Tuesday, October 27, 2009

BB - Part 2

September 19, 2009: Race Day

One of my goals for 2009 was to run in an organized race and on September 19th I did just that. I had originally set my sights on a half-marathon, but I just could not get myself prepared mentally and it affected my training. It's amazing how large a role the mind plays in physical endeavours; if the mind isn't in the game neither is the body. So, instead of the half-marathon, I ran the 5K.

This was the second race I've ever run and the first time with a chip so that was kind of exciting. I felt like a real racer. (Hah!) Mitch and I arrived at the race site while it was still dark and very chilly and I have to admit that I was kind of crabby that morning. I didn't want to be there - I was tired and cold, but most importantly I felt intimidated by all the "real athletes" and was disappointed in myself for not being one of them. I felt as if I had no right to be at the event. After watching the marathoners, half-marathoners, and relay-marathoners take off, I started to get excited. I could feel the energy in the air and some of that magic rubbed off on me.

My nerves got to me as the 5K-ers lined up, but after we started moving I was nothing less than thrilled. I was now happy for the cool temperatures and realized that those "real athletes" I had been watching earlier had started out where I was and that only meant I could get to where they were.


I had a lot of fun at this race - more than I thought possible. While I wasn't thrilled with my time (33:02), I was happy I ran the whole thing and realized that now I have a time to beat. You can't set records if you don't have a starting point, right? In any case, it was a wonderful morning and I can't wait to race again!

Friday, October 23, 2009

Friday Find

After I finished reading "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn," I didn't want to read anything else because I felt that no other novel could compare to the beauty of the one I had just finished. Nothing seemed good enough and I didn't know how to make that leap from extraordinary to ordinary. (I have since recovered and discovered plenty of other wonderful books.) I decided to ask Google for help, so I searched "what should I read next?" I couldn't believe it when I found a website called exactly that! All that is required of you is to type in the title and author of a book you liked (I obviously used "A Tree Grows in Brooklyn") and you're given a list of 10 other novels that you might like. I'm so excited about this site! Oh how my list of books to read keeps getting longer and longer!

Happy reading, everyone!

Thursday, October 22, 2009

BB - Part 1

So, I have been nothing short of a horrible blogger these past few months (okay, okay - this whole year). This has got to stop! My current goal is to get caught up on past events that I have yet to blog about, so today I start the "Bad Blogger" series. Here is Part 1.


September 17, 2009 - September 25, 2009: Dog-sitting

While my in-laws were in Hawaii celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary, Mitch and I did a little dog-sitting for them. I didn’t take any photos of Ms. Rockie or Ms. Crickett together (shame on me!), but I did get this video which makes me laugh. Rockie is eight years old and had just had a stroke; Crickett is 10 months old and in great health. As you’ll see, their activity levels differ just a bit.


Monday, October 12, 2009

Arizona, Here I Come

Apparently, Mother Nature wants North Dakota to have nothing but a whole year of winter. Our last snowfall of the 2008-2009 winter season was in JUNE and our first snowfall of the 2009-2010 season was this past Friday, OCTOBER 9th.

I'm moving.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday, mom! I hope you had a great day! We're looking forward to celebrating with you on Thursday!

Sunday, October 4, 2009

Pumpkin Patch 2009

On Sunday, the in-laws, Mitch, Crickett, and I headed out to the pumpkin patch. It was a very chilly day, but great nonetheless. I love visiting the pumpkin patch; it's a wonderful celebration of fall.

Mitch and Crickett playing on the hay bales.

Crickett enjoying the fun festivities.

A happy family.

Crickett by the peanut pumpkins. Aren't they neat?