Friday, July 30, 2010

I'm Moving Out

Well. I've decided to join the adult world of lease signing and rent paying.

Circumstances surrounding my current housing got a little unpredictable and I just got a great raise from my great boss, so starting today I'm in the process of moving! I'll once again be a Missouri resident. I'll be the same distance from work and school and closer to the things that matter most (the majority of my family, my boyfriend, an Zona Rosa). I can't wait to get all settled in.

I'll be rejoining the world of North Kansas City. I won't have to say I live in Gardner anymore.

I'm so happy.

Monday, July 19, 2010

This is the countdown; You see our time is running out.

I love looking forward to things.





I exhibit this love through countdowns (which works well because I also love counting things - Ah ha ha ha ha).






Here are a few countdowns in my life right now:





73 = Days until my 26th birthday. I've been looking forward to being 26. It seems like the perfect age to me because it is more mature sounding than like 23 but still young enough to be fun.


48 = Days until the Chiefs home season opener on MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL


38 = Days until the official start of the Bearcat Football season. It's an away game but still exciting.

29 = Days until SOMETHING CORPORATE!!!! IN KANSAS CITY!!!


19 = Days until NFL preseason officially starts (Can you tell I'm ready for football?)


11 = Days until my next fun weekend trip with the boy (we're going to Iowa with his family to watch a NASCAR race. I'm viewing it as a unique people watching opportunity and will be sure to have earplugs handy. Please don't judge me.)
3 = Days until I get a few weeks off of school before the fall semester

That's all for now.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Runnin' Runnin'

2010 has been a banner year for me thus far. I can’t possibly imagine it going better. In the spirit of great things, I’ve decided to actually train for and run the Kansas City Half marathon this year. In 2008 (a mostly dismal year aside from the running season) I ran it, but my training was definitely sub par. I ran a bunch of 5ks and 10ks that summer, but really maybe ran only once in the 6 weeks prior to the half. I ended up finishing with a 2:09 which is just under a 10 minute mile. That’s quite respectable, especially considering my lack in training. I’ve been very out of practice in the running game since then, but I’ve picked up a little bit to prepare for the “Hannibal Cannibal” 5k that I ran on the 3rd with the boyfriend.


That run made me remember what I like about running (even while I was cursing my way up Lovers Leap – a harrowing quarter mile hill of steep calf killing hell). The sense of accomplishment I feel after finishing a “race” is incredible. I put race in quotes because, well, I’m not in any way racing against the other people so much as I am racing myself in order to improve. I’m not on the competitive level as far as ability and speed go. It’s not the same thing as running a distance by myself because it’s so much more tangible and official. I get a number to wear, there are people all along the course cheering me on (and motivating me not to stop) and the other runners near me give me just enough of a competitive edge to push myself. I love seeing my times improve. After I ran the KC Half in 2008 I was sore for 3 days (thanks to my poor training) but I loved saying “I ran a half marathon!” 13.1 miles! It’s not as difficult as it sounds and it’s an AWESOME feather in the cap.

I’ll be using the FIRST training program. Here’s the link to the Runners World ½ marathon adaptation of it:

I like this because it’s a 10 week program (giving me 4 weeks from now to just get into the habit of running a few days a week first) and it’s only 3 days a week of running, which is the most difficult kind of workout to fit into my schedule. The other days are rest and cross training days. I’ll probably do some strength training on my cross training days to balance out all the cardio. That’s easy to get done at home with videos.

I’m looking for running buddies in the race, but my schedule probably precludes me from actually getting to train with anyone. I’m going to be doing the program with the goal pace matching my last half (9:52-ish/mile). I’d go for an improvement (and I still might kick it up – who knows) but I really did take like a year off of running after the half last time (busyness happens.) and I would be happy just to get back to where I was. I don’t want to shoot too high and be disappointed.

Anyhow, if you’re happening upon this blog and would like to run with me at that pace on October 16,2010 – hit me up.

Tuesday, June 29, 2010

eensy weensy spider

My most recent project has been working on getting everything out of my basement. This serves two purposes: 1. I'm getting rid of a ton of junk I haven't so much as thought about in 2 years. 2. I'm preparing for a likely move in the future, by clearing out so that the basement can be power washed.

I spent a couple of hours on it last night before giving in for the night and going to sleep. I'd get it done a lot quicker if I didn't frequently feel the need to spend several minutes kicking boxes to make sure that no mice ran out or if I didn't practically burst into frantic tears every time I saw, thought I saw, or thought I felt a spider or any other insect on or near me. It's actually pretty hilarious. It's comedy at it's finest. I'd seriously consider taking the act on the road if I weren't so traumatized.

I just keep reminding myself how wonderful it will be when it's done. I've got about an hour of work left on it. Then, I get to focus on a more fun type of cleaning: sorting through all of my clothes. There's a job.

Monday, June 28, 2010

freeze frame time

As promised, here are some pictures to represent my life as of late:


Girls night out with Cate and Ash. It was a good time.


Memorial Day Weekend at the lake with my family. Sister pic on the boat.
I tried my hand at tubing for the first time in over 10 years. I'm proud to say I lived through the experience.


Here's a sweet picture of my nephews while we were waiting at the airport for my cousin to return from Scotland.

Too sweet not to share.

Nathan had a birthday. It was adorable.

Favorite cousins! We were at her sister/my other cousin's graduation party.
I got a new nephew! He's very handsome.


Also, I've been spending a lot of time with this guy. He's pretty handsome too.

Wednesday, June 23, 2010

oh baby baby

Dear World,

Meet Colten James French

I apologize for the mess you made when your heart melted all over the floor.
Love,
Me

Monday, June 21, 2010

I live because I love to

Oh hey. Is this thing on? It appears that I've been a bit distracted over the past two months with work, school, and boyfriend. No, that last one wasn't a typo.

Anyhow, these various activities have proven to be quite time consuming, though I've certainly had quite a few things to blog about... I guess. My problem is that I'm not sure if the fun things going on in my life are necessarily blog worthy. I'm a 25-year-old grad student with a job and a boy. And a couple of cats. There are a million other people out there like me. I'm not embarking on any specific life adventure like cooking my way through Julia Child's cookbook. I don't have kids to post adorable pictures of or a fantastic camera to use to take cool pictures of random things. I don't have the trials and tribulations of a new marriage yet... I'm just a girl figuring things out. So, here's just a quick update on the biggest thing's in my life, for those of you who may be interested:

1. Grad School: I finished the Spring semester with my 4.0 in tact. I'm currently taking Theories of Group Therapy as a summer class. It's pretty low key, and one night every other week I actually am part of a group going through the process. It's very interesting. In August I'll start practicum, which is basically just logging a certain amount of hours with undergrad volunteers developing rapport and case studies. Then, in the Spring of 11, I'll begin my internship. I'm hoping to end up somewhere like TLC for families and kids. I've recently come to the conclusion that I'd like family therapy to be my primary focus. So many of our individual problems could be prevented if we all learned to communicate more effectively in love as a family.

2. The job: I still am doing really well at work, enjoying pretty much every day. My boss has numerously alluded to the loss he'll have when I finish grad school and pursue a career in the mental health field. I hate to disappoint him, but there is very little chance I'd stay once I'm done with grad school.

3. The family: We've welcomed a new little one, Colten James. He is PRECIOUS. It's going to be so nice having a baby around at all of our family gatherings. Thanks, Mike and Lisa, for the baby fix. Plus, FC Rachael is back from Scotland so that's good news.

4. The boy: Todd is a teacher and a coach and a pretty awesome overall person. We've almost been dating for 6 months (July 2nd is the day) and it's going well. I'll stop at that, lest I go into "that girl" mode gushing and mooning over him and us. Suffice it to say that I'm a fan.

There's the update. I'm heading to Monroe City in a couple of weeks to spend the 4th of July weekend with Todd and his family. He and I are going to run in a 5k that weekend and I am VERY out of practice. I've been working on hydrating and fueling properly all day today so that I can get a good hill workout in. I've got 2 weeks to be able to just complete it. Maybe I'll train hard enough to beat him. It's not looking too promising at this point. My next post will have more pictures.