Monthly Archives: July 2012

July 4th, Friday Favorites, and Really Attractive Photos

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Favorites? You betcha.

But also, some 4th of July fun!

The day started off in (my version of) the best way possible at the First Annual 4th of July Mimosa 10k Fun Run! Also known as the longest hash tag of all time, or one of the best last minute ideas ever.

Thanks to the stellar organizational skillz of Nicole and the enthusiasm of lady runners/bloggers, the logistics came together in a flash and the results were excellent.

After doing a perfectly precise 10k, everyone enjoyed the sun, food, and mimosas. The best kind of 4th of July morning.

Runners are neat. Runners who eat and bring delicious food to social gatherings are even neater.

Literally everything was delicious, and I realized that learning to legit cook would probably make me more friends. See the cut up watermelon in the middle? That was the extend of my contributions.

Runners!

I think the best idea would be to make this a weekly thing. Sound good girls?

Afterward, BF and I were intent on doing some sort of outdoor activity. In Seattle, you enter into a panic mode when it’s sunny, and all previously made plans are altered to include being outside.

Contrary to what you might be thinking, I am not wearing a huge yellow diaper.

Kayaking it was! We decided to actually take advantage of the geographic location we live in for once and rent a boat to take out on the sound.

I am dating a 24 year old, not a toddler, as this picture might imply.

BF please don’t hate me for posting this picture

It was a little scary, but super fun, although I am disappointed a dolphin or killer whale didn’t majestically leap over our boat. Next time.

A little running, a little boating, a lot of watermelon eating, a little baseball catch, and I had myself one fun tribute to the US of A.

The one glitch in the day was forgetting that when you are out in the sun for 8 hours wearing a tank top, there is a very popular lotion recommended to prevent the sun from eating your flesh. Yea, oversight.

Yes, I have a degree.

What kind of rookie am I??? I admit, I am not a chronic sunscreen latherer, but I certainly know better than this bs. On the shoulders no less—seriously the most painful spot to have a sunburn.

Considering the fact that my mom has had skin cancer more than once due to her teenage baby oil tanning habits and has furthermore ingrained the sunscreen mantra into my brain, I really need to get my act together.

Mom, I hope it’s cool I’m telling the Internet about our family medical history. 


TGFAloe, and for the love of your skin, don’t be as dumb as me.

Now, let’s do something I haven’t done in forever and talk about some favorite things.

My Juicer

I’m just gonna go ahead and overshare by telling you (again) about how my digestive system is a bitch and hates me sometimes. I try to treat her right, but sometimes it doesn’t really matter what I do and my stomach is a wreck. Due to this chronic issue, getting enough F and V is really important for me and can make a world of difference.

This little device which was GIVEN to me by a dear friend has made my stomach and my wallet very happy. I love getting juices, but they are oh-so-expensive at all the legit juicing/smoothie places. This baby allows for some speedy F and V consumption that my stomach really agrees with. The only downside is how long it takes to clean…but otherwise I’m a big fan.

BF is still warming to them. Liquid vegetables are scary for him.

Cam Wow

I know, I know. The whole “Photo Booth,” distorting photos thing is so freshman year of college, but I still can’t get enough of this app! I can actually make myself laugh out loud, yes literally L-O-L, when I do this.

(Note: The purpose of these pictures is mainly to send them to family members or friends. I’m not actually that weird that I sit alone taking weird pictures of myself. Oh, I am? Shit.)

Anyways, enjoy my demonstration of shamelessness, and maybe you will be inspired to download this app.

While at intermission at the sophisticated Seattle Symphony.

While waiting in the car when picking up a friend.

While responding to your sister when she asks how your day is going.

What I’m really trying to say is…I’m really, really pretty.

That last one is probably the worst picture of me ever taken. Which, trust me, is saying something.


Franz Cinnamon Swirl Bread

For lack of any eloquence, this bread is the bees knees. What does that even mean? Are bees knees special? I don’t really think they even have “knees” so to say.

I digress. Run to the store and buy yourself a loaf, toast it up, coat in butter or whatever “version of butter” you use, and consume.

This is actually my first, baby-step attempt at pre-long run fueling. I’ve decided to be normal and smart and try eating something before my long runs. My handful of cereal isn’t going to cut it anymore, and so I’m going to grow up and wake up a little earlier beforehand to get down something real. A delicious slice of this is sure to help in the process.

High Guy Meme

I admittedly have been a meme follower/fan for a while, and I can pretty safely say that “High Guy” takes the cake (and the cookies, brownies, french fries, etc.) for being the funniest.

Seriously, again with the L-O-L. Check out some of the best ones here for a fun Friday chuckle.

Organix Cherry Blossom Ginseng Shampoo/Conditioner

I want to coat my entire life in this stuff and roll around in all its good smelling wonderment.

Does that make sense?

This stuff smells so good, and although I fell off the Organix wagon for a while, a few BOGO deals later and I’m back on track.

Oh, and I think this stuff is good for your hair? I’m really more concerned with the smell and the pretty pink bottle.

Wham bam Friday Favorites in the bag.

Have a wonderful, sunshine-filled, sunscreen-coated, sweaty weekend!

What are your favorite things right now? 

What’s your favorite meme?

What are your plans for this weekend?

BF B-Day and Weekend Snapshots

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I am pressed for time today, but I do have some photos from the weekend to share as well as a birthday wish to give…

HAPPY 24th BIRTHDAY MR. BF!!!

We’ll be celebrating tonight with some festivities, presents, and other birthday-related shenanigans. I am definitely the bigger fan of birthdays and holidays and general over-the-top merriment in the relationship, so I think I am typically more excited about his birthday than he is. But, hopefully my 24-hour bombardment of birthday wishes, emoticon-filled texts, and delicious treats helps get him in the spirit. In case he reads this post—I’ll leave my specific plans secret— but details will follow soon.

I know, you were horrified about missing out.

Now, just four days late, here are some snapshots from last weekend. It was an eventful one indeed.

RB and RR 4EVER

Remember when I talked about that bacon cheeseburger from the second happiest place on earth on bad mood Friday? Here it is, in all its glory, and it was perfect. I think I have a real deal huge burger about three times a year (red meat and my digestive system tend to hate each other), which means that when I go for it—it’s all the more spectacular.

Huge Blue Moons don’t hurt either.

No, those are not jeggings, just clown feet combined with BP jeans.

Another once-in-a-blue-moon event that happened this past weekend (DID YOU SEE WHAT I DID THERE??) included a trip to the bowling alley. We were planning on going to the synonymy, but we had time to kill before dinner and the show. So obviously going bowling was the best option. We each won one game, and check out the results of the second game:

So the obvious next step is joining a league with sweet jerseys with inside-joke nicknames on them. Mine will be “Bird.” Original, I know.

Then after some delectable sushi (which I am SUPER into right now, so if you want to go—please invite me), it was off to our adult date at the Seattle Symphony.

And by “adult” I really don’t mean adult at all.

YOU GUYS. Let me tell you about this special show. This was a “Disney” themed performance, meaning there was not only a stellar selection of the best scores and songs from Disney movies, there was a screen projecting said movies behind the orchestra.

AND THERE WERE SINGERS.

I was dying, if you couldn’t guess, and every time I think I’ve grown out of my 6-year-old Disney princess phase and have become a functioning adult, something like this comes along, and I’m back to infantile giddiness and giggles.

Lucky for me, I have a boyfriend who a)goes to this kind of stuff with me b) still dates me despite my behavior and c) may just love it himself. I know BF wasn’t quite as rainbows and glitter about this as I was, but let’s just say I saw that foot tapping and a smile on that handsome face more than once during the show.

I know you love it when I sing Mary Poppins and Little Mermaid songs in your ear, baby…you’re welcome.

Which brings me to Sunday morning, in which this occured.

I had two goals for this run, the first “long run” since I regained run-ability.

1)Go slow

2) Finish

I was very content with this level of expectation for myself, and while my pacing was not exactly what I would have liked, I did accomplish both goals. I am really trying to get it into my head that long runs are supposed to be slow, and relatively speaking—this pace was right around the slow mark I need to hit. However, it terrifies me to run long runs so much slower than I’m supposed to run the actual marathon at the end of it all, so it needs some getting used to. A happy medium perhaps, at some point.

Anyway, I would show you my splits—but that would require me figuring out how to upload my Garmin data. You see, I’m just now realizing how often I need to charge this thing and how not to reset it during a run. Baby steps…the whole “uploading data” thing will come in time.

I can tell you that it didn’t feel awesome. It wasn’t awful, and I was happy to have retained some of my endurance over my running hiatus, but it definitely didn’t feel how 14 miles felt a few months ago.

But, like, DUR. Just goes to show ya…running takes patience. Of which I have none. But I’m trying.

So there you have it. Remember how I said I was “pressed for time,” initiating that this would be a brief post?

Yea, fail.

Apparently I just like to hear {watch} myself talk.


Have a lovely day, and prepare for some 4th of July wonderment, blogger-love, and Favorites coming up tomorrow!

In the meantime…how was your 4th of July? How is your “Every Single Person is Hungover Today” Day going? Did you take work off? Was asking your boss for the day off awkward? Did you eat as much watermelon and me? NO YOU DIDN’T.

Chicago Marathon via Girls on the Run

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Good morning!

Remember funk town Friday? Yea, it’s gone now. Actually, it started to dissipate pretty soon after posting—partly because writing is theraputic, and partly because I started listening to the ’90s pop station on Pandora. TLC, LFO, BSB…you guys make me happy.

Today is a new day, and it’s an exciting one.

Remember last week, and I think some weeks beforehand, when I said I had a sweet announcement to make? Right—well, even though the title of this post kind of gives it all away, let’s back track a bit to provide some appropriate lead up.

I am pretty chronically in a state of planning my next endeavor. In the past year or so it’s mostly been marathons, but there have also been moments of considering other extreme athletic endeavors, planning a race to start myself, or checking flight prices to exotic locations all over the world. Most of the time, these things don’t actually emancipate—sometimes because of practicality, but mostly because something else comes along that seems even more exciting. You might call it ADD, but it’s really just a case of getting really fixated on certain ideas, and then trying to make those ideas even more exciting.

However, every so often, one of them sticks—and once they stick, I am completely incapable of letting myself off of the proverbial hook. I become mentally and physically committed to the sticking ideas, and I refuse to let any logistical issues get in my way. Last year, this was training for my first marathon. Next year, I know it will be a (half) Ironman. And this year?

Well, after much deliberation and “patience,” the perfect opportunity came to me—and I grabbed the bull by the balls.

The bull, in this case, is the prestigious Chicago Marathon…which I will officially be running on October 7!!

I was really wanting to run the Chicago Marathon about two months ago, however when I checked the website they were already sold out. I was bummed, but I knew I’d find something else—so I sort of forgot about it.

And I did find a few more race ideas, however none of them were really calling to me. I began wondering it I even wanted to do a fall marathon or if I just wanted to play around for a while.

Well, that was right when the universe was all, “Yea right lady…try and ignore this opportunity,” and low and behold—an email from Girls on the Run shows up in my inbox.

The email said that it had bonus entries for the Chicago Marathon, in which runners would raise a certain number of dollars for GOTR and then run the race as a GOTR Solemate.

Um.

YES!

This was exactly what I’d been looking for. Not only is it the race I was after, but it would offer something entirely new and exciting in terms of training. This would allow me to run and train for something much bigger than myself, which is just what I’ve been looking for. In the midst of looking for an epic fall race, I was also on a mission to stop taking my running so seriously. Running is supposed to be fun, and despite how much I love competing, I also need to stop being so concerned with performance and times and all that jargon as much as I have been. Those things are important, but they aren’t everything, and I’m confident that this opportunity to run for Girls on the Run will be just to ticket to work outside of my own selfish training endeavors. Because the ultimate purpose of this endeavor is to raise money, and advocate for, Girls on the Run.

So, where does that leave me? Well, logistically speaking….a lot of fundraising to do and a training program to start. Both of which I am officially starting today! Hooray starting to train again! I have a number of changes I’ll be making to this training regimen, which I’ll talk about soon, but overall I’m really excited to be a Solemate and spread all the good word about Girls on the Run to everyone I know. (And when I say everyone, I’m serious…get ready, every family member, friend, family friend, blogger, twitter follower, coworker, etc.)

And thus commences my first request for donations! The minimum fundraising amount is $750, but I’m going to go for $1,000. And perhaps more if possible! If you are interested in joining my training/fundraising endeavors, you can donate here!

Girls on the Run is an amazing organization, and one that tugs on my former tomboy heartstrings. Their mission is essentially to inspire and encourage young girls through running—and their program hopes to create confidence in a healthy and active lifestyle. These are lessons that are so pivotal for girls to learn at a young age, particularly in our society which is so focused on unrealistic image expectations(read: lies) for women. Running has done so much for women, both young and old, in terms of instilling a sense of self-motivation and self-love, and I think it’s so inspiring that Girls on the Run is bringing this mission to the next generation of women.

So today marks my first day of training for the Chicago Marathon! And it’s a rest day….awesome.

More details on my training program and approach to come, but for now I’m just excited to start fundraising and prepare to run in one of the greatest marathons in the world!