2009 Year End Review

Here is my half hearted attempt of documenting this year in pictures. Maybe next year I'll be better at it? Enjoy!

January

Hung out with Paula at a Casino. *wink*



Purchased my new ride. 09 Tahoe, known as The Beast or Beastie.



FebruarySelf Portrait




Our Boys.

Enjoying brownie batter.






March

Threw the hubs a surprise party.






April

Celebrated our 1 year anniversary. Drank entirely too much at a crawfish boil.




May

Lil Sis graduated HS.

Ran the WCR 5k.

Went to Nassau, Bahamas.




The only couple pose of the trip. Horrible at best.

We had to put down Duke. RIP big guy.

June

Our biggest boy started heart worm treatment & became an inside dog.


July

August

Purchased our 2010 Tundra, known as Black Beastie.

September

Turned 28 & purchased many clothes.

October

One of my friends tied the knot and I passed the GMAT the day before.

Hung out with Paula again.

Ran my very 1st Half Marathon!!



November

Lost my Grammy. :(

Cooked goodies for Thanksgiving.

December
Saw Transiberian Orchestra.

If I don't post again.... HAPPY NEW YEAR!

I Can't Make This Stuff Up

Yesterday was awful. Understatement of the year..

• Woke up and could barely move my left shoulder. No idea what I did.
• Work was crazy. Crazzzzzy. I worked an escalation that took foe-eva.
• Right before leaving work, found out that we are going on mandatory 2 hours OT per day starting the next day. Nice.
• Drove hub's truck over a curb while leaving...
• Went the wrong way on the interstate... I was taking his truck to get the oil changed because I'm a nice wifey...
• After turning around and going the right way, I went the wrong way off the exit ramp. Nice again.
• After getting the oil changed, I wanted to get his truck washed, only to find out that the complimentary car wash was out of service. Booo.
• Then, I go to fill up his truck with gas (I am an awesome wife)... and while the gas is pumping, I decide to clean his truck out. While doing so, I hear liquid hit the pavement.
• Yes, the gas is GUSHING out of the truck onto the pavement. I say a dirty word and click the pump off. I remove the handle thingy and gas keeps pouring out of the truck and the pump... my shoes.. my hands.. covered. I go to wipe off the truck and my hands... had to HUNT for a paper towel.. GRRR
• Get home, call the husband. Have a minor breakdown...
• Check facebook and see that a co-worker got the job I interviewed for. FML.
• Then call husband and have yet another breakdown - this time not so minor.
• So... today, I get up at 3:40AM and get to work at 5:15... for the start of my 10 hour shift.

But... guess who saved my day this morning? Another co-worker who also interviewed for the job... brought me a Starbucks Hot Chocolate. Seriously, I wanted to hug her. So.. here's hoping that today and tomorrow go better.

Look Ma, No Hands!!

I decided to skip F.I.T. class last night since it killed my body last week and I could barely walk till about Thursday. Instead, I hit up the gym's treadmill. I have a love-hate relationship with that thing.

If you remember right... I have to "hug" the treadmill while running - to keep my balance. I'm a clutz. Plain and simple. So, yesterday, I looked around to see who all would possibly witness me falling on my face...and decided to try running without holding on. Much to my surprise, it wasn't that bad. I could last about 2 minutes without holding on, then I'd have to hug the treadmill again for balance. LOL Hey, I'll take that 2 minutes though.

While on this great adventure, a bigger guy gets onto the treadmill beside me. I don't pay him much attention, because I'm trying to focus on not falling off. Until... I hear a very loud irritating noise. I begin to wonder if my tv somehow became un-muted, so I take an earbud out. It wasn't my tv, it was the guy next to me. He had his cell phone playing music at full blast - without ear buds!!!! Then, I noticed his weird behavior and came to the conclusion that he wasn't mentally all there. Not to be mean - he just really wasn't. So, of course, I can't ask him to turn it down or grab some ear buds... I feel sorry for the guy. So, I turn up my iPod and try to drown out his crazy music. Doesn't work. I look around and notice that others look annoyed... Finally, after about 10 minutes, one of the trainers came by and offered the guy some earbuds and thankfully, he accepted. Thank goodness for earbuds.

So, I continued on my routine of running - with and without the death grip. I did 3 miles before calling it a day. Remember - I felt like poo yesterday, so I'll take those 3 miles. I'm still sick today...but not to worry - I've had my breakfast of oatmeal followed by a shot of Alka-Seltzer. Ick.

Tonight's agenda? Spin Class. I can't wait.

Am I F.I.T.?

Well, I decided to branch out yesterday and try a new class. Wow, was that something! I tried the F.I.T. Class at my gym. I had to google F.I.T this morning and it means "Frequency, Intensity, Type/Time" - yep that definitely covers it! I had been warned by two friends about the instructor and how intense she was and they were both right! But, I liked her!

Let me tell you a little about this class. We started off warming up and then....

• We took our 6lb medicine balls and played pass with our partners, all while squatting and then standing up with our balls.
• We then took a BOSU (I think that's right?) and stood on it (yikes) while doing the above move with our partners.
• Then, we did two laps around the track as fast as we could (I had this move down pat!).
• Then, we came in, sat on our mats, put our feet against our partners feet, did some ab moves with our balls, then threw the medicine ball at our partner....
• Then, we took our balls and did one handed push-ups on our balls - I have no idea how to explain this.
• Then, two more laps around the indoor track.
• We then took our lovely medicine balls and tried to balance ourselves on it with our hands on the ball, and our toes on the floor -kinda like a hovering push-up.
• Then we tried to do the same thing, only with our feet on the ball and our hands on the floor - um, yeah, that didn't work out too well for me!!!
• And, you guessed it, two more laps around the track!
• Then, we took our BOSU's and we did lunges on them with each leg.
• Then it was time for some dead lifts with that medicine ball. Ouch.
• Remember, head, shoulders, knees and toes?? Yeah, we did that with a 6lb medicine ball and when you reached the ground you had to squat - which HURT by this time.
• Then, take that ball and lift it over your head and then drop it behind your head and lift again.
• And... instead of running again.. We're going to do everything but the running .. all over again! ha!
• Let me just say - when we did all of this, we of course did a ton of repeats!

So... am I sore? Um, YES! I was sore half way through the class! ha! Will I be going back? Yep! But, thank goodness this class is only offered (at a time I can catch) once a week! :) And tonight... is SPIN class! Yay!

Great News!!

I was accepted into the MBA Program at my alma mater! This means, that on January 4th, I will be a graduate student! I've decided that this first semester I'm only going to take 1 graduate class and see how it goes before signing up for 2 per semester. I'm very excited and also very nervous. I graduated with my Bachelors almost 6 years ago!!! I registered for my class on Friday and I got the professor that I strongly disliked...but he was my only choice. Boo! This man was also my undergrad advisor and I switched advisors - that's how much I dislike him! So, to say this first semester will be interesting is an understatement!

Anyways, I'll be in class each Monday night from 6-9pm! 9pm is late for me - I'm usually in bed by 8:30 because of my schedule. But, I'm not worried - I know I can handle it! Yay!

Back to normal news... I had a nice 3 day weekend and I only work 4 days again this week! Hooray! Also, I'm thinking of taking either a F.I.T. or Spin class tonight - I haven't made up my mind yet. I haven't ever tried FIT before though and I'm kinda wanting to try something new. Oh who knows?!

Hope everyone has a great Monday - if that's possible!

Holiday Recipes

Oreo Balls

1 pkg Almond Bark (either the white or chocolate, we use the white)
1 pkg of Cream Cheese
1 pkg of Oreo Cookies

Put the Oreo's in a large food processor until the cookies are finely chopped. Add in the package of cream cheese and mix well. Then, make small balls (think golf ball size or smaller) and place on wax paper. Place the balls in the fridge for an hour. After an hour, melt the almond bark in a microwave safe bowl. Take the balls and dip them into the melted bark. Place on the wax paper and let them harden. You now have Oreo Balls! We usually let ours set in the fridge overnight before taking to a guest's house.

Reese's Stacks

1 box of Ritz crackers - or smaller, depending on how many you're making
1 package of white almond bark
1 jar of peanut butter
1 large bag of Reeses Pieces

Spread peanut butter in between Ritz crackers like sandwiches and make as many as you'd like. Set aside on wax paper. Crush a large bag of Reeses Pieces (or smaller if not making much) in a food processor and set aside. Melt the almond bark. Dip your sandwiches into the melted almond bark and make sure they're completely coated on all sides. Return to wax paper.
Take the crushed Reese's and pour a handful on top of coated sandwiches. Let harden. We then placed ours into the fridge until the next day.


Hope ya'll are having a great weekend!!

Why Hello There....

I think Rocky is telling us that he'd like a couch for Christmas. :) Pls ignore our dirty window and what used to be our backyard!

I took a much needed few days off from work and got to spend some time with the hubs. It was SO nice to actually see him! Here is a little breakdown of the last few days... and since nobody likes to read wordy paragraphs, here's some bullets!

• Wednesday night, I baked 8 dozen Chocolate Chip Cookies, Oreo Balls, Reese's Stacks (my new name for them), and some Spinach & Cheese appetizers.
• Thanksgiving we went to 3 different family lunches/dinners.
• Friday I had to work, but may have took part in a few sales online.
• I bought Martina McBride and Trace Adkins tickets for half price - lower level! I had a special code! My stepmom, aunt, sister, and I are going in January!
• I also bought Trans-Siberian Orch. tickets for the hubs and myself for December 19th.
• I felt like poo on Saturday. I felt like I was running a fever but the thermometer said differently. Hubs was going to take me shooting - my favorite thing to do - with his neice, but I felt like poo. Boo.
• We have over 30 family members to buy presents for. This stresses me out. We've gotten about 10 of them bought this weekend. We both have big families.
• We watched 4 Christmases, Angels & Demons, and My Sister's Keeper. All were pretty good movies. My Sister's Keeper made me cry.
• We've spent too much money at Best Buy. We're only a few hundred dollars from being Silver members....
• I've gained 5lbs in the last week.
• We went to dig for diamonds yesterday at a diamond mine. We found some crystals instead. But, really had a fun time!
• Because the diamond mine was out in the middle of nowhere, we didn't make it back in time for my Spin Class. I was kinda depressed about this... until...
• We played 3 games of Yahtzee! My all time favorite game that hubs will hardly play with me. He says it makes you think too hard. I love that game. But, he won the championship... Yes, we had a Championship game!
• My ding bat brother un-friended me on FB. Ouch. I know, that might be too much family personal drama, but I'm a little bitter by it.

And, that's all I have for now! I know I left out tons and tons of stuff, but I'll think of it all later.

With Thanks

How amazingly awesome are these pictures?? My little sister took these as my family followed me around on the Half Marathon course. I love them! She took many more, but only posted about a dozen or so on FB and I stole the ones that didn't make me look like a moron... These are the two best ones! I love the fact that I'm smiling SO BIG in the first one - that was around Mile 8 I believe. The 2nd one was a little further down the road. I love it! Brings me back to race day - a day that I will NEVER forget! I'm smiling pretty big right now :)

Anyways, here is my Thankful List. I figured it was time that I state what I'm thankful for, since tomorrow is Thanksgiving and all :)

1. That we're able to live in a country where we are free and free to practice any religion we want.
2. That I know God - not as well as I'd like to, but I'm getting there.
3. My amazing family and their health. I'm so thankful for their health.
4. I'm thankful to have shared the precious moments with my Grammy and was able to tell her what I needed to tell her. I'm also thankful to know without a doubt, that she's in Heaven.
5. I'm thankful for having a caring and understand husband.
6. I'm thankful that we both have jobs in this economy - even though I complain about his quite alot.
7. I'm thankful that I have a healthy body and am able to push myself physically.
8. Thankful that my entire family has a roof over their heads, food in their fridge, working vehicles in their driveways, and heat to warm them.
9. Thankful that I've come out of my box and have tried different things such as spin class (I love that class!! Went last night again...LOVE IT!)
10. Thankful that we've started recycling. Last week, we only had 1 bag of trash - we usually have atleast 3 in a week.

There are many, many more things that I'm thankful for, but I know that if you're like me...you can only read so much before your ADD kicks in! Ha!
I hope everyone has a joyous Thanksgiving Holiday!
P.S. I'm thankful that I have so many readers as well! :o)

Are You A Hugger, Too??

I thought I'd share an adorable picture of our two dogs cuddling yesterday morning. It's not the best picture, due to a dirty window, but aren't they just cute?! You'll notice that Rocky isn't wearing his jacket - it warmed up a little the past few days, but he'll be wearing it again at the end of this week and I'll snap a picture!

Moving on... Yesterday I decided to skip Pilates and do some weights instead. That was the plan, anyways. I came home and remembered that my iPod was dead - like completely, wont turn on, dead. So, I put it on the charger and took my time getting ready, so that it could charge some. Anyways, after taking longer than usual, I headed to the gym. Since I knew my iPod would die on me soon, I wanted to make sure and do the StairClimber first (I wanted to do the StairClimber & weights..both! And I need music for the StairClimber). Anyways, I got on, did my 15 minutes of wishing I was somewhere else torture and then decided I needed to walk some to stretch out those muscles a little bit. (Don't ask me about my logic, I just do what I want!)

So... I hop on the treadmill instead of walking the indoor track. Now, I hate the treadmill for the simple fact that I cannot run on the treadmill. No really, I have no balance and it's basically impossible for me to do without falling off. But, as I'm reaching the half mile mark, I start to think....maybe I'll try running... You can see where this is leading right? So, I look around and see how many people would witness my failure and decided that since everyone else was walking on the treadmill, I'd try to be big and bad and run on the treadmill... Well, let me say that nothing has changed - I still have no balance. But, I didn't fall off. Instead, I hung on for dear life and ran! Which brings me to my question... what do "normal" people do with their arms while running on the treadmill and how big of an idiot did I look like holding on to the grips and running....and then maybe "hugging" the top and running?

Picture this... girl running... arms at the top of the treadmill thingy by the tv.... yes, that was me. I wasn't so much as hugging the treadmill, but more of "I'm gonna rest my hands right here, so that I don't fall off"... Seriously, I'm hoping that I will learn how to run on the dang thing without holding on for dear life...

Oh, and btw, I did 2.3 miles on the dreadmill before being drenched in sweat (no fan and yes that's just sad and pathetic...) and deciding that I'd had enough... and then I noticed that it was 5:15 and I had meant to leave the gym at 5... If I hadn't had to wait around on my iPod to charge, I would've had more time to do other things....fail. Hey, there's always next time right? I mean, 2.3 miles on the dreadmill and 15 mins on the StairClimber are way better than nothing.... But hey, tonight is the killer Spin Class - so I'm not worried!

P.S. Please say a prayer for Bee and Rose. Leave her a nice, warm comment too.

Happy Rest Days

Edited to add: The song is called "Jump" and it's by FloRida ft Nelly Furtado. Def downloading tonight!

Well, spin class did it again...it kicked my booty! She changed it up some last night and I was so thankful for that. We didn't have to hover - just the running part and some "holding on hills." But, don't let me fool ya; I was a sweaty mess when we were finished! Luckly, there were a few newbies in there last night (besides me), so I didn't feel like I was the only one who didn't have a clue why she was in there (ha!). But, to my dismay, one of the newbies left while we were still warming up. Hmmm. I just don't get that, btw. I will never leave a class - no matter how badly it sucks. I think it just shows that you're not putting your all in it. Because, lets face it... if you gave it your all - you'd still be there! Maybe not at the level that you need to be, but you'd still be there nonetheless...

Moving on.. I was seriously sweaty and seriously nauseous! I've never been nauseous after exercising - so that tells you how much effort I put into last night! My legs felt like jello when we were finished! Btw, yes I've felt nauseous during/after running, but that doesn't count. LOL Oh, random thought.. the instructor plays her iPod over the speakers for us and she has this one song that goes "When I say jump, you say how high..." - it's really upbeat and it makes me feel like I can conquer anything... anyone ever heard of it? I'm gonna have to go google that now....

Anyways, something I noticed last night... Men, quit reading now... This next paragraph is TMI...

My sports bra doesn't "feel" the way it used to. Meaning, I'm afraid it will slip up at any moment because there is nothing weighing it down! Yikes! I'm so not joking and I'm starting to feel a little self conscious. Which leads me to this question... Who designs bras anyways? I recently had to go get a 34 (used to be 36) in measurement... and the ONLY colors available were bright pink and yellow, and then some striped zebra thing. Seriously? I'm expected to wear these confidently under a white shirt?? I can't even take myself seriously while wearing these things. Who's bright idea was this anyways?? So, that leaves me thinking... Surely there are women out there who are over the age of 15 who wear a 34! I know my ribcage can't be that tiny! LOL Does anyone else have that problem? And what do I do if I ever (Heaven forbid) have to go to a 32 (is that even possible, anyways?)? Because, right now, I'm on the smallest "setting" on the 34.... Anyways, any thoughts on where a tiny ribcage can get an adult colored bra? LOL I can't even believe I'm putting all of this out there.....

Anywho, tonight is thankfully a rest night. I'm so sore from Pilates and then my legs are tired from Spin... that I'm taking tonight off!

TG Monday Is Gone!

Well, good news, my bad mood has passed! ha! Yesterday was a long day - I made so many stupid mistakes that it was unreal. Let's hope today isn't a repeat. :)

I went to Pilates again last night. This time she switched things up a bit; I was both glad and uneasy about this. It was nice that we weren't doing the exact same moves as last week, but man those moves we did last night made me realize once again how uncoordinated I am. You know there is always one person in a class who just looks like a total moron no matter how hard they try - yeah, that girl was me. ha! No surprise though, that girl has always been me. I swear I'm the most uncoordinated person you'll ever meet. That's why I think me and running get along so well... If only it weren't so darn cold!

Anyways, I woke this morning with a little soreness - not as much as last week. I'm sore in my lower ab muscles which makes me kinda happy to think that the pooch that has taken residence might have a chance at disappearing! LOL Anyways, I've also got some head cold stuff going on. The stupid weather changed drastically yesterday and ticked my body off. No joke, it was 60 when I came to work yesterday morning and 40 when I left work. Yeah, my body was not happy about that and it's letting me know this morning. So, assuming that I don't feel like a Mack truck hit me this afternoon, I'll be attempting Spin class again. :) I'm kinda excited about that since it's a major booty kicker.

One last note... I'm still carbonated drink free! One week as of today! And, somehow I lost 3 pounds last week. I'm sure it was all water since I was retaining water like it was my job. But, I took my measurements again yesterday (a new Monday ritual) and I know exactly where that water was hiding - around my waistline! Thank goodness it's gone, because the buttons on my pants were screaming last week! :)

Hope everyone has a fantastic Tuesday!

BTW, I turned on Anonymous comments... So, feel free to say hello!

Na Cho Average Night!

I volunteered for about 2 hours at Children's Hospital, with some coworkers yesterday. Our company puts on a Bingo game for the kids once a month and this was my 2nd time to participate. I had a blast the first time and was looking forward to it again once I knew that I would be able to go. But, I have to be honest, given the circumstances I was a little anxious to say the least. It was one week ago yesterday that I was in another hospital down the road a little ways with my Grammy. So, when I walked into another hospital, I felt a little overwhelmed with emotions, but I kept telling myself that it was for different reasons. So, I went up to the playroom with others and there were 2 cancer patients (among other patients). They reminded me so much of my Grammy - their little hairless heads. But, I held back the tears and put my happy face on and pushed through. I was there for them, after all. Turns out, I kinda knew one of the patients and her mother, who was also there. It was nice to chit chat with them. I ran with her mom in the beginning of the Half training. She's from my town and her and her husband works where hubs works. Not only that, but I've heard their story a few times and am friends with one of their friends. So, it was nice to put a face with the story. Good news is, that little girl is cancer free now. :) Praise the Lord.





Moving on... I was little emotional when I left and I called my stepmom and had a nice long chat with her. Grammy was her mom. It was good to get some of that out and talk to someone who understood where I was coming from. We also had a nice chat about my brother, whom I'm currently having a rather large disagreement with. So, to say that I was feeling all kinds of emotions is an understatement.





I get home and read my brother's email...and then get a text from hubs saying he wants something "good for dinner." In other words, he doesn't want me to cook dinner LOL. To be honest, I was totally fine with that because I'm an emotional eater and I was kinda emotional!! So, we went to OC. Remember a few months ago when I mentioned their awesome nachos?? Well, I took a picture for ya'll:




Note... there was more cheese and toppings on a few of those nachos... I ate a little before remembering to take a picture. :) Also to note... we may or may not have gotten a side of guac. Just saying. So yes, I ate horribly and may of had a half slice of pizza. But, I only ate a small-ish portion of those nachos. Actually, 90% of the pizza and 70% of the nachos are in the fridge as we "speak." So there, I didn't do awful and I ordered a water - still carbonated-drink free!!!

Anyways, I'm on the fence about what to do tonight. Spin again or try running for the first time in almost 3 weeks? I'm really thinking I'll go out for a run. The weather looks nice, although it might be a little chilly. But, I'm thinking 2 or 3 miles is on the agenda. Just something to get my legs moving again! What do you think?

You Spin Me Right Round...

Isn't that how the song goes? Anyways, last night was my first time attempting Spin Class. Wow. That's the only word that comes to mind right now! I knew it would be hard and it didn't disappoint!

I showed up early (as always) and this nice chick (girl my age..don't know what else to call her) helped me put the pedals on the bike and get the seat adjusted to the correct height. So, I saddled up (ha!) and began to warm up. I was in the very front row, because I had a coworker meeting there and she requested the front row.... Well, she sat behind me - why, I have no idea. Did I mention that I hate being in the front row in anything? I was always that girl who sat in the last row in class. Always. Anyways...

The instructor comes in and turns off the lights (thank God!!!!) and so it's kinda dim in the room, but you can still see the mirror in front of us. She hooks up her iPod and begins the class after helping another girl situate her bike. First, let me add that my bike had a padded thing on it. I think that helped because my bottom is not sore. Thankfully. Anyways, we do our warm up and I'm thinking I can totally do this. Well, we start adding resistance...I'm still doing alright. Then, she tells us that we're going to get to the top of our imaginary hill (read: a very hard resistance) and then stand up and run. Then, we'll hover, then sit back in the saddle and repeat - 6 times. Um, this is the part where I wondered if I was going to fall off of my bike. Seriously, during those runs... I wondered if the bike was bolted tight enough into the floor and if I lost my balance how many other bikes I would knock off as I went tumbling down to the ground. Fortunately for me, I kept my balance - although I have no idea how. After that, class was easier.

We did some more hills and I didn't die. Although, I will freely admit that I wondered why on Earth I had decided to that class. During the class, I pretty much hated it. But afterwards, I was so proud of myself - ha! So, I guess that means I'll be back on Thursday.

Tonight is rest night. I thought about doing Yoga but to be honest, I'm way too sore from Pilates still. Plus, I'm volunteering at Children's Hospital and I'll be coming home a tad later than usual. So, I'm using that as an excuse and I will gladly plant my sore body on the couch and catch up on my DVR'd shows!!

Turning Over A New Leaf

So, I decided that after the Half Marathon and some other recent events, I'd branch out and try some new things. Allow me to explain....

For the most part, most of us are not happy with either our body or some areas of our body. I fall into that category. So, since I've cut back on running (read: haven't ran since the half marathon and I have a ton of excuses, yada yada) I've decided to try some group classes. I tried Pilates last night for the very first time. Let me start off by saying that anyone who says this class is easy as obviously never tried it. Seriously, I was skeptical but was quickly surprised that I was struggling. My body shook from holding positions and I learned once again that I can not touch my toes no matter how hard I try. That's something I've never been able to do and it baffles most people. But, I'm working on it. LOL

I woke up so sore in my core area and my arms. I'm talking, "please don't make me laugh because it hurts" sore!! But, that makes me want to go back for some more...thank goodness that class isn't offered but once a week!

Tonight will be another first... Beginner's Spin Class. Yep, I'm certain I will not be able to walk tomorrow after that one! But, I'm gonna give it a spin! (ha, I made a funny) Along with all of that, I've cut carbonated beverages out of my life again. My last diet Mtn Dew was yesterday. I've done this before and it lasted a little over a year, so I know it's possible for me to do. I also took my measurements yesterday and put them in a very secret notebook - so that the hubs will never find it and see those numbers!!!! eek! Will I share those numbers with yall? Maybe. It really depends if I can give you all some great before and after comparisons!! No need in posting numbers to embarrass myself just yet!

Anyways, I'm also trying to cut back on some of my unhealthy eating habits. We shall see how all of that goes. Oh, and one more thing. I tried some of that new sweetener - Sun Crystals - made from Stevia or whatever.... Not.A.Fan. I'll pass. Bring on the Splenda. LOL I know, I know.... Oh, and one more random tidbit... I've decided I'm not a fan of Pomegranate Juice - it wasn't just the POM Wonderful, it's all Pomegranate Juice. So, there you have it. :)

I'm Here

My title pretty much sums up how I feel today. I'm just here. Today is my first day back to work since last Tuesday. It's hard coming back, because I feel like people are looking at me like "poor girl."

I handle death a little differently than others, I think. I didn't let my closest friends know till after the funeral, because I didn't want them to come. I love my friends, don't get me wrong, but I didn't want to have to worry about "entertaining" them. I just wanted to be with my family and no one else.

I put poor hubs through the ringer last week, I'm sure. But, he never complained. He completely understood. Case in point, when I broke down in the kitchen because Taco Bueno didn't give me any guac, he got back in the truck and had them correct their mistake. I felt horrible, but he understood. Hubs wasn't only there for me, he was also there for the rest of my family. He served as a pallbearer. I know that my Grammy loved him as her own grandchild and that's what she would've wanted. He did a great job. He also helped me put together a memorial DVD. I'd never done one before and neither had he, but together, we got it done. We got a ton of compliments on it and I was even impressed that we were able to pull it together in a matter of a day. It took a lot of work and I was less than easy to work with, but we pulled it together. We're making more copies for family members and we gave the original to my grandad. I love that man and I feel for him.

We had no idea that my Grammy was leaving us so soon. No idea at all. My parents took her to the ER Sunday night because she wasn't getting enough food or water. She was weak and wasn't making any sense. Just last week, she was walking and talking fine. But, the radiation had totally destroyed her stomach. Therefore, she just didn't eat or drink. She was very dehydrated, but we were sure that she would pull through and go home. Then, on Monday when things weren't improving at a fast rate, they ordered a brain scan for Tuesday. I got to see my Grammy Monday after work. Hubs met me at the hospital and we stayed there for about 45 minutes before she was too tired to talk. She did tell me that it was an honor to be my grandmother and thank you for finding hubs. I told her (through tears) that it was an honor to be her granddaughter and thank you for being such a great grandmother. That was the hardest moment. I just knew that it was the dehydration talking and that she'd be fine. Tuesday she just slept. They did the scan and it was found that the cancer had moved to her brain. She was given less than 2 weeks to live. I found out after work.

Wednesday her blood pressure started dropping. The nurses told us that her organs would begin to shut down and they did. Around 2pm, she stopped breathing for about 45 seconds. The doctors were called in and Grammy suddenly came back and woke up. She looked around scared. She was unable to talk, but she could hear us. Moments later, Grammy went to Heaven.
She was only 63 years old.

I want to say Thank You to everyone for the kind words and prayers. It's great to have a support group like you all. I ask that you continue the prayers for my family - as everyone just can't believe that she's gone. It will take a while for us all to recover and I'm sure that things will never be the same.

A Sad Day

I just thought I'd update and let everyone know that my Grammy went to Heaven yesterday afternoon after a long battle with cancer. The cancer had spread to her brain and her death was very sudden. She was just walking and talking a few short days ago. We will all miss her greatly; she was the backbone of this family and a woman that we all looked up to. Thank you for your prayers.

Happy November!

Yes, this is a real spider. Yes, it tried to eat me Thursday when I came home from work. Yes, I screamed like a little girl and almost set our alarm off because I wouldn't run past the demon. But, alas, I made it in, grabbed my camera (because hubs wouldn't believe this) and zoomed in as much as I could. Then, I shut the door and sent the picture to hubs asking him what I needed to do. His response? Stomp on it. Um, yeah right - that thing would go up my pants leg for sure! So, I grabbed some Oust! and was prepared to spray it to death, only it was gone! So, I called Terminix (sp?) and made an appointment for the spider killers to come on Friday. :) I haven't seen a spider since that lovely man left after booby trapping our house!

Finally, it's November! We are out of October! Yes! I clearly have issues with October and I was SO happy to see November yesterday. Not only that, but the extra hour we gained yesterday was lovely as well. Who knew that an hour could make that big of a difference?! I had a wonderful weekend and I hope ya'll did too! Tonight will be my first gym class. I'm either taking Spin or Pilates tonight! Wish me luck, because I'm nervous!

P.S. My grandmother was taken to the hospital last night. The new batch of chemo they have her on is making her very sick and she's not been holding food or liquids down. She's lost a lot of weight and has gotten weak. Please pray that the doctors can make her feel better so she's able to fight the cancer. Thank You.

Post Race Thoughts

I guess now would be the time to share my post-race thoughts. I'm going to make this short and sweet (my lunch is waiting on me) and use bullets. We love bullets, right?

• I do not enjoy ice baths (random, but I had to throw that out there).
• My ITB is still a little tight and sore-ish.
• I've decided that I love the distance of 13.1 (ok, actually anything past 10 miles I loathe).
• I am FOR SURE doing that race again next year - hands down the best time I've ever had.
• I'm pretty sure the feeling of doing the Half beat out the feeling on my college graduation day. So.Not.Kidding.
• My parents bought me a cool card and gift (Willow Tree Figurine) for finishing. Score!
• I'm unsure if I want to pursue the Half coming up in March (30 mins from my house). I kind of want my life back for a little bit longer and did I mention that I'm not a fan of running in cold weather? Not.A.Fan.
• I'm thinking that I'll keep running (of course!) and take a few yoga and spin classes at the fitness center. You know, since I pay for it and all. Plus, my appetite is still majorly present and it's showing no sign of going away any time soon.
• I'm mailing my grad school application next week. Reminds me...I need to write my essay pronto. Random.
• I'm SO making a shadow box of my medal, bib number, and a few pictures (assuming my sister ever posts or emails them).
• Did I mention that I love Half Marathons? Seriously, it's like I tasted chocolate for the first time. Yum.
  

Bust A Move! Part II

After looking at yesterday's post, I realized that one of the pictures was a little dark. So, I hate doing things halfbass, so here you go:


Now, where were we? Oh yes, around Mile 6. Well, I kept trucking along, nothing really going on. I passed a man who was limping and looked to be in some pain. As I passed him, I told him that he could do this and not to give up. He then got his cell phone out and started calling someone. Poor guy. Later, I saw him limping around barely able to walk - I think he must've pulled something awful.


Anyways, I saw my family again around mile 7 or 8. I waved, stuck my tongue out, and kept running! I was having a great time! Then, we ran through a really nice neighborhood and I started getting tired somewhere around Mile 10. I just kept telling myself that I had a 5k left and that I could do that in my sleep! My 4 & 1 routine started turning into more like a 3 &1 and 2 &1 routine... But, I was determined to try to keep a decent pace.



I saw my family yet again (ha!) and then I saw my husband about a half mile later. It was the funniest thing, he was pulled over on a curb and I kept thinking ... He's going to cause an accident and get MY Tahoe hit! Ha! In reality, he wasn't really going to get hit, but I think I was getting a little delusional! LOL Anyways, I kept trying to push forward and not show that I was getting tired, when my IT band started to hurt. Not only that, I could feel my blisters on my feet now. I knew they were covered with Mole Skin pretty well, so I just told myself that it was all in my head. My feet weren't really hurting, but Self knew better! :)


Fast forward to somewhere around Mile 11. Here comes my dad and stepsister running along a sidewalk. It was really a site to see. My dad, you see, looked like he was really bookin' it, except his feet was doing more of a shuffle run. LOL I love my dad, he's so funny! Anyways, dad runs for a little ways and then says "Whew! I've had enough of this! This is hard!" and I replied back "Um yeah, you outta try it for 11 miles!!" in which he replied "No thanks!" and I just laughed. Then, I let my guard down and said, "I'm starting to hurt, but I'm pushing through!!" and he told me that I was doing great and to keep it up. I then passed the corner where my stepmom was standing (Ha, my stepmom was standing on a corner....LOL jk) and smiled really BIG. She shouted something like "You're still smiling?!" and I kept running. My IT Band was killing me, my blisters hurt, and my calves tried and tried to cramp.



Around Mile 12, I looked up to see the BIG hill. The one that I knew was there and had been dreading all along. That's when Miley Cyrus' song "The Climb" came on. I immediately thought of the Redhead and how she cries when she hears that song (I think it was The Redhead that admitted that, right?) and then thought, How ironic that this song would come on now!! I decided to let the song play through, even though it wasn't an upbeat song and I trudged up that hill. There was a man on a bike saying, "You're almost done, the rest of the way is downhill!" and I replied "Thank God!" (I really was thanking God btw) and he said "Yes! That's the spirit!". (Side note: This was a race for a Christian Children's Ranch, etc. etc.) Anyways, I made it up that BIG hill with nothing left. No energy, no nothing. I knew I had right at a mile to go and that it was only a mile, but I had no power left. At this point, I looked at my watch and said, I can almost make my goal right now even if I walked. But, instead, I ran down the hill and then decided it was time to walk. I knew I couldn't walk anywhere near the finish line, because I had to run there..so I took a little walk break until I saw my dad...


Here comes my dad, all alone, on the sidewalk telling me I'm almost there. So, I start running and chit chatting with my dad - who is trying his best to keep up. I tell him that this was so much fun and how I broke my best 5k time by like 2 minutes, etc. etc. Then he says, "I've gotta take a short cut so I can hear them call out your name!" and he starts running through the muddy grass. I just smile, thinking, that's my dad - RUNNING! I turn the corner and see my stepmom and sister, then on the other side of the chute I see a girl from our training group cheering me on, then another girl cheering, then I hit the mat that gives the announcer your name and I hear "Mrs. Mess" and I look to the left and see my dad and husband and immediately I get all excited and threw up JAZZ HANDS!! and sprinted into the finish - my husband started yelling when I sprinted and I felt as if all eyes were on ME! I loved it!



I hit the finish line, stopped my watch and smiled for the photographer. Then, I grabbed my medal from a kid who lives at the Ranch, and hobbled over to the lady who cut the chip off of my shoe. Then, another kid handed me a space blanket. I was done! I looked down at my watch and saw that I made my goal time and then grabbed a bottle of water and hobbled over to my family and to watch the others come in. My funny husband asked if I wanted him to carry me, to which I replied, "No way dude, my calves are trying to cramp!" LOL I watched a few of my friends run in and then I ran my friend Naomi in. I was as happy as can be!! So, there you have it.. My first half marathon!








That's all of the pictures I have for now..I'm still waiting on my pictures from my stepsister and from the photographer at the race. I'll share more when I get them, of course!!
Yesterday, they posted our official results:
2:45:30 (heck yeah!)
697 out of 842 (more than 1000 registered)
49 out of 59 in my age group
379 out of 498 females
And last but not least... My splits. Notice that Mile 6 was long (it was a slight hill) and then things got a little slower at Mile 10.

Bust A Move! Part I

First off, I wanted to say a huge THANK YOU for all of your comments! Seriously, I thought of some of the comments while running and they just put a smile on my face.

Here's the first part of the review:

Friday night, we met some friends at Larry's Pizza and carb loaded, then headed to Target for some Mole Skin (life saver). After we arrived home, I took a long warm Epsom bath (my 2nd of the day) and then checked on my race pile one last time. I set two alarms for 5:10am and was in bed by 10pm. I thought I'd have a hard time sleeping, but after saying my long list of prayers, I was out like a light! That is...until 4am. I usually get up at 4am to get ready for work, so I guess it's just natural for me to wake up at that time... I never went back to sleep. I laid in bed till about 5 and then hopped in the shower. I was a tad nervous, but tried not to think about it too much. I took my vitamins, drank lots of water, and made a 1/2 of a pb sandwich to eat later. We took a few before pictures and headed out the door!



A Before Picture...







On the way to the race, I ate my pb sandiwch and took my vitamins. Blah blah blah... Went to the bathroom twice (not to worry, no stomach issues!)...blah blah blah. Now, onto the start of the race!

I kissed hubs by and my eyes teared up - I was SO excited! But, I quickly dried my eyes and got in the last corral before the walkers. This was the corral for 2:00 - 2:45 finishers. I thought, "hmm, that could be me" and "there's no way I'm getting in with the walkers!". After waiting about 3 minutes from the time the gun went off, it was our turn! We walked up to the mat, then started running! I hit start on my Garmin and play on my iPod and was greeted with the song "Bust A Move" by Young MC!!!! I thought - Wow! This is definitely the song to start with!
 
The beginning of the race was a little crowded. I ran around people and tried not to bump into others, all the while trying not to go out too fast. I hit mile 1 and thought hmm, I should probably try to slow it down a bit! To be honest, I was full of adrenaline and felt great. So, I kept trucking along. I looked over to my right and who did I see? MY GRANDMA!!! She had told me that she wasn't going to be there and so it really surprised me to see her standing there all by herself! I ran over to the side of the road and waved like an idiot and shouted "Grandma!!" and bless her heart, she tried to take a picture of me, but ended up taking a snapshot of the people behind me! LOL It made my day to see her out there!

At the first water stop (1.5 miles), I grabbed the first cup I saw and took a sip to find out that it was GATORADE!! Ugh! I threw that cup and grabbed the next to find out it too was Gatorade. That's when I noticed that the volunteers were saying "Gatorade" and "Water", so I took a cup from a kid who said "Water" and drank a few gulps of it and kept running.

Around Mile 2, people started spreading out some. I was running with a group of women who I knew from training and they were doing the "4&1" just like me! I tried to stay with them, but they were a little too fast for me and I lost them around mile 3. At mile 3, I took my 2nd Gu (I took the first before the starting line). Not alot happened on Mile 3, I did see a sign along the way that said "Run Like You Stole Something!" which made me laugh. I missed my watch beeping at me at Mile 3, but looked down shortly after and realized that I had just ran my fastest 5k ever - somewhere around 35 minutes I think! Awesome! I took another sip of water at Mile 3 and looked up to see the dreaded hill at mile 4. That's when the girl behind me said "Now's the time when it's okay to look down!" and we all just laughed. I laughed alot during the race and I wore a smile the whole entire time!

I trudged up most of that hill, but ended up walking the top part of it. It didn't get me down though, I knew my family would be at 4.5 miles and I was ready to throw my gloves at hubs - my hands were getting a little warm! So, at 4.5 miles, I threw my gloves, smiled for hubs who was taking a picture, then smiled for the photographer at the other side of the course and looked for my parents who were no where to be found! My heart sank, but I kept trucking along.

4.5ish Miles, before throwing the gloves (yes, I tend to run with my arms a little high, I tried to work on that):

Then, at mile 6, I took another Gu and some more water and then Brandi came up beside me. We exchanged hellos (I think?) and then I looked up at another incline and saw my parents and sister at the top! Of course! My parent's would be at the top of a hill! ha! I wanted to walk, but said no way, I'm not walking in front of them! So, I kept running and smiled really big! They took pictures and then I rounded the corner. That made my day and I got chills running through me - I was SO happy! I kept running and low and behold... here comes the Yukon with the windows rolled down and my family sticking their heads out the window screaming "Go Mrs. Mess!" LOL To say that I was the happiest girl alive, would be an understatement!!

I don't remember alot of the next few miles... I just remember running and looking at everything around me and thinking I've ran this before, I can do this, this is so much fun, I'm running a half marathon!!!! I was over joyed!

Wow! That covers the first part of the race! Next, I'll tell you about the last half of the race - the part where it got a weee bit interesting! ha!

I Did It!!!

According to the Garmin..

13.21 Miles
2:45:29 time (My Goal!!)
12:31 pace


I had a blast. Hit a wall at mile 10. Will share more later! A nap is in store!

Photo Friday

• The gear is ready! I told ya, I'm wearing mostly black! ha!
• Weather looks great for tomorrow - high of 67 and NO rain!
• I stayed home today. I've felt like I'm coming down with something for the past two days and this morning I woke up feeling exhausted. So, I'm listening to my body and I'm taking some extra precautions. I've taken all of my vitamins and some Advil - to fight off the ickys. I feel pretty good, but on the verge of getting sick. I'm hoping it's just nerves, but there was NO way I was going to work and getting exposed to all the sick coworkers. Trust me, my hand santizer bottle has gotten used and abused this week!
• Tonight, we're meeting other runner friends for some carb loading pizza! Yay!
• Please let me do well tomorrow, running gods!
• I'll post as soon as I can on how I did. :)

TWO Days!

Thanks for all the advice and comments! I think I've made a decision to just stick to Gu and water. I've read online that Gu does contain electrolytes, so that's a plus! Now, concerning the whole sock issue... I think I'll just wear my normal socks and just use Body Glide on my feet before putting the socks on. But, this is exactly what I did Saturday and it didn't stop the blisters. So, we'll see. My only concern on wearing different socks is that my feet will be hot. I wore different socks Tuesday night and I could definitely tell that the socks were too thick...


Moving on.. I've printed out the race map and have figured out a few places where my family can cheer me on from - without having to drive all over the place. So far, it looks like hubs, my dad and maybe my stepmom will be in attendance. Which, is fine by me. As long as I have a few people there - I'm pretty happy. :)


My stomach has started giving me some issues - I'm hoping it's just nerves. I'm pretty sure that's all it is. I just hope the issues go away and will not make an appearance on race day.


I'm thinking of soaking in Epsom Salt the night before the race. I usually just take a warm bath, but I'm wondering if this ES will help loosen up my muscles. Any thoughts?


I pick up my race packet after work - I'm super duper excited! I'll still have to pick up my timing chip race morning. For some reason, they're not letting us pick them up till Saturday morning. Guess they want us to be even more stressed?? ha!


Last but not least...and totally unrelated.. Here is a picture of me and Paula Deen (cut out) from this past weekend. It's a tradition that I take a picture with her every time we go eat there. I totally should've taken off my jacket as it makes me look like a whale...but you live and you learn, right? lol Also, please note that I ran 10.5 miles that day and hadn't had a nap! HA!

2 more days till my first half marathon!!!

Running Madness!

All things running associated are running through my head right now. I had my last training run last night and it went ...differently. We had 4 miles map'd out and the first mile I ran way too fast because I was so darn excited. How fast? 10:57. That's fast for me. After that, things went a little south. The run felt hard, my legs felt dead tired, and my heart just wasn't in it. But, you wouldn't have known that by my overall pace - 12:18 (I think). That's a tad quicker than I usually run! So, on paper, the run looks pretty well, though I know how hard it felt! I'm chalking it up to tired legs and from just being plain worn out myself.

Aside from that, I woke up in the middle of the night last night feeling a pain in my shin. Uh oh. So, I have plans of icing and resting that baby tonight. No worries since it doesn't actually hurt to walk and I'm not even thinking of sprinting across the parking lot to see how it feels. No worries, right?

Now, onto socks. I've been running in dry wick (is that right?) socks that have compression around the arch. I love those socks. They are thin, cheap, and I've used them for 2 years now. They hold up really well. Everything was fine till this past Saturday. 10.5 miles did a number on my feet. Blisters? Yes. Lucky for me, they didn't pop (ew) or anything and they're not bothering me as of right now. But, my thoughts are...should I try a thicker sock this Saturday or just stick with these and deal with the blisters? Or what about that mole skin stuff; does that stuff work?? Any thoughts on the matter would be greatly appreciated.

Then, the thoughts on Gatorade - or any type of drink or gel with electrolytes in it... Gatorade and I don't get along. In training, I've drank normal ole water, but now I'm wondering - should I have something with electrolytes in it? I take Gu, but Gu doesn't have the elects in it does it? Oh what to do, what to do... So, I need input please!

Now, goals. Goals:

• Goal A: to finish.
• Goal B: to finish under 3 hours.
• Goal C: to finish at 2:45 or under.

I know I can complete Goal A. I'm pretty darn sure I can do Goal B. Now, Goal C? It's going to be a close call!
For those of you who are interested...I'll be posting my racing outfit on Friday (Photo Friday)!

A Mixture of Emotions

Wow, this weekend had all kinds of emotions going on. Here's a recap of part of the weekend:

• Carb loaded on some pizza Friday night - long run jitters were definitely present. I was wondering if I was eating too much pizza - I was one hungry girl! I wont share how much I ate, because it's a tad embarrassing! :) Hubs didn't have to work Friday night = excellent!
• Saturday morning it was frigid! The Beast said it was 46 degrees COLD! So, I dressed in shorts (yikes), my new running shirt, then a long sleeve technical shirt over, and some awesome (throw away) gloves. Met the group at 8am and we were off!
• Immediately, this lady said she was going to be my partner for the 10 miles. I told her that I was doing 4&1 and to go ahead and leave me if I'm too slow. Side note - I hate being someone's pacer or buddy. It puts a lot of pressure on me! I don't like team sports for fear that I'll screw up the team and lose the game - so I definitely don't like being someone else's "partner." I'm okay with it if it happens on accident...LOL
• Anyways, the first 5 miles went by pretty quickly. At mile 5 we passed by a golf course, where a group of guys where teeing off. We talked about stealing their golf cart and finishing our last 5 miles that way, but decided against it. LOL
• Everything was going fine till I decided to try Gatorade at mile 7. Mistake. I knew this, but decided it wouldn't hurt to give it one last try. Yeah, I experienced that nice little vomit in mouth. Ugh.
• Mile 8, 9, 10 were rough. I'm not going to lie. I began to wonder why I was doing this to myself. I began to wonder if I was going to make it on race day. I began feeling the lovely blisters on my feet. My calves were starting to cramp- something that has never happened thus far in training.
• But, I powered through (slowly) and finished our 10.5 miles. My time - I can't even remember, but I do remember my overall pace fell to 12:55. So, with that pace, my goal of 2:45 is out of reach, but we'll find out on race day, wont we?!
• Anyways, I came home and told hubs he would get the pleasure of torturing me. That's right, it was ice bath time. I sucked it up and did an ice bath - first time ever. I must say, it wasn't too bad once I got used to it. But, dang is that cold!

So, that's a recap of PART of my weekend. It's getting a little long ...so I'll post part II later. Trust me, it isn't all that interesting! LOL

Starting To Get A Weee Bit Excited!!

It has hit me - the Half Marathon excitement! Tomorrow is my last long run and I hope to do well on it, but as I was reminded - it's only a training run! So, screw it if I don't do well - it doesn't count anyways! LOL

After work yesterday, I stopped by and bought another running shirt. I started thinking about my outfit and how I wanted to be easy to spot... Well, I went in for a bright pink shirt {to match the pink in my black and pink shorts} but I came out with a black shirt. I know...everyone will be wearing black. But, as we know, I hate shopping {mostly} and I just wanted a new shirt {truth be told}. I did try on a few bright pink shirts, but I didn't like the fit. This black one however fit perfectly and I'll be trying it out tomorrow on my long run. Also, I'm trying the Gu's exactly how I'll be using them on race day. So, I'm excited {and nervous} as I've never ran this long and I'm hoping the Gus settle well {they have been thus far, so why shouldn't they?}.

Anyways, I'll take a picture sometime soon of the race outfit. :) Something else I'm excited about is ...

We're going to Tunica this weekend! A little background, before I go further. The hubs works a ton - a TON - so I haven't seen him since Monday night. Yes, Monday night. Now, don't get me wrong, he does come home, but I'm already asleep by this time {think midnight and later} and I get up at the crack of dawn to come to work. Anyways, I mentioned earlier this week that I was ready to go back and eat at Paula Deen's Buffet at the Harrah's in Tunica. Well, I knew it wasn't going to happen, because hubs has been working weekends too. Well, he called me last night and told me to book a room - we're going to Tunica! Yay! Neither of us are big gamblers by any means, but we do like to visit about once a year. So, this will be a much needed mini vacation.

And I leave you with a picture from last year's visit at Paula Deen's Buffet {it's a cutout}:

GMAT & An Outdoor Wedding!

Well ladies and gents, I took the GMAT Friday morning. I needed a score of 500 and I scored a 580!! To say that I'm pleased and excited, is an understatement. I literally cried in the elevator as I was leaving. The test took me 3 hours to complete - I didn't take any of my breaks. I was just so stressed, that I wanted to finish as soon as possible! There were 2 essays, a math section, and a grammar section. This was the hardest test that I have ever taken - hands down!!! I'm very glad that I took the time and studied for 2 solid months before taking the test! Now, it's behind me and I can start applying to Grad School! Woohoo! Side note... The math section, I ran out of time on, and had to pick random answers for the last 4 questions - because you HAVE to answer the questions!! Wow. But, it's now behind me!!



Other than that, I've had a relaxing weekend. I skipped my long run Saturday morning due to poor planning. I totally forgot to pick up any Gu's on Friday and when I woke up Saturday morning, I knew that I couldn't do 9.6 miles without my Gu. Well, 9.6 miles VERY WELL without them! And, I was not prepared to have a bad run - so I skipped it. Horrible, I know. But, it's ok - I totally know I can do the mileage, so I'm not too upset.



Saturday evening, one of my great friends got married. It was an outdoor wedding - and a little chilly - but it was beautiful! She looked amazing and I loved how everything turned out. Right now, she's on her honeymoon in Hawaii. Sigh. Wish I was there!

Myself with the Beautiful Bride:

Running Review

It's that time again!

If you remember, August looked like this:

August
34.61 miles
13:26 overall average pace

Ready for September?

September
53.57 miles
12:55 overall average pace

Nice improvement, right? I was suppose to run more mileage than this, but I've cut back due to some issues with my shins. I'm having a slight pain in them both and I'm trying to avoid injury since the Half is 3 weeks away. So, we shall see!

I haven't posted my runs in a while, so here are the most previous two:


I failed to notice that I cut the last 1.5 miles off of this one... So, you can only see the first 7:

Thanks for all the comments yesterday. We received some not-so-great news about my grandmother's scan. To share a little bit, she has cancer in her spleen, lung, liver, and bones. Please continue to pray. That really means a lot to us all.
In case you haven't noticed {I'm hoping you haven't}, I'm running out of things to blog about so I'm opening up the floor to questions. Anything that you'd like to know about me, my job, my training, or anything - the floor is open. I'll answer all questions. So, lets hear them!

3 Things Thursday

You know the drill...

• I'm thankful for my J O B. Yesterday our company laid off close to 400 employees. This hit too close to home. So, I'm very thankful for said job.
• I'm ready for this GMAT test to be over. I take the test next Friday and at this point, I have no idea how I'll score.
• I wish we were running more than 6 miles this Saturday. Our training calls for 6 and I really wish we were doing 9. Maybe I should just be happy with the 6?

In case you couldn't tell, I'm in a bad mood. Yesterday was just a very bad day and it somehow carried into today.

Also, my grandmother gets her scan results today to see if the cancer has spread. Thoughts and prayers are definitely appreciated. I'm just feeling a little overwhelmed right now. Job stuff, GMAT, HM training, and family stuff...just a little too much for me to handle right now. Blah. I am, however, excited to post my last few runs and September stats {to compare with August's}. Maybe I'll get to that tonight.

My Birthday Recap Plus......

Good Morning!! First off, thank you for all of the birthday wishes! I did have a great birthday weekend! :) Here's a little recap of my weekend and just some random thoughts that are going through my head....

• Friday hubs called and told me not to look at the bank account because he had just bought my birthday presents. Now, major points for buying them early!! Usually, he waits till the day of to buy anything. :) So, like a good wife, I didn't look at the account!
• After work, he decides that I want to open one of my gifts now. Now, if you know us, you know that we can't wait to exchange gifts - we usually open them the day they're bought! So, keeping tradition... He bought me a 3in1 printer/scanner/copier, an external hard drive, and a Limited Gift Cert! I have the greatest husband! I wanted that 3in1 because I always had to print things at work and I wanted a scanner to scan old pictures and such. Then, I wanted that external hard drive because I have 4 years worth of pictures on my laptop and I was so afraid of losing them. And, we all know why I wanted the Limited Gift Cert! :)
• Saturday morning, I ran 7.15 miles! I felt great and kept my 12:37ish overall pace! I plan to upload my last few runs sometime soon! Now, let me just say that I prefer Carb Boom over Gu! Gu is a little too thick, but I choked it down! Ugh. I might stick with Gu though because their packaging is easier to open while running and the size is smaller than Carb Boom. Which is important, btw, when you're stuffing them in your sports bra because you haven't found a belt that works yet! :) LOL
• My grandma surprised me by stopping by after my run, with a birthday card and some cash! Thank you grandma! She's so sweet. :) Plus, I got a card in the mail from my mom! :)
• My friends left me over 40 Happy Birthday messages on Facebook! Awww!
• Sunday we ventured down to Hot Springs to see the family for my birthday. My MIL made an awesome homemade pizza for my birthday! She does this for birthdays and special occasions and it's so delicious! Also, there was a cake! It had cream cheese icing on it - Yum! You can bet that we took some pizza and cake home! :) Which, is probably why my stomach hates me this morning. Cake is not great for dinner.
• While at Hot Springs, I received some lotion from B&BW, a homemade bag from my neice, and some moolah to go shopping with!!! I'm so excited!!

That just about wraps up my weekend! There was some other fun stuff that I've left out I'm sure, but this post is already too long! Maybe I'll share more during the week! :)

Weight Watcher's Wednesday

I usually don't participate in Weight Watcher's Wednesday, but I tried this recipe last night and had to share it!

Fusilli with Sausage, Spinach, and Peppers

8 oz uncooked fusilli (or bowtie pasta)
8 oz raw turkey sausage, casings removed
10 oz chopped frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
1 cup canned chicken broth (I used one 10.5 oz can)
7 oz canned pimento, drained and chopped
1/2 tsp table salt (I used garlic salt)
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried oregano

Cook pasta according to package instructions.

Crumble sausage into a large nonstick pan. Cook, breaking apart sausage, until no longer pink.
Add spinach, broth, pimentos, salt, pepper, and oregano. Heat to serving temperature (3 to 5 mins). Drain pasta, add to sausage mixture and toss to combine. (I continued to cook it all together for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently.)

4 servings, 7 points each. Yum-o-licious.


In other news, I ran last night with no shin pain, but some back pain. Girls, it's time for new shoes. Today after work, I'm heading over to get the Asics GT-2140. Also, my time was a tad slower, a pace of 12:49 overall for 4.66 miles. Not too shabby, considering the back pain which caused me to look like I had been beatin up and was only running because I was being chased! ha!

A Great 6 Miles!

I met the group on Saturday morning for our 6 mile long run. I was a little uneasy due to the fact that my stomach felt a little heavy with the 7 slices of pizza I ate the night before. (They were small, thin crust slices... ) But, I'm thinking that maybe all those carbs helped me out more than I would've originally thought.....



The run started out pretty well. There are these 2 girls (who knows, they might be older than me) who I play leap frog with quite a bit. Now, usually this wouldn't bother me, but I find one of the girls quite annoying. Why? I'm pretty sure she's making smart remarks every time I pass her and she passes me. Which, btw, one of my friends told me that they do the same thing to her and she over heard them say "Jump complete" when they passed her. How rude. But, I digress... Anyhow, I was determined not to let these girls beat me in the end. I wanted to get past them and stay that way. So, I did my usual 4 & 1 routine and pushed up the hills even though I wanted to stop. All in all, I was feeling pretty good and somehow kept the leap frog girls at bay.


I think the running gods were in my favor. I could breathe pretty well, my legs weren't all that tired, I wasn't being a negative nancy, and my iPod was playing the "right" songs. I was running so well that I didn't even look to see what my pace was at mile 1. To be honest, I forgot. That never happens. I'm obsessed with numbers. So, when I made it to mile 2 and heard my Garmin beep, I looked down to see that I was in the 23 minute range. Holy cow. That hasn't happened ever. Never ever. I think I probably jumped a little when I saw that. So, after that, I was determined to keep doing well. I kept pushing up the hills.


I began getting tired at mile 5, but I knew I had just one more mile to go. My pace had slipped some, but it was still pretty decent for me. And those girls? No where to be found. Ha! Needless to say, I had a great run.. and here's the proof:




Take note of that overall pace. That is the fastest pace I've ever kept for such a long period of time. I think I've kept this pace for 2 miles before, but never 6 miles!! So, ladies, if this wasn't some fluke, I could potentially meet my goal of 2:45 for the Half! But, I'm trying not to get my hopes up. Right now, I just want to make it to the race, injury free. How's that going? Well, I had a very slight pain in my shin and a sharp pain in my foot at the very end of the run. So, I made sure to ice a lot on Saturday and then on Sunday as well. I took yesterday off from running. I was suppose to do 3 miles, but decided not to chance it just yet. I'm also doubling up on my calcium (and vitamin D) and tomorrow I'm going for a new pair of Asics. Which, btw, it saddens me that I can no longer find my GT-2130's and will have to upgrade to the GT-2140's. But, I'll live.
Let's hope that tonights 4.5 miles goes just as well!

Running...Running.. Running!

I've finally gotten my act together and have my running stats uploaded! Yay! So, let's see where we stand... shall we?


July (seems so long ago):
Total Miles: 13.96 (ha!!!)
Pace: 13:29

August:
Total Miles: 34.61 (getting there...)
Pace: 13:26 (a slight improvement)
Biking: 16.22 miles, time: 1:44:30

Now for runs so far this month... (Please excuse the quality.. Copy & Paste & Cut are my BFFs)




My pace here lately seems a little slower and all over the place. But, I'm happy to say that I finally feel like I'm beginning to run a little stronger. Last night's run was hotter than it's been in a few weeks, but I ran pretty decent. :) So, I'm pretty happy overall.
As my half marathon is getting closer, I'm beginning to think about goals. So... after much thought, here are my HM goals:

• Goal A: to finish. Last year, I made it to training week 8 before getting 2 stress fractures.
• Goal B: to finish under 3 hours. This was last year's goal. (Pace of 13:43)
• Goal C: to finish under/at 2:45. This is what I'm really shooting for. It's within reach...almost. (Pace of 12:35)