I Ran THREE Miles This Morning...

...and felt great!

Just had to report back to you! I'm going for 3.2 tomorrow morning!

I Ran Two Miles...

...and felt great!

And it only took me about 21 minutes!

Who knows - maybe I could be a runner after all! :)

Hellooooo from Venice!

No, not Venice, Italy. Or California.

I'm at my parents' house in my hometown of Venice, FL. We have a beautiful beach here...that I haven't seen today. I'm sitting in my parents' kitchen having a business meeting with my sister about her photography business. (Can't you tell I'm paying attention? Hehe.) We have some really excited things we are working on so stay tuned!

I slept in LATE this morning. I think I stayed up too late last night worrying about my hubby. The good news is he is almost done! I got this picture of him from last night. They have someone ride a bike with the runners when it gets dark. I was glad to volunteer my bike for the cause! :)

He told me this morning he is working on ONE hour of sleep. Almost 24 miles in 24 hours on one hour of sleep? No thank you! He sounds pretty delirious (and pretty sore) at this point. He should be finishing his final 6 miler about right now. I'm sure he'll be glad to be done!

I decided not to run this morning. I had great intentions, but I woke up so late, had to finish laundry and wanted to get to Venice. Oh and add those blisters to my list of excuses. :) I'll try to get back to it tomorrow!

Time for me to focus on the photography biz. Quick question: How did YOU find your wedding photographer?

Blisters are Sexy

I know. I'm really reaching here.

I couldn't resist a run after work today. I figure if I have the urge, I need to follow it! I had one blister from my two miles this morning, but I covered it with a few band-aids and hoped for the best.

The weather outside was BEAUTIFUL. I tried to push a little harder than this morning, so I ran 2.7 miles in 30 minutes!

My blister hurt as soon as I headed out the door, but after about a mile I could feel it growing, and it found a friend on the other foot! The two blisters hurt really bad, but I pushed through. When I got home and took off my socks, I found these beauties:

EWWW. I don't like blisters. Sad face.

But I am excited about running 4.7 miles in one day! Happy face!

Oh and an update on my hubby! He's out on the race route, and has run over 12 miles already today! He'll have another 6 mile leg tomorrow morning. (He traded his short 3 miler for someone else's 6 miler. Crazy!)

I got this lovely photo of him right before he started his second 6 mile leg. Sexxxyyyy.


I'm so proud of him!

So fellow runners...what should I do about these blisters? Any idea how to prevent them in the future? Any suggestions or recommendations are greatly appreciated!

Ode to My Dress

No, not this dress.



I'm talking about this dress.



I love this little dress. Yes, it cost a fraction of my wedding dress (1.5% of the cost actually) but I love it. Obviously, not as much as my wedding dress...but...you get the picture. I found this little beauty on a clearance rack at TJ Maxx for something crazy like $12. It has been my "go to" dress for the past two years. I have worn it to a wedding (above), a bridal shower (below) and a graduation event (bottom photo), along with a million other events in between. I even once wore it to church where another girl was wearing the same dress! My husband thought that was hilarious.

Well, my dress died yesterday...in the most embarrassing way. I wore it to work (loving the summer weather!) I felt so cute. Then I went to choir practice at church. That's when I realized the back of the dress had split open, right over my hiney. Thank the LORD I was wearing "big girl panties" as my friend Katie calls them. I have no idea how long I had been mooning the world with my pink panties. I can only imagine...

I got home, and literally cried on my husband's shoulder over the destruction of my dress (and maybe a little over my absolute embarrassment?). The rip was irreparable. (How's that for alliteration?) I thought all was lost.

I emailed my boss to tell him my incredibly embarrassing story. His suggestion? Turn the dress into a shirt! Oooooooh. The dress just might live on. But that would require sewing. Hmm. This chica has no sewing skills. Mom to the rescue! We'll see what kind of magic she can create out of my dress!

Have you ever had a favorite piece of clothing die in an embarrassing way?

I Am Not A Runner

...but I can't seem to give up the idea!

Some of you faithful readers remember me talking about running here, here, here...and probably a few other places I haven't found.

My husband? He is a natural runner. But he hates to run. Oh the irony. He is actually running a race across the state of Florida this weekend. Yep. He's running three legs totaling over 15 miles in just over 24 hours. Has he trained for this? Not really. He runs two miles just about every day at gym as a warmup. Only takes him 15 minutes. BLAH. But he will be fine. He's just naturally gifted like that.

I, on the other hand, ran my 2 mile loop again this morning. I don't have a watch to wear when I run so I looked at my cell phone before I walked out the door, and when I walked back in.

Oh yes. Two miles in 24 minutes. Told you I'm not a runner.

AND I got a blister.

Life just isn't fair.

Abed and Sheldon

Let me introduce you to my two favorite men on television.

#1 Danny Pudi


a.k.a. Abed on Community

This guy is absolutely hysterical. We started watching this show from the very first episode and it has really grown on me. The fact that I work in higher education makes it even better. All the characters are great, but Abed is epic. Absolutely love him.

#2 Jim Parsons

a.k.a. Dr. Sheldon Cooper on Big Bang Theory

There is something so endearing about this group of scientists and their hot neighbor, Penny. But the star of the show (to me) is Sheldon. He is so socially awkward, but in the funniest way.

Have I mentioned I have always had a thing for nerdy guys?

Probably don't have to...

Who are your favorite characters on tv?

My Friend, Buddy Fruit

Let me tell you about my friend, Buddy Fruit.

Has anyone else found this wonderful little secret? It's pure blended fruit - to go! These things are so easy to transport and are all natural. They are a great little serving of fruit that you can fit into your diet at anytime! This one is Multi-Fruit. The ingredients? Apple, banana, passion fruit juice, mango, strawberry, concentrated apple juice. Nothing artifical - just pure goodness!

I definitely had one of these little babies today.

Breakfast: Oatmeal with 1tbsp almond butter, cinnamon, half banana, drizzle of honey

Snack: Buddy Fruit!

Lunch: Hummus and spinach on a Flat Out (these things are so good!), salad with ranch dressing

Snack: Orange

Dinner: Pretzels with hummus, apple with almond butter (wasn't hungry enough for a "real" dinner)

Oh and my cheat today? Two Girl Scout cookies and one mini Reese's! I couldn't resist!

Hubby and I went to the gym tonight. I should have followed my gut and ran outside - the weather was so beautiful! I did 5 miles on the bike in 19 minutes, and then ran/walked a mile. I really need to work on my endurance. Remember - I have that mini-triathlon coming up soon!

Do you have any fun nutrition finds?

Sweaty is the New Sexy

...or something like that. :)

It has been a GREAT day. Well, besides sleeping in when I wanted to get to work early, and having tons of work to catch up on. Once I got that out of the way, it has been smooth sailing!

I knew I'd have to work late, but I still managed to catch the 5pm Yoga class they offer at my work, and then returned to my office to finish work. We did a combo of power yoga and meditation and it was wonderful! Last night, I found a running route by my house using Map My Run. I tried to run the two mile loop last night, but gave up after a mile and walked the rest of the way. I was determined to make it the whole two miles today when I got home from work. Well, the sun was setting when I pulled into my driveway, but I ran inside, threw on the BRIGHT orange shirt I got while volunteering at the Miami International Triathlon and headed back out the door. And guess what?

I ran the whole two miles!!!!

It may have been slow, and it may have only been two miles, but I did it. And without my iPod to boot! (My hubby and I share an iPod and he is at the gym right now...) Usually the silence kills me. But I just kept repeating in my head, over and over, "You are strong. You are SO strong." It really kept me going!

So yes, sweaty is the new sexy!!!

Have you achieved any fitness goals lately?

A Budding Photographer

Okay, so you'll have to forgive the pun of a title - I couldn't resist. :)

As you may remember, my sister has a photography business called Artistic Avenues. I currently do the marketing for the company, but we have been talking about trying to train me to be a "second shooter" for the weddings she covers.

I have no photography experience, other than enjoying beautiful photos taken by others! My husband has a pretty sweet SLR camera, so I'm trying to learn some of the basics with that. I took these photos of some beautiful flowers my sister bought me...





It's not much, but it's a start! I'm excited about learning how to take beautiful photos. I'll be sure to share the process with you. In the meantime, do you have any photography "how to" sites I should know about?

Sports in Our Family

Yes...that title is right. Sports are a part of our family. Not because we play them. Well, he does play on a men's softball team. And he is a sports correspondent for our local newspaper. But the bottom line is that we watch sports. A lot of sports.

Doesn't everyone talk about football season when discussing when to have children? (His argument - we should have a boy during football season so I can take him to a game every year for his birthday.)

Doesn't everyone plan their wedding around sporting events? (We did - we got married in August becaues it was before football season and while baseball was in the "dog days of summer.")

Doesn't everyone wake up to Mike & Mike in the Morning? (The morning show on ESPN just in case you somehow don't know).

Doesn't everyone DVR "Sports Reporters" on Sunday mornings?

Doesn't everyone have to DVR their own shows to watch when their husband isn't home because if he is, ESPN is always on?

Doesn't everyone listen to their husband yell at the TV whenever a game is on? (Lets just say there has been a lot of yelling now that the NCAA basketball tournament is on.)

Sports are not just a part of our life...they are part of our family. :)

(Oh and just for the record - I love sports too. I have been known to refuse to decorate the Christmas tree with my family because the UNC game was in triple overtime. True story.)

Can anyone out there relate?

New Weight Loss Plan

Almost a year ago, I started a blog called "Those Pesky Ten Pounds." The premise? I had been stuck at the same weight for a long time, and had ten pounds to lose. My husband started laughing about that today because...well...those pesky ten pounds have become those pesky twenty over the past year.

I'm down about 4 pounds this week - but that is clearly sickness induced.

So what is the new weight loss plan? Not focusing on weight loss.

I have spent so much time fretting over the scale, over tightening clothes, etc etc that I have forgotten the entire reason I should be striving to be twenty pounds lighter. It's not to look better in a bikini (although that would be nice). It's about being healthy.

Rather than focusing on "diet foods" with empty calories, I'm trying to focus on eating more "real foods". Foods with health benefits.

For instance, this is what I have had to eat so far today:

Breakfast: half cup of oatmeal mixed with half banana, 1 tbsp almond butter, cinnamon, drizzle of honey

Snack: 1 serving fruit

Lunch: Chipotle - burrito bowl with rice, beans, tomatoes, corn salsa, guac and sour cream

Snack: "Green Monster" smoothie - 2 cups raw spinach, half banana, 1 cup milk

I certainly have not perfected this, but I'm trying. I have been inspired by several blogs I wanted to share with you:

Kath Eats Real Food
Eat Live Run
Oh She Glows
Heather Eats Almond Butter
Healthy Tipping Point

These women provide amazing ideas for a healthy lifestyle. Be sure to check them out!

I will try to keep you posted on this effort toward a healthier lifestyle by eating "real food". Wish me luck!

Anyone else out there trying to eat more "real food" rather than "dieting"? Any other inspiring blogs you want to share?

It Has Been a Rough Month

As you all know, I was sick at the beginning of the month. I had a cold virus for the first two weeks of March. I had a terrible cough, stuffy nose, etc etc. I was FINALLY feeling better this past weekend. Saturday, Sunday and Monday were pretty good days. Then, this past Tuesday hit.

I am in Miami, leading a group of students on a service trip. I woke up Tuesday morning and couldn't keep anything in my stomach. I'll spare you the details but it was a rough day. I can't remember the last time I have felt so sick.

I'm feeling a little better today. I've actually been able to keep some saltines and an apple down. I'm not nearly as weak as I was yesterday either. I could barely walk to the bathroom yesterday. I'm really hoping I'll be better by tomorrow so I can drive the four hours back home!

Sorry the blog posting has been scarce at best. It has been a rough March!

Sick

This is me today.





Actually, this has been me all week. I went to work Monday, stayed home on Tuesday. Battled through another day of work yesterday, but am home sick again today. Blehhh.

My husband is on a mission to get me well. Apparently, I was battling a fever all night long and kept him up all night with my incessant coughing. I miraculously slept through most of it, thanks to my dear friend Nyquil. (That stuff really knocks me out!)

So today my husband is disinfecting the house, buying me extra vitamins, making me drink orange juice all day long, etc etc. I'm glad he chose this route since he admitted this morning that he was tempted to smother me with my pillow last night when I wouldn't stop coughing. Haha.

That's love right there.

Attention Span

I have the attention span of a hummingbird.



This drives my husband crazy.

I hate sitting through an entire tv show (even if it's just 30 minutes!) without doing something else at the same time. Usually that something else is being on the computer.

I love to start new projects. I love new ideas. "I'm going to do ________ every day!" I usually last two days. Or three if I'm really dedicated. Then the idea gets old. I get bored. And I move on to a new idea.

Going to the gym? I'll get inspired for a few days. Then I won't go for weeks.

Eating healthy? This usually only lasts a few hours.

My husband, on the other hand, is incredibly dedicated. Unusually so. If he says he's going to do something, he'll do it. Every day. Without fail.

He keeps saying to me, "Just commit to doing something and DO it."

Sounds like a good time for a new project to me. :)

Anyone else have a short attention span?

Defying Gravity

That song has been in my head all day. Why? Because I finally saw Wicked for the first time last night!

I. LOVED. IT.

My wonderful boss bought my whole office tickets to see the show for Christmas. We were about six rows back and the cast absolutely blew me away. I didn't know much about the storyline so everything was an amazing suprise. My face hurt from smiling so much!

Our cast featured Donna Vivino as Elphaba and Chandra Lee as Glinda. Fabulous!

Have you seen Wicked?