15 thing fri – yeah, it’s saturday…

Another week in the books.  Want to hear something wonderful?  I haven’t called in to work sick for TWO WHOLE WEEKS!  I realized this today when a migraine was threatening but I soldiered through until the end of the day.  Despite my post the other day, my outlook on life and health are on an upward swing.  Now for the fun part of the weekend…

1.  I saw this on pinterest

“Amy, what the heck is THIS?!”  Well, it’s a deceased bird that has been hollowed out, stuffed by a taxidermist and then used as a jewelery holder.  You know, because this is natural and not serial killer-ish at all.

2.  I traveled far and wide to an IKEA and Trader Joe’s on Monday with a great friend.  We had such a wonderful time!  We spent 5 hours in IKEA and sat in every couch, chair, love seat – whatever, you can possibly imagine.  We also filled her car to the brim.  It was a really good day filled with fun, good conversation and good shopping.  Another smart move was I made a list ahead of time so I didn’t impulse buy – big deal for this gal.

add shopping to this and it’s even more rejuvenating

3.  Oiselle is having a sale.  20% off all of their sale items.  I’ve wanted to try their long Roga shorts for a while because legend has it they don’t ride up.  Shorts that ride up drive me over the edge so these are appealing to me.  They should be shipped soon and then I will report back!

4.  I found this nifty article on pinterest from Runner’s World as well

The 25 Golden Rules of Running
While these may not be groundbreaking, I love reading about running.  Not to mention, many of these are great reminders.

5.  Speaking of reading about running, I bought the book, Timeless Running Wisdom the other day.  I went to our local running store, Gazelle Sports looking for a giftie for a friend.  Of course as is my style, I bought myself something too!!  The book was on sale so that’s a plus.  Oh and for my friend, I got him a Tiger Tail – he has started a training program and this puppy has brought me much relief.

it even has 5 stars on amazon

6.  I ran on Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday so far this week.  This is the most I have run in months.  And I am not doing that blogger thing where it sounds dramatic but we all know it isn’t true.  Nope, this is the truth.  I’ve kept them all around 2.5 or 3 miles and am concentrating on building my foundation.  I also haven’t been wearing my garmin.  I don’t want to get caught up in “oh my paces are slow – woe is me”.  When I first started running I didn’t even know garmins existed and I did fine.  When Dopey training starts in a few weeks I will certainly wear it but until then I’m going “naked”.

7.  A dear friend – well, she is more like family, posted this on facebook and I love it

8.  My new favorite meal is two scrambled eggs, a baked potato all topped with cheese.  Oh my goodness!  This is so tasty!  I had it for 6 days in a row and the only reason I didn’t eat it Friday was because I didn’t have enough time.  I’ve been eating it for lunch (I eat a little later in the day) and it keeps me full for hours.

9.  Speaking of food obsessions, Chobani has some new flavors of their Flip yogurt line.  Today I had the peach flavored yogurt with dark chocolate bits and pistachios.  YUM!  I was a bit hesitant because I wasn’t sure how the chocolate would blend with the peach flavor but I shouldn’t have worried.  They also have a fiber rich blueberry with walnuts and flax seeds that I hadn’t seen before.  One of my co-workers bought the coconut, dark chocolate and almond flavor because I won’t shut up about how good it is.  She ate it today and then we spent at least 5 minutes talking about how fabulous it is – and filling!  Chobani – you should hire me, I’m totally kicking up the sales here in Kalamazoo!

oh my goodness – I didn’t know this flavor existed! must.find.soon.

10.  A friend also sent me this gif – it cracks me up

love it!

11.  SkinnyRunner had a really informative post the other day about race fuel.  She mentioned the next day that in the comments were also some solid ideas so if you are looking for fuel ideas I suggest checking it out.  One idea she shared is make a pb&j sandwich and cut it up in small pieces for easy access while running.  In both marathons this year, I was STARVING around mile 16 or 17.  I had gels, which I took but I was still really hungry.  Other ideas you all may have on fueling?

12.  Pro Compression has a sweet deal!  40% off of all socks with a $60 minimum after purchase (after discount).  The code is MAY1 – I am going to order two pairs of socks and a set of sleeves, all in purple.  Epilepsy awareness!  I’ll be wearing these during the DopeyChallenge.  These are my favorite compression socks because they aren’t too short (length wise) on my feet.  My brother-in-law loves his.  He is a crossfit coach and uses them for recovery often.

13.  Do any of you watch New Girl?  Seriously, Nick Miller can KISS!  Oh my!  Everyone deserves to be kissed like this!

there was another amazing kiss this past week but no pics… yet

14.  Have any of you seen the ProActive commercial where it shows people trying all of the home remedies that you see on pinterest?  It’s actually fairly humorous (it’s not on youtube – sorry!).  The thing is, I DO want to try some of the home remedies I’ve seen on there!

15.  I had a brilliant realization the other day… I should hydrate during the day BEFORE I go for a run!  Sometimes my brilliance cannot be stopped.  Since staying hydrated can also ward off migraines, I am have increased my water consumption and also adding Nuun to one bottle of water a day.  Yesterday I did this and I was able to control a pending headache all day without meds.  Today I didn’t do this and the headache made progress.  It is crazy how much dehydration can effect your body not to mention your performance.  Here is an informative article

BONUS!  I just got a kick out of this!

Happy Weekend Everyone!

mary friggin’ poppins… proceed with caution… whining ahead

I composed a large amount of this post on my run last night.  My anger run.  Are you familiar with such a thing?  Essentially, I had hate for everything and if anyone/thing made me mad in the previous 24 hours I was angry all over again.  This is super healthy.

But running is a damn good way of dealing with it.  Especially since I originally attempted to deal with it by eating two handfuls of Trader Joe’s deliciousness and it just didn’t work.  Pity, since eating these was a lot more fun then hauling my ass around in the heat.

they have a golden wrapper because they are so amazing and only gold is strong enough to contain them

Anyway, here are my list of gripes:

1.  My boobs and bum are a size bigger than they used to be… there is a whole lot of jiggling and bouncing going on and it’s embarrassing.  It makes me very self-conscious.

2.  I’m slow as molasses right now.  And huffing and puffing just to get through a few miles.  Boo.  I knew getting back in shape would be tough and clawing my way back from a mental “injury” is hard because there is nothing physically wrong with me.  So then I just turn on the internal angry monologue…

3.  I went on a date last week and it didn’t go as well as I had hoped.  Or rather there wasn’t that “spark”.  Then I felt badly because I knew I was comparing him to a couple of other guys I’ve dated and that isn’t fair.  But still… WHERE IS HE ALREADY?!

4.  I had some epilepsy issues last Friday.  I hate this.

I saw this yesterday and decided to embrace this philosophy

Sorry for the language but seriously, there is nothing I can do about the above except keep pushing forward.  My boobs and bum are only going to get smaller if I keep running.  Same thing with getting back in shape and getting faster.  As far as the dudes/dating world… well, I don’t have an answer for that one.  Apparently, I am going to end up alone with 10 cats who are going to eat my face off when I die in my apt and no one knows.  Maybe I should start collecting the cats now.

yep, this is how it will start

I did call my doctor after much prodding from my dear friends.  I was hoping it would just go away on its own (denial at it’s finest).  Turns out my doctor thinks it’s more related to my migraines so this is a plus.  I do have to stay on some old meds for a few more weeks (or possibly long-term) but if it means not having dizzy spells then I will adjust.

I told you there was whining ahead!  When I got back from the run I did feel better.  Maybe not completely soul-cleansing but I was a lot less hateful, which does everybody good – including me.  And I had an epiphany about how to arrange my apt in between feeling sorry for myself so there’s that, too.

Oh and then I got mad at Mary Poppins.  Because you know, this is completely normal.  Seriously though – I snap my fingers all the time and the mess stays put!  What happened to jumping back to its rightful place?!  And what about this spoonful of sugar helping the medicine go down business?!  When I was transitioning these last two and half months, I stuffed myself with sugar and guess what?  It didn’t help!  Lies, Mary Friggin’ Poppins, LIES!

ADDED:  This afternoon I had a meeting and it was highly entertaining.  I laughed… a lot.  It helped with my stabbiness attitude, too!

may is “get my sh*t together” month

If you can’t tell, I love a good theme.  Even more so, I love a plan.  There is something so satisfying about coming up with ideas and fitting them all together.  Now, I don’t always follow the plan but I never said I was good at that part.  My mom loved to say something along the following, “we need a plan!”.  Typically, she could envision what needed to be done and my dad was/is really good at carrying those plans out.  They had a damn good partnership.

So, I know this is where I get it – the ability to see the big picture but not always so good at getting it accomplished.  Whatever.  That’s what baby steps are for.  Here is what “operation get my sh*t together” looks like.

1.  Get my car fixed – DONE!  Haha, yes, I made this number one so I could mark it off!  I am thrilled to have my wheels back.  FREEDOM!  Not to mention, caring about my car – the poor thing needed some love and attention.

bug play date

2.  Turn my health around – Thankfully, I am feeling better everyday from the whole med switch debacle.  Holy cannoli, did that ever suck.  But now that I only have two more days (YAY!!  TWO MORE DAYS) of the old meds and no more additions, I am ready to embrace good health – emotional and physical!  Get this, I am even starting to feel better from the icky cold/cough!  During the weekend I made a plan(!) of how to do this.  Here is the secret ingredient – I am just going to.  I knew sitting on my arse would become more of a habit as the time went on and this is exactly what has happened.  It’s time to get back into shape and enjoy some endorphins.  It’s time to feel good about myself again.  So, one action step I’m taking is I am not allowing myself to turn on the tv until after 7 pm.  Not to mention, now I KNOW just how bad I could feel and recognize how GOOD I actually do feel.  Time to take advantage of good health while I have it!

3.  Revamp my apt – new furniture pick up is TODAY!  Wahooo!!  I am really excited.

4.  Embracing the positive – once again, my recent negativity is linked to #2.  However, negative thinking is also habitual and I need to retrain my brain a bit to see and pay attention to the positive.  I’m certainly ready to embrace a kinder inner monologue!

5.  Blogging – this puppy needs some TLC as well!  I’ve added a couple of headings – the epilepsy one as well as some contact info.  I couldn’t remember how to do this so it took me ages to figure it out again!  I’m currently working on one for my apt makeover since I love it when other people do this.  I am constantly looking for ways to decorate a small space so maybe it will  benefit others.  Not to mention, my posts have been pushed off now and I’ve missed this outlet.  And my bloggy friends!

There go!  None of these are really overwhelming goals or anything but they are avenues of taking control of my life rather than feeling so reactive to things.

another adult decision

Despite my ability to run distances without proper training, I’ve started to wonder how much I actually enjoy this.  Lately, I’ve finished races thinking “what I could have done if I had trained properly” rather than celebrating crossing the finish line.  Sure, it’s funny to finish a race and think, “how did I do that?!” but more and more I miss feeling prepared.  Not to mention, as I am less trained, my performance is suffering.  I liked being decent at running and I’m noticing I’m losing interest/heart as my paces slow.  I still love running but now I feel bad about myself rather than proud.

With that in mind, I’ve made yet another adult decision:  I’m dropping down from the 25k this upcoming weekend, to the 10k.  It’s a smart move for me.  I could probably gut out the 15 miles but then I would be in recovery mode for a couple of weeks since I’m not ready for the distance.  I would risk possible injury.  I would feel down on myself for not properly training.  I wouldn’t be happy with my time.  The list continues.  But a 10k is managable for me and even though it won’t be my speediest, it will be fun.  And I will be able to walk afterward.

With this in mind, I am thinking about the Dopey training plan now.  I know – who am I?!  But some of the training plans I have seen get up and running (ugh, what a terrible pun!) in July so it’s not too far away.  Then I found a training plan that is 30 weeks long.

Whew!  I found this training plan on RunningDownaDream23′sBlog.  Here it is:

http://runningdownadream23.com/2013/04/12/dopey-challenge-novice-training-program/

Week	Mon	Tues	Wed	Thurs	Fri	Sat	Sun
30	Bike 30	2 miles	3 miles	Rest	Bike 30	5 miles	Core/stretch
29	Bike 30	2 miles	3 miles	Rest	Bike 30	5 miles	Core/stretch
28	Bike 30	2 miles	3 miles	Rest	Bike 30	6 miles	Core/stretch
27	Bike 30	2 miles	5K	Rest	Bike 30	8 miles	Core/stretch
26	Bike 30	2 miles	Rest	5K Easy	Bike 30	Ellip 30	Core/stretch
25	Bike 30	2 miles	4 miles	2 miles	3 miles	4 miles	8 miles
24	Bike 30	3 miles	4 miles	Rest	Bike 30	13 miles	Core/stretch
23	Bike 30	3 miles	5 miles	Rest	Bike 30	15  miles	Core/stretch
22	Bike 30	4 miles	5 miles	Rest	Bike 30	10  miles	Core/stretch
21	Bike 30	3 miles	6 miles	Rest	Bike 30	17  miles	Core/stretch
20	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	5K Easy	Bike 30min	Ellip 30	Core/stretch
19	Rest	Bike 30	Rest	5K Easy	5 miles	6 miles	12 miles
18	Bike 30	5K Easy	5 miles	Rest	Bike 30	15 miles	Core/stretch
17	Bike 30	5K Easy	6 miles	Rest	Bike 30	17 miles	Core/stretch
16	Bike 30	5K Easy	7 miles	Rest	Bike 30	12 miles	Core/stretch
15	Bike 30	5K Easy	7 miles	Rest	Bike 30	21 miles	Core/stretch
14	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	5K Easy	Bike 30	Ellip 30	Core/stretch
13	Rest	Bike 30	Rest	5K Easy	10K	8 miles	16 miles
12	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	10K Easy	Bike 30	17 miles	Core/stretch
11	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	10K Easy	Bike 30	19 miles	Core/stretch
10	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	7 miles	Bike 30	14 miles	Core/stretch
9	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	7 miles	Bike 30	22.5 miles	Core/stretch
8	Bike 30	5K Easy	Rest	5K Easy	Bike 30	Ellip 30	Core/stretch
7	Rest	Bike 30	Rest	5K Easy	10K Easy	10 miles	21 miles
6	Bike 30	5K Easy	10K Easy	Rest	Bike 30	19 miles	Core/stretch
5	Bike 30	5K Easy	10K Easy	Rest	Bike 30	21 miles	Core/stretch
4	Bike 30	5K Easy	7 miles	Rest	Bike 30	23 miles	Core/stretch
3	Bike 30	5K Easy	7 miles	Rest	Bike 30	15 miles	Core/stretch
2	Bike 30	5K Easy	7 miles	Core/stretch	Bike 30	20 miles	Core/stretch
1	Bike 30	15K Easy	Rest	10K Easy	Bike 30	Ellip 30	Core/stretch
0	Rest	Rest	Rest	WDW 5K	WDW 10K	WDW Half	WDW Full

There is also a intermediate version but it contains significant more mileage and I am not sure I am ready to take that on in the next few months.  I’ve linked it here in case you want to view it.  There are special instructions that I did not copy and paste here so please know, there is more information.

What I like about this one is the cross-training but still builds in a lot of miles.  I also like how this would feel more like an actual lifestyle rather than a training plan.  Does that make sense?  Maybe I am fooling myself but as I’ve mentioned before, I’m a fan of denial.

I doubt my journey will be this idealistic but one can dream!

Not to mention, I swore I would never be as ill-prepared as I was for the Disney World marathon.  And guess what?  I haven’t been – you know why?  I haven’t raced since then!  Not on purpose mind you, but now I’ve noticed I’m gun-shy.  It’s easier for me to think of a reason not to race rather than to race.  I want to reverse this mindset!  Which means getting my arse out there.  I have no idea if I can follow a training plan but I am going to try my best.  Naturally, I’ll keep you posted!

15 thing friday – I should give up trying to get these finished on time

I swear – finding 15 things this week was harder than normal.  I have no idea why so let’s just cut to the chase!

1.  My car is FIXED!

Yes, this is exactly how I feel!  I started to feel pretty trapped being immobile and having to depend on others for a ride.  Don’t get me wrong – my friends were very kind but I was feeling very mooch-like.  Now I shall own this city in my wee little bug!

2.  Last week I went to Target to find my favorite Chobani yogurt – the one I am obsessed with.  Unfortunately, some other folks beat me to it and they were all sold out.  My heart hurt a little.  Now that my car is fixed I will search the city until I am triumphant!

3.  Considering my recent blog post and several tweets, it seems that my obsession with yogurt was much easier to cultivate than my obsession with running.

4.  I am going to buy this medal hanger

it’s from etsy but currently sold out – boo!

5.  My dear Grandma sent me a box last week!  There was this adorable pillow and clock.  The clock is a pinky-orange and is JUST the thing to spark my color revolution in my apt!

6.  Then I found these new curtains!  Wahoo!

7.  Craigslist… Anyone a fan?  I can’t tell if I am or not.  I found a really cute couch and chaise (two separate pieces) that look almost new.  But then I wondered – will I get murdered?  Bed bugs?  My awesome friend Kara has a couch for me to purchase so if the other falls through I will be going this route.  I am very grateful to have friends that don’t have bed bugs and won’t murder me.  Thankfully, when I went to look at the above couch and chaise I was neither murdered nor did I contract bed bugs.  And I bought the furniture!  I am such an adult!

8.  Still sickly but I think I am on the mend.  I can’t seem to kick the  fever though.  I was supposed to run a 1/2 this weekend but since I barely walk from my office to my apt without wheezing I decided against it.  I know, another adult decision.

9.  This makes me laugh much harder than it should.  But I can’t help it!

10.  Since I’ve perused craigslist quite a bit as well as a local “trade/sell” page on facebook, I’ve realized it’s time I sell some of my stuff.  I mean, I have an extra table in storage, a king size down comforter that is brand new (I bought the wrong size), a pair of shoes I’ve never worn, a pair of boots I’ve barely worn – the list continues.  I’m also going to sell my current kitchen table (I think).  I’ve been warming to the idea for the last few days and this weekend I’m starting to put it into action.

11.  Yesterday when I took my car in I was a bit hopped up on cold medicine.  Not the best choice… this was illustrated further when I ran over a decorative log at the car fix-it place.  Why yes, this was embarrassing.

12.  I hope I have a kid like this someday

13.  My dear friend brought me flowers during my sicky days!

14.  I am going to attempt these… they are some exercises to get rid of “saddlebags”

15.

can’t hurt, right?

not really a good post but the pic is cute

Last week was crazy busy with work.  We closed down the halls, students graduated and then we had a few other big things going on in the office.  Then Friday I woke up and didn’t feel so great.  Saturday was also a working day so when the migraine from hell hit, I was less than pleased.  It has lasted 4 freaking days!

I know, too cute right?

My head splitting in two and a cough has made for a rough few days but I’m keeping my chin up – painkillers help with this.  Just wanted to check in and share this cutey sloth and the below humor

get it together babies!

yogurt is some serious business!

We need to talk about yogurt.  I currently have 4 kinds of yogurt in my fridge.  Excessive?  Absolutely!  Delicious?  Oh my, YES!

Here is my yogurt story…

Remember when I did that really silly “detox”?  I never wrote up my review of it because it was a ridiculous thing to do.  I regret it.  It was really bad for me (people kept asking me if I was okay because I was so out of it) and clearly, my body required more fuel to function.  Anyway, on the yogurt day I ran out to grab some and bought a store brand – Spartan, if anyone lives near a place that sells it.  Wow!  I was really impressed!  Calorie count is about average – 100 calories per cup.

hmmm – just a slight obsession

That’s not the notable part though.  It is grade A TASTY!  It’s very smooth and has great flavor.  My favorite is the Boston Creme Pie.  Yep, a match made in the heavens for this woman!

Next, I was trolling through Target before the cleanse disaster and came upon a Chobani flavor – vanilla with chocolate chunks.  It’s geared toward kids (or at least the packaging seems like it) but I’m a fan of chocolate and thought I would try it.  YUM!  I typically save it for some kind of dessert and put in a few more chocolate chips to up the ratio.  This is always a good decision.  And considering I get the munchies like mad in the evenings, this is a solid/filling solution for me.

Then last week I found it

I may have to personally lobby to have this on all the shelves in America!

You can’t hear it but there is a chorus of unicorns and babies singing for this yogurt.  Chobani again (no, they haven’t asked me to review – these opinions are based on the fact that I want you to try this business!) comes through.  This one is coconut yogurt and then a little cup of toasted almonds and dark chocolate chunks to mix in it.  All kidding aside, I am wild about these flavors.  I really appreciate the taste and actually it is decently filling.  I had one about an hour before a run – I had brunch earlier so this was sort of lunch, and I didn’t notice being hungry until mile 4.5.  I am mildly concerned because I found it on sale for a $1 at Target but haven’t found it at any other stores.  I am really hoping they aren’t phasing it out – I would be upset!  If they do, then maybe Chobani can just make a coconut flavored yogurt?

The other kind of yogurt isn’t really worth noting except to say it’s in there chillin’ (I know, a really horrible pun!).  I have a vanilla greek yogurt for baking purposes.  I definitely go through food obsessions, as I am sure you can tell, and yogurt is #1 on the list right now.

Onto running!

I know, you are probably surprised!  So in just a little under two weeks I have a 1/2 marathon.  The week after that I have a 25k.  Yesterday I realized the furthest I have consistently ran in the last  two months is 4.5 (ish) miles.  Remember how I swore I was going to make running my obsession?  Well, turns out when you are spending as much time as possible in giant sweats, it’s hard to develop an obsession that requires movement.  So Sunday I hit the pavement.

I played a mind game by first going to the track and doing two miles and then heading out to my normal 4 mile loop.  This was quite handy and I shall employ further mind games with myself in future training!  6 miles later two thoughts were loud and clear:

1.  Hmmm… I’m tired… and a bit sore

2.  Heck, if I can do 6, I can do 13!!!!

A runner friend and I were talking about how lackluster our training has been.  He is running the same race I am in two weeks and he picked his running back up on Saturday.  We commiserated about how dumb we are but then assured each other that we can totally do it. <—- false confidence is a cornerstone of our running!

The run was some good head-clearing time though.  First of all, it was an absolutely beautiful day outside – quintessential spring!  Second, a bit of a mid-mid life crisis hit me this weekend.  While those feelings haven’t gone away (and really aren’t anything new as of late), after I got out of my apartment, got some fresh air and a few endorphins those feelings felt more manageable.

Lastly, I got a card from dad in the mail yesterday.  I’m not going to go into a lot of sappy detail but it was an amazing boost!  Thanks Dad!!!

15 thing friday – totally not on the ball this week

Today has simply been too much.  Well, the whole week has been actually.  It’s currently a little past midnight and I am sure I won’t finish this post tonight as I took a “nap” at 10:15 pm so I need to do something.  It will be a two-part-er.  I don’t know if this is clever or just plain lazy but there you go.

1.  As many other bloggers have probably mentioned, spring seems to be on strike here in MI.  Rain and snow mix today that led to this weird blizzard concoction.  I wasn’t terribly impressed.

2.  TAXES.  These are making me glum.  I have no problem paying my taxes – I happen to like living in the good ol’ U.S. of A and feel taxes are part of that.  HOWEVER, trying to submit them has been a huge hassle.  Like many slacker Americans, I waited until the golden hour of 4:45 pm on Monday (ahem, tax day) to do these bad boys.  I was stressed since I did them on my own for the first time ever.  Then came the whole PIN part.  Right, like I actually know what pin I used last year.  Nor did I have any idea what my AGI was.  Both of these are necessary to submit so I tempted fate and just submitted them with what I thought was the correct PIN.

3.  Two days later they were rejected.  Bummer.  I had to re-submit them by April 20th.  Naturally, I remember at 11:33 pm April 19th (tonight) and still couldn’t manage to come up with the correct PIN or find any paperwork from last year.  So I am mailing them in old school bright and early in the morning.

4.  Please sweet IRS, don’t audit me.  I did it all correctly so I don’t see why you would but it makes me nervous so please take pity on me, okay?

5.  Also today, I called my doctor all excited because it’s time to taper off of the old meds!  Yay!!  Finally – I will have my brain back!  Unfortunately, I had misunderstood and this phone call was only so we could UP THEM ONE MORE TIME!  Seriously, there was a few minutes there where I was speechless.  So, they are being increased but luckily they took pity on me and after one week I can start to taper off of the old.  I’m holding onto that part.

6.  I actually drove a car today!  Not mine but still!  I haven’t driven a car for 8 weeks!  I must say, I didn’t do half bad!

7.  Last Saturday I went to a Mom to Mom sale with friends who are moms.  I was the first person to buy something.  Yes, I realize this is odd.

not a diaper bag – just a great carry everything bag for work. it’s from thirty-one

8.  I have been OBSESSED with nesting as of late.  I spend way too much time on Pinterest and have saved a ton of stuff on IKEA under the heading, “Mega Shopping list”.  I don’t plan on buying all of it but here is the number one item on my list:

I like this one a lot but am worried there isn’t enough room to pull the drawers out on each side in my room

here is my other option – but I wish this one didn’t have a headboard… I guess I am being too picky

I can’t wait to store stuff under my bed!

9.  I am also looking at rearranging a few things to open up the space in here.  Perhaps it’s the “spring” time of the year or just that I have lived here now for a while but my apartment needs to be a happier looking place.

seriously spring – it’s time to let go… winter will come back to you…

10.  My dear sister sent me the world’s best vanilla and a new running skirt!  Both are from Costco – the skirt was $10 smackers and the vanilla is crazy cheap for the amount you get.  She is such a good sis that she sent me two sizes of the skirt so I could see which one fit better.  She knows me oh so well!

11.  It’s now Saturday!  I managed to file my taxes electronically – YAY!  I didn’t have to change out of my sweatpants!

12.  I am making this cake today!  I’ve been drooling over it for the last week and half.  Can I just say that strawberries are truly a temperamental berry?!  I mean c’mon – they rot in practically hours!  Get it together strawberries!

I am constantly lured in by your beauty, dear treacherous strawberries

13.  This made me laugh entirely too hard earlier this week

14.  Hey there Socrates – you are one smart dude

15.  Just a reminder…

15 thing friday – the personal edition

15 thing Friday… When I started this post the other day it wasn’t going well.  None of the links I was posting would work and I started getting extremely crabby.  At this point, I decided I was going to write 15 odd things about myself just for a bit of flair.  But first, a bonus:

.5.  This is also making me crabby:

happy spring

1.  When I used to get out of the shower, I would run downstairs, flash my parents and say “Waka, Waka!” with a bit of a body wiggle.  I did this until I was 10.  I am sure my parents were hoping this WASN’T any kind of foreshadowing of my future career choice.

2.  I am determined to cut my own bangs.  The thing is, I completely suck at it.  They are never even and in my attempts to make them so, I end up hacking off more than I intended.  I have been doing this since high school so it’s not even like enough practice is helping.

3.  Speaking of hacking off hair, less than a year ago I was trimming my eyebrows with a little electric shaver thing and buzzed off a middle section of my eyebrow.  Needless to say, I let my bangs get very long at this point.

4.  I don’t have one outstanding talent.  Pretty much I am decent at a few things and am very resourceful for areas I am lacking.  What this means is that if I am ever in prison, I will be the brains behind the guy who can get you anything you need.  So don’t shank me – friend me.  In prison.

see how fun prison would be?

5.  My biggest injury to date in running is when I slipped and fell on black ice a few years back.  I dislocated my thumb and was in a hard cast for 8 weeks.

6.  The first time I ever ran a mile it took me 18 mins (and probably some change).  I swear I was running.  I have since cut at least 9 mins off my time during my speedier days.

7.  I LOVE to tell stories.  My mom was the same way and I believe it’s the Irish in us.

8.  A few years back I was wearing tear-away pants for a work event that was outdoorsy and athletic-based.  A co-worker thought I had shorts underneath them and ripped them off.  Of course, I wasn’t wearing shorts under them, although my extremely unattractive “granny panties” probably could have passed as shorts.

yep, it was like this

9.  My dad has always been a huge movie buff and in kindergarten the whole family went to see Octopussy (James Bond) at the drive-in (oh yeah, we had a drive-in and it ROCKED!).  The next day I mentioned this in class and my teacher was slightly concerned.  Not to mention the title was a bit questionable.

10.  One day I was sitting in pre-school and suddenly I couldn’t remember if I had put underwear on or not.  I squirmed in my seat a bit but couldn’t feel anything.  I FREAKED out.  I ran to the bathroom and sure enough, I was wearing undies, just silky ones.  I was so traumatized that from that point forward, I didn’t wear silky underwear again until college.

I was not a normal child

11.  I’m thinking of changing career fields just so I can wear yoga pants and other work out gear on a daily basis.

12.  I didn’t learn how to drive until driver’s ed.  Meaning, I had never driven a car prior to that first day with my instructor and my two driving mates – two guys who had been driving since they were toddlers (or so it seemed to me at the time).  The first day we drove up the mountain in my town and I was charged with turning around once up there and driving back down.  I couldn’t see over the steering wheel very well and proceeded to almost back us over the cliff.  Everyone in the car was screaming, including myself.  When we got back (all in one piece physically although probably not mentally) the two guys got out of the car and kissed the ground.  I never lived that down.

13.  I’m fairly obsessed with office supplies, specifically pens.  I am constantly on the hunt for “the perfect pen” and I am picky with my choices.  Oh and I love Sharpies.  I have to write my name with said pen to determine its worthiness.

14.  During a huge ice storm my first year in college, a tree branch broke and crashed down onto my head.  I blacked out for a moment but no one wanted to come help me because they didn’t want to get hurt either.  I became known as “the girl in the yellow coat who got hit by a tree”.  I was okay after a couple of days.  My winter hat blunted some of the trauma.

15.  I had two job offers when I finished grad school.  One of the bigger reasons Maine lost was because the nearest Wendy’s and Target were 45 mins away.

Have a great weekend everyone!

dopey vs. goofy

It came down to a battle… a battle royale if you will.

                                  VS

In the end, it really wasn’t that much of a fight.  I already had decided I was going to attempt the Goofy race at Disney World (doing the 1/2 marathon Sat and then the full on Sun) next year and then I didn’t get into the Chicago Marathon so I decided doing the Dopey (doing the 5k, 10k, 1/2 and then the full over 4 days) was a nice balm to soothe my hurt feelings – thanks a lot Chicago.  Not to mention, Dopey is PRICEY! so not getting into Chicago actually made it possible for me to afford it.  I still haven’t decided if I am going to check out any full marathons for fall but I am leaning towards sticking to shorter distances.  I do think some of my burnout this past year can be attributed to trying to do “all the races” instead of sticking to one and calling it good.  I will admit to getting sucked into posts on twitter, facebook and blogs that detailed their latest race.  I would read them and think of myself as a slacker for not signing up, too.  Ah well, live and learn.

So, the Dopey.  You might be wondering why I think I can possibly pull this off given my blog posts as of late.  Trust me, I thought about this too – could I really do it?  Did I have enough faith in myself to actually train consistently and well in advance?  Where would I find the motivation when so often I talk about how lackluster it is?  These are all quality questions and I did think these through.  Because I love a good bulleted list, here is what I have:

1.  I want some redemption on this race course.  While this primarily speaks to the marathon course, I would love to have some happier race memories from Disney World.  I figure if I race all of them, this is bound to happen.

2.  I’m placing a lot of faith and hope in these new meds.  While I haven’t been promised to feel like a new woman, I have been told I will feel BETTER than I have in the past year.  This bodes well for my motivation and overall attitude.

3.  Determination – I “haz” it.  Or at least remnants of it that currently need to be fed and nurtured a bit.

4.  A group of us are taking this plunge together.  We have all worked together at one time or another and realize this is going to be a painful experience.  But I think being in pain with friends is so much more fun then being in pain by yourself.

5.  Perhaps my biggest “let’s do this” moment was when I decided I wanted to use this as an opprotunity to raise money for Epilepsy Awareness.  Like I mentioned last week, I want to make something good come out of this recent hell experience and this seemed like a good idea.  I will be happy if I raise any amount of money.  I have some different ideas of ways to raise the funds and hopefully I will find support from friends, family and the blog community – whether that be in monetarily or simply a “Yay Amy!”.

this is a great initiative – check it out!

So there you go – this was my thought process as I filled out the entry form and committed my legs to this feat (ha! see what I did there?!).  I am absolutely nervous but recognize that individuals run 50 mile races in ONE DAY so I can certainly run 43.5 over the course of 4.  Oh yes, and if you have heard, there is a multitude of shirts and medals.  This certainly makes my heart sing.  Like anything with me, it always sounds like an amazing idea in the beginning and then it becomes real and I wonder what the hell I was thinking.  Essentially, I am planning for this to happen so at least I won’t be broadsided with these feelings.  Seriously, it’s an adventure right?!