Guess Who? Yeah, Me!

Well hello! I know it's been a while, 80 days to be exact, but it almost seemed necessary to write today because of what happened yesterday...

I was sitting at work and realized that I hadn't logged on to my blog in quite a long time and realized it was because I took my computer in to get worked on and they erased everything on it, including my Blogspot icon on my desktop that reminded me everyday to write.  So I logged on and looked through all my past blogs and felt sad that I hadn't talked to you all in quite a while.  I didn't actually write anything yesterday, just spent most of my time re-reading some old blogs, bringing back some good old memories.  THEN, as I'm sitting on the couch last night, my beloved asks out of nowhere,"When was the last time you blogged?"  And in that moment, I thought "I better get back to it!"  So, here I am!

Some of you may be excited!  While others of you may want to be removed from my mailing list...TOO BAD!  You get to listen to me talk about stupid stuff again...how exciting!!

Here's a brief look at what's happened the last 80 days:
-Been to Vegas twice...still not rich!
-Fixed all the computers at the office and they still don't work right!
-Transitioned into my warm clothes.
-My nephew has turned one year old!
-I have taken 2 sections of the CPA Exam and did not pass either one...back to square one.
-Played softball in the Whole Enchilada and our team took 3rd place!
-Saw Rascal Flatts in concert, Drumline Live, Cirque Boomtown, Abba Mania, and The Color Purple.
-Watched the Denver Broncos go up in flames.
-Taken one of the best trips to Amarillo for Thanksgiving!
-Had my teeth cleaned.
-Ran another Half-Marathon!
-And lived a little!

I hope you are all doing well!  Talk at you soon!

 ~Chix

Changes

Everybody seems to be going through changes! Whether they're good or bad, I hope it's worth it. Even I am going through changes...not major changes, but tiny ones here and there. For instance, I'm changing my whole personal life schedule over the next 2 months so I can study for 2 sections of the CPA exam during every extra free moment of my time. I am hitting the gym every day again to regain my mileage and endurance for my upcoming races. And I'm sure there's other little things too.

But really, I'm not big on change. I am a creature of habit. I like the things I like and I don't see why I need to change things up. Like my daily routine, I'm pretty predictable. Getting ready in the morning, getting to work, working out, going home after work, going to bed...it's all part of my daily routine. When I go out to eat, I usually order the same thing everytime at that particular restaurant, like wings at Coaches, shrimp in lobster sauce at PF Changs, crab linguine at Red Lobster, and chicken alfredo at Olive Garden. If I ever try something new, I end up wishing I had just ordered my usual. Sounds boring huh?

Luckily I have great conversation skills! I may be eating the same dish or going through the same motions, but I can guarantee you won't know what I'm gonna say! How exciting! Like right now...I bet you didn't know I was gonna tell you that my flip-flops make my foot ride on the inside. Or that I just rubbed body butter on my elbows. Or I called Canada this morning and I'm just waiting for Canada to call me back. Fun, huh!! Good times! Well, I hope this encourages you all to make some changes in your life, or maybe make no changes...whatever!

Don't drink and drive, cause where will you put your beer while you're texting?

~Chix

Well, Look Who It Is!

Surprise! Just when you thought you'd gotten rid of me...

Here I am! I know I've been the biggest slacker ever lately, but my life has been going so many directions since the end of August. I sort of left you on a not so positive note cause I was in a bad mood, but I'm better today. I've actually been tiring myself out the last couple of weeks. Last week I was in Florida and when I got back, my timing was a bit off. Then this last week it's been TV's Fall Season Premier Week and we're watching so many shows that we're up all night watching tv. I've been studying for the CPA Exam non-stop it feels like, so we can't even start watching tv until 8:30 or 9pm. I work all day long...well...I'm AT work all day! So, the last few days have been long ones. I would say luckily it's the weekend, but I have a softball tourney this weekend, so that'll cut out some study time as well as some "catch up on tv" time. I need more hours in my days.

I'm in training again. Here's the key: When you train for a half-marathon, after you've run the race, DON'T stop training! And especially don't take 2 months off after a half-marathon and expect to run any more than 2 miles when you start up again...not smart. So, here's the plan, I've got a marathon relay in 3 and a half weeks, then a half 7 weeks after that, and another half 6 weeks after that. You think I can do it? Let's hope so! I'm gonna stay determined!

I'm burning MY candle at both ends!

~Chix

Mindless

The anniversary weekend went wonderfully. We took Friday off work and spent the whole day together (well, I guess we spend every day together but this was different)! She made me breakfast in the morning and we took a long afternoon nap and then went to dinner, dessert, and a movie. A pretty great day! Then we got to spend the rest of the weekend together! It was awesome!

CPA studying sucks my butt! It would be okay if it was only one test, but it's 4 separate tests that you have to study separately for each one. I wish I could just relearn all this stuff once, take one big test, and be done with it. But no, I've got to study every night and day for the next century and then go take 4 separate 4 hour tests...calm...calming...calming down! I love school!

I'm back in the grind of things...the gym that is. Been two days in a row! Not sure how my body has ever run more than 3 miles because it hurts so bad when I get to 2! It'll all start coming back to me...hopefully! Might do some personal training...she might know something I don't and maybe it'll help with weight loss or picking up some speed! Luckily if Candy runs a race faster than me (which will be soon I'm sure), I can always blame it on my age!! Or my knee or my foot or my back or my side or, or, or! I'm falling apart! I guess I'll just keep running until my legs fall off!

I think we're finally going camping again this weekend! Last week didn't work out because we were trying to win the new Rod Stewart CD! To win it, we had to enter this competition for a $15,000 backyard makeover, then become one of the top 10 finalists, and then instead of winning we had to take 2nd place...and guess what? We won! The brand new Rod Stewart CD is ours!! We haven't opened it yet, but we can't wait to start grooving! Seriously though, out of over 250 applicants for this new backyard, we get 2nd place and a Rod Stewart CD! Good times!

Today had all the makings to be a good day. We woke up, got ready, fed the dogs, left just a bit late but not as bad as usual, and then all went to hell...I just got really moody. Really poopie! Just didn't feel like being around people today and felt a bit irritated with everything I was doing or with what other people were saying. So, I've kept to myself. I'm thinking it's that time of the month when I get all moody, so hopefully it'll go away soon, but I'm just not in the mood today...just not in the mood.

There's a strange whirring sound in my nightstand that keeps me awake sometimes.

~Chix

5 Years Ago...

5 years ago (tomorrow) my GF and I shared our first kiss and began our journey together. 5 years ago (tomoorow) my heart was captured by the most beautiful girl in the world. 5 years ago (tomorrow) I reached out and grabbed me a straight woman...And 5 years later (tomorrow) it's turned out to be the best thing I've ever done in my life! I can't (and won't) list here everything that she has done to make my life better, I can't even describe the way I feel when I think about her or when she's near, and I can't even tell you how excited I am to wake up next to her every morning and think about where this life is going to lead us.

It truly has been an adventure with her. Lucky for me, she's the most honest, unique, trustworthy, smart, caring, energetic, beautiful, athletic, fun (and sometimes blonde) girl in the world. She'll keep you on your toes because you never know what she's gonna say and sometimes when it doesn't make sense, she'll laugh with you about it for the next couple of hours. We have had some of our greatest conversations in absolute silence while sitting on the couch. We have had the opportunity to travel all over the world together like Belize, Honduras, Hawaii, Cabo, the Oregon Coast, VEGAS, and hope to make it everywhere else.

Sometimes I ask her what she sees in me or why she thinks I'm worthy of her love, and she claims it's just the opposite, but we all know it's because she's so amazing. I'm a better person just for knowing her, lucky for me she's my GF! She believes in me more than anyone in the world and she's always on my side no matter what. I would not want to think of life without her. She is my everything and I love her to the moon and back a million trillion times.

You and me baby...

~Chix

Random Thoughts

Well, I'm not famous just yet.

There's a place in Canada called Medicine Hat.

I need a new watch with a blue face and silver band.

Strawberry Crush is yummmmmmmmmmy.

New book comes out today that I probably won't start for another week or so and not finish for a week after that.

My bosses son is a sweet and caring douche bag.

I really wish I was in kindergarten instead of work. My niece makes it sound like such a grand time.

So much to do and NO motivation.

Rainbow sky last night.

I miss my granny.

I can't wait to go to Vegas, although I wish it were sooner rather than later.

I get to speak Canadian in just over 2 weeks!

~Chix

Playing House

Don't you all love Tivo? Or DVR? Whichever you have, I hope you have one. We actually have 2, one for downstairs and one for our bedroom. The one downstairs captures everything we watch on a nightly basis, like Lie to Me or Glee or Grey's or Castle. These are the shows that the GF and I watch together and are very committed to every season. They pile up quickly, so some shows get shuffled to the bedroom. Also recorded in the bedroom are shows that only the GF watches because her side of the bed is closer to the tv than mine, and our current tv is a bit too fuzzy for me to watch for long periods of time. This being the case, there are recorded shows on that particular DVR that haven't been watched since early February this year. To make a short story longer...one of those shows is House. We love this show, but missed all last season. Luckily, about 12 episodes were ready for the watching this weekend when I finally decided it was time (actually, the new season starts soon so I needed to catch up).

A few episodes in, there was one where this girl is a blogger...much like me! Actually, she's nothing like me, or should I say I'm nothing like her. She actually has other bloggers that live and breathe her blog and make comments everyday and they worship this blog that she writes. She writes about everything in her life (except poop), and her bloggers are very committed to her words. Mine...not so much! The only people that read my blog read it because it automatically gets plopped into their email inbox. And as much as I thank you all for reading ALL the time, I sometimes wish that my blog would BLOW UP on the internet...like I could become the GLEE blogger (much like the American Idol blogger who'll probably lose their job soon cause American Idol is sucky lately). But, wouldn't that be great! I could become known in households all over the world as "the GLEE blogger" or "that blogger online" or "blogger ~Chix". Then I'd have another purpose. My other idea was to follow my 5 year old niece to school everyday and blog her every move (and quite possibly everything the kids say!), but I have a job and that sort of limits my time away from the office.

I'm gonna run some more races, but I know you're all tired of hearing about my training efforts (although I'll tell you any funny stories that come up), so I need ideas that'll make me famous! Otherwise, you all get to be blessed with more locker room stories, mile 9 horrors, GF gaffes, and quips from inside my brain.

It's raining from the sun.

~Chix

Interesting article

Well, looky looky what I saw online today...http://shine.yahoo.com/channel/life/how-do-you-break-up-with-a-friend-2329032

Must be a sign!

~Chix

Hello Goodbye

Hi, it's becoming sort of a habit to only write every week or so when I KNOW I've got loads more to say! I'll try to get better.

We went camping last weekend, might go camping this weekend, and maybe even next weekend! We had so much fun. I think it was because we finally DID it instead of just TALK about it. We got lots of sun (the GF got most of it!), we went fishing (didn't catch anything), we went hiking (took my niece who we carried half a mile back on our shoulders), we ate lots of food, some s'mores, had large campfires, watched the stars, saw some deer, and just had a very relaxed and fun weekend.

I'm trying to get back to the gym regularly now. I think I've definitely had enough time off from the race, probably about a month too long. Gotta get the mileage back up if I'm thinking of doing anymore races anytime soon. I'd also like to try and lift some weights so I can build up some other muscle that'll help me get across the finish line when my feet begin to fail me!

Do you like hot dogs on a cold day? Try it!

~Chix

Time Lapse

Well, it's been a long time since I've graced you with my wisdom, so I'm back today to shed a little light on what's become a dreary day her in the 505! Although earlier it was raining from the bluest of blue skies and it was still 95 degrees out, the clouds have moved in and seem to be taking over the afternoon heat. Now it's about 90 out, it's raining somewhere, and about 15,000 Toby Keith fans are worried they might get poured on while watching him rock his guitar tonight. I'm betting it'll rain on the early grass saving fans, it'll rain for the first two opening acts, and then it'll stop raining by 9:30pm when Toby Keith finally takes the stage. If it doesn't stop raining by then, Toby Keith may have a hissy fit and not play at all...we (well, not me but the GF) have seen it happen before!

Life couldn't be any better than it is right now! I'm happy...very happy! Hope you find something (and someone) to make you happy too!

Today I got to drive 3 different Jaguars in the span of an hour and I wasn't even test driving them! I think I look pretty cool in them. I went to the gym this afternoon and it was good to be back. I got to see a few naked ladies in the locker room too. One lady was bare bare bare and was bent over applying tissue to her cuts on her legs from shaving...quite a sight! Another lady was naked walking toward the exit door and I was afraid I was in her nightmare, but she just grabbed some towels and walked back toward the showers. When people tell you to picture people naked while you're giving a speech and it'll relax you...I hope these are not the people you are imagining!

I'm not gonna wear purple, but I like Grape soda.

~Chix

Hmmmm...Bop!

Why is it that I'm always telling you guys that I'm sick? I got a head cold this weekend, which started festering on Friday night (you know, the whole itchy throat stuff), and is still hanging on today! The stuffed up head, stuffed up nose, gross colored boogers, coughing all night, sometimes reversing the natural flow of food into the system, and not sleeping well. It's all here again for the weekend/week. I especially didn't appreciate it this weekend while I had a softball tournament, although my depth perception was in check! I still had a good weekend, but I had to return home to my GF with a cold, but luckily she loves me so much that she has taken really really good care of me. When I got home on Sunday I took a nap and while I was sleeping, she unpacked all my bags, washed all my clothes, and made me some green chile chicken soup! Then yesterday I stayed home from work and she made me a hot hot bath and then made me dinner! I couldn't ask for anything more! Except maybe tonight I'll ask for a back rub! Heehee!

Back to the grind. Worked pretty hard today...not as hard as I'm gonna have to work tomorrow, but steady. The boss'll be back in the office on Thursday, so I've got lots of crap to do tomorrow! So, I'm reading a new book. It's Stephen King's Needful Things. I read about 200 pages of this book when I was about 13 years old and then my brother stole the book away from me, saying that it was his book and he was going to read it! Well, I'm pretty sure he never read it first of all. Second of all, if my parents knew what that book was about back when I was 13, they would have never let me read even 20 pages of it. It's very graphic in a sexual way so far and there's no way I could have understood what I was reading back then...I guess it's a good thing my brother took it away from me!

Where in the world is Carmen? San Diego?

~Chix

Running Can Be Fun!

Blue skies today, but I'll bet you it turns gray when it's time for my softball game! Typical Albuquerque weather! Just when you think it's gonna be nice out, it rains and ruins everything! Or just makes it really humid.

I've gotta start studying for my first section of the CPA Exam...so as much as I've enjoyed my time off from studying and keeping my nose in the books, I have to pull them all back out again to begin the CPA Exam process. And it's not gonna be fun...oh no! Especially for the GF who just got my attention back...now I gotta spend no less than 6 hours each week going over Financial Accounting and Reporting information so I can take this test hopefully in late October or early November. And then I gotta repeat the process for 3 more sections of the Exam. Fun? You decide!!

We're gonna start hitting the gym again, now that we've had a decent break from the race. I'm pretty sure I'm gonna run another half in December in Vegas, which I'm sure I've mentioned before, but I'm gonna drag all my friends into this time, so get to the gym NOW!! I'm not kidding...anybody can do it, just ask the GF! She went from couch to half in 4 months. If you can only run for 5 minutes now, just get on my training program an in 4 months you could be doing a half, or even a 5K or 10K! That's more than your 5 minutes 4 months ago!! Just do it! What's stopping you? You could also lose about 10 to 20 pounds in the process (or more)! Sounds great doesn't it? You can do it, and I can help! Everybody's doing it!! You really don't even have to run a race in 4 months, but getting in shape can be fun! I promise! It's just that with a race to look forward to, you have something sort of pushing you and getting you motivated and inspired!! Let's do it!

Do you like bleu cheese? I love it, it's good! It stinks, but tastes so yummy!

~Chix

A Whole New World

Well, new name, new attitude, new world! Actually, I'm in the process of discovering a new name, I haven't changed my attitude much, and it's still my world, you're just part of it! Thank you for being here! Please send me ideas on a new blog name. I prefer random! Or even something not so random that can seem random all the same!

I've got jury duty! Actually I've had it for the last week and a half and I finally got called into a courtroom today, just for it to be declared a mistrial about 20 minutes into the Voir Dire. Poop! Oh well, maybe tomorrow or the next day. It's given me a lot of reading time (which I mentioned before I think), but the people that are also on the Court-clock are some very interesting people. Some old lady wears the same outfit every day, some girl ripped up a puzzle in process so she could start it all over on her own, some guy was smacking his lips as he ate a burrito IN THE QUIET ROOM, and some weird girl smuggled knitting needles into the courthouse...I stayed far away from her!

I still owe you all a recap of my whole Battle for Seattle process, but I'm just not finding the motivation today, so maybe this week I'll actually get around to that. All I can say now is that all the support I had from my readers was amazing. My cousin emailed me all the time with tips and ideas for running and staying healthy. My aunt would email me little motivational words. My mother had to listen to me complain at home enough, but supported me all the way. My bro and sis seemed to be living vicariously through me because I know they wanted to be there to cheer us on (they practically were though, through the miracle of text and live streaming video)! All my friends wished us good luck and stayed by their phones in anticipation of the outcome. And my GF has endured months and months of training, discussion of her on this blog, the intensity of her first half-marathon (and mile 9), and she's already planning on the next race...she truly is my rock(star). Anywho, you are all the reason I'm writing this and I continue to find new ways to talk about myself, so at some point in your day you can forget about your problems and listen to mine! So, thanks again!

Weather sucks! Another reason to only visit the Pacific Northwest. Sorry Oregon, I love you, but I don't think I could live with you! Gotta get to work, but knowing me, I'll get to it tomorrow!!

~Chix

Under Pressure

Do you ever feel like your life is spinning out of control? You can't seem to catch up with yourself, nothing is going right, nobody seems to care about you anymore?

Well, I don't! Actually, I always feel like I can't catch up, but not those other things! The people I care about the most care about me too, so I'm as happy as a clam (which, by the way, are always happy)! So, it really doesn't get any better than this. I'm gonna spend this next paragraph just talking about myself now! Enjoy!

So, I've been in jury duty for the last week and I have one week to go. I have yet to be called to an actual courtroom, but I get about 3 1/2 hours of reading time each morning that I have to go in! I've already finished 2 books and I'm looking forward to my next session. I'd actually like to get called in, but now that I work at a law office, I don't think they'll give me a chance...I'm really fair and impartial I keep telling them, but to no avail. I'll just work on book #3. I have another softball tourney this weekend. It's basically to get us ready for our tourney next weekend, so nobody's too focused on the outcome, although we're a good tournament team, so we'll probably play at least 3 games (it's a 3 game garauntee tourney!). I'm trying to decide what color to paint my fingernails. My toenails are silver...I like it a lot. I'm wearing my new Boston Red Sox t-shirt today and I really like the way it looks. I saw my aunt today and she said I'm getting fat. Since she weighs 3 times as much as me, I didn't put too much thought into it! My GF made the best dinner last night and what's even better is we had leftovers today for lunch!

I love talking about myself! (J-that was for you!)

~Chix

3 Weeks Out

Good afternoon everyone! I'm sorry I've been such a lazy bum lately, but I'm still trying to catch up with everything since we've been back. But let's be honest, I didn't do anything today!! Regardless, I still need to come on and update you all and wrap up my Battle for Seattle. I need a new name for my blog and some new ideas along with it. Please feel free to shoot over any ideas you may have and want to contribute. Otherwise you all just get to listen to me talk about myself...which isn't always such a bad thing! If you can't talk about yourself, then you shouldn't be talking about others, and you know how much I like to talk about other people.

Well, last week was a sad week for me and the GF. One of our good friends passed away in one of the worst tragedies ever. She was taken from everyone in the worst way possible and we'll never be the same, but luckily we can say that we knew her and loved her and our lives were better just by knowing her. It was evident at her funeral on Friday that many others loved her as well and she'll never be forgotten!

I had a softball tourney on Saturday and it definitely shows that I have not exercised since I crossed that finish line 3 weeks ago! I pulled a hammy and every other muscle in my body is sore. We actually won the tourney, but let me tell you about this team that we beat. Our first game was at 9am, and halfway through that game, this other team shows up and starts taking notes on us about where we hit the ball. So, during our 4pm game against them we assume they know where we hit, but it doesn't help them because we go on to win the game. We meet up with them again in our 10pm game (the championship game) and I notice this one girl in the outfield keeps adjusting her kneepad after every play in the outfield. Then I look closer and realize she has taped a piece of paper to her leg and looks us up before we hit to know where to stand in the outfield!! Crazy! Well, they beat us at 10 which meant that we played them in the "what-if" game at 11pm and they got so cocky and thought they had it in the bag...until we rocked them and won the tourney. They were not so happy after that! Go team!

Well, have a great rest of your Monday, and enjoy your week. I'll be getting back to you real soon! Love you all.

~Chix

Good Morning Friends and Family

Good morning everyone! I am back in Albuquerque, but that's not why I'm blogging today. Sometimes with these blogs we (or I) get caught up in the moment and start blabbing nonsense. But not today.

Yesterday, there was a horrible office shooting in Albuquerque that caught national attention. Some guy went at a rampage at his ex-wife's office and opened fire on her, about 5 other people, and then turned the gun on himself. While his ex is alive and in critical condition, 2 other people were less fortunate than her and were killed by this mans actions. I regretfully say that one of those killed was a good friend of mine and Candy's. I'm pretty sure she was also a great friend to anyone who knew her. So, today, I'm asking for you all to put her family and loved ones in your prayers and let's all hope they can get through this horrible tragedy.

~Chix

Let's Rock'n'Roll!

Good Evening!! In case you haven't heard yet...I was amazing! Actually, I wasn't that fantastic, although I finished with flourish and I'm still alive and I never stopped running (if you don't count the quick bathroom break and the side-splitting cramp at none other than mile 9)! I finished in 2:26:20 or something like that. Crossing the finish line was absolutely amazing. The GF finished in 2:32:00 with bells on! That's just 6 minutes behind me when she was just hoping to finish in 3 hours. Shattered that goal, as usual.

Here's how it all went down: we woke at 4:30 (not that we slept well anyway), then got ready and walked to the shuttle buses about just over half a mile from our hotel. I was already worried as the bus driver drove so far away from the end point...I thought she missed her turnoff! We had about an hour to go pee (twice) and check our bags to be retrieved at the finish. Then we said our goodbye's and headed to our corrals. Julie was up in #11, I was in #21, and the GF was in #23 (which is probably the only reason she finished behind me!). It took about half an hour to even get to the starting line, at which point I really had to pee! But we were off! About 1 mile into it, I felt great, although I had to pee and all the Port-O's I came upon had only 2 bathrooms with about 6 people in line. At about 2.5, I couldn't take it any longer and had to pee, so I found a spot that had 8 bathrooms with about 6 people in line and pulled over! After about 3 minutes I was back on the road. Throughout the next 5 miles there were some uphills (steep) and some downhills (mile 6 was amazing), but other than a tad bit of slowness for the uphills, I held a pretty good pace. Around mile 8, my foot started hurting as if I'd broken all those little bones on the top of my foot, but since I've been running with that problem for 3 months, I figured I could sustain the pain for 5 more miles. Then came mile 9. Happened just as I said...although on this course we just happened to be going through the I-90 tunnel! I'm pretty sure a runner came speeding out of nowhere and stuck a knife in my stomach. That's not really what happened, but I was ready to say my last words and just die there in the tunnel. I tried putting my hands over my head and I ran with an awkward gait. Finally I saw daylight up ahead and grabbed a cup of the power drink and walked for about 10 paces just so I wouldn't spill, and I got this whole new energy with hopes of finishing with a bit more gusto. I also had visions of the GF sprinting past me, which seemed all the more possible when the 2:22 pace lady came jogging by. I stayed with her for about half a mile and finally decided to let her beat me! It seemed like it only took her about 5 footsteps before she was out of sight way up ahead of me and I that's when I knew my foot and my cramp had slowed me down more than I expected. By this time I was past mile 10 and 11 was in sight. I knew I only had to push for 2 more miles, so I tried to steady myself and dig in. At some point a lady on top of a roof threw me a bottle of water, the stretch from 12 to 13 seemed like 3 miles long, and then there it was...looming in the distance...the finish line!! I'm not one of those crazies that increases their speed at the end to get a better time, I just move my legs as fast as they'll go (and it wasn't very fast at this point)! But then there I was, arms hoisted into the air in accomplishment, a big smile on my face, my shirt completely soaked through with sweat, and I crossed the finish line to cheers of someone else's name!! I kept repeating to myself "I did it!" I had a quick thought to my granny above, and then I got really light-headed and had to refocus my eyes as I searched the crowd for my GF. And there she was, as beautiful as ever, and I approached her, gave her a giant hug, and we both shed a few tears for the fact that she just finished her first half-marathon ever. I tried to tell her not to finish so fast because if she ever runs another one, she's gonna have to get faster (although I proudly finished slower than my other 2 times!). But she's a beast, so I have no control over that! So, all in all, it was a great race and we're all alive. In case you're wondering, Julie from my office finished in 1:55:11. She's pretty cool herself (and a hell of a lot faster than me)!

Now, as much as I complain about hurting my foot and my side, I'm looking forward to undertaking this feat again in December. I'll keep you posted, especially since you have no choice! Otherwise, I'd like to thank you all for all your support during this undertaking and sitting through each one of my blogs. I look forward to reviewing the past few months and giving you all a recap of my Full journey.

Tonight, just relax and have a cocktail (or soda) for me! Love you!

~Chix

Oh My Goodness!

Hello everyone! Oh my goodness, I'm finally here in Seattle and the big race is tomorrow! Did you hear that? TOMORROW!! That's right, the moment has finally arrived. My grandmother is looking down on me now asking me why I drank so much beer last night. She's also sending me some love for the big day. I can't believe that all this time of training (and complaining) the moment is upon us. The GF is WAYYYYYY nervous though. She's excited, but WAYYYY nervous. I keep telling her that she's too competitive to stop running, and will all the built up adrenaline and excitement, and then the energy given off from all the other runners, and this being her first half ever, she'll sail right through the race and when it's over she'll be on such a high! I've also told her that around mile 9, she might wanna quit, but that should pass once she gets to mile 10!!

But it's upon us! I will blog tomorrow afternoon at sometime to update you on the whole ordeal. Hopefully on Sunday, or at some point during the rest of my vacation I will recap this whole Battle for Seattle! I want to thank you all for your support throughout this whole experience and I ask you for one more day of your good thoughts and prayers. I might need that extra push (at mile 9) to finish strong! The weather is dreary today, and it's been raining all morning, so we're gonna make the best of the day and hope that we are gien some nice cool running weather: not too warm, not too cold.

Sunday begins my GraduCation! We are off to Forks, Washington. For all you Twilight fans, that's apparently where the series is based, so the GF is pretty stoked. As for me, I just like to see her happy, so we are spending the night in Bella's hometown, just days shy of the release of the 3rd film. The GF is sooooo excited to go and I'm hoping to get some good pictures so she'll have great memories! Then we're off down the coast, stopping for pictures and food, sleeping in the car or random motels, and driving...lots of driving! I promise to write as much as possible. It'll hopefully become a good way to document our travels. I'll have to change the name of my blog of course after the race tomorrow, but it'll be the same rantings I always have!

Today, take a quick moment to wish us luck! Love you all!

~Chix

Time's Running Out

Good Morning!! Well, I was actually so busy doing work stuff yesterday that I did not have time to write to you all! Sorry about that. I thought I'd take a quick minute while I remembered today to update you on everything. So, my cold is on it's last legs. I hit the medicine hard and was able to put in a few good miles yesterday. I was unable to run all weekend (darn!), but I feel with small miles this week, I'll still be healthy enough to push out 13.1 on Saturday. You heard me right...it's Saturday...4 days away! So so so close now! Can you believe it? On Sunday, I'll be writing to you to let you know how it all went and then I'll be switching gears for the next race! That's right...we've got plans to do it again...soon! And maybe one of these days, you can be there to do it with us..or watch us!

This weekend was sort of our last shopping hoorah! We were at the mall for about 5 hours on Saturday and spent lots of money on new clothes for our trip! Obviously, just to make it harder for me to pack! But we found some great deals, so I'm excited to start wearing my new clothes. We had another birthday celebration Saturday night and we played games and laughed A LOT! I'm beginning to think Albertson's know's J's dad's name by heart!! Sunday was Father's Day and my Niece's Birthday! She was wearing the prettiest dress, her hair looked amazing, and her birthday cake was a princess! She had a great time and I was able to capture the whole day with my new camera. It works so well when you have the battery in it! All the dad's had a good time just sitting around with the family, so it was a good relaxing afternoon.

Now is panic time...THERE'S SO MUCH TO DO! This is when I start worrying that I won't have enough time to finish everything that I've got to do. First off, we know my issues with packing, but that won't get done until around midnight Wednesday night! Second, I feel like there's so much work stuff I need to have in place before I go, that there's no way I can do it all in a day and a half (as I sit here and continue to write my blog!) Third, I'm gonna have to say goodbye to my animals for 2 weeks...real sad. Fourth, I need to do a lot of personal things to get ready for the trip, like running errands, paying bills, giving instruction, playing softball, etc. Lastly, will I get it all done? I'm sure I will, but it's always more fun and frantic when you worry! Wish me Luck!

Today, make a list and stay on track!

~Chix

Cold and Flu Symptoms

Hello! We are at 8 days and counting and I've still got this bad cold. I've been hitting the medicine hard though and it seems to be progressing faster than it normally does. So, hopefully that's a good sign! I'm not gonna lie though, besides being stuffed up with a sore throat and itchy eyes and the feeling that my head will explode at any moment, it's nice being able to relax and not workout! Ask me while I'm on mile 7 next Saturday and I might just regret saying all that!! I could use all the extra workouts I can get right now. At this rate, the GF will have been home to shower and back before I even cross the finish line! Luckily I'll get a free beer when I finish the race, so I've got another reason to go the distance!

Now, although I'm excited about my approaching vacation, I'm sort of getting concerned with how I should take on the task of packing for it. You see, we are going all over the place which calls for so many different kinds of outfits and I'm afraid I'm gonna pack too many shoes! I'm gonna run out of room because of all the shoes I need to pack! I'm also probably gonna pack too many t-shirts and will only wear half of them, so that'll take up some room, then I need to pack books that I won't read. I'm worried that I won't have clearly enough "undergarments", and that I'm gonna be wearing the same board shorts as some dude on the beach! Also, how many watches should I take? How many pairs of jeans should I take? Will I be able to do laundry while I'm on the road? So many questions, I hope you can see a glimpse of what's happening in my mind right now! FUN!

I'm pretty sure I'm still on a sugar high from all my birthday treats I received. All that's left is about 2 or 3 pieces of cake! We have devoured it all! And it was all so delicious! I'm really gonna have to get better so I can run off this extra weight before my body has to be seen in a bikini! Or I can go buy bigger clothes...that always works too! But then that just means it's gonna take up more space when I pack and with the weight limits on planes these days, I'm gonna be paying if I go over 50 lbs! Oh, what am I going to do?

Today, go out and have a good time! Be happy!

~Chix

P, Double O, P

I feel like poop! Sicky poop! Last night my throat was itchy and by morning time the nostrils were clogged and I was coughing with a headache and I have been drowsy all day. Poopie! All I have to say is I'm glad it's come now and hopefully it'll be gone by early next week. I've been taking medicine every 3-4 hours. I'm gonna kill this thing! I just don't have any energy. I am sitting here at work though because I have loads of work to get done and I don't have time to be sick. Although, I am just sort of sitting on my butt not doing much, I just can't wait until the day is finally over and I can lay down.

I didn't go to the gym today, but I did work up a sweat this morning helping the GF move about 75 boxes in the garage and haul them all away. That was my exercise today and it pooped me out. The GF went to the gym, amongst some kicking and screaming, and had a good workout. Then she brought me some soup and it was soooo yummy! She's the best. For my good deed of the day I helped this old lady at the post office carry a large box to her car. I thought it was pretty nice of me!

Today, and for the rest of your life, do whatever it is that makes YOU happy!

~Chix

He Stole My Thunder!

Well, we all knew it was bound to happen. I've mentioned it here before: When the GF gets sick, I get sick...and I think the inevitable is knocking on my door. My throat is scratchy today and it's of great importance that I nip this thing in the bud ASAP! And you all know why too...the race is in 10 days. Who wants to run 13.1 miles with a scratchy throat and stuffed up nose? Not me! So, I am about to go home and take lots of meds and try to kill it before it gets really bad! Pray for me!

Yesterday ended up being a great day! I got lots of phone calls and texts and cards and sweets from all my loved ones! Thank you very much. I appreciate it greatly. I'm still in the midst of celebrating though, so don't be surprised if I say "today is my birthday"!! My birthday was up on the big screen at the baseball game last night, but I was upstaged by a Jumbo-tron Marriage Proposal Guy! It's true, some guy proposed to his lady on the jumbo-tron last night...lucky for him, she said yes, then it looked like they got hammered throughout the night. As for me, I got a new hat from the GF and ended the day very happy!

I've been a hard-working woman the past couple days! My desk is all cleared off, all my filing is done, most all the bills have been sent, and I'm just a few tasks away from having all my work done before the big trip. I'm really proud of myself, especially because I normally lack motivation when there's stuff I have to do at work! Even the mailman noticed how clear my desk was...that's a bit embarrassing huh!! Oh, well!

Here's to 10 days and counting...

~Chix

Happy Birthday to ME!

Happy Birthday to me! For those of you that really know me, you know how important this day is to me! I love celebrating my birthday. Last night the GF made me a pineapple upside down cake and this morning she made me banana nut muffins! When we got to work, a coworker also made me a pineapple upside down cake, and an awesome friend dropped off cupcakes. Let's just say that everyone at the office is on a sugar high today! So far it's been a great birthday. My mom gave me a musical card and those are always good to get the blood pumping...even at 7:30 in the morning when I opened it! I also talked to my aunt today because it is also her birthday and she told me the same story she tells me every year on our birthdays! So, yeah, good stuff so far!

I was stubborn earlier today and didn't want to go to the gym, but I ended up going and running 4 miles and now I'm proud of myself. My coworker said to give myself the gift of health today...not sure why it worked cause it's such a cheesy line, but I went and now I'm glad that I did. I'm also very tired because I never sleep well the night before my birthday...I'm just too excited to sleep! I sort of wish I were drinking beer on the patio someplace right now!! The card the GF got me said I needed to be 'wined and dined' and 'beered and cheered'!! I agree!

Have a great day celebrating my birthday! I'll be accepting presents all month!

~Chix

Catching Up...

Hello! Hello! Hello! Well, I've been away for a while. I don't normally write my blog in the mornings. I usually wait til after lunch and then I write these masterful pieces that will go down in history as the greatest story ever told. But lately I've been too preoccupied and have forgotten to express my inner thoughts with you. I hardly ever turn the computer on during the weekend anymore and I've come to accept that, but last week it seemed like I was just plain forgetting about it during the afternoon hours at work (because I also don't turn the computer on at home on the weeknights). So, here I am, it's morning time, and I'm trying to make it all up to you. Last week the GF was sick one day, I was actually working another day, and it just plain skipped my mind. I'll try to be better about it the next week and a half though since I'll be leaving town and who knows when I'll be able to blog then.

The past 11 days have been part of my Birthmas! Tomorrow is the big day! Although I'm sure I'll celebrate the whole month, tomorrow is officially my 32 birthday! Yay! I'm not doing anything crazy this year like I normally do, because I'm waiting to let go on our vacation. I am still accepting presents though, which the GF has so gratefully been doing for every day of Birthmas. My favorite so far is the new buttons she sewed on all my shorts...now they actually stay up! A close close second is the new nightlite she bought for me to put in the hallway so it's not so dark. Everyone knows I'm afraid of the dark, but I guess the hall light is too bright, but the new nightlite is just perfect!!

So, the big race is in 2 weeks! Can you believe it's almost here? All this hard work will hopefully help me cross that finish line...and the GF too. We did a 10 miler this weekend and although we were both pretty successful, I think the GF outdid herself before she was fully over her sickness and was miserable the rest of the day yesterday. Poor thing. But she's recovered and her head no longer lingers over the toilet bowl. She should hopefully be on the top of her game in 2 weeks time! As for me, my feet hurt and my sports bra keeps scratching off my skin, but I'm good to go. I just gotta keep the pace and stay steady and be hopeful that running at sea level will be as nice as everyone keeps saying. I think back to all those times I've been to Seattle and not once did I ever exercise while I was there...what a waste!! We'll probably do a short run when we get there, so hopefully that'll tell us how it's going to be!

Today, forget the hate and feel the love!

~Chix

L.O.V.E.

So, the world's not perfect. We all know that, but what can we do about it? Not much really. We can vote, we can not litter, and we can love. Those are a few things that come to my mind right away. Voting is so political though and you're a slob if you don't throw away your trash, so really, it all comes down to loving...loving people, loving yourself, loving the world. Love is right there for everyone, you just gotta grab it! For instance, your parents love you. Although you may not see it at times, but deep down, they really love you. Your brothers and sister love you. You might have fought while growing up, but they know you'll be there for them when they need you and vice versa...that's love. Your partners, husbands, and wives love you. They see things that the outside world doesn't see and they stay by your side regardless. Your kids love you. Whether it's your little boy, little girl, dog, or cat, they look up to you and thrive on your love. Other relatives, no matter how often you see them, they love you and love to see you when you're around. Your best friends love you and your enemies love to hate you (that's a form of love). There's so much love out there that one day it'll mask all the hate and we can make this a better world. I love you.

A few other things I love: My birthday, my GF, the sun, music, reading, sleeping, eating cheese, watching Glee, hanging out with my niece, Vegas, dying my hair, buying new t-shirts, my family and friends, running, nice shiny watches, matching, beer, looking at myself in the mirror, my pups and kitties, laughing, travelling, funny people, tattoos, sports, and school.

Think of the things you L.O.V.E. and it'll give you a boost today!

~Chix

Happy Birthmas to ME!

Good Afternoon friends and family! If you don't remember, I am currently celebrating my Birthmas! That is the 12 Days of Birthmas! So, for the 12 days leading up to my birthday, I should get a present from you every day! It doesn't have to be large or expensive, but it's gotta be something good. The GF has been doing a great job so far. I didn't get a tree this year, but maybe next! We also celebrated one of the pups birthday's on Saturday. She got a whole baggy full of tennis balls. She was really excited. The GF scattered them around the room and made her bring every one of them back to her. Jersey's really smart, so she got the hang of it real quick. Now we just have slipping hazards all around the house! Last night Riley, one of the cats, was playing with a tennis ball and looked to be having lots of fun. They're not just for dogs anymore!

So, we did a 9 miler this weekend! It was more successful than my large undertaking last weekend. But it proved to me that the GF is a beast! She just doesn't quit! Again, so proud. As for me, I'm staying pretty steady and I know I'll finish the race, so I'm just hoping that the sea level running will be beneficial to me and my training!! We've got about 2 more full weeks of real good training and the last few days will be for travel, registration, sleep, and small runs. Then it's go time! All this training will lead up to about 2 and a half hours of running and then it's over! On to the next race! Actually, it'll be on to vacation, but after that it'll be on to another race!

Scorching heat this weekend. Of course, I love the heat so I was outside picking weeds and scooping dog poop in a tank top and shorts. The GF was laying out at 9am and it must've already been 98%. I couldn't even stand on the cement because it was already so hot. The dogs didn't even have the energy to bring me a toy to throw, so they just laid in the shade. But then by 8pm, there was wind and lightning and rain in other parts of the city...strange...but more strange that the temp still remained in the 90's!

It's 50 cent hot dog night at the ballpark tonight and I'll probably have none of those! When they are mass produced, they are grossly produced at the same time! Disgusting cold hot dogs with hard buns...sound appetizing? Wrong! But how about a delicious turkey sub from Dion's? Now that's what I'm talking about! Besides, it'll help more in my dieting endeavors than the cold dog would!!

Stay cool!

~Chix

Cheese Balls

Don't you just love cheese balls? Some people don't appreciate a good cheese ball. I'm talking about the big jug of cheese balls you can buy at Costco and the whole office always has their hand in the jug! You pretend like it's gross that everyone's eating out of the same jug, but then you have one and fall in love! They're so so so good. I can have 32 individual balls a day to keep my calories low. Wouldn't wanna over do it!!


It's day 107 today!! I can't believe it's been that many days. I went back and read some old blog posts and they're pretty crazy! I can't believe you all put yourselves through that everyday, thank you! I know they're so so random, but it helps when I know some of you still read them! Especially after 107 days! We went to the gym at lunch today and had a good run. I think I'm slowly getting faster...just on the treadmill though. My speed on the treadmill translates about 2 minutes slower per mile on the streets. So, I figure, if I can get faster inside, then I can get faster outside...I just wish the pavement was as soft and bouncy as the treadmill. The same thing happens to the GF. She's getting faster too, but the transition to pavement slows her up quite a bit.

I need a pick me up...not like drugs or anything, but like a two-day nap. I wanna lock myself away from EVERYTHING and just sleep...for 2 days straight. I'm thinking that when I wake up, I'll first have to pee, then I'll have to readjust to the world. 2 days full of "things" would have happened while I slept and I know I'd just have to catch back up with the stuff I didn't get done while I was sleeping. Catching up will take time, so I won't get much sleep, and then it all becomes a giant circle. Maybe I need to go back to school so I have something to do with all this extra free time when I would be napping! I'm confused!

~Chix

Now & Later

You thought I forgot about you...but I didn't. It's just been a weird last week. So, the GF left town on Friday and I was a little lost without her. She was a bit lost without me too though! My 3-day weekend was spent mostly witing to get texts or phone calls from her letting me know where on earth she was driving to next! She was all over the place in her few days of not-so-much-vacation. I spent the rest of my time at a friends house who made me dinner Sat, Sun, and Mon night, so I was happy. I finally put together a bathroom cabinet we've had since February, and I took a couple great naps.

Work has been crazy the past few days. As much as I'm not motivated to do my work, I've got to get my act together in the next 2 weeks, since I'll be leaving town for a while. I'd just much rather be sleeping than doing basically anything else.

As for my training, I'm gonna have to pick that up too over the next few weeks, since the race is in 23 days...and counting! I did a 10 miler this past Saturday and at about mile 8.5 I wanted to crap out, so I did this awkward speed walk for the last bit. I've got another 10 miler this weekend so hopefully I can make it to at least 9. I just need to stay focused during the week and remind myself why I'm doing all this in the first place. I've been placing a lot of my focus lately on the GF because I'm just so proud of how far she's come. If anything, I can be sure of the fact that I've inspired her. She's done amazing things in just 3 months and I think she's getting addicted! She's gonna be faster than me in no time! I have to use some of her motivation to get me ready to go...like I said...only 23 more days!!

This weeks mission: Get my shit together now, so I can have fun later.

~Chix

Weighing in on the Situation

Good afternoon people! The weather for the last two days has been terrible! It's been sunny, almost 90 degree weather until about 1pm, when all of a sudden these really REALLY dark clouds start sneaking their way over the city, the wind starts blowing hysterically, and rain begins to drench everything in sight. All I wanna do is pick up the dog poop, but it keeps raining! Luckily, the weather was only supposed to be here for 2 days, so if it comes back tomorrow, I'm gonna be really pissed off!!

I'm sure it doesn't come as a surprise to hear me say that I'm tired, but I actually have a reason today. I didn't sleep well because I was so scared we'd sleep through the alarm and the GF would miss her ride to Cali. Silly, huh! I went to bed around 11:30, just after telling the GF she didn't need to vacuum the house, and started tossing and turning. Mostly because I was scared we'd oversleep, but also because one of the pups kept kicking me in the face! But now I feel so bad because the GF was up until 2am trying to get everything packed, organized, and clean and I was snoozing away. Then, she lost about 7 hours today just sitting around waiting to leave...one of those typical "hurry up and wait" situations. I'm sure her mind was swimming with things she could have been doing during that 7 hour wait and she's probably a whole lot peeved that they left so late and I know she'll never say that to them, but once she arrives and has a good long nap/sleep, she'll calm down and know that she only has 3 more days until she sees me again!!

As for me, I've gotta do stuff by myself this weekend that I'd normally do with her. Might be a bit weird...for instance, we were both a little unsure of what I would eat while she's away. You laugh, but she almost made me some large portion freezer dishes so I wouldn't go hungry!! If you see me this weekend and I'm looking a bit pale, just give me a cracker!

I've lost some weight with all this running and eating healthy crap! It's good, but now it's noticeable when I gain a few of those pounds back. For instance, let's say I weighed 126 pounds and now I weigh 120 pounds. Things are going good, then I drink a case of beer and eat a plate of nachos and some fried foods. Then I weigh myself and NOW I weigh 123 pounds! It happens so quick and then it takes another 2 months to lose those 3 pounds again. Why does food and booze have to taste so good!

Happy Memorial Day weekend! Eat something unhealthy!

~Chix

I'm Going Back To Cali...

Bright neon orange nail polish makes me happy! That's what I colored my fingernails today and possibly my toes later! It really makes my hands look darker brown. It's making me want to dye my hair orange too, which I've been thinking about doing anyway, so maybe this weekend I'll finally have the time to do it, since I don't have anything else to do!! It's Memorial Day weekend and I've got nothing but time on my hands. Granted, I would still have nothing but time on my hands if the GF were gonna be in town, but now it's alone time (that I'm looking to fill, so call me!). She's going to California! Lucky girl! She really doesn't have to tell people why, just that she's going to Cali and people will be excited for her. If I were to tell people I was going to Albuquerque for the weekend, they'd give me a really weird look!

I'm not quite sure how I kept up for the last 2 years in school, because I've been out for 2 weeks now and I'm so tired all day that I can't remember if I ever had energy to expend in class 2 nights a week, plus energy to study and do homework. I'm not sure where it all came from. Let's just say it definitely sucked the life out of me, because I just can't seem to get untired these days. Maybe my free alone time this weekend will help me rest up a bit! Who am I kidding, I'm not gonna sleep any more than if the GF were here. I'll get some reading done and catch up on tv shows and probably not get a single thing done! Good ole 3 day weekends!! Doing a whole lotta nothin!

I got my most exciting graduation present in the mail today, my new Canon camera! It is the new T1i that is capable of taking still pics, has HD video, and a lense that can get a close-up shot of the GF all the way down the street! It's gonna be amazing on vacation to be able to capture shots that would have been unheard of with our other camera. That's one thing I'll be doing for sure this weekend is figuring out how to use the damn thing! And shopping for a camera bag, so I can look really professional...maybe I'll get a lanyard with a ID badge so I can sneak into places like I'm the hired photographer. People can start hiring me for their parties and weddings! Well, that's in the future. Thanks GF, you're the best!

~Chix

Miss You Much

Hello! Did you miss me? Sorry I've been a non-poster, but I'm back today. It was a pretty relaxing weekend, and so the computer was never turned on. Friday I was busy and yesterday I had no motivation, so sorry you had to go through a 4-day drought, but I'm here for you today. Saturday afternoon the GF and I ran 7 miles at the gym and have just now been able to use our legs again. We're starting to wonder if 13.1 miles is such a good idea after all. All I know is that after it's over, I'm gonna wanna sit and do nothing for a long long time!

I had sushi for lunch today! It was awesome, tasty, yummy, delicious, and definitely hit the spot. I'm gonna have more on Thursday night too, because I love it so much. Do you remember the first time you ever ate sushi? Was it just recently you realized you've been missing out on the greatest stuff ever? Or had you learned at an early age that sushi is the way to go? My niece, my almost 5 year old niece loves sushi! Isn't that great!! 5 years old and she could eat an entire plate full of salmon and yellow tail! Not cooked, but sliced to perfection, arranged so delicately on the odd shaped plate, and garnished with the best bitter tasting ginger in the world. It really is the greatest meal ever. Although the GF makes me amazing meals all the time, I'm not sure if she'll ever master the art of raw fish!!

This week is hydration week (I just made that up), but I want you to drink lots of water this week. Try to take a water bottle with you everywhere and keep it full. If it's there, you'll drink it. If it's empty, you won't get up to fill it. So keep it with you and keep it full! Try to hit your 8 cups a day. Start by drinking a glass of water as soon as you finish reading this! I never seem to hit my 8 cups, but I try to keep drinking. You'll feel better, I promise. Although you may have to take extra trips to the bathroom!

WATER!

~Chix

Leftovers!

One of the good things about parties is also one of the worst things about parties: leftovers! I'm always excited to have leftover booze and the snack foods, but when you're trying to stay in shape those things can be deadly. They sit in your fridge just calling out your name everytime you open it up. They taste much better than the water or vegetables you've been eating. Well, since my party, we've had leftover cake (which is so so yummy and fluffy and sugary), we've had leftover queso dip (which is so cheesy and meaty), we've had leftover cheese and chips, leftover wine and beer, and leftover fat and calories! It's really been a great week!

So, for graduation, my niece made me a picture frame with a collage of family pictures she picked out herself. She cut them all up into small pictures and put them together in a frame just for me. She chose pictures of me and the GF, of her mom and dad, of her and her brother, of other friends and family, and of the animals. It really is the most creative gift you could get from a (almost) 5 year old kid. Another cute thing about her is that on Tuesday night at my softball game she reaches through the chainlink fence and says, "Chicken, try real hard, ok? Just try real hard." How cute is that?

Tonight's a beautiful night, so enjoy yourselves!

~Chix

Sunny with a Chance of Sleep

Good Afternoon! I'm exhausted today...and it's from doing a whole lotta nothin! I had softball last night and we stayed up watching Glee and Biggest Loser so it makes sense that I'm so tired, but I'm completely drained. Drain-O! But, the sun's out and I'm wearing shorts and I don't have to go to class after work today! Sounds like I could just go home and sleep it off, but I won't...I'll go home, read and relax, watch some tv, eat some dinner, and do nothing! Sounds fun, huh!! Come on over!

My foot is acting up again...and that's not a good thing! I've got less than 6 weeks before the race and now is when my mileage starts to kick it into high gear, and my foot feels like it's broken. Not all the time, but it starts to creep in when I get to about mile 3. If you don't remember, the race is 13 miles...so I'm not sure what to do about it now. I've been to the foot doctor twice and he's just given me some shots, which help for about 3 weeks and then it hurts again. So, I'm trying to decide if I wanna get a shot now to continue with the training and then get one about 2 weeks before the race so I'll be good to go...but what happens after? I'm already looking ahead to do some more competitive racing after this race, so as the doc puts it "is surgery in my future?" This is obviously the last resort, but I can't give up running that easily. I'd rather fix the problem now, so I can get right back on the horse! Maybe the next shot will help!

I miss you all!

~Chix

Day 90

So, I've talked about making goals before. I've talked about setting my own goals, monthly and yearly. I've also talked about the GF achieving some of her own goals. I've been known to have pretty large goals too, but somehow they always seem unreachable, untouchable, or just to extraordinary. But really, it's about breaking those large goals into smaller attainable ones, so that larger goal can seem reachable, touchable, and not so out of this world! For instance, let's use this half-marathon as an example. When I decided to run the race, there was no way I could even barely run 2 miles at once. So, it doesn't even make sense to try running 13 miles every day until I can do it. What makes more sense is breaking my training runs into smaller goals, like running a 5K first, then a 10K, then a 9-miler, possibly an 11-miler, and finally the 13 mile race.

This "smaller goal" concept can be used for many many types of goals in life. Like working on projects, planning for big trips, or even trying to get your dream job. So, make sure you have small goals that you can feel positive about reaching, so the large goal doesn't always feel so far away!

You know, my Masters program was a long 2 year journey with about 33 credit hours, 11 classes in Spring, Fall, and Summer. There was tons of homework, lots of studying for tests, many many hours at the library, hours spent in front of the computer, long papers, short papers, take home tests, tax returns, presentations, too much group work, and lots of memorization. Classes were online, on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. Study time was any free time in between and the majority on Sundays. Most nights were devoted to studying, class, or homework for over 2 years. It was a long road which has finally come to an end and although I said some thanks in my blog yesterday, I'd really like to thank my GF! She has stuck by me through all of this. Everything I just listed above she was a part of. She gave me my space to study. She drove me to the library and to class countless times. She sacrificed our time together so I could work on my school stuff. She even had her own struggles along the way and still supported me with my own. Because of her, I am successful! Because of her, I stayed level headed during all this. Because of her, I'm a better person. I love you so much baby! Thank you!

It's Day 90 and it's gloomy out. It doesn't help in the motivation or inspiration. All I wanna do is lay down and watch a feel good movie! Doesn't that sound pleasant? Well, I can actually go to my softball game tonight, so that's okay, I just wish my games were at 6:30 so I can get home at a decent hour. Today wasn't as successful at the gym as I hoped, but like I mentioned early, the smaller goals (miles) will help you achieve your larger goals (miles)!

I hope you can overcome your gloomy days.

~Chix

GRADUATION!!

I know you've all been waiting to hear all about! Graduation has come and gone and I'm not sure I feel much smarter or wiser yet, but I do feel relief and relaxation! I did not blog on Friday because work was so busy and we left early to make the Anderson Graduate dinner at Sandiago's restaurant. It is a mexican restaurant at the bottom of the Tram. Never been there before and it was pretty delicious. It was all free, besides the alcohol of course, but we had great selections and great company, so the night was great. Good views from so far up high. We could see our house...just a tiny little dot on the complete opposite side of town!

Saturday started early with us getting to Tingley Coliseum at 7:45 in the morning. It was your basic "hurry up and wait" scenario where you arrive really early and then wait until 9am to even walk into the main arena! Which was great because you have all these people cheering for you and they're there just to see YOU! Or ME actually! I got these 2 beautiful lei's to wear with my cap and gown and they smelled so good! I knew it was gonna be a good day! At one point, my GF, my brother, my mother, and my friend Jameson all made tears come to my eyes. It was going to be an emotional day.

After the ceremony, we jetted out of the parking lot so fast that we made 2 different stops before arriving home and my mom was still waiting to get out of the parking lot! There were so many people there I'm sure it seemed that she spent more time in the parking lot than at the actual ceremony!

Moving on to my party....we had wine, cheese, beer, snack foods, and cake! Was successful until I found myself telling everyone it was time to leave, just to find ourselves stuck behind the slowest truck in the world causing us to lose a bit of time. Funniest part of that trip was when the GF lost my tassle and took off in a full sprint (in her pretty dress) to track it down before anybody else. She found it and probably got a 40 time of 4.0! Second graduation was successful although the keynote speaker thought he was talking to kids who actually give a damn. We didn't, which is why I can't tell you his name or exactly what he was talking about! Afterwards we partied her and there and surprisingly got to bed at a decent hour. Sunday was spent relaxing and barely lifting a finger. All in all, a great weekend.

I'd like to take this space to thank my mother, Elaine, my brother, sister, niece, nephew, Jameson, and my beautiful GF for sticking it through the ENTIRE DAY with me. It really meant a lot to have you there on my special day. I know it was tiring being dragged all over town all day, but it really meant a lot to me. Thank you. I'd also like to than the few others that came to my first or second graduation...it was nice to see hear the extra voices when they called my name!

I'm almost half way through my first non-required book and it feels great! Thanks again to everyone for sharing in my special day! You guys rock!

~Chix

Random Thoughts!

When you go to the movies, what are you expecting? Are you the type who only goes to movies that they've heard good things about? Or the type who sees a preview and thinks that'll be something you like? Do you form opinions about the movie before you see it or after you've seen it? Basically, what are your expectations? When I go to the movies I try to not have expectations about it so I can form my own opinion afterwards. I hate when people try to impose their opinions on me, like I'm not allowed to have an opinion about it. For instance, if I go see a movie that I think is one of the funniest movies I've ever seen, I'll just tell someone that I thought it was pretty hilarious. If they've seen the same movie, they'll always say something like, "Yeah, saw that, but I thought it was stupid." Why would you say that to me when I just said I loved it? Rude.

Do you know what I love about my GF? We talk. We talk about everything. We're not afraid to touch on those 'forbidden' subjects that lots of couples will never dare talk about. We're very considerate of one another when something sad or painful comes up during the conversation. We over analyze everything...EVERYTHING! We delve into subjects that neither one of us know what we're talking about and feel like we know everything about it when we're done talking! We can even not talk about stuff and feel like we've said too much! There's not a day that goes by when we don't talk to each other and I'd feel completely lost if we didn't!

So, one of my good friends is leaving me. She's moving far far far FAR away! And unless I go visit her, I may not be able to see her for at least 5 years. It's sad and poopie for me because she's fun and crazy. She talks funny sometimes too. She has really bad luck with cars (and boys), but bounces back real quick. She once found a crapload of money and spent it wisely instead of blowing it on vodka! She loves to travel, but hates to move. She's got long curly hair like I used to have. She thinks that one day I'm gonna turn into one of those old naked ladies in the women's locker room at the gym. I'm not! She's the only person that's ever gotten me to take a straight shot of vodka and I still hate her for it. She's also the only person I know that makes a 3 foot long dog scratch scar look sexy, but I'm sure you lose sight of it on her perfectly tanned and ripped quads and calves! She's a terrible shot with a rubber band, but has quite the arm with a straw or lemon slice. All-in-all, I'm gonna miss her. She's a great friend and I hope we don't lose touch over the next 5 years! I love you Nimrod!

~Chix

The Present Future

That's all folks! I did it! My last test was over in the blink of an eye! I took the latter half of the day off yesterday so I could study right up until test time. I went into the test with positive thoughts (and also a bit of "I'm not gonna learn anything else now"), and within an hour it was all over. Again, though, I was the first to finish my test and I didn't recall anyone following me out. Finally, my friend finished almost an hour after me and said about 15 more people were still working on the test. It makes me wonder if my test was missing some pages, or what I thought were the right answers were actually wrong because I was so quick to answer! Well, if I can just pull a B, I'll be just fine!!

I wanted to apologize to everyone for talking about having bad gas the other day. Some things I just need to keep to myself!

Moving on...my big Graduation day is Saturday, with my small open house wine party at my house in between ceremonies. Sunday is the "changing of the guards"! I'm a new person! I might look the same and act the same and say all the same things, but inside I'm starting to change! One day you'll look at me and say, "Wow! You look great!" It's because I'm changing! Changing for the better of course...just gonna try to improve on some things within my character, but it'll be for the better. I'll still be the same person, just changed! As clear as mud, right?

Today, I'd like everybody to think of a turning point in your life. It could be a small one, like the first time you rode your bike, or your first concert. Or it could be huge like having a child, meeting the woman (man) of your dreams, or even getting your masters degree. Think of a moment in your life when something like this happened and try to remember the happiness you felt. Use that happiness to get you through the day today! Love you!

~Chix

My Final Final!

Today's the day! My final final! At 10pm tonight, I will be done with my Master's program! That's it! No more! Now, I've still got about 4 to 5 hours left of studying to do in a bit, but then that's it! I'm not sure if I mentioned it on here, but I remember saying that this test was only over 4 chapters and is supposed to be the easiest of the 3 tests. Well, I'm sure it's definitely gonna be easier than the last test, but it's not gonna be easy by any means. There's so much information jammed into these 4 chapters, but I'm hoping I can get just enough points to pull an A in the class. If I end up getting a B, I'm okay with that too!

Well, I've gotten rid of the poopiness from Sunday's running adventure. Today I ran 4 miles and I felt great! I probably could of kept going for another 2 or so miles, but I needed to shower and get back to work at a decent hour! But it felt good, it cleared my mind for the upcoming test, and it reinstated some faith that I can still do this! I had a somewhat strange experience in the locker room after my shower. Some chick was putting on her bikini to go to the pool and felt it unnecessary to put her top on for about 10 minutes while she stood next to me rubbing her whole body with suntan lotion. I was a bit uncomfortable...don't get me wrong, I like boobs just as much as the next guy, but this was a bit out of control!

So, I've been eating a lot of fiber lately. Like, Fiber One cereal pretty much daily. Do you know what fiber does to you, to your body? I don't know the technical terms for what it exactly does inside the system, but the ultimate product is...it makes you fart! That's right, have really bad gas! I feel bad for the GF because I just can't hold it in! It starts to hurt in my chest and if I don't let it out I feel like I'm having a heart attack. I've woken up my roommate before because I didn't know what was happening and it turned out to be gas pains. So I say, "Let it out!" Don't be scared, just let it out! If it smells, blame it on the dog or your coworker. Go into the bathroom and spray it away!

Have a Gas-ey Day!

~Chix

Knee, Feet, and Hip Pain

My body is pretty pissed off at me! Yesterday we went on a 6 mile run and after 2 miles, I was praying for something bad to happen just so I could stop! Like, I didn't really wanna get hurt, but I was thinking of tripping and getting scraped up so bad that I had to walk straight back to the car to get washed and cleaned up. I'm pretty sure the GF would've been excited to see me fall because of course she would've had to stop too, just to make sure I was okay. She'd wanna help me back to the car for sure. Then we could resume our run on another day. Not today though cause I was just so tired from yesterday!


I'm so burnt out too! I'm talking burnt out like I don't wanna study for my last test, I don't wanna do anything at work, I don't wanna make any decisions about anything, I don't wanna get out of bed, I don't even wanna decide what I might want for my graduation/birthday presents. Can you believe that last one? I must be real tired if I don't wanna think about presents!! I just want Wednesday morning to come and tell me, "You're all done!" Put your books away, sit down, relax, do nothing! I'd much rather be doing that right now, but I know I have to disperse just a teenie bit more effort until Wednesday.


In case you were trying to keep track, today is Day 82 of my journey! Only 46 more training days until the big DAY! Race Day! I'm thinking I need to stop getting poopie like I am today and start moving! I'll need to alter my training schedule a bit now that we're getting closer to R-Day! If we pull this off successfully, and by successfully I mean the GF finishing the race with no real qualms or regrets, we might just continue our training and just keep on running! Once you get that 'high' from running a 10K, you get a bit addicted! Imagine the feeling when you cross the finish line after 13.1 miles! It's unbelievable and I can't wait for her to experience it! Well, you actually wanna throw up at first, then punch the person that made you sign up, and maybe cry because your knees and feet hurt so bad, but about an hour later you wanna cry because you actually did it! You'll be proud. She'll be proud!

Find your inner strength today and just get it done!

~Chix

Wonderful Weekend Weather

Good afternoon everyone! Today is a beautiful day in the neighborhood! The weather is amazing and I really wish I were sitting on a patio somewhere drinking lots of beers! But I'm here at work just gazing out the window not getting a darn thing done. I might as well be out drinking beers. I would even just drink a beer here at the office. But I can't. But it IS Friday, so regardless of when I get out of here, I don't have to come back until Monday, which is the day before my last final!

So, I got a big weekend ahead of me...of studying! And hopefully some sleeping. And some tv watching, and baseball game going, and some working out/running, and even some drinking. So, it IS gonna be a big weekend. I'll be studying for my last final next week. I'm a bit rusty from what's been going on in that class cause we haven't really talked about it for 3 weeks now. And with those stupid papers we had to write last week, I'm clearly gonna need some focus this weekend and really study hard.

I'm starting to make my booklist. This is the list that will include all the books I want to read once my last final has been taken. I like mystery, thriller, Harry Potter, and anything that'll hold my attention for the first few chapters. So, if you have any suggestions let me know. And please, nothing that uses really big words cause I want to enjoy myself and actually understand what I'm reading!!

Bless my brother's heart. He really is a changed man. He just recently posted something that said these kids at my niece's school were calling her "stupid"! He had enough sense to sit her down and make her realize how smart she is and to only play with the kids who think she's smart. What a good dad! I would've put her in the car, driven her to school, asked her which kids said that to her, and punched them all in their little 4 year old faces! Maybe this is why I only have supervised visits with my niece! Kids are cruel and are probably jealous of the smartest little girl in the world, but don't cross her Auntie, cause I'll take your lunch and make you pee in your pants!

Be nice to people this weekend!

~Chix

What's Motivation?

Well, my final was last night and we went out and had LOTS of drinks which is probably why I have ZERO motivation today. I'm really really tired and really really hungry. I promise to give you a better blog tomorrow! Love you all.

~Chix

Connor = Lover of Hounds

So, I was informed that yesterday I did not write about our run. We call it the "run back". This is where we get a ride to the gym and run back to the office. It's a 4 mile run if you come straight back. One of these days I'm gonna have to go on detours to add mileage to the run, but yesterday we did the 4 miles. The weather was perfect and it's actually a really nice run. Mostly downhill except for the first half mile is pretty steep uphill. Anyway, it's a real good workout.

Today we did some speed work and lifted weights (arms), which in the aftermath was not a bright idea because I got to watch my nephew for an hour today and holding him for a few minutes really made my arms start shaking. He's the most adorable little boy EVER. And I'm not biased! He really is the cutest thing in the world. He should be in movies! He was coo-ing and haw-ing and smiling showing off the most precious dimple in his left lower cheek! Then you see his big blue eyes staring you down just begging for you to kiss him...and of course you lean down and he slobbers all over you and you wanna squeeze him and bite his cute little fingers and toes. But you don't cause he's just a little baby, so you wipe your face and go in for more!!

Happy Cinco De Mayo today. Just another great excuse to drink beer and celebrate like on St. Patrick's Day! Except instead of skirts and bagpipes, it's sombrero's and geetars! But either way, it's beer and excitement. Tonight though, I'll be celebrating finishing my first final exam! After all the study help I've gotten from the GF today, I'm gonna ace the test! Thanks babe! I hope everyone has a reason to celebrate tonight...if not, just use the Cinco De Mayo excuse!

~Chix

Graduation Days...

Good afternoon! It's been a long day already and it's far from over. Last night I plowed my way through my last paper and this morning I turned both of them in. So, as of now, I've got a final tomorrow night and a final next Tuesday night....AND THAT'S IT!!! Let's not get all crazy here, I'll still have to go to work the next Monday morning, I'll still have to clean up after my dogs, and I'll still have to study for the CPA Exam. All I'm getting at is that I'll be doing all that with my Masters degree! Woohoo! About 5 years ago, this was not even an option. I was actually thinking about going to law school. I had already signed up for the LSAT and had been studying for a while. The day before the test, I decided there's no way I wanted to be a lawyer. So, I scrapped that idea...threw it right out the window.

I decided since I'm really good with numbers I'd look at business schools and found that Anderson had an actual accounting program. Now that was something I could wrap my head around. Unfortunately, I had to take the GMAT. I bought some books and never really dedicated myself to studying much, until the last month. I took the test and got exactly one point higher than I needed to apply to the program. I also had to take two prerequisite courses before I even knew if I'd been accepted into the program. Obviously I was accepted cause I'm rounding out the program now, but it's been a long 2 years. I don't understand why some of my classmates don't wanna go to graduation because I feel that I've put in so much time and effort over the last 2 years that these ceremonies are honoring my commitment to the program. They are honoring ME! All that hard work (and a bit of slacking too)has paid off and now they are throwing me a big celebration...2 celebrations actually...and I'm throwing myself one too!

I bet you all can't wait until I graduate so I'll quit talking about it! So sorry for you, but just hold on for 2 more weeks!! Love you all!

~Chix