Its the little things ...

there are some days where the whole day just makes you smile. 

if there were any black spots they are at the further parts of your mind.

today was one of those days. 

i barely refrained from taking photos of everything i did and saw today. 

it was a simple day. 

warm weather, clear sky... HEAT!  

 i liked my outfit ... 

 worked out in the yard while the dogs played ... 

 found this cute little guy while running errands ... 

completed my shopping list 

 and have officially got my 'indoor' window garden started. 

spent time with friends and heard a great message at church.
if I could hug today I totally would.
LOL!

Now back to the daily grind tomorrow ..... :-/

can i retire yet?

Death would have been simpler

I didn't.
Unfortunately.
I thought I was going to pass out there close to the end, but I survived. Barely.
Right now, I'm finishing up my dinner before I go run myself ANOTHER hot bath. I have a few tips for all of you who are visiting because you searched "for couch to 5K" ... do NOT wait six months and then have the first run you do be a full 3 miles. [insert exceptions to rule here]
Its not smart, and the end results = very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very,very, very sore legs. Did I mention your legs would be sore?

After running Color Me Rad (not to be confused with The Color Run, which is only half as cool) in October, we had such a blast when we heard they'd be back in April my girls and I all signed up to run and volunteer. (read:cheaper registration)

However, I'd started a new job just six days before our run of color in October and didn't realize what my schedule was going to look like over the next little bit and how little time (or energy) I would have to spend running.

Not to mention... I don't really "LIKE" running that much. Still.
"So why did you...?" 
I know what you're thinking. Shut up.

Fast forward six month, and suddenly I realize this 5K I've committed to run in, is in five days and I haven't run a single step. It was a disconcerting moment. Its only three miles, I told myself, how much could I have lost in six months? Its new a route, full of color and fun; mind over matter. I got this. 

And to be honest, all things considering, I did fairly well. Keeping up an 11:09 minute mile, and even the parts I walked, I st

ill finished in about 35-40 minutes. There was a moment near the finish line when I thought I might pass out, I was hoping my darling family (who abandoned me five minutes into the race .. *COUGH*KRISTEN*COUGH*) would stand near the finish line closest to where we turned into. They didn't. They stood all.the.way.by.the.stupid.ballon forcing me to hold myself to my promise to run all the way to the end.

Huge props to my sister Autumn for completing her SECOND 5K at 10! 

I made it, and immediately had to grab something to support myself, as my legs gave out on me. #firsthint
After chugging warmed water, and fruit snacks we gathered by the stage for the infamous color bombing/RAD after party. The MC was cracking me up, as he'd apparently did his research on Knoxville, and played Rocky Top as well as brought up our football rivals in Alabama & Florida.

Then came time for the Bombing. It looks much cooler on the outside, than it really was on the inside. On the count of 5, everyone throws their color packets in the air,  and the sun disappears in a cloud of choking colored corn starch. Seriously puts a damper on things like breathing, and seeing. But once it cleared and we were all covered in color again, it was fun again. :)

After that, my sisters and I lined up for our "pro" photo op and signed in for our volunteer shift. Fast forward 4 hours, I've been on my feet since 8:30AM and am dying to go home and chillllllll. When we finally had everything cleaned up, packed up, inventory counted, pizza eaten, etc..etc.. I drove home, looking forward to enjoying the amazing weather with my animals.

I spent another half and hour on my feet while the dogs played outside, before grabbing my laptop and chilling on my bed. Thirty minutes later, I stood up to let my needy "child" outside for the second time, and nearly fell on the floor.

MA LEGS?! WHAT HAPPENED TO MA LEGS!? 

They no longer moved as fluidly as they normally did, each step sent a wave of discomfort shooting through my thighs. I spent the rest of the day hobbling around like a person twice ...er... triple... lets quadruple that to be safe.. my age.

Did I think to soak? OF COURSE I DID. But that would have meant getting up again and starting bath water. My laziness is too my own detriment at times.

I'd hoped this morning would be better. But it weren't, weren't weren't weren't (wasn't). [props if you can identify which Veggie Tales song that is!]

I'm the main pianist at our church, so you can imagine how much fun it was to hobble back and forth during the worship part of service.

Child: Why did you just say ow? Me: "What? Doesn't everyone say "Ow" when they walk down stairs?" - What I should've said 

I took a short bath this afternoon, and while I thought I was good when I got out, it was but a few minutes before I was back to my crab legged walking.

My misery is boundless.

Lessoned Learned.
Stretch before and after run. Work your way GRADUALLY back into running, if you've taken a break. 

That being said I'm going to go soak now.

Ta- Ta!

P.S. (They'll be back in K-Town in August... should I.. shouldn't I... hmmm)


ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow, ow. Owie. MOOOOM. Oh wait. I'm on my own. [insert sob here]

What I'm Reading: Love in the Balance

Love in the Balance
by Regina Jennings

Genre: Christian Romance, Historical Romance

Medium: Kindle Book

Date Read: March 28, 2013
Stars: ★★★★☆

Reviewed for: Bethany House Publishers

Molly Lovelace dreams of a life without cares in Lockhart, Texas. She also dreams of handsome wrangler Bailey Garner, her ardent but inconsistent beau. The problem is, with Bailey's poor prospects, she just can't fit the two dreams together.

Then mysterious stranger Edward Pierrepont sweeps into town--and her life--and for the first time Molly wonders if she's met the man who can give her everything. But he won't be in Lockhart long and while he talks about their glorious future together, she can't quite get Bailey out of her mind.

What's a girl to do with all these decisions when love is in the balance?

* * * * * * * * 

I wasn't to sure what sort of story I was in for, after reading the first paragraph of Ms. Jennings "Love in the Balance."

"After all God has done for me, I still can't live in holiness. This week I harbored thoughts of impatience toward my husband."

What's this? A public confessional? What in the world.

As it turns out, I was in for a very interesting ride.

I'll admit to struggling to like Miss Molly at times, I can understand wanting to make "your guy" jealous, but going as far as marrying another guy is a bit much! There was more to it than that, but honestly the thought processes of these women boggle my mind a bit.

Are there people who really think like this for real, for real?

Edward seemed swarmy the entire time he was "on stage" if you will, there times when you want to root for the second love interest, or are conflicted between the two, but not in this case. It was a solid no go on Mr. Pierrepoint.

I really enjoyed getting to know Bailey, and I really don't think Molly deserved him. He matured and grew steadily nice guy, even with his "mistake" he learned from it and moved on. She seemed to be a bit more slow on the uptake, but eventually got there.

I gave this book four out of five stars because it was entertaining, felt a connection with some of the characters, and I couldn't put it down!

I received a copy of this book from Bethany House in exchange for my honest opinion.

Sunday Style: Easter Edition

Blazer // Thrifted, Tank Top // Ross, Skirt // Body Centeral, Shoes // Payless, Purse // Friend 

Though overcast and rainy, it was still an enjoyable Easter. Both services were full of much needed messages making this day that much, more special. A family from church invited us over for an "irish" style easter dinner, complete with corned beef, cabbage, carrots, boiled potatoes, homemade sourdough bread and more! Seriously yummy meal, and it was great to spend time with friends and family! :)

I was ready for the bright colors of spring, and decided to incorporate how I was feeling into my outfit. Loooooove the color of this skirt, the best impulse buy yet! (until tomorrow!)

Happy Easter!

#TBT [Carowinds Circa 2007]

I remember this trip like it was yesterday.
Which really means I don't really remember it at all.
I can barely remember what I did yesterday.
When was yesterday?
See what I mean?

However, I do remember this was a surprise trip for all of us kids. My dad's job held their yearly "get together" at Carowinds, and we didn't know until we were pulling into Carowinds parking lot.

I miss times like these, when life was in a more "care-free" vein. We could do things together without having to arrange schedules and re-arrange life.

We all looked so young and ... dare I say it? Homeschoolerish. I can't believe my mom let us go out in public like this! Dear Mom, I know we were teenagers, and we probably wouldn't have taken any advice, so then was a good time pull out the "I'm the Mom do so" card.  I can't believe I actually walked around in PUBLIC like this!?

Before leaving home. We were excited and didn't even know where we were going!

Evan, Weston and Autumn posing with Scooby Doo Characters

Mom, us girls and Velma 

Weston was less than thrilled about riding the kiddie ride. Tough buddy.

The whole Fam.
I used to not care about what I wore. Can you tell?

I don't think he was uber excited about this ride :) 

Peace.

Its that moment.

The moment when the house is completely quiet except for the sound of the computer keys.
The moment when you hold your breath and dare not move a muscle.

The moment the baby(s) have finally gone to sleep.
Eyes closed you let out your breath in a slow rush.
Blessed quietness.
Peace.

And then a small whimper sounds.
Then another...
and another ... this time much closer and you glare at the fiend who dared add to the disruption.

"Hooonestly!" The look intones. "You won't die of starvation if dinner is delayed an hour or two, or three, or however long the babies decide to sleep." This of course, directed at the much older and more knowledgable dog at your feet.

Another mournful noise emits from below the desk, this time a bit louder.

Its in this moment you could cheerfully strangle your dog.
In the nicest sense of the word possible, of course.

* * * 

My neighbors got puppies the other day. Two of them in fact. Not exactly sure why, despite text conversations this afternoon. They are out of town on a family emergency  and me .. being the good neighbor that I am... decide to check on them and see if they were still there or not.

update: apparently the puppies were on death row, and they rescued them. so ok. 

Not only were they there, they decided they wanted to come with me.

It was quite cold out and I couldn't leave them to the elements so I scooped them up and took them home with me.

They've been here ever since.

I'm calling them BeBop & Boom Boom ... the littlest pup is a female (BeBop) and the bigger is a male (Boom Boom). Both are very tenacious puppies with a lot of attitude  Here I am doing them a favor by getting them out of the cold, and they have the nerve to scream about it!

BeBop is the feisty one out of the bunch, while her brother totally runs over her, she's the one that figured out how to get out bathroom, by climbing the baby gate, not once but four times. She's the one that raced up to David and grabbed his leg (him being at least 20x her size). Boom Boom is much more reserved and easily offended. The first time David accidentally bowled him over, he went shrieking back to the bathroom.

Don't get me wrong, its NOT a problem at all, I brought this on myself, but they are very young puppies. And young young puppies are a looooot of work.

Two means:

Twice the water and food intake the monitor.
Twice the poop and pee to clean.
Twice the energy levels to exhaust.
Twice the teeth and nails to dodge.

But at the same time its a bit less work than just one. Its hard to explain unless you've had as many puppies as I have over the last five years.
I kinda of wish I could go ahead and request my next puppy just so David can be here to entertain her. (cause it will be a girl next go 'round)

But no, must take a break from puppies. Must. Take. Break.
Sigh.

Paid in Full

Its official. I'm 90% debt free. 
If that sentence seemed anti-climatic, its because that's exactly how it felt upon hitting the "submit" button. My dad had been at my house that evening, getting my washing machine up in running (for the first time in almost two years!)

I was sharing with him, how close I was to finish paying of my tuition, and how I was just waiting for the "right" moment to pay it. (aka making sure all my bills for that month were taken care of)
Within moments the expected fussing began.

"Erin I know its seems like a good thing to do, but you really just need to go ahead and pay if off, I've been where you .... "

I'll admit there are times when I feel like a kid again, wanting to roll my eyes, and feel as if I know best. But this time I knew he was right. I had the money. If I didn't go ahead and use it for its dedicated purpose, I would find myself spending it on more scarves.

So as he talked on, I sucked it up, navigated to the appropriate site and made my final payment.
There was no applause, no "Hallelujah chorus", no confetti falling from the ceiling.
In fact my dad was still lecturing me on the merits of just going ahead and doing "the right thing."

"Its done"

"... were, but have learned the best thing is just ... what?"

"I paid it off. Its all done."

Aw Honey! Here let me give you a sympathy hug.

That's the moment I realized that yes my dad DID really feel my pain.

So now I've been debt free for almost two weeks. (Debts not including my car)
Though anti-climatic, the good news is I finally got to see my grades from almost a year and a half ago. I pretty much knew what I'd received, but seeing it in black and white makes it more "official."

No F's this semester!

*phew*

Two B's and a A.

So... what does this mean for the future you ask? Don't worry, I'm asking the same question. And to be honest ... I don't know. There are a lot of variables in this situation, and its far to early to be able to say without a doubt that Yes school is in my foreseeable future.

I hope and pray it is.

I miss it. As odd as that sounds, I do.

Ten Tips on Tuesday

(I love alliterations) 
Tuesday's Tip No 1: When Shopping for Boots... 

1. Never attempt to purchase THE hottest item of the season... at the END of the season. 
2. If you do attempt to do so, make sure your foot is a size 5 or 6 
3. If you decide to look online, be prepared to hand over lots of moola. Lots of mooooola. 
4. I just liked writing mooola. 
5. Also when searching online be sure to know things like your leg circumference, shaft height preference, and perhaps even the width of your foot (in inches) 
6. Also check return policies
7. Also google coupon codes for the site you are looking at 
8. I obviously
9. don't have .. 
10. 10 tips. Oops.

Loooove these boots.

As soon as the temperature drops below 50 I'm dusting off my boots, and pulling out my knee socks. I practically wear holes in my boots I wear them so much during the winter season. Here lately, I've been wearing my boots five days a week, eight hours a day. One pair literally has a hole in on side, and the other pair is flaking. Who knows what its really made of.

So I decided, self you need a new pair (or two!) of boots, and those cute riding boots everyone has been traipsing around in all winter long? Would make the perfect addition to your closet!

I quickly discovered that I wasn't the only one boot shopping, and that literally there was nothing left unless I was a size six or smaller.  I've been into too many shoe stores, department stores, Targets and etc.. to count. I've googled, and ebay'd my heart out.

But none seemed to be exactly what I was looking for.

Finally after a week of searching, I decided on two pairs I thought would work; and hit the "purchase" button. A week later, I was selling them out of the trunk of my car.

There were a few things I failed to take into account. As a skinny legged person, a boot with a circumference of 16 inches is MUCH to large. Also 8.5 shoe is a biiit big for my 8.5 foot. Doesn't make sense, but trust me, all 8.5 are not created equal.

Luckily I have friends who could fit them, and they have both found new homes.

Another week of searching, and I thought for sure I'd made a good decision. Both of the new pairs I was interested in, had a circumference of 14 inches which was perfect for my leg but this time I decided to play it safe, and ordered one pair in size 8, one pair sized 8.5. And the waiting began again.

I spent all morning Monday, checking my "package tracking app" for delivery status, and was rewarded around 12PM. Eagerly I raced home and tore into my boxes. I'd decided (after everything was done processing and shipped out, of course) that perhaps I didn't like the tan pair as much as I thought, and tried to cancel but was told it was probably too late. So I decided to try those on first, since they were headed back asap.

Ouch! Okkk these were tight, argh should have ordered a size 8.5! Wah. Oooh these are kinda of cute, the fur actually felt nice on my leg, and the shaft of the boot was soft! But they were oh.so.tight.

Ripped those off, and tried on the pair I'd been most excited about ... and was sorely disappointed  The tops of the boot hit right below my knee, in the most uncomfortable manner,  the shaft of the boot very stiff and the actual "shoe" was large and clunky.

So here I am again. FOUR PAIRS OF BOOTS. And not one of them one I like or can wear. :(

Its sooo sad guys. I've listed the black pair online [check em' out!] in hopes of selling them locally without having to pay to ship them back. The other pair, I'm wearing in hopes of "breaking them in" a bit, but my feet are screaming at me so I don't think that's going to happen.

Argh

The search continues.

On second thought... after two days of 60 degree weather, I may just be ready to put this search off until November....plus I need running shoes for a 5K I'll be running in.. two weeks  Flip-flops and Sandals? HERE I COME!!!

Sunday Style: Greeeeen

Happy St. Patrick's Day! Not quite sure why we celebrate this holiday, but I'm more than happy to join in the green craze. Ever since I saw this color combo on Pinterest, I've been dying to wear in myself, and it wasn't until last night that I realized this was the perfect outfit for church/ St. Patrick's day! It makes me happy. (Especially since there is not a heavy coat in sight! Loving this 60 degree weather!) 

Shrug: Ross 

Shirt: Old Navy 

Scarf: Wal-Mart 

Skirt: Body Central 

14 March 2013

This is where I write things like: I have words, I have lots of words, but placing those words into readable sentences feels like too much work right now.

Right now I'm grappling with figuring out how to manage what little free time I have. In ways that are productive that is.

So until I get that figured out .... it could be a bit quiet around here.

:)

Currently... 

Reading: Captive Trail by Susan Page Davis

Listening To: An Audio Book

Feeling: Tired, Worn out, Sleepy

Planning: What I'll eat for the rest of the week. Halfheartedly at the very least.

Making: Nothing. Zilch. Nada. Neit. Nine

Loving: Polyvore + Pinterest!

Looking Forward To: Lunch tomorrow! Panera Bread provided by my employers! :)