Making the Move

Ya'll, I'm making the move to WordPress.  Yeps, I am.  I was intrigued about why everyone was making the change, so I hopped on over to take a look and the rest was history.  So, please move your subscriptions to arkansasrunner.wordpress.com

I know it's a hassle and a pain, but do it for me :)  Heck, while you're at it - check out wordpress too! 

Grandma & family... that means you now have to go to arkansasrunner.wordpress.com to read about my boring life :)

Great Day!

My beautiful little niece got to go home yesterday!!!  She is eating the required 30 ml at each feeding, gained a little bit of weight, and passed her car seat test!  We are SO happy to have her home!  My sister reports that all is well so far and that the family dog doesn't know what to think!  ha!  He just sniffs around and knows something is going on! :)

In other news, my Marketing class is going well!  I've managed to keep up with the heavy course work and I only have 3 more weeks left!  YAY!

Exciting News!!

Remember the story of my sister's pregnancy?  Well, Tuesday July 19th, Baby Laikyn made her debut!!!!

My sister found out she was pregnant on May 16th and Laikyn was born on July 19th!  We all had a tad over 2 months to prepare!  Here's the story of how Laikyn came 6 weeks early!!

Monday night/Tuesday morning around 2am, my sister woke up my stepmom and told her that her back was hurting her.  She said she looked it up on the internet and that it was normal, but that it hurt.  So, my stepmom gave her some Tylenol and a heating pad.  My sister moved from couch to couch trying to find a comfortable position.  Well, she also had to tinkle a lot.  So, my stepmom thought she may have a bladder infection.  She called the doctor's hotline and waited an hour.  The doctor never called back and my stepmom noticed that my sister was tensing up every 3 minutes.  That's when they went to the ER - around 4am.

While at the ER they checked her - she was at 5cm!  That's when the doctor said, "Looks like you're having a baby today!"  My dad called me at 5:45am.  I was getting ready for work and had just stepped out of the shower.  He said he was in Texas - he never has to travel for work, this is the first time in years!  So, he was trying his best to drive here quick enough to get back.  Sadly, he didn't make it before Laikyn was born, but a few hours later.

I made it to the hospital with dry, frizzy hair and no makeup.  I packed my stuff up and did my makeup and straightened my hair in the room while we waited for things to start up.  Around 9am, my sister was ready to start pushing.  At 9:38am, Laikyn was born!

She weighed 5lbs 1oz and was 17.25 inches long!  She had a few issues with breathing, but those have corrected itself.  She's being monitored for keeping her temperature steady and eating enough.  We're not sure when she and my sister will be released, but they are doing very well.  My sister handled labor as a trooper!!

I'm one very proud aunt!  I'm so proud of my sister and of baby Laikyn! 

You'll see lots of stories and some pictures from me in the future I'm sure.  But, to keep things private, I'll only be sharing what has been shared on Facebook by family.  I don't want to over share, so I'll be sharing only one my sister and her fiancee have allowed okay via Facebook. ha.

Did You Know?

I'm doing a lot of marketing related reading these days and I thought ya'll would enjoy this!

• People in Seattle buy more toothbrushes per capita than people in any other U.S. city.
• People in Salt Lake City eat more candy bars.
• People from New Orleans use more ketchup.
• People in Miami drink more prune juice.

These all came from my Marketing Management book.  I wonder why people in Seattle buy more toothbrushes? lol

Stress Release

Thanks for listening to me stress out yesterday.  I hate days like that! 

After work, I came home, grabbed a wine cooler and some chocolate and sat down at our dining room table and worked on those two papers.  I completed them - mostly, I still have to finish one during lunch today.  Then, the hubs came home and we had supper.  Afterwards, I couldn't sit still without thinking that I should be finishing that paper or reading the chapter again.  But, I knew it was pointless.  My brain was fried.

So, I went on a bike ride - by myself.  This is huge for me, because I always go on bike rides with the hubs and if exercising alone, I always pick running.  But yesterday he took his bike to the shop to get a tune up and change out the tires, so I was on my own.  Let me just say, I was nervous for the first few miles, but then I began to have fun and unwind.  I only went 6.5 miles, but those miles melted my stress away!  I think I might be in the beginnings of likeing cycling just as much as running...

Stressed

Summer school started last night.  My class is 5 weeks and from 6-10pm on Mondays & Wednesdays.  10pm people - that's late!

Anyways, we were given assignments and had to submit them online by noon today.  Crazyness, I tell you.  Pure crazyness.  The teacher knows that we work, so I have no idea what that noon deadline on a non-class day is about.  But, I turned my stuff in at 11am...although looking back at it, I'm not sure one of the articles I submitted was on par...but whatever, it's done.  Now, I have to write some stuff up for class tomorrow night.  I'm hoping he doesn't keep us till 10pm, but we shall see.

Besides that crazyness, life is okay.  But seriously, school has officially put me in a tizzy.  I don't know how else to explain it.  I like to plan things.  I like to know when things are due - way in advance.  Not - read these two long ass chapters and then submit your work at noon tomorrow.  Then, write this stuff up and submit in class Wednesday.  And the kicker is, it's going to be like this every single class meeting.  Atleast I know that going forward and can plan for it.

That's all I've got.  Sorry ya'll.

3 Things Thursday

1. Has anyone tried this shampoo?  I saw it in Target's ad and I'm really considering it.  I hate spending that much on shampoo, but if it helps straighten my hair....
2. The hubs and I decided to walk the dogs a mile, then bike 6 miles last night.  It was so fun exploring our neighborhood and streets around us.  It's so bike friendly!
3. Speaking of cycling, do any of ya'll use a Camelbak?  I'm really considering getting one because every time I try to get my bottle of water from the bracket, I almost fall over or I don't watch where I'm going.  Don't even get me started on trying to actually take a drink while driving with one hand! ha!

What Will It Be?

It's definitely going to be a wait-till-atleat-7pm kind of work out. 

But should I cycle or run?

Both need improvement....

One major plsu is the humidity - less than 50%! YAY!

My Sister

You might recall that a few months back my sister was having tests ran and I asked ya'll to pray.  I guess it's time I explained all of that, huh?

My sister has had female issues in the past.  By that, I mean she rarely, if ever, has a cycle.  So, back in April, she went to the gyno to get on BC, so that she could resolve this issue and have a cycle.  Well, the doctor gave her some medicine that would make her start and then she should've started taking the BC.  Well, she never started her cycle after that medicine. 

So the doc brought her in for some bloodwork.  Her numbers came back all crazy and so they sent her off for more bloodwork and an MRI of her brain.  They thought she had a tumor.  Thankfully, her MRI came back clear.  So, more bloodwork was ordered.  Those numbers came back crazy, too.  So, they thought that now she might have something wrong with her ovaries.  By this point, it's the middle of May.  They call her in for an emergency ultrasound.

The tech said, "Ah ha, there it is."
"There what is?"
"Your baby's head.  Your six months pregnant."

Yes.  My sister was six months pregnant and you couldn't even tell.  She's a tiny girl and there wasn't a bump.  She looked a little bloated, like she had just eaten too much pizza, but that was it.  She had no sickness, no weight gain, no belly.  No symptoms what-so-ever.  She even had an exam in April when she was 4-5 months pregnant and the doctor missed that.

Thankfully, the baby is doing fine.  It's a girl, by the way.  She's measuring a few weeks bigger than originally thought and scheduled to be here at the end of August.  To say we are all relieved that it wasn't cancer of some sort is a major understatement. 

So there you have it. 

I've hesitated sharing this on my blog for a while now, because it's family business and I don't normally share info like that on here.... Plus, my little sister is near and dear to my heart and I don't want anyone to think negatively of her at all. 

The Month of Baby Showers

It's July 1st...which means it's the month of baby showers! 

I've got to be honest.  I don't like showers of any sort.  I know, I know.  But, the reason why is I HATE dressing up.  Seriously, can't stand it.  I never feel put together enough and I'm always feel uncomfortable the whole time like everyone is thinking "what is she wearing?".

*le sigh*

But anyways...

I have a cousin-in-law's baby shower to attend tomorrow.
I'm throwing my sister a baby shower next Saturday (I'll post about this later today.)
Then I have a friend's baby shower the following Saturday.

Oh, and then the Saturday after that?  I have to work.  Lovely. ha!

Let the fun begin!

Grandma Cereal

One of the perks about moving is that I have more free time in the morning.  I can sleep in 30 minutes later and eat breakfast before leaving the house. 

I was talking to a coworker this morning about my "grandma cereal" and he asked me why I called it that.  So, I thought I'd tell ya'll the story as well.

When my brother and I were little, we used to spend the night at my grandma's house every now and then.  The next morning we'd have cereal.  My grandma always had kid friendly cereal at her house, but she also had Cracklin' OatBran as well.  The Cracklin' OatBran was her cereal.  I tried it once and it was all over from then.  I loved her cereal.  It's been my favorite ever since and it reminds me of her whenever I see it.  So of course when I figured out that I'd have more free time and actually have the time to eat breakfast before leaving the house....I had to go get a box of Cracklin' OatBran! 

I hope my grandma realizes how much I love her & think about her... and how much I love her cereal, too!

Life Update

Nothing really earth shattering going on here!  But here are a few life updates:

• We've been walking/jogging the dogs every other night or so!  This is something that we'd never done until we moved and the dogs LOVE it.
• I'm not sure we'll ever get all of the boxes unpacked.   We've unpacked a ton and have everything we need to live day-to-day, so I kind of wonder what's in the rest of those boxes.  :)
• As of today, we are FINALLY off the overtime at work.  I'm so happy that I get to leave work at 4pm today!  I've volunteered to work a little bit of OT during my lunch each day.  Hey, what can I say, the money is nice.  It wont be much, but every little extra bit counts.  :)
• Life is fixing to get busier again shortly.  I'm going to be taking a 5 week summer course.  Ugh.  I hate summer school.  But, I'm getting that much closer with being done with grad school!
• I paid $3.14 a gallon for gas today and felt HAPPY about it.  Wow, if you would've told me that 4 years ago, I might've cried! ha!
• And, I'm almost done (finally) with the book I'm reading - The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.

Extreme Couponing?

In case ya'll didn't know, I love me some coupons.  My husband used to laugh at me, but now he applauds me.  Here recently I've been doing better than usual.  Now, I wouldn't call myself an extreme couponer by any means - at all - but I'm learning the ropes!

We just purchased a fridge from Lowe's and I saved us 10% with a coupon I found in a moving packet put out by the post office.  Then, we received more coupons from Lowe's after using that one.  Those coupons went towards the purchase of a new grill, garden hose, hose carrier, and other yard essentials - saving us about $35! 

Then this weekend, I gathered up all my coupons and made my list for Kroger.  Kroger has digital coupons online that you can attach to your Kroger card.  If your store hasn't updated their software, you can stack digital coupons with paper coupons.  Sadly, my new Kroger has the new software version, but that doesn't stop me from racking up the deals! 

I looked at the sales ad, looked at my coupons, looked especially hard at the coupons that would double at Kroger (65 cents or less), then made my list of stuff we needed.  Ya'll my original total was $100 and after my coupons, I paid $80!  I saved 20%!!  That's awesome for me!  I feel like I'm finally starting to get the hang of this couponing thing!  And the thing is - I bought stuff that we needed!  I didn't buy multiples of things.  I didn't buy 4 boxes of pasta or 10 rolls of paper towels.  I bought things we needed!

I'm so proud of myself.  If ya'll aren't atleast trying to save some money by using coupons, then you're coo coo!  ha!  Seriously, give it a try!  You'd be surprised on how you do!

We closed!

We did it!  We closed on our new house last Monday!  We officially moved and all that jazz!

We LOVE the new place!  We now take our dogs for walks in the evenings and we've even seen some deer while on the walks!  It's SO peaceful and wonderful!

And..my commute went from 40 minutes to 16 minutes!  From 29 miles to 11!  UM, YES!!!!

I'll share more later this week, but now, I've gotta get my booty working to pay for this house! ha! :)

It's Friday!

If everything goes as planned, we will be loading a giant uHaul tomorrow morning and then closing on both houses Monday!  I hope and pray that everything goes as planned/scheduled and we'll be in our new house on Monday afternoon! 

Have a great weekend and I'll "see" ya'll sometime in the next week or so!

3 Things Thursday

1. Our house looks like a box factory threw up in it.  The Lowe's installation guy is coming this morning to install our new door and frame.  Tomorrow night we do our final walk-through on the new house AND the buyers will be doing the walk-through on our current house.  This means we have major cleaning to do tonight.  Who decided having a walk-through after we've started packing was a good idea??
2. We went last night and looked at furniture again.  We found a bedroom suite that we really like.  I think we'll make it ours next week.  We're 99.9% set on that one.  I'll take pictures.  Btw, I'll be taking pictures of EVERYTHING - LOL!
3. I'm on vacation next week - moving.  So, I wont be online more than likely.  Which means, no blog posts or pictures or anything from me next week.  Our internet is suppose to be installed on Tuesday, but we'll see.  Plus, I'll kinda be busy unpacking! ha! 

Hot

Moving in the middle of June in Arkansas = one hot day.  With the humidity, I'm sure the heat index will be over 100.  Wonderful. ha!

I'm thinking about trying to plan a little run for Sunday morning.  If I get up at the crack of dawn, it might be below 80.  heh.

On another random note, we bought our fridge last night!  YAY!  We got the one we wanted and I had a 10% off coupon, which saved us some cash.  :-)  It will be delivered on Monday afternoon!

Lesson Learned

Sit back and relax...this might be a tad long.

One of the things the new homeowners put into our closing contract was that they wanted the back door replaced.  You see, our back door is steel and scratched all to bits.  Our golden retriever likes to jump onto the back door and paw at the door - scratching the window and the door as he does so.  Then our little jack russell likes to bounce off the back door when he hears that we are home.  So, between the two dogs, our door looks a little worn on the outside.

Well, the hubs and I thought that we could easily replace the back door by going to Lowe's and buying a new door and just taking the old one off the hinges, placing the new one in it's place.  Um, no.  You see, Friday night we learned that the appraiser wouldn't sign off on our appraisal until the back door was replaced.  We had been waiting to replace the door, because we didn't want the dogs to scratch up the new one.  But, now, a week from closing, we learned it needed to be replaced ASAP.  So, Friday night, we went to Lowe's and purchased a new door.

We bring the new door home and realize that although it's the correct size, the hinges don't match up.  Crapola.  Saturday morning hubs went back to Lowe's to see if we could get someone to install the door, because in order to install the new door, the entire door jam/framing had to come down and a new one be put in it's place.  Awesome.  So, while he's doing that, I'm running around the neighborhood.  During my run, a neighbor stopped to talk to me.  We chit chat and he tells me that we can get our door from another place in town - one we never thought of.  So, as soon as hubs gets home, we go to this other place (Ridout).  Turns out they have our exact door, but it has to be ordered - it will take a week to get here and then we'll have to paint it.  Small problem - we don't have a week.  That would've saved us mucho money, by the way.

So, we go with the Lowe's installation.  The installation guy came on Monday and measured everything to make sure we purchased the correct door (we did).  He's supposedly coming back today to install the door - might be Friday, but we've got our fingers crossed for today.  Then, the appraisal can be signed off on.  Then, the new homeowners can do their final walk through.  And then, we can close on Monday and MOVE.

Lesson to be learned - do your homework WELL in advance.  This little lesson cost us an extra $225.  Not only was our door cheaper at Ridout, but we could've installed it ourselves....

Etsy Shop

I thought I'd take a second and mention that one of my friends just opened an Etsy shop.  She does baby items and they're all really cute!  So, please take a second to stop by her new shop HERE.

Pity Party of One

This may be the most "poor me" post I've ever written.  You've been warned.

For the last two months I have been slacking in the running department.  Majorly.  I'm not really sure what happened except that the past few months have been stressful with school, working 10 hour days for months (and still), trying to sell our house, then selling our house, and now packing and finalizing everything with our house.  I've found that when I'm stressed, I tend to shut down.  I tend to sit myself down in front of the tv and veg.  So my running?  It went out the window.

I've been trying to pretend that I'm okay with that.  That this is just a season and I'll start running again once we move.  And to be honest, I KNOW I WILL.  But, that doesn't help with the right now.  The right now is, I feel fat, slow, unmotivated, and gross.  And FB isn't really helping that right now.  All of those people that I've somehow helped get into running are all posting about their glorious runs.  Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for them and proud for them, but I'm also very jealous.  I want to be running, but right now life is in the way.  We move this weekend.  We close on Monday (God willing).

So for now, I whine.  Next week, I run.  :0)

To-Do List Revisited

We close ONE week from today (if everything goes as planned, which is a whole other blog post).

So, we're revisiting the to-do list.

1. Buy & replace back door.
2. Replace dryer vent outside.
3. Call & schedule back window glass replacement.
4. Call & schedule uHauls.
5. Buy & schedule delivery of a new fridge (to new house).
6. Box up remainder of house & the storage building.
7. Find stuff to put in stepmom's yard sale.  (We have stuff, but it's already packed. Oh snap.)
8. Pack, pack, pack.
9. Buy random stuff that we need before move (trash bags, hand soap, etc)

So, as you can see, we accomplished some of the list!

What I Learned Yesterday

I'm old.  Now, before you roll your eyes, hear me out.

A couple of coworkers were talking yesterday about another coworker and how he's a DJ at night.  I asked where at and they name a place that I've never heard of.  Then, they look at me like I have 3 heads, because apparently this place (that I can't even remember the name of) is a very popular place.  These coworkers are only 5 years younger than me.

Then, these same coworkers started talking about this song (again, no idea the name).  They're talking about how great the song is.  I remember distinctly changing the radio station when that song came on last.  I guess I'm not hip...  Do people still say hip?  ha!

Then, this morning, I see pictures of someone on FB.  I don't agree with these pictures or status messages, because I think they make the person look....trampy?  When I ask my coworkers opinion, they tell me those pictures and status messages are totally normal and acceptable.  Excuse me?  If my mother saw those, she'd roast me without asking any questions.  So, yet another example of how times have changed...

But on a totally unrelated note - today is finally Friday!!!!!  Happy Friday and Weekend my friends!

3 Things Thursday

1. Yesterday I received recognition for my 5 year work anniversary.  I'd show you a picture of my plaque-like certificate, but then you'd know where I work and have my last name.  ha!
2. I'm still trying to cut down on the dairy products.  I'm doing very well and my stomach has been feeling SO much better.  I made a discovery though.  While talking to my stepmom about this, she mentioned that a friend's daughter has the same issues and they've noticed that white cheeses usually don't hurt her stomach.  It's something about the type of milk they're made out of.  This would help explain why pizza doesn't bother my stomach - it's made with Mozzarella, which usually is still made with cow's milk (I believe) but it's usually like 2% milk.  Anyways, after this discovery, I've been able to eat Mozzarella cheese and be okay.  However, I used some cheddar cheese we had to make enchiladas and my stomach hates me this morning.  And seriously, it wasn't even that much cheddar cheese.  Ugh.
3. I bribed myself into going to work this morning.  I know I've said it a billion times, but the 10 hr days are getting old.  So, I stopped by Sonic and got a Route 44 Cherry Vanilla Coke Zero.  I will make it through this week with my sanity still in possession.

Wordless Wednesday

Kinda.

This is part of our new kitchen!  This was taken with my phone, so the coloring is a tad off.  But, seriously, what's not to love about this kitchen!!!!  See that door?  That's the pantry!  There is also another set of cabinets on the other side, plus where the fridge goes. 

I promise to share actual pictures when we move in.  :)

The Dreaded To-Do List

I know ya'll could care less, but this is for my own sanity.

This is our to-do list before moving day.

1. Buy & replace back door.
2. Replace dryer vent outside.
3. Call & schedule back window glass replacement.
4. Call & schedule uHauls.
5. Buy & schedule delivery of a new fridge (to new house).
6. Box up remainder of house & the storage building.
7. Find stuff to put in stepmom's yard sale.  (We have stuff, but it's already packed. Oh snap.)
8. Pack, pack, pack.
9. Buy random stuff that we need before move (trash bags, hand soap, etc)

This is our last weekend before moving weekend and it's already looking busy and full of stuff that is not related to our move.  I might be a tad stressed.  :-) 

Remember??

Remember that bike ride we were suppose to do this past weekend? 

A lady passed away after having a tragic accident in the race.  Here's a link to the story.

Honestly, I'm glad that we didn't participate, because we weren't prepared.  This death reminded me that although we think we're superhumans, deadly accidents still happen - even to those who are well prepared.

Friday! Friday!

On to other things...

• This Sunday paper will have the P&G Saver in it.  That means approx $102 savings in coupons!
• Tomorrow, my stepmom, sister, and I are going shopping for all things baby!  Nope, not for me!  But, it shall be fun still!
• Today is Friday!  Yay!  And, 17 days till moving day!
• We made a rockin good Stir Fry last night!  I wish we could make that every day!  Plus, it was super healthy minus the soy sauce! ha!
• Oh, and I have some quarters to buy a Coke Zero today! ha!  It's the little things that make me happy today.  :-) 

Happy Friday & Weekend!

3 Things Thursday

1. I have gained 7 pounds in the last week and a half.  Can we say stress eater?  I knew what I was doing and I was/am so disgusted with the way I feel and look right now.  The good thing is, I started eating better on Tuesday and I'm already down 5 pounds.  With that being said, I really want to get back to my happy weight.  Which, right now, is 9 pounds away.  I just gotta keep myself accountable!
2. One of the things that I'm going to miss about our current home is all of the rabbits around our neighborhood.  I've become a tad obsessed with looking for them hopping around in the mornings and late in the evenings.  Can you tell I love animals?
3. Remember the 34 mile bike ride the hubs and I are signed up for?  That's this weekend.  I'm going to pick up our packets this afternoon.  However, we will not be doing the race.  I really, really hate that.  If I sign up for something, I always do it.  But this time, life got in the way.  We've been spending our evenings after work meeting with the realtor to do the paperwork that goes with selling our house and buying a new one, walking through the new house, packing, looking for things that we'll need for the new house such as tv mounts, new towels, etc.  Then, there's all the OT that I'm working (still 10 hour days) and then just the usual life errands... All of this has gotten in the way (or made a really great excuse) of our training.  Sure, we could still bike the 34 miles, but neither of us wants to come in last or have a horrible time or experience.  We both would like to do this the right way.  That being said - we'll be doing another bike race sometime within the next year!

Turtle Saver

I saved a huge turtle on the way home yesterday.  He was in the middle of the road and I knew he didn't have a chance.  So, I pulled in to a company drive, ran back, and was waiting for the cars to go by when it happened...  Most of the cars knew what I was doing, I mean, the turtle was HUGE and you could see him in the middle of the road.  So, the cars dodged him, because they couldn't exactly stop in the street.  The last car though, he was too busy bumping his ghetto rap and looking me up and down to notice the damn turtle I was trying to save.  Yep, he clipped the turtle.  I hope it broke something underneath his car.

The turtle flipped and landed on it's back.  I ran out and flipped him over - avoiding the little bit of blood on his side - and moved him into the grass.  I stood there and examined him; he honestly didn't look too bad.  Just a little bit of bleeding.

When I went home, I washed my hands and just started bawling as I told hubs what happened.  So about two hours later, we went to see if the turtle was still where I left him.  He was not!  He was nowhere to be found!  Which of course means HE LIVED!!!  I knew he wasn't bleeding that badly (actually, there was only a small bit of blood on him when I left him) and seeing that he wasn't there anymore made me so happy!  I SAVED THE TURTLE!!

Set In Stone

It is finally set in stone that we will be closing on our new house June 20th!  So what does this mean?

We'll be closing on our old house that morning, closing on our new house that afternoon, and moving that day!  The only things we have left to do at this point (at our current home) is install a new backdoor, have a new piece of glass put in one of our windows (it's cracked), and replace the vent on the dryer thing outside.  Plus, the new homeowners on our current home need to get the appraisal scheduled.  As far as our new house, everything is done except the fence which will be built before we move in at some point. 

All that being said, I'm so excited!  YAY! 

Looks like we need to finish packing!  We have only 3 more weekends!

Mish Mash!

This was taken this morning.  Isn't that just adorable?!

Also this morning, I bought my first ever Groupon.  I bought the hubs & I massages at a place in Maumelle (the town we're moving to) for $20 a piece.  But, wait, it gets better!  I had a Groupon Coupon (say that 3 times fast!) that was $20 off. So, I only paid $20 for two 30 minute massages!  Um, score!  Groupon always has great deals, but I was kind of afraid to use it, because I had no idea how it really worked.  But I couldn't pass up that deal!  Ya'll it was so easy to use and I can't wait to use those massages after we move! 

I hope everyone has a great 3 day weekend!  We have two BBQs to attend and some awesome family time coming up! 

*No, I was not contacted by Groupon.  I'm just really, really excited.

The Boring Edition

1. I've known for a while that I'm borderline lactose intolerant.  Meaning:  eating dairy makes me very uncomfortable for a long time afterwards.  But here recently it has gotten worse.  So, I'm thinking that I'm going to start going totally lactose free.  Has anyone out there done this?  Any pointers?  I know I can get lactose-free milk and cheese, but what else?
2. My lack of blogging and lack of a life is due to 50 hour weeks at work.  I'm really ready for this to be over with, but there is no end in sight.  So far this year, I've put in 76 hours of overtime.  That's almost 2 extra weeks.  That's insane to me. 
3. Because of all the overtime, I've not ran or exercised hardly at all.  Meaning:  pretty much nothing.  I leave the house at 6:15am and return home at 6:15pm (sometimes later).  Which makes for an incredibly long day.  Plus, I'm starving and haven't even started on making dinner yet.  The house looks like a wreck with boxes being packed (um, we're moving!) and it perfectly reflects my life right now - a complete mess of unorganized chaos.  I feel fat, gross, and extremely tired.  Add to it that I'm 9 pounds away from my normal, happy weight and knowing that I'm gonna be wearing a swimsuit soon - makes me want to cry.  Add to all of that the fact that summer school starts in July (which for some reason feels really soon) and I really, really want to cry.  I need the overtime to end soon. 

There I feel better now.  Sorry, I'll return to my normal self sometime this year.  :)

We Survived!

My dad and I did the Dino Dash 5k this weekend... Here's a tiny and boring recap of that.  :)

All day Friday it stormed like something crazy.  There was flash flooding in the area all around us and some crazy wicked storms.  I just knew that I'd wake up Saturday and it would still be storming.  My dad had already said that rain or no rain, we were running that 5k. 

Saturday morning I wake up to cloudy skies, but no rain!  I turn on the tv and it said that we had 93% humidity, but no chance of rain.  I was thankful for the no rain, but 93% humidity?!  I wanted to cry.  LOL

Dad came and picked me up, yada yada. 

We line up and dad asks me about the course.  This is where I inform him that I've never ran this race before, but that a friend told me there was a slight incline heading towards the capitol.  We look around and notice that we're starting on a tiny incline, too.  My dad was not amused!!

Anyways, the plan here was for each of us to run our own race.  He didn't want me to stay with him, so I didn't.  I had a goal of 36 minutes (my PR is 34) and I've been running a 38 here lately.  Dad had a goal of 38 minutes.  After what seemed like incline after incline, I finished in 38:28 and dad finished in 39:41.  He later told me his real goal was to beat me.  Gotta love him.  LOL  All in all, we were good with our times.  I mean, 93% humidity and close to 80 degrees... plus incline after incline... We did pretty well! ha!

There are no pictures since it was just us two.  Since this was a smaller race, I'm not sure if they did race pictures either.  But, another 5k with my dad completed!  We have plans of doing another one (much better) on July 4th!

Photo Friday

Two Things Thursday

1.  A co-worker brought in some chicken biscuits this morning.  I turned them down.  Be proud.  This was huge for me!!

2.  Then, my work day went downhill.  I needed a little pick-me-up.  What did I turn to?  A mini nonfat, no whip, hot chocolate.  Mmmm, 140 calories and 1 fat gram later and I'm in bliss.  So what if I already had a diet Mtn Dew?! 

Wordless Wednesday

Today is our home inspection on our current home!  Fingers crossed and praying that it all goes well!

This Week

When school was letting out two weeks ago, I was daydreaming about all the free time I'd have (you know, after work).  Then this happened....

Wednesday - my final, hooray
Thursday  - offer on our house, 2 hours mandatory OT each day at work sent down..
Friday - they accepted our counter - only because we had a 2nd offer come through
Saturday - the seller accepted our counter on the new house

So now, this week looks a little like this....

Monday - lock in our interest rate at the bank (while at work, working 10 hour days due to OT)
Tuesday - work 10 hrs, then go home to clean
Wednesday - home inspection on our current house, 10 hour day, pick up race packet for my dad & I
Thursday - work 10 hour day
Friday - work 10 hour day
Saturday - another 5k with my dad!

Now, don't get me wrong... I'm so thankful for our house selling, buying a new house, and having OT pay to buy new furniture, etc.  I just wish I'd have some major free time! 

I've ran 3 times this month.  3 times!!  I'm going to fail miserably at the 5k this weekend.  I'm only doing it so that my dad doesn't have to do it alone, but at this point, he'll beat me!  And that's totally okay :)

On a different note... I need prayers for my little sister again.  She's having health issues and we've had tons of tests ran.. there are more coming this week. 

3 Things Thursday

1. I switched Saturday Rotation shifts with a coworker and so I'm working her Saturday this weekend.  That means I had yesterday off.  What did I do?  Took the tahoe to get the oil changed, etc and RAN HOME instead of waiting on it to finish.  Yes, I'm cray cray, but it was a much needed run!  And I also packed up 12 boxes of our stuff!  It's never too early to pack!
2. I've started back reading for fun now that school is over for a few months!  I'm still trying to finish The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield.  Oh, how I missed reading!
3. It's humid and hot here already.  I don't know how I'm going to survive running this summer.  I might have to start running before work!  eek!