2012

It's been a long time, my friends, but I was in the mood for some blogging during these last few hours of 2011.

I know I have my 101 in 1001, but I do have some new goals for 2012.

Fitness: Run a 10 miler (registered TODAY) and a half (probably Richmond again). DO NOT QUIT RUNNING OVER THE SUMMER.

Food: Try at least one new recipe a week.

Marriage: Less "eating out," more dates.

Health: Floss.

Spiritual: Read my Bible more often.

Intellectual: Read more books just for me. Blog at least once a week.

There we go. :-)

Mr. Discovery and I are going to have our Christmas morning tomorrow. We waited to get things on sale for each other since we bought a house. (Oh, I never told you that we bought a house, did I?)

Other 101 in 1001 Updates... I have crossed off the following...

1. Run another 5k

18. Buy a home

27. Buy a new rug for the living room

38. Save up for house down payment

54. Go to Disney

58. Go to Busch Gardens

93. Discover a new musician

97. Go to a Flying Squirrels baseball game

Happy New Year!

Well, it's been a while. I started school a few weeks ago, and we moved back to Charlottesville last weekend. It's been quite a rollercoaster the past month. It's hard to believe that we no longer live in Richmond and that we won't be going to Gayton anymore. That was one of the hardest goodbyes for sure. School is going well, but it is very busy for sure. Mr. Discovery has stepped into the classroom for the first time this year; he actually accepted the job while we were on vacation in Disney World! It has been an adjustment and he finally is able to see how tiring teaching is. Haha.
We had a pretty crazy week weather-wise. First some intense thunderstorms, then an earthquake, then a hurricane, which left us without power for days, and finally flooding! All of this was in about 10 days or fewer. It was crazy!
Obviously, the weather and the transitions have made training for the Richmond half marathon quite difficult, but I have been able to get some good longer runs that have been encouraging. :-)

Today, I want to take a moment to thank those who gave their lives on this day ten years ago. May God be with our country and especially those who lost loved ones that day as we all remember 9/11.

I must be crazy...

I just registered for...


 


I can't believe I'm going for number two! I want to do a time goal for this one, but it's going to be a lot hillier than the absolutely flat VA Beach course of March. We'll see what happens!


Also... McDonalds and running? Hmm... An odd combo, I think.

Only a few more days!

Well, the school year is winding down and the kids are winding up. As we say at MHS, the natives are restless... and that includes the teachers. I am looking forward to several things that will come along with the summer such as early morning runs, scrapbooking with my Cricut, reading the GIANT stack of magazines on my coffee table, cleaning this dump up, cooking new recipes and old, and NOT driving an hour one way to work several times a week.

I promise that when the summer comes in just a few short weeks, I'll have plenty to say. :-) Enjoy the ever-warming weather and a few pictures from my last race, Run For Their Lives 5k. The race proceeds went to Freedom 4/24, which is an organization that is fighting to stop sex slavery in Thailand and other countries. I got a great new PR of 28.22, which I was thrilled about! I was 63/218 and 35/149 for women. They didn't do age groups.

My BFF at school- a total lifesaver!

2011 Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k

Well, I did it. I ran the 10k in 59.35. Unfortunately, I felt like I was going to puke the whole time... I am proud of the time accomplishment, but it's been a rough day. I ran with my girl Julia for the first 5 miles, but she was too fast for me for that last mile. I'm so proud of her for powering through that race!

I have learned that this race is not a race in which I should aim to PR ever again. There are too. Many. People. I was bobbing and weaving the whole time, which is not fun... I still feel a little puke-y, so I've been sitting on the couch watching... Austin Powers. I forgot how terrible these movies are. I'll leave you with a few pictures. :-)





Julia and me in the corral




Aaaand... we're off!




Here I come



So close!



Wavin' to the hubs




Headed to the finish!




Almost there!!

 Have a great day! I am on Spring Break now! No students for 8.5 more days!!!

I came, I saw, I shamROCKED!

The big race was just a few days ago, and I am definitely basking in post-13.1 glory. :-)

We got to VA Beach around 2.30ish on Saturday. The expo was EXTREMELY crowded. I ended up buying two stickers for my car and two shirts. One says "Will Run for Ice Cream" and the other says "13.1 miles 'cause I'm only HALF crazy!" I love them both. We also got a free tech tee, which I wore on my run yesterday. It's nice. :-)

We drove around a little because our hotel check-in wasn't until 4. After we checked in, we went for a gorgeous walk on the boardwalk. It was divine to be at the beach again. We then got groceries for my breakfast the next day. The Harris Teeter was really close to the hotel, so we just walked there. We got Applebee's for dinner, which was super tasty. That night, we watched Despicable Me! It was so cute. I really enjoyed it. It was lights out around 10 pm, which meant it was "Battle Sleep" starting around 10.15.

I did not sleep. I was waaaay too nervous. The alarm went off at 4.45 and I slathered some PB and honey on a piece of bread (NOT TOAST), which was pretty gross. I almost puked in the sink after brushing my teeth. :-/

We left the hotel around 6.10... and about 5 minutes later, I realised I had left my watch in the hotel. Mr. Discovery was kind enough to run back to get it. We met back up and I got to the corrals. I ended up starting with a different corral than I meant to, but it didn't matter. Shortly after 7 AM, we were off. It was REALLY windy, which I was NOT happy about, but luckily it died down once we started.

Chillin' before the race

I must have peed about 12,000 time between lunch the day before and the race, but it still wasn't enough. I had to pee around mile 2, but every single porta-potty had a line and I wasn't going to risk my time by waiting in line for the potty.

Mr. Discovery snapped shots of the sunrise while I ran

Neptune palming the sea turtle

I felt really strong for the first seven miles. No aches, no blisters, no bad thoughts. I would have to say that throughout the race, I felt very mentally strong. I was just really happy the entire race. We got to run through a Naval fort, which was slightly interesting, but overall the race was really boring. There were two D.J.s and one band along the way and nothing to look at... at all. I saw the beach a few times, but really it was so far away.

Around mile 7 or 8, I got an aching feeling in my right leg and knee, but it wasn't that bad. I think it was from just being so darn tired from tossing and turning all night. I ran through it and everything ended up being fine. It never got worse, though it didn't really get better, either.

At mile 12, I called the hubs so he could look out for me at the finish line and so I would know which side to run on so he could snap my picture best. :-) I really picked up the pace the last 5k because I was pretty sure that I could beat two hours and fifteen minutes if I pushed hard. It paid off. I crossed the finish line right on the boardwalk at 2.14.23.

After we finished we had to walk FOREVER as they handed us water, t-shirts, hats, pretzels, bananas, and cookies. All of which I ate gratefully (well, except for the t-shirt and hat). :-)

I can honestly say there is little else that I am as proud of as I am of this race. I am hooked!

Diez. Zehn. Decem. Dix. Tien. Dez. Tio. Dieci. Dette. Ten.

That's right. 10 miles baby.

10.11 to be exact. In 1 hour, 48 minutes and 50 seconds. That's a 10.45 pace. :-) I have some GNARLY blisters, and I am extremely sore in the legs, but I feel great other than that! I ate at Chili's for dinner (I made good choices!) and had Turtle Pie for dessert (thus the being "good" at dinner). I like this run more to eat more thing.

One month (four weeks) till the big race!!! :-)

It's been extremely difficult to train and work at the same time, but I am starting to really love teaching my little freshmen. They are really fun kids and I'm starting to finally get into a groove.

I am sorry for my long absence, but school is really draining my time up right now! I hope to be blogging more soon, especially about the last month of training.

So I ran 7 miles...

and it was awesome.

Actually, I ran 7.15 miles, which is awesomer.

The first few miles were a bit of a mental battle because I was just scared of trying to get over the six mile mountain (since a 10k is the farthest I've ever run). Once I turned around, I started feeling more mentally stable and when I had about a mile and half left to go, I knew I was going to do it and I DID! I ran it in about an hour and sixteen minutes, which is a great pace for me for such a long run.

I ran four and half today at a 10.03 pace. I can't believe how fast I was! Tomorrow, I am making the hubs leave me at church so I have to run home. It's only three and a half miles, so I can do that easily. :-)

I've settled into my new job pretty well now that I have new tires on my car. ;-) I've been planning away for when I get my kids on the 24th.

I promise I have a recipe coming. It's called Moroccan Braised Beef and it is tasty! I should also have a new chicken chili recipe sometime soon, too. I am making that in the Crock Pot tomorrow for dinner. :-)

Have a good long weekend everybody!

I am ashamed...

I've been a bad blogger. Really when have I been a good blogger? ;-) I've been cooking a lot of fun meals lately, but I've been apathetic about photographing my meals. I do have a few recipes for you all, though.

Not a whole lot has been happening around the house lately. DH hasn't had as many weddings to photograph this fall, which has been nice because it means we can spend more lazy weekends around the apartment. One miracle is that I've been a little better about staying on top of the chores around the house, which is nice. Now our dishwasher's being annoying, so we'll have to get one of the maintenance people out here to fix it. I cook too much not to have a working dishwasher.

We recently had the fall kickoff for our Youth Ministry at church, which was awesome. I am so looking forward to the things that God will do this year in our Lower (and Upper) School Ministry! A few favourite photos...

One of my favourite friends ever!

Two beautiful girls in my lifegroup!

Gonna miss these girls! (They are going up to Upper School) :-(

Two more girls in my lifegroup doing motions for Mercy is Falling

Worship led by Aaron and Jordan (and others)

I haven't been able to get in much substitute teaching so far this year, so I spend most of my days watching country music videos, Desperate Housewives, and Grey's Anatomy, planning meals, and playing games on the internet. Oh what an exciting life I lead. I made a commitment to start running for real when September hit and I've been good so far about getting to the gym or on the road (it all depends on the weather). I've run just over 13 miles so far this month, which is not amazing by any stretch of the imagination, but it's pretty darn good for me just starting out again. I plan on doing at least 3 miles tonight on the treadmill (it's a hot one today).

Anyway... Some eats...

Basil Chicken in a Coconut-Curry Sauce

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cracked black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon chili powder
• 16 oz chicken breast
• Olive oil cooking spray
• 1/2 of a large red onion, cut into thin wedges (1 cup)
• 2 fresh jalapeno chile peppers, seeded and finely chopped
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 13.5- or 14-ounce can unsweetened coconut milk, low fat fine
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 3 tablespoons snipped fresh basil
• 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
• 4 servings hot cooked rice

Directions

1. In a medium bowl combine curry powder, black pepper, 1/4 teaspoon of the salt, and the chili powder. Cut chicken into 1-inch pieces. Add to spice mixture in bowl; toss to coat. Cover and chill for 1 to 2 hours to allow spices to penetrate meat. 
2. Spray oil into a wok or large nonstick skillet; heat over medium-high heat. Add onion, jalapeno peppers, and garlic to wok; cook and stir about 8 minutes or until crisp-tender. Remove onion mixture from wok. Add half of the chicken to wok. Cook and stir for 4 to 6 minutes or until chicken is no longer pink. Remove from wok. Repeat with remaining chicken. (I have a huge wok, so I cooked it all at once)
3. Stir together coconut milk, cornstarch, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt until smooth. Carefully add to wok. Cook and stir until slightly thickened and bubbly. Return chicken and the onion mixture to wok. Stir in basil and ginger. Cook and stir about 2 minutes or until heated through. Serve over hot rice. Makes 4 servings.

Review: More like Curry Chicken in Coconut-Basil Sauce, but you can't taste the sweetness of the coconut... or the basil. Maybe my curry is too spicy. I still LOVED the recipe though. It was DELICIOUS. I can't wait to eat the leftovers in a couple of minutes.

Beef and Chipotle Burritos

no photo available

Ingredients

• 1-1/2 pounds boneless beef round steak, cut 3/4 inch thick
• 1 14-1/2-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
• 1/3 cup chopped onion (1 small)
• 1 to 2 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, chopped
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano, crushed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 6 9- to 10-inch tomato-flavored or plain flour tortillas, warmed
• 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese (3 ounces)
• 1 recipe Pico de Gallo Salsa
• Shredded jicama or radishes (optional)
• Dairy sour cream (optional)

Directions

1. Trim fat from meat. Cut meat into 6 pieces. In a 3-1/2- or 4-quart slow cooker place meat, undrained tomatoes, onion, chipotle peppers, oregano, cumin, and garlic.
2. Cover and cook on low-heat setting for 8 to 10 hours or on high-heat setting for 4 to 5 hours. Remove meat from cooker. Using 2 forks, pull meat apart into shreds. Place meat in a large bowl. Stir in enough cooking liquid to reach desired consistency. Divide meat among warm tortillas, spooning it just below the centers. Top with cheese, Pico de Gallo Salsa, and, if desired, jicama and sour cream. Roll up tortillas. Makes 6 servings.

Pico de Gallo Salsa: In a medium bowl combine 2 finely chopped medium tomatoes; 2 tablespoons finely chopped onion; 2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro; 1 fresh serrano chile pepper, seeded and finely chopped (see tip); and dash sugar. Cover; chill several hours.

Review: This was my second attempt at a slow-cooker meal after a miserable fail about a year ago. I LOVE this recipe. This will have to be a regular recipe. It was SO good. Very spicy, but not too spicy. We didn't use the jicama or the sour cream. It was sooooooooo good though. Yum.

Wow! 101 posts!

My last post was my 100th post! How cool (and appropriate that it was about Disney)!

I apologize for the lack in posts lately. DH's car gave us a LOT of trouble last week and $1250 later, it is almost all better. Sigh.

We've had some good eats lately, I tell you what.

Cajun Jambalaya, Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1/2 lb raw shrimp, 26/30 size, peeled and deveined, tail on
• 4 oz boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1 inch pieces
• 1 all natural low sodium turkey sausage (I used two Jennie O's links), sliced
• 1/2 medium white onion, diced
• 1 med green bell pepper, stem and seeds removed and discarded, diced
• 1 rib celery, diced
• 1 1/2 medium vine-ripe tomatoes, cored and diced
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 1/2 tbsp salt-free Cajun seasoning
• 1 cup all-natural instant brown rice
• 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
• Sea Salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
• Olive Oil cooking spray

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 400* F
2. In a large mixing bowl, toss together all ingredients except cooking spray, mixing well until combined.
3. Prepare 2 foil pouches. Spray each piece of foil with cooking spray. Divide mixture evenly between both pieces of foil and seal.
4. Place pouches on a baking tray and slide onto middle rack of preheated oven for 25 minutes or until rice and proteins are fully cooked.
5. Carefully open pouch and pour mixture into a large bowl to serve immediately.

Modifications: I don't actually own Cajun seasoning, so I made my own. I also added some red pepper flakes and used rice that was already cooked in my rice maker. My shrimp were not peeled, because unpeeled shrimp are cheaper.

The Verdict: I loved this dish! I thought it was delicious! I think DH enjoyed it too.


Sweet and Sour Chicken, Clean Eating Magazine

Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup low-sodium soy sauce
• 2 tbsp raw honey
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp fresh ginger, grated
• 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (or more...)
• 1/4 cup pineapple juice (I added)
• 1 1/4 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, chopped into 1 inch pieces
• 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 medium green bell pepper, cut into 1 inch chunks
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1/2 fresh pineapple, cut into 1 inch cubes (I omitted)
• 12 sprigs fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 1/2 cups cooked brown rice

Directions:

1. In a small bowl, combine the first 6 ingredients. Place the chicken in a large shallow dish. Pour mixture over chicken, tossing gently. Cover and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.
2. Heat a large nonstick skillet (or wok) over medium-high heat. Add chicken and marinade and saute for 5 minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Add bell peppers and onion and cook for 5 minutes or until vegetables are slightly tender. Add pineapple (if using) and cook for 2 more minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro and serve immediately over rice for a complete meal, if desired.

Verdict: I LOVED THIS DISH. DH was okay with it. He wanted more sweet taste and a little more spice. When I make it again, I will add more spice for sure. I'll also experiment with other veggies, like broccoli, water chestnuts, et cetera.

I made another dish from Clean Eating Magazine this week, but it was a fail. Big time. It ranked in the bottom three meals ever. The worst was moussaka, next is the Tuna Nicoise Stovetop Casserole. I made cabbage wraps. The filling was good, which is why I'm glad I reserved some of that for lunches this week, because it made a good little burrito today; especially when paired with my homemade baked tortilla chips and Tom Leonard's FIRE salsa (I love the spice!).

In other news: I've been running TWICE since the last post!

Last Thursday I did four five minute runs broken up by 2 minute walk breaks. It went pretty well. Today I did a five minute run, two eight minute runs, and another five minute run broken up with 2 minute walk breaks. I did 2.75 miles in 32 minutes, which is pretty decent.I haven't had any knee pain yet, which is really nice, but I have been having pain around my rib cage where the shelf bra and sports bra end. Perhaps they are too tight, but it really hurts after a while. We'll see what happens. I hope everyone's having a lovely day and that you enjoy these recipes!!

Happy August!

We spent this past weekend in Lynchburg for a wedding, which was so fun. It was such a joy to see our college friends again, especially since so many of them live so far away!

Us in our attire for the wedding

Having been out of town for soooo long, I've not been able to cook very much, but I will post some food pictures that I have from a bit ago!

Caribbean Catfish Po'Boys with a Greek Yogurt/Goat Cheese Spread 

(Clean Eating Magazine)

Me consuming said Po'Boy

Honey Mustard Chicken with Kale and Red Pepper Rice

(Clean Eating Mag)

This week, I have some very delicious recipes all ready to go! :-)

So... I haven't exercised in a thousand years... Until last week. I ran with my sister-in-law in Texas... more like I dragged myself across the pavement... I got through a slow mile, then decided that I was going to die. Haha. I would really like to get back into it now. My university has a 5k set for Homecoming, and I'd really like to do it!

In other news... I GOT A CRICUT! SUPER FUN shall ensue! :-)

If you desire the recipe for either of these foods, I will gladly post them, but I'm not in the mood to type them up right now. Haha. :-)

Monument Avenue 10k Photos!!!!

The Start

Julia and me! We're SO cold!!!

Julia and me! We're so cute!!!!!

Just some of the cool costumes...

Me all done with my flower! :-)

Ukrop's Monument Avenue 10k Race Report!!!!

Well, I worked hard to prepare and it paid off. I wish I had stuck to the training more closely, but I came through just fine.

I picked up my packet yesterday and it was SO crowded and traffic... don't even get me started on the traffic! The interstate was at a complete stand-still!!! That's what happens when registration is maxed out at 35,000 people. Yes. 35,000. This being my first expo, I was pretty overwhelmed, but it was very cool. Lots of free treats!

I did NOT sleep well last night because I was so nervous. I was pretty much awake at 4 and took cat naps in awkward sleeping positions until 6. I REALLY didn't want to get out of bed at 6. Like, REALLY didn't want to. Somehow, I made myself remove the warm covers from my body and shuffled out of the still very dark room. I changed into my gear right away and ate my fave pre-run breakfast: whole wheat English muffin, natural peanut butter, and honey. I also drank about 25oz of water. We left around 7.20 and it took us 40 minutes to get near the race and park when it's usually a not quite 20 minute drive. The parking was the hard part, but we found a little back road that had just started filling up and parked it there. I had forgotten to eat my almonds on the way there because I was the opposite of hungry. We hoofed it the half mile or so to the race area and watched the kid's one mile fun run. I met up with Julia, an amazing girl in the youth group who was also running with her family. Her dad took us to the corrals and, thankfully, the Porta-Potties. I was in severe need of my Porta-Potty. Severe. Very Severe. Painfully Severe. You get the point.

ANYWAY, by the time I got out of my lovely (sarcasm) Porta-Potty, I had about 30 minutes until go time. I joined up with my corral and DH stayed with me until about 5 minutes before I started. I munched on almonds while we waited because I was starting to feel pretty hungry. This was one of my mistakes. A really nice girl in my wave was going to throw her jacket away because she didn't want to race with it, but she spotted DH and asked if she could at least give it to him and if she saw us after the race, she'd grab it, and if not, we could keep it or give it to Goodwill. With that taken care of, I bid DH goodbye with a kiss and steped ever closer to the start line. And then... we were off.

Almost immediately I felt a side cramp, which I usually get if I eat too close to running or if I'm not breathing properly. It wasn't too painful, but it was a nuisance for about one third to half of the race. The first mile took FOREVER because there were about 1500 people in each wave and I was in the back of the wave. If I'd have been able to run at my own pace for that mile, I might have beaten all three goals, but I am extremely happy with having met two. There were SO many cheerers out there, which really boosted my confidence. Around the second mile, someone handed me a pretty flower, which I held onto for the entire race. I gave lots of high fives and received so much encouragement. The race was pretty flat, but mostly felt like a constant crawl uphill, which is nothing compared to the hills I run. I kept wanting to drink the water at the stations (which were posted at every mile), but I resisted because I hadn't trained with water or Power-Ade, so I didn't want to mess up anything. During the last mile, I caught up to the girl who'd given us her sweatshirt and we stayed together for most of the last mile, though I'll admit, I really pushed in the last .2 or so and I got ahead.

My first goal going in was to run the whole thing, which I did. My second goal was to beat my wave, which was the group who expected to finish in 70-75 minutes, which I did. My third goal was to beat 67 minutes... I don't really know where that time came from. It's just slightly faster than an 11 minute mile pace, which I thought I could do, and probably could. My only 6.1 mile run was done in 67 some odd minutes, so I knew it'd be more challenging adding the last tenth of a mile on and picking up speed. I probably could meet this goal very soon, but I am very happy with my time (unofficial), which was....

67 minutes and 35 seconds (OFFICIALLY)!!!!! My split was 34 minutes and 50 seconds... which is over two minutes off my first 5k... which means that the second 5k of the race was 32 minutes and 45 seconds, which is awesome for me! I placed 15,265 out of 35,000 people... so yay for being faster than half of the racers!

If you've read all this so far, you should comment on this post, which is probably one of my longest ever!

After the race, we (the girl with the sweatshirt and I) met up with DH, who had missed my big finish! He was disappointed, but I know the professionals got my photo because there were about a billion of them. :-) DH and I then high-tailed it outta there while I called everyone I know who is in the country (my Dad and his wife are on a European cruise right now...) to tell them of my accomplishment! We got home and I quickly showered, did my hair and a little makeup, then went over to our friend Tony's for the consumption of pizza and two-bite brownies with some youth and young adults from church. He is moving to his first home, so we helped pack up the U-Haul after the pizza-eating. I ended up regretting this food choice because my tummy did not appreciate pizza after running 6.2 miles.

While the boys took all the stuff over to Tony's new place, I met up with my college roommate, Amanda! It was SOOOO amazing to see her again. We've not gotten together since we graduated, so a meeting was quite overdue. We hung around two of the swanky shopping centers here and oogled all the ridiculous items and their even more ridiculous prices!

DH is now out taking engagement photos for a coworker, so I am left alone to clean the house for my mother, who is coming tomorrow because we are going to see WICKED!!! Then... on Thursday... we are going to see... NORAH JONES!!! This is seriously the best week ever.

Oops... again.

Well... I started off not so great and ended not so great...

Planned:

B: Kashi with skim, juice
S: Almonds
L: Leftover Chicken Caesar Tetrazzini
S: Apple with PB
Post Exercise: Chocolate Milk
D: Veggie Pasta Bake

Actual:

B: Some of the Kashi, but it was a gross kind... tasted like dog food... so a cookie instead. A "healthy" cookie... but a cookie none-the-less, and juice
S: Two slices WW toast with Country Crock
L: Leftover Chicken Caesar Tetrazzini
S: Milk Chocolate Godiva bar
Post Exercise: Chocolate Milk
D: McDonald's Double Hamburger, Small Fries, and Cookie.

The italicized things being my bad choices. Haha.

We took our taxes into Jackson Hewlitt and ran out of time for dinner before Craig's church rehearsal, so... McDonald's. And they messed up my "NO Cheese Double Cheeseburger" by putting cheese on it, so I had to go back and they gave me free cookies. So I ate one. But not all three. Sigh. I'm hopeless.

My 5 mile run went very well. I am very happy with my time and effort and I feel pretty good about Saturday because of it. I was right about feeling more confident about Saturday if I ran today. I actually felt a little sad about having to take a break from the running after the race while I was showering. Haha.

I'm watching Grey's reruns until DH gets home and we can watch LOST and Idol. :-) I may work out again to make myself feel better about the McDonald's. I usually get the apple slices instead of fries, but I wanted fries! I haven't ordered fries in years. :-)

Oops!

I mixed up my 6 mile time and I ran it three minutes faster than I wrote online!!! 11 minute mile pace makes me much happier!!! I am being a good girl and going for my 5 miles now...

My first Zumba class!

So I've been looking into Zumba classes for a while and I've always kind of chickened out... That and DH and I are desperately trying not to spend extra money right now (which we are REALLY bad at), so being unable to justify paying for the classes was another reason I stopped myself from going. Well, DH and I were at a shopping center where I knew there was a gym that gave classes, and I decided to pop in and just *ask* about the class. It turns out that the gym is closing after this month, so they are offering the Zumba class for FREE for the rest of the month! If only I'd gone in sooner! Well, I mustered up the courage and went last night! It was me, the instructor and her mother who was in town, and three other older ladies, plus the girl working the desk.

Overall, I'd say it was pretty fun. I felt a little awkward when learning new steps, but once I got into each new song after a minute or so, I felt OK. The songs were fun, the instructor had a lot of energy, and I worked up a decent sweat. It wasn't terribly challenging as far as exercise is concerned, but I know it got my heart rate up and I enjoyed it. I'll probably go back for the last two sessions if I can. If you're considering going, I'd say go for it! It's worth one shot at least! :-)

Today is a 5 mile run... I'm putting it off and putting it off... It's grey and warmish out, but not hot, so any time I choose to go should be good. I KNOW that if I do this run, I'll feel a lot more confident about the race on Saturday. :-) I just have to go out and DO IT!

SIX MILES!!!

I ran 6.1 miles today. Holy moley that's a looooong way. I am SO looking forward to taking a break from running in six days. :-) I mean... I've liked running, but I'm ready for a break, especially with this HEAT! Sorry this is short, but I gotta go out to Maymond again with DH. He's shooting engagement photos for a co-worker and I'm going to read under a tree. :-)

Burn Notice Challenge

A nestie buddy and I (and maybe others!) have committed to be accountable in our eating and working out. I really need this to get some extra motivation to drop the extra pounds left over from my terrible habits over the past months... okay year. :-)

And now... without further adieu... my body measurements (ish... I used a tie and a ruler because I don't have measuring tape. I'll invest in some soon.)

Bust: 27.5

Waist (sucked in): 24.5
Waist (not sucked in): 28

Hips: 32.5

What I'm most concerned about is the big difference between my waist measurements... That's 3.5 inches of extra stuff floating around my stomach. Stuff that shouldn't be there. Of course, my stomach has always been my trouble spot. Part of me is glad that I never took my measurements at my heaviest point (almost 150 pounds my sophomore year of H.S.), but the other part of me wishes I could see the difference now; I think it would be encouraging.

Today is going to be a fun day. I'm supposed to run 6 miles, but I don't know when I am going to be able to do it... I slept in, which means if I ran as soon as possible, it'd be really hot outside, but we have a play to go tonight that is starring three of our kids in the youth group, so I can't run super late. I'll figure something out. :-)

Have a great day!!

I'm back...

Okay, I know it's been forever. I'm sorry. There has been a lot going on with my getting sick, church, teaching, and trips to Charlottesville. It's busy in this household.

I'll update by category. :-)

Running: I ran my first 5 mile run on March 2nd. It was amazing... I finished in under 53 minutes, which is slow for most, but great for me! :-) I had to take a week off because I got sick, then I was lazy for another 6 days. I ran Monday... 2 miles, very slowly, in the rain... and cold. I felt BAD. 13 days off is KILLER. I went out for five miles yesterday... mistake. I ran about 2.25, bought a HUGE bottle of water (it was the cheapest!) at the gas station, walked a mile, then started running again, with my giant water bottle... that was cumbersome, so I dropped it at a road sign and kept going to run a total of 1.75 miles on my second leg. All in all, a 4 mile run, with a 1 mile break. And don't worry, I went to pick up my water bottle in my car after the run. I'm drinking from it right now because it was a lot of water and I couldn't finish it. :-)

Food: Pretty boring around here lately because of the sickness and the busy thing too. I've been doing the majority of our produce shopping at Tom Leonard's, which is AMAZING. It's a "farmer's market" with the best and cheapest meats, veggies, fruits, cheeses and other yummy things ever, including LOTS of samples. Tee hee. We picked up some Nan and Trader Joe's after having a delicious dinner at the home of some of our friends from church. ALSO... I met the Lee Brothers!!!!

Go ahead! BE JEALOUS!!!!! They kicked off their new book/cooking tour for Simple, Fresh, Southern at the Williams Sonoma at Short Pump Towne Center. They made some amazing Asparagus Soup and a really great dessert. :-) So fun!!! I had just finished up subbing at an alternative school and I had to break up my first fight... so the book signing was my treat. :-) Super day overall!

Crafting: I have been making a little bit of jewelry and teaching some of the girls at church how to make things at CREATE (our Wednesday night activity for youth... Photography, Crafts, and Music are the three courses they can take right now).

(Sorry, I forgot to rotate!)

I've really enjoyed getting to know some girls from the youth group through this and LSMengage (Lower School Ministry). I also made my first project on my SEWING MACHINE (I got it for Christmas this past year). My mom helped me make a pair of pajama pants; they are super cute. In fact, I'll show ya!

Not the greatest photo of me... Oh well... :-) I also started working on my wedding album again. It's hard and slow, but I just want it to be perfect. :-)

Life: I'm currently reading this:

It's Ah-MAZING. I love it. It's extremely challenging. I feel like I'm underlining EVERYTHING. So far, the things that have hit me are this quotation:  "The irony is that while God doesn't need us but still wants us, we desperately need God but don't really want Him most of the time. He treasures us and anticipates our departure from this earth to be with Him-and we wonder, indifferently, how much we have to do for Him to get by" (Chan 61) and the chapter called "Profile of the Lukewarm". This chapter is the one that I am in the middle of right now and it is quite convicting. I can really feel God speaking to me through this book. I am so glad that my brother gave it to me for Christmas!

Subbing is going well... I'm making money at least. :-) I'm trying to get my name out there as much as possible so that I can get hired in this county (fingers crossed!).

WE GOT TICKETS TO SEE WICKED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! EEEEE!!!!!

I have really gotten tired of my fitness slump though. The beach is in 2.5 months and I really need to lose some pounds before I hit the sand in my too-teeny bikinis... :-0!!!!! I have talked with some Nesties and we are going to keep each other accountable throughout the coming months. We haven't talked details, but it's super nice to have someone else out there who understands and is willing to help! :-)

Well, I think I will wrap this up... but, I plan on doing a 101 in 1001 update soon. :-) Hope you have a lovely day!!!

New Look...

What do you think?! I think it's fancy. :-)
DH and I are watching the episodes of American Idol that I DVRed from this week. :-) It's such a sad thing that I have finally given in to this show after 9 seasons of not really watching... Oh well... It's Simon's last season... I guess I'd better watch this year. Haha. Thursday is our big T.V. night. Bones is on at 8, The Office at 9, 30 Rock at 9.30, and Pwoject Wunway (Project Runway) is on at 10... And of course I DVR Grey's. :-) That way DH doesn't HAVE to watch it... though he usually does. :-) The Mentalist is also on at 10, so that is also DVRed. I have about 5 to catch up on from this season, in addition to the first season I got on DVD for Christmas. The rest of the week is not quite as exciting T.V. wise... American Idol and LOST are the main grabbers... Desperate Housewives too, though I'm new to watching that, so I forget about it a lot. Haha. I wish I wasn't such a T.V. junkie sometimes... I promise I do other things! Like... um... um... Church! I go to church! ... I... WORK! ... When I can! And... Um... occasionally, I clean, cook, and run.

Speaking of running... I decided to push the three miler I was to do today to tomorrow because my knee was twinging a bit and my nose is a mucus factory at the moment. Sigh... I'm glad that I didn't push myself to go out today. I'll do the three miles tomorrow and it will be fantastic and then Sunday will be an actual 4 mile run... not 4.4 miles. Haha.

I am subbing for a High School Science teacher tomorrow morning, eating lunch at home, running, CLEANING, packing, and heading to Charlottesville with DH. My mother finally got a new TV (her old one is almost 30- yes 30- years old!) and had it delivered to DH's parent's house since she was going to be out of town for the delivery. So... long story not so short, we are all meeting up at my mom's tomorrow night, then DH and I will chill with his parents in town, then he and I will go over to my dad's house for the first annual family Olympics games... Think The Office Olympics that Jim and Pam orchestrated.
:-) It'll be fun!

I am extremely proud of myself for creating a meal tonight. DH told me that he felt that it felt like a recipe, not an experiment! He loved it and couldn't wait to have it for lunch tomorrow! :-) Neither can I, actually.

Hope you all have a lovely night and weekend (in case I don't write for a day or two!).