Village to Village

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to run a sweet little 10K. It being 27 degrees, I was decked out in everything fleece (and pink.)

Holy hills, Batman. I was not prepared for those first two miles. Luckily, no other than my new father in law was working the water station at mile 3. We've never gotten an "Love ya'll!" at a water stop before, but it was motivating.

I didn't know the course very well, so I was gripped with fear at every turn that another hill awaited.


It was all worth it, since we got these roses.

Syke. The real trophy was the tall stack of pancakes and bottomless cups of coffee the father in law treated us to.

This running thing might be good for weight loss if it wasn't for my equally loved hobby of carb loading. One cannot live on egg whites alone, right?

Sweet Melissa

Happy Birthday today to one of my oldest (length, not age) friends. It seems like just yesterday we were roaming the halls of K-4 in our smocked dresses, yet here we both are, roaming the halls of corporate America in suits and heels.

I so admire your patience and your wisdom. I know I can always get good advice from you - everything from relationships to hair dressers. You are incredibly analytical and understanding.

You are also one of the funniest people I know. You are such a gifted writer, right down to the emails that often make me actually lol in my cube.

You also share my love for cheese, Lifetime movies and a various assortment of frostings and doughs.

It has been such a blessing not only to have you as a friend, but to have you as a friend for as long as I can remember. You have been there in the best and the worst times of my life and I could not ask for a better friend during each.

May this year be filled with joy and all the good things life has to offer. Happy Birthday!

Fantastic Friday

I was going to label today "Frugal Friday" but the word frugal reminds me of dried up grapes (raisins?) and I'm really not a fan.

Without further ado, this week's fantastic deals.

CVS

One always needs movie candy. Five grams of protein? It's practically a vegetable. Used 7 ECBs from last week's deals.

Total out of pocket: $2.96.

*The key to the game is to keep buying stuff that gets you ECB's. This trip was a fail. I make up for it later:)

Publix

Spent: $79

Saved: $70

53% savings

I've said it before and I'll say it again - I think balance is key here. I'm sure I could save more, but we try to eat moderately healthy. Yes, moderate includes chewy fudge brownies.

MS is returning from the frozen tundra and I'm really excited about some steak tonight.

It does sound good, doesn't it?

Beef...it's whats for dinner.

Happy weekend friends!!

Lunchtime Errands

I'm getting pretty adjusted to the neighborhood and can almost run all of our errands close to home. No small feat in the Ham.

It was rushed, so I hope E. Seasom appreciates me picking up her dry cleaning.

Was glad to see a good(?) report on the Grizz when I picked him up from grooming. Does this read Big Baby or Big Baby? Both fit. The big baby was ready to get OUT OF THERE and took a flying leap into my car. Impressive when you have the build of a bowling ball.

I cut off the exclamation point. It kind of looks insulting without it. Oops.

Happy Thursday. I'm so looking forward to a glass of merlot with Addison Montgomery tonight.

A Few of My Favorite Things

A few new favorites while we push through this gray winter weather.

Behold, the sweaty band. I got one for Christmas and am loving it. All those layers I thought were a great idea when getting the wife chop no longer hinder me from running like the wind. I'm boring and got white. It has a silver stripe. Step back.

I'm sure I owe most of my water consumption to the Tervis Tumbler - grande size. Bonus points - the lid and the straw. I travel up a few floors every morning to get the good (Sonic like) ice and I'm set for the morning.

Speaking of morning, I have a new love in the face wash department. I love it so much I want to use it at night too. Is that ok? Does the evening dilute its effectiveness? Its caused quite an identity crisis, but I love it none the less.

Fresh scent? Caffeine? Sign me up.

And the BEST FOR LAST. I wish I could take credit for this discovery, but alas, I cannot. You can thank me later.

Living the Dream

It was my favorite kind of weekend. Plenty of time to be both lazy and productive. After spending all night parked on the couch with the folks at Sterling Cooper, we headed out Saturday for a cloudy 8 mile run. It was painful - not that a long run is ever entirely pleasant, but my legs -perhaps weighed down by Goobers and Sour Patch Kids - felt pretty tired. Not exactly the feeling I like going into a race next weekend.

The training plan doesn't stop. Cue life lesson. So after dropping MS off at the airport Monday morning (hello, Bravo and pancakes for dinner), I took a little nap (it was 6:30) and decided to get one of the week's run out of the way. This is about as real as it gets. I'm sorry I'm not the type with the full face of makeup to work out.

I told you I owned a lot of pink.

It was heavenly. I felt good. Made it up all the hills at just the speed I wanted without feeling near death. We all know what uphills mean - downhills. Downhills that led right back to my starting point. It was just what I needed.

I spent the afternoon with this guy. He was very excited about it. I think he prefers me at work.

Other than a poorly scheduled visit to the dentist (this just in - flossing is KEY if you don't want your mouth to look like you got punched in the face at your semi-annual cleaning), it was a great vacation day and start to the week. Is it just me or does that extra day make all the difference?

Attitude Check

I have referenced my tendency towards a Type A personality numerous times on this blog. There are many advantages - I'm fairly organized, I'm pretty good at planning ahead and providing some structure to our family life.

On the flip side, there are parts of my personality that aren't so pretty. An exaggerated sense of time urgency, competitiveness and becoming easily irritated are things I struggle with. When things don't go according to my plan, I get frustrated. It's amazing how these are magnified when living with another person who doesn't always share these traits (thank the Lord). It's something I've been praying God would begin to change in me this year.

Be careful what you pray for. As I'm sure we've all experienced, God doesn't just give us patience, or love. But instead, gives us a chance to exercise patience and love. I've been slow in making the connection between these prayers and the circumstances God provides to give me a new attitude.

This week in church, we read 3 John. As I glanced through the intro, I read something that struck that nerve again. "It can be easy to join others in gossip, complaining or small acts of dishonesty..."

Rarely, if not ever, do I think of complaining as a fault, much less a sin. It really clicked with me how deep our attitudes run and how what is in my heart surfaces.

"The good man brings good things out of the good stored up in his heart, and the evil man brings evil things from the evil stored up in his heart. For out of the overflow of the heart the mouth speaks."

I think blaming a personality type is a cop out. I'm going to go out on a limb and say most of us have a tendency towards selfishness, frustration and jealousy rather than serving, peace and joy. As I move forward this year, I pray that my heart would be changed. I think the rest will fall into place.