My 27th Birthday

This morning, I celebrated my 27th b-day with a 7 mile run. I thought about you (my family and friends). You all mean a lot to me and I don't know what I would do with you guys. During my run, I had one ear bud in my ear, so I could listen to my iPod- iPhone. I smiled every time I heard a FaceBook notification. I figured it was birthday wishes.

The last few weeks, I've been neglecting the Trinity Trail, so I decided to give the dirt trail a break and hit the pavement. The change of scenery was nice and I got a little speed back, by running on a smoother surface.

Last night, we got a head start on b-day celebrating. Shopping and Dinner. Before dinner, we went out as a family to the grand opening of Lululemon and I fell in love with every piece of clothing. While I was shopping Trey found a sofa and Cheyenne found the toys. Everyone was happy. I had such a hard time picking a birthday present for myself/from Trey. Ultimately, I decided on the Energy Sports Bra (in a greenish yellow color). 

What do you think? I like it. This should make for some interesting tan lines. Question for the ladies: Do you wear a sports bra when working out in public? I never did, up until last summer. It got so hot and I was running for several hours at a time outdoors, so I started running wearing a sports bra with no top cover. Personally, I don't like wearing white sports bras out in public, that screams underwear, but if it's color and it's well covered - I'm okay with it. 

So, back to the weekend birthday stuff.....
Today, we went out for lunch. Trey and Cheyenne made me feel special and every now and then they would burst out and sing the happy birthday song. Oh, about the secret gift Trey was going to get me, I ended up guessing my present. It's lame and I'm embarrassed to even mention it, but whatever. It's a laundry basket organizer. I had mentioned a while back and he had planned on getting it for me today. I told him to wait, since I got something from lulu and I got some birthday shoes too. That stinky smell is me rotting. In case you are curious, this is what the organizer looks like. Practical, right?

Enough of the material stuff, what really matters is you. Thanks again for loving me. I love you too!

No Snuggle Buddy

Last night, Trey worked out of town, so I had the king size bed all to myself. I was hoping Cheyenne would wake-up in the middle of the night and snuggle with me, but she didn't. I even told her right before bed time, "If you wake up in the middle of the night find me, so we can snuggle."

I guess all the food we had for dinner knocked her out. Instead of cooking last night, we went to Souper Salad. I used my free buffet - birthday coupon. SCORE! I think we ate one of everything. After I put Cheyenne to bed, I vegged out on the sofa, while watching TV and ate an almond butter/jam sandwich. Umm, I went to a buffet and then went home and ate a sandwich. Yes. I did. Oh, one more thing about Souper Salad: I saw a man walk up to the ice cream machine. It was self-service. The man took his finger to catch the excess ice cream and then licked his finger. He did this three times, I guess he thought no one was watching him. We made eye contact. I did not blink. Really, dude?! THAT IS SO GROSS! Luckily, I got my serving before witnessing that, but it still grosses me out just thinking about it.

Random Thoughts:
- My garden looks mouth-watering. I'll take photos so you can see the progress.
- I've been so good about composting. Green points for me.
- I need a haircut.
- My 27th birthday is tomorrow. Trey says we need to get my gift, he won't give me any hints.
- I woke up this morning around 4 am. I ran on the treadmill and watched the royal wedding. Some people said they cried. I felt so disconnected from this wedding. It was cool to watch it for 30 minutes, but I don't think it's anything to cry about.
- LULULEMON's grand opening is this weekend. Go. SHOP. Explore. That place is so cool. I'll take one of everything.
-Trey has started ordering truck parts. He's thrilled.

That was random. Okay, I'll leave with two videos of Cheyenne. She's such a big girl, look at her sing and dance.

I've Discovered Something Amazing

and worth sharing...
ALMOND BUTTER.

Okay, sure I've known about the stuff, but a few days ago, I was walking the aisles of Sam's Club and spotted this golden jar and decided to try it. Wow. This takes my PB sandwatchies to a grown-up level. I LIKE!

I also like how the ingredients are minimal:
Dry Roasted Almonds, Organic Evaporated Cane Sugar, Palm Oil, Sea Salt.


I've been pairing this with a strawberry preserve I found at Central Market. So, delicious!

Cheyenne's School Portraits

The week, I went to Las Vegas, Cheyenne was scheduled to take school portraits. I had her clothes out for the week and a dress for her to wear. Trey dressed her that morning and instead of putting the dress on her, he put shorts and a shirt on her, thinking that was what I wanted her to wear for pictures. Ummm, no.

That morning when Trey took her to Erin's house, she saw Chey's outfit and hair and figured she needed help. Erin fixed her hair and let her borrow Brianna's dress. THANK YOU!


I just want to kiss those cheeks.



I forget to mention, we didn't buy any easter candy. One part, I was lazy and another part was, we didn't need that candy around the house. All those plastic eggs that Cheyenne picked on Sunday, were empty.

Tangled Up

Our neighbors gave us a box of Disney Classics. They are on VHS, but who cares? They are Disney. Now, can someone please tell me why they won't load in my DVD player...

And a few weeks ago, we bought Chey the movie Tangled. We went with the Blu-Ray version, it was actually our first Blu-Ray disc. We're all fancy...hmmm not really. Since watching Tangled, Chey is really into brushing her hair. We upgraded her flimpsy baby comb and got her a real brush. She loves it.
\
Every now and then she wants to comb my hair, which is fine if it's straight, but most times she wants to brush it, I'm wearing it curly. She doesn't understand that it hurts. Ouch.
What is your favorite Disney movie? My favorite is Cinderella. We had the VHS and as many times as I watched it, I'm surprised it didn't explode.

Setting Goals & Being Patient. Upgrading to a New Camera.

For several months, I've had DSLR camera fever. Now, I'm taking steps to make a big purchase to upgrade from my trusty Canon XT to a T2i. The XT was a college graduation gift, Trey got me back in 2006. And now a flashback to college graduation...

I'm determined to pay cash out-right and not pull money from savings OR finance. So, how the hell am I going to buy one? Good question. Well, I'm inspired by Trey and his honey hole <--- that's what he calls his extra cash. He's been saving dough he's earned from side projects, in order to fund his pet project - THE TRUCK. This is not a current picture, but this is the truck.

So, here is my plan: Operation New Baby:
I have several photography freelance projects coming up that will help me reach my goal. I also plan on selling my old DSLR camera and lenses. If all goes as planned, by the end May I will have a new camera that has essentially paid for itself. That's what I'm talking 'bout! 

Of all places, Sam's Club is selling my camera. Every week, I visit it. Soon it will be mine. 

I'll leave you with some old photos from my trusty XT. It's been a good camera and it still is.

Easter 2011

Happy Easter! We have so much to be thankful for.

Trey and Cheyenne started the morning, by heading to the donut shop. It's their new thing: Donuts on the weekend. Trey doesn't let her eat it in the car, so she has to carry her bag and not eat her donut until she gets home. That's a lot to ask of a 2 year old. I saw her donut, before she sat down at home to eat it. Yeah, it defiantly had a chunk missing from it. She likes hers with sprinkles. 

We headed to church and it was a packed house. Everybody was there. Big crowd. For lunch, we headed to Red Robin to celebrate my birthday (it's next weekend, but who cares - It's still my birthday month, so it's all the same). We were also celebrating Trey's recent job promotion. Mr. Supervisor! Ohhhh, impressive. Congratulations Trey, I'm soooo proud of you!


After partying hard over french fries and a free burger. That's right, I said FREE. Check the link, it's legit. Chey and I headed home and Trey headed off to work. He's been on call the last two days and he's been busy. I'm just thankful we saw him this morning and this afternoon. Yesterday, he was gone all day long.

He made it home right before dinner and we dyed easter eggs. I was wondering why the dye wasn't staining the eggs, that well. And then I remembered vinegar. Don't you need to add vinegar to the dye water? We didn't have vinegar. Either way, we had pastel easter eggs. Cheyenne liked them, so I guess that's all that matters.

Finally, the easter egg hunt!

Found it!

Cheyenne was probably thinking: Are you going to stand there and look pretty or are you going to help me?!?

Trey pointing one out.

My precious family.

Sometimes you have to look in the most unlikely places.

Happy Easter Friends and Family!

Feet Meet the Dirt & Palo Duro

Distance: 10.05 miles
Duration: 1:43:00
Average Pace Per Mile: 10:11
Weather: At sunrise it was 72 degrees. South wind at 18 MPH.

Yes, it was windy. Instead of fighting the wind, I decided to run at a natural pace. 10 - 10:30 min pace felt natural, not easy, but more comfortable than what I usually run.

I saw some longhorns during the run. Other animals I spotted -- deer, butterflies, red robins, horses, and rabbits. The deer I spotted whizzed a few yards in front of my path. I waited a few beats before proceeding. I was scared another deer was going to hop out of the bushes and tackle me.

Okay, so Trey is on board with the Canyon: Palo Duro Trail Run! There are 3 races, the 20K (12.42), 50K (31.06 miles) and a 50 miler. I was seriously considering the 50 miler. I chatted with Trey about it and he gave me a look, like NO WAY and that's what I needed -- Someone to look at me like you are crazy. The more I think about it, mentally, I'm not ready for the 50 miler, not yet, at least not on the trail. I want to see what it's like to run a 50K on the trail first and then depending on how that goes, we'll see about a 50 miler, down the road.

So, the 50K it is! I need to submit my registration via snail mail. There is not an online registration option...I'll try not to complain. I guess, after that I just wait to hear back from race directors to see if my registration was accepted and they'll send lodging information. I'll start a training program towards the end of the summer. More to come....

Ft. Worth Zoo 10K Proofs

Here are a few race photos, from the last 10K.

This is what I was thinking when I saw the photographer, Gotta make this look easy. And as soon as I'm out of  his frame, go back to ugly faces and gasping for air. For the most part, I try to make a conscious effort to smile or at least look like I'm having fun.

I believe this was the home stretch. This is when I started to high tail it. I prefer to sprint to the finish line. When I first started racing, I would do the complete opposite.

When the race started it was around 46 degrees. By the time I was done, the temps rose, but not much, that's why I wore a long sleeve shirt in April.





On the agenda this weekend:
- I plan on spending time with my family. Trey has been working late the last few nights, so I'm hoping we can catch up and have a conversation. We need to discuss the idea of traveling to Canyon, Texas :)
- Celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. We'll be at church. If you are local and don't have plans, join us Sunday.
- I'll be running the trail.
- Wach the movie She's out of my league.
- Eat this....

Instead of this... 

   

Hershey is my chocolate of choice. This week a faculty had healthy treats for students to eat during a test. I kept eyeballing all the free food, but refrained myself, until I was invited to dig in. "Well, I don't know...Okay!" I tried the Nutri-Grain bar and it tasted delicious. The front label claims it's healthy, but when I gave it the Dom label test it failed. The ingredient list takes up the entire back packaging and it's in another language. However, I'm convinced it's healthier than chocolate, I'm going to give this a try --- Eat the Kellogg's bar, instead of the Hershey Bar when I'm craving junk. Oh, I want one NOW. 

Palo Duro Trail Run. Where do I sign?

Yesterday, Trey sent me this picture. It's the latest issue of runners world magazine. It’s a special trail issue. He thought I would enjoy it, since I recently discovered a trail, in my backyard….okay, technically it’s less than 2 miles away, but that’s nothing. Coming from someone who runs 20 miles while in training for a marathon, trust me, 2 miles is spitting distance.

In RW magazine, they list the best 25 trail runs in America. Guess which state made the list? TEXAS! That’s right because Texas is awesome like that. The race is called Palo Duro Trail Run. Now, I’ve got ultra marathon fever… again! My tail is wagging. I’m so excited. The race takes place in October. I’m not saying I’m going to sign-up for it, but geez it would be nice. You know, I’ve never ran a race outside of DFW, not even in Abilene.

Why I like to keep it close to home

1.     1. Familiarity

2.     2. DFW is awesome. Duh!

3.     3. For the pocket book.

Race Registration + Meals + Lodging + Travel Expenses = $300 (easily)

It may be time to consider my options outside of my beautiful Cowtown bubble. I still need to talk it over with Trey, but this race or one like it would be AhhhMazing. Running up hills, down hills, in the dirt, on rocks, just sounds like fun. I hear trail races sell out fast and I'm sure all the easily-influenced - by RW people, like myself, are taking note of this race too.

By the way, friends ask me what my next race is and at the moment I don’t have any in my immediate future. The next race on the list is Dallas White Rock Marathon in December.

Here is a Texas Country Report about Palo Duro Canyon State Park. This is where the race will be located. Wanna come?

Football Feva & Cowboy Boots

We want football. I took this photo at sporting store in the Montgomery Plaza.

Trey and I plan on attending Lululemon's grand opening, in a few weeks. It's a Cowboy Chic party and guest are encouraged to wear their cowboy get-up. Trey said he has the PERFECT Cowboys gear and he knows exactly what he's going to wear. Hmm, I wonder what he plans on wearing....yeah, I know: blue and grey.


We've lived in Fort Worth for nearly 4 years and I still don't have cowboy boots. I've been wanting a pair for several years, I just haven't got around to buying any. So, I either use this party as an excuse to finally buy a pair or I hit "you-up" (my local girlfriends who read this blog) What do ya say?  :)

Oh and I'm sooooooooooooo excited about the new store. Yay! Let's go shopping!

Hell. Hail!

Guess, whose garage kept vehicle got caught in the hail storm, during their commute home?

OH! And guess who has the painful privilege of calling insurance.

ME.

I tried snapping some pictures of the hood, but the pictures do not do it justice. Also, it's hard to see the damage because the car is filthy. I can't tell if the paint is chipped or if it's just old crusty bird crap, but there is defiantly hail damage prints. Boo!

What Happens When We Cancel Our Satellite Service

About two months ago, Trey and I decided to suspend our satellite subscription to DirectTV. Our monthly bill was nearly 100 dollars a month. GAH! The HD package is so freakin' expensive.

If it wasn't for football, I know we could live without satellite TV FOREVER. Our account will be suspended/on-hold until August. In the meantime, we will continue to enjoy more than 15 channels we get with our digital antenna. Several of them are in HD and we get all the main broadcast powerhouse channels: CBS, ABC, NBC, FOX -- Oh, we also get those sub channels which is kind of cool. 

Other sources of entertainment, since we kissed the satellite goodbye: 

1. Netflix = $10 a month

2. Hulu = FREE

Chey gets the most use out of Netflix streaming. If I take her for a run, in the baby jogger, I'll use my phone app and she'll watch WordWorld or Dora the Explorer. Trey and I get the most use of the DVD's. We average about one DVD a week. 

I love watching my shows on Hulu! I subscribe to several shows: Modern Family, Cougar Town, Parenthood, and Nightline - just to name a few. It seems like Hulu has taken the place of my DVR. I like the flexibility, but I wish I could watch Hulu on my phone too. But that's what Hulu+ is for, but that comes with a monthly subscription. No, thanks. I'll stick with free, for now.

Thoughts? Do you pay crazy amounts of money on cable or satellite? 

Pulling Them Weeds & Watching My Garden Grow

I spent the evening pulling weeds. Now, I feel sticky and itchy. Ewww.

Here is the trash bin full of weeds. 

Our backyard is so blah. blah. bland. We need our landscape architect, Steve to work his magic. Gosh, we need trees, bushes, plants, flowers, something! But really, you should've seen it before I pulled up all the tree sized weeds, it was bad...y'all! 

The vegetable garden is looking good. I even have some onions that should be ready to pull in a few weeks.

Here is the herb side of the garden. To the top left, I planted more cilantro and then I noticed last years started to come back to life. If you zoom in on this picture you can see random buds throughout.

The tomatoes are budding. 

Here is another tomato plant. These babies already look 10x's healthier than last year's batch and as I recall, I couldn't even eat those! They never turned red. This year will be different. 

I'm not sure what happened here. I don't spray chemicals on the plants and for the most part the hungry bugs stay away. This is the first time, I've seen anything like this. 

Hot Peppers. 

Another pepper plant.