Happy Halloween!

Halloween is one of my favorite days of the year.*  When else can you dress up like someone or something completely different? When else do people give you candy just for being cute?  It's a great day to shock or surprise people or just make them laugh a little.

I like that Halloween takes a little work and a little creativity.  I like that as adults, not everyone is into it.  It helps me identify "my kind of people" just a little easier.

Really, I know that no explanation is necessary. You people get me.

Jill's Personal Guidelines for Halloween Costume Greatness** 

1. Costumes should not come pre-packaged from the store. I can buy pieces to my costume, but buying the whole outfit is slightly cheating.
2. Following the rule above, the separate pieces of my costume should not cost more than $10-$15 total. My most expensive costume to date was last year's Diet Pepsi that rang in at about $15.  My cheapest costume was the Ipod from 2007, which cost me nothing. This year's costume cost me $1.71.
3. A better costume is one where people instantly know what I'm supposed to be.  This is not a requirement, but it generally makes for less frustrating day.
4. Think outside of the box. Objects are some of my favorite costumes, because they are unexpected.
5. No pain, no gain.  Awesome costumes can end up making it difficult to sit down or cause back or neck pain. It is worth it. Push through it.

What would a Halloween post be without some pictures? To see some of my favorite costumes, past and present, click "Read More."

One Year Ago

A cool thing about keeping up with this blog for more than a year, is that I can look back and see exactly what I was up to one year ago.

One year ago today I ran my first 10 k.  Read about it here.

Today, I could maybe run 1k. Certainly not 10.

That is sad, and it has the potential to get me down.  However, I'm going to choose not to focus on the negative.  I'm going to focus on my training plan. I will get back to running longer distances soon if I am persistent and persevere.

Watch me.

A Delightful New Breakfast

I've recently made a delicious new discovery. Butterball's fully cooked turkey sausage patties* (available in your local refrigerated section). 

Breakfast has always been hard for me. If you don't believe me, ask my mom.  I never liked cereal growing up or basically any other traditional breakfast foods. Somehow I convinced myself to eat Kashi GoLean Crunch cereal with almond milk for the past two years.  It's been mostly good, although it doesn't keep me full for very long, and I've been often tempted to skip it and grab something at a drive through on the way to work.

So for the past couple of months, I've been trying new breakfast options and this new find keeps me full longest, for the lowest calories and is tasty too.  I make two open faced sandwiches with the sausage patties on English muffins (or bagel thins) and give them a quick warming in the toaster oven (Don't worry, I remember not to use a paper towel in the toaster oven. I learned my lesson after I almost burnt down my dorm room senior year. That's a whole 'nother story, though.). Delish.  

Here's the calorie breakdown:

English muffin: 130 calories

One wedge of Laughing Cow Cheese: 35 calories

Butterball Turkey Sausage Patties: 110 for two

Total: 275 calories

There's a reason "breakfast is the most important meal of the day" became a cliche.  That's because it is.. It wakes up your metabolism, gives you energy for your morning and sets the tone for the whole day. What do you eat for breakfast? 

*Jimmy Dean has a similar product, but they were 10 calories more per serving.  

Thankful Thursdays: October 27

Let's get down to business. Today I'm thankful for:

Getting to spend the weekend with these people.

Look at them. Be honest. Aren't you jealous that you're not going with me?  Who wouldn't want to spend a weekend with my mom and dad? Plus, Dad's already promised me to grill out one night!

Halloween is coming up!

Okay, so this is going to be a pretty tame Halloween.  No big plans or elaborate costume, but we are dressing up at work on Monday and having an appetizer potluck lunch. Yum

Running

Yes, I am slow. Yes, I can not run far anymore. Yes, my breathing sounds like I need a puff on an inhaler when I'm done.  But still, there's just something about that feeling of accomplishment when you're done.  It's all about the challenge for me, I guess.

A vacation day tomorrow

I could really use a teleporter to get myself and my darling niece and nephew magically across six hours, three states and one time zone to see my parents.  BUT, in the absence of said teleportation, I will gladly drive six hours on well-used vacation day.

Reading

I've been reading a lot lately, because I had two rather large books come in for me at the library on the same day. I'm under pressure to get them both finished during my two week allowance. It helps that I did finish the first one over the weekend thanks to practically non-stop reading. What can I say? I'm a nerd. (P.S. Said books are the Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear. Both are recommended.)

Don't Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go

Last weekend I was talking with my friend Cindy about how I've been frustrated with my running and I've been allowing myself to skip my lunch time workouts because it's easier to not have to change clothes, get sweaty and then get cleaned up and go back to work all in one hour.

I said, "I wish I could just get up and workout before work. Then I wouldn't have to mess with the lunch time workout."

Cindy said, "Okay, I'll text you on Monday morning to get you out of bed early for a workout."

Come Monday, Cindy upheld her part of the bargain and texted me bright and early. I texted back "I'm awake, but I am not going running. My body just doesn't work like that this early. I don't know what I was thinking.I'll do it at lunch."

Seriously, what was I thinking?

Yes, it would be nice to knock out a workout first thing in the morning. Yes, it would be nice to stay in one outfit all day at work and not get sweaty. But you know what? I am not a morning person.

The lunch time workouts work for me. It's the best way for me to be consistent. Maybe I just needed a reminder of how great it is to not have to get up early or schedule a workout into a busy evening. Or how lucky I am to work about 30 feet from an amazing gym.

While the morning workout experiment failed before it ever really got started, it has helped me find my motivation at lunch time this week.  I've been rarin' to workout this week, and it's all because I fear if I tell Cindy I've been skipping my workouts again she'll start calling me before the sun comes up to make sure I fit in a workout.  And that's just not a pretty thought. (love you, though, Cindy! Let's run again soon!)

When is your best time to workout? Do you rise and shine and run?

The Eat-at-Home Bet

Weekends have always been the days I've allowed myself to splurge. I usually eat out multiple meals over the course of the weekend. I really think that was part of the reason for my success with weight loss. I wasn't on a diet 24/7. When I was doing my best with weight loss, I was strict during the week and allowed myself to go over my calories for two days each week, enjoying good meals, usually in the company of friends.

The problem is that lately I've been eating out more and more.  Weeknights, mid-week lunches and weekends, it was all fair game.  Heck, for the past couple of weeks I've had Moe's (my number one favorite restaurant) at least twice a week and usually two days in the row.  Not healthy.

So when I realized I had no big plans this past weekend - no birthdays to celebrate, no places to travel, no work obligations, no mud to slog through (thank goodness for a rest!), I issued myself a challenge. Could I go a whole weekend without eating out?

The answer: YES!  I actually can't believe I did it.  I was definitely strongly tempted more than once.  But I just kept thinking about all of the food I had in the fridge and about how I didn't want to lose this little bet with myself. I didn't tell anyone about the challenge, but I just didn't want to let myself down

And guess what else? It's Tuesday, and I still haven't eaten out. I'm on a six day streak!  This is so much better for me and for my wallet. Plus, it's given me a slight boost that I set a goal, a tough one for me, and I stuck with it and accomplished it.

Now I'm going to see how many days I can go without eating out. I'm not giving up on eating out forever; I know that kind of deprivation would just lead me to overindulge eventually. But I do want to be better about choosing when to eat out.  Meeting friends for dinner or celebrating birthdays or weddings are definitely  good reasons to eat out.  Grabbing take-out just because I feel like it when I leave work is not.

Thankful Thursdays: October 20

It's Thursday, one of my favorite days of the week. Plus, it's another Thankful Thursdays!

Today I'm thankful for:

Team Ridiculous

I wouldn't have been able to do the Mud Run without them. And without the Mud Run, I wouldn't have had these amazing stories and pictures and one fantastic accomplishment.

Someone Like You

I was hesitant to jump on the Adele bandwagon. Seemed like everyone just instantly raved about her, and I didn't really love her first song, "Rolling in the Deep." But this song came out and it just makes me want to sing along at the top of my lungs.  I also think it should be part of a movie montage.


Thankful Lists
I'm thankful that I've started this weekly ritual.  It's a great way to remind myself to look for the positives on a regular basis.


Battle Wounds

I'm thankful that I have some cool scrapes, but also that I came through the Mud Run with only these few minor scrapes and some dirty fingernails.

A video of the Mud Run

Kristy's husband Joe filmed the last few obstacles for us and edited it into a cool video.  Please keep in mind that the footage you are seeing was taken AFTER we'd been on the course doing similar for obstacles for TWO HOURS. We're moving pretty slow at this point, but you can see some of our awesome team work and a lot of mud.

Mud Run Guest Blog featuring Abi

I asked for a volunteer from my awesome mud run team to write a guest blog so that you guys could see the Mud Run from another's perspective. Abi volunteered and below is her top 10 moments of the Mud Run. For the record, many of her favorite things are mine too. I will forever have an amazing snapshot in my head of Abi being yelled at by Marines as she waited to jump in the muddy lake.  See that entry below for Abi's thoughts on it.

Mud Run Top 10 in roughly the order they occurred:

the atmosphere of the place
I arrived at the race before the others and got to scope it out on my own, which I loved.  I loved seeing so many people walking around covered in mud, the persistent thud of the bass from the very loud music, free stuff, including a free bottle of water with Philippians 4:13 stickered on it,  and being alone in a crowd.

my nap in the grass
Before the race started, Jill wanted to find the spectator areas, but I just wanted to rest.  So I curled up on the grass in the shade, using my hat as a pillow, dreamed of the race, prayed, and thought of the intros to Chariots of Fire and The River Wild, which I had watched the night before.

Amie's mojo
I had a reserve of enthusiasm going in to the race, but it was Amie's strength and determination that carried us through. She was always encouraging, always ready with a thigh to stand on to hoist us up, in addition to just being super strong.

getting to talk with Kristy
I did not know Kristy at all going in to the race.  We are friends on FB from Good Shepherd, but I don't think we'd ever had a conversation previously.  I was looking forward to getting to spend time with her, especially since she has been a mom a few more years than I have and because she is exceptionally beautiful, in a way that I have long thought must reflect what is inside her heart.  Anyway, running beside her and talking, particularly on the zig-zag path through the woods, was a peaceful, wonderful experience.

the muddy lake
I had considered going in to the race how to respond if a Marine got in my face and started yelling at me.  The only thing I had decided was that whether or not I obeyed his or her orders, I would strive to be loving and respectful.  We exited a water-filled z-trench and climbed a little hill. At the top of the hill were two marines.  At the bottom of the hill was a beautiful muddy water-filled hole.  I paused in awe of it.  I knew there would be swimming.  I knew the water would be cool and refreshing.  I knew I would enjoy jumping in from the top of the hill and splashing in the cool water.  Still, I paused.  The others went on ahead of me.  I did not move.  All this time a female marine was in my face, yelling at the top of her voice, "This is a mud run--run!  Jump!  Don't be standing there at the top of my trench!  Move!" and other such things.  Still, I didn't move.  I was laughing.  Laughing and laughing and laughing in the sunshine at the top of that little muddy hill.  Finally, the others made it to the other side and called for me.  I snapped out of it and jumped, and it was wonderful.

losing my wedding ring
This could be a much longer story.  The truth is that I would rather still have my ring, but the special thing is that Jill was with me when I bought it, and she was with me when it slipped off of my finger somewhere in the creek and went tumbling along the bottom towards the sea.  Both times we were on adventures.  That makes it special.

the wall/cargo net
These obstacles were my favorite because they were the only ones where teams helped each other.  After being hoisted up by my team, a strong guy lifted me (with ONE of his arms!) to the top.  Then, they helped a guy from another team up to the top.  With the cargo net, teams took turns holding the net taut to make climbing easier.

Jill carrying me on her back
The last obstacle required two pairs of teammates to carry each other for about 50 yards on their backs.  We had decided previously that Jill would carry me and Kristy would carry Amie.  It was difficult to stay on Jill's back because we were covered from head to toe with some slippery mud that Jill kept saying resembled elephant dung.  Anyway, when we were about halfway through, Jill said, "This is symbolic.  I am now carrying you for all the times you have carried me on my journey."  I laughed, but her words filled me with great joy.  I said, "I would kiss you but I don't want to get my hair muddy."  "You mean your lips."  "Yeah."  I was in bad shape at this point, and slightly delusional, but it was wonderful being with friends.

communal showers
If you have never taken a co-ed shower outside with about 50 partially clothed people, you can probably not properly appreciate this experience, but it is one I enjoyed most thoroughly.  Lines like, "Hey!  A bar of soap!  Who wants it?" and, "Did I get all the mud off of my ______?"abounded.  I think the world needs more communal showers.

chicken salad for the soul
It was Amie's dad's birthday, and her parents had brought the most perfect, sumptuous supper imaginable.  I think I ate about half a pack of Ritz crackers topped with Chick-fil-A chicken salad, all prepared by Amie as she and Jill recounted the highlights of the race to Amie's parents and my mom, and I recovered for my long drive home.  Listening to them do this is familiar to me--catching a shark, swinging on a giant rope swing, skydiving, and swimming beneath a massive waterfall have all elicited similar experiences that are a part of sharing adventures together... and something that brings me great joy.

Mud Run: in pictures

 Pre-race muscle posing rocks

So happy to be slogging through mud!

(Really, we were just excited to see our fans, I think)

Mud is hilarious

Amie, Kristy and I climb one of two fifteen foot walls.  Really, not a bad 

challenge, because the slats make them easy to climb. The mud covered 

hands, however, presented the challenge.

Future FB profile pic?

We are tough. And muddy.

Team Ridiculous

That Mud Run was both the hardest physical challenge I've ever done and one of the best days ever.  I'm going to try and recap it here for you, but it will be tough.

First, our team name.  I don't remember whose idea it was, and I had some team name envy when I looked over the list of teams. However, we were about halfway through the race when I realized it was the most perfect name possible.  Voluntarily crawling through mud and hoisting myself over gigantic walls is RIDICULOUS.  But we took each obstacle one at a time and we conquered them all only as a TEAM, which is what made it such a successful day.

Speaking of team, there is no way I could have done any of it with these four amazing women.

Team Ridiculous: Amie, Me, Kristy, Abi
I need to work on my tough face.

The key to the mud run was working as a team, and that is one of the things we did best.  Each obstacle we did together.  We mastered the cheerleader's tool of standing on the upper thighs of two friends to give  a boost on the climbing obstacles.Whether it was climbing over five foot tall walls (3), conquering the many over/under logs or the dreaded monkey bars, we did it all together by standing on the backs or the thighs of our friends.  The last obstacle we had to literally carry two team mates about 100 yards on our backs.  It was a very symbolic of how we accomplished the whole race.

Highlights

The cargo net was a favorite of some of my team mates.  We had to climb a cargo net, that was maybe 15 feet tall and loose at the bottom (which means it swayed when you hung on it.) At the top, you swung your leg over a log and then came down a similar net on the other side.  The great thing was, teams helped other teams here, by holding the cargo net taut.  I can't believe I completed this one and it wasn't even that hard.

The 10 foot solid wall was another great one where teams helped each other.  We boosted Abi up first and someone who was sitting on top of the wall from another team, just grabbed her arm and yanked her up.  She disappeared so fast, that person was strong.Then Amie and Kristy boosted me up, but they couldn't get me high enough for Abi to pull me up and I couldn't reach to grab the top.  In step two gentlemen who grabbed my feet, along with Amie and Kristy, and boosted my feet up over the top of their heads so that I could clamber up on top with Abi. From there, I pulled up Amie and Kristy as the two guys boosted them from the ground.  Then Amie and I reached over to pull our new guy friends up too.  

I absolutely loved this forever-long river obstacle.  It was only a foot or so deep, but the water was icy cold and so refreshing.  It also cleaned off the first few rounds of mud.There were logs buried in the river bed so often that you were continually tripping. I tripped once early on and landed face down in the water.  From then on, I floated down river, using my arms to propel me forward. It wasn't swimming, more like aggressive floating.  Anyway, it was way faster than the people who walked (which was everyone else except for Abi who took cues from me), because they had to go slow so they wouldn't trip on the hidden logs. I just floated over most of them. I felt like an alligator, floating along, with just my head out of the water, and loved it.

The steel cable crossing was also fun.  A steel cable stretched across a mud pit. There was also a slightly slack rope stretched across at head height.  You could hold onto it, but the combination of the two meant that you were continually swaying as you inched your way across.  I screamed every time I swayed, which I'm sure was entertaining for the Marine and other teams watching.  Amie started laughing, which made me start laughing, which made me almost fall off. Laughter is my Kryptonite!  Bonus: it was fun and I made it across without falling in!

Lowlights
I could not run much of the race in between obstacles. It is my one regret; that I didn't build up my running enough before hand.  Plus, I was continually drenched in watery mud or thick grey mud, which made running difficult and affected my attitude a bit.

The lame and sheer amount of hills we had to run up one side of and down the other.  There were several obstacles built around either running up and down the side of natural hill continuously or running up the side of a hill made from a load of dirt that had been dumped there for the mud run - and then down the other side.  These were not fun obstacles in any way, but they were tough, oh-so tough.

Other obstacles, there were many over/under logs of varying heights - from 3 feet off the ground (easy) to 5 feet of the ground (more difficult); there were many logs you had to crawl under in a pit of mud; there were many more walls of varying heights; there was a rope swing across a mud pit and a Tarzan swing across a mud pit (the Tarzan swing is pretty much impossible to do no matter how fit you are- you have to change ropes mid swing and continue doing this about six times).  When we fell in the mud pit at the tarzan swing we had to do 20 pushups as punishment for failing to complete the obstacle.

So you saw our team's before picture above.  I'll post more pics in a follow up blog later this week. But first, here's our awesome finish picture:

Me, Kristy, Amie and Abi, covered chin to toe in mud.

I've taken two showers, but I've resigned myself to the fact that I will be cleaning mud residue from my body for days to come.

I'm sure you can not possibly have any questions as I went into far to great a detail above, but if there's anything you're wondering let me know.  I'd love to answer any questions you have!

Today's the Day!

I got a fabulous night's sleep and woke this morning ready and eager to take on the Mud Run!

Secretly, I'm still nervous as hell, but here's my thought process:
1) This mud run is going to happen.
2) All four of us will survive.
3) We will have amazing stories and even better pictures.
4) I can't wait!

Have I told you there are 2,000 teams of four competing today? They stagger start all day long, beginning at 7 a.m. That means that as I'm writing this, already 500 teams have started.  And I still have to finish getting ready, meet up with my friends, DRIVE TO COLUMBIA and wait around for a couple of hours before I start.  Wow.

The cool thing is I know a couple of people who are competing too. Special shout out to this chic for getting her Mud on today. CRUSH it, Cindy!


That's all I got for now.  GO TEAM RIDICULOUS!











PS. My semi formal event was last night and I went with the purple dress. We pretended like it was prom and took pictures before hand. Plus, they had life-size cut outs of our school's first president and some of the women in uniform from the early days.  I really, really love life-size cut outs.

Thankful Thursdays: October 13

Today I'm thankful for:

The Moe's Coke machine
This beauty allows over 100 beverage combinations. My favorites are Vanilla Diet Coke, Cherry Vanilla Diet Coke or Peach Sprite.

That I got to see this cutie last weekend:


Pajama pants
I only wish it would become fashionable to wear them all day every day. Remember college when it was acceptable to wear them in public? Anyone?


Skirts
Even though the whether has turned cooler, I'm still hanging on to my skirt classics.  They're just so much more comfortable.


What are you thankful for this Thursday?

Mud Run: a Preview

To get you as excited and anxious as I am about Saturday's Mud Run, I thought I'd share with you some tidbits I've gotten from the race organizers either via their web site or by email.

First the training tips (I have done none of these things):
• Practice running in wet shoes and wet clothes. Jump into the ocean, river, shower or a pool fully dressed
and then go for your run.
• Train on dirt, mud, sand and through water.
• Run hills and stairs.
• Train harder than the actual event will be.

Other tips (thoughts from me in Italics):

Wear boots. The hills of dirt that you climb along the race have been known to eat a sneaker now and then
because they come off so easy.
(I'll be wearing sneakers. I can not imagine wearing any boots for five miles.)

Contact lenses can be a pain when mud gets in your eyes.  If you wear contacts, be certain to pack a spare pair and solution to clean as necessary after the run.
(A friend who's done the race before suggested we go without contacts or glasses. That's just not an option for this practically blind chick.)

Don't run through the middle of the creeks or mud pits where they can get deep; run along the shallowest sides (edges) of the water obstacles. There may be unexpected divots and holes in the creeks and in the mud pits; proceed with caution.
(Doesn't this sound like something on America's Funniest Home Videos? Running along and then all of a sudden you step in a divot and disappear?) 

This is just the tip of the ice berg. I have definitely not trained hard enough, but at this point it's a little too late to fix that.  I think I'll employ the "I'll just avoid thinking about it" tactic. That strategy worked with skydiving at least! 

Help Me Pick What to Wear

I need your help! I'm going to an event soon where the dress code has been specifically spelled out as "Semi-formal."

I have no idea what this means or if I have a dress that fits the bill. Here are my options (the pictures aren't great and I'm too lazy to try them on, so I will also describe them for you too):

Option 1: a strapless black dress with tiny sparkles in it. It is made out of rayon and polyester. I would wear a black shrug with this so that it would not be strapless. It comes to just above my knee, and is pretty form fitting and straight.  I have only worn this twice, once in Vegas and once at a friend's bachelorette party.

My thoughts: too sexy.

Option 2: A three-quarter sleeve black v-neck dress. This comes just below the knee, but is made out of cotton. I could dress it up with a scarf and boots? But it's still cotton.

My thoughts: too casual.

Option 3: a deep purple dress. This is a slight a-line dress that comes just below the knee. The label says it is polyester, but it feels nice and kind of slinky. It is sleeveless, and I would probably wear my black shrug too.

My thoughts: probably what I'll go with.

Option 4: a deep purple silk skirt that has sequins on it and comes to about my knee. It's quite cute. I would wear with a black top.

My thoughts: I like it and I've never worn it. Is it fancy enough?

I also have a prom dress from 1998, but I'm pretty sure that's over the top.Or I have a nice black skirt that's a little fancier than your average black skirt. Not sure what I'd wear with it. I will not be buying any new clothes for this event, either. 

I'm sorry I am bad at taking pictures of clothes and describing them, but I still need your help. Thoughts?

30/30

My co-worker and fitness goal twin*, Dre, recently set up a facebook group to encourage people to exercise 30 minutes a day for 30 days straight.

She started her pledge on October 1 and encouraged us to do the same.  At first I didn't think much of it, because I already get exercise in each week.  But on Sunday afternoon when I normally languish on the couch reading novels, I thought of the fb group and decided I'd rather do something worthwhile instead. So I went to the gym to swim 30 minutes. It made me feel great and re-energized me for an evening with my favorite teenagers.

Plus yesterday I skipped my lunch time workout to have lunch with my friend Kati, who I don't see very often. After work I had big plans to do a quick surface clean of the house and then lay on the couch in the company of James, my DVR. (Yes, he has a name. He's very important in my life.) Instead, I thought of the pledge and took Bonnie for a long walk. It was a great way to enjoy the near perfect temperatures yesterday.

Anyway, U.S. Fitness guidelines recommend 30 minutes of exercise a day, five days a week.  There are all kinds of health benefits associated with aerobic exercise, including living longer.  See the Mayo Clinic's Top 10 Reasons to Get Physical for more benefits.

If you're not currently exercising, don't start with 30 minutes a day. Start smaller and add to it as you get fitter. Or if you are currently exercising, but are somewhat sporadic in your efforts, make a goal to start a streak.  Try to do some form of exercise every day for five days. Sparkpeople.com recommends you start with 10 minutes a day.  Or take the plunge and pledge to do 30 minutes a day for 30 days straight.  So far, I'm going six days strong.

If you'd like to be a member of the 30/30 facebook group to get encouragement from others who've pledged the 30/30, let me know and I'll add you.


*She does not know, but I have decided we are fitness goal twins because we seem to do everything separately, but in tandem. We both started running about the same time, started training for triathlons about the same time and decided to do an obstacle course the same fall - she did the Warrior Dash a few weeks ago, my Mud Run is in a week (panic!) We choose these goals independently, but it is uncanny how they mirror each other. Although she is cooler than me because she is a certified Turbokick instructor.

Thankful Thursdays: October 6

Here's what I'm thankful for this Thursday.

Seasons
The cooler temps this week have me excited. Breaking out boots, scarves and jackets are a wonderful thing.  But it's not just fall that has me thankful, but the way the seasons change just when we most need them to, amazes me.  God planned his world perfectly, including knowing that we would need relief from the summer heat right about now.

Gas prices are coming down.

Amiright? Look at the prices last night. I love living in South Carolina.

 I get to see these guys this weekend.

My brother and his family are coming to visit, including three-year-old Caitlin and one-year-old Ryan. Adorable. And funny.

I think I've parked my lawn mower for the winter.
The last few times out my ol' push mower has been giving me lots of trouble.  I'm glad to be done with it for a few months. (I hope.)

Abi
One of my best friends who always talks me down from metaphorical ledges.

What are you thankful for this week?

My Next Big Thing

If you've known me for any length of time, you may have picked up on this subtle thing I do. If you haven't, don't worry. It's subtle.

I only have room for one major interest (my 'big thing'*, if you will) at a time. Whatever it is, it is all that I think about, all that I that I want to talk about. Most recently, my major interests have been (in this order):


The Office on NBC
Seriously. A few years ago it was all I ever talked about. Everyone knew how I felt and wanted to know my opinion on the latest episode. I rewatched the entire series every summer, researched the different DVD packages to purchase the best one and threw fabulous season premiere parties. Even John Krasinski stopped by at one...

But as the show grew less funny, I less wanted to be associated with it. Enter my stint with:

Karaoke
If you did not know me during my karaoke heydey a few years back, I can only say that I am sorry for you. It was spectacular.  Over the couple of summers when karoke was my 'thing', I performed many, many, many songs, but some of my favorites were "These Boots are Made for Walking," "Does He Love You?" and "Midnight Train to Georgia.

Exercise and Weight Loss
Then somehow, miraculously, I got onto the exercise and weight loss kick.  Once I made exercise a regular part of my life and lost about 30 pounds (which is when people started to notice), I became a big weight loss champion.  Lots of people asked for advice and I freely gave.  I eagerly worked out twice a day and got up early on Saturday mornings to meet people for longer runs.

That led to and overlapped with a bit:


Blogging
I'm kind of surprised that I took to blogging as well as I did, but it became very important, very quickly, to be a consistent blog poster.  I honestly don't know how I came up with enough blog topics to post as much as I have over the last year. For awhile there, I was trying new things (like rock climbing or farm fresh vegetable deliveries) specifically for the purpose of blogging.  It was great and opened me up to some new things.

But now I feel the blogging bug waning a bit.  Perhaps you've noticed too. I took a week off to rev up my mojo, posted consistently for a week and then have been rather spotty ever since.  I'm not saying I'm giving up on blogging, rather that it's just not the all-consuming force that it once was for me.

These "big things" that I have don't really seem to leave me, but my interest in them does fade over time.  Or if they do leave (scrapbooking and baseball fandom are all but gone), it takes a really long time. I certainly don't want to lose blogging or weight loss, but I'm just not as gung ho as I used to be.

The Next 'Big Thing'
For awhile I thought my next 'big thing' was going to be adventures.  Skydiving, triathlons, Mud Runs, all fell into this category for me.  In truth, though, I'm a bit of a scaredy cat and wouldn't try anything truly crazy (you're welcome, Mom). Plus, there's just not a lot out there that appeals to me and fits in my budget.

So now, I'm kind of at a loss.  I'm not sure what my next big thing will be. Really, it's not like I can pick it from a line up anyway. It has to be something that grabs me and consumes me, almost without me even realizing it.  But without a "big thing" in my life, I feel a bit aimless.  Like a karoke singer with out a microphone.

So here's hoping I figure it out soon.  And that it is something edifying that allows me to grow as a person, as the really classic 'big things' do.

Of course I'm always open to suggestions...do you have any hobbies or interests that have captured your attention and won't let you go?  Please share.

*Please refrain from any TWSS jokes.  I realize I've set you up well, but we're above that, people.