Brothers and Mothers

The Flags on Memorial Day weekend (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I'm lookin forward to seeing my brother soon. We are doing a Mud Run and I know it is going to be really amazing! I am so proud of him and his job and motivation. My Mom will be coming to visit me soon too. I invited her to the women's ministry meeting at my new church. I am looking forward to introducing her to some new and old friends and just giving her an opportunity to be encouraged. She hasn't been part of a church community in a long time and I think she could benefit from it.

T is taking good care of me lately. I hurt my knee playing softball and he has been making sure I wear my knee brace and rest. He has been working really hard and we have been planning our fall vacation! Right now we are trying to decide if it would be more economical to drive or fly. He has also been teaching me to play XCom:Enemy Unknown, which is surprisingly fun. Dinner Saturday night was a delicious Dijon Doused Steak that he cooked. I want more! Like, now!

I got a new job this week! I will be making cupcakes soon. I am excited about the opportunity to save up some extra money, since T and I will be buying a house soon. We are trying to save as much as we can! An old friend from church recommended me for the job and I am super grateful.

We spent Memorial Day weekend at the river and had a lot of fun. The water was really choppy, but we both went on the inner tube anyway and my uncle did his best to throw us off. I had fun, but my arms were sore for days! Just another reason that I need to build some upper-body strength. I also got to debut my new purple bikini. I tried to drink lots of water, despite my temptation to guzzle Mountain Dew. I also slept surprisingly well on the foldout couch bed. It was a wonderful weekend.

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A Pruned Life

I have been thinking a lot about priorities lately and how to simplify my life. I need to take better care of my cat. That ties nicely into decluttering my apartment, since having lots of random crap laying around isn't very good for him. There is too much that he could get into. I've been doing better with home maintenance. Most days I at least get the dishes done. However, I want my home to be cozy and welcoming to others. I want it to be a ministry. I remember how at home I felt at the home of my youth pastor and his wife when I was younger and I want to be able to provide that to others now.

English: Pruned Holly A closer view of the pruned tree 1128589 in Vernon Park, Stockport. The burrs produced will make it interesting wood for turning when it reaches the end of its life. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

I was blessed that a friend made time in her busy schedule to have breakfast with me on Friday. We talked of people who get dogs when they can't take care of the one they already have, about terrible small towns, about her brother going to seminary. We ate pancakes and laughed about our husbands' silliness. I complimented her impeccable fashion sense. Career goals (or lack thereof) were discussed.  She's excited to be graduating in December. I told her about traveling to California when I was seven. We laughed about the games we used to play with our Barbie dolls. Most meaningful to me, was when I told her that we were going to start trying to conceive next month and she responded with a huge smile and genuine excitement. It was refreshing. No competition, no jealousy, no possessiveness. Just love. From unexpected places.

T and I ran another 5k Saturday morning. My Mom came to cheer us on and we also ran into our friend Kmo, who was taking pictures for the event. Despite some technical difficulties with my ipod at the beginning of the race, it went really well overall. The miles definitely went by faster than usual and I'm thoroughly enjoying my new shoes. (My Mom got them for me for my birthday, and this is the first race I've run in them!) They are a smidge more minimalist than my old shoes and I can definitely feel the ground and how my feet are hitting it much better, allowing me to make adjustments to my stride as needed. I think we set a new PR, but it's hard to tell since we STILL haven't received our results yet. I will let you know when we do!

calories and quinces

Mountain dew can (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Yesterday, T and I burned 273 calories on our run. That's almost 19 ounces of Mountain Dew! After I discovered that 26 minutes of running does not even burn the amount of calories in a 20 oz. Mountain Dew (290 calories), this is our new favorite way of measuring our exercise. In other news, the addiction has to STOP. It made it really tangible for me to know that all that effort didn't even make up for my daily indulgence. Also, the caffeine could potentially be bad when we start trying to conceive, and I should probably stop the habit now rather than later.

We also went to Five Guys yesterday to visit a friend of mine who recently started working there. She was working prep in the kitchen, so we didn't get to see her, but my grilled cheese with pickles was great, and T thoroughly enjoyed his bacon burger. I really liked the open layout of the place and how you can watch them cook your food right there. Everyone was cheerful and helpful and the place had a really upbeat atmosphere. Later on I texted my friend to let her know how much we enjoyed it and she was really happy to hear it.

That night we had a Quinceañera to attend, and I didn't have any closed-toe shoes that looked right with my dress (I need to go shopping.) , so I did a quick and dirty toenail polish with Essie's Azure Blue. That is also the color I wore on my toes at my wedding. I also wore a nice little black rose clip in my hair. The Quince turned out to be really fun and I even got to do some dancing.

I haven't had a lot of downtime lately, but that's entirely my fault. I really overscheduled us for this month. There are so many things I want to do, but I know that if I try to do too much then I won't do any of them justice. I really need to prioritize.

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Back on Track

Marahon shoes (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

This past Saturday T and I ran a 5k at the Zoo. We also got to see my brother and crash at his house. It was awesome! My brother G came to cheer us on and I hope we inspired him to get back into running himself. They used little orange tags on our shoes for timing and my husband said he was going to keep it on his shoes for a while to remind him of his goals. We also got super-cute long sleeve shirts.
Running through the zoo was amazing! We saw elephants, meerkats, tigers, a cougar, a lynx, kangaroos, and lots of exotic birds! A trainer gave the elephant a little flag and it waved the flag as we went by. It was so cute! My favorite part was rounding a corner and glancing up to see a cougar standing on a ledge above my head. It was in an enclosure of course, but it was still exciting! My crazy imagination turned it into a dangerous and dramatic moment and I think it gave a boost to my speed.

Cougar conservation depends on preservation of their habitat. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

My husbands favorite animals were the kangaroos. They were hopping around like crazy! It was especially nice that the race didn't start until 3pm. Even though it was in another city, we didn't have to leave our own apartment until that morning. As hard as I try, early morning exercise just doesn't come naturally to me! After the race, we goofed around for a little while taking pictures and trying snack samples, including some delicious veggie chips.
We were also super impressed by the people who won awards, including an amazing lady in her 50s who had started the race right next to us! She finished in less than 30 minutes and is my new hero. They actually had a little 3 place podium for the winners to stand on, so that was cute. They also fed us! There was some great pasta with alfredo and/or marinara sauce waiting for us and it was delicious! It was also fun to sit down, relax, and chat a little with the other runners.
Oh, right. Our time. We clocked in at 44:03. Not our best, but a good start to the new year. I also wonder if we might have lost a little time slowing down to look at the animals. (It was worth it.) I'm already excited about our next race on February 16th! We will be aiming to finish that one in 40 minutes or less. First step? Running Week 4, Day 1 of Couch to 5k this afternoon! Allonsy! 

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