Skype this...

So, I didn't run today or yesterday even though the weather was perfect. I did, however, run almost 4 miles on Friday. The day was pretty hectic and nothing seemed to be going my way, but once I finished cleaning, working to get the house to close, I found time to run! I was worried it was going to rain and it never did. The sky actually cleared up the further I got from my place. I fully intended for this to be a jog to the corner and back but it's really strange how the further you get, the more you want to keep going. Usually my mindset is more "If you run to the corner, then you get rewarded by walking." This time, I kept telling myself that I'm awesome for running this far so why stop now? But that seems to do the trick!

I still love my new shoes and I wear them most of the time now. Even around the house! I keep meaning to go to TriAthletics to look for shorts with pockets. I don't think I've taken these shorts off for weeks! I looked at Kohls, but they didn't have any. I did buy a new purse though :) And I also stocked up on Hallmarks this weekend!

I "Skyped" for the first time today! I got to see Ben, my godson! he thinks its funny to put his mouth over the camera. He's soooo cute. He also told me that he scored 2 goals in his soccer game today. What a champ!

Momsie and Popsicle!

Had lunch with Mom and Dad today at Flat Branch! They drove 2 cars in from Kansas City so I could use one for a while instead of paying for a rental any longer than I had to.

Also, I took running clothes to the office yesterday and went about 4 miles around Columbia. Of that, I ran about 3 but I think I made it the first mile and a half without stopping, which felt great! I still have no idea how I'm going to get my pace up to 6 miles per hour, but there is still time. I have a full day tomorrow, so I'm hoping to get to bed here pretty soon, then wake up in the morning to run. It hasn't happened yet, but I keep telling myself it will.

Something I noticed recently is that no matter how early I get up, I still leave the house at the same time. It's like my body knows I'm ahead of schedule so I find more things to do. Not to encourage peeping toms, but I've been sleeping with the blinds open to let the light in. Sometimes I'll leave my door open too, so I can hear my roommate getting ready for work... Wish me luck!

When It Rains... It Hayles!

Holy cow! So much has happened since last Monday. Sorry, but it's gonna be a long one! The week seemed pretty typical, work all day, made plans with friends, caught up on my shows, cleaned on Thursday, then BAM... Literally! Remember that road I just loooove driving on? Well, this time on my way home from cleaning, my passenger side tire went off the road (lacking a shoulder)and I lost control. I swerved a few time and as this was happening, I remember telling myself to "turn into it" like they told us in drivers ed. What the HELL does that mean?
Obviously, by the looks of my car, you'll notice that I still am unsure. I swerved, hitting the country ditch, which is as tall as me, my tail end continued going forward, eventually tipping my poor little Cavalier onto the passenger side. Yes I was wearing my seat-belt, and yes, I am fine. Not a scratch on me! Who knew Teresa Kientz singing the "Seat-belt Song" on the way to CCD on Wednesday's would stick with me so long? Once the car settled, I grabbed my pursed and climbed out of my driver's side window, which was already down, because you guessed it... I was rocking out to the Wicked soundtrack, having a great ol' time! Both airbags deployed and I specifically remember covering my face before hand.
This happened in front of someone's house and they came out, talked to me a bit and called the cops. All was fine once Jennifer got there to take me home. Have I mentioned that I have great friends?! Example 1,476!

2 funny things that I can laugh about: First, the cop came over and said, "Sorry, but I'm gonna have to write you a ticket." He said it was for Failure to Stay on the road, and literally laughed in his face and gave him the arm nudge that says, "you CAN"T be serious?" Well people...he wasn't joking. Not only did I total my car, I have a ticket for "Failure to stay in the right half of the roadway when of sufficient width resulting in a crash." What a crock!
Then second, and by far my favorite... Since I get to take home the expired foods from the house I clean, guess what flew about my car as we were flipping...EGGS! That's right, I had egg on my windows, seats, floor and door. They were actually cooking when I went to clean out my stuff the next day. Cool huh?!

Friday morning, I had my boss come pick me up and take me to our closing. The one house that I swear is cursed because Tyler (buyer and friend) wrecked in March. So, what is important is that it's closed and everyone is happy! Since I had a wedding in DeSoto this past weekend and didn't have a way there, Jody (my boss) lent me her car for the weekend. I never would have asked that from anyone, and I didn't have to because she offered. That is, by far, the nicest thing anyone has done for me in a long time. She rules and I can't thank her enough. Farmington and DeSoto were great! Joey makes me happier than Country Fried Steak day in the HS cafeteria! And those of you who know me, know that's a lot :) The wedding was perfect and I'm so happy for Brandon and Aron. I'm more happy for Mr. and Mrs. Ferrell, who finally get the house to themselves. What a great family they are!

Thanks to Nikki, I got set up with a rental car today and already got a parking ticket (FML.) Mom is bringing me an extra car from KC on Wednesday but my online car search started today. I'm open to suggestions, but I'm not sure what stage of my life I want this car to represent, (24 yr old free spirit or 35 yr old working mom to be,) so it's going to be a tough decision. Still waiting to hear from insurance before I determine the doom I will unleash on my savings account I have grown so proud of.

Let's hope this week goes better than last, and has a similarly awesome ending with a money filled Friday and a fabulous weekend!

Cheers!

Just for Kicks

I finally bought my running shoes! I ended up going to TriAthletics on Chapel Hill and it was wonderful! The store was very chill and the guy who helped me was a champ! I say, "I'm running a marathon and I've never done more than a 5K...so Help!" After chatting about different marathons he's done, the half I plan to run in Minnesota in September, working up a sweat on the treadmill, and about 10 pairs later, he found me my Mizunos! They are SUPER light and have feel great. All in all, it was a great experience and I plan on using them for anything I need from here on out.

So...come Saturday and beautiful weather, I went 6.1 miles, running about 4.5 of that, around Columbia. This was the first time I ran the 1st mile in its entirety. Once I got that far, I just kept getting further away from home. It took me about an hour and a half but by then, I was in the zone so I did abs and legs (as if they weren't going to be sore enough!)

Here is something I just found! Map your route and know how far you actually went with Gmaps Pedometer! Just zoom in to your area close enough so you can tell the roads, click "Start Recording," double click your starting point and click along you route! You're welcome, Earth!

Now, I finally get to read more Kitchen Confidential instead of staring at note cards! Cheers :)

I Swerve for Squirrels

So, my original plan was to post this last night but we decided to take advantage of the free keg at The Deuce, so you can imagine I wasn’t very productive. Anyway, yesterday was an amazing day all around so I thought I’d share!

I have a side job of cleaning house for this couple (Thanks Jill!) once a week. It’s great because I get a work out from all the stairs, a plus it gets me out of the office for a few mindless hours. I got there around 7:30 because I had to stop in the office to send off my newest contract (exciting, but that’s another story.) After my normal routine of cleaning, vacuuming up ladybugs and mastering how to fold a fitted sheet, I was driving home when I realized something about myself. I truly believe I’m happiest when I’m driving with my windows down and my music up. I happened to have 311 Soundsystem in my car which was perfect for yesterday’s sunny weather. Now, the other thing I realized is that my mood went from an 11 to about an 8 when I caught up to the car in front of me going about 20 UNDER the speed limit on a curve, impassable road. Then 15 minutes later on what should have been a 5 minute drive, I caught up to this old lady close enough to read her “Keep Abortion Legal” bumper sticker and was back up to my wonderful mood and passed her with a smile!

With the help of some good friends, we got a deck put back together that I’ve been staring at for the week, trying to figure out how to get it to pass code so I can sell this house already. As a real estate agent, you have some deals that are cake and others that drag on too long and require a ton of work. This one had me, shovel in hand, flattening out piles of dirt because my friend/buyer has a broken arm and just HAD to have this house that needed foundation work done. We have to work on it some more this weekend so the appraiser can come out on Monday.

This being a blog about my running, I must admit that yesterday was the first time I ran all week and it was short and sweet. I hadn’t eaten since breakfast, plus I couldn’t take too long because I need to go into work that afternoon. Lame excuse, I know, but Jennifer and I plan to walk/jog today after work and I get off early for Good Friday, so I can run some before that. Also, I hope to get some new kicks this afternoon, which I’ve been putting of for weeks now.