Scary little brown box

Hi all! I hope you're all having a fabulous weekend and enjoying every last bit of it until Monday arrives (dun-dun-dun!). As for me, I've been trying to reorganize the house (...keyword trying) a bit while Robert is taking a 4-day course to become a certified court mediator. A little cash during law school is always a plus! Not to mention, it's a pretty good resume booster as well. Experience + cash is always good in my book! I really do enjoy cleaning once I get in "swing" of it, it's just actually getting in there and deciding to tackle the whole ordeal that gets me. I enjoy the outcome, but deciding to put in the work is another story. Which brings me to my next point... p90x! Ahh yes... the box came last week and I officially let it sit on the counter for 5 days as it ominously stared at me while I walked past it to the glorious homemade chocolate chip cookies. Sigh... Knowing exactly what was in that little brown box I told myself that once I opened it, it was on. No more complaining, no more excuses, and sadly... no more chocolate chip cookies. That being said, the scary little brown box is going to be opened Sunday night, for a fresh start Monday morning. I have to admit, although I know I need to do it, and in all truthfulness I really can do it, I'm still a bit scared. I want this to be something I finish. Really and truly, 100% finish. So often I find myself starting things like this, then just letting them fall to the wayside... eating a cheat meal and skipping a day here and there until "just this once" turns into "it's been 3 months, I should really start back up, but I'll finish the Oreos first." No more half-assing it (pardon the expression...)! 3 months (90 days) from now put me right New Year's Eve. Instead of making a New Year's resolution to do be fit, I want to have a head start; to be able to see pictures of myself from New Year's Eve and be proud of how I'm starting off 2011 (a little cheesy, I know, but true). Soo... if any of you have done (or are doing) p90x, I'd love to hear from you! Any advice/encouragement is greatly appreciated!

Goodnight y'all! :)

Busy (excited) little bee!

Yikes... a week and a half without blogging! Major oops! on my part. Sorry y'all! To my credit, however, this past week and a half has been busier than the last year and a half (...okay, maybe a little exaggeration there, but you get the idea). In this time, I have...

1. Lost a cell phone
2. Lived for an entire week without a cell phone (extremely difficult, but still "doable")
3. Bought a new cell phone (...with entirely new cell phone carrier. Yes, I caved to the iPhone 4. Sigh...)
4. Studied like a crazy lady for the my last certification exam, the FTCE subject area exam, to (finally) be certified to teach biology in grades 6-12.
5. PASSED my last certification exam!!! Whoo hoo!!!
6. Bought way more decorations/supplies for my future classroom than I will ever need (...a little caught up in the moment!)
   
7. Lived 4 days without my computer, aka my life, while it was getting repaired at the Apple store (waaaaaay harder than the cell phone!)
8. Traveled back and forth to Jacksonville three times
   
9. Introduced Charley to my 3 month old "niece" (I say "niece" because she's technically RK's niece, but I figure 7 years of being around the family makes me at least a figurative aunt, right?!)
   
10. Actually relaxed once, maybe twice.

*Big sigh of relief*

I cannot tell you how excited I am to have all of that behind me. For the most part, things usually don't happen all at once like that, but last week was a major exception. Yay for slowing things down a bit!

As I mentioned earlier, Charley met Catherine (RK's niece) for the first time this past week. For those of you who don't know, Charley (my 1.5 year old labrador) is a big teddy bear who wouldn't hurt a fly even if it followed him around for a week straight. He's the dog that lets all the other dogs play and roll all over him without even batting an eyelash. He does give the occasional "okay Mom, I'm getting a little tired of all these youngin's" look, but would still never do anything about it. He's always had a special connection with children, and I was eager to see how he would handle a baby being in the same room. I mentioned this in a post earlier, but I've always felt that dogs know and understand so much more than we give them credit for. Sometimes I feel like he just looks at me and automatically knows what I'm thinking. I don't know, maybe that makes me a little crazy/weird. Anyway, so the moment came for the two of them to meet. The carrier sat on the couch just out of Charley's reach to let him get used to the idea of a new little person in the room. Monitoring how well he was handling it, we picked up the carrier and lowered it to where he could see her. He sat down very politely, slowly peeked inside, and suddenly got the biggest smile on his face. He looked over at me, and walked away. At first I thought he just wasn't as interested as I thought he would be. But, he completely surprised me with what he did next. He went over to the baby bag, picked up one of her stuffed dolls, brought it back over to the carrier and placed it very gently next to her. It was absolutely one of the sweetest things I had EVER seen. Granted, this will probably never happen again... but I'm okay with that. He is so gentle with her it's unreal. I can't wait to see how he handles our future children in his older years...

On a different note, I bought the iPhone 4 (with an adorable purple cover!) this past week as well. I've been a loyal Verizon-er for about 8 years now, and felt it was time for a "fresh" change of pace. RK has been with AT&T since before I met him and, of course, has had every iPhone they've come out with. He's much more of a "techie" than I am. I have to admit though, I love it! I've heard some people have issues with dropped calls and whatnot, but so far so good with this one. Anyone else have the iPhone 4? Thoughts?!

Lastly, I'm officially a certified 6-12 Biology (potential) teacher!!! I cannot wait to finally have my own classroom, my own kids, and my own "teacher desk." Yes, I know, I'm a nerd! ;) I've completely stocked up on every supply possible (kudos to Target and their $1 school supplies!) and am so excited to start my laminating, labeling, grading, etc. I know a year from now I will be so far up to my ears in the aforementioned that I'll want to shoot myself for ever thinking that, but for now it's still exciting. I think I'll wallow in my inexperienced optimism for now. :)

Enough rambling for now... Thanks for reading til the end. I really do appreciate it! Night y'all!!

Teacher Tuesday

Quick post for the day! A year from now, I'll be teaching my first middle school (or possibly high school) science class. Whoo hoo!! In order to hopefully dodge the financial bomb of stocking my classroom all at once, I'm attempting to buy things a bit at a time from now until next August, when school starts. If any of you have any suggestions for "must-have" items for a beginner teacher, I more than welcome your input! As of now, I'm stocking up on borders and posters. I also want to get some lab supplies, but I want to be sure it'll actually be used and not something the school may supply for me. Thanks!!

Food for Thought!

Hi ya'll! Okay, let me start out by saying that I honestly try to maintain a "glass half full" outlook on life and really try to stay positive at all times... so, I'm apologizing in advance for my rare moment of negativity. I know a lot of you may disagree with me on this, but I'm going to go out on a limb and just say how much I can't stand the whole "Jersey Shore" ordeal. Good Lord! I mean, the whole concept just drives me crazy... the cast, the over-dramatized lifestyle, the "glamorized" sleeze factor, and most of all... the dreaded "pouf." Don't get me wrong... I'm ALL for an Audrey Hepburn, Carrie Underwood classy pouf. Scratch that... I LOVE an Audrey Hepburn, Carrie Underwood classy pouf. After all, I am a southern girl who will wholeheartedly confess to my love affair with my $49 bottle of hairspray, but when the "pouf" itself is bigger than the actual size of your head it starts to get a little ridiculous. Most importantly, I don't like the message this show (...along with 90% of the shows on MTV) is sending out to all those young(er) viewers. So many pre-teen and teenage girls are seeing these people in magazines and on TV growing up accepting such a lifestyle as "okay." This really scares me... I mean, where is Boy Meets World, Saved by the Bell, Full House, and the Cosby Show? I know this completely makes me sound like my mother (yikes!), and I know a large amount of such exposure is highly dependent on parenting, but the truth is that it's out there and kids are going to be exposed to it to some degree (small or large) no matter how much parents may try to keep their kids away from it. Sigh...



Okay, enough of my ranting! On a happier note, this weekend we're celebrating RK's brother's 26th birthday. A group of his friends (who also happen to be our friends, which is always convenient!) have come in town for the party and I'm so excited to everyone! Since college and "grown up jobs" we don't get to see each another nearly as much as we'd like, so I'm definitely looking forward to what the weekend holds. Anyone have any fun plans?!

Lastly, I'd love to get some opinions from ya'll... For the past 7 months or so I've been in search for a new "everyday" purse. Purses have always been one of my splurge items, mostly due to the fact that they get so much abuse from my daily life. :) Lately, I've had my eye on this little beauty below. What do you think?! Oh, and just so you know... I know I've only been blogging for a short bit of time so I know most of you don't really "know" me yet but I'm not the kind of girl to be easily offended by an opinion, so feel free to let the truth fly! :)
Okay, off to bed now... early 5am run in the morning! I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend! Goodnight ya'll!

How time flies...

It feels like forever since I've updated! Oops.. sorry ya'll! Anyway, I hope you all had a fabulous weekend and had at least a bit of time to relax and do something just for yourselves! Sometimes I think that's much easier said than done, but soo important to do! Anyone do anything exciting?!

For the past couple of months, RK and I have been playing in a summer softball league with my parents and a couple of other friends and family members. It's been tons of fun, but boy has it been HOT! I know, I whined about this last post but holy moly! You would think a sport that didn't require near as much running as...well, running wouldn't be as taxing on the body in terms of heat, but that couldn't be further from the truth! Just standing out on the field is exhausting... Growing up I played for almost 10 years and never remembered it being so grueling. Maybe I just never really thought about it, or maybe I'm just getting old(er). Nope, definitely the former... ;) Age is totally relative in my mind! But on the up side of things, Charley and I both got a wonderful post-game swim out of it. Soo refreshing!! I definitely would not have minded a nice cold drink (preferably something fruity and pink, of course!) but settling for just a quick swim wasn't so bad either...

Next week, RK and I celebrate 7 years of being together. It's so crazy how fast time flies! I can't even begin to tell you. We're trying to decide on where to go for a mini weekend vacay, and are thinking possibly Sea Island, GA. It looks beautiful!! Any other ideas?!

Light at the end of the tunnel!

Good news!! After a couple of months of anticipation (...and some heavy puppy rehab!) we found out on Friday that as of right now, Charley will in fact not need the second surgery we had planned for his hips! As it turns out, the hydrotherapy has done much more for his hips (and general well-being) than we originally thought. We knew it would help speed up the rehabilitation process, but the idea of it completely eliminating the next surgery never even entered my mind. Let me tell you... the little guy could not be happier! I'm starting to think that our next real estate purchase will have to have a pool, in fear of the dog going on strike if it doesn't. Okay, so I'm not completely opposed to the idea of being poolside every day myself... ;) All in all, he's a happy camper right now, and I'm right there with him!

Since we were in Jacksonville for the weekend for Charley's appointment, I joined up with some girls up there for Saturday's short group run of 3 miles. The group is training for the Chicago Marathon on October 10th, and is starting to get into the longer distances. This was the same group of women that originally got me into running in the first place and I was so happy to be able to catch up with them after my 5-month hiatus. I hadn't really thought about it until then, but I really saw how far behind I had gotten after running with my old group. They had all continued with the weekly training since our last half marathon, and you could definitely tell. With my shin splits wreaking havoc on my legs wonderfully mixed with the fact that I'm still essentially in the "starting over" stages of running, my self-esteem plummeted faster than a 14 year old boy being shot down by his life-long Kindergarten crush. It was 7am (two and a half hours later than I normally run), and it was hot. The delusional, body completely soaked, "I'm totally moving to Alaska" kind of hot. The run I was so excited about just didn't add up to all I had hoped. Looking back on it, I should have been more realistic and prepared for it... both physically and mentally. However, there's a small part of me that's glad that little mental "breakdown" happened when it did. It was only 3 miles, it wasn't raining, and it could have definitely been worse. Running isn't about out-running other runners; it's about out-running that little voice in the back of your mind that tells you to that you can't... that you can't make it that last mile, and you don't have to push yourself to become better. It tells you to settle, and accept things that are just "okay." I think this is one of the most important things to realize in running (and life), and I'm glad I figured it out now and not after I had accepted settling. So (...big sigh of relief...), I'm ready. I know that it's going to take time for me to get back to where I was, and I know that this is not the end of the world...

On a different note, RK and I are planning on going up to Vino (our neighborhood wine shop) tomorrow for our first "Wine Down Wednesday" tasting. The week has already been crazy busy (...yes, it's only Tuesday...) and I'm looking forward to this more than you know! I just found out that this cute little shop that holds tastings every Wednesday and Sunday for just $5. I'm not quite sure which rock I've been under for the past year we've been living here, but this definitely calls for making up for lost time!

Okay, enough babbling for one night! ;) I'll update more tomorrow! Goodnight ya'll!

Life lessons

For anyone looking for a good summer read (or really any time of year!) I highly recommend "The Art of Racing in the Rain" by Garth Stein. This book has officially topped my list of favorites! The book tells the story of a dog named Enzo, as he sees life through his eyes. His owner, Denny, is a race car driver and the bond these two share is simply amazing. I think the reason I enjoyed this so much was that I identified with it so well. Okay, this may sound a little weird, but I've always felt that dogs really understand us... on a much deeper level than we can imagine. I feel that there's so much we can learn from our dogs. Think about it... I don't think I've ever seen Charley upset that I'm walking in the door, or that he has to eat essentially the same thing every day, or that he has to live in our apartment with no yard of his own (...even though there's plenty of grass and parks in our neighborhood, they aren't just "his"). Simplicity. He's so happy with so little. The true riches of life (family, friends, love), he has more of than he could ever ask for. And he knows it. Gratuity. If I could be half as grateful for the unnecessary fluff that I don't need as he is for a simple ear scratch or tennis ball, my days would be much more fulfilling. In fact, I'll even branch out and say that if we all let ourselves learn a thing or two from our dogs, the world would be a much happier, healthier, safer place. Just something to think about...


On a different note... as happy as I am to get back into running, apparently my shins have disagreed. Scratch that. My shins have decided to rage against the rest of my body in shear pain and utter misery. It's bad. That being said, I've always maintained a minimalist perspective when it comes to hitting the road. I'm not one to carry a water bottle, 3 packets of gel, my phone, towel, etc. 95% of the time it's myself, my shoes, watch, and maybe half a packet of energy beans (or something of the sort) if it's a long run. With that in mind, I was not keen on the idea of using/wearing anything serving to remedy my new found shin splints. However it seems to have gotten to "that point." Yesterday I went to my local running shop and bought a pair of Zensah compression leg sleeves for $40. I know this is probably all in my head, but I've just always felt like if I were to wear something like this it would just come across as if I was trying to say "Yeah... I'm so fast I need these 'cool' leg things to make me even better." I don't know. I just don't like the idea of being "that runner." I have to say though, at this point I'm moving very close to the "I don't care, it hurts that bad" train of thought. I bought them on a Wednesday with the idea that I'd get in at least one shorter run on Thursday before using them on a long Saturday run (even though this Saturday is only 3 miles... which was the same mileage as today. But oh well). I had heard miraculous things about Zensah's and was anxious to see how they'd work for me. I don't know if I had the wrong size or just wasn't used to them, but absolutely nothing changed... In fact, I think the pain was a little worse. Although the fact that I only rested a day in between probably didn't help, I figured there would be at least some improvement. Not so much. So, I'll give them one or two more shots then I'm moving on... I've been reading a lot about kinesiology tape and how so many people have fallen in love with it. Apparently it really became "big" during the 2008 women's volleyball olympics, when some of the women used it on their shoulders. If any of you have ever used this, or know anyone that has, I'd love to hear your feedback... good or bad. Although it's only $15-$20 a roll, I'm more concerned with finding something that works right now. Any input would be greatly appreciated!


Whew! I don't even realize how much I ramble here... I'll get better, promise! ;) Thanks for reading, I really do appreciate it!

Tomorrow we head up to Jacksonville for Charley's orthopedic appointment. I'll update as soon as I find something out. Wish us luck! Goodnight ya'll!