Spring has finally sprung!

I was super excited to wake up this morning to a beautiful sunny day!! After all this dreary wetness it was wonderful to wake up, snap open the blinds, and let the sun shine in!! Jacob had a relief day today, which was kind of a relief bein that he worked 14 hours on Saturday. We took advantage of it by running some errands and taking care of some odds and ends around the house. I took advantage of it by getting outside and going for my first outdoor run in what seems like forever!! It was kind of a strange run. It was a little breezy which always effs with me, and it was kinda cold so I wore my long sleeves, but then not cold enough so I got really hot after just a little while. Sigh. I really need to look into the arm sleeves so I have less to lug around when I dress inappropriately for the current weather conditions. I *still* haven't gotten confirmation that my inhaler prescription is ready for pick-up, which is friggin lame, so I went without it and could completely tell the difference. I know I shouldn't expect to lace up my shoes after a month or so and just knock an easy three out, but I'm a little disappointed. After only 2, my lungs are on fire (still, an hour and a half later). My legs and back feel great for once, my Achilles is just a teensy bit snarky, and my feet are awesome too. Stupid lungs. I am really looking forward to this weather warming up some more (make sure to remind me that I said this in July when I'm complaining that I live on the face of the sun) and getting a nice tan for the first time in years!! I am looking forward to miles upon miles of healthy running and a half marathon in the fall. I haven't decided....I could do Urban Cow again in October. It has a really big crowd and runs through more suburban/urban neighborhood-y areas aside from the really nice section along the river. OR I could run Clarksburg which has a smaller crowd in a country setting running past vineyards and farmland. I don't know. I like the knowledge that Urban Cow had sooo many people participating (like 3000) that it didn't matter if I didn't have anyone there cheering for me, at least there were spectators! I like knowing that the course is well patrolled by police officers and the aid stations are well manned. On the other hand, the crowd was a little out of control. The bathroom situation was borderline ridiculous. But at least there were a lot of porta-potties. Parking was ample, since the starting line was across the street from a college. But I think I might like a small town feel, I think I might like the scenery out there. I appreciate it while driving anyway. Do I go with what I know, and give myself a fair comparison when trying to PR? Or do I go with something new and different? Time will only tell..... stay tuned! PSSSST!! I want to give a big HUGE shout out to my best buddy since forever LEESA who completed her very first Half Marathon in Dallas this weekend. I am super super super duper excited for her as she goes along her triathlete journey and can't wait to see her at her peak!!! <3 <3 <3

Three truckers walk into a bar....

On Friday, we broke our diet. BIG. It was kind of a fun excursion onto the wild side, I guess. We went to a local Mexican restaurant that's kind of a landmark in our town. It's very tiny, cozy, authentic, and as in all small towns, full of people you know. I saw six people that I went to school with and two parents of people that I went to school with (on top of the two schoolmates that we were there with.) It's amazing how things work in a small town. I love it, but at the same time it's kind of a hassle when you're just trying to get to the bathroom with your three year old. "Sorry, can't talk, she's about to pee her pants," as she races down the aisle, running past the bathroom. But I digress. I was peer pressured into 'just one' margarita. I rarely drink so this was kind of a nice treat to savor the frosty goodness. Then came dinner. Jacob and I had discussed sharing a plate since this restaurant is notorious for their super-sized portions. Naturally, when faced with the menu, we couldn't decide on something that we both wanted so we wound up ordering our own plates. The waitress placed my oval plate in front of me with a flourish, and it sang to me. Ooooooh maaaaannnnnn......refried beans, rice, crunchy chicken taco, and chicken enchilada???? Yes, yes, yes please. It looked and tasted better than I remember. After devouring much of what was on my plate, I felt embarassed. And full. Very very full. What did I do? Oh dear. After we hung out there for a while, we agreed to continue the evening and head back to our friends M&D's house. It was his birthday, and we don't get to hang out with them very much even though they live in town. After we arrived at their house, another friend of M's called and said he was in the area and asked if he and his wife could come by. We had SO much fun! My husband is a truck driver, M is a truck driver (same work), and the new guy C is a truck driver as well. Put the three of them together and they are hilarious! We were up at their house playing Battle of the Sexes until 1:30 am. I have to say that if I had to choose a night to cheat on the diet, I think I picked a perfect night. I regret that I ate as much as I did, but live and learn and we all had an amazing time. I'm sure I will spend that same amount of amazing time working off the meal in the gym, and it will be totally worth it.

My husband and I were talking last night and we made the decision that with gas being $4 per gallon and up, we really can't afford for me to be driving to the gym every day any more. This is terribly sad for me because I was really enjoying the workouts that I was getting in as well as the time I was getting to spend with one of my BFFs Denise. She is so funny and honest I just can't get enough of her. We have been friends since high school so we have seen each other through a lot of stuff. I am extremely grateful for the time that I got to spend at the gym with her; I don't think I could have created the habit of working out that I did without having this opportunity. I will just have to work extra hard to keep on track and get my cardio in other ways, and make sure that I focus focus focus on the diet and weight lifting aspects of fitness as well. I'm also really looking forward to the weather clearing up! With the time change in effect, it's staying light out later which means I can run in the early evening/late afternoon when my husband gets home from work. Yay!!

The tale of the missing blogger

I am alive, I promise. I just re-allocated my time and it didn't allow for the hours that I can spend perusing the many blogs that LOVE to read on a daily basis. At this point, I'm so far behind I might as well pretend I'm finding y'all for the very first time and just start from scratch. Since February 10 (my last blog posting, yikes) I have been dealing with an Achilles tendon issue. Lots of icing, lots of resting. I've read a lot of running articles and books that have advised that I can use the elliptical or cycle still (as long as it doesn't hurt) so I have been spending a lot of time on my booty pedaling away. For some reason it (the booty) goes numb about half hour in. My hub says it's because the soles of my shoes are too soft so the pedal is putting pressure on my foot which is leading to the numbness. He's probably right- he usually is- though I hate to admit it. Today, I think I'm going to try for two miles on the treadmill. I haven't ran over 1.25 miles in over a month and I think it's about time. Good news is that the diet and the exercising that I have been doing have left me stabile in my weight loss, actually losing two pounds. Not a huge deal, but it's progress in the right direction so I'm happy.

On the parenting front, I was horrified a few weeks ago to discover my daughter covered in a terrible rash. A $30 co-pay and 15 seconds with the doctor later, it was determined that she had hives, no they didn't know why or how long it would last but give her Benadryl so they don't itch. Nice. Thankfully, the hives have pretty much completely disappeared and she has continued to carry on her busy little life the entire ordeal. Apparently it was only heartbreaking to Jacob and I to see her body all red and welty; she could have cared less.

I'm definitely planning on picking back up on the writing. I have missed it a lot. I look forward to catching up on everyone and seeing what you all are up to in the weeks to come!