The High is Back

Tonight I feel elated. For a wonderful reason, too. I ran today. It had been over 7 months since I've gone for a run (due to my knee injury).

Fast forward through physical therapy, lots of rest and a 16+ weight gain because of lack of exercise, today I laced up my running shoes that I hadn't worn since mid-March and scrambled to find my favorite shorts, socks and sports bra.

Once at the river trail, I did intervals, with a lovely companion who kept time, and we went about 2.5 miles. The shoes felt amazing on my feet, (probably because I have been wearing my old sneakers for the past few months. I only save my running pair for its sole purpose.), the breeze made me feel alive and it just felt really good to be out there again.

Granted, I had to stop at one point to lay on the trail to do crunches (blasted side cramp) and my knee would send small twinges reminding me it's not pain free... but still.

I survived.
I never complained once.
I pushed it at the end.

Then I came home, iced my knee, took some ibuprofen and have felt that wonderful runner's high all night (and a knee twinge.. or two.)

I can't wait to try it again tomorrow.

Umm... I'm back... sort of?

Wow, guys. It's been since June that I last posted. I won't go into the nitty gritty details of why... let's just say: I (willingly) work way more hours than I used to and I've let some things slip. Example: my blog, my work out schedule, cleaning... yawn. :)

But here I am to say hello! What's new?

Earlier this month, I traveled to Destin to visit my dad and stepmom. My brother, his girlfriend and their son/my nephew (my munchkin and little love of my life) drove in from NOLA and I was thrilled because I hadn't seen them since last November. That's not acceptable, people.

While in Destin, we experienced bad weather, a.k.a. a hurricane, so after two days the beach was closed. I'm talking two red flags, sheriffs guarding the beach kind of closed. So I got to spend ample time with this guy. I love him. I leave you with two little videos of my favorite little guy. Keep in mind - we were on a four hour drive to NOLA during these.

Translation: "Bad Form" - what Gramps says if someone does something naughty

Translation: my nephew saying please = how do you say no?! He really wanted his garage here.

Things I Realized Today

Today was a day for realizations for me. I must have been feeling thoughtful...

• I love my job. I really do. I started in May and I couldn't be happier. If I wrote down everything I wanted and needed in a job, it would be the position I have now. I feel so blessed!
  


• I love my team. (It's crazy to say I have a team.) I took them to lunch and they are a great group of women whom I respect greatly.
  


• I've given out more business cards in the past four weeks than I did during my tenure at my previous job. (I went from development back to PR so I'm interacting with a lot of people again.)
  


• I realized my work is just down the street from the mall. Why it took me four weeks to realize this... I don't know. But this is bad news, people. Make me forget that I'm close enough to run to the mall on my lunch break! My pocketbook cannot handle that! ;)
  


• I am thinking about chopping my hair off. I love long hair but it's so dang hot, that I'm really, really tempted. Should I, should I?

What about YOU?! Anything on your mind lately?

crazyjoy: Fascinate

I am taking part in a photo a week challenge by Lesley and Anna. This week's challenge is fascinate so I looked through some photos I've taken (I sort of cheated) and the photos below make think these kiddos are "fascinated." There's less than 4 hours left in this week's challenge so hurry and link up if you want to participate!

Zoo Trip Recaps

This post is overdue, but you'll forgive me, right? I made two zoo trips in April - one with my little sister, Nae Nae, and the other with my niece, brother and sister-in-law. So here's another picture recap!




Cute family!


Rebecca and I


Nae Nae and I waiting to ride the train.

So much fun!

Rebecca Visits Tulsa

My niece, Rebecca, and my sister-in-law came to Tulsa two weeks ago so I wanted to share a few pictures from the visit. Let me tell you - I was so excited because I got to babysit my favorite 2 year old (almost 3!). I get to see Rebecca every few months and sometimes it's just not enough, so I treasure the time I get to spend with her.


Hamming it up at a local restaurant, Elote.


Dancing together at Elote


Arts & crafts at a local arts festival


Making my angels look pretty

Miss her already!

Love Me Some Clothing Swaps

I hosted my first clothing swap last week and it went great! All but two of the girls who came were swap newbies so it was fun to introduce a swap to them. I think they all enjoyed it and left with some "new" finds. Nothing better than getting new clothes for free!

Here's my tips for hosting a swap:

Invite a variety of girls - all shapes and sizes - and give them some advance notice so they can gather up items

Encourage them to bring more than clothes; jewelry and purses are a huge hit. Shoes aren't usually as popular due to size differences

Have lots of space for people to sprawl out and try on clothes

Encourage each other to try new things! (One reason I love swaps is because I always leave with something I would have never tried on at a store! Or learn that a color I never thought would look good on me does!)

Choose a nonprofit (or two) to donate leftover clothes to and have fun sorting through the items with your guests! (That's what I love even more about swaps - you get to donate to worthy causes!)

And lastly... just have fun and get ready for some cute clothes! :)

And for kicks: found these cute socks at Target, which I gave out as party favors during my clothing swap!

Latest Shoe Buys

When I was in Florida earlier this month, I fell in lust with two pairs of flats... and, of course, they came home with me! Flats are my new thing because I'm staying away from heels due to a knee issue. (This once brought me down but I'm over it because I now have an arsenal of super cute flats! Plus I'll wear those heels again soon.)

Here's the latest additions to the shoe collection (both were under $25)!


Digging those sparkles! You can find these shoes here.


So comfy and sassy! Check them out here!

Until next time, shoe lovers...

Love Yourself!

My friend Anna and I were hanging out last night when I pointed to a mark on my skin and asked her what it was. Her answer was that it was discoloration that comes with aging and pointed to a similar looking mark on her leg.

Aging?! That's a hard pill to swallow. I'm in my 20s and I am in denial that I'm getting older and I'm going to wrinkle and get even more funky spots on my body. Yesterday was the first time I've heard someone tell me something on my body is due to that dreaded A word. And it hurt! Aging is beautiful but I think it can hold off a little while longer.

Speaking of bodies... I am sure you all have noticed how we women put ourselves down? I was thinking recently that it happens way too much, which is sad. Yesterday I heard someone at Ross say "I can't squeeze my fat a$$ into those pants." I wanted to walk up to her and give her a hug.

Instead of focusing on our flaws, which is so easy to do, we should focus on the things we love about ourselves. And I'm telling you all this first... I am going to try to do this with myself... remind me of this goal next time I'm in a dressing room, okay? ;)

Here's to loving ourselves more... age spots and all!

Heaven in Destin

I had my first week-long vacation recently and I got to spend it in Destin, Fla. Gosh, it was amazing. I didn't want to leave. I wish I was still there!

My dad and stepmom moved to Florida this past February, so I quickly booked a vacation to see them. The trip ended up being right after I accepted a new job and started a new one, so it was perfect timing.

I spent majority of my time on this beach soaking up the sun.



The sunsets blew me away.



The (very) few times I left the beach, we went shopping. There are some great places to shop and eat in the area!

Here's my dad and I.



Panama City Beach. So peaceful and pretty!



For the most part, the water was so clear and calm. It was absolutely perfect. Man, can I go back right now?!




What's your favorite vacation that you've taken?

Birthday Blessings

Life's been busy for me lately... I went to Dallas, then it was my birthday, I spent a week in Florida, I had my last week at my old job and I'm about to start a new job tomorrow. It's been a whirlwind, let me tell you. I'm going to break all of it up into a few posts. Up first: birthday!

I was fortunate to celebrate my birthday a few times this year... with my brother, friends and my dad and stepmom. Here's a picture recap!


Happy hour with co-workers


Out and about with the girls (and fellas - not pictured!)


Dinner in Destin with family

It was a wonderful birthday!

Peace

Sending sunshine to all my blog friends....

How I Survived Lent

I gave up sweets for lent (donuts, cookies, cake, pie, ice cream and candy) and it actually wasn't as hard as I thought it would be. Sure I missed a homemade cookie every now and then but I found little ways to trick my brain I was eating something sweet.

I thought I'd share my new favorite low-calorie (sweet) snacks!


I love Granola Thins! 90 calories of deliciousness... they come in dark chocolate, too.


I get a sweet kick from these 100 calorie packs!


Weight Watchers black cherry jello. Only 10 calories!

What are your favorite sweet snacks?

Austin Recap

Note: I wrote this post on my blogger ap and I didn't want the pictures to be this big!

I went to Austin a few weeks ago... the purpose of the trip was to run my first 10K but I didin't get to because of my knee injury. Even so, I still had a great time with my best friend, Renata, and my dear friend, Jenni!

Me and my bib... but I didn't run. :)

Spider House in Austin

Supporting Renata at the Cap 10K!

On our way to 6th Street after the race

My first stuffed avocado.... delicious! GREAT TRIP!

I'm not allowed to run

Or use the elliptical. Or do anything that causes pain to my knee. A few weeks ago, I hurt my knee and then after running a 5K, occasional pain turned into constant pain. Constant pain prevented me from running 1 mile, which led to a doctor visit, which led to x-rays and now physical therapy a couple times a week.

I'm actually very lucky because it's not a horrible injury. I don't need surgery. It'll heal with time, rest and strength training. Also, from learning to run in a different way with the help of my physical therapist. How I run doesn't help my knee. Blame the many years of ballet!

I have to tell you guys... I really miss cardio. But I am looking at the silver lining. After this is over, I am going to be a better runner. I am never going to take it for granted again. I have to admit I feel envy inside when I see a runner. I also admit that I worry about losing my muscle and gaining back the weight I have lost. But I will power through because if you focus on the negatives, they are going to outweigh the positives... and bring you down.

You can count on me running again soon. After all, my new year's resolution is to run a 15K in October. I'm sticking to my PT workouts and going to the gym to do abs and arms... anything I can do to feel like I'm staying in shape. Until then, no running posts for a while. Maybe just swimming posts... I want to find a new gym with a pool!

[source]

So I have to ask...

What is it about Rosie Pope's (Pregnant in Heels) voice?

I need to figure this out. Is it an accent? An attempt to conceal an accent? (No one should ever do that!) A speech impediment?

Branding a Baby
Thoughts?

Fun Video

I love being an aunt. I think it's the best job (since I'm not a parent yet). I'm the lucky aunt to my niece, Rebecca, nephew, John and step niece and nephews: Gavin, Olivia and the twins Hudson and Dawson.

Here's a video of Love of my Life No. 1, aka my niece, singing a lovely little ditty.... about me! I miss that little girl so much. She's 2 and at such an adorable age! She's hilarious and fun and so smart. I wish I could see her more but we live 4 hours away so I see her every few months.... this video reminded me of how I need to make a trip down sometime in April.



Love of my Life No. 1 and me over Christmas!

More Shoe Woo!

I went shopping today to find some shoes to go with this little summer number I recently purchased. And, of course, as you can tell by my blog name - I love me some shoes:



I've always wanted to wear something like this so I decided to just GO FOR IT! I think heels would go best with it but I'm heading to Austin soon and needed some comfy (and cute) walking shoes.

I found two pairs at Dillards for $19.99 each. Can't beat that! I love a good sale!





I also can't post about shoes without showing off another new pair I recently bought:



I'm starting ballet classes up again soon and found these for cheap on eBay!

What's a great steal you've gotten recently?

My First Clothing Swap!

I participated in my first clothing swap this past weekend. I admit when I was first invited, I thought, “Clothing swap? What the heck is that?” The idea of meeting random people and taking their clothes seemed foreign to me. But guess what? Clothing swaps are awesome and I have been missing out!

If you haven’t been to one, I highly encourage you to invite some friends over, open a bottle of wine (or two…) and ask them to bring their unwanted clothing and accessories. I left with 13 “new” pieces of clothing, plus a few bottles of OPI nail polish. Score! I was so excited because these clothes were all new to me and I didn’t spend a dime on them. I threw them in the wash immediately upon arriving home and have already worn a piece or two.

My absolute favorite item I left with was this dress.

I am thinking about hosting my own clothing swap in a few months. Friends, wine, FREE clothes. It’s a win-win-win!

Have you ever been to a swap? If so, what kind?

First Race of Season!

I kicked off race season this past Saturday with a St. Patrick’s themed-5K. I’m down for that because that means I get to wear some fun green!



This race is sentimental to me because last year it was my first 5K. I was super proud of two of my friends for running it this year because it was their first 5K!



As for how I did, I felt pretty strong but then I cramped going down a hill. What’s up with that? Any advice is appreciated. But I beat my time from last year and hey, that makes me happy.

I’m dealing with a knee issue right now (this is new territory to me) so sadly I made myself take yesterday and now today off. Any tips on how to “heal” a knee? It feels like there’s a bruise on the inside. I don’t know if that’s even possible.

Less than 2 weeks until my first 10K! The clock is ticking!

Smoothie Help!

Okay, smoothie lovers. I seek your advice.

Starting tomorrow, March 1, I begin two months of healthy eating (and hopefully it will continue after…) Why two months? My first 10K is March 27 and I just want to be in the best shape/condition possible. I’m working out six days a week and now I’m going to be eating better, too. And then I’m going to continue it in April because I head to Florida in May and my goal is to be beach ready. Like actually wear a bikini for the first time – EVER.... besides as a child. *crossing fingers*

I am starting to make smoothies every morning but I just can’t get them to taste quite right. They are kind of bitter. Here’s the two I’ve made so far this week.



This one featured a whole banana, few strawberries, apricots, vanilla protein powder, little milk and non-fat yogurt. I wasn’t too impressed.



This one was a whole banana, three strawberries, one pineapple piece, peanut butter, vanilla protein powder, little milk, non-fat yogurt and ice. This one tasted bitter, too.

So my question to you is… what kind of healthy smoothies do you like to make? What makes it sweet but still keeps it healthy? I heard I should switch to vanilla or Greek yogurt. Or add honey? Your input is much appreciated!

Shoe Woo

Have I mentioned to you how much I love shoes? But I love a good deal on shoes even more! I've purchased a few pairs since November... some fun and some practical! Here's what's up in my shoe world:


I got these in NYC at Shoe Woo. I saw them and it was heavenly lights were shining down upon them. I had to try them... and they fit perfectly! Nevermind that I don't have many places to wear them... ;)


A few months ago, I posted how it's difficult for us big calved girls to find boots. Well, I finally found two pairs of boots that fit my calves. I go with the slouchy style and they fit really well! I got the top pair on eBay of all places and the bottom at DSW.




Got these puppies for 70 percent off at Dillards! Love them!


I thought these were super fun for summer! Only $10 at Famous Footwear!


Another fun pair for summer that I got at Famous Footwear on sale!


It was time for new running shoes so I got these babies last week at a local store, Fleet Feet. I haven't gotten in a good run with them yet but can't wait!

What are your favorite pair of shoes that you purchased recently?

Runner's View

The view on my run/walk tonight...



It kept me going!



Hi folks. It's been a while. I have nothing but excuses but you don't need to hear those. I hope you have all been doing well. How are things? Hope we can talk again soon... ;)

Christmas... Yeah, I'm late.

I'm attempting to play catch up and get back on track here with bloggidy. So here's one about Christmas!

After two months of go, go, go, which included:

• Three trips (not counting the one to Dallas for Christmas)
• A much-anticipated visit from my dad and stepmom
• My marathon relay
• Thanksgiving
• Shingles (yeah, I'm admitting I had shingles!)
• Drama (let's not relive that!)

...I really needed that time with family.

Here's a brief Christmas in review:

My dad, stepmom and I volunteered at The Salvation Army on Christmas Day... something I've always wanted to do and that we plan to do again. Couldn't think of a better way to spend Christmas!



I got to see the twins' first Christmas.





My niece knew who Santa was this year, and it was really cute to watch her open presents. Seeing a child so happy, so innocent - really reminds you of the magic of Christmas!



And it was super wonderful to see my dad, stepmom, brother, sister-in-law and stepsisters AND friends! Here's me and my brother.



All in all, great visit home. And happy to report that currently things are a little more settled at the homestead. How's it going for all of YOU?