10 things...

Disney post to come.  But until I get my picture-ducks in a row, I present to you a blog based on a blog, that was, apparently, based on another blog.  (you can do it to!  It’s easy!  Just start with the following title…)

10 things I’m thinking about right now (in no particular order)

1)      Pandora.  Okay, I think we can all agree that Pandora Radio is phenomenal.  But sometimes (and I feel like it comes in waves), they play really horrible and only vaguely related songs.  For example on my “Glee Cast” station they’re currently playing “Don’t Worry, Be Happy” by Bobby McFerrin.  Not horrible by any means, but I don’t really want to encourage this station to be an OLDIES station, Pandora!  Ooh yeah, and I’m running out of Pandora hours today.  Looks like I’ll be paying $0.99 to have work radio for the rest of the month.

2)      Afghanistan is like… forever away.  It blows my mind that I talk to my husband as I am getting ready to go to sleep (9:30-ish pm) and he is also getting ready to go to sleep (8:00 am).  And while I’m on this tangent, how does a person become something like ten AND A HALF hours ahead of where I am?  Where is there a half hour?  

3)      Did any of you read “The Hunger Games?”  I’m sure many of you are so busy and important that the only thing you have time to read is my blog… but for those of you with even a little bit of free time, may I suggest picking up these fine books?  They are lovely.  Interesting, well-written, page turning.  Recently I’ve come across a series of 3-novel stories (The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo or The Golden Compass for examples) that I haven’t been able to read book three.  I mean… I start, I try, but I am just uninterested.  However, I seem to have broken the jinx since I blew through all three in record time and with record pleasure.  When you read it, message me and we can talk about what you thought of the end.

4)      When is the last time any of you changed insurance agents?  So, since you need a new State Farm agent every state you move to, I’ve switched around quite a little bit this year.  And the first two were really REALLY great.  But this third one – I don’t like her.  Not at all.  So I did a cost-comparison and it turns out I should switch insurance companies.  Is it bad that my hesitations are A) I haven’t talked to Matt about it (even though he would say “are you saving money?  Then let’s do it.”) and B) I don’t want to call and break up with the agent I don’t even like.  It’s like bad-dating all over again.

5)      I assume it’s the breaking up with bad-dating scenario that lead me to have nightmares last night about all the people I never dated, but they were interested in me, told me I was a tease.  A tease?  Yes, and apparently a whore.  I was so mad when I woke up, I wanted to call and tell each and every one of them off (assuming I haven’t deleted their phone numbers).

6)      I need to start running.  Since the epic (and lonely, and empowering) run at Thanksgiving Pointe, I have been a slacker.  SLACKER.  And have run… like half a time.  Feel free to tell me that to my face.  Here is an example of something you might say “chubby slacker person!  Run more… and blog more!  (but don’t blog more about running, you are kindof over the top with it, hon.)”  Go ahead.  I won’t be offended.  But I am warning you with #7…

7)      I feel like I am going to cry at any given moment.  I was at a WORK FUNCTION this morning and read one of the success stories of a Little (I work for Big Brothers Big Sisters), and I almost lost it.  What is WITH ME?  Remember High School when I didn’t cry for like 2 years.  Yup… peaked too early with that one.

8)      This year I have to pre-plan for Christmas.  According to the MWR, I have to mail Matt’s Christmas presents NLT Dec 4 (that’s if I send first class).  Snap, usually I don’t START until about that time.  I know people who like to be done by Thanksgiving, but I also think those people are a little bit crazy (Melissa).

9)      How exciting is fall?  Mmm… I bought a “leaves” by Bath and BodyWorks smell thing for my car – and now I am happy each and every time I get in said car.  I think I’m going to take the dog hiking Friday after work (he will be so excited – and I will love the crisp fall hike).  After all, you’ve got to take it while you can because Fall is Fickle.  I know this because it’s supposed to snow on Monday.  Son of a…

10)  I’m sorry about the lack of blogging.  Either I’m in a bad mood and want to blog about how sad it is to have your husband gone for so long (and it is really, epically sad), or am in a relatively good mood and so have no idea what I want to say to the world.  But thanks for sticking with me, dear blog-readers.  As I said before, Disney pics to come. 

END OF BLOG.  (ooh… and of my Pandora minutes…)

She Runs Like A Girl...

Today I saw a grown woman duck into shrubs at a golf course to pee.  I saw a woman pose with Kurt Bestor and then say "I guess I can go home now."  I saw people cheering each other as they were passed... in short, today was the Wasatch Women's "Love Your Body" 6K/10K at Thanksgiving Pointe.

Now, first of all... for all the blogging in the world I do about it, I haven't actually run in a while.  In fact, last Sunday I hit 3.1 miles (5K) and thought "that's it.  I can do no more.  I will just walk the last K next week."  See?  In Georgia I was on this great running plan.  I even had running (or at least "sprinting days" friends), I had Matt to hold me accountable, and I had a training plan up on the fridge I checked off when I did something... but then I moved.  To Tennessee.  And I didn't like running.  I no longer lived in a great place for it (I ran past CORN, which is the ultimate in "SERIOUSLY??" because you feel like you're going nowhere).  And apart from that hill running I would do at Dunbar Caves, I made a pretty poor showing of it.  And then when I moved to Utah... well, the altitude got me.  And lack of motivation.  And the 10 lbs I gained "pre-deployment" that were weighing me down.

Sufficient to say... I didn't feel ready for this race.  I really and truly was prepared to walk for what would probably turn into the last mile , or I was prepared to die.  Either one, actually.  And, to top it off, registration closed before my sister-in-law (who told me about the race) could register, so it was just ANOTHER in a long list of things I was doing alone.  All alone.  With no husband to support me like he did at the last 5K.  No parents to take my picture and say "look what you did!"  and no friendly face to hold my keys while I ran.

So I decided not to run.  I mean, it's Friday night, I'm all alone reading "The Hunger Games" (teriffic, BTW), and I just can't do it anymore. I can't show up to one more event without a husband or people.  And then I show up and - what - fail?  Not even be able to run the whole way while pregnant women pushing double strollers up hill are passing me?  No thanks.

But I went anyway.  Maybe it was my sense of pride.  Maybe it was not wanting to have to tell Matt that I didn't do it.  Maybe it was that I already had the shirt and wanted to wear it without questions (it's a surprisingly cute race shirt).  But Saturday morning came, the dog was walked, the moisture-wicking shirt donned, and I left for Thanksgiving Pointe.

I took pictures of myself, because I NEED no other people to take pictures of me.

I ran past THIS:

AND This:

And This:

And walked for 30 seconds (that's all I'd give myself) somewhere between the bottom and the top of this picture:

And in the end... I was elated.  In fact, I know I show a awfully lot of ugly pictures of me on this blog, but here's another.  I did not die.  Minus the 30 seconds of horrifying hill, I didn't even walk.  (In fact, my race time was about 38 minutes, which is amazing for me to run almost 4 miles.) I was helpful to my other runners (encouraging, insightful, knowledgeable because I have my husband's GPS watch which is magic).  And, yes, I did get passed by that pregnant woman pushing the double stroller up a hill.  But I carried on anyway.  I can do hard things.  All by myself if I have to.  Because that is exactly how awesome I am.