Go Birdie... it's your birthday... we gonna party like...

IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!

To the women who birthed me years and years ago,

You look fabulous!

Your hair is holding up well considering how many times you could have pulled it out over the years. (and the copious amounts of peroxide over the years haven't helped either I'm sure)

You have yet to embrace the old lady fashion sense that I suspect could be right around the corner (I'll have not forgotten the sweatshirt with the ice skating penguins you wore last winter...)  though I will try my hardest to prevent you from ever wearing shoulder pads ever again.

And most importantly, you've managed to raise 2 of the most amazing, good looking, all around rock-star human beings out there.

In all seriousness though- Thanks for being an awesome mom. I know I've driven you crazy more times that I've kept you sane. But I hope you know it's all in love.

Happy Birthday!

Love,

Your One and Only-

Your sun, moon, and stars-

Your whole wide world-

Wheatie

Cat in the Box

OMG I am in TEARS watching this.

Absolutely hilarious.

It's that time!

Autumn has officially arrived here in the Buckeye State.

Monday was a FABULOUS chilly rainy day.

I have been waiting for sweater weather for weeks now!

Weekend Wrap-Up

Well, last week was far too busy to blog. Apologies are in order. Forgive me?

Friday was spent with friends. A blast as always.
Saturday was followed up with an 8 mile run in the morning. Not my best, but not my worst. I need to psyche myself up for my 12 miles coming up this weekend. It's going to be a doozy but I'm confident I can do it. Post- run we headed downtown to watch the Buckeyes beat the snot out of Eastern Michigan. The game was terribly unnjoyable to watch so we made out way down to the Bengals Stadium- Paul Brown- to watch UC play Oklahoma. Now THAT was a game. We managed to scalp tickets for $25 a piece and watched probably one of the best games of the season. Unfortunately, the bearcats lost but it was a fantastic game to watch. Plus, Mr Buckeye had never been to PB Stadium so that was fun too. Post-game there was so much traffic that we ditched the car in the garage and went out for a drink to pass the time. Made our way home late and got to sleep in on Sunday morning.
Sunday I spent the day quilting. I would love to show you the fruits of my labor but I can't just yet. It needs to be washed but I am so super proud and absolutely in love with my project.

Back to life as usual this morning. Oh Joy.

A Wool Gathering

I attended my first fiber festival yesterday.

A Wool Gathering in Yellow Springs, OH

It was awesome and interesting and completely overwhelming. (and this was a fairly small one!)

I saw sheep getting nekkid.

Sheep with cute curly hair

LLamas chillin'

and angoras sweating.
(no pics of the angoras... I was overwhelmed by the cuteness and forgot I had a camera)
FYI- Angoras are fluffy long haired rabbits. Extremely warm and soft and adorable!

Oh and there was lots and lots of yarn and fiber and roving and buttons and soaps and lotions and fun!

Here's my loot: the big bag is 2700 yards of wool in various shades of green. (12 balls) Who knows what I'll do with it, but I had to have it! The smaller orange bag is also 100% wool and they will become fabulous Grove mittens. And lastly, that red deliciousness is in fact called Red Delicious and it's by FiberOptics. That is destined to become a shawl. Not sure which one but it will be fabulous wrapped around my neck.

I also did something brand new. I learned to spin! Well, I attempted to learn to spin. The lovely Judy from Columbus taught me how roving becomes yarn with the aid of a drop spindle. I'm totally intrigued with the process and was seconds away from buying my own drop spindle along with some roving to play with but held back. I can't get into another hobby quite yet. I want to be able to give it the time it deserves. Maybe some day.

Great way to end the weekend, I'm ready for Monday!

Salty*

That's what I am today.

and it's a good thing.

Why?

BECAUSE I RAN 10 MILES THIS MORNING!

Seriously, honest to goodness. I hauled my cookies out 5 miles down the trail and back.

and I didn't die. and I didn't want to. If anything I actually might have enjoyed myself.

I made a commitment to myself to be the tortoise today. Slow and steady and I would make my way. And it worked. I didn't focus on my time and I didn't try and pound out more than I could. I settled into a groove and it worked surprisingly well. I might have even for an hour, felt a little bit of that "joy" that they talk about in Born to Run. I smiled. I actually felt my body being strong and lifting me up with every step.

For the first time ever, I was able to run the first 7.25 miles flat out without walking. I made the decision to take a Gu at that point since I hadn't eaten breakfast and was probably burning up my calories pretty quickly. (The chocolate Gu, it's delicious!) After taking the Gu I went ahead and kept on going. It wasn't until the last 2 that I really started to feel a bit of pain. Good pain, but pain none-the-less. At roughly 1.5 to go I worked in some intervals just to give a little bit of recovery time. Run a song, walk 30 seconds. Repeat. Then I pushed out the last quarter mile with a little pep in my step because HELLO! I JUST FINISHED MY LONGEST RUN EVER! (only 5 minutes of walking during the 2 hour time frame. totally awesome)

Thanks again to the man upstairs for giving me a glorious day to test my mind and endurance.

*So now I'm salty. When you run and sweat alot and it evaporates and the salt is left behind on your skin. I'm pretty much a walking salt lick. Chloe is loving me right now.

Fill in the Blank

1. When I get a day to myself I like to run errands, relax, and take "me time." That usually includes a trip to Lambikins, some knitting, some sewing, and some trashy TV watching.

2. High school was....fun. I was super active and involved in high school. I was definitely one of "those girls." The cheerleader, student body president, blah blah blah. But what can I say? I loved high school. Pretty much every minute of it.
3. A little dream I have is to run a half marathon. Well, what do you know? I'll be doing that in less than 4 weeks! After that I hope to run more. Maybe a full marathon, maybe not.

4. A big dream I have is to skip this question. Next please.

5. If I could drive any car my pick would be a new Camry Hybrid. I think they are beautiful and sleek and the enviromentally conscious thing doesn't hurt either. (random fact, my first car was a Camry... I wrecked it)

6. A time that I felt really and truly beautiful was my wedding day. A lot of it had to do with the dress. I absolutely positively love my dress. The poof, the satin, the simplicity. Sigh.

7. Tomorrow I will be running 10 miles. O.M.G. That terrifies me to even type it out! Apres ca, I will be cheering on my Buckeyes as they smash those Bobcats. (Sorry Britt, underdogs... don't think so, maybe next year. Or not)

Happy Weekend everyone!

So Vain

The girl can't get enough of herself.

From the left




















From the right

and of course straight on.

Homegirl sat there for a good 20 minutes. And no, she wasn't looking outside, she was looking at herself. She even got up, circled a few times checking herself out before she got up close and personal. Probably paranoid she is getting gray whiskers or something.

So vain.

I'm a Reader

1. Finger Lickin' Fifteen- Janet Evanovich
2. The Lace Reader- Brunonia Barry
3. Julia's Chocolates- Cathy Lamb
4. Knit the Season- Kate Jacobs
5. Garden Spells- Sarah Addison Allen
6. The Sugar Queen- Sarah Addison Allen
7. Full House- Janet Evanovich
8. Full Tilt- Janet Evanovich
9. The Help- Kathryn Stockett
10. Memoirs of a Shopping Addict- Avis Cardella
11. The Girl Who Chased the Moon- Sarah Addison Allen
12. Out of Eden- Beth Ciotta
13. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin
14. Eat, Pray, Love- Elizabeth Gilbert
15. Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen- Christopher McDougall

I could go on and on and on about Born to Run. It was so amazing and inspiring and out of this world craziness. The fact that it is true, and the Tarahumara* really do exist just blows my mind. This book inspires me to find my inner joy when it comes to running. Do it for me. Now please don't misunderstand me, I am not really thinking I will be a competitve ultra marathon runner, but after reading the book I want to go get some pinole and chia and hit the trails! The reading is a bit choppy, but the story is beyond amazing.

Runners and non-runners alike would be sucked into this book. The determination of one man to fufill a dream and bring together 3 different cultures for an amazing race that will never be seen is just, in Stephanie's words, MAGICAL.

I've picked up 2 new books from the library and am already tearing into The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephanie Meyer and that will be followed by the greatly anticipated Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.

Happy Reading!

*The Rarámuri or Tarahumara are an indigenous people of northern Mexico who are renowned for their long-distance running ability. Source: Wikipedia

PS- They wear really beautiful clothing when they run. Click here to see the people the book is about (including Barefoot Ted! Yes! He runs barefoot... in the trails... over rocks and dirt and leaves... he's crazy!)

Holden Shawlette

So yesterday I mentioned that over the weekend I finished not one, but TWO! shawls. Well allow me to introduce to you one of my new loves.

Reader - Meet the Holden Shawlette.

Isn't she fabulous?

This new love of mine is an original pattern written by one of my friends Mindy Wilkes! (Mindy on Ravelry) She has all these creative juices flowing and decided to spill some of them onto paper and share with us! This is her first design, and I was lucky enough to get to test it for her. I used Knitpicks Stroll Haindpainted Yarn in colorway "Dolly" and I think it complimented the pattern nicely.

The pattern is extremely well written and has the option for both charts and written instruction. I'm still somewhat of a chart n00b so I used the written version. The lace appears complicated but is surprisingly easy. She arranges basic stitches to create a gorgeous wave lace that is accented by the picot edge. I'd definitely recommend it to an adventurous beginner. This took me 2 weeks from start to finish and of course I was working on other projects as well. So even better that it's a quick knit! (Slightly dangerous too because I want one in every color now!)

In doing this pattern I learned a couple new techniques as well! I used a tab cast on method (which she explains really well... it seems odd but just go with it, it works) and the picot bind off was a new adventure for me. It is surprisingly stretchy and really compliments the waves that work their way up to the plain section. I'm not 100% sure I "enjoyed" the picot but I'm so unbelievably happy with the way that it looks it is something that I would never dream of not including it now!

I'm not sure as to when Mindy plans on releasing her pattern to the public, but rest assured I will let you know!

My Ravelry Project Page

Recap? In pieces

So I've been a terrible blogger as of late. Hopefully some of you are still checking up on me. Please say Hi so I know you're still out there :)

Friday night was a typical happy hour and dinner date. I didn't run either because the shins were still incredibly painful I decided to give it a rest yet again. Saturday was an early start to head up to CBus for the Buckeyes game. Great time tailgating with friends and seeing out of towners who made the trip in was a nice surprise. I didn't run either, but we did manage to walk roughly 4 miles and I was on my feet the entire day save for maybe an hour when I could find a chair. I wasn't worried about the not-running but I was beginning to feel lethargic. We managed to make it to CBus and back on Saturday which was awesome considering I had one of the best sleeps I've had all year Sat night. I swear it felt like I slept 12 hours when I only slept 7. It was the deepest, heaviest sleep. And it was lovely.

Sunday was the usual recover, relax, and recoup. The husband and I had a relaxing date night as well. Dinner at PF Changs (thank you Bossman for picking up our tab) followed by a movie.

We saw Takers. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. If anything I was too distracted and annoyed by the awful camera work and shaking screen to really get into it. I think if the camera had held still during the action scenes I would have enjoyed it more. Sure it was predictable, and it was a typical action robbery kind of movie but we still enjoyed it as a whole.

I didn't run yesterday either. Major bummer. But I still didn't feel quite up to it.

I did, however, run today. Back on schedule with 3 miles. Not my best, but it's done. It's amazing what just 5 days off does to your endurance. I took walk breaks to catch my breath. And I wasn't running any harder than normal. That's the breaks I suppose.

Off to have dinner and get my shawls soaking. Yes, I said ShawlS. As in 2. As in I finished 2 projects over the weekend and I'm super stoked. They are both lovely and amazing and I can't wait to wear them. My first (and second!) triangular shawls. A new fashion trend I'm ready to accept!

Ocho

I can officially tell myself that I can do the half in 6 weeks.

Today was the day that I felt was going to be the biggest mental block since I've started training.

Eight.

Are you kidding me? There is no way that I can run eight miles in one time.

No way.

But my body begged to differ and God gave me a helping hand today by setting me up with the most beautiful and fantastic setting I could have asked for. He must have known I'd need a little help today.

I drove out to the Loveland Bike Trail and was shocked and amazed to see the amount of people out. Sure I had a later start than I wanted but already at 9:15 there was a plethora of bikers and joggers and dog walkers out. The temps were an absolutely amazing- fall teaser- 65* and the path was paved and flat. Surrounded by trees on both sides with the river running next to it, I set out for my run. I had calculated that I would run 4 miles out and have no choice but to go 4 miles back unless I wanted to walk home and that would have been like 15 miles so no way jose. So even if I completely sucked wind 4 miles in, I had no choice but to walk the entire way back so my eight would be completed today, come hell or high water.

But again, the body had different plans for me, so I didn't really need to worry.

I blasted out and had a mind boggling 10-11ish minute pace for the first 2.5 miles (that I ran continuously. GO ME!) then I paused to see where I was on the trail and kept going. There was a gal in front of me that I caught up with and ran about a mile with. She was friendly and chatted with me- she is doing the Indy FULL in October as well. And she was out for an 8 mile run today as well. She had her own personal water posse (husband and son) who were riding bikes and would catch up with her for rest breaks. I left her at a break and kept on going till I hit my 4. Amazingly enough, I checked my time at 4 and was running faster than my normal 12 minute miles! Around mile 5 I decided it was time for a Gu. Now I've never used Gu and didn't know what to expect. But I opened up the chocolate Gu and ate it while I took a walk break. I was surprisingly really good! Almost like a thicker chocolate pudding. No yucky aftertaste and didn't upset my stomach at all. And I was relieved to feel my strength coming back for another couple of miles. Mile 5, 6, and 7 went pretty well and I could feel myself getting tired. Mile 8 didnt' go as well as I would have hoped but with a combination of walking and running I was able to sprint out my last .1 and finish with (IMO) an amazing time of 1 hour, 36 min 58 sec.

Slugged down a bunch of gatorade and water, pit stop for a Subway Turkey sandwich, and I'm calling it a day today.

I don't want to say it, for I'm afraid I'll jinx myself.

But today I felt like a runner.

Maybe I'm closer than I thought.

Have a great weekend!