See ya in 2012

I finished 2011 with a bang!

5K PR, baby.

Time - 28:12

Beat my previous PR by over a minute. :)

Now I'm totally ready for 2012!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Be sure to check back in the next few days for some pretty exciting changes to the blog. :)

Looking Back

Where did 2011 go? I feel like this year really flew by! It was such a great, fun, stressful, overwhelming, encouraging, exciting, terrifying, fantastic year.

Looking back I realized just how little I blogged about some of the greater events this past year.

Well, I guess at least you can get a little taste of them here in this recap.

Just for fun (and because I've been meaning to for quite awhile now), I'm going to link this list up with Stasha over at The Good Life.

Yes, I'm fully aware that it's far from Monday, but I've still got a few more hours to add my link.

So, here's my Top 10 of 2011...

10. Jeff and I got certified as SCUBA divers. This was definitely a challenge for me! But ultimately, I bucked up and finished. We've only done lake diving in MN and WI and are now really looking forward to getting to the ocean one day.

 

9. We did some volunteer work on the Mississippi.

8. I joined my friend Laura for a women's Pedal and Paddle weekend. I can’t believe I never got around to blogging about the trip. Ugh. This was an hilarious weekend spent with women I didn't know. We pedaled. We paddled. We laughed. A lot. It was exhausting, but I'd love to do it again! 

 

7. I read and studied. A lot!

 

6. I passed the MTLE. This was a huge relief. I was so stressed about the test and SO happy to get the results.

5. I joined DailyMile in April and enjoyed tracking all my workouts.

Total mileage - 926.74, since April

4. I became a runner (again)! I already wrote a running recap. You can check it out here.

Total Running Miles - 392.2 since April

3. We spent a week and a half in Costa Rica. It was beautiful, fun, relaxing - just as any good vacation should be. I never ended up blogging about the trip. So sad! We spent a few days at the Arenal Volcano Lodge. It was cloudy much of the time, but we did get to see the top of the volcano one afternoon. Yes, it is an active volcano. No, it didn't erupt while we were there. We also we for a horseback tour (did not enjoy it) around the base of the volcano and ziplining (loved it) through the canopy. I did post some pics to FB here. The rest of the time in Costa Rica was spent on the Pacific coast in a little surfer village outside of Nosara. It was a trip and a half to drive through the poor roads, but a great adventure! This leg of the trip was just lots of sunsets, playing in the ocean, relaxing, and monkeys in trees. Go here for some more pictures, if you'd like.

2. I completed all my requirements (assuming I finish my e-portfolio by tomorrow night) to be able to student teach. There were many, many times when I felt like quitting, like it wasn't worth it. BUT I eventually overcame my defeatist attitude and I managed to knock it out of the ballpark!!!

 
And my #1 accomplishment for 2011 ...

 

1. I exceeded by blogging goal! Sweet!! I know this seems weird since I had so many blogging fails, but I did manage at least one post every month. :-)

What's up for 2012?

I'll be doing a Resolution post later, but here are few key events on the calendar already 

• Student teaching
• Swimming with the sharks at SeaLife MN
• Trip to Vegas with some college girlfriends
• Grandma's Marathon
• Cross-country move

 2012 is gonna be EPIC!



What a Mistake!

Yesterday, I was supposed to run 5miles at my goal half marathon pace.

My nose had other ideas, so I didn't get a run in at all.

If I don't go before work, I just don't seem to have time in the evenings - especially this week with my portfolio due date looming.

So, I decided I'd do my 5mile pace run this morning instead.

This was not a good idea.

*****
During my warm-up walk - Ooh. These sidewalks are a little slick in spots. I'll just walk/run along the grass next to the sidewalks, and I should be fine.

Did I mention it was 5:30am and DARK?

0.8 miles - I tripped on a rock (or was it a root?) and fell. Hard. I took a second to catch my breath and decided to just keep going.

I ran a little further on the side, but figured it was stupid, so moved back to the paved path. My pace was SLOW, but I kept saying, well, this would be my half marathon pace if the conditions were icy. I was practically walking at some points; I felt like I was running in slow motion.

2.2 miles - I fell again. It still wasn't exactly the slipperiness of the path. No, this time, the path jumped up at me.  Yeah there was a buckle that I didn't compensate for, and I went down.

I really wanted to keep pushing for 0.3 more miles to get in my 5 miles.

2.3 miles - I succumbed and turned around.

I tried to push myself on the way home to try to gain back some speed, but my body just didn't want to.  I could feel bruising on my left arm and thigh from where I'd fallen. And I just wanted to cry!

4.2 miles - I gave up and decided to just walk the rest of the way.
*****

I slipped a couple more times on my way home but nothing serious. I was cold and tired and cranky and sore by the time I walked in my door.

I was very concerned about my clothing. Thankfully, no tears. No damage! Yay!

Now nearly every step hurts.

This sucks.

Especially since there is no visible bruising on my thigh! I mean, c'mon, let me at least have some proof - bragging rights - that I attempted to conquer the icy running paths.

Now I have tomorrow to rest and, hopefully, recuperate. I'm running a 5K NYE in the evening, so hopefully I'll be feeling much better by then.

How do you deal with icy/slippery conditions? Any tips for sore muscles, bruises, scrapes that are a result of falling while running?

Book Review: All I Want for Christmas is You

All I Want for Christmas is You by Lisa Mondello

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


A fun, light love story. Centered during the few weeks leading up to Christmas, this is a cute twist on the classic love-at-first-sight story.

Six-year old Kristen Alexander asks Santa for a daddy for Christmas. Kyle Preston, owner of mall and Santa stand-in, takes note of Kristen's mom, Lauren, standing off to the side. Her bad luck (her car battery is dead after leaving her lights on) when leaving the mall turns into his (well, ultimately, their) good fortune. He helps her with her car that night and spends the rest of the book attempting to break through her hardened shell.

Unfortunately, this book is bit riddled with grammatical errors. It wasn't too distracting from the overall story, but they were definitely noticeable. They seemed to get a bit worse as the story progressed. This definitely would have gotten 4 stars if it wouldn't have been for the number of errors.

View all my reviews

#HBBC, Week 5 Recap

I know. I'm really late getting this out. I guess I got distracted with Christmas, and, you know, being lazy.

This definitely was not my best week for #HBBC.

Week 4
12/17: 6.5 points

• Ran 6.5 miles - Joined TCRE (my running group) for a run. This was a TOUGH one. Thanks goodness for running partners - otherwise I'm not sure I'd have been able to finish this one.

12/18: 3 points

• Cycled 1 hour - Cross training at the gym.

12/19: 0 points

• REST!!!  

12/20: 3 points

• Ran 3 miles - Nothing really remarkable about this run. Familiar route. Walked a bit in the middle.

12/21: 5 points

• Ran 5 miles - Not the greatest run pace-wise, but I did manage to pass another runner. It felt like a pretty great accomplishment. Plus, it was my anniversary, so I was happy to have squeezed in a run before work, so I could celebrate with my husband after work. :-)

12/22: 3 points

• Ran 3 miles - Today's challenge was to not look at my watch. Success!

12/23: 0 points

• REST!!!

Not once this week did I manage to get in the 7 fruits/vegs. :(

Week 2 Total: 20.5
Challenge Total: 94.95

Hope your Christmas was merry and bright!

Be Gone Grinch!

I've been kind of a grinch this holiday season.

Maybe it's the warm temps and the lack of snow here in Minnesnowta!

Maybe it's the devastating news of the suicide of an employee at work (not at the location of my office, so no one I knew personally).

Maybe it's the overcommercialization of the holiday.

But I just haven't been feeling it.

Until, I saw this video.

And I welled up at the end.

No matter your spiritual or religious inclinations.
This holiday should be about family and friends.
Dissolving differences.
Striving for selflessness.

And, when able, being Home for the Holidays. Whatever that may mean.

So, to you and yours, may you have a most enjoyable holiday filled with love and laughter.



This post is sponsored by T-Mobile.

Best of 2011: The Running Edition

NOTE: I'm not sure yet if there will be other editions, but this one is definitely specific to running. It's been a great year!

I found this on RunToTheFinish, but it's originally from Miss Zippy. She asked her readers to share some running highlights from the past year, and I thought it would make for a great post.

So, here is my Best of 2011.

Best race experience? I think I'll have to go with the Urban Wildland Half Marathon. I'm not going to say it was easy, but I did it! It was my first in many years. I got to meet a couple DM friends. My sister ran it, too. Best of all, my husband met me at a couple points along the course, which made me smile. :-)

Best run? I had quite a few good runs this year. It's the year I really decided to get back into running. My first inclination for my best run; however, was my first run with Twin Cities Running Experiment (TCRE). It wasn't easy. I had to make us stop a couple times, and I got home to bloody toes. BUT it was the best run because a) I made a new running friend. Most of the group was a lot faster than me, but she ran with me and we paced each other pretty well. b) We talked almost the entire time, which made the 1hour+ run go by very fast. And c) Our overall pace was 9:40, which is something I never thought possible for that kind of distance. This run showed me just how fast I could go and still have fun while doing it! It was pretty shocking and eye-opening.

Best new piece of gear? I didn't really get a lot of new gear this year, but I'm having a hard time deciding between the amphipod Hydraform Handheld Thermal-Lite and the iFitness Ultimate Race Belt. Both of these items were really, really helpful to me throughout my running this year. I love the ease and convenience of always having water with me, but I also liked being able to run with my phone and not having to use safety pins during my races. So, I'm just going to have to leave it at a tie.

Best piece of running advice you received? Well, I guess it's probably not exactly running advice, but a friend told me about DailyMile back in April, and I joined. I love being able to track my runs (and other activities), but even more than that I've loved meeting new running friends. I've met a few irl now, and it's been great to connect with other runners. Best of all, through a fellow DM'er, I found TCRE.

Most inspirational runner? I'm going with a tie on this one, too. My first thought was Lauren @ The Running Cook (now Sweat-Junkie). Hers was one of the first running-themed blog I discovered that I really connected with. She was training for her first marathon but got back injury just weeks beforehand. She's now starting to get back into it, but it's a slow process. She inspires me not only because she remained upbeat despite her injury and DNS, but because she didn't push beyond her limits even though she wanted to. Sometimes we've just got to listen to our bodies...and for runners, sometimes that really hard to do.

My second most inspirational runner is Tyly @ one mile at a time. She's just got the cutest smile and some really fun running outfits. 2011 has been a very difficult year for her in a non-running-related way. As for running, she's totally rocked it with several PRs, I believe. I don't know why, but her blog is no longer public. I hope she comes back soon.

If you could sum up your year in a couple of words, what would they be? I became a runner! I'm planning on writing up my running story in a separate blog sometime in the next couple weeks, so stay tuned for further explanation on this answer.

So there you have it. My Best of 2011. What a great year!

What's your Best of 2011?

What's in a Name?

Well, a lot. I think.

A name draws you in.
A name entices you to read.
Am I right?

I want to take my blog to the next level.

I started this blog way back in 2006.
Without a niche.
Just a place for me to share some of my random thoughts.

More than five years and a few hundred posts later, I feel like I need to change it up a bit.
I'll still share randomness that goes on in my life, but I'd like to focus more on my running/fitness goals. Of course, that's kind of been the focus for quite some time now.

Perhaps a name change is in order?

I've been wracking my brain for the past week or so trying to come up with something creative and fun. Here are a few ideas I'm considering. I'd love to hear what you think.

Middle of the Road Gal

I'm average and that's OKAY

(too whiny? too political sounding?)

Don't Get Excited

Just an average girl running through life

Keep Your Shoes Laced

You never know what's coming next

Running Poppycock

Enjoying the Course

An average runner's journey

What do you think? Which is your favorite or do they all stink? Do you have any suggestions?

#HBBC, Week 4 Recap

Week 4 of the #HBBC was off to a great start, but really petered out at the end.

Week 4
12/10: 10 points

• Ran 9 miles - Joined TCRE (my running group) for a run. I'd intended on doing a LSD run of about 8 miles. We went a bit faster and further than I'd wanted, but I still felt pretty good about the run. Plus I met a new friend who lives nearby and offered me a ride home - saving me from a mile walk in barely double digit weather wearing super sweaty clothes. I gladly accepted the ride.
• Walked 1 mile - Walked to pick up the HourCar to pick up my race packet for the Get Lucky Triple 7K (half marathon) I'll be doing in March. I know it's super early, but I just couldn't wait for the super awesome sweatshirt.

12/11: 5 points

• Cycled 15 miles - Cross training at the gym.

12/12: 1 points

• REST!!!
• 7 servings of fruits/vegs. Yay!

12/13: 5 points

• Ran 4 miles - Took advantage of the beautiful weather that has melted all the snow, and ran along the river. At night. In the dark. It's wasn't bad at all. Felt pretty good actually.
• 20 min of weights - I was really short on time, but better than nothing, right?

12/14: 4 points

• Ran 4 miles - Treadmill. My goal was to run 4 miles at a 9:30ish pace. I set the treadmill to 6.3, random workout with average level of 2. I really had to push myself a few times to fight the urge to walk. I gave in 3 times and ended with an average pace of 9:43.

12/15: 0 points

• I had a final to study for a final bright and early Fri morning, so I chose to study instead of workout. It was my last final, so at least for a few weeks school won't get in my way of working out. :)

12/9: 0 points

• REST!!! - After a few days of little sleep preparing for my final, I really welcomed an evening with nothing to do. Plus, I didn't want to wear myself out for Saturday's run.

Week 2 Total: 25 - most points in one week for me! yay!
Challenge Total: 80.95

I PASSED!!

I know you've all been on the edge of your seats awaiting the results of my MTLE.

Well, the wait is OVER.

I PASSED!! (obviously you figured this out from the title)

I am so excited about it.

My scores aren't terrific, or anything to brag about, but I PASSED and that's all that matters.

Here's a little more info...

FIRST, I was tested on my pedagogical knowledge. This was broken into 2 subtests.

Here's a breakdown of what the Performance Indices mean...

I did much better on the 2nd than the first, which means...

Maybe I won't be the best teacher, but I at least I'll be ethical and know what to do & where to go to find ways to improve myself as a teacher.

SECOND, I was tested on my knowledge of Social Studies. This also was broken down into two subtests and covered a wide variety of subjects.

No big surprises here. I've never been good with Economics - and it shows.

Now, I'm off to study for my US History final. It will finish off all my content courses.

After that I have two weeks to work on my online portfolio.

AND THEN ... and all-out break in January before I student teach.

#HBBC, Week 3 Recap & Myplate.gov

Well, Week 3 of the #HBBC was a bit of a dud, but there were a couple of successes as well.

Week 3
12/3: 0 points

• Visited The Russian Museum of Art with my Russian history class. It was fascinating, but somehow it kind of drained me. I was pretty worthless after returning. Well, I do think I got *some* homework done.

12/4: 7.5 points

• Ran 7.5 miles - On the treadmill. I was not looking forward to such a long run inside, but I didn't want to run out in the cold, either. I brought A Bug's Life to watch and that helped a LOT, but next time I need to find something a little more engaging (i.e. something I haven't watched a million times already). After my run, I felt like I was positively gliding on my walk home. Bonus!

12/5: 0 points

• This was my designated rest day. Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!

12/6: 0 points

• I got distracted after work doing something on the Internet, I suppose. Boy, this week was really off to a rough start!

12/7: 2.6 points

• Ran 2.6 miles - Outside. It was a beautiful afternoon!! I couldn't resist taking Sallie out for a run. I'd intended to go 4 miles, but her little tootsies kept getting too cold. She had to stop several times to lick out the snow/ice. Before you think I'm a bad doggie-mom, we turned around after the first time she stopped. Poor girl.

12/8: 4 points

• Ran 3 miles - Back on the treadmill. Mostly I just don't feel comfortable running outside when it's dark, and I can't clearly see the ice patches on the ground. I was attempting 4 miles to make up for the miles I missed the day before, but just around 3miles, the power went out at the gym. Well, the whole neighborhood, actually. I'd intended on visiting the weight room, but once the power went out, I headed home instead.
• I ate 7 servings of fruits/veggies! I. am. shocked!

12/9: 1 point

• This was another designated rest day. Aaaaahhhhh!!!!!
• I ate 7 servings of fruits/veggies TWO days in a ROW!

Week 2 Total: 15.1
Challenge Total: 49.45

Yes, I'm as shocked as you are that I managed to get in 7 servings of fruits/veggies TWO days this week. I find that it's much easier to accomplish if you have a plan. Making a meal plan ahead of time is really something that I struggle with. It's so time consuming! Towards the middle of the week, I decided to stop fighting it and let SparkPeople do the work for me. They have system generated plans that are super easy, super filling, and loaded with fruits/veggies. It makes it tons easier to just bring up the website and know what I'm going to make. If I don't like something they suggest, it's super easy to swap out the entire meal suggestion or just one of the components.

I've also discovered MyPlate. This site is produced by the USDA and is a great resource. I haven't spent too much time on the site yet, but it appears you can create meal plans and track your foods. I think you need to sign up for an account of some sort, of course. They also have something they call MyFood-a-pedia where you can look up over 8,000 foods for nutritional info. You can even compare two different foods. There aren't name brands, but it's more general in nature.

I think I'll play around with the site more in the future and do a full write-up/review of the website at that time.

Have you visited the MyPlate website? What do you think? Do you plan out your meals ahead of time or just wing it?

Five Question Friday

It's my first time linking up with My Little Life for...

1. What is your favorite Christmas cookie?

I ♥ Christmas cookies!! It's so difficult to choose a favorite. Here's probably my top 3...

Chocolate Crinkles

Chocolate Pinwheels

Candy Cane cookies

Mmm....now, I just wanna bake some cookies!

2. What's your favorite holiday movie;  why?
I honestly can't think of a favorite.

3. Is there a gift that you bought for your kids that you wish you hadn't after they opened it?
Nope.
Of course, this could be because I've got no kids - just the sweetest, cutest little dog.

Playing with her favorite toy.
Or, taking a break from playing with her favorite toy.

4. What is the messiest room in your house right at this moment?
Hands down ... the kitchen. The dishes are always needing to be done. It's worse than laundry!

5. What is the furthest you have driven for the holidays?
Not far.

It's a Good Day!

I had an incredible day!

Wanna know why?

I handed in paper #4 for my Russian history course. I didn't really read this book, but scanned it to find information that would support my thesis. I hope I did a good enough job to fool my professor.

Only one more paper to go!!!

I got an A+ (150/150) on paper #3. This was on a book by Gorbachev that I found very interesting. I really would recommend it. Here's the comment my prof wrote: Excellent paper, Clarinda - very focused and clearly argued. :)

That alone would have totally made my day,
but wait...there's more...

I went to my clinical practice (student teaching) placement meeting this afternoon, and I got assigned to my TOP CHOICE SCHOOL!! I'm super excited. Clinical practice will be Feb 1st. While I still have a bit to do to prepare, it's a relief to know that I at least got a good placement.

I'm cutting things really close with some of my content courses. I just turned in one final on Sunday, and I'm taking the other final on Friday, but I'm concerned about the time it will take for the profs to grade the essays/exams and for BYU to get my transcript to UST. I was assured that if the transcript isn't in my Jan 1st it isn't the end of the world. I just need to keep the Director of CP informed of the situation. Yay!

I still haven't found out my scores for the MTLE (licensure exams), but I asked what would happen if I didn't pass them. I was told, "You just retake them." In other words, , but I will need to pass them before I can get my license. What a relief! Btw, I should get the resultsI can still student teach even if I didn't pass next week.

We had a birthday lunch at work today. I actually missed it because of my CP meeting, but I got to enjoy some delicious leftovers at my desk. Chicken Tortilla soup? YUM! Chocolate cake? DOUBLE YUM!



via

Things are really starting to fall into place, and the nearer the end of the semester I get, the more elated I get. Yay!

#HBBC, Week 2 Recap

Did you notice the button over in my right sidebar? I kind of threw it up there without any explanation, but I joined up with the Holiday Bootie Buster Challenge 2011. I'm new to it this year and signed-up a little late, so I don't qualify for any of the fun final prizes. Still, I thought it would be a good way to challenge myself through the holiday season.

Here's how I can earn points each week:

1 Point per mile (run/walk)
1 Point per 3 miles biked
1 Point per 20 minutes of weight lifting, Pilates, yoga, stretching or abs
1 Point per 15 minutes of low impact cardio (i.e. low impact aerobics, easy biking, skiing, skating, water aerobics, snow shoeing)
1 Point per 10 minutes of high impact cardio (i.e.spinning, kickboxing, lap swimming)
1 Per day where you reach a minimum of 7 servings of fruits and veggies (here are details on what is a serving)

I'd like to do a brief recap here each week. Since I missed week 1, here's a recap from both weeks.

Week 1

11/19: 0 points

• Studied all day for MTLE on Monday morning

11/20: 0 points

• Same as Saturday

11/21: 5 points

• Weights - 20 min
• Elliptical/Stairmaster - 30min

11/22: 0 points

• No real good reason. :(

11/23: 1.1 points

• Walked 1.1 mile

11/24: 4 points

• Walked 1 mile - had to pick up / drop off the car
• Turkey Day 5K - ran with a friend from high school. So. Much. Fun! (and crazy crowded)

11/25: 2 points

• Ran 2 miles

Week 1 Total: 12.1
Challenge Total: 12.1

Week 2
11/26: 0 points

• Skipped my run. Went to a wine tasting with my stepmom, sister, and brother's girlfriend. Well worth it. :)

11/27: 7.25 points

• Ran 7.25 miles - Very pleasant run spent listening to the radio. Quite enjoyable, in fact.

11/28: 0 points

• I can't even remember what happened this day.

11/29: 3.9 points

• Ran 3.9 miles of hills on the treadmill. Was very tough!

11/30: 2.1 points

• Ran 2.1 miles outside. The weather has been so pleasant!

12/1: 2 points

• Cycled for 30 min. Slowly. While attempting to read. Not very successfully.

12/3: 4 points

• Ran 4 miles on the treadmill. Attempted speedwork.

Week 2 Total: 19.25
Challenge Total: 34.35

Where I'm really falling short is the fruits/veggies part of the challenge. I really struggle to eat nutritiously. Hopefully this will improve once school is finished, but right now it would be a real challenge for me to even eat 3 servings a day, let alone 7. That seems like an incredible amount to me.

What tips do you have for incorporating fruits/vegs into your diet? How are you battling the heaviest eating season of the year?

Well, that was weird...

I was just taking a little Friday afternoon nap.

via

When I abruptly awoke from my 1st ever, bona fide blogger dream.

Now I know that dreams are a bit nonsensical, but there were such fun bloggers appearing in this little ditty that I can't help but share the bits I can remember.

First, I was neighbors with Ally from Two Normal Moms. She lived on the street behind my house, down a hill, and a few houses over. She had a gorgeous, pet friendly home.

I know because not only were we neighbors, we were friends.

Good enough friends that I felt comfortable entering her home.

And hanging out.

When no one else was there.

It wasn't creepy, I promise.

While it was most definitely Ally's home, there was a sense of Mark from Forward Progress. He didn't actually appear in my dream, but he recently lost two dogs, and I remember making a comment in my dream about how comfortable Sallie was in Ally's house because of the loss of her two dogs. I'm guessing that's how that tied in since I know Ally hasn't lost any pets (and least not that she shared on her blog).

There were some funny occurences happening at Ally's.

For some reason, Sallie kept escaping to Ally's house.

And there was a misunderstanding with my family, who apparently didn't like the people in the house where she kept ending up. I kept thinking, Who couldn't love Ally? She's my favorite neighbor??

You know how dreams can flip in an instant, so suddenly, I was hanging out with Lauren from Sweat Junkie. We were all in some kind of class. I wanna say it started out as some sort of exercise class / boot camp type of thing, but it may have morphed into some thing more ladylike. hehehe.

All I remember is at the end of the dream, Lauren, sweet Lauren, was getting berated by an older woman (50ish) who was teaching/conducting the class (and no longer were any of us wearing workout-type attire).

And then.

In swooped this guy (presumably a celebrity of some sort) who got right in the face of this older woman, and yelled, "Say Sweat Junkie!"

This totally flustered the woman and sent the class into riotous laughter, with everyone repeating Say Sweat Junkie.

Trust me.

It. Was. Hilarious!

And then I woke up and thought, "Well that was weird."

******
Dreams are funny things. I don't usually put too much stock in them, and I rarely try to find meaning from them.

And I'm not going to today either.

But these are a few of my favorite blogs, so I figured I'd tell you a little about them and maybe why you should check them out.

Two Normal Moms
Meet Ally and Lela. Two best friends that grew up together and now blog together. They blog about a wide variety of things - each of them writing separately. It's fun to follow their lives. Ally tends to blog a bit more frequently than Lela, so I'm a little more familiar with her. They are both well written and funny.

Forward Progress
Mark and I are friends on DailyMile. His blog is fairly new and mostly tracks his running progress and everyday activities.

Sweat Junkie
Formerly the Running Cook, Lauren recently switched to a new blog. She loves to sweat and share all her sweaty stories with us. Last month, she had to take a DNS for her first marathon because of an injury week's before the big day. So sad.

I find inspiration from so many blogs/bloggers - not just these three.

I love blogging and connecting with bloggers from across the country. It's fun to read about different experiences by real people.

So tell me. Have you ever dreamt about a fellow blog or blogger?

It's December!

Which is scary.

And overwhelming.

IT'S CRUNCH TIME!!

Of course, I've pretty much been saying that since September, but now I really am down to the wire.

Here's what I still have to finish:

• Read TWO books
• Write THREE papers (one 4 pg and two 3-5 pg)
• ONE quiz
• ONE final (scheduled for a week from today)

My plan, my hope, is to have all that finished by the 15th, which will give me about two weeks to finish my online portfolio. I started this earlier in my program and haven't really looked at it in a couple years now. It will take a lot of work, but I think two weeks is pretty reasonable to finish it.

I'll admit this past weekend and early part of this week, I had a completely defeatist attitude. I doubted highly I would be able to finish everything, and I wondered if it was really worth it to push myself so hard to student teach and get my license in MN when we're planning on leaving the state next summer.


Source: iiiinspired.blogspot.com via Susie on Pinterest



But writing this out, it doesn't seem that bad.

I CAN DO THIS! Right?





On Mortality

Yesterday morning, when I asked my boss how her holiday had been, she mentioned that her nephew had died. He was in his early 20s. Apparently, he had too much to drink on Thanksgiving, slept on his back, and choked to death on his vomit.

I wonder what it would be like to die in such a manner. Would you realize what was happening? Would it hurt? Would it be a peaceful way to go? Did he struggle? Could it have been prevented (other than the obvious of not over-imbibing)? What would it be like to just not wake up one morning?

This led me to thinking about mortality in general. Life is pretty fragile and can end at any moment. Everyone dies; no one is immune.

What happens next?

I, obviously, have no concrete answer for this. I could spout on about what religion has taught me or what I hope might happen.

But maybe a better topic for consideration is what happens to those left to grieve.

I'm not an expert. I can only share my experience.

I lost my mom suddenly when I was 17. She died in a tragic car accident. It was very sad.

And life changing.

Just like that my life changed completely and would never be the same.

Over time, the heartache lessened. I'm sure I experienced all the appropriate stages of grief. It will be 17 years this December. I still miss her a lot. She often appears in my dreams. Usually as someone who has come back to me, someone who faked her death. Perhaps that's weird. Maybe I haven't truly gotten to that Acceptance stage. I don't know.

Although these dreams are often troubling, they remind me of her and keep her close to my thoughts. I have many great memories of her that I will always cling to.

I will always love her.

Wow. This post took a totally different turn than what I had intended. That's OK, I suppose.

Perhaps this is more what I needed.

What are your thoughts on mortality? Have you lost someone close to you? How has loss affected you?

Thanksgiving 2011 #16 - Everything!

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Well, today is the day. Thanksgiving is finally here. There is so much to be thankful for today. Here are just a few things, as I run out the door to my parents' home for dinner.

• Good food
• Family
• Friends
• Gorgeous weather!!
• A fun 5K this morning
• My cutie-patootie little dog, Sallie (she's curled on my lap right now)
• My awesome husband

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful day full of love, friendship, and good food.

Thanksgiving 2011 #15 - Mixer

Today, I am grateful for my red KitchenAid mixer.

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I love the bold color!

I use it for almost all of my baking. I was asked to make dinner rolls for Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow, and my KitchenAid saved me from having to knead the dough by hand. Yeah!

The rolls are still baking, but hopefully I'll get a nice picture of them tomorrow.

What were you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #14 - Unexpected

Today, I'm grateful for the unexpected.

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I've been working as a temp at the same company for just over a year and a half. As a temp, I'm used to not getting paid for holidays and not having paid vacation time.

I'm used to not getting any of perks of regular employment.

So, imagine my surprise when I got into work this afternoon to receive an envelope from my boss. The company sent a letter to everyone one thanking them for their dedication and hard work.

The letter also included $50! Now, that was unexpected!

And naturally, I spent most of it after work at Target.

Thanksgiving 2011 #13 - Phew!

Sorry, I missed over a week of posting my daily gratitude. I should be better this week leading up to Thanksgiving.

Today, I am thankful to completing my MTLE.

Source

It was four intense exams.

My head was swirling after I finished.
Mostly I had a headache.
There was a bit of relief, but I think that won't really come until after I get the results in a few weeks.

If I don't pass, I probably won't be able to student teach.

I had to do a lot of guessing, but I'm hoping my guesses were at least mostly correct. :)

Thanksgiving 2011 #12 - Beauty

Today, I am grateful for beautiful places...

via StumbleUpon

And beautiful photography.

What were you grateful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #11 - Tomorrow

I've been having a bad day.

I played volleyball this morning. Not very well. I couldn't seem to line myself up under the ball and the floor was really slippery. Needless to say, it wasn't my best game ever.

I came home and went for a 10K run. It was very tiring.

Then I just couldn't seem to get motivated to do my loads of homework that I really needed to get done this weekend.

I took a nap instead.

And watched a bunch of TV with Sallie curled on my lap.

This is kind of a whiny post. Sorry.

So, today, I am grateful that tomorrow is another day.

via Pinterest

What were you thankful for today?

Thanksgiving 2011 #10 - Vets

I know I'm pretty late to the game, but today I'm grateful for all the soldiers who have fought for our country.

Especially my two brothers.

Corey, the marine.

Chris, the army national guard soldier



Today, Chris shipped out to Kuwait where he'll be supporting the troop withdrawals from Iraq.

Happy Veterans Day!

What were you grateful for today?