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!