Since the very first day I signed up for Team Challenge I have been consistently blown away by the generosity and support of people in my life. I have also been amazed and in a constant state of awe at the generosity of the people I didn't even know were in my life.
Today, specifically at exactly 3:30 p.m. I hit my fundraising goal of $3,900. I cannot even begin to tell you how many times over the course of the last (almost) five months I wasn't sure that was ever going to happen. Nearly $4,000 is a HUGE chunk of money to raise and there were days I just wasn't sure I'd be able to raise all of it. But once again I am blown away, surprised, shocked, and enamored with how damn generous people are. There are people I expected to show up and donate (Mom, I'm looking at you). Even those people went so far above and beyond (secret revealed: neither my dog nor my nephew ACTUALLY made those donations, she was behind those too). My friends showed up in the form of LITERALLY thousands of dollars. My mentor worked her ass off (and then sweat her ass off at a bake sale) at fundraising events and then handed over hundreds of dollars towards MY goal when she was doing fundraising of her own. Parents of friends, parents of former cheerleaders, co-workers (new and old), former cheer coaches (both that coached me and coached WITH me) all came forward to help me. Literally with every single donation that came in moved me and showcased the amazing network of people I had built in my life. And I can't possibly find words to show how much thanks I have. I knew about those people. I knew they've supported me through thick and thin and kind of figured (and hoped) they'd be there for me this time too.
What I never could have expected was the people I didn't know were in my life to come through so strongly. Strangers, people I have NEVER MET IN MY LIFE, made their mark on my journey to my goal. People I've randomly talked with on Twitter donated and gave even though they've never so much as shook my hand because we've only "met" via computers. You can't possibly prepare for the emotional shock that kind of generosity gives you.
I have been making a very strong push to reach my goal a week early. I wanted to be able to spend the last two weeks before my race focusing on running, sleeping, NOT eating shitty foods, and drinking as little as possible. I had 16 donations come in this week alone. Every single one pushing me that much closer to my goal. I was obnoxious on both Facebook and Twitter and instead of telling me to shut up, people donated. At 3:29 today I was $44 shy of my goal. And an amazing runner and a true leader in the Milwaukee Running Community made that exact donation. I cried (naturally). I couldn't believe I had done it.
And then, because people will NEVER STOP SURPRISING YOU, I had two separate $100 donations come in. One from my former cheerleading coach who I have hardly kept in contact with. And the last donation? From a total stranger. I've never spoke to him before, he follows me on Twitter and was aware of my fundraising efforts. And his generosity apparently knows no bounds. I'm still a little teary eyed and it's almost an hour later.
There are so many parts of this Team Challenge journey that have changed my life and will be lasting memories for years and years. I hope above all of them, I never forget how generous and supportive people are. That at the end of the day, the world is full of good people and I get to proudly say I know so many of them.
Thank you all for what you have done for me. I'm ridiculously blessed and will spend forever trying to repay your generosity and support.
Friday, June 29, 2012
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Random Thoughts
That time has come again, where I have a lot going on my head but not enough on any one topic to write a cohesive post. So we're playing scatterbrain again and throwing random topics out there.
The air conditioning is broke in our area of the office and won't be fixed until next Monday. Anyone who knows the temperature at which I keep my house in the summer months knows just how much this kills me. I went to Target over lunch and bought a desk fan. Bonus: it's green and matches my new clock and lamp so I suppose all's well that ends well.
I read this post by the wonderful Jen this morning and I loved it. Skinny is not a compliment and even more so, if you don't feel good about yourself, none of it is a compliment. Also, don't ever call anyone huge. Even if you're thinking it. Because then I'll have to call you an asshole and no one wants to go down that path.
Yesterday it was too hot to run the 6 miles I had scheduled in the morning so instead I ran on the treadmill after work. I used to have a DREAM of running a 5k some day, now when I'm taking it easy that's my training run. MIND BLOWN.
Today I had to do some research on Mark Zuckerberg and how he's taken to only eating the meat he's killed with his own hands, which I'm pretty sure proves there is such a thing as too much money and it's ridiculousness that comes after it. (His previous "yearly challenges" were learning Chinese and wearing a tie every day for a year. I'll never understand the rich.)
My colleague was standing outside my office this morning and said to me, "Your office looks like a showroom for Target" and I responded "that's because literally everything I've brought into it is from Target." So there's that. I think we know where my allegiance lies.
Whenever the kitten wants attention but isn't getting it, she races in whichever direction she thinks I'm heading, gets to where she thinks my final destination is going to be and then rolls over and shows me her belly. She knows I think it's adorable and she's guaranteed a little petting. It happens 100% of the time I walk up the stairs. Here's a shot of her begging for love last night.
Which of course drives the dog crazy and she's all, "BUT I WAS HERE FIRST, LOOK AT ME!"
And then the rest of a night is a battle for my affection. Which, of course, is NOT worst case scenario as it means I'm snuggling with these two monsters.
The air conditioning is broke in our area of the office and won't be fixed until next Monday. Anyone who knows the temperature at which I keep my house in the summer months knows just how much this kills me. I went to Target over lunch and bought a desk fan. Bonus: it's green and matches my new clock and lamp so I suppose all's well that ends well.
I read this post by the wonderful Jen this morning and I loved it. Skinny is not a compliment and even more so, if you don't feel good about yourself, none of it is a compliment. Also, don't ever call anyone huge. Even if you're thinking it. Because then I'll have to call you an asshole and no one wants to go down that path.
Yesterday it was too hot to run the 6 miles I had scheduled in the morning so instead I ran on the treadmill after work. I used to have a DREAM of running a 5k some day, now when I'm taking it easy that's my training run. MIND BLOWN.
Today I had to do some research on Mark Zuckerberg and how he's taken to only eating the meat he's killed with his own hands, which I'm pretty sure proves there is such a thing as too much money and it's ridiculousness that comes after it. (His previous "yearly challenges" were learning Chinese and wearing a tie every day for a year. I'll never understand the rich.)
My colleague was standing outside my office this morning and said to me, "Your office looks like a showroom for Target" and I responded "that's because literally everything I've brought into it is from Target." So there's that. I think we know where my allegiance lies.
Whenever the kitten wants attention but isn't getting it, she races in whichever direction she thinks I'm heading, gets to where she thinks my final destination is going to be and then rolls over and shows me her belly. She knows I think it's adorable and she's guaranteed a little petting. It happens 100% of the time I walk up the stairs. Here's a shot of her begging for love last night.
Which of course drives the dog crazy and she's all, "BUT I WAS HERE FIRST, LOOK AT ME!"
And then the rest of a night is a battle for my affection. Which, of course, is NOT worst case scenario as it means I'm snuggling with these two monsters.
Tuesday, June 19, 2012
Let's be ballerinas
Last night, prompted by Kyle's comment about the new abcfamily show "Bun Heads" I told the short 140 character version on Twitter of how Center Stage influenced me in high school. Nicole thought it was pretty funny so I was looking for the post where I talked about how easily movies made their mark on me as a kid (okay, and as a teen...maybe as an adult) and I realized I've never fully dove into the stories on here. What an opportune moment to share a little craziness with you all. Anyone who knows me quite well has probably heard all of these before but they're still quite entertaining (or scary, I suppose if you're my parents and worried about my ability to judge reality).
When I was in 4th grade the movie Free Willy came out. I LOVED this movie. I decided I wanted to be a whale trainer (and with a little more research learned that meant I wanted to go to school for Marine Biology). I cut out all the magazine articles about Keiko (the whale who played Willy) and his story of captivity. This inspired me to SAVE ALL THE WHALES. I convinced my teacher at the time (likely after non-stop yapping about the whales in captivity) to collect money from the class and we'd adopt a Killer Whale (orca, for those of you in the know). (Side note: this was not the last time I found by non-stop talking about something, I could get my way by people just wanting me to SHUT THE HELL UP.) So I found some adopt-a-whale program, took the cost & divided it by the number of students in the class and in a short period of time Mrs. Wagner's 4th grade class became the proud adoptive parents to some Orca far, far away. My work there was done. (It wasn't until a while later I learned fish creep the hell out of me and I changed my mind about being a marine biologist. Oh, and science was not my jam. And, more likely than both of these reasons, another movie came along to change my life path.)
Somewhere around 5th grade Dangerous Minds was released and I decided not only did I want to be a teacher (I had wanted this career before in life), but it had to be in the hood. So I could mold and shape those poor minds into believing in something better for themselves. Plus I just knew I could be all bad ass like Michelle Pfiefer and MAKE them listen to me. This was probably the most unrealistic of my movie influenced career paths. I am NOT a former navy seal like Michelle's character (nor would I ever be) and I have NO BUSINESS molding young minds in dangerous situations. Thankfully, this dream was short lived. The soundtrack, however, lives on. I bet I can still dig up the "Gangsta's Paradise" single on CD at my parents.
Moving forward to 1996, enter Jerry Maguire. OH HOT DAMN. I wanted to BE Jerry Maguire. This movie was about the difficulties and stressful nature of being an agent for professional athletes and I clearly missed the point through the whole damn thing. Ignored the love story, the big bad corporate agencies, I missed it all. I wanted that man's job. So it was in 1996 that I decided I'd go to school to be a sports agent. I am pretty sure I was still contemplating this as an actual career while in college, until I learned you needed to go to law school (you know, since you're NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS) and decided that was too much school for me.
Jerry Maguire's influence lasted for a while though - until 2000 when Center Stage was released. And because this is even FEASIBLE when starting at 16, two friends and I decided we wanted to be ballerinas. Our parents fronted the money for not only dance classes, but ALL the gear necessary. We're talking leotards, ballet slippers, tap shoes, etc. The studio needed to start a NEW class for us because we were beginners but NOT four years old, like most "beginners." We went to three classes until the instructor told us she was choreographing our routine for the spring program and we ran for the damn hills never looking back. WOAH WOAH WOAH. We were NOT performing after the 4 year olds as beginners to an audience. And that's when I hung up the ol' slippers.
Never fear though, in 2001 Fast and the Furious came out and gave me a new focus...my bitchin' Plymouth Neon. Because I had limited funds (and because it was a neon) I didn't do anything to physically make the car faster, but I did tint the windows and add some killer neon lights to the inside (it's NBD, but it did bounce with the beat of the bass.) I think it's probably around this time that I also wanted to learn about cars and how they worked. Probably also around this time I started cruising Hwy 100...in my bad ass Neon.
Fortunately I think around that time my ability to be that heavily influenced by movies passed. Though, one could potentially argue my love for Texas and desire to be a football coach's wife was further reinforced by Friday Night Lights. You'd probably have a decent argument on your hands.
When I was in 4th grade the movie Free Willy came out. I LOVED this movie. I decided I wanted to be a whale trainer (and with a little more research learned that meant I wanted to go to school for Marine Biology). I cut out all the magazine articles about Keiko (the whale who played Willy) and his story of captivity. This inspired me to SAVE ALL THE WHALES. I convinced my teacher at the time (likely after non-stop yapping about the whales in captivity) to collect money from the class and we'd adopt a Killer Whale (orca, for those of you in the know). (Side note: this was not the last time I found by non-stop talking about something, I could get my way by people just wanting me to SHUT THE HELL UP.) So I found some adopt-a-whale program, took the cost & divided it by the number of students in the class and in a short period of time Mrs. Wagner's 4th grade class became the proud adoptive parents to some Orca far, far away. My work there was done. (It wasn't until a while later I learned fish creep the hell out of me and I changed my mind about being a marine biologist. Oh, and science was not my jam. And, more likely than both of these reasons, another movie came along to change my life path.)
Somewhere around 5th grade Dangerous Minds was released and I decided not only did I want to be a teacher (I had wanted this career before in life), but it had to be in the hood. So I could mold and shape those poor minds into believing in something better for themselves. Plus I just knew I could be all bad ass like Michelle Pfiefer and MAKE them listen to me. This was probably the most unrealistic of my movie influenced career paths. I am NOT a former navy seal like Michelle's character (nor would I ever be) and I have NO BUSINESS molding young minds in dangerous situations. Thankfully, this dream was short lived. The soundtrack, however, lives on. I bet I can still dig up the "Gangsta's Paradise" single on CD at my parents.
Moving forward to 1996, enter Jerry Maguire. OH HOT DAMN. I wanted to BE Jerry Maguire. This movie was about the difficulties and stressful nature of being an agent for professional athletes and I clearly missed the point through the whole damn thing. Ignored the love story, the big bad corporate agencies, I missed it all. I wanted that man's job. So it was in 1996 that I decided I'd go to school to be a sports agent. I am pretty sure I was still contemplating this as an actual career while in college, until I learned you needed to go to law school (you know, since you're NEGOTIATING CONTRACTS) and decided that was too much school for me.
Jerry Maguire's influence lasted for a while though - until 2000 when Center Stage was released. And because this is even FEASIBLE when starting at 16, two friends and I decided we wanted to be ballerinas. Our parents fronted the money for not only dance classes, but ALL the gear necessary. We're talking leotards, ballet slippers, tap shoes, etc. The studio needed to start a NEW class for us because we were beginners but NOT four years old, like most "beginners." We went to three classes until the instructor told us she was choreographing our routine for the spring program and we ran for the damn hills never looking back. WOAH WOAH WOAH. We were NOT performing after the 4 year olds as beginners to an audience. And that's when I hung up the ol' slippers.
Never fear though, in 2001 Fast and the Furious came out and gave me a new focus...my bitchin' Plymouth Neon. Because I had limited funds (and because it was a neon) I didn't do anything to physically make the car faster, but I did tint the windows and add some killer neon lights to the inside (it's NBD, but it did bounce with the beat of the bass.) I think it's probably around this time that I also wanted to learn about cars and how they worked. Probably also around this time I started cruising Hwy 100...in my bad ass Neon.
Fortunately I think around that time my ability to be that heavily influenced by movies passed. Though, one could potentially argue my love for Texas and desire to be a football coach's wife was further reinforced by Friday Night Lights. You'd probably have a decent argument on your hands.
Monday, June 18, 2012
All in my head.
I think it's safe to finally say I've overcome the total mindfuck that is running. And I do apologize (kinda) for dropping F bombs so early in a post on a Monday morning but really, it's necessary. So I'm sorry, but not really.
If you've ever started a climb on any huge metaphorical hill in your life, you know half (if not more) of the battle is mental. And for me, running has been almost entirely a mental challenge. For YEARS (as evidenced by many posts on this blog) I've wanted to be a runner but wasn't. I'd try to make it happen and fail. I'd give it another go and stop. I thought I had decided running just wasn't in the cards for me. When I signed up for Team Challenge I had decided I'd walk the half marathon and I was mostly doing it because it would be fun to go to Napa with some friends. Then I thought, this was the perfect situation to finally reach my life time running goal of completing a 5k. So I'd run 3.1 miles and walk the remaining 10. Then because my coaches are rock stars and my team motivates the hell out of me, I decided I'd try running one last time. Since then I've run 4 miles without stopping, I ran an entire mile in 11:13, and I've done 10 miles at one time. It's been a HUGE climb and I'm constantly amazed at how far I've physically come since starting this training program.
But I'm even more amazed by how hard of a mental battle it was and how much progress I've made mentally. Coach Darrell and I had a lengthy talk this past practice about how impressive that is and how much of an impact that has on life, not just running. I have stop beating myself up about running. I'm slow, sometimes I run, sometimes I walk part. But the point is that I finish the miles. The point is that I have run MILES without stopping. Weeks ago, I blew my lifetime goal of running a 5k out of the water. Now 5k's are my training runs. I get myself up at 5:15 in the morning to RUN. I don't care how fast. I am a runner and even if I run slow or walk parts, I run. And I'm more than happy with the progress I've made and will continue to make. I've turned my focus to what I HAVE done and CAN do instead of what I can't.
My running journey cannot be compared to anyone else's average pace or PR or longest distance. It's mine all mine and so far it's been amazing and I'm proud as hell of it.
If you've ever started a climb on any huge metaphorical hill in your life, you know half (if not more) of the battle is mental. And for me, running has been almost entirely a mental challenge. For YEARS (as evidenced by many posts on this blog) I've wanted to be a runner but wasn't. I'd try to make it happen and fail. I'd give it another go and stop. I thought I had decided running just wasn't in the cards for me. When I signed up for Team Challenge I had decided I'd walk the half marathon and I was mostly doing it because it would be fun to go to Napa with some friends. Then I thought, this was the perfect situation to finally reach my life time running goal of completing a 5k. So I'd run 3.1 miles and walk the remaining 10. Then because my coaches are rock stars and my team motivates the hell out of me, I decided I'd try running one last time. Since then I've run 4 miles without stopping, I ran an entire mile in 11:13, and I've done 10 miles at one time. It's been a HUGE climb and I'm constantly amazed at how far I've physically come since starting this training program.
But I'm even more amazed by how hard of a mental battle it was and how much progress I've made mentally. Coach Darrell and I had a lengthy talk this past practice about how impressive that is and how much of an impact that has on life, not just running. I have stop beating myself up about running. I'm slow, sometimes I run, sometimes I walk part. But the point is that I finish the miles. The point is that I have run MILES without stopping. Weeks ago, I blew my lifetime goal of running a 5k out of the water. Now 5k's are my training runs. I get myself up at 5:15 in the morning to RUN. I don't care how fast. I am a runner and even if I run slow or walk parts, I run. And I'm more than happy with the progress I've made and will continue to make. I've turned my focus to what I HAVE done and CAN do instead of what I can't.
My running journey cannot be compared to anyone else's average pace or PR or longest distance. It's mine all mine and so far it's been amazing and I'm proud as hell of it.
Thursday, June 14, 2012
In the closet.
This post is not at all what you're probably thinking from the title. It's not a euphemism, it's actually about what's in my closet. Secondly, I LOVE words on things. It's kinda my thing. Quotes on things get me every time. So while I was "retired" I had some time to organize my closet and get things in order. I have been trying to make a (damn) inspiration board for probably years now. But seriously? When I was working it always just seemed like a ridiculous task to spend precious spare time on. But when retired, it became a fun afternoon project.
So, after removing 4 large garbage bags of clothes out of my closet (clearly spring cleaning hadn't happened in a while) I re-organized (by color, duh) and it opened up a lot of wall space. This is where I tell you, my closets are HUGE. And because it's just me and the girls there, I have two huge closets. The one in the master is probably big enough for 8 grown adults to hang out in (not just stand in, but actually "hang out" in. Also, Angie, that's why your post is so long, because you're clarifying things like that. FYI). And there's racks and shelves and baskets and it's wonderful. So even with all my clothes in there (literally all of them, my 8 year old Ikea dresser is down to one functioning drawer and really just serves as a place to set the TV), there's still TONS of space, specifically wall space. So I created two inspiration boards, one for running and one for life in general. And I tore through my collection of old magazines (I have a serious problem with hoarding magazines, like one day I think I'm just going to sit down with every issue of Women's Health since 2006 and re-read them?!) to find MORE words on things, pictures, quotes, anything I found inspirational or at the very least made me feel SOMETHING.
I love my inspiration boards and wouldn't you know, every morning when I go to get dressed, every night as I go to put on my PJ's and every time I go to switch into workout clothes I get a friendly little pep talk / reminder / inspiration. Then I started wondering what else could go in there? Duh, a calendar! My mom got me this awesome calendar with lots of inspirational quotes painted on pretty pictures for Christmas. Why hide it in a cupboard I'll likely rarely open when I could have it right out there with my inspiration? So I did just that. Now I'm inspired, I know what day it is and if any wacky holidays I wasn't aware of happen to fall on the day ahead of me.
This month's quote is "It's not what's next, it's what's now." When I made the flip from May to June I read the words and felt like they physically slapped me across the face. Historically speaking, I have spent the majority of my 28 years rushing through life. As a kid I "played" teacher and "go to work" (I asked for a brief case when I was 3...weird.) In high school I couldn't wait to get out of there and head to college. In college, couldn't wait to move home and become a "grown up". Also, historically speaking, once I got to the "what's next" part I longed for the previous phase in which I rushed to get over. Fast forward to the last few years where, in a relationship I couldn't wait to get married and have babies. It's at this step that I got a hearty dose of reality and REALLY thought long and hard about life. Someday I'm going to have babies crawling all over and toddlers getting into things they shouldn't be and I'll long for the days I could eat ice cream for dinner and quietly watch trashy television by myself in peace*. And someday I'll have a husband who I love dearly but who'll have some hygiene practices that drive me up a wall and I'll remember the days of yore where I had bathrooms to myself and peed with the door open without judgement. (Don't act like you wouldn't if you lived alone and didn't have to impress anyone!)
While I was "retired" I had to refocus how I thought about things and take them day by day. I honestly didn't know when things would change, when I'd have a job again or if in a month I'd be struggling to pay bills. Planning and thinking far off into the future made me tired and worried. So I took each day as it came. I woke up and only worried about what needed to happen that very day. Now that things have turned around and I'm back in the working world, I'm trying to keep as much of that mindset as I can. Who knows what's next, you only know what's now and before you know it you'll be in the next longing for parts of the now.
So, when July comes around, I'll be taking June's quote and adding it to my inspiration board for a forever reminder to focus on the now and be present in the present. It only lasts so long and most times is over before you even know it.
*Sidenote: Today my boss asked where my notebook was from and I told her Target and she responded, "Ugh, if I could only get there without children making the trip impossible." And I think I felt my ovaries SHUT DOWN SHOP for a minute. Excuse me?! You just don't get to go to Target when you have children?! (Obviously I know this is not the case, I take the nephew all the time and he loves it. But for a moment I was all, "Yup, I'm good with just furkids who aren't allowed in Target for a while. I love my (sometimes more than) weekly trips.)
So, after removing 4 large garbage bags of clothes out of my closet (clearly spring cleaning hadn't happened in a while) I re-organized (by color, duh) and it opened up a lot of wall space. This is where I tell you, my closets are HUGE. And because it's just me and the girls there, I have two huge closets. The one in the master is probably big enough for 8 grown adults to hang out in (not just stand in, but actually "hang out" in. Also, Angie, that's why your post is so long, because you're clarifying things like that. FYI). And there's racks and shelves and baskets and it's wonderful. So even with all my clothes in there (literally all of them, my 8 year old Ikea dresser is down to one functioning drawer and really just serves as a place to set the TV), there's still TONS of space, specifically wall space. So I created two inspiration boards, one for running and one for life in general. And I tore through my collection of old magazines (I have a serious problem with hoarding magazines, like one day I think I'm just going to sit down with every issue of Women's Health since 2006 and re-read them?!) to find MORE words on things, pictures, quotes, anything I found inspirational or at the very least made me feel SOMETHING.
I love my inspiration boards and wouldn't you know, every morning when I go to get dressed, every night as I go to put on my PJ's and every time I go to switch into workout clothes I get a friendly little pep talk / reminder / inspiration. Then I started wondering what else could go in there? Duh, a calendar! My mom got me this awesome calendar with lots of inspirational quotes painted on pretty pictures for Christmas. Why hide it in a cupboard I'll likely rarely open when I could have it right out there with my inspiration? So I did just that. Now I'm inspired, I know what day it is and if any wacky holidays I wasn't aware of happen to fall on the day ahead of me.
This month's quote is "It's not what's next, it's what's now." When I made the flip from May to June I read the words and felt like they physically slapped me across the face. Historically speaking, I have spent the majority of my 28 years rushing through life. As a kid I "played" teacher and "go to work" (I asked for a brief case when I was 3...weird.) In high school I couldn't wait to get out of there and head to college. In college, couldn't wait to move home and become a "grown up". Also, historically speaking, once I got to the "what's next" part I longed for the previous phase in which I rushed to get over. Fast forward to the last few years where, in a relationship I couldn't wait to get married and have babies. It's at this step that I got a hearty dose of reality and REALLY thought long and hard about life. Someday I'm going to have babies crawling all over and toddlers getting into things they shouldn't be and I'll long for the days I could eat ice cream for dinner and quietly watch trashy television by myself in peace*. And someday I'll have a husband who I love dearly but who'll have some hygiene practices that drive me up a wall and I'll remember the days of yore where I had bathrooms to myself and peed with the door open without judgement. (Don't act like you wouldn't if you lived alone and didn't have to impress anyone!)
While I was "retired" I had to refocus how I thought about things and take them day by day. I honestly didn't know when things would change, when I'd have a job again or if in a month I'd be struggling to pay bills. Planning and thinking far off into the future made me tired and worried. So I took each day as it came. I woke up and only worried about what needed to happen that very day. Now that things have turned around and I'm back in the working world, I'm trying to keep as much of that mindset as I can. Who knows what's next, you only know what's now and before you know it you'll be in the next longing for parts of the now.
So, when July comes around, I'll be taking June's quote and adding it to my inspiration board for a forever reminder to focus on the now and be present in the present. It only lasts so long and most times is over before you even know it.
*Sidenote: Today my boss asked where my notebook was from and I told her Target and she responded, "Ugh, if I could only get there without children making the trip impossible." And I think I felt my ovaries SHUT DOWN SHOP for a minute. Excuse me?! You just don't get to go to Target when you have children?! (Obviously I know this is not the case, I take the nephew all the time and he loves it. But for a moment I was all, "Yup, I'm good with just furkids who aren't allowed in Target for a while. I love my (sometimes more than) weekly trips.)
Monday, June 11, 2012
Random Things
I understand these types of posts can be boring for the people who don't know me, but I have some requests from friends from afar for life updates. I broke it out by section so you can skip the ones you don't care about. And if none of them move you - well have a wonderful day and come back when I'm feeling more inspired.
Running
To date the farthest I've run is 9 miles. It was after many adult beverages and much less than I'm used to sleep. All things considered it was a decent run. This last weekend we had practice on Sunday when it was about 134 degrees out with 200% humidity (and I'm only slightly exaggerating). I ran 3 and then walked another 3.5 before my coach told us to call it so we wouldn't die. He's nice like that. I'm only about $800 away from my goal and have 3 more weeks to raise funds. This is only making me slightly panicked. (Slightly.) And of course if you'd like to donate, you can do so here. And then I'll love you forever. I also found out I get to see not one but two of my sorority sisters while I'm out there and one of them will be running in the race with me. I'm beyond excited to toast my first half marathon with Miss Abby P!
Work
Still love my job. Getting more involved in projects and am really excited about the stuff I'm doing. I enjoy working on the agency side of things and I cannot stress enough how much I enjoy my boss. She will no doubt be more than a manager to me and has already filled the shoes of mentor with what little time she has on her hands. The agency is every bit as cool as I thought it would be. Last Friday we had our first summer grill out, every other Friday we all bring a dish to pass and fire up the grill for lunch. It was awesome and a great way to get to know more of my co-workers. There's a TON of other new people who have recently started (including a gaggle of interns) so I don't feel quick so much like I standout.
Love Life
You can all stop holding your breath on this one. I've been so happy and busy and fulfilled by the people and stuff I've got going on in my life right now I honestly haven't even thought about the fact that I don't have a boyfriend and I certainly haven't gotten to the point of wanting one yet. I'm enjoying this time so much more than I ever thought I would / could. I'm riding this wave for as long as I can. And no, I will not be joining online dating when I decide I'm ready to date again. We can definitely rule that out. I'd rather poke myself in the eye. With something relatively sharp.
Odds & Ends
There's a small window of time between these jobs where I don't have health insurance. I've learned the problem with this is that you turn to the interweb as your "primary health provider" and that's a scary place to get medical advice.
I went to MN last weekend and already on my way to work this morning I found myself missing the cities. My trips usually sustain me for longer than a week! Must plan another visit ASAP.
I've got a ton of awesome stuff coming up in the next few months, including but not limited to: a bachelorette party, friends in town, a trip to Napa, a trip to adult summer camp, and another bachelorette party.
I'm headed back to Zumba for the first time in a month tonight. I'm wondering if my hips still remember how to shake it the way I need them to in order to avoid being the most awkward girl in the class.
My Dad came over to help me with some stuff around the house this past weekend. Let's just say until I have a husband, that man is a KEY PLAYER in making sure that house stays standing. NO ONE told me you need to replace an air filter every few months.
Friday, June 8, 2012
Love in the now, Wayne.
First, I'd like to acknowledge this post was inspired by Annie's post today. If you're not currently reading Annie's blog you should be. I can't remember the last time I read a post from her and didn't giggle or feel moved. She's got a way with words, that one.
Secondly, I'm thankful Annie posted that because while I promised to use the coffee table book to spur questions it turns out when I have time to write a post I'm NEVER by the coffee table book. Plan foiled. And I've had serious writers block lately. I'm sick of talking about how awesome my job is (well actually, no I'm not sick of it at all but y'all probably are). SOMEONE (*cough* Sukie *cough*) says I'm not funny enough when I'm writing about all this happy stuff. So now I'm just not sure what to write about. That's where Annie's post came in and I'll just piggyback off her and share with you a list of things I've been loving on lately. Also, I was able to work in a Wayne's World reference in the title and that's always a good start.
So without further ado...
My compression socks.
Technically they're compression leg sleeves. But whatever you want to call them, I'm in the middle of a pretty strong love affair with them. As in, I wish I never had to take them off...ever. Although, just to clarify, I don't ever stand like this guy in the picture does with them on. I'm mostly laying when they're on my legs. I wear them after long runs and I swear they do more than "promote recovery" they have magic in their fibers and they make my legs forget about what just happened. They're amazing and I recommend them to everyone who runs longer distances, or short distances or moves really. Seriously just wear 'em. Plus, how hot are they?!
Country Music
That shirt up there on Jason
This is not something I'm just loving now. I cannot tell you what it is about those shirts (I refer to them as cowboy shirts, not sure if they have a real name). They are..just...I can't even find words people. I love them. And I hope someday I'm dating a man who wears them on the regular. Ugh, they're so Tim Riggins it hurts.
Shot Bloks
Now that I'm (unfortunately) running longer distances having some water at the end won't cut it in terms of keeping my body from hating me DURING the run. I carry the Nathan Quick Draw water bottle (same exact one Annie praised in her blog) and it's working out great for me. Specifically because in that little pocket I can carry my Shot Bloks. I did try GU but I think it felt like a giant slug crawling his way to my stomach and kind of made me want to vomit. Shot Bloks taste like candy or fruit snacks. Much improved.
Rock Center with Brian Williams
Now that all my favorite shows have reached their season finales and my DVR is in a serious drought I'm finding new shows to keep me occupied. I've watched this particular show before but I got hooked last night. A) I love Brian Williams. He is an attractive man and sometimes funny when he talks about the news, which is one of my favorite ways to receive the news (See also: Matt Lauer who also is an attractive older man who delivers funny news). The stories run the spectrum of topics and the best part - they're short enough to not lose interest but in depth enough to get some good details about the story. Last night I learned about an Olympic hopeful who was born without fibias and now has prosthetic legs and sprints faster than people with legs, Adele, and concussions in high school girl's soccer.
Good lord this post was scatterbrained.
Secondly, I'm thankful Annie posted that because while I promised to use the coffee table book to spur questions it turns out when I have time to write a post I'm NEVER by the coffee table book. Plan foiled. And I've had serious writers block lately. I'm sick of talking about how awesome my job is (well actually, no I'm not sick of it at all but y'all probably are). SOMEONE (*cough* Sukie *cough*) says I'm not funny enough when I'm writing about all this happy stuff. So now I'm just not sure what to write about. That's where Annie's post came in and I'll just piggyback off her and share with you a list of things I've been loving on lately. Also, I was able to work in a Wayne's World reference in the title and that's always a good start.
So without further ado...
My compression socks.
Technically they're compression leg sleeves. But whatever you want to call them, I'm in the middle of a pretty strong love affair with them. As in, I wish I never had to take them off...ever. Although, just to clarify, I don't ever stand like this guy in the picture does with them on. I'm mostly laying when they're on my legs. I wear them after long runs and I swear they do more than "promote recovery" they have magic in their fibers and they make my legs forget about what just happened. They're amazing and I recommend them to everyone who runs longer distances, or short distances or moves really. Seriously just wear 'em. Plus, how hot are they?!
Country Music
Source: jasonaldean.com
This should come as a surprise to uh...no one? I've always been a fan, I've talked about it here before, especially about giving it a chance (ahem, all you haters!) There are certain days and times of the year where country music just feels not only appropriate but necessary. Specifically Sundays and the summer. For some reason to me those times were built for country music and I am in full swing here of non-stop country music listening. This also does NOT help my life dream of marrying a Texan with an accent.That shirt up there on Jason
This is not something I'm just loving now. I cannot tell you what it is about those shirts (I refer to them as cowboy shirts, not sure if they have a real name). They are..just...I can't even find words people. I love them. And I hope someday I'm dating a man who wears them on the regular. Ugh, they're so Tim Riggins it hurts.
Shot Bloks
Now that I'm (unfortunately) running longer distances having some water at the end won't cut it in terms of keeping my body from hating me DURING the run. I carry the Nathan Quick Draw water bottle (same exact one Annie praised in her blog) and it's working out great for me. Specifically because in that little pocket I can carry my Shot Bloks. I did try GU but I think it felt like a giant slug crawling his way to my stomach and kind of made me want to vomit. Shot Bloks taste like candy or fruit snacks. Much improved.
Rock Center with Brian Williams
Now that all my favorite shows have reached their season finales and my DVR is in a serious drought I'm finding new shows to keep me occupied. I've watched this particular show before but I got hooked last night. A) I love Brian Williams. He is an attractive man and sometimes funny when he talks about the news, which is one of my favorite ways to receive the news (See also: Matt Lauer who also is an attractive older man who delivers funny news). The stories run the spectrum of topics and the best part - they're short enough to not lose interest but in depth enough to get some good details about the story. Last night I learned about an Olympic hopeful who was born without fibias and now has prosthetic legs and sprints faster than people with legs, Adele, and concussions in high school girl's soccer.
Good lord this post was scatterbrained.
Tuesday, June 5, 2012
Have you heard it's recall day in WI?
Of course you have. Everyone has. And we've been hearing it for months. Today's the day the state casts their vote to either recall our current Governor or elect in the current Mayor of Milwaukee. Before I go any further, I'll let you know this post is NOT about who I'm voting for or why I am voting one way or another. In fact this post is the opposite.
I have never been die hard political aficionado. My parents don't stand firmly on either side of a party line and for the most part we all vote on an election by election basis when it comes to which party we align with. My brother is the only real heavily involved political member of the family and has been for far longer than he's been able to vote. (In the first presidential election I was of age to vote in, I voted in his honor. He was 16 and worked for one of the candidate's campaigns tirelessly. I figured if he donated all his time and energy, the kid deserved a vote.)
There is one area of politics that I stand pretty strongly on. And that area is knowing when it's appropriate to discuss politics. I believe that social media has given us yet another platform to engage with so many more people than we've ever been able to before. This serves as another channel to say whatever you feel. In so many ways this is amazing and awesome and should be used however the hell you want. However, that fact combined with this recall election I feel that people have lost all sense of etiquette surrounding political discussions and it REALLY drives me crazy.
One less I learned from my sorority experience in college was what types of conversations were "acceptable" in social settings and which were best avoided*. I understand this sounds slightly old school. Reminiscent of "put your pearls on, look pretty and speak when spoken to." But that's not it at all. There's a need for etiquette in social settings. When you don't know who your audience is or what they believe is NOT the time to start talking about hot button issues that are near and dear to the very being of a person. Issues that strike nerves so deep in their core they can't possibly NOT respond to you.
If you're with your closest friends and you've reached a level of familiarity that encourages these types of discussions - carry on with your bad self. Throw every argument for your guy or against theirs out. Preach as hard as you can for as long as you want. When you're talking to people you don't know or to a broad audience, perhaps an audience like your Twitter followers who didn't ask to hear about your opinion in EVERY TWEET you've ever tweeted for the last THREE MILLION TWEETS? Maybe you just make your position known and then shush. And for the love of all things holy, maybe, JUST MAYBE, you don't need to TELL ME WHO TO VOTE FOR.
I understand this election has got people all sorts of worked up. More than I've ever seen happen in this great state. I understand the passion people feel towards this election is off the charts. So by all means, I'll gladly tolerate the eleventy million reminders I'll get today about making sure I vote. Tell me 3,000 times if you need to. But do not tell me WHO to vote for. That's my right to choose. And quite frankly, telling me who to vote for kind of insults my intelligence and your belief in my ability to make the right choice. The right candidate for YOU and YOUR SITUATION isn't necessarily the best candidate for everyone else. So you do your thing and I'll do mine. That's the beauty of democracy.
*In case you're looking for a general rule of thumb, we used the 5 B's to remember things to avoid in conversation:
I have never been die hard political aficionado. My parents don't stand firmly on either side of a party line and for the most part we all vote on an election by election basis when it comes to which party we align with. My brother is the only real heavily involved political member of the family and has been for far longer than he's been able to vote. (In the first presidential election I was of age to vote in, I voted in his honor. He was 16 and worked for one of the candidate's campaigns tirelessly. I figured if he donated all his time and energy, the kid deserved a vote.)
There is one area of politics that I stand pretty strongly on. And that area is knowing when it's appropriate to discuss politics. I believe that social media has given us yet another platform to engage with so many more people than we've ever been able to before. This serves as another channel to say whatever you feel. In so many ways this is amazing and awesome and should be used however the hell you want. However, that fact combined with this recall election I feel that people have lost all sense of etiquette surrounding political discussions and it REALLY drives me crazy.
One less I learned from my sorority experience in college was what types of conversations were "acceptable" in social settings and which were best avoided*. I understand this sounds slightly old school. Reminiscent of "put your pearls on, look pretty and speak when spoken to." But that's not it at all. There's a need for etiquette in social settings. When you don't know who your audience is or what they believe is NOT the time to start talking about hot button issues that are near and dear to the very being of a person. Issues that strike nerves so deep in their core they can't possibly NOT respond to you.
If you're with your closest friends and you've reached a level of familiarity that encourages these types of discussions - carry on with your bad self. Throw every argument for your guy or against theirs out. Preach as hard as you can for as long as you want. When you're talking to people you don't know or to a broad audience, perhaps an audience like your Twitter followers who didn't ask to hear about your opinion in EVERY TWEET you've ever tweeted for the last THREE MILLION TWEETS? Maybe you just make your position known and then shush. And for the love of all things holy, maybe, JUST MAYBE, you don't need to TELL ME WHO TO VOTE FOR.
I understand this election has got people all sorts of worked up. More than I've ever seen happen in this great state. I understand the passion people feel towards this election is off the charts. So by all means, I'll gladly tolerate the eleventy million reminders I'll get today about making sure I vote. Tell me 3,000 times if you need to. But do not tell me WHO to vote for. That's my right to choose. And quite frankly, telling me who to vote for kind of insults my intelligence and your belief in my ability to make the right choice. The right candidate for YOU and YOUR SITUATION isn't necessarily the best candidate for everyone else. So you do your thing and I'll do mine. That's the beauty of democracy.
*In case you're looking for a general rule of thumb, we used the 5 B's to remember things to avoid in conversation:
- Bank (avoid all things money related)
- Bible (RARELY will bringing up religion end pleasantly with strangers)
- Barack (it was Bush when I was in college, but thankfully we've just kept right on going with the president's with a B name)
- Boys
- Booze
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
