.urban wilderness half marathon.

At the beginning of the month Dave and I ran our 2nd half marathon. I won't lie to you I was one nervous/terrified girl when it came to running that race. I had trained some but not nearly as much as for the first half we ran. (I actually ran 30 fewer miles than last time when training) I also got some hip pain a week before the race and had to minimize my miles a lot.  But I signed up to do it and see how fast I could run it and gosh darn that was exactly what I was going to do then.

Between finishing and stuffing my face with oranges. 

I was sooo exhausted and these were the best oranges EVER!

My best friend Molly was visiting from Boston and even woke up at the crack of dawn to watch us run the race. Our other good friend (and my trainer) Jim always came out to cheer us on. Never have I had anyone cheer for me when running but now I feel like I want to race only with my personal cheerleaders. It does make a difference having someone cheer for you and high five you every so often. When I wanted to stop and walk I didn't because I knew they would want me to keep going. They even got in the car and drove down the course a little bit honking and waving at everyone. I think they had as much fun cheering for us as we had having them there.

We made it our goal to pass this guy. 

We finally did and as you can see, I'm very happy about it!

Here are some things I learned during the race:

1) Don't compare your training milages the day of the race, it will make you feel unprepared and nervous. Nobody needs those feelings when they are about to start a race!

2) Set goals. We had a goal of when we wanted to finish by before we started. This helped us make sure we kept on track while running. We also made small goals when trying to pass others, this is something I find that helps me stay motivated and moving forward.

3) It's okay if others pass you, don't let it bring you down. You never know you may end up passing them again further down the course. 

4) Listen to your body. It's okay to stop and walk a bit, nobody will judge you. Just keep moving and you will do great. 

Crossing the finish line! 

Our time: 

2 hours and 29 min. 

(11 min. 24 sec per mile)

A new personal recored for our half marathons!

* In case you are wondering I wore a lot of the same items I wore when running my first marathon. I am wearing new shorts (from Target) and a new dry fit hat, I didn't wear the bandana or running belt.  You can find info on my running gear and first marathon, here and here. *

Now we only have 7.5 weeks until our marathon. Oh...did I tell you we kind of stopped running for a few weeks after the half..haa!! SOOOOOOO...as in true Sho fashion, this should be interesting! I will have to keep you updated on the progress!

Special thanks to Molly for taking TONS of pictures of us while we were running the race. It's always great to look back at something you accomplished!

.around the city: hunt and gather.

Do you like shopping/looking for antiques? It is one of Dave and I's favorite little past times that we don't do enough.  We are lucky and only live about 6 blocks from a corner filled with antique shops! There are about 4 or 5 shops all in one area filled with new items to be discovered every day. When driving down down Xerxes there is one shop that always catches my eye, Hunt and Gather. I finally took a little visit and it was as great as I always thought when driving by.

Hunt and Gather is different from other antique stores in the way that they showcase their different stalls and items. The best way to describe it is an organized free for all/chaos. Things are here and there and everywhere, but it all flows really well together.  

If you are claustrophobic or have a little OCD this may not be the store for you due to the "clutter". At times I was a little overwhelmed with things coming out from all areas on the wall, the ceiling, and even the floor. In the beginning it was a stimulation overload, but it only took a few minutes for me to get used to it.  

I found items in Hunt and Gather that I haven't seen offer in other stores. You can by letters by the wheelbarrow, old cards, billiard balls, old school book pages, basically anything that looks cool and something someone would pay for! My mind kept racing with all the different things I could do with so many items in the store. It was hard to resist picking up a lot of things for "future" projects. 

We did pick up a few things from the store. My favorite were the license plate letters. Dave has a thing for license plates. When we have a garage he wants to put old license plates up on the walls, so we have started a collection of old MN plates. Seeing these letters made me think of a great DIY. Since we love traveling and Dave loves license plates we bought the letters to spell out SHOAVE (our names together: Sho + Dave = Shoave).  It is a fun little piece of art in our apt. that showcases our passions. 

When you drive down Xerxes in Edina you can't miss Hunt and Gather. The outside of the store is brightly colored and showcases items. The large alphabet letters in the front and on the side of the store always draw me in. Plus the outside display items are always changing, one day it could be letters the next day it is old gym lockers.  I hope that when in Minneapolis you get a chance to visit this unique antique store and go home with a few treasures of your own!

Website :: Location 

.July Books.

I am FINNNNAAALLLYYYYY getting around to posting this! Usually the first day of the following month I post what  books I read the month before, but as you know...I'm lazy! So here are the books that I read in July:

New Owners Guide to Bulldogs: Hank and Carol Williams  This is an older book on bulldogs and caring for them that I borrowed from our store. It was filled with information on the history of the bulldog (bull baiters), things to know before you decide you want a bully, care tips, training tips, etc. It was a good book and a quick read. I read it in about two days so we could really know 100% that a bulldog was for us.  Not long after finishing the book we got the call that we were able to adopt our own English bulldog! Good thing I was prepared due to the book!

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The Weird Sisters: Eleanor Brown  This book has been popular at the bookstore, it seems to be on everyone's book club list! I adored this book and waited patiently for my turn to come on the library waiting list ( I was #245 on the list). The story is about three sisters that come home during a period of time that their mothers is sick. They all come home for different reasons however and try to work on their personal issues while keeping them secrets. The story is about family, independence, growing up, and learning who you are. Plus the family always is reading and how doesn't love a book about people who love to read?

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The Virgin Suicides: Jeffery Eugenides  I have needed/wanted to read this book for years. I used to have the movie and Dave has the soundtrack...so it was basically the last thing to complete the trifecta. The book is about the mysterious and eccentric Lisbon sisters, whom a handful of boys on the block are obsessed with. Over the time of a year the boys watch as one by one the LIsbon sisters commit suicide trying to put all the pieces together.  This was Eugenides first novel and he does it beautifully. You become transfixed by the characters and find yourself searching for answers along with the boys. 

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Currently Reading:

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What have you been reading?

.bulldog crazy.

Since Maggie's arrival it seems that all else has ceased to exist in the Roberts household. I swear the only pictures I have taken in the last month have all been related to Maggie...and she is almost always sleeping in them. I just love a sleeping bulldog. Soooo...like any other proud Momma I have to share with you some of the cuteness that I am blessed with everyday!

We thought she looked like E.T. after her bath 

I LOOOVEEEE seeing these two sleep on the couch together 

THAT face is always are goal, we live to see her smile 

this was not staged...which makes it even more precious!!

Maggie can be a handful, she is a pretty easy going dog, but is high maintenance.  Due to her background she has some health, social, and learning disabilities. It takes her a little longer to learn things, to trust people/dogs, and needs lots of cleaning and care. But we think she is perfect, she is the dog we were meant to have and waited years for. We are the concerned parents that feel like crying when a loud truck scares her, calms her when she has nightmares, and lets her jump into bed with us at night so she doesn't feel alone. In the short month we have had her I think our hearts have grown and now we can't imagine not having a little dog/something to care for.

It always melts my heart when I see Maggie and Dave falling asleep or sleeping at the same time. These are two creatures that have won my heart and who I will love forever...even when they are pains! As I look over my shoulder, one is asleep on the couch and the other has taken position within paws reach on the floor.  My heart smiles and I feel happy to be right where I am.

.that big thing that happened a year ago.

Last night when babysitting I shared a few pictures and videos of koalas and kangaroos with the three year old before bed time. She loved looking at all the pictures and asking lots of questions. It reminded me that we arrived in Australia just a little bit over 1 year ago!

When we left the states we were nervous and had no idea what we really got ourselves into. We only had a hotel room, one suitcase each, and hopes that we could figure it all out after a few days in Newcastle.  It took us about a week, but we figured it all out and made a little life for us in the six months we were there.

I wanted to share with you a few pictures of our time in Australia. These are the pictures that keep drawing me back to the country and questioning if I could live there forever.

 Newcastle, NSW

 Queens Tower, Newcastle, NSW

Newcastle Beach, NSW

Koala, NSW

 Sydney Opera House, Sydney, NSW

Sydney Harbor Bridge, Sydney, NSW

WhitSundays, QLD

Three Sister, Blue Mountains, NSW

12 Apostles, Victoria

.oh...hello, there.

Man, July was not my month for blogging. I apologize for that..seriously, I'm sorry and it was totally my bad. Believe me when I say it was me and not you. For some reason, the summer heat made me veeerrrry verrry lazy.

We had a great July filled with lots of hanging out with the hubs, friends, running, and starting training with my friend. Here are some of my favorite things that happened this month:

1. Basilica Block Party: A two day concert fundraiser for the renovation of the Minneapolis Basilica. I have always wanted to go to this concert year after year and FINALLY I got to go! It was fun, hot, and full of TONS of people. My favorite performances were: CAKE, Imagine Dragons, The Luminers, and The Avett Brothers. Oh the Avett Brothers were SOOOOOO good, we danced and danced and sang our hearts out!

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2. Celebrations: We celebrated 4th of July, 4 years of wedded bliss, my momma's birthday, friends golden birthday, another friends baby bump, 1st birthday of the cutest kid eve, and just celebrating life in general!!! Lots of fun was had, hugs given, presents bought, and love shared. 

3. Maggie (Margaret) Roberts: Dave and I rescued the cutest bulldog we have eevvver seen. *of course we say this because we are the best parents ever* We got our little Maggie, named after Margaret Thatcher, and have been loving on her ever since. She is six years old and was rescued from a puppy mill, she has had waaayy to many babies in her life. So now we spoil her rotten, give her tons of kisses, and let her sleep almost anywhere she wants. We are sooooo in love with her, she has definitely made our hearts grow bigger.

4. Training: I have a friend who is a person trainer and just moved to the area. We decided that for training sessions we would pay him beer and a review, plus he gets to make me swear and cry in pain! It's a deal that works for best of us pretty well. I am able to see some arm definition already and it's fun to have someone push me hard. Along with training with my friend, Dave and I have been training for a half marathon that took place on August 4th. We didn't get as much training in since getting Maggie, but we were able to get a few runs in that were very much needed!

I have NOOOO idea where July went! I looked and looked and looked and it has just ran away! It felt like it was the fastest month ever in the universe. But it's gone now, ran away to join the other crazy months so now it's on to August! Let's cross our fingers that August doesn't go by as fast we so can enjoy the summer a little bit longer. 

How was your July? Did it fllllyyyy by for you as well?

What was your favorite thing about July?

.meet maggie.

Dave and I have wanted an english bulldog for YEAAARRRSSSS. The time has not been right and we waited and waited. Finally we have settled down, saved up some money and knew the time was perfect to start looking at rescue bulldogs. We applied met with a few and then the sun shined down and we got the most perfect english bulldog for us!

This is our new baby girl, Maggie!!!

After a whirlwind of rushing to meet her at a park, a house visit, and then picking her up in, all in a 24 hour period, she is ours! We adopted Maggie from a Underdog Rescue here in St. Louis Park, MN. She was rescued from a puppy mill where she was used as a breeder. After a hard life she now will be spoiled silly by Shoave! 

 

.every english bulldog needs a union jack.

 

.nap time with momma.

.bulldogs are soooo cute when they sleep. 

We love having Maggie!

We feel sooo lucky to have been able to find her!