Can’t Get Enough

Hello!

I’m back from my long holiday weekend in Missouri and things already feel like they’re back to normal.

Rain. Coffee. Work. Computer. Tuesday. Yep- the weekend is definitely over. Meh.

The drive back to Chicago went alright. Although I’m now convinced there’s a rain cloud that just travels with my car. Just can’t get enough of that rain. Woot woot!

We won’t complain anymore, though. I made good time and was still able to make my Whole Foods date with Mon! After a long weekend of good eats, a little bit of roughage was necessary. And appreciated by not only my tastebuds, but also my digestive system. Yep.

But then we counteracted our healthy dinner date with a trip to Target.This was planned months ago- like all the way back when we stumbled upon Valentine’s Day clearance after the holiday had passed.

No- I’m not chowing down on chocolate. As much as I’d like to. Just stocking up for future baking and such. There isn’t usually a chocolate stash in the house, but as long as the bag of candy isn’t open, there’s usually not a problem.

I cannot promise the same discipline once the bag is open. I can only warn you to watch your fingers.

I also cannot promise that I will stop talking about candy any time soon.  Sorry.

After the dinner and shopping, we finished catching up on each other’s weekends with a trip to the gym. A half hour of treadmill walking made me feel sooooo much better after being stuck in a car all day. The leggies appreciated it.

Now if only someone could help me out with the tightness in my back from sitting for a total of 16 hours in a car over the weekend…

And speaking of sugar… sounds like you really enjoyed the pics of my mom’s Coconut Cream Crunch and Almond Joy Cake. We may have to give them their proper time to shine on the blog sooner than later. Noted. 

Also, thanks for letting me know I’m not the only weirdo who doesn’t like ham.

Seriously- for all this time I thought it was just me.

Alright Tuesday… let’s DO THIS.

Feeling Back to Normal

Thanks for taking pity on my attempt at the long run.  You guys are right- 6 miles are still awesome.  But I wanted that 7th and 8th so bad! I really had a hard time deciding to stop. But it was either that or start taking walk breaks every quarter-mile. And that thought was just miserable.

But that’s behind us now. Today is a new day. And I’m about to give it another go. After I post this and give myself a pep talk. In the bathroom mirror. 

“… and gosh darnit people like you…”

Wait… let’s get back on track.

After a recovery period that included Waiting for Superman and a few SNL reruns, I woke up on Sunday feeling awesome. Or at least ordinary. Seriously guys- Friday night’s shenanigans left me hurting. Even my friend let out an “aaaawwwww” as he walked in on Saturday night when usually he just points and laughs. Could have been the fact that I was buried under multiple blankets with no makeup on and a massive glass of water on the coffee table.  If that doesn’t say “pity me”, I don’t know what does.

Either way, Sunday morning brought promise. Until I had a sip of coffee.  Bleh.

My coffee maker had been on the fritz for quite some time. But enough is enough. I sipped the rest of it slowly while browsing the Sunday ads for kitchen appliance sales. 

Coincidently, Mon texted me about her plans to hit Target at some point before we go to dinner later.  I invited myself along. All that was on the list was a coffee maker and face wash.

As we entered the aisle, Mon goes “oh! I still have the old one I had before my Keurig. Just take that one.”

Score! But of course Target sucks you in.  We found the clearance aisle…Gift bags for 50 cents?  What? A box of chocolates for $1? Bags of peanut butter M&M’s 90% off??? 

Went in for 2 things.  Left with 15. 

You got me again, Target. You got me again…

Later on, after a quick Shred and elliptical workout, Mon and I had an early dinner at Salsa 17 to use another one of our Groupon purchases. Sure, the first time we used it, there was a bad taste left in our mouths with the crowds and lackluster service. But we still had another Groupon that needed to be used.  Why not go at on off time? Like 3:00 in the afternoon?

We even beat the senior citizens there.Excuse my teary eyes. This was just after I was trying to re-enact the lastest episode of Community.

Donald Glover leaves me in hysterics every week.

Anyway, after a lovely dinner that was exactly like the last time we went (those enchiladas are freakin’ delish), we retreated back home to watch Red and break into the chocolates.Sorry about the mess.  I love that you can see the sweat pants I wear over my gym clothes. They were drying out because I had to walk through a down pour… stupid rain.

But anyways, waiting even 6 hours from when I bought the chocolate was a big deal.Aaaahhhh…. I love discount holiday candy. We took down all the caramels. The truffles were pretty much left behind. Not that I don’t like truffles (because I do!), I just prefer the caramels more…

I also love sleeping in. Until 7:30. Weeeeee!

And that coffee maker Mon mentioned? Put to use right away.Because I named my crock pot, it only seemed fair the coffee maker gets a name.  This is Sophie. She’s french. And is quite the barista.

So cheers! And happy Monday!

Off I go…

Something For Everyone

I’m all over the place today.  But hopefully there’s at least one thing that will entertain you…

Workout…

Well, I’m back on the strength training kick.  I did a round of The Shred before hitting the gym to elliptical and stair climb my way to exhaustion. After spending 20 minutes on the elliptical, exhaustion is located on floor 46 of the stairmill, in case you were wondering. 

I finished with a few exercises with free weights.  I did them in front of the mirror so I could keep a watchful eye on the man who tends to talk to himself while working up a sweat.  I’m not sure what he says (insert ipod), but he does it often.  Sometimes shaking his head.  I assume it’s in disagreement/agreement to whatever is coming out of his mouth.

Needless to say, he makes me nervous.

Food…

Turns out I’m not the only one who goes for the peanut butter sandwiches as a meal backup option.  I guess we’ve all got the kid inside of us, huh? 

The kid inside of me was still in carb comatose from the day before, so the adult had the final say on yesterday’s eats.

Yep, salad for both dinner and lunch yesterday.  Hello green… I’ve missed you.

Thought I’d also make mention of what I’m currently reading at the moment.  I finished Chelsea Handler’s My Horizontal Life what seems like ages ago.  I loved it just as much as the other two books of hers. 

Seriously Chelsea, where’s book 4?!?!  Because this book I’m currently reading is NOT cutting it.  After listening to the ”recommended reading”, I checked out Tucker Max’s I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell.  I’m almost too embarrassed to say I’m actually reading it.  I thought it’d be amusing- which it is.  Because I cannot believe that anyone can be that obnoxious.  He’s horrible.  And raunchy.  And over the top.  And ridiculous.  But I can’t stop reading the stupid thing. 

I do NOT recommend this book.  Let’s make that clear.  But I hate not finishing something I started.  So until then, I’ll keep blushing while reading it at the lunch table.  Because until I’m done with this book, it looks like my mind will reside in the gutter.

Fashion…

I ran to Target yesterday to pick up a couple things and ended up strolling through the women’s section (yeah, I do clothes shopping at Target- holla’).  Even tried some stuff on.  But this is where the frustration begins.  I am a half size.  In everything.  My favorite shoes?  A perfect 8.5 glides on like I’m Cinderella.  My ring size is 6.5.  Hey boys- remember this.  So you can imagine my frustration in the small/medium/large sizing.  I’m a perfect smedium.  Do they make that anywhere?  I’d pay good money for it…

Because I’m a sucker for endcaps at Target, I picked up a new nail color while I was there.

Funny, because I could usually care less about my nails.  The fingernails are never painted.  Ever.  And if they are, it’s clear.  So why did I do this?Maybe this is how I decided to communicate my quarter-life crisis?  Sounds about right.  Some people travel… buy cars… jewelry they can’t afford… I buy nail polish. This is what a quarter-life crisis on a budget looks like.  Take note.

I did my toes, too.  But I hate feet and refuse to show you how they turned out.

What do you think, Vince?  Yeah, I know the edges still need to be cleaned up.  Don’t be so critical.

My big fail was painting them in the middle of doing laundry.  Way to go, genius…

In Other News…

The one thing that has made my week just awesome?  They reopened a lane of traffic on the interstate I use daily.  What does this mean for me?  10 minutes less spent on the road on my way home.  10 minutes.  For the 1-2 mile stretch that was being worked on.

It’s the little things in life…

Alright kids, I have a lot to do before the end of the day.  That way, I can enjoy play time tonight a little more without having to worry as much about what’s going on tomorrow.

That’s right.  Play time. We’re breaking up the week a little.  It’s like a throwback to the good ol’ Thirsty Thursdays in college… yes?

Five Things

I really figured a “Three Things Thursday” would have been fun, but I was a day late.  So now it’s “Five Things Friday”.  Hopefully I’ve got five things.  Otherwise I’ve really shot myself in the foot with this one…

1. Modern Family received 14 Emmy nominations!  YES!  This was by far my favorite new comedy from last season.  It was one of a few shows that I worked my schedule around (and I wouldn’t do that for just ANY show).2. French Women Don’t Get Fat.  I finished the book yesterday.  Final thoughts?  I believe I’ve said before- I find the writing amusing in a smug sort of way.  She’s not trying to be pompous on purpose by any means- but does have the air about her.  If you can get over that issue, it really does give you some “oh duh” and “ah-ha” moments.  Many things you have probably heard and need repeated again.  Such as everything in moderation is ok, eat real food instead of “fat-free/reduced calories” because there’s less processing and you’ll be more satisfied, and drink a crap ton of water. 

She also points out things such as when it comes to eats, pick as much as you can that’s in season for maximum value and taste.  The flavors are fresh and this way, you’ll never get into a food rut as things cycle in and out.  Makes sense, right? 

I also like her outtake on physical activity.  She swears to never exercise because she doesn’t find pleasure in it.  Ok, as an avid runner, I don’t “like” that part, but I like where she goes with her argument.  Don’t do stuff you don’t like.  Instead, she just makes sure to get a lot of movement in her entire day.  Take the stairs, walk instead of drive, take a few breaks from the desk to walk around, etc.  The little things really do add up.  It’s common sense.  Yet why don’t we seem to do it?

3. Check out my water bottle in the last pic.  It’s huge!  There was no convenience store near the movies last weekend and Mon and I wanted to sneak in some snackage (yeah, we’re some of “those” people) so we stopped in a nearby Whole Foods.  Two liters of Fiji for $3.  Bam.  So I’ve been carrying one of those bad boys around with me all week.  And it has really done a number on my amount of trips to the bathroom (I guess maybe that would be considered lots of “movement”?).  What do you drink while at work?  Water bottle after bottle?  Coffee?  Tea? Vodka? (Hey- I won’t judge the vodka- some peeps have really stressful jobs… but I am concerned about possibilities of dehydration…)

4. Dinner was a fail.  I was disappointed because I really thought I had something going and still don’t understand why it went wrong.  I like grilled cheese.  I like broccoli and cheese.  Why not a grilled cheese sammy with broccoli?  It makes sense.  It’d be like a veggie wrap sorta… right?

Soooo not digging it.  Like at all.  It doesn’t even look appealing.  Maybe the bread wasn’t toasted enough.  Maybe I needed more chedda’.  Maybe less broccoli.  But it was no good.  And I don’t care to spend the time tweaking it.  Goodbye forever grilled broccoli and cheese sandwich.

5. It was a rest day.  I got out of work at 4:30.  What do I do with that time?  Clean.  Cook gross things (see above).  Go to Target.  Spend paycheck at Target.  Come home with head hung in shame considering I went there for a card and a toothbrush and instead are carrying a heavy bag up the stairs.  At least it was all stuff I need that looked neat.  Like this new Celestial tea I found:I ran out of Sleepytime tea forever ago and love having it around as something to drink before um… sleepy time.  And since actual “sleepy time” was lacking this week, I tried it.  It smells awesome.  The vanilla scent is just fantastic.  Even though I wish the taste were a little stronger, I like it.  Yay for the Target impulse buy!

Whew.  Wasn’t sure if I’d make it to five (I feel like my life may only be interesting enough to cap out at three if I did this on a regular basis… ha).  I hope you all have a wonderful weekend.  I’ll be out and about with more random things- nothing too out of the ordinary.  Relax, sit back and stay cool, kids! 

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!

Ode to my favorite workout shirt…

I have a favorite workout shirt.  It’s not super nice- it’s not lulemon, under armour, or nike.  It’s not a special tech shirt that wicks away sweat like there’s no tomorrow.  It’s not a super cute tight workout top.  It’s not one of my race shirts that boasts my accomplishments.  It’s actually quite old.  And probably ready to hit the dust.  But I wouldn’t dare throw it away.  I like it too much.  Even if I do look like a scrub.It’s a seven-year old Mizzou shirt with the sleeves cut off.  Sassy, right?  I took the pic in the mirror- sorry it’s backwards.

It’s not even mine.  An ex-boyfriend left it at my house.  He’s the one who had cut off the sleeves.  The holes in the side of the shirt are horribly uneven.  But I don’t care.

I don’t wear it because I miss him or anything (let’s get this straight- we only dated for a few months and it wasn’t a good situation for either of us).  I wear it because I like it.  And to be quite honest, I look better in it anyways.  This shirt needs me.  Hence the reason I never cared to return it.  Or really even tell him I had it.  I’m not a bad person for doing this.  I consider it a way of calling us even.  Trust me on this one.

I love it because it’s so old, that it’s thin and comfy.  And it’s a shirt from when Mizzou beat #3 Nebraska in 2003- my freshman year of college.  That was a game that they took the goal post down and marched it through campus.  I lived in a dorm that was on the route, so we were all hanging out off the balcony cheering as it went past.  Good times.

Yep, my fave workout shirt.  It gets me through tough workouts.  Like yesterday.  I waited to hit the trail because it was crazy hot (90 degrees?  what?  I was unaware we were skipping May and June and just jumping right into July).  And it was still pretty crazy when I decided I couldn’t wait anymore.  But I did my 3.5 miles and walked another two.  Hence the reason I look like a sweaty hot mess in the above picture…  :p

Anyone else have a favorite workout top/outfit?

I also did yoga meltdown again.  Because I’m random and crazy like that…. woooo….  I think next time I’m attempting Level 2.  No lies- I’m a little nervous about it.

Oh and from yesterday’s post, I think it’s safe to say we’re all closet Jersey Shore addicts.  Sure we may not actually like it, but we feel the need to still watch everyone on that show slowly crash and burn… what a guilty pleasure…

And I’m totally not kidding about Target.  It’s the last place I bought a piece of clothing.  $20 dress.  Still needs to be worn.  I’m hoping this weekend.  I’ve got friends coming to town.  Perfect occasion…

I have another food presentation that I’m attending today.  Let’s hope they bring cookies….

Seriously.  It’s Panera.  And they’re coming on a Tuesday.  And we all know my feelings towards Tuesdays.  There better be cookies.

What a slap in the face.

Don’t freak out about the title.  But I did get your attention, huh?    More about that in a sec…

My rest day went well.  I tried to keep myself busy as to not freak out about how much I wanted to throw on some gym shoes and just do SOMETHING. 

So I got my car serviced.  Which worked out well because my friend’s in-laws own the place I go to.  And I heart them very much.  We joke how they’re my pretend parents away from home.  I love that even though I’m still relatively new to the area that I have such a wonderful support system in my life.  I’m always very thankful for that.

After that, I went to a place that no person should ever go to when in need of retail therapy… Target.  Oh Target.  Why do you do this to me?  Can’t you see I love you?  Can’t you ever be nice and not steal all my money from me???  In all truthfulness, I had a list and stuck to it for the most part. Although I didn’t really have a need to now own three types of bodywash, but hey- the skin IS the biggest organ of the body.  It needs to be treated with the utmost respect.

Going a little further with that- it’s summer.  Any skin care tips?  I know the spf is important, but how much?  Or what kind?  This girl plans to spend as much time as possible outdoors in the next couple of months- and won’t lie about the summers of slacking on skin care in the past…

And I finally caved and bought Jillian’s Yoga Meltdown.  Exercise TV let me down… I thought the disappearance of the two- the ONLY two- yoga workouts I liked would just be a fluke.  Nope.  Seems they’re gone for good.  And who knew I’d actually miss yoga?  I was as surprised as you.  I need some more warrior poses in my life… like tonight.

After a quick dinner (it was another wrap- what’s new?), I ran to Monica’s for a glass of relaxation aka Trader Joe’s finest bottle of wine… under $10.    We watched 500 Days of Summer.  This movie was wonderful.  Totally pulls at the heart strings, but I loved it.  I do not recommend it for those who just went through a break up, but for everyone else, go rent it now.  And drink a glass of wine first.  Because you’ll probably feel like the movie is speaking to you.  That’s why you need the wine.  Trust me.  The movie can be a slap in the face if you let it.  I think we’ve all been in the same situation as the guy in this movie- maybe not to the extreme, but you relate.  That’s why the wine helps. 

And here we are.  Gooooood morning.  Another breakfast of oatmeal.  Are we surprised?  Hardly.  BUT, I did do something different.I was missing my dessert oatmeal.  And I was curious about espresso oats.  And I’ve had this instant coffee packet sitting around forever. Sooo…..Voila!  It’s Friday and I needed an indulgence to get me going.  Coffee?  Check.  Chocolate?  Check.  Happy tummy?  Well…

Just so you know, the pic is closeup because when it was of the whole bowl, it really looked like poo.  But I don’t let that ruin my good time.  It was ok.  I could have held back on some of the instant coffee.  Just a tad.  Or maybe if I had hot chocolate mix instead of unsweetened cocoa, that would have helped.  I think overall, it was just a little too bitter.  But the chocolate chips I mixed in helped.  So yeah… I’ll try again I guess.  Don’t get me wrong- it was good.  Just not the super amazingness that I was hoping for.  (Clearly I have high standards.)

My excuse for the chocolate treat is I need the stamina the caffeine and sugar provide.  Yes, I’m aware this is approximately 11 or 12 hours before I work out.  But trust me… mentally it was the way to go. 

Now that I’ve had my rest day, I’m ready for another couple days of hard work.  Tonight is cross training.  Hopefully concentrating a little more on the weights than I have been.  And I will be doing yoga with Jillian after that.  Tomorrow is more running on the trails.  And since it’ll be an early run, I’m hoping to not be drained and get some good times in.  But we shall see.

The hardest decision I’ll make after work tonight?  What movie to rent at Red Box…  and to drink the wine?  Or not drink the wine?  That is the question…

Veggin’ Out

Ok, from yesterday’s post and wonderful comments, I think we can conclude no one likes Nicholas Cage due to the creep factor.  How is he still around?  Probably because idiots like me take a chance on his movies… fail.  We really need to stop supporting NC and his mediocre acting skills.  A movement should be started.

It felt nice to get to go to MY place after work tonight for the first time in two weeks!  Jaime said the dogs are doing great- and Hazel seems to even miss me a little!  Apparently now Hazel sits and watches the door everyday.  We’re pretending that she’s waiting for me to walk through. 

And I’m cooking in MY kitchen again.  It’s always awkward cooking in someone else’s kitchen, right?  I don’t know where anything is and I just feel like I’m stepping into someone else’s territory…  Because I was all about the chicken yesterday, I balanced out my meals today with LOTS of veggies.Spinach and mushroom sammy with broccoli.  And cottage cheese for good measure.  Not sure why that craving came about, but I just went with it.  I also put some humus on the sandwich thin.  Yeah… don’t do that.  It really wasn’t that great.  Like the cottage cheese, I don’t know where that idea came from.  I just went with it.  Even though I knew that sandwich combo was good before I messed with it.  That’s just what I get for trying to be over the top…

I’ve been seeing PB&Co brand on every other blog out there, and I could never find it!  I was intrigued.  And determined.  And then I hit a random Super Target to do a return while I was out on Sunday and hot damn if I didn’t find the last container of it on the shelf!  Swipe…It’s much sweeter than what I’m used to since it has all the additives to make the “white chocolate” part of it.  But if that’s what you’re craving, it’s goooood.  Like eat with a spoon throughout the day, right out of the container until you realize you’ve eaten more than just a serving or two. Or three.  Oops…  Probably going to add this to the list of things to have “on occasion” in the house.  Because keeping it around on a regular basis would just be craziness.  And honestly, I like my regular lineup of Trader Joe’s stuff a little better because there’s not sweet overload.

I did The Shred Level 3 last night (no surprise there, right?).  I really can’t decide what my favorite level is.  The decision becomes hard because I’m pretty sure there’s a strength circuit in each one that I absolutely despise.  That being said, I love what it’s done to my arms.  Now I just want to focus on the middle a little more…

Thanks for the supportive words about my slow return to running (again).  I’m doing a little more outdoor running tonight and just need to remember that I’ve gotta keep pushing through!  I’m hoping the run will make this Tuesday NOT suck.  And I can’t believe I start half marathon training soon!  I’m looking over a couple plans right now and am trying to figure out how to best incorporate the training into my schedule.  Long runs will probably be on Saturday- I know this for sure, considering how antisocial I am on Friday nights.  But that’s about all I’ve got right now.  Any tips you have for when you were doing half training?

And here’s the question of the day… how often do you go to the grocery store?  I feel like I’m always finding excuses to go… way more than I should.  I probably go at least two or three times a week the way it is for random things here and there.  I’m really glad this urge to shop doesn’t translate into every other aspect of my life- I truly dislike trips to the mall and try to make them as far and few between as possible (sad, right?).

Here’s hoping you don’t have a crappy Tuesday! 

Cereal Confessions

After a long day of work, with no serious workout planned, what’s a girl to do? 

Retail therapy.

First stop was Dick’s Sporting Goods.  I needed to acquire clothing for the Shamrock Shuffle on Sunday.  Why? Because I need another layer of warmth that isn’t cotton and won’t weigh me down and be quite miserably cold if it’s rainy.  So after many laps around the women’s apparel area, this is what I ended up coming home with:My fav part is the zip pocket on the side.  And it was on sale.  Double awesome!

So now I have one layer of clothing secured.  According to the forecast, it’s going to be mostly cloudy with a chance of mixed rain and snow and a high later in the day of 38 degrees.  So now I only have about 342 more layers to figure out.  Nice…

Then, I decided to also hit Target to see if I could find any cheap(er) layers before I settled on just using the kind of bulky windbreaker I have.  No luck with the clothing options.  But I did find other things to spend money on.  Why do you always do this to me, Target?!?!  Aaaahhhh… such a love/hate relationship we have. 

I walked by the food aisles and popped my head into the cereal section.  My weakness…  for some reason, I can always justify buying cereal.  I don’t go through it NEARLY as fast as I used to.  Because really, I just throw it in my oatmeal and use it for snacking on occasion.  But it’s still a staple in my pantry.  And there it was.  A deal on Special K.  I know Special K isn’t the best.  It’s got a long ingredient list of hard-to-pronounce ingredients (insert Michael Pollan shaking his head in shame) and a lovely sugar count most people don’t notice because they’re too busy focusing on the 100 calorie claim.  I know this.  But I can’t help but love it.  Aaaahhhh!

So there it sat.  Heaven shining a light down onto all the glorious manufactured flavors (ok the flourescent lighting might just really suck in that particular store, who knows?).  $2.99 a box.  And if you buy 4 boxes, you get a $5 gift card.  I already had a random candle in my hand (that smells like cinnabuns!) and some tissue paper on clearance (75 cents!- Don’t ask.) that was just over $6.  It was fate.  You may say, “Amy, 4 boxes is a little unneccessary, don’t you think?”.  I say, “that’s what a pantry is for”.  I also realize that I’ll have to go through another pantry slim down at some point if I keep this up.  Geez.

I can’t pass up a good cereal sale.  It’s my kryptonite.  If you think I’m excited now, wait until you see me all worked up over a Kashi sale.  Get out of my way!

Quite famished by the time I got home and lugged all my goodies up the stairs, I was quick to make dinner.  Salad loaded with broccoli, edamame, and mushrooms- complimented with a quarter of a pita and hummus.  Lovely- it’s dinner by candlelight!Even Taylor was eyeing my fierce salad.  And complimenting me on my saavy candle scent choice.  Btw, I have no idea why I started receiving Elle.  I just did. Wouldn’t have picked Elle if I was deciding on magazines to start subscribing to (no offense to any die hard Elle readers).  But it came out of nowhere.  Never received a bill.  Never showed up on any banking statements.  No clue…

Well at least today is another gorgeous one that is supposed to be 60 and sunny.  The bad weather had the decency to wait completely until the weekend to blast us with winter craziness.  My family is actually supposed to come up tomorrow for a visit (and the shuffle), but have been very noncommital due to the weather.  So we’ll see if they join me tomorrow at the Shuffle Expo or not. 

Have a good weekend!  You know my Friday ritual…   I don’t expect tonight to be any different.  Except I might hit a RedBox on the way home because I don’t have any new episodes of Grey’s or Modern Family to catch up on.  So yeah- really getting wild and spontaneous tonight!  Weeeeee!

*One of these days, I’m actually going to do something on a Friday and you guys will be completely beside yourself!  Ha… Or not really care.  One or the other…

Have a good one!

Lookit! I did it all by myself!

I like to think of myself as completely self-sufficient when it comes to all the grown-up stuff.  Such as the whole moving process.  So far, I’m the only person who’s been to my place.  I want to do as much as possible before I let anyone come over to see it.  This will be slightly affected by the fact that I will eventually need help moving the big stuff.  I’m not small, but one girl moving an entire bed and futon is impossible.  I know my limits (as stubborn as I may be).

So I bought a media table the other day on my lunch break at Target.  I really wanted to invest in some nicer stuff (Bed Bath and Beyond had one that I really need in my life), but I have alot of expenses in this move, I’m still slightly poor being as how I’m a year out of college, and what’s the point of buying nicer stuff when, in all reality, I’ll probably just be banging it up when I move again.  Maybe I won’t move next year, but being as how I’ve moved every year for the last six years of my life, I’m making pretty strong assumptions. 

But Target has some decent collections and I found one that has my name written all over it.  Only problem is the damn thing comes in a box.  In a million pieces.  I had originally mentioned it to my roommate about possibly having her help me drag it up to my new place, but I decided not to revisit that idea.  I decided to do it myself!  So I took a carload of stuff over, and saved the best for last.  I opened the box and started transporting.  God knows I couldn’t lift the whole box myself.  I think I strained my back when I thought I could carry what was left in the box (the fourth trip up the stairs).  Another trip may have been better- I got a little overeager.

Then, I spread out all the pieces all over my living room.  It’s good that I didn’t already have more furniture moved- I took up alot of space.  The manual was long.  That sucked.  And, there was a screw missing (thanks Target).  So if it falls apart some night when I’m watching tv, I’m complaining.  But I did it!  It took forever.  I think about an hour and a half, which equals three Black Eyed Peas songs on the radio (two of the same, and then their new one- I’m sure you’ve heard them).  Trust me, I counted.  I don’t mind them, but it’s obnoxious how overplayed they are. 

The only problem is the drawer in the middle is a little off.  I don’t know how to fix it because I am positive I put on the tracks correctly.  I was tired by the time I was done, so I decided it would be best to revisit at a later time.  I think if I had started messing with it then, I would have lost my patience.  It’s one thing I don’t have alot of.  I’m honestly surprised I made it through the manual without losing it.  Thank goodness for the Black Eyed Peas (Insert sarcastic tone here). 

I also decided to deal with hanging the accent curtains I am doing at a later time.  My place is a little quirky and I am covering a door to a fire exit (apparently there’s some fire safety code I was unaware of)and a door the water heater is behind.  I broke out all the stuff to do it, but when I realized how necessary using a tape measure would be, I stopped.  Maybe tonight.  Baby steps…

All the moving, building and laundry I did last night really took it out of me last night.  5:30 this morning came way too quickly.  It’s possible I’m always in a rush at that time of the morning, but this morning felt twice as bad.  So much so that I was driving to work and had a sudden realization that I forgot to flush the toilet.  So gross.  I’m aware.  But I am absolutely positive that I didn’t.  Why don’t you flush right after you go, you may ask.  I don’t know.  But I went to the bathroom and jumped in the shower (I still wiped- don’t worry, I’m not a complete degenerate).  Usually I flush right after I get out of the shower.  I have no idea why my routine works out this way, it just does.  Anyways, I forgot.  And it was an epiphany that really stressed me out on the way to work.  It’s a good thing we have two bathrooms.  Mine is actually the public one (hers is connected to her bedroom), but she hardly ever finds reason to go into mine.  I think it’s safe.  I’ll do it when I get home.  Hopefully she doesn’t have anyone over today.  With my luck, she will.

I got onto Google Chat this morning and told my friend that.  It’s kind of funny, so I thought I’d share.  It’s not like I just left my curling iron on.  I left the toilet sitting there… used.  She laughed.  And then she topped me.  She had to call maintenance to unclog her toilet last night.  Not the first time she’s done it.  I told her that her fiber intake was getting out of control.  She said that she is yet to meet a toilet that she can’t clog.  I think that’s fantastically hilarious.  She might as well have the plumber on speed dial.  Ewwwww….