the marriage of an undomestic

good news and bad news

2011-01-03T16:05:00.000-06:00

I'll give you the bad news first: this will be my last post at the marriage of an undomestic.

Since I got married in 2008, I've learned a lot of things. With every whip of the whisk, sizzle of the skillet, and recipe gone wrong, my cooking has evolved, my trial and error more hit than miss. I still can't cook rice to save my life, my homemaking skills need some serious work, and marriage is a constant, glorious uphill battle with selfishness and amazing rewards. But I definitely feel this blog has turned a major corner, from chronicling cooking fails to documenting my intentional living efforts.

Here's where the good news comes in. You can now find me at http://www.TheCornerSliceBlog.com. Like the new name? With A LOT of help from Meseidy, my new space is revamped and I can't wait to make myself at home. I just put up my first post on The Corner Slice explaining a little behind the name, but all of my blogger posts since 2007 should be there, too!

It's still under construction, but I couldn't wait another minute. You guys are the best, and I sincerely hope you will follow my transition and update your bookmarks and subscriptions accordingly.

See you there!

letters

2010-12-20T09:41:00.000-06:00

dear weekend, thank you for bringing lots of opportunities for rest, reading, writing, and watching cheesy movies. sometimes we just need a weekend that doesn't include very much work. can I have ten more of you? LB

dear JT's dad, please feel better soon. we want you home for Christmas this year! <3 <3 LB

dear short work week, I have been looking forward to you all year. three cheers for cookie baking, novel writing, and spending time with la familia. can I have one more of you? oh wait! see you again next week! LB

dear running, I miss you a lot, but we need a little break. you did something bad to my hip and knee that won't go away unless we're apart. know that I may be cheating on you with the elliptical, but I'll be thinking of you the entire time. urs 4eva, LB

dear new family tradition, we started you last year and I can't think of a better celebration of love for a kid who grew up in the late 80s and 90s. can't wait to write about you, LB

dear december, sometimes you make me a little down in the dumps. I don't know what it is about you, but there are just some moments where honestly, I don't feel like myself. maybe it's the cold weather, the lack of sunshine, or the fact that my favorite season has just said goodbye, but this year, I'm determined to find joy in the little things and make you the best ever. turning over a new leaf, LB

dear JT, I'm so looking forward to 2011 and the opportunity to be more intentional about our marriage and making it the best year for us yet. thank you for putting up with me, my tendency to "read into" things, and of course, my mule-like stubborn tendencies. love you from the east to the west, LB

:: letters inspired by Emily at Today's Letters! ::

confessions from a grinch

2010-12-17T13:06:00.000-06:00

If I'm gonna tell it then I gotta tell it all...

I'm having a hard time grasping why it seems bad things always happen this time of year. Sure, they happen year-round, but tragedy seems to strike families in more concentrated doses in these winter months. Off the top of my head, I can think of sickness, unexpected deaths, missing family members, and totally out-of-nowhere diagnoses affecting people all around me right now. People should be spending Christmas at home, cozy, in front of a fire, stomachs full of delicious food, not in cold hospital rooms, kneeling at church altars, signing divorce papers, or waiting by the phone for news. I just wonder how many ugly Christmas sweaters and cheerful "Merry Christmas" wishes are really hiding troubled hearts. Is it just me who thinks about this stuff?

* * *

All I want to do is curl up with a warm bowl of Kraft macaroni and cheese (mixed with tuna, parmesan cheese, and lots of black pepper -- my fav), a blanky, and some stretchy pants, and have a Home Alone marathon.

* * *

I haven't bought any Christmas presents except for JT's. And I'm beginning to think there's something dying underneath the mountains of dishes in my sink. The only dish I've washed lately was a pan I needed to use again -- to make Ramen noodles.

* * *

Everyone knows this season is a nightmare for those who work retail, but be sure to sympathize with those you know who get paid to send information to and ask more out of those in retail. That might be a little worse.

* * *

I've tried to watch White Christmas exactly twice in my life, and fell asleep or lost interest both times. I can do It's a Wonderful Life, and of course, I love Judy Garland's haunting rendition of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," in Meet Me in St. Louis (does that count as a Christmas movie?), but the revered Christmas classic White Christmas is more than a little agonizing to me for some reason. I guess I'm more of a The Family Man, A Christmas Story, or Love, Actually kind of girl.

* * *

On the topic, A Christmas Story is absolutely the best remedy for Christmas Eve insomnia. I've been known to be too excited for sleep the night before Christmas, so I simply start watching the movie, fall asleep, and wake up at that exact point the next time they play the movie. It's genius! Can you tell my family is really big on movies this time of year?

* * *

I tried to talk JT out of sending Christmas cards to some people, denying the importance of sending a picture of yourself to people you haven't spoken with in years. We discussed whether this gesture constitutes the maintenance of a healthy relationship, or if it's just an empty, artificial tradition and a waste of postage. Insisting on parameters that give people the worth of 44 cents makes me feel most Grinch-like of all.

* * *

Every year, my family meets in my parents' living room for a Christmas tradition. Some of us curl up on the couch, others sprawl out on the floor, listening in silence to the story of a Savior born in a manger. While most eyes in the room sparkle with deep thought, mine still tear up when my dad reads the Christmas story from the Bible. And somehow, that story trumps all of these confessions and brings warmth and hope to my heart again.

When I think about that story, and what it led to, it makes trudging through the winter slush of heavy hearts and endless to-do lists all worth it. I'm praying any one who's having a hard time this Christmas will find their needs met (even if not in the way they expected), their minds comforted, and their hearts filled with the strength and courage to face life head-on. And I'm compelled to be on the lookout for ways I can reap the blessings I've received from the cross and the manger and pay it forward. Those opportunities pop up more often than we realize, and can really make all the difference in the world if only we keep our eyes open.

'tis the season

2010-12-16T00:49:00.000-06:00

...for Christmas parties. Lots of them.

Thanksgiving and Christmas are kind of a blur of ham, gravy, sweet carbohydrate goodness, and of course, last minute shopping. It's been a doozy of a fall and winter so far, but I am doing my best to focus on the real Reason for the season and choosing love over busyness.

Today's Thursday (not quite) Thirteen is dedicated to the Christmas party tradition, every bad White Elephant present you'll give and receive, and of course, the countless covered dishes you'll prepare or consume in celebration with friends, co-workers, church groups, neighbors, friends, and of course, hideous-sweater-clad aunts and other miscellaneous family members.

LB's 2010 Partay Dishes

* * *

appetizers: because you and I both know dinner's never ready right on time.

:: brie cheese ::

just bake your brie to bubbly perfection, top with your favorite chutney or fruit salsa,

and serve with crackers. definitely not just for snobbies :)

:: pigs in a blanket ::

Shape magazine healthifies them with turkey dogs and a healthy dough

but they are delish with crescent roll dough, too!

* * *

side dishes

:: Paula Deen popovers ::

the perfect mixture between bread and souffle

serve with jam or honey butter for an alternative to classic rolls

:: Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes ::

look no further for the perfect mashed potato.

this recipe is especially good if you want to make them ahead of time

:: cheesy potatoes ::

definitely not artery-friendly, but a definite crowd-pleaser nonetheless

just defrost potatoes, mix everything into your baking dish, and cover with lots of cheese.

yum!

cranberries: I am not really a fan of the traditional cranberry side dish. Instead of cranberries, every year I beg my mom to make me a jello salad with cherry jello, pineapples, and marshmallows. I'll post the recipe very soon! Another amazing spin on cranberries is the one Bobby Flay made me once in a blue moon hahahaha! It's not traditional, but it's dang good. Click here for the recipe.

* * *

main dishes: we typically buy a honey ham in my family to make things easy,

but Meseidy's turkey looks downright delicious!

:: The Noshery's herb roasted turkey breast ::

delicious, succulent alternative to doing an entire turkey!

* * *

dessert: what we go through the motions of turkey and fixins for.

Here are some alternatives if you're worried everyone will bring pumpkin/pecan/chocolate pie.

:: Christmas cut-out cookies + royal icing ::

warm, buttery goodness you can get way creative with.

bake at 350's recipes look spot-on.

I'll take one with 2-3 inches of frosting, thanks.

I'm planning a cookie decorating party and cannot wait!

:: triple layer mint s’more brownies ::

just a little speechless right now. wow...

go to Eat Live Run for the recipe. just trust me on this.

As always, click on the link below each picture for the source (unless you can tell it's my own iPhone shot, of course!)

It's going to be tough to resist the temptations this season brings, as you can tell. But to me, that doesn't mean depriving myself of any of this goodness; I'm just going to have to resist eating the entire plate. It'll be hard, but I think I have the courage to do what's right and share.

On the topic of sharing, if you have any go-to holiday dishes, you'll be in BIG trouble if you don't share the wealth!

there's no place like home

2010-12-13T09:56:00.001-06:00

I never thought this post would come, but I miss half marathon training. To me, there's a difference when you're running with a goal in mind, an accountability. I guess it's the difference between running and training, really. Not that running's not fun, but these past two Saturdays, I've really missed waking up early and running farther than many people will drive that day.

Between blistering winter winds, nagging cold symptoms, and a hip/IT Band injury that's been bothering me for about two months, I've all but sidelined myself to the elliptical for the winter. But I still have my little yellow timing band from my half mary looped through my laces. It's a little reminder that a mere three weeks ago, I ran 13.1 miles. I really did it. And I'm going to do it again.

I don't know where or when I fell in love with running -- maybe admiring the sunset on my most-traveled route, the Jenks Bridge? -- but I do know why. There are times I have to give myself some serious pep talks to hit the trail, times when my legs and lungs scream in protest, but once my shoes are laced up, I'm reminded of the serenity that comes with running and the awesome sense of accomplishment that follows thereafter.

But this wasn't always the case. For most of my life, I've loathed running. I'd even venture to say it traumatized me. From finishing last in the Presidential Physical Fitness Test's mile run in gym class, to being diagnosed with Patella Femoral Pain Syndrome (runner's knee), to repeatedly causing my basketball team to have to run "suicides" again when I didn't complete them in the allotted time, to all the throwing up and side cramps in between, I've had lots of beef with running in the past.

A major turning point, I recognize, was the first time I willingly ran, seven times around the track above my university's basketball court. I'd run a mile at a time, walking most of it, because I asked Michelle and her sister, Roxanne, how they stayed in shape, and they said running. To tell you the truth, I huffed and puffed the entire time, except for when I ran past the wide windows of the weight room, where cute football boys were pumping iron.

Then after I graduated in 2006, I met my athletic JT, who encouraged my running endeavors. Even though I couldn't run a mile at a time without stopping, I continued doing so, until one day, I was magically able to push through the wall of tightness in my muscles and brick on my chest. With the new found knowledge that if I kept running, eventually this "wall" would disappear, I went a little further and further each time and eventually ran six miles, incredibly proud even though on my run just one day before, I had to call my dad to come pick me up at a gas station.

Since then, running and I have had our ups and downs, like my shoes collecting dust almost all of 2009 with knee pain. But now I'm back, trying to run and fuel smart, and armed with the full knowledge that if you're good to running, running will be very good to you. It's exercise, the chance to talk with God, discipline, a million life lessons, camaraderie, amazing music, and really cheap therapy all rolled into a convenient package.

I've had a lot of people tell me that they don't think they could ever be a runner. Let me tell you that until I crossed the finish line of the half marathon, it was hard for me to consider myself a runner. The brace-faced girl who fled from the school gym after a major running fail during basketball practice surely didn't think she'd ever be a runner. But if you (with the approval of your doctor) put one foot in front of the other, start out walking and add in running when you can, for as long as you can, I promise you can do it, too. Find a like-minded friend for accountability or call your local running store to see if they have a running or walking program like my mama recently did.

But most importantly, run for yourself!

dear french silk pie,

2010-12-09T22:46:00.002-06:00

If you are my mortal enemy, why have I been craving you since Thanksgiving?

Why can't I get your perfect, creamy, chocolate goodness out of my mind?

If our first date was such a grainy disaster, why was I so enthusiastic for a second, over two years later?

This time, I was determined to literally whip you into submission, to make you homogenous and dreamy, then pour you into a buttery crust.

Only, you were determined to be difficult again. And the second I poured the melted chocolate in, you gave it the cold shoulder and shattered it into tiny flecks.

How could you?

Listen up. You have almost 24 hours to cool it, and by that time, you'd better have your act together. Or else.

To be continued...

giada's winter minestrone

2010-12-09T00:32:00.008-06:00

This was one of those recipes that fell into place perfectly: Cold, lazy morning. Self-imposed Food Network marathon. JT's request for a warm, hearty soup. Giada diLaurentiis's big pot of minestrone served to her ski bunny family as they returned to their Aspen Christmas paradise. Since I'd just seen it that morning, I made it by memory with a few modifications based on what we had on hand. And I baked up some honey cornbread for a little somethin' somethin' sweet on the side. Here's Giada's recipe with my notes, originally found here.

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, chopped (I didn't have celery, so did without)
3 ounces thinly sliced pancetta, coarsely chopped (I subbed bacon)
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 pound Swiss chard, stems trimmed, leaves coarsely chopped (or baby spinach)
1 russet potato, peeled and cubed (or four red potatoes, cubed)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can diced tomatoes in juice
2 fresh rosemary sprigs
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, drained and rinsed, divided
2 (14-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth, divided
1 (1-ounce) Parmesan rind (I didn't have a rind, but added salt at the beginning and stirred in parmesan cheese at the end)
1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Directions

In a large, heavy stockpot or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the onion, carrots, celery, pancetta, and garlic. (I cooked down the bacon first and am convinced it contributed to the delicious, smoky taste of the broth.) Cook, stirring frequently, until the onion is translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the Swiss chard and potato. (If you're using spinach, you can wait to add it -- 1-2 huge handfuls -- as it will wilt very, very quickly.) Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and rosemary sprigs. Bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer until the chard is wilted and the tomatoes are very soft, about 10 minutes.

In a food processor or blender, combine 3/4 of the beans with 1/2 cup of broth. Blend until almost smooth. Add the pureed bean mixture, remaining broth, and Parmesan rind to the vegetable mixture. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until the potato pieces are tender, about 15 minutes. Stir in the remaining beans and the parsley (and the parmesan cheese if you're going that route). Simmer until the beans are heated through and the soup is thick, about 2 minutes. Discard the rosemary stems (the leaves will have fallen off) and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Ladle the soup into bowls and serve.

Enjoy (with warm cornbread or without)!

a runner's wishlist

2010-12-07T00:13:00.003-06:00

Welcome to the second and final installment of LB's holiday wishlist recommendations! Just in case you have no clue what I'm talking about, check out my foodie wishlist I posted last week. Like my foodie list, these are all just fun suggestions the runners you know and love might like. Some of these items are stocking stuffers, others you might want to give in lieu of, say, an engagement ring. Hope you enjoy, and be sure to let me know if there's must-have stuff I left off this list!

dry shampoo
just spray on for clean hair in a pinch

smartwool socks
I'm a self-proclaimed smartwool snob :)

shot blox

or your runner's fuel of choice

C9 by Champion

running tights I swear by:

cheaper than other tights, sleek,

and you don't have to wear shorts over them

iTunes card

to keep runs fresh and interesting
(or for a fun running app)

The Stick
it erases long run soreness like magic

spibelt

lots of running shorts don't have pockets,
and this saves the awkwardness of sports bra storage

Yogi cookie cutters
to celebrate those recovery stretches
that hurt so good!

iPhone glimpses of a sunday night

2010-12-05T23:22:00.004-06:00

minestrone soup + cornbread

+ our first fire in our new house

(aka my husband is a stud)

+ sleepy puppy

(roughly the size of a baby deer)

+ recipe planning

+ cranberry oat muffins baked

+ clean kitchen

(to undomestic standards)

= bliss

a moment

2010-12-05T08:19:00.000-06:00

I went to see my best friend LJ this weekend. She lives in Arkansas, just a little over an hour's drive away. But we still hadn't seen each other since September, before she got engaged. What can we say? We're busy girls. Luckily, we can always pick right back up where we left off, and talk via phone, email, and sometimes by video skype a few times a week.

Let me give you a glimpse of how special our friendship is: we both came away from this weekend completely recharged, and all it took was a day of doing absolutely nothing together. After going to a play and Logan's on Friday night, we watched season one of Glee in bed all day on Saturday, except for one Sonic run (and, by the way, we ordered almost the exact same thing without knowing). I'm convinced we were made for each other.

But that's not all this post is about.

On my drive home Saturday evening, I was listening to one of my favorite songs (you can find the video below), and singing along as best as I could in my flu recovery mode, and at about 4:48 into the song, at the perfect moment, this brilliant sunset erupted across the sky.

This picture was taken by my iPhone, but unedited in any way.

Anyway, I started crying.

I don't cry very often. But I'm truly convinced it was the Holy Spirit, the part of God I believe fills us, brings us peace and comfort and joy and hope, and even convicts us when we need it. I just needed a moment with him.

Here's the song for your listening pleasure this Sunday morning. It's wonderful!

Have you ever had a moment like this? What inspires you?

confessions of a workin woman

2010-12-03T10:37:00.000-06:00

Christmas is in full swing at my office. I found my office decorated when I returned from my stint with the flu. It's pretty!

While I was at home, I accomplished so much. I maintain that I work best in the comfort of sweats, on the floor, with my tv on. It's just the way I've always been. I need distraction to function.

JT used to have the option of working four ten-hour shifts instead of five days. If given the option, I'd work Friday over Monday every time!

We have an institution called Cave Mode. As long as there are no clients coming, (we work primarily by phone and email) we turn off our lights except for a lamp, and something about it just helps us focus better.

Celebrations are all-out in our office. And I think it really contributes to our morale. It helps that as a service-oriented company, we have lots of giving people who like to make each other feel speshul :)

We drink a lot of water. Wow.

I love my job. It's not perfect, but I'm thankful for it every day.

a foodie's wishlist

2010-12-02T10:38:00.005-06:00

I absolutely cannot believe it's December. For one, the weather cried Indian summer for far too long, and secondly, between Thanksgiving and being cooped up with the flu, I lost track of the calendar for a little while.

This means there's less than a month until Christmas, and it's time to get my procrastinating hiney into action, unlike my ambitious coworker, whose apartment is fully decorated and her entire Christmas list is bought and wrapped under her tree. Maybe some day I will have my act together, but this year is not that year.

Like many bloggers are doing right about now, I thought I'd lend a helping hand if you have a special foodie in your life -- or, like me, if your mother-in-law is going to come a-knockin' for your Christmas wishlist any minute now and you have no idea what to do.

But beware, some of these items are probably more proper for a "dream-on" list and should be reserved for someone incredibly special unless you have bottomless pockets or the unique love language for this sort of thing. Most of it is fair game, though!

anthropologie apron

because every cook needs a fun and flirty apron
(or an apron period.)

cuisinart food processor

this post explains everything

clean start cookbook
love everything the clean food movement stands for.
plus, I have the sister cookbook and love it!

microplane zester

because it's never fun to zest a finger.

kitchenaid stand mixer

forgive me, o Lord, for I have coveted
this mixer my entire marriage.

Yes, the larger size might be more practical,

but this color is so fantastic!

exacompta space 24 weekly planner

this planner is perfection for foodies
with an entire blank page each week for lists
(i.e. groceries, meal planning)

mini latte bowls

these are just too cute!

ThisIsNotMyShirt.com
a very unique gift for the compassionate foodie in your life,
each shirt helps provide clean water for villages in Africa.
many have asked about this shirt, the one I wore during my half marathon,
and I highly recommend checking out ThisIsNotMyShirt.com
for more on the powerful message behind this mission.

So, did I leave anything out?

butternut squash soup with caramelized onions

2010-12-01T09:31:00.000-06:00

I had to check and double check that I hadn’t posted this recipe before. It was one of my favorite soups from last winter, and perfect for a chilly weekend when we needed something light and warm after all of our Thanksgiving feast-ivities.

Based on Ina Garten’s Butternut Squash and Apple Soup recipe, the final product is creamy with a little texture in it, a sweet and savory tug-of-war match of round flavors on your tastebuds. And if you’re like me, you’ll be very liberal with your black pepper grinder for just a bit of bite.

Shall we begin? Preheat your oven to 400 degrees.

For 2-4 people, peel and chop one butternut squash and one apple in same-size cubes. Honeycrisp, Gala, Granny Smith, whatever is fresh and tastes good to you. Your cuts don’t have to be perfect, but keep them about the same size and shape. My advice to you is use a really sharp knife because all kinds of squash can be tricky to chop. And make sure you get all the core and seeds from the apple! Mix them with olive oil, salt, and pepper until the pieces are well coated. Then spread them out in a single layer on a baking sheet and cook for about 20-25 minutes, turning once in the middle. This is standard practice for roasting veggies, and in my opinion, roasting really brings out the optimal flavor.

While your stars of the show roast, heat up a pot that’s wide on the bottom but still tall enough to hold your soup. Peel and thinly slice an onion (mince for less texture) and sauté in about a tablespoon of olive oil or butter on medium-high heat until glossy. Make sure to feed the onions a pinch of salt to help release their natural sugars. Turn down your heat to medium or medium low (watch it carefully) and cook them low and slow until start to brown. I think following Rachael Ray’s method of adding sugar first would work nicely, too.

I, however, bypassed the sugar for a drizzle of pure maple syrup. YOM! Stir about a tablespoon in with your already softened onions and let them keep cooking. It’s almost time for the soup to come together.

Put your newly roasted goodies in a food processor or blender and pour in enough chicken or veggie broth to almost cover them. They’re about to become something delicious. Give your mix a spin until it’s finely pureed. Pour it into the pot with the onions and give it a stir. At this point, add some broth or water to get the soup to your perfect consistency.

Now’s time to spice it up. Add about a tablespoon of curry powder and salt and pepper to taste. We love lots of black pepper in just about everything. In my version of heaven, black pepper and chocolate will go together perfectly. If you’re iffy about curry powder, don’t be. I, too, once thought curry powder was sketchy, but bought this little jar for this very recipe and didn’t regret it one bit!

At this point your soup is almost finished! Since your veggies were cooked in the oven, you just need to make sure it’s heated through and stays your preferred consistency. Something completely optional, however:

Just a little drink of cream. I don’t even keep it in the house normally, but I think I’m turning over a new leaf. A new leaf that could be very dangerous. It’s not even absolutely necessary with the starchy goodness of pureed butternut squash, sweet apple and onions, and savory curry. But a little drizzle here and there never hurt anyone, really.

Soup’s on!

a fanciful feast

2010-11-29T10:01:00.000-06:00

Think about it. The entire Thanksgiving celebration is centered around food. Well, and football here in the Heartland. I could hug whoever decided thankfulness and family togetherness should culminate around delicious culinary masterpieces. (Imagine if instead of the feast in that traditional First Thanksgiving story, they chose to center on the ship landing? What would our tradition be like in that case?)

For the last few years, my grandparents have come to town for Thanksgiving, but they were unable to make it this year. But my parents invited two replacements, The Noshery and the Spousal Figure themselves. My mom was so excited about them coming that she planned a meeting between the three of us just to make sure everything was perfect.

And it was.

Key players:

beautiful tablescape by my mama

brie with cranberry pomegranate chutney
(made by Whole Foods (YOM!!)

Pioneer Woman stuffing

cranberry goodness

Pioneer Woman mashed potatoes

Paula Deen popovers

the star of the show herself
(mi madre totally rocked it!)

my plate of yummies

sad, drooly yellow puppy had to stay outside

I didn’t take any pictures, but in normal family tradition my grandparents bring Italian sausage from a little Italian supermarket in Dallas. It’s delicious. We walk/run a 5K not far away from the house and then eat big juice sausages with tangy cranberry sauce wrapped in a slice of bread.

Though my grandparents (and the delish sausage) couldn’t make it, JT made sure the tradition lived on and picked up some Italian sausage from Siegi’s in Tulsa. It might not be a tiny Italian supermarket, but it was awesome! We have always loved the quality of their meats.

Just in case you couldn’t tell, our tummies are still recovering from this wonderful meal. Meseidy rocked the sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, and pumpkin bread pudding (Bobby Flay’s recipe from Throwdown with Ree’s hard sauce, if you can stomach how awesome that would be!) The turkey was plump and perfectly seasoned, the potatoes creamy and buttery, the popovers perfect with a touch of raspberry jam. And the dessert was perfect once I made more room by switching to stretchy pants.

But would you believe me that the company was even better?

Happy Thanksgiving! And don’t forget to be thankful the other 364 days of the year for friendship, beauty, and of course, food on your table!

things to be thankful for

2010-11-25T08:18:00.000-06:00

my husband

and all the fun and beauty that's revealed through him

mornings

and that His mercies are new every one of them

my family

and all the wisdom and tears of laughter that spill in their presence

the oven

and all of the fascinating things that it can do

learning

and that it doesn't just happen in a classroom

music

for the special language it speaks to me

friendship

and that God gave us an unconscious ability to find each other

hope and a future

and that there are big plans in store

the fourth thursday in november

that it reminds us to have thankful hearts every day

but mostly that I can cook all morning in my pajamas,

eat until I'm stuffed, satisfied, and sleepy,

and spend all day with my family with an agenda of

nothing, football, and more nothing.

what are you thankful for?

the route 66 half mary

2010-11-24T17:14:00.001-06:00

To say I’ve been waiting over six months to write this post wouldn’t be true. Yes, I’ve been waiting to add this chapter to my running story since I signed up in May, but that’s a post for a different day.

Everyone knows that a good race always begins the night before with the carbo loading. My college roommate was in town for a little, and I was happy she was there not only to spend time with her – which is rare these days since she lives in Denver – but so she could keep my nerves at bay.

We went to one of our favorite restaurant’s Mary’s Italian Trattoria on Cherry Street, and was able to custom-order exactly what I was looking for: a shrimp pasta with a simple lemon spaghetti. I ended up getting shrimp scampi with plain spaghetti and squirted a bunch of lemon juice on it. So delicious!

In the few days leading up to the race, I had lots of nerves going on. For one, my legs started giving me fits, I think because I wasn’t running very much, and I worried that I’d skipped too many shorter runs in my training. (More on this later.) My friend Melanie, who is a physical therapist, came over and taped me up the night before. So sweet!

I’d planned to wake up early that morning so I’d go to bed early and sleep well. My plan worked for the most part, so when my alarm went off at 5:55, I was up and raring to go. One thing I’d recommend is laying out everything the night before so it’s all ready to go and you don’t have to worry about forgetting your timer chip or race number.

The entire morning leading up to the race, my nerves had turned into pure excitement. I just said a prayer and knew everything would be okay. This was supposed to be about having fun, and having fun is what I was going to do! It was pretty chilly when we got there, especially standing in the enormous port-a-potty lines. I was actually in there when the gun went off, but luckily, I was in Corral C, and didn’t start until after fifteen minutes.

I made the mistake of starting with the 8:00 pace group since it was impossible to push against the crowd at that point, but I kept my own pace and just let them pass me. The beginning of the race was ridiculously hilly. The entire course had its ups and downs (har har), but I remember the beginning was the absolute worst.

The rest of the race, I just tried to pace myself, pay attention to the course, and distract myself with the gorgeous surroundings. We ran through Woodward Park, Cascia Hall, Swan Lake, and of course, along the Arkansas River. And the neighborhoods were gorgeous, too. The first three miles were hard for me, then I was pretty consistent with bursts of momentum at miles 4, 6, and 8.

One of the highlights of the course was running past Andrea and Jason’s house, where I got to high five JT and see the sign they’d made. It was at this point where I gave an older lady a pep talk, telling her she was over halfway there. “You are over halfway there,” she corrected me. She was running the full for her 50th birthday. I was so proud of her and told her I’d be there with her someday.

I found that when I hit a wall, I’d always get a boost of energy by encouraging fellow runners and thanking the volunteers and cops protecting the intersections. It was really helpful! Of course, I also paid close attention to my music when I needed to. At one point, I was mouthing the words to a Nelly rap and a man thought I was talking to him. Oops.

Of course, it was painful, but my legs held up for the most part. My left calf got a pretty big cramp in it for a long time, but nothing I wasn’t able to run through. I walk/jogged intermittently from miles 10-12, but once I saw 12, I knew I was in the home stretch. Then my running playlist somehow switched to the entire playlist, so I ended up running to Hillsong in Spanish for awhile. Luckily I ran into my boss’s wife, and we finished really strong together!

Check out our faces when we saw the finish line!

And finally we were finished – sweaty, in pain, and completely relieved! I loaded up on water, Gatorade, and some amazing beef stew and rice in the finishers’ tent, and caught my breath. I still can’t believe it’s over. Even though it was tough at times, all the training was so worth it. And I couldn’t have done it without the love and encouragement from my friends, family, and especially my wonderful husband.

Though I think I would have been faster if I’d done more weekday short runs, the biggest benefit of training I’ve noticed is the ability to recover. Just two days after the run, I was 100%, and today, I laced up my shoes and hammered out a few miles with Sampson.

I can’t end this recap without telling you that one of my fellow half marathon runners passed away during the race after a sudden cardiac arrest. He’d been taken to the hospital by the time I got there, but my boss ran past as they were working on him. Two years older than me, and an avid runner. I was in shock. Even though I’d never met him, I couldn’t help but think that after pouring himself into training, he should be whining about how much his legs hurt and milking sympathy from his family right now, not taken so suddenly. My thoughts and prayers have definitely been with his family since. I still can’t believe it.

Even though I don’t know him from Adam, from what I’ve read in the articles about him, I can tell he was passionate about running and died doing something he loved.

And I think I know now that this whole experience has awakened that passion for running in me. I think it’s here to stay.

weekend frivolities

2010-11-22T07:56:00.001-06:00

A special thank you to all of Ree’s readers who stopped by to say hello this weekend! She is such a sweet woman. I hope to visit your blogs during the upcoming holiday from work (Counting. the. minutes.)

This weekend, I…

a) Went to see Harry Potter 7.1 three, count ‘em, THREE times, starting with the midnight premiere. Yes, despite being a well-adjusted adult, I will probably go to the Harry 7.2 premiere, too and round out the set. This one was my ninth midnight premiere to attend. I take my nerd movies seriously. And my super sweet family has invested in my interest – even JT, who has never read the books, but insisted we have a movie marathon leading up to the premiere. Love them!

b) Had a work Thanksgiving potluck with coworkers at my boss’s house. So delicious!

c) Got a visit from my college roommie! We had lots of fun together, as we always do, despite now living several states apart.

And oh, yeah…one last little thing I did.

d) Ran a freakin’ half marathon! I can’t believe it’s over. Be watching for the full update to come.

beauty and the flay: throwdown recap

2010-11-18T08:19:00.000-06:00

spoiler alert: there are horses. and cows.

Thanks everyone for the tweets and comments about Throwdown. It was such an awesome experience and I can't wait to tell you all about it. So I guess I will start!

It all began when my good friend Meseidy got a direct message from Ree on Twitter. She personally invited a few local bloggers to The Ranch for a Food Network special. That's all we knew at the time. Meseidy came to my house that night to break the news in person, and we were ecstatic. As in, we may or may not have jumped up and down. Okay, maybe that was just me.

So we waited long, agonizing weeks until that beautiful early fall Oklahoma weekday arrived. Meseidy, her husband Obed, and I made the two-hour drive to Drummond Ranch. It was absolutely gorgeous. We drove up right by her house, right by Cowboy Josh, who politely tipped his hat at us (and is even more handsome in person, ladies). We may or may not have almost run over George, her yellow lab, who wanted to investigate us a little too closely. (We stopped and didn't proceed until we were sure George was safely frolicking to his next adventure.) We didn't see Charlie, though, much to my regret!

They had appetizers and wine for us while we waited on the spacious Lodge patio. Even though we weren't supposed to have cameras or cell phones out, I couldn't help but snap this picture; the view was too glorious!

We were greeted by Ree's mother and her mother-in-law, and mingled with people from Ree's town, various Drummonds, and a few awesome bloggers like Elizabeth, Jennifer, and Vivian. And before we knew it, it was time for the taping.

Once we got past the shock of how huge and beautiful the Lodge kitchen was, the Riveras and I navigated past cameras, lighting props, and Food Network people and found a spot near the front. Right now, as a huge Food Network fan, I just want to give major, major props to all of the people behind the scenes of these shows. And the editors, who weeded through hours and hours of multiple camera footage to create this one-hour special. There were people prompting the audience and cooks with questions and cues; cameramen bending to get the perfect shot; arms straining against heavy equipment; women getting punched in the face with the heavy camera and still going on with the show; and experts coordinating every little detail so it flows perfectly.

When Ree appeared, it was really happening. I couldn't believe she was there in 3D, as dumb as that sounds. And she is exactly like she presents herself on her blog. By that, I mean she talks like she writes: genuine, in love with her family, mildly self-deprecating in a good way, and friggin' hilarious. She starts cooking, doing what we believe is an intro to her Food Network special, and interacting with the audience a little.

Then Bobby Flay walks in.

And mouths drop to the floor.

Whoa.

Were we being punk'd? I think the look on my face in my 0.5 seconds of fame, if you saw it, sums up what everyone was experiencing: shock. Eventually we scraped our jaws from Ree's polished floors and strained our eyes for a better look at the goings on. It was intense and amazing. And really hot from the lights, hot cooking, and standing. Pans were stirred while dishes bubbled in the ovens (yes, there was more than one oven), recipes were explained to the cameras, scents tantalized our noses, and our stomachs grumbled with anticipation.

Ree was a rockstar: poised, regal, witty, and firing on all cylinders. Even through collapsed gravy debacles. And at one point, as I mentioned before, Bobby needed something from the pantry and touched my shoulder to squeeze past me. I turned to Meseidy, my eyes as wide as the wheels on a Drummond truck, and confessed that I was never going to wash my arm again. (A little dramatic, maybe?)

Finally it was the time we'd been waiting for since Bobby Flay walked in the room: tasting time. If you haven't watched the show and plan to, don't read any further! We had two platefuls of delicious Thanksgiving food: tender, flavorful turkey; rich, savory stuffing; perfectly cooked and seasoned vegetables; and the best mashed potatoes I'd ever laid fork on. And the desserts? Well, I'll never use I Can't Believe It's Not Butter again. I'm ruined.

Basically, we can say that Ree Drummond and Bobby Flay had us over for dinner.

My review: I loved both turkeys and gravies; would pick Ree's mashed potatoes over Bobby's brussel sprouts -- and pretty much any food in the world (though those were the very first brussel sprouts I've ever actually liked, in his defense); LOVED both stuffings, especially their use of mushrooms; liked Bobby's cranberry dish better than Ree's; and of course, could never choose between those mouth-watering desserts. Ree was genuinely surprised when she won, and she totally deserved it.

Just FYI, in this photo Ree posted yesterday, she was really saying and doing just that. Look, there I am, standing next to Missy! And accidentally touching Hyacinth's booty!

Afterward, we had the chance to talk with the ladies of Throwdown. I even compared burn scars with Stephanie, who got a pretty nasty one during the filming. They were really nice and encouraging women, and I'm glad I got to hear some of their stories.

The Riveras and I stuck around long enough to meet and talk with Ree in person. I refrained from using the word "girlcrush" around her, but summoned the bravery to pull out my cookbook, and she was nice enough to sign it.

Ree is just as genuine and beautiful in person as she seems in her writing. And her family is awesome. For one, her daughters -- and all the Drummond women, it seems -- are giants. The older daughter is approaching Ree's height, around six feet, and the younger daughter seemed to be around my height, 5'6". I am not nearly creepy enough to stand close enough for an exact measurement, don't worry. (The question crossed your mind, though, didn't it?) Her baby boy came up to us at one point and said matter-of-factly, "I already know who's going to win. My mama." SO adorable!

And then there's Marlboro Man. He is just as cool and rugged as he appears on her blog, but has so much dimension to him. Very kind eyes, too. What stuck out the most to me about him was how evident it is that he's mad for her. He walked around in his cowboy hat and spurs (and shirt, boots, and jeans) taking pictures of the action for her, supporting her in whatever way she needed. He looked at her with such admiration in his eyes. When his children wanted to speak with him, he stopped what he was doing and gave them his full attention. And I thought it was so cute that out of all of the cooking experts in the kitchen, Ree made sure that Marlboro Man carved the turkey for her. That gesture may not have been significant to them, just second nature, but it gave me the evidence that there is lots of love and respect in that household. I mean ranchhold.

I loved everything about this day. If I could describe it in two words, they'd be delicious and inspiring.

Then our happy hearts and full tummies drove off into the beautiful ranch sunset. And everyone lived happily ever after.

The end!

taper week

2010-11-17T08:09:00.002-06:00

my favorite training hill

I am getting the pre-race jitters a little. This morning, I woke up in a cold sweat after having a nightmare with a menacing villain: an infected toe.

Yesterday, I almost deviated from my plan with a six mile run. Whoops. Luckily I worked late and the temptation passed. But it was a close one.

I alternate between dreaming of my post-race running routine and picking my stomach up from the dramatic plunge that sometimes occurs when I think about the race. Did I skip too many short runs? Did I taper too much? The imagination is a little dangerous when it runs wild, but realistically I know I'll be fine. JT may have to give me a pep talk, but I'll be fine. I just can't wait to cross the finish line and live to write about it!

Luckily I have lots of fun things to keep me occupied this week. Don't forget to watch the epic Throwdown tonight! Check your local Food Network listings (8/7c, I believe), set your Tivo, and prepare to have severe butter withdrawals. I am making this recipe to prevent that from happening. My recap post will be up shortly after!

yellow puppy chronicles

2010-11-15T23:30:00.000-06:00

It's Sampson again. I've hijacked my human's blog while she is busy watching Harry Potter and cooking a lot. When I last wrote, I was still a puppy, but now I'm a big boy. Probably over 70 pounds now and almost eight months old.

I have quite the appetite for playing. All day long, all I want to do is play. And I didn't get to play outside for a very long time. I guess my humans didn't like it when I busted down their fence so I could play in the front yard until they got home. I don't know what I did? I just know I like playing.

Today I went outside and felt something really weird. The air was less like a hug and more like a bite. It made my whole body shake. But I felt better because, even though I was alone while my humans were at work, the trees played with me by throwing leaves all day. Sometimes they fell so fast that I couldn't move fast enough to catch them.

Then, sharp wet things started falling from the sky. I wanted my warm kennel and blankies so bad. Even though I don't normally bark or make a lot of noise, I howled when I heard my girl human come home. I ran to all the doors to see where she was. And let me tell you, her work pants have never felt so soft, warm, and good.

My favorite new pet is my raccoon. He's a lot bigger than my foxy and used to have five squeaky things inside of him, but I conquered all of them. Raccoon may not squeak anymore, but I still like to snuggle with him and play tug of war with him. Just thinking about it is making me sleepy.

::edit:: As payback to Sampson for hijacking my blog, I'm going to reveal something rather embarrassing for him. On Halloween, we didn't dress him up, per se, but we tied my Pioneer Woman bonnet on him, and...well, you just watch this clip if you want to find out what he thought about it.

quick red velvet whoopie pies

2010-11-15T10:03:00.000-06:00

The other night, JT brought me the box of red velvet cake mix he’d thrown in our grocery cart a few weeks ago. For some reason, I’ve never had the inclination to choose red velvet over my go-to chocolate cakey goodness. My former roomie makes some mean red velvet cake balls, but that might be the only time I’ve tasted it.

Still, the moment that cake box touched my hands, I had devilish plans. Read on if you dare to find out what to do.

First, bake some cake batter cookies by mixing a box of cake mix, 2 eggs, and 1/4 cup of oil, spooning equal amounts onto cookie sheets (or the brand new jelly roll pans your husband bought you as an early Christmas present!), and baking in a pre-heated 350-degree oven for eight minutes, and then, you mustn’t forget this very important step: let. them. cool.

In terms of technique – not that I claim to have any – I took equal-size amounts of dough, rolled them into little balls between my palms, and flattened them gently with my fingers so they’d be as even and round as possible. Since they turn out super rich, I’d highly recommend making these much smaller than pictured, using maybe 1 tablespoon of mix at a time so you get cute bite-sized deliciousness.

Since in my kitchen, we don’t discriminate, if one or more turn out with a case of the uglies, and say, look like the earthshake-cracked ground on Land Before Time, just stick them on the bottom of your lovely little pies.

But don’t let me get ahead of myself. Before that can happen, you are going to make a substance that will cause you to reread this post multiple times, searching for one missing word. I can assure you, this is a drug-free zone, and there is no crack involved in this recipe.

Even a red velvet novice like me knows that red velvet cake without cream cheese frosting is like peanut butter without jelly. Okay, bad analogy; I eat peanut butter and honey sandwiches every morning for breakfast and somehow survive. Anyway, I decided to go big or go home and went to the expert herself. Ladies and gentleman (since I know at least JT will read this), they’re not kidding when they call it The BEST Cream Cheese frosting. Because it sure is.

Except for one thing. In my experience, I know that I like to be able to taste the cream cheese a little more than most recipes call for, so I only added about 2.5 cups of powdered sugar. But be sure to taste it after you blend in each cup. Everyone’s preferences are different!

Please save a little for the cookies. I know it’s hard, but you’re brave. You can do it.

Spoon a little bit of frosting onto a cookie. Once again, everyone’s tastes are different. I’m more of a “Want a little cookie with your frosting?” kind of girl. (Just in case, you know, you couldn’t tell.)

Slap another cookie on and give it a little squeeze. Watch the frosting goodness ooze. Mmmmm.

If you’re like me and couldn’t wait until the cookies were cooled to room temperature, your cookie might crumble. Sad day. But that’s okay because frosting makes the tastiest glue imaginable!

Enjoy!

(with milk, coffee, or by itself, sneaked from the refrigerator and eaten over the sink)

(PS: store in the fridge so the cream cheese will keep;
bring to room temp when you’re ready to eat – if you can wait that long)

saturday thoughts

2010-11-13T23:07:00.001-06:00

Dear Readers, I know it’s a little cold, but if you have the chance to get outside, take it. By all means, take it! I snapped this shot from my office window yesterday to capture my favorite time of year. The colors are phenomenal. We call it confetti from our 48th-story perch.

There are just a handful of mild days left, though I certainly wouldn’t have called this morning mild as I trudged through my six miles in running tights, shorts, thermal underwear, a t-shirt, and a jacket. And an earwarmer headband. I’m a cold weather weeny, let me tell you. Why did I sign up for a winter race again?

* * *

look at these cute donuts!

Go see the sweet ladies at Oklahoma Country Donut Shoppe on 81st and Yale. They do all kinds of custom orders. When I was in there, they were even discussing a special order for a wedding with a woman. I always love stopping in to what new things they’ve cooked up, and they always make my coworkers’ day.

* * *

Can I just say that I really appreciate the supportive comments and emails I’ve gotten? Tonight I wanted to spend some time replying to comments – it was important to me that I do this – and then when I was finished, I realized that all I was doing was emailing the “no reply” blogger email. Sad day. Dear Blogger, please get with the program and allow us to reply to comments.

* * *

I’ve spent tons of time with kids. But this week was the first time two parents have entrusted me to keep their child alive by myself in a while. I joked that I looked like a college student because I was wearing an ORU hoodie and promised not to invite my boyfriend over.

We a) had a dance party; b) turned off all the lights and had a party involving a princess nightlight and one of those whirling light-up wands from Disney on Ice; c) ate pizza and watched Yo Gabba Gabba; d) were brave and conquered a diaper together. It was so fun!

* * *

This week is going to be so exciting! Just in case you don’t know what happens on Wednesday, check back a little ways to find out the scoop. On Thursday night, my trusty Harry Potter buddy, Darla, and I are doing the midnight premiere of The Deathly Hallows, Part I. As her husband Josh said, we are mature, well-adjusted adults, but we can handle our late nights, especially for such a good cause. Random trivia: this will be my ninth midnight premiere, and my third Harry movie with Darla. I’ve been debating which book I’m going to read before that to pump myself up.

Then Friday night is my work Thanksgiving party, and Sunday…shiver…the long-awaited half marathon. Lots to do, but luckily it’s all fun for once! I’m going to mull over which Harry I will right now, make a hot cup of tea, watch a few more episodes of Boy Meets World, and enjoy a few moments of calm.

PS: This is how married people sometimes choose to spend their fun weekends. While I find no shame whatsoever in passing the time in such a manner, I’ll have you know that JT and I ordered in takeout from a new place by our house called Wang Wang (new fav) and have just returned from seeing Morning Glory (loved it). We are so adventurous!

thursday thirteen + blog love

2010-11-11T22:58:00.000-06:00

As you probably know, I've been reading healthy living blogs for awhile. A few months ago, I came across a blog called (never home)maker. It's become one of my favorite things to read since then, too! Ashley and Stephen have all kinds of running and fitness tips, and Ashley has actually been so kind to give me advice via Twitter. Since this has been my very first experience with long distance running, I've appreciated her encouragement so much and can tell she's just an innately kind person.

Another way she's inspired me is through her cooking approach. If you visit her blog, you'll see that she and her husband come up with lots of creative, from-scratch healthy recipes. That's something I'd really like to do more of. If she can be a long distance runner, work full-time, have a life, and create such delicious-looking food, I believe I can do it, too with a little planning and effort! I've even added it to my 25 for 25 list. (I am formulating a 25 for 25 update post, by the way!)

Here are thirteen things (to start off with) that we normally buy from the store, but can be made just as deliciously from the comfort of my kitchen -- and maybe taste even better because of it. Hoping to get a huge food processor for Christmas this year (and birthday and anniversary), but until then, I will make do with my tiny one!

Hummus
Peanut butter
Marinara sauce
Pesto (from my new windowsill basil plants!)
Whole wheat bread
Granola/cereal
Granola bars
English muffins/bagels
Ricotta cheese and Greek yogurt (lots of bravery required for this one!)
Crackers
Desserts (new policy: only eat from-scratch desserts? can I do it?)
Jam
Salsa

To health! (And a whole lot less preservatives!)

ultimate throwdown: the cat's out of the bag

2010-11-10T23:34:00.000-06:00

Just in case you're not on Twitter, don't follow @thepioneerwoman, or for some reason don't know who Ree is, she finally made an important announcement following a significant Food Network commercial.

And now, the cat's out of the bag. I had the opportunity to be a part of this special day, and I cannot say thank you enough to Meseidy, who was asked by Ree personally to attend a mystery function at the Drummond Ranch and graciously invited me to tag along. It was so surreal to see the gorgeous rolling landscape of the Ranch, the gigantic kitchen at the Lodge, and the characters and flavors of this awesome blog up close and personal. Talk about knocking two things off the bucket list: Food Network + Ree Drummond!

I can't tell you who wins the challenge, but you can check out the deets about the show on the Food Network website. Be sure to tune in Wednesday, November 17 at 8 p.m. central. After that, I'll be sure to post a recap from an insider's perspective. What is Ree like in person? How does Food Network make it happen? Does all that butter really make a difference?

Okay, fine. I'll give you one tiny spoiler: Bobby Flay TOTALLY touched my shoulder. I cannot tell you how shocking it was when he appeared from out of nowhere and announced the Throwdown. Can't wait to tell you all about it!

PS: If for some reason, the questions I answered on camera make it to television, or, um, I am hypothetically captured on camera dancing -- just hypothetically -- please find my awkwardness endearing.

PPS: If you haven't previously heard of The Pioneer Woman, I love you, but please crawl out from beneath your rock and visit her website. Brush up on the basics, then watch Throwdown next Wednesday night!

confessions of a writer

2010-11-09T09:33:00.002-06:00

a picture taken during college (in the era of AOL IM)

to demonstrate my burnt out brain

In my full disclosure post, I mentioned that JT is incredibly supportive of my writing.

It's so true.

About once a week, he sends me off on writing nights, during which I pack up my laptop and writing gear -- notebook, pens, Post-its, headphones, etc. -- and set up shop at a coffee shop, where ~~sometimes I am so distracted by college kids that I facebook stalk the entire time~~ I listen to mood music, get inspiration from people watching, drink caffeinated beverages, and hammer out pages.

I can do this because we don't have kids yet, though I fully believe it will continue to happen after kids. Maybe a little less often, but it will happen! I think he knows I need nights like these to be whole. That I have so much more to offer him when I'm firing on all cylinders.

The other night, I was sitting at a coffee shop, zoning out while I decided what to work on next, and I was struck with the sudden realization how random and no-holds-barred "writing mode" can be. There really is no telling where an inspired brain will travel next.

For example, here are some of the random things I googled in my research:

French names female

Bible verse "life abundantly"

knee hyperextension

child that gets sick a lot

hyperbaric chamber

how to make a latte

recessed lighting

intuitive eating

Off the charts, right? My friend Amanda, one of the most talented writers I know, said that while she was working on a forensics script, the little creatures inside the computer that generate Google and Facebook sidebar content gave her the strangest ads because of what she'd searched.

If you can believe it, the thoughts that go through my mind are even more astronomical. But that's a post of a different color :)

the tulsa run recap

2010-11-08T10:58:00.001-06:00

My Tulsa Run experience began the night before, of course, with carbo loading. Throughout the day, I wondered what kind of light, filling pasta I could make that would give me energy, but be easy on my stomach. When this idea hit, I couldn't get it out of my head. Whole wheat pasta, roasted shrimp, lemon, olive oil, and basil. It was delicious!

The race started at 9:00 a.m., which is pretty late compared to the others I've been in. The Route 66 start time is 7:30! I had JT drop me off so he could go to breakfast with his friend and meet me along the course later as I was running. It was really cold downtown where the tall buildings blocked the sun.

I ran into my friend, Lili, whom I have known since high school. We hadn't seen or talked to each other in quite awhile, so it was nice to catch up with her. She and her sweet family let me be their lost puppy dog before the race since I was hanging out by myself. By the way, she is getting married in ONE WEEK! I got to meet her fiance and I'm so excited for them. Always love seeing a couple who clearly loves each other so much!

Right as we lined up at the start, I ran into a guy I went to high school with. It was his first time to do the Tulsa Run, and I heard he rocked it! Lili and I started the race together but ended up going our own paces. There were so many people there, it was crazy. At about the one mile marker, I ditched my jacket and had to dodge the throwaway gloves of so many people who'd had the same idea as I did. Right when we got out of downtown, it got hotter.

The first few miles were rolling hills, I think. I briskly walked up a few of them because I wanted to save my energy for the rest of the race. At this point, my feet started killing me. I think my socks were bunched up, and I was definitely feeling it. Even though I'd trained with those socks before, I will definitely not be using them again for a race again!

Besides the pain in my feet, I really felt great. I was getting really encouraging messages from my friends from Runmeter the entire time. Just when I hit a wall, I'd get a really nice message that literally put a spring in my step!

I remember feeling awesome when I hit the 10K marker. "We just have a 5K after this!" I said to a random woman next to me. "We're rocking this!"

The last parts are kind of a blur. At some point, I ran out of Shot Bloks, hit a wall, and kept saying, "Certainly they've skipped a mile marker. Certainly I've gone another mile by now." My lungs were awesome, but my feet hurt a lot because of those silly socks, and then of course, there's the whole issue of the monster Denver hill that words cannot describe. My best portrayal is: imagine you're going up a huge, monster hill and are so relieved to get to the top. Then there's an even worse one waiting for you.

There was also the matter of this punk 16 year old kid who thought he was racing me. I passed him at about 12-13K, and for the rest of the race, he'd alternate between sprinting past me and throwing a smirk across his shoulder at me, and slowing down to walk because he'd just overexerted himself. I just tried to ignore him and go my own pace. SO not worth it.

Eventually I saw the finish line, where my handsome husband and wonderful yellow puppy were waiting for me! It was a great feeling, such relief to see the finish line.

At this point, I'm thinking, "I'm relieved to be finished, but how am I going to run this plus four miles in three weeks!?!?" Some say running is like birth: you never remember the pain once it's over, and you sign up for another one anyway!

Oh, and then that 16-year-old boy showed up again and sprinted past me at the finish line, stepping in front of me to smirk right as they were snapping my official finish photo. So not cool, dude.

You'll be relieved to know I accomplished my goal; there were still plenty of post-run snacks left, like this Snickers bar!

Love my supportive family and friends, and I can't wait for a strong 13.1 in TWO WEEKS!

I will definitely be partaking in more of this action. Thanks to the OU Physical Therapy program volunteers from the bottom of my quads!

cornmeal crusted ratatouille tart

2010-11-07T12:00:00.000-06:00

original recipe by Ellie Krieger found here

This recipe started out with my last Farmers’ Market trip of the season.

The second I saw the eggplant, I thought back to the time I made ratatouille (after watching the movie). We really liked it! So I began googling different ratatouille recipes and was set on Ellie Krieger’s tart from the moment I laid eyes on it!

Even though I didn’t have a tart pan, I improvised and used my springform pan. Which reminds me: I need to make cheesecake.

The recipe is really pretty simple to make!

First you mix together your crust ingredients: cornmeal, pastry flour, salt, water, butter, and oil, according to the recipe’s directions. I improvised making my crust, too. Since I don’t have a huge food processor and didn’t want to mess with batches, I made the crust old-fashioned by hand kneading it with my pie dough blender.

Then, press it into the pan, making sure it’s pretty even so it will cook evenly.

Blind bake it in a preheated 350-degree oven for 10 minutes using aluminum foil and hopefully something a little more substantial than orzo pasta, but it was all I had on hand at the time. Then remove the foil and bake it for another five minutes.

While the crust is baking, thinly slice and prep your veggies for roasting, combining them with olive oil and salt and pepper until coated. You can use this method to roast all kinds of veggies. My favorites are mushrooms and sweet potatoes, but not in this recipe with these ingredients. Ew.

Increase the oven to 400 degrees once your crust is ready and removed from the oven. Set it aside and put your veggies in to roast for about 15 minutes. Watch them so they don’t burn, but you shouldn’t have any problems. While this is happening, sauté your shallots (or use onions if you don’t have shallots) and ready your basil and cheeses. We’re about to start layering. Take the veggies out of the oven, reduce back down to 350 degrees, and let them cool so you can handle them later.

When you’re ready to start layering, remember to make each layer as flat and evenly distributed as possible so as much surface area is covered as possible. You want to get a little of everything in every bite!

The order will look like this: eggplant, then 1/3 of your mozzarella cheese and an even sprinkle of basil on top of the eggplant; zucchini and shallot layer, then another 1/3 of your mozzarella cheese and more basil on top of them; then tomatoes and the rest of the mozzarella and parmesan cheese at the very top.

Bake for 25-30 minutes. The beauty of this dish, is that you can potentially have your kitchen clean by the time it comes out of the oven. Or, you know, you can facebook stalk, play solitaire, take a power nap, or something equally productive during that time. It’s up to you, my friend.

Serve up a slice and enjoy another wonderful meal you can be proud of! YUM! Thanks, Ellie!

long run letters

2010-11-06T20:30:00.001-05:00

Dear 11.4 Miles, You're the furthest I've ever run, and you were good to me. Thanks for being my last long run before my half mary and most fun and interesting run to date. Nostalgic, LB

Dear City of Tulsa, Thank you for investing in Tulsa runners by redoing the Riverside trails. There are plenty of water fountains and restrooms on the trail now, and I am pretty sure there will be gravel running strips in heaven. Saved from early arthritis, LB

Dear Disappearing Water Fountain, I was so happy to see you at mile 4ish when it was getting super hot for November. You were such a relief to me, but on my way back, I couldn't find you. Were you a mirage? Perplexed, LB

Dear @Garrettdanz, a) Was I seriously Rick Rolled during my run? b) Did you really type out the lyrics to the song so that RunMeter would speak them to me in the British robot voice I've grown to love so much? c) Did I receive strange looks from fellow runners because I laughed out loud? The answer is d) all of the above. Thanks for keeping me on my toes, LB

Dear Adrian Peterson lookalike, Thank you for respectfully expressing your appreciation for my looks. Even married girls like to hear that sometimes. Sorry I was so awkward and told you I'm sure you'll find a great girl someday. Just trying to be encouraging, LB

Dear Legs, Proud of how strong you are. You have had to put up with a lot. I really am sorry I make you hurt. I'll make you a deal: you may be a little slow right now, but let's see how much faster you are with several less pounds on you. Teammates for life? LB

Dear Route 66 Marathon, You and me. Two weeks. Prepare to be owned. LB

Dear JT, So happy I "ran" into you on the trail today while you were biking. Not gonna lie, you + spandex = hubba hubba. Even though I'm not the most athletic, I'm very happy that at least our children have hope. Proud of my favorite soccerstudcyclist, LB

*Letters inspired by Emily of Today's Letters. Love her and her wonderful blog!

full disclosure, novel writing, and bravery

2010-11-06T08:49:00.003-05:00

One of the main reasons my blog posting has been so sporadic is because most of my extra computer/creative time is devoted to the project of all projects. If you've read my 25 for 25, you know that my goal is to finish my manuscript's first draft by my 26th birthday.

So now it's out there: I'm writing a novel.

This admission is something I've always been hesitant about. My proud husband tells anyone and everyone about my aspirations, and his pride is backed with so much support and expression of confidence that I can accomplish this daunting task.

I appreciate his vote of confidence, but when people ask me about my aspirations, I'm somewhat hesitant to open up about it. Being in the book business has taught me one thing: almost everyone thinks they have a book in them. And many of those people think their book is the next bestseller if Oprah has anything to do with it.

The reality is, I've been reading and telling stories since before kindergarten and writing fiction since I learned basic handwriting. There are notebooks full of short stories in my tentative new handwriting (I may be young, but this was before the age of computers). I've been known to stay up all night typing away at a story, and have learned that inspiration can strike anywhere, at any time, so I keep a notebook and Post-it notes with me almost all the time. There's even an almost shameful YA manuscript saved on my computer. (Let's just say if you found it, I'd awkwardly joke that One Tree Hill writers hacked my ideas.) And fellow writers know these common symptoms: thinking in narrative language and the agony of being literally or figuratively far from a writing utensil when inspiration strikes.

Writing is ingrained in my blood. Yet for some reason, I'm hesitant to admit I'd like to be an author, hesitant to label myself a "writer," even. It's not so much that I'm embarrassed or ashamed, that writing is somewhat of a taboo subject for me. I think it's the fear of failure. That if I put myself out there as an aspiring novelist, and either lose steam on my project and never complete it, or like many, never get published, I will fail the innate part of myself that comes to me like a second language (often at the most inconvenient times). Or worse, there's that hovering dark cloud of doubt that sometimes fills my mind with the belief that my dream is anchored in quicksand -- that I'm wasting time and energy on flawed, talentless writing that's simply not interesting to anyone but me.

But for now, I have a story to tell. And I think not telling it is the worst scenario of all. I think my sanity would seriously be compromised if I didn't put it on paper. So I'm going to try to do better at putting myself out there and being more confident about it.

Because sometimes you just have to stop thinking about something and be brave.

bringing back a classic

2010-11-02T23:57:00.000-05:00

Have you seen the latest YouTube sensation? You know, the news footage heard 'round the world to the tune of "Hide yo' kids, hide yo' wife?"

Ladies and gentlemen, I'm here to remind you of an old favorite in this "genre," good ole' Bubb Rubb and Lil Sis. To me, it doesn't get any better than them. Inner city journalism at its finest, first seen at the 0:44 mark:

Please don't tell me I'm the only one who's ever witnessed the beauty that is Bubb Rubb and Lil Sis?

2010-10-31T19:19:00.000-05:00

rain, the claw, and my 10,000 best friends

2010-10-27T10:25:00.001-05:00

with JT after my first and last Tulsa Run (2007)

At the request of the lovely OK Chick, here is my weekly running update. The Tulsa Run is just days away, and I feel strong and ready. On Saturday morning, I ran eight miles without walking. In the rain. If you've ever run in the rain, you know how glorious this feels at the right temperature. The light drizzle was like an oasis on the South Riverside running trail, where I was just moments before seriously regretting my decision to wear a long sleeve shirt. To me, there's almost something cathartic and cleansing about running in the rain that makes me smile. And believe it or not, my smile lasted through my Longhorns' abysmal performance.

As I posted before, I'll be flying the Tulsa Run solo as both JT and my parents will be out of town. But when I really think about it, I won't be alone. I'll have an estimated 10,000 of my closest friends with me, all bound by the same blood, sweat, and tears spilled on behalf of the same goal, the same Tulsa pavement, the same pains and thrills, just with different stories.

And that's what I really love about the running community: the total strangers shoving cups of liquid gold in runners' hands, people holding signs and shouting encouraging mantras, bands playing upbeat music, fellow runners not thinking twice when I reach into the depths of my sports bra for the Shot Blox stuffed therein, and the almost electric determination that comes from 10,000 people spiked on exercise endorphins.

(source)

If you've been following the Texas Rangers' cinderella story like my family of lifelong fans, you know that they bust out The Claw (shown above) when someone hits a home run, guns a base stealer out, or exhibits some other feat of incredible strength. In a moment of pride, I definitely gave myself The Claw as I was running on Riverside by the River Spirit Casino, and somehow managed to not take out any bikers in the process.

My goal will definitely not be The Claw's counterpart, The Antlers, which the Rangers designate for speed plays. But to avoid what happened in my last Tulsa Run experience and my first race ever, the 2007 Tulsa Run, my goal is just to finish before the post-run snacks are gone.

dear JT

2010-10-22T15:11:00.001-05:00

dear JT,

Thank you for going to the grocery store with me last night.

For bringing me my favorite ice cream cone.

For date nights.

For listening to me with patience.

For pursuing me and learning more about me.

Thanks for letting me sleep in sometimes.

For taking the dinner bowls in the living room to the sink.

For being supportive of my running.

For hugs and kisses whenever I want them.

For being patient that I haven't cooked very much lately.

For liking my friends. And my food.
For turning off the lamp and taking off my glasses and putting my book up when I fall asleep

For listening to stories. And repeat stories.

For watching my sports teams.

(Even though you hate the Longhorns and baseball. (GO RANGERS!))

Thanks for putting up with me always.

Because I know it's a lot sometimes.

molasses and other running rambles

2010-10-20T14:16:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow marks one month until my half marathon, and Saturday is the Tulsa Run! I ran seven miles on my last long run, which I switched to Thursday since we were out of town this weekend (new post to come on that!), so hopefully that means I am on track to a strong half marathon. I know I need to run more short and moderate runs during the week. Life has been really crazy on Mondays and Tuesdays, when I'm supposed to do a shorter run.

My plan is to run only a six-mile long run this weekend, four during the week, and depending on how I'm feeling, maybe one or two on Friday morning before tackling the big 15K on Saturday. JT will be out of town, so I will be driving myself to the Tulsa Run solo (unless there are any takers out there?) and running it by myself. Don't worry, though; as much as I love the support and encouragement knowing JT is miles and miles ahead of me on the course, I did the Route 66 by myself and the only thing that stresses me out is parking downtown!

Training is definitely taking its toll on my legs. My right hip and sciatic nerve feels pinched right now, the back of my left knee is tight on and off, probably because I haven't been to Pilates in a week, but I am doing my best to take care of myself, stretch and recover well. It might be no secret to you, but I don't really have issues with resting :) But ultimately, running is coming easier to me as long as I fuel properly, and recovering from runs in general is getting a lot quicker and easier!

I'm slow as molasses, I acknowledge. I run slower than most people walk. Average people can run full marathons in the amount of time it will take me to run my half marathon or less. But if that's what it takes, that's what I'm going to do. And hopefully when I get more consistent about healthy choices, it will be even easier to trek along and I can look back on my 2010 time, not to laugh, but to be proud of taking this step forward to a new, more disciplined LB.

Speaking of getting in better shape, I am realizing very quickly that it's really hard to slim down while long distance training. Even though I haven't weighed myself in a very long time, I've noticed that my muscles have changed a little, and on top of that, I'm hungry all. the. time. I've been reading lots of blogs and articles and really want to shift my focus to choosing good, whole foods to fuel my running. That's definitely something I'll have to be more intentional about.

On a positive note, I have figured out a way to calm my stomach and still fuel my activity: Clif Shot Bloks. They taste delicious and give me energy without weighing down my stomach. I've tried and love all of the berry flavors. Do any of you have any other go-to fuel alternatives? I also mix Gatorade with water and like that a lot!

All in all, I'm feeling really upbeat and enjoying running again. As in, I want to do keep this up after my half marathon and do one short run, one medium run, and one long run every week. Having an awesome playlist and a really cool running app on my phone (iPhoners, download Runmeter!) really, really motivates me. The way Runmeter works is, it tracks all of my stats -- though I'm not so concerned with my pace or time or anything at this point; just finishing -- and it even updates my twitter status with my distance and run map. My favorite part about it, however, is that the app speaks Twitter replies to me. So if you see me beginning a run on Twitter (@laurietomlinson), and wish to reply to me, a really cool British robot will give me the message through my headphones and help me tackle a really killer hill or something!

Thank you so much for all of your comments and encouragement! Since running is such a mental thing for me, it helps more than you'll ever know!

boo'd!

2010-10-14T13:41:00.000-05:00

The other day, we came home from work and went out the front door to check the mail. To our surprise, we found an orange plastic pumpkin full of candy and two pieces of paper.

We had been BOO'd.

Booing, we've learned, is a tradition in our neighborhood, and yet another reason we love it so much. Aside from the wide streets, tall trees, and kids playing outside all the time, we have absolutely the best neighbors. They've been so warm and welcoming since we've lived at our current house, and the kids treat Sampson like one of the neighbor kids. They seriously come to our door and ask if Sampson can come out and play, and even wrote his name on the BOO paper. We feel so blessed to have the people around us we do. We had no idea what a wonderful atmosphere it would be.

So when it came to paying it forward, I decided to bake my go-to chocolate cake batter cookies and put Reese's Pieces in the batter. They tasted so delicious with colors perfect for fall! You can do Halloween candy, baked goods, whatever floats your boat, really. I chose two neighbors who don't live on our street who I thought would enjoy it. Their kids like to pet Sampson when they see us walking or running, so I was a little biased!

If you don't know your neighbors well or want to come up with a fun way to get to know them better, I'd encourage you to visit this site with Boo grams or eHow's detailed instructions, assemble some goods, and shower with your neighbors with blessings -- whether there are kids involved or not!

where were you...

2010-10-13T10:11:00.002-05:00

...during the Earthquake of 2010?

I was sitting at my desk, getting things in order for my work day...on the 48th floor of my office building! Yikes! My chair shook and it felt like they were using a jackhammer under my desk. Everyone ran into the hallway, asking each other if we'd felt it. Asking each other if there was going to be another one.

Twitter and Facebook are lighting up with people who felt this 4.5 earthquake in Tulsa, Norman, even Dallas. Even PW felt it!

When I called JT, he said he thought it was just commotion going on in the shop he works near.

"No! It was an earthquake," I insisted. "Everyone felt it!"

"Whoever felt it dealt it," he said. I love that one.

Okay, time to get back to work, business as usual, nothing more to see here -- let's pray. But as one of my coworkers' friend put it, we have tornadoes, ice storms, mosquitoes, and other natural disasters in Oklahoma. Now earthquakes?

Did you feel it where you were?

a special announcement

2010-10-12T10:13:00.000-05:00

My BFF is engaged! I cannot tell you how excited I am for her and her new fiancé. (Or how hard it was to keep his plans a secret from her.)

He let me know that it was about that time a little over a month ago and enlisted me in some super secret ops. LJ made it super easy on me, however. Pretty much right away, she told me she wanted me to take her ring shopping when she was in town and we ended up finding the ring she absolutely loved. We took tons of pictures, you know, "just in case Geoff were to call me sometime," and I took notes on my iPhone of exactly what she wanted.

I cannot tell you how much fun we had spending precious girl time together and how special it was to me that she would ask me to be a part of that! We have been best friends since freshman year in high school (over 11 years??) so we have seen some pretty major life moments together. I have been praying for her future spouse for a long time and I don't think God could have picked someone better for her.

We got along with him from the minute we met him, and I can tell he loves her SO much. He is so good to her, considerate of her, always making her laugh, and they just go so well together and make each other better. And when she talked about him, even before they were dating when she insisted they were just friends in the same grad program, part of me always knew there would be something special about him down the road :)

LJ, I love you, I'm so incredibly happy for you, and I cannot wait to stand next to you on the beach when you become Mrs. R.

the ultimate running playlist

2010-10-11T09:23:00.001-05:00

After I received so many wonderful tune recommendations on this post and facebook, I thought I'd return the favor. Although, just a disclaimer, JT doesn't like running to some of my music! Either way, here are some staples to my workout playlist that help me have the optimum run possible.

And yes, my blog is going to be taken over by running until November 21. So, in the words of Scar from Lion King, be prepared.

Anberlin - "Time and Confusion"

Jimmy Eat World - "Sweetness"

Hanson - "If Only"

Nelly - "Heart of a Champion"

Matchbook Romance - "Promise"

Finch - "Post Script"

P.O.D. - "Boom"

Also worth a mention: "Sweet Disposition" by The Temper Trap, "Beautiful Day" by U2, "Only One" by Yellowcard. Any more recommendations out there in the blogiverse?

did you know?

2010-10-07T17:05:00.001-05:00

bonus: this is what little LB looked like in 1989

Jenna posted some "did you knows" today, which was lots of fun to read. So since I'd love to know more about you, I'll go first. And if you feel so inclined to do a post like this, link in the comments to share the fun with everyone! Here goes...

Did you know?

1) I'm (technically) a published co-author...of a Spanish/English medical dictionary with an original printing of about 15 at my small university press.

2) For years, I played basketball and softball but have never considered myself athletic or competitive, a nightmare for the only daughter of a sports fan with two athletic sons. Coincidentally, my favorite sport I've ever played was indoor soccer, which I discovered in college.

3) I graduated a semester early from college and later found out that if I'd gone that extra semester, I'd have enough classes for three bachelor's degrees (English, Spanish, and Mass Communications/Journalism). For the record, I won't go back and do it because I think having a degree is important, but experience is the most important factor in the professional world.

4) Quaker Oatmeal Squares is our new favorite cereal! We eat it night and day, especially since I've been in a bit of a cooking slump lately.

5) I secretly love Dog the Bounty Hunter and Billy the Exterminator's shows, to my husband's horror, and I've also recently started watching "Friday Night Lights". It reminds me of high school, sadly.

6) I not-so-secretly love Elton John.

7) The first meal I tried to cook for JT after we got married was a spring risotto with peas and herbs and lots of parmesan. I'd never had risotto and had no idea how extensive it was for a beginning cook to make. But I stirred in the broth bit by bit, stirred for what seemed like forever, and got it cooked to my liking. Then I accidentally dumped in a ton of black pepper, tried to syphon it off, and made JT and I tear up when we ate it. Everyone has to start off somewhere, right?

8) One of my proudest moments was walking hand-in-hand across the stage at my college graduation with Betty, the 70-year-old, 80% hearing impaired lady I tutored in Spanish for two years.

9) If I weren't a publicist, I'd want to be a chef, nurse, physical therapist, opera singer, bakery owner, magazine editor, or food writer.

10) My puppy Sampson's middle name is...? I will give you hints:

+ he is named after a sidekick from a historical/epic movie
+ this sidekick is European
+ this sidekick looks horrible in a skirt
+ this sidekick can grow some epic facial hair
+ this name also means "James"

Leave a comment with your best guess and/or a random fact about you, and one of you might find a special surprise...it might involve a little baking I plan to do this weekend. Also, hello to all of the wonderful bloggies I met at the Tulsa Blog Meet-up on Thursday! Welcome to my little corner of the web!

thoughts after week one

2010-10-06T01:06:00.001-05:00

this guy cheered on my friend Candace in the Chicago half.
reeeeeally hoping he’ll be at my race!

I’m going to be completely honest.

Getting on the proverbial horse was hard for me to do. I put off my first official run by a day, changed my training plan, made my training plan more of a training guideline, and once I got on the horse, at the end of the week, I ended up running a glorious six miles.

Running is a roller coaster, I’ve found. And it’s more mental than I ever thought possible. Is it like that for anyone else, or do I just let my deep-seated emotional issues associated with running get the best of me? I am sincerely curious! Hopefully soon I will write out my work-in-progress story with running. Luckily I’m liking this story more with every new chapter.

Initial thoughts on week one:

Whoever invented Clif Shot Blocks is a genius! They are the best fuel for runs that you don’t have time to eat and digest before. And they are especially handy for someone with GI issues like me who can’t stomach food very well before a run.
Most weekday morning runs don’t happen for me unless I have enough race day fear stored up or I know it’s the only/last possible time I can run. Maybe someday I will learn the discipline to run every morning! Funny, my excuse that these new fall mornings are chilly didn’t go over well with JT. My handsome man kindly reminded me that November 21 will be most likely be wintry. Makes me shiver just thinking about it!
Still loving my shoes, but my knee straps are missing and my legs are paying for it. I might just have to cut my losses and buy new ones. Blerg.
After my six-mile run, I started feeling a twinge of the injury that kept me from running for months last year. Basically, the back of my knee is super tight, but I’m trying to be smart about it and not overdo it, so hopefully I’m just being paranoid and it won’t develop into the full-blown annoyance it once was.
I’m learning the importance of choosing good, smart fuel for my runs. I’ve kept a huge cup or Nalgene bottle of water at my desk, filling it multiple times a day. And I’m also trying to limit myself to one serving of dairy a day and foods that are easily digestible and closest to the source as possible. Of course, I did eat Arby’s for lunch today, including a Jamocha shake, so I’m still a work in progress. But every baby step counts, right?
While running six miles, I felt like I could have run more – I won’t say easily, but I could have done it and even wanted to do it, but restrained after interpreting my body language. It told me it wanted me to stop, and for the sake of my cranky knee and achy quads, I’m glad I listened.
I think I am coming down with The Fever. That’s kind of a good thing, considering I’ve signed up and paid for two fairly long distance races in the near future!

Tomorrow morning, I am going to do a quick and easy three-mile route, and then on either Saturday or Sunday, I will do six miles again, and if my body will behave, I plan to jump up to 7 or 7.5 miles in the weeks to come. My 15K (9 mile) race is on October 30th!

My motto for this week is: Work, Play, and Listen.

snapshots of late

2010-10-03T23:48:00.001-05:00

creeeepy album cover that looks like ME!
do you know how creepy it was to see this
staring back at me?

best wine ever: it’s called kickass

letters from a morning run

2010-10-02T11:38:00.000-05:00

letters inspired by my dear Emily at Today's Letters.

her letters have made all the difference in my mornings.

xoxo

Dear Fall, You've probably shaved a minute off of my time since you arrived with friendly breezes and gorgeous sunsets. Thanks for returning the love, LB

Dear Running Shoes, I think I'm starting to develop a little crush on you. Who would have known that going up a size would completely change the way my feet feel when I run? Plus you're just so dern cute! Same place and time tomorrow? LB

Dear Lungs, I'm so incredibly proud of you. Today during our long run, you didn't show the tiniest hints of distress. I'm thinking we need to thank us some cardio pilates for whipping you into shape. Please accept this fresh air as a token of my appreciation, LB

Dear Route, 5.99 miles? Really? I know you might as well be 6 miles, but seriously? Time for an extra lap around the block, LB

Dear Knee Straps, Come out, come out, wherever you are? I haven't seen you in almost two weeks and my knees really, really miss you. Where are you hiding? Not amused, LB

Dear Hanson/Jimmy Eat World/Anberlin/Nelly/Matchbook Romance/Sugar Ray/Nickel Creek/Temper Trap, Thank you for making my runs more bearable. Whether your beats push me up a rough hill or your cathartic lyrics make me feel like I'm flying, I couldn't do it without you. Viva la rundancing, LB

Dear JT, Thanks for being so supportive of my running efforts. I really like when you and Sampy ride up next to me in the car and honk and whistle. It kind of makes me feel like the luckiest girl in the world. Hubba hubba, LB

and so it begins...

2010-09-29T08:34:00.000-05:00

half marathon training.

At 6:16 a.m., I spent 44 minutes getting ready and talking myself into running. Yes, it takes me awhile to decide this, but all I want to do is win the battle more times than not. (Two quick, hilly miles done and done, just FYI!)

While I've been running here and there all summer, working myself up to about six miles, I had a half mary plan mapped out to begin today (actually yesterday #fail), entered into Monique's calendar, and ready to go. But now I'm having second thoughts. The original plan has more days off, but Hal Higdon's plan doesn't focus on what I think is speedwork. I'm not going to be bound to one or the other, I don't think. I like one short, speedy run or intervals a week, one medium (4-6-8 mile run), 1 long run (8-10-12), and 1-2 days of cross and strength training.

Any insights on this from other runners? All I know, is that I'm less motivated to do a run that looks like this on my calendar:

Just a little intimidating! Hal's program focuses more on strength, which I like. So it looks like, the first day of my training, I will be switching programs. Awesome.

Okay, I need your help. As I wrote on fbook, the best thing you can do to support me is pray, send good vibes, leave encouraging comments, etc. But the second best thing you can do is make me a CD or leave a comment with the music that pumps you up. What gets you over the hump when you're working out, cleaning, tackling something huge at work, or want to get pumped up about a big project?

Thanks in advance!

epic birthday, part !!!

2010-09-26T23:22:00.001-05:00

Where we last left off in part !!, I had just enjoyed a few much-needed days to myself, which left me rejuvenated and energized. (Don't feel sorry for JT. He went to Six Flags and the OU game with his best friend!)

The next weekend, I was really excited about a dinner out on the town. Like the weekend before, I thought about it all week, wondering where he was going to take me and what we were going to do. What can I say? I cherish date nights with my husband, especially when there’s food involved and I don’t have to cook!

Friday night finally rolls around and JT says he wants to rest a little before we go out, but he wants me to straighten up the house a little in case Jason were to come over. (Hey -- something’s fishy here!)

Imagine my surprise when he goes outside to get something and I hear a knock at the door. It was Andrea Cherie and Meseidy, armed with sleeping bags, air mattresses, and overnight bags. JT had planned a surprise slumber party for me and a few of my friends, (Amanda and Darla also came) kickin' it middle school style!

First, Meseidy and I rummaged through the pantry and refrigerator, and she put together an amazing pasta with sweet potato sauce. It was fantastic! All of the girls were so impressed by Meseidy's ability to whip up something with the bare bones essentials in my pantry. (Had I known we'd be playing Iron Chef in my kitchen, I might have prepared a little better!) Not to mention all of the plates were licked clean. Well, not literally. (But maybe in my case.)

Speaking of Meseidy, you should hop over to her blog and check out her latest project, The Next Food Blog Star. She was selected for the second round, which I am very proud of, and I know she would appreciate your much-deserved vote on Monday! While you're there, you might as well check out her amazingly creative recipes! You can thank me later :)

After dinner, we dug into this cake JT bought from Merritt's, this amazing bakery in town. This is my absolute favorite kind of cake and the frosting was divine.

We each saved room for a slice and then headed to Starbucks, where I tasted my very first pumpkin spice latte. I now understand the rave about them! Absolutely delicious!

While we had lots of chick flicks and activities planned out, we chose to exercise our gift of gab instead. Our old bones stayed up until 2 a.m. talking about everything under the sun. It's so great to have such awesome girl friends and to get to spend time with them!

JT, seriously? How creative can you be? Thank you for pursuing me very creatively this birthday and in life! It was honestly the best birthday yet. Here’s to 94 more!

farmers market beauties

2010-09-25T10:11:00.002-05:00

Only one week left for the Cherry Street Farmers Market!

epic birthday 25, part !!

2010-09-23T21:27:00.001-05:00

This is part !! of my epic birthday recap. Just in case you missed part 1, you know, if you weren’t used to me posting, click here to check it out.

So the Friday after my birthday Tuesday, I was fully expecting JT to plan a fun birthday date for me. Usually this involves some kind of progressive dinner, coffee, dessert event where we basically hit up all of our favorite places to celebrate the best way we know how.

All afternoon, I imagined where he would take me. Was he thinking sushi, which we normally save for special occasions? Or somewhere off the map completely? If there’s one thing I know about my husband, it’s that he’s unpredictable (most of the time).

But I never could have expected what I found when I got home.

On the bed was a card surrounded by flowers, a bottle of my favorite red wine, some bubble bath, my bathrobe, and a card. Inside the card, JT expressed that my special date night was with myself (well, and Sampson). If you know me, you know this is a very special gift for me. The card also came with a list of instructions for me.

First, I was to go for a run. I was so excited! It was a really beautiful day and the sun was starting to set, my favorite time to begin.

so I stretched…

and headed out on my absolute favorite trail

for a glorious SIX-MILE sunset run
it was so good for my soul!

Next, I set out to run my “errands”
first, I was sent to find a book and buy it.
along with some good chocolate.
I stopped in to Bed, Bath, & Beyond to get a few things we needed.
(and some surprises for me and Sampson!)

then I drew up a nice warm bath
for legs fresh from a wonderful run.

and I just enjoyed my dark chocolate, wine, and book for awhile.
not gonna lie, it was nice!

after my bath, I worked on my manuscript until I fell asleep!
when I woke up, I went on a date with
my little Sampson

to pick up a bouquet of basil at the farmer’s market!

then I came home and watched week one of college football:
the week I’ve been waiting for for MONTHS.

I had a delicious rare Sonic treat, my diet cherry limeade,
to tide me over while I watched my Longhorns win!

Have I mentioned how perfect this weekend was?
What about how much I love my little family?

stay tuned for part !!!
yes, there’s more.

the epic birthday 25

2010-09-23T07:44:00.000-05:00

Hello, bloggies! Long time no see! You will be so proud of me. I have been neglecting my little blog for very good reasons you will find out soon. I have been using my creative computer time very wisely, making lots of my 25 for 25 happen. There are lots of wheels turning in my mind, new projects getting some lovin', including my Christian chick lit storyline I've been dying to develop to completion. Well you will be proud to know that with the inspiration of my writer friend and coworker, Amanda, there is a notebook in my purse that has probably 95% of my manuscript outlined in extreme detail with little post-it notes (transportable because I know how often my mind changes as a story progresses). So that and a few other things are what I've been up to!

But I just had to make time this morning to tell you about a birthday so epic that it's gonna need two posts. That's right, two posts! I will squeeze two of the events into this one to let you know just how awesome the people in my life are.

Let's start with my actual birthday:

I arrived at work to find my office in this condition.

To this day, almost a month later (gulp), there are still a few floating around that my ornery boss has not popped. They have been so much fun to kick around. I think they help me concentrate, really.

Then the very same Amanda from before walked in with this gorgeous torte she'd made.

From scratch.

Rich, butter cake with raspberry jam and cream cheese frosting: it was divine. She promises to get me the recipe, which I will share, so don't dismay! It was a thoughtful (and dangerous) gesture that made me smile every time I saw it on my desk. And every time I took a delicious swipe of frosting, which I was given permission to do because it was my birthday!

That Friday, my boss took my coworkers and I to this awesome new place on the river called The Grille. We sat outside and the weather was so beautiful it was almost like we were on vacation.

Even though we could see our office from where we sat,

it felt like vacation.

(See the office in the horizon?)

Then I got smoked at Shuffleboard.

Apparently my recreational sporting skills have gone out the window! (Along with my iPhone's ability to capture images in very poor lighting.)

So I changed my mind. This birthday will just have to be described in three posts! Keep on the lookout for part two, which will be posted very shortly!

dear bloggies,

2010-09-02T23:54:00.001-05:00

Sampson here. My human is asleep, so I’ve hijacked her blog to tell you a little about myself. Life here has been interesting this week. The girl human has been cooking a lot, and the man human made me wear a funny sign on Tuesday.

He likes to do funny things like that for her for some reason. All I care about is that I got lots of scratches behind my ear, and lots of biscuits for being a good boy.

I just turned five months old, and I’m getting pretty big. Of course, I’ve always thought I was as big as the other dogs, but now I’m growing into my big paws and not so clumsy anymore. My humans enjoy throwing the ball just so I can slide across the hardwoods, though.

My favorite tricks are sit, shake, lay down, off, leave it, gentle, and stay. My favorite toy is my foxy and I can find him around the house when my humans ask me where he is.

The girl human says she loves this picture because it focuses on the place she likes to kiss, the top of my head.

My favorite things to do are pet Mr. Turtle, go bye-bye, play with other dogs, lick peanut butter straight from the spoon, chew on my rawhides, and be around people. I am still working on jumping on people. Sometimes I just get so excited and forget.

Looking at that picture makes me awfully sleepy. I have no news to report. I just eat and sleep and play all day. Hopefully this rainy spell will be over soon because staying in my kennel is so not my favorite thing to do while the humans are at work.

Oh, one more thing.

The humans keep mentioning my name and September 29 in the same sentence. They say things like I get to go see my friends at the vet and I have no idea what’s about to happen to me. I guess I’ll find out what they’re talking about on September 29!

Will you be my friend?

Sampson T.

farmers market pasta

2010-09-01T22:22:00.001-05:00

Fresh, easy, healthy, and versatile, I knew this dish would be perfect for a weeknight. Little did I know, this would become one of our favorite meals ever. You can use whatever pasta you have on hand and whatever veggies look fresh, on sale, or just pretty. I have used all of those qualifiers to select produce before.

In fact, when I was at the Farmers Market, I actually planned to use squash and zucchini in this recipe. I wanted to thinly slice half of each and then grate the rest to make the sauce really thick. I promise up and down that I bought some at the same stand where I bought the potatoes and onions. But as you can see in my recap, it's not in my picture. And it certainly wasn't in the refrigerator when I was frantically looking for it tonight.

Anyway, the magic components to this dish are garlic and cheese. A little minced garlic (or a lot if you're cooking for JT) and a sprinkle of cheese transform the vegetables into a party for your palate. Here's the recipe.

Ingredients

Pasta (whatever you have on hand; I used bowtie)
EVOO, salt, and pepper
1 onion, diced
1-2 garlic cloves, minced
2-3 cups of cherry tomatoes, halved
1-2 handfuls of spinach
1 wedge of Laughing Cow cheese
1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese
basil for garnish (hopefully not purchased at the grocery store like me :( )

Directions

Bring a pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.

Meanwhile, heat a large skillet to medium-high and saute onion with a sprinkle of salt and pepper until onions are glossy and starting to get yellow. Add minced garlic and cook until fragrant. Make sure your cherry tomatoes are about the same size (half the bigger ones) and add to the pan, but stand back. If it's too hot, you could get tomato guts all over you!

When the tomatoes are heated through, carefully smush them with the back of your wooden spoon so a little juice comes out. Add your spinach in handfuls, depending on how much you want, and start stirring. Remember that it will wilt down in the tomato juices a lot!

Your pasta should be cooked by now. Drain all of it except for a tiny bit of water. While it's still hot, add the Laughing Cow cheese wedge and about 1/8 cup of Parmesan. It helps to crumble the Laughing Cow into a few pieces first. Stir like crazy so the cheese will melt, adding a little pasta water or olive oil to help things along if you need to. I added quite a bit of freshly cracked black pepper at this stage, because that's how I roll!

Toss pasta with your delicious veggie mixture and serve with a little chopped basil and some extra Parmesan sprinkled on top.

*Helpful tip: Remember to add a little salt and pepper to taste with each layer (with onions, spinach, tomatoes, etc.). If you taste it as you go and add seasoning as needed, it will taste so much better than if you decide there's not enough at the end.

a trip to the farmers market

2010-09-01T21:35:00.001-05:00

On Saturdays after Pilates, I like to run errands in midtown since I'm already down there. Usually, this involves making any excuse I can to go to Whole Foods. But I've limited myself to going there about once or twice a month for the sake of my pocketbook. Wannabe foodies just can't be trusted in that place. Everything is so beautiful, fresh, and delicious-looking. And samples? I'm not gonna lie. I've gotten full on those samples before I could even cook dinner. Going there hungry is inexcusable, unless you plan on eating at the hot bar, of course.

Okay, geez. Obsessed much?

The only thing better than Whole Foods, I discovered on Saturday morning, is buying local. Our old house was across from a farmer's market. Summer mornings, we'd wake up, go buy some basil and scallions, and then pick up some truffles from the French chocolate shop on the idyllic little Main Street strip. Though I will never forget our Saturday morning tradition at our old house, this week I discovered the jackpot: The Cherry Street Farmers Market.

When I arrive, the entire street was blocked off. There were tons of booths and it was very hard to decide what to get. I'd gone to the ATM (since I am wayyy too practical to ever carry cash) and given myself a $20 budget. Trust me, it's for the better that I gave myself a limit. The first thing I saw was a huge bunch of basil for $2. I likened it to a bouquet because it was that beautiful, and I pay more than that for the tiny carton of basil at the store. But I couldn't just buy the first thing I saw. I was going to play it smart!

Twenty minutes later, I had this beautiful bounty: cremini mushrooms, succulent grapes, a rainbow of heirloom tomatoes, fat onions, and perfect red potatoes. I also bought this local garlic-flavored cheese made from nonfat yogurt. Missing anything? Yes, I ended up spending the last of my money on the grapes. After tasting one, I was sold.

As I was wandering the "aisles", completely zoned out in a sort of overstimulated reverie, I came up with an idea. Why not make a challenge out of this? Make several meals that showcase my farmers market bounty, sort of a test to see if I could handle a CSA. So I have lots of tricks up my sleeve for the next few days, starting with my Farmers Market Pasta.

I leave you with some close-ups of my pretties.

with everything, part 2

2010-08-30T09:46:00.000-05:00

There comes a time in every girl's life -- or five -- when she simply needs a new beginning, a fresh start, or some semblance of a blank page. With my twenty-fifth birthday on the horizon, I'm full of wonder what my new page is going to look like. I guess you could call it a quarter-life crisis long coming, though I could contend that I've been through a few already. I do seem to go through things early: puberty, marriage, graduation from college, ascent in the corporate world. Maybe it's a first-born thing.

And if you've been following this blog for any time at all, you can't tell me you didn't see it coming with all of my self-help projects I've planned for myself that didn't last more than a few weeks.

My theme for year 24 was "With Everything," based on my absolute favorite song, and I'm still trying to figure out what that looks like. So let me explain. I know that the utmost desire of my heart is to invite the Lord into all that I am, in all that I do, no matter how many times my selfishness causes me to fall asleep praying, choose self-indulgence over service, or lose control of my tongue. Because that happens a lot.

Second on the priority list, I want to be more intentional with how I spend my time. Even if it involves spending a little more quality time with my planner. But never fear; this will include marking huge blocks of hours off for fun things like sleeping in, picnics, reading, writing, baking, napping. I'd better learn to fit these things in or there's no way they'll ever happen when I become a mother. Basically I'm tired of saying "I don't have time" for the picnics, books, and baking because what I'm really saying is "I don't make time!" This has to change.

Enter the search for meaning. (From Stage Left, crossing to Center Stage.) The search is universal because everyone goes through this beautiful train wreck at one point in time or another. Some may even say that that search motivates every action and decision in life for many. I'm glad I know in Whom my meaning lies, but that doesn't mean I don't want each individual moment in my life to be more meaningful. I want to do more serving/doing/creating/experiencing instead of coping/passing by/recovering/automating.

Henceforth, my "quarterlife crisis" shall be known as "The Quarter Life Awakening." And here is my working list for "25 for 25" -- things I want to accomplish this year.

1) Wear more dresses

2) Try being vegan for a month

3) Go gluten-free for a month

4) Run a half marathon (scheduled for 11/21/10)

5) Get professional pictures done with JT

6) Write something. Everyday.

7) Take time to listen to God and be intuitive about what He's saying to me

8) Take the GRE

9) Learn how to play the piano

10) Finish at least the first draft of my novel

11) See a Texas Rangers game at the Ballpark

12) Cook at home more and blog more recipes!

13) Plant an herb garden

14) Decorate my house (walls still blank; entire rooms still unfurnished)

15) Plan my meals every single week!

16) Find the perfect pair of boots and rock them this fall and winter and spring

17) Host a shrimp boil

18) Become a coupon clipper

19) Send thank you notes

20) Stay on top of messages (emails, letters, etc.) better

21) Go social media free for a week each month

22) Show and live love more creatively (esp to JT!)

23) Be more sensitive and responsive to others' needs

24) To be written

25) To be written

dear future LB,

2010-08-21T10:38:00.000-05:00

make this winner for your next dinner guests

you'll thank me later.

love, ghost of LB present

ps:

winner

chicken

dinner

not your typical weeknight dinner

2010-08-19T11:44:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday night, JT let me pick up takeout for dinner. I'd been craving cheap Chinese (I have to clarify because we also love Asian vegetarian food -- which is not so cheap) since Saturday and needed my rare MSG fix.

So last night I knew I had to make up for it. I had pork chops, pears, and blue cheese ready for a recipe I'd found from Whole Foods. I love getting their recipes straight to my inbox. They have so many delicious ideas to use fresh food! You should really sign up for their emails if you haven't already.

My only problem? My pears were not so fresh any more. They were a little overripe, to put it gracefully. But for once, I wasn't panicked. I thought of a good Thanksgiving-like flavor profile and it ended up working out really well with the pork chops. Then I used my excess blue cheese to create a very alliterative salad. Even more ambitious still, I thinly sliced some sweet potatoes into chips and roasted those up.

We didn't eat until 8:30 after late workouts, but it was delicious and we have lunch all set for a few days. Here are the recipes for my ambitious weeknight creations.

Pork Chops with Cranberry Apple Salsa
adapted from Whole Foods' Grilled Pork Chops recipe

(serves four, or two for dinner and a few lonchies)

Ingredients

1/4 cup dijon mustard
EVOO
salt+pepper
4 pork chops
1 apple, cored and diced
1/2 onion, diced
2 celery stalks, diced
1 handful dried cranberries, chopped
1/2 cup chicken stock

Directions:

Place pork chops, 3 T of dijon mustard, and 2 cups of water in a gallon Ziplock. Mix well and place in refrigerator for 2-4 hours. (I did an hour and a half) When it's time for dinner, preheat your grill or grill pan to medium high and coat a second sauté pan with EVOO or butter and add apple, onion, celery, and cranberries with black pepper. Cook until onions are translucent and ingredients are beginning to soften. Pour about 1/2 cup of chicken stock over ingredients, add salt and pepper to taste, and bring to a simmer, checking frequently and stirring when needed occasionally. Let the juices cook down and infuse in the ingredients, about fifteen minutes or so, or until fruit and vegetables are softened.

Meanwhile, drain the pork chop marinade from the bag thoroughly and combine 1 T of dijon mustard with about 2 T of EVOO in a small bowl. Brush mixture on one side of pork chops and place that side down on the hot grill pan. Brush the other side while first side is cooking. Watch for golden brown grill marks and then flip and cook until it's done.

Serve topped with the cranberry apple salsa and enjoy!

B Salad
Baby spinach with blueberries, blue cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette

Ingredients

3-4 cups baby spinach leaves
1 cup blueberries
1 handful blue cheese crumbles
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup EVOO
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

In a small bowl, combine balsamic vinegar, dijon mustard, honey, and black pepper. Using a fork, whisk in EVOO until vinaigrette has emulsified. In a salad bowl, combine spinach, blueberries, and blue cheese. Toss with half of the dressing, adding more if needed so the salad doesn't become too soggy. Top with additional blue cheese, if desired.

welcome to the family

2010-08-18T08:20:00.002-05:00

On Saturday, I welcomed new running shoes into the family. I get new running shoes less often than most runners do, but I felt like my Asics had run their course. (ha.) The process of finding new shoes began sometime in May. With all the expenses of moving in May, JT said I could get new shoes in June, and the searching ensued. Finally, it was time to bite the bullet.

It was out with the old, and in with the...NEW?

"Is there even any difference?" some have asked me.

If you are a runner, you know there is. My new Asics Kayanos are perfect for me. After eight pairs I tried on, I really thought I was going to go with some Mizunos, but as much as I tried to be unbiased from my Asics snob ways, my Asics won me over. Again.

Maybe it was their pillowy softness, their stability for my pronating arches, or maybe it was their sleek design that won me over. But I cannot wait to lace up these puppies and blaze a new trail with them!

Interesting fact: when I got home and put my old shoes in the new shoebox -- aka the green pastures of retirement for running shoes -- I noticed the box said size 10. Oh, they must have made a mistake at the store and given me the wrong box, I figured. But the tongue doesn't lie. Maybe that's why my size 9 Asics were giving me conniption fits and exploding toenails toward the end of their life.

New Running Shoes, Tonight is our maiden voyage, and I have a feeling this is the beginning of a beautiful partnership. I know a lot of mornings I will fight you, but you have to be strong and get me through this half mary. We can do it together!

weekend highlights

2010-08-17T17:18:00.001-05:00

New Shoes!!

(entire dedication post to come!)

a three-hour nap

(cutest picture EVER!)

baking

realizing my love for black movies :)

date night

the o'bb muffs

2010-08-15T22:39:00.001-05:00

Some people call it fate, some call it a God moment, but whatever it was that brought me to Our Marriage Project, I'm glad for the ~~blogstalking~~ refresher this weekend. They are a newlywed couple who surprised their family and friends by getting married at their "engagement party" (they'd been engaged and secretly planning for months). Now they are documenting their first year of marriage, Julie and Julia-style.

With this lovely couple's permission, I'm going to share with you a recipe I found on their site for which I just happened to have all of the ingredients on hand, a hankering to bake, PLUS an excess of blueberries I needed to use as soon as possible or else feed them to the bitter jowls of my garbage disposal.

Here is the cute, cute recipe card she made:

...and here is my finished product:

So delicious! Even though I broke the cardinal rule of baking and added my dry ingredients to the same pan as my creamed wet ingredients because I was too lazy to dirty a bowl. (The horrors!)

Enjoy this tasty treat and delicious new link love!

an update on running

2010-08-11T14:12:00.000-05:00

A few months ago I talked about how I signed up for the Route 66 Quarter and Half Marathon in Tulsa. While it sounds crazy and really daunting to me, I believed I could train reasonably and see what my body could do.

Then my dad invited us on a two-week vacation that scheduled us to arrive home the night before the Quarter Marathon. Ugh, a little, but doable.

So I created a little schedule for my training. I could already run 2-3 miles easily, so this was cake, right? My body would prove me wrong. Around mid-June, I got sick with my ulcerative colitis stuff. While it was manageable throughout the day, running literally made me sick. Plus, I got put on prednisone, which makes me really hungry and retain water. It was not fun and really frustrating.

Early July, I finally started feeling better, but I got an ingrown toenail infection -- we think caused by my running shoes since the are the only closed-toe shoes I wear in the summer. I've had ingrown toenails in the past, but never like this. It was so infected I could feel pain all the way in the base of my toe. And it was explosively disgusting.

Still, I was determined to run the race, no matter how out of shape I was. I'd already paid the money, and it was something I really wanted to do, so I figured I'd just walk/jog it. But a few days before the race, I got an email and found out there was also a 5K that day, so I bit the bullet and decided to switch from the Quarter Marathon to 5K, roughly half the distance.

Extremely disappointed, I drove downtown to the running store to switch races, feeling like my tail was between my legs. Even though I knew it was something I had to do, I felt ashamed. To make things worse, when I told the official I wanted to switch races, they immediately assumed I wanted to switch to the higher distance, and I had to lay down my pride even more and announce to everyone I could only do the 5K.

On race day this past Saturday, I was a tiny bit nervous. Not because I was afraid of what others might think about me, but because my stomach issues had created a HUGE mental hurdle for me. I knew my time would be less than stellar, so at 6:16 a.m., I told JT and Sampson to stay home, snoozing away through the 7:30 start time. (They WILL be at my half marathon, though; that's the big deal to me!)

I drove downtown and found a parking spot, another thing I was nervous about. I found one person I knew, who I was not expecting to see at all. She's a friend of my mom's who had joined a Couch to 5K class at the running store. It was so encouraging to me to find someone I knew and to see the group in the blue shirts who were running their first races!

The race started and I just told myself to keep my pace slow. In other races, I've started toward the beginning thinking if I started out quickly, I could slow down and still keep a good time.

Not so much.

But this time, I enjoyed my music, concentrated on breathing, paid attention to signals from my body and actually enjoyed it a lot. In fact, I ran the entire time despite maybe only running a handful of times in the last two months. I was slow, but I was consistent. And I actually had fun!

With this being my third race (I've run a 15K and another 5K in the past), it was the first one that was truly fun for me. As I ran, I took little mental snapshots of what was going on around me. Feet pounding to the rhythm of my iPod. Smiling faces cheering and giving out water and Gatorade. Tired and determined soldiers trudging through the same battle around me. Inspirational music for monster hills (The race staff was playing "Chariots of Fire" when I reached mine). Crossing the finish line both with my feet and with my mind.

The finish line is a victory, I'm realizing, regardless of a runner's shape, size, or completion time. But I have to admit I was most proud of the group in the blue shirts who gathered the courage, strength, and gumption to set their minds to something and do it.

I'm excited to get back into running, to buy a brand new pair of running shoes tonight (!!!), and especially to see the finish line of the Half Marathon in November.

music monday

2010-08-09T11:00:00.002-05:00

If you want to know what kind of mood I'm in, just rip my earphones out of my ear and see what's playing on my iPod at that given time. At any given moment, I could be listening to anything from rap to bluegrass to goth rock. I have it all, and I'm proud of it!

Music is very important to me. I am a singer. I am the girl who goes to a movie a second time to watch it with my eyes closed if I really like the score. And I am the girl who cried all through Les Miserables on Broadway because the music was so moving.

I don't know what made me think of one of my favorite bands from college, but while on vacation, I had a huge hankering for Sigur Ros, particularly my favorite song, "Staralfur." While trying to explain what I loved about it to JT, I realized that I designate it as a particular music category, what I like to call hauntingly beautiful.

(This is not the same thing as a genre, as you'll discover later.)

Hauntingly beautiful is not the same thing as the overly emotional ballad (a la Boyz II Men, Bon Jovi, or the mid-90s boy band sensations) but they are similar to me because they both evoke emotion. Cheesy or not, I'll admit I like certain songs in both categories, and others I do not like. Basically, my favorite music is the kind that communicates a message so convincingly that it not only relays the emotion, but transfers it, if that makes sense.

Curious about this new musical taste identification I'd given myself, I decided to compile a list of my favorite hauntingly beautiful songs -- only to discover I had almost 30 just off the top of my head. Here they are!

Judy Garland - "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas"
Sigur Ros - "Staralfur"
David Crowder - "How He Loves Us"
Westside Story - "Somewhere"
Eva Cassidy - "Over the Rainbow"
Bon Iver - "Blindsided"
Les Miserables - "On My Own" (Lea Salonga)
Sara Bareilles - "Gravity"
Explosions in the Sky - "Your Hand in Mine"
Andrea Bocelli - "The Lord's Prayer"
Bryan Adams - "Have You Ever Really Loved a Woman?"
Nicholas Hooper - "Possession" (Harry Potter & the Order of the Phoenix)
Iron & Wine - "Flightless Bird, American Mouth"
Chanticleer - "Ave Maria"
Cat Power - "How Can I Tell You?"
Cincinnati Pops Orchestra - "What a Feeling" (From Flashdance)
Enter the Worship Circle - "You Are Mine"
Craig Armstrong - "Glasgow Love Theme"
No Doubt - "Dark Blue"
Nickel Creek - "When You Come Back Down"
Sade - "By Your Side"
John Rutter - "A Gaelic Blessing"
John Williams - "The Force Theme" (Star Wars trilogy)
Josh Groban - "Un Giorno Per Noi" (Intro)
Mazzy Star - "Fade into You"
Enya - "Aniron" (Fellowship of the Ring)
Norah Jones - "The Nearness of You"
The Notebook - "Our Love Can Do Miracles"
Michael Lynche/Maxwell -"This Woman's Work"

As you can see, this is a big variety of songs, most of which you probably haven't heard of. Some of these songs are instrumental; some have words. Some have a happy message; others have a sadder tone. Some are classical; others are contemporary.

But all of these songs are perfect when I need to listen to something that makes me feel. Are there any songs that do this for you?

giada's short rib pasta

2010-08-05T13:00:00.010-05:00

What do you do for friends who have already done so much for you and meant so much to you in the short time you've know each other? Why, cook them a great meal, of course! (Food is definitely my love language.)

To back things up, I have been ~~stalking~~ reading Meseidy's food blog, The Noshery, for awhile. So when she announced that her dogs were having puppies, I asked about them, and I think you know the rest about our love story with Sampson. But what you don't know, is that the second we stepped into their house to meet the puppies, we connected with this dynamic couple. (The second we were out the door, JT and I both commented how we thought we'd like them based on the books in their house.)

When we asked to meet the yellow puppy a second time, she asked us to stay for dinner and made us perhaps the best dish we'd ever eaten. These great friends even helped us move a few days later, so to say thank you, we invited them over for dinner.

Having made Giada's short rib pasta multiple times, I decided this hearty dish would be perfect for a food blogger and her carnivorous husband. And I also decided I'd put myself in Meseidy's shoes and play food blogger myself for a minute. So here's How to Say Thank You, Undomestic Style.

channel The Pioneer Woman and assemble ingredients

the BEST

prep veggies

create delicious veggie puree

dredge short ribs in flour/salt/pepper mixture while pancetta is cooking

slightly burn pancetta and "neglect" to take a picture

return pancetta, ribs, puree to pot and add aromatic ingredients

spend 20 minutes trying to open wine bottle

Google "How to Open a (mutilated) Wine Bottle"

Get it!!!

Clean house while pot braises

Console sad, neglected puppy

Friends arrive while hair is still wet, (bagged) salad is unmade, and short ribs are not shredded

Swallow pride and allow friend to assemble bruschetta

EAT! (thirty minutes after they arrive)

Meseidy's amazing dessert

In typical Undomestic style, my dinners are generally "semi-homemade." I am not afraid to serve a bagged salad with a little embellishment. My absolute favorite is Dole's Perfect Harvest salad kit with a little goat cheese crumbled on top. So delicious!

The moral of the story is, love and friendship matter more than details.

Or a perfectly clean house.

Dear JT,

2010-08-03T23:23:00.000-05:00

Can I take this moment to tell you how thoughtful you are?

For example, the other day when I woke up from my nap, I said I was hungry for a snack. You not only brought me a wholesome snack, but it had a message for me.

Now that's what I call service with a smile!

You also do thoughtful things like go to the grocery store when I need something last minute and stock up on things I like without having to ask, like natural peanut butter, pickles, and the cranberry juice you thought would make me feel better :)

Thank you for pursuing me in creative ways. I hope I can love you better everyday!

Love, Your Co-pilot

cake batter cookies

2010-08-03T22:53:00.000-05:00

This recipe will change your life.

Need an impressive dessert to take to a party with only minutes to spare? Bake these up while you're getting ready. Unexpected guests? Here is the easiest ticket to hostess with the mostess land.

Since discovering this recipe, I have made it for my office, our neighbors who rescued Sampson, my Bible study, barbecues. Andrea Cherie's husband Jason came over while I was baking a huge batch, and let's just say it's a good thing it's hard to spoil his supper or else I would have been in trouble :)

They are far from healthy, but I'll go out on a limb and say they are the perfect hybrid of cake, cookie, and brownie. Here it is!

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite cake mix (I use dark chocolate fudge)
2 eggs
1/4 cup vegetable oil (I use Smart Balance oil)
1 cup (or more) of your favorite mix-ins (nuts, M&Ms, choc chips, etc)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix first three ingredients until combined. Fold in mix-ins. Spoon onto greased cookie sheet and bake for eight minutes. Voila! You can get about 20 cookies out of this, depending on how big you make them.

Flavor ideas: Our favorite is dark chocolate cake mix with dark chocolate chips (very rich, just like we like it!), chocolate cake with white chocolate chips, red velvet with white chocolate chips, M&Ms, pecans, chopped heath bar, chopped Andes mints. The possibilities are endless!

life update

2010-07-31T11:09:00.000-05:00

If you guessed Number One on my two truths and a lie, you are correct! Though I've heard my mom's guacamole is boss, I can't stand it. I'm still trying to warm up to avocado because it's so good for you. My husband can't believe I'm half Mexican but don't like guac. Number two, I love Hyatt Place. The rooms are nice, the decorations are swank, and you can find one pretty much anywhere. Number three is also true. While lying next to the pool on my honeymoon, I tried to decline my chair a little more and lost my balance, pinching the first three fingers of my left hand in the chair with all of my weight on it. Luckily, the chair was wooden. I did NOT want to go to the hospital in a foreign country, so I opted not to get stitches and just rocked the scar.

For my life update, I really wish I knew anything about making videos, because I'd love to do a Glee-style update a la "Here's what you missed on GLEE!" But since I know NOTHING about editing videos, I am going to give you the condensed version. Let's start with my anniversary card, which I finally uploaded from my camera since April 19. Wow.

I drove up to our (old) house to find this sweet note on the driveway. It said, "Happy 2 - I love my wife!" As you will see below, we love nontraditional cards in our family. So spontaneous and fun.

In fact, for JT's birthday in June, I left his birthday card all over the house: 34 reasons I love him for his 34th birthday.

And the first US game of the World Cup was the day after, so I made his favorite sour cream chicken enchiladas, ordered some rice and tamales, and had some of his soccer friends over to watch the game.

For dessert, I made the amazing chocolate cherry cake, but since it was a bundt cake, the cake pan swallowed it. So I decided to make it a Chocolate Cherry Mountain, using my new favorite go-to dessert, cake mix cookies. I set out extra cherry cream cheese frosting for the cookies.

Obviously there's more that has gone on this summer: moving, my brother's graduation, LOTS of Sampson, a long weekend trip to El Paso where we saw JT's best friend and his family of soon-to-be SEVEN!

Right now, I'm enjoying vacation in Colorado (and taking LOTS of pictures) and am officially back from my little unintentional blogging hiatus!

Two truths and a lie.

2010-07-19T22:49:00.002-05:00

This picture has absolutely nothing to do with this post

Which is which?

*My Mexican mama's guacamole is like a fiesta in my mouth.

*My favorite hotel in the world is Hyatt Place.

*I almost cut off my fingers on my honeymoon.

Good luck, and next week when I'm on vacation I'll try to catch up this blog all the way back to June. Geez!

ww: glimpses of the 4th

2010-07-07T17:01:00.000-05:00

top ten cities I want to visit (and why)

2010-06-23T23:12:00.000-05:00

I have been reading this super cute blog, Cakes, Tea and Dreams, and I think I am going to steal the idea of a list a week from her, which she says she stole from somewhere else. She's been doing a list a week all of 2010, I believe, but we'll just have to start a little late here at The Marriage of an Undomestic.

For my debut list, I choose...

Top Ten Cities I Want to Visit (and why)

*means I've visited this place and loved it so much I want to go back!

(source)

Seattle, Washington

flying fish at pikes place market, great coffee, space needle, rain, beauty

(source)

Belfast, Ireland

green everywhere, authentic pubs, cobblestone streets, dramatic ocean cliffs

(source)

Portland, Oregon*

powell's bookstore, hood river, oneonta gorge, rheinlander and the neighborhood its in, good people

(source)

Charleston, South Carolina

plantations, Paula Deen, tybee island

(source)

Boston, MA

the green monster, the harbor, boston cream pie

(

(source)

Monteverde, Costa Rica*

cloud forest, canyoneering, great village, pizzeria de johnny (best pizza ever)

(

(source)

Indianapolis, Indiana*

awesome metropolis

(source)

San Diego, California

great climate, running on the beach, the zoo

(source)

Austin, Texas*

great urban culture, lake travis, longhorn football

(source)

Greenville, South Carolina

falls park on the reedy

When I visit a city, I want to get all of the "sight-seeing" done in the first day. For the majority of the vacation, and my favorite part, I love to do the city like the residents do. Eat at the hole-in-the-wall places, run on the beach, read in the parks, explore the roads less traveled.

Can you tell vacation is on my mind?

Which cities do you want to visit?

sunday afternoon

2010-06-13T17:15:00.000-05:00

sunday afternoon sun peeking through mostly closed blinds

ceiling fans purr white noise --

the only sound in the house

church clothes kicked off in corners

stomachs full of bread and cheese and meat;

hearts full of laughter around the table

unfolded laundry waiting in the dryer;

unfinished chores can wait

tangled arms and sprawled legs and

winding lines stretched out like a very long river

this is the glory of sunday afternoon,

and what we like to call the

Nazarene Nap

find an unmade bed,

a made-for-tv movie and a cushy couch,

or a stretch of carpet and relax.

you've earned it.

bootcamp baby steps

2010-06-07T20:07:00.001-05:00

Hello wonderful bloggies! So it turns out, when you take a day off for Memorial Day, it takes a week to catch up with things.

Since we last spoke, I started Bootcamp Tulsa. I have heard GREAT things about this program from lots of girls and now I know it's all true. My purchase came from Groupon, so it's only two weeks, but I just needed a jump-start booty kicking for my running training.

Unfortunately, after my first session on Thursday, I pretty much hated my life. This workout style is the antithesis of what motivates me. As I was telling my BFF, my entire childhood and growing up, I got very used to being the slowest, coming in last, and having to work twice as hard as everyone.

And I think it really became a mindset. Something I counted on.

When you factor in larger class sizes than I'm used to, timed drills, feeling like everyone who's already finished is watching me, not having as much rest time as the people who finish first -- not to mention 90-degree heat straight after a long day at work -- those have been my least favorite, least motivating factors. In the past, I have preferred more one-on-one interaction, everyone going at the same pace, etc. **

** Totally nothing against Bootcamp! Like my BFF, a lot of people are actually motivated by those factors, and lots of great success stories have been written through that program. I am all for the things they do and getting people accountable and moving. I think I will like it even better when I get to know these encouraging people better, too! **

So after my first session, I really, really wanted to never look back. If you really want to know how bad it was, let me give you a picture: after just the warm up with lots of up-downs, I felt like throwing up and a sweet older lady came to the side with me and poured cold water down my neck.

Yeah. It was like that.

~~Luckily,~~ I was sick and missed on Saturday, and today after a long day at work, it took a mini-pep-talk from my wonderful JT to get me to go. And as I was doing my umpteeth hill sprint, I came to a realization: if I'm ever going to break my preconceived, slow kid mentality, I have to finish this Bootcamp. I did enjoy class much better today after my pep talk from JT and my little attitude check. It kicked my booty, but in a wonderful way.

I have never minded being slower (BTW, I really liked that they grouped us into "Fast, Faster, and Fastest" and never used the word "Slow") than others. But I am perfectly aware that my mindset isn't healthy, and that mindset won't get me through a half marathon in December.

So here goes Baby Steps toward a positive, healthy mindset. A mindset that doesn't freeze or over-analyze when other runners are around. A mindset that celebrates every inch of pavement crossed, every every drop of sweat that falls, and every major or minor finish line crossed.

A mindset that focuses on the beauty and strength of what God created a body to do.

letters

2010-06-02T09:01:00.001-05:00

Dear This Picture, The Pioneer Woman posted you on Twitter as one of her photo competition favorites, and I think you may be one of my favorites of all time. Thanks for the beauty, LB

Dear Memorial Day, I'm so glad you exist so we can celebrate and remember some very important people. And thank you for the chance for some alone time. Do you know how much I enjoyed a little one-on-one time with a sleeping pup, Harry Potter marathon, and my cooking show favs? Revitalized, LB

Dear Bootcamp Tulsa, Tomorrow I start you. After weeks of running by your sessions, Groupon made me an offer I couldn't resist. Make me a promise? Even if I ask you to go easy on me, don't. Capiche? LB

Dear Journey, Bon Jovi, & Bryan Adams, Can you tell me why I've been so obsessed with your sweet ballads lately? I mean, I know you were staples of my college mix tapes, but why the return to my think tank now? Whatever, you have the best love songs ever. Convinced I was born in the wrong decade, LB

Dear LOST, I am in Team LOST finale, but only just. And I like to call it Touched by a Desmond, but that's okay because he's my absolute favorite anyway. The flashbacks were priceless and your score was killer. I'll admit I watched you again On Demand by myself and let the tears flow. But let's pretend the last fifteen minutes never happened? LB

Dear Kitchen Mojo, I'm convinced you've finally returned! You were gone for a little while, but last night you returned with gumption and I'm so excited. Together, we made a delicious pumpkin plantain soup like the one from my honeymoon and prepped the lovely cranberry herb turkey burgers for tonight. No more frozen pizza for us, LB (PS: Were you hiding with Austin Powers' faja?)

Dear JT, Someone has a birthday next week. Someone may have some tricks up her sleeve for this very special occasion! Thank you for taking care of the pup this morning so I could sleep in. Since we've been married, I've been amazed at learning the way your brain thinks. How being thoughtful is almost automatic for you. Committed to learning more about you everyday, LB

(Letters inspired by Emily at Today's Letters)

sweet yellow puppy

2010-05-29T21:55:00.002-05:00

Thoughts from day 4:

even though sometimes he makes me crazy

(esp. after five hours alone together of Nobites.Off.Goodboy!),

my sweet yellow puppy does this and we are friends again.

PS: right now he is swimming in his sleep.

cumin grilled chicken with deconstructed salsa salad

2010-05-27T20:13:00.001-05:00

Ingredients:

2-3 boneless skinless chicken breasts

10 cherry tomatoes, halved
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 roughly chopped green onions
1/2 cup arugula
1 diced avocado
the juice of 1 lime
1 drizzle honey
1 T EVOO
salt + pepper + cumin to taste

Directions:

Preheat grill or grill pan to about medium high, but watch to make sure it doesn't get too hot if it takes you forever to prepare like me. (Here I butterfly my chicken to make it thinner and quicker to cook.) Season both sides of chicken with a pinch of salt, a pinch of pepper, and a pinch of cumin, making sure it's thoroughly covered. Grill chicken on both sides until the middle is no longer pink.

Chop salad ingredients and combine with arugula in a bowl to taste. When I say to taste, I mean if you like lots of onion, add more, etc. Drizzle EVOO, honey, and lime juice to taste, but make sure the salad is not too oily like mine was on the verge of being. Season with salt, pepper, and a pinch of cumin. After this picture was taken, I added corn to my salad with lots of black pepper just the way I like it!

Last step: don't judge LB's awesome photos from her iPhone, Monique!

Voila! Quick and easy!

so.sleepy.

2010-05-26T14:40:00.002-05:00

Sampson is home. I don't know if I've ever been more exhausted in my life. Luckily, all the horror stories about puppies yowling all night were not true for our boy. But let's just say in the morning, he was more than ready to make up for lost time.

Let me rewind for a bit. We had a great dinner with Meseidy and Obed, as usual. We have really enjoyed getting to know them and spending time with them. Their friendship is living proof that Sampson has been a blessing in disguise in so many ways. Then we took our "doggie bag" home. He and JT played soccer in the yard for a little while. He only yowled for maybe 30 minutes off and on when we put him to bed and then he was done and slept through the night.

I, unfortunately, was not so lucky. Hopefully it's not Sampson that's making JT's allergies horrible, because he is pretty much allergic to everything outside. I'm not sure how much JT slept, but after going to bed at around 1:00, I woke up around 3:00 and didn't fall back to sleep until sometime after 5:20.

When my alarm went off at 6:16, I think Sampson was awake, but he didn't wake us up or anything. I carried him outside and the fun began. He went potty and then I fed him and his muddy paw prints. He is in this typical puppy stage where he wants me to be one of his brothers. Let's just say when we start puppy school on Sunday, we will have to work on biting and scratching!

So day one of taking care of a living being has been a success so far. I'm not going to lie, there have been some frustrating times already like when Sampson pooped in the house this morning or when he got work pants #1 full of mud, but we are living, learning, and loving every minute. As so many have been so kind to point out, getting a puppy is like having a baby in many ways, but we are determined to take it one step at a time and be really intentional about loving and being patient with him! Because he is just a baby, after all!

Here are some fun facts about Sampson at eight weeks:

He is a big boy at a whopping 16.2 lbs! I think he is 2 full pounds bigger than his brothers and sisters.
He thinks his water bowl is his personal swimming pool and always dips his paws in.
He will not poop unless I go back inside.
He eats a big breakfast and a smaller lunch and smaller dinner.
Our backyard is two levels, and Sampson cannot reach the second level yet. (Give it a few weeks.) When I got up on our porch swing on the second level, he was blissfully playing with his football (see above) but started freaking out when he couldn't get to me!
His mommy (me) is trying reeeeally hard not to take 20932932 pictures of him and post them on blog/twitter/facebook/etc.!
We may or may not be playing the Glee soundtrack in the room with him so he doesn't feel so lonely!

:)

2010-05-25T09:12:00.000-05:00

This morning, I found a sweet surprise

note on my steering wheel from

"Sampson."

Cannot wait to bring him home tonight!

vegging

2010-05-21T08:15:00.000-05:00

My run's fate was sealed when JT offered to take me out for dinner. One of my biggest love languages is spontaneous weeknight dinners. I get JT's undivided attention -- well, before and after he is eating -- plus I don't have to cook or clean. And bonus! We discovered Calistoga Bar & Grill, a fantastic new (to us) restaurant on the Riverwalk, which is really close to our new house. Let me tell you, there are few things I get more excited about than sophisticated, delicious food at a reasonable price.

So how did my plan to eat healthy yesterday pan out?

Pretty great! I ate only my packed snacks throughout the day -- except for when my boss bought us sno-cones, but I don't feel an ounce guilty for that small treat. I hadn't had a sno-cone since college. (Remember Shimmers, anyone?)

At dinner, JT and I split a delicious cherry spinach salad with walnuts, goat cheese, and balsalmic dressing. It was SO good. I am becoming a goat cheese fanatic (try the house salad at Red Rock in Tulsa or OKC and tell me I am wrong!) so this was definitely a treat!

It was hard to choose which pizza sounded best, but JT got this chicken pesto pizza with bacon, tomatoes, and cheddar, which I had a bite of, and it was also very flavorful!

I ordered a veggie wrap, which contained hummus, roasted red peppers, grilled mushrooms, zucchini, onions, and balsamic greens with a side of homemade potato crisps. After I'd ordered, I realized that my day had a trend: in my efforts to eat healthy, I had eaten completely vegetarian. And everything was delicious!

We each ate until we weren't hungry. I can't wait to eat the rest of this for lunch! It was divine! We will definitely be eating at this cute little restaurant again to try all of the items we couldn't decide about. If you live in the Tulsa area and haven't tried Calistoga since it opened in October, you are definitely missing out on great food at reasonable prices in a location that's perfect for outdoor summer evenings.

intentional eating

2010-05-20T10:18:00.003-05:00

This morning I had the privilege of partaking in my favorite sammy. Look at it. It's gorgeous. And it tastes fantastic. Sandwiches are quickly becoming like cereal, appropriate for any time of day. So since I had cereal for dinner last night, I thought, why not!?

I always feel motivated to eat healthy when I pack healthy snacks for the office. Today's survival includes an apple, my breakfast sammy, the last Lean Cuisine (cheese pizza -- darn!) in my freezer, and I filled up my Nalgene bottle with cold, crisp water -- and I forgot it. Every time I pack my water bottle I forget it. Why can't I be like dear Andrea Cherie and carry my water bottle religiously?

The reason I need some good fuel today is because my body is in recovery mode. Last night, I signed up for yoga, thinking it would be a refreshing change of pace from my resistance training and running I've been doing.

Wrong.

For one, this isn't your garden-variety yoga. It's sports yoga. And to top it all off, I signed up for the Intermediate/Advanced class. It was an accident! So last night, I'm doing this pose:

I'm feeling pretty proud because my instructor can't believe I'm doing this on my first try and I'm holding it longer than others in my class. But with pride comes a fall. Something in my neck tweaked just right and I fell. Luckily it was at the end of the class, so I was able to finish and then give it some good stretchies.

Since this was only my second class, I came into it worried that I wouldn't remember to say, "Namaste," at the end like last time. I didn't know! This time, I started to say it three different times before she said it, which was awkward but, I guess, funny in retrospect.

This morning my neck is stiff and sore. I had a nice run planned for this evening, barring any repeat performance of the cloud theatrics Oklahoma is famous for. We shall see how I feel later!

My goal for today is to eat smartly. My favorite healthy snacks are string cheese, fresh fruit, peanut butter, carrot sticks with hummus, vanilla nonfat yogurt with a little dark chocolate, granola, and Pop Chips. (I am officially on nut burnout.)

Now I just need to learn to be intentional about making these snacks the majority of my snack repertoire. The staples. The shining gems I reach for over chocolate chip cookies. Does anyone have any good healthy food recommendations?

the best laid schemes...

2010-05-18T23:31:00.007-05:00

Last night I laid out my plan of attack for the GRE. Everyone I've talked to has emphasized studying hard and a lot, particularly geometry and vocabulary.

How I wish I'd taken this test fresh out of college; I had a geometry class my last semester.

My plan for now is to be consistent for eight weeks and then take it. I'll see how week 1 goes before I sign up for the exam.

Have any of you taken this beast? What advice would you give?

living intentionally

2010-05-18T11:22:00.001-05:00

At my brother's college graduation this weekend.

It's me. You know, your horrible blogger friend? Hope you missed me because I'm about to make up for all the reading you've been lacking and then some.

First, let me give you a little update. We are all moved in, but still unpacking with huge mounds of laundry on our kitchen floor, the only downside to using t-shirts and clothing to pack breakable boxes (or every box if you're us). I am longing for the day when every surface is clean, every item in its place, and I have nothing to do but sit out on our new porch swing and read a book. When that day happens, you will know by my loud sobs of joy.

But I really do love our new home. SO much storage space is nice, it's nice and green right now with lots of natural light. Maybe it's the rainy weather Oklahoma's been blessed with, but I sleep really well in this house. I can really see us living in this house for the rest of our lives.

One thing that's back in action is my refrigerator. Last night, I went to the store and stocked it up with all of our favorite things. I had a very disappointing predicament because I went to my number one choice for a replacement grocery store (Have I mentioned how much I miss my Lynn Lane Reasors?) and just as I was grabbing the last five things on my list, I saw the familiar face of Bathroom Man, the man who offices across the floor from us but still (loudly) uses the bathroom right outside of our offices, often using his cell phone as he takes care of his business. But this is a story for another time!

I have had a lot on my mind, bloggies. That's why I am blogging from Monique at midnight, because I know this is more productive for me right now than sleep.

This post is about discipline, only I hate to use the word discipline because then I feel like I'm in trouble. So we will use the word training. And I have a lot of training in my near future.

Training a puppy. Sampson comes home a week from today. I'm excited and in love, but pretty much everyone I share the happy news with has a puppy horror story to share. Chewed power cords. Ruined meals. Bitten children. Sleepless nights.

"It's like having a baby," everyone tells me. Only, do women have a special bond with puppies like they do with their babies?

Training for a race. I signed up for The Route 66 Half Marathon in November and their quarter marathon in August. Let's just say I've been bitten by the bug. After reading so many inspirational stories, I've decided to stop flirting with my running shoes and start dating them. Not exclusively dating, but let's just say we'll be seeing a lot of each other.

My dad and I have been running several times a week -- just about 3-4 miles a pop, but it's nowhere easy. I don't think he will be joining me for, you know, 4 times that amount six months from now. But I'm glad I have a tangible date to shoot for, and I think I will do a lot of other experiments with my body in the meantime.

I've learned both from trial and error and the healthy blogs I've been reading (see my new tab blog love to check them out) that what you put in your body largely affects how it behaves. For example, I've learned that if I drink any type of Coke, my muscles will be much sorer after I work out. And if I eat anything substantially heavy the day I run, my stomach feels like a brick, which makes it much harder to breathe.

This blog will definitely keep you updated on my journey. I'm holding you accountable to keep me accountable, you know! We'll start with more than one post a week and see what happens from there.

Training for the GRE. At the graduations this weekend, I got MAJOR graduation envy. I love school, school supplies, reading, studying, and everything associated with school. I am a regular Hermione Granger, you know, except a little less of a know-it-all, but just a little. Anyway, while we were in Arkansas, I bought a GRE book at Borders. There's a Communications/PR program at a little school in the Tulsa area that has caught my interest, but my first step is to tackle the GRE and we will see that happens from there.

I am almost four years out of college, so if I don't study for and take it now, especially before kids come into my life, then I doubt I ever will. Part of me wonders if I just want to see if I still have it, you know? But I am willing to invest in this intellectual part of my life. The test lasts for several years, I've heard, so if a door opens in the distant future, I want to be equipped to go through with it!

You may be asking yourself, why the heck is LB even going through with all of these things at once? I will tell you how it makes sense to me. For one, when I want to be, I am the supreme color coder and chart-maker and task master. Unfortunately, this talent doesn't manifest itself into my domestic life, but it can.

And as for why, I am entering into a stage in my life where I'm becoming restless. With my personality, I can be content in pretty much any situation, including the current circumstances that make up my life. But I am tired of playing it safe. I am tired of spending my energy on the wrong things and not taking chances.

So welcome to my six-month experiment of living intentionally!

Not Me! Monday!

2010-05-11T00:18:00.001-05:00

There's NO way it's that time again! Time for the blog carnival brainchild of MckMama -- the ultimate fesser upper and chance to blow off some steam, confess some sins, and bask in the humor, solidarity, and universal nature of imperfections.

To start things off, it's NOT me who is blogging from my new house. The internet/cable guy was NOT the first order of business once we moved in. There's NO way friends like Andrea and Jason could have rallied around us and shown so much support that they moved us into this house in one evening!

Certainly I would have commemorated our first dinner in our new house with a spectacular meal, right? I would NOT serve macaroni and chicken fingers. And I'd NEVER let the water boil over. I get along GREAT with electric stoves, you know.

When the plumber came this morning, I was NOT late meeting him because I got lost in my new neighborhood. Anyone who has been driving for almost ten years would be competent enough to follow directions, especially with Google Map for iPhone at her fingertips. And when I got there, I did NOT discover I'd left our garage door open. NOT me!

The first neighbor we met was NOT this little guy:

We're SO on top of things and have already brought our HUMAN neighbors pies and such to introduce ourselves.

And while we're on the subject of pets, I did NOT peer pressure JT into visiting the litter of lab puppies I mentioned in this post. We did NOT end up staying an hour playing with the puppies and becoming fast friends with their owners, whom I'd only met before through stalking her fabulous food blog. They did NOT graciously invite us to dinner at their house a few days later and there's NO way we actually drooled a little at the aroma wafting at us the second we stepped foot out of the car. After several hours spent talking in their backyard, there's NO way we could fool anyone into helping us move just days after meeting us! But if they did, those people would surely be awesome!

This is NOT my new puppy, Sampson. Certainly any sane girl would NOT let anything like falling in love with a puppy impede the big life transition she's already going through. NOT me, anyway! And even if he was coming to my home two weeks from Tuesday, I would NEVER be the kind of person to show pictures of him to everyone!

Photo by The Noshery

And there's NO way I find it hard to work with this little face in my thoughts all the time!

live-it

2010-05-06T10:33:00.002-05:00

symbolic of the upcoming weekend

of moving/unpacking/etc

wish we were going to be here!

Yesterday, I decided to skip my run.

Our final walk-through on our new house didn't finish until about 6:30 and by that time, I was tired and hungry, so I decided I'd rather have a really good workout the next day than two mediocre runs in a row.

Somewhat motivated, I signed up for the 6:00 a.m. Cardio Reformer/Tower Strength class at my Pilates studio, a perfect double whammy of cardio and resistance strength training that I've grown to love. When I saw who was teaching it, I cringed a little, because even though I really love Cindy, she sure knows how to kick a girl's butt, if you know what I mean.

When my alarm went off at 5:15 this morning, I was surprisingly alert and ready for class. I even got there a few minutes early and claimed my usual reformer, the second from the far wall. But when Cindy and Co. arrived, she announced that since two of the reformers were down, we were going to improvise and have a little spin class.

Um...what?

During my first and only spin class a few months ago, I almost threw up, was drenched in sweat, and my hiney was so sore I couldn't sit properly for a few days. So needless to say, I have been sticking with my usual class, which is enough of a challenge for me as it is. I was caught off guard, but came ready to play -- well, as ready to play as I can be when you don't have the proper shoes. (Reformer is like a horizontal trampoline with resistance springs, so we can't wear shoes.)

The elusive Julie was mentioned again today, a woman who has apparently lost 50 pounds by doing these hormone injections. My instructor expressed a little disappointment when she heard that, and I agree with her belief that someone should have a foundation of healthy lifestyle habits before they go for the easy fix, whether it's liposuction, gastric bypass, or weight loss substances.

And then I went off.

"I feel like I've been on a DIET my whole LIFE," I said, pedaling into a furious revery. "And the keyword in diet is DIE!"

"Yeah!" my equally furious classmates said. "You're right!"

Their encouragement and our feverish pedaling only fueled my fire. "I'm tired of DIE-Ts. Why can't we change our lifestyles and making it about living? I want to go on a LIVE-it!"

Onward I march, friends. Only it will be more of a stumble most of the time, I recognize. I'd love to know your thoughts, tips, efforts, and practices toward a healthy lifestyle.

monday morning rescue

2010-05-03T06:53:00.001-05:00

Bloggies, I know it's Monday morning, but do I have a treat for you. If you are at work, I will advise you not to read any further because you will surely get fired for reading an entire day on your boss's dime :)

In late 2009, I was Facebooking one random evening when I happened across my friend Mary's page. Her child had been tagged in a picture with her brother and sister-in-law, and her sister-in-law had written a cute note at the bottom. Curious, I clicked the next picture, which also had a letter accompanying it. Emily had written letters to random things she'd come across during her day, food she'd eaten, places she'd been, and of course, to her husband, Mr. Loerke (who always gets two letters). I sent her a message telling her how much her letters inspired me, to which she warmly replied with a friend request and we've been friends since.

In these letters, I've found adventure, faith, creativity, beauty, and a love story that has inspired me to be a better wife. "Husband and I have learned that good marriages are a dime a dozen, but great marriages take lots of hard work," she wrote recently. "So we work at ours every day. Sometimes this is easy, sometimes it's really hard. But regardless we stay committed to each other and to figuring things out."

Perhaps her blog might be more aptly titled "Today's Reminders," because the letters remind me of very important things, like how crucial it is to make fun a priority, that romance can be communicated in many, many different ways, a little dose of encouragement can change the climate of an entire week, and great marriages involve a series of little daily decisions, creative actions, and lots of hard work.

It's no wonder I [ruthlessly] steal her letters idea sometimes on this little blog.

Here is one of my favorites:

"Today's Letters: Dear Mr. Loerke, when I rolled over this morning and said it was too early to get up for work you looked at me and said: It's okay Emma, you are brave. I believe in you. So powerful to hear those seven little words, even at 6am. Dear Underwood Typewriter, whenever I see this postcard I can't help but daydream about the holidays. So many good things are just around the corner. Dear Kristie George, we made your coveted chocolate chip cookies again tonight. Your Recipe = best wedding present ever. Dear Beloved, from the 1's to the 12's, you are."

She has moved her Facebook wall posts to a blog, Today's Letters, and I look forward to my daily dose of Tim and Emily Loerke letters/lovestories/adventures/reminders on my Google Reader! Be sure to check them out! You will love it! :)

a letter from wolfgang

2010-05-02T10:14:00.002-05:00

Dear JT,
Please take me home and be my family? I have my first round of shots already and promise to be a good boy.

I will be ready for pickup on May 26, so you'll have plenty of time to move in to your new house before then. Oh, I do hope you'll say yes!

If you want to see more pictures of me and my brothers and sisters, click here: http://thenoshery.com/2010/04/26/need-a-puppy-fix/

Love, Wolfgang/Remington/?

*A letter JT received at work this week. If you are in the Tulsa area and looking for perhaps the best family dog breed to add to your family, the food and photography genius Meseidy of The Noshery has some available. We met them today, and they are awesome! (Both the couple and the puppies!) We will see if JT and I will be adding a fur baby to our little family soon.

Not Me! Monday!

2010-04-26T23:50:00.001-05:00

Welcome back to Not Me! Monday! the blog carnival brainchild of MckMama, where bloggies like me have the chance to 'fess up to everything we've NOT been up to lately.

It was NOT me, who realized on Friday night that I'd already slept my last sleep in the 74012, chased my last wild kitten, driven my last fifty-minute drive home in traffic, shopped my last groceries at my favorite Reasors, and cooked my last meal on my fantastic gas stove.

My last meal was NOT a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with a side of roasted mushrooms? What kind of meal is that (NOT)?

And after seeing pictures and hearing about so many amazing running stories, I did NOT get on a huge running kick today and map out a plan for 3 long distance races over the next year. A quarter marathon August 7, Tulsa Run (9-miler) on 10/30, Route 66 half mary in November, and a full next April. NOT me!

It was NOT ME! who enlisted the help of Jason and Andrea, who are one hardworking power couple! By the time they left five hours later, they had NOT fed us homemade pizzas (Andrea), helped move all of the heavy furniture (Jason), packed and cleaned my kitchen (Andrea), and completely filled our POD! But if they DID, I would be forever grateful for their hard work. And I'd invite them to be our first dinner guests if so!