More hodge podging

So much to write about, but not sure where to start...

First off - I have lost a little bit of weight! Praise Jesus! I'm down five whole pounds from my peak last fall, and last week I wore a skirt I haven't been able to fit into for much too long. Of course, I had to wear it a bit higher on my waist that normal, but it zipped, and it didn't look obscenely tight on my hiney, so I'm calling it a win. This morning I hit a number I haven't seen since last spring. What a wonderful feeling. It only took eight weeks of half marathon training to finally see a difference. Maybe now that the ball is rolling, the rest will melt off. Right? A girl can dream...

Speaking of half marathon training... we've hit that point where we do long runs on the weekends. As in, I have to run eight miles on Saturday. Nine miles next Saturday (but that's about 900 calories). Gulp. It's totally doable, I just listen to books on tape and try to distract myself from the monotony. We run five miles, twice a week, on weeknights. That takes me a full episode of the Kardashians AND E-News with Ryan Seacrest. I know way more celebrity gossip than I ever thought possible because it's the only thing showing at the gym, and it keeps me from losing my mind from boredom on that treadmill. Oh how I wish for the day I can get Hulu on my iPhone and catch up on all my favorite tv shows... maybe then I can do a marathon. Maybe.

Mr. Right and I became ESL certified this weekend. We've done our training a bit out of order, accidentally taking an advanced two-day course last summer, leaving us utterly confused. But now we finally know the basics of lesson planning, choosing curriculum, how to structure our class. And I realized that everything I did last semester was completely wrong. My bad. Through God's grace my students learned English anyway, and loved coming to class, and they still learned about Jesus, so I'm calling that a win (like my too-high skirt that finally fit).

Speaking of ESL, I've been praying a lot about our new semester, which launches in a few short weeks. I desperately miss my students, and I'm feeling a huge burden for internationals right now. Like, my heart aches to help them. We had our dear friend Timothy from Nigeria spend the night at our place Saturday night (he lives in the seminary dorm, so we try to have him over occasionally to give him a change of scenery and a home cooked meal). He has turned into a wonderful friend, and I have learned some wonderful things about his home country. Someday I'll have to share some of the misconceptions he says he had about Americans. It's fun because we have some of the same misconceptions about Africans. If you're a praying person, please pray for his country, which is suffering from some major violence toward Christians right now.

Oh, and speaking of internationals... Mr. Right is going on a last minute international mission trip in February. For TWELVE DAYS. I was home alone for just two nights in December while he visited a friend in Oklahoma, and the house was a wreck, the dishes were dirty, and I was wearing his old t-shirts around the house as I moved from craft project to craft project. So please start praying now for both of us as we're apart for such an extended period of time. I do so love his company. But I'm also wildly excited for this opportunity for him. All of my girlfriends can expect dinner invitations during those two weeks, and it'll be a great opportunity to finish a few quilts (and start one for my nephew). And read a book or two.

I should start a list...

Weekend Hodge Podge

It's a boy!

No, it's not our boy, much to the surprise of a few friends whom misunderstood my seemingly innocent Facebook post. It's my sister's boy... and he's making his debut in just a few months!

My super cute sister and her husband hosted a gender reveal party at their house Friday night, and both sides of the family held their breath as we watched the parents-to-be cut into the cake. To our excitement, we got a blue cake (and blue mouths after eating the blue cake), and soon I'll have my very first nephew. I can't wait to start shopping!

Then again, we've already done a little shopping - Mr. Right and I found this moose rocker at an antique sidewalk sale last summer, and since my interior designer sister has an affinity for moose decor, I just had to get it. Even though there wasn't even a baby yet. I knew he'd be here someday.

The next morning, Mr. Right and I drug ourselves out of bed to run six miles... ahh, the half marathon training. This was the first time since our training started December 5 that my run actually felt good. Thank goodness. Now if only all of those runs would translate to a few lost pounds... but alas, I've lost a grand total of two pounds after 61 miles of running. Life is so unfair sometimes.

After our run we raced home, sopped up our sweat and changed into nicer clothes so we could jet off to a late morning wedding. It was one of my favorites ever - he's from Syria, she's from Dallas, and they both love Jesus like crazy. The ceremony was done in both arabic and English, and maybe it's because we've got arabic-speaking students in our ESL program, or maybe because I'm a huge softy at weddings - but I loved every minute of it. Plus I got to hold a baby at the reception.

After the wedding I went home for a much-needed nap while Mr. Right went to work for a little while, and then we got gussied up again (confession - I wore the same dress again... because it's new and because I love it - you'll see it at another wedding later this month as well) and drove to Carrollton to eat at a hole-in-the-wall Colombian restaurant.

I wore my new boots. I haven't posted these yet, so here they are - as you can see, I went with a very understated style. Actually, I went as loud as I could go... because after all, these are boots that will never see dirt... or a stirrup... so I might as well go loud and fancy.

If you live in DFW, I highly recommend Casa Vieja. We were destined to love it, since we fell in love with Colombian food (and their people) during our trip there in 2010. Fried plantains, arepas, lot's and lot's of beef, and fruit juices served up like smoothies. I had lulo juice - a fruit only grown in Colombia - the juice was pea green but tasted amazing. Kind of like a mixture of grapefruit and kiwi...

Lulo

I'm so adventurous. But my adventure has its limits... like when you start ordering blood sausage or fried pork skin. Nope, my adventure usually ends with exotic fruits and big jewelry.

What was I thinking?

My husband has peer pressured me into running a half marathon with him. I did one back in 2008 and while it was a wonderful experience, I also promised myself that I would never do it again. I'm just not made to run long distances. And I'm a huge wimp. And it takes forever.

Now, organizing a marathon, I can do. I've helped with our town's local marathon every year since 2006, and it's one of my favorite things to volunteer for. I may not be good at running 13.1 miles, but I'm very good at handing out t-shirts to 20,000+ runners.

But I do remember how tight my tushy was after I ran that half marathon, and how my metabolism stayed crazy high for months after I finished. This year when I spent so many months stuck at home sick, I mulled the idea of running another race as a sign of health victory. I'm big on marking wins. And so, in honor of reducing my tush and celebrating some good doctor visits, I've decided to jump right in. I've been running for a few weeks, so thankfully I'm already up to about 3 miles.

I have no plans to make it a fast or pretty half. The last time I ran it, my goals were to (1) not die and (2) not throw up. This time my goal will be to have fun and to do my best.

Now I need to start thinking about what I want my shirt to say... it's the best part of a race, putting some witty slogan on your back for all those people behind you to enjoy. Not that there will be many people slower than me, but I'm hoping for a few. I welcome your suggestions.

Okay, I had promised a re-cap on the White Rock Half Marathon. Here goes...

The race was one of those really cool moments in my life... I worked so hard, for so many months to be able to do this. I'm not a runner. I never will be. I have asthma, I'm not a super athlete, I tend to be a bit lazy, and I'm very, very busy. So the fact that I did this without giving up was kind of unexpected.

I ran it with three friends from church. I couldn't have done it without the camaraderie that went along with running with friends. Otherwise I would have quit after a few weeks. They made it fun.

Here's a play-by-play of the race, for the two people who might care...

1. The night before, we went for high-carb pizza, and then an emergency trip to pick out a running outfit for Sara. Luckily, we found success quickly and made it home in time for a good night's sleep.

2. I woke up at 4:45 a.m. on Sunday and rode with my friends to Dallas. Sara and I had debated about wearing make-up for the race... it seems so vain, but we knew we were going to se a bunch of people out there, and we didn't want to look like death. So I ran my race with a tiny bit of mascara, eye liner, and concealer. I'm sure it all sweat off after mile 2. But what can I say, I'm a girl.

3. About five minutes before the race began, I realized my iPod, filled with my super-awesome running playlist, had frozen. It wouldn't work. In a panic, I called Sister Lindsay who lives in Dallas and asked her to meet me at mile 6 with her iPod. I think I may have to sue Apple. And I think I'm going to need to get Lindsay a nicer Christmas gift for saving my life with a new iPod to distract me from the pain I was feeling. She rocks.

4. Speaking of pain... I felt a lot of it at mile 5. It was pretty hot and there wasn't much water on the course, and I got a stomach cramp.... one of those that feel like a knife twisting in your side. It was so bad at one point that I either wanted to throw up or curl to the fetal position. But at that point there was nothing to do but keep plugging along. The cramp lasted about 1.5 miles and really slowed my time down. But that's okay... sometimes those things happen. And it went away before mile 7.

5. I felt absolutely fantastic for miles 1-4, and then again for miles 7-10. Around the tenth mile I started to feel like I might throw up. It's not really very fun to run while half expecting you might hurl at any given moment. So I had to do some more walk/run for awhile.

6. I think around mile 12 is when I wanted to die the most. Isn't running fun?

7. And then, after 13.1 miles, I crossed the finish line. That part was fantastic. It meant I could stop... no more running, no more wanting to throw up, no more stomach cramps... they loaded me up with a finisher's medal, a t-shirt, a cup of water (yes!), and I was instantly a much happier girl.

My time was a lot slower than I had wanted it. I basically ran about a minute a mile slower than had been my goal... but that's okay. I finished. And even though for a good part of that race I was in extreme pain and wanted Jesus to come down out of heaven and rapture me so I could leave the miserable run behind, I still have really good memories of the day. I got to run with 17,000 other runners, while 150,000 spectators cheered me on for 13.1 miles. And I got to do it with friends. While wearing mascara.

On Sunday, after the race, I thought I might never want to run again. Today, just three days later, I'm seriously considering doing this whole thing again. Only faster. 

By the way... I'm not sure why the photo spacing is so whacky... so you'll just have to ignore that. I couldn't post captions... but wanted to explain the first photo with the old guy. That's Larry, who has the Guinness World Record for most marathons in one year... this was his 105th marathon in 2008. Not only that, but he has run a marathon in all 50 states. I haven't even been to all 50 states, much less run a marathon in them! So of course, we had to get a picture...

Running in silence

I survived the half marathon. I'm so pleased that all four of us who started training so many months ago ran the race together. Well, actually, we started together, but my friends finished a little ahead of me. And that's okay, because it meant I got to cheer them on from behind!

I'll post more on the race later, but for now, I'm so glad that I'm done with all this training. No more late night runs, no more 6 a.m. Saturday runs (I know... crazy, huh?) and no more calling 8 miles a "short" run. I get to go back to the normal world where I'm satisfied if I run 30 minutes on a treadmill once or twice a week. Probably once a week. If that.

Now it's time for these sore legs of mine to crawl into bed and take a nice, long nap. Ahhh... there's nothing like a good rest after a big accomplishment.

One more thing I can cross off my list of life goals. Half Marathon... check.

Half Marathon Playlist

Here it is... my half marathon soundtrack. 

Whoot, There It Is - 95 South

Panama - Van Halen

Jump Around - House of Pain

Tootsee Roll (Dance Version) - 69 Boyz

Paper Planes - M.I.A.

Love Lockdown - Kanye West

Deport Them - Sean Paul

Love Story - Taylor Swift (I'm obsessed with this song, so it's on here more than once)

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot

I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fraid

Hot N Cold - Katy Perry

Pump Up the Jam - Technotronic

See You Again - Miley Cyrus

When I Grow Up - The Pussycat Dolls

Picture to Burn - Taylor Swift

Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J

Enter Sandman - Metallica

Whatta Man - En Vogue

Singe Ladies (Put a Ring On it) - Beyonce

Funky Cold Medina - Tone Loc

All That She Wants - Ace of Base

Womanizer - Britney Spears

Move This - Technotronic

Love Story - Taylor Swift

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice

Crazy Train - Ozzy Osbourne

California Love - 2Pac

Barbie Doll - Jack Ingram

Here Comes the Hotstepper - Ini Kamoze

Mood Rings - Relient k

Give a Little Love - The Judds

Sadie Hawkins Dance - Relient k

Butterfly - Crazy Town

Temperature - Sean Paul

7 Things - Miley Cyrus

Just a Lil Bit - 50 Cent

Love Don't Live Here - Lady Antebellum

Oops! I Did It Again - Britney Spears

Red High Heels - Kellie Pickler

Son's Gonna Rise - Citizen Cope & Santana

Paper Planes - M.I.A.

Love Lockdown - Kanye West

Baby Got Back - Sir Mix-a-Lot

I'm Too Sexy - Right Said Fred

Ice Ice Baby - Vanilla Ice

Perfect fit

I always have to have the perfect outfit for my race. It's a little tradition I started back with my first marathon relay up in Oklahoma City about four years ago. I may not be good at running, but I want to look good when I run. 

So on Sunday I will be sporting a brand-new pink running outfit... pink from head to toe. I bought it today. It's sporty and super girly (who would have guessed) and should help me shave off at least a few minutes on Sunday. As those faster runners go zooming past me, they'll all be thinking, "That girl has on such a cute outfit that I almost didn't notice how slowly she runs."

And because the store was running such a good sale, I also got the perfect yoga outfit... a bright green yoga outfit. Because next week, when I retire my running shoes and replace it with my yoga mat, I'll need something to wear.

Carb load

According to Wikipedia, I am supposed to be practicing "carb load" this week. It's a tough job, but I'm up for the challenge. That's why I ate french fries for dinner, made rice krispie treats (dyed green and made to look like Christmas wreaths, yum) for dessert, bought croissants for breakfast tomorrow... this may be the best part of my training program.

I wonder if it's bad if I decide to extend "Carb Load Week" to "Carb Load Month." Or maybe 2009 could be "Carb Load Year." 

Are there carbs in chocolate mousse cake? Because I had some of that today too.

Just the facts, ma'am

A half marathon is 13.1 miles, or 21,097.5 meters.

Half marathon male world record: 58:33. Female world record: 1:06:25.

(By contrast, I hope to run it in about 2:10-2:20, maybe slower).

As of June 30, 2007, Horst Preisler of Germany had successfully completed 1157 full marathons, plus 343 ultramarathons (Mr. Horst is obviously nuts).

Ever wonder how they measure the length of the course? Here's how.

Only four days to go... Happy Half Marathon Week.

Running is Biblical

One of the things I love about running is that it's Biblical. The Bible uses it as a theme throughout scripture... a theme for Christian discipline, for perseverance, for never giving up, and for finding strength in Christ when we have none left for ourselves. The Bible makes it clear that our faith should not be a sprint, but a marathon. These are some of the verses that I will be quoting as I run on Sunday:

Psalm 119:32

I run in the path of your commands, for you have set my heart free.

Proverbs 4:11-12

I guide you in the way of wisdom and lead you along straight paths. When you walk, your steps will not be hampered; when you run, you will not stumble.

Philippians 2:16

As you hold out the word of life--in order that I may not boast on the day of Christ that I did not run or labor for nothing.

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles, and let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.

And finally... for the verses that explain why I run. And the reason why I live my life the way I do. You might call it my "life verses." I even have part of it engraved on my iPod, so I can remember it when I'm ready to give up.

1 Corinthians 9:24-27

Do you not know that in a race that all the runners run, but only one gets the prize? Run in such a way as to get the prize...  I beat my body and make it my slave so that after I have preached to others, I myself will not be disqualified for the prize.

National Half Marathon Week

In just seven days I run my first half marathon. So I hereby proclaim December 8-14 to be National Half Marathon Week. "Says who?" you may ask... well, says me!

There are many important aspects of preparing for a half marathon. The two most important keys to a good race are having the perfect wardrobe, and the perfect soundtrack.  

Here's where you come in. I need suggestions from all of my music loving friends (like you, David!). No song is too crazy... my current running playlist includes Metallica, Ozzie, Britney, Miley, Keith Urban, Nirvana, Vanilla Ice, Tupac, and Faith Hill. I'll take all your suggestions and publish my Perfect Half Marathon Running List later this week. 

Time for bed. For the next seven days I need to get lot's of sleep, eat tons of carbs, and run!

Front page news

Today I had a story on the front page of the newspaper. Actually, it was on the front page of both Section A and Section B, complete with several pictures. That story represents hours of work behind the scenes, coordinating interviews for the reporter, prepping my folks being interviewed, finding background research... I even had to re-design our Web site so they could link to a certain video (which didn't exist until I did a quickie online tutorial on how to upload videos... now that's customer service!).  My name may not be on the story, but seeing it there in black and white (with color photos!) makes me a really happy girl. Plus, it makes my boss really happy, which is even better. I do these all the time, but this one I'm framing and hanging in my office... it was that good.

Other than that... I forgot to mention that I ran 5 miles yesterday with an average of 8:30 per mile. I've got to hit it hard again tomorrow, and then we'll run 12 on Friday. Three more weeks and I start my lazy girl workout!

Playing Hookie

I was scheduled to run with a friend tonight, and here's how the conversation went, via text message, about 30 minutes before our run was scheduled to start:

(Sara)--Brrrr! Are we still running?

(me)--Is it really cold? I haven't been outside. I feel sick today, we could skip and grab dinner instead.

(Sara)--lol. That was way too easy. My roommate is making chili, come join us!

(me)--Deal!

And that's how my 1-hour run turned into a 2 1/2 hour dinner with friends... which was so much better than running in the cold wind.

Speedy

Check this out... tonight I ran 4.06 miles in only 36:02 minutes... that's 8:52/mile. I know this because I bought one of those cool Nike thingy's that plug into your iPod and tell you how fast/how far you are running. It's a pretty neat invention!

Last Saturday I ran 10 miles in 1 hour and 56 minutes. For those keeping track, that's very, VERY slow (it would have been faster if I wasn't so close to throwing up for the last two miles... fun). I'm shooting for a 10-minute mile at my half-marathon, which means I have a lot of training to do in the next month! And then, after that, I will have a lot of sitting-on-my-couch-eating-ice-cream-and-not-exercising to do. Beginning December 15. Mark your calendar, maybe you can "train" with me.

World's Record (for me)

Today my training partner and I set out to run 9 or 10 miles. We got up at the crack of dawn (my alarm went off at 5:00 a.m. on a Saturday... yikes!) and kicked off our run with a group of other crazy individuals around 6:00.

Neither of us knew the course, which wound its way through the ritzy neighborhoods of Fort Worth, an area I don't typically frequent. The rest of our group wanted to run 12, and when it was time for us to separate and set off on our own for the "shorter" 9-mile run, the directions they gave us were so complicated that we knew there was a 99.99 percent chance we would get lost. The thought of roaming the neighborhoods of Fort Worth, forcing ourselves to run further than we wanted to, was daunting, so we gave in to the peer pressure and did 12 with the rest of the group.

My legs have never been so tired in my entire life. However tired I have been before, I can multiply that by two, and that's how tired my poor little legs were at the end of TWELVE miles. But it's also really cool to say I've now run TWELVE miles. Gee whiz, that's a really long way.

My favorite part of group runs is the breakfast celebration afterward. Eating pastries, or waffles, or sausage, or anything else that's unhealthy is so much fun after you have burned 1200 calories.

The other good thing about getting up early to go for a long run is the LOOOOONG nap you get to take afterward. Sigh. That part is good too.

Nine!

I did it! This morning I ran NINE WHOLE MILES at the park! Woo hoo!

You see, a few years ago the thought of running one whole mile was so overwhelming. I have asthma. And I'm a bit lazy. And running makes my body hurt. And I'm too busy. And I don't really like it that much. And it's usually too cold, or too hot, or I ate too big a lunch, or I had a coke. Hundreds of excuses of why I couldn't run, didn't have time to run, didn't need to run.

And then I started to run.

Before today, the most I had ever done was somewhere between 7-8 miles, during my first unsuccessful half-marathon attempt. This morning, when my alarm went off at the ungodly hour of 6:45 (made worse after my late night rodeo adventure, which I will write about soon), all I wanted to do was hide under my covers and avoid the inevitable exercise. Again, my week was too hard, I am behind on my sleep, I felt a little dehydrated, and my body ached. I am so, so good at making excuses.

But my running buddy was waiting for me, and I couldn't let him down, so I willed myself out of bed, in a daze somehow stumbled around my house, found my running shoes, and headed out the door.

And then it happened. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Cool and crisp. We started running, and we never stopped. It was one of the best runs I've had in months. I think it's either that runner's high people talk about, or maybe my body just goes numb and my brain turns to mush as I stare blankly at the endless sidewalk before me, and I stop noticing the pain. Either way, it felt great.

To celebrate, I got a giant latte and a cinnamon roll from one of my favorite coffee shops (Buon Giorno... yum), and now I'm sitting on my back porch, enjoying a quiet, cool morning, getting ready to tackle tomorrow's Sunday School lesson.

Lighter

After such a serious blog, I must lighten the mood and brag on myself, and make fun of myself. All of this caffeine is keeping me from sleeping, so I might as well keep writing.

I have been so good lately. Last Saturday, I ran 7 miles (at 6 a.m.!). Last night, I ran 4-5 after class. On Saturday, I plan to tackle 8. Go me. I kind of figured I would have quit this half-marathon thing by now.

Now for the shameful part. Today I ate Chick-fil-a. Twice. For breakfast and lunch. They were handing it out at the hospital and I managed to scavenge enough food to save me from having to actually stop working to eat. I would have had it for dinner, too, but I had a coworker who was hungry, and I gave her my spare chicken sandwich. Yep, I'm selfless alright. And sick of chicken. So for my dinner... some cereal I found in my desk drawer and some cinnamon bread from Starbucks. If you added some Ramen noodles to the list, I'd be back in college.

Yesterday? My awesome diet consisted of quiche, a large meatball sub, Doritos, and four granola bars for dinner... two on my way to class, two after class on my way to go running. And then I topped the night off with cereal around 10:30. Because they say the best thing to do is eat dinner right before you go to bed. I think Oprah had that in a book somewhere.

Sunday? Well, I managed two dinners that night. One from Taco Bell, one from Red Robin. Tacos, burgers, and french fries. Oh yeah, and I also had donuts and barbecue.

Yep, I'm a regular Olympic athlete. On the outside, I'm a lean-mean running machine, and on the inside, I'm one giant clogged artery. But this giant clogged artery is just doing her best to survive, and will get back to eating healthy as soon as her schedule slows down. Don't judge me, just love me.

Running alone

Tonight I went running in the park. All by myself. Like the big girl that I am. Normally I run with my friend, the super runner. He can run further and faster than I'll ever be able to run, but he's nice enough to go with me so that I don't have to do the long runs by myself.

Because let's face it, I'm a running disaster waiting to happen.

Let's see. Tonight I ran about 5.5 miles. I had an asthma attack. I got lost. And toward the end, my stomach cramped so bad that I couldn't walk. And all of that happened several miles from my car. Plus I got lazy and walked a lot more than normal.

I think there's a strong possibility that if I continue to run alone, somebody will find me wandering the streets of Fort Worth, looking for my car. Or I'll be passed out on the sidewalk, and runners will have to step over my limp but well-dressed body as they go by. Either way, it won't be pretty.

So I'm either going to have to call my running friend again, or I'm going to start running with my inhaler, my cell phone, and a whistle. And maybe some flares. And a pistol. And an atlas. Looks like I'm going to need a backpack that matches my running shoes.

Random hilarity in my head

1. Good old Tiffany saved the day yet again. She got my sewing machine to work, and thanks to her help and encouragement, I have successfully pieced together my first quilt! It helps to have friends who are talented, occasionally it rubs off on me. It also helps to have a hobby that involves an excuse for a girls’ night. Not that anybody ever needs an excuse for girls’ night! This means I'm well on my way to becoming a quilting phenom... maybe I'll be the female Michael Phelps of quilting. I'll post photos as soon as I can find where I put my digital camera...

2. I ran seven miles tonight at the park. It was ugly. On Saturday, when I did six, I felt fantastic. Tonight, I just wanted someone to shoot me. Funny how that happens sometimes.

3. I think I have a ripping problem. Or a “moving too fast” problem. Today, I bent down to grab something off the bottom shelf of my storage cabinet, and stood up too fast. Riiiiip. My high heel got caught on my cute black skirt and ripped a hole right through it! It wouldn’t be so bad if this wasn’t the millionth time I have ripped my clothes at work. I had to go home and change. I loved that skirt, but alas, now it’s just a distant memory.

4. I’m now a girl with two jobs! As if I didn’t have enough things going on right now, I have taken the job as a graduate assistant to a professor up at school. In exchange for working on projects for them from home, I’m getting free tuition PLUS a stipend! Hooray! The only challenge will be fitting in that work between my full-time job, my homework from grad school, my half-marathon training, my tennis game, my new quilting hobby, my Sunday School teaching, and my social life. Yeah, I think I can do it! (In reality, I’m super thankful to have this new job, because private school tuition is EXPENSIVE, so this is a huge blessing!)

5. A few months ago I blogged about running into a guy from high school whom I hadn't seen in nine years. When we finally ran into each other, I was getting my hair done and had a head full of goop, wearing a shower cap, sitting under a hair dryer (hey, having hair this naturally blonde requires a lot of work). I looked awful. Well, guess who I saw AGAIN after I ran my six miles on Saturday in the heat of the day. Yep, same guy. Only this time instead of a head full of goop, I was sweating PROFUSELY, my face purple, huffing and puffing. Boy do I know how to impress a guy! Groan.

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Sorry, my head was just swimming with information. I’m probably still a bit delusional from lack of oxygen to my brain after all that running. I’m off to go soak my poor muscles and slip into bed early. Thanks to everyone who has been leaving me comments, it makes me so happy to see them!

Clearing my head

Well, my flight is now booked. I'll be flying DFW to Brussels to Venice, and coming home Barcelona to New York to DFW. Between the flight and the cruise, I bet I see 20 cities on my trip. That part is exciting.

Unfortunately, I may have to sell a kidney to pay for it. Because of the mix-up with my frequent flier miles, I had to pay FULL PRICE. Gulp. Maybe I should get a part-time job. Or find a rich, unsuspecting man to marry between now and then. Nah, maybe I'll just stop eating out so much. (this reminds me of my favorite first line of any book... the first line of Pride & Prejudice... you should look it up, and you'll love it too).

Spending $1500 very unexpectedly kind of stressed me out (let's just say I was very close to hugging the toilet), so I went for a long run at the park tonight with a friend. We ran for a little over an hour--we're not sure how far we went, but I'm estimating it was about six miles. I'm still planning on running that half-marathon in December, so this was a good step in the right direction!

All of that running made the expensive ticket seem a lot less important. I think I'm just too tired to care!