Living in the Moment

Friday, September 13, 2013

Just Run

Last night, I had finally decided it was time for me to start to train for my marathon. Ever since my 1/2 marathon, I haven't had much motivation to run. For the first time in my life, running doesn't feel good. It doesn't feel right. I have always been a runner and it has been something that I have always enjoyed. But, it has always been something that I have been able to share with someone. I have always had a running partner. In college it was my best friend Amanda, we would run for miles and miles, make her dad go get us ice cream, and then run more. I truly believe that running is what made us best friends. I use to run when I was bored, run when I needed to think, and run to work out. I loved to run.

Fast forward to today, I am now living in Colorado. I am alone, I have no one to run with, and the altitude sucks. I am counting down the days until Joe is able to be home with me, this deployment is really starting to take a toll on me. I get out for a run and only make it a few miles because I don't love to run, I give up, and I tell myself that I can't do it. Have I mentioned that I can't breath? I think it is a combination of the high altitude and the clean air. I have gained a few pounds and it has just been excuse after excuse of why I can't run, why I shouldn't run, or I just don't want to run. My pace has gone from 8:30 to a 10:00 at best.

Yesterday I had lunch with a friend, got my oil changed, and took a nap. I woke up and decided that I can't live like this. I can't just sleep and eat. That will get me no where. I need to make the best of my time alone, I need to be the independent, strong woman that I know I am.

I decided it was enough with the excuses, I was going to run. I put on my old, go-to running shoes. It was raining so I didn't want to ruin the brand new shoes I just bought. I put on pants and a long sleeve and started on my run. It was sprinkling at this point and I felt good. I had some sweet tunes on and I was starting to get into a groove. I decided I would stay in my sub-division since it was getting dark. I took a turn and, at about the .75 mile mark, I fell.

I was in a bit of disbelief as I laid on the ground face down for what felt like eternity. My hands and knees throbbed as I pushed myself up. I walked for a few feet and then began to think about running. Why do I run, what do I get out of it, why was I so unhappy? As these questions flooded my mind, I made a choice that I would finish my run and re-dedicate my training for myself. I run for ME. It makes ME happy. I am unhappy because I am alone and I will not be alone forever. As I ran, I had a mixture of tears and rain flowing down my face. I began to think about the deployment and how lucky I am to have a supportive family, amazing friends (blog friends included), a job doing what I love, and a supportive boyfriend that is constantly supporting me. I am not alone.

I got back into my run and finished it, I finished the 3 miles I set out to run. I finished it for me. I can run and I am a runner. It is kind of sad that it takes me falling on my face to realize these things. But sometimes I guess it's great to start from the bottom and work your way up. My marathon is in early January and I know I can do it. I am excited to get back into running and I can't wait to share my love of running with Joe once he gets home.

Follow Me: BlogLovin / Twitter / Instagram

Wednesday, September 11, 2013

Painting with a Twist - Date Night

Right before Joe left for Afghanistan, we went on a date to Painting with a Twist! Painting with a twist is a group painting studio where you are given step by step instructions on "the painting of the night". The twists is the Wine and Beer that they sell.

I think Joe was a little bit thrown off when he first walked in. Out of 40 people in the room he was 1 of 4 men. That didn't stop his excitement. We found our seats, got our bottle of wine, and began to paint. I guess I should have started this post with letting you know that neither Joe or I have any artistic bone in our bodies. Our sisters both got those genes. I am crafty, but I can't draw at all. I was slightly nervous.

Our group of ~~women~~ people were all in good spirits. Everyone was ready to have a good time. We were given our blank canvas and instructed to paint our "Tree of Light". The first step was easy, just up and down, not much to it. Then the blending of colors came. The back ground was suppose to be a nice blend of blues, greens, and black. But mine looked like a blue background. I just went with it.

Next, we were given instructions on how to draw the body of the tree. This was nice because the instructor gave us line by line instructions, while still allowing us to make it our own. This is were things got funny. Joe, did exactly what the instructor said, he did not vary and it he did not make it his own. The instructor would give us 10-15 minutes to make it how we wanted it and Joe would be done in less then 30 seconds. I am not sure what that was all about. We were given the instructions on how to make the light and all the finishing touches.

Finally, our trees were completed and our wine bottle was empty. We let our painting dry and then took them home. Our paintings are currently at my parents house hanging in my room. I can't wait to go again when Joe is home, so that we can make some paintings for our home. I found it so funny that our paintings looked so different, even though we were given the exact same instructions.

I have to ask, which painting do you like better?

What was your favorite date night activity?
Have you ever tried a place similar to Painting with a Twist?

Follow Me: BlogLovin / Twitter / Instagram

Monday, September 9, 2013

Things I am loving about Colorado

I have been in Colorado for over 30 days now and I am really enjoying it. Here are a few things that I am currently loving about Colorado:

I am loving the mountains. It's so nice to look out my window and see Pikes Peek or go from a run and have trees all around. I am so blessed to live in such an amazing place.
I am loving driving in less traffic. Living in Los Angeles was great, but the traffic was horrible. It is amazing how much traffic can affect your mood. Last weekend I went back home and realized that traffic gives me so much stress. It is so nice to come to Colorado and have less traffic. I drive 70 miles to work and I don't mind the hour drive because I am actually moving.

I am loving my new friends. It is so nice to move some where and have friends instantly. That is kind of what happened to me here in Colorado. I had my Blogging friends Mal and Kaitlyn. Plus, I had a few other friends in the area. Some through mutual friends and family. Mal has been my go to friend her in Colorado, we have had many dinner dates, watched a movie, and just hung out. I am sure we will continue to be great friends. Kaitlyn has been amazing, she was my resource on Colorado before I even got here. Once I did get here, she invited me over to meet some of her friends.
I am loving my new job! I had been stressing about not working once I moved out here for about 6 months. Joe assured me that everything would be ok if I didn't have a job but I need to work for my sanity. I love working, it is part of who I am. I received the call almost 2 months ago and within a few weeks, I was moving to Colorado. Denver International has been amazing. I have learned so much about airport ops and my co-workers couldn't be any nicer. I am also loving my 3 day weekends! Working only 4 days a week is awesome.

I am excited to explore Colorado even more, once Joe gets back in November. This will be our first home together and I can't wait to make a ton of memories and share some of them along the way.

Do you know of anything fun we should do in Colorado?

What do you love about where you live?

Follow Me: BlogLovin / Twitter / Instagram

Sunday, September 8, 2013

Fall is in the Air! - Sunday Social

This Sunday, I am linking up with A Complete Waste of Makeup for her Sunday Social!

1. What is your favorite fall activity?
I really love Halloween and everything that goes along with it. Decorating the house, carving pumpkins, picking out a costume, and going to Haunted Houses. I also love pumpkin bread.

2. Do you follow a football team? If so, which one and why?
I don't really follow one teem per say. I just enjoy football in general. I really love going to a game. Nothing feels more like fall then tailgating, sitting at a stadium, and watching football. I even like going to Buffalo Wild Wings so that Joe can keep track of his fantasy football team. (don't tell him that because that will give him the excuse to do it ever weekend)

3. What is something fun about fall in your area?
We just moved to Colorado, but last year we came out to check out the area. We went to the BEST haunted house ever!! I just happened to pick a house that is at the same exit as this amazing haunted house. I am also really looking forward to experiencing my first real fall. I am excited to see the leaves change colors and actually feel the need to layer. Who knows, with fall in the air I might actually get into the whole Starbucks pumpkin latte craze!
4. What are your favorite fall staple outfits?
Boots, sweaters, and light jackets!! I have never had a real fall ( I lived in California and Florida my whole life) so I am really excited to experiment with layers and really cute fall outfits.
5. What things are you looking forward to most about this coming fall season?
I am really looking forward to Joe coming home from Afghanistan. This deployment has been way too long and I am ready to have Joe back home. I am sad that he will miss Halloween and his birthday, but I am so thankful that he will be here for Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite fall holiday? Tradition?

Like I said above, I really like Halloween. But, nothing beats getting permission to eat whatever you want and as much as you want and being able to spend time with your family and friends. So, it would have to be Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for so many things and what a better way to celebrate it with the people I love and care about eating food.

What do you love about Fall?

Any advice on what I should wear to keep warm this fall?

Follow Me: BlogLovin / Twitter / Instagram

Friday, September 6, 2013

California to Colorado - H54F

This week has been so much fun. I was lucky enough to get to go back home to LA for the weekend to spend some time with my family. Mid week I was back to Colorado and back to reality. This week I am linking up with Lauren Elizabeth for H54F!

1. The main reason for my trip to LA was to run the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my mom and sister. You can read the recap of the race here. I am so happy that I was able to run a race with both my mom and my sister.

2. On Monday, my parents took my middle sister to back to college and I got to spend the entire day with my little sister. We started the day at the Aquarium of the Pacific, took a boat ride in Long Beach, then met some aviation friends for dinner. It was so much fun to spend the day with her.

3. Tuesday morning I woke up way too early and caught a flight back home to Colorado. LAX was a nightmare, the TSA line was a 2 hour wait. I got in to Denver around 10am and went straight to work. I had a 12 hour shift at work but spending the weekend with my family made it so worth it.

4. I love Joe! He is the best. I causally said that I really like Justin Timberlake and that I would love to see his concert. I didn't think much of it, but Joe surprised me with tickets to his 20/20 Concert in Denver!! I am so excited and so spoiled.

5. I received my VoxBox this week! It was actually filled with a ton of really great products and I can't wait to do a few product reviews.

My new schedule is kind of amazing/sucks. I work 4 days a week 10 hour days, which means I have 3 days off a week in a row! But...My work week is Friday to Monday. So, tomorrow is my "Monday". So long weekends, it was good knowing you.

What was your highlight of the week?

I hope you have a great weekend!

Follow Me: BlogLovin / Twitter / Instagram

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Disneyland 1/2 Marathon Recap

My legs are finally free from soreness and I am officially back to my normal everyday life. This past Labor Day weekend I ran the Disneyland 1/2 Marathon with my mom and my sister back in California. Overall this race was fun, but not as fun as the RunDisney events that I have ran in the past in Florida.

The weekend started with a trip to Disneyland to pick up our bibs and goodie bags on Saturday. The Fitness Expo was well done and had a lot of great vendors. I think I bought everything my little runners heart desired. A new running watch, a few Sweaty Bands, some really cute running tanks, and some cliff gels for the run. This year the race shirts were orange and huge. I ordered a small, thinking that it would fit ok, but turns out they were a mens small. The shirt is so big, I didn't even bother to bring it back to Colorado with me. After the expo we "carbed up" with spaghetti and meat balls with lots of bread. After a yummy dinner we went back to our hotel room to try to get to bed early.

The morning of the race quickly arrived. We set our alarms for 3:45am, we had to be in our corals by 5. It was dark when we arrived and not cold at all. We were place in coral E and didn't start the race until 30 minutes after the first coral started. It was a long wait. There were people everywhere, I believe

I was really excited to get going and wanted to break my PR. I tried to find the race totals, but was not able to find anything published. I saw numbers ranging from 23 to 23,000. So let's just say there were a lot of people. Once, we finally got to start the race I spent the first mile weaving in and out of people. This was my first mistake, I should have just slowed my pace down until I was able to break free from the crowds. My sister and I were running a 8:30 per mile pace for the first 5 miles, but we spent a lot of energy weaving in and out of people. The first 4 miles were spent running through the park. The entertainment was limited, but nothing compares to running behind the scenes and through 2 of my favorite parks.

By mile 6, I could feel the heat. It didn't help that by that point I was running on the streets on Anahime with little to no music or entertainment. In the Florida races I was entertained every mile and music could be heard through out the entire race. But, mile 9 made up for the lack of entertainment. At mile 9 we entered Angel Stadium and it was AMAZING. Hundreds of Boy Scouts and Girl Scouts were cheering me on as I enter the stadium crossed home plate and exited the stadium. I was on the jumbotron and the "fans" were going wild! It was by far my favorite part of the race. The remainder of the race was spent running back to the parks.

At the end of the race I did not break my PR. I could blame it on the huge crowds, narrow track, or the heat, but I won't. I wasn't prepared for the run. I need to re-focus on my training and get back to a schedule and prepare for the Disney World Marathon. My move to Colorado has allowed me to slack, but there really shouldn't be an excuse.

This race was a good one, just not my best one. I was able to run with both my mom and my sister, spend time with my family, and run through the park that I grew up in. It is always so much fun to be at Disneyland. Being at Disneyland takes me back to all of the memories that I have shared with my family through out the years.