My Creative Roommates

I'm up waiting on the cloth diapers to finish washing so I thought I'd point you guys over to my roommate's new blogs.

Y'all have heard about Jill and her amazing purses/burp cloths/diaper bags/etc before. Well she has a blog but she never updates it. Head over there and tell her that she should quit all three of her daytime jobs and sew all day long.

Merritt is my girl. She lives in the capital of our country and she dresses like it. And she now has a blog to help all the rest of us (ME!) who are fashionably illiterate. And she'll answer questions! Where do you think she gets all of her material? Its not from me asking her a bazillion questions.

Lauren teaches middle schoolers science which qualifies her for a Nobel Peace Prize but if that wasn't enough she's about to walk a whole bunch of miles to raise money for breast cancer. She's blogging about it and she's one of the funniest writers I know. So take a gander at her blog and donate some money if you feel so inclined.

The Good and the Bad

The Good News: I hit my pre-pregnancy weight this morning!! Yea!

The Bad News: It was because I had a stomach virus all day yesterday. Boo :(

New Running Shoes

My sister helped me pick out these awesome new running shoes. Too bad it rained all day today :(

Goal: Accomplished

I finished my Couch-2-5K training yesterday 9 weeks and 1 day after I started. (Its a 9 week training.) You can do the training by time or by distance. It was easier for me to do it by time. By the end, I was running 30 minutes but not quite running 3 miles. J & I thought about running the 5K in downtown Greenville today but realized we could save the $50 and run our own 5K. Jonathan pushed the double stroller and paced me and we ran a 5K on an awesome trail we have in downtown Spartanburg. I ran 3 miles in 29min 26 sec and 3.1 miles in 30min 11sec. It was the first time I've actually run 3 miles. And it was hard. Incredibly hard. But since I wasn't crying or throwing up like they do on The Biggest Loser, I kept going. And I am incredibly proud of myself.

I did learn a few things these past 9 weeks.

1. My body can do more than I think it can. I'm learning how to push my body physically not to the point of injury, but def to the point of pain. I followed the prescribed training to a T and didn't experience any soreness or injuries but I saw def improvement.

2. My body can do more than my body thinks it can. There were times my body was yelling at me to quit punishing it. Until the very last C25K day when I tried to go 3 miles in 30 minutes while pushing 50 extra pounds, I never stopped jogging during the jogging intervals. Even when I got a side cramp my run Monday, I was able to let the hill carry me as I worked through it. And I ran 2.88 miles straight that day- a new record. Before I would have thought my body was telling me to stop. No my body was being a wuss and needed to suck it up and take it.

3. I am strong. I feel strong. I can start comparing myself to all kinds of people- runners- not runners- mothers- not mothers. It doesn't matter. I am strong. This is my running mantra. When I feel weak, I use these words to remind me of truth- I am strong. God created my body to run at maximum capacity. He made me strong; its time I start living strong.

4. Running is more fun in hot pink. The great part about starting a hobby right before Christmas is that you receive many Christmas gifts related to that hobby which in turn make you want to continue your hobby. I got a great cold weather running shirt which happens to be hot pink (thanks Mother-in-law and Father-in-law). I feel fun and spunky running in my bright hot pink shirt. So I've decided my running colors are going to be hot pink and black. My sister is helping me shop for running shoes on Tuesday (thanks Mom & Dad) and she promised we could find some hot pink and black ones.

I also lost about 6 pounds in 9 weeks. Not shabby at all esp since I had plataued for months at my previous weight and the holidays were in the midst of that. As of this morning, I am 1.4 pounds away from my prepregnancy weight. I'm back in my pants except my jeans. I just bought new jeans because I'm not sure these hips will ever fit in those jeans again.

What now? I'm planning to run 30 minutes 3 times a week. We'll see what comes up. One of my friends mentioned a sprint triathlon and that sounds interesting...

This afternoon I needed to flip the switch on our modem to reset the internet. I went into our room, laid down on the floor and reached under the dresser to flip the switch. And promptly fell asleep on the floor.

2008 Book Superlatives

Favorite Children's Sleep Book: Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child by Marc Weissbluth, M.D.
Book I Thought Would Never End: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand
Book That Changed My Day-to-Day Living: Getting Things Done by David Allen
Books I Couldn't Put Down: A Voice in the Wind and An Echo in the Darkness by Francine Rivers
Book That Made Me Want To Become An Egyptologist: The Curse of the Pharaoh's by Elizabeth Peters
Favorite Book Written By Father-in-law's College Roommate (right, Gerald?): Deeper Water by Robert Whitlow
Most Overrated Book: Twilight by Stephenie Meyer
Book That Made Me Think the Most: The Shack by William P. Young
Strangest Book: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Book I'm Glad I Read: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Book That Made Me a Better Person: Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
Book That Made Me Feel Not Crazy: Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurchinka
Favorite Book of 2008: The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar

All total: 40 books

Top 3 I recommend
1. The Space Between Us by Thrity Umrigar
2. Your Money or Your Life by Joe Dominguez and Vicki Robin
3. A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers

On my list for 2009
1. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein recommended by Cousin Deb
2. anything by Harlan Coben recommended by Jennifer B
3. Oxygen by Carol Cassella recommended by Cousin Deb
4. The Good Sister by Diana Diamond recommended by Mert

2009 Goal: 50 awesome books

Ok please give me any other suggestions for 2009. I realized looking over my list that many of the books I read were good but not great. I'm hoping 2009 will be full of great books!

Where Do They Come Up With This Stuff?

Its short- I Promise! About 14 seconds.

First Taste