sick, and tired...

...I have so many things to catch up on, it's kinda overwhelming! Hopefully by the end of this weekend I'll be all caught up! There are things from The List to tell you about, running updates, and general goodness :)

Right now though, there is an ear infection, upper respiratory infection, comfy couch, fabulous husband, and delicious looking pizza waiting for me!!

Be back soon!

Watching the Congressional Address...

... and I love President Obama. We are so lucky to have a president who wants Americans to better themselves, to better their communities, to read to their children, to be responsible for the growth and strength of this country. I dearly hope that the things he strives to do happen, because we will all be better for it!!!

Valentines

This is what was waiting for me when I came home from my 13 miler Saturday! Thank you for a wonderful Valentine's Day babe, I love you!

It's gone :(

It's true. It's gone. No longer can I stare at it, and enjoy it's color and beauty. No welcoming smell when I walk into the house. No shelter for the cat when it's time to go to bed, and she doesn't want to go. No temporary home for spiders and ghosts. What is missing, you say? This beauty:

I know, I know. It's February. Years have come and gone, other holidays celebrated, and my tree was still up. I liked it! We didn't turn the lights on, so there wasn't a fire hazard, it was just a pretty tree. But now it is gone. :( In it's honor, here are some Christmas pictures I never got around to posting:

My super cute Christmas wrap


And my super cute husband, hunting our cat with his new Captain America Shield

Only 10 more months until I get a new one!!

Week 7

also known as "back, by Jessica's request :)"

Week 7 might have made me a bad friend. I've been sick, not training all that consistently, and my partner Theresa has been in the same boat. Yet Saturday was the day that I decided "screw ability, I'm gonna run with the full marathoners!" You know what that means? Get up at 53o in the morning, brave the rain/snow mix, and go 13 miles. Yep. We basically did a half marathon yesterday, and I may have killed Theresa in the process. She has a knee issue, and it DID NOT like 13 miles. Not at all. We ended up walking a lot, she was having sharp pains the whole time. It took FOREVER. But we did the full 13, though there were many threats of calling various people for rides and miles 8-10 were filled with a completely random and entertaining case of the giggles on Theresa's part. I think it was her brain shutting down from the pain. It was awesome, and we were kinda crazy. Those miles were done on campus, and it's quite possible that passerby thought we were just returning home from a LONG Friday night!

I took this week as a challenge, a review point in my training. Can I make it? If I make it, how will I feel? It was the determining factor between 13.1 and 26.2 on May 3rd. And you know what? I feel good. Really really good. I did not feel good at mile 12. I wanted to die. I wanted to sit down and never get up again. But within an hour or two of being home, I felt like a normal, though sore, person. I remember how I felt after my first half marathon, and I hobbled around for 3 days after. I wore heels to dinner last night, that's how good I felt. And what that tells me, is that I can do this. If I am CONSISTENT in my training, get my miles in, and stay focused, I really think I can do it. It may not be pretty, and it WON'T be fast, but I think I can do it. My recovery time was literally hours. That tells me I could have gone harder, longer, faster. I sound like my husband, but it's true... I think I can do this.

Theresa is gonna kill me.

Weekend Goodness

This visit actually happened a week and a half ago, but I've been busy and am just now getting around to posting. Our super fancy friends the Kalista's came up from Medford to hang out, see a play, and plan our Boston/NYC trip we're taking this fall :) Yay!! We love Grandy (yep, Grace + Randy... they're THAT fancy. Hollywood fancy.) and we always have a rockin good time.


Our evening started out with the play, Around the World in Eighty Days, starring Sean's friend Steve-o. It was at the UO, and it was fabulous! Then off to Bel Ami for drinks and dessert, and home to indulge in this:

This. Game. Is. Awesome. Loved it! It's all about strategy and building cities and gaining land, and we played until 3 in the morning. I'm jealous that they get to own it. Good thing we know them!

The next day we headed to The Vintage for some delicious crepes. Their variety of crepes is REALLY impressive, and they're huge.

I like how they write the name of your crepe in sour cream on the top :)

Unfortunately, our good times breakfast resulted in this:
Behold, Grace and her very first parking ticket. Oops. not sure how 4 of us missed that meter, but we felt really bad. Sorry Grace.

Frowns turned to smiles though as Grace and I began planning!!!!!!!! We're both huge planners and a week's worth of vacation gives plenty to plan about! We set up the laptops, got out our spreadsheets, and away we went!!

it's not the most flattering of pictures.... :)

Schedules were made, rooms were booked, prices were checked, and our trip is going to be AWESOME. Sadly, they had to leave shortly after we were done, but we had a great weekend and can't wait till we see them again in April, if not before!

We love you guys!

Week 6

Week 6 definitely didn't go as planned, but it was good in its own right. I was supposed to have a 12 mile run, followed immediately by a 3 hour drive to Medford. Run + car - time to stretch = Stephanie hobbling around like a crazy person. I was NOT looking forward to it. Turns out, it wasn't an issue. My running partner sent me a text around 5 that morning letting me know she couldn't make it, and I wasn't going to head out at 6 in the morning to go run 12 miles through a park full of questionable people by myself in the dark. No thanks. Instead I ended up meeting up with the rest of the training group (Theresa and I start earlier since everyone is faster) and doing the 6 mile run with some girls doing the half marathon. It was a really great run, we did some good strides (sprint) workouts, and I got to know them better. AND I was totally fine to go sit in the car without my muscles seizing. Hoorah! All in all, a good training day!
Tomorrow I start my goal of training twice a day, one small run in the mornings and then a regular training run after work. Hopefully that'll help me get a few more miles in during the week.

13 miles this weekend... Happy Valentine's Day to me?

The Boys of Summer :)

RULES:
1. Put your iTunes, Windows Media Player, etc. on shuffle.
2. For each question, press the next button to get your answer.
3. YOU MUST WRITE THAT SONG NAME DOWN NO MATTER HOW SILLY IT SOUNDS.

IF SOMEONE SAYS 'ARE YOU OKAY' YOU SAY?
Point of Authority/99 Problems
(jay Z/ Linkin Park)

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE YOURSELF?
Angry Young Man
(Billy Joel)

interesting... not exactly a man.....

WHAT DO YOU LIKE IN A GUY/GIRL
Nobody Drinks Alone
(Keith Urban)

Um....

HOW DO YOU FEEL TODAY?
Faithfully
(Journey)

For sure!

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE'S PURPOSE?
Figured You Out
(Nickelback)

WHAT DO YOUR PARENTS THINK OF YOU?
Long December
(Counting Crows)

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT VERY OFTEN?
Just the Way You Are
(Billy Joel)

WHAT IS 2 + 2?
Girl at the Rock Show
(Blink 182)

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR BEST FRIEND?
Walk Away
(Kelly Clarkson)

No, please don't!

WHAT'S YOUR MOTTO?
She's My Kind of Rain
(Tim McGraw)

I don't know about that one...

WHAT IS YOUR LIFE STORY?
I've Got a Dark Alley and a Bad Idea That Says You Should Shut Your Mouth
(Fall Out Boy)

Hahaha! I'm intimidating!!

WHAT WILL YOU DANCE TO AT YOUR WEDDING?
6th Avenue Heartache
(Wallflowers)

That's depressing... and was not played at our wedding....

WHAT WILL THEY PLAY AT YOUR FUNERAL?
I Slept With Someone in Fall Out Boy and All I Got Was This Stupid Song Written About Me
(Fall Out Boy)

um... yeah.... Though I totally qualify for the "6 Degrees of Patrick Stump"

WHAT IS YOUR HOBBY/INTEREST?
Best I Ever Had
(Vertical Horizon)

I heart them. :) Yay for Vertical Horizon, listening to them is a definite hobby.

WHAT DO YOU WANT RIGHT NOW?
New Strings
(Miranda Lambert)

WHAT DO YOU THINK WHEN YOU SEE THE PERSON YOU LIKE?
You Wanted More
(Tonic)

Hahaha, but you got me :) Just kidding ;)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST FEAR?
Let It Be
(The Beatles)

That's cause there isn't a song name with a list long enough.... :)

WHAT IS YOUR BIGGEST SECRET?
Of All The Gin Joints in All the World...
(Fall Out Boy)

WHAT DO YOUR FRIENDS THINK OF YOU?
Tessie
(Dropkick Murphys)

YAY FOR TESSIE!!! I have no idea how that correlates to my friends though!

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF YOUR FRIENDS?
Love Me for Me
(Ashlee Simpson)

Yep. Just admitted it. LOVE this song.

WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?
If You're Gone
(Matchbox Twenty)

WHAT WILL YOU POST THIS AS?
The Boys of Summer
(The Ataris)