A Rainbow in my Coffee!

I know what you guys are probably thinking.  “That Amy… she always hated Tuesdays.  Maybe this week it finally did her in.”

You’d be wrong.  Not this Tuesday. 

But there’s always next week, I guess.

Until then, I’ll just keep minding my own business with the norm.

You know, like working out.  Which I’ve done pretty well on considering all I want to do at 5:15 in the morning is stay put in my comfortable spot in bed.  It’s that time of the season where you jump into bed, freeze your butt off for 5-10 minutes under the covers, finally get warm, and DO NOT MOVE.  The thought of flinging the covers off to go do anything else is unheard of.  Stay put if you know what’s good for you.  Have a second thought about getting up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom. Because your warm spot isn’t going to be there when you get back.  Oh no it’s not.  You’ll be starting all over.

So wait… what?  Something shiny?

Oh yeah… the workouts.  They’ve been pretty routine.  I’ve been doing the shred in the mornings this week and then hitting up cardio after work.  Mostly because I don’t want to venture outside the apartment in the AM (see above explanation).  Also, it’s not as big of a deal to rush to the gym after work.  No one else wants to make the trip to the gym in cold weather, either.  So the machines have been pretty open.

I’m thinking it will stay that way until approximately January 2nd (I give people a day to sober up and then realize their drunken resolutions). 

Another norm I’ve been sticking to is attempting new dishes in the kitchen (is that a contradiction?).  Because I had such good luck on the stuffed acorn squash, I figured I’d try my hand at stuffed peppers.

Maybe I got a little overexcited.

Everything seemed like it would work.  I had an orange pepper and mixed up black beans and corn that had been seasoned with paprika and some red chili peppers.See?  Looks good so far, right?

Then I topped it with cornbread and cheese (seriously- still fantastic sounding, right?).It just isn’t my thing.  No idea why. I heart peppers.  Maybe just not that much.  I ended up actually saving half of one of the peppers to throw into a salad because I was that done with it.  Boo!

Oh well.

Another thing I’ve been up to the last couple of days is tracking down malted milk powder.  Yeah.  It’s a main ingredient used during my Thanksgiving baking extravaganza next week (get excited for that).  But it’s tough to find.  I’m not sure if I was just looking in the wrong place or the stores don’t carry it or what. Desperation started to set in.  I was one step away from calling Potbelly’s and begging them to let me buy some off of them.  They’re known for their malts- surely they have a little to spare?

But then my friend Mon said she’d “fire up the Google” and see what she could find.  Turns out I was completely missing they “hey duh” answer.  WalMart.  I grew up with the firm belief that they carry everything.  Why not malted milk?  So because Mon is a superstar and because there’s a store right next to her office, she swung by and picked some up for me. 

That’s not all she came back with.That’s weird Mon, I didn’t know there was an Anthropologie in WalMart.

Did I mention my friends are the coolest?

I love what’s in the bag.  And can’t wait to show you.  But I was a hot sweaty mess when I got home from the gym, so you’ll have to wait for me to break it out at a later time. 

Ahhh…. the suspense.

Let’s just say I owe her a few home cooked meals.  For reals.

Ok.  We’re on to hump day, ya’ll.  Grab your coffee.  Let’s do this thing.

Weeeee!

For the Love of Halloween

Thanks for all the suggestions guys.  I now have a good majority of the bread in the freezer.  I’m usually not a fan of freezing bread, but recently I’ve only been eating it toasted.  So I don’t think it’ll be too bad.  We had arts and crafts up in this club last night.

Thanks to some suggestions, we finally found not only a place with iron-ons, but a place with ENOUGH iron-ons for five shirts.  Let the fun begin…Clearly Bailey is excited.Mon not so much…  but she was one hell of an iron-on cutter-outer.  She didn’t even complain when I screwed up once and ironed on the letters on the inside of the shirt… oops…

At times like that, I remember why I had always bought my costumes in the past…  But for what we’re going to do- there is no pre-made costume (hint #1 for later).After about 3 hours of ironing, we were done.  Thank goodness…

Who knew our costumes would be so labor intensive???

All that after my workout… no wonder I passed out as soon as my head hit the pillow last night.    After having a pretty light day Sunday of just walking, I was feeling the need for speed.  Ok, so maybe not speed, but as close as I can get to it.  Four miles at 8:27.  Just call me Maverick… 

Ok, so get excited because I’m baking tonight.  What does this mean for you?  Well I always have extra.  SO, I really want to send YOU some.

All you have to do is correctly guess what I’m going to be for Halloween.

If you’ve read my blog for the last couple of months, it won’t be too hard (hint #2- you’ve read about it). 

But I’m willing to give you more hints. 

We’re impersonating a group of guys.

We’re gonna look kind of silly.

And this is the one I’m gonna be:Get it yet?  If there are multiple people who figure it out (it’s really just a matter of browsing some of my posts in august and september), I’ll randomly pick a winner tomorrow morning and send some goods your way….  

Hopefully it’ll make someone’s Tuesday more exciting, right??? 

Supposedly today is supposed to be pretty nasty.  Like some of the worst winds/storms Chicago has seen in quite some time.  After almost getting swept away in a wind tunnel on my 100-foot walk from the parking garge to my office, I’d believe it.

Any guesses as to how long I’ll be sitting uncomfortably as my pants dry?

Mon’s Blogging Debut!

Hey everyone!  Since I’m currently traveling (I believe at this point I’m most likely driving from St. Louis to the ‘rents house), Mon has graciously said she’d do a guest post for me.  I figured since she’s on the blog often anyways, I might as well let her take it over for the day.  I’ll be back tomorrow with updates, but until then- enjoy! 

Life in the Middle Ages…

Good day to all you Randomness readers, Mon here!  Amy has entrusted me with one of her most intimate and dearest to her heart’s daily routines, which happens to be this blog.  I feel honored and privileged that she feels that I can contribute to her randomness while she is out performing bridesmaid duties. Although I am a writer by trade, I am a virgin blogger.  (Yes folks, this is my first time.)  However, Miss Bax and I share many of the same lifestyle choices and extracurricular activities, so I feel compelled to give this a whirl.

My given name is Monica Lynn Friday and I was born to a health-nut mother in July 1975.  I was raised on puffed wheat, granola bars, and carob, Jane Fonda and turquoise spandex leggings paired with white twisty headbands.  Picture Olivia Newton-John in the video Physical (one of 1981′s greatest pop genre accomplishments) and there you have a pretty accurate image of my mom. My mother not only aerobicized at the local grade school gymnasium with the other fitness minded mom’s, but she and I would follow the workouts as directed by ‘Lady Jane’ Fonda in the book ‘Jane Fonda’s Workout Book.’  Remember – this was during a time when music video’s were only shown on Friday nights and not every home had the luxury of a VCR. Yes, I’m THAT OLD. At some point in my grade school youth, mom and dad opened ‘Dreamshape’, a toning table and tanning bed salon. I would spend most of my afternoons after school spraying and wiping down those damned tables.  I didn’t understand why it was so stinking important to her to eat the way she did and exercise all of the time; I didn’t find it fun or interesting.  I couldn’t understand why my brother and I couldn’t eat McDonald’s, drink Orange Crush, wolf down a few Pixie Sticks and enjoy REAL CHOCOLATE for Christ’s sakes! Imagine the horror I encountered when I realized that in my following years in Junior High and High School gym classes that whilst the boys were doing their unit of football or wrestling, the girls were stuck doing Jane Fonda or Denise Austin aerobic tapes!  I couldn’t escape the phenomenon. I was doomed to do the ‘pee on the fire hydrant’ pose to chipper middle aged women in spandex.

As an adult, I can relate to why she made the choices she did. Did her lifestyle influence mine after I left home? Of course it didn’t. I did what any independent and bull-headed young woman would do and threw everything I had ever learned from her out the window because that was the mature thing to do. I ate everything I felt deprived of as a kid, and partied four nights a week instead of thinking about the possibility of entering a gym even once a week. Well, due to my mature adult decisions, my body decided to pack 35 pounds onto my 5’2″ frame. Let me tell you people – there are only so many places fat can go when you are 5’2″, and mine went straight to my middle area. Yes it went to my boobs (HOORAY!!) but unfortunately it also went to my stomach and butt (FAIL!!). I didn’t realize what had happened until seeing a picture of myself and consequently having a meltdown because I looked like an Oompa-Loompa (especially since I was sporting a sun-burn in the picture).  I was MORTIFIED. I hadn’t felt like I gained that much since high school, but the truth was staring at me in all its matte finished glory. Thank God those were the days before digital cameras and Facebook tags. I immediately changed my eating habits and began an exercise routine.

 Nowadays I make smart eating choices on a daily basis. I’m not much of a cook so when I do eat out there are many options out there for the health conscious individual. You just have to be aware of what is out there and choose appropriately. I’m a big fan of looking up nutritional information for restaurants online. And those random times when I do crave the taste of those awesome McDonald’s french fries, well, I eat them but I also remember that I can’t do that every week. In order to not bore myself with the same meal every day, I love to try healthy alternatives found popular in other cultures. I work with people from all over the world, and I find it interesting to see what the other half does to maintain a healthy lifestyle. In recent years I find that I mainly date men in the International category because I find them intriguing, so it only makes sense that I enjoy tasting food with an International flair! My liberal persona tells me that you can’t judge a brand of individual until you experience what they are like, so how can you make judgments about cultural cuisine until you’ve tasted a bit of it from everywhere, right?  And yes, I am talking about my diverse dating life and food choices at the same time.

To be frank – I’m still not excited about exercising, but I do it because it makes me feel better. Like most of you out there I’m sure, my job consists of me sitting on my butt all day and exercising is the only time I get to re-circulate the blood to other parts of my body. Not only does it keep me healthy physically, but I find that it helps me in the ‘I can now go another day without killing somebody’ department. My routine has switched up a bit throughout the years.  Now that I’m in my 30′s I have to work harder to maintain my ideal weight and I find that I need to switch up my routines a bit. Once my scale or my pants start to tell me “hey Mon, why so muffin top today?” I know that it’s time for a new challenge. I try to mix it up enough so that my body doesn’t get bored with the same motions workout after workout.  I’m fortunate enough to have a great circle of friends that work out as well, so we keep each other motivated to keep going.  If my friends that are juggling babies, careers and husbands can make time for their health, I have no excuse!

Before I end my virgin guest-blog, I want to take a minute to give a shout out to my fellow children of the 1980′s!  And any of you single 20 something’s out there that are dreading ‘the middle ages’, fearing your life will become that of celibacy, eating bon-bons and watching the Lifetime movie of the week with far too many cats, let me put your mind at rest. Your life is only just beginning. All of you out there like Amy who are already maintaining healthy lifestyles and challenging yourselves every day are going to find that you will be even sexier and self assured when you hit 30 or 40. Men will fear you and women will hate you, but in some sort of morbid way, I like being the hated woman : )   

Okay, time to run…I have to go put in my Jane Fonda VHS tape and do some Workout Inc.!

Chicago Rock n’ Roll Half Marathon

I did it!!!  I finished the Rock n’ Roll Chicago Half Marathon!  Oh happy day…

Thank you to all that wished me luck!  I really appreciate it!  And just so you know, I had such a GREAT time!I may be somewhat biased, but Chicago is one of the most beautiful cities!  Even when you’re sleep deprived and it’s not even 6:00 in the morning…

My wakeup call was at 4:15. I actually drove in from the ‘burbs that morning for it (Not highly recommended I’m sure, but it really wasn’t too bad).  Because I traveled with my own personal cheering section:I have such great friends.  These girls were ready and willing to go watch.  And were up and at it at 5:00 with a smile on their faces.  Thank you so much, Annie and Mon.  I love you guys!

We traveled down to the start area, and passed by the stage and press tent and got a good look at these kids:Guiliana Rancic and Maria Menounos chatting it up.Jake the Bachelor getting ready to run…  And just so you know, he’s just as, if not shorter, than he appears on tv.  Which is nuts. Even a certain Real Housewife from New York came out for a stroll in the park…

Excuse me while I openly admit that I get starstruck easily.

Back to the race…  so I was a little late getting into my corral, but I made it in time for the start.  No worries!

The start reminded me a lot of the Shamrock Shuffle- crowded and bit hectic.  But unlike the Shuffle, it thinned out much quicker.  And by mile 2 or 3, I was in my “happy pace”- somewhere around 8:40 and 8:45.  I am yet to buy the thing to put my Nike+ chip in since I bought my Sauconys, so I relied completely on the clock at every mile marker.  I got through the Start Line around 9:00, so it wasn’t hard to estimate how I was doing the entire time.

I honestly can’t tell you too much specifically about what was going through my head during the race.  I got to a certain point where I completely zoned out.  I didn’t even see my friends at Mile 6 until they were practically right in front of my face.  But I looked up and there they were- so I shouted a happy shout of some decibel and it made me smile for a bit.

Here are a few things I do remember:

- People start to smell bad at around four or five miles.  This really bugged me.  Then I realized I probably smell just as bad.  So I was ok with it.  Because I’m no hypocrite.

- Watch where you run while going past water stops.  Most people were really considerate about throwing cups to the side.  But when you’re on the side, those cups are coming straight at you.

- I wonder where Guiliana Rancic is right now?  What if she passes me?  Would it be weird to try and strike up a conversation?  Maybe they’re taping it and I could be on E!.

- I studied quite a few tattoos on the backs/arms of people I was behind.  And wondered the story behind them.

- Ahhhh… once we were on the lakefront, the breeze was seriously CLUTCH.

- Ahhhh Gu.  I hope they have Vanilla.  I can’t do the fruity stuff… I can see myself hurling right then and there.  Oh good- they have vanilla. 

- Annie and Mon…  Annie and Mon… I know they’re gonna be here around Mile 12… oh!  There they are!  (Seriously, at Mile 12 I was starting to drag, so seeing them jumping up and down and screaming got me to pick it up a lot for the last mile.  For this I thank them!)

- My favorite sign along the race sidelines ended with “that’s what she said”.  Yessssss.

- I have never been so excited to see a finish line in all my life (or the year and a half I’ve been doing official races- same thing).

My final stats? I couldn’t be happier.  It was a great first time at this distance.  And I beat my goal of finishing under 2 hours.

I think before I was done running, I had already started thinking about ways I could improve for next time.

Yes, I already knew there should be a next time.  As excited as I was going into the race, I wasn’t sure how I was going to like the distance.  I’m very happy with my 5 and 10k’s.  But this was fun and I think the training was an overall helpful thing for me.  And as long as I’m comfortable with a distance, I’ll keep doing it. 

It’s safe to say, I liked this one.  Granted, I will most likely wait until next year sometime for my next half marathon, but I can’t wait to start searching for whatever race that’ll end up being!

After the race, we traveled to The Bongo Room for proper post-race eats.  Granted, I may have enjoyed it a wee bit more had my stomach not been completely revolting against me because of the run.  I still ate, but didn’t finish my plate like I had anticpated…Oh bacon, feta, and mushroom omelette… I’ll beat you next time!

And when I say stomach issues… I wasn’t kidding.  Holy cow… it had me down and out for a bit once I got home.  But no worries, I’m good now!

Happy Monday everyone!  I’m a bit sore today (to be expected), but I’m looking forward to this week.  It’s a short week of work because I’m flying out to DC on Wednesday to have some hang time and a little vacay with the fam- which I’m looking forward to!  Can you believe I’ve never been to Washington DC?!?!  I guess there’s a first time for everything…

How Boring

Well I’m slowly getting back to normalcy.  What I consider “normalcy” anyways…Oatmeal for breakfast counts as “normalcy” and not just “boring”… right?

Yesterday I ended up spending a couple hours getting my car taken care of.  A new battery was necessary.  And while I was there I got my oil changed and brakes replaced.  Yep… my car was an expensive little baby yesterday.  Frustrating.  But necessary.  So I’m just not going to dwell on that.

Let’s dwell on happier things.  Like how sweet my friends are!  Check out how great Annie was to me for my birthday- after also coming out and celebrating AND baking for me!She gave me a present that is pretty much the runner/fitness junkie’s dream.  After spending a night checking out her gym, I expressed my interest in resistance bands.  So she picked up one for me!  Along with some new workout clothes!  I love the Champion line- and was a huge fan of the sports bra especially…

There was also a water bottle, but I forgot to include it because I may have already used it… oops!

Clearly, I loved it! 

And look what my friend Mary brought for me over the weekend:It’s a little cupcake kit with the cutest cupcake liners ever!  I really need to get back into the kitchen…

So after a long day at the office, I was definitely ready to get some movement in at the gym- and last night was my lasts long cross training session before the race. But the gym was packed!  Lately, I’ve been lucky to not deal with a crowd (and let’s face it- in my apartment complex’s weight room, 5 people is a crowd).  I got in elliptical and stairmill time (how boring normal) and then did some focus on the arms.  I’ve been slacking on the abs as of late.  And had planned to get up and do something about that this morning by doing a round of The Shred and abs.  But alas- my sleep seemed more important the first time my alarm went off this morning.

Maybe we’ll try that one again tomorrow…

Since I didn’t get to the gym until late last night, I also didn’t leave until late.  So what’s the quickest dinner I know?Veggie scramble.  How unbelievably boring normal of me.

But that’s ok.  Sometimes I’m cool with being boring normal. 

Have a good day, everyone.  Even if Tuesdays are generally lame, I hope for your sake that maybe it’ll be a little less boring normal for you! 

Zoning Out

Hello kids!  I  hope you all had a wonderful weekend.  Mine was a perfect balance between having things to do and relaxing.  After you last heard from me, I was pretty much worthless the rest of Saturday.  I did get myself up for yoga.  But then quickly settled back down with the movie The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus.  I sort of agree with Kelly in my opinion of it.  It was ok.  Not really my style.  And I feel like a few parts could have gone more in-depth?  But I guess that’s somewhat expected when one of the main characters dies mid-shoot.  I still miss you, Heath Ledger.  My poster of you from A Knight’s Tale will never be thrown away.  Ever…

Sunday was a good day.  I still lacked a little sleep (seriously- I have no idea how I function when this happens.  It’s odd.)  Either way, I headed out in the morning for a  run.  I considered a new trail that is a seven-mile loop, but the skies were looking threatening and I wanted the option of a quick trip back to my car if absolutely necessary.  So I stuck to my smaller trail.  I’m a creature of habit.

6.5 miles.  I was a little slower than usual (8:48), but couldn’t have asked for a better run.  The temperatures were perfect, it wasn’t too muggy at that point (good thing I’m an early bird because it got a little gross later on in the day), and I just zoned out into my own happy little world.  Usually this does not happen.  But I guess I had a lot on my mind? 

Are you one to zone out on runs?  Or are you focusing on something the entire time?

The zoning was apparently more intense than I realized.  At one point, I realized I was less than four feet away from a deer on the side of the trail.  I was definitely more surprised than she was.  My heart jumped and I gasped out of surprise.  She just stared at me.  If I wasn’t so unwilling to break my pace, I would have stopped and had a stare down.  Ok, not really, but usually they’re quick to run away.  This one was just giving me a “whatchu lookin’ at, fool?”.  Deer with an attitude.  I like it.  Go on with your bad self…

I also should have paid more attention to the feeling in my feet.  The last mile was when I noticed the serious rubbing of one of my toes.  “Well there’s not  much I can do about it now”, I thought.  Actually yeah there was- I could probably have stopped.  Because now I have a killer blister on my big and second toes on my left foot.  Killer.  My Disney Princess band aids are currently being put to work.  And I’m not quite sure how it’s going to feel for my run tonight.  I’m going to try and protect them as much as I can without getting ridiculous.  Usually I’m just one to pull out the band aids, but does anyone ever use that “second skin” stuff?  Does it actually work?  I’m curious…

I also did another session of Yoga Meltdown (Level 1 this time vs. Level 2 on Saturday).  Still working on the crow pose.  Can’t do it for more than three seconds, but I also didn’t fall on my face this time.  So we can call it a win…

Food has been focused around some more veggie lovin’.I think the asparagus wrap thing is seriously changing my life.  Is it the asparagus?  Or the cheese?  I couldn’t tell you.  But whatever it is, it’s working.

I also broke out the edamame hummus I bought from Trader Joe’s.  Like I said- I thought I’d like it way more than I do.  But that doesn’t mean I don’t like it at all!  It is still good.  Especially with cauliflower.  Just so you know.

And when I made my obnoxiously large-for-no-reason trip to Target, I finally snagged some of these:I saw sooooo many people trying them out.  And they are quite good!  I love that M&M’s are starting to really mix it up with all the flavors.

Last night I traveled to a nearby town for my friend Annie’s dance recital (she’s a dance teacher).  Her birthday is today (Happy birthday, Annie!), and since I couldn’t see her today, I wanted to hang out with her one last time beforehand.  Plus, she’s going on hiatus as a dance teacher for a while, so I wanted to be there to check out her last show.    It was super cute and I may be a bit bias, but I just LOVED the dances she choreographed.  Annie pretty much rocks.  One of the classes she teaches is hip hop.  And that’s why I’m always a little embarrassed of my mediocre dance moves when we go out…. ha ha.  What… is the robot not cool anymore?

By the way, she said they all loved the cake I baked for her.  Sweet! 

So the World Cup started, and can I say I’m just not a huge fan of soccer?  Am I the only one out there?  I try to get into it, but it’s just not my thing.  Don’t get me wrong- I have a huge admiration for the athletes in the sport (I think it’s one of the sports that calls for a crazy amount of endurance and strength).  And I think it’s awesome that people get that passionate about it.  But I’m just not into it….  No idea why.  Maybe because I grew up in an area where soccer really wasn’t that popular?  I was a tee-ball kid.  All the way.  Oh well.  I tried…

Happy Monday!

Concerts and Cake

Good afternoon!  I usually posts in the morning, so it’s rare I get to say that! 

So far the weekend has been a whirlwind.  Let’s give you the highlights.

Cross training went awesome.  Same routine as usual (with the elliptical, weights, abs, and stairmill).  Got to see the Avatar guys.  No obnoxious sayings as they went through their routine… I was a little disappointed.  But I’m patient.  I know it’s coming…

My new favorite quick dinner?  It involves an asparagus wrap with some cheddar cheese.  Simple.  Yet fabulous.Mon, her friend, and I went to see the band Mike and Joe play at Durty Nellie’s in Palatine that night.  Here we are preshow- taking nonsense pics like we’re getting ready to head out to the big dance…I was a little self-conscious about my feet.  They’re starting to look a little rough again… Ick.

Since I moved from Palatine, I haven’t frequented Nellie’s as much as I used to.  And I have to say I miss it!  The show was great- Mike and Joe play a HUGE variety of covers.  We rocked out to Sublime, Michael Jackson, Modest Mouse, and even Gwen Stefani.  My fav were the Sublime covers.  Aaaahhhhhhh how I love 90′s music.  We all did.  So here Mon and I are busting out a couple sweet moves…We had such a great night!  I don’t think we sat down once while we were there.  Luckily, I had flip flops on (I had a serious wardrobe issue and couldn’t find a pair of heels that would work with my dress.  Blessing in disguise!).  Mon and her friend were hurting a little by the end of the night because they both had some serious footwear going on.  Sassy- but painful.  Totally worth it, though.

So in theme with the night, what’s your favorite 90′s song or band?  I’m curious…  I grew up with some serious love for Third Eye Blind, Sublime and Green Day.  I was a hard-core rocker in middle school.

3:00 bed time.  7:30 wake up.  I am lame.

But that’s ok- I still had work to do.  I finished Annie’s birthday cake!  Now to review- it’s for her and a coworker because their birthday is on Flag Day.  So I finished it and took it into her work this morning.  Ta-da!I’m happy with how it turned out.  And Annie texted me later  on to let me know everyone there had a sugar high.  Mission accomplished. 

Lunch was with a friend who’s doing some apartment hunting in the area.  I’m slowly getting everyone to realize how cool the ‘burbs can be…

Now I’m resting up a bit before I seriously hit up the yoga.  I need some movement before I retire to my lovely sofa for a movie this evening.  And I’m excited to give crow pose another go. 

Have a great day!

Number Seven

Why hello there. 

I went to Jaime’s sister and she definitely took care of me!  No pics- but that’s because my camera was dead when I grabbed it this morning… boo!  We took care of those nast scraggly ends that have been keeping me up at night and went a few shades darker.  Not a huge difference, but enough to make me happy.    The colors are “mochas”, and it certain lights you can see some reddish undertones.  Sweet…

Most people would find it funny that I decide to go darker for summer.  But I live dangerously.  This would be right up there with my use of expired pasta… scandalous!

I also appreciate her not judging me for wacking off half of my bangs last weekend in a desperate last attempt to style them before going out.  Yes, I’m a cutter.  And I’m horrible at it.  But Michelle just giggled and laughed a little as she tried to shape the leftover bangs.  I appreciate that.  Because I’ve gotten lectured before.  It’s like going to the dentist and  lying to him about flossing every day.  They know you’re lying.  But you do anyways.

I got home after the two-hour ordeal and was starving.  Being as how I was’t quite at 100% (see “multiple martinis on Saturday night”) I heavily considered getting carryout somewhere.  Something greasy and fantastic.  But as I sat there with color setting in my hair and flipping through a two-month-old People magazine, I became overwhelmed with the options.  Boneless wings?  Hamburger?  Loaded nachos?  Pizza?  But honestly, the big burger and fries I used to consume after every night of going out would probably leave me feeling even more gross afterwards being as how I don’t get them nearly as much as I used to.  Which would have inevitably led to me laying on the couch the rest of the day feeling dirty and used…  What are hangover/next day tricks that you used to swear by (even if they’re not so good)?

So I came home and made some more of the shrimp wonderfulness I had from the night before.  And seriously, I can’t let food go to waste and it’s gonna get bad soon.This made me feel sooooo much better.  And I even went for a three-mile walk afterwards to help me feel like I was “detoxifying”.  The Yoga Meltdown session with Jillian also helped this process.  I know it’s probably not scientifically legit, but I feel that “sweating out the alcohol” makes the rest of the day much better.

My cousin who was considering the 13.1 Chicago in a few weeks emailed me again- we’re not running together that day anymore because she didn’t realize it fell on a weekend she already has something going on.  I’m sad she won’t be down to visit again, but I’m working on getting her to run the Rock ‘N Roll Half with me in August instead. 

I also heard from my lovely friend Mary last night.  Along with my friend Laura, we’re the trio of best friends from college.(Mary’s the blonde in the middle in the tailgating pic.)  Btw, my hair sorta looks like that now… but better.  Because this pic of me was when my roomie and I decided to do the color from a box- it was my first and last time doing so.  The color was really flat and it’s a lot harder than you’d think when you have such long and thick hair!  I leave it to the professionals now…Mary and I also lived together over one summer and for a year later on in college.  I loved it because we’d just wonder across the hall to the other person’s room and get to sit and talk whenever we wanted.  She and I often had “Friday Night Dress Night” and shared a mutual respect for Goldshlager.  We don’t get to talk nearly as much now, but we make sure to get in girl talk whenever we can…  So she just recently got engaged.  And just asked Laura and I to be co-maids of honor.  Of course I said I’d do it!  I’m very excited! I’m sure Laura and I will have bachelorette party ideas flying around in no time at all… 

This is wedding number seven for me.  If you’re looking for a professional bridesmaid, please call me at least seven to eight months in advance.  I’m booking up very quickly.  I love doing it because I really have a great set of girlfriends, but I’m just wondering what I’m going to do with all these dresses?  That shorten it and wear it again crap?  Uh no….  So any creative ideas???

Happy Monday! This week will hopefully be a good one- I’ve got Thursday off randomly to get some stuff done. A nice break in the middle of the week will be very appreciated! 

Tonight’s another quick 3-mile run.  But again, it’s supposed to be rainy.  I’ve been lucky so far, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if it’s the night I get forced to the treadmill.

Run for the Cheetah 2010

I’m probably never ever going to sleep in past 8:00 on the weekend ever again, am I?  Ahhhh…. how life has changed from when I was a 22-year old college kid nursing a hangover…

But that’s ok.  Yesterday was a good reason to be up early.  I was out the door and picking up Annie to take a drive down to Lincoln Park in Chicago by 7:30.  We had things to do.  Like kicking ass and taking names… Details you want?  Ok. Here’s Annie as we’re walking to the park- we were both anxious for the race to start:Wave at Annie!  And feel free to say hello!  She informed me she’s one of the regular readers of SCR… Hey girl,  heeeeyyy!The race started right at 9:00 with a little rain in the air.  Nothing too bad- I was more concerned about wind- but that wasn’t much of a problem, either.  My leg was feeling quite alright.  I could feel a little twinge (is that a word?  If not, I’m using it from now on to describe feeling the spot of concern without really feeling pain).  I started out at a decent pace, and closed in on the first mile a little under 8:30.  This surprised me considering I haven’t really ran at all since the Shamrock Shuffle three weeks ago.  As soon as I realized my pace, I knew that I would comfortably hit a finish under 27 minutes (the time I had decided I’d be ok with all things considered).  I hit my stride in the second mile and pretty much just carried it through the rest of the race. 

After I got done, I quickly turned around, grabbed our stuff from gear check, and hustled to find a spot to watch Annie finish.  This girl rocked it!  I am soooo happy for her!  I found her after she crossed the line and we gave each other a big hug- victory!!!!  Here’s Annie’s re-enactment of crossing the finish line:And here’s me stretching out the little leggie that gives me problems and just giving my body some recovery from the shock of all the sudden having it’s owner telling it to run:

And after I got up, I realized my big mistake…  The ground was a little damper than I realized.  Awww… my poor flat and wet butt.  I just can’t win… in more ways than one.  Come ON Jillian, we’re supposed to be working on this issue!

Final time you ask?  25:18!  That’s a 8:09 average pace!  And I placed 8th in my age group- so that’s kind of neat.  Considering all the protest my legs have put up, I was completely happy with the time.  I’m hoping to break 25:00 on my next 5k I run.  Still up in the air if that’ll be Race to Wrigley in two weeks.  I’m hoping it will be. 

And little Miss Annie clocked in her first 5k ever at about 32:30!  I was soooo proud of her!  Can I say that enough?  I love that I have a few running buddies now…

But enough about racing.  It was time to eat.  We ended up at Toast (thanks for the suggestions, btw!).  I asked Annie if she would be ok with that one and she said her boss had also told her that’d be a good place to go.  We had to wait to be seated, which was fine because we were still walking it out and stretching.  And the wait was seriously worth it…  LOVED the restaurant.  Loved the food.  Loved the company!And loved the coffee… mmmm.  We both went back and forth on what to order.  After giggling about the menu’s “pancake orgy” (yes, I have the sense of humor of a 12-year-old), I settled on the Omelette Lorraine.Oh man it was good.  We enjoyed our breakfasts over some good conversation.  Well, good conversation on our parts.  I don’t often mind the people around us (or even notice- hello, I’m focusing on my food!).  But we were seated next to a first class jackass.  I mean really.  I wouldn’t have even mentioned it if some of the things that came out of his mouth weren’t some of the most obnoxious and egotistical bull I’ve ever heard.  Apparently, there are no girls hot enough for him in the clubs anymore these days.  But it doesn’t matter because he’s too good looking to have a girlfriend right now anyways.  The couple sitting with him looked embaressed because they knew he was offending everyone within ear shot.  He said much more, but I’d rather not get into much more detail than that.  I have never had such a strong desire to stick my foot out as he got up to walk out.  But I was in a good mood.  And I didn’t want to deal with the possible law suit that would occur.  Not worth it.

Every good brunch needs a bit of dessert, so we walked back up the block to this little shop:I had stopped in Starfruit to pick up a race packet before, and loved how cute it was.  But never tried anything.  I’m not a huge fruit person (in which I mean I really don’t eat hardly anything considered “fruity” at all), so I stuck with the original flavor of the Kefir froyo and got a little reese’s pieces goodness to put on top:True love.

I got home and crashed on the futon (which is only around for another week before it gets replaced- so I’m saying my goodbyes).  I also finally watched The Informant.  After much thought, I thought this movie was “ha ha….eh.”  You’ll know what I mean if you’ve already watched it.  The plot bored me.  And I honestly spent alot of the movie semi-confused.  But some of that could be blamed that I was watching it in tired-coma-like-state.  My brother was the one who said it was funny.  And I told him after I watched it, I wanted to write Red Box for my dollar back.  And then we went back and forth with some random quotes Matt Damon had throughout the movie.  His random narrations were pretty funny.  Because they were just ridiculous.  But the movie as a whole was just “eh”.  That’s why I stand by my rating of “ha  ha…eh.”  Take what you want from that…

Have a good Monday!

How Am I Not Myself?

The title is a quote I just happen to love from I Heart Huckabees, and I think it goes great with my thoughts on what’s been going on the last few weeks.  Because it relates to this fantastic Runner’s World Quote of the Day (yes, I get those- I’m motivated by daily emails, what can I say?):

“As every runner knows, running is about more than just putting one foot in front of the other; it is about our lifestyle and who we are.”  – Joan Benoit Samuelson

So that’s where I am.  Still haven’t been out running since the Shamrock Shuffle.  Don’t have any intention of doing so this week.  Thinking about making an appointment to see my orthopedist again next week if I can’t jog in place without feeling it.

All this makes me feel like a lazy bum as I sit on my couch.  Or maybe spend 20 minutes here and there doing abs and arms stuff.  I don’t pout (what’s the point?), but I’m not happy about it.  I think what bugs me more is the weather is starting to turn.  When I got on crutches a few months ago, I didn’t mind nearly as much.  I watched the snow fall with my leg propped up and only shrugged my shoulders slightly.  This nice weather is just becoming torture.

Running is what I do.  And I like it.  And I’m sort of decent at it.  And like the quote says, it’s part of my lifestyle.  I have an active lifestyle.  So when I can’t actually be active, I feel like I’m just not myself.  You know what I mean?  The energy level plummets along with my perky mood.  I just don’t feel “normal”.  Grrr….

Ugh.  Ok, so this is my whining post.  I’m just going to say that.  I allow myself that- just to get all the frustration out in one post.  Negativity doesn’t help the situation- I’m aware (I should be aware- I’ve given out advice to people who have gone through worse injuries).  Tomorrow I’ll be better.  Promise. 

How appropriate is it that I’m writing this on a Tuesday- the ick day of all days?  Ha ha…

Because Tuesday is what it is, my friend Mon and I decided to attempt to counteract that with a trip to see a movie.  Hooray! One thing I do have to say I’m excited about!  (see?  My mood is lifting already…)

Also, I got a little gift via snail mail from my friend Ashlee who visited a couple weeks ago.How cute is that?  And how sweet is she?  She knows my love of cupcakes- and even though she isn’t a big cake fan, we both appreciate making baked goods adorable.    On the inside, she wrote “never forget how fantastic you are”.  This is why I love her.  She’s been there through my ups and downs and is always great about sending me a mid-day text to crack me up.  Love her!

I also love her because she said her fiance was trying to get her to memorize Fergie’s part of “Imma Be” (he likes random songs like that) to rap at their wedding.  I said no to the song, but yes to the rap- and suggested something with a bit better of a beat.  Like something by Coolio… Yeah… awesome, right?    Our hometown wouldn’t even know what hit them!

Ironically, this is one of my more “moody” posts, but Brit over at Working on the Fab Life gave me this sunshine award!  She’s a total sweetheart and is right when she says we have a similar humor- us sarcastic girls kinda rock…

I decided to hand this one out to a few peeps this time.  Just a few random ones with random reasons of why I enjoy their presence in the blogger world:

Kelly at My Verbal Vomit because we share the same love of vodka clubs.  And it’s somewhat eerie that we are often share the same train of thought…

Jess over at The Process of Healing because she is currently the coolest chic on crutches I know!

Marie at Cheaper Than Therapy because I never read her blog without cracking up.  Which may or may not have almost gotten me in trouble at work a few times… ha!

The Marathon Maiden because she is just rocking out her training for Boston!  She’s in the homestretch, so go cheer her on!

Leah over at Why Deprive? because she’s chillaxin’ Canadian-style as our neighbor from the north… 

I could go on and on (it’s almost obnoxious how many of you kids I have in my google reader- apparently I’m nosey and love keeping up with everyone!), but I’m keeping it short to highlight a few of you kids…

Oh and thanks for all the comments yesterday- it seems we’re all a little weary of how effective vitamins actually are, but most of us take them “just in case because it couldn’t hurt”.  Isn’t it ironic that we’re not sure of how good they really are, but we take them and put them in our bodies anyways?  You’d never do that with actual food, would you?  Just an observation…

Let’s make this Tuesday a non-crappy one, shall we?