.5k recap.

Another weekend and another race for the YMCA! This weekend it was a 5k in Mankato, MN for the Girls on the Run Program. Girls on the Run is through the YMCA and is for preteen girls to learn healthy lifestyle choices, self-condfidence, and self respect through running. 

Before the race!

The weather on Saturday is kind of crappy. It was cold and rainy, but that didn't keep our spirits down. Plus as soon as it came near running time, the rain stopped, just like it was destiny. 

This was my first time running a road race without Dave by my side. 

Honestly, I now know that I LOVE having a running partner!

Due to running alone and having a million people pass me, I felt like I was the slowest person on earth. 

I just kept my head down and kept putting one foot in front of another. 

My time:

26min 44sec (8.37/mi)

a personal record (PR) for me!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All of the family members that participated in the 5k!

The best thing about running the race in Mankato is that some of my family members came out and walked the 5k! I was sooooooo excited and happy that they came out to support a great cause and that they pushed themselves to do the walk! 

I honestly hope that we can do this again next year and

 maybe get more strong Hammond girls out there on that route!!!

I even got to run the Kids K with my little niece before the 5k!

Let me tell you..that little girl can RUN!

At one point, she turned around and said...

"Hurry Up, Slowpoke!" 

oh...she slays me! Here is us crossing the finish line together:

Maybe we have a future runner in the family!

.Snapshot Sunday.

Continuing with flashbacks this weekend...here is a picture from October 2007!

I'm super duper excited to see this lady today!

After living miles and miles and MILES apart..I finally live close enough to visit!

It's been far to long since we have been able to hang out

and just be our stupid selves! 

(oh my glasses...thank goodness I finally got some style)

.running flashback.

This is me after my first 5k, the AidsWalk in DC, in 2009. 

Thinking back on that run, I laugh at how silly I was and how far I have come. 

Right after crosses the finish line, I grabbed Dave feeling like I was going to collapse. 

When we got home, we ate HUGE burritos 

(thinking we HAD to refuel our bodies after SUCH a long run)

and then slept the rest of the day....

cause you know we RAN three miles! 

Our time that race was: 38min. 

Now 3 miles is a short run for us, 

no naps are needed after, 

and I don't feel like I have collapse. 

This 5k my goal is to run it in 30min!!

.Five (Random) Things Friday.

.TGIF.

(seriously....TGIF!)

This week, I am SOOOO excited that it's Friday! I have the weekend off (yay!) and it's my first day off in over 2 weeks......have I mentioned yet how excited I am for this!!! Our plans are to run a 5k in Mankato and then head off to Brandon, South Dakota to see a great friend and her 1 year old!

1) The only good things about the movie The Lucky One was Zac Efron riding a tractor and Zac Efron walking a bulldog and of course seeing lots of Zac Efron. Other than that, it was pretty bad. 

2) Last night I dreamed I was pregnant...lets just cross our fingers everyone that this will not be a reality for some time from now! Do you are have these dreams? Hmm.....I wonder what they mean? 

3) Working with a sick kid, sick co-workers, and running a 10k in the cold have FINALLY caught up with me and I'm feeling a little sick. I cross my fingers that I don't have to cancel my plans for the weekend. That would be the worst bummer....looking forward to a weekend off and then staying home!

4) Sometimes the best way to escape a long, crazy day is to take your dinner plate outside, eat at a picnic table, and enjoy good conversation and the sun on your face. 

5) On Saturday I'm a running the Girls on the Run 5K . This is SUUUUUCHHHH a great cause, it encourages pre-teen  girls to learn self respect, gain confidence, and teach them about having a healthy lifestyle through running. This will be the first race that my family will also be involved in: my sister is walking, my niece is running the Kids K, and my little cousin (who is in the program) will be their running too. I'm excited to do this with ones that I love!!! 

What are your plans this weekend?

.the little things.

Last week, I came home from work to find this on our guest bedroom door. 

Not sure what was going on I said hello through the door and 

went out for a run while the work continued in the little room. 

Dave was working on a little something to show me how much he loves me. 

*insert: AHHHHHHHHHHHH here*

He came up with the ABC's to why he loves me!

He isn't crafty but he tried and worked so hard on this project. 

He colored wooden alphabet pieces, glued them to the board, 

and then came up with something for each letter of the alphabet!

He then presented it to me by reading each of the things he wrote

and explaining them in more detail. 

My favorites: 

when he made up words to fit certain letters,

E: enemies - he wouldn't want to be mine, 

Z: Zac Efron...nothing more needed!

.He makes me feel like a lucky woman....a VERY lucky woman. 

.I love the -ave to our shoave. 

.Tuesday Tunes: Of Monsters and Men.

I have been in love with this song for the last month! Whenever I hear it I HAVE to sing along, raise my hands at the right moments in the song and shout out (listen and you will understand!).  As soon as I heard the song I went on itunes and purchased their EP and of course it's great!

Of Monsters and Men: Little Talks

So what are your thoughts on this Icelandic indie band?

.10k Results.

WE DID IT!!!!

Dave and I have officially run our first 10k! WHHOOOOOOOOOTTTTT!! I'm not going to lie this sucka was H-A-R-D and I hated the last 3 miles of it with almost my whole being. But I didn't stop!!!

Our Time:

1 hr 05 min 04 sec

10:30/mile

(15 min. earlier than my goal time!!!)

As you can tell from my ranting above this was NOT my favorite race (except for our great race time results)  and I probably won't run the Y Run again.  I felt that the race lacked in some areas that affected the mental part of my race. These things were: running the same track twice, not having water available at the miles it was stated to be, and not having volunteers cheer you on. So how did I survive? I will let you in on my tip/game: I pick a person in front of me and I make it my goal to pass them. It may take me a few miles before I get close enough to pass, but I don't stop trying until the end of the race! Using this game I was able to pass at least 4 people....that's a BIG deal for me!

I'm SOOO proud of us for not giving up and having a great race time!

Now it's time to keep running and prepare for our half marathon!!

.Snapshot Sunday.

Hope you find beauty in everything you see today!

.running saturday.

Today I run my first 10k race!!

The first time I ran 6. 2 miles was in Australia a few months back. Part of that milage is pictured above, oh its so beautiful!  I would run all the way down to the end of the breakwater and then head back home via Newcastle Beach. I don't think I will ever forget what my runs in Newcastle looked like. Today when I run I am DEFINITELY going to be picturing the ocean to one side of me and the harbor on the other. 

The best parts of the run today are: it's around a lake that I only live 1 mile away from. I am familiar with the area and I know that it will be a pretty run. The second part is that the registration money goes towards the YMCA, which I highly support. When I run registered races I always make sure that the registration fee is going towards a cause that I believe in and support. I don't have a lot of money and races can be around $25-$50, so this is one of the little ways that I can give back. 

Check back on Monday to see how I the race went!

.April 20th.

.NYC subway.

This just seems fitting for today!!

Happy Friday, April 20th!

.Around the Apartment: Cameras.

So it was been officially 2 months since we have settled down into our apartment here in Minneapolis. It took a while but finally we are all done unpacking, hanging up pictures, and putting the knick knacks in just the right place.

I'm excited to share with you different part of our apartment and decor through the new segment; Around the Apartment! The first up is one of my favorite things we have, my collection of old cameras. 

I bought my first two older cameras (2nd & 3rd pictures) in an antique store in Brooklyn, NYC. Now whenever I go into an antique store I always search for more cameras to buy, if I see one I just HAVE to have it. It amazes me how brilliant people were back in the day to create such a wonderful piece of technology and create beautiful photos. 

As you can see, I have displayed my cameras by placing them in different areas of the house. I have them all in places that I look at everyday so I can see them and love on them. I love using the cameras to break up areas such as books and dvds. Why not place all the things you love together? They can all hang out and talk about how cool you are ..well...if items could talk.

I have to be honest, I only know how to use one of these cameras...the film one from the 90s (difficult one, right!).  I love using it from time to time especially to take black and white photos of everyday activities. My goal within the next few years/life time is to learn how to use every camera I own. If I can't learn how to use it I want to learn more about it's history and how others used it back in the day!

I am SOOO excited to share of our home with you guys. I will be featuring things such as vintage suitcases, family history, traveling love, and MORE! 

If you want to see something or have any questions, let me know! I love talking with peeps!!

.Tuesday Tunes: Run Baby Run.

S

Source

As you know I am currently training for my first half marathon (13.1) miles! Let me tell you sometimes the runs, they kick my booty, especially the longer runs. It still amazes me that I can run 11 miles without stopping...wholly moly! While I run sometimes I NEED music that gets me back into my groove and an extra UMPH. Here are some of my favorite tunes in my workout mix. These are the ones that I LOVE to hear because it makes me refocus and even shake my hips a bit. 

13 tracks for 13 miles: 

1. The Anthem :: Pitbull featuring Lil Jon

2. Big Girl (You are Beautiful) :: Mika

3. The Fixer :: Pearl Jam

4. Super Bass :: Nicki Minaj

5. Houdini :: Foster the People

6. Journey to the End of the East Bay :: Rancid

7. USA :: Middle Class Rut

8. Young Blood :: The Naked & Famous

9. 1901 :: Phoenix

10. Kiss With A Fest :: Florence + The Machine

11. Stronger :: Kayne West

12. My Body :: Young the Giant

13. Blow :: Ke$ha

.WIW:Comfy Day.

Ever have a day where you just don't feel like getting to dolled up but still want to look cute? That was me when Dave and I went to eat lunch at our friends house. The weather was a little rainy, and RAIN to me means COMFY DAY!  So this is what I wore for a great Nepali meal with some great friends!!

.the details.

jeans: Old Navy :: sweatshirt: Target

scarf: Tree of Life

p.s. this was the first day in over 8 months I have worn my hair up!

.Snapshot Sunday.

I find the colors of these leaves to be very inspiring. 

I wish I could capture the colors and paint a picture for you.

.happy saturday.

Happy Saturday from Churchy!

(aka Churchill...our stuffed bulldog!)

.Happy Scrabble Day.

Scrabble is a big part of our lives....

Our wedding guests spelt words for us
via: Behind the Lens Photography

We spent lots of time playing in Nepal
(and Australia)

and it brings us closer on date nights

All you need to remember is....

even ganstas play Scrabble!

So grab a friend, a Scrabble board (and dictionary!) and have yourself some fun with words!!

.Five (Random) Things Friday.

Happy Friday the 13th!!

1. Did you ever watch Friday the 13th movies growing up? I only watched the first one (Friday the 13th), but I watched it over and over again as a kid! They have it on netflix so we just may have to watch it tonight. 

2. I got my third job this week!! Soooo....next week I now work 59 hours and then I run a 10k. So lets hope this girl can keep up cause it's been a LONG time since I have worked over 20hrs!! Man, what a rough lift I lead! 

3. Are you a fan of reality tv? Oh, I am SUCH a SUCKER for it!! I turn it on and get sucked into all the drama, I love it!! Right now I'm watching a lot of these season's Celebrity Apprentice. I have never watched the show before and I don't know if I'm watching this season because it has some celebrities I actually know or because Lisa Lampanelli is always yelling! I do love Lisa Lampanelli, I think she is a HILARIOUS comedic!!!

4. I'm totally absolutely in love with this swimsuit....a collection will be set up in it's name!

5. Ever need a day off from the world? What do you do to help reconnect and relax? This week has been hard emotionally and mentally...so tough, so Dave and I said screw it to our plans for the evening (hee hee..no running!) and went on a date to the mall. We walked around, shopping, eating, and chit chatting for four and a half hours...it was very very very excellent and what I needed. 

Have a great weekend!

Be safe...it is Friday the 13th after all!!

.Around the Neighborhood: Rick Rack Boutique.

This is a new feature for the little blog here (one of a  few!). Since you all can't come and see my great neighborhood, I thought I would share it with you via the internet! I hope you like the new feature and the area that I am able to now call home!!

Our first stop is to the cute little boutique just down the block from our apartment:

For the first month or so I would walk by the boutique and think, "I NEED to go in there!" I would dream about all the lovely items that it would be filled with and what I may possibly be able to find for my own closet. I saved my pennies and then took a wintery walk to the store with a smile on my face and a cutie on my arm. 

When I walked into the store, I fell in love at first sight...no lie. The rooms are filled with great clothes, accessories, shoes (oh..the shoes!) , and heaps and heaps of great jewelry! The rooms are set up with lovely decor that highlights the merchandise perfectly without making you feel like you are in a showroom. 

The little red house has not one, but two floors with clothing and furniture. Yep..you get two floors to take your time and explore. You will want to plan for about an hour in the store to make sure you see all the items without feeling rushed. I was only in the store for about 15-30 min. and it was definitely not enough time!!

Isn't this such a cute little holder!!

During my first visit I purchased two cute pair of earrings. I'm even thinking of using one for a giveaway...what do ya think..ya wanna giveaway??  Not only was the merchandise great, but so was the service at the store. They were very helpful and kind, exactly one of the reasons why I love shopping at locally owned shops!

Soooo..make sure you stop by the little red house on 44th in Southwest Minneapolis!!!

Shop ::  Blog :: Location

.Tuesday Tunes: Dave Barnes.

Source

Have you heard of this guy, yet? I just love him, I think that if we actually met in person we would be great friends! I have been going to Dave Barnes concerts for about 9 years now and I have LOVED every single one of them. When you go to a Dave Barnes show you get a little comedy show with your music. Dave is hilarious, he is odd, a little strange, and TOTALLY my style. At his last show someone said, " He is sooo weird." me I was just cracking up.....I even snorted, he was THAT funny!!

Varsity Theatre :: Minneapolis, MN

Alright so now that I have rambled on and on, here is some more info. on Mr. Barnes.  Dave is a singer songwriter from Nashville, TN.  He started touring in 2002 (when I first saw him) with an EP, in 2004 he released his first album, Brother, Bring the Sun.  He has just released his 5th studio album in March, I haven't listened to it but it's on my to download list!!   Recently Blake Shelton has released the single, God Gave Me You, which was written by Dave. He was even nominated for a Grammy for Best Country Song...go Dave!!

You can find out more about him...HERE!

.Why I Run.

" I don't understand why people run. I only run if someone is chasing me!" 

Have you ever said this? I know that I have...TONS of times! I always thought that runners were crazy, why in the heck would someone CHOSE to run!?! Running was the thing that we were forced to do in high school in which I was always last and finished wanting to collapse....I hated it! Now, now I love running! I still think it is crazy that those words come out of my mouth, " I love running" never would my former self think this would happen. 

So, why do I run? It's simple. I run because it pushes me and it makes me feel confident. A lot of people think that just because I'm a bigger girl I run only because I want to lose weight. I can say that it started out that way, but then it became about something so much bigger than losing some pounds. Every time I would run 1 or 2 miles I felt surprised and SOOOOO proud that I could do it!! Then I slowly started to push myself with going further or a little bit faster. Every single time I pushed myself I felt great, I felt like I could do anything! 

The first time I ran six miles..I was ecstatic! I wanted to stop so many times during the run, but I didn't because all I could think was, " I am an obese woman, who is doing something that not everyone can do! I can do this!!!" and I did it! I love that feeling, the feeling that I can do something that people don't expect me to do by looking at me.  

I run because:

society doesn't think I should be able to, 

I prove stereotypes wrong, 

it makes me feel strong, 

and proud, 

I love how it makes me feel.

I run for me!

What is something you do that makes you feel proud?

p.s. yesterday I ran 11 miles without stopping..the farthest I have ever ran!!

I am totally going to kick this 1/2 marathons ass booty!!!!

.Snapshot Sunday.

Somewhere over the rainbow

p.s. Happy Easter!

.Cute Little Rodents.

Squirrels!

I love these little rodents. I think my love for their cute little pounces and tails started a few years ago when they were everywhere at Mason! Once I saw a squirrel sitting on top of the trash can eating a Chic-Fil-A with both his little paws. Did your heart just melt a little?!

Currently I live on the ground floor of our apartment building, giving me a great look at my rodent friends! One day I grabbed my camera as quick as I could to get a picture of the cute guy eating. 

Isn't this little guy super cute!

Gif creator online

P.S. They don't have squirrels in Australia..interesting, no!

.Five (Random) Things Friday.

HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY FRIDAY!!!

Guess what!! I have the next 4 days off!!! AHHHHH!!!!

1. Dave and I started a tradition last year for Easter and I'm looking forward to continuing it again this year! For our Easter Dinner we got for Chinese Food instead of making the typical Easter Ham and fixings! 

2. Have you heard of these, the Google Glasses? I'm not sure how I feel about them..do we need to have the internet in our face all the time? I could just be old fashioned, what do you think?

3. Dave is finally home!! He actually arrived home at almost the exact same time I got home from my run...it was perfect timing! This kid and I are totally made for each other...no lie!

4. Today is my first pay day from my job, where I wore this outfit for the interview! It feels good to get a paycheck..even if it will be really really really small!

5. A co-worker asked me if I was the guy in 127 hours ( have you seen the movie? He gets stuck between rocks, breaks his arm, and then saws off his arm with a swiss army knife in order to survive) would I do what the guy did.  My answer...NO, I would take a nap and hope someone came for me.  This is basically my answer for if anything bad happens...I will take a nap and hopefully sleep it off!  What would you do?

Hope ya have an EPIC Friday!

*I said it...EPIC*