Running Update

I promised to update this blog so I could track my running progress since I announced last month that I was running my first half marathon in January so hopefully I'll get better with that in the future. I have officially completed 7 weeks of my training schedule and so far so good. For the most part I have found running to actually be enjoyable and something I look forward to. That could partly be since my runs have been fairly short in distance but for now I'll take that as a good sign. Now there are definitely times when I question myself for signing up for this but I'm hoping that once it cools down a little that running will be easier. I've also had a few runs with Nicole, Alison and Ryan but for the most part Bennett has been my steady running partner. Ryan had planned on accompanying me on a longer run this morning but for some reason he just couldn't get out of bed. However, Bennett and I logged a good 5.75 miles this morning in 58 minutes so we were fine without him!

Oh, I did get a new pair of running shoes and some cute new outfits after I signed up. A girl has to look good while running, right?!?

Birthday Boy

Bennett is officially two years old today. Ryan and I woke up expecting to find a new dog. A dog that doesn't eat panties, chew on shoes and tear up the backyard when we're gone. We were always told that when labs turned two they calmed down. We've been waiting for this day for a looonng time. However, when we woke up this morning we realized he was the same puppy now (plus 60 pounds) as when we got him. And we still love him just as much. Oh well, maybe three will be the magic age.

Anyways, to celebrate we took Bennett to PetsMart to get a new toy. I think he likes it.

(I promise I took these pictures with my iphone. I'm not that crazy to bring my Nikon to PetsMart)

Happy Birthday Benny!

Enjoying my Friday off...

Today is our 9/80 day so we're off from work. However, instead of enjoying this day off by sleeping in and relaxing we are repairing all the A/C ducts in our house. Exciting?? You betcha. Oh, the joys of home ownership :)

Our house is old, 54 years to be exact, and apparently the A/C ducts have deteriorated. No wonder we had a $350 A/C bill last month! Apparently, all the cool air was escaping into our attic and even to the outside. So now we are spending our Friday off with a crew of men and spending X amount of dollars (I won't even mention what this is costing us). Oh, and our house is a mess. The pictures speak for themselves. But don't worry, they promised to clean it all up....

(I snuck a pic with my iPhone when they weren't looking)

Did I mention that we also have a guy currently installing ATT&T U-verse at our house?!? I think I might need to make an escape to get my nails and toes done :)

Happy Friday!

Weekend in Tulsa

I spent this past weekend in Tulsa with Anna and her husband Reid and we had a fabulous time. First of all, I want to say that they were outstanding hosts and secondly, I'm obsessed with their house. They just moved into their house this past February and in the few short months they've been there they've turned it into a beautiful home.

I've known Anna since college and after graduation I moved back to Houston and her back to Tulsa. We've managed to get together as often as we can and I'm grateful for our friendship. This past weekend was just like old times as we went for walks every morning, ate brunch, did some shopping, chatted and spent Sunday afternoon relaxing and watching Sex in the City. Of course, it went by way too fast but I loved hanging out with them. I also re-discovered my love for snow cones while we there. I couldn't tell you the last time I had one but they insisted we go and it was delicious. Now, I just need to find where I can get one here in Houston....

I didn't take many pictures over the weekend but we did get a cute one from dinner Saturday night. We ate at a restaurant called LXI and it was delicious. I would highly recommend it!

Thanks for a great weekend and I hope to see you two soon!

Random Thoughts

My good friend Anna forwarded me an email on random thoughts and I couldn't help but post a few. I hope you find them as entertaining (and true) as we did! Happy Monday :)

Do you remember when you were a kid, playing Nintendo and it
wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically
fix the problem. Every kid in America did that, but how did we all know how to
fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or FAQ's. We just
figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand
than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to
finish a text.

While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and
instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

MapQuest really needs to start their directions on #5. Pretty
sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their
profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red
Ryder BB gun that I always wanted. 546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to
go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly
nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a
problem....

You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at
work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything
productive for the rest of the day.

I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks
me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I
did not make any changes to.

I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not
seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and
still not know what time it is.

Tulsa Bound

Tomorrow after work I'm headed to Tulsa to see my dear friend Anna. It's been waaayyy too long since we've since each other and I'm looking forward to a weekend with her. I'm sure there will be lots of catching up, shopping, laughing and if I know Anna mimosas will be involved ;)

Can't wait to see you Annie!!

Sharing Small Spaces

I'm at my last straw. Having a house with one bathroom is bad enough but having a house with one teeny tiny bathroom is much worse! Now, don't get me wrong - I absolutely LOVE our little two bedroom house and everything about it. It has been the perfect size for us. However, I have come to the conclusion that I would never buy a one bathroom house again and if for some insane reason I fell in love with a house that only had one bathroom - it would definitely have at least two sinks.

Anyways, Ryan and I leave for work at the same time in the morning which of course is a challenge in a one bathroom house. We do have a system that semi works for us as I am the first one up and in the shower. I actually am able to dry my hair before he comes in. However, if I take a break during the lengthy hair drying session and set the the hair dryer on the counter to re-position the round brush, the hair dryer somehow always manages to fall to the floor due to lack of counter space. This of course happened twice this morning and on occasion has nearly landed in the toilet (which happens to be maybe 2 feet away from the sink). I'm not sure if I'm just delirious at this hour or if my hair dryer is playing tricks on me...

Now, as soon as Ryan comes in and turns on the shower steam immediately fills the room, the mirror fogs up and now I'm sweating due to the lack of air flow in this tiny room. The fact that I was blowing hot air on my head for the past ten minutes doesn't help either. Did I mention that not only do Ryan and I share the bathroom while getting ready but we share it with Benny too?!? Bennett has to lay on the rug which is the only area to stand while being in front of the sink/mirror. It's quite entertaining at our house at 5:45 am....

That's my rant for today :)

Back to School

Ryan has always wanted to go back to school to get his MBA and as of today he is officially a student at Rice University. I can't believe how fast the summer has gone and that Fall is already here. Ryan will normally be attending class several evenings during the week but this week all students are required to attend their Immersion program to kick it all off. They are on campus all day and most evenings to get acquainted and actually start working towards their credits.

Soooo it's now 8 pm on Ryan's first day and since I've been home from work this evening I have taken Bennett for a run, showered, ate dinner, played fetch with Bennett and already watched two episodes of Property Virgins on HGTV. And now I'm bored. Geez. I don't know how I'm going to handle this. I'm sure as time goes on I will get used to being alone more often but it doesn't make it any easier right now. It actually will probably be good for me and allow me to be more independent. Hopefully, I can really concentrate on photography and start trying to understand Photoshop. Or maybe I can just enjoy having the remote control to myself at night where I can actually control what we watch :)

In all honestly, I'm really proud of Ryan and for the fact that he is going back to school for himself. I know he is going to do great and that this is a great opportunity for him. I'm sure these next two years will go by fast and that before we know it he'll be walking across the stage on May 14th, 2011 with his diploma. I'm not counting or anything ;)