I know that you like my style

Have you read this fine gentleman's (grandfathers!) blog? Apparently he's over 40 but you wouldn't know it to look at his pictures. He's been blogging for what, four days now? (I kid.) and he has taken off running (pun intended). He has this fantastic outlook on training and life plus he is a marathoner extraordinaire. The point is, go check out his blog.

Jim was kind enough to pass the torch of 'Stylish Blogger' down to my humble blog. Gracias muchacho.

Let's get crackin'...

WARNING: lengthy self-absorbed blog post in the making.

1] These are my nearest & dearest. We used to work together at a bank several years ago. Although we've all since changed jobs, relocated, etc. we remain close and get together at least twice a year. These women hold my heart.


2] I over-think EVERYTHING. My mind never stops and I'm always thinking, figuring, analyzing, planning. As a psychologist I do a phenomenal job conceptualizing ideas or concepts for clients but can over emphasize the importance of understanding them.

3] I love my Mom so much. I have always valued her wisdom, admired her strength, sought her advice, appreciated her unconditional love, and hope to one day be a fraction of the Mother that she is. I'm so blessed to have her.



4] Anyone familiar with Manchester Orchestra? I got to listen to a private acoustic jam with the singer (Andy Hull) and the amazing keyboardist/drummer/everything man. It was a really heart felt performance. I first learned of them off the [AMAZING] wakeboard movie Transgression.


5] I LOVE being active [running, wakeskating, snowboarding, cycling, hiking, snowshoeing, rock climbing, ice skating, weight training, swimming, etc.] but don't enjoy watching sports hardly at all. In fact, we canceled our cable and gave away out television two years ago February. BUT my favorite 'sports' movie of all time is the Junction Boys. If you're a fan of either football or Texas A&M, rent it!!

6] For my undergraduate degree I transferred to/from five sschools until I felt at home. I learned a lot about myself in the process and really solidified some of my values, expectations, standards, and worldviews. This is where I lived at the fourth one. So beautiful from the outside.



7] One time I went duck hunting and just giggled through the whole experience. Just so you know, I probably wouldn't have shot a duck even if we saw one.



I would LOVE to hear from:
The very busy & fun-loving Ms. Runnin Sole
And the wife of the soon to be happy family of three, Chloe from Tryin' to Throw my Arms Around the World

I

Num Num

Note: I HAVE to work on getting better at taking pictures to spice up this blog. I much prefer reading blogs with pictures.


Yesterday was one of those feel good days where I felt like I got a lot accomplished. I go back to school next week so I'm trying to do as much as I can around the house, cooking and cleaning wise.

For breakfast I made protein pancakes.

1 cup of oats
4 eggs
1 cup of fat free cottage cheese
extras [I put in a dab of honey, cinnamon, vanilla extract, and chopped up a banana]

Combined all ingredients in a food processor, blender, or mixer. Plop 'em onto a heated non-stick pan over medium heat.

YUM!

With those amounts we ended up with about 7 or 8 good sized pancakes. They freeze very well and are great for a quick grab snack later. I loved the texture that the oats provided and they didn't even require ANY syrup, etc.

I also made my crockpot turkey black bean chili.

I used this recipe:
(I sort of ball park things when I make soups, chilis, stews, etc.)

olive oil
2 pounds ground turkey
1 large onion
3 garlic cloves
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3 cans of rotells
2 cans black beans (drained, rinsed)
10 oz pck of frozen corn
And a bunch of:
cumin
red pepper flakes
chili powder

Brown the turkey in a skillet with the olive oil, onions, and garlic.

Combine all ingredients in a crock (mine is 5.5qt and it was pretty full). Cook on low for 8-10 hours.

Thoughts about this recipe: I loved the taste and texture of the corn in there. I loved the consistency that the vegetables maintained being cooked all day. I am NOT a lover of all things spicy and this had a touch more kick than I would have preferred (but again, I'm a sissy). I might add some tomato paste the next time just to thicken it up a bit.

Goose and I both had a big bowl each and he had another bowl for his midnight snack. We had three quarts left over. We put one in the fridge and two in the freezer.

Oh- I forgot to mention, of course this was topped with some Monterrey jack cheese!

In addition to making those dishes I also made us a big chicken salad for lunch topped with carrots, corn, black beans, grape tomatoes, onions, and olive oil. I did two loads of laundry, the dishes, yoga, and took a nap.

What a great day!



Today I worked at the gym from 10-2. It was busy with lots of new sign ups, etc. but I had about an hour of downtown that I filled with a quick full body workout [Deads, OH press, pullups] and watching the Wedding Planner while enjoying my chicken wrap.

After work I wanted to get in a five mile run. It was pretty crappy outside and I was NOT psyched on coming all the way home (45minutes) and then heading out to run so I figured I would just do it on the dreaded tred. I got in two miles and quit. Well, I didn't quit, I bundled up and finished my run outside. I don't live in the town where my gym is so I'm not super familiar with the mileage. I picked a straight away that I thought was between .5-.7 miles and went back and forth. I was pretty spot on because it was .6 miles (thanks mapmyrun). All together I was able to get in 3.6+2.0= 5.6.

It can be frustrating to feel like you're starting back at the beginning again going from running 11 and 12 miles to three and four. I'm just thankful to be out there again and I'll try to keep taking it slow.

I hope everyone's weekend is full of happiness.

A Blanket Statement

I have heard this before, but came upon it tonight and it hit home.

[x]

How true is this one simple phrase for EVERYTHING in our lives?

The obvious; my training. We put in countless [actually, they are very measurable given how anal we all are about tracking our workouts!] hours pushing our bodies, our boundaries, and our limits. We sacrifice, exhibit discipline, go without, and yet gain so much. We kick our own asses. Some days when I'm training for an event I feel like I 'have' to get out there and run. I can skimp in other areas of my life; school, friends, family.. But oh the taste of victory is sooo sweet. I've been hard pressed to replicate the feeling of crossing the finish line, out of breath, muscles screaming, joints aching, knowing that I did it.

GradSchool. Let's face it, logging hours on my computer, writing papers, taking exams, administering assessments to snot nosed kids, counseling all sorts of adolescents, spending time memorizing pathologies and diagnosis, it's not a cake wake. It's easy to not further your education even though you want to. It's easy to settle and sell yourself short. But I know that in the long run I will be happy and better off for it. I'll have great experience, tons of contacts, a broader job description, vast qualifications, and LOVING every [okay, I'm not there yet so I'm being a little naive] minute of what I do.

My faith. I've mentioned it before. Christians weren't promised an easy life here on earth. It's a long, windy road. There's lots of questions, doubts, confusions, and worries. Christians can waiver just as any other. This place can be dark, dismal, full of sin, and difficult to endure. But once you remember what He endured for you and what He grants so freely, the reward is great. In the end, the promise of salvation

I hope that I remember daily when struggles arise to look forward into the distance and know that things are not always easy, but they will be worth it...


Running towards good things...



Checklist for Friday:
Call makers of busted electric blanket and beg & plead for replacement.
1 hour of yoga.
protein pancakes for breakfast.
chili for dinner.
NAP.

Playing Wife

I met my Goose when I was 19. I moved in with him six months later. It was ballsy and the odds were against us [actually, the odds are still against us]. But almost four years later I couldn't be happier. We're ultra compatible, he challenges me, keeps me in check, an supports me unconditionally. I truly am blessed.

At first I spent a lot of time like this:


Doing school work, typing papers, etc.

I was scared to cook. I mean, I can cook more than mac n cheese, but, I'm [was] 19, what do I know?! And I assumed just because I couldn't throw something together without using a recipe I was a failure.



My brother is a chef at the Ritz Carlton, my Mom makes a killer [insert any dish here], it must be in my genes! So I decided that the only way you can learn is by doing. I sucked it up and started out easy, using recipes as guides. I prefer baking to cooking, but am starting to enjoy it all.

To date I've made some great dishes:
stuffed peppers, egg plant parm, chicken catatori, homemade sauce, sugar free cheesecake, chocolate truffles, salsa, shrimp scampi with tofu, linguine with clam sauce.

I'm really proud of myself and I love expanding my knowledge.

I got a gift card from my boss for Christmas [how sweet!] and used it to purchase a 5.5qt crockpot! Goose pretty much lived like a bachelor before I moved in so we've slowly been purchasing some necessary kitchen essentials.

My maiden voyage:

Overnight apple oatmeal.

It was pretty good, a little creamier than I would have liked, but really tasty.

Given that I'm usually only cooking for the two of us, I probably could have gotten a smaller crock, but so far so good.

Up next is of course a turkey black bean chili.


Currently loading my iPod for another 3M run, Lord willing.

An official Day One

Remember when I said I'm going to run this little half marathon in San Fran during my upcoming trip in 8 weeks. Well, it's 7 weeks. So that means 7 weeks of training. I pray that I can treat my body kindly, sensibly, and respectfully and make it to the finish line. I had a decent base before my ITBand injury and had just completed my 11M training run. I suppose now we will see if it is all gone...

I ran a few days last week but nothing serious. Today was my first "serious" mid-week run in my [absent] training plan. I ran 3.5 miles. Nope, that's not very far. But so far, so good. Baby steps. My ITBand didn't feel bothered and the rest of my body seemed to respond accordingly.

Onward and Upward.

On another note, I drove home in complete white-out, blizzard conditions. Winter has finally made its appearance. Where's my snowboard?

Some Self Love

I'm 22. I'm 5'6, 128lbs (give or take). I have long, lean limbs, a high waist, small features, ears made for a baby. Think ectomorph. It's hard for me to build muscle.

I've pretty much had this build my entire life (duh) and appreciated it more or less at different times. Playing center half in soccer I loved my long legs and their ability to propel me quickly up and down the field like a pinball machine. At proms and balls I disliked my height when a pair of 3in heels made me feel like a giant next to some of my shorter friends. We've all had our ups and downs.

Lately, I've been finding myself being ultra comparative. I pine after different body types; girls who have a shorter build. Girls who have a naturally more muscular build. I don't like beating myself up like that and minimizing my unique and special qualities.

I've learned on my fitness quest that so much of your foundation begins with your genes. [Believe me, I believe in breaking down barriers and accomplishing things your body was not set up to do.] But, for the most part our bodies are all very different and typically lead us towards excellence (or deficit) in particular areas. I'm blessed to be lean and tight. I'm lucky to be constantly challenged by my weight routine; finding ways to turn it up and monitoring how my body responds.

I want to work harder at appreciating my body how it is. I love what fitness does for my mind and body but I want to restructure why I work out. I run purely because I LOVE running. I enjoy being out in the open on my own with no agenda. I lift weights and go to spin classes because I like the results. I want to engage in activities for the health benefits and for my pleasure, not to try to obtain someone else's look.

...A work in progress.

It's Clinical

I swear I need a diagnosis.

I've been on break from school for a few weeks now and I'm driving myself (and those around me) bonkers. My mind is always going, always working and without being able to agonize over school work I'm having some serious issues over here.

The first four days or so I actually enjoyed doing nothing. thinking about nothing. [if you're thinking about nothing then are you really thinking about anything at all? Should I have put 'not thinking about anything'. Do you see how this gets out of hand?!]

Then I got invited to interview for the PhD program of my choice. I went right to work. My mind was pleased with me. I went through the CV's of all of the current faculty and categorized their research interests, read through their three most recent publications each, took notes, wrote my responses, and devised questions to ask. I then planned out my outfit for the interview day, booked my flight, hotel, car rental, and made an itinerary for Goose (who will be coming with me) for our interview day AND our day of checking out the city. I reviewed my application materials, researched potential questions and practiced answering them. I read through countless reviews about the city, compared crime data, living expenses, etc. I exhausted all things PhD and all things Houston.

That got me through a few days. Then I decided to plan my brothers wedding [You know, without telling him the details]. They aren't getting married until the spring of 2012 but I figured, hey, the early bird gets the worm! They already have their venue booked so I looked at races in the area to run for her bachelorette party, read books from the library about how to create your own super chic wedding invitations, looked through the portfolios of several wedding photographers who had previously shot at their venue, sent her all of the upcoming bridal expos/trunk shows in her area for the next year and a half.

I need to be doing things. And not busy work [Okay, some of that is busy work.] I have to be exercising my mind muscle. I can clean, reorganize the closets, paint the deck, whatever but that doesn't work for me; I need to be thinking about something, figuring something out.

Diagnosis: Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and an IQ in the high genius range.
generous, huh?

Oh yeah, I'll be running again today, also. Starting out slow with four miles and hoping all goes well. It's a lot easier to bump up your mileage if you can handle the distance than to knock it back down afterward.

It's back to being cold here.

I'm back to warming up with my favorite cuddle biscuit!