Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts

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Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************




















1) This has not been the best week. Not even close. Probably even ranks in the worst 10 weeks of my life...the reason...we lost our sweet precious Hula on Easter Sunday. I'm working on a detailed post of what happened but just haven't had the time (or emotional stability) to sit down and finish it...she deserves a tribute and that's what I'm working on. Ethan and I have struggled & shed many tears. I've been pleasantly surprised by so many  kind & supportive coworkers...it's meant so much to me as we forge on through the week.

2) Ethan and I read this book Tuesday night. It was really good for sharing with a child who is struggling with pet loss (and honestly, good for his mom too).

3) I'm running a local 5k this Saturday...it doesn't start until 7pm which is strange and challenging when it comes to eating. It's actually big 'ole race weekend here as it's the Covenant Health Knoxville Marathon weekend, so there are races aplenty. While I (always) hope to PR and this one finishes on the 50 yard line of Neyland stadium, my last few runs have been slowish, so I'm a bit discouraged.

4) I've found yet another reason to LOVE Pinterest....it is a great coping mechanism and I've been using it to look at adorable cat pictures and cat shirts...here are some that I love and just may have to purchase.

 

5) In happier news, I just became an Ambassador for a local-ish marathon/half marathon and I'm super excited. I'll be doing a whole post on it very soon, so I'll save all the details for then.

6) I have book club on Sunday. The book is 400+ pages and though easy "chick-lit" type...I'm on page 14...not looking good for me to finish. I was holding out on the library e-book, next in line and still hasn't come through so Tuesday night I finally spent the $8 to buy the darn thing. Ugh!

Bookish and Not So Bookish Thoughts

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Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things&encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************

1) While on Spring Break, Ethan and I were browsing the Barnes and Noble when I stumbled upon the journal section. Now, I am a sucker for journal books...but the problem is that I never write in them because I HATE my handwriting. Crazy huh? I want all the books...but just for looking at...until now!!!

I love the idea of a 5 year journal and it has questions (writing prompts!) which will be so fun to fill out and re-visit as the years pass. 

As I continued to browse, I then discovered yet another gem: 

The kids version!!! Ethan even said he wanted it and so far he has completed it every day....now this one will definitely be a keeper. One of the questions he answered was "What is the best part about your birthday?" and of course the 8yo answers "presents!"....classic!!

2) I've been reading The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes for about a week now and while I've been trying really hard to get through it quickly, it is an e-book and was due at the library on Tuesday. I can't renew it so I may have turned off the Wifi on my iPad so I can get thru the last 100 pages or so. Hope to finish it today!

3) I know I've rambled on and boo-hooed about not being able to do the Dumbo Double Dare in Disneyland in September, but I am still NOT OK with not being able to go. There!

4) Looking forward to having a 3 day weekend. Happy Easter!

5) Really looking forward to sinking my teeth into some sugar free Juicy Fruit gum on Sunday! Ha!

6) Oscar has always been one to preach the "end of world" coming mentality...like "end of world prepper"...he has just about everything one would need should things get crazy...and all these years I've let his comments about it go in one ear and out the other....but I've finally arrived...to the moment where this just may be something that we see in our lifetime...and now it's even close to home...there have been threats made at 3 local schools in the immediate area...as well as our church (which is attached to our school). Ugh! 

7) In better news, I may have purchased two boxes of these yesterday at Target...the shelves were getting bare and I certainly didn't want to miss out.

Recap: Shamrock 5k

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I kicked off my Spring Break by running a 5k race on Sunday, March 13th. A Shamrock 5k race, dressed all in green even. It was super fun, even if it wasn't the most scenic of routes (industrial park anyone?).

Not being a drinker, I did not care a whole lot about the race starting and ending at a local brewery, but I'm sure many others thought that was absolutely fabulous and it seemed like a fun little environment to be in, you know, if drinking is your gig. I couldn't believe that I was seeing people chugging beers at 11am, before the race. Ick! I can't imagine that would feel too good in the stomach while running...but then I saw a couple of them WALKING to the finish line past the 40 minute mark, so that explains a lot. Note: latest start to a 5k ever..scheduled for 11:30am start...ended up 11:40am...personally I like that better than the 7am starts, but I guess they both have their perks.

I learn a little bit more about running with every race I run and lately I've been very aware (obsessed, maybe?) of the measuring of the routes. I'm specifically aware of this because of my obsession with getting a new PR (every time I'm out there - I know this is bad). The Shamrock 5k was advertised as a 5k but then just before the race the announcer said it was "5k-ish"...ugh...why why why does this keep happening to me? I've run two 5k races at a park near my house and both have come up short at 3 miles even. On the bright side, I really appreciated knowing up front for the Shamrock run. 

I had been trying to extend my running intervals prior to this run, hoping to ultimately improve my time so when I set out on this race, I had planned to run the entire first mile and see how I felt. I was so happy to report that even though it was a bit challenging, I managed to run that first mile and at a 10:12 pace even. Happy!!

The 2nd mile was my slowest (hah...no surprise) at 11:11 and then the third mile I was able to pick it back up again at 10:43. The race course ended at 2.85 miles so I just kept on running until I got my 3.1....again, obsessed with a PR...and thankfully I was rewarded with one, so I'm glad I ran the little bit extra. For the longest time I never thought I'd finish under 35 minutes...hooray. Time to set a new PR goal...

Remember all that pain and trouble I was having with my foot and shoes...well, go figure I got rid of the "fancy" running socks, back to my cheap plain white COTTON (!) socks and tada...the pain is GONE! I also transitioned into my newer running shoes...not a fan of the color choices this time around for the New Balance 860s...*sigh*

I sure do love this shot of me and my little leprechaun after the race. 

And note that cute little medal is also a bottle opener...handy!

Life right now...

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1) I'm totally failing in Motherhood right now. There are no dyed eggs in my house. We don't even have any plans to dye eggs. No egg hunts on the schedule. I don't even know where the egg hunts are being held this year, though I do know that there will NOT be one at the church we go to (fail!). Last year I found one at the very last minute to take Ethan to...but this year, complete failure with that. Maybe it's not that bad since we were out of town all last week and while I'm certain there were probably egg hunts last weekend (when we got back), I was drowning in laundry (and working a wedding) so I didn't have time to look them up?! Yes, that works, right?

2) I gave up chewing gum for Lent. For me, this is a HUGE sacrifice. I have gum in my car, gum in my work bag, gum in my desk @ work....everywhere I go I usually have gum w/me. Sugarless. Always. Anyway, as we are in the last week of Lent, I am counting down to Easter Sunday and may even wake up at midnight (or stay up) just so I can chew some gum. Oh how I miss it. I'm not an "after-dinner" mint kind of gal so I have not substituted anything in place of the gum, but I sure love a piece of gum after eating. I told Oscar that the Easter Bunny better bring me A LOT of gum!! Juicy Fruit Sugarless preferred.

3) Work. Ugh. Work. We have early dismissal on Holy Thursday and are off on Good Friday, but after that, we go straight through, no days off, until the last day on June 10th. That is also 10ish days later that usual because of that awesome construction over the summer which caused our late start. All I have to say is that 9 weeks straight w/o a day off for kids OR teachers...is a loooooong time...I'm talking ETERNITY here...people are going to be losing their minds. That.Is.All.

4) Downton Abbey is over. The Mysteries of Laura is over (for the season)....what's a girl to do? Oh yay...The Mindy Project will be starting back up in April...now I have to hope it goes the way I hope it does...AKA Mindy & Danny stay together. 

A few things...

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Missed out on the Bookish post last week while shuffling Ethan to the doctor after school to find out if he had the Flu.

Diagnosis: Flu B

He stayed home again on Friday and so did I. My mom stayed with him on Thursday.

There were 4 kids out in his class on Wednesday. 6 out sick on Thurs and Fri. Four cases of Flu confirmed. Nuts!!!!

Thankfully his case was not too severe at all and he was feeling quite good by Saturday.

We are now a day into our Spring Break and all is well. We came to Richmond VA with Oscar for his current jobsite project.

I enjoyed a Shamrock 5k here on Sunday, so much so that I really pushed myself doing a lot less walking (intervals) and more running. I ended up shaving almost 2 minutes off my time and secured a new PR. Now I wish I had another 5k scheduled soon but nothing until April 2.

Not that I needed another reason to want to move to FL, but geesh there are so so so many awesome races there and so few in Knoxville, it's driving me nuts. Ugh!

I've spent way too much time today surfing on line looking for races to sign up for...

Only to discover that the good ones are all located too faraway! *sigh*

Tuesdays On The Run

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This week’s Tuesdays on the Run is your chance to give a love letter to what you love the most about running.

The topic:   What I like best about running is __________.

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Just  stumbled upon/discovered this weekly prompt on My No Guilt Life blog and so I thought today I would take part.

It's funny really because MOST answers I've seen are the friendships made through running or the experience of sharing runners with friends...but sadly for me, I have NO friends who like to run. I may have a couple "in training" but we'll see if they stick with it as I know one of them does NOT love it. *sigh* I guess it will continue to be my mission...to find/make some running friends.

For now, what I like best about running is the feeling of accomplishment I have after a run, coupled with the feeling of "being healthy"...if that even makes sense. I'm not sure it's the runner's high anymore but I always feel great after a run, even if I'm sore. I really love doing races and as stated previously, have set the goal to finish TEN 1/2 marathons this year. (2 done so far...registered for 2 others already). And I guess I should also say one more thing I really like about running is losing weight! Yay!!

No One Cares...and other issues

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Oh My Goodness....If I receive another Grossly-LACKING-In-Empathy comment in the next few days, I may scream so loud you will hear be hundreds of miles away. What the H-E-double hockey sticks is wrong with people? Seriously, no one cares about anyone but themselves anymore. I know this is where our society has been headed for a while now, but within the past 3 days I have gotten really crappy responses from people....people in jobs that should "know better" too.

I swear when you go into a counselor graduate program they really need a disclaimer that says (1) you will be extremely irritated by close family & friends who SUCK at listening (you know, now that you've learned how important listening is and exactly how to be GOOD at it).  And (2) You will also be completely annoyed with people's lack of empathy...no matter who they are, but especially when it's someone close to you or someone who should know better (teacher, colleague etc). Sad. 

Milo (black/white kitty) has hyperthyroidism...common in cats when they hit approximately 12 years old. How convenient, as he turns 12 THIS month. So after a $182 visit to the vet on Friday, we now have $34 in medicine to give him and get to take him back in 3 weeks for $116 follow up blood work...oh my gosh, my wallet hurts. Reason 238473208470238947 to find a new, better paying, happier place type job. STAT. 

And it's Monday of course. Spring Break, hurry up and get here!!!

Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts

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Bookish and Not-So-Bookish Thoughts is a weekly blogging event hosted by Bookishly Boisterous. It allows book bloggers (and non-book bloggers) to write about pretty much anything, bookish or otherwise (i.e. share exciting plans for the weekend, rants on things&encountered during the week. **************************************************************************************

1) Oh how I love watching The Mysteries of Laura. Josh Lucas makes my eyes so very very happy. *drool* And last night's finale was no exception. Oh. My.Goodness. I cannot wait until it's back again to see what happens. I was actually 3 weeks behind and watched all 3 episodes last night.

2) So I'm a bit (or more) bummed out about not having a 1/2 marathon to run in March. *sigh* In fact, I only have one 5k on the calendar this month. Not my choice, but it's all I could find. The Chattanooga 1/2 is this Sunday but just didn't work out logistically. 

3) Last week I did a lesson with 7th and 8th grade on Time Management. I was floored to see how much time the kids spend watching Netflix. What is the draw there? When I had a subscription I thought everything on there was sooooooooooooo old...nothing new....or maybe there are different subscription levels that I don't know about. I don't subscribe now...heck I barely watch much more than The Mysteries of Laura. I'm a few weeks behind on Downton too. Of course they spend hours on their phones, but the Netflix really surprised me. YouTube is a big time suck for them too. Blah! I am so NOT into any of that stuff...but then again, I'm not a middle schooler (thank goodness!).

4) I'm seriously considering doing back-to-back 1/2 marathons....April 30 and May 1. I've already signed up for the Rock N Roll Nashville on April 30th and then of course here at home locally is the 13.1 (with a really cool medal, of course) so I'm thinking I NEED to do that one too. I have not been sore the day after the last 2 half marathons I ran so I think this is totally doable. This will also help make up for not having one to run in March.

5) Excited to see Zootopia tomorrow with Ethan and my mom. The previews had me laughing so hard that I'm looking forward to laughing for 90 minutes straight. I definitely need the laughs after the last couple weeks I've had. Geesh!!

6) I love raisins! I love them in and on just about everything. I seem to encounter A LOT of people who do NOT love raisins. What is wrong with them? Raisinets - the best candy ever!!! Seriously, you can kind of feel  almost healthy while eating them since they have raisins, right? Do you love (or hate) raisins??

7) So my cat, Milo (the black & white one in picture up top) has become quite a pest over the past few months with excessive meowing...like seriously excessive. I can tolerate quite a bit but for me to write about it here, you know it's got to be bad. During the day when I'm home (weekends), he is an average "meower" but the evenings is when we are having HUGE problems...he starts crying to the level of what must be the equivalent of screaming for humans...he has food, water, clean litter box...what the heck else does he need? The kicker though is that the minute all lights go out at night, he starts to constantly meow and then fusses with the blinds on my bedroom window (which makes a completely annoying and loud noise) but he doesn't want to get ON the windowsill. Yes, I have raised the blinds so he could, but he doesn't...he just reaches higher to bang on them. This is also where my treadmill is located and if I leave it down, he walks on it which also makes noise, so now I have to raise it every.single.night. OMG - this is awful to the point where I have had to lock him in my office on the other side of my (small) house so that I cannot hear him. It's so frequent that the minute I get up out of bed to lock him up, he races right to the room. Ugh!! By the way, I have another cat too, his sister, Hula....she does not engage in this ridiculous behavior. I have read everything I could find on line about the increase in meowing and the only thing left is a possible health issue. We have a vet appointment tomorrow and I really hope they figure out what the heck his deal is because while I am annoyed, my husband is MUCH beyond annoyed, even though he only has to endure it for 3 nights/week.

8) My local running store is offering "Yoga for Runners" next Wednesday and I'm super stoked. Hoping mom can watch Ethan so I can enjoy this heavenly hour. I already do Yoga 1-2x at the YMCA but it's not called "Yoga for Runners" so I'll be interested to see what the difference is. Can't wait!!!

9) If you scrapbook, do you ever think it's a waste of money or time? Or even more - what the heck you are going to do with all these albums? What if my kids or family don't care about them? Will they eventually end up in the garbage somewhere? Should I even bother? This thought pops into my head a few times every year, but I haven't given up the hobby (habit?) yet. I am way behind on my Project Life this year already and the Disney trip doesn't help since I'm completely overwhelmed about which pictures to even include. I haven't even ordered any yet. Anyway, that's my pensive moment of the week (or month)...

10) And then there is reading...I've gotten REALLY good at reading WHILE running on the treadmill. Most people are surprised by this but it's totally doable...honestly it probably keeps me ON the treadmill too since I'm able to enjoy some reading time as well. I don't care for watching TV while running since I can't hear it anyway...reading works!! Every try it?