Running in Wonderland

Ever since I was little, my very favorite Disney movie was Alice in Wonderland. I was blonde, loved talking in an English accent, and identified with Alice's curiosity with getting lost in a different world. She was always looking for adventure, and that damned white rabbit. Plus, she was kind of a betch. I could totes relate.


Back in July, I suffered from major FOMO (fear of missing out) and decided to spontaneously register. Fear immediately gripped my stomach and I regretted it. For this non runner, I kept repeating the phrase "what have I done?". Side note: The Princess Half Marathon typically sells out in under 12 hours, and is non-refundable. You can defer for a year but you can never turn back...down the rabbit hole I fell.

13.1 Miles seemed impossible. But what did I learn from the doorknob? "Nothing's impossible." Cross-training. Running. Resting. Repeat. Ran the 10k with my bf and got an okay qualifying time which translated into being put into a pretty decent corral.  People wouldn't be sprinting out of the gate, but wouldn't be walking either. Unfortunately, my schedule fell apart and I was lucky to run 10 miles total for the week (thank you Georgia winters). I may not have been as prepared as some, but what I lacked in preparation I made up for with sheer excitement.


Naturally, I just KNEW I had to rep a character from Wonderland. Cheshire Cat was a solid choice, and in preparation, I put these bad boys on my Christmas list (thanks Momma Bear and Black Milk Clothing). However, Alice is my soul sista. If I'm running 13.1 miles at the Happiest Place on Earth, you better believe I'm doing it dressed as Alice. Huge shoutout to my talented friend Loren at Gameday Bows for my finishing touch, the white bow...it made the outfit.

Fast forward to Sunday, February 22nd. Alarm was set for 2am. Around midnight I was still tossing and turning, half excited and half completely terrified. I decided to mentally run all 13.1 miles to put myself to sleep. I visualized crossing each mile marker and gave myself verbal cues. I was soon fast asleep. Everyone says distance running is more mental than physical. And after this race, I believe it. My brain remembered the visualization from the night before, I smiled the entire race, every time there were people on the side, I instinctively ran on that side so I could get high fives and read the encouraging signs. My body could have given out at mile 2 from all the walking the days leading up to it, but my mind...nope she was dead set on finishing. Look how excited I was to be at Mile 11!

Someone else told me the last .1 mile is a killer. You know you're close...but dang, you've just run 13 miles. It was around this time an Epcot worker called out "Hey Alice...you just missed the White Rabbit...he's about a tenth of a mile ahead, what are you waiting for!" Thank you sir, just what I needed to finish. And finish I did. I think I cried when I crossed and then immediately went to get my pixie dust in my hair and my knees wrapped in ice.

As crazy as it sounds, I think I could do it again. Not anytime in the near future, but yeah, I could definitely do it again. A wise woman once said (spoiler alert, it's Alice), "sometimes I've believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast". Never was that more true than on the morning of my first half marathon. Crossing this off my list.

Until next time,
L

7 in 14: Get it Together

I did the math. And I'm not impressed. Seven blog posts in 2014. Seven. Siete. Sette. Sieben. Sept. What this really translates to is me needing to get back into gear with Number 35.

Enough with the self-hate, 2015 is about getting things done. And before I blast into this year and check off all my list has left, let me now update the world on things I have done the last two-ish months.

Spontaneity took hold of us, and I was lucky enough to accompany my life partner to San Francisco, my first time to The Golden State. After a heated debate, it turns out you cannot in fact go to the "top" of the Golden Gate Bridge. He was right. I'll give you that one. We did, however, walk the entire length of the GGB during our quick trip to Cali. All 3.4 miles of it. It was foggy and dreary and chilly but it was undeniably awe-inspiring.

I think my favorite part of our quick trip was the food. In-n-Out Burger was incredible. We ate at this little place, Blackwood, in Marina and feasted on "Millionaire's Bacon". I'm still having dreams about this sweet and spicy bacon. We also had the most amazing Italian donuts and sticky buns from the Ferry Terminal. I would love to eat my way around that city again.

Speaking of eating, this holiday season consisted eating our way through the South and beyond. Dubbed, our "Tour de Florida", we successfully visited 9 cities in Florida which included seeing our uber preggers friend with suicidal Yorkies (she gave birth the day after our visit - yay Charlie!), play time with the happiest one year old on this planet, a trip to Universal Studios with 2 hour Harry Potter waits, New Years Eve with the Italian Mafia and the worst DJ's in the world, and the best Italian food of my entire life.

During our "Tour de Florida", we took a vacation from our vacation and set sail for 4 days to Key West and Nassau. The highlights of the cruise included eating pizza every day, frozen bevs from Fat Tuesdays and Senor Frogs, having random people point out our lack of engagement/wedding rings every single day, and the ultimate present: Number 81, swimming with dolphins.

I know what you're doing right now. You're rolling your eyes. Seriously? You swam with dolphins? Are you five years old? Basically. This was the coolest experience of my whole life and I don't care who knows it.

I don't know if this next thing was on my list, but it should have been. I joined the 100 Club at Pure Barre Druid Hills. 100 classes may not seem like a lot to some people, and others are like "ummm I can barely get through a class", but I'm extremely proud of this milestone. My BFFE was there to help me celebrate, and of course she brought some bubbly. If you're feeling brave, meet me at the Barre. I'll be the one in the fancy 100 Club sticky socks.

I'll have a good deal more to blog about next week, after I tackle my first half marathon. Wish me luck.

Until next time,
L

It's Been a Long Time, I Shouldn't Have Left You

I swore to myself that I would be really, really awesome at keeping up with this whole blogging thing. I'd like to turn to the evidence - Number 35 ("Start a blog and actually keep up with it").  And then life got in the way. So let me just catch you up on things I've been doing since my last post in July.

To start, the bf and I celebrated two wonderful years together. He thoughtfully planned a stay-cation which included dinner at an authentic Italian restaurant, winery tours, and Number 43, horseback riding in the mountains. His horse continued to take him into the trees, which was quite amusing. And me, I could have stayed on mine for another hour or two.



Next, we made a trip down to sunny Florida for my 10 year high school reunion. Number 91: complete. I attended my high school reunion without completely hating it. Cons: The parade was ungodly hot and we were the last float (yes, I said float....perks to being raised in a small town. The city literally shuts down for the homecoming parade). Pros: I got to hang with my high school besties, catch up with people I haven't seen (except on facebook) in 10 years, and I even got to dip outta there early so I could attend another friend's wedding an hour away. And Freddie got to go to the beach for the first time. Seeing a tiny eight pound Papillon chase the waves is the equivalent of baby giggles....it's just precious.

Then came Number 74, host a themed party, or as I like to call it "Fall-o-Ween". Somehow twenty of my closest friends decided to come over on a Monday night, carve pumpkins, eat spooky treats, and get back home by 10:30pm. Wasn't the rager I was hoping for *sarcasm inserted* but it was a wonderful time. Please take time to "oooooooh" and "ahhhhhh" over my decorations, food, and the Jack Skellington pumpkin carved by my perfectionist of a life partner. Did I mention, Halloween is my favorite holiday? Just in case that wasn't evident.

If you'd like your mouth to water, this is what I served: Mummy (hot) Dogs, Pumpkin Poop (cheeze balls), Pumpkin Puke (the pumpkin looked like it was throwing up guac), Skin & Bones (hummus and veggies), Monster Mouth Bites (granny smith apples with cashew butter and marshmallows as teeth), and Boo-Za (french bread ghost pizza). It may be 10am, but now I'm hungry.

To wrap things up, we booked a cruise in December, which should take care of #53 and #81...because I plan on swimming with Flipper. Promise not to keep you in suspense for another 4 months.

Until Next Time,
L

Got $15 dollars? Got 15 minutes? Good.

Today, like most days, I received a Michael's coupon in my inbox. The glorious 40% off coupon was burning a hole in my pocket so I decided to head over to the craft store at lunch.

I've been wanting to make a wreath for my fancy new front door (okay, it's a normal front door but I have very high hopes to make it fancy one day) since moving in a little more than a month ago. The boyfriend is out of town and *cringe* my tv/internet isn't working again. What's with that AT&T? So I popped in Harry Potter & The Prisoner of Azkiban. Yes, I'm on number 3 of the series. Cruising right through them...thankfully.

My tangent is over, I promise. So I decided to give myself a limit of $15 at Michaels and see what I come up with. Thanks to my 40% off coupon, my total was $14.16 and I purchased:

• A large wreath - $11.99 with 40% off - $7.20
• 2 maroon flowers (also 40% off) - $1.97/each
• 1 gold flower (40% off) - $1.97/each

I dug in my craft box to find a leftover roll of burlap and my trusty hot glue gun. Can I get 15 minutes on the clock, please.

Step 1 - Cut the burlap in half. Hot glue one end to the wreath and begin to wrap on a diagonal. Make sure to wrap tightly. Make sure to use your hot glue sporadically to secure the burlap to the wreath.

Step 2: Once you've wrapped all the way around, enjoy. Don't worry about it being perfect. You can cover it right up with your flowers. 

Step 3: Pop off the flowers from the stem. Hot glue wherever you like them. Since they will still have a little knub on the bottom, feel free to push it into the foam. You're not going to hurt anything. Promise. 

Step 4: Hang on the front door and enjoy. 

Stop the clock...this project was completed within 15 minutes. And the front door looks FABULOUS. What else can you do with $15 in 15 minutes that looks this awesome?

Until next time,

L

A little update. A lot done.

You'd think I'd be updating this thing every day. How busy can someone who works for their sorority possibly be busy over summer? Ha. Quite busy, actually. Convention, scholarships, fiscal year end - oh my!

But what about after work....you know in your free time? Junior League obligations basically stand still while school's out. Well ladies and gents, I completely bypassed the "savings" stage of number 57 and the life-partner and I committed to purchasing a new home together. Some say it's better than an engagement ring...

This little 4/3 gem of a house in Grant Park completely consumes our spare time. But for being in here for exactly one month, I'd say it's coming together quite nicely.

Some other things that have happened in the past month or two since last posting....I was convinced to do the Disney Princess Half Marathon in February. I think I was still on a running high from my 2 mile jog earlier in the morning, and distracted by googling fun Disney Princess running outfits. So the girl who has yet to finish a 5k without stopping has agreed to do 13.1 miles in 200 days. Kill me now. Just kidding....my new motto:

Even more fun things in store involving Harry Potter. Last night in the midst of overcast skies (and no rain) my AT&T U-Verse was acting up *gasp, please don't do this again AT&T as I've had nothing but glowing reviews since getting you* so with no internet, AppleTV access, or reality TV, I decided to pop in HP & the Sorcerer's Stone. I decided to space out all the movies instead of wasting 19.6 straight hours on a full on Harry Potter marathon. Honestly, I don't think I could handle that. Should have done the Twilight movie series...I personally don't mind watching Taylor Lautner prance around half naked. DRadcliffe just ain't doing it for me. One down, seven more to go. (My reaction to that statement is quite similar to Harry in the Invisibility Cloak). 

I've also started to tackle my "old movie" challenge. They don't make 'em like that anymore. Seriously, The Philadelphia Story was hilarious. Granted, they're a little too okay with DV, which is never okay. A Streetcar Named Desire was wonderful because Marlon Brando was built like a Greek god, but super hard to sit through. If you don't know why, watch it. Back to a lighter movie....I'd like to recommend Some Like It Hot. Crossdressing has never looked so good. Plus you get a boozey blonde who steals the show, Marilyn <3.

I promise not to take such a long hiatus between posts. My time is running out on my 1001 days and I still have a lot to do. 

Until next time,

L

465 - The Countdown Continues

It occurred to me that I wasn't quite sure when my 1001 days were up. Thanks to the magic and wonder of the internet, I was able to find a day counter where you can add and subtract days from a specific date. I found out when the end is.

July 31st, 2015.

465 days away.

1 year, 3 months, and 11 days from now.

It's a bit overwhelming. Now that I know the date, I'm putting my butt in high gear and finishing some stuff.

So my plan for the rest of the week...er...month -

Begin some of my lists. Purchase Rosetta Stone. Get my closet up and running on Poshmark (it's not Ebay or Etsy, but it'll do). Start "training" for my 5k, again - third times a charm, right? Plan out my Harry Potter Movie Marathon - any takers...? Start plotting my themed dinner party. I'm thinking something during my birthday month. And most likely there will be a "dress up" component. And phew, now I'm exhausted.

*Note, if you're interested in wasting a weekend or an entire month, here is a list of the Top 10 "Painfully Long" movie marathons with how much time each of them take. 19.6 hours for me and Harry. With no breaks. Crap.

Viva Las Vegas

I crossed a couple things of the ol' list this weekend that I'm pretty jazzed about. The first of which, Number 90, was to head back to Vegas for the weekend, which led to Number 72, hit up a Cirque show. Unfortunately my Vegas weekend wasn't what you're picturing in your head. No trips to the club (which if you're in the market for an awesome club experience, check out Surrender at the Wynn - it's awesome). No trips to the Thunder Down Under - where I'm sure I would have met the next Channing Tatum. No hotel pool parties. No Vegas fine dining. Sadface.

So what did I do while there? Hung out with my Uncle, the 60 year old bachelor, and my mom.Oh, and I learned how to play (and totally dominated) blackjack, walking away $200 richer (technically I won $300 but my Uncle fronted me $100 to start and I had to pay him back). It definitely made me want to start playing. Now my only problem is the closest casino is roughly 3 hours away. Oh well, now I can spend that money on shoes or more Pure Barre classes.

When we found out I was going to Vegas my mom got super excited to take me to my very first Cirque show. She saw O for her birthday, Zumanity last time she was in Vegas, and was open to any other show. I did my research, watched all the trailers, read the reviews, and finally settled on Mystere. Holy amazeballs, so glad I picked this show.

I can't even tell you what the best part of the show was. The dancing, the acrobatics, the strong men, the poles, the aerial silk performance....no. It was probably the abs on every single performer. Holy wow. I also loved the familiarity of one of the songs, Égypte, which was one of my favorite dance routines I ever did (you know, a million years ago when I used to compete). It makes sense, my former dance teacher loves Vegas & Cirque shows!

After this low key trip, I'm rearing to get back there ASAP. And do all those things I named above (that I didn't do this time around). Hopefully next time Southwest won't lose my bags - how this is possible on a direct flight, who knows? And hopefully next time I win bigger!

Until next time, Vegas.