endlessly creating myself

Christmas Card Promotion

2010-12-06T15:46:00.004-05:00

For the past 2 years since Jett and I have been married, I have totally slacked on the "Christmas Card experience". Two years ago, I tried so hard to get the perfect picture in front of our first Christmas tree. Unfortunately, trying to get 2 hyper dogs to pose in a Santa hat and reindeer ears with the self timer isn't as easy as one might think. The Christmas card of 2008 was not to be. I don't even have an excuse for last year. Maybe we were too poor while I was in graduate school. Sure, that sounds like a good excuse ... I'll go with it.

This year I either have to come up with a new excuse or suck it up and send them out, because we have plenty of people capable of being our photographers .... AND, Shutterfly is offering this awesome promotion to bloggers for 50 free super cute Christmas cards.

Shutterfly has tons of great products. Check out the hundreds of great Christmas card styles. Personally, I also love the personalized calendars . Too bad my brother and SIL stole that idea last year and made a calendar of their anniversary trip to Ireland ... how can I trump that one? Or, if you're a slacker like me and can't quite get it together in time for Christmas, they still have you covered. Check out the New Year's cards here.

Bloggers, find this great promotion here, or just visit their website to see all of the cute products for yourself.

Now, if only my wedding planning website had not deleted all of my addresses. Maybe I should have back that up in the past 2 years!?

Step Outside the Box

2010-07-26T12:21:00.003-04:00

I am not one that ventures into new territory often, at least not always willingly. I love to try new things and gain new experiences. I also love to meet new people and find it easy to make friends. But I also am the person that recognizes an old acquaintance in Target and finds it easier to walk on by than to face the possible awkward moment of realizing they don't remember me.

Just in this past week, I've stepped out of my box and required myself to open my surroundings a bit. On Tuesday, I had my first meeting with a group of girls from the church we've been attending in Charlotte. When Jett and I first decided to sign up for a small group, my intention was to sign up for a couple's group--Jett is fabulous at enabling my need to have my hand held in new situations (although he may not know it!). He is social, outgoing, and just all around makes it easier for me to walk into a group full of new faces. But, due to his new erratic work schedule, my best-laid plans failed and I signed up for a 20-something women's group instead. I walked in Tuesday nervous to introduce myself to 10 new-to-me girls (what if I'm not good enough!?). Happily, I found myself leaving excited to come back this week and get to know these girls better. I think being in a group apart from my husband will make me lose the crutch and grow personally and spiritually.

Saturday, I went to a new running group. I don't run with others that I don't know (what if I'm not fast enough!?). After the intial evaluation run, I fell right in the middle of 2 groups--should I move down to the slower group or up to the faster? The friend I've joined with convinced me to try out the faster group. Although I was the slower one in the group, there was no need for me to get myself all worked up over it. I met some great people and felt proud of the accomplishment when the run was all said and done.

And as if psyching myself out over Satruday morning wasn't enough, I also had a phone interview for a nurse practitioner job on Saturday. While I don't often push myself to step out of my comfort zone, I also don't typically stress or let myself focus on getting too nervous about things. Except for interviews. I don't know exactly what it is about interviews. I actually think I interview well--but, I hate it! I don't like to try to sell myself, I don't know what to do with the awkward pauses, and I always leave feeling like they could just see the sweat pouring off of me. I go over and over what I could have done differently (what if I didn't say the right things?). Saturday I didn't let myself get all anxious about it, and just went with the flow. When it's over, it's just that much more experience I have to learn from.

So, all in all it's been a week full of growth and learning. What have you done lately to step out of your comfort zone?

Since I've Been Gone

2010-07-22T22:37:00.004-04:00

Just a quick photo recap of some of the things keeping me busy while I've been gone . . .

We moved from our apartment in Charleston, SC, back to my hometown of Charlotte, NC.

I tried water skiing for the first time ... FAIL!

We planted our very first garden ....

. . . SUCCESS!

I graduated from the Medical University of SC with a Master's degree in nursing.

I ran my first half marathon.

We took a day trip to the NC mountains to watch the fireworks on the 4th of July.

Time has flown the past couple of months. I can't believe it's almost the end of July.

Help!?

2010-05-17T11:26:00.002-04:00

I obviously have much to update on, since I've been MIA for a couple of months. And I will--update, that is--soon. In the past couple of weeks, I have finished my master's program, we have both stopped our jobs in Charleston, and we have moved back to Charlotte. I will graduate this Friday.

But for now, I need some advice! I have my very first half marathon coming up in less than 3 weeks. Training has definitely not gone as originally planned, but has gotten back on track the past few weeks. We had a great 9 miler two weekends ago, and 11 miles on the schedule for this past Saturday. That's where the advice comes in ... after the 9 miles, my left knee felt a little tight, but not really painful. It didn't really bother me during the week, until Friday, when I spent a lot of time cleaning and when I would kneel with my kneecap on the ground, it was a little uncomfortable. On the run Saturday, my legs never did loosen up. My knee felt tight to start out, and then about 2-3 miles in started with a nagging ache. At 4 miles, it was hurting just enough to decide to stop the run and go out again another day.

My knee feels tight, with pain down the lateral side, with some shooting pains up my thigh area when I step down while running. It hurt mainly on downhills and a little on flat surfaces. Uphill was fine. I'm concerned that adding too many hills too quick may have irritated something, since up until 2 weeks ago I was running on all flat areas in Charleston. Since moving back to Charlotte, I've been running on lots of hills. The half marathon is in Hickory, NC--the start of the NC mountains, and the first 3 miles are all downhill. If my knee is still acting up, that could potentially be a painful 3 miles!

Any ideas on what this could be? Any suggestions on the best way to stretch that area? I've been icing it and taking ibuprofen, and today it feels much better. But, I really want to get a couple more long runs in without hurting it further.

Help!?

Chores?

2010-03-04T17:10:00.002-05:00

News Flash: I am not a neat person. I am organized in my own little--stack it up in piles, throw it in a bag, toss it on the counter--type of way. Right now, my coffee table looks a little bit like a frat house, only sub diet Dr. Pepper cans for beer cans and cookbooks and pediatric drug dosing books for pizza boxes. The last person to vacuum was definitely my husband, and there may or may not be a load of laundry in the washer that needs to be repeated because I forgot to move it to the dryer in time.

Having admitted that, I would also like to make known that I feel like I do my part to make our little 900 square feet a happy home. Sure, the crock pot sitting on the counter right now may take an extra soaking to thoroughly scrub it, but that roast I cooked in it was mighty delicious. Sure, there may be 7 dog toys strung across the living room, but those dogs sure do live a luxurious life. And quite possibly I will remember the time spent snuggled on the sofa in that blanket (that still needs to be put away)watching tv with my husband a little more than I will remember that it took an extra day to empty the dishwasher or dust the furniture.

When it comes to picking up after myself, if I am completely far-left, than my husband surely must be completely far-right (or just off the scale altogether). Once upon a time before we were married, I remember a day when he literally jumped at the chance to clean my car for me. You would have thought I bought the man a new puppy or something. This guy can iron a shirt more flat than the cleaners. One time, he asked me if I had starch and I'm pretty sure I accidentally laughed in his face.

While I am the self-proclaimed messy one in this marriage, he certainly does his part to contribute to the pile of laundry on the floor, the dirty dishes on the counter, and the size 13 shoes that I stub my toe on every morning when I get up before the sun rises. His excuse is that by the time he gets around to contributing to the mess, I've already done my part to make it out of control. We are not dirty. We clean from top to bottom mostly every Saturday and pick up at least 2-3 times in between. But, we both do it at our convenience. No schedule, no set chores.

Which leads me to the real reason behind this lengthy explanation of our sanitation grade. Today at lunch, we talked at length about "even distribution of household chores". This conversation was sparked mainly by a topic I heard discussed on the radio the other morning, and partially by the comment that my husband made about how we couldn't have children because I'm messy enough on my own.

The radio topic discussed was about how to fairly split up household chores .... a lady called in to say that she and her husband do everything exactly 50/50. If she loads the dishwasher, he empties. If he does the laundry, she folds it and puts it away. So on, so forth. I am not a firm believer in 50/50. I think some days distribution may be 70/30, 90/10, etc. Others, it may be 20/80. As daily schedules, illnesses, and life gets in the way, time allowed to do certain things changes. I think with everything in life, we should watch out for those around us and help out where needed.

My husband, however, is an advocate of the ... da da dum ... chore chart. I'm pretty sure I even failed at the chore chart when I was in preschool. Stickers, prize boxes, and all. He thinks this will allow us to visualize more clearly (his words) what needs to be done.

How do you divide up necessary (but dreaded!) chores in your home? Does one person do everything, do you split evenly, or just do at your convenience?

Words to Live By

2010-03-03T22:09:00.002-05:00

"The reason most people fail is because they trade what they

want most for what they want at that moment."

Anonymous

Official

2010-03-01T12:34:00.003-05:00

I officially registered for the Charity Chase Half Marathon on June 5th. Maybe I've also officially lost my mind.

More to come on this decision later ... just needed to get it out there before I decide to back out.

Snow, Birthdays, and Sidewalk Monsters ... oh my!

2010-02-24T23:03:00.008-05:00

Is it just me, or does it seem like February has flown by to anyone else?

Birthday!

Saturday, we celebrated my 26th birthday. Fun times with great friends that we've made during our short time living in Charleston. Bonus birthday present: Beautiful sunny weather and high 70 temps. Jett and I spent the afternoon with the pups at the park then at the outlets for a little birthday shopping. We had dinner at an ah-mazing Thai restaurant downtown, and then proceeded across the bridge for a little friendly midnight bowling competition. I was just starting to find my "bowling stride" (2 or 3 games later!) when our time came to an end. Sunday Jett took me to the driving range for a little golf lesson. Typically, my ADHD would prevent me from anything that requires intense concentration, but I really enjoyed it.

Pro golfer or bowler in my future? Doubt it ... but don't count me out just yet!

Snow day!

Backtrack with me here for just a moment, to 2 weekends ago when we had a miracle in Charleston, SC ... SNOW. We don't get snow in Charleston. Ever. I think it's been something like 16 years since there's been any accumulation of snow in this area. So the 3 inches we got living just 4 miles from the coast was quite the sight to see. Of course, it was all gone by 10 the next morning, but oh-so-fun while it lasted!

Sidewalk Monsters!

Last night when I got home from work, the weather was in it's last day of perfect for a while and I wanted to go for a run at the county park. Apparently the park closes at 5 during the winter, so that was a no go. I ended up parking about a mile from our apartment and running through the neighborhood behind where we live.

Usually, I try to avoid running by myself after dark. We don't live in an unsafe area, but definitely not the safest by any means (a few weeks back a police officer was shot right beside our complex). Charleston is a city with the richest of the rich and the poorest of the poor living right along side of one another, so there aren't a lot of horribly unsafe or safe areas.

When I started out on my 3-mile run, I didn't realize it would be the sidewalk monsters, not the kidnappers, who would try to ruin my night. With about a 3/4 mile left to go back to my car, my foot was grabbed by one of the little sneaky monsters (or more likely an uneven break in the sidewalk), and (bad news bears, folks), down I went. Pitch black by this point, I really am not sure what I tripped over. But in an effort to not break my brand new Garmin, I went down mainly on my left forearm and right knee, and promptly skidded to a stop. The sidewalk now owns much of my upper forearm, a little skin of both hands, and a bit of my pride. If it weren't for the car driving past that surely must have been rolling in laughter at the sight of my spectacle, I would probably have lied there until Jett came to find me.

Since I wasn't sure he would in fact come to find me, I limped for a minute or 2, and then decided if I didn't get back quick, I wasn't getting back. So I ran that last 1/2 mile or so faster than the rest of my run. Part of that "speed" may or may not have been due to my paranoia of the sketchy guy walking past me and then picking up his cell phone. I was confident that he was calling his accomplice, who would jump out of the woods at any moment and get me. My suspicions were heightened when another odd fella crossed my path on his beach cruiser whistling a sneaky little tune as he pedaled past (the accomplice perhaps?). I booked it back, certain there were going to offer me candy or ask me to help find their lost puppy at any minute.

Either way, one thing's for certain: I should not be allowed to run in the dark by myself, ever again. (But I was quite proud of my finish, with decent run overall).

And the Garmin definitely suffered a bit of an injury, but didn't break. Crisis averted.

Happy Birthday week

2010-02-19T22:37:00.002-05:00

My birthday isn't until tomorrow, but my husband gave me my present earlier this week. I'll give you a hint ...

It starts with a G ...

...and ends with an ARMIN.

The Day I Almost Died in the Gym ... Twice!

2010-02-08T22:47:00.005-05:00

Let me tell you about how I almost died on the treadmill tonight ... and not by throwing a blood clot to my lung (thank the Lord, I was praying the whole time).

There I was, just running along on the treadmill at a nice, easy pace, jamming out to a little Joss Stone and people watching down below on the sidewalk, when none other than the treadmill monster jumped out and grabbed me, making me trip over my feet and almost bust it right in front of everyone. Lucky for me, I happened to have cat-like reflexes and caught myself right before my face was permanently imprinted into the germ-coated floor.

Whew, recovered from that one.

With a 1/2 mile left to run, I thought I'd pick up the pace a little. Where my head was, I don't know. Maybe I left it back at clinic with my last patient of the day, very young teenager, who needed birth control. Or maybe I left it in my car this morning when I reached over to throw my ice scraper on the floor (seriously, I have had to scrape ice off my car way too often this winter living in SC--and my ice scraper must have been built back when my grandparents were my age, because it definitely doesn't work) and knocked my entire cup of coffee onto my floor and gym bag. Or maybe I left it in bed, where I might should have stayed a little longer today.

Anyway, wherever my head was, it was not focused on the fact that when I went to increase the speed on the treadmill, I just kept my finger on the button, all the way up to 8-something. My legs do not run at 8-something. I was almost a pancake on the other side of the gym wall. Smashed. Cat-like reflexes save me again, but I'm certain not before the people next to me decided I should take a treadmill-f0r-dummies class.

Good news, I made it out alive. Even better news, I was actually supposed to run 2 miles but forgot and ran 3. Not so good news, P90X ab ripper is really hard when you have neglected your midsection for months on end.

Half Marathon ... maybe?!

2010-02-07T16:43:00.005-05:00

I've been seriously contemplating training for a 1/2 marathon, but am in need of some advice from those more experienced with this than me (which doesn't take much)! I've been searching around for training plans that I could best make fit into my weekly schedule, and I've narrowed it down to 3. Here's where y'all come in ... those of you who have trained and run a half before, what type of plan worked best for you? Here are the plans I've found, in a nutshell:

1. MarathonRookie Plan

10-week program
Longest distance run during training = 12 miles
Days per week to run = 4
No cross training days

2. Advanced Beginner Half Marathon Race Training
(*I am definitely not an advanced beginner, but this plan is still an option)

12-week program
Longest distance run during training = 12 miles
Days per week to run = 4
1 CT days

3. Half Marathon Training Schedule for Beginners

11-week program
Longest distance run during training = 12 miles
Days per week to run = 4
2 CT days

4. Some completely different plan that someone else has used or recommends??

So obviously the differences between these are minimal (total weeks and CT days). I think I prefer a plan with 2 cross training days worked in, because I have been going to spinning classes on Wednesday and Friday mornings. The 3rd one would be great because it already has W/F as the cross training days, so I wouldn't even have to tweak it.

Any advice?

Here's the second place that I need your help: I can't find a half-marathon in the NC or SC area (or somewhere within 3-4 hours driving distance) around the end of April/beginning of May. There's Charlotte RaceFest on April 10th, but that's a little soon. Does anyone know of any races around that time on the east coast, preferably NC or SC?

Even if I can't find a race to register for in that time frame, I think I still want to start training. I think it will give me a little more structure and motivation for my workouts, as right now I'm feeling a little lost! We also are planning to run the bridge run on March 27, so it will help prepare for that (last year before the bridge run, I went out a week before the run and ran (and walked) 6 miles down to the beach, then the day before went out and ran 2 miles--that was the extent of my "training").

One potential obstacle: Somehow, like the clumsy klutz that I am, I have hurt my leg. By running? Nope. Spinning? Nope. Something at least remotely exciting? Nope. I was sitting at lunch with my husband last week and reached down to scratch my knee. When I did this, a horribly painful shooting feeling went up my thigh. Since then, my thigh fills like someone took a baseball bat and beat me until I no longer had use of my right leg. But only when I sit on my knees, bend my right leg at a certain angle, or put pressure over that area. But when it does hurt, it HURTS. And there's some sort of knot under the skin. I don't think it will hurt when I run (although I've been paranoid to try for the past couple of days), but my mom has me unreasonably suspicious that I have a blood clot that's going to shoot to my lungs and kill me (extreme, I know). I think I'll just take it as it comes and see how it feels. Best case scenario, it doesn't hurt at all. Worst case scenario, I die from a pulmonary embolism (let's all cross our fingers that worst case scenario doesn't happen!). Most reasonable scenario, it stays like it is now and eventually goes away on it's own. I don't have a doctor in Charleston and refuse to go to urgent care unless it's actually urgent (which obviously this is not, as it's now been hurting for 5 days). But I do have a doctor's appointment in Charlotte next Monday so if it still hurts then, I'll have him check it out.

In other news, we celebrated Jett's birthday last week.

Happy 26 years to my wonderful husband!

Turning 26 has me a little freaked out ... seems so close to being out of my 20's forever. Ahh .. but more on that when it's actually my time to turn another year older (which in just 2 weeks away--again, a little freaked out).

Everyone have a happy Superbowl Sunday ... we don't have a team in the game, since the Panther's didn't even make it to the playoffs this year. But I guess I'll be rooting for the Saints, since Jett says I should support the team in our division.

Bargain Hunting

2010-01-25T21:53:00.004-05:00

Last night, I decided that Marshall's and TJMaxx are among my favorite places to buy running/workout clothes. I already love these stores for purses, home accessories, and mainly just anything you could ever need for life in general, but hadn't ever looked at their "active apparel" until last week. It's sort of hit or miss because each store has different articles and different sizes, but if you can find your size and something you like, the prices are great.

I got ...
A pair of Champion running shorts in a purple/plum color for $9.99.

An Avia running tee in green for $5.00 (but I'm not quite sure about this top yet ... I wore it tonight and was SO hot, but I couldn't decide if they had the heat cranked in the gym or if it was really the shirt).

A 3-pack of Adidas cushioned, mouisture-wicking socks for $5.99.

And my favorite, a new running hat! I got a women's Under Armor heatgear hat for $12.99. My favorite part about it is that it's Carolina Blue & White.

It pretty much looks like this, minus the logo on the side.

I've been hoping to get a new running hat. It's one of those items on my "can't live without" list because I sweat like a smelly old man, and hate constantly wiping sweat out of my eyes. I also have really fine, stringy hair that is always flying all over the place. I've been wearing an orange fishing hat that my husband's friend left in his car over a year ago. (If it's in my possession for over a year, I think it makes it mine!) It's not moisture wicking and has kind of become a sweaty, smelly, nasty mess. And I'm not allowed to wear it when our friend is in town, because he would probably disown us as friends if he saw what had become of his beloved hat. And, Jett decided last night after I bought a new one to let me know that's he's always thought that hat was really ugly and not appropriate for a girl to wear. Thanks, honey, for letting me know after I've been walking around in public looking like an ugly boy.

Regardless, finally found a new hat, and it's a women's style, which fits my abnormally small head size for my abnormally tall body (I also have abnormally small feet for such a large body). But, I digress.

The moral of this long drawn-out story is that if you live near a Marshall's or TJMaxx, you should check out their "active apparel" section. You might just be pleasantly surprised.

The fine print: None of this bargain-priced apparel is guaranteed to create great running success, as tonight I wore my new shirt and hat and made it an entire 1.18 miles on the treadmill before accidentally hitting the emergency stop button and deciding that I was so hungry that it was time to go home. Better luck tomorrow.

SESQUIPEDALIAN

2010-01-22T22:53:00.004-05:00

sesquipedalian

\ses-kwuh-puh-DAYL-yuhn\ , adjective;

1.Given to or characterized by the use of long words.

2.Long and ponderous; having many syllables.

noun:

1.A long word.
(source)

Sesquipedalian ... which leads me into the pet peeve post. I will never understand why people insist on using huge, insane words when there are many simple ones that are easier to pronounce, easier to spell, and easier to read without having to consult the online dictionary just to get through one discussion board posting for class. I realize that I will be a master's-prepared student in a mere 4 months, but is it too much to ask for others to carry on a conversation that any typical 20-something year old person would want to participate in?

Do you know the type? Are you the type? What is your pet peeve ... or should I say personal vexation!? : )

(source)

M.I.A.

2010-01-21T20:45:00.004-05:00

I've obviously been missing in action for the past couple of months, as the ins and outs of every day life took over my world. To be quite honest, we went to Charlotte for an extended holiday season over Christmas and the first of the New Year, sans computer--and it was nice not to check email, facebook, and blogs daily. Then once we got back and settled into Charleston again, school started back full force. Final semester of my master's program--wahooo! But, while final semester equates to a somewhat lighter course load, it also means quite a few more clinic hours. I've also picked up a part-time job 2.5 days a week just to bring in a little extra income, so until April I'm going to be living like a big kid again, instead of like a college student.

This new schedule seems to have done some good for my motivation, though, as I've been up before 5:30 3 days of each week since classes started back, and when I haven't been in the gym in the mornings I've been there many evenings. I've started joining in on spinning classes with a friend a couple days a week, and they are killer! My quads are jello after 60 minutes. Yesterday the instructor had us doing pushups while riding. Insane, I tell you!

I've also realized that I missed catching up with everyone out here in the bloggy world, so I spent quite a bit of time catching on the 200+ posts that have accumulated in my reader over the past month and a half.

I have some exciting thoughts brewing in my head for 2010, so check back for updates.

I'll leave y'all with a a photo recap of some of the things I've been up to for the past couple of months.

(Turkey Trot on Thanksgiving morning in Charlotte..hills, hills, hills!)

(Got to meet up with one of my best friends and her hubby at the
dog park before we both headed back out of town)

(Waiting at Waterfront Park for the Christmas Flotilla Boat Parade,
which we didn't get to see!)

(One of the things I love about living in a city surrounded by water)

(Our early Christmas in Charleston before heading to
Charlotte for the rest of the season)

(Meeting our friend's baby, born on New Year's Eve!)

(Ringing in 2010 with the one I love!)

(MUSC oyster roast ... some of the coldest weather in Charleston's history)

Thanksgiving and HBBC

2009-11-25T13:36:00.004-05:00

Monday night, we had a group of friends over to our apartment for a pre-Thanksgiving feast. We did it potluck style; I cooked the turkey (and a few other dishes) and everyone brought one dish to share. Now, I have never cooked a turkey before. I talked myself up for a couple of days prior to the cooking of Tom the Turkey, saying to myself (mainly out loud in public) "you can do this, you can do this". It wasn't the cooking I was worried about, it was the removal of the gut bag (giblets) and the de-necking. Yes, for those of you who are turkey virgins--you have to pull the neck out of the otherwise empty turkey cavity. I researched this for days on end, finally sticking to a fairly easy-to-follow youtube video.

I had a brief moment of panic on Monday morning, that quite possibly may have consisted of some screaming and jumping around in the kitchen, followed by a few shed tears (almost!) and a serious consideration of going to Bojangles for a box of fried chicken. And yes, I will admit I talked to Tom, apologizing over and over again for violating him by reaching through his underside to pull out his neck. At one point, I call my mom telling her "I can't do this, there's no way I can reach inside the vagina to pull out the neck". To which she responded, "How can his name be Tom if he has a vagina?" Then she reminded me that I used to help deliver babies, I could do this. But I assure you, it is not the same.

I did ultimately scream my way through the neck removal process and get Tom in the oven. The turkey came out great, if I do say so myself. My husband even said it was better than any turkey his mom ever made (I told him to please not tell her that, I'd like to stay on the good list with the inlaws).

We had a great time--12 people in all were here, and we definitely feasted! Jett and I are so thankful for the friends we've made in our short time living in Charleston. They definitely have helped it to feel like home.

We head to Charlotte tonight. The Turkey Trot 8K is tomorrow morning, and after that we will head to Jett's mom's house for lunch.Then to my dad's side for dinner. Friday we'll go see Jett's dad's family, and Saturday we'll have our Thanksgiving with my family on my mom's side. I am so thankful that all of our immediate family lives within a 30ish mile radius of one another, but this is what all holidays consist of. And this year, my mom's family is even planning around everyone else instead of packing it all into one day.

With all the eating and football watching that is sure to go on this week, I definitely need the motivation of the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge. I signed up for the HBBC to redeem myself from my lack-luster performance in the POTM challenge, which I have totally sucked up. My HBBC start has been slow (read: non-exsistent). I fully plan to redeem myself tonight once we get to Charlotte. Team members, I will make it up over the next month, you have my word!

I try to remind myself daily of all of the blessings in my life, and thank God daily for all that I have to be grateful for. It's so easy to get caught up in the worldly ideals of money, materials, and things that just don't matter all that much. This past year has definitely held trials for Jett and me, as we've gone from single people with adequate paychecks, to a married couple with a single income and a load of student-loan debt. Somehow though, everytime we think we won't have enough to make it through the month, God provides. I keep reminding myself and Jett that's it's only a few more months, and I will be contributing financially again. We are so fortunate in all that we have, and these blessings are definitely not lost on us. Each time in the past few weeks that I've let myself slip into a moment of self-pity of covet, there has been a blatant reminder to "count my blessings". There are so many so much less fortunate than me, and for all that I receive I should be paying it forward.

Today in particular I am thankful for answered prayers--for the bills that I have been putting off this week and the money in our account that sufficiently covered all of them this morning. And that's just enough to make me happy today!

What are you blessed with in your life? What was your simple moment of happiness today?

lost your cookies, check the pavement

2009-11-20T13:09:00.004-05:00

I haven't run in over a week, because of my leg pain and then that crazy cold I got. But at some point, it's just time to stop making excuses and get over it. When I start something new, it's always either all or nothing with me. I either want to go all in and then get burnt out, or take too long of a break and give up. I am working on finding a healthy middle ground. I've been sitting here for the past few minutes trying to motivate to go out for a run, and then negative self-talking myself out of it.

Does this happen to anyone else? You take too long of a break from something and find it harder to get back out there?

Today my motivation will come from my brother. We are all officially signed up for the Charlotte Turkey Trot 8K on Thanksgiving morning. We are going as a family--Jett, my brother, sister-in-law, and myself will run the 8K. And I think my mom, dad, and aunt will walk the 5K. When I emailed my brother yesterday telling him we were registered but that I hadn't been running this week, this is the email I got back from him:

lost your cookies, check the pavement

Just that, nothing else. HA. My motivation for today is to run so that in the race next week, I don't have to check the pavement for my lost cookies.

Incredible Woman

2009-11-16T14:17:00.005-05:00

I still can't seem to shake this cold/cough/congestion mess. I guess it's what I get for being cocky in the face of all the germs at clinic! Running has gotten pushed aside as I try to knock this out, because I can't much catch my breath just sitting around, much less while running. I also can't afford to miss any clinical days for the next 3 weeks, as the semester is coming to a close and I still am short on hours. Must get well!

So today I thought I'd share a little video I made for my mom's birthday last week. My mom is an incredible woman. She is a dedicated wife, mother, daughter, nurse, Sunday school teacher, and friend. My grandfather (her father) has dementia, and has progressively gotten worse over the past several years. This has been a hard change to witness, as he is one of my heroes--someone I have always looked up to. He is by far one of the best men around, and we have always been super close. Knowing how hard it is for me to see the changes in him, I know it must be 10-fold that for my mom. She is his only daughter.

My granddaddy turned 90 this past May, and up until the past few years, has been blessed with great health. My grandmama is 88 this year, and is still on the go. But the changes in my grandfather have taken a toll on her. She is his primary caretaker, and when he is up many hours of the night confused and aggravated, she must be up with him. My mom dedicates the majority of her free time to them--going to their house almost every day after her regular nursing job to check on meals and medications, and just to give my grandmother a break. She spends the majority of her weekends with them, and sometimes her mornings before work. My grandmother fell and fractured her pelvis a couple of weeks ago, so lately my mom has made a bed on their couch many nights.

In between all of her hard work, my mom somehow finds the time to call me everyday just to chat, spend time with my dad, and maintain a positive attitude. When I told her thank you the other day for all that she does for my grandparents, and I'm sorry that she's having to spend so much time on such stressful jobs and decisions, her response was this: "You know what, it's my family. Family comes first, always." Like I said, an incredible woman.

The past year I have been living away from my hometown attending graduate school, and while I get back often, I can't help out like I could if I was still there. I miss having my family right down the street. I feel like each time I see my granddaddy, there's a little more he doesn't remember about me. While it's hard, I'm grateful that he's still around each time I go home to visit.

My mom loves to come to Charleston and visit us, but unfortunately the circumstances lately haven't allowed her to leave on the weekends very often.

For her birthday, I decided to make her a little "video gift". Our bank account is hurting right now while I'm not working, and my mom's birthday is on Veteran's day each year, so she has never been able to get a birthday card in the mail on her actual birthday! I thought this would be a great way to remedy that. I hope she will take me up on my offer to come home for a weekend to care for (and visit with!) my grandparents while she and my dad take a much-needed break to our home in Charleston.

Happy Monday, everyone. I hope it's a great start to a new week.

Goals

2009-11-13T16:31:00.004-05:00

Thanks for the comments and suggestions from my last post.

Wednesday night was cold and rainy here, thanks to Ida blowing through. So with no desire to run on the treadmill and no desire to run in the cold rainy darkness, I thought I'd try my rested legs out on the indoor track at the gym. I just did a mile, and aimed to do it as fast as I could.

The mile took me 8:59:44. (I love how it was under 9, even though really this is a 9-minute mile).

While this isn't a fast mile to many people, this seemed relatively fast for me. I tend to average around a 10:30ish mile. When I used to do the dreaded mile run in elementary and middle school, I'm fairly certain that I never ran it quite this fast.

Now, of course it took me a half a mile of walking around the track afterward to recover, so I wouldn't have been able to keep this pace up for much longer. But I think with some serious work I can get faster, eventually. And of course, I also still don't have much of a distance running base to work with, so I will continue to work on that too.

My tentative goals include:

Running at a comfortable pace 3 days a week
Some type of undetermined speed work 1 day per week
Re-running the mile once per month (hopefully with improvement)

Thankfully, my shins feel great since Wednesday! I think it was a good idea to rest them for a week. I also used to P90x stretch dvd to stretch my legs really good before running. They were a bit stiff and uncomfortable when I started running, but they definitely aren't hurting like they were last week.

In other news, the germy little kiddie germs seem to have caught up to me. My immune system has not let me down thus far with all these crazy flu and strep germs breathed in my face at clinic, but it seems to be trying to decide if it's going to throw me under the bus this week. I have a nasty cold and sore throat, but at least no fever or other flu symptoms. I guess I should thank my immune system for bailing me out once again.

Happy Friday!

Wacky Wednesday

2009-11-11T12:08:00.004-05:00

It's obviously been a while since my last post ... it's the same 'ole story, different week. Clinic hours, catch-up reading, paper writing, and driving back to Charlotte for the past 2 weekends for various celebrations have kept me busy in my "free time" (haha--free time, yeah right!). But have no worries, only 3 1/2 weeks left until this semester from hell is over : )

In running news, there is none. I know, I know. I'm just barely getting started and here I am, no running in over a week. I could give you a lot of excuses, but I'm just going to give you one (I'll save the others for another week where there's sure to be another lapse in running). MY SHINS. They kill. What gives? So here I am, asking for a little help. For the past few weeks, my shins (both of them, but the left more than the right) have been hurting. It started out with just a little ache in the mornings and at the start of a run. They always felt better as my legs warmed up. For the past couple of weeks though, they haven't been letting up as much. The ache doesn't completely stop while I'm running, and after a run--oh after a run--they are so painful. Going up and down the stairs to our apartment is not so much fun, especially with 120 pounds of dog pulling me down the stairs. So ... I iced them after my last run, and bought some Tiger Balm. But I've also been letting them rest this week, hoping it will improve. Does this sound like shin splints? Does anyone have any experience with this and recommendations on how to make it go away!?

Runway 5K Race Report:
On Halloween, Jett and I drove back to Charlotte for the weekend to celebrate my dad's retirement with a combo Halloween/Surprise Party for him. He's only 54, and lucky him, has put his service into the post office and was able to retire after 28 years. I'm so happy for him.

(The awesome cake my sis-in-law made)

(My dad's "CONGRATS" pumpkin)

On Halloween morning, I met my friend and old college roomie at the Charlotte-Douglas Airport for a 5k race, the Runway 5k. Jett ran it with us too! I'm hesitant to post when I'm planning to run a race, or a report afterwards, because at this point I'm not really racing. I'm really merely running to finish and loving the atmosphere of the race community. I'm not fast, and I struggle with whether I should actually post any of this here, or wait until I've gotten a little better.

I finished the race in 33:05. This run was fun because we were actually running on one of the runways at the airport. We were side-by-side with planes taking off. They had all kinds of neat planes and helicopters to check out after the finish. And, it was flat--a big plus! It was also raining, but not as cold as the last run in Charlotte.

Some dislikes of the race: the water stop! Now I know I don't really need a water stop in a 5k run. But, the cold air isn't something I run in often living in Charleston, so my mouth was dry (does this happen to anyone else running in cold, dry air?) and water sounded SO good. They appeared to have a water stop set up at the half-way point, but apparently they closed it/moved it/ran out? No big deal, only 1.5 miles left. So after I ran past the closed water stop, I just thought I'd drink at the end. But then, probably about 2.8 miles into the race or so, low and behold, a water station. I assumed I'd grab a cup on the go, throw a little back to wet my mouth, and keep going. That's what I get for assuming. There were no water cups to grab. As I approached (mistake #1), the guy at the station was filling the cups up one by one as each person came by. At this point, I had already slowed/stopped so thought I might as well get the water (mistake #2). He literally was doing the 2-handed, prop the container with one hand, fill the cup with the other hand, as the water jug was obviously running low. After he filled my cup about a centimeter, I said "that's good", grabbed the cup, and finished the run. That probably added at least 10-15 seconds onto my time. The other disappointment I had was the timing system. We had d-tags for our time, but they only posted clock time--no chip time. We started out probably mid-pack, and I would guess it took us close to 45 seconds or so to cross the start line. And I didn't start my watch this time, thinking I wouldn't need to because I could just check my chip time after the race was over. No such luck. Any other race I've run has posted both clock time and chip time. Is this typical or is it more the norm just to post clock time?

(Veronica and I before the start)

(Jett and me after we finished)

Overall, it was a fun morning! I always struggle with my feelings about my speed when I run with Jett. He doesn't regularly run, but when he does he's always way faster than me (his time was somewhere in the 27 minute range, I think). He was an athlete in high school, but that's been over 7 years ago now. I wonder if I'll ever be able to speed it up!?

For those of you who are experienced runners, what do you recommend? Building more of a running base before trying some speed work, or incorporating speed work into my runs now? I would love some advice.

I'm planning to go out for a run this evening, so here's to hoping that my legs feel great! I also just discovered that we have exercise tv ... sweet!

There aren't any hills in Charleston ...

2009-10-29T11:53:00.004-04:00

... only bridges. Seriously, Charleston is flat as a pancake. I miss the rolling hills of the Piedmont of NC and the beautiful Blue Ridge in the high country, but I also LOVE the beach. And running on the flat terrain is an added bonus. But, 2 weekends ago on a whim I ran a 5k with a friend when I went back to Charlotte. (Sidenote: Charlotte is NOT hilly compared to places where many of you live, but it is also NOT flat by any means--especially not compared to Charleston!). After the LungStrong 5k (finishing time: 33:44), I realized I need a few hills to run on.

So, last night my husband and I set off to the Ravenel Bridge that connects Mt. Pleasant to downtown. Over and back is close to 5 miles, and the slope is 4.1% most of the way (but gets up to 5.6% for part of the trek!). Lesson learned ... bridges are TOUGH! I ran the 10K bridgerun last year, but hadn't at all prepared for it and we were so far back in the crowd that by the time we even made it to the base of the bridge we had to walk. There was no way to get through all the walkers. Needless to say, we did make it up and back down alive. But after making it to the bottom of the first side and coming back up, it was hard! I did end up walking a lot of the second part up, but am ok with my first try out. We finished the 4.9 miles in exactly 1 hour. A really slow pace overall, but not too bad for walking so much.

And finally, check out this great giveaway (here) from Mel over at Tall Mom on the Run. Giveaway ends November 1st .. hurry to enter!

Carbon footprint, really?!

2009-10-28T16:44:00.002-04:00

I have found one family-friendly, reality TV show that my husband actually enjoys watching with me ... 18 kids and counting, The Duggar Family. Seriously, this family just makes me laugh they're so cute! I know everyone has their own opinions about the way they choose to live their life--and I believe everyone's entitled to those opinions--but in my opinion they do an awesome job of raising those kids (at least the parts we see from the outside looking in).

Last night they had a special episode where viewers emailed or went on camera to ask questions, and different members of the family took turns answering. One lady (in a rather condescending tone, in my opinion) on camera asked how the family feels about how large their carbon footprint must be, considering how huge the family is.

Now, let me preface what I'm about to say by making sure y'all know that I do my part on a daily basis to save this great green Earth we live on. I am the light-nazi in our home, following my husband around flipping lights off that aren't need. I fully support car-pooling and walking, when feasible. Most of the time we fill up reusable water bottles and coffee mugs, rather than buying paper or plastic to throw away. We bought our own recycle bins and take them to the local drop off because our apartments don't recycle. And (I'm not kidding here), before Jett and I were married we actually had a fight about him using too many paper towels.

All that to let you know that my first thought when this lady asked her question was "what the hell is a carbon footprint"? Then I thought, oh wait, I do know what a carbon footprint is. Then, I realized this lady must have never seen the show, or just doesn't like children (and probably doesn't believe in marriage either). This family carpools everywhere, chops their own (dead) trees for firewood, built their own house with hot-water used to heat the floors, hands everything down to the younger family members, and does the majority of their shopping at thrift stores. I'd guess their carbon footprint is a lot more impressive than many of ours.

And on a completely more random note, do you ever notice how many cars on the road have been in wrecks? Seriously, probably ever 5th car or so I pass on the road or see at a light has a dent in the side, a bumper hanging off, or a busted light. That's a lot of car accidents!

October 25, 2008

2009-10-25T20:58:00.009-04:00

One year ago I married my best friend. Jett and I met briefly our senior year of college when he came into town for the weekend, lost contact, then spoke every 6 months or so until the summer of 2007. We started dating sometime around the fall of 2007 and Jett asked me to marry him on March 22, 2008--just a short 6 months later. Surprised doesn't even come close to describing how I felt when he proposed! (We hadn't really talked about marriage yet.) But, I happily said yes and we jumped into planning our dream wedding, getting married just 7 months later.

(Shortly after we got engaged--we were at Panama City Beach, FL)

Our wedding day was perfect. We were married at The Tahoma Retreat in Norwood, NC. Lake Tillery was the gorgeous backdrop to our vows, and although it was cloudy and misty all morning, the clouds cleared right before the ceremony for a beautiful fall day. We danced our first dance to True Companion by Marc Cohn and our last dance to All I Wanna Do by Sugarland. Our day was absolutely great and I can't believe it's already been a year!

Check out a few of our pro pics from Kate Ashbrook here. We LOVED Kate! She did a fabulous job and is just overall a great person.

After our wedding, we spent the night at the Westin Hotel in downtown Charlotte before flying to Playa del Carmen, Mexico for a week for our honeymoon.

(Here we are at dinner at our resort)

(Watching the sunrise in Mexico)

(A little bored and impromptu photo session while waiting on a taxi)

(Back in North Carolina!)

We've had a busy year ... it's flown by, but looking back it seems like last year was both just yesterday and years ago. In the year since we've been married, Jett's moved to Charleston and started a new job, I've quit my job, I've finished 3 1/2 semesters of grad school, and we've moved again. We've also seen many friends get married and others have children, we've made great new friends in our new city and lost touch with some old ones, and we've celebrated many "firsts" both with one another and our families.

Today, we spent the day just enjoying time with one another. On the morning of our wedding day, Jett had a special gift delivered to me. It was a box that he stained and labeled with our wedding date that was filled with paper, envelopes, a pen, and a letter from him. The purpose of this box is for us to fill with letters and cards that we give to one another every year, and then each year on our anniversary we will sit down to read through them. Can you imagine how special this will be in 50 years? Today we sat down to re-read through our past year and remember some special details from our wedding day.

We also cut the top layer of our wedding cake (which was actually pretty good) and has a toast of the champagne from the bottle saved from last year.

Rosemary and Duncan were a little jealous ... don't worry, we shared a bite of cake!

We also exchanged anniversary gifts and had dinner at Miyabi's in Charleston ... yum!

A year of marriage has shown me how blessed Jett and I are to share this love. It has been one of the most love-filled and rewarding years of my life. It has also been one of the most challenging. Anyone who ever tells you that newlywed life is filled with goggly eyes and long walks on the beach is either lying or the least selfish person God ever created. I am neither a liar or all that selfless, so I'm here to tell you that while we definitely had our walks on the beach over the past year, we have also had our fair share of arguments, tears, hurt feelings, angry words, and just plain ole fights. But, we also came into this with realistic expectations--knowing that we are both hot-headed and sensitive. Learning to live together was hard--it still is some days. But it's also a lot of fun and I wouldn't have it any other way (okay, maybe I'd trade in our crazy downstairs neighbor if I could). In just a year I know that we are slower to anger, quicker to forgiveness, and more considerate of one another's feelings. At the end of the day this marriage is always worth it, and I know that it always will be. I thank God every day for this blessing that is my life!

May I always be able to look back at October 25, 2008 and remember what it felt like to marry my best friend--my true companion.

Long Overdue

2009-10-23T22:45:00.004-04:00

Although I haven't been blogging, I promise you I have been running and riding my bike. I admit, it hasn't happened all 7 days of the week like I originally intended, but it is happening. Sorry for the bare minimum of posts, but it's been an intense past couple of weeks with school work, travel, catch-up clinical hours, etc. I promise, I will be back!

For tonight, I'll leave you with this picture . . .

This was from a spur-of-the-moment 5K (LungStrong) I ran with my friend Veronica in Charlotte last weekend. She was running the 15k, and when we decided to travel into town last minute I signed up for the 5k portion to run ~~with~~ a lot slower than her. Man, it sure was way colder in Charlotte than Charleston!

Check back on Sunday for a special one-year-wedding-anniversary post ... can't believe Jett & I have almost been married for a whole year!

Confessions of a Sofa-holic

2009-10-05T10:36:00.010-04:00

It's been one of those weeks ... or week and a half. Or really, it's just one of those semesters. I am currently getting my master's in nursing, which will give me my nurse practitioner degree in pediatrics. I plan to be finished in May. But, between nursing school and grad school, I took 2 years off. I worked full time and loved not having to come home to work. When I moved to Charleston, SC, from NC I worked for about 6 months while going to grad school full time. After Jett and I got married, I quit my job to focus on school ... which up until this semester was going great. But, since August I just can't seem to get it together. This semester is kicking my butt. I feel like I only have enough time to get bits and pieces of everything done. It was hard to get back into a "school mindset" after being out for a while, but I thought I had it figured out after 3 semesters. These past few weeks, though, I've really been doubting myself.

So ... as you might have guessed, I also have had a hard time adding in a good fitness routine. And blogging routine, it seems. But I'm back! Last week was a bust, for pretty much everything except for school. After my last post, I've only done my "activity" 2 days ... last weekend. But, I was able to run another full 3.1 miles, which felt great! I need to get back on track, with a lot of things in life. I'm a work in progress, so I'm okay with occasionally slipping up. I will get there, I know I will.

In other news, these past few weekends have been just as busy as the weekdays. Last weekend, Jett and I were able to spend some great time together just hanging out, rather than worrying about jobs, or stressing over school, or planning how we're going to juggle our schedules. On Friday, I packed a picnic and we took the dogs to Folly Beach and had dinner and just enjoyed our time. This is our view for dinner.

Saturday, we finally made it to the Charleston Farmer's Market, which I've been wanting to do since I moved here. And Sunday, we went back downtown to check out the Charleston Green Fair.

With all of the craziness around here lately, it's been hard to just be with each other. It was great to have some work-free, worry-free time together.

This past weekend, Jett's college roommates and their wives came into town for the App State v. Citadel game. Jett graduated from Appalachian State, but we haven't been able to make it up to any home games last season or this season so far. So, when we found out they were playing the Citadel in Charleston, Jett made plans for the game. It's always great to see friends from home, and the game was a nail-biter!

The boys at the tailgate

After the win! (It was SO hot Saturday)

Jett & Me at dinner Saturday night

We have a busy October, with lots of travel back to Charlotte for various reasons and our anniversary! I LOVE this month, and love that it is finally feeling a little fall-like this morning (although I think it's supposed to be back up in the mid-80s tomorrow). I'm excited to for all of the fun this month, and for trying to get my time-management back on track. Stay tuned!

Hallo, my name is Steven

2009-09-24T00:34:00.007-04:00

It's midnight, and this is what my family is doing . . .

(I'm already dreaming of the consequences I will face tomorrow for posting the picture of Jett in all his glory ... ahhh ha ha--payback baby, for deleting all those embarrassing photos I always take! )

And this is what I'm doing . . .

In other news, yesterday I kept getting phone calls from an area code I didn't recognize. Seriously, ever hour from 4 to around 8 this same number called, never leaving a message. This morning I had another missed call, and another call while I was checking the missed call list. I answered this time, and the convo went a little something like this:

Caller: (In a STRONG Asian accent): Hallo, my name is Steven, I am calling from continuing your education online degree.com. I would like to talk to you about about continuing your education online degree.

Me: I am a semester away from a master's degree, I'm not interested in continuing my education online.

Caller: I would like to talk to you about continuing your education online degree. (Proceeded by a bunch of words that I'm sure were a mix of English and some other language that I didn't understand).

Me: I'm not interested, please take me off your calling list.

Caller: Ok, goodbye.

Now, I see many things wrong with this encounter, but here are a few of the most frustrating to me. And let me preface this by saying that I understand that everyone's just trying to make a living like the next guy. But, don't call me over and over. Especially not early in the morning or late at night. Secondly, why would you employ someone to sell your product that doesn't speak the language of the audience that he is selling to? Thirdly, this same company called me over and over again around this same time last year and only quit after my husband matter of factly told them to quit calling or else. And lastly, and most importantly to me, seriously, was this guy's name really Steven? His fresh Asian accent and dual language product pitch sure didn't make him sound like a Steven to me.

And in the news that this blog was actually made for, days 3 and 4 of my 30-day challenge.

Yesterday, I wrestled my bike off of our bacolny where it now calls home after we got a rather rude letter from our apartment complex telling us to move it out of the breezeway or it would be removed for us ... thank you very much. I rode in the area, since it was getting dark and was pitch black by the time I made it home. I found some awesome trails in the neighborhood right next door that I'm sure to take advantage of more often (it's amazing what you find when you actually make it outside to do something). I also discovered that my hind end and a bicycle seat are not like pb&j, lock & key, or hand & glove. Catch my drift? AKA, my butt is largo and my bicycle seat is hardo.

Today, again I waited until 8:30 to remember that I'm trying to be a better person. I also seem to forget every day that it now gets dark at 8. So I took my largo backside to the gym and placed it on the treadmill. For 27 minutes to be exact. And only about 12 of those were actually running. Then I plopped that backside in the recumbant bike seat and pedaled away for the remaining 18 minutes. Lesson of today: when you remove yourself from the couch after being a potato for many many months and then use your legs every day, they will probably hurt. Also, if you eat Chick-fil-a as your only meal of the day, you will not feel fabulous.

However, I will put a check mark in the success box for days 3 & 4.

2

2009-09-21T22:34:00.004-04:00

Having to be up at 5:30 in the morning for clinical = very quick recap of today's 45 minutes.

Didn't stop cleaning, schooling, cooking/eating dinner until after dark tonight, so I went to the gym for a run. I walked 1:30 minutes then started running. My goal was to run continuously until my playlist ran out, but my mp3 player froze at song 5 of 6. I was at around 29 minutes, so my new goal became to run until 30 minutes. At 30 minutes, I was at 2.66 miles, so my new goal became to run until the 5K mark. So I did. I ran (except for the first minute and half) 3.1 miles for a total of 34 minutes, then walked for the remainder of the 45.

Day 2 = success.

Day 1 Success

2009-09-21T00:00:00.009-04:00

Sundays always FLY by for me,and today was no different. After a really long grocery story trip (why don't I ever learn my lesson about trying to save money by shopping at super Walmart for groceries?) and a disappointing end to the Panther's game, I decided I'd start my 30 days off by going to Colonial Lake for a run/walk session. I think it's about 1/2 mile around the lake according to driving distance and mapmyrun.com. My husband even agreed to come with me! The plan was for me to run and him to walk with the dogs. But, the dogs had their minds made up differently. We have two 50-something pound pups (one we're quite sure is a Border Collie/Aussie mix, the other possibly a Australian Cattle dog/Aussie mix). They are spoiled beyond belief and have become even more so since I've been in grad school and home with them a lot of the week.

So, on my 3rd lap around I came up to the hubster (who's real name is Jett, by the way) at a standstill with Rosemary and Duncan. Apparently they were pulling like crazy (we left their harnesses at home) and trying desperately to find me. So, I offered to take Rosemary along with me to run. Ha. That lasted about 1 mintue before my arm felt like it was going to fall off. We walked the rest of the time with them.

I have no idea how far I went, because my ADD kicked in about a lap into it and I lost track of how many laps I ran before stopping to walk. My watch was at 20 minutes when I stopped to walk permanently, and I'd run all but about 3 minutes of that. One more slip up ... I accidently stopped my watch at 37 mintues but didn't realize it until I looked down to see how long we'd been moving. Although, I'm positive it was at least 45 minutes and probably a bit longer.

So, all in all I'll chalk day 1 up to a success!

The First Post is Always the Hardest . . .

2009-09-19T23:37:00.005-04:00

Ok, so I’ve never actually written a first post. But I have written more first paragraphs than I can count and more first pages for essays than I care to think about. And those are always the hardest. Sometimes I just skip over them and come back at the end. But alas, you can’t skip the first post of a “make yourself better” blog and then come back and write it after you’ve “made yourself better”.

I guess my goal is not necessarily to make myself better, but to help myself feel better. And to help me feel better about myself. So here I am. My husband calls the desire to start a blog just another addiction to the internet. I call it an effort to help me stay motivated, keep me accountable, and give me an outlet (and maybe even to find a little encouragement along the way).

I am not an inactive person. But I am much less active than I have ever been. And my clothes, the scale, and my attitude show it. I like to chalk that up to my desire to spend quality time with my newlywed husband and my never-ending pile of grad school work. But really, I just find myself making excuse after excuse. I’m in a slump and I need to get out of it. So, I’ve put it off and put it off but here’s my plan: do something active for at least 45 minutes for the next 30 days. Starting tomorrow. Now I don’t plan to stop at the 30 day mark, I’m just making that my short-term goal in hopes that I won’t give up and by that point it will be easier to drag myself off the couch. I’ve heard it takes 21 days to create a new habit. But my body seems to be slow to respond to everything else in life, so I better give myself an extra week. I would like for this activity to be primarily running, as I’ve always dreamed of myself as a runner and dabbled in it here and there. I’ve actually run two races in the past (only because I made a promise to the same friend both times, and I don’t break my promises if there’s any way around it). I ran a 5K in 2007 (34:22) and a 10K this past April (1:14:48). But both times I only ran a week or so before hand just to make sure I wouldn’t die on the course. And since then, I’ve run a time or two here and there, but never consistently. So, I will run. But on the days I’m not running, I will do something else active—ride my bike, take a walk with my dogs, swim, anything. I know I can’t run every day of the week (and who would want to!), so I will fulfill my 30 days in other ways as well. Hopefully, my clothes, the scale, and my attitude will all improve in the meantime.

So join me as I take responsibility for how unhealthy I have become and try to get my life back on track. My plan is to start to tomorrow—but we all know what can happen to the best laid plans . . .

Stats

Height: 5’8.5”

Weight: A whopping 161 lbs

BMI: 24

One more thing . . . did I mention that I don't like to run?!