Greetings from Dallas

Randy's uncle is a big time hunter - and we had the "pleasure" of sleeping in his trophy room last night and probably again tonight.

Yesterday was very tiring and very stressful. I got up at 5am to wrap Randy's gifts and get packed for our trip. The airport was eerily quiet, but at least there were no lines! Our 9:25 flight left on time and was smooth sailing all the way to DFW. And then we landed and were told that we couldn't pull into our gate because there was another plane in the gate having maintenance issues. So we sat waiting for 30 minutes - next to a crazy lady who was convinced that she was going to miss her connection even though the flight attendant assured her she would be fine. And she proceeded to complain to Randy about it for the entire time. They finally moved us to an open gate and we headed to baggage claim. After another 30 minute wait, the carousel finally started moving. And I thought Tulsa was slow... Anyway, we finally got on our way and were informed that we had the choice of the sofa-bed (where we slept) and a blow up mattress. Usuually when we come down we stay at Randy's cousin's house in the guest room - in a real bed. But no - another cousin - a young, single guy got our bed. Even after I was told 2 months ago that we would be staying at Robert's. So, I'm not real sure what the rest of the weekend holds, but I'll be glad to get home to my own bed (and hopefully a few hours of sleep) on Saturday night.

I hope everyone else had a great Christmas!! It's time for me to go eat breakfast. At least the food is good!!

Buddha Belly and Other Ramblings

I've had a lot on my mind lately, so please forgive me if I wander around a bit!

Buddha Belly -
I DO NOT understand the appeal of rubbing pregnant bellies. I didn't understand it before I was pregnant, and I don't understand it now. Do people think it will bring them good luck? Are they hoping to feel the baby move? What is the point??? Early in my pregnancy, it drove me absolutely crazy. I didn't have the slightest hint of a belly and my baby was probably the size of sweet pea and people were trying to rub my belly. Negative!! I actually got a little hostile with some people - what were they thinking?!?!? Now that I actually look pregnant, and the baby can be felt from the outside, I really don't mind it as much. I really do appreciate the people who ask first, but for the most part it's not as bad as it was in the beginning. Of course - it also depends on who it is. I won't single anyone out or name names (not that it matters - I doubt they'll be reading this), but there are some people in my life that I would prefer to not touch me at all - let alone my helpless belly. I'm not a real "touchy-feely" kinda girl, and some people are overly touchy. You know the ones - they can make a hug last 5 agonizing minutes and they have to rub your back while they're at it. They just linger a little too long. The holidays bring with them lots of "family time" which I generally enjoy - but this year am not so sure about. I know they are excited about our baby, but I am not particularly close with a lot of these people. I can't decide if I should just grin and bear it and let the belly rubbing commence - or if I should follow my heart and always keep something in front of my belly to ward off attacks!!

And for the record, I'm not saying that people absolutely cannot touch my belly. I'm just venting about some people who I'm not particularly close to who have tried and will undoubtedly try over and over again. And also for the record, these people are not in the running group! So if you're one of the few girls in the group who have gotten your rubs in - please know that this is in no way aimed at you. I love the group and consider many of you to be great friends! And Casey S. - you're also free to cop a feel anytime you'd like (of course it might help if I show up to class once in a while!)

So enough ranting for now...

Oh - one more rant - my poor sister is the only person in my immediate family who hasn't been able to feel the baby move. It's driving her crazy! I thought for sure she would get to last night after I ate all those goodies at the Marvellite run, but apparently our 2 mile walk put the baby to sleep - until this morning! I actually had a terrible night of sleep because the little one was not nearly as active as he/she has been lately. That and the fat girl nightmare I had - but I'll save that for another post. I feel so bad for her that she's been left out! I even try to wake the baby up so she can feel it but that hasn't worked either. I know there is still plenty of time, but I think it's hurting her feelings. And unfortunately, there's nothing I can do about it. She's just not around when the baby gets active!

Speaking of the baby being active - 2 night ago was absolutely incredible. I was laying on the couch and we could actually see the baby moving. Randy was just in awe. I thought it was funny to see my stomach move like that and kept laughing. He wanted me to be still so he could see it better. He's really so sweet and funny about all of this! I especially love it when he talks to the baby - so cute!!

Since this is getting to be a little long, I will leave you with some pictures from last night's run/walk. Special thanks to Ken for always having his camera!

Here is my adorable niece, Lexie - ready to go!



Me - getting ready to go. Anyone have any exercises to get rid of the double chin??



Me, my sister Alison, and Lexie during the walk.


Me, my aunt Sheryl, my momma, Alison, and Lexie!


Hope everyone has a good weekend! <3

Quote of the Day

A friend of mine emailed this to me, and I thought it was pretty good. So I'm sharing!!


'Whatever you give a woman, she will make greater. If you give her sperm, she'll give you a baby. If you give her a house, she'll give you a home. If you give her groceries, she'll give you a meal. If you give her a smile, she'll give you her heart. She multiplies and enlarges what is given to her. So, if you give her any crap, be ready to receive a ton of sh!t.'

Getting To Know Your Friends - Christmas 2008

Welcome to the Christmas edition of getting to know your friends. Okay, here's what you're supposed to do, and try not to be a SCROOGE!!! Just copy (not forward) this entire email and paste into a new e-mail that you can send. Change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then send this to a whole bunch of people you know, INCLUDING the person that sent it to you......Tis the Season. HO HO HO!!!

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? I like both. I'm not great with paper though, so I usually do gift bags

2. Real tree or Artificial? The tree we have is artificial. If I could find a pre-lit real tree, I'd be in heaven!

3. When do you put up the tree? Whenever we get around to it. This year was the Sunday after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the tree down? Again - whenever we get around to it. I think we may have still had it up in Feb last year!

5. Do you like eggnog? Not nearly as much as my husband does!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Wow - that was so long ago! Nothing jumps out at me.

7. The hardest person to buy for? Randy's family. Problem solved this year - everyone is getting a donation to a different charity made in their name.

8. Favorite Ornament? Give me a few years until the baby can make one for me. That will be my favorite!

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Several. My favorite is the one made by "Willow Tree" that my parents gave me a couple years ago. That one stays out all the time.

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Usually mail, but we haven't done anything for this year yet.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Randy's mom usually gives pretty random stuff. Not bad exactly, but stuff we will never use.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? Don't really have one.

13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Umm.. Christmas Eve!

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Probably

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Food - lots and lots of food!

16. Lights on the tree? Our tree is pre-lit with white lights.

17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Growing up my family usually stayed home and Randy's family traveled. Last few years (and this year) we've traveled. Starting with Christmas 2009 we're staying home!

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer? yes

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Angel

21. Open the presents Christmas eve or Christmas day? Growing up we got to open one gift on Christmas Eve (usually pajamas that we wore to bed that night). Everything else on Christmas Day. I'd like to do that with our kids too.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? People are petty and wrapped up in the gifts instead of the real meaning of Christmas.

23. Your favorite ornament theme or color? don't have one.

24. What do you want for Christmas this year? Time with family and friends.

25. Who is most likely to respond to this? Whoever wants to!


Ok - your turn. I copied this from an email, and you can copy and email it out if you like or repost it on your blog (or both)! Just don't forget to change your answers!

Merry Christmas!!

Saturday Long Run and Tuesday's Non-Run

On Saturday morning, I got up and met my running group at Turkey Mountain for some much needed trail running. I haven't been on the trails since before we told people we were preggo, and I've been missing it terribly!!! For my non-running readers, these are non-paved, mostly dirt, rocks, and roots, kinda trails. Not exactly the most stable running surface - and probably not the best idea for my preggo self! But I needed to do it.

It was actually a very bittersweet run for me - and yes, I did run quite a bit. I think my total mileage was about 5 miles, and I probably ran about half of that (at a nice, slow, easy pace). I've been with my running group for about 2 years now, but lately not feeling much like part of the group. I feel more like the pregnant girl who hangs out with the running group - and Saturday was my last attempt to try to feel like an actual athlete. It is very hard for me to see everyone else running and setting new PRs. I am so so happy for them all, but a tiny part of me wants to keep up - and I just can't!! So while I very much enjoyed my time on the trails, it is clear that it is time for me to hang up my trail shoes (and very soon my running shoes). I wonder if RunnersWorld has any walking shoes that don't look like they were made for someone who is geriatric....

I'm not leaving the group or anything like that, by any means! I will still be out on the paved trails and cheering everyone on at races, but it's time for me to end my little pity party and stop feeling sorry for myself! I try to put on a happy face, but it has been killing me inside to not be running. No more of that!! Running has become a part of who I am, but I have to realize that it is not all of who I am. I need to slow down and enjoy my friends, and my family, and most importantly - my pregnancy. And I need to not feel guilty for cutting my "runs" short (or skipping out altogether!), but it is very hard to admit that my little 5 mile stint on Saturday was a long run for me. I am very much missing being able to get out of bed and run 10+ miles on a whim, but I have new and exciting challenges ahead. And I will run again (with my baby jogger in the lead!).

So enough of this seriousness... Here are some pics from Saturday and last night.

This is me after doing the 1 mile "warm-up" loop - which I ran the whole way! Yay me!! Are we done yet??


Bringing up the rear...


This is the group I followed around on the "mountain". It was very nice of them to wait for me to catch up so I could be in the picture!!


Wondering why Ken is standing out on a rocky ledge that looks very unsafe!


Much thanks to Ken aka Trail Zombie for keeping me company! (and for all the pics!)


Tuesday I went out to meet the group with every intention of at least walking a little bit, but I was still sore from Saturday, and it was cold. So I was more than willing to seek comfort in Roman's jeep and stay warm while we waited for everyone else to finish their runs.

This is me lacing up my shoes before I decided not to run. The whole concept of shoes and socks is starting to get a little complicated and has me wishing I'd timed my pregnancy a little differently. Definitely something to think about next time around - flipflops and sandals would be much easier to deal with!


Here is most of our usual Tuesday night dinner club.


Broccoli and Cheese soup - Yum!


Kathy would have lost those fingers if they'd gotten any closer to my cake!


Basically, just another fun night with friends - only I didn't have to "earn" my food. Apparently being preggo gives me special rights - I even got my food first and I was one of the last to order! WooHoo!

Happy Holidays!

Ultrasound Pics / Oh So Thankful

I love Thanksgiving! It is by far my favorite holiday - and not just for the food, although that certainly does help!! It is the only holiday where I can spend time with my loved ones and it just be about that - spending time with loved ones. It seems like all of the other holidays are over-commercialized and it drives me batty! I hate walking into a store in October and already seeing Christmas decorations! Ok - let me get off my soap box now!

Back to Thanksgiving - every year, I always find something to be thankful for. Even if it hasn't been the week/month/year and I'm not feeling especially great, I can always find something - quite a few things, actually, if I just give myself some time to reflect. But this year I have something MAJOR to be thankful for!

Yesterday, I had my 20-week ultrasound and actually got to see the first glimpse of the baby that I've been nurturing for last 5 months (even before I knew it was there!). It was such an absolutely incredible experience and there really aren't enough words to describe it!

As soon as the transmitter-thingy touched my belly, the first thing I saw was very similar to the picture below. Of course, I was so in awe that I couldn't get that actual picture, but after the tech showed us all of the big stuff and took the measurements she needed, we asked for her to try to get a few certain shots. And this was one of them.

Baby's Head and Spine



After that, I had to have a profile shot.



While working on getting the profile, we got another couple of gems...

Thumbs Up!



Deep thoughts...



And last, but not least...

Baby's Foot!



The foot one is especially meaningful to me for a few reasons...
1. It's just so darn cute!
2. I'm a runner - and with the way those feet were moving, apparently he/she will be too! That's why we could only get one foot! (Of course, I would never push any sport on my child just because I like it, but I can hope, right?!?!)
3. I had a crazy dream about the baby's feet earlier in my pregnancy. Don't remember if I posted about it, but basically I dreamed that while looking at my belly, I could see the imprint of these tiny little one-inch feet kicking/pushing my skin. In the dream, I was trying to grab ahold of the feet so that I could take pictures of them for my blog. Very bizarre - but I guess that's what hormones do for ya!

So there you go! I do have lots of other reasons to be thankful, but the baby is my #1. I hope each of you have something to be thankful for - even if it is just as simple as knowing that someone (me) is thinking about you and wishing you a wonderful holiday!!!

Crazy Eights

I was tagged by Anna last week, so here goes...


CRAZY EIGHTS

8 TV shows I love to watch
1- LOST
2- Army Wives
3- House
4- How I Met Your Mother
5- Two and a Half Men
6- Big Bang Theory
7- Ghost Whisperer
8 – Law & Order: SVU

8 Places I love to eat
1- In The Raw
2- In The Raw
3- In The Raw
4- In The Raw
5- In The Raw
6- In The Raw
7 – In The Raw
8 – Pretty much anywhere else – I love food!


8 Things that happened yesterday
1- Took a shower.
2- Went to Church.
3- Visited with hubby’s brother and sister-in-law in town from KC.
4- Had a nice long visit with hubby’s step-mom.
5- Dinner at Louie’s Grill.
6- Watched TV.
7- Went to bed.
8- Watched more TV.
Exciting day huh???


8 Things I look forward to
1- Ultrasound tomorrow!!
2- Thanksgiving
3- Working on baby’s room
4- Christmas
5- Picking out baby names
6- Meeting our little boy or girl
7- Going to Hawaii for Steve’s wedding
8- Getting out of debt!

8 Things I love about Fall
1- Leaves changing
2- My fireplace
3- Big cozy sweaters
4- Fall smells – pumpkin, butterscotch, cinnamon, etc
5- Snuggling in blankets
6- Getting ready for holidays
7 – Fall colors (for clothes/decorating) – browns, reds, golds
8- Spending more time with family

8 Things on my wish list
1- A healthy baby
2- A new strap for my heart rate monitor
3- A healthy baby
4- To be debt free
5- A healthy baby
6- Sushi
7- A healthy baby
8- A dirty martini


And at this point, technically I'm supposed to tag 8 more people. But that's just too much effort!

So, if you've read this blog and you want to play along, please consider yourself tagged!

Bring on the Baby Gifts!

So I walked into my little office this morning, and had a nice little surprise in my chair!


My friend/coworker Melissa (different Melissa from my "tag" a while back) had given me a gift. She's so sweet! We've worked together for almost 9 years, and her son was born 1 week before my wedding 3 years ago. I loved hearing about her pregnancy, and she has been patiently waiting for me to have one of my own.

Anyway, this is a close-up of the little card on the bag. I am totally stealing this idea! Such a fun way to honor the half-way point!



And here is what was inside...




My first official baby gift!! Woohoo!! For the record, last week my friend Susan gave me a sweet little book of "Goodnight Blessings for my Child" but that is more for me to read to the baby. This was an actual gift for the baby. (Okay - there was a little something in there for me too... but now the baby has clothes!)

This is so much fun!

Was That A Kick???

So, for the past few days, I'm about 95% certain that I've been feeling my baby move! WooHoo! Of course, I won't be 100% satisfied until I can see it and feel it at the same time at my ultrasound next week. Only 6 more days! Followed very closely by my favorite holiday, Thanksgiving!!!! Yay!!!

Anyway, according to babycenter.com "Women have described the sensation as being like popcorn popping, a goldfish swimming around, or butterflies fluttering." I'd have to say that my feelings are much closer to popcorn than anything else. But usually only one or two pops. My actual first thought was that I felt like I was being "flicked" from the inside. I read somewhere that if you drink a soda (or pop, or whatever you choose to call it), the sugar and caffeine will get the baby moving and you can feel it more frequently, but I'm not having much luck. Of course, I've been nursing the same Diet Coke for about 4 hours now and only about 2/3 done with it, so maybe that's why I'm not having any results. Maybe I need to chug it next time???

Maybe I'll do that before my last Financial Peace University Class tonight... gotta do something to keep myself entertained, right??? Don't get me wrong, I've enjoyed the class, but Randy is the one who does all the writing in the workbook. Watching the sometimes very long videos can get a little boring. If I can get that baby moving in there, it might make the class go a little faster - besides, I promised Randy a shopping trip to Kohl's tonight after class. I guess they're having a big 50% off sale, and Kohl's is probably his favorite place to shop. I wonder how their maternity section looks...

Oooh! And on top of tonight being the last class, on Wednesday nights different groups from the church (missions, youth, etc) take turns preparing and serving dinner for everyone. Tonight, the North Tulsa Indian Methodist Church will be in charge of dinner and they are making Homemade Indian Tacos!!! I am so excited! Most of the dinners have been pretty normal stuff - pizza, tacos, soup, so we usually don't go - we just get some McD's or Wendy's on the way. But tonight, we are definitely eating at the church!!

Ok - I gotta get back to work, so I can get out of here on time. <3

Lunchtime update

Since I'm a little overdue for a new blog and since it doesn't take an hour for me to make and eat a PB&J, I figure this is a good time for an update!

I had hoped to post updates during the Mother Road 100, but there just wasn't enough time. Yeah - in a 24 hour race, I couldn't find time to update. This is mostly because the runner I was crewing for was just too darn fast! We'd go ahead of her 2-3 miles and it seemed like we'd no sooner gotten parked, there she was again. Of course, I'm not complaining at all. It certainly made it easier to stay up all night when I knew she was on our tail, and it made for an incredible 2nd place finish with a time of 22:48. Kathy rocks!! I was also helping out and keeping tabs on another runner, Trail Zombie, who also got in the way of my blogging plans because for over half the race he was ahead of Kathy by about a mile. So we'd get parked, cheer for TZ and give him his new favorite race food powered sugar donuts, send him on his was, and here came Kathy. It was the 3rd 100 miler for TZ in 6 weeks, and I think it finally caught up with him that night, because after Kathy passed him, she slowly crept farther ahead and we probably didn't get to see him for the last 20 miles or so. He also had a strong finish at 23:35. And for the record, those time are in hours! They both amaze me and while I never intend to do a 100 miler, they both inspire me to push myself and not give up. BTW, you can read TZ's report here.

So, after that, most of last week was pretty uneventful. Tuesday's run came and I realized that I had already lost the strap for my heart rate monitor, so I still am not able to run. Thursday was my birthday and also the group's pre-marathon party. A time of pizza, other yummy food, and last minute race instructions for all of our incredible runners. Friday, I left work early and went and had a pedicure. Very relaxing - I really should treat myself more often, especially now that I'm preggo! I deserve it!! Saturday, was a quiet day at home. Randy had some stuff to do, so I had the couch and TV all to myself! I found something extremely interesting to watch, and promptly fell asleep. Naps are good!

Yesterday was a big day for most of our running group. It was the Route 66 Marathon/Half-Marathon/Quarter Marathon, and it was a first for many of the runners. I got up early and met everyone before the start and was there to cheer them on all day! By the time I got home, I felt like I'd run the marathon myself - I was drained! Who knew that spectating and cheering was such hard work?!?!?! I can't say enough good things about the runners in my group. It is a great accomplishment to finish your first marathon or first half-marathon, and I can't wait to read all of their blogs to see how they felt about it. Its hard to believe that I just celebrated the 1 year anniversary of my own first marathon. Some days it seems like it was just yesterday (especially being on the course and remembering how I felt at those points during my own run) and some days it seems like it's been forever since I crossed that finish line. I am so proud of everyone who made a goal, trained for it, and crossed the finish line yesterday. You are all awesome!

So here I am waiting impatiently for this week to hurry up and end. While I do look forward to Wednesday being the end of my Financial Peace class that I've been in for the last 3 months, next week brings such bigger and better things! Saturday is the last TU home game (and thankfully an afternoon game), Thanksgiving is next week (which I couldn't be more ready for!), and most importantly, Tuesday we have our 20 week ultrasound! I will finally get to see the child that I've been carrying, nurturing, loving, for the past 19 weeks! Truly, something to be Thankful for!!

Mother Road Here I Come...

In just a few short hours, I will be headed down the highway to Elk City to help support some friends of mine who are running in the Mother Road 100. This is a 100 mile road race - yes, on foot. This will be Trail Zombie's (Ken) 3rd 100 mile race in 6 weeks, and Kathy's 2nd. Ken is hoping to beat 21 hours - and Kathy is hoping to beat Ken, so it could prove to be interesting. Originally, I was going to help be a pacer for one of them, but seeing as how for the last 3 months running has made me want to puke, I am now on the road crew instead. Or I'll work the TATUR aid station. Wherever I'm needed most is where I'll be - but I'm hoping for the road crew. The race starts at 9am tomorrow and will go through the night, so I'll try to post updates occasionally (especially if I can get any good pictures from my phone!).

Anyway, here is what I did this week...

Last Saturday, our group did a Mock Marathon. They ran most of the actual Route 66 Marathon course - and I did the crew thing. Along the run, one of the runners found a barely live 4-6 week old Chihuahua mix puppy thrown in a trash can. She took it out and laid it beside the trash can and Kathy came by and picked it up. After some water, he started to perk up, but then later had a seizure while someone had gone to the store to get him some milk. About the time the milk (and a hot dog) arrived for the puppy, a runner/vet came back to the tent and did a quick check. He seemed to be okay, but she thought he might be blind. After having some milk and hot dog, he was doing much better, and another runner who is a foster parent with the Pet Adoption League took him home in a Panera bagel box and made some calls and got him into another foster home. The puppy was given the name Panero, and should be available for adoption soon on http://www.pet-adopt.org/. I'm so glad our group worked together to save the little guy - he was just too cute!

Monday I had my monthly checkup and Randy came with me to hear the baby's heartbeat! It was such a relief to hear the heartbeat again. As many of you know, I have a friend who was pregnant and due about a week before me. She had gone in for her 12 week checkup and heard a heartbeat and everything seemed fine. When she went in a couple weeks ago for her 16 week checkup, there was no heartbeat and an ultrasound indicated that the baby had probably died a few days after her previous appointment, but her body hadn't yet started the process of cleaning everything out. She basically had no clue that she'd lost the baby. So I've been a little anxious for my own appointment to make sure our little one was still doing okay, and so far, so good! We scheduled our 20 week ultrasound for 11-25, and for those of you who don't know yet, we will NOT be finding out the baby's gender until he/she is born.

On Monday evening, I had my first Prenatal massage, which was very nice. I'm sure I'll do another one in a couple months (hopefully I can wait that long!) I'd love to have a massage every week, but that is just a little too costly!

Tuesday, I met with the running group and walked a couple miles with Susan. We talked with a Kathy a little bit about our plans for meeting up and carpooling this weekend, and after the run a group of us had dinner at Jason's Deli.

Wednesday night was my financial class. Nothing too special. Oh - except for the fact that I spent all day feeling like I'd done hundreds of sit-ups. Apparently my ribs were expanding. It's not fun, and I'm sure I can look forward to feeling it all again in the coming days/weeks/months.

Thursday night I had intended to meet the group and walk a few miles, but a mishap with UPS caused me to be a little late. I work in a small office building, and it even though they deliver here frequently, they couldn't seem to figure out where to deliver my new toy to. So after several phone calls, and a short drive to the UPS Customer Center, I can know officially start running again!

WooHoo! This one comes with a heart rate monitor, so I can safely keep my rate below my doctors recommendation of 140 beats per minute. I can't wait to start using it!

So, now I'm back to today, and I have a haircut scheduled this afternoon at 4:15 and then I'm meeting my people after that to head to the race. Even though I have plenty to do to keep me busy until then, I will still be hoping for time to pass just a little faster!

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

Friendly Little Game of Tag!

Thanks to my friend Ken aka Trail Zombie, I have been tagged. I am supposed to post my sixth picture from my sixth file of my "My Pictures" folder. I post my blogs from my work computer or my cell phone, but my cell phone pics aren't in folders and my work computer doesn't have personal pictures on it. I do, however, have a ton of photos stored in Picasa Web Albums, so I used the sixth album that I have saved on there.
This charming photo of (L-R) my friend Melissa, her friend/coworker Mandy, and me, was taken on November 30, 2007 at CJ Maloney's and Jenny Labow was playing. Melissa's hubby and my hubby grew up together and used to watch Jenny perform in bars around TU during their college days. They think she is just the hottest thing around, and now she's big time with a record deal in LA. So whenever she is in Tulsa, they think the world will end if they do not go see her. The thing that made the evening particularly memorable was that although I was there with my husband, I somehow got hit on - twice - by girls. And these were not the type of girls that I would consider re-enacting Katy Perry's song for.
So that's that... now I get to tag someone else to join in the fun. I will choose a runner friend (TaturDave), a church friend (Casey), and a "baby mama" friend (Suzi). Now that you've been tagged, please post your sixth picture from your sixth folder in "My Pictures" (or wherever you keep 'em) and tell us the story. And no cheating!!

Happy Halloween!

So I know I'm a little behind on a real post, but I'll have plenty to say after my doctor visit on Monday. In the meantime, I hope you enjoy my pumpkin! Our friend Kelly came over and helped us carve this while his wife and kids were out hoarding candy. Now I'm on to my real project... roasting the seeds!! Stay safe!

I Can't Believe They Are Letting These People Vote!

Ok - I received this in an email today and decided that I felt pretty strongly about it, so it's going on my blog. Please be aware that I am not intending this to spark a big debate. It's just something that rubbed me the wrong way and I feel the need to vent about it.

http://www.bpmdeejays.com/upload/hs_sal_in_Harlem_100108.mp3

First of all, at this point, I am not for or against either candidate. I have not made a decision who I am voting for. I want to make an informed decision. Who I choose will be based on their stance on issues that I feel strongly about. Both candidates have issues that I agree with and disagree with. I just need to decide which I can deal with and which I can't. The important thing is that I am not basing my decision on what my husband thinks, or what my friends or family think, or by sex or skin color. But there are people out there who will. I am aware that this link only shows one side of this, and that there are other people who will NOT vote for Obama because of his skin color.

So, here's my problem... These people (in the link) have absolutely no idea what's going on. Whether you think Obama is the greatest thing since sliced bread, or you think he doesn't hold a candle to McCain, you should at least be able to back it up. I would never criticize someone for their choice if they are able to stand up for their candidate. But when you don't know where he/she stands on the issues or even who the running mate is, you should not be voting.

Just my 2 cents.

That's The Beat Of A Heart

Wow... What a week! And it's not even over yet!

Monday night we had some friends over for dinner - I made Parmesan Chicken. Technically it was really just spaghetti with breaded chicken since there was only a tiny bit of Parmesan in it, but "Spaghetti with Breaded Chicken" just doesn't sound as appealing as "Parmesan Chicken"! Although making it totally wrecked my kitchen, it was actually quite easy - and very tasty! Definitely something I will make again!

On Tuesday, I left work a little early and Randy and I went to the fair. My sister and my niece were there, so we hung out with them for a while and watched Lexie ride some rides. She absolutely loved it! I have some pictures of the little daredevil that I will try to get posted next week. I'm glad she'll be able to show our baby the ropes when he/she is big enough to play! Now, the real reason I go to the fair is for the food. Yes, I enjoy the rides and was a little disappointed that I couldn't ride any, but really, I was there for the food. I started with a corndog - and I swear it was the best corndog I have EVER eaten. I get a corndog every year at the fair, and this one was the best! I should have have a couple more... Next, I moved on to the Spiral Spud - another of my fair faves. This year, though, it was a little overcooked and the cheese got cold before I get 10 feet from the food trailer. Major disappointment! I may not do that again next year. After that, we spent a long time trying to find a new item for this year's fair - deep fried pears. I REALLY wanted to try one, but we searched and searched and searched and had no luck. Another major disappointment! So instead, I settled on a chocolate dipped frozen cheesecake-on-a-stick. I had one last year and it was incredible - this one was only so-so. I guess I went to the wrong booth! All-in-all, I had the most fun watching Lexie play. After that and the corndog, it all went downhill!

Wednesday was our friend, Jenny's, birthday, so we went to dinner at El Chico to celebrate. My food was good, but I think I ate too much. When I got home, my puke meter went up! Yay!

Last night was a quiet night at home. Much needed and much enjoyed!

And today I got to hear my baby's heartbeat for the first time! Now it feels more real! Now I'm starting to get excited! I wish Randy had been able to come, but he'll be able to hear the heartbeat when he comes to the next appointment. After that, I had lunch with my friend Susan. Awesome quiche from Queenie's and even better Banana Caramel Cake! What a day!

Tonight we're going to my hubby's high school alma mater for their homecoming game, and tomorrow night to his college alma mater for their homecoming. Hoping Sunday is a day of rest!

Have a good weekend everyone!

New Baby Tickers

Just a reminder to check out my new baby countdowns. The old ones didn't have any developmental info, which is what I really like about these. I can't wait to see what he/she will be up to next week!

It's no wonder I don't feel so great - the little stinker is in there peein' all over the place...

Miranda Lambert / Kenny Chesney Pics

I have added a slideshow to the bottom of my blog with pictures from the Kenny Chesney concert. This was the only way to do it so that the pictures were big enough to actually see anything. If you want to comment on the pictures, you can do it on this post.

Enjoy!

Pudding Poll

Well - today I had chocolate pudding - and it just didn't give me the same "warm fuzzies" that I got from the butterscotch yesterday. So hopefully, Randy likes the chocolate better and our variety pack will be well appreciated!

In honor of pudding, I have added a poll to my blog. Rather than voting for favorite flavors of pudding, though, I decided we should vote on who likes that skin that forms on the top of the pudding.

Have fun!

Butterscotch Pudding

Mmm...

It is my firm belief that butterscotch pudding just might be God's greatest invention ever!!!

At least for today anyway :-þ

Lovely Weather We're Having!

Since my blog is linked to Runners World Tulsa's blog, I feel like maybe I should post a little something about my "running." I doubt that I'll be kicked off the blog roll if I don't do it, but just to be safe...

Wow! I can't believe the incredible weather we're having. I'm absolutely loving it! Of course, I would love it better if I could actually run... Pregnancy certainly has it's ups and downs - and one of the downs is that the whole up-and-down motion of running makes me sick right now. So instead, I go out and walk. I don't always feel great, and I don't always enjoy it, but it is good for me and the baby.

As I read the blogs of other group members, I am often jealous - but also very proud of them. I remember what it was like to train for my first marathon - the joy, the frustration, the pain, the food... It is a major commitment, and for some of the runners, it may be a piece of cake - while for others, it will be the hardest thing they will ever do. I hope they are relishing every moment of it, because it kills me that I'm not out there with them doing it all over again!

Don't get me wrong - I'm so blessed to have this experience of being pregnant! I don't want it to sound like I wish I weren't so that my running wouldn't have to suffer. But the truth is, pregnancy has effected my running, along with my eating, my sleeping, and most every other aspect of my life. I just wasn't prepared for my transition from "Runner Girl" to "Runner Mommy" to happen so early! I knew there was a possibility of getting pregnant before the marathon, but I totally had it worked out in my head that I was going to just keep right on running until my body said "no". Of course, this is exactly what I did - I just wasn't expecting my body to say "no" after only 1 month! I was thinking more like 6-7 months...

People keep telling me that I'll feel better after the first trimester, which is just a few more weeks. So I guess I'll give running another shot then. But until then, I'll just be walking, and walking, and walking.

By the way, my friend Trail Zombie has a "Tick Counter" on his blog, where he keeps track of how many ticks he picks up while out running, working in the yard, etc. He suggested that I keep track of how many times I puke while I'm pregnant, so I have added "Preggo Pukes" to the left side of my blog - for those of you who are interested in that kinda stuff. Another friend, Roman, suggested that I take pictures of said pukings and post them on the blog, but I just don't think I can do that. Yuck - just the thought of it makes me feel like I want to go puke again...

Pregnancy Tip Revised

So, yesterday, I didn't eat breakfast and I got sick. This morning, I did eat breakfast, and I still got sick - dang it!! I thought I had this all figured out!

I wouldn't be so bothered by this, if I felt like I was going to be sick. No - I actually feel pretty good today. Felt pretty good yesterday too, for that matter. And the last two weeks, since my doctor changed my prenatal vitamin. I've had a good appetite, been able to eat pretty much anything, so I don't understand why I'm getting sick now.

How annoying!!

Pregnancy Tip Of The Day

For some of you, this may be TMI. While some others of you will appreciate this helpful info!

Apparently, waking up at 6 am and waiting to eat breakfast at 10 am is a REALLY BAD idea!

Wow! I was feeling okay this morning - a little rushed because Randy overslept - but pretty decent. No hints of nausea or anything. I wasn't feeling very hungry, so I grabbed a package of oatmeal to take to work. Got busy and wasn't really thinking about eating - just working and drinking my water. Maybe a little too much water... Right around 10, I decided I needed a bathroom break, and since I was already up I figured I'd go ahead and heat up my oatmeal. While my oatmeal was doing it's thing in the kitchen, and I was doing mine in the bathroom, I suddenly realized that I was going to be sick. BAM! Just like that! No warnings, no queasiness, nothing. And I was doing so well with the "no sickness" thing...

Guess I won't do that again. Maybe I can get Randy to start making me some toast before he leaves in the morning...

I <3 Kenny!

Awesome show! Will have a full report next week when I can post from a computer instead of my phone. Good night!

Don't Blink

We're going to see Kenny Chesney in concert tonight, and it got me thinking about his song "Don't Blink" The chorus:

Don't blink,

Just like that you're six years old

And you take a nap

And you wake up and you're 25

Then your high school sweetheart becomes your wife.

Don't blink,

You just might miss your babies growing like mine did

Turnin' into moms and dads

Next thing you know your better half of 50 years

Is there in bed and you're prayin' God takes you instead

Trust me friend, 100 years goes faster than you think

So don't blink.

Right now, it's hard enough to grasp the fact that I'm going to be a mother in April - let alone the fact that my little unborn child may have children of his/her own someday. I don't want to miss out on anything, but already it seems to be going by so fast! Maybe part of that is that I really am just napping through everything right now! But I can't believe that it's already been over 5 weeks since I found out I was expecting. Our little baby has already grown so much!

From babycenter.com -
How your baby's growing:Your new resident is nearly an inch long — about the size of a medium green olive — and weighs just a fraction of an ounce. She's starting to look more and more human. Her essential body parts are accounted for, though they'll go through plenty of fine-tuning in the coming months. Other changes abound: Your baby's heart finishes dividing into four chambers, and the valves start to form — as do her tiny teeth. The embryonic "tail" is completely gone. Your baby's organs, muscles, and nerves are kicking into gear. The external sex organs are there but won't be distinguishable as male or female for another few weeks. Her eyes are fully formed, but her eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. She has tiny earlobes, and her mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The placenta is developed enough now to take over most of the critical job of producing hormones. Now that your baby's basic physiology is in place, she's poised for rapid weight gain.

In a previous week I learned that his/her heart is already beating - not even an inch long and he/she has a teeny, tiny, beating heart!! I can't even wrap my head around it!


Anyway, we had a very busy weekend, and I'm going to be off work the next 2 day - which hopefully will give me some much needed rest! If I remember correctly, I had a pretty bad headache when I got home on Friday, so I just went to bed. I got up early Saturday and met my running group and walked/jogged a couple miles. I probably could have gone the full 4 that I had planned on, but it was cold and pouring down rain, so I gave up a little early. At least I made an effort! It worked out okay though, because if I'd stayed any longer I would have been late for my friend's Pampered Chef party. I got an awesome bamboo serving bowl, and some bamboo spatulas. If you haven't seen their bamboo products, you're really missing out! My collection is growing quite nicely! After that party, I headed over to another party. A baby shower to be more specific. One of my running friends is due this month, so it was fun to see her and see what great stuff she got! I don't remember what I did after that, so I'm assuming I went home and went to sleep! Sunday brought Church, and the first Sunday of the month is always communion, which I particularly enjoy. Sunday also brought another baby shower! Actually, it was a Mad-Hatter's Un-Birthday Party for Lindsay's baby-on-the-way. Coach Kathy made a ton of fabulous food and we had fun in our silly hats! If you've never had a sampling of Kathy's cooking, you are REALLY missing out! I was so full, that I couldn't eat the rest of the day. The rest of the day consisted of a cook-out with my family. We had some family in town from Colorado and everyone got together at my parents house to visit. Probably won't get to see my aunts and cousins that came for another year, so I'm glad we went! Monday after work, I babysat a little boy that I've been watching for 4 years - and told his parents the good news. They are very happy for us, but also a little disappointed that they will be losing their babysitter! Didn't get home until after 11, and then had another late night last night, and will be having another late night tonight. So I'm really looking forward to my time off! (And looking forward to seeing Kenny in those jeans....) ;-)

First Appointment

Yesterday I had my first prenatal appointment! Yippee!!

It really wasn't anything exciting, but maybe that was because I was so tired, I could barely keep my eyes open! I just went over some general medical history with my doctor, she did a quick exam, answered any questions that I had, gave me a prescription for some prenatal vitamins (with DHA to help with brain development!), and then sent me to the lab for blood work. Having all that blood drawn wasn't a lot of fun, and it left me feeling even more tired. After that, I went back to work for about an hour, and then went and met with my running group to share the news. Some of them had been suspecting something for a few weeks, so it felt good to let them know!

Stopped at KFC to pick up dinner on my way home, and went to bed early. It didn't help much, though because Randy kept me up all night with his allergy problems. So again, I'm tired and I just want to take a nap!!!! He may just have to sleep on the couch tonight - or I will. I have a lot to do tomorrow, and I can't take much more of this fatigue...

April 12, 2009

Weekend Update

Sometimes (especially when I first started this blog) I try to come up with creative titles for my posts. You know, something catchy, to draw the readers in. But sometimes, I just go with something basic. This post will be about my not so exciting weekend, so I don't feel that it deserves a great title. It is what is.

Thursday, I met with my group and ended up walking 2 miles with Susan. I'm sure I've mentioned her in other posts, but just to refresh, she has a heart condition that has kept her from running. Her doctor has recently allowed her to start walking, and adding some light jogging, but she has to really watch her heart rate and her pace. I always enjoy having time to talk with her and I'm so glad to see her back out on the trails a little bit more and more! After our walk, we went back to the store, and had some cake - compliments of Ken's wife, Dana. She makes the best desserts! This cake happened to look like a cat, and at one time, there were little mini kitten-cakes to go with it as well. My favorite part was the cream cheese frosting! Yum!! After the cake, I made it home just in time to have burgers with our neighbors! I love cooking, but I also love the days when I don't have to!

Since Friday is soccer practice for the aforementioned neighbors, I volunteered to make dinner for them on Friday night. It's a cycle we repeat often! I had dinner again with them on Saturday while Randy was out playing golf, and then I make pot roast on Sunday, which they joined us for. Sandwiches for lunch and homemade pizza for dinner both at their house yesterday, and we will probably start the whole thing over again with dinner at our house on Friday.

Saturday morning, I went and met my group (at least I tried to). I was running a little late, so I didn't get there in time to lead my group, but I went off on my run anyway. Less than a mile in, I caught up with Susan and my mom! I was quite surprised, because my mom's work schedule has prevented her from coming out and running with us. Apparently she has a new supervisor who is willing to let her leave early on Saturday mornings to come run! Yay!! She's training for the Tulsa Run, but since she hasn't run in a few months, she's going to have to start slow and work her way up. We probably did about 4 miles, and we just took it easy and walked and jogged a bit. It's hard to jog anyway, when we had to keep stopping for her to say hi to group members that she hasn't seen in ages!

I didn't do anything special after my run. Just went home, and relaxed. Randy was gone most of the day, so it was nice to have the house/couch to myself!

Sunday was church, and pot roast for dinner (cooked in my crock pot all day long). I tried something new, and was pretty much just winging it - using bits of what my mom did with her pot roast and bits of recipes from my favorite cookbooks. I was pleased with the results and everyone else seemed to be too, because I only had enough left over for one lunch! Definitely worth repeating!

Spent most of Labor Day doing absolutely nothing! Had lunch with the neighbors and a few other friends before heading off with them to the city pool for a few hours. By the time we got back, all of the kids were starving, so we made little mini pizzas. It definitely hit the spot!

And now, it is Tuesday. I'm glad that I remembered this morning that it is Tuesday and not Monday. Otherwise, I would have forgotten my running gear, and we just can't have that! Hoping for a good run today, and maybe the effects from Gustav will help it cool down a bit!

Response to Trail Zombie's Rant

This is in response to Trail Zombie's blog about recent trail marking activity at Turkey Mountain. I think maybe it was a little to long to post as a comment, as it was nearly as long as his original post. Please read his original post here so that you'll have a clue as to what I'm talking about. Thanks!

First of all, I cannot believe that people actually go out there and paint the trees... Maybe I'm just a good girl, but the thought of taking a can of spray paint out there and marking the trees has just never occurred to me. However, I must say that Trail Zombie did a great job of covering it up.

Second, I think that whiny biker guy owes Glenn and the others an apology. It's one thing to ask them if they know anything about the markings and ribbons, but quite another to go off on an accusatory tirade. How rude!

On the plus side, it does seem that Turkey Mountain is getting used more for its intended purposes of running, hiking, biking, etc. But just like when we see an increase of activity on the Riverside trail, we also see an increase in lack of trail etiquette, and my guess is that this is what is happening on Turkey. While it is frustrating for those of us who use these areas frequently, I don't think people are intentionally trying to cause problems. They just don't know any better - and we need try to remember that we were new once too, and do our part to help educate others!

Of course, I could be way off base here, in which case, just let me know and I'll keep my mouth shut from now on!!

Tuesday Run

Well, I got back from Dallas on Sunday afternoon, but wasn't quite ready to get back in the swing of things! I would have loved a few more days off!! I think we had a pretty good trip, though! We saw some of Randy's longtime friends that we hadn't seen in about 2 years, and it's probably been about that long since he's seen some of his family down there. I had been in Dallas for some work about a year ago and spent some time with his family, but he didn't go on that trip. I think we definitely realized that 2 years is really too long, especially when the drive is only a few hours! (Or an hour plane ride when the fare is right!!)

I wish I could say that I was a good girl, and got some running in while I was there, but I didn't. However, we did spend about 3 hours walking around The Galleria, so I think that definitely counts!!

Last night, I went and met up with my group for what turned out to be a very nice run! I had a couple of Newbies that I helped out with, and we did a 1/2 mile warm-up walk, 2 mile run/walk at a nice easy pace, and 1/2 mile cool-down walk. The weather was wonderful, and I felt very refreshed afterwards!

I made another Tuesday night trip to Target after the run, and had a far better experience than last week! The store was practically empty! I purposely kept my selections to a minimum so that I could use the express lane, but they didn't have any express lanes open. It turned out to be okay though, because the other lanes were all pretty empty anyway!

So far, so good this week! Let's hope it stays that way! And I'm really looking forward to another 3 day weekend for Labor Day!!

Greetings from The Big "D" y'all

Howdy! While I did bring a pair of running shoes (and appropriate attire) to Dallas with me just in case I wanted to run this morning, I opted to sleep in and rest, and update my blog. After the long week I've had, I think a little rest is what I needed!

I had a very busy week at work, and was a little stressed that I wouldn't get everything done before I left for my trip and before my bosses returned from theirs. At 4:45 on Thursday, I was finally able to breathe and I guess there weren't any problems because I didn't get any phone calls.

Tuesday night, I was a little bit unenthused about our group run when I showed up. I've just had so many bad runs lately and I wasn't looking forward to another one! I felt much better though, when Susan showed up and I got to chat with her a bit. I realized that I should be thankful that I can even run at all, even if it doesn't always go my way. I'm sure Susan would trade places with me in a heartbeat. A few bad runs is better than not being able to run at all! I also felr better when I found out we were doing a new route! YAY!!! Instead of our normal out-and-back on the east side of the river, we ran across to the west side, did a little trail loop, and back across to the east side. I loved it! Finally, a good run! Hopefully, I won't be so discouraged next time.

After my run, I stopped at Target to pick up a few things for dinner and lunches. I had more than 10 items, so I couldn't do the express lane. I picked a lane that had 2 other people waiting. One of them was almost done, and the other was starting to load her full cart onto the belt. I figured it wouldn't be too bad and settled in. A few minutes later I was about to start loading my own stuff on the belt, when a girl with a another full cart tries to squeeze past me. Apparently, she was with the lady in front of me. It would have been nice if the lady had mentioned that she had another full cart coming... and now all the other lines were to full for me to switch! Personally, if I had been in her position, and seeing that the person behind me only had 15-20 items when I had a full cart and another on the way, I would let them go in front of me. But that's just me... I hope they enjoy their $425 worth of weight watchers food...

Wednesday night, we started the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University at church. I'm really looking forward to it. It may bring up some unpleasant conversations between me and Randy, but if we ever want to start getting ahead and planning for our future, then it needs to be done.

Thursday, instead of running, I was busy getting ready for our trip. I rushed home after work to get the dog to the vet for boarding before they closed. Then I went over to the store for a few last minute items, went home and fixed some dinner, and started packing. I got in bed at 10 but it was closer to 11 by the time I went to sleep. When my alarm went off at 3, I was up and ready to get going. I finished packing after a nice long shower and then tried to get Randy up when his alarm went off at 4. Shortly after 5 we were on our way to the airport for our 6:30 flight.

As we made our ascent out of Tulsa, I came to a startling revelation. What started out as a cloudy, gloomy day, actually appeared quite beautiful and peaceful when I was looking at it from a different perspective. Now if I can just try to remember that at other times as well...

Since we've been here, I've just been resting and taking it easy. Tonight, Randy's aunt and uncle are having a big fish fry and they're expecting about 90 people, so that will be interesting. Of course, after a couple drinks, anything gets a little more fun!

We fly back tomorrow afternoon, and then it's back to the grindstone. But for now, I'm on vacation! WooHoo!

I hope everyone has a fun and safe weekend!

Rain or Shine...

Since it's Wednesday, I guess that means I'm way past due for an update!

Thursday evening, I had planned to do Saturday's long run mileage (8) with a friend who wouldn't be able to run on Saturday, along with a couple of other runners. About 2 miles in, I realized that I wasn't going to make it for a full 8. I'm not sure if I was still trying to recover from all the excessive heat lately, or if part of it was the Subway sandwich I'd eaten 1 1/2 hours earlier, or what was going on, but as soon as we got to a spot where I could easily bail out and get back to my car, I did! The others were super nice and made sure I was okay, and made sure I got back to my car safely, which I greatly appreciated! I just hope I didn't mess up their run too much!

Friday, I went and had lunch with my friend Susan! She has a heart condition and hasn't been able to run with us for a while, and I've missed her terribly!! It was great to see her, and I hope we can do it again soon!!

Since I only ended up with about 3 miles on Thursday, I probably should have done 8 on Saturday, but I opted to sleep in a bit instead. I showed up in time to meet the 6:45 group for 3 miles, and it was sooo nice. The weather sure does play a huge role in how good (or bad) a run feels! Part of me wished that I'd gotten up earlier and done a few more miles, but the other part of me was glad to get a little sleep!

So that brings me to last night's (Tuesday) run... which I didn't do at all. I was completely ready to do it - I brought my running attire to work with me (and it's still sitting under my desk). But a last minute dinner invite to Joe's Crab Shack for a friend's birthday was just a tiny bit more appealing! I haven't been there in years! Some may say that I should have run first, and then gone to dinner, but there wouldn't have been enough time for that. Even in a perfect world, I would have started running @ 5:30, finished a 3 mile run by 6, got home at 6:30 (have to pick hubby up - can't drive his work truck out and about) and wouldn't have gotten back to Joe's until 7 at the earliest. And I would have had to skip a shower at that - yuck!! So now that I have completely justified my actions, why do I still feel a tiny bit guilty???

So since I've been such a slacker lately, I vow that "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these runners from the completion of their appointed mileage." See ya Thursday!

Tuesday Run

Well... I got in trouble for not updating my blog lately, so here it is! To be honest, I haven't had anything interesting to share. Work is busy, weather is crappy, and my best friend (aside from hubby) is out of town. On the plus side, I do have a wonderful hubby, and it is Tuesday, so I got to see my friends and I got to run. And by run, I mean that I walked 1/2 mile, jogged 1/2 mile, and then walked 2 miles. Like I said - the weather sucks. It hasn't made for any easy runs, but at least I'm trying!
So anyway, the picture above is from tonight's run. Seeing Ken and Roman has been the highlight of my week! :-p

Run for Fun!

I think the Dixie Chicks said it best when they said
"Ready, ready, ready, ready, ready to run
All I'm ready to do is have some fun"

Sometimes running is not so fun, like last Thursday... with a high temperature of 97, six miles was not something to enjoy, but something to do and get out of the way. But I did it, and with a stellar high of 96, today looks like a repeat.

Friday night, on the other hand, was amazing! I had sooo much fun! My friend Ken was celebrating his birthday with an all-night trail run. I've run at night, and I've run some trails, but I've never run trails at night, so this was quite a new experience for me - one I hope to repeat soon, and often!

While I didn't actually run all night, I did run until around midnight when we took a break for some pizza and homemade cheesecake (compliments of Ken's wife!) I got in a little over 8 miles, broke in my new trail shoes, and managed to trip and stumble about 50 times, but contrary to a rumour floating around on Trail Zombie's blog, I never actually fell - and that is NOT my bloody, hairy knee!!

I pulled into my driveway at 2 am, managed to toss and turn and get maybe an hour sleep before I got up and headed out to meet my road group for another 4 miles! What a day!

I met some great people and I hope to have the opportunity to run with them again - of course, I'm sure I was holding them back, so they may not feel the same way about me!!

So anyway, here are some pics from the festivities... Thanks Ken!

In front - Ken. In back (L-R) - Me, Johnny, Glenn, Arnold, Brian, Roman, Kathy, and Bill

I don't actually remember us taking this picture... hmm...

But I do remember this one...

Brian, Arnold, Bee-Sting Bob (??? I just write what I'm told), Glenn, Bill, Me, and Ken

Takin' a break

FOOD!!! Yum!!

Pizza, Watermelon, Homemade Cheesecake with strawberry sauce!

Me and Kathy

Saturday morning - my new 'do

Weekend Update

Since I had plans to do a race on Saturday morning, I opted to do my long run (8 miles) on Thursday night instead of Saturday. So about 8 pm I headed out with Kathy, Ken, and Roman. I got to see some new sights and even visit the center of the universe! More and more I am starting to enjoy night runs... it is just a different experience. Not something I would ever do alone, but with some friends I felt okay. It was also the first time in a while that I was able to do all of my miles together and at my own pace. Since I am generally training with a group of beginners, my runs are usually dedicated to their pace/distance - but I love seeing their progress each week!

Saturday, I went with Roman, Sloan, Steve, and a few of their friends to the Porter Peach Classic. The town was so tiny that we had to make 2 loops around it for the 5K! It was a lot of fun and I even won 2nd place in my age group - and set a new PR of 27:15. And Sloan, who is pregnant and due in 10 weeks got 2nd place in the racewalk division! Way to go Sloan!! I don't know everyone's results right off, but all-in-all our little group did really well! My only complaint was that the girl who beat me for 1st place was only ahead of me by 24 lousy seconds!

Nothing else real exciting - just a normal weekend of hanging out at home and going to church.

And now, I am sitting in a yucky, smoky bar with my hubby, his best friend who is in town from Singapore, and a few of their other friends. They're playing Golden Tee and I'm trying to give them some space. Mostly I'm just here to drive Randy home. He doesn't get to see these guys very often and it's not usually a pretty site when he does!

Hopefully I can get copies of the pics from Thursday and Saturday on here in the next day or two - haven't figured out how to do that from my cell phone yet.

So that's all I've got for now. I guess I'll just sit here and silently hope that I'll be home before 11!

Happy Anniversary To Me!!

Yesterday, in honor or our 3rd anniversary, my wonderful hubby sent me this beautiful bouquet! It was comeplety unexpected because he's never sent me flowers before - usually he buys them and brings them home to me. I'm such a lucky girl!!

Still not sleeping

Well... It's about 4am and time to get up - except I never did go to sleep :-(

I did, however, watch Clueless, Ella Enchanted, and half of 101 Dalmations. I've also eaten breakfast and I'm dressed and ready to go run. Not exactly my ideal evening, but I guess this is what they mean by "power nap!" I'm just glad I don't have anything going on after my run because I have a feeling that I'm going to come home and crash.

But for now, I'm going to watch a bit more of this dalmation movie before I go fill up my car and hit the road.

Trying to get some sleep...

I'm laying in bed trying to "wind down" so I can get some sleep, but I don't see it happening any time soon - so I'm blogging.



Last night I had a great 5 mile run. I didn't pay attention to my time, but I know I was running harder than usual. By the time I got home, my legs were more sore than they have been in a LONG time. Apparently I didn't sleep very well because I felt like I was dragging all day. There were moments when I thought I could have fallen asleep at my desk! I didn't - but I could have. Randy was out playing golf when I got home, and it was nice to have the couch to myself for a bit. I thought I had found something interesting to watch, but I don't remember what it was so I must have dozed off pretty quickly!! After a little nap, I felt like a new person - but now I can't sleep and I have to get up in four-and-a-half hours.



I really hate having to get up so early on Saturday mornings, but I really do enjoy the peace and solitude during my run. Don't get me wrong - I love running with the group and chatting, but Saturdays are different. Even with the group, I feel like I can be alone with my thoughts. People are still waking up and have a lot less to say than the weekday afternoon runs. And since I seem to have so much to think about lately, I really cherish my quiet time - away from the distractions of work, my computer, my cell phone, the TV, housework, pets - I feel like I can really sort things out and unclutter my brain a bit. So if you see me out on the trail and I seem preoccupied, please don't take it personally! And don't hesitate to interrupt my thoughts - I'm almost always open to chat, it just takes me a little while to wake up!

Happy 4th!!

Blah Blah Blah

Well... since I'm getting tired of visiting the RunnersWorld Tulsa blog and seeing that I last updated my own blog over a week ago, I figured I should post something.

Not a whole lot of anything interesting going on...

Saturday I went and ran with my training groups early in the A.M. and then went home and took a long nap. Lounged around the house watching TV until it was time to go to The Full Moon for a 30th birthday party for one of Randy's friends. I had planned on trying to meet some friends for a night run after the party, but after a dirty martini (and a half) I was ready to go to bed.

Sunday was Church and brunch at First Watch. More relaxing around the house.

Yesterday, after work we attempted to go to a screening of Hancock. They had distributed WAY too many passes, so we didn't make it in. They told everyone that there would be another screening at 9:30 and that in the meantime we were free to go to any other movie we wanted. So we saw "Wanted". Bad Ass movie!! It was actually pretty funny. I would definitely watch it again. Since Randy has to get up for work super early, we opted to skip the 9:30 showing of Hancock and we just went home. We know some people that did make it in to see it though, and they highly recommend it. Maybe we'll try to go see that one soon.

I've had a busy day at work today, and I'm looking forward to my run in about an hour. I got some new shorts at Target that I want to try out!!

Later!

Barkley Book Fair

This is what happens when I attempt trail running... It's a good thing I didn't wear my brand new shoes!! For more info check out the blog at www.trailzombie.blogspot.com

Updates

Well... I suppose I should take a few minutes out of my busy schedule to update the last few days. Between reading, napping, and watching Lifetime, I just can't seem to find any spare time!!

Monday's qualifier was pretty hard on Randy. The weather caused a lot of delays and it was a very long day for him - mentally and physically. He played well and was well in position to qualify until the last few holes. A 30 minute wait to tee off on one hole and pure exhaustion took him from a score of 3-under to 2-over. Generally in this tournament a par-72 would qualify but several of the tour pros dropped out, so 73 qualified. Randy missed qualifying by one lousy stroke! Hopefully there will other opportunities for him in the near future!

The rest of this week has been pretty ordinary - ortho appointment, new running shoes, laundry. Nothing real special. We did have my parents over last night in honor of Father's day and my mom's birthday. Mostly just relaxing and being lazy... That's what vacation is for, right?!?!

Chasing Dreams

As I sit here, listening to the hum of the dryer, I can't help but wonder how Randy's round of golf is going - or if the weather has even cooperated enough for him to tee off. You see, my husband's dream in life is to play professional golf, and his dream has become my dream. I too would love to see him play golf professionally. And today is his shot. Today is a Monday Qualifier for a Hooter's Tour event. A good score today will allow him to play in a professional tournament this weekend, and a good finish will let him continue on to the next tournament and hopefully some sponsorship opportunities. I haven't heard from him in 7 hours and it's driving me crazy!! I wish I knew something, anything, about how his day is going...

I got tagged....

Thanks to my friend TZ, I’ve been tagged!!! I’ll answer the 5 questions he gave me, and then tag 5 people who I want to know how THEY will answer the same questions. I think it’s a pretty fun way to learn a bit about people you run with (or runners that you know, but don’t run with). We all have a motivation behind our running… What’s yours??

1. How would you describe your running 10 years ago?
Well, a few years before that, I ran cross-country and loved it. I then moved to a small school that didn’t have cross-country (or track for that matter). Then my senior year our school started a track team. I’m a distance runner, not a fast runner so I opted for 3200 meter, which equates to about 2 miles. Friends, let me tell you, running 8 laps around a track is NOT FUN. So after the season, I stopped running until a year-and-a-half ago.

2. What was you best and worst run/race experience?
My best race experience was my first ½ marathon. OKC Memorial Marathon in April 2007. It was a beautiful day, I really felt like I accomplished something, I finished strong, and I knew I was hooked! OKC puts on an amazing event for a great cause, and I plan on doing the full marathon in 2010 when they have the 10th anniversary of the race. My worst race experience was my first (and so far only) marathon in November 2007. You can read my previous blog about it here... Marathon Blog

3. Why do you run?
For my health. More for my mental health than my physical health, but it’s all the same in the end! This may sound totally corny, but I feel alive when I run. I feel so at peace with myself, and I am never more aware of my 5 senses than when I run - the rotten egg smell, seeing rollerbladeguy (and wishing I hadn't), the intersting taste of sunscreen and sweat...
I am practically a different person when I run consistently. When I’m not running, I am moody and cranky. I recently took some time off to recover from an injury and general burn-out, and I wouldn’t say that I was depressed, but I was definitely in a funk. Now that I’m running again, I feel much better!

4. What is the best or worst piece of advice you’ve been given about running?
I don’t know that this is necessarily the “best” advice, but it’s definitely my favorite! We have a sports dietician that comes and talks to us about the foods we should be eating during training, and she told us that ½ of our plate at each meal should be carbs. Woohoo!!!! I could live on bread and pasta!!! Another great bit of advice that actually pertains to running is from my fabulous coach, Kathy… You can run a lot farther without getting tired if you run slower. This was hard for me to grasp because I always thought you had to be practically sprinting to consider it a run. Nope – by making yourself slow down and building a good base, you will eventually start running faster.
5. Tell us something surprising about yourself that not many people would know.
I am a distant relative of Laura Ingalls Wilder! I don’t remember exactly, but I believe her Great-Grandfather was my Great (x 4 or 5) Grandfather.

And now that I've done my part, these are the 5 people that I am tagging...

Joye (AKA Mom)
Christa
Susan
Deana
Christin