Daaaaaaaaaa Bears

Big things happening this weekend. My alma mater is having its first Saturday home football game. How bout them Bears?

Ever since I graduated college my loyalty to the Bears and UCA have grown X1000. I loved my school when I was there. But now that I'm not a part of such a great campus community, I find myself pining for the good ole days.

In preparation for this post, I searched old Facebook photos in hopes of finding some true gems to feature. And then I was hurt to find there are five, yes five, photos of me at football games over my college years. Let me just say, I know I went to more than five games. So how did this happen? Nobody can be sure, but I do know it makes me sad.

So this weekend I will fix this little problem. Photos will be taken. I can't let you get away without seeing the new purple and gray turf my four years of athletic fees helped pay for, along with everyone else. There will be tailgating, friends, fun times and football. Doesn't get much better than that.

Let's just hope the Bears pull out a W since they lost the last three games. #sigh. This will probably be one of those weekends where I pretend I'm back in college, and that can only mean two things. It's gonna be fun while it's happening, but I'm gonna pay for it later.

What was your favorite post-college fun where you acted like you were back in college?
Mine would have to be the time one of my sorority sister's was getting married. I attended a wedding shower that was accompanied with lots and lots of wine. And we had a reunion.

I remember running up and down the street with a glass of wine in my hand yelling about how my friend was getting married. Luckily, I didn't go to jail, which could have happened easily.

Valuable lesson I learned that night: Don't mix red and white wine. Not really sure why. It could have nothing to do with the mixing of the wines, but I'm sure the quanity did have something to do with this.

Do you have plans this weekend?

Unexpected Break of Blogging

First of all, let me start off by saying please don't hate me. Last week I was super busy at work. Every day something new exploded, and I had little time to blog...or no time to blog. But this unexpected blogging break does not mean that I'm quitting or cutting back. It's just something that happens sometimes. So will you forgive me?!

Ok. I'm going to take that as a yes. So let's move on. I've got lots of topics to fill you in on, and the best way I can think to organize it at this moment in time is random order with sections addressing each subject.

Running
Got some bad news....My mom took back the running watch. Nobody thought it would cause such distress in my running life, but it's like a death. I run the trail not knowing how fast I'm going or how far I went. It's a problem.

Last night I went back to Two Rivers Park. It was the first time since I divorced it in the Spring. It was nice, especially since the opening of the new pedestrian bridge. It's like a mini-Big Dam Bridge but without the dam or the big.

I ran the trail to the new bridge, went over and came all the way back in under 40 minutes. Now knowing my times on 3.1 miles is around 47 minutes, I think I was a little under the milage, but what's a girl to do. Anyone want to give me a Garmin Forerunner 305?

This is truly a problem since I decided to run a 10K in November. I have to know the 4 mile mark and the 5 mile mark so I can train myself. Otherwise, I'll just quit when I think I'm there, which really means I'll quit before then because my brain tells my body to quit moving. Such constant struggles.

Macaroni and Cheese
The cravings that I have for Panera's macaroni and cheese have gotten OUT OF CONTROL. Nuff said.

Homeworking
Yesterday was spent in the nook writing a bogus PR stragetic plan. I'm pretty sure I spent more time shuffling papers around and "organizing" than I did writing. What do you think?

Everything has its place...right? Ha. You can laugh. It's ok. I know what it looks like. The first part of the project is due Thursday. So I will be working on this during the day....meaning at work. Time is of the essence people. And I've thrown caution to the wind and said to hell with school this semester....And then that saying is biting me in the booty this week for realz.

It's crunch time. Gotta get it done.

Groceries
Somehow I went to the store and left with no food. Yet I spent the same amount I would have if I had bought food. Does this make sense? Not at all. Not sure what to do about it so I'll probably just wing it, which means eating out and fulfilling the mac and cheese craving mentioned above. I have a problem.

The Roommate
The Roommate's phone has been broken. When I send her texts, she doesn't respond. Then I found out it's not broken and that she was just "too busy" to text back. So to keep my ego from being wounded, I tell myself it's broken. Some would call this a blatant disregard of the truth. I call it self-help.

Tell me something good.

What did you do this weekend?

If you ever get stuck on one craving, what is it? Is it always the same, or does it change?
I've been stuck on Mac and Cheese from Panera and pizza for a long time now.

Today's the Day

***Needtobreathe's new album "The Reckoning" is out. So go buy it. This morning I created a brilliant plan to go to Target on a work related errand to purchase batteries for my camera...and to pick up the CD. Brilliant right? Wrong. Target doesn't have it. So I'm still without it, but I will get it TODAY. (Needtobreathe did not ask me to promote their new album, and they do not know me in any way. I just love them and their music and want to share it with you.)***

Now that I got that out of my system, I can move on to The Freaking Weekend Recap.

I went to the movies a lot this weekend. I have a friend who is a manager of the theater, and she gives us the hook-up. (THANK YOU, C.) The roommate, Zach and I got to go in the projection room while C started some movies in other auditoriums, which people in the movie biz call houses. Here is the snapshot of what happened.

There are no reels. No ticker tape. Everything is digital, which sort of takes away from movie nostalgia. But that didn't stop us. Luckily for your viewing pleasure, there was a life-size movie poster thingy...because you know that is the technical term.

I was drawn to the fancy headdress. Clearly I should take up staring as a hobby. I mean that is true focus.

I had my first experience with 3D movies. Yep. The Lion King in 3D is something to see. Go. Do. That. Now. I mean it. Take off work. Skip school. Just go see the glory of classic Disney in 3D.

I don't think we could have been more excited. P.S. the glasses were made for children, but clearly work for us. They had Simba on them. #badass

Everyone in the movie was 20-35. Maybe a few kids, but mostly adults. Very excited adults.

Yesterday, I had a craving for macaroni and cheese. So I had to listen. Who would have thought I would submit to peer pressure from myself? Awesome.

HOLY COW. That crap is good good. Plus it was a reward for doing the homework and going to the library. I can prove that I was there.

Explain to me how the best microfilm machine is out of order. I realize there are three more for me to use, but how is the best one going to break?

I did start the gathering of information for the thesis. And I have to start working on my non-profit PR project this week. It has to happen. Welcome back to school.

How was your weekend?

Are you a procastinator? Or do you manage your time well?

Holy Toledo Batman!

Something amazing has happened. Bear from my all-time favorite band Needtobreathe is following me on Twitter.

Bearrinehart3 follows ashtenbrook. WHAT?!?!?! Holy Cowssssss!!! This is a big big deal. First, he is beautiful. Second, he sings like an angel. And third, he follows ME on Twitter.

To the makers of Twitter, thank you. My life is now complete. Bear Rinehart follows me. Holla!! (P.S. 5 days until "The Reckoning" comes out. Needtobreathe, I'll be ready, as will my car's CD player.)

Last night's run looked a lot like this.

I. Was. Tired. End of story. Ok, not really. But I kicked my own butt last night for reals.

Now let me just tell you that I run slow. But don't worry, I'm working on it. Slow seems to be a pace that my body understands. Last night it wouldn't have mattered if I ran fast or slow because I legs, specifically calves and ankles, hurt like the dickins. So much so that I contemplated quitting before the end of my first 10 minutes and then again once I completed my first mile.

Two things happened last night that were different than before. 1) I ran my fastest 3 miles to date (Don't make fun of the time...It's not about how fast...it's the fact that I did it.) and 2) I lapped someone...twice.

I'm trying to work my way into the 11s, but it's just so hard trying to keep an 11-something pace going up the mammoth that we shall call the Big Dam Bridge. By the way, my best time, the 9:18, came from the going down the side of the mammoth bridge. Ah, gravity. Thank you for boosting my self-esteem...for a few minutes.

And when I said earlier that I lapped someone, it did happen. I don't think it should matter that they were walking. I still blew by them like the wind. Or a light breeze....Either way I think this should count for something.

What have you been doing this week when it comes to working it out?

If you could listen to one band for the rest of your life, what would it be?
Definitely Needtobreathe. Hands down. They have basically been in my CD player since I discovered them in 2009.

It's the Freaking Weekend Recap

Big weekend happened. Boom Kinetic was back in town. My friend Halee got married. And I had one good run and one bad run. So let's get started, shall we?

The creepy pictures return. You know how much I love to take pictures that really showcase us as people. I think Zach really takes the cake. He looks much like a weirdo stalker, but we love him. And he is not a weirdo stalker.

Do I need to explain how I got so close to Boom Kinetic? Front row baby! We were so close that the guitar player and I had a conversation about playing "Love and Reason." It is my favorite Boom Kinetic song, and I danced like a complete fool.

The dancing got a little out of control, but not on my part. The girl standing next to me basically raped me. I had to use my super sharp elbows to ward her off of me, but she didn't get the picture. She just kept shaking her tailfeather right up against me. NOT COOL.

I had one good run and one bad run. While the times don't look like too much of a difference, I definitely struggled. For 25 minutes of my bad run, I ran with my hand jabbed into my side. Everytime I tried to run without the jabbing I felt like I was dying.

And it shows. My pace was a minute slower than my good run. And I was 5 minutes later. But I did it. And that's all that matters. I'm in the process of fueling for my run tonight. By fueling, I mean drinking water and eating the 9847592 snacks I brought to work today, but most people would call those snacks lunch. I'm sure I'll be starving by 3 P.M.

On the menu today: Leftover Quinoa Vegetable Soup, celery sticks with peanut butter, carrot sticks with spicy hummus, pita chips, Caramel Nut Brownie Luna bar, Pumpkin Walnut muffins and lots and lots of water.

I wish I could say the Quinoa Vegetable Soup was something I came up with, but it's not. I read lots of blogs on a daily basis, and I recently discovered Chelsey's blog Clean Eating Chelsey through a guest post on someone else's blog (I can't remember whose blog she wrote a guest post for...My memory...Yikes.)

You can get Chelsey's Quinoa Vegetable Soup recipe here. This recipe is vegan and gluten-free, just FYI. If you are looking for a healthy veggie soup recipe that is delicious and good for you, this one is it.

What did you do this weekend?

When do you start making Fall-ish foods? Soups, Pumpkin bread, etc?
It's never too early for Fall-ish foods at my house. I love the smell of soup on the stove and pumpkin bread in the oven. It screams Thanksgiving, comfort and love.

Don't Hold Your Breath

I came to a major realization last night while I was running.

All summer long, I ran in uncontrollable heat. All summer long, I would dream of running at temperatures 30 degrees cooler.

It didn't occur to me that my body would have to go through a transistion period from heat to cool.

Now don't get me wrong, running in cooler air is very delightful. But my lungs have been conditioned to breathing in water from the humidity.

Last night was the first time I breathed air. Actual air. Cool, clean air. And it kind of hurt my chest. Awesome.

But I didn't stop me from completing 3 glorious miles at the River Trail and over the Big Dam Bridge.

After the first 10 minutes, I fell into a nice rhythm. Why is it that the first 10 or so minutes feel like pure hell? The first ten make me want to quit more than any other time during my run.

Logan and the roommate also had two of the greatest runs ever. With the exception of Logan's right foot going completely numb. Does any one know what that means?

It's amazing how heat plays such a factor in running. I knew it affected me, but I didn't realize the extent to which it affected me. The summer of breathing in water is over people. And that in itself is a glorious fact.

And after these few blissful months of Fall, it will all be over for me. Don't worry. I'm not quitting. Just expect a lot more complaining about the cold weather running. And just the cold period. I HATE winter.

I hate the cold. The snow. I hate it. And it's weird because I love Christmas time, and my birthday is in the winter. You'd think I'd be more excited, but I'm not looking forward to snot freezing to my face. Anyone get that reference to Dumb and Dumber?

Next thing on the agenda: Where to get running capris and pants?

I'm not going to freeze to death trying to exercise. It's not going to happen. I need to be prepared.

So where can I get pants that won't take all my moneys and then throw my wallet on the ground and spit on it? Are all pants made as cold gear? I need help. If you know anything related to the running capris and pants topic, please leave me a knowledge nugget in the comments section.

That's all for today, folks. But I will ask everyone nicely to go out and buy a Caramel Nut Brownie Luna Bar. And eat it. It will be the best thing you did all day.

Well it will be the best thing you do all day if you love overly chocolate things.

Go, Go, Go

You know those kind of days where you wake up and have no energy or motivation to do anything? Yeah, I had one of those yesterday. Work crawled by. I swear all the clocks were broken. But once I got out of there, things seemed to start looking up.

I met the roommate and Casondra at my favorite Starbucks. Thank you Starbucks for bringing back the Pumpkin Spice Latte. This little gesture means that my most favorite coffee treat, the Caramel Brulee Latte, will be re-introduced very soon. Ah, Starbucks Christmas coffee favorites. My heart's aflutter just thinking about that.

After the coffee stop, I went home to eat some dinner and read some chapters from my dreaded PR books. Dinner last night was leftovers from a meal I had when I went home to the Sugtown.

My mother made homemade beef tips and rice. Now for those of you who don't know my mother, eating at our house is a very special thing. That woman can cook like nobody's business. And this is one of my favorite things she makes. 

Roast beef cooked in a crockpot with red wine, beef broth, big chunks of onions and sliced mushrooms. It was delish when I ate it the other day, but the leftovers were yummy. I ate everything you see. Even the table runner, vase and parts of the table top. Just kidding. But I did eat the peach for dessert.

After dinner, I did some more reading and a little watching of The Parent Trap with Lindsay Lohan. Why don't they ever play the classic verison of that movie? I mean it is just as good, if not better. But I'm partial to the classic version because I watched it a lot as a child.

Then the mother of this little lady came to stay the night at the house last night.

I'd post a picture of her momma, but they look just alike, although Jodi has hair and Aubrey has baby hair. Look how cute she is.

Jodi is in graduate school at my alma mater. She is trying to finish up. She has a night class on Tuesdays and an early morning class on Wednesdays. So it makes perfect sense for her to crash at the house so she doesn't have to drive three hours in a very short time span.

We stayed up way too late talking about everything we've been meaning to catch up on. And I didn't get to bed until midnight. But it was worth it. Quality friend time is important people. Very important.

The midnight bedtime made the morning come all too soon. Nobody wants to get up when it is still dark outside. WTF?

On a pleasant note, it feels wonderful outside today.

Running tonight should be cake after those heat runs we suffered through earlier in the summer. After my 5 mile run, the roommate is thinking of trying her hand at a 5-miler. I'll let you know how things go.

Have a fab Wednesday!

The First 5

Yesterday morning I had pure greatness happen. I ran the farthest I've ever ran. 5.2 miles in one hour.

I was so excited that I did it. It was/is such a huge accomplishment for a girl who didn't think running was for her. Nobody can be sure what I meant by throwing up the ones since I ran 5 miles. I guess it just seemed right at the time. Let's just go with it.

While I was excited to have completed the 5 miles without dying, it wasn't all sunshine and rainbows.

First, it was in the high 50s, low 60s when I woke up yesterday morning. The sun was not out, and the wind was kicking on the Grand Prairie. Plus, rolling out of bed, putting on tenny pumps and running 5 miles before my morning coffee is not something I'm a fan of.

The first two miles were sheer torture. The wind was furious. And I'm one of those people whose ears ache when cooler air blows in them. So by mile two, my mom and her friend Lisa were tired of looking back at me with my fingers in my ears. We ran back by my house to get some cotton balls to shove in my ears to block the wind.

After that, everything was good. We ran 10s and 1s. Running 10 minutes with a 1 minute walk break is just enough to keep you sane.

When I think about running for an hour straight, it makes my insides feel sick. Why would anyone want to do that? One whole hour of nothing but running. Yuck.

But when I think about running in a series of 10s and 1s, it seems more doable. I think about each 10 as a separate goal. Ten minutes I can definitely do. I've been doing it for a while now. The one minute break provides just enough time to catch your breath.

So completing the 10s and 1s is the probably the only way I will be able to increase my distance. And that's alright with me.

I thought I'd have more internal struggles with the 5 miles, but they flew by. It didn't feel like an hour of running. I thought my mind would make it harder for me to complete it. But it didn't. And I'm so thankful for that.

I was ready to do something crazy, and I wanted to see if I could do it. And I did. Now that I know I can do it maybe I can make a 5-miler an option for me every now and then. You know, just to see if I still got it.

How was your long weekend?

What is one of your personal goals that you recently accomplished?

Welcome September

Fall is officially 23 days away. It's my favorite season. I love how the leaves change colors, and the air is crisp.

The roommate loves fall, too. But her true colors come out around Christmas time.

This is the exact photo that pops up when she calls me on the phone. Note the winter statement headpiece. Gotta love it.

So in the spirit of fall, I thought I'd do a recap of August. And I thought the roommate's facial expression would lure you in...

I survived the hottest day of the year.

I successfully rid myself of a Stage 5 Clinger.

Shannon was danced upon at a piano bar.

Then, she got married.

I have a serious beach obsession.

The roommate made a really awesome tee everyone needs to own.

After 3 months of running regularly, 3.1 miles became an accomplished goal.

Let's see what these glorious fall months have to offer. I'm praying for cooler weather, better running, less stress, and more fun.

What is your favorite season? Month?
October is my all-time favorite month. The leaves change colors. Everything smells like cinnamon and pumpkin pie. People are gearing up for the holiday season. I LOVE IT.

What goals have you set for Fall?
Running 5 miles before it gets frost bite cold outside. Keeping a positive attitude when it comes to school related things.