Off and running (literally)

Well I did it, I woke up and ran again this morning! YAY! My ankle feels great. So far so good...

I got sucked in.... again!

"Hello, My name is Cole, and I am a Harry Potter Addict."

The other day someone asked me a question about something that happened in the 6th Harry Potter book, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince...and I couldn't remember! A professed Potter-nut-case, who ha read any of the given HP books at least 4 times (four being the least, the newer ones, the older ones I have probably read more around 9 or 10 times.) I was so boggled by the fact that I couldn't remember that I, of course, had to sit down and start reading HBP again. Well, as fate would have it, HBP turned into also reading Deathly Hallows and then starting over again with book one. I'm now most of the way through book two (Chamber of Secrets) with no end in sight! I know me, will go all the way through to the end of Deathly Hallows again before I stop :)

By the way...an update on my ankle: I still haven't tried to run on it again, part worry that it still twinges a bit and part laziness. I'm am going to attempt to get my lazy butt outta bed tomorrow morning and go for a jog. No promises but I'll TRY ;)

Time to start training again

I woke up this morning and decided that I should go for a short 2.5 mile run so I put my shoes on, wrote Hubby a note, and took off. Although I have done marathons and triathlons in the past, I have done little more than sit on my butt for the past few months, so I need to get my butt in gear. About 1/2 mile down the road, my foot hit an uneven piece of road and down I went! After of couple of seconds of "Man, what just happened?" I picked myself up...hobbled a little, then walked a few steps before finally tentatively trying to jog again. After a while my ankle didn't bother me too bad so I picked it back up to pace.

I made it the 2.5 miles, but not nearly as quickly as I would have liked, or that I would have been able to even just a few months ago. Blame my ankle, or just blame the fact that I have been LAZY and not ran at all in the last 2 months (I have however gone for a couple, but only a couple of 1000yd swims). Guess I have some work to do! My ankle didn't bother me too bad at all once I got going, until I stopped running and came home...OUCH!!

So as I sit here with my leg propped up on pillows and ice on my ankle, I have decided that despite my current pain, I am signing up for a few races. The first two are virtual races, meaning that I strap on my Nike+ and my iPod and hit the road wherever I happen to be on the dates of the races, then just sync it all when I'm done.

The Human Race, a 10K (6.2 miles) is August 31 and benefits either the Lance Armstrong Foundation, World Wildlife Fund, or the UN Refugee Agency. Even though all of them are worthy charities, I chose the Lance Armstrong Foundation since my biggest wish is for someone to find a cure for cancer - Hopefully in time to save my dad! This should make a good training run for my second race.

The second race I signed up for is the Nike Women's 1/2 Marathon (13.1 miles) on October 19th. This race benefits Leukemia and Lymphoma Society's Team in Training that I have done so much work with. I ran this last year with Cathy, a friend from my triathlon team, and it was a blast. Instead of a typical 1/2 marathon finisher's medal, we received Tiffany's Key chains. Unfortunately they weren't the sterling silver key chains I was hoping for, but it was still a pretty cool finisher's gift.

I'm still thinking about signing up for a local 1/2 marathon in November, but we may be gone on a family camping trip for Thanksgiving so I don't want to sign up for it until I know for sure I will be here to run it. Then of course, there is also the Disney 1/2 marathon in January!! :)

I also stepped on the scale, my mortal enemy, for the first time in a while and WAS NOT pleased with what I saw at all. YIKES! My brother's wedding is in a few months and I'm in it...so guess that is yet another reason to get my butt in gear!

Happy 4th of July!

I hope y'all are having a fantastic Fourth of July! Bring on the BBQ chicken, hot dogs, hamburgers, potato chips, potato salad, baked beans, pass me a Diet Coke, and make sure you get a good seat for the fireworks tonight!

So what are some of the things that immediately make you think of the Good Ol' USA? There are a few obvious answers such as the Stars and Stripes, the Pledge of Allegiance, the Star Spangled Banner (which always brings goosebumps and a lump to my throat), and seeing our men and women in uniform. What about yellow ribbons and eagles flying majestically through the air?

What about a rose? Not many people know that the rose is our National Flower, but it is, Ronald Regan made it so saying, "For the love of man and woman, for the love of mankind and God, for the love of country, Americans who would speak the language of the heart do so with a rose."

How about an oak tree? Yep, that is another national plant. The oak leaf can be seen on many military insignias such as
Air Force, Army, and Marine Rank for Major and Lt. Colonel and the Navy Rank for Lieutenant Commander and Commander.

So as you are thinking about all the glorious symbols of the United States, don't forget the green ones: the rose and the oak tree!

Now, for a pop quiz! I know how everyone loves those! ;) Seriously though, test your knowledge about the history of the Declaration of Independence and check out http://www.whitehouse.gov/kids/dec_indep/quiz/ to see how well you can do. Come on! It's a kid's quiz...it's OK, you can do it, I swear! I did pretty good. Had it been a real test, yes I would have passed. I was surprised at some of the answers though. I didn't know which president was born/died on July 4th, but other than that I did pretty decent! YAY ME!

Here is another quiz you can take as well: http://www.livescience.com/php/trivia/index.php?quiz=independence-day I may not be ready for office, but I can vote! :)

PS...Yes, that is my kitty in the picture next to some flags I have out on display :)

I saved 45 bottles from the landfill

My husband and I love camping, hiking, and generally just being outdoors. My husband is also into safety, security, and disaster preparedness. He believes, not unreasonably, that we need to have supplies if a natural disaster, such as a hurricane, occurs, so we have a hurricane box filled with with all of the things we were glad we had when the last hurricane wiped us out for several weeks and a few things we wished we had. However, we also each have "3 day packs." Basically, a backpack with enough food, water, and supplies to last in the middle of nowhere for at least 3 days. I guess it is his military training kicking in, but I'm not complaining too much. Better safe than sorry. I'd much rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it. It is because of this resent decision to have 3-day pack packed and ready that I decided I needed another pack and headed out to Bass Pro Shop, Dicks, and a few other stores to poke around and see what they had.

I am also "light green" as one of my friends would put it. I'm not a complete Eco-friendly "dark green" tree-hugging kind of gal, but I do my part. I reduce, reuse, and recycle whenever I can, but I also drive a small SUV. When given a greener choice vs a not so earth friendly choice I will gravitate towards the earth friendly solution, but I don't refuse to buy or use something if it isn't certified organic and packaged minimally with only 100% recycled materials. However, I saw this pack and fell in love with it! It is a great pack, large enough for everything I would need for a week with the family in the Everglades or a 3-day hump through the woods at the end of civilization as we know it (not the end of the world, 'cause hey...I don't plan on sticking around for that if you know what I mean), but the coolest thing about this pack is that it is made out of recycled water bottles. 45 water bottles to be exact. It doesn't feel like a plastic pack, it actually feels exactly like nylon, but it has 100% 450d Recycled PET body fabric and 100% 840d Recycled PET reinforcements. I don't know exactly what 450d and 840d mean (if anyone would care to enlighten me, please leave a comment!) but I know that PET fabrics are made by chipping plastic bottles and melting them. The melted plastic is then run through very small holes and hardens into yarn/thread which is then sewn into fabric. Pretty cool huh?

The pack wasn't that expensive either. Now, it wasn't the cheapest backpack I've ever bought, but it is by no means the most expensive pack we have in this house. In fact, it was fairly reasonably priced when compared to other packs of the same size and quality.

Even though it is way too hot to be doing too much strenuous exercise outside in the middle of the day, I am really itching to use my new pack!

Parking Issues

Why is parking such a hassle? I mean seriously, I get more "road rage" in a parking lot than on the actual road. I understand, especially in Florida, that the prime parking spots include anywhere with shade and close to whatever destination you are trying to get to. But WHY oh WHY do people think they can't park if they can't get to one of these prime spots? What is the point, especially in these days of high gas prices, would you drive around for 20 minutes looking and waiting for one of these prime spots? It just makes no since. PARK ALREADY!

Today, at Wal-Mart of all places, I was nearly killed. OK so maybe it wasn't that bad. More like my Jeep was nearly dinged because the woman in the car in front of me pulled 1/2 way into a space, then suddenly must have seen a better parking spot 20 feet closer to the entrance. So rather than sucking it up and pulling the rest of the way into her spot and walking (gasp!) a bit further, she quickly throws it into reverse and zooms out in order to get to the closer spot before anyone else can, forgetting(?) that I was right behind her. Was it really that important that she save a few steps by parking in a spot 4 spaces down? She wasn't elderly or handicapped in any way that made it appear as though walking was difficult for her or caused her some hardship, so what was the big deal?

And no, it wasn't that I wanted the closer spot, I hadn't even seen it yet. I was actually planning on parking in the spot on the other side of where she originally pulled into, I just didn't want to be bumped into.

In conclusion, save some gas and get a little exercise...just park!

I am

I am
A wife
Who loves her husband
And is more proud of him than he will ever know.



I am
A daughter
Who loves her parents
Even when she doesn’t agree with everything they do.



I am
A sister
Who loves all of her brothers and sisters the same
Be they biological, adopted, step, or in-law, we are all family.



I am
A friend
Who will never forget the friends she has left behind
Even though she doesn’t keep in contact as much as she really should.



I am
A teacher
Who loves and cares about her students
Even the ones other people have written off as impossible.


I am
A Christian
Who believes with all her heart
But doesn't always like the alarm clock on Sunday Mornings.


I am
A student
Who is making straight A’s
And wonders how I’m getting better grades now than I did in my undergrad.



I am
An athlete
Who loves being active and in shape
But gets lazy and doesn’t work out when she should.



I am
A dog lover
Who instead has a cat
That thinks it's a dog and is the coolest cat in the world.



I am
A girl
Who knows exactly what she wants
But can’t make a decision on where to eat or what to wear.




I am
bored
And wonder if anyone will read this
But I'm going to post it anyway :)

Face Your Pocket

I saw a link to this website the other day and thought it was interesting. Granted I can’t read Russian (Maybe my cousin Jennifer could help me out with that), but on the English version it says that it is a project to gather pictures of people putting random things that they carry around with them, either in their pockets or purses, on their scanner then putting their faces on the scanner as well, so I thought I would give it a try. I decided to dig around in my purse and see what I found that may (or may not) be interesting. Does it give some deeper insight into my life or personality? Who knows, but I was bored and this is what I did instead of my Linguistics homework (Maybe Cousin Jennifer could help me with that too!).
Let's see, I have my squished face, the wallet my sailor hubby gave me, 3 tubes of lipstick, a 500 yen coin, 4 huge safety pins, a dollar bill (all the American money I had), my thumb drive, BC Headache medicine, moist towelette, a kaeru (means both "frog" and "return" in Japanese. It is supposed to bring a traveler safely home), butterfly clip, hair tie, sharpie pen, and 3 patriotic charms. What can it all mean? Anyone have any great insight into me now, other than I must have a cluttered purse and I'm broke? Perhaps there is a reason that my thumb drive with all my my graduate stuff from all my classes so far is above my head next to the headache powder? Things that make ya go Hmmmmm.....

Now that I'm done with this I guess it is on with the homework. It isn't really that hard, I like the class actually, just needed a brain break and thought this would be fun!

Happy Memorial Day

Memorial Day weekend has become the kickoff for family BBQs, beach parties, and the opening of summer. Even though these things are very characteristic of American society, I wonder how many Americans really stop to remember why we get this 3 day weekend in May every year. So here is a little history lesson (hey, it's what I do! :) )

Memorial day was first called "Decoration Day" because it was a day for Americans to decorate the graves of the Civil War dead. It was first widely observed on May 30, 1868, to commemorate the sacrifices of Civil War soldiers, by proclamation of General John A. Logan of the Grand Army of the Republic, an organization of former sailors and soldiers.

Although many cities both in the North and the South claim to be the birthplace of the holiday, in 1966, the federal government, under the direction of President Lyndon Johnson, declared Waterloo, N.Y., the official birthplace of Memorial Day. They chose Waterloo—which had first celebrated the day on May 5, 1866—because the town had made Memorial Day an annual, community-wide event during which businesses closed and residents decorated the graves of soldiers with flowers and flags.

By the late 1800s, many communities across the country had begun to celebrate Memorial Day and, after World War I, celebrations also began to honor those who had died in all of America's wars. In 1971, Congress declared Memorial Day a national holiday to be celebrated the last Monday in May.

Check out this video from YouTube about Memorial Day, and have a WONDERFUL Memorial Day!

Now go hug a Sailor (or Marine, Soldier, or Airman)- I know one you can hug haha! :)

Things I wish I knew when I was 18 - for my brother, Mike

My little brother is graduating High School in a couple of days and it has me thinking about my own High School graduation and the years that followed. Like all 18 year olds, I made mistakes and didn't listen to those who were "old" and "didn't understand." In fact, I probably would have rolled my eyes, put my hand up ("talk to the hand") and walked away. After all, I was an adult, and I knew everything, right?

Mike, I know I'm just your crazy older sister, but I love you very much and I am proud of who you have become. I've seen you make mistakes and I've seen you accomplish some amazing things as well. I have no doubt that you will grow to be an amazing man, and a proud US Sailor. Not all of these tid bits of advice are directly aimed at you, they are just musings of my past, but I hope you can find some wisdom in them somewhere and know that I am always here for you no matter what this crazy world brings you. I love you!
~Love, Sis

Things I wish I had known when I was 18

1. A credit card is not free money! I got my first American Express right before I turned 19 and I think I am still working on paying off that $2 hairbrush I bought! Interest adds up and the bills don't go away if you ignore the bill you get in the mail (and the phone calls). It only gets worse and more expensive. If you can't pay for it with cash, don't get it. If it is worth having, it is worth saving for! Also, paying the minimum amount due isn't good either. It's better than not paying it at all, but if you don't want to pay 3 X's as much in interest, pay more than the minimum and pay it off as soon as you can.

2. Travel now! Don't think that because you are young you can't travel. Now is the time to travel while you aren't tied down to a house payment, kids, loans, etc. Not that having a house and a family is bad, just that you can't up and leave on an awesome trip without a lot of preplanning and getting things ready. Instead of packing a bag and heading out the door, you will have to arrange for bills to be paid, mail to be forwarded, kids/pets to be cared for, leases and contracts canceled, and convincing people that you haven't lost your mind.

3. Follow your dreams! Follow what your heart tells you, not what other people expect you to do with your life. Take that photography class, take up the drums, or train to run a marathon (trust me; doing it later in life is rough!). Sure, only one in a million starving artist ever become more than starving, but it's better to be a happy starving artist than a miserable corporate working stiff if an artist is what you want to try. The worst thing that can happen is that you realize your dreams aren't all they are cracked up to be and you start having new dreams. Knowing that you tried for your dream is better than living the rest of your life wondering "what if..."

4. Lose the safety net. As much as you love your parents, they won't always be there to hold your hand and clean up after you. You need to start taking your responsibilities seriously and learn how to do things and take care of things for yourself. Yes, the thought of being out there on your own, in the wild blue yonder without something to catch you if it all goes wrong may make you feel like your stomach is doing somersaults, but trust me, it will be OK.

5. Don't be afraid to make mistakes. Mistakes are how people learn the best lessons about life. You live, you learn, you get on with your life and are better for the lesson you learned. Just be careful not to repeat your mistakes.

6. Don't worry about finding Mr./Ms. Perfect. Instead of trying to find someone who is amazing, BE amazing. Do things to better yourself that makes you feel good. Don't try to be someone you aren't to make someone fall for you because it won't work. You always end up being yourself and if the person you are with didn't fall in love with the "real" you, the relationship isn't worth it anyway.

7. Sometimes life isn't fair – get over it! Yeah at 18 I thought "I'm an adult, no one can make me do anything I don't want to do." Yes, at 18 in the eyes of the government, you are an adult. But with the freedoms of being an adult come responsibilities too. You aren't a child anymore so don't act like one if you don't want to be treated like one.

8. Make your own path. Don't take the road someone else wants to take if it doesn't seem right for you, even if it is going to the same place. You may wish to take a longer, more scenic route instead of rushing straight to your destination on the highway. Make a few pit stops along the way if you want!

9. Don't stop swimming (or running or doing whatever activity you love to do). In High School, swimming was my life. I never felt freer than when I was in the pool. College came and I slowly found other things to do that filled up my time and I slowly stopped swimming. It wasn't until a few years ago that I really got back in the pool again and I have again found the thing that makes me happy, peaceful, and centered. Not to mention the health benefits of staying in shape!

10. My parents are not controlling, stupid old people. In fact they are all loving, caring, wonderful (although a little wacky) people. I am lucky enough to have not only one set of parents, but two. One set who gave birth to me and made the most difficult choice in their life for me, and my adopted parents who chose me and took me into their home when they didn't have to do so. They seemed controlling to me only because they were scared for me and wanted to see me on the right path. They may have been ignorant of a lot of things that was going on in my life, but that was only because I didn't tell them what was going on, and they are by no means stupid. And...uh...they weren't that old when I was 18! haha :)

PS...Tequila is bad bad bad haha :) I'll leave it at that! ;)