inspiration

English: black cat (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Recently, my husband and I had the opportunity to take part in a new ad campaign for our local Humane Society. They are trying to raise money for a mobile spay/neuter clinic to reach lower-income areas of our city. The campaign is called Project STOP and consists of a collection of black-and-white photos of people and animals holding their hands up to the camera in a "STOP" motion with whatever they want to stop written on their hands. Since our baby Kazu is a black cat, T and I chose to write 'fear' and 'superstition' on our hands. People are still weird and superstitious about black cats, sometimes even killing them. This is ridiculous because our 5-year-old kitty boy has brought us nothing but love!

Last month we ran a 5k and my BFF Garrard came to watch us. Now he is running most days and I like to think we  had a part in inspiring him to get back in the game! He used to run a lot so pretty soon he'll be surpassing us no problem. There is a mud run nearby in May and I am hoping that he will do it with us. It would be super fun to do a 5k obstacle course with my husband and my best friend.

English: A chest X-ray demonstrating severe COPD. Note the small size of the heart in comparison to the lungs. (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

In more sobering news, my Dad was diagnosed with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease this week, surprising no one. This is the same thing that most likely led to the stroke that killed his dad, my Papa. The doctor also found spot on my Dad's lung. He had a CAT scan on Thursday, and we'll have the results tomorrow. He's convinced now that he needs to stop smoking. I agree, but I don't know why it took so long for him to come to that conclusion. If you're the praying type, please pray for him. 

Related articles

• Grant For Spay And Neuter Surgery
• Found Animals Foundation Releases New Zip Code Look Up Tool to Help Pet Owners Find Low-Cost Spay and Neuter Locations Throughout Los Angeles County
• Ke$ha To Be Honored By The Humane Society

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.

Related articles

• Cardio Mission: Burn Up to 900 Calories an Hour
• Quinceañera Collection Gowns Featured at Trunk Show Events

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! 

Related articles

• Content Strategy: 9 Secrets for Awesome Blog Post Titles
• Lynx Cats Seen In Colorado And Shared Online With A Picture [video]
• APROPOS: zimbabwe´s export of baby elephants to zoos in China...
• Rose Romano's Italian Gourmet Toppings And 4 Gluten Free Marinara Sauce Recipes