I'll spread my wings and I'll learn how to fly

"I'll do what it takes 'til I touch the sky" - Kelly Clarkson, "Breakaway"

Last night's run was very reminiscent of that song. I'm pretty sure I've said before that I've really been struggling to get much higher than 4 miles. Some of that is related to speed, some of that is related to workout length... But last night my darling workout buddy and I got together for a run for the first time in a while. She got about 5.5 miles, which I think is a biggie for her, and I hit 7 miles. SEVEN!!! And I mean a legit 7, as in on the treadmill and not just my watch reading into how often my foot hits the ground along with... I think it measured my stride when I calibrated the shoe pod.
So on the treadmill I got 7.01 miles and on my watch I got 7.05 miles. It was grueling, and I walked at least a couple of those miles, but the fact of the matter is that not only have I done it but I can KEEP doing it! AND I can do it and keep faster than the max pace!
Disney had better watch out, because I really plan to take that Princess Half by storm! That doesn't mean I'll be the fastest or anything, not by a long shot, but will I finish? Yes!

Another fun bit on the running front: Nike+ now has Nikefuel Missions, where you're basically turning your workout into a video game and trying to get a certain number of Fuel Points in an hour.
(I told my running buddy about this and she got so excited because she thought the Fuel Points were like the fuel points we get from the grocery store that we can use to save money on gasoline. It was pretty funny, but also kind of sad. I can only imagine how many more people would be active if it could save them tons of money on gasoline!)
My first mission I decided to up it to the "hard" level and work toward 450 Fuel Points in 30 minutes. When I started my watch it recorded the 30 minutes that corresponded with the challenge, and according to the website, I "destroyed" the challenge and got 672 Fuel Points. The next challenge, if I go straight for the "hard" level, is 800 Fuel Points in half an hour. I think if I keep a pretty good running pace of at least 4.5MPH (I think that's a 13:20-ish mile??) then it should be pretty easy.

I admit that I have yet to figure out how Fuel Points are calculated. Obviously it's something to do with the level of energy that is used, but I also have to wonder how time, weight, distance, etc. factor into the equation.

I have yet to decide if I want to go for another run tonight or if I just want to wait until Friday. It could go either way, really. And if a lot of it ends up being walking, I won't be offended, as long as I keep at 4.0MPH or faster :)
And last night I was ridiculously thankful for my calf compression sleeves.
Oh, and I got a blender from older BIL for Christmas - the blender I've been eyeing with the dispenser on the side and everything. Methinks I there will be running smoothies made for this!

Bring it on.

Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night!

I'm currently chilling out with the in-laws right now. Literally, chilling. Yet another realization of just how much I differ from them for the most part. Or at least from my FIL. My MIL feels my pain of freezing one's butt off.

I'm going to go ahead and say that today was a pretty fabulous day. For starters, I'm typing this on the new iPad that my ILs gave my for Christmas. I'm loving the fact that I should also be able to use this for class instead of having to lug my computer around.

It's easy to forget just how much my ILs spoil their loved ones... Until you're in the lion's den!!! It was a little overwhelming to get seated in with everyone while working to open a mound of presents. The mound was terrifying last year, since it was my first year to experience it. I mean REALLY experience it... I have to wonder if anyone has ever been crushed under presents. But everyone was really amazing about giving gifts to each other. It's been an enjoyable day, playing UNO and dinner and FaceTime with my sister and just hanging out.

That conversation with my sister was interesting, to say the least. But in a fun way! She and her husband are visiting his folks, and he was playing a game that she got him, and she FaceTimed me on the iPad she got from her ILs (what is with ILs and iPads this season? Not that we're complaining!). I completely forgot that her ILs were also in the room with her and suddenly I went "Oh! I also got practical underwear!" ... And then I heard laughing in the background and it occurred to me that "... You're not alone, are you?" to which she replied "Practical underwear are good."

DH and I also went over to see my brother and his wife (my SIL) for dinner last night. His MIL (that is, her mom) was over there. We watched Speed, had dinner, and had a ridiculous number of jokes. My brother was playing with candle wax, so his wife jokingly tells him he's acting like a kid. Then DH talked about soy candles where the melted wax can be used as massage oil...
Then her mom takes that and starts talking about sex candles! It was somewhere between horrifying to be discussing sex in front of my big brother and hilarious. It's always nice to know for sure that the hubs really blends well with my folks.
Also, DH and my brother were making jokes about those Topsy Turvy planters and making money.

I love my family.

On that note, I'm gonna get back to bonding with the hubs.

Also, 58 days to Disney's Princess Half Marathon!

"If there's a prize for rotten judgment, I guess I've already won that"

Note to self: Blogging inspiration may strike, but doing it while tired probably isn't the greatest idea. Hence the title coming from a Disney song.
"I Won't Say (I'm in Love)" from Hercules, if you hadn't figured it out.

And yet I can guarantee it will happen again.
Nothing says dedication like writing a blog and then dozing off in the middle of a sentence, right?

DH and I got up today and, after seeing my dad for a little bit (me getting the usual Holiday Barbie of the year, DH getting a tie chain, my dad getting some landscaping gloves and heavy work gloves) before he and his go out of town, I felt it: the inspiration to run. The desire to run.

Granted, I felt it a little last night, but I've been so tired lately that it just wasn't gonna happen.

So I got up, got ready... Realized I hadn't eaten at ALL, despite having been up for a couple hours already (see: not good), had a bagel thin with peanut butter, digested for a little bit... And I ran :)

I don't know what it was today, but hitting that 4.01 miles on the treadmill (yes, that "dreaded" thing for some people - I rather like it)... It wasn't bad. Really. Considering my last run was 2 weeks ago and I don't think I even made it to 3 miles, and before that I think it had really been over a month... It was pretty dang good.

I keep telling myself to not be disappointed, that 13.1 will come sooner than I know it - and it will, as long as I keep working toward it.

It has come to my attention that, with the exception of a few months ago where I hit somewhere around... Honestly, I don't remember. According to my watch it was 6.79 miles, so in reality it was probably between 6.25-6.5 miles?? But basically I'm normally somewhere around 4-4.5 miles, on average.
I think maybe part of it is related to the training program I've been using, seeing as when I hit the 6+ miles I was also doing the longest run of the current program.

By the way, I don't regret these compression calf sleeves. Not for a minute. It's been a couple weeks, so I was expecting a little bit of the awful itchy leg... Nope. Not a bit. I am so psyched about these sleeves that I would love to go get another pair, but for now I'm going to see how these shape up.

Bonus for the day: The hubs will be running with me quite a bit more in the future, starting tonight :)

Cross your fingers I don't fall out in that run! (Kidding! Well, sort of)

Wait, the world ended?

Well, it's after midnight on the 22nd of December here, so there are a few things that may (or may not) have happened:

1.The world didn't end. (my guess)

2. The world ended, and I'm a zombie. A really badass one, considering I'm typing and I'm not thinking about eating brains or anything.

3. Somebody effed up the date/time.

4. Someone thought it would be funny to freak out people with the Mayan calendar... Maybe even the Mayans thought it would be funny.

The couple days leading up to "the end of the world" were pretty interesting. And by that I mean "we had a freaking blizzard". And everybody forgot how to drive. I've lost count of the number of cars I've seen beside the road and the number of accidents holding up traffic since the snow really started coming down on Wednesday.

Thursday, post-blizzard warning, was a freaking nightmare. I would've been more than content to keep my behind at home, curled up underneath a blanket, but for some reason the unpaid intern had to brave the nasty roads.

When I got to my internship, there were only 7 clients there. SEVEN! Usually we have somewhere around 125-150 or so at any given time.

On the drive home I had to brave a clover leaf. The whole drive was probably safer than if I'd taken the city streets to get home, but the clover leaf was terrifying. You know that feeling when your car starts sliding/fishtailing a little bit - in the middle of a curve?

Yeah, well, I do. It was a moment of minor terror I would not wish on anybody.

After getting safely on the interstate I was rolling along at a pretty good (see: safe and efficient) clip, when I realized the cars in the far left lane were pretty much stopped. No clue what the accident was there, but there were a couple cops and people were slowly getting through. Then on the highway I passed two cops preceding a 5-car pile-up,  and then ANOTHER cop!

I wouldn't say I'm superstitious or anything, but knock on wood that neither DH nor I end up in a situation like that (or anyone else, for that matter).

It must be time for bed. I forgot what I had to say.

OH! I *finally* found some recovery compression calf sleeves. Scheels Sporting Goods had them for cheaper than I've seen any other place. I'm wearing them right now, actually, and I feel GOOD.

Ok, NOW I'm out. But with one last parting shot (well, two, really)

1. 

2. I'm looking forward to NOT having "It's the End of the World as We Know It" stuck in my head. I don't even know all the words to it, but I'm sure that based on the title of the song you may have some sort of idea ;)

Goodnight!

Know thyself

Never have two words been uttered so often.

"Know thyself."

I'm pretty sure they're engraved on my brain at this point in my life. I'd heard them many times throughout undergrad and I occasionally hear them in grad school.

"Know thyself."

But what does it really mean?

For years I've been encouraged to become aware and maintain awareness of my strengths and weaknesses. To know my limitations, to test my boundaries... To increase my awareness of who I am as an individual.

And never has it been more apparent to me, and also more confusing.

"Know thyself."

Ok, maybe not as confusing as identifying myself as a teenager. Somewhat.
...
Ok, maybe it is a bit more confusing. It seems that I'm far more aware of who I am and what I want in my life.

But now I'm also more aware of the boundaries that I have to heed.
Life isn't infinite.
It's important to not burn your bridges unless you're for sure done with them. And even then... I'm learning more to hold my tongue and smile even when displeased with someone or something. And let's face it, I'm getting better at being cordial to someone's face... Without feeling like I'm going to be massacred in the process. Being able to receive some genuine enjoyment out of the interaction, appreciating it for what it is.
I have to pay bills. What a damn shame.
I can't do everything. Well, I can, but now I have to be more cognizant of the rules and limits surrounding what I want to do. That is, I always did, but as an adult sometimes I have to rely on myself to bail me out. Haha?

Although there is no limit on how old you can be before you stop enjoying Disney movies. Thankfully :D
DH and I just finished watching Hercules, and I'm tamping down the urge to sing along. We'll see how long that lasts.

"Know thyself."

Even though it can be a major pain in the tuchus (hello, paying bills? Or HF&Ds, or hellfire and damnation, as my father so eloquently refers to them), the process of growing up has been enjoyable. More so after high school, and the continuation of my growing and maturing (and the occasional backslides into immaturity. Everyone needs one now and then!).
I'm realizing the boundaries and limitations of some things (for example, needing a tax ID to start my own photography business, and needing to enhance any skills first!), but I'm also realizing things that I truly enjoy.

I joked about becoming a counselor at first.
Hello, why not get paid to have people tell you their problems when they do it anyway?
I've grown to realize that not only is it something that calls to me, I absolutely love it. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm highly introverted, and that being in crowded situations or with people I don't know or whatever can make me swear like nobody's business (which... I guess you probably didn't want to know and it probably ISN'T your business! Yay?), but interacting with clients is really wonderful.

What I'm getting at is that although there are things I have learned, I've still got a ways to go.
But I'm really enjoying discovering who I am as an individual, both personally and professionally.

"Know thyself."

Well, I'm kind of along for the ride, aren't I?

Moon Joggers?

I just signed up to be a Moon Jogger! The whole concept is pretty awesome.
You commit to walking, running, or jogging at least 1,000 miles in 2013. Or if you're REALLY feeling badass, you commit to walking, running, or jogging 2,013+ miles in 2013.
*Note: You can count miles done on the elliptical, too, if that works better for you.
**It's free. You know, in case you were worried about there being a cost to sign up and log your miles yourself, that whole shebang.
***You can also sign up as a family or a team, so that each person's miles contribute to the total of 1,000 or 2,013 miles. Yay for team spirit? So if you're competitive with your friends/family/significant other, say hello to some bonding time and competition!

There's a video on the Moon Joggers blog that explains it a bit more. It's just under 239,000 miles to get to the moon, so their goal was to have at least 239 people sign up. Well, they've got at least 388 participants right now (including the sister-sister team that started it) and they need less than 100 more participants in order to get to 478 participants...
It'd be pretty cool to run to the moon, but I like the idea of being able to run to the moon and back. Nothing like being able to get home, huh? ;)

But the (hopefully obvious) catch is that it's not something you can do alone. It HAS to be done with others... I mean, unless you want to try running nearly 655 miles a day for a year, but that might be pushing it!

I admit it, I'm going for broke and trying the 2,013 Ultimate Moon Jogger challenge. I've done the math and it doesn't look bad. It definitely gives one the opportunity to step it up. It also gives me even more incentive to work toward Disney, and maybe see what else I can do. We are less than 10 weeks out from the Princess Half! I'm feeling pretty encouraged, both about the half and about the whole Moon Joggers thing.
I'll be doing the Moon Joggers thing with my lovely running buddy/one of my best friends, but we'll be doing it as individuals so we can both get to 1,000+ miles (or, her to 1,000+ and me to 2,013). I'm also trying to get the husband into it, but we'll have to see how that one goes! Haha

If you love to walk, jog, run, use the elliptical, what have you, definitely check it out :)
Aaaaand goodnight! :)

"We built this city on rock and roll!"

I must say, the last 24 hours have been extraordinarily good to me. I've been rocking out to Rock of Ages since I did my hair last night, hence the post title.

I relaxed my hair last night... Got it all nice for the hubs's graduation tomorrow! Now I can comb my hair without wanting to cry!! And I managed to come away with only one burn that doesn't really bother me, which is always nice when compared to the alternative. And it's easy to not realize just how long my hair has gotten, especially since last September it was chin-length(ish) in the front and a bit shorter in the back.
(See the picture included. My hair does not normally look that nice... This is easily the best relaxer I've ever given myself.)

Today was just all sorts of full of positive surprises.
At my internship I lead one of the (mental health) Relapse Prevention groups and... It went over SO much smoother than I'd thought it would. It's to the point where we're going over a lot of the same things each time, but it really depends on how you manage to spice it up. We spent a lot of time talking about triggers and how things can snowball from little problems to huge problems. Complete with a bad dry erase board drawing illustrating things snowballing, and verbal descriptions of what was going on throughout the day to encourage said snowball effect.
We were having grilled cheese for lunch (or rather, grilled ham and cheese), and I used that as one of the examples. Everyone in my group likes grilled cheese (as far as I'm aware. But who doesn't? Haha) and so one of the examples was "You get to lunch... And they've just run out! So now you're in an even worse mood."

And then, yes, lunch was grilled ham and cheese. It was wonderful. They also had vegetable beef soup, and one of the staff members has a box of the mini Premium-brand saltine crackers, and she shared :)

The exciting part to lunch (other than the sandwich, of course!) is that I'm learning names. There are about 300 consumers at our location, and I'm on a team to work with about a third of them... But it's important to know every consumer. And I was pretty on the ball with names. There are still some that I don't know, but it was really good. Better than a month ago, that's for sure.

In my recreational therapy group... I actually had people! It was right after lunch, so usually a lot of the people have headed home or are getting started with clean-up or something. One time I had only ONE person show up for the first 5-10 minutes.
That one's a hard one to navigate because I have TONS of activities to do, but I have to pay super close attention to how many people are in the group to determine what we can do. But today I had about ten people! The activity we did was just a fun 12-item survey about Christmas, which encouraged reminiscing. After we filled out our answers we talked and laughed, learning who's been hit in the face with a snowball, if anyone's ever seen a partridge in a pear tree, and who was ever afraid they would die when sledding. It was a great conversation piece.

Afterward I made my outreach calls and did my documentation, and now I have over 1/4 of the hours I need for my internship... By graduation time in MAY! I'm feeling good about this, and I didn't hear people griping at each other about who said what (ok, I did hear it, but I'm in such a good mood it's easy to forget, and there wasn't much of it anyway).

Then I learned how to lock up, even though the intern has no building keys (lol?), and bought me and my husband some of McDonald's Peppermint Hot Chocolate on my way home... Now if only he'd get here to drink his, because mine's almost gone and I'm not going to take his! I just love this stuff.
(And... A picture! Lol)

And to top it off, my husband's bringing me dinner. Nice, huh?

Oh, and my fudge and peanut brittle from two days ago that I fixed last night? Turned out wonderfully. Set just the way I wanted them to. I probably heated the peanut brittle a little too much, as there's somewhat of a smoky hint to it now... And maybe I should've lined the fudge pans with foul... But they're pretty good, so I'm not complaining!
(And... Yet another picture!)

Well, that's all, folks! Just another day in the life :)

I feel like a kid on Christmas!

That fudge I made last night? (That is, the night of the 12th)

Yeah, one batch didn't set well at all and the other was only PARTLY the way I wanted it to be, but not hard enough at all.

So fabulousness of all fabulousness, I just decided to stick both pans in the oven!
No, I haven't burned them. Yet ;) They seem to be coming along fairly well, as far as I've checked, so I've got pretty high hopes that they'll set just the way I want them to after this round :)

...
I also had to do the same thing with my surviving peanut brittle. It turned out perfectly except for one eensie weensie little detail: as soon as I got it out of the cold and into a comfortable room temperature, the stuff took that as a cue to melt all on itself. And I'd already had it broken apart.
So what did I do? Shove the (microwave-safe) bowl the pieces were in into the microwave. So far, so good. I've already laid it out onto a baking sheet and stuck it in the fridge. We'll see how it goes when the next hour or so has passed.

Alright, time to check on the fudge.

Note: Fudge and peanut brittle are two things that should NOT be made during finals week, especially during the same night. They require absurd amounts of attention, and apparently far more heat and stirring than the recipes specify. Seriously, "stir constantly"? That only tells me so much.

(Also, I'm DONE with school for the semester! YAAAAAY! Although I would've loved it if these desserts would've been available for my classmates to eat at that time, but, uh... I wouldn't feed anybody food I was embarrassed of. lol?? And my wonderful husband graduates from college TOMORROW, as it is after midnight on Friday here!)

Ok, for real this time. I'm going to check on the fudge. Here's hope that A) it's doing amazingly and B) I haven't burnt the bajeezus out of it. Cross your fingers! :)

"You're a great guy. A little too emotionally unavailable, if you ask me."

I vaguely remembered hearing a quote that had "emotionally unavailable" in it and, upon a quick and dirty little Google search, I came up with a quote from the movie Friends with Benefits.
Helloooooo, Justin Timberlake! Ow ow!

Ok, enough of being a preteen again. Some parts of that I could live without.

"Emotionally unavailable" and similar terms have been going through my head since about 5:50 this evening. During my Multicultural final my grandma called and left a message letting me know that my great-grandma (her mom) had passed away.

To be completely honest, I'm unsure of how I feel about this.

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love my great-grandmother. She was quite the sweetheart. I wish she had gotten to meet DH before her passing - I'd hoped to be able to get out there in November 2013 for a race going on out that way.
All the same, that side of the family I haven't really been "close" to (or "close-ISH", anyway) since about the 4th grade, when we got stationed about 1,000 miles away from there as opposed to 200-300 miles away depending on the route you would take.

And so I have been wondering if I'm "emotionally unavailable", at least on this particular subject.
I even thought "Well, I will never forget the date she passed. 12/12/12. Way to make it memorable, Grandma ____."
But then comes the part of trying to determine if that's being insensitive or if it's just a nice, memorable way to acknowledge the whole thing...
And the sad/funny/ironic/UGH! part of it all is that around the time of day that my grandma said my great-grandma passed, I'd been thinking about giving my grandma a call since I hadn't talked to her in a while. I'd also thought about it late last night.
Part of me is wondering just how coincidental that actually is. And I hear it much louder and clearer than I normally would, considering the bit of Skinnygirl White Peach Margarita mixed with apple juice that's floating through my system.

I haven't heard from my grandma since I got the message, even though I called her back right after my final. I'm definitely going to call her tomorrow, either in the morning or after I get done at my internship to see what's going on.
I hate that DH and I will likely be going to visit family because of a funeral... We'll have to see how that goes.

I have to wonder when I'll actually realize it, or if I already have. Whenever I think of my great-grandma, I think of where her house is situated in relation to everything around her place. The Burger King and the KFC that I always recognized as landmarks, even though I was too young to really be able to place anything else in a place that I only saw when we visited once every other month or so, or even less frequently.

We'll just have to see what tomorrow brings, I guess...

Sweet, sweet finals week

How nice of you to notice my terrible pun!
Because let's face it: there's nothing sweet about finals week.

Well, unless you want to count being closer to being done with the semester. And being closer to graduation, whenever that may come.

Speaking of graduation, my husband graduates from college on Saturday! THIS Saturday! I'm so proud of him that it's pretty ridiculous. I really do think I'm more excited about it than he is.

And two other things that are sweet about finals week: two batches of peanut brittle, and two batches (six pounds) of fudge made.
Although, since we're talking about how finals week isn't sweet, let me rephrase that: Of the two batches of peanut brittle I made, I effed one up. As in, I had to throw it in the trash. Wax paper doesn't work on everything, so it seems, especially when the peanut brittle is ridiculously hot. And I burned myself while making the fudge. Minor burns, but still. And the kitchen is a little more of a wreck than it was before, considering all of the dishes I used for this... DH is on campus finishing some programs for one of his classes, and when he gets home I have a feeling he's just going to look at the kitchen and wonder what the heck I've been doing, seeing as there's chocolate/marshmallow cream mix on the stove and a stack of dirty dishes that, I admit, I have no intention of doing tonight. Nope. Not at all.

I would take pictures of said fudge and peanut brittle, but I don't think I should be showing my dirty kitchen off to the world. It just... Wouldn't be right.

Oh! Lesson for today: If you're going to make two batches of fudge at one, do NOT let the ingredients fool you. USE. A. REALLY. BIG. POT. As in, take the "large" pot that you usually get in a set (the giant thing that can fit spaghetti noodles comfortably without being too big)... And then get one larger. That marshmallow cream was no joke!

On a non-food-related note, I took my last "final" final today.
On a semi-food-related, I have a final in the form of a paper that's due tomorrow, and I put off completing it so I could make, you guessed it, a ridiculous amount of peanut brittle (which isn't so ridiculous, now that over half of it's in the trash) and a FAR more ridiculous amount of fudge.

Well, DH just got home and he must be used to me making a mess in the kitchen or doesn't think it's a big deal or something, because he just shrugged it off.
And now we're back to homework.

Oh, who am I kidding? I'm going to procrastinate some more.

Ah, the life of being a (grad) student.