There's a Reason Your Parents Told You to Share

I went to my first blog meetup today with Jackie. I've met a couple of bloggers in the DC area before, but I'd actually read all of their blogs before meeting them. This time the only blog I'd read or heard of was Jackie's, which made conversations a little more difficult to come by.
Either way I had fun and am always glad to meet new people. The waiter came by at one point and asked, "You guys don't know each other," and we tried to explain to him what a blog meetup was. We pretty much had to just give up because it doesn't make sense outside of the blogger world. It doesn't really make sense inside the blogger world either.

So we went to this great place in DC that has all sorts of wood-grilled pizzas. As we were sitting there, Wearing Mascara asked if our side of the table wanted to decide on a couple of pizzas to share. I, being the jerk I sometimes am, asked if I could order my own pizza as my husband would love me more if I brought home leftovers. So everyone decided to just order their own pizzas.

I ordered a pizza with tomato sauce, basil, proscuitto (by the way, they don't cut it up before putting it on the pizza), and mozzarella cheese. It came, and I started eating. I had two pieces left and was trying to decide whether or not to eat the last pieces. Because we watched Fireproof this week (more on that tomorrow), and I'm a wonderful wife, I asked the server to box it up. And box it up he did. I even almost wrote my name on it so it wouldn't get confused with Jackie's leftovers.

I left a little early because I was tired of stumbling through an answer to, "Where do you live," and, "What do you do?" But it's okay. It's bound to happen any time new people get together. Before I left the restaurant I went to the bathroom and put my box of leftovers on the toilet paper holder (the only flat surface in the stall). Ten minutes later as I was pulling out of my parking space, I realized my leftovers were still sitting in the stall.

Apparently I'm not the wonderful wife I made myself out to be. I'm still just the scatterbrained girl trying to get her life together. And trying to feed her husband without having to cook herself.


Sorry Wearing Mascara. We could've all shared; at least then I would have an excuse for not bringing home leftovers.

A New Month, a New Start

January was a bust. I was too busy being lazy to get anything important done. I've learned that it's really helpful to write something down and even more helpful to write it down for the whole world to see. So this is my public declaration of two things.

1- I am going to start WW again on Monday. I've taken the past month off (and luckily have kept the 15 lbs off), and it's time for me to get started again. I've got another 5-10 lbs to lose before I'm going to feel comfortable in a bathing suit on the cruise in March. Goodbye valentine colored M&M jar on my colleague's desk.

2- My half-marathon training starts on Monday (going right along with WW). I've taken the past 2-3 weeks off and am ready to start hard-core training. I've got a goal to make this my best half-marathon yet, and it all starts with the training.

I heard a thought last Sunday that really hit home with me, and I think it applies well to both of these things. Some things in life are like walking up a down escalator. What happens if you stop walking up the stairs?

It's Too Late to Apologize

Dear Domino's Pizza guy,

I'm really sorry I made you go out in the freezing rain and snow, but your two for Tuesday deal sounded a lot better than anything I could've made at home.

Sincerely,
Happily Hand-Tossed

Dear 571-290-6092,

I'm really sorry my phone keeps calling you when I forget to lock it. I'm not quite sure how it always dials the same numbers; maybe it's fate, and we should actually talk one of these times. Or I should lock my phone.

Sincerely,
Blackberry Botherer

Dear Daniel,

I'm really sorry your partner is a jerk and made people think he didn't want to stay on the Biggest Loser. I believe in you and hope that you lose the weight and find a new friend or two.

Sincerely,
Fit Fan

Dear lady at Harris Teeter,

I'm really sorry that you got stuck in line behind me and my rainchecks and coupons. Next time I'll just go broke or starve. But if you could've held on another 30 seconds, it would've been your turn.

Sincerely,
Coupon Crazed

Dear soy milk,

I'm really sorry but I'm going to have to give you up. My husband is afraid that you can cause cancer or infertility, neither of which he is okay with. You were the perfect cereal companion and never got old, but it's just not going to work. I'll tell 2% you said hi.

Sincerely,
Soy Scared

Dear running shoes,

I'm really sorry that I got your hopes up today. I really had every intention of running when I put you on. I promise we'll get together soon.

Sincerely,
Tennis Shoe Teaser

It's About Time

I've made plenty of Rachael Ray meals, and they have NEVER taken 30 minutes or less no matter what I do. While I was making dinner tonight, it got me thinking about how I spend my time. Here's a typical week of my life (total of 10,080 minutes):

• 2700 minutes working (25%)
• 3360 minutes sleeping (33%)
• 1680 minutes cooking/eating (17%)
• 270 minutes exercising (3%)
• 840 minutes watching TV/playing Wii (8%)
• 210 minutes reading (2%)
• 530 minutes on the computer (5%)
• 210 minutes talking on the phone (2%)
• 530 minutes doing other misc things (5%)

Working hopefully won't go away anytime soon. Think I could get away without eating or sleeping? Writing it out in numbers make me realize I need to reorganize my priorities. There is absolutely no reason that I should be watching TV so much each day. Stupid TiVo.

What do you spend your time on? What would you do with an extra hour every day?

Help Me With the Hills- It's a Matter of Life and Death

Have I ever mentioned that my little brother (well not quite so little anymore, he's 17) is a stud when it comes to basketball? If I haven't, well then now I have. A couple of weeks ago his high school team beat the #2 ranked team in the state by double-digits. He really is amazing.

Anyway, this post isn't about him. Well sort of. I've been training the past six weeks for a March 7th half-marathon. I asked my dad this week if he was still on for March 7th so we could get registered and plane tickets, and he dropped the bomb- we were going to have to do another day because my brother's state basketball tournament is that weekend. Hopefully they'll be in it, and if not, they won't know until the week of. And the search for the perfect half began again.

I did my typical search on marathonguide.com for any half-marathons in April (since we've got the cruise the other two weekends in March) that were "flat and fast," and found a couple of options. I also came across a few that just sounded like fun (country music marathon in Nashville being one of those) and sent them to my dad to pick out.

Of course he picked the Nashville one, which according to the reviews has some nice hills. Forget the fact that I only run on flat roads, we're running Nashville.

Which is what this post is really about. I've never trained for hills. I've never run on hills. And I'm not excited about running hills but I'm going to have to. So the question is how do you train for hills? I currently do one day of interval/speed training, one day of tempo training, and one long run. I'm planning on adding in one more day of running for hill training but have no idea where to start.

Please help.

My next set of half-training (since the date has been pushed back) starts tomorrow and runs for 12 weeks. Any advice on running/training for hills will help in the cause of keeping me alive when I run on April 25.

French Toast and Word Vomit

I have a problem- I often speak/write without thinking. And I often hurt people in the process.

It's kind of like in Mean Girls where Lindsay Lohan says that things are like word vomit, they just don't stop coming. The difference is that sometimes the things I say aren't true; I say some mostly for effect/sympathy rather than because I really believe them. It's a really bad habit, and today I'm taking step one in getting rid of it. I'm admitting I have a problem and I'm going to work on it. Step two is apologizing right? So I'm sorry to anyone that I've hurt, disappointed, or offended while writing on this blog. It was not meant to be that way, I promise. I have this pit in my stomach right now, the kind where either you're starving (I just ate breakfast) or you've made a big mistake and feel horrible about it. But this kind doesn't go away with French toast.

Now off to work where I will continue my journey in making things right. It's going to be a long one. I hope everyone has a much better day than I've had so far. It can only get better right?

Some Things Are Best Left to Professionals

The last time I updated my blog design it took me approximately two weeks and that was while I had nothing else to do at work. I figured today was a pretty good day for change but I didn't have two weeks to work on it this time so I enlisted some fantastic help from Summer. And I'm very glad I did.

Because all I had to do was say, I like this, I don't like that. And voila, a brand new blog design that's exactly what I wanted. I think I like this delegating thing...now back to doing what I do best- telling other people what to do :)

The Secrets to Buying Lingerie

When I first got married I was pretty nervous about buying lingerie; now I have my own little collection. There's just something about lingerie that makes you feel like someone you're not.

Anyway, this post is not about wearing lingerie, it's about buying it. I was passing Victoria's Secret on the way out of the mall after getting my haircut (there will be pics this weekend) and had to stop in. That bright pink sign flashing "semi-annual sale reduced even more" caught my eye. So I went in. I typically walk in, look at some cute stuff, pick up a couple of items, put them back on the rack before trying them on, and leave having wasted just enough time to feel dumb.

This time the story went a little different. I picked up a couple of cute items that were all an extra 50% off (making them $10) and went into the dressing room. That itself was a big step for me. And that's where I learned the secrets to buying lingerie.

1. Don't look at the pictures of the models in the store until you're walking out the door with purchase in hand. You'll only be disappointed.
2. Get a fabulous haircut right before entering the store. Make sure it looks tousled and sexy.
3. Wear knee high black socks, even better if they're a little sheer.
4. Fast for 8 hours beforehand.
5. Only shop when things are 75% off. That little piece of fabric looks much better for $10 than for $60.

I came out of the store today with four items, four! That's more than I've bought in probably the last year and all for a total of $45. Not surprising, my husband didn't get on me for spending the money when I got home.

I Love Me Some Good Italian

Last weekend we went on a double date with Jackie and her husband to an Italian restaurant in DC. I love Italian and am pretty easy to please. But I think we picked the only bad Italian restaurant in the city. All four of our meals were just average, and that's being nice. And worst of all it wasn't just bad, it was expensive.

So Sunday to make up for the bad Italian, I decided to try out a recipe I've been eying for a while now- Giada's Italian rolls. And it paid off, they were delicious. Next time I'll try them with a different filling to see what I like more, but the spinach/ricotta was perfect.

Lasagna Rolls (courtesy of Giada De Laurentiis)

Sauce:
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 teaspoons all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch ground nutmeg

Lasagna:
1 (15-ounce) container whole milk ricotta cheese
1 (10-ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons grated Parmesan
3 ounces thinly sliced prosciutto, chopped
1 large egg, beaten to blend
3/4 teaspoon salt, plus more for salting water
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 to 2 tablespoons olive oil
12 uncooked lasagna noodles
2 cups marinara sauce
1 cup shredded mozzarella (about 4 ounces)

1. To make the sauce: Melt the butter in a heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the flour and whisk for 3 minutes. Whisk in the milk. Increase the heat to medium-high. Whisk the sauce until it comes to a simmer and is thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Whisk the salt, pepper, and nutmeg into the bechamel sauce.
2. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
3. Whisk the ricotta, spinach, 1 cup Parmesan, prosciutto, egg, salt, and pepper in a medium bowl to blend.
4. Add a tablespoon or 2 of oil to a large pot of boiling salted water. Boil the noodles until just tender but still firm to bite. Drain. Arrange the noodles in a single layer on a baking sheet to prevent them from sticking.
5. Butter a 13-by-9-by-2-inch glass baking dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over the bottom of the prepared dish.
6. Lay out 4 lasagna noodles on a work surface, then spread about 3 tablespoons of ricotta mixture evenly over each noodle.
   
7. Starting at 1 end, roll each noodle like a jelly roll. Lay the lasagna rolls seam side down, without touching, atop the bechamelsauce in the dish.
   
8. Repeat with the remaining noodles and ricotta mixture. Spoon 1 cup of marinara sauce over the lasagna rolls. Sprinkle the mozzarella and remaining 2 tablespoons of Parmesan over the lasagna rolls.
9. Cover tightly with foil. Bake until heated through and the sauce bubbles, about 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until the cheese on top becomes golden, about 15 minutes longer. Let stand for 10 minutes. Meanwhile, heat the remaining marinara sauce in a heavy small saucepan over medium heat until hot, and serve alongside.
   
10. Enjoy!!

Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I feel horrible. I think I went through a box of tissues at work today, and I've taken all sorts of cough/cold medicine today trying to get my nose to stop running.

I went to work today and felt worse by the time I came home. And now I'm trying to decide whether or not I should stay home tomorrow. I could go to work and get through the day okay, but I feel bad about possibly getting other people sick. The only problem is that all of my sick/vacation days are combined so if I take a sick day when I don't really need to be home, that's one less vacation day I have.

So I ask again, should I stay or should I go?

It's Going to be a Long Night

I just started the 4 hour season premiere of 24. Oops.

This is the exact reason I never started watching shows that people love like Lost and The Office. I just don't have enough time to fit them all in during the week.

And my Tivo can only tape two shows at a time. Definitely not enough.

If You Tie Your Shoes with Bunny Ears, You Need to Read this Post

In 8th grade I remember distinctly sitting on top of the bleaches during our first period gym class with a girl named Rachel Halpin. We were sitting with a bunch of other people and somehow the topic of tying shoes came up. (Who knows, we were 14.) We went through how we tied our shoes (make a bunny ear, bunny goes in the hole, etc.), and everyone's was pretty much the same. Until we got to Rachel who just showed us rather than told us how she tied her shoes.

And we were all amazed. I learned how to tie my shoes her way and have never gone back. I wasn't sure where she learned, all I knew was that it was a lot faster than anybody else I knew, and I liked being fast.

I bought the January edition of Runner's World yesterday and reading through it saw an article called "Knot Perfect," about a guy named Ian Fieggen who invented the perfect way to tie shoes, The Ian Knot. He spent years walking around malls telling people that they tied their shoes wrong and why their laces came untied. It's perfectly symmetrical, doesn't untie, and best of all, fast.

Did you guess? That's how I tie my shoes, and I honestly don't remember a single time that my shoes have come untied other than when I physically untie them. If you don't, check out the video below; it really is amazing and worth it to take the ten minutes to learn. The only fault is that teaching this to a 5-year old may be a little more difficult.

Anyone Know Lauren Conrad's Hair Stylist?

It's that time again- the time to cut my hair. Last time I cut it to my chin and hated it. I searched for hours to find some sort of hair style I liked that I thought might fit my style (aka putting it up) and face shape and found inspiration in Lauren Conrad.

These are the pictures I'm taking in with me when I go to get my hair cut on Monday. Hopefully I'll come out looking like this (well you know what I mean). I'm even going to go with the bangs. I figure I pull the front of my hair back 75% of the time anyways so why not.

MPT Take Two

As I stood in front of my closet this morning for ten minutes trying to pick out something to wear, I realized that if I'm going to be late to work it should be for a better reason than not being able to decide on an outfit. Especially when I have a closet that is overflowing with clothes that finally fit (or at least the majority of them) again. I've never been real trendy but lately I'm just feeling boring and, gasp, frumpy.

So this morning I decided to try something again that I did last fall- join Mission Put Together. I'm even going to start taking pictures of my outfits in the morning to motivate myself to well look put together and to not just wear the same thing over and over again. I paid (not a lot but still) money for those clothes, and they should be put to good use. I wore a cute black and white Ann Taylor Loft skirt with a black sweater, black leggings, and black knee-high boots today. I got a compliment on the skirt, and my husband said I looked hot leaving the house. Definitely a good start.

And just for fun some of Glamour's top fashion don'ts (I was watching this while running tonight and realized I might have some bigger fashion issues than wearing the same thing to work evey week). My biggest fashion pet peeve is here (#7), what's yours?

1. Don't have VPL (visible panty lines)
2. Don't wear panty hose (oops)
3. Don't be too dazzling (glitter/sparkle all over)
4. Don't wear too much denim (one piece at a time)
5. Don't wear your PJs outside (double oops)
6. Don't decorate yourself for the holidays
7. Don't let your bra show (I just think this is so ugly)
8. Don't wear these things to work- sweats, flipflops, holey anything,
9. Don't wear micro minis or anything that doesn't fit your age
10. Don't have too many piercings (okay I hate this one too)

Why's Everybody Always Picking On Me?

So I just wrote this entire post about how I felt like everyone was picking on me today even though they really weren't. Everything just continued to spiral downhill. You know those days.

And then I watched the watched the tribute to the Dark Knight on the People's Choice Awards and all of those bad feelings disappeared (as did the post) as the cast decidated the award to Heath Ledger.

Because really, what do I have to complain about? My great job, wonderful husband, healthy body, or amazing family? Now it's one of those days. I think someone knew I needed a reminder.

Endorphins Make Me Emotional

I don't cry about sad things. I don't cry when I'm hurt. And I don't cry during movies.

But I bawl like a baby watching TV (doesn't really matter what shows) after a good workout.

My signature comment at the beginning of a show is "It's starting."

And let me tell you, it's starting as I sit here and watch the first episode of Biggest Loser. Spinning right before definitely makes for a inspiring (tear-inspiring at least) show. It's going to be a long season. Good thing I have plenty of tears saved up. Well not quite so many after last night's episodes of Gossip Girl and One Tree Hill but enough.

In other news, I bought a Wii fit today!!! I signed up on a website called wiialerts.com where you can sign up to be emailed or texted when one becomes available on any of the major websites (Amazon, Target, Best Buy, etc.). I just happened to be opening my email when I got an alert today and got one of the two last ones on Target.com. Man I love technology.

Who Needs Sleep...ME!

Dear Rested Readers,

The past month I've been keeping really weird hours. Playing Wii until way past my bedtime and getting up way past my normal lunchtime isn't what I would call normal.

I've started trying to get back into my normal schedule of going to bed around midnight and getting up at 8-8:30. If I don't get my 7-8 hours of sleep, you really don't want to be anywhere near me. For the past three nights I just cannot fall asleep. That may be normal for some of you but for me I'm normally out before my husband can make it from the other room to come kiss me goodnight. And I sleep until my alarm goes off no matter what goes on around me.

Until now. Last night I got in bed around 11:30 with a book that was okay but not particularly interesting. Normally I'd be out like a light within 10 minutes. At 2:00, I finally fell asleep and still woke up multiple times during the night. No matter what I do, I'm just not tired. My mind just starts racing in all sorts of directions about anything and everything. I've probably thought about every friend I've ever had in the past few nights and for no good reason at all other than my mind needed something else to think about.

I need your help. I'm sure some, if not all, of you have had those sleepless nights. Maybe even more than your fair share. I don't deal well with no sleep and would appreciate any help you can give me. Do you count sheep, listen to music, read scriptures? Anything.

Sincerely,

Desperately Drowsy

Reading, Running, and Recooperating

The past two weeks have been a blur. I go back to work and Richie goes back to school tomorrow, and I am less than estatic. I figured it was about time I gave you an update on what I've been doing the past few weeks.

We went to my parent's house in Kansas City for ten days over Christmas break and had a blast. One of my friends asked Richie if he ever gets tired of being with my family. He answered no and then explained that the only reason he would get tired is because they play too hard. He literally gets tired (so do I). Here's a quick synopsis of what we did while we were in KS.

• Went to Branson, MO; saw a Chinese acrobats show (so good) and went to a theme park
• Played hours and hours of Killer Bunnies (they're now as hooked as we are)
• Played Whirlyball, basketball, volleyball, and racquetball
• Played a four-hour game of Bingo (Christmas eve tradition)
• Went on two secret santa runs to give packages to less fortunate families (new tradition)
• Played Amazing Race to find our big group Christmas present
• Had a girl's night that consisted of pedicures, Cheesecake Factory, and Twilight (3rd time)
• Went on a day long triple date that included mini-golf, a quarters carnival, and Brad Pitt
• Played Gator Golf, trains, and Cars matching game with my 3-year old nephew

And those are just the highlights. I'm sure I forgot some major items that my dad will point out in his comment, but overall we had a great time. We of course also gave and received lots of great Christmas presents. Richie got a car adaptor for the IPOD, games, a Wii, Wii games, cooking stuff, and money for new clothes. I got a cute new purse, a bluetooth, a WW food scale, money for Wii fit, games, and of course a Twilight poster. Oh and then of course our big present... my parents are taking my entire family (except Richie who will be in school :( ) on a Caribbean cruise in March. Other than the fact that Richie can't go, I'm super excited.

So that was Christmas. After Christmas we came home and settled into the daily routine of doing nothing but playing games (mostly Wii). I finally got off my butt and started running again and realized I didn't want to be back at work. New Year's eve was a bust made up Noodles and Company and playing Wii until five minutes before the ball dropped, boring I know.

In the midst of all of that I have actually been reading and running and finally posted on both my book review and running blog in the past week. I put up five new reviews for Prep, She's Come Undone, Perfect on Paper (my favorite out of the bunch), Mercy, and See You In the Funny Papers. If you're looking for a book recommendation, you should be able to find something among those. If not, I'll try and actually start posting reviews again (I read She's Come Undone back in September, oops) as I read the books rather than five months later.

Real life, here I come.

We Got a Wii For Christmas and Now...

...I'm not getting enough sleep.

...my shoulder is incredibly sore.

...I'm on the lookout for a Wii Fit.

...I went to Blockbuster for the first time in years to rent a video game.

...I've decided that I should've been a tennis superstar.

...I have constant bragging rights because it says I'm younger than Richie.

...Richie mocks me because most of the time it's the guy who's addicted.

...Richie and I have more fun and fight less.

...I can't think about anything else other than saving the kittens in Boomblox.

Thanks mom and dad!

Today, Tomorrow, and Yesterday

I'm sitting here waiting for my husband to wake up (yes it is 1:30 PM and no, we didn't stay out too late last night) and reading all sorts of posts on reflections and resolutions. And it got me thinking about the past year and what I want to do with the next one.

Thinking about the past year, it was easy to see how blessed we really are. The major highlights include:

1. Getting a new job that I love
2. Moving to a new apartment that we both love (especially in proximity to the new job)
3. Using coupons for the first time to save money for things like our TV
4. Richie getting job offers for next summer and choosing one that we're both happy with
5. Losing weight (rather than gaining) for the first time in two years
6. Going on a cruise with some of our best friends

And those are just the highlights. I think we were maybe some of the only people not hit extremely hard by the economic disaster, and I couldn't be more grateful for that fact. We don't know exactly where our path will eventually lead us, but we at least know where the next few stops are, which is more than a lot of people can say right now.

And on we go...

I've never really liked resolutions (probably because I don't ever keep them), but I want this year to be different. I high school boy gave a talk at church on Sunday about goals (fitting for the new year) and one thing he mentioned was what would a basketball game be without a hoop, what would a football game be without and end zone or field goal posts? It would be practice, practice, and more practice. And who really likes to practice all the time without being able to put those skills to use in a game? Can you imagine playing a game of volleyball where all you do is volley the ball back and forth forever and nobody ever scores? Really, what's the point?

Life's the same way. What is the point of everything we're doing if it's not to reach a goal? No wonder my life has gotten so monotonous. I've been going through the same motions over and over again without anything to show for it. No aces, no kills, no double-doubles. Nothing.

I'm not going to let 2009 be like that. I'm writing down my goals, big and small, so that all of my hard work is for something. Here goes nothing.

1. Run a half-marathon (at least one) with my dad.
2. Lose another 10 lbs to get back to my healthy weight.
3. Save enough money to pay for our trip to Europe in August.
4. Learn how to play Stay by Sugarland on the guitar.
5. Keep a record of the year by writing on this blog and/or in a journal.
6. Start dating my husband again.
7. Try a new recipe at least 1x a week.
8. Simplify my life so I have time for the things that really matter.
9. Try not to hurt people with my words (this means I have to think before I speak).
10. Renew and strengthen my relationships with the people that mean the most to me.

That's it. Nothing too extreme right? Just a lot of things that will hopefully make my life a little better. And now that my husband finally woke up, it's off to Harris Teeter and CVS for their triples sale.