Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Well, there you have it...

I promise not all of my posts will be about running, but I thought this was an interesting article from a magazine I love reading, Women's Running.

Giuliana Rancic wearing Stella McCartney by adidas
Women's Running
I think I have been guilty of every single one of these pitfalls of trying to lose weight while running.

The article lists these as pitfalls, yet gives some good advice to make changes (check out the article for advice).

1. You run long. (marathon training is great for losing weight) Well, there you have it. I have lost a few pounds, to be honest, but I truly think that's by really watching calories and what I eat, not the running.

2. You skip your post run snack. Guilty as charged. I don't have time for that 95% of the time. I usually have to sneak a run in during lunch or after work before another meeting or MK event. I guess I do eat lunch/dinner after but it's usually an hour or so after the run, not cool for trying to lose weight.

3. You never take days off. So I may actually do this, in fact, I probably take too much time off, eh, I can't do everything right. Go figure.

4. You've been running a long time. I guess in relative terms, I have not been a runner for long. I started two years ago, and I've read you don't hit your peak for seven years. I did lose a bit of weight when I started, but I've been stuck for about a year and a half.

5. You never lift weights. I try my best, but I don't have a full set of weights at my house, and I'm too cheap to go to a gym, pay for it, for only two days per week. Priorities, I know, maybe this summer I'll change my mind.


*~*Any secrets you've uncovered about weight loss while running? Or weight loss in general?*~*

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

No grit...No pearl

Just like everyone else out there in the world, I am tired of this nasty winter stuff. Well, sort of. I LOVE running in the winter because I do not have to worry so much about the sweat, can't take off any more clothes, dying heat, etc., yet I can't really run when there is white stuff covering the ground in many inches. That was the case last weekend. Boo!

I was scheduled for a 16-mile long run. Thankfully I started this marathon training LONG ago in November and have taken a few breaks here and there with the weather, sickness, etc. It's coming up on crunch time where I do not have a lot of "wiggle room" to make up runs. YIKES! I honestly don't feel strong enough to run a marathon, but I'll somehow finish it on May 5th.

Hopefully from here on out, it'll be warmer, like normal temps...50s and 60s. That would be fantastic for the last month of training so I can honestly just move on from this experience.

I know, I know...it's all about the journey, etc., and I get it. I should also be thankful for what I can do, and I am. I know you have to put the work in, and I have not. You get stronger, you become more confident, all that. I just am not there, to be completely honest. My body hurts, I lack the motivation, my feet are in extreme pain while I run the long runs. I pray about it a lot. I know I do not HAVE to do it, but I want to, to do something a lot of people have not done. Being completely truthful, I want this to say I've done something a lot of others have not.

I am sort of in a new season in my life that I have other thoughts running through my brain and not on training (more on that later). I want to get through this, say I've completed 26.2, and focus more on strength training, losing body fat, and running 13.1 miles. I LOVE those so much more. I will be thankful for what I have done during these last few months, to proudly have that 26.2 sticker on my car, a shiny medal showing that I went through a lot, dream that again someday I'll do this race again.

If you think about it in the next month, say a little prayer for me to have the strength not only physically but mostly mentally to push through, to run with little to no pain, remember that I have a gift to do this while others do not.

Friday, March 8, 2013

March new find...

I'm going to go a little Texas on ya'll today. I have been in L-O-V-E with big jewelry since my sophomore of college when I was introduced to the one and only, Randa Yezak, while I was an intern at the American Hereford Association and several of my K-State friends were good friends of hers. You can't be from Texas or in the horse, cattle-showing business without making a statement in your clothing, and she totally capitalized on that. She has since BLOWN up her at-home jewelry business to a full retail store in College Station, Texas. I think it is so cool to have watch her grow from her college days at A&M to pursuing this dream of Southern Jewlz to what it is today.

While Southern Jewlz is not really a new find to most of my friends, I do want to give a shout out to Randa and her business while also introducing you to a line that she carries, Sookie Sookie.

Lucky Wildflower Necklace
Sookie Sookie Lucky Wildflower Jewelry
Photo courtesy of Sookie Sookie Boutique
Oh my, ya'll, this is such a fun line of jewelry! I love, love, love it! And not to mention it is made by a bonafide artist and no piece is exactly the same. So cool!


How fun is THIS for spring?! I want!
You can purchase Sookie Sookie from Southern Jewlz and a number of other boutiques or online here.

*~*Any unique jewelry that you like? What piece from Sookie Sookie would you get?*~*

**This is not a paid advertisement from Sookie Sookie or Southern Jewlz. This post is merely a shout-out to some of my favorite finds. 

Friday, March 1, 2013

Our Love Story...Part 1

I got an idea for this blog post from another blogger, Kassie, from Southern Girl Gets Fit. While Todd and my story does not include long distance over thousands of miles like hers, our is very special just like everyone's is. 


On our "second" date when my friend Robin and I went to the Buffalo Bar, and Todd happened
to be there with his friends too. This was the day after we had our very first date, January 15, 2009. 
Throw back a few years to late 2008. I had just ended a 5-year relationship with who I thought was my soul mate, high-school sweetheart, the air-that-I breathed kind of guy. It was not an easy relationship. More downs than ups, but I stuck it out because that is what devotion, trust, and loyalty are supposed to be, right? Turned out he had other plans. I prayed and prayed and prayed (can you really ever pray too much for something?) that God would open his heart and help us to be in a healthy relationship and to lead us to a happy life. The good Man had other plans, too. Thank the Lord for that! I remember distinctly hearing Garth Brooks' song "Unanswered Prayers" after our relationship ended and thinking that was for me, that "some of God's greatest gifts are unanswered prayers." Yes, cheesy as that is, I truly believe it; I had to. 

So my parents encouraged me to sign up for an online dating service in January 2009 instead of trying to find a local guy as my luck had not been that great with finding a good, hometown boy. I joined eHarmony. I thought this better work because what 22 year old needs help finding a guy...online, nonetheless? Not to mention, that stuff ain't cheap! I was prepared to have to travel to meet someone potentially as I had known lots of other couples who had success with it, albeit they were much older than I and found their significant other hundreds of miles away. I was matched with quite a few seemingly good-looking, job-holding, nice guys, but one stuck out. I can't recall now if it actually had his town listed, but I remember getting a message saying so-and-so would like to contact you. He actually only lived 23 miles from me. How eHarmony works is you cannot call each other on the phone right away. They encourage you to ask questions first through little surveys, messages, etc., then as time goes on you can progress to email, then contact by phone. 

So I looked his profile over and over and over. Looked at all of his pictures and swooned. I really wish I could remember some of the things he put on his profile that stood out. There was something in particular about playing football in high school and getting knocked out and thinking he was in the Wizard of Oz, who knows! Although I was not overly thrilled he was into hunting that much, it seemed like he was a good, country boy. I was so giddy to be communicating through the site and email and it progressed rather quickly. I had not felt this way for a long, long time! His last message on the site was his phone number and that I should call him if I wanted to chat. EEEKKKKK! The ball was in my court now! So I remember I went out with a friend, Greg, to watch the KU vs. K-State basketball game in Elwood at a bar. I left a message for this guy on the phone, and of course he called me during the game. So I called him back later that night after I got home. We talked for quite a while on the phone. Talked some more on the phone like most everyone does. Then he asked me out on a date! OMG. I hadn't been on a date since I was in high school, like a legit first date. I realize I was still young then, but you change a lot from 17 to 22. Ya'll can agree, right? I told my best friend Hannah about him too. I knew she was from the area he was from and roughly close in age so I wondered if she knew of him or anything. This was a BLIND date. I was nervous I was going to meet someone off the Internet who was a murderer or something. She did not know him per se, but her family knew his family pretty well. Her dad actually grew up in the Dearborn area. She said I was probably safe to meet him. 

We settled on meeting in Dearborn where he would then take me to Kansas City for a dinner date. I can't even tell you how nervous I was! I needed the perfect outfit, but didn't want to look too dressed up. I wasn't sure if I should wear a dress or wear jeans. The choices, the choices! Just like a job interview, you get one chance to make a good impression. It was also 15 degrees that entire week so looking good in a dress was kind of silly. Needless to say, I wore jeans, cowboy boots, and a nice top. It was sort of dressy. I'm glad I didn't get too dressed up. 

I told Hannah that if I did not let her know in an hour that I was okay, to come find me. He picked me up at the Trex Mart gas station in Dearborn. I have to admit (because I can do that now that I'm married to him!) I was a bit disappointed he didn't have this huge, macho truck I assumed he would because of his job and hunting passion. His little Nissan was just fine. He was dressed in hunting boots, a polo, and jeans, too. We ventured to Zona Rosa and to Bravo! where we proceeded to have our first date. I had the tortellini, and he had the eggplant parmasean. We had good conversation, and the waiter came by for dessert. I think he was taken aback that I did order dessert that night. I found out later that he knew he was "hook, line and sinker," when I got dessert and he didn't want to pay for it! Oh my!

We then went to Dick's Sporting Goods to walk around and pretty much do nothing. We then traveled back to Dearborn, and I think we both were having a good time meeting and being with each other neither one wanted to end the night just with that. He asked me back to his house. NOT what you are thinking! I was quite impressed with how clean his house was for a man (turns out the man cannot clean for anything; his mom is a saint!). We played Guitar Hero for a while, and then I decided it was probably best to go home. I got the sweetest text message when I got home that said he had a wonderful time and could not wait to get together again. Awwwww.....he still gets me even after four years! Love that boy!

That is part one. I'll share part two at another time!

*~*Did you meet your significant other in a special way? What was it? *~*