I Learn Something New Every Day

If your blog post has the word giveaway people will come. And comment.

Twilight movie= Two five mile runs (watched first half on Thurs and second half tonight). Oh and I'd better start running more than five miles if I'm running 13.1 in less than a month. Had a nice freakout moment tonight when I realized that normally I've run an 8-miler by now.

All CW shows are the same. And I like them all.

You can do some really cool things with IF statements in Excel. Yes I may have just admitted that I'm a nerd.

A nap from 9:00-10:00 PM is never a good idea. Never.

Learn anything interesting today?

Just a Little Monday Morning Motivation (Giveaway)

Does anyone else feel like Mondays just drag on while Fridays go by super fast? Once I get through Monday it’s a nice downhill path on my way to the weekend. You’d think that after a weekend of fun and relaxing that everyone would be less stressed and okay with coming back to work. Not so.

So to help you get through those stressful Mondays, I’ve got a great giveaway for you. I was lucky enough to be given the chance to review a new book, Stress Eater Diet, that I thoroughly enjoyed. Not only is it full of great healthy eating tips, it’s full of ways to stress less and enjoy life more.

The book is both informational and funny, which I found refreshing because most dieting books are fairly dry. You can see my complete review here.

And the best part is that the author sent me FIVE copies of the book to give away to my readers. Giveaway will be open until Friday, April 3rd at 6:00 PM EST (end my of work week). All you have to do to enter is leave a comment with either your favorite healthy eating or de-stressing tip. Either one will get you entered to win this great book.

Thoughts of an Exhausted 23 Year Old

Books need bedtimes. And when it's bedtime, the book closes and locks until morning. Because you know if the book is still open and available, I will be reading it no matter what time it is.

My body needs to decide that I have to go to the bathroom before I leave the office. No, instead it waits until I'm just pulling into my apartment parking lot. People in my apartment must think I like to dance.

Six hours of sleep should still feel like six hours of sleep no matter what time you sleep. How come when I sleep from 10:00 PM- 4:00 AM I'm so much more exhausted than sleeping from 4:00 AM to 10:00 AM? It's like my body has an internal clock that doesn't turn on until 8:00 AM.


The people on HGTV are brilliant. Paint really changes everything about an apartment (pictures coming next week). Just a little pop of color, and it feels much more like home.

The best people are the ones who try to help you even if it's not their responsibility. They go the extra mile because they can. I'm going to try that next month.

I should be a fruit bat. Then at least I'd have an excuse for only wanting to eat fruit.

The cherry blossoms in DC should be added to everyone's list of things to see before they die. I love living in such a beautiful area.

This is how my day has been- all over the place. What are you thinking about today?

I Really Need to Get Some Friends

I swear I work with web developers and deal with websites all day. But when I used to read the terms, "live blogging," I had no idea what they meant. I like to search for recaps of American Idol after the show to see if other people agree with what I think (silly I know), and I found like ten different sites that apparently "live blog" the show. I didn't realize live blogging meant people basically saying exactly what they thought throughout the show.

Hilarious.

I may possibly have read four different live blogs of tonight's performances show and wasted over an hour of time I really should've been sleeping or doing something else productive. Hmm maybe I need to make some friends that watch Idol, just a thought.

My favorites are by far Adam (tonight was amazing especially if you stopped looking at him), Kris (just love the whole guitar thing), and Allison (she reminds me a lot of Kelly Clarkson). Everyone else is just okay, and I wouldn't mind seeing them go. Okay well maybe not Danny, but he's getting boring. I liked him to begin with, but he's fading.

Anyway- I'm addicted so back to more live blogging of tonight's show. If you'd like to join me, here's my favorite site so far.

The Best Way to Spend $100

I want to know who came up with the idea of paying someone to run? Yeah you get a technical shirt, a medal, and the experience of racing the race- but is that all really worth $100? I think it's a little ridiculous, but what's a girl to do?

So I did it. $100 later, I'm officially signed up for the Country Music Half-Marathon on April 25th. I've got a month of training left and am way behind where I normally am, but I'm not one to waste $100 (okay maybe I am). So four weeks from Saturday I'll be running my fourth half-marathon with my dad and 15-year old sister (oh and not to mention the other 23,000 runners). I don't have any time goal at this point, just a goal to finish because it's been 2 1/2 years since my last race. And I think that's a good goal.

Here's the proof. No turning back now. I'm doing it this time. Now I'm off for a quick 3-miler.

Skipping The Bad

I'm back. Well almost. I got up at 4:00 AM, jumped on a plane, and went straight to work when I got off the plane. Remind me next time that trying to work on two hours of sleep is not a good idea. I was still swaying from being on the boat, couldn't keep me eyes open during meetings, and forgot how to use complete sentences. Let's just say it was horrible, and I'm glad it's over.

Rather than going through the cruise in detail I'm just going to throw out the good and bad of the vacation. Overall it was great, but I'm glad to be home even if it means going back to work.

Good: My family is amazing. I had so much fun with them. Ooh and did I mention that my nephews are SOOO cute. I'm offiically my 3-year old nephew's best friend (and it has nothing to do with the candy I gave him).
Bad: Sometimes it's hard to keep up. I've got such high expectations for myself as a sister, wife, daughter, and aunt, and I am constantly disappointing myself.

Good: The ship was amazing- basketball court, shuffleboard, rock climbing wall, thermasuite in the spa, beautiful dining rooms, and comfortable beds.
Bad: Four people + eight suitcases + one dorm sized room = disaster.

Good: Riding ATVs through the mud, seeing eels and turtles while scuba diving, and a tan.
Bad: Burning before the tan. And the peeling. I itch soooo bad!

Good: A week off from work, time to relax, and an hour a day in the thermalsuite at the spa.
Bad: The vacation is over.

Good: My mom, sister, and sister-in-law took tons of pictures.
Bad: I didn't take a single one and probably won't get the copies they always promise me. Sorry.

Good: The food. There was a "comfort food cafe" that was open 24 hours. Hello mozzarella sticks, potato skins, and delicious chicken fingers.
Bad: I've got to get back on that scale tomorrow. I don't even want to know how much weight I gained back.

Good: I ran twice with my sister and dad (they're running the half with me).
Bad: The half marathon is a month from Wednesday, and I haven't run more than six runs yet. I'm normally around 8-9 right now. Better get training.

Good: I've got plenty of TV, blogs, and books to catch up on.
Bad: I don't have time to catch up on anything. Sorry if I just skim this week and don't comment. I'll get caught up soon.

Hope you all had a wonderful week. Time for bed so I'm not a walking zombie at work again tomorrow.

Dreaming of Sandy Beaches

Remember that big family Christmas present my parents gave us this year? You don't? Well here are a couple of hints.

I went and bought this at Old Navy yesterday to go with my two new swimsuits.


This will be between my toes (and probably in those new swimsuits).

I'm (hopefully) going to see some rays and sharks.

And take a leisurely float followed by an ATV adventure.

Got it yet?

I'm not quite sure where January and February went, but that March cruise I've blogged about every now and again is finally here. I leave Friday at 5:00 to fly to Florida to meet my family. I get to take my nephews to Disneyworld on Saturday and then the cruise leaves from Miami on Sunday. Seven days of beautiful weather, sun, warm water, and delicious food. We're going to Belize, Cozumel, Honduras, and a private island in the Bahamas.

And it couldn't come at a more perfect time. I desperately need a break from everything. And that includes this blog. A year ago I might have setup automatic posts (at least a few) to post while I'm out of the country. Not going to happen this time, sorry. You'll just have to come back to hear the great stories in ten days. For now, bon voyage. See you in ten days with a sunburn tan.

P.S. - Beth, Aileen, and anyone else that was worried. I figured out how to put the follow me thing up. I expect to have a following when I return.

Top Two Reasons Nobody Came Over This Weekend

I was supposed to have some friends come over to visit me on Sunday. I canceled a couple of hours before and gave the excuse that we were still painting so I didn't have anywhere for them to sit. That wasn't entirely true... we have couches and chairs for them to sit on. They would have just had to sit Indian style and backwards.But there may have been a couple of other reasons (two to be exact) that I didn't want them to come over. This is one of those circumstances that a little white lie didn't hurt anyone; it definitely saved my pride.

Exhibit A (we really have been painting)

Exhibit B (yes that pile is almost as high as my entertainment center)

Anyone that knows me well won't be too surprised by the second picture. Anyone that doesn't know me well, don't judge. I've been a busy girl, and I have too many clothes. If I leave half of them on the ground hard to look through, it makes me more likely to wear the things I wouldn't normally. It's a great way to promote variety in my wardrobe. And frustration in the morning when I'm looking for my black boots that are under that pile of clothes.

So I ask- why is it that the first outfit is never the right one? And why can't that the first outfit (and the second, third, and fourth) ever make it back onto the hangers?

Hola, Bonjour, and Ciao

Okay, well that picture didn't come out quite as clear as I'd hoped. But here's the gist of what it says.

We're going to Europe!!!

We bought the tickets (from here to Madrid and back from Rome) today and got a great deal ($575 RT). So looks like whether we've got the money saved up or not, we're on our way. We're going to start the trip in Madrid then it's on to Gaudi's Barcelona, followed by a trip up the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Week two is going to be all about Italy with a couple of days in Venice, Florence, and finishing up the whirlwind in Rome.

And I couldn't be more excited. I bought Rick Steve's guidebooks to Italy, France, and Spain and have been reading away all weekend. I've already sent out about 20 emails asking if people have rooms available and am making a list of our must-see destinations. So if you think something needs to be on our list, I'm open to all suggestions.

The next seven weeks will be filled with brushing up on my Spanish and googling the best gelato in Italy.

Buenas noches!

Making the Most of March

I said back in February that I'd do a quick review of my New Year's goals to keep working on them. It's actually really helping to review them so I don't forget (since typically I forget the next day).

And now onto the recap:

Run a half-marathon (at least one) with my dad. - Training is going great. 8 weeks left.

Lose another 10 lbs to get back to my healthy weight. -3lbs left.

Save enough money to pay for our trip to Europe in August. -I've saved $2,000 so far. Not quite enough but a good start.

Learn how to play Stay by Sugarland on the guitar. -My husband looked up the music for me online and is going to buy me a capo so he can teach me.

Keep a record of the year by writing on this blog and/or in a journal. -17 posts in February, not bad.

Start dating my husband again. -We did a ton this month. Had multiple game nights with friends, went and got pineapple fried rice at our favorite Thai restuarant, and went shopping multiple times. I think there was a total of six semi-real dates in Feb.

Try a new recipe at least 1x a week. -This month included red velvet cupcakes, peanut chicken satay and noodles, pumpkin cranberry muffins, and baked pasta with sausage and cheese.

Simplify my life so I have time for the things that really matter. -I think this will always be an on-going process, but I did get rid of some of the clutter in my purse :)

Try not to hurt people with my words. See above.

Renew and strengthen my relationships with the people that mean the most to me. -I found 10+ blogs of friends and family that I haven't kept in touch with in the past and caught up with other friends (even if it's just through Facebook).

Wow. Looking back on everything I did this month, it makes me realize why it was such a happy month. And it just keeps getting better. Bring on March.