8

Yes, I'm back to numbers. I did ZERO running last week because of the hell that was the stomach virus. I've already mentioned it was awful. I lost 6.5 pounds. Yeh, happy about that but so not the way I would've like to lose it.

Saturday was a great mail day!

Happy early birthday to me! After lots of research (more by Dean then me), we decided the 110 was what I needed. I only wish the entire watch were pink or green or purple. I was responsible & didn't get carried away spending $100 extra for a cool color with features I didn't need. This watch has everything I need. It has a heart rate monitor, shows calories burned, GPS, pace & all that jazz. It's like I'm a real runner now! I also had a really cool pair of hot pink compression socks in the mail too! Love them! They are so comfortable! They are also warm. I may have to order some more colors to wear in the winter to work because my office is like the North Pole.

I planned to run Sunday because I knew we'd be out a little later than normal Friday night & I didn't want to have to set an alarm. My training plan said to run 8 miles. I didn't think it would happen. I still didn't feel like I had my strength back & I didn't feel like myself until Saturday evening. My plan was to run 5 & if I wasn't dead to run/walk or walk the last 3. Well, when I got to 5 I told myself I could go 1 more mile. When I got to 6 I told myself I could do 2 more. I mean what's 2 when you've done 6?? I did it. I ran the entire 8 mi. & it wasn't awful. The last 3/4 of a mi. was rough but I've figured out that it doesn't matter if I'm running 2 or 7. The end is really hard because I know I'm almost finished. It also didn't help that I ran out of water early because I somehow managed to spill some from my no spill water bottle. Have you ever tried to text & run? That was me as I was approaching a friends house I was asking for water. Sadly, her phone was on silent so I was out of luck. It was in the upper 50's so it wasn't like I was on the verge of dehydrating or anything.

I wore my watch! Y'all this thing is sooo easy to set up. I've mentioned that I hate reading directions. I wasn't looking forward to trying to figure this thing out. It was super super easy. Way easier than the Timex watch I used to wear. I thought that I deleted all my run info but as it turned out I just wasn't looking in the correct place.

It's really cool to be able to look at your watch & see how fast you're running & how far you've ran all at the same time without having to press buttons. When I finished the run I stretched, foam rolled & sat in an ice bath aka my pool. Good Lord it was cold! It made me legs feel good though. I even managed to refrain from taking a nap. Usually, that's my reward for a long run.

Since it's finally cooling off I managed to put my fall wreaths up.

I see that I managed to cut off part of each wreath in the picture. Oh well, you get the idea.

Happy fall y'all!!

Toodles!

In the land of the living....

Monday afternoon I wasn't feeling right. Later Monday evening I was sick as a dog with the dreaded stomach virus. I really thought I was dying. At some point I thought that I don't know how people going through chemo deal with all the sickness. There was a point that I just laid down on my bathroom floor. That didn't last long. Ceramic tile is REALLY hard. It was a rough rough night. Thankfully, at 5:30 am Tuesday Dean was able to go to a neighbors & get Phenergan. It saved me. Although, it's now Saturday & I still feel like I'm drugged. I was back at work Wednesday. I didn't feel like being there at all but I've only been there 2 months. I HATED having to call in sick.

Luckily, this all happened at the beginning of the week because we had plans for Friday night. There were 12 of us for my first birthday dinner of the year. My actual birthday isn't until next week. We went to Ruffino's. I love this place but we don't go often. There was crab meat cheesecake, a wedge salad & some awesome veal parmigiana. Veal led to a very interesting conversation about what veal is & such. It's really amazing I've made to almost 40 years old without knowing these things.

I couldn't take a good picture to save my life last night. The lighting didn't help.

Brad & Cindy, Dave & Kitzia, Jeff & Dawn & Cliff standing up in the back. The rest of the group was sitting by me & the pic is on someone else's phone.

There was really good wine!

Then back to Dave & Kitzia's for cake & gifts! It was such a fun night! I can't wait until next Saturday night & I get to do it over again with different friends. I'm a firm believer in celebrating birthday's for at least a week. Especially, big birthdays!

Toodles!

Monday

You are not my friend. That means we are ignoring you.

Friday while I was having my hair done I had a cup of Raspberry tea. It was delicious! It was the Celestial K cups.

Of course  our Walmart didn't have the K cups. That's another recurring theme in my life, Walmart doesn't have something I need.

I needed a cool drink to balance out the hot tea! HA! Seriously, I had a free drink on my Starbucks card & I was passing right by 2 so I had to stop. I got a Skinny Vanilla Bean Frap with coffee which I learned is actually called a Cafe Vanilla Frap. For whatever reason it's not on the menu. It's my new favorite. It was soooo good!

Saturday morning I had 7 miles to run. It was raining when I got up. Finally I was able to leave about 9:00.

We had another cool front! The humidity at 91% is still a little much but that 61 & 59 dew point helps A LOT. I did my 7 miles in 1:15:33. It's the third time I've ran 7 times & that's my best time. Mile 7 was also my fastest mile EVER!! 9:58! For a lot of people that's no big deal but I didn't know if I'd ever get under a 10 min. mile.

This was my ice bath. The water felt as cold as ice but my legs felt good.

My MIL's birthday was Thursday & she got a coupon in the mail for a little shop in town called Nothing Bundt Cakes. She gave me the coupon & I stopped by the shop after getting my hair done. The coupon was for 2 free mini bundt cakes. Look how cute!

They had a bunch of different flavors. I got the white chocolate raspberry. OMG, it was soooo good! The other one was Pumpkin Spice. It was delicious too.

After Mass Sat. we stopped & ate at Caliente & watched the beginning of the LSU game. Then we went to Jackie & Dennis' to watch the rest. That was one ugly game. There really isn't anything else to say.

Sunday, my parents came over & brought Logan. My brother & sis-in-law were out of town running a half marathon. Logan is an expert at selfies....
We went & got yogurt.

That's Freddy the frog. He's Logan's class "pet" & Logan had to take care of him for the weekend & take pics of everything they did & make a scrapbook.

I love this pic of Logan & Dean. I just wish it was clearer.

It was a great weekend & I'm ready for the next one!!!

Toodles!

It's Friday- Whoo Whooo

I think the Hump Day commercial is really funny, especially when Logan does the Whooo Whooo part. Although, I'm much more excited about Fridays. I'm kinda scared to tell you what our weather's like. I don't want it to go away. I'll show you.
That would be what our weather is like currently. Like, right now, Friday, at 1:00!!  Not sure if you can read it but the humidity is only 54%. WOOOO HOOOO! People this is big!! I've ran twice this week. Monday, 4.5 miles & Wednesday, 4 miles. I had to cut off a half mile because I needed to be at work earlier. My friend Allison & I were discussing this week how you know you're serious about running when you're willing to use some of your hair/makeup time to finish your run. Again, more proof the aliens have taken over. I PROMISE you, never, ever, ever would anyone that knows me well say that I'd spend less time on hair & makeup so I could exercise. Like ever. Tomorrow, my plan calls for a 7 miler. I was very excited about the temperatures & excited that I might can do this without finishing soaking wet. Then I saw this.
That would be the forecast for tomorrow. Here's to hoping the weather people are wrong again!

We don't have any big plans for the weekend. When I leave work today I have a hair appointment & thank goodness for that because this hair is a hot mess & has been for a week! At some point tonight we have to go to a wake. No fun. A friend of the family died. I've said this once & I'll say it again, CANCER SUCKS! 

On to happier things, I do get to see my little Logan this weekend. It's been awhile since I've seen him so I'm excited.

Anyone have fun plans?

Toodles!

6

Since I have such a hard time coming up with titles these days we'll stick with numbers. After running 4 miles on Tuesday & Thursday I was up bright & early for a 6 miler Saturday morning. I was kinda slow but seeing as how my knees were sore a few weeks ago I'm taking it slow. After I finished running I walked an additional mile & then came home & did a ton of stretching & foam rolling. The last thing I want is for something to happen that would cause me not to be able to run the Half. Incidentally, it's exactly 8 weeks from today. It'll be here before I know it.

Dean was up at 4:00 am Saturday to put pork on his grill.

I could smell it from the street when I finished my run. It was our turn to host our friends for the LSU game. The friends we take turns with are our neighbors. We live so close to LSU it's virtually impossible to leave the subdivision unless you leave really early or right at game time. Whoever hosts cooks the main dish & everyone brings other stuff.  The pork Dean cooked was sooo good. We ate it today too.

Look what came in yesterday!

I love the Erin Condren life planner. Love it! I was really excited when I got an email with a  $20 coupon code for returning customers. The coupon is good through the end of the year so if you've ordered from her before make sure to watch your email.

Friday after work I did a little shopping. It's my birthday month so I had a couple of coupons I wanted to use. I got 2 tops & a cardigan. I've never been to Anthropologie before. Yeh, I know some people are completely in love with that store. I wasn't impressed. I did find this

Love a cute coffee cup!! Speaking of coffee, have y'all tried this?

After I drank 32 oz. of Powerade after my run I had a cup. It was really good. I also bought some almond joy creamer. I haven't tried it yet but I thought it would be really good in my coconut mocha coffee.

Remember the cool front I mentioned last week?? I got exactly 1 cold run & 1 somewhat cool run out of the deal. Today the heat index was 89 degrees. REALLY??? Don't get me wrong I don't want it to be 30 but 60 would be great.

Did y'all have a good weekend?

Toodles!

Chicago

A week or so ago I got an email from Kendra Thornton. She was writing a series about where we all live & the fun things to do in each city. Kendra has a background in the travel industry & she lives in Chicago. I don't know about y'all but there are several "big cities" that I'd like to visit & Chicago is pretty high on the list. I want to go to Wrigley, to Bill & Giuliana's restaurant & go shopping!! Here's Kendra's take on her city!

You're Going to Love Chicago!

I have lived here in Chicago for many, many years and still manage to find new and fabulous places to frequent. There are new restaurants, shops, shows to see and places to go popping up all the time. I'm never at a loss of things to do, and there are so many great places to bring my children at any given time here in the windy city. When thinking of places and events I would recommend to someone visiting us here in Chicago, I narrowed down my favorites to this list that I wholeheartedly recommend. So what are we waiting for? Let's get started...

1. Glenn's Diner

Glenn's Diner boasts that they have the best food in the world. After partaking in their fresh seafood catch of the day for the first time, I was instantly a believer! While I personally enjoy the seafood, my children love coming for their large cereal selection (an easy option for any picky eater!). That's right...cereal! They have a full diner menu for you die hard diner fanatics, but the cereal options are endless and so much fun! They have over 25 different kinds of this basic breakfast treat, so you can enjoy a different bowl every time you come.

2. Oak Street

Shoppers, get ready! The Oak Street shopping neighborhood is a block full of fabulous shops, sure to delight a wide variety of shoppers. You can pick up a new pair of Jimmy Choos, a to die for dress at Kate Spade and then still have time to spend browsing at Barneys. This is one of the premier shopping areas in the country, much less in Chicago. Be sure to take in the architecture as you window shop; the shops themselves have a great deal of history and artistry to offer.

3. Enjoy a Spa

The Dana Hotel and Spa is a place of serenity that never fails to impress. I frequent their day spa every so often, and love that they offer dining options ranging from fine dining to afternoon tea. Out of town visitors will be hard pressed to find a place of lodging that offers more amenities or with better guest relations. When I am looking for hotels in Chicago, I use the site gogobot, because it offers user reviews and comprehensive details of the amenities and the areas the hotels are in. There is no shortage of things to do near the Dana: its location near the Magnificent Mile is ideal and will allow you to shop, dine and explore Chicago easily.

4. Broadway in Chicago

My love for a good musical has rubbed of on my children, which makes me incredibly happy! As a family, we often frequent the Broadway in Chicago, and we have enjoyed numerous plays and musicals at the five theaters they offer. Broadway in Chicago allows us local residents and visitors to experience the best touring plays as they stop in our lovely hometown to bring their talent and artistry to the stage. Successful Broadway shows put out national tours to bring Broadway caliber performances to the rest of the country. These national tours boast incredibly talented casts and we have never been disappointed with a BIC show.

So there you have it: the best of the best that Chicago has to offer! I'm sure you'll see that those of us who call Chicago home are very proud of our hometown, and we love to show it off and share it with out-of-towners!

It sounds great! I'm ready to go!

Toodles!

5

Saturday was a delightful day. I'd decided to run Sunday because there was a good chance of rain sat. There's not much I hate more than getting up for a run & it's raining. I was wide awake at 6:30 but I just laid there listening to the rain & eventually fell asleep.

I folded a load of laundry & unloaded the dishwasher. That's the only productive things I did all day. I read, blogged, read some blogs, had some coffee & napped. Once I woke up it was time to get ready for Mass.

We had plans to watch the LSU game with our usual crew of friends at Caliente. This is just one of the reasons I love that place so much.

Jessica, the owner is experimenting with new items to add to the menu so she brought this over for us to try. She said it's an actual authentic Mexican dish, not tex max like we're used to. It was sooo good! Chile Relleno, stuffed with a ground meat mixture that also had raisins  & it was all sautéed in cognac, topped with a cool sour cream sauce with pecans. DELISH! I love being a regular!!

All I've been hearing about for the last week is a cool front. It's coming they say. I thought it was going to be cool today so I didn't set an alarm I was just going to run when I woke up.
NOT COOL! I was happy about the clouds but that 93% humidity isn't good. It was windy so that was nice but I still came home soaked with sweat. In keeping with the number themes, I ran 5 miles. Yay!

I see lots of things on my runs. Often it's a carcass of some sort, which isn't really fun. There are the assorted beverage bottles. Usually after an away LSU football game & people have had parties. I've even seen the occasional shoe. Today I saw something I've never seen before.

Interesting. Last night was the homecoming dance for one of the big high schools in town that most of the boys go to in my neighborhood. I'm guessing some mom in the hood is wondering what happened to the tie that she paid good money for.

While I was running Dean went to the grocery store. He's the best hubs ever. Although, I am questioning a few of his purchases.
Seriously, he brought Oreos in the house. We've been eating much healthier than we used to. We do not need Oreos!! When I opened the pantry door you can imagine my surprise to not only see the Oreos but there are also 3 bags of chips there. Now I'm really in trouble. I love chips!! This is a prime example of why you don't grocery shop when you're hungry. Dean didn't eat breakfast before he went shopping & he admitted he was hungry.

*Update - It's Monday night & I haven't had a chip nor an Oreo!! Also, the cool front finally made it. It's amazing how much better my hair looks when the humidity is below 60%!

Toodles!

10

This week has been about numbers. Yesterday was our 10th wedding anniversary! We can't figure out if it seems longer or shorter than that. We dated 5 years before we got married. That's a fact I never let Dean forget!

We had dinner at Digiulio Brothers. We've only been there once but we really like it so we decided to go there. It's a small place & looks like a hole in the wall. There are only 12 tables inside & there's a bar & a few outside tables. The hole in the walls always have the best food!
I had a little wine of course & there were white tablecloths & a candle.

I went with one of the specials. Broiled grouper with fruit salsa & pasta.
It was delicious!! It was mango, pineapple, purple onion & red bell pepper. So good!

Pistachio gelato for dessert.
We were by a window & it had gotten darker outside so the pic is dark. This stuff is so good.

Once we got home we had some champagne.
I love Champs! Heather Dubrow from RHOOC could be my BFF!

Happy Weekend!

Toodles!

254

My friend Cindy is going to start running with me. I have strict instructions to ignore any texts she may send with excuses as to why she won't be able to get up in the morning & I was told "guilt me into going". No problemo! I like having a friend to exercise with & for the most part I don't. You'll recall that all of my friends that harassed encouraged me to start Yoglates are the same ones that bailed on me a couple of months later. Cindy just completed a 5150. For those of you like me that know way too much about pop culture I'm not speaking of the dreaded 5150 psych hold that Britney dealt with. It's actually a Triathlon. Apparently, there's a 5150, Half Ironman & Ironman. Regardless, it's not something I could do. They swim in the gulf & in rivers! Yikes! So, now that she's completed that she's considering running a half marathon because running is where she's the weakest & she doesn't like it. I have my work cut out for me. She's considering doing a Half Ironman next year so a half would be good training.

We checked out the weather (have I mentioned that I look at a weather app at least once a day??), rain was forecasted for Monday. Of course that basically means it might or might not rain just like any other day. We planned to run Tuesday so I got up & did a weight workout. Normally, I do upper body & then I throw in some leg lifts to try & strengthen my thighs to prevent runners knee & other assorted running injuries. I've been doing those for a few weeks so I added some ankle weights. Our friend that's the former athletic trainer suggested that. As it turned out I was ready for work early so I had time to stop for this
That friends, is a Pumpkin Spice Latte. My first ever. It was good but it's not my fave. I prefer vanilla or white chocolate or one of the Christmas flavors. It was still a nice little treat.

I may or may not have mentioned that Dean & I attempted to eat at Louisiana Lagniappe Wednesday. This is a very nice restaurant  & they also have locations in Orange Beach & somewhere else. Florida maybe? Anyway, awhile back I bought a Groupon. It can only be used Mon.-Thurs. which is no biggie. When we got there last week we had to park across the street & there was an hour wait. It was 6:10 when we got there. Sorry, but I was starving,. So we left. We decided that we needed to be there when the doors open at 5:30 & it wouldn't be a problem. I know that's early for a lot of people but we generally eat around 6:00. Since the restaurant is close to my office we just met at the restaurant. I got there before Dean at about 5:20. They'd opened the doors already & told me it would be a 10-15 minute wait. You've got to be kidding! Not that that's a long time but they just opened. She said there were a lot of people waiting outside so they opened a little early & seated those people. Once we were seated I wasn't sure what I wanted. I always get the same thing but I wanted to try something different. I went with a cup of seafood gumbo that was DELICIOUS and the Oysters Lagniappe.
They were stuffed & had lump crab meat & were baked. So so so good! Definitely worth the wait!

This morning Cindy & I ran. We did 4 miles in 44 minutes. That's not as good as I did Saturday but I've said it before, I'm slower at 5:00 am for whatever reason. It was hot & humid too. I guess one day we'll have some cool mornings. Are you wondering what the 254 title means?
I've ran 254 miles since March 6th! I know people run more than that but that's a lot for me & I'm excited!!

I discovered another little fun thing about my job today. There was a monsoon a few hours ago & the geese were out. I didn't know there were geese. Apparently, they live in the nearby lake. They must have been confused by all the rain because they were roaming the streets. I could see them from my office window. It was hilarious when they were loitering in the street & the cars couldn't get past them & were blowing their horns. The geese were completely oblivious. It was like they owned the road.

Hope y'all are having a good week!

Toodles!