Day 134: ::sigh::

Let's just all take a moment and marvel.

...

::sigh::

Day 133: I DID IT!!

If you look up "Runner's High" in the dictionary, this pic* should be right next to the definition.

Still incredulous-- I CANNOT believe my legs, my lungs, my brain did that! 13.1 miles!!

I am feelin' soooooo good right now. :)



*so technically I cheated today-- my bestie Nicolita actually took this pic, but given I couldn't feel my legs, knees, fingers or bum for about 45mins after this run, figure I get a pass

Day 132: Carbo-Loading

My Last Supper of sorts:
chicken alfredo w/ garden veggies, garlic toast and 6-8 cups of water

I forgot how busy restaurants can be on weeknights in College Station. Nonetheless, I showed up at Cheddar's, The Hobbit (or there and back again) in hand, and sat and read and hydrated and carb-loaded until my sweet little heart was content.

Half Marathoning it up in the AM!

Day 131: My church rocks.

This is Christmas Jubilee; an evening of dinner, dancing and fellowship.

After an incredibly stressful week and an equally full day, it was actually delightful to spend a little time getting pretty.

So even if I hadn't enjoyed a good meal, sweet conversations with people that I don't see often enough, dancing my boo-tay off and meeting our new Pastor and his wife, it still would have been a great night.

There is something about getting all dolled up that  lifts the spirits like nothing else can.

Day 130: Introducing...

Walmart's line of Plus Size earrings

Go ahead. Do a double take. Yup. You saw right.

Plus Size EARRINGS.

What the what, Walmart!?! Seriously??

Day 127: [torrential] showers bring...

gigantic mutant earthworms, apparently.

I happened upon this government experiment gone wrong on the walk to work today. I put the penny down so that it would be clear how abnormally massive this thing is.

When the time came to collect, I decided to cut my losses... Lincoln got left.

Day 58: Star Wars!

Checking off no. 51 of my DayZero list! Woo-hoo!!

I am fully aware that this is only the beginning, however, I am pretty excited to have found someone who is not only nerdy enough to own every. single. episode. but is also stoked (STOKED!) at the idea of watching them with me. Score!

[jambalaya + college apps + Star Wars + super nerd of a friend = fantabulous Tuesday evening]

Day 69: Opa!

Greek Fest 2011!!!

Too bad I was working a seven-hour shift back at the Mad Science booth with screaming, pushing, whining children!

Okay, really. It wasn't that bad. It was actually quite fun. And relaxing.

$10/hr to make slime (re: smiles) all day? Yes please.

Day 67: Length Check!

Hunted for modest running shorts at Target. Impossible. Gave up.

BUT, I figured that while I was hanging out in a changing room with those awesome 3-way mirrors that give you a super disheartening view of your backside, I may as well do a length check.

First ever documented-- woohoo!

Day 64: Celebrating Isabella

That pretty girl in blue is my co-worker Isabella.

Fast talker, English or Spanish. Ballerina extraordinaire. Family oriented. Chicana. Not gonna take your stuff.

Or yours either.

I heart this girl a lot. We haven't spent a whole lot of time together but the time we've spent always makes me wanna spend more.

Good times celebrating with Mediterranean food and a few of her (gorgeous... sheesh.) friends.

Day 61: Friday Night Perfection

moscato + tuna casserole + serious Jesus time = my kinda Friday night! <3

Day 60: :"Melodies from heaven...

rain down on me!"

Rain is pouring, rain is loud and I am flatly refusing to roll my windows up.

Day 57: "Democratic" Vacation Planning

This is what it looks like when 6 Franklins congregate together, over the miles that separate, to plan a family vacation.

My friend called it organized and democratic. I laughed in his face. Anything but, my friend, anything but.

There was name-calling, yelling, heavy sighing and a bit of crying, some mud-slinging and bribing during voting...

Hm. That seems to be quite similar to the "democratic" that we Americans know and love, actually...

Day 55: A Moment for John Mayer

Father + Daughter

"There's something like a line of gold thread running through a man's words when he talks to his daughter, and gradually over the years it gets to be long enough for you to pick up in your hands and weave into a cloth that feels like love itself. "

-John Gregory Brown, Decorations in a Ruined Cemetery

Day 54: Randomness.

Yeah, I don't know either...

Day 53: "When peace like a (bayou?!) attendeth my way..."

I did the crying thing at work again today. Sigh.

Well hello there, old friend...

This was taken around 7:30p. You can't tell because I caught myself trying to be artsy and played around with the exposure a bit.
It was nice. Taking a minute to just breathe and take in nature.

Water does that for me. Resting for a moment beside it (the literal kind or figurative kind) never fails to remind me that, twelve hour work day or not, it is well with my soul. 

. 

Day 51: Flight from Industry

When I walked downstairs this morning and caught sight of this lonely vine, I imagined in my mind it was fleeing, over the fence, from the clutches of Industry behind it.

I'm weird. Whatevs.

Anyhow, the green and the bit of purple are a lovely change from all of the shades of brown I'm seeing these days.

Day 11: Work-a-holic

That's right, PM it says. PM!!!

...

...No more words.

I am going home.

Day 10: Dry Erase, Dry Humor

Backstory:

• Elaine makes an entire rack of ribs for dinner. Sister questions Elaine's sanity and demands that she freezes half of it.
  [flashforward 5 days]
• Sister makes a veggie lasagna for dinner-- 9x13 area, 5 layers thick. Elaine's eyes bug out of her head when she lays eyes on it.
• Elaine leaves snarky note.
• Sister leaves sassy rebuttal.

Next week, something else snark-worthy will come up, the board will be wiped clean and the cycle will continue.

I rather enjoy it. :)

Day 9: Y-Chrom Repellent

This all from a 3 mile run.

Up where the flash goes off, it gets even more humiliating.

Maybe next month I'll take a pic of the awesome back sweat that chased off the last guy that thought he wanted to date me.

Day 8: Labor of Love

I've always hated Chuck E. Cheese.

The idea of a giant rat roaming around a pizza parlor grosses me the heck out.

And yet here I am.

I agreed to take my two cousins (cutie-patootie & sweet, darling) to the Children's Museum but they closed early today. So we packed up and headed to Chuck E Cheese- land of the giant, dancing rats.

Happily for me, they were terrified of him! (Can you tell?) After this lovely pic, we never got within 10 feet of him again!.

Day 7: Welcome

...to my reality.
Where there are much more important things to be considered other than whether or not I will have a clean towel to dry my sopping wet hair with upon exiting the shower...

Day 6: Trash

This was my lunch today.
About 20 minutes after I ate it, I threw it back up-- first on a box in the coding room, then in my co-workers trashcan.

This marathon training is kickin' butt and takin' names.

My apologies. This is a whack picture and I am well aware of it. Just know that, immediately after it was taken, I collapsed into bed in a semi-catatonic state.

Like I said, spankin' butt and takin' names.

Day 5: Happy Hour!

This is my sweet, darling cousin.

It was his daddy's birthday so we made an event of it at happy hour. Where there happened to be a giant banana man.

My sweet, darling cousin loved giant banana man and thus, so did I... That is, until I found out giant banana man was NOT for the children. Giant banana man was for the dirty adults.

Dirty, nasty giant banana man!! Should have punched him in his mushy banana gut for daring to get that close to my sweet darling cousin.

The nachos were good though. 

Day 4: Sick Day

This is where I spent the majority of today. Slept until 2:30, yes I sure did.

Ashamed? Nope, not one iota.

...My body loved me for it.

Day 3: High Mileage

 

If these shoes were a car, they would be a 1993 Toyota Corolla.

 Is it ridiculous to be somewhat emotionally attached to your running shoes?

Day 2: "Mawwiage..."

"Mawwiage is what bwings us togwether today..."

(If you're not tee-hee'ing uncontollably right now, you need to click the link and get on board. Like right now.)

This is the UH Chapel. It is also the place I've decided I want to be married. Seriously.

I go to a Bible study that's held in the chapel every other week. So this means that at least twice/month I swing open those double doors, march down that red-carpeted aisle and imagine that all eyes are on me and my stunning white gown (that I naturally bought on clearance). Don't judge.

(But seriously, is that window not gorgeous?!)



Day 1: Halfin'

Per my DayZero list, I have purposed to run a half marathon on October 23rd. Today was the first day of training-- stretching and strength.

I actually have a pretty amazing weight room at my complex. Sadly, this is probably the second time I've used it in as many years...

Fingers crossed, praying for a sore upper body tomorrow-- there's nothing like it! 

(i know, imma freak. gawk and then move on with your life.)

test

This is a test, only a test... a super-stinkin'-awesome test, but yeah, only a test.