Rants, Recipes, and Running

I'm choosing to do a "currently" post. I feel like if I try to highlight my week, this will turn into a rant. Honesty time: This week kind of sucked. Moving on. Currently: Reading : The Light Between Oceans. If you haven't read this - you must! Such a good read. Conflicting. Loving : Longer days of sunlight!! I am able to run & bike at 5 am without my headlamp...so I'm a happy girl! And the sun is staying out until about 7! Makes a huge difference on quality of life. That is one of the hardest parts of living here. The longest the sun stays out is 8 pm!!! Makes me miss those Midwest summers where the sun stays out until 10 pm in the summer. Thinking : That my husband is never coming home. He was originally supposed to be home on April 25, then that got moved to April 29, then it got moved to April 30, then May 1. Now I don't think he'll be home until May 6 - but that's being super hopeful. This is getting super old. I'm ready to live ...

You may not know this about me (or believe this about me) - but I am a big-time "scaredy cat". I don't do diving boards, I don't do heights, ever sports stadiums make me a little weary..... I never climb anything . I'm too scared of falling. So I'm not really sure what I was thinking signing up for an obstacle run. Especially the 10K, where I have to do it twice . 12 foot walls had to be climbed up and jumped down from 24 times. We had to climb a 30 foot wall using ropes. There was this rope-net that was 20 feet above the ground that we had to spider climb across. We had to climb this other "rope" ladder thing about 20 feet into the air....and then slide down a pole. We army crawled through tunnels under roads (that had fake snakes in them) We army crawled through mud, mud, and more mud.... The only obstacle I couldn't do was crossing monkey bars. My hands were too wet, and I kept slipping. And lets just be honest...I can't cr...

I typically lead a pretty non-indulgent, healthy lifestyle. 3 meals a day usually include leafy greens. I don't eat fast food, no processed food, and minimal carbs. Keeping fruits and vegetables in my house is a challenge, because they are eaten so fast! So I work out hard 6 days a week, eat fairly clean, but what I see in the mirror just doesn't add up. I don't look like someone who (on average) runs 25 miles/week, bikes 30-60 miles, and lifts 3 days. Well, I've found the culprit. It's called the candy jar full of chocolate covered coffee beans , and dark chocolate kisses , and red vines at work. It's the M & M's I "treat" myself with after dinner at night. Every now and then these "cheats" are okay, but it's more of a daily thing than a "cheat". So myself and 2 other girlfriends (and training buddies) are challenging each other to a week of only putting "good" and nourishing food in our bodies! I...

As I look back on the weekend, I am almost pinching myself thinking, "Did that really just happen? Where did the time go?" I hadn't seen my Mom in almost 6 months, my Dad in 1 year - and have been feeling extremely homesick. I have learned over the past few years that "homesick" has nothing to do with location - but with the loving arms of those you miss. Lately I have been in kind of an emotional fog. Not a very exciting or riveting person to be around, with not a lot to talk about. And I feel like that fog was cleared this weekend! Especially when my husband walked in the door Friday night (we haven't seen each other in 3 weeks). It was a wonderful weekend. Here are a few of the things that filled my weekend with joy: Mornings of drinking multiple pots of coffee and catching up on life -- I have always cherished weekend mornings with my mom and dad..... Showing them the sights of Tucson Taking them to the Farmers Market to show them that things r...

I'm going to be honest and say I wasn't exactly a "ball of fire" last week. I've hit the point of just being beyond ready for Ryan to come home. We are halfway through this 4 week period of not seeing each other. Although throughout all this 18 months of training, we've gone much longer than 4 weeks without seeing each other - this time around it's harder. I've hit the crabby point. I feel bad, as many of the people I saw this week probably thought I was a bore to be around - as I just don't have much to say about anything. #wahwahwah #woeisme #Ireallyhavenothingcomplainabout So as I'm preparing to start my work week, on this terribly windy Monday morning - I am going in with a new and positive attitude! So here's the headliners for last week: I think I am finally about "wrapped up" on my Spring cleaning. My "to do list" was rather overwhelming. There is nothing more therapeutic to me that throwing sh%t away! ...

I've never done a book review in this blog, but have been wanting to for quite some time. An expression of thanks is necessary to my sister, Lisa , who has really opened my world of reading. Reading has always been a hobby, yet finding books and keeping me reading past Chapter 5 was always a challenge. So this summer, when I was miserable in San Antonio - she graciously made me a list of "books to read". That really got me going. My family has started a "Virutal Book Club" - which has also opened me to new reads. And finally, I've started a book club with small & selective group of girlfriends (so far there's only 3 of us...) " Wild: Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail " by Cheryl Strayed, was given to me as part of my birthday present from a girlfriend, who knew I was getting into backpacking. This book was eye-opening for me, and interesting. It's about a 26 year-old women, who essentially loses everything. She ruins her marr...

I am so glad this work week is done. I'm not going to even start explaining, or this will turn into a ranty novel. All I will hint at, is I wish I had noise cancelling headphones while I'm working in my cubicle. And I am thankful that most of my work day is spent out on the floor interviewing patients, reviewing charts, and nagging doctors. (Yes, most of being a case manager involves nagging doctors. But I've become very talented at nagging in a manner that seems like I'm helping, instead of nagging. Anyways. I have found 3 new things this week that are wonderful. They are not related. But all amazing. 1.  Smoothies . I've found that I don't have time to eat breakfast in the mornings - because racing from my work out to the shower to work...doesn't leave me time to even eat. Maybe if I didn't do my hair and make-up. But then I look like I'm 15 years old. So I busted out our blender, and have made some of the most delicious concoctions every m...