Moving On

My dining room... the cleanest and most organized room in the house.  Notice the absence of a dining room table.  Yes- my dear, beautiful, solid wood dining room table was a casualty of the move.  (Actually- it was broken in storage- by me.  But that is a story for another day.)  Jack promises to be fixing it soon so we can put it where it belongs.

The breakfast nook is where we are eating for now.  You can see all my beautiful dining room chairs around my.... sewing table!

This is messy.  It has become a bit of a catch-all in here.  I know...  Lets play hidden picture! Can you find- a drill, a foam roller, a bowl of popcorn, a silver vase, a candle on a candlestick, a cell phone charger, a picture frame, a broom handle, some venison, 2 tied Wal-Mart bags, hand soap, and a bar of soap?  All of these items are in this picture.

Our bedroom.  This place is trashed.  Our bed is not made and frankly... that is the least of our problems here. Especially since I am off to bed now.  Good night everyone.  Hope you've enjoyed a look into our mess.  I am so happy w/ my new home that it doesn't bother me at all!

Moving Along

This is a picture of my living room in North Carolina.  Yes- we are here.  No- I can't find my sons dress shoes for Mass in the morning.  I am so happy to be here.  It is beautiful and the neighbors are great!  We've been unpacking and organizing for 2 days.  I've been a little overwhelmed at times but for the most part it has been fun.  I have not run or ate anything but chips and salsa and oatmeal cookies for 24 hours.  Geesh!  I'm okay w/ it though... I've got a lot to do around here.  I am exhausted- more later.  Peace.

Lunch in the cold

Now that winter is almost here and the cold is definitely here I've changed my routine.  No, I haven't given up my special salad I eat everyday.  But I have added my Progresso soup.  Instead of an Enchilada or frozen pizza I eat a low-calorie Progresso soup w/ my salad everyday.  They are delish!!  There are tons of Progresso soups to choose from but I only get ones w/ 100 calories a serving or less.  There are only 2 servings in a can so this makes them no more than 200 calories a soup at the highest.  There are some w/ 70 and even 50 calories a serving.  I could go on and on about how good they are but you really need to try them for yourself.  My favs are French Onion, Minestrone, Southwestern-style Vegetable, and Chicken Noodle.  There is also one w/ wild rice.  YUM!  I could go on.  Try them you'll like them!  Peace.

What Style am I? What about you?

Style is not something I am very good at.  Dressing stylish, being stylish... these are not things I do well.  I have no fashion sense to speak of.  I know this b/c my 3 sisters have unbelievable fashion sense- each a little different from the other- but each so stylish.  I have complete confidence that they could each get dressed for a major event w/o ever consulting anyone... and they would all look perfect.  But alas- I am the one sister who did not get this gene.  In the past few years this hasn't mattered much b/c I've been so overweight.  When you are heavy you just dress to conceal.  Conceal your size, conceal your weight, conceal your personality so you just blend in w/ everyone else.  I don't really want to dress like this anymore.  I feel like I am not myself dressed in this style.  The problem is... I don't know what style I am!

Enter Mom- She gave me "The Lucky Guide to Mastering Any Style".  (Thanks Mom.)  I am loving this book!  It lists 10 basic styles that pretty much cover all looks.  It tells you what clothes and accessories you will need to dress in each style.  It shows you how to put them together and how to mix and match.  It gives examples of famous people and regular people who wear these styles.  And it is not like you have to go out and buy a whole look-- b/c really, you can see parts of your wardrobe w/in the styles.  The book does not list costs of clothing or where to find certain items b/c it is not a catalogue and is not really trying to sell anything.  I cannot put this book down.  It is so good!

I've listed the styles below.  With each one I put a picture that captures it as much as possible.  I was going to write out explanations for each one but it could get lengthy!  I've got a few questions for you-- What style are you?  What style do you think I am?  I know a lot of us are just dressed in jeans and t-shirts everyday BUT- what style are you naturally drawn too?  If you could get out of the clothes you wear everyday- what would you be wearing?  Think about it. Goodness knows I'm thinking about it!

Euro Chic

California Casual

Rock and Roll

Posh Eclectic

Mod

American Classic

Bombshell

Bohemian

Arty Slick

Gamine

Update on running status....

and I ran.  I got in 7 miles on the treadmill at the YMCA. (Remember- my treadmill is in a storage facility right now.)  Seven miles is such a long time to be on a treadmill! Now it is off to bed!  Peace to all.

This is what I am saying to myself....

as I am trying to pack, move, visit family and friends, hire movers, forward mail, purchase necessary things (like a GPS), return phone calls and emails, fax random things, and take care of children and a husband.  "Someone who is busier than me is running right now."  Thanks Nike.  I am getting in the car to go do that 7 mile run that was supposed to take place on Sunday.  It is happening now!  I am the person running while others who are less busy are not!  (Did that make any sense?)  I will check in later to let you know that said run DID take place-- if only for my sanity.  P.S. Who is this chick? (Below.)  I am glad she is not in any of my races!

Race Report

What a day!  My race really beat me up today.  I was not prepared for the cold and the wind.  I really had to work hard and it surprised me.  It has been 70 degrees here for the last week. Even before that it had not been this cold- and if it had, I certainly had not run in it yet this season!  So anyway- it was 42 degrees during the race this morning.  I thought I was dying!! The cold was so brutal in my lungs.  It was like inhaling icicles. There was also a lot of wind which took me by surprise too.  I should know better and be prepared next time.  It was still a good race.  I placed first in my age group w/ a time of 24:29.  I am not too happy about my time but I am getting over it.  I can't run faster every single race!  (See results here.)  It was fun to run w/ Dad.  The cold surprised him too, as he always runs inside.  I placed 6th female overall and that is cool to me.  I could see the lead women on and off throughout the race b/c of some long stretches.  They were so fast.  Ahhh... one day I hope that will be me.  Overall it was a good race. I am looking forward to my next one which is about 5 weeks away and in North Carolina!  To hell w/ this cold!

P.S. Lots of people wore Spandex today.... I didn't feel so alone.

A Little Spandex... Goes a Long Way.

Here is a picture of the new racing tights I bought today.

I am well aware that they are hideous.  I cannot even STAND to look at them.... never mind me wearing them.  Spandex is something that should have stayed in the 90's- like Madonna, ER, and sweater vests on women.  Anyway I need to have them for my race tomorrow, as it is going to be cold here, so they are a necessary evil.  Tonight I realized that the last time I wore racing tights I was 15 years old.  Yes, do the math, that would be 15 years ago!  During the race I am going to try to concentrate on running and not so much on my wardrobe.  I'll NEVER catch that front group of runners if I am thinking about stupid Spandex!  Wish me luck!

Purchase home.... check.

I've been pretty busy this week- what w/ all the house buying and stuff!!  Yes, Jack and I have bought our house and we are so excited.  I flew down to NC on Sunday w/ Baby Jack.  I closed on our home on Monday and we returned on Tuesday.  It was a quick trip.  It was great to see the Mosher family and I CANNOT WAIT to go back.  As for my workouts-- I had to take 3 days off in a row w/ traveling.  So in order to reach my mileage goals I will be running a lot at the end of this week as opposed to the beginning like I normally do.... which is fine.  I did a fast 3 yesterday and a slow 4 miler today.  Tomorrow looks like another slow 4 and then I have a 5k race on Saturday.  I plan to finish out the week w/ 7 on Sunday.  Yay!  We shall see how the rest of the week goes.  I've also managed to get in two weight sessions this week and lots of ab work. Now if I could just stay away from the Twizzlers Mom has stashed away in her pantry!!  Peace out!

All Saints Day- What it is really about!

Happy All Saints Day everyone!  Lisa dressed up as Mary the Mother of Jesus this year.  (Thanks to Memere for the costume!)  She went to a great party last night.  The focus wasn't on scaring people or getting candy.... it was all about the Saints.  Which is the whole point of this holiday anyway.  She loved the party and had a great time.  Note- I didn't dress Baby Jack up this year.  I knew we wouldn't be able to convince anyone. He is NO Saint!  (See how ornery he looks in the pic!)