I had like a million things to do tonight. The girls trashed the living room (what else is new?), there's laundry to be done (when isn't there?), I should have done some yoga or something. But instead I ended up getting addicted to a show. When the girls were winding down in bed, I thought I'd check out a show I queued on Netflix that I figured would be too short for running to, Wilfred. Just one less-than-half-hour show while the girls found their way to dreamland.
Holy cow, that show cracks me up. It's about a really depressed guy who tries to kill himself unsuccessfully and befriends his neighbor's dog, who looks like a guy in a ratty dog suit. It has Elijah Wood in it, and I just think he's adorable.
I watched 5 episodes. I tried to stop after 2, really, I did. But it's so good.
Yeah, nothing got done tonight. But I laughed.
*warning... the show would probably be offensive to a lot of people. I tend to find offensive things funny. Sorry.
Anyway.
Let me tell you what happened to me today.
I was at work and went into the nursing supervisor's office to get something and she stopped me to ask me a question.
She said she let her husband sign her up for a half-marathon (possibly the same one I'm doing, there aren't that many that happen around here) and asked ME how to train for it.
*jaw drop*
She had asked me before about running and I know my boss likes to tell people that I did a half-marathon all the time. When she doesn't get mixed up and tell them I ran a triathlon. Good grief, can you imagine? I actually discovered earlier today that there's a duathon and a triathlon later this summer, but I neither bike nor swim, so I don't even know why I'm mentioning that.
Chocolate. I had chocolate. You'll have to forgive me.
I was really flattered that someone came to me for advice like that. I don't really talk about stuff like that at work much, and only a handful of people at work are on my Facebook, and most of them are the type that just have to have everyone they have ever met as a friend so they barely notice my posts anyway, so I'm usually caught off guard by anyone there even knowing that I run now.
Then there was another thing that happened that made me think a little bit about something. This is a little personal, but you know... the chocolate is making my fingers chatty I guess.
Bill had told me the other day that he and Zoe's teacher had talked about church, and told me not to be surprised if she asked me to go to church. I don't usually go to church, for reasons. I try not to get into religion here (or anywhere) so I'll leave it at that. Well, today she actually did mention it. Part of me feels like it's her way of trying to be able to see Zoe after this school year is over... she's been her teacher 2 years now and is really fond of her. And then the thought that made me think..
"What if she's just trying to be your friend?"
I'm sure I've talked about this before, but it feels like the dumbest thing to say, but that kind of scares me. Even with the nursing supervisor talking to me today, she's being friendly and, while feeling flattered, I felt like bolting out the door.
I don't have any really close friends. I have a few people at work I would call a friend, but it rarely goes outside of work. I have some old friends from school that I keep up with online now, but rarely see in person. I have some good internet friends that I've never met. Hell, for all intents and purposes, it's like all my friends are imaginary because without a computer they may as well not even exist. Since cutting my two closest friends out of my life last year (and there were real reasons, not just this social anxiety I'm fessing up to), I really and truly have had ZERO social life outside of family. I've gone through phases where I'll be "I need to get out there and make friends!" but I just can't do it.
I'm not having a pity party. Most of the time I'm perfectly fine with it. But I just don't understand it. Why is it so difficult for me? Am I just afraid of being used and hurt? Am I just too lazy to put forth the effort? I mean, it's really easy to not have friends. Seriously. No coordinating schedules when you want to do something, no trying to balance family/friend time. Do I feel lonely sometimes? Sure, but not as often as you'd think. Is that wrong? It does bother me that the idea of making a friend freaks me out. I don't think I should have some sort of fear about it. I think maybe I'm a little too comfortable with solitude. Or maybe I just tell myself I am.
I don't know.... I think I'm just thinking to much and should go to bed. =)
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Guess what I did today?
Today was my usual "run outside" day and I set a goal of running 2.75 miles. That puts me at running 3 miles on Tuesday and then a trial run at 3.1 on the treadmill before the big day next Sunday.
I went to the park where I usually go and was just thrilled to see that there was a soccer tournament going on... so there were people everywhere. The trail I wanted to run pretty much circles all the soccer fields, so I would have an audience. Yay! =p Luckily, it doesn't bother me as much as it once did.
I decided to go a total of 4 miles... I usually go farther than just my run, simply because I can. I walked 1/4 of a mile to warm up, and then started running. I started using a new app, Runkeeper, instead of CardioTrainer. I don't have a problem with CardioTrainer, but my sister got me using Achievemint and Runkeeper is one of the apps they track. (Achievemint is one of those sites where you earn points for different things and when you reach a certain number of points, they send you money. When and if I get a check, I'll probably talk about it more. It'll be a while.) Anyway, Runkeeper has a really cool feature where it will show you your pace minute by minute, instead of just mile splits. My pace is anything but consistent. I'd run a 13:00 pace for a while, then drop to 15:00. It's not really important right now, but interesting to me.
So, as I was starting to get close to the 3 mile mark, which would have been my 2.75 goal, a friend of mine came to mind. We've been online friends for over 5 years... we've never met in person, but she's one of my dearest friends. She runs, and there have been a few times that she's sent me a message to tell me that she struggled during a run and I would come to mind and it helped her to push through her run. Today also happens to be her birthday. So, before my app told me I had reached 3 miles, I reached a decision...
It was time to pay her back. She uses me as an inspiration to go farther, so to honor her birthday, I was going to use her as an inspiration to run my first 5k. I kept running past 3 miles. All the way to 3.35 (3.1 plus my .25 warmup)!
You guys! I ran 5k!
And, let me just say this... I'm glad I did it today instead of next week when I'd be around a bunch of people. Because I cried. I cried walking back to the van. I cried on the way home. It was like an emotional enema. Lovely imagery, right?
So, now I know for sure that I can run my 5k next week. And I'm soooo excited.
I'm going to run 3.1 miles Tuesday and Thursday, and I'm going to dedicate each run to someone, like I did today. =)
After I got home and got showered, we threw together a picnic lunch and headed out to take a hike. We ended up on a 2 mile hike... way more than one of us (ahem, Zoe) wanted to go. She started whining and crying about half a mile in, so it was a looooooong hike.
She's lucky she's so pretty or I would have left her out there. Not really, but after a while the crying was pretty nerve wracking.
Isabelle was pretty ticked off for most of the hike because she wanted to go climb the mountain. But Olivia wore flip flops... not good hiking shoes for sure, but definitely not good for climbing the mountain.
Olivia was pretty easy-going, for a change. Usually she's the loudest protester during our hikes. I love her upturned nose. =)
I'm pooped now. Very active day. 16,000+ steps on the ol' Fitbit today. I haven't hit a number that high in a while.
I went to the park where I usually go and was just thrilled to see that there was a soccer tournament going on... so there were people everywhere. The trail I wanted to run pretty much circles all the soccer fields, so I would have an audience. Yay! =p Luckily, it doesn't bother me as much as it once did.
I decided to go a total of 4 miles... I usually go farther than just my run, simply because I can. I walked 1/4 of a mile to warm up, and then started running. I started using a new app, Runkeeper, instead of CardioTrainer. I don't have a problem with CardioTrainer, but my sister got me using Achievemint and Runkeeper is one of the apps they track. (Achievemint is one of those sites where you earn points for different things and when you reach a certain number of points, they send you money. When and if I get a check, I'll probably talk about it more. It'll be a while.) Anyway, Runkeeper has a really cool feature where it will show you your pace minute by minute, instead of just mile splits. My pace is anything but consistent. I'd run a 13:00 pace for a while, then drop to 15:00. It's not really important right now, but interesting to me.
So, as I was starting to get close to the 3 mile mark, which would have been my 2.75 goal, a friend of mine came to mind. We've been online friends for over 5 years... we've never met in person, but she's one of my dearest friends. She runs, and there have been a few times that she's sent me a message to tell me that she struggled during a run and I would come to mind and it helped her to push through her run. Today also happens to be her birthday. So, before my app told me I had reached 3 miles, I reached a decision...
It was time to pay her back. She uses me as an inspiration to go farther, so to honor her birthday, I was going to use her as an inspiration to run my first 5k. I kept running past 3 miles. All the way to 3.35 (3.1 plus my .25 warmup)!
You guys! I ran 5k!
And, let me just say this... I'm glad I did it today instead of next week when I'd be around a bunch of people. Because I cried. I cried walking back to the van. I cried on the way home. It was like an emotional enema. Lovely imagery, right?
So, now I know for sure that I can run my 5k next week. And I'm soooo excited.
I'm going to run 3.1 miles Tuesday and Thursday, and I'm going to dedicate each run to someone, like I did today. =)
After I got home and got showered, we threw together a picnic lunch and headed out to take a hike. We ended up on a 2 mile hike... way more than one of us (ahem, Zoe) wanted to go. She started whining and crying about half a mile in, so it was a looooooong hike.
She's lucky she's so pretty or I would have left her out there. Not really, but after a while the crying was pretty nerve wracking.
Isabelle was pretty ticked off for most of the hike because she wanted to go climb the mountain. But Olivia wore flip flops... not good hiking shoes for sure, but definitely not good for climbing the mountain.
Olivia was pretty easy-going, for a change. Usually she's the loudest protester during our hikes. I love her upturned nose. =)
I'm pooped now. Very active day. 16,000+ steps on the ol' Fitbit today. I haven't hit a number that high in a while.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
The cycle
I have been struggling quite a bit with my eating lately. Trying to keep it real, you guys. LOL
I generally don't enjoy cooking, which is a real pain when you're trying to eat clean or Paleo or Primal. You just have to cook. Add in the fact that every single time I hit some sort of milestone in my weight loss, I tend to just let go. It never fails. It's why my weight loss has taken as long as it has. Yes, I've made a lot of progress, but 37 lbs in about a year isn't fast by any means. Not that I'm trying to belittle my progress, I'm just saying that if I could stay on track consistently, it would be much higher.
When I am on track, I feel great. Energetic and really motivated. But when I slip, this vicious cycle begins. I don't feel energetic or motivated, so I find reasons not too cook... then I don't have things prepared to take to lunch and I end up eating out... then I feel even more sluggish and unmotivated and don't want to cook dinner. You get the picture, I'm sure.
This past week was worse than ever, because not only did I not feel the energy or motivation to cook, I didn't have to worry about feeding my husband. Making sure he has stuff in the fridge to eat when he gets home is usually what keeps me from falling off the wagon totally, even if it is by my fingernails.
And I have zero interest in food in general. Yes, I get hungry, but there are few things I really want to eat. Meal planning? Torture. Making a grocery list? Well, I have to plan meals first.
Luckily, I've had my running to keep me from just spinning totally out of control. I run 3 times a week, and I haven't strayed from that at all. I'd like to do more on my non-run days, but as long as I have those days going for me, I feel like I've not totally given up.
I had hoped to hit 40 lbs lost by my 5k next Sunday, but that's most likely not possible at this point. It was totally possible when I hit 37 lbs lost, but then I bounced off that pretty hard, as I always do.
But...
I'm really going to make the effort this week to get back on track. I planned out meals for the week and went grocery shopping. I have stuff for my lunches. We do have a date night on Monday (what? how'd that happen?) but I have already put in my request to eat somewhere I know I can enjoy eating healthy at. I'm going to make sure I'm tracking my calories. I may not be 227 at my 5k in a week, but I should feel much, much better.
Time to hit the upswing of the cycle. And really concentrate on staying away from the down side for a while.
So, anyway...
It's my last week before my 5k! Eek! I'm going to see if watching something while running on the treadmill makes the time pass quickly. Netflix on my phone, so you know, I won't be able to see crap. LOL I'm getting bored with my music playlist and wanted to try something different. Tomorrow I'm aiming for 2.75 miles outside... my last outside run before the 5k. Then 3 miles on Tuesday and a trial 5k on the treadmill Thursday. It's gonna happen, folks!
Then it's 10k training. Onward and upward.
I generally don't enjoy cooking, which is a real pain when you're trying to eat clean or Paleo or Primal. You just have to cook. Add in the fact that every single time I hit some sort of milestone in my weight loss, I tend to just let go. It never fails. It's why my weight loss has taken as long as it has. Yes, I've made a lot of progress, but 37 lbs in about a year isn't fast by any means. Not that I'm trying to belittle my progress, I'm just saying that if I could stay on track consistently, it would be much higher.
When I am on track, I feel great. Energetic and really motivated. But when I slip, this vicious cycle begins. I don't feel energetic or motivated, so I find reasons not too cook... then I don't have things prepared to take to lunch and I end up eating out... then I feel even more sluggish and unmotivated and don't want to cook dinner. You get the picture, I'm sure.
This past week was worse than ever, because not only did I not feel the energy or motivation to cook, I didn't have to worry about feeding my husband. Making sure he has stuff in the fridge to eat when he gets home is usually what keeps me from falling off the wagon totally, even if it is by my fingernails.
And I have zero interest in food in general. Yes, I get hungry, but there are few things I really want to eat. Meal planning? Torture. Making a grocery list? Well, I have to plan meals first.
Luckily, I've had my running to keep me from just spinning totally out of control. I run 3 times a week, and I haven't strayed from that at all. I'd like to do more on my non-run days, but as long as I have those days going for me, I feel like I've not totally given up.
I had hoped to hit 40 lbs lost by my 5k next Sunday, but that's most likely not possible at this point. It was totally possible when I hit 37 lbs lost, but then I bounced off that pretty hard, as I always do.
But...
I'm really going to make the effort this week to get back on track. I planned out meals for the week and went grocery shopping. I have stuff for my lunches. We do have a date night on Monday (what? how'd that happen?) but I have already put in my request to eat somewhere I know I can enjoy eating healthy at. I'm going to make sure I'm tracking my calories. I may not be 227 at my 5k in a week, but I should feel much, much better.
Time to hit the upswing of the cycle. And really concentrate on staying away from the down side for a while.
So, anyway...
It's my last week before my 5k! Eek! I'm going to see if watching something while running on the treadmill makes the time pass quickly. Netflix on my phone, so you know, I won't be able to see crap. LOL I'm getting bored with my music playlist and wanted to try something different. Tomorrow I'm aiming for 2.75 miles outside... my last outside run before the 5k. Then 3 miles on Tuesday and a trial 5k on the treadmill Thursday. It's gonna happen, folks!
Then it's 10k training. Onward and upward.
Friday, May 17, 2013
The Liebster Award
The adorable Katy (I can call you that, I'm old. LOL) from From KATYpillar to Butterfly has tagged me for The Liebster Award. I like being random and throwing weird facts around, so I thought this would be fun.
Here are the rules:
1) Post 11 random facts about yourself
2) Answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked you
3) Choose 3 deserving bloggers, and ask them 11 new questions
4) Don't tag the person that nominated you
Here we go...
11 Random (and long) Facts About Jennifer
1) I'm claustrophobic and do not like to be touched on the neck or face. Not even by my kids or husband.
2) I was a summer intern at the National Weather Service in between high school and college. My Calculus teacher had me apply and I got the position, but I really couldn't have cared less about the weather.
3) If I were to ever have another kid (not going to happen), I'd name her Lucy. On the rare chance that I'd pop out a boy we'd have a fight over William Samuel and George (I'd want George)
4) I've never seen Star Wars, any of them. At this point in my life, it's my mission to avoid it forever.
5) I have 4 Kanji tattoos... Dream, Love, Believe, and Happiness.
I have 5 other tattoos... a stick figure, a dragonfly, a falling star, a flower, and a sun/moon (which I'm going to either have fixed or covered up soon). And I want more, specifically 100 stars going across my shoulders, symbolizing my weight loss. Just have to reach 100 lbs lost!
I have 5 other tattoos... a stick figure, a dragonfly, a falling star, a flower, and a sun/moon (which I'm going to either have fixed or covered up soon). And I want more, specifically 100 stars going across my shoulders, symbolizing my weight loss. Just have to reach 100 lbs lost!
6) I've been at my current job 13.5 years and have been there longer than any other person (they've only been in business 15 years)
7) I can't stand Country music.
8) While all my friends plastered their walls with NKOTB posters, I had about a billion posters of Sebastian Bach on my wall as a teenager.
9) I used to shave the bottom half of my head. My hair is super thick on the bottom now.
10) I had a teddy bear named Paxton Anthony Ainsley Ian Van Alec Hareton Heathcliff Dexter. (And, yes, I had just finished Wuthering Heights when I named him)
11) My first car, which I purchased from my grandfather a month before he died, was haunted. And named Duncan.
Katy's Questions for Me
1) If you had to spend the rest of your life in one place, where would it be? I love Arkansas. I have no desire to live anywhere else.
2) What is the most exotic food you have ever eaten? That's tough. I've had Jamaican patties (they're like a Hot Pocket) and I ate Japanese food in Japan... I'm not a very adventurous eater.
3) What is the most common compliment people give you? That I'm smart.
4) What do you consider your most prized object? I guess it's a toss up between my two medals.... my Valedictorian medal and my half-marathon medal.
5) If you found a $50 bill on the street and had to spend it immediately, what would you buy? A pedicure, because I've never had one and it's on The List.
6) What is your favorite holiday? Christmas, which used to be my least favorite holiday, but then I had kids.
7) What will you be doing 10 years from today? Stressing out over having 3 teenage daughters, one of which will be graduating.
8) If you could be a member of any TV-sitcom family, which would it be? This is tough, since I don't watch TV. Facts of Life... they weren't an actual family, but I loved that show.
9) What color looks best on you? The only times I remember ever being told that was when I wear pink. Which is rare.
10) What is the first thing you do when you get out of bed? Put on my glasses.
11) If you were on a deserted island, what two books would you want with you? Lisey's Story and Rose Madder, both by Stephen King
My Nominees
I promise it won't hurt my feelings at all if you pass on doing this, but these are the 3 blogs I picked...
Ang @ Dropping the Plus From My Size
Tabby @ Buzzing Around the Apple Tree
And your questions are...
1) What is your favorite food?
2) Sweet or salty?
3) Can you roll your tongue?
4) What was your clique in school (prep, misfits, jock, band, etc.)?
5) Do you have any pets, or what would you have if you don't have any?
6) If you had unlimited funds, and a month of free time, what would you do?
7) Who is your celebrity crush?
8) Do you collect anything?
9) What size shoe do you wear?
10) Favorite color
11) Do you sleep on your side, stomach, or back?
That was fun =)
Wednesday, May 15, 2013
Turtles and ROUS's
Mr. Bill is out of town this week. It's weird. I usually only see him for about 20 minutes a day anyway, so you would think it would just feel like business as normal in the evenings. But I feel at a loss.
Plus, I'm not used to getting the girls ready for school. I go to work at 5:30am, before they even wake up (usually). My favorite description of what it's like is that it's like herding turtles. Slow and painful.
The older two have to be at school by 7:45am and Zoe can't be dropped off at Mother's Day Out until 8:30am. So there's at least 45 minutes to kill. The past two days, we've just taken walks around the parking lot and sat in the sun. Tomorrow promises to be nice and rainy, so I don't know what we'll do. Bill likes to take her to Walmart, so there are several employees who know them very well. It's kind of embarrassing. =)
Today wasn't a rec center day, so I decided we'd try to stay out of the house this afternoon. I needed to pick up a jade-colored tshirt for Olivia (don't ask, it irritates me) and they wanted some flip flops now that it's warm out. Then we decided to go for a walk.
We have several pedestrian bridges that cross the river here. One of the biggest ones is the Big Dam Bridge, and yes, that's the real name of it. There's a smaller one close to it that the girls like to call the Little Dam Bridge, but it's really called the Two Rivers Bridge. That was our destination, but there was some construction going on and the road to it was blocked. So I thought we'd head to the Two Rivers Park, which is where the path from the bridge eventually ends up. The girls thought we'd walk all the way to the bridge, but it's about 1.5 miles to the bridge from the park, and I knew they weren't going to want to walk that far today.
This path is part of the long trail I frequented when I was doing my long walks during my half-marathon training. I didn't realize how much I missed it until we got on it. I was really glad to be done with those super long walks one the half was over, but I'm actually really looking forward to being back out there to train for the next one.
As we started out on the trail, this animal ran out a few yards ahead. I have no clue what it was. It looked like a giant rat, the size of a cat... really. My first thought was possum, but it was too dark-colored to be a possum. I wispered, "R.O.U.S!!" Which, of course, means nothing to the girls. And then it ran into a swampy area, which just reinforced it... ROUS's live in the Fire Swamp.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm really not sure we can be friends. ;)
I wanted to get a picture of it, to prove that I saw a ROUS, but there wasn't enough time.
There was plenty of time to get this picture, though...
I thought it was a fake snake at first and thought it would be funny to show Isabelle, who is deathly terrified of snakes. Joke was on me, though... it was dead, but it was very real. Between that and the giant rat, she was whimpering on the way back. So I'm not Mother of the Year... again.
I wouldn't let the girls run in flip flops, so they eventually decided to just go barefoot so they could run. Olivia looks like a marionette when she runs, limbs flailing about. She'd totally break her face if she ran in flip flops. I imagine I look like Zoe when I run, just not so cute. She makes me giggle when she runs. But she seems to like it right now so I'm encouraging it. They can run barefoot as much as they like until the asphalt gets hot enough to cook their tootsies.
On our way out of the park, there was a turtle crossing the road. The girls told me to stop and rescue it, so I decided to appease them. I don't think I've ever rescued a turtle before, and I don't think I'll ever attempt it again. Who said turtles are slow? That bugger was FAST! As soon as I reached down for it, it spun around and bolted back the other way. So I went to put it on that side of the road and it spun around again and bolted.... under the van.
Good grief.
The girls were all in a panic, certain I'd have to crush the turtle to leave. But I was not going to crawl under the van to have some turtle go all kung fu on me. They were very relieved to see it unscathed through the back window as we pulled away.
I thought, "I shouldn't say the girls are like herding turtles in the morning." Then I thought, "No... that's exactly how they are in the morning." Trying to get them to where they need to be and end up chasing them around and hope in the end you don't smoosh them to death.
Definitely herding turtles.
Plus, I'm not used to getting the girls ready for school. I go to work at 5:30am, before they even wake up (usually). My favorite description of what it's like is that it's like herding turtles. Slow and painful.
The older two have to be at school by 7:45am and Zoe can't be dropped off at Mother's Day Out until 8:30am. So there's at least 45 minutes to kill. The past two days, we've just taken walks around the parking lot and sat in the sun. Tomorrow promises to be nice and rainy, so I don't know what we'll do. Bill likes to take her to Walmart, so there are several employees who know them very well. It's kind of embarrassing. =)
Today wasn't a rec center day, so I decided we'd try to stay out of the house this afternoon. I needed to pick up a jade-colored tshirt for Olivia (don't ask, it irritates me) and they wanted some flip flops now that it's warm out. Then we decided to go for a walk.
We have several pedestrian bridges that cross the river here. One of the biggest ones is the Big Dam Bridge, and yes, that's the real name of it. There's a smaller one close to it that the girls like to call the Little Dam Bridge, but it's really called the Two Rivers Bridge. That was our destination, but there was some construction going on and the road to it was blocked. So I thought we'd head to the Two Rivers Park, which is where the path from the bridge eventually ends up. The girls thought we'd walk all the way to the bridge, but it's about 1.5 miles to the bridge from the park, and I knew they weren't going to want to walk that far today.
This path is part of the long trail I frequented when I was doing my long walks during my half-marathon training. I didn't realize how much I missed it until we got on it. I was really glad to be done with those super long walks one the half was over, but I'm actually really looking forward to being back out there to train for the next one.
As we started out on the trail, this animal ran out a few yards ahead. I have no clue what it was. It looked like a giant rat, the size of a cat... really. My first thought was possum, but it was too dark-colored to be a possum. I wispered, "R.O.U.S!!" Which, of course, means nothing to the girls. And then it ran into a swampy area, which just reinforced it... ROUS's live in the Fire Swamp.
If you don't know what I'm talking about, I'm really not sure we can be friends. ;)
I wanted to get a picture of it, to prove that I saw a ROUS, but there wasn't enough time.
There was plenty of time to get this picture, though...
I thought it was a fake snake at first and thought it would be funny to show Isabelle, who is deathly terrified of snakes. Joke was on me, though... it was dead, but it was very real. Between that and the giant rat, she was whimpering on the way back. So I'm not Mother of the Year... again.
I wouldn't let the girls run in flip flops, so they eventually decided to just go barefoot so they could run. Olivia looks like a marionette when she runs, limbs flailing about. She'd totally break her face if she ran in flip flops. I imagine I look like Zoe when I run, just not so cute. She makes me giggle when she runs. But she seems to like it right now so I'm encouraging it. They can run barefoot as much as they like until the asphalt gets hot enough to cook their tootsies.
On our way out of the park, there was a turtle crossing the road. The girls told me to stop and rescue it, so I decided to appease them. I don't think I've ever rescued a turtle before, and I don't think I'll ever attempt it again. Who said turtles are slow? That bugger was FAST! As soon as I reached down for it, it spun around and bolted back the other way. So I went to put it on that side of the road and it spun around again and bolted.... under the van.
Good grief.
The girls were all in a panic, certain I'd have to crush the turtle to leave. But I was not going to crawl under the van to have some turtle go all kung fu on me. They were very relieved to see it unscathed through the back window as we pulled away.
I thought, "I shouldn't say the girls are like herding turtles in the morning." Then I thought, "No... that's exactly how they are in the morning." Trying to get them to where they need to be and end up chasing them around and hope in the end you don't smoosh them to death.
Definitely herding turtles.
Monday, May 13, 2013
Necessity is the mother of invention
I hope everyone had a happy Mother's Day!
We went to visit my Mom. I made sure to take a picture...
And a photo of me and my kids. They were less cooperative that my Mom. =)
While we were there, my sister and I were talking about how it would be nice to do a 10k race between our 5k and the half-marathon in October. But, summer is a very slow race season. I only know of one 10k between now and then, and it's a little sooner than I'd be ready for a 10k. Plus, when I looked at it, it looked like the 10k was full, not to mention expensive.
It's not like we HAVE to do a 10k, but it would be a nice addition to our accomplishments, you know?
I had to just force my run in yesterday. It meant the girls were up later than usual, but I needed to do it - for the training and for my mental well-being. I've just been in a mood lately that I can't shake. But when I run, I feel better. I never really thought running would do any more than any other activities I've done exercise-wise, but it really does.
I went to the track, because it was close and because I was just going to get my 2 miles in and be done, no extra walking other than warm up and cool down. Pressed for time, you know... I don't particularly enjoy the track. Running in circles is kind of boring. But it wasn't bad. I ran 2 miles in about 26-27 minutes. I'm not really sure exactly. I walked a lap, ran 8, walked a lap. I focused on distance instead of time since it was easier to track.
As I ran, I had this idea. I've seen a few virtual 5ks lately. I'm planning on taking part in one in July, and I believe one in June, but it hasn't been officially announced yet. So I thought.... well, why not do a virtual 10k?
I know there are 3 of us doing this half-marathon, possibly 4. It would be a good mid-way goal in our training. I have discovered quite a few internet running friends the past few months. There might be other people interested, you know? Even if it's just me and my sister, though, it will be fun.
So, I'm planning a Crayon Bomb Virtual 10k for sometime in August. I'm pretty excited about this. We even have an idea for a cute, cheap, cheesy medal =) Because that's the main goal of races, right... the swag!
I'll be sure to post the details here, in case any of you guys want to participate.
We went to visit my Mom. I made sure to take a picture...
And a photo of me and my kids. They were less cooperative that my Mom. =)
While we were there, my sister and I were talking about how it would be nice to do a 10k race between our 5k and the half-marathon in October. But, summer is a very slow race season. I only know of one 10k between now and then, and it's a little sooner than I'd be ready for a 10k. Plus, when I looked at it, it looked like the 10k was full, not to mention expensive.
It's not like we HAVE to do a 10k, but it would be a nice addition to our accomplishments, you know?
I had to just force my run in yesterday. It meant the girls were up later than usual, but I needed to do it - for the training and for my mental well-being. I've just been in a mood lately that I can't shake. But when I run, I feel better. I never really thought running would do any more than any other activities I've done exercise-wise, but it really does.
I went to the track, because it was close and because I was just going to get my 2 miles in and be done, no extra walking other than warm up and cool down. Pressed for time, you know... I don't particularly enjoy the track. Running in circles is kind of boring. But it wasn't bad. I ran 2 miles in about 26-27 minutes. I'm not really sure exactly. I walked a lap, ran 8, walked a lap. I focused on distance instead of time since it was easier to track.
As I ran, I had this idea. I've seen a few virtual 5ks lately. I'm planning on taking part in one in July, and I believe one in June, but it hasn't been officially announced yet. So I thought.... well, why not do a virtual 10k?
I know there are 3 of us doing this half-marathon, possibly 4. It would be a good mid-way goal in our training. I have discovered quite a few internet running friends the past few months. There might be other people interested, you know? Even if it's just me and my sister, though, it will be fun.
So, I'm planning a Crayon Bomb Virtual 10k for sometime in August. I'm pretty excited about this. We even have an idea for a cute, cheap, cheesy medal =) Because that's the main goal of races, right... the swag!
I'll be sure to post the details here, in case any of you guys want to participate.
Tuesday, May 7, 2013
My addiction
Since I work stupid hours (5:30am to 1:30pm), my lunch falls at an odd time. 10:15 am. It's usually no problem when I bring my lunch, and I do try to do that most of the time. It's cheaper and generally lower calories than anything I could get if I go out for lunch. My options for eating lunch out at that time are somewhat limited. A lot of places don't open until 11am, or are still serving breakfast.
A few weeks ago, I wanted a salad really badly. I'm all about salads lately... I'd love to just bury my face in a Newk's Favorite. But Newk's isn't open that early. So, Panera popped into my head.. I knew they served lunch early enough. I looked over the Panera website for nutrition info and decided to order a Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
I may as well have gone out to snort crack (or whatever you do with crack, I certainly don't know).
It's like heaven in a bowl. I sit there and just melt into the booth, in rapture.
I know, I'm such a dork.
It's the dressing. Apple vinaigrette. It's weird, because I usually don't like sweet vinaigrettes like raspberry or strawberry. But apple.... man, that's some good stuff.
Panera is a little on the expensive side though. Otherwise, I'd probably be there every other day.
I'm trying to find a good recipe to make it myself. I tried out one, but it was a little too heavy on the apple cider vinegar, too light on the apple juice, I think. A little too acidic, not sweet enough. I'll keep looking and trying.
Tonight, the girls' school had a fundraiser at Chik-Fil-A, and the school so nicely bribed the kids with an extra recess to guilt the parents into going. I went online to see what I could have that wouldn't totally blow my calories out of the water.
I looked at the salads, and I saw it.... a salad with zesty apple cider vinaigrette. The salad itself was different from Panera's... but they had me at "apple vinaigrette".
Look at it. Look at it and drool.
The cashier even gave me a knowing nod when I ordered it and said "That's a really good salad." He knew. It's probably wrong to compare a Chik-Fil-A employee to a drug dealer, but yeah. He knew what was about to happen.
It's definitely tied with Panera's salad in my book. I think the girls could have danced on the table and I wouldn't have noticed, I was just so in love with my salad.
I only allowed myself a quick glance at the ingredients of the dressing packet (I don't have that option at Panera LOL) and it's definitely not "clean" or Paleo. I really need to find or concoct my own at home for that, I imagine. I haven't seen it in the stores, either. I need it. I need a big bowl of mixed greens, some sliced chicken, gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes, and a bucket of apple vinaigrette.
Then my life will be complete.
By the way, I ran 23 minutes today, 1.75 miles. Then a small 2 minute burst, but my shins were complaining and I thought I might want to be able to walk tomorrow, so I let it be at that.
A few weeks ago, I wanted a salad really badly. I'm all about salads lately... I'd love to just bury my face in a Newk's Favorite. But Newk's isn't open that early. So, Panera popped into my head.. I knew they served lunch early enough. I looked over the Panera website for nutrition info and decided to order a Fuji Apple Chicken Salad.
I may as well have gone out to snort crack (or whatever you do with crack, I certainly don't know).
It's like heaven in a bowl. I sit there and just melt into the booth, in rapture.
I know, I'm such a dork.
It's the dressing. Apple vinaigrette. It's weird, because I usually don't like sweet vinaigrettes like raspberry or strawberry. But apple.... man, that's some good stuff.
Panera is a little on the expensive side though. Otherwise, I'd probably be there every other day.
I'm trying to find a good recipe to make it myself. I tried out one, but it was a little too heavy on the apple cider vinegar, too light on the apple juice, I think. A little too acidic, not sweet enough. I'll keep looking and trying.
Tonight, the girls' school had a fundraiser at Chik-Fil-A, and the school so nicely bribed the kids with an extra recess to guilt the parents into going. I went online to see what I could have that wouldn't totally blow my calories out of the water.
I looked at the salads, and I saw it.... a salad with zesty apple cider vinaigrette. The salad itself was different from Panera's... but they had me at "apple vinaigrette".
Look at it. Look at it and drool.
The cashier even gave me a knowing nod when I ordered it and said "That's a really good salad." He knew. It's probably wrong to compare a Chik-Fil-A employee to a drug dealer, but yeah. He knew what was about to happen.
It's definitely tied with Panera's salad in my book. I think the girls could have danced on the table and I wouldn't have noticed, I was just so in love with my salad.
I only allowed myself a quick glance at the ingredients of the dressing packet (I don't have that option at Panera LOL) and it's definitely not "clean" or Paleo. I really need to find or concoct my own at home for that, I imagine. I haven't seen it in the stores, either. I need it. I need a big bowl of mixed greens, some sliced chicken, gorgonzola cheese, tomatoes, and a bucket of apple vinaigrette.
Then my life will be complete.
By the way, I ran 23 minutes today, 1.75 miles. Then a small 2 minute burst, but my shins were complaining and I thought I might want to be able to walk tomorrow, so I let it be at that.
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