Wednesday, November 16, 2011

Post-It Wisdom Wednesday

Running will make you free.
Definitely loving this book. It's the kind that makes me want to get into bed way too early just so I can have a little extra time reading before I zonk out.

Unfortunately it's Wednesday, and I haven't done a lick of exercise since Sunday. Work has been cray cray and there hasn't been a free night yet this week. I caught myself thinking at the end of work yesterday, "Okay, now the second part of the day begins." Busy times, my friends! Busy but great.

May we all live with obligations that make us weary beyond comprehension but also free. 

Tuesday, November 15, 2011

Currently Loving

1. This super creepy show.
2. Defriending people on Facebook.

3. Pugs who help with laundry
4. Shopping for a new apartment/garage apartment/condo/townhome to move into in February.

5. Deadlifts

6. Another wine class with THE LADIES on Thursday.

7. Dreaming about seeing the Northern Lights in Alaska in  one week with Lauren!!
8. Having curly hair


9. Book club this week! JSF is one of my all-time faves.
10. Celebrating Thanksgiving with family in Austin this weekend. I LOVE Thanksgiving. And family. And each and every day.

What are you currently loving?

Monday, November 14, 2011

Look to the Trees!

1






Two little happy trees, preparing for what they thought would be an easy, breezy yoga class at Lululemon. Several curse words (so unyoga-like), a bucket of sweat and an hour later, the trees were sore down to the roots. Ha! See what happened there? Trees?...roots?...mmk.

This class single handedly re-jumpstarted my love of the sport/art of yoga.

Tired, happy tree!
And my love of Lululemon. Good heavens, what a store!

Umm is this a joke?
I might need these reversible leggings. (hi, mom!)



I must say, normally Sundays are spent lounging, vegging, moping, reading, napping...everything except physical activity. But I could definitely get used to a good yoga butt-kicking to start off the week, especially if always followed by caramel apples, hummus and fabulous, out-of-my-permanent-price-range activewear.

Sunday, November 13, 2011

Crafting and the Weekend

From this...


Serendipitous trip to Target wherein the things I wanted I found and things I didn't know I wanted found their way to me. (Except the bottom left-hand personalized day planner. Post to come on that!)

Sidenote: Target sports bras are the BEST. Seamless, comfortable, chaff-be-gone wonders.  

And this...

Scrapbook paper. Glorious scrapbook paper!

With a little inspiration from Pinterest...

Eeny, Meeny Miny, Mo...

Behold! A craftbaby!

Originally I intended for this to be my official, proudly displayed bucket list. Turns out my bucket list will by no means fit in a 5x7 space. In fact, not much will except a 5x7 photo.




It's not quite done - I want to spray paint the frame a fun color, something that doesn't show fingertip smudges or puggy licks. I would also like to learn how to write in a straight line (this is one of those life skills - like being able to wiggle your ears - that really separates the boys from the men. The wheat from the chaff. I can't find the right analogy, but you get my drift.) (Having the perfect analogy at your fingertips at any given moment is a perfect example of one of the previously mentioned life skills.)

Oh, also, I ran another 20 miler this weekend. It's officially TAPER TIME.

Cue "Hammertime" music.

20 more days til the race!

Spent some time housewarming, wishing happy birthdays and celebrating newlywed-dom with friends on Saturday...
If marriage means a 3,000 sq ft pimp-status tri-level townhome, sign me up! Perfect blend of masculine and feminine, super open floor plan. I was in heaven. And then they brought out the apple pie...Woooahh nelly! 
Happy Birthday and Best Wishes to the newlyweds! So lovely! :)
Do I have to go back to work tomorrow?



Saturday, November 12, 2011

Penzey's in the Heights

I am smitten with the Heights in Houston. I love that part of town. OJ and I have a ritual of devouring Collina's on Friday nights before our Saturday long runs, swallowed down with Menchie's frozen yogurt.

Sidenote: as we both wake up painfully early on Saturday mornings, this ritual has usually concluded by 6:30 pm. We are dedicated to the cause of running. Or we're nerds.

Last night I stopped in at a store near Collina's I had never noticed before. Penzey's.

And life was never the same.

Penzey's - Spice Mecca!

Pardon the blur - I think my hands were shaking from excitement.
Look at all the extracts!
All chickens should aspire to be reincarnated as delicious Ground Red Chipotle Pepper spiced creations. This smelled
heavenly.

This place is like if Anthropologie had a spice department - great packaging, covet-worthy product...
I can't post all the pictures I took, but they have spices from all over the world. I think they had oregano from four different countries!
Amen. Amen. Love people. Cook them tasty food. I love you, Penzey's!
Penzey's definitely made 11/11/11 extra special for me.

Trip Recap

All in all, Villahermosa Round 3 was great. It had it's low moments, and there was plenty of forced positive self-talking going on, but I made it back in one piece, a better woman for the journey.

Here are some of my favorite parts of the trip...


I LOVE breakfast (favorite meal), and having breakfast on trips is always something I look forward to. I got really attached to this exact breakfast in 2010: Raisin Brain, bananas, watermelon, oats and plain yogurt. Yum!
I was really cultured and ate Chili's Margarita Chicken almost every day.
I worked out and flexed it up for you.
I ate DELICIOUS complimentary chocolate covered strawberries (two tuxedos?). I also enjoyed complimentary wine every night. Perfecto.
I watched my favorite blonde Bond while enjoying said strawberries and wine.
And my last day there, we had a massive barbeque, and enjoyed it...in the warehouse. Love these peeps.
Of course, these are my real peeps. Love their squishy little bodies!

November Goal Update:
$29.50 spent on food as of 11/8/11
41.5 miles+weights+35 minutes of cycling+plyometrics as of 11/8/11
Food log in full swing. Apparently I cannot be trusted with Airheads, candied walnuts, or pretzels-and-Laughing Cow cheese.

Thursday, November 10, 2011

Recap Wannabe

Back in the comfort of my own home with my own doggies tomorrow! ALMOST made it.

Sidenote: I have horrendously bad luck when it's a full moon, so I might be jumping the gun with the previous declarations before the wheels have landed. It's not just superstition in my case,  y'all. It's real. Like, I got a $200 ticket one time for not using my right turn blinker in a right turn only lane during a full moon.

I was going to post pictures of all the reaons this trip has turned out to be exactly what I needed, but the internet is moving slower than Highway 59 in Houston, northbound, at 5 pm, when there's a wreck, due to massive construction resulting in lane closures. So, the pictures will come tomorrow when I'm settled in.

HEAR THAT, FULL MOON? I'm making PLANS, so don't try anything FUNNY.

I will briefly recap an epiphany I had this week on the treadmill.

It's no secret if you've been reading the last few days that this trip has emotionally hit me in a few tender places. Could be that last year when I was here, thoughts of a certain boy kept me going. Could be that I've been here enough times to know that I'd rather be home. Could be job woes. Could be the impending full moon, or any number of tricky factors.

So, I was on the treadmill, dutifully putting in my miles, and all the reasons behind the emotions flooded me at the same time. I was at minute 23 on the TM. Huge, huge lump in the throat appeared, and I wanted to stop running, go back to my room, journal, cry, call my mom, anything other than keep doing what I was doing.

But then I thought, okay, your throat is literally closed because you're about to bawl. It hurts. But doesn't your ankle hurt? Isn't there pain in your knee? Your left lung might explode at any second, yes?

And yet, you keep going.

You don't stop because your ankles hurt, or your knees are killing you, or your lungs are on fire. No, those pains indicate progress. You are getting stronger, faster, better, and those temporary growing pains are the result.

Why do your emotions and the physical repsonses to those emotions get a pass? Perhaps the fleeting tears are telling you you're doing exactly what you should be doing.

You feel pain. How do you deal with it? You. keep. going. So, go.

And that is what I did. I kept running - despite the knees, the ankles, the lungs, and even the emo-lump. I accepted them all as progress and promises of greater things to come in the future.

Just gotta keep going. :)