#RunTamRun

It’s here you guys. I can taste it. So much so, that I’m already carb-loading.

Is butter a carb? #meangirls

My first half-marathon. The first time I will run 13.1 miles. Up until about an hour ago, I felt mostly fine. A little anxious. But now, I can feel my stomach turning over & over in anticipation of what will happen in the next few days. In what I’ll feel. In how I’ll react. And how I’ll change as one foot passes the other across the Vegas strip. 

For those of you who have followed me this past year and have encouraged, asked questions, even told me I’ve inspired you in some way (which is totally weird and completely flattering) –

thank you!

Without you, I promise, I would not be here right now – ready to tackle something I never even thought possible.

I did make myself a fancy little shirt to wear for the race – so if you’re on twitter use the hashtag #RunTamRun if you feel like sending me a little support while I’m trucking through Vegas :)

Oh, and if you have time send good thoughts out in the universe that I don’t poop myself.

[Seriously, shit happens]

Until next time!

She’s Two-Tu Cute

We opted to push Lillie’s second birthday one week later into the Thanksgiving holiday this year so that her cousins could attend. [They think it’s fun to live out in West Texas for some reason & can’t always make the 8 hour trip on a whim. Weirdos.]

If you’ll recall, last year I went fuckstupid crazy and worked on her first birthday for months before B – day. [Get it, like D-day, but you know, birthday. So smooth, I am.] It was exhausting, fantastic, ridiculous and I seem to love complaining about it but the truth is – totally worth it when I look back on the pictures. However, this year I had significantly less time on my hands since I’ve decided to pick up on the whole ‘running fiasco’, so instead of months I only managed to work on her second party days before. It still turned out cute & she enjoyed it, as well as every one else who came and shared her day. (I mean, we hardly had any food left so that’s a good sign, right?)

I actually enjoy crafting so, I made her invitations out of a paper pack I picked up from our local Michael’s which I also incorporated into other party decor. For the record, when people say it’s ‘cheaper’ to make your own shit, it is not. Unless you already have the supplies. But like I said, I enjoy it – it calms me & makes me feel like a super mom for at least one day out the year so I’ll take it.

Her theme was Two-Tu Cute so we asked all the little girls [or boys, or men, or big girls – no judgement here!] to wear their tutu’s to celebrate. And yes, they are on the Black Friday Trampoline I so desperately had to have. [Seriously, best investment!]

I also made bow-ties for the boys if they were interested but they got pushed to the back of her birthday table and I forgot to shove them on people. I did something similar last year with One-derland things. Both were made with the help of my fantastic Cricut [as well as the goody bags below]. Seriously, if enjoy crafting this is something that will help you immensely! I have the small one that I bought on sale for $79 bucks last year. Everything turned out wonderful, Lillie had a great time playing with her friends, eating too much candy & opening her gifts. Which was a lot. (No complaints here! She’s stocked up with winter clothes now!) The trampoline was a huge hit and worth the 3 hours I stood there holding on to it for dear life before it went on sale. She loves it. By the end of the night, we were all exhausted so that next day when I was going through everything she got it just hit me. We have such wonderful, caring people in our life that love our daughter so much more than we could ever hope for. From family to friends – we couldn’t have made it this past year without your support & love for our daughter. It’s a wonderful feeling to just know that there are people who not only love us, but love her with no expectations other than a hug & a kiss. For the record, she is a really great hugger so I don’t blame them on that.

So thank you to all of you who took the time out of your day to wish our Lillie a Happy Birthday. We truly appreciate it.

And now on to the remaining photo dump - The main portion of decorations. Shout out to M-I-L & Lillie’s cousins who all “helped” make the cake/cupcakes – they were perfect! Enjoying the ‘poline. My Emilie & Tanner – seriously, could he be any cuter!

Birthday girl with Granny & her cousins.

Until next year, my friends!

Thankful in 2012

So, if you’re a person who enjoys the whole Facebook thing then I’m sure you’ve noticed the every day I’m Thankful for posts for the month of November. I have to admit, I was kind of annoyed at first. Not that I don’t appreciate people sharing what they’re thankful for [it’s your Facebook, do what you damn well please] – it’s just it was getting in my way of being a snoopy mcsnooperson on who posted photos and who didn’t. [Don’t judge, you know you do it too.]

I didn’t participate because I didn’t want to force myself to give thanks for something that I may have not really been all that thankful for in the first place. You know, just trying to make sure I did post something for the day to keep with the theme. I wanted to give myself a little bit of time to really think about what I’m thankful for. If I’m grateful/thankful for something I really try to express that in the moment to whoever or whatever may be the cause of that emotion. I often feel that social media is a gateway to ‘one-up’ other people into thinking that they’re life is less awesome than you’re life in some way. [Whether intentional or not] And I didn’t want to do that in some way every single day with my ‘thankful’ posts.

So, instead I thought I’d hit you with it all at once on my blog. I figure if you’re brave enough to click the link to get here, then you deserve to be whammied into thinking my life is freaking amazeballs.

A few things that I’m Thankful for in 2012

1. Well, you know this one was coming – my daughter, Lillie. Every day is a blessing to be able to share it with her and see things through the eyes of a child. I mean, some days are more of a blessing than others. Like the time I thought I could get her to the potty in time when she said poo-poo. Turns out I only had enough time to drop her diaper to the ground and place my hand in a very unfortunate position underneath her bottom. Yeah, that day, not a blessing.
2. Another cliche – the ol’ husband. Same deal as above. Every day is a gift that I am able to share with him. He’s without a doubt the best friend I ever had. Which is exactly why there are some days when all I want to do is punch him in the throat and other days all I want to do is throw my arms around his bruised punched throat in a fit of love.
3. Running. I am grateful firstly, that I can run and secondly, that I want to run. I have pushed myself to places I never thought possible [physically, mentally, emotionally]. At the beginning of this year, the thought of running a half-marathon was something I scoffed at – and now, it’s something I’m going to do in two short weeks happily. Running has focused me on me and the results of that have been astonishing. I have more energy to give to my daughter [who deserved so much more than what I was giving her before], I have more energy to devote to my husband [who also deserved so much more than I was giving before] and I have more energy for me. It’s been absolutely wonderful.
4. Lillie’s Grandparents. They keep her while the husband and I are putting in our 40+ for the week, but they do so much more than that. They teach her, they let her grow, they share my excitement when she does something as silly as doing a booty dance. We couldn’t be more blessed to have such wonderful people helping raise our daughter.
5. Lillie’s Godparents [my cousins]. They are willing to keep her on a moment’s notice, they spoil the bajeebus out of her and she loves every minute of it. We know that no matter what we can always count on them to help. We also know that no matter what our girl is coming home with a new bag of clothes. [Not complaining on damn bit either!]
6. This blog. When I started writing here I thought it would just be a great little diary of sorts to kind of keep up with little tidbits of my life. But then, it became more. I have made friends I otherwise would not have had and I have accomplished things I never thought I would – simply because I wrote it down. Never underestimate the power of words.

Happy Thanksgiving friends. I hope you drown any sorrows you have in a bowl full of gravy and get your thankful on. [In the south there’s nothing a boat of gravy or a sweet tea in a mason jar can’t cure.]

Ten on Tuesday

Linking up with the wascally Lin for Ten on Tuesday.

1. Longest.Afternoon.Ever. We’re lucky enough to have the Wednesday off before Turkey Day and the Friday, so I’m not complaining about that. What I am complaining about is that somehow I managed to be the only left at work? I mean, WTF?

2. Black Friday is coming up. [Find ads here] I know some people are diehard against people getting up at the butt crack of dawn [or not going to sleep all together which is how I rolled last year] for a ‘few’ deals. But here’s what’s up – it’s a motherbeeping tradition in the family. From the first time Alfred’s sisters asked me to ride along where I bought nothing. To the time I thought I was high rolling because I bought a 27 inch television at Best Buy as a surprise gift to the husband – this holiday has been nothing but a freaking blast. We rent a hotel room, we hang out, we laugh, we share horror stories and we bond. It’s one of my favorite times of the year and unless I’ve just given birth [thanks Lillie] I am all in. I’ll be live tweeting as much as of the action as I can, if you’re interested. @Tamara0827

3. This past weekend, the husband and I met up with a couple of friends and headed down to a ATV park to get a little muddy & a little blurry. We did both and it was awesome. Even if we did freeze our asses off in a tent [we didn’t want to waste time dragging a camper along – totally frostbit us in the ass]. I brought my camera along for amazing pictures and after about 6 it promptly died. And then my phone did. Although, I didn’t mean for it to happen I’m glad it did. It was nice just being in the moment instead of seeing it through a lens. We also met some badass people that totally made our night. [Hi ladies!]

4. Lillie’s party is this weekend. I am way behind on this. Last year, I had extraordinary plans for an extraordinary party. This year, not so much. In an attempt to keep it low key I just pushed it under the rug for the most part. I am paying for it dearly this week. No sleep Tuesday is a thing, right?

5. I forgot to put deodorant on today. I don’t even know how that happens. Oh wait, yes I do. Her name is Lillie. She is two years old, adorable & makes me forget the simplest things. Like, apparently, hygiene.

6. When my husband asked me what I wanted for Christmas this year my response was “If it’s related to running. I’m good.” What have I become?

7. My husband finally has the fever. Except he’s replaced the word ‘baby’ with ‘puppy’. That’s a gateway, right? RIGHT?

8. The kid is getting her first haircut on Wednesday. I don’t necessarily feel attached to the idea of not getting it cut, I just haven’t yet – but I guess we’ll see how that goes come cutting time tomorrow.

9. We recently started watching Duck Dynasty. “I’m like an owl, I don’t give a hoot”

10. Lillie managed to find a pair of my panties out of the laundry basket and attempt to give them to a friend of Alfred’s the other day at the house and when he didn’t take them, she put them on her head and ran from me. And in case you were wondering, why yes, they were these kind. FML.

Two Years Old

It’s amazing how quickly a year goes by as a parent. You don’t always see the difference and the changes that are happening because you live every day in that day. It’s hard to recognize the changes, you know, until you look at pictures and stare in disbelief at how fast life really is.

This time last year, Mom Lillie was preparing for her ridiculous One-derland party. We were rooting for her to start walking [which she refused to do] and we were in awe that our little girl was already one year old. And now, it’s been another year and she’s walking, screaming, running, repeating things that should not be repeated, telling us ‘no-no’ when we do something she doesn’t like. She is becoming more like a ‘real’ person and not just a baby. It’s an amazing feeling to know that we have a hand in her life and who she becomes as a person. And not to toot our own horn, but so far I think we’ve done a pretty good job. But we can’t take all the credit. Because she has amazing people in her life that care enough to teach her right from wrong, to show her fun, to show her what love is. We couldn’t be more grateful for the life we’re able to provide for her. And we hope that we’ll be able to continue it in a way that will show her to live life, to love life, and to be grateful for everything. Because nothing is promised, except for cake. It is your birthday after all. 

Happy Birthday Lillie.
You are our sunshine.[And for the record, even though your face told us we were in serious need of mental help, we are not sorry one bit we woke you up to an Opera style rendition of Happy Birthday this morning. Get use to us kid, because we ain’t going nowhere.]

Random Thursday: 5 Things I Use Everyday

This week’s link up with Em, Lin & Sarah is brought to you by the color blue. No, I’m just kidding. It’s just brought to you by me & my laziness that prevents me from thinking of my own blog topic. These girls are godsends.

1. Mascara. I am a self-proclaimed junkie. Chances are I have 3 tubes on me at any given moment. I just like the stuff. I’ve tried CoverGirl, Mary Kay, Revlon, Avon…you name it, it’s probably been on my lashes. But I always go back to one – L'Oreal Double Extend. It has a primer and then the actual mascara and it seriously buffs up my puny lashes like no other.Warning: The first time you take a shower with this on and rub your eyes – do not be alarmed. It will come off in clumps that looks like you’ve just ripped your eyelashes out. They did not rip out. So do not scream, have a panic attack and begin to cry. Not that anyone would react that way. I mean, haha, who would, hahaha, act like that? Hahahhuhhhh….I’m a loser.
2. iPod/iTunes. I love me some music. I always have it on while I’m at work and I have it so other people on the network can listen [Right, Sar?]. And when I’m not a work, I’m at home, jamming to some tunes with my kid.
3. Washing Machine. I feel like we have a ridiculously high amount of laundry for 3 people. It is never ending. Seriously, it’s like if clothes touch water they just multiply automatically. Our laundry room is like those gawdamn gremlins. Every.fucking.where.
   
4. My cell phone. It’s my portal into the internetz when I’m not at work since we don’t have a computer at home. It also helps me keep tabs on my husband when he’s wandered down the street to Justin’s house.
5. Shoes. Now, don’t get me wrong. I love being barefoot just as much as the next person, but I have a nice collection of shoes that I try to enjoy as much as I can. Lately, most of my time has been spent in my Mizuno’s. But they’re comfy & shiny & I ain’t complaining.

What 5 things do you use everyday?

The Great Zoo Stampede 2012

I totally just did one of my own blogger pet peeves. I referenced in my post on Monday that tomorrow [which is yesterday now. Gawd, I’m smart] I would write about my 10k and then I didn’t do that, I waited another day. Like uh, today. Oops. What can I say? Sometimes I suck. Anyway, I’m doing it now so let’s get this beast started. I don’t have a lot of pictures [read: none] since it was just me running. The husband or the kid weren’t there so this was all me. Which explains why I showed up 45 minutes early and just wandered around the zoo aimlessly [without a camera] until I realized the 1 mile run was already going on and I could cheer for those people [mostly kids] while I waited for my race to start.

If you know anything about me – know this – I am a cheerer. I love it when people clap for me or when people say encouraging words – you never know what a difference it will make in their race [ask Roger] or in their life in general. It’s just good practice.

And with that said - Yes, I am the creepy person who cheers for children that are not hers and tears up with thoughts of how amazing it’s going to be when I force my Lillie to run with me. I was actually surprised there weren’t more people lined up to cheer for these people. So, I double timed it and pretty much wore my voice out. Totally worth it. I didn’t figure a parent would appreciate me posting a picture of their child on my blog without permission, so she’s blurred out but I’m in the background. I’m sure you can tell by my giant man feet & I tweeted my outfit earlier in that day. This is actually the only photo I could find of me online. I was so fast photographers couldn’t even catch me! ha!

After I finished cheering for people, I walked around a little more and finally caught up with my friend Sunny who was doing the 5k. When we were all rounded up like cattle, they prodded us to go with hot shots and we were off. Sunny weaved & dodged to the front of the pack [because she’s fast] and I lagged around the back [because I’m unfast].

The 5k & 10k started at the same time, but they split off about a mile into it. And that’s when I realized I may have underestimated this adorable race because I was dreaming of the awesomeness of poo-flinging monkeys & lions. Because it was not. It was full of hills. And cursing. And hills. And wanting to punch kittens in the face. And hills.The majority of my training takes place on the dreadmill. And what doesn’t take place inside a gym, takes place on a very flat, very boring gravel road by my house. The weather was perfect. In the 60s with only a bit of headwind near the end. Because I knew there would be multiple water stations I opted not to carry my handheld water bottle. Turns out, that was a mistake since the last aid station right up there by mile 5 ran out of water. I was counting on that water, it’s what I was running towards. Like seriously, at that point all I kept thinking was sweet baby Jesus I know you can turn water into wine, but right now I’d ask you to turn that shit right back because this girl is a dehydrated-ass mess.

And if you know me, you know I don’t turn down wine.

I had planned on starting out fairly conservative but according to my Garmin I shot that plan to Hades. Oops. Guess I need to work on that before I go buttfuck crazy in Vegas and end up pooping myself or dying on the strip. But I’m happy to report, that I still managed to beat my previous 10k time of 1:24:04 with a new time of 1:21:56 [according to official race report]!  I really felt like I put everything I had into this race. I ran up the majority of those hills [slowly but still, I did] and I just kept going. There were a few times when I allowed myself to stop, take a break, catch my breath but as soon as I caught it, I just started moving again.

I feel really good about my average pace because the Houston Half that I’ll be running in January requires you run the first 9 miles with a 13:45 pace. I was really concerned about that, but I can feel that worry being lifted off my shoulder as I continue to run my giant feet into the ground. It’s a good feeling, y’all. A really good one. I’m progressing and that is huge.

[Sidebar: I am running for The Epilepsy Foundation and if you donate to the cause I will be sporting your name on my shirt come race day! It’s a great cause and any little bit will help.]

Fun Race Moments:

• I told you guys I was a cheerer, well that doesn’t end while I’m on the sideline. If you pass me, I cheer you. If I pass you, I pat you on the back and tell you you’re doing great. A lot of times runners are wrapped up in their races and don’t respond, which is cool, I get it. I’m just out there doing my thang too. But to the guy in yellow shorts who high-fived the shit out of my hand and cheered me on – you fucking rock. Thanks for being the yin to my yang of cheeriness.
• Just a little past mile 3 into mile 4, Bon Jovi’s Living on a Prayer came on my iPod. It got me. It got me good for that mile [you see my pace dropped down to 13:12!].
  Lyrics: We’ve got to hold on to what we’ve got…We’re halfway there – Livin’ on a prayer…
  

• The course was gorgeous. It was outside and there were huge trees & flowers & families picking up pecans together & I saw a wombat as I was running through the zoo portion of the run.

This is a race I would definitely recommend [despite those damn hills] – the zoo did a great job and if you showed your race bib you had free entry into the zoo for the remainder of the day. The only problem I really had was the water station being out of commission at the end, but that happens.

Anyway, this was a great training run for Las Vegas and just solidified that even though my training has had some unexpected hiccups it’s still going and I’m still going to make it.

13.1 miles here I fucking come.

This Weekend, I … [11.12.12]

Linking up with Sar & Syndal!

This Weekend, I survived my run through the zoo. It was hard. And not because I was pretending that lions & bears were hot on my tail-end the entire time, it was hard because apparently there are these things called hills. I am strictly a dreadmill runner so, yeah, I’m more than a little sore. I’ll post more on this tomorrow but I am very happy that I still managed to beat my previous time of 1:24:04 with 1:21:56 [according to the official results]. So, turns out #305 was pretty lucky indeed.This Weekend, I attended a Pure Romance party and I can’t say much about it – but suffice it to say, it was hardcore fun. [Oh, puns.] Also, I may or may not have yelled out the word jugs. Most of the attendees were co-workers and none had ever been to a party of this nature before so it was hilarious to see their expressions & listen to their comments. Trust me when I say we are all seeing each other in a new light this Monday.

This Weekend, I went with the boys [the husband, Alfred and his husband, Justin] while they checked their hunting traps. I wore a pair of thigh-high waders [so sexy, right] and was completely pumped that I could actually pull them up to my thighs. This time last year I couldn’t get them past my knee. The husband was like “Only you would be excited that a pair of waders fit you.” Men folk, sheesh. [For the record, I totally wore them the rest of the day.]

This Weekend, I watched The Amazing Spiderman. I wasn’t sure if I was going to enjoy it because we’re fans of the previous with ones starring Tobey Maguire.  But I daresay, I liked it even more than those. They updated the story a little and took a little more free-range with the typical – bit by a black spider scenario – but it still totally worked. And I also found out that I have a crush on Andrew Garfield. When I first heard they were remaking Spider-Man, I wasn’t feeling him. But then he made me laugh in the film & I kind of love laughing so he totally won me over. I asked Alfred if we could dress up as Spiderman & his crush in the film [played by Emma Stone – love her!] and all I got was the stank-eye. Maybe it had something to do with all the spandex involved? Not really sure, but I’ll keep working on him.

Getting Nervous

Tomorrow I’m running in a 10k. But just not any 10k, one that goes through a zoo. I’m not so nervous that it’s a 6.2 mile run because this will be my second 10k and last week I ran 8 miles. So, I know I can do it. This 10k is not what’s making my legs bounce up & down like my toes are made of trampolines though.

What is making me jig out is that for weeks now I’ve been saying “Oh this is just a training run before I go to Vegas.” Sounds innocent enough, right?

Well, it would be except that means in 3 short weeks I’ll be lacing up my shoes in Sin City to run 13.1 freaking miles. And dudes, that’s a lot of miles for this non-runner like girl to be doing. I do not have what people typically associate with runners – you know, like speed, a perfect bouncy ponytail or abs of any kind. Did I tell you guys my dream a couple days ago? No? Oh, well, I should have. My bad.

I dreamed that I was in my house, lacing up my shoes and I had to leave to go run. And my husband was like “You can’t leave the house, there are zombies everywhere.” And rolling my eyes I was like “Whatever, dude” and then I looked out the windows and there were swarms of zombies all over the place. Just like..zombying around searching for brains and you know what DreamTam did?

She cried because she couldn’t leave her house to make the race.

I mean, seriously, WTF?

In all seriousness, I should probably stop watching zombie movies during my dreadmill runs. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. 

Eh, I probably won’t.

So this is what my life has come to. Being attacked by zombies and not being able to run.

And possibly having poo flung at me during my Zoo 10k tomorrow.

You never know about those monkey’s. They crazy.

Wish me luck, the butterflies in my stomach are telling me I’m going to need it.

Liebster Award

So a few thousand years ago two really awesome people nominated me for the Liebster Award and I didn’t appropriately respond because sometimes I can be a slacker blogger. The rules are to thank the people, write 11 things about yourself, nominate 11 people & answer 11 questions.

Thank you to Meg from You’re Meaghan Me Crazy [You can’t tell me that’s not a hilariously clever and awesome blog name!] and Sara from Maurer Power [who is an amazing photographer and all-around person!] for nominating me. You guys are rock-stars. I’m not going to nominate 11 people because I’m a slacker blogger and pretty much half the people I would nominate have already done it & the other half don’t know who I am because I’m a creeper blogger in that way.

But I do have my 11 random facts listed below as well as the questions Meg & Sara sent me way. It’s a fairly long post with a whole lot of crap about me. Feel free to skip & judge as needed.

11 Random Facts
1. Sometimes when I know I’m going to eat a piece of candy and I don’t want to share…I’ll hide in the closet so Lillie doesn’t see me. [I haven’t had my own plate of food at home for 2 years now!]
2. I was in a children’s play in high school – Hansel & Gretel – where I played a goblin twin. We had to have a fake impromptu argument on stage and instead of calling my twin a ‘lollipop’ or something equally silly I said “Butthead”. The silence was deafening.
3. I always hear people complain about how people touched their pregnant bellies – that never happened with me.
4. This has been the first year that I’ve been serious with running, but my first 5k was actually in 2010.
5. If constipation weren’t an issue – I’d eat cheese all.the.fucking.time.
6. The first time I saw my husband in cowboy boots, I laughed. [Which is weird because he’s a farmer, I blame it on the fact I was 16.]
7. I have the Harry Potter Lego game on Xbox.
8. I’ve cut my own bangs before.
9. When Lillie takes a drink from her sippy cup I’ll take a drink from my cup and maintain eye contact with her the entire time. I like to pretend we’re having a chugging contest. She usually wins.
10. When I was ten I thought I was all clever because I would tell people I was now in the double digits. I was kind of dorky as a child.
11. I don’t drink coffee, but I love the way it smells.

Meg’s Questions

1. What blog(s) or bloggers(s) inspire you? I have a ton, but I’ll just mention the one that I get excited about every time she posts.

• Shut Up + Run – I don’t know Beth [the blog owner] but I love that she writes with abandon. Between fart jokes & what she shares personally she has been a great source of information for this running fiasco I’ve been on.

2. What’s the oldest memory you can remember?

• I don’t know if it’s my oldest but I remember having a Nintendo hooked up to our little 12 inch black & white television that I was able to play with occasionally and one night after my mom gave me a bath [I think I may have been 5ish?] I came out and Dad had hooked it up to our big color television [I say big but compared to today’s standards it was relatively small – maybe 32?]. You guys, it was the coolest thing I had ever seen – Mario was in motherfucking color. Totally amazing.

3. What is one of your fears and why?

• Not being able to see Lillie grow up. Like whether that means I pass away or heaven forbid she does. I live as much as I can in the present with her, but every time I see her smiling little face I can’t help but imagine the future. My heart literally feels as if it’s suffocating when I think of it.

4. If you could have one wish right now what would it be?

• No longer have a truck or house payment. Those two bills eat the shit out of our fun money.

5. Do you have any (fur) babies and if so lets see some pics!

• Unfortunately, Bubbles the cat is no longer with us. We think he may have chowed down on a poisoned rat – but we’re not sure. But Lillie is still alive & kicking!

6. What’s your favorite holiday?

• Halloween.

7.  Who is your biggest inspiration and why?

• Way to get deep on my Meg. Sheesh. To be honest, I don’t have just one person I can pinpoint as my inspiration in my life. I’ve met amazing people throughout my short 27 years that have influenced me in ways I’m only now discovering – from the teachers who believed in me, to the friends I’ve gained & lost over the years, to my husband & my little girl. People are inspirations all around us, I just hope one day that I can be an inspiration in some way to someone else.

8. Coffee or tea?

• Bitch, please. I’m from the south. It had better be tea and it had better be sweet.

9. What if your favorite & least favorite thing about fall?

• Favorite thing – cooler weather with a little less humidity here in Texas is always a good thing. Even if by cooler I mean low 90s. Haha.
• Least favorite – it’s the ending of the year. It just helps remind me that time doesn’t stand still no matter how awesome the past year was.

10. Who’s the most famous person you ever met?

• I got nothing.

11. What’s your favorite movie?

• I’m going to go with the old favorite Grease. I can’t help it. I’m a sucker for musicals.

Sara’s Questions
1. What is your favorite song?

• Dude. Every song is my favorite. I seriously go through stages of different genres but the one song I always go back to is Brooks & Dunn Neon Moon.

2. What country would you love to visit and why?

• Scotland. I don’t know why really other than I think castles are cool, it looks gorgeous in photos and hellllooo accent!

3. Do you have a show that you watch religiously each week?

• I’m a sucker for Glee. I can’t help it. I love me some musicals. I also have a standing date each week with my BFF, Emilie, to catch up on Private Practice & Grey’s Anatomy.

4. Do you have any hobbies?

• Right now I guess I would say running. If I have a spare moment I’m stuck in a running magazine, a blog or on the treadmill. Most of my shopping has now been converted to dri-fit shirts & finding capri’s that minimize the size of my ass. I’ve not found my luck on the latter.

5. What do you love most about blogging?

• Meeting other people from all over the place. It’s awesome stepping out from my normal to see what other normals are. I mean, who are these people that enjoy snow anyway? This is Texas for pete’s sake – if we get 2 centimeters of hail we’re closing all schools & roadways!

6. If you could eat one food every day, what would it be?

• Cheese. [I actually probably do eat this every day in some way or another]

7. What is your favorite holiday?

• See #6 above in Meg’s questions!

8. Do you have any pet peeves?

• Whenever someone pronounces the word ask like aks. Ugh. I also find that loud chewers make me want to superglue lips together.

9. What is your favorite movie?

• See #11 in Meg’s questions!

10. Do you have a favorite article of clothing that you wear all the time?

• Not really. I love a good pair of blue jeans and that’s what I’m usually rolling in.

11. Are you a morning person or a night owl?

• Can I be a mid-morning person? I mean, I rock the hell out of a good 9am!

This Weekend, I … [11.5.12]

This Weekend, I decided to make it 3 days instead of two by taking off on Friday. My in-laws [who are amazing and keep The Lillie for me while I work] were heading off to celebrate their anniversary and I was determined to get the house in a manageable state. Turns out that is impossible with a nearly 2 year old. But ‘A’ for effort, right?

This Weekend, I started getting wrapped up in my own head about what this month is bringing to the table [a 10k, Lillie’s birthday, Thanksgiving, Black Friday shopping, 4 wheeler shenanigans and getting ready for my half December 2nd!] and became increasingly frustrated through out the day on Saturday because of it. I just started to feel overwhelmed by it all which resulted in this tweet. And then resulted in me so grateful for Katie over at State of Change. With all the competition to be best mom ever in the world it’s so nice to have someone who tells it like it is. For my mom friends, I highly encourage you to check her out. She is fantastic. And her little family is pretty darling as well.

This Weekend, I started Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred. I’m hoping to shed a couple inches by the time we go to Vegas just for my own peace of mind and I’ve heard this is a great way to do it. There are 3 workouts, 10 days of each for about 20 minutes. Completely do-able time-wise as the kiddo doesn’t bother me too much. She even got down to do some push-ups yesterday. Yeah, I know, you don’t have to tell me she’s quite the bad-ass. I took measurements on the first day so we’ll see if I stick with it & what the results are at the end of the month!

This Weekend, I ran 8 miles. For the first time ever. It was terrible you guys. Like, the entire time all I wanted to do was punch baby rabbits in the face but I did it. I just felt like I couldn’t get my groove on. It was definitely a mental thing for me this week even though I was trying to focus on important things [sometimes thinking of Lillie’s face at the end or Alfred cheering me on helps] but nothing was working. Finally, I did what any normal person does – I just started counting 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2, 3, 4 until I had no more counts left. And then when I was finished I looked down at my shoes and thought “My gawd, my feet are huge.” What? Expecting something magical? Sorry, not this week folks. I was done-zo. I had nothing left in my brain other than numbers 1 through 4.

This Weekend, I enjoyed the hell out of grilled chicken, grilled squash & onion, and a cold beer with my husband. I am so pumped for leftovers tonight.
Don’t forget to link up with Sar & Syndal for your weekend updates!