Thursday, June 28, 2012

The weekend in le nutshell (belated)

Well, now that it's past mid-week, I guess I'll go ahead and share the weekend with you! Remember "the days are long, but the years are short" idea? Now I'm beginning to think that the days are short and the years are short too. JULY is upon us, people!

Friday was spent getting a ridiculously awful pedicure, then seeing my coworker DJ at Nomad World Pub. Ever see that Portlandia skit? "Come watch me DJ!"





Saturday started off with a couple hours at work, then I had a date to the Mill City Farmer's Market with Ashley. We headed over to Aster Cafe to meet Katrina for brunch, then parted ways. I headed to Goodwill and found some awesome shirts and cups. Then, headed out for a boat ride with some of my family and friends. My nephew Archie was so cayooot!

{Maybe he's perturbed because Willy Wonka is holding him}


{My mom is growing grapefruit!}

Afterwards, I arranged for a little bonfire at my sister Nancy's house. And now I've got Billy Joel's "We Didn't Start the Fire" in my head, although I do most of the time. I still need to write my own lyrics to that song.

Sunday involved crafting, cleaning, a bike ride to Izzy's, a bike ride to Eat Street, and finally, a late bedtime.

{Bike love}

I'd ask you how your weekends were, but it's probably time to ask what are you going to do this weekend?

{Raspberry soda at Eat Street Social}

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Happy Blogiversary to Me!

The days are long, but the years are short. 


It has officially been a year since I started this blog and as you might have guessed, it’s completely hard for me to believe. 365 days and 96 blog posts later, and here we are. Just like a birthday, holiday, or any other annual event, I like to look back and understand what has become and imagine what can still be.

What has become: 
  • I have taken time to think and thank Thanksgiving-style. You know, where you go around the table and say one thing you’re thankful for? I have done that much more frequently because of this blog. 
  • I’ve created an archive of memories from the past year. I can look back on photos, thoughts and ramblings from any given time, provided I wasn’t slacking in posting. 
  • I’ve cultivated happiness. Looking back on my very first post on this blog, this was exactly my aim. 
  • I’ve gotten through Mondays by focusing on the positives and dreading the Mondayness of it all a little less. (I ought to get back to this) 

What I still imagine: 
  • More small victories, whatever they may be. 
  • More crafting and siphoning of creativity. 
  • Better writing with more thought, new vocabulary, and higher articulation. 

And here are some of my favorite posts from the past year: 
My first post (Just a newbie!)
"The better part of one's life consists of his friendships" (I love people)
Do the write thing (I love hand-written notes)
Things fall apart (So better things can fall together)
I am so thankful (Thanksgiving-style, like I mentioned)
Resolve to do something better (2012 Resolutions)
The Heart of the Matter (Heart Health)
Letter to my 30-year-old self (See ya in five years!)

Happy blogiversary (what a gross word) to meee!

Thursday, June 14, 2012

When life hands you lemons...

You may think they are sour.

Or you may even think they are sweet.

You might want to cover your eyes and hope they go away.

But you ought to make lemonade!

Photos by Amber Rishavy // www.pixeldustimages.com

Thursday, June 7, 2012

They know this much is true






Honest Teas has 6-word memoirs on the inside of their caps. This one was written by Eddie Sulimirski and is so beautiful and rings so true for me. And hopefully for you.












On my letter to my 30-year-old self, my friend Ashley commented with this quote. I love all the moments so much that yes, I do indeed think it's possible to be nostalgic for this moment.






That is all. Enjoy your Thursday!

Monday, June 4, 2012

She knows she can run a half marathon

You know the feeling of satisfaction you get when you cross an item off of a list? That was me on Sunday, x 100. A few years ago I set the goal to run a half marathon by the time I turned 30, and this past weekend, I accomplished that goal 4.5 years ahead of schedule.


Three months of training finally paid off. I’ll admit, I wasn’t strict to my training plan and missed a lot of runs. But I also completed a lot of them. I have been running since I was in track & field in junior high, but never to this extent. The training program encouraged me to run 3-5 times per week, varying in distance and pace. While I ignored the suggestions for pace, I ran as fast as I could each day which sometimes meant a 9-minute mile and other times meant closer to 12. I learned that I could run different distances, that I wasn’t a failure if I couldn’t go faster than 10 minutes per mile and that some days were good and some weren’t and that was okay.



As the weekend approached, I realized this was all becoming real. With a Saturday night carbed-out meal and an early bed time, I felt the jitters for the next day. Then Sunday came, and I felt oddly more calm. I started out toward the back of the pack and felt at ease as I crossed the start line, listening to The Naked and Famous. The first mile was the easiest mile ever, I couldn’t believe it passed so fast.


Then after mile 3, the faster-paced runners were looping around so I got to pass my boyfran Zebulon, and friends Leigh, David and Micah as I ran to the turnaround. Miles 3-6 really felt like nothing. I couldn’t believe this because a 10k used to seem unattainable to me and yet here I was, completing a 10k without feeling any boredom or pain. And then, there was a slight incline and the knowledge that I would soon be seeing my family and friends and the whole thing got a little harder. And then I heard the tambourine and the shouts of my name and I couldn’t have been happier. 



A mile later I saw my sister, her husband and my two nephews and that gave me the push I needed to get to the second turnaround. I had my name taped to my shirt both on the front and the back for the purpose of getting more encouragement from strangers. You would not believe how encouraging strangers and other runners are! I found a lot more bounce in my step once people were talking to me, cheering for me, urging me to continue.


Feeling great as I approached mile 12, I stumbled on my foot and rolled my ankle. OUCH. And then I hit “the wall.” I wanted so, SO bad to walk and just get this the H over with. And I slowed my pace and just as I was about to switch from a jog to a walk and let my body give in, my mind took over and said, “There is no way you are walking at this point. Not after you worked this hard. You get yourself in gear.” And so I did. And the last mile was probably the toughest. But then I saw my cheerleaders once again as I approached the end and that jolted me into a full-on sprint. I even heard spectators comment about how fast I was finishing, and that felt good. And then I drank some water. And then I wanted to puke and die. So that was how my half-marathon went.


To recap:
Training is good. Hal Higdon knows what’s up.
If you set a goal and you work towards it, by golly, you can do it!
Pace yourself. Don’t compare yourself to others. Do it for you.
Encouragement is highly encouraged.
If you hit a wall, let your brain take over and propel you forward. One foot in front of the other.
Drink water. Eat food. Don’t throw up.

Musings on the future:
Will I run a full marathon ever? No. I do not wish to.
Will I run a half-marathon again? Maybe. But not for a while.
Should you run a half-marathon? If you would like to.
Will I run a 10-mile, 8-mile, 10k, 8k or 5k? Yes.
Do I feel like a million bucks even though I’m sore as a mother effer? Yes.
Is it weird that I’m now picturing a million male deer? Yes.
Am I an oddity? You bet.

The annotated version:
 

Thanks for reading! I know this was a long one! TWSS.

Friday, June 1, 2012

Portlandia in real life

A little behind, but...

Observations of Portland:
1. It’s divided into four major quadrants and several little neighborhoods, each with their own character.
2. Some of it is sort of sketchy, other parts not so much.
3. There weren’t nearly as many bikes as I had anticipated. I see way more in Minneapolis. Although, they just took back the title of top bicycling city and are being kind of snotty about it.
4. A lot of young people don’t have jobs and hang out on the street, asking for things like “Can you spare your coffee drink? I really like coffee.” (For the record, I had just bought it and wasn’t going to give it to her.)
5. Food carts are everywhere and while they are convenient and inexpensive and very diverse, the quality wasn’t all that great. Think State Fair, every day.
6. It’s the “Brewery Capital of the World” so you’re sure to stumble across 1 or 500 breweries or brewpubs. We stayed to the brewpubs because let’s face it, brewery tours get boring and begin to look alike.
7. Walking from place to place is pretty easy, except when you’re trying to cross the Willamette River. Those bridges aren’t super pedestrian friendly, but you can still get by.


{Willamette}

{A thing}

{A homeless community}

{Very weird}

{The doughnut on the right was the size of my head}

{The flowers have made it to Portland!}

{In SE Portland}

{Lucky Labrador Brewing (very pet friendly!)}

{Caught you!}

{Stumptown <3}

{Picnic in the woods}


{I was singing in the amphitheater at the bottom of the steps}

{On a walk}

{Rogue. Bicycle. Green. Portland. I stole it. Don't tell.}

{Cascade Brewing / Lots of sour beer}

{Le beers}

{Mother's Bistro. YUM!}

Also:

Forgive me, Carrie, for I have not posted yet about your birthday. But heeeuhhh youuuu gooooo! Anything to extend the celebration out a few days, eh?

Happy birthday to Ms. Carrie!

I met Carrie when I was negative years old. We grew up next door to each other and while I might not have enjoyed her company when I was little (I had issues, okay?), I certainly do now. Carrie is extremely creative, crafty, and talented – definitely a lady of the arts. From her days sewing children’s toys and clothes to her impending days as a pastry chef, she has many crafting abilities under her belt. She invites me to crazy theater productions I probably would never have heard of and is always supporting artists in all forms. Things I like doing with Carrie: going to concerts, playing games, eating baked goods, discussing books, pretending to be in 30 Rock, reminiscing about LOST, and irking her with my puns. It’s birthday, birthday, gotta get crunk on birthday. Hope you enjoyed it! Happy birthday Missus!