31 Things About Me On My 31st Birthday

So, I totally stole this idea from This Guy - he posted 30 random things about himself for his 30th birthday and I thought that was pretty cool. Sooooo, here are 31 random things about me in honor of my 31st bday!

1 - My middle name is Corinne (after a cage dancer, no less) and I spent a good portion of my childhood trying to get my friends to call me Corinne or Cori instead of Ashley. I always hated my first name. Nicknames like ash-tray, crasher, trashley, and smashley are a little rough growing up. But I have since embraced the nicknames of Ash-Hole and Smash. ;)

2 - I have been bungee jumping (at the age of 13!), parasailing, and skydiving. I hope to one day go hang-glidinging. I also want to ride in a hot air balloon, but my husband has NO desire to take me.

3 - I've never had stitches (other than post-childbirth), and up until 2 years ago, I had never broken a bone either. Then I slammed my finger in our basement door (and I mean SLAMMED) and shattered the tip of my left middle finger. The x-ray showed that bone just completely pulverized - it was in at least 8 pieces. I severed most of the nerves too and have very little feeling in that finger now.

4 - Despite not ever having any "serious" injuries, I still managed to land myself in the ER 3 times in 2007 (after having NEVER been to the ER in my life prior to that year). The first time was for a severe kidney infection, the second time was because I had a seizure, and the third time was due to the previously mentioned finger smashing. And ironically, I had the SAME doctor in the ER all three times. By the third time, I'm sure he was rolling his eyes and thinking "what NOW??" LOL

5 - I once savagely killed a lightening bug with my bare hands.

6 - I LOVE avacados and think they go with just about EVERYTHING - sandwiches, burgers, salads, burritos, etc. YUM!!!!

7 - I also love ranch dressing and think it goes with just about anything too, esp pizza!

8 - I love - LOVE - Chelsea Handler. It's probably an unhealthy obsession...but yeah, I've been following her since she was on Girls Behaving Badly, then The Chelsea Handler Show, and now Chelsea Lately. I've read (and own) both her books, with the third one on pre-order. I even had a onsie made for Harper that says "I Love Chelsea Handler" and submitted it to Chelsea's "Big Fat Baby Contest." Oh, and did I mention that Chelsea's bday is just 2 days before mine??!!

9 - My dad is a musician and was actually a full time professional musician up until I was a year old. One of his bands even put out an album. He still plays now for fun, doing shows on the weekends and he's friends with MANY talented musicians. I grew up around music, going to festivals, and even got to meet a few "famous" people. My dad's former band opened for Rick Trevino and Eddie Rabbit, and my dad has also played with Reba McIntyre's sister.

10 - I love lamp.

11 - I have had the same best friend for nearly 24 years. We've decided we are taking a trip next year to celebrate our 25th Friendiversary.

12 - I did NOT get up at 7am on my bday to post this....and I totally *heart* the "post options" on here so I can set up a posting ahead of time. ;)

13 - I LOVE sushi. And cheese. Not together, tho.

14 - 2 friends and I managed to convince my entire home town that I married a guy in New Orleans as a drunken Mardi Gras mishap. The rumor spread like wild fire and was even brought up by the head of the Sociology Department in one of my soc classes 2 years later. To this very day, there are SEVERAL people that still believe this story!

15 - I draw really great stick figures.

16 - Each of my kids has a "special number" tied to the day they were born. Rylie's number is 7 - she was born at 4:47am weighing 7 pounds, 7 ounces. Harper's number is 8 as she was born on August 18, 2008 (08/18/08). What's even cooler about Harper's birthday is that my great-grandmother was born on July 17, 1907 (07/17/07) - exactly 1 century, 1 year, 1 month, and 1 day before her great-great-granddaughter.

17 - I could probably manage to eat my weight in chocolate on any given day. And I'm determined to test this theory one day.

18 - There are times when I think that my husband and I are such polar opposites (you might even say BI-POLAR opposites, lol), that I honestly wonder how the hell we ended up together. But yet, despite our extreme differences...we just FIT.

19 - 2 of my all time favorite albums are "Doggystyle" by Snoop Dogg and "Eazy Duz It" by Eazy E. Some may find it hard to believe that an all American blonde (former) cheerleader would be into gangsta rap....but you should have seen me back in the day doing drive by shootings with my supersoaker water guns while blaring some Boyz In Da Hood. Srsly, I couldn't make this up if I wanted to!

20 - I sometimes communicate with my house plants via interpretive dance.

21 - I have lived in 3 states - Kansas, Arizona, Missouri. The next time I move will hopefully be to Mexico. This is something Randy and I hope to do in the next few years. We'll see if it really happens...

22 - Chipotle is my fave post-race (or post-long training day) meal. Oh yes, don't mess with me and my burrito bowl, b!tches!

23 - Beer must also be included post-race (or long training). Or wine. Or BOTH!

24 - There was a time in my life where I could drink an entire case of beer in one night without getting alcohol poisoning. Wow...was that really ME??

25 - I own my own company dedicated to raising and breeding Chia Pets.

26 - My favorite kinds of candy are anything with chocolate, Jelly Bellies, Tootsie Rolls, and Twizzlers. Oh, and I will accept any and all of these as birthday gifts, fyi.

27 - I totally have the hots for Dr. Drew. That is one buff silver fox that just turns me on with his intelligence & sexiness. Rawr.

28 - One of my favorite quotes in the world is something my dad once told me: "Happiness is not a destination, it's a journey." These are truly words to live by.

29 - 7 of my "random things" involved food/drinks/candy...and I find this to be a shockingly LOW number for me.

30 - My future goals involve traveling the world to spread my teachings, and eventually, I would like to fight myself to the death.

31 - I clearly have found it difficult to come up with 31 things about myself and went ahead and threw a few randoms in there for ya. ;)

Hope you enjoyed learning some randsom schtuff about me on my bday! And hopefully I'll have a really awesome weekend to report on come Monday! :)

Birthday Tribute To The Running Dork!

It's special tribute time!!! Today I would like to wish a VERY SPECIAL (in soooo many ways) PERSON a VEEEEERY HAPPY BIRFDAY!!!!! This one's for you, RUNNING DORK!!!!

The only person I LITERALLY make long-distance friendship hearts with. Tear.

Aw, look at us the day we met.

We were so excited to finally meet each other!!!

And clearly, we had a good time.


Who else would hang out a car window with me to cheer on our fellow friend (The Running Lawyer) in a race??

And I'll NEVER forget when she put her meat in my box.

Oh, and these tiny little carts...how cute!

I can't think of anyone else I'd rather look longingly at.

And as a card carrying member of The Quadrouple, it is her honorary DUTY to do the following:

Be pensive.

Do Jazz Hands.

And the Shocker.

And - oh yes - make friendship rainbows.

I *heart* you, dear friend! Hope you have the bestest bday ever!!!!

*PS - I scheduled this to post at 2:26am....since your bday is 2/26 and I'm so clever and all. ;)*

Happy Birthday To The Running Lawyer!!!!

See the chick on the right?

Well that would be my good friend, The Running Lawyer. And today just happens to be her BIRFDAY!!!!!! Please make sure to stop by and wish this lovely lady a VERY HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

February is a pretty awesome month, considering the entire Throuple will be celebrating a throuple of birthdays this month - we're pretty awesome like that. We travel in packs, too. So watch out!

I Was Tagged!

I was tagged by my dear friend Erin at Dancing Sweet Pea!

Instructions are to copy these 35 questions and fill them in with the answers that suit you then pass it on to 6 favorite bloggers (notify them that you've given them an award!)35

Questions:

1)Where is your cell phone? in my purse in my desk drawar

2)Your hair? blonde with loose curls today

3)Your mother? is amazing

4)Your father? a lot of fun

5)Your favorite food? sushi, chipotle burrito bowls

6)Your dream last night? something only I would dream...

7)Your favorite drink? water, crystal light, frozen margs

8)Your dream/goal? IRONMAN!

9)What room are you in? my cubicle at work

10)Your hobby? triathlon-ing, internetting, blogging, drinking, acting a fool

11)Your fear? failure

12)Where do you want to be in 6 years? somewhere WARM

13)Where were you last night? At home

14)Something that you aren't? emotionally stable (lol)

15)Muffins? yummy!

16)Wish list item? new house, another vacation, and that my kiddos don't get the swine flu!

17)Where did you grow up? Emporia, KS

18)Last thing you did? Talked to my desk partner about the flu

19)What are you wearing? Black pants and a charcoal colored sweaterd

20)Your t.v.? needs to be bigger

21)Your pets? are the best pets in the world!

22)Friends? mean the world to me

23)Your life? is crazy!

24)Your mood? stressed

25)Missing someone? since Sept 12, 2005...

26)Vehicle? an old Pathfinder that needs upgraded

27)Something you're not wearing? glasses

28)Your favorite store? Maurices

29)Favorite color? Pink!

30)Last time you laughed? this morning

31)Last time you cried? a week ago

32)Best friend? I have too many...oldest is Melissa (AKA The Militia)

33)One place that I go to over and over? the lake!

34)One person who emails me regularly? The Throuple (Running Lawyer & Running Dork)

35)Favorite place to eat? Chipotle, Kona Grille

Six people I will pass this on to:

The Running Dork
The Running Lawyer
Lindsay @ Chasing The Kenyans
Heather @ RUN FASTER MOMMY!
Jamie @ Sweaty Hugs
Jess @ All Things Creative

So Much To Blog About....So Little Time!!!

**I still need to get a little something called a RACE REPORT out about the Nation's Triathlon. It's coming, my friends.

**I also have a -hold your applause- GIVEAWAY coming up!

**But today, I'll start with a little tag, given by none other than Beka the Running Dork! And I suck, cuz I was also tagged by sneakersister clear back in July and totally forgot about it until now!

The rules are to link back to the presenter, share 10 things about yourself that your readers may not know that are true, and then pass it on and notify the people you pass the award on to!! So, here goes:

1) My favorite color is PINK!!! I'm actually a little obsessed with it. Pretty much all my running gear/workout clothes are pink and/or black (I probably need to branch out a bit...). And not just my clothes, but my fuel belt, visor, MP3 player (and case and headphones), water bottles, gym bag, etc. In addition, I also have a pink cell phone, camera, purse, make-up bag, keychain, flat iron, you name it - I have it in pink! Oh yeah, my winter gloves, scarves, hats, etc are all pink....right down to the pink hair extensions I recently had. And a large portion of my wardrobe is pink as well. Oh, it's such a fun color! ;)

2) I totally have a girl-crush on Chelsea Handler. I like to think I'm her biggest fan, but I'm sure there's someone out there a little more obsessed than I am. But I will say that I've been following her since she was on Girls Behaving Badly. I then watched her on The Chelsea Handler show, and now follow her on Chelsea Lately. I adore her and think she is soooo efing hilarious. I've read both her books - My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One Night Stands and Are You There Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea. Her bday is just 2 days before mine, so she's a pisces like me, and I even submitted the following photo of Harper to her "Big Fat Baby" segment of her show:

And yes, I had that onsie specially made. ;) I totally heart Chelsea and hope to see her live one day and maybe even get to meet her!

3) I have been parasailing, bungee jumping (at age 13), and skydiving. Parasailing isn't really much of a dare-devil activity, but people seem to think it is. I grew up with an adventurous father (who took me bungee jumping) that always talked about taking me skydiving and I always wanted to do it. When I was 21, I took my boyfriend at the time for his birthday outside of Tucson (where we lived). I felt guilty about not going with my dad, but I called him immediately afterwards to share the news. What a rush!

4) My kids each have a "special number" related to them and the day they were born. Rylie's number is 7 - she was born at 4:47am weighing 7 lb 7 oz. My lucky number has always been 7, so that was pretty cool. Harper's number is 8 - she was born on 08/18/08, weighing 8 lb 3 oz. Just kinda cool...

5) I've never known what I wanted to be when I "grow up." Still don't. Actually, as a child, I always wanted to be a singer (can't carry a tune) or an ice skater. You know, some kind of performer that's actually unrealistic. But never really had a specific dream of being a teacher or a vet or a nurse like so many people do. I changed my major 3 times in college. And I now do something that has absolutely nothing to do with my degree. And I still would like to go back to school so I can do something different, but I haven't a clue what that is. Some things I have in mind are: chiropractor, respiratory therapist, or something in health promotions.

6) This year - 2009 - has been, by far, one of the greatest years of my life! I have achieved so many goals, it blows my mind. Before this year, I had never ran a race before. I had never even ran more than 3 miles. Now I've completed 6 races (including a half marathon and an olympic triathlon) and have 4 more races on the horizon, including a 10k tomorrow. I feel like I can now dream big and actually make those dreams come true! I finally believe in myself and I absolutely cannot wait to see what I can accomplish in years to come! I finally feel like I'm doing something - and that's a great feeling!

7) I'm a very submissive person. I may "talk a lot of talk" when I'm frustrated, by venting to those around me. But when it comes down to it, I'm not very good with confrontation and addressing issues. So I usually end up being a huge wus and brush things off. It's not very healthy though, cuz then stuff builds up and just ends up being worse. But yeah...I let people walk all over me and take advantage of me and I rarely ever say anything. I've gotten a little better about confronting those close to me - mainly Randy. But I don't ever confront people that I work with or my friends. I just don't like conflict, so I end up avoiding it altogether. Sadly, I think a few of my friendships have ended because I never spoke up to address our issues...so instead, I just quit speaking to them. Also, I have a very hard time saying "no" to anyone. Even if I have no time or room on my plate, I pretty much do anything anyone asks of me simply because I don't want to let anyone down.

8) I know lots of useless trivia that I will never need to actually know (like that Dwight D. Eisenhower was the 34th president and was from the 34th state to enter the union - Kansas, I can name all 7 girls from the 1996 Olympic US Women's Gymnastics team by first and last name [also known as the "Mag 7"], how magnet schools began as a result of the case Brown vs The Board of Education, and how Marilyn Monroe was born in 1926 and died in 1962), but I feel pretty much completely retarded in general news, politics, and everyday life. :\

9) I am a HUGE proponent for equal rights for everyone. This includes same-sex marriage and it angers me to my core that gays and lesbians do not have the same rights as heterosexuals. Are we not all human beings?? One of my biggest pet peeves is closed-minded people, especially when it comes to gay/lesbian issues. This country was founded on freedom - freedom of religion, freedom of speech....freedom of sexual preference, people! There was a time when women did not have rights - absurd! There was a time when black people did not have rights - preposterous! It is 2009 and gays and lesbians do not have rights - wtf?!?!

10) I heart chocolate. Like big time. I can be having the worst day ever and a simple Hershey's kiss will make me feel 10 times better. I love milk chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate fudge, chocolate covered ANYTHING. You name it. I've eaten 3 Hershey's bars in one sitting before. True story. I also adore Dove Chocolate - so creamy! Sometimes Randy will randomly bring me home a chocolate bar from the store, and it truly makes my day. The way to my heart is through chocolate.

Okay, time for some taggy tags:

Erin, my little Dancing Sweet Pea
Mel, the Tall Mom on the Run
Aron at Runner's Rambles

I Heart Presents!!!

Yes, I heart presents!!! So you can imagine my joy when I arrived home from work yesterday to find a gift awaiting me from my dear friend The Running Lawyer. It's a DARLING scarf from Disneyland and it's PINK (my fave color) and has mouse ears on it!!!! Too CUTE! I totally heart it!

Soooo....I went ahead and took a few photos in it. I mean, it totally matched my outfit and everything! ;) And I didn't take it off until I went to bed last night. And of course, I'm wearing it to work today! THANK YOU, Running Lawyer!!!

I'm still working on uploading pics from my tri, so I'll get those up this weekend and try to get a race report out to you all next week. Oooooh, and The Running Lawyer and The Running Dork and I have something we are plotting (or trotting...) for November. More on that later!

Catching Up

It's been a few days and I have lots to blog about. First off, I finally got to meet up with Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK last Thursday. What was originally supposed to be a lunch date turned into a super fun night of dinner, drinks, & silliness. I wanted to post pics to accompany this blog post...but I've been on the go the past several days and haven't had time to upload anything yet. I'll get to it tho...I promise. :)

Friday the fam and I headed back to the lake for one last weekend before Labor Day. I realized on Friday that we have plans EVERY weekend from now until November except for 1! Craziness!!! My workouts over the weekend didn't go according as planned. When I got to my mom & dad's Friday night, I had intended to take my sister's bike out for a spin. Well, she had 2 flats and no air pump. Fail. I also planned to get some open water swimming done out at the lake...but alcohol interefered with that plan. Double fail. BUT, I did get a nice little 2.85 mile run in Saturday morning. I had some pain again, but it was in BOTH legs and I'm really thinking it's shin splints and not a re-injured stress fracture. So...that's good, but not great. More on that later.

Anyway, we just got back into town last night and I'm pretty wiped out. PLUS, I've got a hectic work out schedule this week that I really hope to stick to. Nations Tri is just 6 weeks away! Plus....I saw a number on the scale this morning that made me want to cry. Which leads me to seek out opinions: any advice on how to lose weight while also training for endurance events? The problem I'm running into is that it's hard to cut calories when I need the energy to swim/bike/run. In addition, my body needs the carbs for energy...but it's the carbs that also seem to stick to my body. Advice??

And while we're on the subject of advice....can anyone give me some 411 on compression socks? I've been wondering if they would help with my calf/shin issues? Advice??

I'll have a separate post later with my monthly totals for July. They won't be pretty, but I was still recovering from surgery...so at least I have an excuse. ;)

Saturday, August 1, 2009: 2.85 mile run

Should FWR Be Taught A Lesson??

So....did anyone happen to read Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK 's blog post yesterday about us getting together today? If not, you should go read it right now. THEN you should let me know if I should go ahead and wear this get up when I meet up with her in an hour? Cuz I'm thinking:

A) This little you-know-what needs to be dealt with. ;)

and

2) I really can't wait to see the look on her face when I show up wearing this. LOL....priceless. ;)

Plyo, Brick,& Girls Night - WOOT!

Yesterday I did the P90X plyometrics workout. It was fun, plus I was in good company with my workout buddy Jen. :) Last night was date night (we RARELY get these, so they are cherished!). I think this is maybe the third? date night we've had since Harper was born and she's 11 months old today. LOL. Anyway, we enjoyed a nice Italian dinner at Lucia's in Liberty (I had AMAZING seafood stuffed ravioli - YUM!!!) and then we went to see The Hangover - GREAT flick!

We didn't get home until after 10pm last night, yet I was still able to get my butt up by 4:15 this morning...got fueled & out the door by 5am, made it to practice by 5:45 and had my transition area ready to go and was in the lake by 6am. I'm a rockstar. ;) (Oh, and if you're keeping track, this is the THIRD time I've swam this week - a new record, people!!!)

Anyway, today's practice was a 1/4(ish) mi swim, 12 mi bike, 3 mi run. I kicked some ass with the swim - I was the FIRST one done! Don't know how that happened, but I'll take it! Amongst the other swimmers were 2 Ironmen (one of them has completed 4!!) and my friend that just did his first oly tri a few weeks ago. So, needless to say, I felt pretty good about the swim.

As for the bike, I'm usually in the middle of the pack. Nothing to brag about, but it was good to be on the bike again. I've only gotten in a few rides recently, so I needed it. Plus, it was a BEAUTIFUL day out for a bike ride/run.

Now, mind you I just ran for the first time this week since my stress fracture and surgery. So my coach told me to def not go for 3 miles with the rest of the team. She really wanted me to just do 1, so that's what I did. I had to walk a bit too...and my legs totally felt like jello after the bike. But in the end, it felt GREAT to have another swim/bike/run under my belt. I'm finally getting back in the game. :)

Now I need to go make some snacky snacks cuz I'm meeting up with my girlfriends for a day at the pool with adult beverages, followed by dinner and a movie. Hope everyone is having a great weekend!! :)

Friday, July 17, 2009: P90X Plyometrics

Saturday, July 18, 2009: 1/4 mi swim, 12.5 mi bike, 1.25 mi run

JoBros, Yo!

So, thanks to my homie Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK, I got the opportunity to enter my 6-year-old in a contest to win Jonas Brothers tickets here in KC. To enter, you have to submit an essay in 96 words or less (the radio station is 96.3) on why you are their biggest fan. I entered the following in Rylie's words:

"OMG, the JoBros are SOOOO awesome! Nick is my fave cuz he dated Miley and she's like totally my hero! I'm their biggest fan cuz I have JoBro EVERYTHING, even a lunch box. I know the words to all their songs and rock out to them with my BFFs Mannon and Henley. One time I saw the Jonas Brothers walking down the street with a pizza. My daddy said it wasn't them...but I know it was. Cuz I'm their biggest fan, so I know what they look like. Please pick me - I LOVE JoBros! "

Wish us luck!!!! :)

Foto Friday - 4th of July Style!

Okay, bloggies, for your viewing pleasure, I present to you: Friday Foto, 4th of July style!!

***All pics are going to be at the end due to some uploading issues I'm having**

First, we have a pic of Randy, Rylie, and me on our new water toy - FUNNEST.TOY.EVER.

Next we have Harper ready for her turn. ;)

A pic of both my little nuggets.

A pic of Coop Doggy Dogg.

And.....as promised, a pic of me & Ry sporting the pink hair. ENJOY!! :)

Workouts - what??

So, I still have a few weeks to go before I can get back into training. But as most of you know, it is soooo hard to not do something that you love. Don't worry, I'm not running. In fact, I haven't done any biking or swimming either, tho I probably will start to ease back into that next week. But I have managed to do a little this week as I have been ridiculously stir crazy!! So, here are my "workouts" (if you can call them that) for the past few days:

Saturday, June 20, 2009: 2.5 mile walk (took about 40 minutes, avg pace = 17:04)

Tuesday, June 23, 2009: light weight lifting (focusing on arms, back, shoulders)

Wednesday, June 24, 2009: P90X Kenpo (1 hour video - kickboxing)

The P90X video was probably way more intense than what I should be doing right now...but it was so much fun and such a great workout! Once my girlfriend gets back from her honeymoon in a couple weeks, we plan on doing the full P90X series. I am definitely sore from the Kenpo video from yesterday.

In other news:

Miley Cyrus is coming to town October 3rd and I am pleased to announce that I am the proud owner of 2 tickets. They will be Rylie's birthday present and the look on her face is going to be worth the extreme price we paid for them. I am SOOO going to be Mommy of the Year with these babies! The only downfall is that Rylie's birthday is not for another 2 months and I have to keep these tix a secret for that long. Sigh....

MORE "other news" - yesterday I made a trip to the hair salon to get a few pink extensions put in my hair A) cuz pink is my favoritest color in the world and 2) I like to mix it up a bit and do something different from the norm from time to time. Well, needless to say, as soon as I picked Rylie up from school, she promptly stated that she too would like pink hair. Soooo, being the cool mom that I am, I drove back to the salon and got a pink extension put in my 6-year-old's hair. She's even more of a diva now than before. But she really does look cute. I'll try to get some pics up tomorrow.

Work has been crazy busy this week...but I prefer crazy busy to long and slow any day. I've got some new projects coming my way, which I'm VERY excited about! I left work yesterday with a great sense of accomplishment and a very clear head. I wish I could say more...but I'm sure it would just bore all of you anyway. ;)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful week!! If any locals would like to get together for a walk, a light bike ride, or even some swimming, feel free to hit me up email stylee. **Amanda, this means YOU!! Or anyone else that is interested...** :)

Friday Foto!

Ah, my bloggie friends, it feels good to be back! I know I've been on a bit of a hiatus, but that's because my workouts have been on a bit of a, well, hiatus. I'm still recovering from my surgery, so I really don't have a whole lot of excitement to post about, but I do have some pics to contribute to Nikemom's Foto Friday!

Last weekend our family enjoyed a soccer-filled Saturday at the KC Wizards game. The afternoon was spent tailgating and the evening was spent watching KC kick New England's ass, 3-1. Here are some pics, for your viewing pleasure:


Here's the fam, sitting on the berm. Notice Ry's visor tilt. She's a little thug on the rise. (Srsly, I don't know where she gets this...??)

Here's a pic of the hubs (white jersey) playing boccer. Yes, boccer = BEER SOCCER. Clever, eh?


Here's Ry, keepin in gangsta.

Here's a pic of Randy with the cutest little (guess I can't really use "little" to describe Harper, LOL) soccer fan. And wow...I just now noticed that Randy wore 2 different jersey's that day, 1 to play boccer in and 1 to the game. Wow...he's hardcore.

Okay, that's all for today. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!! We will be lake-side for Fathers Day. I love having a father and a husband that choose the lake for Fathers Day - woot! Oh yes, and good luck to those racing this weekend!!!!!!

My Blog is SUPER!

One of my favorite bloggie pals, Dancing Sweet Pea, gave me an award!!! And in my busy absence from the blogsphere lately, I completely missed it until yesterday (sorry again!!)!! I am truly honored to be recognized and cannot even begin to say how much this made my day! Especially after having a downer week last week, and now having a yucky sinus infection that I'm battling in addition, it totally brightened my day to pop over to her blog and read the kind words she had written about me! And not only that, but she throws sweet words of encouragement my way ALL THE TIME! This chica has been a great source of support & encouragement and I always look forward to her comments. She is such a sweet girl and I know that if she lived closer, we would totally hang out! Oh - and you have to go to her blog and check out her cake-making skills! She seriously needs to quit her day job and open up a bakery! WOW!!

So now, the rules are: tape the award on your blog somewhere and pass it along to 5 fellow super bloggers. Then comment on their blog to let them know how lucky they are today! When you present your Super Blogger awards, link back to the Super Blogger who gave it to you :)

This really is tough to narrow it down to just 5 people, cuz all of you out there are pretty freakin awesome - always giving me great advice & encouragement. So, I wish I could give this award to everyone....but since I can't, here are my 5:

1) Fair Weather Runner, the Self-Proclaimed Running DORK - this girl and I have so much in common, right down to our injuries, that it's straight up SCARY! We have almost the same last name and we were even born just 1 day apart, which might actually explain our "pisces-ian" similarities. She constantly keeps me laughing, smiling, intrigued, perplexed, mortified, and mostly just cracking up. There's no doubt we will meet in person one day, since we're only about 3 hours apart and surely we'll run a race together (and I use "together" loosely as she will totally leave me in the dust!).

2) Kristen the Running Lawyer is from the same home town as me....and funnily (is that even a word??) enough, we were following each other's blogs for MONTHS before we came to this discovery! Pretty crazy, considering our home town is pretty stinkin tiny. I mean, hello - we went to the same high school at the same time! Crazy! This lady has accomplished all kinds of goals this year, including her first half marathon, her first full marathon, and most recently a 10K PR! Talk about inspiring!

3) Super Dave is a really awesome guy. We "met" on justfinish.com. We then started following each other's blogs, and are now friends on Face Book. He even earned extra "awesome points" by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society through my fundraising website, which helps the world get one step closer to finding a cure for blood cancers, and helps me get one step closer to my triathlon. (If you, too, would like to earn "awesome points," you can do so by clicking here.) ;)
4) Stacy is my favorite tri buddy! She has definitely been a go-to girl for me. She always has great advice and knows just what to say to get me focused. She is constantly on the go and a true inspiration to me. Her training schedule is very similar to mine, so it's fun to compare notes (and stats). ;) Her blog definitely keeps me motivated!

5) This last one is tough, cuz there are soooo many people worthy of this award. But I'm giving it to someone who truly deserves an award (and some cheer in general) right now: Melanie, another fellow justfinish.comer. I have to give a shout out to a fellow mom, and not just any mom either. This gal has been through a LOT, including seizures, BRAIN SURGERY, and recently some running injuries. She is one hell of a fighter and a true inspiration! Through it all, she just keeps pushing through, and I'm proud of her and honored to be her bloggie friend!

Okay friends, there ya have it - SUPER BLOGGERS UNITE! :)

I Was Tagged!!

Preface: Sorry about the layout of this blog - I had some spacing issues and it's annoying...

Teacherwoman at Dare To Tri tagged me to fill out this survey and I've been working on it for a couple days now, so here goes:

The rules are:

1. Fill it out

2. Change one question with one of your own

3. Add an additional question

4. Send it to 3 people.

1. What are your current obsessions? Training for my upcoming half marathon (6 days away!!!), training for my upcoming triathlon, and blogging (I have 3 blogs: Journey To A Better Me where I track my training progress, Everyday Life... where I blog about my life outside of training *family, friends, work, etc*, and The Bung Blog where my bestie & I get a little silly. ;)

2. Which item from your closet are you wearing most often? I'm currently obsessed with my Champion running skirt - comfy AND equipped with a pocket for my keys, etc when I'm out and about. :)

3. Last thing you bought for myself? I had a small shopping outing last weekend where I purchased a pair of running shorts from Target, some lotion from Bath & Body Works (thank you mail out coupons!), and a case of powerbars, a case of power gels, and a 6 pack of 5 Hour Energy from GNC (thanks to my 20% Gold Card discount).

4. What’s for dinner? Good question. Crap, I forgot to put something out to thaw... Most likely, some kind of meat on the grill (probably chicken or KC strip), a grilled veggie (prob peppers or asperagus...most likely asperagus cuz it's Rylie FAVE), and salad - a staple in our house. I cut up a huge salad every weekend and it lasts all week. We take it in lunches and have it with dinner almost every night. YUMMM!!

5. Say something to the person who tagged you: Her blog is very motivational and inspirational and she leaves comments on my blog that always brighten my day! :)

6. What is one item you could not live without? My cell phone. I don't even like talking on the phone that much, but it's my connection to the outside world. I'd be lost without texting!

7. Vacation spots you must visit before you die? Australia, Italy, Greece, Fiji

8. Three things to do before you die:

*This is tough...*

1 - Complete a Half Iron Man (getting mighty ambitious here)

2 - Complete a Full Marathon (dreaming BIG)

3 - Travel to at least ONE of the places mentioned in #7

9. What are you reading right now? LOL, I normally read a LOT...but ever since Harper was born (almost 8 months ago), I just haven't had much time. I'm currently in the middle of 4 books, lol.

1 - My Custom Van (and 50 other mind blowing essays that will blow your mind all over your face) by Michael Ian Black. If you ever watched "The State" on MTV during the 90's, Michael Ian Black was one of the comedians on this show - hilarious!

2 - Multiple Bles8ings by Jon & Kate Gosselin. If you watch Jon & Kate Plus Eight, then you are familiar with this family of 10. I am fascinated by their life and love watching their show with Rylie. My sister's boyfriend got me this book for Christmas and Rylie and I have been reading it together.

3 - Mr Playboy: Huge Hefner and the American Dream by Steven Watts. I'm also obsessed with Hugh Hefner and basically just fascinated by his lifestyle. I preordered this book MONTHS before it came out...and then it arrive right after Harper was born, so I've barely had time to get into it. I really hope by summer time I can pick up on reading again.

4 - Through the Storm by Lynne Spears. Okay, I'm busted. I love reading about drama and scandal. I don't have much exciting stuff in my own life...so I'm all over the celebrity scoop. I actually thought Lynne's book would be more exciting than it is, but she states in the beginning that it's not a "tell all." I'm about half way through it and it's actually a lot more boring than I was expecting. Meh...guess I'll just have to wait for Britney's book to come out. LOL

10. What is the last movie you saw and enjoyed? The last movie I saw in the theaters was Slumdog Millionaire - amazing film! The last movie I watched at all was Seven Pounds at home yesterday - extrordinary!!!!

11. What’s your guilty pleasure? Oh wow....FOOD (I love it all and don't know when to stop), chocolate, booze - I admit it, I love to drink!, celebrity gossip (perezhilton.com, us weekly, etc), and reality tv. Please don't judge me!

12. What’s your favorite smell? Oh gosh...my kids after a bath, fresh cut grass, lilacs...

13.If cost wasn't an issue and you could run any race in the world what would it be? I would love to run the Athens Marathon or do the LavaMan Iron Man in Hawaii.

14. Do you have a goal that you are trying accomplish before 2009 is over? I'm well on track with my '09 goals: my first half marathon (just 6 days away!!) and my first olympic tri (June 28th).

15. Describe one of your happiest moments. This is easy - the day I married Randy in Key Largo and the days my beautiful girls Rylie and Harper were born:

16. What was your best Halloween costume? Again, don't judge me! In '98, the girls I work with and I dressed as the Spice Girls for a costume contest. We got 1st place at the mall and 3rd place at the club we went to that night. In the end, we all spent WAAAAAY more on our costumes than what we won, but we had a great time. Oh, and I was SCARY SPICE!!! Do you know how much I had to TAN for that?? Hahahaha!

17. What do you have an addiction to? Chocolate. And wine.

18. What do you do that you would be embarassed for others to know about? It's what I don't do that I'm embarrassed about.....but I'll admit it: I hardly EVER do the dishes! My sweet, wonderful husband does them pretty much EVER DAY. I *might* do them once every other month. Oops!!

19. What is one totally irrational fear you have? I have MAJOR anxiety about bad things happening to my family. I worry that Rylie will get kidnapped or that they will get in wrecks. It's so bad that Randy no longer allows me to watch the news because it always ends up with me crying, losing sleep, and/or having to take a xanax. Srsly....

20. Do you have a favorite training tip? Rest days are just as important as training days. Your body NEEDS them and without them, you are doing more harm than good. So don't forget to take AT LEAST one day off a week!!

21. (My added question) What's your most embarrassing moment? Randy and I were at a club one summer night back in '04. It was extremely hot and they had those huge turbo fans going that you often see at the gym. Well, there was one strategically placed on the floor and angled up. I was walking along in a skirt - a pleated skirt - and with a drink in each hand. Suddenly the fan caught my skirt and blew it STRAIGHT UP. There was nothing "Marilyn Monroe" about this. It was me in a tiny miniskirt that was literally blown straight up around my midsection as I stood there in shock while both hands were full with beverages and there was nothing I could do. LUCKILY I was smart enough to not wear a thong that night. I mean, I know myself and alcohol, so I figured I better play it safe (let's face it, I've seen all the celeb mess-ups and didn't want that to be ME). So there I was, in my lacy boy shorts completely exposed. I finally yelled at Randy, who was waaaay in front of me, to come help me out. He took one of the drinks and I got the skirt under control. I then casually walked up to the table of guys who were sitting in the nearby booth with their mouths gaping open, watching the entire thing. I proceeded to shake all of their hands and tell them I would be signing autographs momentarily. I mean, how else do you recover from that?? I have not worn a skirt to a bar/club since.

Ok, I tag:

1. Rebekah at Fair Weather Runner
2. Mel at Tall Mom On The Run

3. Melanie at 2nd Chances