don't leave me feeling very good afterwards. I liked how natural it tasted and how I was able to enjoy every bite. I highly recommend trying them!

All in all, I spent $20 on produce this weekend! And that doesn't bother me in the least! Steve is convinced that as soon as we can we're going to start a garden and that we won't have to spend near as much on produce as we do now. A few months ago I would have scoffed at his plans for a garden...but now I'm getting excited and I am looking forward to being able to eat things I've grown myself.

I have noticed a lot of the blogs I follow are primarily vegetarians and it's got me wondering how hard it would be for me to forgo eating meat. My husband would never go for it. Every dinner he has must have some form of meat in it, whereas I could be just fine having a tomato basil soup. I just find myself enjoying vegetables more and the way I feel after I eat them. We'll see.

As far as my eating obsessions are concerned I've started to evolve.

One thing that I have changed in my diet, that I truly think has helped me is my drinking. I used to drink 2-3 glasses of wine on the weekends and sometimes during the weekdays...now I have one and savor it. I drink it slower and enjoy it.

I've also been cooking from scratch more. Lots of homemade salads with hard boiled eggs, alfalfa and bean sprouts, cucumber, celery, and avocado with balsamic vinegar (Steve uses the more calorie packed Ranch dressing). We have salads at least 4 times a week. I also enjoy making squash and zucchini in the skillet.

My sweet tooth has also slowed down. I have started satisfying it with small portions of chocolate or ice cream when needed. I know to never avoid it because when I do, it usually comes back with avengence. So now I have a bag of Dove dark chocolate bites that I eat one of each day around 11:30 and I usually savor it as much as I can.

Other than that, working out has also helped me with my goals. It's been great these past few weeks now that I am finally starting to see the fruits of my labor. My legs are more toned, my arms, and my waist are looking smaller. It's just really encouraging. Other than the scale here at work...which says I weigh in at 148. When I weigh myself at home though, I weigh 145. I trust my scale more than I do the one we're using here at work. I know this may sound silly but I know my body and I do NOT weigh 148. I know it's only 3 pounds but I know how I feel and look at 148 and how I feel and look at 145 and I'm definitely 145. Hopefully next week the scale here at work will be more of a friend than a foe and actually weigh me correctly. It wouldn't matter to me so much if I weren't trying to win this stupid contest. And actually, I wish I had re-weighed myself the first week when it said I weighed 145 because even then I wasn't 145. Oh well...now I sound like one of those crazy people who can't accept how much they weigh... haha

Feeling Good

2010-02-01T07:11:00.000-08:00

I can't remember the last time I felt so good. It's pretty much every day that I feel relatively full of energy and ready to be active. I haven't had coffee in 2 weeks and I honestly don't miss it. Though I will be honest, I do love the smell of it.

This weekend was really good. Friday after work, Steve and I went to Goody Goody's in Uptown and went looking for some good wine. I've been on the hunt for this amazing Malbec that I had a year ago and had been out of luck trying to find it. But Friday was my lucky day!! I FINALLY found it! It was on the "expensive" side (meaning it was $20...when we usually only buy wine $13 and under). But I was so excited! After finding the wine, we went to Steve's old bosses design open house. When we got home from that we decided we really didn't want to cook anything so we ordered some Chinese food and then opened up the best wine ever :) It was great finally being able to show Steve what I've been raving about for a year now. He loved it. We've been slowly drinking it and enjoying it. I'll probably finish it off tonight sadly. But I think I'm *this close* to having Steve agree to buying a whole case of it soon!

Oh, in case you were wondering the wine is Lorca and we enjoy the Malbec. I'm assuming any of Lorca's brand of wine is good-but we've been stuck on Malbecs for about a year now. I used to be a BIG white wine person but now I much prefer the red over white. I also used to like the sweet wines, but now those almost turn my stomach and I prefer the dryer wines. Malbec is a South America wine (mostly Argentina). I highly recommend it! There's a brand of Malbec that usually sells for about $12-$13 (you can even get this at World Market) that has a purple and silver top. I can't think of the name. But if you see it, try it! You won't be disappointed.

Saturday was super cold! But Steve had a whole day planned out for us. First we went to Arbor Hill nature perserve in Plano for a walk. We took some hot chocolate in a thermos to drink once we got back to the car. I was cold at first, but I really think I could have walked for another few miles before being ready to go. Steve was ready to get back probably half a mile into our walk :) I was also disappointed we didn't decide to go for a run while we were there. There were all these people running and it made me feel the itch to get out there, too. After our little trip to the nature perserve, we came back home and got a few snacks together and then headed out for the DART. Steve took me downtown, where we were hoping to catch a trolley but never did see one, so we just walked. We went to an antique store and then to Potbelly's for lunch. I thought this was really thoughtful of Steve because I LOVE antiques. Though, this store was not my cup of tea. If I had to describe it, I'd say it was very "masculine". I'm not into masculine antiques. Honestly, I didn't see one thing in this store that I thought was cool. I feel bad because I know Steve put a lot of thought into our "date", but this wasn't the type of antique store I like. I like antique stores that have old perfume bottles, old women's hats from the 40s, old china, and things like that. I guess I'll have to take Steve to some antique shops up in Denison to show him what I mean.

Sunday was pretty relaxing. I've started making waffles from scratch every Sunday morning-maybe it's a new tradition? Steve and I went for a run after we did grocery shopping-which I will be discussing in a separate post. We ran 3 miles. After that I made homemade chicken noodle soup and then did some more housework (lots of cleaning). After I finished cleaning, I did 30 minutes of Tae Bo and another session of Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. I swear I was dieing at the end. But it was a great workout! For dinner we had steaks, baked potatoes, and salad. It was a good night.

I don't know if my change in diet has affected my change in attitude and energy...but I seriously feel great and I can tell my body is changing. Even my cravings are changing...which will be the topic of my next post...

So Far...

2010-01-28T12:33:00.000-08:00

I thought I'd check in and see where I stand as far as my eating and working out were concerned and see how it measured up to the goals I had initially put down Monday...

Monday after work I didn't go to the gym. In fact, I haven't been to the gym in over a week. I plan to remedy that tomorrow morning. I WILL GET UP AT 5:00 AND GO RUN. I WILL. (I'm trying to get myself motivated) We did have the chicken for dinner with asparagus and salad and it was really good. Probably a keeper.

Tuesday: My legs and abs were so sore from 30 Day Shred and the Tae Bo from Sunday that I took the day off. But I didn't over eat! Yay me :) I did make the chicken parmesan. No salad though...I had a Skinny Cow fudge bar for dessert (100 calories)

Wednesday: I did yoga after work for an hour and then preceded to come home and do another day of 30 Day Shred :) We had turkey soft tacos for dinner. And I had a Jello Mousse and small bowl of Kashi cereal for dessert.

Thursday: Today since I'm making the chicken enchilada casserole for dinner, I think I'm just going to do the tae bo advanced workout while the dinner is cooking and if I'm feeling up for it, the 30 Day Shred again after I eat. Currently, I'm craving something with peanut butter and chocolate. I'm going to see if I can talk my husband into taking us to a yogurt shop by our house around 8:00 so that I can satisfy my sweet tooth to some extent.

Tomorrow: I. WILL. WAKE. UP. EARLY. I want to go to the gym and hop on a treadmill for 35 minutes. Afterwards I plan on doing either some leg work or some arm or chest strength training. I know if I don't get up tomorrow morning and work out, that I won't work out at all and I don't need to be lazy. Steve's former boss and mentor opened a shop and he's having a grand opening party tomorrow night, so we're going to that.

I have really been proud of myself though when it comes to my diet. I've been steering clear of loads of sugar and I'm still not drinking coffee. I don't even crave it. I feel a lot more clear headed and energized without it. I feel like I'm losing weight but I honestly don't know and I won't know until Monday. But even if I don't lose a pound, I know I should be proud of myself for being so determined and for striving to make some changes in my life that make me feel better.

The only thing I need to conquer now is finding a better job :) And I really need to let go of all the fear that comes with that. It's time for me to move on and I just don't know where or what I should move on to. Whatever it is, I'm hoping it will be bigger and better things :)

The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks

2010-01-28T10:26:00.001-08:00

Nicholas Sparks can be predictable. Does that make a book he's written any less touching? I don't think so.

The Last Song is a heartwarming/heartbreaking story about Ronnie and the summer she spent with her father. Ronnie is a good kid, but since her father left 3 years ago she has become rebellious and combative towards her mother and brother. She even hasn't spoken to her father or seen him in 3 years. Her father was once a teacher at Julliard and she has received mulitple offers for her to be a student there, but since Steve (her dad) left, she refuses to play the piano and refuses to go to college.

She feels like she's being punished for having to spend the summer with her father in North Carolina. As soon as they get to her father's house, she immediately walks off, not telling anyone where she is going.

She goes exploring and finds herself near a volleyball tournament, where by an unfortunate/fortunate event (whichever way you would want to look at it) meets Will. Will is a gorgeous guy, who Ronnie assumes would never have anything to do with a girl like her. But Ronnie leaves an impression on Will that he just can't shake.

If any of you know Nicholas Sparks books then you know what happens next ;) It's a great book, that leads you to a heartbreaking/heart warming ending that you can see coming but the way our author writes it is beautiful. I was reading this at work (I know, I know-shame on me) and had to fight back tears for pretty much the last 100 pages. It's a great book and if you loved The Notebook or A Walk to Remember, you'll love this book. It's impossible to put down!

Week of Workouts and food!

2010-01-25T08:11:00.001-08:00

I have a problem sticking to a routine. I figure if I put it out there what I want to accomplish, that I'll stick it out more than if I kept it to myself.

This past weekend I managed to go for a run with Steve and Anna and I'm pretty positive I ran over 3 miles. It was a great workout and I was proud of myself for going the distance, even though I couldn't on a treadmill! I tend to like running outside more (I NEVER thought I'd say that!) because I can look around and breathe the fresh air and feel the wind in my face, as opposed to running stagnant with nothing to look forward to.

Sunday, I tried to do it again, but I felt exhausted so we just went for a walk instead and then came home where I put in Billy Blanks Tae Bo work out. I did the "advanced" session, which is an hour long. It wore me out! First you do a warm up and then you do a lot of upper body work out, then you move down to the floor and do about 10 minutes of abs, then you do 10-15 minutes of butt, then 10 minutes of leg, and then a 5 minute cool down. It's a great workout! I probably should have done "basic" but felt like I needed to do a longer workout yesterday. Today I'm a little sore. I'm sure as the day progresses, I'll feel it more.

After work today I plan on going to the gym and getting in a 35 minute run and then maybe some chest, shoulder, and ab work.

Tuesday is another workout, but I plan on getting my lazy a$$ out of bed and going early. I want to do 35 minutes of cardio on the elliptical machine and then some back and arm work out. When I get home from work, I'd like to do the basic workout with Billy Blanks (seriously, I've done this stuff so much I already know pretty much every line he's going to say-so we're pretty tight).

Wednesday I'm doing yoga after work unless plans change. So that's an hour of hardcore sweating. If I can get up a little early, maybe I'll be brave enough to do some Jillian Michael's 30 day shred before work, too.

Thursday is the gym again. Running 40 minutes. Legs.

Friday is just a workout video. Probably Billy Blanks AND Jillian Michaels. I'll probably start out with Jillian because she's my soul mate (<3 her) and then end it with Billy (the Basic workout). That would equal about an hour of workout which is just right to end my week.

Saturday, depending on weather, I'd like to run around the neighborhood again. Maybe go 5 miles instead of 3. I was nervous to go run on Saturday because of my prior bad experiences with the uneven sidewalks and the d*3@ acorns, but running in the daylight was actually quite pleasant. I had no problems, so I'm eager to get back out there.

I'm feeling really good. I haven't had coffee in a week. I've been eating really well. Ok, besides that medium pizza that I inhaled in the span of less than 24 hours, but what can you do? I've been making a ton of salads lately and lots of veggies. Adding to my beloved asparagus, I've been enjoying a lot of zucchini and squash. And to replace my coffee fixation, I've been drinking tea. Green tea with lemon, lemon tea, and chamomile.

Right now I weigh in at 147. I knew that "145" from 2 weeks ago was too good to be true. But I also know that the week off I took because of sinus problems didn't help me. Either way, I've lost 3 pounds from last week and that's even with some bloating caused by our woman friend, PMS. Hey, I'll take what I can get, ok?

I'd like to lose another 3 lbs by next Monday. I think it's highly possible with the workouts I've planned and the meals I've got planned for the week.

And while I'm at it, I'll go ahead and map those out for you guys right now:

Tonight is honey mustard Chicken. Really simple. I put 3 chicken breasts in a slow cooker and topped it with Light honey mustard. I'll be serving it with asparagus and some rice. Maybe even some salad since I've been all about my salad (with fresh lettuce, celery, carrots, boiled egg, and balsamic vinegar dressing).

Tuesday is probably chicken Parmesan and spaghetti. A good carb dinner since I'll probably be needing it at some point.

Wednesday is turkey tacos. Yum is all I can say.

Thursday is Chicken Enchilada Casserole that I'm going to be making in the slow cooker with another helping of salad.

Friday is probably steaks, salad and asparagus. Maybe scalloped potatoes, too.

I've really been enjoying cooking new things. I bought a "busy people's slow cooker recipe book" on Saturday from the Christian Book Store. That's where I'm getting two of my chicken recipes this week. I'll let you know how they turn out. Hopefully, tasty.

Other than that, here's hoping it's a great week! I'm feeling positive and certainly optimistic! I'm debating on signing up for the Rock 'N Roll half marathon in March. I'm not sure how I feel about it yet. Ever since I got burned on BOTH of my half marathon races, I'm nervous to plunk down the money for the race. I guess it depends on how I feel in a month and whether or not the race is still open to new registers.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

2010-01-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

Have I ever mentioned that I'm a BIG dog person? Like, if I could go and adopt every single dog in the city pet shelter, I'd so do it. I love dogs. I love their sweet kisses. I love the way their whole bottom end swings back and forth when they're so excited they're wagging their tail too hard. I love when they look up at you with those eyes that you just can't say "no" to. I love how they know when you're having a bad day and they come over and nuzzle you. I just love dogs. I especially love my dog, Anna. Before I go into the book, I'll tell you about my dog Anna.

Here's Anna the way she looked when we first adopted her:

Anna was supposed to be part black lab part "who the heck knows". Now we're thinking she's more flat coat retriever, than lab. We adopted her from a foster mom that I found on Petfinder back in June 2008. She was a little bundle of fur, only weighing in a 8 pounds when we got her. She was a breeze to potty train and the only problem we had with her, was her ability to chew on the corners of our walls (down by the molding). Now that we live in a house, the only problem we have is her ability to dig holes all in our yard. I'm sure we're around the 15 holes count mark by now. I don't know what she's digging for, but I'm sure it's in rebellion of not taking her on enough walks or just being lonely.

Here's Anna now:

We want to get her a playmate and yesterday we almost did. We found this black lab mix at Petsmart, who is probably double Anna's size and we really want to find her a companion...We decided to wait it out and not make a rash decision (which we're prone to doing-Anna was DEFINITELY a rash decision). When we came home after our trip, I looked at Anna and I got sad. I don't know why but I just did. I looked at her and I thought, "I don't know how I could ever love another dog as much as I love you". I don't know how I could bring a dog home and connect with it as much as I connect with her. I'm sure we will whenever the right time comes and we find a dog that we have to bring home...but it's just hard to fathom at this point.

Anyway, so that brings to me to this story. I seriously loved this book. It was so touching and such a well written book. The book is written from the point of view of Enzo, the dog. He's a Labrador mix and he's very smart. He loves his owner, Denny, and he loves watching TV. He loves the Weather channel, he loves racing. Denny is a race car driver and a mechanic who lives in Washington. The story tells of Enzo and how he believes that when he dies he will come back as a human. It begins with Enzo realizing that he is dieing and then he begins reflecting on his life and his life with Denny and his family. It's a touching story that goes between his story telling, to telling of race car moments and how they relate to the way humans react to life. The book had me in tears, especially at the end, but it was definitely a happy ending and I walked away with a sense of calm.

It definitely made me want to go home and give Anna a hug and tell her how much I love her. I highly recommend this book to anyone who loves dogs and loves a good story.

And for those dog lovers out there, I just know you'll love it!

Let Go

2010-01-21T06:32:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, continued to be an amazing day. I don't know what changed in me, I don't know what happened..but it was just a good day.

After work, I did an hour yoga session with some co-workers. I've never really attended a "real" yoga class and usually do a few things on my Wii balance board but nothing like last night. It really relaxed me, I was able to think and focus. And oh my gosh, was it hard. My legs were shaking, my abs were shaking, it was just a great workout. At the end, we laid on our mats and we focused on relaxing every muscle. We were told to inhale "let" and exhale "go". I almost started crying...in the middle of everything, I swear to you, I almost lost it.

I hate this about me-but I tend to hold on to everything. Every little hurt or every little piece of negativity, I hold on to it. I've been holding on to so much, I didn't even realize how much it was affecting me. I wanted to cry about my job. I wanted to cry about not teaching. I wanted to cry because I honestly don't know what I want to do with my life anymore. I wanted to cry because of all the hurt my mom has caused me in the past and present. I wanted to cry because in the reality of it all, I have it so good but sometimes I feel like it's never enough. I wanted to cry because I miss my Nanny and it still hurts to think that she's gone, even though it's been over 3 years.

After the yoga session all I could tell my co-worker (who was teaching us) was that she did a great job. That's all I could get out. I didn't want to break down in the middle of everyone, so I just kept my mouth shut and pushed the tears away. I don't know when I became so afraid to cry. Maybe it's Steven. He never cries. And I don't want to look weak in front of him, so I hardly ever cry. That didn't used to be the case, but now it is. I feel guilty when I want to cry about Nanny. I feel like I should be over it by now. And I feel guilty when I want to cry about mom, because I don't want to cry about it, I just want to get over it. And the whole job thing...I know I should get out of here but I'm scared. I'm scared I'll just end up at another place like this and feel useless. I want to teach but now I don't know what to do with myself. I feel like I've lost touch with my training, my old professors, people who could help me. I guess I'm just scared, is what it all comes down to. I'm tired of being scared.

This weekend I'm going to go and buy a book and I'm going to register to take a general ed test, so that I'll be certified to teach something other than music. I'm going to go to church for the first time in a while and Steve and I are going to start doing a Bible study together. I feel like it's time we did something like that. I'm ready. I'm ready to be scared, and to fight it. I'm ready to do something with myself. To feel like I'm making a difference. I'm ready to be happy. I'm tired of being in a place for 9 hours of my day, 5 days a week, where I don't feel appreciated and I don't feel like I fit in.

It's time to let go and I'm doing it. ::big sigh of relief::

New Outlook?

2010-01-20T08:05:00.000-08:00

Today I feel amazing. And by amazing I mean, I feel like a completely different person. I feel motivated. I feel full of energy. I feel like I could take on the world.

Last week I felt terrible. I felt run down, sick, and just exhausted. I don't know what happened. From Tuesday through Friday I felt like I had been hit by a truck. It took all the energy in the world to get out of bed and it took everything I had throughout the day not to lay my head down on my desk and fall asleep.

I honestly don't know what happened. It started out Saturday when I couldn't shake a headache. At first I thought it was because maybe I had a little too much fun the night before, but it lasted all day. I even thought maybe I just needed a cup of coffee-but even that didn't do the trick.

The headache came and went all last week. And every morning I woke up to sore throat and nasty mucus. I even went to the doctor on Thursday to find out if I had a sinus infection. I had the beginnings of one, so I'm glad I caught it soon enough.

Friday I felt a little better, but not completely well. The rest of this past weekend was actually really good. Steve and I got a lot of stuff accomplished with the house. We bought plywood and put it up in the attic so that we could finally start storing our extra belongings (like Christmas decorations and extra Pyrex dishes that I have no room for). Steve is also making extra shelving for our linen closet, pantry, and kitchen cabinets. We are also debating on having or trying to get into a garage sale. We have a few things that we don't need and don't necessarily want to "give" away. Honestly, I don't think it's worth the hassle of trying to have a garage sale or trying to team up with someone because we just don't have that much stuff and probably wouldn't make $100. But at the same time, some of the items are brand new and I'd hate to think that I could have made $5 on it...But it's nice to do some spring cleaning. We are so blessed, so it would be nice to be able to help others out less fortunate that we are.

We also watched the depressing Cowboy game on Sunday...don't even get me started. My team didn't even show up to play in the game. I felt like I was watching impostors.

Hopefully this next weekend we'll be able to do some more work in our garage. I'd like to be able to finally put Steve's Jeep in the garage, too. It won't take much more work...I think it's going to come down to us agreeing on whether or not we just take our extra junk to Goodwill or not. If it were up to me, I'd be doing that tonight!

So anyway, last night we had dinner at my Aunt Debi and Uncle Darin's house with my Pappaw. That was good. It's always good to be with family. I love them so much. And then we got home around 9:00 and decided that we were going to work out that next morning.

And it never fails. I either can't sleep well or I just can't fall asleep fast enough because I know I have to get up and work out at 5:00 in the morning. Naturally, we ended up talking to each other until about 10:20..but I slept pretty well. But when my alarm woke me up at 5:00, I groaned. I didn't want to work out. At all. I mean, tonight I'm doing yoga with people at work, so why let myself miss out on some sleep? But we both laid there for 5 minutes and realized we weren't going to fall back asleep...so we got up and went to the gym.

This morning I decided to try running again. Except this time I did intervals. It made me feel weak, but I also know it's a good way to build up my stamina again. I walked for the first 3 minutes at a 3.5. Then I ran for 4 1/2 minutes at a 5.9. I walked another 2 minutes and then ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and walked again for 3 minutes at 3.6. I ran for 6 minutes at 6.0 and walked for another 3 minutes. I ran for 5 minutes at 6.0 and then walked again for the remainder (which was about 3 minutes and then a 5 minute cool down). Each time I do the intervals, I'd like to decrease my walking by 30 seconds and increase my running by a minute each interval. We'll see.

After the cardio, I did some side and back exercises and while waiting on Steve to finish a set, I did some hip abductor weight training.

All in all, it was a great workout and it's got me feeling amazing this morning. I came home took a shower and then got ready for work. I packed myself an amazing lunch and pretty good looking snacks! My breakfast is the same as it has been. Oatmeal with craisens. For lunch, I made a salad: lettuce, 3 cherry tomatoes cut in 4 pieces each, 1 stalk of celery chopped, a handful of alfalfa and bean sprouts. I brought an avocado and jalapeno to cut up as well to put in the salad. I'm pretty excited about it! For snacks I brought some honey nut rice cakes (less than 100 calories) and a small container of baby carrots.

Another cool thing: I haven't been drinking coffee. Instead, I've been drinking hot tea. Sometimes lemon flavored, other times just plain green tea. I think this may be one of the reasons that I'm feeling so good.

So that's it. I just feel great today. It may look dreary outside, but I'm in such a good mood. I honestly can't remember the last time I felt this good-despite having a scratchy voice from coughing last week.

I hope everyone's having a good week so far! It's Wednesday, people! 2 more days until the weekend! :)

Tomato-Basil Soup with Ricotta Dumplings

2010-01-20T07:48:00.000-08:00

Like I said, I had a busy weekend full of new recipes. Here's another I tried that I truly enjoyed (but my husband did not). Why? Because it didn't have meat. Whatever.

Soup:
1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
1 garlic clove,pressed
1 can (15 oz) crushed tomatoes, undrained (I actually didn't have crushed tomatoes-so I used diced)
1-1/2 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup snipped fresh basil

Dumplings:
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
2 tablespoons grated fresh parmesan cheese
1 egg white, lightly beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
Thinly sliced fresh basil

1. For soup, combine oil and garlic in a 3 qt. saucepan. Cook and stir over medium heat 1-2 minutes or until garlic turns light golden brown. Immediately add tomatoes, chicken broth and basil. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 5-7 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Meanwhile, for dumplings, combine ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg white, salt and black pepper in a small bowl; mix well. Add flour; stir just until combined. Using a small scoop or spoon, scoop dumbling mixture directly into simmering soup. Cook until dumplings float to the surface, about 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and sprinkle with thinly sliced basil.

Here's a shot of it in the pot:

And the final product:

I served this with buttery crescent rolls. It was so good. I actually liked it with the diced tomotoes, but I'd like to see what the difference would be with the crushed.

This was just a great soup and it would have been amazing on a nice and chilly day. It was very filling and yet it was so fresh. It just made me feel great. I enjoyed this recipe and it was so extremely easy.

Like I said, my husband likes meat...so he didn't really care for this soup. Maybe next time I'll add chunks of chicken or something..I don't know. I honestly feel like that would just change the whole concept of the soup so, who knows?

It was definitely fun, though, experimenting this weekend and trying new things.

Another thing I made was homemade waffles Sunday morning. I didn't have any bisquick or Aunt Jemima's mix, so I looked through a recipe book and found some easy waffles.

While the mixes in a box are so convenient there is just something so amazing about fresh waffles made from scratch! There were fluffier, tastier and more filling. I may post that recipe soon, too. It was too good not to share!

Hope you guys enjoyed some of these recipes and please let me know if you try any of them for yourselves!

Homemade Scalloped Potatoes and Salmon in Phyllo

2010-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

This past weekend I made a ton of new things. Making new recipes is always a nerve wracking experience for me because I never know if my husband is going to like them or not. I never have a problem-I love food too much to be picky. :)

Saturday night I decided to make homemade scalloped potatoes and salmon and spinach in phyllo. Steven and I both love potatoes, especially scalloped potatoes. But I didn't want to make the ones that come in a box (even though those are absolutely delicious). So I pulled out one of my many cookbooks and looked up a recipe that looked easy enough and that didn't require a ton of ingredients that I'd have to go out and buy.

I think that's the hardest part about trying new things out. The grocery shopping. I knew our trip was going to be expensive, so the less I had to buy the better. :)

I made the potatoes first since they would require the longest amount of time to cook.

Here's a picture of some of the prep work I did:

I'll go ahead and post the recipe:

3 tablespoons butter, divided
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1-1/2 cups milk
4 cups thinly sliced peeled potatoes
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 small green pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese

1) In a small saucepan, melt 2 tablespoons butter: stir in flour, salt and pepper. Gradually stir in milk. Bring to a boil over medium heat; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened.

2) In a greased 1-1/2 qt. baking dish, arrange half of the potatoes, onion and green pepper in layers; cover with half of the sauce. Repeat layers. Cover and bake at 350 for 35 minutes.

3) Melt remaining butter; combine with bread crumbs and sprinkle over potatoes. Bake, uncovered, 40 minutes longer or until potatoes are tender (I was on the safe side and let it cook the entire 40 minutes before testing it to see how soft the potatoes were). Sprinkle with cheddar cheese. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Here are the other pictures:

This is a picture with half the potatoes, onions and pepper

With the cheese on top!

I'll give my final review of the recipe after the rest of the post.

The other recipe I tried was out of my Pampered Chef "Cooking for two & more" cookbook.

Salmon & Spinach in Phyllo

1 teaspoon basil or olive oil
4 cups fresh baby spinach leaves coarsely chopped
salt and coarsely ground black pepper
8 sheets thawed, frozen phyllo dough
nonstick cooking spray
2 skinless salmon fillets
2 tablespoons garlic and herb cream cheese spread

1)Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Heat oil in a saute pan. Add spinach; season with salt and black pepper. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted, about 1 minute. Remove spinach to paper towel-lined plate. Squeeze out excess moisture, set aside.

2)Lay one sheet of phyllo on a large work surface and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Place second sheet of phyllo over first, pressing sheets together to seal. Continue laying down and spraying phyllo sheets to create a stack of four sheets of phyllo. Repeat with remaining phyllo and additional cooking spray to create another phyllo stack.

3) Season salmon fillets with salt and black pepper. Spread each salmon with half of the cream cheese spread and top with half of the spinach. For each phyllo bundle, place salmon spinach side down, on a phyllo stack 2 inches from the bottom edge of short side. Fold long sides of phyllo in towards center. Gently roll up phyllo from bottom to top. Place both bundles on a bar pan (cookie sheet-I used a stoneware from Pampered Chef) seam side down. Using a bread knife, make three diagonal slits across top of each bundle. Spray bundles with nonstick cooking spray. Bake 11-13 minutes or until salmon is fully cooked and phyllo is golden brown. Remove from oven. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

Here are the pictures from the salmon. I only happened to take a picture when they were wrapped-so I didn't get a good shot of the salmon and spinach before I wrapped them in a bundle.

This is a shot of the phyllo

As for dessert, I made a delicious roasted peach in phyllo.

The recipe I used called for plums but I couldn't find any at Walmart-so I just grabbed something I thought would be a good substitute.

You need:
4 plums (or 2 peaches)
1/3 cup sugar

For phyllo shells:
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12 sheets of phyllo
nonstick cooking spray
1-1/2 cups vanilla frozen yogurt

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Remove pits from plums and cut into 8 wedges and then cut those wedges in half. In a small bowl combine the plums (or peaches) in sugar, toss to gently coat. Arrange the plums on a cooking sheet and bake for 20 minutes. Gently stir halfway through cooking. Remove from oven to cool.

Here's the only picture I got of the prep work-I didn't get a final shot.

For phyllo shells, reduce temp to 350 degrees. Combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl or shaker. Place one sheet of phyllo on a cutting board. Lightly spray with nonstick cooking spray; sprinkle lightly with sugar mixture. Repeat with second sheet of phyllo. Cut dough lengthwise into 6 strips. Gather dough strips together forming one strip. Form strip into a 4 inch ring (center will be open). Place onto a baking sheet (I used Pampered Chef's stoneware again for this). Repeat with remaining phyllo and sugar mixture for a total of 6 shells (I only made 2 shells). Bake 16-20 minutes or until golden brown and crisp. Remove from oven; cool completely.

To assemble, arrange plums (or peaches) around inside edge of shells. Top with a scoop of yogurt (or in our instance-ice cream since that's all we had). Drizzle with syrup and serve immediately.

This recipe was delicious! I think I actually preferred the peaches to plums, so I think the peaches were a good substitute.

Since I didn't get a picture of the final product for the dessert, I'll at least satisfy your interest with a shot from the final product of our dinner:

Steve loved the scalloped potatoes and I'm pretty sure we'll never buy another box of the easy potatoes again. It wasn't a hard recipe to make and besides it taking a while to cook, it was worth the wait.

As far as the salmon in phyllo. Steve didn't much care for the flaky dough. I didn't mind it. It gave a little bit of something to crunch on, which is sometimes satisfying for me. I liked it. I do have to say that I didn't use fresh baby spinach, I used a pre-frozen package. I'd like to try this again with the fresh spinach and maybe less phyllo to see if maybe Steve would like that better. Also, I made the cream cheese spread myself. I bought regular cream cheese and then added a clove of garlic and probably a teaspoon of parsley. I think it was really good.

So that was our dinner Saturday night. I hope you liked the pictures and I hope you try the recipes! If you do, let me know what you thought about it and whether or not your tried something different!

Blast!

2010-01-12T08:30:00.000-08:00

I love that word. I also just watched "Little Women" Sunday morning, so I've got lots of little quotes stuck in my head. I seriously love that movie.

Anyway, I was going to take pictures last night after my workout but I was seriously dead upon arrival home. I did 40 minutes on the elliptical machine and supposedly (who knows how correct these calorie counters are anyway?) burned 480 calories. Afterwards, I was a sweaty mess and tried to find my scale I used last week. That one was broken, so I tried another one...which had me weighing in at 152. I was like, "No freaking way a scale is going to be 7 lbs off". There was another scale that I considered jumping on...but then I didn't want to look like one of those people obsessed with weighing themselves :) so I refrained. So now I have no idea what I weigh. I'd like to believe I weigh 145...But I just don't think I'm there yet, I certainly don't look it (at least to me). I guess I'll just wait until next week.

So after my cardio, I was planning on doing some weights but I just over worked myself and was so hungry that I decided it was time to go home. Plus, I figured I'd be back at the gym this morning, so I could do some cardio and the weights I wanted to do.

Cue this morning. I woke up at 5:00 with a really achy throat and my ears hurt. That's usually a sign that I'm getting a sinus infection-so I rolled over and told Steve he was free to go to the gym but that I just didn't want to go feeling the way I did.

Steve went, while I layed in bed. I feel somewhat better right now...but I'm intending on going straight home and getting into bed after work. I don't need this to turn into something worse.

A Good Day

2010-01-11T10:06:00.000-08:00

Today marks the beginning of our office competition- a version of "The Biggest Loser". While I was nervous about the weigh in, I was also pretty sure I knew what I would see on the scale.

Last Monday, I weighed myself at the gym. I used the dreaded "dr's office" style scale. God, I hate those suckers. The height and weight I'm at, I'm usually always wondering whether or not I'll have to move the big dial from "100" to "150" or the smaller dial up to the "50" marker. It's just a big head game and it usually always leaves me feeling pissed off at myself. I think I can count on one hand the number of times I've been happy with the number on doctor's scales.

Anyway, so that number sucked. A nasty egg. 153. I worked out 4 times last week. Each time was a sweaty, heart pounding success (except of course the crappy run). And I really tried to watch what I ate. I wasn't perfect, but I certainly did a better job than I had been doing.

Today was like a freaking dream. I was expecting the scale to be pretty close, if not more than what I had seen last week. Surprise, surprise when it clocked me in at 145. I looked up at my office manager (who is keeping track of the weight loss for us) in total disbelief and said, "No freaking way". Of course, the only way I can really find out how accurate that scale is compared to the scale I used last week, is to hop back on the scale at the gym tonight when I go work out. I mean, sure it's probably "off", but it certainly can't be 8 pounds off!

And this little nugget of goodness I've been given today, has me totally motivated to kick a$$ and take names at this competition. Granted, I would have rather seen this happen NEXT week when it counts, but it's still got my spirits up.

With that number (and hopefully I'll get the same number tonight on the scale at the gym or at least a few pounds close to what the scale said), I've got 15 pounds to get to my goal and 20 to get to my "you must be kidding yourself" goal.

By the way, tomorrow is also the next "picture" post. Maybe I'll see a difference? I'll take a different picture by the way-less clothing this time. My husband, Steve, looked at my pictures and said, "You should wear just your sports bra and some shorts. Then you'll really see a difference in your legs, your stomach, abs and arms". I agree! No more hiding behind the tops for pictures! If the amazing and inspiring people on The Biggest Loser can get up there and bare it all-so can I! I may not like it, but hey-if you put it all out there, you've got nothing to hide!

Along with taking pictures of myself, I'm thinking about taking pictures of the delicious meals I've been preparing. I might actually tonight. My new favorite thing to prepare as a side dish is anything asparagus. I just LOVE it. Not only is it delicious, it also fills me up. I've wrapped it in bacon and my last attempt I wrapped it in prosciutto. I've prepared it with rosemary and bay leaf and last night I made it with 1 tablespoon of butter, 1 clove of garlic (pressed), and one jalepeno (seeded and chopped). Delicious!

Tonight's dinner is stuffed bell peppers. I made them with turkey, long grain rice, onion, one clove of garlic, diced tomatoes, with some shredded cheddar cheese on top. It looked amazing last night when I cooked it, so I can't wait to try it. So along with the bell peppers, I'll probably make asparagus (since I'm obsessed), and maybe some black eyed peas.

My "desserts" lately have consisted of either hot chocolate, a glass of wine, or a bowl of Kashi cereal.

Anyway, I'm feeling pretty good right now. Really proud of myself-even if the scale is a little "off". Now I just want to hit it even harder!

I just read a few really inspiring blogs about women who have run the Disney Marathon yesterday, and I have to say-it's got me even more motivated to start running again and just do it! I think I can! I think I can! :)

Can't wait to hit the gym!

Here We Go!

2010-01-07T06:37:00.001-08:00

I finally got some pictures and these will be my pictures of reference and hopefully each week I'll be able to notice a little bit of difference in them.

Last night I went to the gym intending on running 3 miles. Oh. My. Gosh. I've been out of the game for too long. First of all, let me begin with my frustrating experience at the gym last night. Naturally, I'm still having issues with my gym card since it takes forever for things to get fixed in the system. So right when I'm walking in and trying to head straight to machine I get stopped by the front desk attendant. I got a little pissed because she stopped me and said I only had a "one club" access. Dude, that was like 2 years ago. Now I've got an "all club" and it should be corrected by now. So that was frustrating. I just wanted to say, "Look, I'm legit. I just want to work out." but I didn't. She let me go after a minute, though. So then I headed back to the treadmills. I hopped on one and started punching in information, only to realize it was out of order. Great. Put a sign up, guys. I hopped on the one next to it...same thing. What the heck??? By this time, I'm extremely irritated. So I walk to the end. Guess what? That one was broken, too!! FINALLY, after the 4th try, I found a treadmill that wasn't out of order. I realize these guys are busy and that machines are going to go out of order, but 24 Hour should really be on top of that since it is the New Year's after all and they've got a million people trying to stick to their resolutions (at least until the end of the month).

So I hopped on the good treadmill and started my 3 mile quest. It started out good. I felt good. My ankle felt pretty good (still a little iffy), but for the most part, I had confidence that I'd make it 3 miles. At about half a mile in, I decreased the speed from a 6.0 to a 5.8 since I was already feeling winded. And after a mile, I had to slow to a walk for about a minute to regain control of my breathing. Then I barely made it another mile before realizing I didn't have 3 miles in me. So I guess I'm starting back at square one. How depressing. I mean, seriously...6 weeks ago I was running (albeit slowly and with breaks) 13 miles!!

I tried not to let it get me down though. Then I met Becca over at the ab machines and did around 300 or so crunches. Then we got some mats out and a medicine ball and passed it between us as we did sit ups. I'm not sure how many we did, but after we were done our arms were burning! Upper body strength has never been my forte. Then I took us over to a tri-cep machine and then some shoulder presses. We did 3 sets of 12 on the tri-cep machine. I'm not sure the weight we used now...but I do know that for the shoulder press we did 3 sets of 10 with 25 lbs. Not bad, not bad.

Today Steve and I are headed back to the gym before the Texas/Alabama Championship game. I plan on doing about 35-40 minutes of cardio and chest and back with some ab work rolled in there somewhere.

Soo...without further ado. Here are my pictures of my start on this journey:
Don't mind the messy rooms behind me..this was post workout last night. So if I look a little scary, that's why :)

As of Monday evening, I weigh in at 153. Not bad considering...but not good. I'm hoping to lose at least 15 pounds. Anything after that is just icing on the cake.

The Moment of Truth

2010-01-06T12:34:00.000-08:00

Tonight I will run. For the first time in 37 days. I'm hoping for 3 miles, but we'll see how I feel at 6:15. I'd like to do a good run and then work on my arms and abs.

I'm also pleased to announce that tomorrow will be the beginning of picture blogs. Yay! I'm really excited about it. Tonight I'm going to take a picture of myself all dressed up in my workout attire and then begin documenting weight loss and toning. I'm excited because so often we lose weight and yet we don't feel like we see a difference. With this at least I'll be able to look back in a few months and go, "Wow, I can really tell in my face" or "in my legs how much I've changed".

As far as my diet has been concerned, my only downfall has been my Uncle's Chili that he made last night :) I probably had too much of it, but it was so tasty! Except for that, I've kept to my "diet" and have been eating a lot more fruit.

Also, Monday starts off my Office's "Biggest Loser" challenge. I'm sure I won't win, but the extra competition will be nice. I'll keep track of all the weigh-ins here. And ::GASP:: I'll be sharing my weight with the whole blogging community and all those lurkers who check out my blog. Scary, right?

Also, I'm going to start reading again. I've been putting it on the back burner and have been watching way too much TV lately. I'm going to start limiting my TV usage considerably. Most shows I can record on our DVR and watch it on the weekends, but my weeknights should be devoted to cooking new recipes, spending more quality and valuable time with my husband, working out, and trying to broaden my horizons. If I'm going to try to take a test to be certified in general education, I need to turn off the TV and grab a practice booklet and test!

See you guys tomorrow---with pictures!! Yikes!

And So It Begins

2010-01-05T07:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was my offical day to get my butt back in gear. After severly spraining my ankle over 5 weeks ago, it was time to get serious and start getting motivated again.

So I ate a whole lot better than I have been. I had Quaker Weight Loss Oatmeal with about an 1/8 of a cup of craisin's. That was DELICIOUS. I had half a grapefruit. 1/4 of a slice of a cranberry and cinnamon bagel. 1 Cup of coffee. 1 Fiber One bar for a snack. Minestrone soup and a yogurt for lunch. 1 bag of 90 calorie rice cakes with white chocolate drizzled on top.

Before I went to the gym, I had a 100 calorie Clif bar and then headed out. I did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I also decided that yesterday was my moment of truth. The scale. That thing has always been my friend or my mortal enemy. Yesterday, I was pleasantly surprised. Granted, it could be off a little bit, but still. I only managed to gain about 4 pounds since the sprain and the Holiday's. Not bad, not bad. It could be worse! Then I did about 5 minutes of ab work and then that was me calling it a day. I still had to get home and cook dinner, so I decided yesterday would just be a somewhat easy day.

For dinner, I decided to try a new recipe. I made chicken cordon bleu for the first time ever. Also, since we got to go on our first trip to Sam's together (we got a membership for Christmas from Steve's parents), I decided to use some of the asparagus I bought. So I made rosemary asparagus. The night before I had made a batch of Chicken Rice-a-Roni. I know, I know...not the healthiest rice, but it went really well with the meal I planned :) Seriously, it was a delicious dinner. It was so flavorful and so yummy! I'm pretty positive I'll be making it again in the future. After dinner, was a glass and a half of red wine. It's a pretty sweet wine, so I've dubbed it my "dessert" wine.

Today is kind of a rest day. But tomorrow, I'll be back in the gym. I'm planning on running for the first time since my accident, so wish me luck. I'm a little nervous. Ever since the sprain, my ankle has been really tight and I feel like it curves inward. Like when I hop off of a curb or step, I feel like instead of the bottom of my foot hitting ground first, the side of it hits. I don't know...maybe I just have to get used to the feeling again? Or maybe I need to stretch it and strengthen it more. My worst nightmare is to injure it again.

And today is my first day back in HIGH heels. I did some 3 inch heels on Christmas Eve and was really careful on it (naturally, it was also the day it snowed...). And then yesterday I wore 2 inch heels...today is my ginormous heels. I don't know why I decided to risk it. I feel like I'm walking funny. My ankle isn't used to the height and I feel like I'm limping around a little. The natural thing to do would be to retire the heels, right? And I would retire them...it's just that I love them too much! So here's hoping that today I don't kill myself in these shoes and that tomorrow morning I have a great day back to what I've grown to love doing. 3 miles is the goal.

Finally!

2009-12-16T07:55:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally convinced Steve to let us unfreeze my account with 24 Hour Fitness and start up his account again last night. We went to the 24 hour near our house and signed up. Want to know the best part??? Besides that we both got "All-Club" access (except for one club in Murphy and one in Keller..that we'll never go to), Steve got me 3 personal training sessions for Christmas! How cool is that? Each session is an hour long and they'll give me a nutrition plan and set the plan toward my goals. I'm so excited!! I told the manager, "Can you give me someone like Jillian Michaels?" and he just smiled at me and said, "I've got a few people I can think of that would be good" haha I really want to take this seriously and I really want to better myself. Who knows, maybe after this I'll continue PT sessions every so often to keep me on track.

So this morning we woke up bright and early at 5:00 and were at the gym by 5:30. I tried to play it safe and was on the eliptical machine for 30 minutes. It didn't hurt my ankle to go forwards on the eliptical but when it asked me to go backwards, that's when I could feel pressure and it hurt a little. So apparently, I need to do more work in strengthening my ankle. After the cardio, I tried to do some ab work on the roman chair, but felt really winded and a little dizzy, so I decided I was done for the morning and Steve and I left. We were both kind of feeling the same way, so we figured we just need more time to get used to waking up so early in the morning and eat a little more before we go to the gym.

I'm so excited about finally working out again, though. I'm just really proud of us for going and I can't wait to go again. Tonight my friend Becca and I will go together. She needs someone to motivate her to go, so I'm going to be that person! Here's hoping we can keep up a routine and get back in shape!!

New Years Resolutions and Goals

2009-12-09T14:18:00.000-08:00

So we're 22 days away from 2010 and I've decided to go ahead and set some goals for the new year and (hopefully) new me.

*Run a marathon.
- I'd like to participate in the White Rock Marathon next December since I've been injured and unable to participate in this years half. I'm pretty sure that if I allow myself to heal correctly, I'll be able to accomplish this goal with no major problems.

I'm going to start re-training hopefully by the end of next week. I'm still in my "boot" for the ankle injury that happened a few Monday's ago, so I'm taking it easy but I'm feeling antsy and need to get back on the road.

*Run 3-4 half marathons. In order to prep for my big goal, I'm going to need some help staying on track and signing up for some half marathons should be great. Plus, with each half marathon, I hope to improve my time. I'll get to that soon.

*Lose weight. My goal currently is 15 pounds, but 20 would be awesome. I've been tossing around the idea of joining Weight Watchers to help me get on track since it's worked so well for my sister and mother in law. I guess it depends on whether I can afford it! I do know that I'm rejoining my gym soon and I can't wait to get back on those cardio machines and back on the weight benches. Seriously, I'm starting to get anxious. By my 26th birthday (209 days from now or about 7 months), I'd love to be down to 135 and by the White Rock Marathon 130. If I even get close to either of those numbers, I'll be proud, so I don't want to set myself up for disappointment if I don't hit 135 exactly. I got down to 134 in HS my senior year, so it's been a long time since I've seen that number and I haven't seen 130 since probably 7th grade.

*A personal goal that would flippin' rock my world is if I could do any amount of pull ups by myself. I'm determined to get to at least 10 by the end of the year. My upper body has never been strong and I've always envied others who make it look so easy.

*As far as times realistically I'd be amazed if I ran a marathon in 5 1/2 hours. My dream is to run it in under 5 hours. Highly doubtful, but something that could be attainable whether it happens this year or next. For half marathons, I don't really care about the time of my first half. But I do have the goal of improving my time by 1 minute each race. A goal that I'd like to get to is a 10 minute mile pace for my half marathon by the end of the year. Before I hurt my ankle, I was at about a 12 minute mile pace...which was OK but not what I'd like to see later on down the road.

Unfitness related:
*I'd love to learn some new recipes and start thinking "outside box" for dinners. I'd like to incorporate my slow cooker more often since soon I'll be working out either early in the morning or after work.

*Call friends more often. I'm really bad about calling people. It would be one thing if I got off work about an hour sooner than I do. It's just so difficult for me to pick up the phone when I get home. I don't know why, but it is. I just find it to be personal time with my husband and I would rather sit and watch TV with him than pick up the phone and leave the room.

*Teaching. Please God just let me get a teaching job come this August. That's really the big one for me. Over running a marathon, over losing weight. I just want to teach. I could go on and on about how useless I feel in the position I hold right now, but most of my readers already know it!

As far as goals for this blog, I am hoping to find or buy an adapter for my camera so that I can start uploading pictures. My blog is so boring without them!! *here's hoping* I'll be more consistent and I'll definitely be tracking my progress more often. All these injuries leave me feeling like I have nothing to say, so hopefully in a few weeks, you'll see more posts coming.

Races in the Future

2009-12-04T07:43:00.000-08:00

I decided today that instead of being complete down and out about not being able to run my first half marathon, that I'd look to the future and see what races will be around in the coming months. Here's a list of possible contenders that I'm contemplating signing up for to get me back on track after my unfortunate ankle sprain:

*Dallas Jingle Bell run on December 22nd. 5K 6:30 at the Hilton Anitole.

*Plano Pacers 8K Holiday run December 26th 8:00 am

*New Years Run January 1st 5M 10:00 am Norbuck/Flag Pole Hill

*DRC Frigid 5K/10K run January 2nd 8:00 am Winfrey Point

*Run On! Too Cold To Hold 5K/15K January 17th 8:30 am at Winfrey Point

*The Texas Half hosted by Run On! January 30th 8:00 Winfrey Point

*Cupid's Run 5K February 13th at 8:00 am White Rock Lake

*Cupid's Couple Race in McKinney 5K/10K February 14th McKinney,TX

*Cowtown Half Marathon February 27th, 7:30 am Sundance Square

*Rock 'n Roll Dallas Half Marathon March 14th Dallas City Hall (it would be amazing if the website would actually list the start time of the race. I'm going to assume 7:30-8:00)

*Big D Marathon April 11th, 8:00 am Cotton Bowl-26.2

Ok, so I may be ambitious to think that I could possibly complete a full marathon by April. But I've had my eye on that for at least a month and a half now. As of today I have 128 days until the full marathon. That's 4 months. Let's not forget that two weeks ago I was able to complete 13 miles. I think if I am able to train hard and heal properly that I can do this. I won't sign up for it yet. Nothing would suck more than to go ahead and pay for any of these races and then have to bow out because I didn't give myself enough time to heal. But I think this whole "not running" thing really puts me in a downer mood and I can't believe how much I've come to rely on the way I feel after a run to motivate me.

I'd really like to sign up for the races around the holidays because let's face it-I like to eat. I like to eat a lot. And not once did I feel guilty on Thanksgiving because I kept thinking, "I ran 8 miles today. I'm good". But I also didn't pig out either...so hoping that I have the will power to have small amounts of whatever I want and running on top of it, makes me think that possibly I'll lose weight (what, what???) and feel great during the holidays instead of lethargic and full like I normally am.

I think that's a pretty good assortment of races, don't you? I've got a few at the end of this month, a few in January, a few February, one big one in March, and an even bigger one in April.

The only thing that sucks about wanting to do these races is having to pay for them. It's hard to rationalize paying for a race that I could really run on my own if I wanted to. There's no comparison, though, when it actually comes down to running the race along fellow runners and athletes who are serious about the sport. It's the most amazing feeling and it's so motivating. We shall see.

Dallas Turkey Trot

2009-12-02T09:32:00.001-08:00

Before my lovely accident, I was fortunate enough to be able to run the Thanksgiving Turkey Trot in downtown Dallas. What an experience that was!

Steve and I got up early and headed out to ride the DART down to the race. I don't know what I was expecting as far as the DART was concerned. Space to sit? There certainly wasn't any. It was standing room only when we got on at Arapaho Station. I looked at Steve like, "What's going to happen at the next 8 stops?" People got on with strollers, one lady even got on with a big wagon for her kids! WTF? I really appreciate that you're bringing your kids along to this awesome, family event, but seriously, could you not have taken your car and not taken up the entire aisle? Seriously. Towards the end of our ride, it got more and more packed. I felt like a sardine. Normally, I'm not claustrophobic, but by the time the train hit the Convention Center station, I was ready to get off.

What was even more frustrating than the DART was probably the port-a-potty lines. Holy cow. Talk about not enough! Steve and I stood in line for at least 30 minutes waiting to use them. The race even started before we could get out of line.

Supposedly, there were over 37,000 racers at the Turkey Trot. That's more than the population of the town I'm from! How crazy is that? Once we were finally able to join the race, it took a good 2 miles before the road opened up and we were dodging people left and right. It was extremely frustrating to be around all the walkers and the dogs. I had one dog literally stop feet in front of us and begin pooping in the middle of the road. And Steve and I both almost ran into parking meters about 3 times.

Once the road cleared up though, everything was pretty smooth sailing. We ran around the JFK memorial, on into the Oak Cliff area. We ran over bridges, which was pretty freaking amazing, and around the now pile of steel that used to be Reunion Arena.

Seriously, it was great and I am proud of us. I hate to say it, but I owned Steve during the race. The whole time. And naturally, at the finish, he decided to kick it in gear and finish slightly ahead of me. Which is awesome since of course, that's where the cameras are. Whatever. I know the truth and I know that I had to stop on more than 3 occasions to search for him or walk with him. I don't know when I'll let him live that down.

But in all seriousness, it was a fun race. We ate some yogurt and drank lots of water and got back on the DART and actually got seats this time. And by the time we got home it was "feast" time. It was nice to be able to eat a little bit of everything and not feel guilty about it all day. I think this should become a tradition for us. It would be even more fun if we could get more of our family involved in the race, but I know that they'd probably only be willing to do the 5k and that we'd have to walk it and to me, I'd rather run so that I can eat more :)

To put me in the Christmas Spirit I'll also add a picture of my Christmas tree that I bought, put up, and decorated this past weekend:

Warning: Major Bummer Post

2009-12-02T08:54:00.000-08:00

So, my quest to run a half marathon has been cut short. At least in time for the Dallas White Rock marathon on December 13th.

Monday night after work, I decided to go for a short 5k run. I knew the weather was going to be pretty nasty for the next couple of days and wanted to keep myself accountable for running.

Steve was running late from work, so I decided to head out by myself and get back before he got home. I put my brace on my right ankle, that still swells when I run from the previous ankle injury, grabbed a flashlight and was out the door. I felt great. I tried to pick up my pace and just focused on running and trying to land correctly on feet.

About a mile in (I'm guessing, it could have been a little more than that) I came across a section of sidewalk that had some leaves and acorns in a pile. I saw it, I expected it, I was ready. Then all of a sudden as my left foot hit the ground, it literally bent on it's side and down I went. How ironic that this would happen to the ankle that I hadn't injured before.

My heart sunk, I stifled a scream, and literally just turned right around and started hobbling home. It hurt. Like crazy. I forced myself not to cry and just focused on putting one foot in front of the other. I stopped my Pandora radio on my iPhone and dialed Steve, but he was on the DART and unreachable. I thought about calling Steve's parents but figured they were working late and didn't think about calling my friend and co-worker who also lives in the area until I was probably a few blocks from home. I was so angry. I wanted to throw my cell phone, I wanted to throw my flash light. I wanted to scream obscenities. I just knew this was the end of the road for my goal of running the half marathon at the White Rock race.

The farther I walked, the more painful it was. The pain was shooting up my leg and down my foot. I just knew I couldn't stop walking, I had to keep going until I got home. Once I got there, I sat down on the recliner and started bawling as I took off my shoes and socks to survey the damage. It was already starting to swell pretty nicely and after sitting, I could barely put any weight on it.

So I sat in the chair, crying my eyes out until I could compose myself enough to slowly and painfully hobble to the freezer and grab a baggie full of ice. Then I just waited for Steve to get home. I sat in the silence and just cried. Since July I've been working on this goal. I've had my eye on the prize and I was doing so well. Just a week and a half ago I ran 13 miles! 4 days ago I ran the 8 mile Turkey Trot in Dallas! I mean, seriously!

Once Steve got home he took care of me, he brought me some soup, and re-wrapped my ankle with more ice and saran wrap. Then at 8:30 we started seriously talking about heading the ER because I was concerned at how painful my ankle was. I can't remember it ever feeling that bad whenever I tried to put pressure on it.

So at 9:00 we got bundled up and headed over to the ER with books in hand, prepared for a long night. Luckily, the ER was completely empty and we got in really quickly. They put me in a wheelchair and when they took x-rays, kept me on the little gurney. It felt like a little bit of overkill to me, but hey, I'll take whatever I can get.

The doctor said it was just a bad sprain and to stay off of it for at least a week or two. I'm not taking any chances, so 2 weeks it is. I need to set up an appointment with an orthopedic doctor so he can check out my feet, but this just confirms that from now on I need to run with 2 braces :) I was given a prescription for some Motrin, a big boot for my ankle, and crutches and was sent on my way.

Here I am waiting in the ER.

We finally got back home around midnight and I promptly fell asleep. The past few days have really been exhausting. The crutches are friggin killing my underarms. And I can slowly walk with just my boot...but it's like I'm a slow 80 year old, so I prefer the pain of the crutches over the slowness of the boot.

This has been really hard for me. I'm usually an on the go person. My walking pace is like a speed walker, so if anyone knows me, they know this is extremely frustrating for me. I only know one speed and this one isn't working for me.

It's also embarrassing being at work and being like, "Hey, guys, can someone go grab me a coffee" because Lord knows how I'd get a hot beverage without a lid to my desk when I've got to hold on to a pair of crutches. Luckily, we have bottled water so that's been easy to get myself.

To give a comparison. This is what my ankle looked like before:

Here's a shot of my swollen right ankle the last time I sprained it. Ironically, the right one looks like my normal ankle right now and my left is as swollen as my right one was.

On the bright side of things, not being able to do this race will open up another opportunity for someone who was put on the wait list. So at least someone will get to run.

Mark my words, next year, I will be running the White Rock marathon. And instead of the half, I've got my eyes set on the full. I can do this and I will do this and I'll find a way to not hurt myself :) And from now on, I'll be running on a track or a treadmill or wide open trails. No more sidewalks and bumpy roads. Those are CLEARLY bad for me.

And that makes me the winner

2009-11-23T10:11:00.001-08:00

So officially I've been out of the game for 5 weeks before I could finally start running again. Tuesday I ran 3 miles and Thursday I ran around 5. I was invited by my husband's old neighbor to go run with her and a group called, "Girls on the Run". I decided to try it out. She told me that they were intending on running 13 miles on Sunday and that there was no pressure to run that far, just to do what I could. So at 5:30 on Sunday, I woke up and got ready to go the distance!

It was a little intimidating to meet the women, they all looked so fit! And here I am, probably the heaviest of the bunch trying to keep up. We started at the White Rock Dog Park and ran off the trail/lake for 3 miles and then headed to the trails. I have to admit I couldn't believe how fast they were! I felt so slow compared to them. They were all talking and carrying on conversations pretty much the whole run and I'm just trying to remind myself to breathe! :0) I already felt pretty tired after 3 miles and tried to remind myself there wasn't any pressure to continue my run with them, but for some reason my mind just wouldn't let me give up on myself. I was pretty determined to just try to hang with them. Plus, once I got to a spot on the trail I was like, "Well, it would be pointless to turn back around and then I wouldn't know where to tell Steve to meet me so I guess I'm stuck". :) So of course I had to walk a little bit. I would say a grand total of a mile (it would be nice if it was less than that) and luckily the ladies stopped every so often at water fountains to recoup and stretch or take their gel shots or shot blocks.

At 10 and a half miles in they were like, "hey let's run up a hill" and not just any hill...but a hill that was crazy. Absolutely nuts and I just couldn't run up it. It was just too hard. Especially that late in the run. One of these days I'm going to conquer it though. I think that's a new goal I'm going to add to my run.

All in all, I completed 13 miles on the run. I was really proud of myself, but probably more exhausted than anything. I probably didn't feel recovered until about 6:00 that night. Hopefully, the recovery time will get better. And after running that far, I determined that the Turkey Trot on Thursday will be a piece of cake and that it will just be a pre-cursor to my half marathon in 3 weeks.

Today my legs are sore, but not as sore as I thought they'd be. I was pretty surprised when I could get out of bed this morning and not feel like my legs were going to give out on me. Today's my day off from running, but I plan on doing crunches and pushups tonight. Tuesday I want to run about 3-5 miles. Probably the same route Steve and I ran last Thursday. Then another day off...maybe take the dog for a walk..and then the 8 mile Turkey Trot. :) I'm pretty excied about the race.

I'm also really excited because Thursday I finally get to see my parents. They've been away for a month and I can't wait to see them.

20 Days until my first half marathon!!

Back in the Saddle Again

2009-11-17T06:21:00.000-08:00

Well, I'm finally back on my feet and running!

Last night after work I convinced Steve to go on a run with me. We went a little over 3 miles. It was about 50 degrees out, so I wore my long running pants and my longsleeve DRC half marathon shirt and my Nike jacket. I slipped on my brace and felt good to go. A few weeks ago I ordered an armband for my iPhone and decided to try it out last night. I thought it worked really well. The key holder felt a little loose, but other than that I had no problems. While we were running I played my Pandora radio so that we could listen to classic rock. I wish I could listen to music and also track my run at the same time. Unfortunately, I found out I couldn't which really disappointed me.

The run went really well. I felt strong the whole time and my ankle felt fine. Though towards the end it did start feeling a little stiff. Since it's dark out when we get home, I carried a small flashlight and Steve wore a red-bike light on his back so that people could see us. I really focused on the sidewalk with the flashlight. I didn't want to step on an acorn or not see a rise in the cement and re-injure myself.

It just felt so good to get back out there. Especially the way the weather felt. It's just refreshing. I'm really proud of myself for doing the 3 miles, especially considering I've basically been out of the game for about a month now. I'd like to run again tonight if I can...maybe drive up to the track and run on it for 4-5 miles or just run to it (if Steve would let me). We have a lot of chores to do around the house this week before Saturday, so I don't know if I'll be able to do it. But I really need the exercise and I only have 9 days until the 8 mile Turkey Trot. Also, I'd like to go run with a group on Saturday and I know that they ran 12 miles last weekend. I'd be really proud of myself if somehow I could get back up to at least 9 by this weekend. That would require daily running and I certainly need it.

Last night, I also managed to do some crunches. I felt so weak! I was really disappointed in myself. I remember when my friend Chavayee and I would do 10 sets of 30 crunches of all different kinds and then we started doing even more. I could do 10 minutes of ab work and not feel worn out. This will be remedied, for sure! I can't believe I let myself go like that. I used to do them while watching TV and I got out of the habit. Guess it's time to get back in it, huh?

So that's the update. 9 days until the turkey trot and 26 days until the half marathon!!

Staying Active and Motivated

2009-11-09T08:46:00.000-08:00

It's hard to find motivation to do anything when you're injured. To me, having this sprained ankle is cutting into valuable training time and leaving me extremely frustrated. Wednesday my ankle was about three times the size it normally is. I kept it propped up at work and iced the whole day. Now it's starting to look more like normal. Still a little swollen, but I'm regaining movement and not limping near as much as last week.

My ankles have been the bane of my existence since forever. Honestly, when thinking back I'm surprised I didn't have more problems with them when I was in drill team. But then I think of all the stretching and simple exercises that we used to do and I was probably strengthening more ankles more than I realized. I got my weak ankles from my dad. When he was in high school he played football and he told me about how often he would hurt his ankles and how every game he'd have to shave his legs half way up his chins and then tape up his ankles because he was so prone to injuries. He then told me that his ankles used to look like mine (all swollen) and that they haven't looked like that in 30 years because "I stopped running". I don't want that to be an option for me. If I have to wear a brace every time I run, I'll do it. That's where I'm at now. Keeping it wrapped up in my ACE bandage and hoping that by this weekend I can go for a short 1-2 mile run and see how my ankle feels.

It seems I always injure myself when I'm trying to lose weight or have a specific goal in mind. After having the flu 2 weeks ago and finding out my weight at the doctor's office, I was pretty determined to lose 5-7 pounds before Thanksgiving. It probably won't happen now because of my injury-but I'm really trying to be mindful of how much I eat and what I eat.

This weekend was a testament to me trying not to let my injured ankle put me down and out. I went with my in laws to the Richardson Pet Day to get Anna micro chipped (for $15!!!!) and walked around. I almost turned my ankle again on the uneven gravel...I really think I should have been named "Grace"...Luckily, I was wearing my brace and I caught myself before I landed too hard on it. So I don't think it hurt it too much. We also painted our guest bathroom a charcoal grey color that while making the room look a tad bit smaller, really makes the white tile and brushed nickel accents pop. I really like it. I didn't do a stellar tape job though, and will have to go back in this week and do some touch up work. :( I also raked a crap ton of leaves, so that was a workout. Sunday I was constantly on the go. We woke up, went to my parents to rake leaves there since they're out of town, we went to the grocery store, I did a second coat of paint in the bathroom, I raked leaves in our front and back yard, I did laundry, cleaned the floors to the best of my ability (I think my swiffer is still at our apartment, so I could only sweep the kitchen and dining room), I took the tape down in the bathroom, we had dinner with Steve's parents, and then I made cookies and watched the Cowboys outplay the Eagles. It was a great weekend, one where I wish I could have added "I ran 13 miles" to, but that's just going to have to wait. I love having our home and being able to put things up and decorate and paint. It's just so much fun. Maybe I can convince my husband to let me paint some more this coming weekend :)

I'm so sore from raking! I hope to get some more workouts in by doing push ups, crunches, and maybe some squats. The squats all depend on whether or not my ankle will be up for it. I don't want to push myself too hard and then end up prolonging my recovery. I just can't wait to run again. Sometimes I feel like I'm going stir crazy by not being able to do cardio.

Turkey Trot 8 mile is in 17 days and my first half marathon is in 34 days.

You've Got to be Kidding

2009-11-04T08:22:00.000-08:00

Today was my official, "getting back on the bandwagon" day. It fell a little flat.

I went to bed and set my alarm last night to wake me up at 5:00. I slept through the whole night, which is really unusual for me. When my alarm woke me up at 5:00, I wanted to just roll over and go back to sleep, but instead I got up and got around (ok, ok...so I might have laid in bed for another 15 minutes...but still...at least I finally got up). Steve and I got dressed and headed out the door.

Our trek was going to be pretty short since we hadn't really been running for a while because of injuries and sickness. We ran from our street to Custer, down through the Canyon Creek area and back. About a half mile in, the endorphins kicked in and I just felt amazing. It was cool out, I missed the wind in my face and I missed the way my heart and breathing felt as I ran. It was just great to finally be back out doing something I've really grown to love. We were literally a block from crossing back over Campbell when all of a sudden my ankle turned and my run was cut short. It took me so off guard that I almost plummeted to the ground, I couldn't breathe because I was almost hyperventilating, and then I got insanely dizzy. The pain was probably the worst thing I've felt come from my ankle in at least a year. After sitting on the ground for a few minutes, trying to gather myself and decide whether or not I wanted Steve to hurry and run home to get the car, I picked myself up and hobbled home.

I can feel the pain go from the top of my foot up to my knee it's that hurt. I'm not sure whether or not I want to get it x-rayed yet. I imagine I'm going to need to lay off of it for probably a few weeks. Naturally, this will not do. Seriously, I don't have a few weeks to lay off of it. I need to continue training. How? I'm not sure. I'm probably going to see if I can convince Steve to let me unfreeze my 24 Hour Fitness account so that I can do some form of cardio and weights to off set the damage I've done. Hopefully, it will clear up in the weeks that come and I'll be able to run the turkey trot on November 26th in Dallas. It's an 8 mile race that I've signed up for...and then 2 weeks after that is the 1/2 marathon I've been preparing for since July.

I'm not sure how I'll feel if all of this becomes not an option.

At least now I've learned that now I have no choice but to tape up my ankles every time I run. I won't let this ruin all my hard work!!

Falling Off the Wagon

2009-11-02T08:50:00.001-08:00

Technically, I didn't "fall" off the wagon...it sort of rolled over my foot and then my whole body.

It's been a good three weeks since I ran 11 miles. I was ready for my 1/2 marathon...just waiting for November 1st to get here. Of course, the very end of that 11 miles I rolled my ankle which I decided to lay off of for a week. So that week I took it easy. I tried to focus on getting better and getting out of my apartment. We moved that next weekend into our home. Of course, the move was not exactly smooth. We were without a fridge for a week and Saturday night, while trying to move a dresser, it was dropped and naturally landed on my big toe. I was seriously worried I was going to lose my toenail. It was really painful. Luckily, I still have a toenail...though it looks rather damaged..but of course that set me for another week of not running. :( I was still pretty positive that I'd be able to run the 1/2 the next week. Until...last Sunday. I woke up feeling a bit under the weather but was still determined to finally go for my first run in 2 weeks and my first run in our new neighborhood. Steve used to run cross country in high school, so he showed me the trails they used to run. We ran around Canyon Creek. It was perfect training! Hilly, lots of turns, good sidewalks...We ran about 6.7 miles before I decided "Ok, I'm really not feeling so hot. I think I'm done". It was a slow run, but I was still proud of myself for getting out there and running when I wasn't feeling exactly "stellar". But the rest of the day my body continued to go down hill. Eventually by mid afternoon, I was laid up on the sofa watching the Cowboy game trying not to move. I found out a few days later I had the flu. Big time bummer. I decided not to risk relapsing and skipped out on the 1/2 marathon that happened on Sunday.

Thursday, Steve and I went to Run On! and picked up my race packet. It was so depressing. I got this awesome shirt and my bib even had my name on it! "Mariah" over my bib number...how cute is that? I was like, "Oh my gosh! What a bummer!" I did get some pretty awesome swag, even though I didn't get to run the race. We got a discounted rate to go to any Stars game during the month of November, a few bottled drinks, a packet of Clif bar Shot blocks, and coupons for Run On!. Still, it's so anti-climactic to get your bib and swag knowing you won't be able to run the race in a few days. I woke up Sunday a little down in the dumps knowing that I could be running my first half marathon, but instead I was at my house taking it easy...

Oh well...There's the one in December I'm highly looking forward to. I'm determined to finish strong. It's also inspired me to look into signing up for more races. If I can do this half marathon, I can do a full. I've also decided to get back on the "diet" wagon. When I went to the doctor I was pretty disappointed the number on the scale. I'd like to see that change a little bit before the Holiday season approaches.

I'm starting my training again hopefully tomorrow morning. I'd like to run 4.5 miles to start out. I think it's hilarious when I say "my short run is going to be 5 miles". Seriously? Remember in July when that was my "long" run? Yeah, I've come a long way. It's great to look back and feel like I'm accomplishing so much and really proving myself every time I get out there and hit the pavement. It's really empowering. It's also incredible to look back and think that before it was like pulling teeth to get out there and run and now I love it. It's a great way to start the day. The cool air in your face, the beating of your heart, the sound of your feet hitting the cement. I love it. I really do. And I really miss it. I can't wait to get back out there!

Don't let the man (or your ankle) get you down!

2009-10-12T06:58:00.000-07:00

Ugh! Before I go into why my ankle's getting me down, I guess I'll start off talking about my week.

After my terrible speed session, I thought I'd go the distance (5 miles to be exact) on Wednesday. Since it was yucky and wet out, I decided the treadmill would have to do. I used to run on the treadmill all the time and have no problems. I could be on it for an hour and not think twice about it. But getting on there and running for 50 minutes was a constant battle. I hated it. The entire time I wanted to stop and just get on the elliptical machine since it was at least somewhat more fun than the treadmill. But I knew that if I did that, I wouldn't run anymore that week and my long run on Saturday would be a beating. So I stuck it out. My routine went like this:
2 minute warm up.
.25 miles 5.8
.25 miles 5.9
.25 miles 6.0 (equals a 10 minute mile pace)
.25 miles 6.1
.25 miles 6.2
.25 miles 6.2
.25 miles 6.1
.25 miles 6.0
.25 miles 5.9
.25 miles 5.8

Then I repeated the cycle. For some of it I had the incline at a 1 or a 2, and then about 2.5 miles in I didn't like the inclines anymore and just kept it at a 0. :) I think what made me feel like I was on it forever was the timer. When I'm running outside, I completely lose track of time and just enjoy the feeling of the wind in my face, the way my heartbeats in my chest, and the way the air fills my lungs. When I'm running, I feel free.

It was a pretty good run, though. After the run I did shoulders and chest and then decided I was done for the day.

Thursday we didn't get to work out. But Friday I hit the gym after work and did 30 minutes on the elliptical machine. I should invest in an elliptical machine. It really is fun to do and I feel like I get a great workout out of it. After the elliptical I was going to do arms and back, but naturally in a small, limited gym that is my apartment gym, someone was on the back machine (I felt like he was on that for-ev-er) and then right when I was going to reach for the 10 lb hand weights (I know, I know..I'm a wuss...but I also just want to tone) an old man grabbed them. Oh well. I was hungry anyway :)

Saturday was my long run. I set out to do 11 miles. It was COLD Saturday morning. But I don't think I've ever been more excited and more nervous about setting out to do a run than I was that day. I think I get these mixed emotions of dread and nervousness and excitement to push myself farther than I've ever been.

The great thing about Saturday? I got to wear my running belt for the first time and my Clif bar shot blocks (in the flavorful black cherry). I decided to wear my long pants and my Nike jacket since it was pretty chilly and ended up wearing the jacket the whole time. While it was cold out, the wind kept me from sweating too much and the temperature was absolutely perfect for running. When we started our run, I don't think I was ready. My heart rate increased considerably and my legs felt like lead. This time it took me about 2 miles or so to finally hit my stride. I think doing the elliptical machine the night before didn't do me any favors... Steve and I kept a pretty good pace for the whole run. When we got all the way around, I turned back to go another 2 miles to complete my 11 mile goal and Steve went to go get Anna so we could take her on a walk. Here's where my problem occurred:
I was literally less than a quarter mile from the mile marker. I was so close to being done, I could taste it. And then all of a sudden I landed wrong on my foot and my ankle turned. Luckily, I was right by a tree where I could grab on and collect myself. I almost started to hyperventilate. The pain from it was probably not that bad, but I think I was caught off guard and also completely pissed at myself for not paying attention and running sloppy that while trying to catch my breath, I was freaking out. I could barely breathe and of course Steve was nowhere to be seen, which also worried me. I managed to continue walking/hobbling and finally I see Steve coming with Anna...Of course, we didn't really get to walk Anna at all, we just walked back to the apartment. I think it's a good sign I could walk on my ankle, but of course it really sucks that it happened...

I don't think I sprained my ankle. I think I just bruised it. I have limited use of it when I rotate it, but it's not painful to walk on anymore. So I just need to take it easy. Elliptical machine for the rest of the week, that's for sure.

On another topic, it looks like we're still set to close this Thursday on our home! Sunday we spent most of the day packing and getting things ready to go. I took Thursday and Friday off from work and I'm about to take Monday off as well to give us another day of rest/unpacking. I'm so excited to be getting out of our apartment and into something we can call our own. I really hope everything works out and that our closing is not delayed. I think I may cry if that happens! Keep your fingers crossed!!

Speed Session

2009-10-06T10:03:00.000-07:00

So my initial goal yesterday was to make it to the gym to do some cross training, but that didn't really happen...here's why:
I got home from work yesterday and immediately got dressed to take the dog for a walk. I took her on a mile walk and then met up with Steve to go to the gym. I THOUGHT and I'm actually pretty positive that I DID tell Steve that I wanted to do 30 minutes of cardio and then do weights for my arms and chest. Upon walking into the gym, I decided, "You know what, I don't want to do the elliptical machine today, I want to do speed work". So I hopped up onto the treadmill and started my workout. About 20 minutes in, I see Steve staring me down. Why? Because he's done. So then I feel rushed to finish. I was hoping to go 5k in distance, but because of the impatient look on his face, I stopped just shy of 3 miles. I was still hoping to get to my arms and chest so instead of a cool down, I immediately started doing bicep curls. Steve motions to me when I start on my first rep for my left arm and says, "I'm done. You can do push ups at home". Ok, so that seriously pissed me off. Look, I don't know why he doesn't know this about me...maybe we haven't worked out together enough for him to realize this (not possible)...but when I'm in workout mode, do NOT mess with me and do NOT rush me. I'm in the zone. I put the weights back on the holder, grabbed my things, and walked out the doors.

Maybe I'm a little pissy right now in the first place, but I'm telling you what-last night, I was a force to be reckoned with. I was fighting mad that he rushed me though my workout and that I didn't get to do what I had set out to do last night. How do explain to my husband enough that I'm training for a flippin' half marathon-with a possible goal of running a full marathon in months to come? Seriously? I can't have my workouts cut short and he won't let me work out in our apartment gym by myself because he's "worried about me". Hopefully, after a few months when we move into this new house (::cross fingers::), I'll be able to afford going back to 24 Hour Fitness. I need my workouts. I need do to cardio AND weights. Not just one of the two. So frustrating. Someone out there has to know how I feel. I seriously hate being rushed, it just doesn't make me happy at all.

On the plus side, I managed to run a 9 minute mile. It took everything I had to finish it, but with some good tunes (Boston, Queen, The Beatles, Journey) I was able to keep on truckin'. I ran the rest, after some walking breaks, at about a 9.3 minute-9.45 minute mile. Not bad, not bad. I just need to keep that up. I also need to start doing some work on my legs with weights to help me get the speed up.

Today is supposed to be our 5 mile run. I'll be wearing my belt to try it out :) I'm pretty excited.

9.2 miles!

2009-10-05T07:29:00.000-07:00

I'll admit it, I'm lazy. I'm a slacker. And I am not training like I should be. I should be running 3 days a week. Last week, I managed 2 runs. My Tuesday run of 3.2 miles and then my long run on Saturday.

Saturday morning was perfect. The weather was phenomenal, I felt great, and I was determined to run all the way around White Rock. Steve and I had breakfast, got dressed, and headed out the door (sans puppy-dog) to get our run on. I wore my Nike jacket to begin with since it was pretty cool outside, so it was great to see what it felt like to run with it on. I was hoping to get started around 7:30, but no sooner had we gotten down to the first gate, when Steve decided he wasn't ready yet and we had to go back up to the apartment. Ugh. I know it wasn't a big deal, but when I'm ready to go, I'm ready to go. You know what I mean? We finally headed back out a little after 7:45. And so began our trip. The Dallas Cross Country Club was having a 5k and a 15k race, so we had to avoid all the people around the quarter mile mark, but other than that it was a great day to run. It took me about a mile and a half to finally get in the swing of things. And about that long to warm up enough to be comfortable with taking off my jacket. I stopped only 2 times. Once about 3 miles in to grab a sip of water at a water fountain and the second time to get another sip of water about 6 miles in to get some water and walk for about 15 seconds. I'm not exactly sure how long and far I ran because my Nike iPod adapter is not working correctly and then my iPod died at the very end. But I'm thinking we ran the course in about 1 hour and 40 minutes.

I'm really proud of us. I honestly didn't feel like I struggled at all to continue running. My breathing was calm and my legs felt great up until about a mile left to go. At that last mile I knew if I stopped running, I wouldn't be able to start again. But to know that I can run 9 miles is so encouraging. I feel so confident that in 3 weeks I'll be able to run the half marathon.

Saturday, Steve even took me to Run On! in Richardson to get my first running belt!! I feel like a real runner!! I'm going to try it out some time this week, when we go for a run to see how it feels, but it's pretty cool :)

That's what I got. It holds 4 8 oz. bottles of water and has a tiny pouch for keys, food, etc. We also bought some Clif bar shots. I'll definitely need those about half way into my runs. They're 100 calories and they're equivalent to a cup of coffee. And hey, when has caffeine ever done me wrong? :)

I guess my goal for this week is to just work out more often. Tonight I want to do 30 minutes of cardio and some arm/chest weights. Tuesday, I'm hoping to run 4-5 miles at a faster pace. Wednesday is another cross training day. 30 minutes on the eliptical back and legs for weights. Thursday, I'd like to run a 5k at about a 9 minute mile pace. We'll see how that goes. Friday is either my day off or just a weights and cardio (probably bike). Saturday of course is my long run. Since I went over 9 miles Saturday, I'm hoping to run 10.5-11 miles.

You know what would be really nice? If I could stop eating a bunch of crap and start really losing some weight. I need to really start watching what I eat.

New Races!

2009-10-01T08:57:00.000-07:00

So in a total attack of lunacy earlier this week, I signed up for 2 more races! I decided somehow I'd be able to complete the Dallas Running Club's Half Marathon on November 1st. EEEK! That's like 31 days from now!! Yikes!

The other run I signed up for was the 2009 Dallas Turkey Trot 8 mile run. I decided to do the unchipped run because I figured I'd just use my phone or some other device to calculate my total time. Plus, saving the $5 extra it costs for the chip, doesn't hurt either.

So now I've got these races:
1. DRC half marathon - November 1st.
2. Turkey Trot 8 mile- November 26th.
3. White Rock Marathon-half marathon- December 13th.

I'm contemplating doing the Race for the Cure 5k with a few girls from a message board I frequent in a few weeks. But it's the weekend of closing on our house, so I'm not sure if I want to commit myself to that. It's for a good cause though, so I'm definitely considering it. I keep looking at Luke's Locker and Run On! for more races and I want to sign up for everything! But it costs a lot of money to run these races, so I probably shouldn't. :)

So as for training-I'm a slacker. I should be doing cross training but I haven't been doing that at all. Tonight though, I'm going to run on the treadmill in our gym because it looks like it may be raining by the time the evening rolls around. I plan to go about 5-6 miles. Maybe do a little speed work. The other people in the gym are going to think I'm crazy...but a girl's got to do what a girl's got to do. I'd like to go to the gym again on Friday after work-but I know how I feel on a Friday after work, and I just don't see it happening.

Saturday I'm determined to run the whole way around White Rock Lake. That's a staggering 9 miles. Seriously. 9. Miles. 2 months ago I was running 3-4 miles and those were my "long" runs. I'm pretty proud of myself for being consistant and continuing to go farther than the weekend before.

That's it for now. I wish I could be this motivated in every area of my life!

All the Way Around!

2009-09-28T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last week, after running my first 10k I was REALLY lazy. I'm talkin' laying around, watching episode after episode of Dexter, eating whatever I wanted, and going for a run twice. The first run was pretty decent. We went right after work on Tuesday and ran 4 miles. Thursday, though, was not great. About 1.25 miles in, I looked at Steve and was like, "I'm tired. I want to walk". I don't know why I just had no desire to run. So instead, we walked for a little bit. The good thing about our walk was that we could talk about our plans for the house and what we needed to do before closing (that's in 2 weeks!!!!). The bad thing was that I just felt terrible that I had no motivation to run.

Saturday, though, was my turnaround. We woke up at 6:30 (thanks to the dog and to my trusty alarm) and got ready for our long run. Knowing that we'd be going on a crazy long run, I knew we needed to eat something other than the usual few bites of a Clif bar. We both ate some cheerios and then went out to run. The weather outside on Saturday morning was INCREDIBLE. There was a slight chill in the air and it was nice and sunny. We started out a little after 7:30. We decided we'd go all the way around White Rock. When we started out running, it took us a little while to get in the groove, but about a 1/2 mile in I was feeling fabulous. My breathing was easy, my legs felt strong, and the wind was just right. All in all, I ran 7.5 miles. I did it in about 1 hour and 23 minutes, which equals out to about 11 minutes per mile (which is AWESOME-to me, at least). We walked the rest of the way to have a good cool down. Though our next run, we're going to need to wear a belt so that we can replenish ourselves. I know we were both feeling pretty hungry about halfway through the run.

I guess I'm just really excited again. After having my little "problem" for 2 weeks, I was feeling a little overwhelmed about whether or not I thought I could pull off running 13.1 miles in December. My feelings have certainly changed after my run on Saturday. Considering that the weather is only going to get cooler from here, I know that I'll be able to handle the longer runs. When it's hotter, the heat just zaps my energy and my will power. I'm also going to sign up to run the 8 mile Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving! I've been wanting to run that race for at least a few years now. And before I was only going to run the 5k...but now I'm fully confident that I'll be able to run the 8 mile with no problems (considering the weather will hold up).

Now to get back on the healthy eating, drinking, working out wagon. I'm hoping to have some time to hit the gym tonight with Steve. We've been slacking when it comes to lifting weights...and I've been REALLY slacking when it comes to cross training and doing some ab work. I may have to start getting up early every single morning to get all the working out in that I need to, but I'm feeling empowered and motivated. Plus, I wanted to lose 13 lbs (more like 15 or more now) before my race in Dec. I've got 2 months and 2 weeks, so I think it's do-able.

So there you have it! That's what's been going on here. Get ready for posting of some pictures of the H-O-U-S-E that we're in the process of buying!!! I've been reluctant to post them because I was (and still am) afraid that things would fall through and that we wouldn't get the house-but so far, so good! If everything goes as planned, we should be closing on the house on Thursday, Oct. 15th!!

I Did It!!!

2009-09-21T08:03:00.000-07:00

I ran my first 10k race on Saturday! I was pretty skeptical all week. I flipped flopped a few times every day last week thinking, "Oh, I probably should push myself. I should just rest" and then I'd get mad and go, "No way! I paid good money to run that race and I trained hard! I'm doing it!" So Friday was my official decision time. I decided to do it and I'm so glad I did!

I woke up at 5:30 Saturday morning and started preparing for my run. I had some breakfast, washed my face, put my gear on. And then Steve, Anna, and I headed out the door. Since we live literally a mile from the Arboretum, we just walked the trails down to the race. I left Steve at a place where he could stand with Anna, while I walked on to where all the runners were piling up. I really wish he could have been with me on my run, I felt a little bit alone. But luckily I had my iPod, so I turned on some Randy Rogers and just tried to calm myself down (I was pretty anxious). I went and stood in the 10 minute + group and waited for the race to begin.

When the race started my heart started beating so fast. I watched as the faster runners went ahead and wished that someday that would be me up in the front of the pack. It felt like forever until we got to the start line. When I finally hit the start line, an overwhelming since of calm washed over me and I just started running. You wouldn't believe how much you have to concentrate and be aware of your surroundings at the beginning of the race. Everyone is just so packed up. It's like being in a sardine can. So you have to watch where you run, try not to trip over people's shoes or run into a runner, while trying to pass someone else. It was great to see Steve though. When I saw him I got a huge grin on my face. It's so encouraging to have him support me through this and let me do this on my own. Yes, I felt alone at the beginning of the race, but to know that this was MY thing, that he wanted me to have this experience on my own, was so amazing.

I started following these 2 ladies about 1/2 mile into the race. They were keeping a really good pace for me (not sure what it was-maybe an 11 minute mile pace) and so I focused on staying behind them until about 2.5 in. At that point, I decided I wanted to go a little bit faster and passed them. I think they may have been running the 20k anyway, so I'm glad I passed them when I did. By the time I got about 2 miles in I could see the first pack of runners already on their way back to the finish. I looked at them with longing. How can you run so fast? It must be incredible to have that kind of strength and energy!

There were 2 major hills in the course. There was the one I always encounter when I train on my long run days and then another one about .5 mile after that, which took us through a neighborhood for about a quarter of a mile. I made it up my first hill without having to walk, but that took all I had! Then when I saw the other hill, I got a little overwhelmed. I noticed a ton of people walking up the hill and about half way up decided I'd walk for a minute, too. I wish I hadn't. I probably could have paced it up the hill if I had just thought more positively. Oh well..what can you do? You live and you learn. I may be running that part of the race though more often...I think it's been really beneficial to run those hills when training instead of just staying on the main flat trail.

After those hills, I kept running. I can't tell you how good it felt to pass people. I know that sounds mean...but it just made me feel empowered. There were a few people I kept passing and then they'd pass me and we'd just do this merry-go-round. It was a little annoying with this one guy. He was sweating up a storm and he'd run really hard for a while and then the next thing I knew, I'd be passing him as he was walking. Then about 2 minutes later, he'd run past me again and I'd catch up to him not 2 minutes later-walking. Seriously, the guy was not pacing himself at all. There was also this other girl who kept the same pace as me. We'd pass each other a few times. I almost looked over and introduced myself and asked her if she ran around this area because she'd probably be fun to train with since we seemed to be at about the same level.

Towards the end I just kept focusing on how much farther I had left to go. I was most looking forward to seeing Steve again (since the race was a loop for the 10k-ers). And once I saw him again, it gave me even more strength to finish what I started! He told me later that I looked great and that I looked strong. That made me feel good. I can't remember exactly how I felt, but I remember thinking "I'm so tired. 5 more minutes, 5 more minutes" It was hard. But honestly, at about the last .15 of the race, I could see the finish and there were all these people around and I was determined to finish strong. So I did. It felt so good! I'm just really proud of myself.

A little over 2 months until my 1/2 marathon....so I really have to get on that. This next weekend, I'm pushing up the long run to 7.5 miles. Got to get the show back on the road! :)

Here is the result page:
http://results.active.com/pages/searchform.jsp?posted_p=t&numPerPage=100&page=2&rsID=84236&eventClass=10K+Open&division=F+25-29&queryType=division&pubID=3

When Life Hands You Lemons...

2009-09-15T10:20:00.000-07:00

You rest. For a long, long time.

I had a really rough couple of weeks. I mean, I was down. Trying to stick to my plan and our workout schedule, Steve and I went for a late evening run Thursday night (the 3rd). It was seriously the worst run of my life. I had eaten dinner earlier, but that just proved to be too much on me. I kept getting cramps and wanted to stop every couple of minutes. Steve thought I was a jackass for not stopping. I was determined to push through the pain and just finish our run. On top of that, we didn't get to go very far because it started raining and there was just a little too much lightening for comfort. I think we went about 2.5 miles. It was a pretty good run, though as far as time. I don't remember the time off the top of my head, but it was at least a 10 minute mile. I'll take that, even with the painful cramps.

My next run was Saturday the 5th. It was another crappy run. I was miserable the whole time. I think it was just a little too humid for me and maybe I didn't eat enough before I left to go run. I finished the 6.88 mile run in 1 hour and 20 minutes with an average pace of 12 minutes per mile. I was really disappointed in my run. I thought for sure I was doing better than that..oh well, I guess. At least I finished it right?

Afterwards, though, I hit a snag. A big one. A snag so big it left me laid up in bed for a week. I still haven't been able to run and I honestly think my first run back in the game will actually be the 10k on Saturday. I'm hoping that this snag will have gone away by then and that I'll be just fine. Honestly, if I have to walk some during my run, I'll do it. I just can't let it stop me anymore. I feel like my problem was affecting every single aspect of my life. I couldn't work. I couldn't do anything. I'm just tired of letting it run my life and affect my plans. Here's hoping that my run on Saturday will be flippin' amazing and I'll actually do better after a 2 week break! ::crosses fingers::

On the plus side of things, Steve and I went house hunting on Saturday. It was my first excursion out of the apartment since the week before. We found a house we really liked and put an offer down. Of course, the seller countered and we re-countered and finally---he accepted! Now I have to schedule an inspection, which I would like to be done ASAP and then the appraisal. I am really hoping this is the one. We both feel really good about the home. It's move in ready, updated, and perfect for what we need right now. So hopefully, on October 15th, Steve and I will be closing on our first home! :)

Getting Stronger

2009-09-01T08:10:00.000-07:00

So this weekend was a success.

Saturday was my long run. The night before I set my goal, which I thought was a pretty lofty ambition itself, for 6 miles in 61 minutes. I didn't want to be too ambitious because I knew if I didn't make the time I'd be a little disappointed. But I thought I could do it. Steve and I set out on our run around 7:30 Saturday morning. The weather was beautiful. It almost reminded me of San Francisco. It started off pretty well. I kept looking down at our Nike iPod adapter and being shocked that we were coming in at under 10 minute a mile. The hardest part for me was when we hit the bridge by Mockingbird. I was really struggling. The sun was beating down on us and it was starting to get hotter. Eventually, we made it to the halfway point, grabbed a quick sip of water and continued on our way. But about 1/2 mile after the halfway point I was still out in the sun, and started to not be able to catch my breath. I was probably going a little too fast, but my legs just didn't want to slow down. Steve convinced me to walk for a minute, so that's what I did. I probably walked about 45 seconds and then decided "Ok, I've got it under control. I've got a goal to reach, let's go!" There's another hard part and that's the hill coming back from the 4 mile marker. Oh my gosh, that hill is a doozy. It kicks my butt every single time. But I pushed through it and continued running. After that hill, it's pretty "easy-breezy". As "easy-breezy" as a 6 mile run can get :) Only one other "hill" and it's just a gradual incline that takes a few minutes to get through. The last mile is probably the best because it starts off downhill, in the shade, and the rest of it is pretty flat or downhill. When we got closer to the apartment and the 6 mile marker I felt my lungs open up and I knew I had it. I kicked it into high gear and left Steve in the dust. :) I finished my run at a 7.5 minute mile (I held that for about a quarter mile).
All in all, we ran our 6 miles in 60 minutes and 2 seconds. An average pace of a 9.58 minute mile and we ran a total of 6.24 miles.

To say I'm not proud of myself would be a complete lie. I think I'm still reveling in that run. I can't believe how well I managed to run it. It's my longest run to date. The longest run of my life. :) And I am just so stoked that I finished under my goal. I'm also really excited to know that had I gone another .16 mile, I would have gone the distance of a 10k.

Sunday, I cleaned our apartment. I vacuumed. I dusted. I even cleaned the baseboards...they were FILTHY. I cleaned our bathtub and swept and swiffered the floors. Then I went to Marshalls and Ross. I bought myself some more athletic socks for $6 for 3 pairs, a really cute hot pink Nike jacket for colder weather running, and a fun white, pink, and green Nike windbreaker/rain jacket for when I want to run and it's raining out. I also got this cute hot pink Puma baseball cap for keeping the sweat out of my eyes. Those jackets were orginally $65+ and I got them for $20 a piece! Gah, I could shop all day in Ross and Marshalls. I'm pretty positive that's where I'm shopping when we buy our house. After I managed to do some damage to our bank account, I went home and hopped on the Wii Fit. I did some hula hooping for 15 minutes and then unlocked this "free step" where I can do "step aerobics" for 10-20 minutes but watch TV at the same time. So I did that for 30 minutes and burned some calories.

We didn't get to bed early enough Sunday night to feel good enough to wake up early and run Monday...but I'm kind of glad we didn't. My calves were killing me yesterday and it took me all day to figure out why! That stupid "free step" I did on the Wii! Seriously, I was massaging my calves all evening after work, they were so tense and sore.

We did manage to get up this morning and go for a 4.17 mile run. We ran that in 40.37 seconds with an average pace of 9.38 minute mile. Pretty good. Another great run. Another beautiful morning. My legs felt so powerful. It's the first time I was running and really started to notice how my legs felt. I just felt so strong and almost light. My breathing was amazing and I probably could have held a conversation the whole time.

As we were on our way back from the halfway point, two bicyclists came by and I heard one of them before they passed us say, "runners" to alert the guy behind her. I don't know what caused it but I started grinning from ear to ear. I'm a runner. Yes, I am. I guess I just still have that feeling of "oh, I just try to run" "oh I'm not that good" "Oh, I can't even run all that fast". Why the negative attitude? Why the mental block? I don't know. I'm sure part of it stems from a very unfortunate event that is burned into my mememory when I was about 8 or 9 years old running back from my neighbor's house. A car passed by and someone yelled out their window, "Run, fatty, run". I guess sometimes I still feel like that chubby little girl, who never really ran, who wasn't really into sports, who would rather spend all day on her swing set, than try to swing a baseball bat. I've just never been athletic and it's hard to look at myself and consider that maybe now I am. I still look in the mirror and I still see my stomach with zero definition (of course, actually doing crunches could remedy some of that), I still see big hips, and a jiggly butt. I guess I'm just going to have to realize that "athletic" comes in all shapes and sizes and that yes, I am athletic, even if I'm not a size 2 and even if I don't weigh 115 pounds!

5:30 AM Run

2009-08-27T06:33:00.000-07:00

Well another log for me. Steve suggested I start logging every run and the times for it since it will help me put things in perspective when I look back on all that I've done.

Today we got up and ran 4.03 miles. We ran it in 40 minutes and 38 seconds, with an average pace of 10 minutes and 2 seconds.

Of course, the way we go on our early morning runs is primarily pretty flat so I think that helped with my time. We'll see how I do on Saturday when I do my long run and I go a different way on the trails with more hills.

I'm pretty proud of Steve. He's been dealing with a sinus infection for the past week or two, so him being able to keep up and even run the 4 miles with me was impressive. He told me later on when I was making us breakfast that he had said, "I think I need to stop" about half a mile from the end but kept going. That's really impressive! :) I'm kind of glad I didn't hear him when he told me because that probably would have encouraged him to stop.

Yesterday I took Anna on a 2 mile walk. We were going to go to the gym, but that didn't end up happening. We really need to work on that. It's not that hard to go down to the gym for 30 minutes...it's just really hard to motivate yourself to work out in the evening. Especially, when Steve comes home hungry and ready to eat. If I'm going to work out in the evening, I'd rather do it right when I get home, instead of waiting around. There's more chance of talking myself out of working out if I don't.

Wow!

2009-08-26T08:04:00.000-07:00

So I got this e-mail in my gmail box last night right before I left work.
It was titled: Love the Half.

www.lovethehalf.com

I was intrigued so I opened it and 2 minutes before 5:30, I scrambled to search for the website to find out more about it.

I just started following the founders' blogs and so far I'm impressed. First of all, I think it takes so much dedication and passion to start up a running based club for people who want to stay active and achieve goals. Even from reading their blogs and their website, I can see it's not about being the fastest, it's not about bragging-it's about achieving the goals you set for yourself, to succeed, to be the best you can be, to just run and be happy.

So there's this challenge for them and I'm seriously considering joining them. I would love to be a part of something where I'm constantly challenging myself and continuing to do what I've been enjoying doing. So far for me, training has not been a burden. It's been a source of happiness for me. Every day I run, I feel amazing. Every time I improve on something that I have struggled with in the past, I feel an overwhelming sense of pride.

Anyway, I just wanted to say it makes me excited to see this and it makes me excited to think about all the things I'm capable of achieving if I put my mind to it.

When Procrastination Sets In...

2009-08-25T06:50:00.000-07:00

We all have those mornings...the mornings where you wake up and you think "I'm going to get up...in...oohhh, 5 minutes." 10 minutes go by and you think it again, "I promise I'm going to get up in 2 more minutes..that's it! 2 more minutes". That's how I feel every. single. morning. It never fails. The trick is listening to that voice in my head or ignoring it. Lately...or for the past 25 years, I've listened to it more than ignore it. Today I decided to stop. Oh sure, it's not going to be a 100% turn around and I'll have the days when that little voice of procrastination wins over, but I'm just so tired of the excuses.

Last night around 8:15 (I kid you not) I fell asleep on the couch. So when I woke up around 8:45 I was like, "Dude, I'm going to bed and I'm going to wake up at 5:00 and go for a 4 miler". It felt great going to bed so early...but of course once I knew I was going to be waking up at 5:00 it took my mind about 45 minutes to quiet down enough for me to fall asleep. Then I woke up a few times completely drenched in sweat to the point that I almost thought I might be sick. My theory for this is that Steve likes it about 75-78 degrees in the house when he's sleeping. Whereas I can't sleep unless the thermostat is set to closer to 69-70 degrees. Naturally, since I went to bed so early, it was Steve's job to turn the thermostat down. So anyway, I woke up at 4:58. God, that's early. I quickly grabbed my phone, turned off the alarm, and laid back in bed deciding my next course of action.

Here were my thoughts (I am not crazy. I know you guys have the same quiet conversations with yourself when you're deciding to get up or to push snooze about 10 times, don't deny it):
"Do I get up? I could go back to sleep for another hour and a half. That would be nice. What if I am getting sick? Steve's been fighting something for a few weeks now. What if I got whatever he has? It might be better for me if I do rest...But I don't feel sick...Ok, ok...just think about it. Dude! You signed up for a friggin' 10k! Get your a$$ out of bed!! You're not doing yourself any favors by making excuses. Just get out of bed and put your workout clothes on, get your contacts put in, put your ipod on your arm, shoes on your feet and go! You'll feel so much better once you do".

This thought process lasted a whole 15, almost 20 minutes. Finally, I got up. I can't keep making excuses or I'll never get anywhere. I even left Steve in bed (since he's been sick) and went by myself (of course, I took Anna with me).

Basically, the point of this post is for me to see that I just LOVE to self sabotage. I did it with applying for a job at schools. I do it with working out. I do it with just about everything in my life. So what do I do to conquer that? First of all, I get up when I don't want to. Who LIKES getting up at 5:15 in the morning? I sure as heck don't. Who LIKES getting out of their comfy beds? Not me. Who LIKES or ENJOYS setting a goal and never achieving it? That's not my style.

So here I am. 4 miles later, as well as 4 hours later, proud of myself for getting my lazy a$$ out of bed and running when I really, really, really didn't want to. Naturally though, once I started running...ok, who am I kidding, about 1 mile into my run, I felt great. It took way too long to hit my stride and to not feel like turning around, but once I did I. was. running (said like Forrest Gump). I jammed out to whatever was playing on my iPod, I said "good morning" to fellow nutzo's out there also working out when the sun still hasn't touched the skyline.

I guess I'm also posting this for people who think it's not possible what I'm doing. I'm posting this because I know I can't be alone in my feelings of, "I could just put this workout off until..." and then that "until" never comes, or when it does it's 2 months later and you have to build back up to where you were in the first place. Seriously, my "until" has been practically my whole life. I'm tired of making the excuses. I'm tired of the self loathing that happens when I decide not to go for that run or not to go for a stupid little walk with my dog or not to go the FREE flippin' gym that's seriously a 2 minute walk from my apartment. There's no excuse for it. There's no excuse for letting myself go from an almost size 6 to a size 12. Luckily, it's whenever I hit this point that I re-evaluate where I'm at and decide to start working out again. Right now, I've made it back down to the 8...would be perfectly happy if that's where I stayed, but kind of hope with all this running that somehow my middle gets whittled down just a little bit.

When I have days like this, it makes me wonder why I couldn't be a good personal trainer. I think I could do it. I think I'd be really good at it, too. You know why? Because I know what it's like. I know what it's like to not be able to lift weights. I know what it's like to not be able to run a single flippin' lap around a track. I know what it's like to yo-yo diet/weight/motivation, I know what it's like to finish a workout and be on cloud 9 because oh. my. gosh. I just ran for 3 whole minutes on the treadmill! I mean, seriously. There are these people out there who are personal trainers who've never been there. They don't know what it's like to be unmotivated, to not know what's healthy to eat and what's not healthy. My momma wasn't raised to cook us healthy meals. All throughout my childhood I remember fish sticks, personal pot pies, huge hamburgers, big helpings of spaghetti, pancakes fried in oil. I think it's the people who can identify with others that are the most successful. So maybe that's a calling. It certainly isn't an unattainable goal.

5 miles!

2009-08-24T07:45:00.000-07:00

Another weekend down...another week to go.

Friday night, I drove up to Denton to hang out with a few girlfriends. We had a good time. It was nice to get out and hang out with girls. :) Girl time is much needed.

Saturday, I went home and Steve had deep cleaned the whole apartment. I was really impressed. We hung out for a little while and then decided to go to the gym. I did 30 minutes on the eliptical machine. I think I went about 3.5 miles. It was a good workout. I was going to do some weights, but was pretty tired after doing that cardio and decided I was done. Saturday night Steve and I got Lover's Pizza and a tirimisu from Maggiano's. We drank some wine and by 9:45 were in bed dead tired. :) Yeah, we're getting old.

Sunday I woke up around 7:00 feeling great and decided it was time to go 5 miles. So Steve set up our Nike iPod adapter and off I went. I ran 5 miles in 53 minutes. I stopped for a quick sip of water only 2 times and I never walked. It was fabulous. I felt so good and I was so proud of myself. What's even better was that I finished my run at a 9.30 clip which was pretty impressive. My average time was a 10 minute 30 second mile, which was perfectly acceptable. Each weekend I'd like to shave about 10 seconds from that time and add 1/2 mile to a whole mile depending on how I feel.

Today is gym day. I'll probably do 30 minutes on the eliptical and then I'll do my best to do some bicep/tricep work.

Tomorrow I'm going to wake up early and do about 3.5 miles. That 10k will be here before I know it!

Let the Anxiety Set In...

2009-08-20T12:37:00.000-07:00

So I just figured out how long I have until each race. After making some tickers for a signature on a message board I frequent, I realized I have 4 weeks and 2 days until my 10k race and 3 months, 3 weeks, and 3 days until my 1/2 marathon. How crazy is that? That really freaks me out!

Tonight is a 4 mile run. I won't go until probably 7:45 though. Give it a little time to cool off and the sun to go down. It will be hard and since it's so hot, it will probaby be a slow run..but at least I'm doing something.

I've also figured out that each week I need to increase my long runs by at least .5 miles. So Saturday or Sunday (whenever I choose to do my long run this weekend) I'll be running 4.5 miles. I'd like to go ahead and up it to 5 miles, but don't want to push myself too hard and risk injuring myself in the process.

Let's Get it Started!

2009-08-17T06:50:00.001-07:00

I feel empowered this morning! I'm so ready to get in shape and to run farther than I've run before. I'm 25 and my goals for this year are the following:

1. Run 10K on Sept. 19th.
2. Run 1/2 marathon on Dec. 13th.
3. Get to my goal weight of 132.
4. Own my first home.
5. Find a job that leaves me fulfilled.

Saturday morning, bright and early was my "distance run". Steve and I ran 4 miles. I'm proud to say that I kicked Steve's butt and out ran him. :) I'll probably brag about that until the cows come home. After our run though my feet hurt so bad! It was definitely time for new shoes. So Sunday Steve and I went to Sports Authority and we both bought new shoes. We also bought a new Nike iPod adapter for calculating our runs.

This morning we got up and ran 3 miles. It felt so good to get up early and hit the pavement. My new shoes felt great and my lungs felt amazing! I told Steve towards the end of our run that I felt like I could keep going another mile. I take that as a good sign! The Tour des Fleurs is in 4 1/2 weeks, so I need to start going longer distances. I've already decided there will be no more 2 mile runs, only 3 and up.

I also got an iPhone this weekend! Now I can check my e-mail at work, which is SO nice.

I guess that's it! 33 days until my first 10K!!

2009 Tour des Fleurs

2009-08-14T10:03:00.000-07:00

Today I signed up to run my first 10k. Nevermind the fact that as of right now, I can't run it (that I know of, but I haven't really been pushing myself when on runs)...but in 36 days I will! It's on September 19th and it's at the Arboretum.

Here's a link of the map:
http://www.tourdesfleurs.com/images/TourMap09.pdf

and here's the info on the race:
http://www.tourdesfleurs.com/race_info.php#jump

If any of you dear friends want to come and cheer me on, I'll be running around White Rock Lake early in the morning :) The part I'm running is in lined in grey (in case you were wondering). I'm so stoked! When I was running the relay last year at the White Rock Marathon it was incredible to run past people standing on the sides of the roads cheering you on, encouraging you to dig deep and push yourself. So it would be even MORE amazing if I actually knew some of the people cheering me on. If any of you want to know any more about the race or if you are so kind enough to come see me please let me know and I'll give you a good idea on where to park and give you info(you may want to just park in my apartment complex and use our gate code since parking will be scarce/annoying anywhere else).

This race is actually the day before our Anniversary! One year of marriage..time really flew by. I have really big plans that I'm not letting Steve know about :) So hopefully I can finish the race before it gets too late in the day because I've got a lot of errands to run to make sure it goes off without a hitch!

This 10k is actually my second race ever. My first one was last March when Steve and I ran the Camp John Marc 5k. It will be really cool to see how much I can push myself next month. Also, December 13th is the Dallas White Rock Marathon. I'll be running the 1/2. So yet another chance for me to do something I never thought possible. Like I said, my Senior year of high school I couldn't even run a whole lap around our track! Talk about improvement!

Preapproved!!

2009-08-13T07:41:00.000-07:00

So, Steve and I got pre-approved yesterday to start the house hunting process! I am so, so, sooooooo excited! I feel like we're growing up and taking this huge step.

Now all I can think about is the decorations I want to put up and the furniture I want to buy. My first priority on the list is a bigger bed! :) Steve and I have been sleeping in a full size bed for the past 3 years and it's starting to get a little squished. I love my husband, but I need my space!

I am just so ready to be done with renting and to get out of our apartment complex. Yay for being an adult! :)

The Weekend Always Messes Things Up

2009-08-12T07:51:00.001-07:00

So last week wasn't a really good week for running. But Friday, Steve and I did manage to wake up and go for a 2.5 mile run before we left for Austin for the weekend. We even walked around a lot in Austin, so I don't feel like the weekend was a complete waste.

Yesterday, we went to the gym. While Steve did weights I did 25 minutes on the eliptical machine. I did X-train aerobics. I LOVE that option. I really feel like I get something out of it. After that we took Anna on a mile walk and then I even did about 30 minutes on the Wii Fit. I finally opened up the boxing option, so I did that for about 15 minutes and my arms and back are feeling it today! I really enjoyed it.

I made this super easy dinner last night! Thought I would share it with people.

Cheesy Chicken and Rice Casserole.
Ingredients:
4-6 chicken breasts (I used 3)
3/4 cup long grain uncooked white rice
1 1/3 cup water
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/ teaspoon Onion Powder (I actually ended up chopping up 1/3 of an onion instead)
2 cups frozen mixed vegetables
1 cup cheddar cheese

Mix the rice, water, onion, cream of chicken, vegetables, and pepper in a shallow baking dish. Place the chicken on top.
Cover and put in oven for 45 minutes

Once baked, take the foil off and place cheese on top.

Steve LOVED it. It was a super easy recipe and I'm pretty positive it's going to become a staple that I cook on a regular basis. I did leave out the vegetables. Though I don't know why...I don't even remember seeing it on the page of my recipe book. Honestly, I think it was perfect without the vegetables...but I'm sure it probably would have added more nutritional value had I put the veggies in.

What is the Point?

2009-08-03T12:24:00.000-07:00

What is the point of ordering food for pickup online? Seriously? Every single time I've done this, I always end up waiting about the same amount of time as I would have had I just gotten in line and ordered in the store. Luckily today when waiting for my sandwich to be made a Potbelly's I got a free lemonade. I guess they're forgiven... :) I do love my lemonade. But I will say, the sandwich was delicious and was devoured in probably 5 minutes. But seriously guys, if you want me to continue being a happy customer (this goes for you, too, Chipotle!!) when I order online or fax over my info and say to have it ready by 1:40, can you please have my food ready? Thanks.

Weekend Craziness

2009-08-03T09:27:00.000-07:00

I cannot tell you how awesome my weekend was. It was relaxing, it was fun, it was eventful.

Friday we took Anna on a short walk when we got home and then I cooked tacos. We watched some HP and relaxed. The storm also helped. I love when it rains...especially when it rains in July/August.

Saturday it rained some more and I was supposed to meet up with my friend/co-worker Becca to go shopping for going out clothes for her Bachelorette party this coming weekend!! Becca and her fiance just moved into a home in Richardson, so she invited us over. So while we went shopping at Northpark, Steve and Drew hung out. Becca and I had such a blast shopping together! We both got AMAZING deals on dresses at Macy's. Regularly priced dresses at $96...we got them for $20. We went to James Avery so that I could get my niece Rachel a bookmark for her first communion. And then we stopped in the Nine West store (I should NEVER go in there but once a year...I could spend all my money in that store). We found shoes to go with our dresses (also on sale-regular price $90-got them for $40) and then we headed back to her house to order pizza and play some games! We played Skip Bo and Trivial Pursuit Pop Culture. Seriously, we had a great time and being in Becca and Drew's house finally got us back on the house hunt wagon.

Sunday we got up bright and early at 7:00 and went for a 3.3 (give or take a little) mile run. We picked up the pace from earlier in the week. Steve's starting to get back in the groove...it won't be long until I'm trailing behind him again I can already tell. :( After that we got ready and went to Denton to see Clara's baptism and Rachel's first communion. They are the sweetest things. I'm so glad we were able to be there for that!
Here's my niece, Rachel! She was so happy to take her first communion!

Here's the family (minus Avery). Clara got baptised.

This week is a short week for me! Steve and I are going to go to Austin on Friday and spend the night there and then Saturday he's going to go hang out with his brother and I'm going to go and hang out with Becca and her friends for her bachelorette party! It's going to be so much fun! I'm really looking forward to it. Hopefully this week will go by faster than it usually does :)

Diet/Training Recharged!

2009-07-31T08:23:00.001-07:00

Ok, so after my HORRIBLE diet day yesterday..God, I don't even want to know how many calories I enhaled...I went home and promptly took Anna on another run. I was going to just walk and then Steve was going to ride his bike and meet us somewhere on the trails since he gets home a little bit after me, but I decided walking just wouldn't do. I ran about 3 miles or so until Steve and I met up, and decided to walk the rest of the way, which was another mile (so 4 miles total). It was funny because Steve decided to run, too. So while I was running back I kept thinking to myself, "man, he should have caught up to us by now on his bike!" and then sure enough, I see him running up a hill to meet us.

I still made brats and mac and cheese for dinner. And had some, too. I figured "why starve myself at dinner? It will just come back to bite me in the butt tomorrow". Which has served me well. This morning both Steve and I woke up exhausted. Why? I don't know. Maybe with this working out we should start getting to bed a little sooner and also staying consistant with our vitamins.

Todays food is the following:
For breakfast I had my usual yogurt with strawberries and blueberries. Unfortunately, I'm out of flaxseed granola...
I'll have a cup of coffee here in a minute and right now I'm sipping on some grapefruit juice.
Lunch is a Lean Cuisine. I think it's chicken enchilada suiza. I've got watermelon and grapes to go with it. And for an afternoon snack I'll probably have a yoplait light yogurt.
Dinner is tacos, guacamole, and beer! :) Don't judge! I promise, I'll only be having one beer.

We're also going to take Anna on a walk. Probably another 2 miler.

As far as this weekend is concerned, I'm not sure what our plans are. I know that we need a rest day for real. I'm not sure if we'll either do it Saturday or Sunday. Sunday is my oldest niece, Rachel's first communion and my youngest nice, Clara's baptism. So that's a pretty big deal. We'll go out to Denton to witness that. But I do know that at one of the days is our long run. I'm pretty positive we'll do 4 miles. Looking forward to the weekend! It's almost here!

Diet FAIL!

2009-07-30T12:38:00.000-07:00

Oh geez. What do you get when a girl eats well for 5 days and it's 2 co-workers birthday tomorrow? A hungry girl! The office ordered pizza from Carmine's and then of course, there are some awesome petit fours from the Casa Linda Bakery this afternoon. Not to mention, someone brought in bagels for breakfast, so naturally I had one of those! :( Ugh.

Diet Fail:
Breakfast: Yoplait light yogurt with strawberries and blueberries. A banana and one whole wheat bagel with some cream cheese smear. Yeah....

Lunch: 4. Count them. 4 slices of pizza. With a small salad on the side. Will also be having a petit four as soon as those become available.

Dinner: I'm making brats with mac and cheese. I'm pretty positive I should forgo the brats and mac and cheese and have a salad for dinner. Gah...way to go, Mariah.

Rest Days and Running Days

2009-07-30T06:38:00.000-07:00

Steve and I feel pretty much the same about our "rest" days. While trying to build up our endurance and trying to train, we also know that sitting out the day of "rest" makes us a little stir crazy.

Tuesday was our "rest day" so we decided to go for a 2 mile walk instead. We walked a pretty fast pace for most of it, when we weren't trying to train Anna not to pull on her leash.

Yesterday was our 3 mile run day. I don't know how fast it was or anything considering we haven't invested in a good watch yet...and then there's Anna...and then there's Steve who hasn't been running in ooohhh 4-5 months. It was a really good run though. I felt great, I paced myself, I feel like I could have gone even further.

I am frustrated with the dog though. When it's just me and her it's OK, but when Steve is with us and one of us is either trailing behind or up ahead, Anna wants to be with us both. So while I was ahead of Steve, she'd keep looking back and try to stop to see him. That was really frustrating. And after running for a while, I'm hot and tired and I just want to let go of the leash and run by myself. At one point, Steve took her and I got to run without her and it was so liberating! :) I love my dog, but sometimes I wish I didn't have to worry about taking her with me on the runs. Maybe when we get a house I won't have to take her as much.

Today we were going to get up and go for a 2 mile walk since it's another rest day, but when our alarm went off at 5:50 I heard thunder outside and sprinkles on our window. Not another 10 minutes later the rain was pouring down, pounding on our window and the thunder and lightening was crazy. Hopefully this will all clear out and I can still take Anna on a walk when I get home from work. We'll be going to the gym this evening to do weights as well. So a busy evening lies ahead.

Book Review: Sundays at Tiffany's by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

2009-07-28T10:39:00.000-07:00

I love easy reads. I love them because while it is an easy read, I still get the chance to lose myself in the characters and the story line and just get away from everything for a while.

This book was no exception. We start off with Jane and Michael. Jane is 8, in a few days she will be 9. She's sitting in the Astor Court of the St. Regis hotel in New York. Eating an ice cream and also ordering another ice cream for her "friend" Michael. Michael is imaginary. They hold conversations, he helps her fight loneliness. Jane's mother is highly involved in Broadway productions and therefore rarely has time to dote on her daughter. Michael, naturally, fills that void. Her father also doesn't seem to have a lot of time for his daughter and has a girlfriend (Jane's parents are divorced) that he is preoccupied with.

On every Sunday, Jane and her mother go to the Astor Court and then afterwards go to Tiffany's. We get an idea for the relationship between mother and daughter and wonder how on earth a child could grow up without major self esteem issues stemming from her mother's harping.

On Jane's 9th birthday, Michael tells her his time as her friend is up and that she will be fine. He tells her that after he leaves she won't remember him and that she'll grow up to be a great woman. She is heartbroken and swears to him she'll never forget.

Fast forward 20 years. Sure enough, Jane hasn't forgotten. She works for her mother and has written a musical about a little girl and her imaginary friend that is hugely popular. Michael is still an imaginary friend to many different children and is "in between" jobs when one day he notices a girl who looks alarmingly familiar. He begins to follow her when he realizes it's Jane.

Basically, you should be able to figure out the rest just from that. It's a pretty predictable book with a few curve balls thrown in. For instance, why can Jane see Michael again? What is he supposed to help her through? Is she dieing? Does she have some kind of brain tumor? No, he's really there and other people see him, too.

The characters are well written and the description is just enough that I don't feel like it's too verbose.

I would definitely recommend this book if you like love stories and books about "fate". I enjoyed it and thought it was a sweet book.

Half Marathon Training Guides

2009-07-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

Here are a few training guides that I'll probably be basing my workouts on:

http://www.halhigdon.com/halfmarathon/index.htm

I really enjoy this one and Steve actually used this as his training in preparation for the White Rock Marathon's Relay last December.

http://www.jeffgalloway.com/training/half_marathon.html

http://www.runnersworld.com/article/0,7120,s6-238-244-258-6851-0,00.html

This one looks a little complicated. Lots of speed work and things that I'm not exactly interested in. I know it's going to take speed work to improve my time, but honestly, the only thing I'm really concerned about is finishing the 1/2 without having to walk and do it safely. Plus, I'm just not a fast runner. I have a feeling the fastest I'll ever get is about a 9.30 but even then I don't think I'd be running a 1/2 that fast.

I think the hardest thing for me is the "rest" days. I HATE resting. I feel like I need to work out in some way, shape, or form 5-6 days a week. So the in between days are probably going to be the hardest for me.

Today is my "rest" day. We kind of started on the wrong day for all of this training (a Sunday). Oh well, somehow I'll get on track.

Steve thinks we should do the intermediate 5k training to start out since we've both not been consistent with our runs. Though, I feel a little held back, it's probably best that we do take it slow in order to avoid burn out and injuries. We really should invest in a good watch to help us keep track of mileage/time/etc because of the drills. It's also going to be hard to do all this speed work when we don't know the distance. We may have to go to a school track to get that done.

Here's the 5k intermediate, as well as links to the beginners and advanced schedules:

http://www.halhigdon.com/5K%20Training/5-Kinter.htm

Honestly, I'm glad I'm taking a rest day. My legs were shot yesterday after running so much on Sunday and then busting major a$$ on the elliptical. I had every intention to take Anna on a walk, but since it rained most of the day it just didn't happen. I did do crunches, though (no push ups..I got lazy). I ended up taking a steamy hot bath around 8:30 to try to relieve my tight, achy legs. And also, my shoulders were so tense that Steve had to give me a massage. I have no idea why they were so tense, but it seriously hurts (even now, though not as much as yesterday) to lift my arms above my head.

Today Steve and I will take Anna on a 2 mile walk. It's our "rest" day, but we're still going to do that. Plus, we'll go to the gym and lift some weights. I'll probably just do our set of bicep curls and shoulder presses circuit that we got off of Men's Health. We were going to get up at 5:30 to do it, but the thought of getting up early 2 days in a row didn't appeal to me this morningh!

Another Log-Day 2

2009-07-27T08:43:00.000-07:00

So I was supposed to get up this morning at 5:30 to go to the gym. Around 4:00 I heard a really yippee dog outside barking and every time I'd be *this close* to falling back asleep, he'd start up again. So when Steve's alarm went off at 5:30 I was NOT in the mood to get out of bed. He got up anyway and I finally felt guilty and dragged myself out of bed at 5:50. I threw on my workout clothes and my contacts and was on the eliptical machine by 5:59. I'm actually really proud of myself for just getting up and not being lazy this morning (when all I really wanted was to stay in bed under the covers). I did the eliptical for 30 minutes. I went about 3.5 miles and I'm not sure how many calories I burned.

For breakfast I had a piece of whole wheat, high fiber bread toasted with about 1 1/2 tablespoons of peanut butter and a yogurt with strawberries, blueberries and flaxseed granola.

Surprisingly (for a Monday), I'm in an awesome mood. Could it quite possibly be that I wasn't a lazy bum this morning and got the blood flowing?? Probably. We'll see what kind of mood I'm in by 5:30 when I'm battling rush hour traffic on Gaston and Garland Road...if I'm cool, calm, and collected I'll know that my mood is directly related to how active I am (or also how many crazy, stupid drivers are out on the roads). :)

Lunch is a smart ones. Some shrimp thing I threw in my lunch bag. It looks yummy...I also have watermelon and grapes and I'll probably have a yogurt to go with it at some point.

This evening if it's not too rainy and muddy, I'd like to take Anna on a 2 mile walk. I also need to do my pushups. I've been putting those off for about a week and a half and then some ab work. Luckily, Steve has agreed to train with me and run this 1/2 marathon with me. I don't think I'd be able to do it if I didn't have a partner to run with or someone to keep me motivated.

For dinner it's baked chicken, rice (or potatoes...I'm in the mood for starchy stuff), and probably broccoli with cheese (those Steamer bags are AWESOME). More watermelon and sugar free jello for dessert/snacks.

So that's it for today. Yay for a solid day 2. I know once I get passed the first week, it will be such a routine that it will be hard to talk myself out of it. The first week is always the hardest.

This Time I'm Serious!

2009-07-27T08:35:00.000-07:00

Alright...so I was doing really well around April or so and running about 4-6 miles every other day and then I got lazy. So I've put my healthy cap back on and I'm going for it! In December, White Rock holds it's Marathon. I'm determined to be participating in the half marathon in 4 short months.

I'm going to be logging in and trying to update whenever I can to keep myself accountable.

So Sunday was my official start to training. On my first day back in the game, I ran 4.2 miles in a little over 43 minutes. This was done on the treadmill. Zero incline. Started walking at 3.5 for 2 minutes, then began running at a 5.7 (10 minute 30 second) pace. I did that for about 10 minutes. I was listening to old school Madonna, so with each new song, I'd go up a point. So I went from 5.7-6.0 and then back down to 5.7. My last minute of running I sped up to 6.5. I also did a 5 minute cool down.

I probably ran too far my first day back in the saddle...but I also wanted to test myself to make sure I hadn't lost too much of what I had built up.

I'm also trying to eat more healthy foods. Yesterday we cut up a watermelon and had that for snacks and dessert last night. I baked some talipia and had rice, green beans, and a small salad with a tiny amount of Italian dressing.

Invisible

2009-06-05T10:04:00.000-07:00

Do you ever feel invisible? Like no one sees you and no one cares?

It's been a rough week for me. I finally got a job interview. Finally. I was so excited. I had a great interview with the fine arts director...but the interview with the principal just didn't go my way. Naturally, I haven't heard anything back from the ISD and I doubt I will since they were "wanting to fill the position ASAP" and I "should hear something back within the next few days". That was Monday. Today is Friday. Not a word. I guess I didn't get the job. A nice follow up would have been appreciated so that all week I wouldn't be sitting here, losing sleep, and my stomach wouldn't be in knots 24 hours a day.

On top of that, with each passing month here at work, I feel more and more invisible and unappreciated. My job is not brain surgery-I get that. I understand that I'm the lowest man on the totem pole. I get that, too. But when I say "Good morning" to you and you don't respond-how do you think that makes me feel? Or when you just walk into the office in the morning and I wait for you to say "Good morning" to me, but then you don't and you walk right past me? How do you think that makes me feel? Or when the entire support staff goes to lunch (which, by the way, I'm part of the "support staff") and I'm not even invited? How is that supposed to make me feel? No, I don't want you to bring me back something. No, I don't want your eyes giving me the "I'm sorry we didn't invite you" look. No, I don't want you to talk to me and ask me if I'm ok. Because if you do-I'm probably going to break down into tears and say, "No. I'm not Ok. I sit here at this desk all freakin' day. I can't get up and walk around. I can't go to the bathroom without calling someone to cover me. No one invites me to lunch. No one even THINKS to invite me to lunch. You don't ever care to include me. No one even bothers to tell me when people of importance are coming to the building or that our managing director is out traveling for days at a time. No one EVER thinks about me and how that might make me feel! No one says, 'gosh, Mariah, your job really sucks. Maybe today I'll leave at 5:30 and you can leave at 5:00-just to give you a break from always being the last to leave'". I'm so sick of it.

On top of that feeling, it makes it extremely difficult for me to be motivated to do my work. So here I sit, unmotivated, frustrated, ready to walk out and never step foot in here again. If there was a way for us to survive on just one income, I'd do it in a heartbeat. But since that's not possible, I guess I just have to suck it up and deal with it and hope that I get a phone call from a school district for an interview...and then hopefully another phone call for a job offer. I just don't know how much more of this I can take without having a complete breakdown.

You're Welcome

2009-05-27T10:26:00.000-07:00

The best picture ever.

I shouldn't need to explain that this is Robert Pattinson, shooting a scene for New Moon in Italy.

Mandy's Show- Crazy For You

2009-05-13T07:18:00.000-07:00

Here are some pictures from Mandy's show on Saturday! I'm so glad I got to see it and spend some time with Shanda, Carie, and James! It was a great musical!

Clearly, I was totally excited. I don't think my smile could have gotten any bigger.

Shanda, me, Mandy, and Carie!

My Dad-The Fisherman

2009-05-12T14:47:00.000-07:00

So my dad finally took a few days off from work last week to go Red Striper fishing on Lake Texoma. He never takes off work. Never. These guys have been trying to get him to go on a guided fishing trip for years, so he finally went. I'm so glad he had a good time and that they were so successful. Supposedly they caught somewhere around 115 fish those 2 days. I would have loved to have seen my dad reeling in these beauties! They look delicious!

He's the one on the right. I think he said that fish weighed around 8 pounds. Isn't it huge?? (that's what she said!)

Review: Frenemies by Megan Crane

2009-05-12T06:35:00.001-07:00

I ordered this book when Barnes and Noble was having a fantastic sale. It started out as a fun read by the pool one day, and then I didn't touch it for a month. Until yesterday when I needed something to pass my time at lunch...and then I couldn't put it down. I finished it last night.

In Frenemies, Megan introduces us to Augustus "Gus", who is 29 and just found her boyfriend Nate that she's been dating for 4 months is cheating on her with her "friend" Helen. If anyone could imagine how hurtful that would be, you wouldn't be surprised that 2 weeks later she's singing "Piece of my Heart" by Janis Joplin at a Karaoke party at the top of her lungs, right in both of their faces.

The whole story is based around her and her friends who all have some kind of issue with men or for one character how her two friends bring too much drama into her life. Gus's friend Georgia only likes jerks who break her heart and leave her sobbing in her bed, while her Gus and April Lee console her. April Lee is married and is always exasperated at her friend's shenanigans. There's Nate, who cheated on Gus, but of course sends mixed signals to her to make her think he's still interested (which, naturally, gives Gus hope-so she's constantly pining away for him throughout the book). Helen, of course, is the epitome of "that girl". The one who flirts with everyone, has guys waiting on her hand and foot, the one we all hate. Henry is Nate's roommate...or rather, Henry is letting Nate live in his to-die-for brownstone. Gus hates him and thinks he is the devil.

Gus is determined to make Nate see the mistake he made by hooking up with Helen, but in the process becomes hounded by Nate's roommate, Henry. Henry is that guy who you look at from far away and think he's gorgeous but completely vain and only interested in girls with perfect bodies and no brains. I'll leave you to determine what could possibly transpire between Gus and Henry. It was pretty obvious from the beginning! :) Gus also deals with Helen who constantly tries to track her down, seeks her out at parties, shows up at Gus's apartment unexpectedly, and answers Nate's phone with Gus tries to talk to him. Can we say, "crazy"?

Basically, this book was drama after drama. I found myself laughing at the horrible luck Gus was having and at all of the situations she put herself in. At the same time, I sided with her when she would be upset at Helen. Don't we all know those girls who never admit when they have done something wrong?? I could totally relate.

After finishing the book, I read the Author's notes and found out that Megan was inspired by the movie, Mean Girls, when she wrote this book. Once I read that, I could totally see how they related to one another. I recommend this book to anyone. I really enjoyed it and it was a very easy read!

Review: We Were the Mulvaneys by Joyce Carol Oates

2009-05-11T09:02:00.001-07:00

I'd like to start out by saying that as usual, I try to read my books during my lunch break. Generally, every time I try this, I just don't get into the book as much. I don't know why this happens, I just can't seem to concentrate half the time. It could possibly be because this is a more serious book and other books are more "easy reading", who knows? So this review may be this way because I couldn't concentrate.

I thought the book was very well written, but I just never really, "got into it". It took all I had to finish it and I often found myself skimming pages and just trying to get through the book.

The book is about the Mulvaney family. They live in New York and they live on a farm. The man of the house is Michael Mulvaney. He owns a roofing company and is a member of the Country Club. There is Corinne, a mother of 4, who loves antiques and even owns a store but can't seem to part with them because she loves and forms bonds with every single piece of delapitated furniture she buys. There is Michael "Mule" Mulvaney, Jr. who has already graduated high school and is living at home. There is Patrick "Pinch" Mulvaney who is the valedictorian, very smart and very serious. Then there is Marianne "Muffin" Mulvaney. She is very popular and very Christian, very giving and always puts others first instead of herself. Lastly, there is Judd "Ranger" Mulvaney. He is the youngest and is often the narrator of the book. Everything you see if mostly through the eyes of a child who views everyone as their hero and looks up to his brothers and sister.

A tragic thing happens to Marianne and tears the family apart. The whole book centers around about a 10-15 year span and all that happens after the incident between the family members. I really thought it was a realistic portrail of the inside of a family. No one knows how a family gets through a trying time, no one knows why some families break apart, except for the family members.

It was a long book and very tedious to read for me. Like I said, I just couldn't get into it. There were times when it was easier to read and easier to get into and then after a chapter or two, I would lose interest. But I'm glad Joyce decided to keep going with the story. There were many points that the book could have just ended and left you wondering if the family ever picked up the pieces and moved on or reunited...but Joyce continued writing to let you have a sort of "happy ending".

All in all, I'd recommend this book to people who have time to dedicate to it. It was extremely well written.

Finally, an Update!

2009-05-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

So, this weekend was a really great weekend. Barring the fact that I spent entirely too much money....it was fantastic.

My niece, Rachel, turned 8 years old on Thursday. I can't believe that 8 years ago, I was standing outside of a hospital room door, my ear pressed against it, straining to hear whether I would have a niece or a nephew. I remember that my Dad and I were the only ones who thought it would be a girl. Everyone else thought my sister and Kurtis would have a boy. I remember hearing my sister say "It's a girl!" and as I heard that I almost let out a scream of delight and turned and half ran, half skipped down the hallway to tell my family and Kurtis' family that we had a new baby girl in the family! I remember Kurtis coming out of the room, holding her, tears in his eyes and running down his face. It was such a beautiful day. My niece is 2 years away from being 10.

So for her birthday my sister planned a surprise trip for her, Avery, my parents and I to meet up at The American Girl Store and Bistro at the Galleria. Oh. My. Gosh. The American Girl Store is so amazing! I told my parents they should count their lucky stars that this wasn't around when I was Rachel's age. It was so cool..and yet, completely ridiculous! A hair styling salon for dolls?? Really??
So, Rachel picked out a doll (she chose Elizabeth, by the way-I suggested her- 5 Cool Points for Aunt Ra-Ra!!!!), she got a night gown for Elizabeth, and a bag to carry her in. We ate at the Bistro and we got a cool cake to eat. Avery and Rachel even got to put their dolls in tiny chairs that attached to the table so their dolls could "eat" with us :) It was really cute and Rachel had a blast.

Afterwards, we went to Claire's and got her ears pierced!!!! Yet another moment that made me all wishy-washy and I got teary-eyed as she sat in the chair waiting to get her Emerald studs put in her ears. She is such a big girl now! She didn't even cry when she got them done! When the first earring went in, her eyes got really wide and her face got all red, but she didn't shed a single tear. I was so proud! And to celebrate her new earrings, I bought her 3 more pairs for when she can take out her studs! It was so much fun!

I got to hang out with my mom after all of that. We tried to shop at Macy's...but we just couldn't get into it. Maybe it was just because we were at the Galleria...or maybe we were just tired. I don't know. It was fun getting to be with her though.

That night I went to Denton and saw the Denton Musical Theatre production of "Crazy For You!" My wonderful friend, Mandy, was Irene in it. She was absolutely fabulous! She looked gorgeous and I loved hearing her sing. She really rocked and owned her roll. I feel so lucky to have been able to have seen the show! There was just so much talent on the stage! All of the musicians were fantastic, the dancing was great, and the comedy was superb. I was so impressed with everything!

Sunday, as everyone knows, was Mother's Day. Steve let me sleep in and made me blueberry muffins. I asked him what he was going to do when we have real kids, as opposed to just Anna. :) That afternoon we went over to his parent's house and we had lunch with them and gave his mom her present. Steve made a handmade card, that was really impressive and took a lot of time and thought and we got her a few gifts that I think she really appreciated. I was happy to be able to do something for her, and I had a great time with them while we were there. Then we went over and spent a little time with my parents. My mom and I went to Lowes and I got a Hibiscus tree to go in a planter that she had. I am "borrowing" it from her. It's out by my front door right now. We'll see if it gets enough sun light...but the hibiscus is lovely and our front door area looks so pretty now with the tree there. I had a good time with my mom and I think she had a great Mother's Day. I got her wind chimes at this cute little boutique by our apartment, that sound so pretty. I hope they last a long time!

So that's our weekend...I guess I could update by saying I'm still looking for a teaching job. I'm hoping something comes my way. I keep hearing about these "hiring freezes" at different districts, but I haven't seen anything on websites to confirm those rumors. I don't know...I just want a job.

We're slowly starting to look at houses. I don't want to get too serious about it until I know whether or not I'll be teaching, but it's nice to know that we're really close to being able to afford a home.

One of Those Days...

2009-03-23T14:04:00.001-07:00

Do you ever have one of those days where you wish you could just skip it? I think I may actually be having one of those weeks. :) I must be honest and say that this time change has truly sucked the life out of me. I can't seem to get on track and my energy level has truly plummited. I'm not sure why. I'm supposed to go on a 4 mile run this evening with Steve and Anna and I don't know how I'm going to do it. Somehow I've got to find the energy. I've been doing so well on my work outs, that I don't want to do anything to sabatoge it and I know if I don't run today, I'll make up another excuse to not go workout tomorrow.

On top of that, I have a million things to do regarding trying to interview for teaching positions...but I'm a little overwhelmed and don't know where to start. I need to make some phone calls though, that's for sure.

So...if any of you know of any music teaching positions open, let me know! I'm on the lookout and I'll take just about anything. :) I miss music so much, it hurts.

Happy 6 Month Anniversary!

2009-03-20T08:47:00.000-07:00

Happy Anniversary to my husband! We have been married for 6 months. I can't believe how fast the time went by. Half a year! Wow.

All in all, it's been a great half a year. We've moved into a bigger apartment, we've gotten a new TV, we've gotten a new car. We're just really feeling all grown up and it's a cool feeling. We got through a difficult time when Steve wasn't working. I think we really worked together as a team to make everything happen and I'm proud of us.

I can't wait to see what the rest of the year will bring for us.

I love you, Steven. You're amazing and you make me so extremely happy. Thanks for being a wonderful husband and my rock. I'm so blessed to have you.

Review: The Queen of Subleties by Suzannah Dunn

2009-03-20T07:23:00.000-07:00

Wow, look at me! Reviewing 2 books in one week! I feel so cool!

After reading Flirting With Forty, I decided to change it up a little and go for Historical Fiction. I have always been really into Henry VIII and his crazy life. But more importantly, I have always found the life of Anne Boleyn and Elizabeth fascinating. So I knew this book was going to be awesome!

Let me just say, I loved reading about Anne. I feel like Suzannah really read her history and got her attitude and personality right down to a T. Anne is charming, conceited, angry, and ambitious. She's also hilarious and has a great sense of sarcasm, which I loved.

Basically, Anne is writing or thinking about her daughter, Elizabeth, while she is up in the tower waiting to be put to death. She recounts her life and the hardships she went through to finally become Queen. I sympathised with her. I didn't realize that Anne waited MANY years for Henry to finally be free of Catherine (his first wife and mother to his daughter, Mary). Usually, in movies, you assume that their courtship happened over the span of maybe a year or two..but in fact it went on for much longer than that. She also suffered 2 miscarriages, the final being the nail in her coffin, I'm sure. At that time, Henry was already courting Jane Seymour and in the process of figuring out how to get rid of Anne. Of course, Anne never really sees that coming.

The one thing that I didn't like about the book was probably the fact that it went from the narrative voice of Anne Boleyn to the narrative voice of Lucy Cornwallis (the King's confectioner). As Anne is reminiscing about her courtship and marriage to Henry, you are then brought into the more recent "present" of Lucy's life. Each of her chapters is a new season. There is one major common factor between the two, though. That person is Mark Smeaton, one of Anne's favorite musician and someone Lucy inevitably falls in love with.

If anyone knows about this history, then you know why Mark Smeaton is important to the story. I don't know why I didn't enjoy reading about Lucy. Maybe I was just more in tune with Anne's mind and Lucy wasn't as interesting. I don't know. I do think it was an interesting way to write the book though- Different, so that why I appreciated it.

All in all, I'd say it was a good book and a nice read. Suzannah really did her homework and I really enjoyed reading The Queen of Subtleties. It makes me want to go out and buy all books that have to do with Henry the VIII and his many wives.

Review: Flirting With Forty by Jane Porter

2009-03-18T06:56:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally finished another book. It took me long enough, right?

Flirting With Forty was probably the best escapism book that I needed. I couldn't put it down. I think it was great.

We meet Jackie who is a forty year old divorcee of a year. She has two children, William and Jessica. Jackie is an interior designer and is trying to find the balance between juggling work, children, and life, but isn't succeeding very well.

We start around Christmastime. She takes her children to get a Christmas tree. This is the first year she's had to get the tree into the house by herself and it's a big struggle. This is where you see her putting on a happy face for her kids, but she's so confused and scared on the inside.

One of her best friends, Anne, decides that she and Jackie need a girls vacation. So she books a trip to Hawaii, but has to cancel last minute because her husband is "sick" (read: doesn't want to take care of their kids by himself) and so Jackie goes on the vacation alone.

I loved Jane Porter's writing about the inner struggle Jackie has with herself. She knows she deserves to be happy, but she doesn't know how to make that happen and she's so lost as it is. After being married for 11 years and being with one man for 15 years, she doesn't know how to become a single woman who does stuff for herself.

Of course, what would Hawaii be without hot, younger surf instructors, right? Jackie meets Kai and he sounds like a dream boat the way Jane describes him...but I could do without the "bulldog tattoo" that's between his navel and the band on his board shorts. That just doesn't do anything for me, Jane. Sorry.

So for the rest of the book you watch as Jackie tries to juggle her kids, her job, her friends (who don't approve of Kai), and going to Hawaii.

Lots of crazy things happen and you truly just want Jackie to be happy. The whole time I just wanted Jackie to not care what her friends had to say and do what makes her happy. I also wanted Jackie to tell her ex-husband to mind his own business and quite being a hypocrite.

Of course, the book has a happy ending. It's a great, feel-good book and I really enjoyed Jane's style of writing and explaining the crazy way a female mind works.

*I had to edit to say:
I was very disappointed in the lack of sexy talk in this book. Very disappointed. Jane Porter, if you're going to describe a sexy hunk of a man, at least give me some sexy talk so I have something to imagine, ok? :)

Also, the Lifetime movie, doesn't really follow the book that well at all. But they never do...so oh well. It was still a cute movie and the book was still great.

Proximade Award

2009-03-12T06:56:00.001-07:00

Over at TexasRedBooks, I got awarded this cool award! How cool is that? Thanks for starting my day off so nicely! :)
Here's what it's all about:
"This blog invests and believes in the PROXIMITY-nearness in space, time and relationships. These blogs are exceedingly charming. These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends. They are not interested in prizes or self-aggrandizement!

Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated. Please give more attention to these writers!

Deliver this award to eight bloggers who must choose eight more and include this clever-written text into the body of their award."

Here are the people I want to nominate:

1. UNT over at Music and Baseball
2. Christina over at Christina and Mark
3. Courtney over at CityLove
4. Rachel at The Newlywed Naslunds
5. Jessica at Notes on Our Life

Have a great day guys!

Let's Try This Again...

2009-03-10T12:20:00.001-07:00

After doing some serious thinking, I've decided to shelve my Obama love for a bit and read something that is more uplifting. Not that The Audacity of Hope isn't uplifting...it's just I need some escapism from all of this economical and political turmoil.

I think I'm about to sink my eyes and teeth into, Flirting With Forty. Yes, I've seen the Lifetime movie with Heather Locklear and Hottie-McHotterson (can't think of his name-Robert Buckley, perhaps?) Hottie-McHotterson describes him better, though...so I imagine the book will be enticing as well. I am hoping the sexy talk will be more fulfilling than the sexy talk a-la Twilight, Stephanie Meyers (Don't disappoint me, Jane Porter!!!).

So hopefully tonight, though probably not (Biggest Loser is on and I'm addicted) I should start on my escapism book.

Holy Cow, it's been a while!

2009-03-09T13:33:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been over a month since I updated this thing! Looks like I've got some explaining to do!

Honestly, I just haven't felt like I have all that much to say. I'm in a book slump. I'm about 1/2 way through Obama's book, but I really need to dedicate the evenings to reading because this reading-a-serious-book-at-lunch thing isn't working.

So, I got a new car! Yay!! It's a 2008 black Honda Civic! It's my dream car! Ok, maybe not my "dream" car, but it's the car I've wanted since before I was 16. :) My Mother in Law says I should name it...and I've been fiddling with a few names in my head. I believe it's name just might be "Black Beauty" ha! So, I think I'm sticking with that. Though, I did notice yesterday that I have a slight ding in one of the doors...THANK YOU to whomever felt the need to hit my car with their car door! I hope Karma comes and bites you in the a$$ because I certainly don't know why you couldn't have been more careful! Yes, I'm a little upset-but I knew I would be the second I noticed any scratch or dent. But guys, I haven't even had the car a month yet and I've already got some jerk messing up my car! At least it's not too obvious. I've also entered the adult world by finding and getting my own car insurance (and renters insurance). I feel so grown up! :)

On another note, I'm totally kicking butt and taking names on my work out program, if you can even call it a "program". Yesterday, the hubby and I went on a distance run of 5 miles. Mid day. Hot, blazing sun. 80+ degree weather. Yeah. It was hard. But we made it and we have the sun burns and sore legs to prove it! I'm determined to add about 1/2 mile to a mile every other week. So, I'm losing weight-don't know how much. And I'm almost back into my "skinny" jeans, so that's a plus! I can do 30 man pushups! Hells yeah! We're also trying to get up early to go to our apartment's fitness center...though that hasn't happened in about a week. Which leads to me to:

My allergies. Good Lord, are they bad right now. My Zyrtec has completely stopped working on me. I'm stopped up all day and at night. When I tried to go bed last night (and pretty much every single night for 3 weeks), my nose closes up, my ears close up, and whenever I swallow my throat closes up for a few seconds. That's not normal, so I set up an appointment with an allergy specialist. Thing is, I can't get in until the first full week of April. Yeah, not cool. Don't know if I'll be able to make it. So I'm hoping that I qualify for allergy shots. If so, I'm also hoping my insurance covers it. I'm just sick of not being able to breathe and I'm sick of losing precious sleep at night because of these allergies.

As for other things, life is good. School job fairs start up in a few weeks. I'm counting down the days. And I'm very nervous. I sincerely hope I can find a job this year. I don't care where it takes me. I'll go just about anywhere to teach music. So cross your fingers for me on that. I need all the luck and help I can get.

Everything in the home life is good. My husband and I have a great relationship. It's just great that we both can say to each other on a daily basis how lucky we are to have one another. I guess you could say we're still in the honeymoon phase :) It's a nice feeling that I hope doesn't go away.

My Obama Crush

2009-01-27T12:13:00.000-08:00

This is going to be a rambler...try to keep up...I hope it's entertaining.

Ok, so now I think I can relate to my mom...in a way that may be weird to you. While she has her undying love for Bill and Hillary Clinton, I, too, have a love for Barack and Michelle Obama.

It all began a few years ago. It wasn't an instant kind of crush-more of a creeping one that hits you all of a sudden. The kind of crush where you feel blindsided, but in all honesty, you kind of saw it coming.

I first heard and saw President Obama on the Oprah Winfrey show a few years ago. She introduced him as the next President (boy, was she some kind of psychic or what?). I wasn't so sure, though. Yes, I thought it would be a pleasant change from W, but I didn't see him as the next president and in all honesty, I hate celebrity endorsements. I especially had problems with Oprah endorsing him. Here were my reasons: After working at Bath and Body Works when the famed Pumpkin Face mask came out and was on her "favorite things" episode...when it was completely sold out for months on end because Oprah said it was AMAZING. She's right, by the way, it IS amazing....It just frustrated me because I'm sure if it had NOT been on her favorite things episode that it probably wouldn't have been sold out all those months and BBW would still be rolling in the dough, even though Queen Oprah hadn't mentioned it. I just hate how once she says something is GREAT and "you've got to have it", that everyone jumps on the bandwagon and follows her like minions. Though, who am I to kid, if I had been on her show where she gave everyone in the audience a car, I would have peed my pants and she would be my new best friend.

I guess, I'm just one of those people who likes to make up their mind for themselves. When I saw him, I watched him speak with Oprah and I was impressed by his demeanor, his eloquence, and his appeal. The way he was so relaxed and seemed at ease. The way he didn't seem to be like most politicians you hear about and didn't seem like he had 80 bazillion skeletons in his closet. He just seemed down to earth.

But I wasn't crushing on him. I honestly didn't really think about him much after that.

Then came the elections. OMG, was I all for Hillary Clinton. A woman in the White House as President?? No way! And a woman I have the utmost respect for?? Can't happen! And on top of that another Democrat in the running who is African American???? Holy crap, this cannot be happening in my life time! Wait. What? Who is that? Is that Barack Obama?? Is that the guy who was on Oprah? Oh geez...How do you choose??? Who cares about all those other guys running! Give me Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama, any day! But seriously. How do I choose?

I did, though. I loved Hillary. I thought she'd be a hard as nails commander in chief. I loved her ideas and I loved her sense of humor. And in all honesty, I loved that she was a woman who fought for what she wanted. She put up a fight and she held her head high. But then she lost in the primaries. I was really sad for her...I was just so sure her time had come. BUT, let me say this, that if I had the option of choosing who would beat her, I would have picked Obama in a heart beat. So after my broken heart healed for Hillary, I immediately backed the Democratic Nom. Senator Barack Obama.

As the elections became nastier and nastier, I crossed my fingers that Barack would hold true to the calm demeanor he had shown thus far. What amazed me, was that he did. He was youthful, hip, fist bumps his wife, and while the negative ad campaigns ran rampant, his were actually quite tame in comparison to many of McCain's. While he was being called a terrorist by many McCain supporters, while Palin continued her crazy speeches about how Obama would be bringing terrorists into the White House, Obama stayed cool. So calm under pressure. The debates between Obama and McCain were absolutely amazing. It was almost comical to watch McCain get worked up, call Obama "that guy", and yet there sits Obama with this look on his face like, "Can we really move on from this?". I think that's when I began to have a crush on Obama. The fact that despite the low blows coming from the Republicans, he put on a smile on his face and took the high road.

I think he was the type of politician I've been waiting for. All of this name calling, digging around into the past, getting into the personal lives of our political elite, was getting quite old. I've thought countless times, why can't we just talk about things without it turning into this name calling, pointing fingers, low balling that has become our political system?

Then I finally happened upon his book, The Audacity of Hope. The title alone, says it all. I bought the book this weekend. I'm only one chapter in and just starting on my next, but what I can tell so far is that this man is smart. He's so level headed, it's almost scary. He has written this book and I can hear his voice as I read and I so wish I could spend just 5 minutes in his company and hear more of his views on how to make America what it used to be. It's like you want to throw away the title "Democrat" or "Republican". Can't we just sit down and talk about these matters in civil tones without losing our cool? Can't we sit down and somehow work out a way to see eye to eye or work out a compromise without the right wing or the left wing getting in the way?

And here comes my favorite, as of right now, quote from his book:
Here he is talking about average, every day Americans and their problems and what they are waiting for....
Page 51:
"I imagine they are waiting for a politics with a maturity to balance idealism and realism, to distinguish between what can and cannot be compromised, to admit the possibility that the other side might sometimes have a point. They don't always understand the arguments between right and left, conservative and liberal, but they recognize the difference between dogma and common sense, responsibility and irresponsibility, between those things that last and those that are fleeting.

They are out there waiting for Republicans and Democrats to catch up with them".

And with that last paragraph of his first chapter, I almost yelled out a, "Yes!! That is exactly what I'm waiting for! Oh my gosh, if it were that easy!" It was with that single paragraph where I fell in love. It was my "Ah ha!" moment and the very moment where I truly wanted to run to Obama and give him a big hug and say, "Thank you, thank you, THANK YOU for running for President! Thank you for being so level headed and thank you for your book. You are, for lack of better terms, a genius".

I know I still have a lot left to go in the book...but I will say this, I can hardly wait to have time to read it this evening. I know this is a silly blog and it may anger some people out there and some of you may think I'm an idiot and not know what I'm talking about...and you know, maybe I don't and maybe I don't fully understand politics...but I have a crush and sometimes you gotta send out your love. :)

So, Mr. President, I want to thank you for your contribution to the world thus far and like I've said before, I look forward to seeing what you can do for our country. I know it will probably be an uphill battle for you, but I believe in you, as do so many Americans. I'll be praying for you, your family, and this country.

Hail to the Chief!

2009-01-20T09:54:00.000-08:00

So today Barack Obama was sworn in as President. Unfortunately, I couldn't view the inauguration because for some reason the streaming video kept going out on me (very frustrating). I was near tears out of frustration because it's so unfair that now I have to go home and watch this after the fact. I realize it's not that big of a deal...but there is something about watching a historical moment LIVE. I'll get over it.

I just have to say that I'm so proud. I am so excited about seeing what he can do for our country and the change he'll bring. I wish him and his family luck and will be praying for them.

Premio Dardos Award

2009-01-16T08:04:00.003-08:00

So, I feel really honored that TexasRed at would even think of my blog to give this award to....

This award acknowledges the values that ever blogger shows in his/her effort to transmit cultural, ethical, literary and personal values every day.

I have never viewed my blog as anything other than just a fun thing to do. So it was really nice that someone enjoys my blog. I figured people just think I'm a scatterbrained girl. LOL So thank you :) Like I said, I feel really honored that anyone would even think of my blog.

Anyway, so now I get to pass this baby on to some other blogs I think carry these same values...

Here are the rules for this award. I must:
1) Accept the award, post it on my blog together with the name of the person that has granted the award and his/her blog link; and
2) Pass the award to another 15 blogs that are worthy of this acknowledgment. Remember to contact each of them to let them know they have been chosen for this award.

I don't have 15 blogs...but I can think of a few...

My first one goes to Carie from Love, Life, and Everything in Between.
My second goes to Mandy at Music and Baseball.
Ok...so that's only 2, I know...but everyone else already has the award :(

Wow.

2009-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

5 days until Obama takes office. I can't say I'm not excited. I almost wish the stock market would close for this. I feel like it's such a historical moment, I don't want to miss it. Like I've said before, I don't expect him to be a miracle worker and I don't expect the road for him to be easy-but I truly believe he's going to give it everything he's got. I trust him and I believe in what he stands for. People may disagree or think he's not qualified enough-but really? Who exactly IS qualified enough to be President? I assume it's like any other new job you go into. And it's not like he makes every decision on his own anyway-he's got advisors for every little issue who give him advice.

I sincerely wish Barack Obama luck and I'm so excited to be able to witness such a historical moment that I can tell my children about. I'm eager to see what he can accomplish and I hope that people who don't support him will give him a chance to prove himself-after all, didn't we give Bush a second term so he could prove himself as well?

(By the way, I stole the picture from Pinkisthenewblog.com. It was too good to pass up) :)

General Update

2009-01-14T08:31:00.000-08:00

So, I realized I haven't updated in a while...

So far so good in the H-home. We actually moved into a two bedroom apartment around Christmas. And when I say "around Christmas" I mean, we started moving stuff on December 23rd. We got a really good deal on a flat in the same complex we were living and decided to break our lease early and move into it. It's got about 400 (at least) more sq. feet than our townhome did and my kitchen is about 3 times the size it used to be. We love it. The only problem is that we're on the 3rd floor and we can hear the people above us. They are NOT light footed, let me tell you. And they love to blast their music at 6:45 in the morning-which is kind of Ok considering we're already up (but it's still annoying). I'm enjoying this time in our life because it's nice not to have to worry about the upkeep of a house...but I still can't wait to have a house and not have to worry about hearing our neighbors stomping around.

Steve's enjoying his job, which is good. He's been working there since the week after Christmas. We have almost the same schedule, except he gets to be at work at 9and leave at 6:00 and I have to be at work at 8:00 but I leave at 5:30. Steve's really been a sweetie lately...He's such a great husband. He never ceases to amaze me. He's been amazing at moving the stuff into our new apartment and putting up pictures and curtains.

We got a new couch and we just bought a new flat screen TV to go in our living room. Our old one pretty much bit the dust on Sunday. I can't say I was sad to see it go. The only thing I was sad to see go was money that we'll be saying goodbye to each month as we pay the new TV off. But it won't take us long and hopefully, we won't have to buy a new TV for at least 5-6 years or longer.

I'm back on the weight loss/work out wagon! I've actually been doing really well and kept with the program since the weekend after NY's. I don't know how much weight I've lost, but I'm pretty sure it's a fair amount and I know I've lost inches because my clothes are finally either A)starting to fit like they should or B)starting to get slightly big. I work out in the evenings at our apartment's fitness room. It's not the greatest-but it will do for now. I've been going pretty much every day to at least do 30 minutes of cardio or up to 45 minutes of cardio plus weights. I've been trying to talk myself into going in the mornings-but the bed is just so warm and I like it...But my evenings pretty much suck because I come home from work, work out, cook, eat, and then I need to shower, and go to bed. If I worked out in the morning I'd have more time to enjoy myself in the evenings. Maybe when it gets a little warmer...

Anna is doing really well. I think she likes the extra space but we've been doing a lousy job of taking her on walks and runs during the week. We're fixing that tonight by going on a run when we get home. A nice long one-hopefully 5k. She'll love every second of it. She's such a cutie...

I guess that's the update. Just waiting until March and April when the job fairs start up for the school districts. We'll see what happens. I can't wait to teach.

Wine? Yes, please!

2009-01-09T14:29:00.000-08:00

You Are Chardonnay

Fresh, spirited, and classic - you have many facets to your personality.

You can be sweet and light. Or deep and complex.

You have a little bit of something to offer everyone... no wonder you're so popular.

Approachable and never smug, you are easy to get to know (and love!).

Deep down you are: Dependable and modest

Your partying style: Understated and polite

Your company is enjoyed best with: Cold or wild meat

What Kind of Wine Are You?

I got this lovely quiz from TexasRed. Thank you!!
Yumm! I LOVE me some Chardonnay. I also love all kinds of Red Wine. I'm not picky. As far as I'm considered, it's all good! :)

Though, I'm not gonna lie...I can be smug sometimes...Just ask my husband.
(don't know why the thing isn't working right...)

Second Chance by Jane Green

2009-01-09T13:24:00.000-08:00

I love girly novels. I love happy endings. I love England and I especially love when I read British novels and get to read some of the common language they use. It just cracks me up. At night time, when I would read it, I'd have a cup of tea and think of myself as so "British".... I'm a loser.

I really enjoyed Second Chance. It's a great book about self discovery. There are quite a few characters and I'll go into detail each one.

First, I'll introduce you to Tom. You never fully "meet" Tom because of a disaster at the beginning. But he brings all of our characters back together because of this disaster. He is friends with all of the characters I'll introduce you to. He is best friends with Holly....

Who is our main character. Holly is a mother of two children, in a marriage that is devoid of love, passion, and communication. She is married to Marcus, who is described MULTIPLE times as a "pompous arse"-which he is. She is unhappy, can't sleep, and does not know how to correct the loveless marriage she's in. She tries to get back in touch with Tom, but finds out about the disaster...Basically for the rest of the book, she really starts questioning her marriage and realizes how unhappy and unfullfilled she is.

Another character is Paul. Paul is married to Anna, who own's a website called "Fashionista". He is a down to earth man, as well as his wife, much to everyone's amazement. Paul and Anna are trying to have children, but are unsuccessful, even with dozens of IVF treatments.

Then there is Olivia. She is a pet rescue shop owner. She was in a relationship for 7 years with a man, unwilling to commit. He eventually moves to America-and, naturally, calls her up one day to tell her he's getting married. Fantastic. She doesn't fix herself up much, until her friend Tom hooks her up with a business acquantience named Fred. After emailing back and forth for months, they meet and eventually Olivia finds out she's pregnant.

Saffron. She's an actress, trying to make it big. She's come close to being the next big thing, but at approaching 40, her light is starting to fade. She's in AA and has been sober for quite some time. She is having an affair with a big time movie star, who's in a marriage only because of business. Once their affair is outed, she starts drinking again.

All four (or 5 if you count Tom) are childhood friends who have lost contact, except for with Tom. They all stay connected through him. After the disaster, the four of them get together before the memorial service and realize that time has taken no toll on their friendship. The foursome comes together again when their friend in need, Saffron, needs rescuing.

This is a great book. I highly recommend it. I feel like it defintely makes you think about decisions you've made or friendships you've lost contact with.

My only problem with the book was how often it changed narrative view points. It got a little dizzying (if that's even a word). Sometimes I'd have to go back a few sentences and go "Oh, wait, Holly's not narrating anymore-it's Maggie" or "Shoot, is this Olivia's viewpoint or Anna's?"

Past all that, it makes me hope I have friendships like that when I get a little older. People who still know the real me and don't judge me for it. It's a great book.

On a Happy Note!

2009-01-08T13:16:00.000-08:00

I just got my books this afternoon from Barnes and Noble. The beautiful and lovely Smash informed me of B&N's holiday sale and I decided to hit it up!

I got 9 books for $40! How cool is that?

I can't wait to start reading them. I have about 80 pages left in Second Chance, so I'll be reading them soon!

Teaser Tuesdays!

2009-01-06T11:49:00.001-08:00

Teaser Tuesdays: Grab your current read.Let the book fall open to a random page.Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!Please avoid spoilers!

"Before Marcus, Holly had loved expressing herself through her clothes. She had spent hours at Portobello looking for the perfect vintage dress, had always known exactly what was in and what was out that season, and even though she couldn't afford it, she could make do between Miss Selfridge, Warehouse, and the markets". Page 99 from Second Chance by Jane Green.

Favorite Literary Couples

2009-01-06T08:52:00.001-08:00

Ok, so Operawife and Smash have influenced me to want to do my list of favorite literary couples! It was challenging to come up with a list that was different than some of theirs, but I remembered quite a few characters.

Here are my five:

5) Emma Woodhouse and Mr. George Knightley from Emma by Jane Austen. This book was so good. It's been forever since I read it and I thought the movie was rather cute. I loved how Emma thought she was an amazing matchmaker and tried to make herself fall in love with Frank Churchill, because they make a stunning couple. She doesn't realize she loves Mr. Knightly until her dear friend Harriett confides in Emma that she loves him. Of course in the end, every one lives happily ever after....but it is such a lovely story.

4) Landon Carter and Jamie Sullivan from Nicholas Sparks' A Walk to Remember. This is such a good book. Gah, I loved it. Landon is this popular guy at school, gets into trouble and is forced to do a play for his school in order to avoid suspension. He gets to know Jamie, the Preacher's daughter. She tells him in the very beginning that he has to promise not to fall in love with her and he scoffs at the notion. They become really close, practicing the lines for their play and spending time together afterwards.Landon falls in love with her. Eventually, Jamie lets Landon know that she has cancer and he stays by her side. He even proposes to her and she accepts. The title comes from her walk down the aisle when she is still so very sick. Landon becomes a better man for being with Jamie and Jamie gets to live the remainder of her life to the fullest. It's such a beautiful story.

3) Romeo and Juliet. William Shakespeare. What more can I say? It's the romance that most girls swoon over. It's about a couple who can't be together because of their families hatred toward one another, but who try anyway. What a tragedy... Such a great piece of literature.

2) Noah Calhoun and Allie Hamilton from The Notebook. Swoon!! I read this book from cover to cover at least 3 times. It's amazing. I still cry everytime I read it. The story is about older Noah reading their love story to Allie, who's memory is slipping and hardly remembers anything anymore. He reads the story every day in hopes that her memory will return and he'll have a few moments with his beloved Allie again. They met during the summer when they were both 17. Her family does not approve of her relationship with Noah (because they come from money and Noah is poor). She doesn't hear from him for years and eventually gets engaged to a wealthy soldier. It is then that she sees a picture in the paper of Noah standing next to a 200 year old plantation home that he had promised her he would rebuild and repair years ago. She goes to him and of course, they fall back in love. She has to choose between her fiance or Noah and we all know who she picks. It's an amazing book. The movie was good-but I much prefer the book.

1) Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. Seriously, the best couple. I love how she thinks less of him because he's got money and how he think her family is a little too crazy (especially the mother). The book is about Elizabeth and her sisters and their overbearing mother who is desperately trying to set them up with men. Elizabeth meets Mr. Darcy at Mr. Bingley's ball. Basically, the whole book Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy have conflicted feelings but finally Mr. Darcy tells her he loves her. She, on the other hand, is mad at Mr. Darcy for ruining her sister's chances with Mr. Bingley. I hate going on and on about it...But of course, finally Mr. Darcy makes things right and Mr. Bingley and Jane are reunited and Elizabeth finally realizes she loves Mr. Darcy and was too proud to see the man he really was. Great movie, too. Both the one with Collin Firth and the one with Kiera Knightly.

So that's it. Those are my couples. Makes me want to go watch Pride and Prejudice.

March by Geraldine Brooks

2009-01-05T06:07:00.000-08:00

I finally finished reading March. It took me a while to get through because I really wanted to concentrate and really take in the book.

March is a book from the perspective of Mr. March (the dad from the book Little Women). I LOVED Little Women, so I was excited to see what this book would bring me. It begins on a battlefield during the Civil War. Mr. March is already painted as a caring, giving person as soon as you begin reading. He tries to save a soldier who doesn't know how to swim, but in the end has to let go in order to save his own life. This immediately lets you know the kind of person he is. He feels guilty for having to let go and it haunts him.

In the book, you also get to see how Mr. March and Marmee meet. It's a really nice perspective to see. Throughout the book it cuts to his younger days back when he was a peddler and somewhat of a preacher. You also find out that, after marrying Marmee, they participate in the Underground Railroad.

Mr. March also is in love with a black servant of a plantation owner. The servant makes several apperances in the book and she is really an amazing woman. One of March's recollections about his past, when he first met her (Grace), is staying at the Plantation and secretly teaching one of the slaves daughters to read. This is against the law and Grace is caught and beat in front of Mr. March. Just like the soldier's death he takes so personally, this too he considers to be his fault and never forgives himself.

Mr. March comes back in contact with Grace and is caught in a compromising situation by a fellow soldier. March is immediately reassigned in order to avoid scandal. This time he is sent to another plantation, where he is to teach the slaves. He is so excited, for he lives to teach. He stationed with a man who is a certified attorney, who is broke and making sure the crops get sowed. As with Grace, March becomes attached to many of the slaves and cares for them all. He enjoys teaching them. He also contracts a deadly fever that will probably haunt him for the rest of his life. It is one that comes back multiple times before the book is over. But the Confederate return to the plantation and try to find him (since he is teaching the slaves and therefore, obviously a N-word-I hate the word- "lover") . In order to try and get him to come out, they hurt his friend the attorney and kill a slave. But March hides.

After trying to get the slaves back from the Confederate soldiers, he again, collapses from the fever. He is taken to a boat taking patients to a hospital up North by a mute slave. This is where we see Grace again, for she is working with Surgeon Hale at Blank Hospital. Marmee gets word of his fever and where he is and is called to the hospital by the surgeon. You see a little bit of her perspective on Mr. March in these last chapters.

I won't give away what happens at the hospital, but I will say that seeing as both Marmee and Grace are at the hospital, March's secret past is bound to finally become known to Marmee.

If you know Little Women, you know that March eventually goes home to his wife and 4 daughters.

I thought it was a very good book. I enjoyed learing about Mr. March and what kind of a man he was. It is a bit of a detailed book, but I enjoyed it. If you like the Civil War era, and you liked Little Women, then I think you would enjoy March. It's more of a grown up book than Little Women, but still a good read.

My Reflections on 2008

2008-12-31T15:16:00.001-08:00

So this year was kind of a cool one. It had it's ups and downs, but for the most part-it was great.

It started off pretty bad because of my ex-best friend. I think about her a lot and wonder how I had looked past her rudeness for so long. I'm so glad I got that toxic relationship (among a few others) out of my life.

The good thing that came from it, was that Steve and I moved in together. While we moved into a tiny TINY townhome, it was fun finally being a real couple and seeing each other every day. Yeah, sometimes it's a struggle. And sometimes I miss having the bed all to myself. But I love him and I'm so lucky to have him :)

Steve and I got married in September, so that was awesome! I can't believe it's been over 3 months since we got married...the time really does fly when you're having fun. Our honeymoon was awesome and I can't wait to go back to California.

My Grandpa Horton passed away in November. That was sad. It made me realize I've lost 4 grandparents in the span of 6 years, which was hard to swallow. But I'm glad he's no longer suffering and I know he's with the Lord and with his wife, whom he loved so dearly.

I guess something I'm really proud of, is that America voted to have their first African American President this year! I'm so excited and I can't wait for January 20th. I'm so proud of Barack Obama and what he stands for. I don't expect him to be a miracle worker by any means, but I look forward to seeing what he can do for our country. It's just a really historical moment.

I'm also getting back into reading, which is really nice and relaxing.

As far as my goals for 2009....I really hope to get back on the getting in shape bandwagon. I've really put on too much weight and I would LOVE to fit back into my clothes better. So I'm immediately starting to watch what I eat. I'm also going to stop making excusing for not working out. I know it makes me feel better while I'm doing it and I know I feel amazing afterwards. I want to run a 1/2 marathon by the end of the year. I'm really looking forward to that. I know it's possible if I put my mind to it. I also hope to be teaching soon. My other goal is to get a new car. I think I'm driving mine into the ground. I hope with a new car, I'll learn to be less of an aggressive driver :) (doubtful, but here's hoping!). Other than that, I guess that's it.

Happy New Year, everyone! Be safe, have fun, and see you in 2009!!!

Are you Serious?!

2008-12-31T11:39:00.000-08:00

http://www.cnn.com/2008/POLITICS/12/31/inauguration.lawsuit/index.html

While I am by no means a devout Christian, I do not understand why people feel the need to take things like this to court. Nobody is pushing religion at you, get the crap over it and stop pushing your non-believing crap at me.

Review: Dry by Augusten Burroughs

2008-12-22T11:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I'm about to go to lunch, and then I'll edit this to show my full opinion on the book Dry, but I just to go ahead and post SOMETHING.

I could not put this book down at work. For 2 days I've read the 300 pages. It was so, so, so good! It makes me seriously reconsider how I felt about Running With Scissors. Maybe I should re-read it. Seriously.
Ok, so I'm going to go to lunch and then I can't wait to blog about Dry. I'll probably do a horrible job of telling just how good it is, but I'll give it a shot.

Ok...Now time for the REAL review...

Dry reminded me a lot of A Million Little Pieces by James Frey....though not entirely. Basically, Dry starts off years later, once Augusten has taken up a well paying job for an advertising company. Immediately, he sweeps you into his life of work-then booze. It seems, at least to me, to start off as just a get together with a friend at a bar...and then you realize he has a problem by the time he's on his 10th martini of the night.

You can tell from the very beginning why he's drinking. He had a traumatic childhood, his mother left him with a crazy doctor and his family, he was in a relationship with a pedophile when he was 13, and never really had a place to call "home". On top of that, he dropped out of elementary school, he has a job he doesn't like (but brings in the money), has a best friend (whom he loves-but tries to distance himself) who has HIV, and another friend who's his drinking buddy. Put all of that together, and you can imagine why he wants to drown everything with alcohol.

One would wonder how long a person could keep that kind of lifestyle up AND keep their job. Well...Augusten gets lucky and his co-workers decide to do an intervention on him one day after another long night, to which he comes to work reeking of alcohol. I'm not exactly sure how long he had been doing this-going to work late in the mornings, coming home and starting drinking...but to have co-workers care enough about you and know you're wasting your talents on alcohol, is comforting-at least to me.

Augusten goes to rehab (of course, before-which he gets plastered every night). I would say he does pretty well in rehab. He makes some friends, especially one, who is British names, Hayden. After he leaves rehab, he is supposed to go to group meetings, individual counseling sessions, and AA meetings. He keeps this up for a while, which is impressive. He meets a hot guy by the name of Foster, who is a crack addict going to the same group therapy session as him.

I really felt sorry for Augusten when he described his relationships with men. Jim, his drinking buddy, couldn't really be his friend after rehab (because Jim had to learn to change his ways-which he eventually does at the end of the book), Foster is a crack addict-who can't stay away from crack. Then there's Pighead. He's the HIV positive friend. Augusten tells of his love for Pighead, but Pighead didn't love Augusten the same way. THEN Pighead was diagnosed with HIV and soon afterwards, he realized he did, in fact, love Augusten...But at that point, it was too late. Augusten distanced himself from Pighead because he thought it would be easier once Pighead finally succumbed to the disease.

Honestly, I was pulling for Augusten the whole time. I was pulling for him to win his battle with alcoholism, to right his relationships, and get help for his friends who needed it. The end is where you really see him battling his demons and I really enjoyed reading about it. It's amazing what goes on in the mind of addicts, and what they would do to just have one more hit or one more drink, etc. I could not put this book down.

Like I said, the way he wrote this book, makes me want to go back and re-read Running With Scissors because it was fabulously written. I guess this time, when I re-read it, I won't read it during lunch :)

For a Good Laugh:

2008-12-19T13:31:00.001-08:00

This is something I read today in Dry, that I think you guys would laugh at, I know I did.

"There's something in her voice that makes me think I won't get away with anything, that I shouldn't even try. I feel pretty confident Rae's clubbed more than her fair share of baby seals in her life".

I've gone back to it a few times today since I've read it just to laugh. I'm sure we've all known that woman who strikes us as the kind of person who takes pity on no one. :)

Dry

2008-12-19T06:38:00.000-08:00

Ok, so even though I didn't like his book, Running With Scissors. I'm going to give Augusten Burroughs another shot with his book, Dry. I'm mostly doing this because my sister let me borrow the books and I feel I should read them and I'm out of books at home that I haven't read. Who knows? Maybe I'll like this one.

Our Life Update...

2008-12-18T10:44:00.001-08:00

So a lot has happened in the past few weeks for Steve and I.

Steve had an interview at a design company before Thanksgiving and was supposed to hear back from them the next week. Turns out that the next week would actually be about 3 weeks later. He finally heard back Friday and he got the job! It was such glorious news because he'd been out of a job for 3 months. He starts after Christmas and I know he's really excited about it. I think the main thing is, it's just wonderful for him to have this opportunity with the economy the way it is. He also got 2 freelance gigs that he's working on right now. I'm just so proud of him. He's so talented, I knew he would be able find something (I just didn't expect it to take 3 months).

On top of that good news, I was also given a bonus this year at work. I couldn't believe that even though they laid off a few employees, that we'd still be getting any kind of bonus. I'm pretty sure that money will automatically go towards our Christmas gift purchases.

Another really cool thing is that I ran 5 miles in the White Rock Marathon Relay. I am so proud of myself to run that far. I am not a runner, so to me, it's a major accomplishment. I have a goal to run a half marathon by next year. I really think I can do it.

Anyway, I guess that's it for now. I just wanted to update.

Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

2008-12-18T06:49:00.001-08:00

Ok, so I FINALLY finished this book yesterday at lunch.

Like I said in a previous post, the book was mildly offensive and disgusting, but I'm pretty sure you can't sugar coat what goes on in your life. Augusten's book starts with his childhood and goes through to his late teens. It starts off talking about his life with his mother and father and their dysfunctional life together. They go to therapy with this doctor who immediately grosses you out by his uncleanliness and talk of sex. He even has a "masturbatorium" which is located in his office for when he feels the need to relieve himself of his sexual frustration. The thing I liked about Augusten's writing is that it's comical and you can see into this kid's thoughts and relate to him. Augusten is naive (as most kids are) and doesn't see the red flags everywhere regarding his mother's relationship with her psychiatrist.

I guess the things that disgusted me were the living conditions that he supposedly lived in at the Finch's home and some sexual encounters he had as a thirteen year old. I have no problems with gay people, but like I said before, I guess reading about that kind of stuff when you're on your lunch break isn't such a great thing.

The whole time I was wondering how on earth a person could come out a normal human being after dealing with the things that Augusten was put through...but I guess you can. He managed to get his GED and attempted college.

Final verdict:
I liked his style of writing, but it wasn't my favorite. I enjoyed some parts of the book but for the most part I didn't enjoy reading about the filth he had to live in, the weird people he lived with, his sexual encounters, and the pooping. (no, I'm not joking)
I guess it all depends on your sense of humor.....or how hungry you are while you're reading the book...because seriously, you WILL lose your appetite. And maybe I haven't been in the mood you should be in while reading about these things, so my sense of humor may be warped at the moment...I don't know. It wasn't easy for me to get through it, though I will say it was an easier read than The Memory Keepers Daughter (probably because it wasn't a very serious subject). I don't know. I guess I take things more seriously, so when reading about his life, I'm just like, "Oh my God, get out of there now!!", instead of just laughing about it and being amused at the dysfunction he lives around.

The Movie Quote Game

2008-12-16T08:54:00.000-08:00

Pick 10 of your favorite moviesgo to IMDB to get a quote from each moviepost the quotes and wait for your friends to respond

Guess the movies!!!

(Warning: I like a lot of comedies)

1) (Brenda)Who are you?

(Madea) Who are you?

(Brenda) I'm the owner of this house.

(Madea)[buzzer sound] wrong answer, my grand daughter Helen is the owner of THIS house. You da hoe, you aint got no power or no deed.

(Brenda)Did you do this? this is Vera Wang.

(Madea)Who dat is? She do nails? I need to get my nails did.

(Brenda) That's it I'm calling the police.

(Madea)I aint scared a no po po. Call da po po hoe... Call da po po hoe.

2) The whole purpose of places like Starbucks is for people with no decision-making ability whatsoever to make six decisions just to buy one cup of coffee. Short, tall, light, dark, caf, decaf, low-fat, non-fat, etc. So people who don't know what the hell they're doing or who on earth they are can, for only $2.95, get not just a cup of coffee but an absolutely defining sense of self: Tall. Decaf. Cappuccino.

3) Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?

4) [writing in her yearbook] Dear Jamie, When we're together, I feel like we're not in high school, but in our own little Chris and Jamie world. Whether we're watching 'Party of Five' or practicing our cheers, I feel like I can just be myself. Jamie, we've been friends for a really long time, but I want to be more than that. Hoping to be your boyfriend... Sincerely, Chris Brander. BFF!

5) Life is a storm, my young friend. You will bask in the sunlight one moment, be shattered on the rocks the next. What makes you a man is what you do when that storm comes. You must look into that storm and shout as you did in Rome. Do your worst, for I will do mine! Then the fates will know you as we know you: as Albert Mondego, the man!

6) (Judge)Bryan, does she watch your kids?

(Bryan)Oh, she's actually really good, she's a big diciplinarian though, but uh... they have a lot of respect for her.

(Judge)Really? [Looks over at Nikki] Stand up Nikki. [Nikki stands up] Mable Simmons, since you can't seem to act like you have any sense except when you're caring for somebody, meet Nikki Grady. You're her new foster mother.

(Madea)The hell I am! I dont - huh! - hell naw! It's a reason why god put a woman through menopause, I'm past 60... you know what that means? After that time you're not supposed to be bogged with no kids. I'm sorry, I will kill that lil girl... I don't know her...

(Nikki) So, You ugly anyway, old lady!

(Madea)She tryna get me the electric chair already.

(Judge)Either you're her foster mother or you're a prison mother.

(Madea) I'll take the prison for 200, Alex. Lock me up, hell, I'd rather be in Martha Stewart's old cell fightin' for my *virginity* than to be sittin' there dealin' with this.

(Bryan) She'll be a great foster mother, your honor.

7) Dear Mr. Inman, I began by counting the days, then the months. I don't count on anything anymore except the hope that you will return, and the silent fear that in the years since we saw each other, this war, this awful war, will have changed us both beyond all reckoning.

8) The Boy-Who-Lived. How lies have fed your legend, Harry! Do you want to know what really happened thirteen years ago? Shall I divulge how I truly lost my powers? It was love. You see, when dear sweet Lily Potter gave her life for her only son, it provided him with the ultimate protection, I could not touch him. It was old magic, something I should have foreseen. But no matter, no matter, things have changed. I CAN TOUCH YOU... NOW!

9) I don't eat shellfish. Mom always says, "Don't ever eat nothin' that can carry its house around with it. Who knows the last time it's been cleaned." She should know.

10) Well, I'm gonna get out of bed every morning... breath in and out all day long. Then, after a while I won't have to remind myself to get out of bed every morning and breath in and out... and, then after a while, I won't have to think about how I had it great and perfect for a while.

Is it just me or...

2008-12-10T14:56:00.000-08:00

Is Running With Scissors a little messed up?

I should not eat while reading it. It seriously creeps me out and disgusts me. I don't know why, because I'm pretty sure I've read worse...but it almost offends me. I tried to read today during lunch and was reading a really gross part. I almost lost my appetite (and that RARELY happens). So from now on, I'm only going to read at night because this is not a good book to read while hungry.

I would go into specifics or just give you an idea of what I'm talking about...but I'd rather not. It's not exactly lovely material.

Anyone's thoughts on this book and if I should feel grossed out, please comment. I know it's supposed to be kind of funny and all..but I guess I was not in the mood to read some of the stuff I read today...especially on an empty stomach.

Teaser Tuesday

2008-12-09T10:34:00.000-08:00

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.
Let the book fall open to a random page.
Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.
You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!
Please avoid spoilers!

From: Running With Scissors by Augusten Burroughs

Even though I wanted to. I said, "School. I hate school."
"What are you, like eighth grade or something?"

Page 132

The Memory Keeper's Daughter by Kim Edwards

2008-12-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

This book was really good. I have to admit it was a little hard to get into after reading Twilight, but once the story started, I wanted to know more...

I loved the description Kim Edwards used to describe everything. You could see everything so clearly, the color of Norah's coat and how her eyes were the same color green. The color of the flowers, etc. It was wonderful. I really enjoy good visualization. It really helps me connect to the book and the story.

I have to say that it was a sad story, of course there was happiness, but it still made me sad. I think it's just the prejudice that people with Down Syndrome or any other mental defect are faced with on a day to day basis. I cannot imagine what it would have been like in the 1960's where this book begins. There are so many misconceptions and wrong judgements about people with Down Syndrome and their abilities. I enjoyed reading about Caroline and how she dealt with overcoming the stereotypes of children with Down Syndrome. How she fought for her daughter and other children's rights for an equal education.

I really enjoyed this book. I liked the way it was laid out and I liked Kim Edward's style. It was a really great story and I would definitely recommend this book to others.

Family Pictures

2008-12-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Ok, I have some family pictures to share!! We just had them done a few weeks ago:
This picture is the whole Brumley, Jackson, and Hancock family (without Anna) :)

Here are my gorgeous nieces. I love them so much! Aren't they beautiful?

This is the picture Steven and I will use for our Holiday Greeting card. It looks like Anna is smiling with us, doesn't it?

And this picture is the Brumley family picture. We haven't done one of these since I was probably 6 months old, so it's nice to have a new one!

Twilight

2008-11-26T14:10:00.000-08:00

Hot.

I cannot get enough of it. I love the series. I just finished reading the series this afternoon. While it was incredibly cheesy, I have to say, I loved every second (ok, maybe not EVERY second...I wanted to punch Jacob Black in the face a few times and give Bella a smack down every time she seemed to be confused as to who she loved....but what can you do?) Anyway...So now I can't get enough. I am DIEING to see the movie. I am pretty sure that I must see it before this weekend is over. So at some point I will get a healthy dose of Robert Pattinson (::swoon::) and all his vampire, sparkling goodness. I cannot wait. I'm sure my husband will roll his eyes at that. I cannot help what this book has done to me.

I am on the Stephanie Meyer website and listening to the Playlists she's got for each book. I MUST have all of these songs. I am pathetic. I know.

I've also read some HILARIOUS takes on the Twlight books and movie. Here are a few of my favorite quotes from the movie:

Epic Romance in the Lunchroom

[After toying with The Hackysack Apple of I See What You Did There, Edward gets to the point, which is not that he doesn't want to be friends, but...]

EDWARD: What if I'm not a superhero? What if... I'm the bad guy?

BELLA: ... Hot.

EDWARD: *headtray*

and

Edward's Room

BELLA: You don't have a bed?

EDWARD: NO, YOU BRAZEN HUSSY.

TWILIGHT FANS: ZOMG HIS COUCH IS NOT BLACK AND BELLA IS NOT WEARING A BLUE V-NECK AND--

HARRY POTTER FANS: *FLAMETHROWER*

[Oh, look! Edward has Muse Linkin Park Debussy in his CD player! Bella loves Debussy! Let's dance!]

BELLA: Um, I'm not so much with the coordination and the--

EDWARD: I SAID, LET'S DANCE.

[And then Mr. Flying Squirrel jumps out the window and takes her barfing across the scenic Pacific Northwest. Or maybe that was just me and my fear of heights.]

I know, I know. You can thank me later for the laughs (if you even get it)

Also, tomorrow is Thanksgiving. Happy Thanksgiving! Have a great holiday! I wish I had a longer one.

For the Record...

2008-11-18T09:39:00.001-08:00

It's hard to get into a serious book like "Snow Falling on Cedars" after you've read a book like "Twilight". I am having a hard time enjoying the book so far....I can't wait to get the 2nd book from the series...

Book Update

2008-11-18T06:43:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I finished Water for Elephants Friday night. It was such a good book. I really enjoyed reading about the old days of the circus and what it's probably like in old person's mind. It makes me wonder if most of them feel like they're being treated unfairly. I absolutely loved the ending. Mostly because I was hoping that Jacob and Marlena would end up together. I hated August with a passion and at the end was completely surprised by how he met his death. :) All in all, I loved it. It had me laughing and near tears at some points. It was a great read.

The other book I just finished was "Twilight". There are no words that can sum up how I feel about that book. It was awesome. I know it may be geared towards teenagers, but I still enjoyed it. Much like I enjoyed all the Harry Potter books, which were also geared towards teenagers, but adults read, too. I really want to see the movie now, although looking at the trailor, I can tell there are going to be some things that probably weren't in the book that will happen in the movie. I always leave movies made from books disappointed. They always leave something out that I was really looking forward to seeing. But what are you going to do? I'm not the director or the screenwriter, so... Seriously though, Robert Pattinson makes me swoon. I loved him as Cedric Diggory, I know I'll love him as Edward Cullen.

The next book I'm reading is an old one I never got to, "Snow Falling on Cedars". I started it on Saturday, before I got Twilight. My co-worker is bringing me the next book in the Twilight series tomorrow, so I'll probably stop in the middle of it to feast my eyes on more Edward and Bella :)

::Giant Sigh::

2008-11-14T07:22:00.000-08:00

Ok, so....Lots to talk about...

First of all, all this talk between friends about starting up a bookclub is sounding like more and more fun. On Wednesday, I looked through our office's "bookshare" and picked out "The Five People You Meet in Heaven". Let me just say that I finished it in less than 24 hours. I couldn't put it down. It was such an amazing book. It really made you think. Once I was finished I started wondering to myself, when I die, who will I meet? I loved how it was written. I could see all of the colors and all of the details. Now I need to read "Tuesday's With Morrie".

Anyway, once I finished that book, I immediately went back to the "bookshare" and found "Water for Elephants". I've heard a lot about this book and I know my sister's read it (as I'm sure a few of my friends have as well). I started on that book yesterday. I'm already about 70 pages in as of this morning. I'm not supposed to read at work, but I'm sorry-there's just nothing to do up front right now, it's so slow and I just NEED something to do besides search the internet all day. I just have to say this book is great so far! I love how the author writes about this old man and his thoughts. I love the way it goes from present day to back when he was twenty three. I can't wait to finish it.

So anyway, basically, I'm really enjoying reading. You know how you stop doing something for a while and then you pick it back up and you forgot how much you enjoyed it? That's how I feel about reading. I truly forgot how much I enjoyed reading books. It takes me to a far away land, and I completely lose myself in the book. I remember in third grade when we could bring a book from the library or home to read for a while in our reading class, how my teacher remarked to me one day how she was amazed at the way I could sit down and get so absorbed in a book, I didn't get distracted by the noise and the other kids in the class. How she would have to say "Ok, it's time to put your books up" a little louder for me because I tended to tune everything out. I'm still that way. I can't believe how I forgot the fun of reading.

On a different note, I've worked out every day this week (minus Sunday). I'm really pushing myself. I'm also keeping a daily log of what I eat. Although, I just remembered, I need to start writing what kind of emotion or feeling I'm having when I decide to eat, that way I know when I'm eating just to eat or when I'm sincerely hungry. But it's been a really good thing. At first I never saw the point in them. But then...after gaining so much weight, I realized that I was eating a lot of extra stuff just because I was bored. I can already tell a difference in my attitude, energy, and my body. Hopefully it won't take me long to get back on track.

The bad thing is that my gym is closing. Their lease is up on the 26th and they aren't renewing. Which sincerely ticks me off. The thing I liked about our gym was that it was never too crowded. You could always find a machine. It's not the best gym in the world, no, but it was easy to get to, close to home, and it got the job done. Now I'm not sure what Steven and I are going to do. I think we're going to look into our White Rock YMCA to see what that looks like. It might actually come out to be a better deal than 24 Hour. I did tell Steve that I miss working out at the Downtown 24 Hour. It was really convenient for me to go over to that gym before or right after work. But now that we have Anna, I really can't do that, unless one of us goes early in the morning and the other goes that night. And the only reason that we'd even stay with the Downtown 24 Hour is if Steven gets a job downtown.

As far as my grandpa's funeral....Let's just say there was a mixture of emotions. When we went to the family visitation, I felt like an outsider. I didn't know a lot of the people and the ones I did know, I didn't really care to talk to. I felt extremely uncomfortable most of the time. And Sunday dragged on and on. The funeral was at 2:30 and I felt like 2:30 would never get here. It was almost agonizing. Some of my family is just completely annoying. They think they're so funny and some of them have this cocky attitude....::shakes head:: And then some of them are completely ignorant. Seriously. I couldn't wait to come back home. As far as the funeral itself, my mom and her 2 sisters sang a song. They practiced it like 5 times that morning. Let me just say, it was not good. I'm sorry but I cannot lie when it comes to music. It was my MAJOR for crying out loud. So when the funeral director put on the music, he put it on the wrong track, and then my mom and her sisters weren't hooked up to microphones (they were in a room, not out in the open...) so they could HARDLY be heard. And then they were ahead of the music (or behind...I can't remember now). Needless to say, it was terrible. They were off key and I was mortified for them. Then my cousin started laughing, which made my sister laugh, which made me laugh. And then I could NOT stop laughing. I felt terrible for laughing at my grandpa's funeral. I'm sure the guests who weren't sitting with the family thought I was heartless and inappropriate. My dad seemed to like the preacher who spoke. I, for one, did not. I didn't care for him at all for some reason. I don't know. Anyway, I did cry when another song was song because I thought about how I never really got to say goodbye, how I should have come up to see him, how much it's never going to be the same going up to Arkansas and how now my mom's parent's are now gone...It's just sad. I've lost 4 grandparents in the span of 6 years. Can you believe that? I only have my Pappaw and my Grandma Brumley left. :( I'm just so lucky I got to have as much time with them as I did...but it doesn't make it any easier to let them go. I still cry when I think about Nanny. When will that stop? It's been 2 years. I always kick myself when I start crying about it because there's nothing I can do about it and she's with the Lord....I think it's always a little bit harder anyway around the holidays. I miss her so, so much. I know she'd be happy for me and I know she was proud of me...What I wouldn't give to have a few more moments with her back when she was healthy.

Goodbye

2008-11-06T06:44:00.000-08:00

Saying goodbye is always the hardest part. I'll be doing that this weekend. Saying goodbye to my granpda. Anyway, I'm pretty sad and I'm feeling really anti-social and just depressed. My dad, sister, and I will probably head up to Arkansas on Saturday morning. I believe the funeral will be Sunday or Monday at the latest. I'm not sure what I'm going to be feeling in a few days. Honestly, I'm not looking forward to going. I don't want to see about 1/2 (or more) of the family members that will be there...This sucks. :(

Fantastic

2008-11-05T10:04:00.000-08:00

So my Wednesday had been great so far...I was hyped up on Barack winning the election...A change coming for America...and then my mom called.

My grandpa, who is in Arkansas, has been battling cancer for a long time. For as long as I've known him he's battled emphysema...Well, the last time I saw him was when I turned 21. That was 3 years ago. Ever since then, his health has started to decline and I knew I needed to get up there to see him, but everytime was never a "good time". Well, now it's too late. He isn't expected to make it much longer. My best guess is that he'll live for maybe another day, 2 tops. I'm so mad at myself for not going up to Arkansas to see him before he goes. I knew this would happen. I just knew. I'm so upset.

On top of that, my mom also told me my Uncle Keith was in the hospital. Why? Because he stopped taking his heart medication because "it was too expensive". So what did he do instead? He started smoking cigarettes heavily again and drinking hard liquor. Oh yeah, oh yeah. Sooo super smart. So now, on top of his debt that he's already aquired, he's got a nice big hospital bill to pay (which I'm sure is NOWHERE NEAR as expensive as heart medication).... IDIOT. I don't get the logic in his thought process.

I'm just angry today. And of course the phones have been ringing a lot at work, and that doesn't help my mood when I hear bad news like I've heard today. I'm so ready to go home. I'm supposed to go work out, but I totally don't feel like it. I know I should, though and I probably will-at least to get the frustration out.

Another thing that's incredibly depressing about my grandfather passing away...They dont have enough money to put him in the ground... Yes, you heard me correctly. My grandfather's step children, have squandered his money and now he's being burried in a crappy casket and they're still not sure how they're going to pay for his burial. It's so pathetic. I sincerely hope, when I have kids, and I'm old and dying that I have already figured out my burial plans. My Grandma and Grandpa did this and so did my Nanny. SMART. Because there was nothing to worry about when their times did come.

The only thing that is making me feel better right now is that soon my granpda will no longer be suffering. He'll be free of pain and he'll be with the Lord and his wife and I know he'll be happy. He'll smile and he'll see my grandma and he'll say, "Hey there, Ms. America!" I am really going to miss him...And when we go home to Arkansas, I know it will never be the same. :(