50 Shades

Well, a few days ago I finally finished the 50 Shades series.  Aside from the really graphic and intense sex scenes, which I skipped over in many cases, as I found out many of my friends did as well, the books got better.  Especially the third book, which actually was suspenseful and more of a thriller (although mild) at times.  It added elements that gave you something to focus on other than these crazy sexcapades.  The book was really, really predictable in many instances, but that wasn't too terrible of a drawback. 

Would I read them again?  No.  Am I glad I read them?  Yes.  Why?  Well, if I hadn't, I'd have been left wondering what all the fuss was about, and they were entertaining.  Would I recommend the book to others?  Some, yes, others, no.  These books are not for the shy and faint of heart.  Nor are they for the easily embarrassed or narrow minded. 

I did like how the epilogue really did a great job tying up all the lose ends.  No questions were left unanswered, which was nice.  The story was finished nicely, wrapped up in a nice bow!

Thankful Thursday

Thankful for many things today, and they're all over the board, so here you go:

1. Hair appointment today! :)  Getting rid of these roots!
2. My friend is going to be okay after his terrible motorcycle accident.  A long road to recovery is so much better than no recovery at all, and he was very seriously injured.  People, be careful...
3. I get to hang out with the amazing Heather for a photo shoot this Saturday!!  That's two in one!
4. Vegas next week!!
5. Birthday festivities!
6. M friends and family, as always.

The Value of Relationships

Very recently, I found out that an ex boyfriend of mine's brother had been seriously, I mean seriously, injured in a motorcycle accident.  Having not kept in touch with the ex or his family, I was very hesitant to reach out and offer my thoughts and prayers.  Way back when, when the ex and I were dating (high school, early college), I was close with his family,but when we broke up the relationships I had formed with his mom, step dad, brother, etc. all faded away. 

Well, I just couldn't sit around and not let the family know that my thoughts and prayers were with them.  So, I sent a message to my ex's mom.  I simply told her I was praying for all of them and would continue to do so.  She was so kind in her response, and she even said that she was glad I contacted her. 

Just because people don't remain a constant in our lives does not change the fact that you care about them.  We meet people all the time, and people come and go in and out of our lives constantly, but just because you may lose touch with someone doesn't make it wrong to reach out and let them know that you care, especially in a situation like this.  Do I have anything to do with my ex or his family?  No, but for a long time, they were all very much a part of my life, and I certainly don't want anything bad to happen to them.  Quite the opposite, actually.  I wish them the best, and I was so concerned about the accident and what it meant. 

I thank my ex's mom for being so kind to me as to fill me in and let me know what happened.  To this day, she means quite a bit to me, as do so many people from my past.

I think this post is about not being afraid to reach out.  There are so many circumstances that come up where we want to tell someone how we feel but we are scared to for whatever reason.  Fear is something that should not hold you back from telling someone you care about them.  I hope that no one feels that I hold ill will towards them because I don't talk to them anymore.  People grow apart and change; life takes us in new directions, but this was a learning experience to me.  I didn't expect my ex's mom to thank me for contacting me.  I don't know what I expected, but I was so happy in the response I got.  Not the news of the accident, but that she now knows that I'm praying for a full, speedy and hopefully painless recovery for her son. 

People are put in our past not to be forgotten, but to learn from.  And we should never stop loving those that have held a place in our heart.  It's sad it took a very serious accident for me to reach out, although otherwise, I wouldn't have had a reason to contact her.  But it's sad that I was scared to.  In any situation, if you feel the need to reach out, please do so.  It's really the only option, other than possibly facing terrible regret for not expressing your feelings.  Imagine if he hadn't made it?  I shudder at the awful, awful thought.

Negative, negative, negative

I probably shouldn't even write a post like this, but, it's my blog, and I've got a lot on my mind that is causing some major negative emotions and writing may felt me figure them out. 

First off, I've been watching the Bachelorette for the ENTIRE season...  I knew that with the finale being on Sunday, that may cause some problems because we've got other things that we tend to watch on Sundays.  But the finale was 3 hours long, so after an unexpected dinner with some friends, it was just too late to start the 3 hour finale.  It irritates me to no end how the VERY FIRST thing I hear on the radio when I get into my car is the outcome of the show.  Of course, I call Husband, who (of course) informs me that I knew that would happen...  Thanks for that, Sweetie.  I think it's so rude of people to announce spoilers SO quickly after the show ended.  Really?  I know I'm being a bit ridiculous here, but I'm so frustrated.

On top of that, I had a major case of cabin fever this weekend.  Although Husband offered to do something after dinner on Friday, we ran into the exact problem we do every Friday.  Where do we go for casual drinks to celebrate the beginning of the weekend?  I'm sure it's not that hard to find a place in this lovely little town we live in, but nothing ever comes to mind.  This makes me miss the actual city.  Not that I'd come up with anything if we were there, but right now, I feel like my options would be more open.  Who knows...  So, we went to bed early.  Sometimes, I choose to stay up late and read, but I wanted to get up early and run, so I went to bed early, too.  And I got up way too early.  It's perfect for running, but when I couldn't make myself get a nap in, it just made for a long day.  We didn't do anything that evening, and I was literally waiting around for it to be not too early for bed.  Pathetic. 

I'm very aware that this is all my doing.  I simply needed to say, "Hey, I want to do this or go here," and I'm sure he'd have been happy to do so, but sometimes I want him to take the initiative.  He knew I'd been sitting on my ass all day.  Of course I'm bored.

Sunday.  Not much better.  I took Sunday as a rest day because I knew I needed one, and I figured I'd get up and restart the workout on Monday.  I managed to stay in bed a little later than normal on Sunday, which was nice.  I guess I needed that 10 hours of sleep.  I went to the grocery store, but that was it.  Husband had suggested golf, but I don't want to play every weekend.  Every other weekend is fine for me.  I'll get burned out.  Plus, he takes it too seriously.  Part of me almost wishes we'd never started this venture.  When I complained about the cabin fever, he said that he would have suggested other things to do, but I apparently don't like to do much. No, I don't like going to the movies.  Especially after sitting around all weekend watching t.v.  There is also just something about movie theaters that I don't like.   I don't know if it's the germ, the people, the noise, being confined...  It's just not my thing.  It never really has been.  It's not normal; I understand that. 

Any other suggestions as to what we can do?  I didn't want to suggest dinner because he'd spent the day cooking a brisket, but when we got the call to meet our friends, he wanted to meet them, and I was happy to get out of the house and visit.

I didn't get up to run this morning, which disappointed me, but I was tired, and after sleeping so much Saturday night, I can't help but think my body just really needed some rest.  But maybe that's a good thing, seeing as now I can just hop on the elliptical when I get home and watch the (spoiled) season finale of the Bachelorette. 

Aren't I a ball of sunshine today?  At least it isn't too late to turn it around.  I'm looking forward (no expectations though) this upcoming weekend.  And week, to an extent.  Girls' evening tomorrow, date night Wednesday and hair appointment Thursday.  This weekend- photo shoot with Heather!! and pool day Sunday!  Early birthday celebration. :) I'm milking my birthday as much as I can!

So, there you have it.  Positives and negatives, and the revelation that I need to force that good mood and positive attitude.

And the Weekend Continues!!

Once again, I'm up too early on a Saturday! 

Last night was very low key, and we went to bed early, which may have something to do with me waking up at 6:15! :/  And grouchy.  Yep, I will admit it; I was a bit of a morning grouch today.  But no one had to put up with me, seeing as hubby left pretty early for golf.  I didn't want to run, but I made myself, and it really improved my mood! :) One of the many benefits of working out!

Not sure what today will hold...  But I hope it's something fun!!  Pool?  Nap?  Shopping?  Only time will tell! I've already cleaned a little around the house and worked out, so I've been pretty productive.  Good job me!  Happy Saturday morning!!

So Far, Really Good

Awhile ago, I posted about not having expectations because they tend to lead to disappointment...  My theory was that if you don't have certain expectations for something, you can just sit back and enjoy whatever happens to come about.  And if things don't go well, well, you aren't disappointed.  I've had hits and misses with this whole experiment.  I'm going to try something a little different, but along the same lines this weekend (key word "try").  I'm going to try to blog throughout the weekend, giving updates on what's going on, focusing on the good stuff.

This idea came to me because I have already had such a great morning.  First off, I got a ton of sleep last night.  Good sleep.  And I woke up feeling rested and ready for the day. I got a good run in, along with a pretty good workout.  Then, while working out, I checked my Facebook updates, and... I found out that one of my best friends booked her flight to Vegas for my birthday trip!!  Such a wonderful surprise!  I was hopeful that she'd be able to make it, but I wasn't positive.  So, that was pretty exciting!  Things are starting to come together with the trip.  We're figuring out where we'll go...  Club, pool, dinner...  All the *big* stuff!!

I'm trying to not  look ahead to the rest of the weekend, but I am supposed to have lunch with a friend and then dinner with the husband.  Maybe go out for a drink after, but seeing as he has a tee time at 7:30 a.m. tomorrow, that may not happen.  Trying my best to not let that get me down.  I'd like to actually have a fun Friday night, but if we don't go out after dinner, there is always tomorrow. 

On a sad note, a sweet friend of mine is putting her dog do today. :( My heart breaks for her.  But she gave her sweet puppy a wonderful life, and saved her from the animal shelter.  I know that doesn't make it easier on her, but she is doing the kind thing by giving her sweet little girl a way out of the pain she is in.  :'(

Thankful Thursday

Today I am thankful that the sun is shining again!  The rain has been nice, but it's also nice to see the some reappear!

I'm also thankful for a laid back weekend to look forward to!!

Raining and Training

I'm not sure what's going on with the weather here lately, but it seems like we've gotten more rain over the past couple of weeks than we've gotten in the past year!  I'm certainly not going to complain about this, seeing as how droughts have been all too common over the past few years, but it certainly is an adjustment.  It does, however, cause some potential setbacks when it comes to running.  I really didn't slack this past week in my training for the half marathon, but I don't feel like I got the best workouts I could have.  I no longer feel that the elliptical cuts it on days that I need to be running outside.  I've mentioned that my work schedule calls for me to change up my off days and make other changes to my training schedule, but there's not much I can do about that.  I am, unfortunately, realizing that I'll probably have to add some evening runs to my schedule here pretty soon.  This is going to be a tough one.  There are days when I have to get to work just a little too early to get a morning run in.  If it's raining (which, as I mentioned, has become very common), I don't mind hopping on the elliptical...  Something is definitely better than nothing, right?  But if it isn't raining, I think it's time to step it up and face the heat.  I think the best way to go about this major change is to keep the runs short and stick close by my house.  Maybe even break them up into two parts so I can stop for a water break.  It seriously is dangerous to try to run in such drastic heat, especially when you've become accustomed to the cool mornings (cool being a relative term here).  So, I'm going to try to implement this idea and see how it goes.  Skipping my long run this past Saturday really messed up my routine, but it was pretty much necessary.  I was exhausted from Friday.  That goes back to listening to your body.   Despite all my naps and sleeping in much later than I'm used to, I'm still struggling to keep my eyes open today.

So, no more slacking!!  If I'm going to do this (and I'm going to do this), I'm going to give it my all! :)

It's still not too late to sign up and run with me, so consider it!!

Ladies' Nite and Weekend Recap

Friday night was the Chamber's annual Ladies' Nite.  This event is just for the ladies, and other that helping set up during the day and clean up (which was a breeze) afterwards, the staff didn't have any real "job" to do during the event.  This is by far one of our most fun events!  This year's theme was "Prom Rewind," so everyone either broke out their old prom dress or found something on the formal, yet gaudy side to wear.  There were some crazy dresses.  The guys on the committee put on the entertainment, and this year, we had a Prom Queen Competition (yep, pretty much a drag show), and we were treated to a performance from NKOTB!!!  Priceless! 

The dress I wore was the actual dress my manager wore to her prom the year I was born!  Very cool!  I just happened to have the petticoat from my wedding dress at my house (for the photoshoot with the very talented Heather on the 28th), and it worked perfectly with the dress.

Here are some pictures from Friday:

Two of my co workers and me...  All the blondes wore pink...  And pretty much looked like Barbies. :)

Yep, the dress was LARGE!!

My boss and me. :) He cleans up pretty nicely!

So, Friday was a long day...  It was actually the last day that I ran.  Shame on me for slacking this week.  I only ran a few times, but I did manage to get the elliptical training in a bit to try to make up for it.  Here is one of the reasons I love morning runs:

It's so pretty!!  There are so many positives to running early, and I don't know if I could handle the heat anymore if I tried to push it into the afternoon anymore. :/  It's also so peaceful early in the day.  I love it!

But, as I said, Friday was a long day, starting with a 6:25 a.m. run and going through the event, which wasn't over until 11:30, then we had to clean up.  When I got home, some friends were visiting, and I don't get to see them all that often because they have a sweet little baby that likes to go to bed early, so I took full advantage of their visit...  And was up WAY too late!!  Getting up early on Saturday did not happen...  Shame on me, but I need to catch up on my rest BADLY!  I spend some quality time on the elliptical, but it just isn't the same.  I totally flaked out on my long run this weekend, and I feel bad about that.  I didn't even run today.  I needed an actual "rest" day because I haven't had one since last Sunday. 

Yesterday, Husband and I went to an early dinner and sat on the patio to have a few drinks.  There was a bad storm that we got to watch come it, and it caused the wait staff to put down the plastic window things to keep us from getting soaked, but it was still fun to sit outside during the storm.  We were joined by some of our friends who will be going to Vegas with us so we could try to make plans...  I think we have a good idea of what we'll be doing and when.  Now, it's just deciding on which pool to go to and which club to get in. 16 days!!!

The storm coming in.

Random picture from last night.

Another random one. :)

Today, I intended to try to run, but we already know that didn't happen.  So, on my rest day, I played golf.  This was the first time Husband and I played with just the two of us.  It was fun, but VERY muddy.  I think I've improved a bit since I last played, which was a few weeks ago.  That doesn't mean I did well, but I did do better! :)  Husband did well too!!

Really hoping the running goes MUCH better this week!!

Vegas, Baby!

In 22 days, I will be in Las Vegas to celebrate my 28th birthday!  Not being a huge fan of getting older, I try to make the best out of birthdays by having lots of fun activities to celebrate with family and friends!  ...and, as many have put it, getting older certainly outweighs the alternative...  Vegas is such a fun city, and it hold so many wonderful memories for me.  It's even where Husband proposed to me! :)  Although we go a couple of times each year, Vegas just doesn't get old!  Husband and I go alone most of the time, but for this trip, we will be joined by a few of our friends!  I'm so excited about that!  We'll still have time to do our own thing, but we'll have a group for our pool day and enough people to pull off a fun night at a club!  All in all, I am getting more and more excited about this trip as each day goes by!  Vegas certainly isn't for everyone, but it is definitely for us!  Besides gambling and walking the strip (and watching all the crazy people), we make it to the occasional show, eat at amazing restaurants and make so many random, wonderful friends!

Not the best picture, but this is one I just found...  Anyways, this is what the background to our engagement looked like!  I'll post some pictures from our actual engagement at some point.  Probably for an anniversary of our engagement post in September.

This is the hotel we stay at most of the time! Love it!



And here are a few from our last trip:

Sorry for the poor quality...  But this is about the spot where we got engaged! :) <3

Yep, that would be a VERY nice hand at Pai Gow!!

Again, not the best quality, but I thought this was a pretty cool picture!!  Champagne in Vegas?  Why not?! :)

Mommyhood

As you may know, I've gone back and forth about a million times about whether or not babies are in the cards for Husband and me.  If they are, when?  When is it too late?  Is it ever too late?  Is there ever a right time?  So many questions...  But it seems that lately, I've just been bombarded with kids.  Friends having kids, meeting new people with kids, spending time with family and friends who have kids...  The list just goes on and on, and the common factor that comes to mind in so many of my recent encounters would be kids.  I'm almost 28, and thought by now that I'd have at least one child, possibly two, but that's not the case.  I don't feel ready, but like I said, are you ever really ready?

I spent Sunday with my friend and her two little boys (5 and almost 4).  I love these little ones to death! I really do, but they were a handful.  I guess I spent about 6 hours with them while their dad and Husband played golf.  Their mom is a great friend of mine.  She's probably the most patient and understanding person I know!  She stays home with them everyday, and she is just so loving.  Even when she's punishing them, you can tell it hurts her more than it hurts them. 

But back to my point, this weekend gave me a new insight into what being a mom can entail.  And I just don't know if I'm ready for that!  I really had no idea how much of an actual job it is to raise kids.  Yes, it is more than a full time job.  A full time job means you work 40 hours a week.  Her work never stops.  I admire all of my mommy and daddy friends, and I can't say that I have what it takes to do what they do.  I've heard it all changes when they are yours, but from the outside looking in, parenting seems like a pretty much impossible task.  Being a parent was always part of my life plan, and I'm not saying that that's changed, but I see it as a completely different thing now.  Kids are blessings, but they do change the dynamics of your marriage and every other aspect of your life without a doubt.  Husband and I wouldn't get nearly as many trips, we wouldn't be able to go out nearly as much...  Basically, we couldn't be as selfish as we are now.  That's just the truth of it.  Are we okay with that?  What would our relationship be like? 

*Sigh* Big decisions!!  BIG decisions!

Qualities

I like to think I'm a decent person...  I try to be.  I know I'm certainly not the best, but I always work to be the best me that I can be.  Below, I've listed some qualities that I think are really important for a person to have.  I left out things like "pride," or "bravery," not because I don't think those are important, but because those aren't the most important to me at this point in my life.  They aren't my focus...  I'm guessing you'll pick up on the theme of my important qualities.  These are things I strive to be; things I strive to have.  You may learn something about me! :)

Empathy: The ability to understand and share the feelings of another.

Compassion: Sympathetic pity and concern for the sufferings or misfortunes of others.

Humility: A modest or low view of one's own importance; humbleness.

Strength: The power to resist strain or stress; durability. The ability to maintain a moral or intellectual position firmly.

Dedication: The quality of being committed to a task or purpose.

Grace: Simple elegance or refinement.

Understanding: An agreement of opinion or feeling; adjustment of differences; harmony.

Self Discipline: Training and control of oneself and one's conduct , usually for personal improvement.

Determination: Firmness of purpose; resoluteness.

Caring: Displaying kindness and concern for others.

Positivity: Characterized by or displaying certainty, acceptance, or affirmation.

Courage: The ability to do something that frightens one. Strength in the face of pain or grief.

Selflessness: Having, exhibiting, or motivated by no concern for oneself.

Patience: The capacity to accept or tolerate delay, trouble, or suffering without getting angry or upset.

Open Mindedness: Receptive to new and different ideas or the opinions of others.

Self Worth: Dignity: the quality of being worthy of esteem or respect.

Respectful: A feeling of deep admiration for someone or something elicited by their abilities, qualities, or achievements.

Not really sure where this post came from, but it seems important right now.  I like to understand people, and part of understanding people is knowing what is important to them, or what they value.  So, here you go... Now you know a bit about what I value in myself, or hope to be better at.  Nothing too fancy; just good.  I want to be a good person.

XO

Thankful Thursday

1. I am thankful that I didn't have to work yesterday!  It was a great day off!!  Pool time with friends to celebrate the 4th of July!
2. I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday!
3. Hopefully, I'll get to see lots of important people this weekend! :) Mom, Dad, Sang, Andrea, the little Lees, and other friends!
4. I'm looking forward to Sunday's wine event at Perrine!!  That should be lots of fun!
5. I am thankful for sunshine!!
6. I am thankful for positive reminders that I get from all my friends on such a constant basis.  I love them, and they really help me so much!!
7. I am thankful for the verse Romans 12:12: "Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer."  Such great words to live by!!

Here are some pictures from our 4th of July Celebration!!

I'm going to try do a better job on my "thankful" posts... But for now, that'll do! :)

Thankful on a Tuesday, too! :)

1. Good time with a good friend.  Had a special lunch date with my lovely friend, Anna!  I hadn't seen her in far too long, and one lunch date barely scratched the surface of all the things we needed to catch up on.  I have no doubt we will make up for the rest of it as soon as we can! :)

2.  So thankful (again) for my friends...  I love how sometimes people really come out of the woodwork, unexpectedly, and truly help you because they care. 

3.  Guess who gets tomorrow off!  I do!!  Thankful for that!

4.  Guess what I get to do on my day off!  Hang out at a pool party with my lovlies!!  Thankful for that!

5.  I am SO thankful that my Vegas is okay.  Thank you, Lord.  I was so worried.

6.  I am thankful that my birthday trip is coming up.  I love birthday festivities!  Not so happy about getting older, but I love the fun of a birthday!  Seeing family and friends and getting to go to Vegas this year for my birthday...  This will be a wonderful birthday!!

I know I'm supposed to save thankful posts for Thursdays, but I had an urge to do one today! :)  Be thankful!!

All Time Favorite

I wanted to share one of my all time very favorite quotes.  The quote is from the movie Secondhand Lions, and it is just amazing.  The movie is great.  I didn't want to watch it at first because it didn't seem like my "type" of movie (I really don't have a movie type, but I didn't think I'd like this one), but it turned out to be so wonderful for so many reasons.  I highly recommend it.  I randomly saw it on t.v. one day, but I wasn't going to watch it.  I'm so glad Husband insisted I give it a try.

Well, here are some of the most beautiful words you will ever hear:
"Sometimes the things that may or may not be true are the things a man needs to believe the most.  That people are basically good.  That honor and courage and virtue mean everything; that power and money... money and power mean nothing.  That good always triumphs over evil.  And I want you to remember this... that love... true love never dies!  Remember that boy... remember that.  Doesn't matter if it's true or not, a man should believe in those things, because those are the things worth believing in... got that?"

Love. That. Quote. I hope you like it, too! :)

Dreaming

I've been plagued with some pretty off the wall, disturbing dreams lately.  It doesn't seem to matter how much sleep I get or don't get; they're there.  When I wake up, I typically can't recall many details, but I can recall the disturbing feelings that they leave me with.  Disturbed, uncomfortable feelings.  Feelings that something is not right.  Once I wake up, I realize that they were just dreams, but they seem so real at the time, and they unortunately stay with me for some time.  Popping into my head just often enough to keep me a little distracted, and to be honest, worried.  Not about anything that I can put my finger on, but worried that maybe I have some unresolved feelings or issues that I need to address, but don't know how to or haven't recognized yet. 

The past few nights I've had dreams that make no sense, and I can't remember enough of them to put anything together; I just remember very vague bits and pieces.  What I am really good at recalling is the very uncomfortable feelings I'm left with, and a sense that something just isn't right. 

I am very lucky to have a friend who is patient and very undersatnding to how these dreams really get to me.  She even offered to attempt to interpret them for me.  She is a great example of everything a Christian should be, and that shows through in how she interpreted my dreams.  The specifics that I do remember from my dreams are that (from two nights ago) I was in a castle that was embedded in a very high wall, and I had to jump from the castle, which would result in my death.  Very morbid, I know.  Not only that, but I had to make a decision as to who would jump or die with me.  I can't be sure that the dream meant that we would both die, or if just the other person would die, but it was very disturbing.  There was much more to the dream, but not much really comes to mind other than the really terrible feelings associated with the whole thing.  My sweet friend interpreted this to possible mean that the castle was my home, but I feel stuck, and I feel like I can't do anything right without messing up.  She also said that it may mean that I feel like any decision that I make will mean a severance or loss of some kind.  I feel trapped by feelings that I have and worry that if I don't cut them off, or deal with them, them may hurt someone or hurt a relationship by killing it (it being the other person in my dream).

Wow!  These are pretty much exactly the things that go through my mind when I'm in a very introspective mood or am feeling sort of down on something, a situation, a person...  I just never thought that it would be so clear in my dream, and it wasn't clear until I heard her analysis of my dream.  Spot on in regards to things I worry about. 

That was only one dream.  Last night I had another troubling dream.  I remember fewer specifics about this one though.  I recall that I was somewhere unfamiliar, but with people that I know and care about, but I was making mistakes.  These were moral mistakes, but I don't recall exactly what they were.  They weren't mistakes like putting something in the wrong place, or forgetting to call someone back.  In my dream, I felt so out of place, and nothing felt right or okay.  There was just this overwhelming sense of "not right."  And again, my sweet, insightful friend helped me look at what this dream could mean.  She said that I was in an unfamiliar location because it symbolized some unknown territory for me that I was not at peace with.  Not sure what this unfamiliar territory is, but I have a few ideas, and I will certainly pray about it and hope for clarity and understanding.  But I was in this place with people I love.  I don't remember who they were.  Maybe family or friends?  I don't know if the underlying message is that I'm not at peace with a relationship with someone, or if the underlying meaning is that these people will help me find peace in this place (certainly hoping for the latter).

So, there was so much help in her analysis.  Still so many unanswered questions, and I hate to read too much into my dreams, but when they are laid out like that, with possible explanations that make sense, it is hard not to think that our subconscious is telling us something important while we dream.  I've got plenty to think about, but I have a feeling that a weight has been lifted because I have a better idea of how I should look at my dreams.

If you find that you have troubling dreams, and if they tend to stay with you for some time, look into them more closely.  Get the opinion of someone you trust, who you have faith in...  We can learn a lot from the thoughts of others who truly care and believe that God may be using dreams to communicate to us.  Don't let dreams scare you.  Embrace the lessons you can learn from them.  That's what I'm trying to do. 

And, thank you, sweet Jenn.  You're an amazing person.

One More Month of 27!

It is almost unbelievable to me that I will be 28 one month from today!  I don't feel that old...  I still feel like I'm 22.  Twenty-eight just sounds so old.  :/  I didn't think my life would be what it is at 27, if that makes sense.  Looking back to five years ago, I saw myself in a different place by now.  Kids, probably a different job in a different city, but that's definitely not to say that I'm not so happy with life as it is now!  I have a great job and work with some of my best friends, I'm happy in College Station (little town that it is :), and I really don't think I'm at a place for kids to be an option yet (well, that was my mentality until last night, more on that later). 

But 2-8 is late twenties!  When did that happen??  Wow!  Time really flies the older you get (and I know I'm not old), so I can't imagine how fast it'll go when I get even older.  So, I'm definitely going to do everything I can to make the most out of every opportunity I get. 

But since I'm almost old, making the most out of every day doesn't mean that I want to be really busy and necessarily doing something all the time.  I'm almost old, and I get up early (trait of an old person, I think), and sometimes I like low key days.  For example, today I'm tired because Husband and I drive home really late last night from his mom's lake house after celebrating an early 4th of July.  Even though we were up really late, and I could have slept in, did I?  Of course not!  Up early, worked out, did laundry, showered, went to the grocery store...  All before 11:00.  So, I've had a lazy afternoon.   Watched Contagion and Wanderlust (Contagion was pretty good; Wanderlust, not so much), did some reading, watched a lot of the Kendra Wilkinson "reality" show (I have to get my weekly dose of reality t.v...).  Lazy before a Monday back at the Chamber.  But this should be a pretty easy week.  Work two days, day off, work two days, weekend! 

Now, about the baby comment!  Yesterday, I got to meet my neice, Camdyn!  She's four months old, and she is so precious!  I held that baby all day!!  I definitely didn't share much. :)  And I could have kept holding her for hours!!  Not going to lie...  There was a little part of me that thought, "Hey, I could totally have one of these!"  Lol!  I also got to play around with Ridleigh, our other sweet neice.  So precious!!  She was so animated!  A little over three years old is a very fun age.  Good kid experiences this weekend!  I'll have to keep those in mind when I get irritated with other kids, although I'm lucky enough to have friends with super cute, well behaved children. 

July's Photo Challenge

I give myself an F on June's Photo Challenge because I just didn't do it!  Shame on me!  Still hoping to get caught up with the 40ish pictures I'm behind on... eventually...  :/

There is a challenge for July, and here is a link to it.  I'll give you the assignments if you don't want to go to the link but are interested:

1. self portrait
2. busy
3. best part of your day
4. fun
5. on the floor
6. chair
7. garden
8. lunch
9. big
10. your favorite color
11. letter
12. texture
13. open
14. building
15. finger
16. sign
17. your addiction
18. plate
19. animal/insect/pet
20. eyes
21. 9 o'clock
22. upside down
23. mirror
24. a stranger
25. heart
26. sunshine
27. on the road
28. cup
29. last thing you bought
30. calm
31. toothbrush

Good luck!! :) 

Expectations

Well, it's Friday again, and I'm having a pretty good day so far.  This, obviously, is a good thing, but I'm trying something new.  Typically, I set expectations.  I set expectations for how I think a weekend will go, for how I think others should be, for how I should be and so on...  I'm learning that may not be the smartest thing to do.  Last weekend, I had high hopes that it was going to be a great weekend.  It wasn't bad, but it certainly had its low points (there were good points as well).  So, I've decided to put expectations to the side as best I can.  People will let you down, but it's not such a big deal if you didn't expect too much from them in the first place.  It's easier to be pleasantly surprised by people than it is to face a situation where they don't pull their weight, or what you expect their weight to be.  This all sounds negative, but that's not my goal with this post.

"I find my life is a lot easier the lower I keep everyone's expectations."
-Bill Watterson

So, I am going to try to rely less on others and focus more on taking things as they come.  I want to try to make the best out of every situation, no matter what happens.  That will be much easier if I don't have a certain picture in my mind of how things should or will go.  I'm going to attempt this new method of thinking starting now.  I really think it's agood idea, although it is coming across as a pretty dreary outlook on like...  Don't expect too much from people, but it's the truth.  People aren't generally "bad."  But everyone has their own things going on, so who am I to have my own list of expectations for them?  That being said, I do have a wonderful group of fiends who I know I can count on no matter what, but I really hope that when they are helping me with whatever it may be, they are doing it because they want to.  And I really hope that I'm not subconsiously expecting them to do anything.  I definitely don't think I am.  Part of the issue could be that I love helping others and being there for them, but not everyone is like that.

I think that, ultimately, I am trying to give everyone a fair shot with this.  Hopefully, this will keep me from being disappointed in others for no real reason.  I'd love to get better at letting things go...  As I've said in other posts, this is something that I'm really working on, but it isn't easy.  I may sound terrible, but I'm being honest, so there is something to be said for that, I think.  I'll let you know how all this goes.

"Anger always comes from frustrated expectations."
-Elliott Larson

I really like this one:
"The best things in life are unexpected - because there were no expectations."
-Eli Khamarov

"Blessed is he who expects nothing,for he shall never bedisappointed."
-Alexander Pope

"There are two ways to be happy: improve your reality, or lower your expectations."
-Jodi Picoult

"I'd rather be pleasantly surprised than fatally disappointed."
-Julia Glass

Thankful Thursday

Well, today has been interesting, and there is still plenty of day left.  Already, I've been tested a little.  Nothing major, just minor car problems, but of course, in my world, that's traumatic.  I'm dramatic, but when it comes to cars and other things that I don't know much about, I tend to get overwhelmed easily.  This is a good time for me to work on letting things go.  It is also a good time for me to practice finding the good in a situation.  Now, I try to do this often, but it's not always easy, especially when I'm caught up in the situation.

But on to what I can be thankful for today:

1. I am thankful that this weekend, we are going to my Mother In Law's lake house for some pre 4th of July festivities!  It'll be fun to see some family that I haven't seen in awhile.
2. I am thankful that I have done really well with working out this week.  I'm rewarding myself with a day of rest tomorrow, and possibly Saturday, depending on how things go in the morning with Husband and me getting out of the house early enough to get to the lake house on time.  I may get two days off!
3. I am thankful (man, this sounds pretty pathetic...) that I got a little lesson in being a big girl today.  I handled the car situation reasonably well, but the big accomplishment is that I handled it with no emotional breakdown.  Like I said, I don't do well with things I'm not comfortable with.  Something I'm working on, on my own and out of necessity.  Sometimes I swear I'm the youngest 27 year old out there. 
4. I am thankful that I was in good company today at lunch.  Lunch with a sweet friend whose presence is enough to cheer me up is always a great thing. :)
5. Hair appointment today.  Self explanatory.
6. I'm thankful for my dad, who always answers the phone when I really need him to.  He has a way of putting things, like a little car battery issue, into perspective, while helping me figure out what to do about a given problem.  (Goodness, I sound like a little kid...)  Thanks, Dad. Love you.
7. I am thankful that I get to see the sunrise almost every morning.  I've found that this is such a peaceful time of day, and I typically get my head in the right place during my morning runs.  Doesn't mean it necessarily stays there...  But we're working on that.
8. I am thankful that tomorrow is Friday.

Insurgent

Well, I finished Insurgent yesterday!  I really liked this book and how it all came together in the end.  It was an easy read, but when analyzing it, I found that, if you wanted to, you could look at it as a study of the human species in general.  I won't go into detail, and instead, I'll just say I think the author wrote a very entertaining story, with just enough twists and turns.  Plenty of unexpected elements made putting the book down difficult at times.  There was definitely a lot of character development, which I like.  Although the ending was a bit abrupt, I'm happy with how things are wrapped up, or as wrapped up as the ending really allows them to be.  I wasn't left haning or wanting more.  Overall, it was a really good book to change up the pace after 50 Shades, but two books in this little series was just enough.  There isn't too much worse than running a series into the ground and then beating it like a dead horse.  I'm ready to change up the pace now with something in a different genre.  I've got plenty of options, so no I've just got to decide which book on my list is next!

Weekend Update... A Few Days Late!

I've had a lot going on lately and really haven't had a chance to write much.  So, while I have a few minutes, I figured I'd take a little time to give an update on some things!  This past weekend started off kind of rough, but I can happily say that it ended on a good note!  Saturday I was way to productive in the morning.  Such a strange thing to say!  I woke up early, got a really good run in, worked out, cleaned the house a bit, got dressed and went to the grocery store all before 10:00 a.m.!  I was amazed with myself.  I figured I would spend the rest of the day being lazy.  I thought I'd want to be lazy for a day...  Turned out I got a little stir crazy.  The problem was, I didn't know what I wanted to do. This turned into me running random and almost pointless errands, reading (which I love to do, but just couldn't really get into) and trying to find other ways to occupy my time.  Husband has been wanting a new mattress, and he had mentioned that he wanted to go look at some on Saturday.  Of course, we forgot about it until about 5:00 Saturday evening.  Thankfully, the mattress store was open until 6, so we rushed out the door.  Long story short, we picked one out.  He's been all about these Tempurpedic mattresses for what seems like forever now.  A couple of his friends have them and LOVE them, so he figured there must be something to them.  I wasn't overly crazy about it, but we got one anyway.  It was delivered that evening...

We were expecting a good night's sleep on our new mattress.  Nope.  That thing is not easy to get used to.  First, if you've never experienced one, you basically sink into it, as it "curves" to fit your body.  Well, I move around a lot when I sleep, so whenever I changed position, I felt like I had to put effort into moving out of the indention my body had made.  This isn't a huge deal, but it is definitely something that I was not used to.  I've adjusted over the past few nights, and it isn't so awkward anymore, but when I get into bed every night I still have to give myself a minute to adjust.  I'll save my review of the Tempurpedic until after I've given it a fair shot.

And I can't give it a fair shot until I get to have a few consecutive nights where I'm not woken up 10 times!  Vegas has been sick and throwing up several times at night...  I feel bad for him, but there isn't much we can do until we figure out if this is just a little bug, if his food is upsetting his stomach or if we need to take him to the vet for something more serious.  We're going to give it a few days before we take him to the vet because he's acting fine; playing with, and tormenting, Pepper, etc...  But he makes a lot of noise when he gets sick, and on top of him playing with anything that makes noise (bags, paper, litter) all night AND him wanting attention throughout the night, it makes it really hard to get a good night's sleep.  It seems like ever since we got the new mattress on Saturday, he's been determined to keep us awake.  So, since Saturday, I really haven't had anywhere near a descent night's sleep.  Last night was an exception.  I say that, but I still woke up, or was woken up, a few times.  I think I was just so exhausted from the previous nights' lack of sleep, the getting up early and the golf lesson yesterday (the heat will really wear you out, and it was HOT), that I was just so tired, I didn't notice the cats or the strange mattress.

But back to this weekend!  Sunday was a really great day!  We spent it with my parents and celebrated a belated father's day!  Golfing and Mexican food!  We played on a course that is kind of out in the middle o nowhere, but is very nice, so we ended up having lunch at a Mexican restaurant that I've passed on the side of the highway a hundred times, but have never stopped at.  Not healthy AT ALL, but pretty tasty!  It was so great to see my parents!  Didn't do so well with the golf, but that didnt bother me much.  My mom even played a few holes!

Let's Talk Training!

I have so many things that I want to write posts about, but, as I've said, my MAIN goal right now is making sure I'm adequately prepared for my big race, and I've been doing some research and talking to some people about training tips and race tips in general.  So, this post is going to focus on where I am in my training, and I'm going to share some hopefully helpful tips for marathons, 1/2 marathons, training, what to eat, etc...

Well, here is an update on how my training is going and what I've been doing.  I still am feeling that the second day run tends to be a better run for me, so I'm going to try to stick with that for awhile, until my schedule calls for runs that are so long they require me to not do them two days in a row.  As always, we will see how this goes.  So, I ran on Friday (3.26 miles in 29 min 15 sec), and I was very happy with that!  So Saturday rolls around, and I decide (I got up SO early, on my own) to try for a longer run.  4.29 miles in 37 min. 38 sec.) was a great!!  It was early and cool out, and I tried a new route.  The whole thing was great!  My plan was to get up early on Sunday for a short run before Belated Father's Day golf and lunch... Due to circumstances beyond my control (Vegas keeping me awake ALL night, more on that in another post...  Bad kitty.), I couldn't pull myself out of bed in enough time.  Golfing was a bit of a workout, but it was definitely more fun than effort.  I didn't think I'd get any exercise in after the golfing, but I managed to pull off some cardio on the elliptical and a little light weight training. 

Today I managed to pull myself out of bed to get a 2.5 mile run in.  It wasn't great, but I had a rough night with Mr. Vegas again...  So, just getting out of bed was a struggle in itself.  It is nice that, even if it is hard to get out of bed, running 2.5 miles is becoming very easy.  I'm seeing the progress!  My time is improving a little...  But that's not a focus, really; it's just a nice little bonus.  Not sure if I'll take tomorrow off.  I probably should, because I'll have to take Friday and most likely Saturday off, so tomorrow would be the best day to skip so I could have a rest day and then 2 workout days before I take a possible two day break.  We'll see though.  Trying to not over do it, but a short run really helps in the morning...  And I don't like the idea of taking multiple days off in a row. 

I've started doing some research on what else I need to do to prepare for the race, and I'm starting to realize just how huge this thing is...  And I'm only doing 1/2 of a marathon!!  I can't fathom facing a 26.2 mile race at the moment.  It just seems crazy.  13.1 miles seems pretty crazy in itself right now!  So, I want to be super prepared!  Overly prepared even!!  So, the research begins.  Some initial questions I have are what to eat in the days leading up to the race (especially the day before) and what to have for breakfast that day.  I'm not a huge breakfast person, but you cannot run 13.1 miles on nothing.  I've read not to try anything new on in your tummy right before the race...  Especially the morning of.  I'm thinking I will probably stick with a banana and yogurt, although that may not be enough.  My fear is of having a sloshy feeling in my stomach.  That wouldn't be good.  I'll have enough time to figure out what works best for me, but that is my initial guess.  Obviously, lots of water in the days before, the day of and during the race.  I've read that the day before the race, 70% of the calories you take in need to be from carbs, which makes sense, and you're supposed to double your water intake.  And after the race, you must replenish.  That won't be a problem!  I'll look more into that, but I have a feeling that will be easy to figure out.

I found a website that I think will be pretty helpful, but I haven't spent too much time on quite yet.  It's runersworld.com. One article on the website is tips for first time half marathon.  Some tips from the article (that I feel are very accurate) are:

• Warn your family and friends that you'll have the stability of a 3-year-old child on race day.  Oh, how I hate to admit this, but it's probably going to be the case for me...  Only, I'll probably have that mentatlity for about a week or so before the race.
• Have faith in your preparation, especially in the taper.  I'm sure I will have trouble tapering off before the race.  I do understand why it is important, but this will definitely be one of those things I have to MAKE myself do...  I have the tendancy to over do things, but you may have caught on to that already!!
• Don't try anything new during the taper.  Again no new foods, stick with the same cothes, and definitely stick with the same shoes!!

Those are just three tips from this article.

From a great TRAINING article on A Foodie Stays Fit, here are some great tips to keep in mind, but for the time leading up to the big race:

• You are allowed to walk.  This is also true during the race.  Sometimes you need to walk for a bit and give your body a break or catch your breath.
• Especially in the beginning, you don't have to stick to your training schedule religiously.  I've definitely NOT been the best at following my schedule.  I've used it as a guideline, but I've done my own thing more days than not.  The biggest thing that I've taken away from the schedule as of right now is to give myself rest days.  As unnatural as they may seem to be at the time, they do make a big difference.  I also have taken away the belief that I do not need to run as far as I can, or stay on the elliptical for an extended period of time, every day that is not a rest day.  Some days can be easier days, especially if I notice I'm really struggling for whatever reason.  So, LISTEN TO YOUR BODY!!
• That being said...  trust your training plan.  As the article says, most plans don't have you running a full 13.1 miles before the race, but if you've followed it as best you can, and you've improved as the schedule says you should have, especially as the race gets closer, you'll be able to pull off the total distance.  The particular training schedule I'm using only has me run 12 miles once before the big day.  But once you get to 12 miles, you can certainly pull off 1.1 more mile (says the first time 1/2 marathoner). 
• I really like this tip, and I'm looking forward to using it, but I'm not quite to the point where my runs are considered "long runs."  Use your "long runs" to figure out what works for you.  This is in regard to food and hydration.  The writer of the article says that she brings water if she's running over six miles and some sort of food for over 7 miles.  I'll be at 6 miles soon (hopefully), so after that, I'll probably make a loop back to my house to rehydrate.  

As of right now, I plan on having music...  It's how I've been training, and I enjoy running with music rather than without.  You'd think most people would be this way, but I've found that isn't necessarily the case.  I will be with friends, but it's easy to pause Pandora if I want to attempt to communicate with those around me.  Really, if you're able to say more than a few words, you're not pushing yourself like you should be.  So, yes...  planning on taking the Iphone.  Plus, I don't play the music very loud...  I think it's important to be aware of my surroundings, and blaring music could be problematic, let's say if someone is trying to get my attention to tell me there is a snake about to jump out at me or something else crazy like that.

I also think I'll have a few people cheering for me on the sidelines, which will be nice and will definitely keep me going.  Like I said, I'll be running with friends, but for my area, this is a jam packed race, so most likely, I won't stay next to them for the entire race.  Knowing I'm not doing it alone is very comforting.  Whether or not I'm running next to a complete stranger or my best friend, I will not be running alone!

Still have plenty of time to get ready, and I'm getting excited, but also nervous!  Already!

Friday Night, Part II: Be the Coffee

Well, if you read my last entry, you know that Friday evening didn't start off so well.  So, in an attempt to lighten my mood and get my mind in a more positive place, I asked people to post their favorite or most helpful quote or saying in a Facebook post.  I got some really good responses.  Some were classic quotes that I've head before, but hearing them again was definitely a good thing.  Others were completely new to me.  Some were just fun...  And those are always definitely appreciated.  It was nice to hear what people use as their "go to" for a mood lifter. 

One of my friends shared a story with me.  His favorite quote was "Be the coffee."  He said I'd understand it after he explained it, and after he did, I fell in love with this quote.  It's something that can really apply to anyone.  It's all about making the most out of a bad situation.  It, of course, doesn't apply to all occasions, but most inspirational stories and quotes don't.  This applies to the majority, I think.

So, this is how it goes:  people are like either coffee, a corrot or an egg.  When you subject each item to the same heat and presure, it will have a completely different reaction.  An egg will turn hard and crack when heated, a carrot will fall apart, but the coffee does something much different than falling apart or turning hard.  The coffee change into something better when put under the same heat as the egg or carrot.  The coffee changes the essence of everything around it.  It turns into something that is desired by those who enjoy it.  I know not everyone likes coffee, but you get the point.  Under pressure, or when times get rough, we react (typically) one of three ways. We turn hard and crack, we fall apart or we become better for the struggle.  My friend and I both thought it was so cool that the little explanation of the "be the coffee" quote emphasized that these reactions come from being put under pressure.  We can take times of adversity and use them to become better.  But you have to face the tough situations with the right attitude for the change to take place. 

So, next time you're facing an obstacle or a setback, whether it's a bad day, receiving bad news, fighting with a loved one...  Be the coffee.  Set an example, become better and turn a negative into a positive; FIND the positive.  I know; easier said than done, but it is worth a try.  Maybe being the coffee is just having a good attitude when you are in a negative situation...  Think about it...  Your attitude could impact so many people around you in a positive way.  I know at my office, my friends and I hover over the coffee pot every morning...  The yummy smell of the coffee alone is enough to perk us up a bit (or a lot, depending on the day).  Be the one whose presence perks those around you up and makes them see the good in any situation. 

I'm gong to try to be the coffee...  Be the coffee with me!

Other great responses I received on this post:

• Pretty much any Bob Marley quote... Lol!
• Here's a bunch of money; go buy some clothes! (Haha, Tish! I have a feeling this was in response to my asking for thoughts that make you happy! :)
• ‎"If you can change it, don't worry about it... If you CAN'T change it, don't worry about it!" ...think about it.  I really like it!
• If God brings you to it, he'll pull you through it...
• I believe I can fly, I believe I can touch the sky, I think about it every night and day, spread my wings and fly away. ...again, a mood lifter, when you think about it in the context of it being sung at the top our my lungs, while driving down the street... :) (Franchesca!)
• Courage doesn't always roar. Sometimes courage is the quiet voice at the end of the day saying "I will try again tomorrow." - Mary Ann Radmacher ...a beautiful though, send from Rosary!
• "in life, you have to realize...sometimes you're the windshield and other times, you're the bug." ...so true Jennie, so true...  And on the days where we get to be the bug, just remember that one day, maybe tomorrow, you'll be the windshield.
• The will of God will never take you where his grace will not protect you. ...again, something that we need to remember.  Thank you, Michelle!
• prayer of serenity: God, grant me the serenity to accept the things i cannot change, the courage to change the things i can, and the wisdom to know the difference :) ...LOVE this, thank you, Stephanie!

Friday Night's Near Incident

So, Friday wasn't the best of days...  Sort of discouraging, only because I had high hopes for this past weekend.  I'd set expectations that it was going to be a low key, but really nice weekend.  Now I'm really starting to do a lot of thinking about having expectations...  But there is a lot that goes into that, so expectations, and setting them, is a post for another day.  Friday, I'd wanted a semi-busy day at work, but nothing too stressful and a nice evening.  That's not asking for a lot, so my expectations really weren't set that high. 

Well, work was more stressful than I'd anticipated or wanted, but that wasn't really a big deal.  I got a bunch of things accomplished, and that was definitely good.  But I was still counting down the minutes untl 5:00 so that I could get started on my weekend.  My Friday routine is to go to Husband's office after I get off work and hang out until he's finished with his work.  After that, we'll go have dinner, and then, we typically go home and hang out.  Very low key, but it's so nice to relax and be ready for Saturday. 

There was a slight incident on the way to dinner...  Totally my fault, but had anything actually happened, it would have been an accident.  A complete accident.  We took separate cars to dinner, and, long story short, I was so focused on finding the right street to turn on, that I nearly missed it and turned almost too late...  And almost had what would have been a really bad accident.  But I managed to avoid the accident (thank you, Lord).  So, this really shook me up.  To the point that by the time I got to the next stop ligh, I was shaking pretty bad.  Not only from the accident, but from the look I could see on my husband's face in my rearview mirror.  I was dreading when we would park, and he would actually speak to me about my near collision...  I knew he was not happy with me.  I wasn't happy with myself.  So, we had a heated moment about how I need to pay better attention (which I do), but I couldn't seem to articulate my side of how the incdent actually went down, so I shut down.  I do that when I'm confused or overwhelmed.  Not the best quality, but it's how I work, and I can only try to work on my communicating, as can most people.  He was not happy, but we went to dinner.  It was a pretty quiet dinner, and I spent most of it beating myself up over my mistake.

I let that one thing really get to me...  It basically ruined my night.  That's my fault.  I need to be better about letting things roll off my back; I need to be better when it comes to communicating my feelings about how situations make me feel.  Had I communicated better, I'm sure my evening could have been salvaged, but I let it get the best of me.  It really isn't any fun feeling awkward when you're with your family, trying to have a nice dinner to start off what you had hoped would be a great weekend.

I'm still disappoined with myself for letting one thing really get me down.  It wasn't only that I nearly destroyed my car and the car of the person I nearly hit, it was that the siuation seemed to get worse AFTER what should have been the really bad part. 

Just an FYI, I am not a terrible driver.  Yes, I've had my fair sahre of "incidents," but overall, I'm very careful.  I was actually being overly cautious this time, and that's what caused the near collision.  I truly was trying to hard to pay attention to the names of the  street.  And I'm not sure what it is about this one street that I just have so many problems with.  Next time, I will most definitely be taking the long route there.  Call me crazy, but I'll show up a few minutes later and sit in traffic very willingly, if it will keep my car in one piece and keep my night from getting ruined. I'm also going to continue to work on not letting one thing get me down and keep me down.  So, it happened...  It's over, and thankfully, everyone is okay, and no damage was done.  No reason to dwell on it for two days.  Seriously...  I know that...  Okay, that's my rant on that.  Moral of the story: things happen... accidents happen...  Face the music, calm down, and then get on with the rest of your night.  And smile!  Don't let it ruin an evening, or a day, or a dinner... 

Thankful Thursday

1. I am SO thankful it's Thursday!  That means tomorrow is Friday! Pretty obvious observation, but it's also a very, very important observation!
2. I am thankful that I get to see my parents this weekend.  We're doing our Father's Day celebration this Sunday.  Golf, then food. :)
3. I'm thankful that I scheduled a shoot with my photographer friend, the amazing Heather Hensley, with Studio 88, to do a wedding dress shoot!  Woo Hoo!  I get to play dress up in my wedding dress and play model!!  She's so much fun.  It isn't until the end of July, but I'm already so excited about spending the day with her!
4. Althought I'm having a hard time with this one, I'm thankful that today is a rest day for me.  My workouts haven't been stellar this week. :(  I spent two days on the elliptical and only ran one day, but I think taking the fourth day off after three consecutive days of working out is probably best, especially for this almost threatening to be sore knee.  So, it's a forced day off.  But tomorrow, I'm back at it!  Pavement, here I come!  So, I'm thankful for that, too!  I just feel lazy taking today off, and I don't like that one bit.
5. I'm thankful for my shopping finds from yesterday!  A swim suit that fits correctly!  Yay!  Saving it for Vegas, I think. :)  And a very cute dress from Target.  I love Target.  It makes me happy!
6. I'm thankful for the torrential rain we got for a few hours yesterday.  We needed it, and since I ran in the morning, it didn't affect my workout.  Plus, since it cause my golf lesson to be delayed, I got to spend some time with one of my wonderful friends!
7. I'm thankful that I was pretty productive today at work!  I should be this productive every day, but I was on a roll today. :)

I also wanted to mention that I'm aware I'm very much slacking in the photo challenge department.  No excuses...  I've just been slacking...  Will try to work on that.

Happy day before Friday!

Oh My... Eyebrows!

Okay, let me start off my saying that I'm not one of those girls who has a set eyebrow waxing appointment set up for every 3 weeks.  Not even close.  I do my own plucking, but I've only had my eyebrows actually waxed once.  Until today... 

I have been neglecting them a bit more than normal lately.  Pure laziness, so it had gotten to the point I knew I needed to spend some quality time with the tweezers.  That thought even crossed my mind this very morning as I was getting ready for work.  So, when I made a little trip to Ulta on my lunch break, and the sweet eyebrow girl asked me if I wanted her to do my eyebrows because she had an opening (of course she did), I figured, "well maybe this is just something that someone higher up is telling me it's time to do."  Especially after I told her that I was on a really tight schedule, and she insisted that it would only take about 10 minutes.  Okay, let's do this.

Now, let's talk about how my eyebrows have always been in the past.  Never have I had, nor wanted, pencil thin eyebrows.  Mine were more along the lines of (but much less thick than) Brooke Shields.  Like I said, not her's, but more on that side, I guess you'd say.  Well, not anymore!  I figured my little eyebrow girl would just do a little cleaning up, as was implied (ladies, take note. ALWAYS discuss what exactly they mean when they say clean up).  This girl reshaped those suckers.  I was a bit shocked at first.  All the bright red skin and the partially removed/totally smeared makeup didn't help my first impression either.  Don't get me wrong.  I liked them, but the difference was MAJOR, and I was, to say the least, very much not expecting what I saw after I saw the first one.  But, seriously, what are you going to do after one is done?  You're committed to the other one, or you can just look silly.  But like I said, it wasn't bad, just much different that I wanted or expected. 

Here is a picture of me just a few minutes after...

Excuse the awfulness of the picture; I wanted to capture the eyebrows and surrounding red area, and that was all I was focused on.  So, not bad, but much different.  And LOTS of red!!!

Now that I've gotten used to them (sort of), and the red is gone, and, for the most part, the make up is as fixed as I could manage, the new look is warming up on me.  They certainly aren't pencil thin or anything like that, and I've gotten nice reviews from my co-workers, so that helped.  But there is something to be said about the SHOCK factor involved in a noticable change in facial features! 

The final result:

I'm happy with them!  Just wish there had been a little chat before it all went down! :)

Don't Take the Fun Out of the Game

So, when I started this blog, one thing I wanted to blog about was my adventures with golf.  Well, I haven't had all that many yet.  I've got a lot of other things going on, so I can't make it out to the driving range as much as I probably need to and I don't go with Husband every time he plays.  This is fine with me.  I'm not trying to get great; I got involved because it was fun.  Husband has taken a more serious turn on the golf front.  He goes to the driving range more, he's taken lessons, and he plays much, much more often than I do.  So, he has gotten significantly better than I have.  From what I've seen, guys typically hit the ball further down the fairway in general.  When I tee off, the ball normally doesn't go fifty yards.  Basically, I sort of putt my way down the fairway.  Let me point out that this isn't the worst thing because I don't lose balls in the rough, but it does take me longer to get to the green.  I'm okay with that, but I understand that it can be irritating to the people I play with, unless, while I'm putting my way down the green, they're searching for balls that they can't find. 

I got a little off topic.  I never intended to get super absorbed in golf, but I understand how it can become absorbing for people, like my husband.  He's got lots of friends that play, he has a strong desire to get really good, and he seems improvement pretty much every time he plays.  He plays pretty much every weekend, and he's gotten crazy a couple of times and played two days in a row! 

Now, all that is great, and I'm not complaining about the time he spends playing golf or the dedication he is putting into it.  I really think it's great.  My dad is an avid golfer, and I really like that they play golf together.  But that kind of dedication, that love for the game, doesn't come to everyone.  Yes, I like the game.  If I had a ton of extra time, of if I had a bunch of friends that played, maybe my desire to get better and play all the time would be stronger.  But as it is right now, when I play, I'm "one of the guys."  Not that I really mind that either...  Until whoever I'm playing with, Dad or Husband, gets frustrated with me for not hitting the ball very far.  Yes, I know lessons and going to the driving range would help, but lessons don't jump out at me as something I want to spend a lot of time or money on, and in the evenings, I don't have a lot of extra time to go to the driving range...  Especially if I need to work on the training for my race.  To be honest, running and working out in the morning started, in part, so I could have time here and there to go to the driving range after work. 

But I decided to try a ladies' group lesson.  It's a little workshop that will be from 6-8 tonight and next Wednesday.  I'm not really all that excited about it to be honest.  It's going to take up my evening, and there are other things that I kind of need to do, but I figured this can't hurt, and it will give me a better idea of whether or not this game is for me.  It may help me out a little bit, and at least I can say I tried it.  I just don't know how much more I can take of people getting irritated with me for not hitting the ball very far (although, if I'm really far behind, I certainly have never minded picking up my ball and dropping it closer to the green to catch up; it's not like I even keep score). 

I guess the initial fun of the game has gone away...  I feel too much pressure to get better, but I'll never be good enough.  At least not any time soon.  I get frustrated, not in my own game, but in how others talk to me.  I appreciate the critiques, but sometimes what they think is enough or is an acceptable amount oh "help" is actually too much.  I've already got a million pointers running through my head, in addition to the pressure of trying to get a decent drive down the freaking fairway so I don't hold everyone else up...  I just wanted to play for fun, and if it's not fun, I am not going to enjoy it.  If I feel like I'm just being a nuisance to the people I'm with, I'm not going to have fun.  I don't, nor will I ever, take this game too seriously.  I'm not a competitive person at all, and when people get really frustrated with the game (start banging or throwing clubs or acting angry), I get uncomfortable.  Maybe this isn't the game for me, but I'm going to give it a chance.  I'm giving it a chance, but because golf is one thing for one person doesn't mean it's that same thing for someone else.  I'd hoped that it would be something Husband and I could do together.  Maybe it is, but it isn't something we can really learn together because we are learning at very different paces, and we have very different levels of passion for it.  Maybe golf is something that you can only play with people who share your mind set about it...  My hopes are still high, but frustration is setting in.  It's actually making me a bit sad.  Maybe this little golf class will make the tides turn.  We'll see...

As for something that I have set as my own goal for, I made it outside for a run today.  The first time since Saturday's great run!  I've been inside on the elliptical for the past two days.  The run went really well, but the app did that little screw up again where it started me off already about .6 miles in, and I didn't notice until I got my 5 minute update and was already at 1.23 miles or something like that, so my distance and pace aren't accurate. :( Minor, but still irritating. 

Happy Wednesday. :)