The lake house

Just a quick little phone update for you. 

Tom and I are spending the weekend at his family's lake house. It's kind of awesome. There's time to read, play out on the boats and generally relax!

I hope you are having a relaxing long weekend! 

A silly dog and a race goal

My Monday was pretty uneventful. I worked late, didn't run, and convinced Tom to make giant burgers with onions, mushrooms and swiss cheese for dinner.

Today started early (5:30, because I take forever to wake up) because I needed to be at work at 7. And then there were no kiddos until 7:30. Oh well. I did somehow get off work on time today, rather than getting stuck for another 10 hour shift.

My training plan called for 4 easy miles today. I watched the final episode of True Blood (I don't think I've ever been really happy with how a show ended) and ended up running 5 miles instead. I'm going to end up short on miles this week since we are going out of town for the weekend. I'm certainly not going to get my 13 mile long run in while we're at the lake house, and I'm ok with that.

I cut my finger at work and got this sweet hologram band-aid. It was that or Spider Man.

This is Buddy's go-to spot out on the deck.

Silly dog.

I have been able to do most of my runs lately at a faster pace than my training plan calls for, and it claims I should be able to run my half in 2:00:39. I'm hoping that means I will be able to break 2 hours (which I haven't done yet). I haven't seen the course, but I know there are plenty of hills. I guess we'll see in 47 days.

The search continues

I don't have the best track record when it comes to making curry - it hasn't always turned out. But last night I made red curry, and it turned out really well!

I used this recipe: Red Thai Curry Sauce

I put broccoli, spinach and chicken in it and served it over rice (that I forgot to cook until almost everything else was done cooking, awesome).

There were no leftovers.

We went and looked at a couple of houses this morning. I completely failed to take any pictures. The first one was in pretty bad shape and kind of felt like we were on an historical house tour, kind of creepy.

The second one was in a really pretty neighborhood (tons of trees) and had a really cute living room/kitchen area, but the rest of the house was a little odd. One of the bedrooms had a window/cut out on one of the walls that went through to the stairs. The only room that was big enough to be a master bedroom was the finished basement, which had a really low ceiling. The current owners also seemed to let their kids draw pretty much anywhere, walls and stair railing included.

So, the search continues.

My "long" run this week was only 5 miles, I did it on the treadmill while watching some True Blood.

Buddy is ridiculous.

The weekend always goes too fast, but on the bright side, I only have to work 4 days this week. I took Friday off so we can have a long weekend at Tom's family's lake house. Yes, please. :)

A faster trail run and PRO Compression leggings

I am at 555.5 miles for the year. 5 is my favorite number, so I love this.

Our group was a little different than usual this morning, and for some reason, a little faster. We each had moments of leading/pushing the group. Towards the end we had even caught up to the lead pack.

Generally we do this run at a 9:30 pace, but when I checked my Garmin at the end today, we averaged an 8:57 pace. On trails. With hills. I definitely felt like I was working hard, but I didn't feel like I was trying to do anything I wasn't capable of.

I wore my new shoes for their longest run yet, and I am really liking them! They're lighter than most of my other shoes and they are super comfortable.

Buddy helped me check out my splits when I got home.

My pants are fully embedded with Buddy's hair.

Speaking of pants, I have been coveting these PRO Compression leggings since I heard about them.

But, since I'm not exactly lacking in running gear, I haven't been able to validate the $80 price tag. I happened to be staring longingly looking at them last night and they were on sale - $56. Still pricey, but tempting. After a quick search, I found a coupon code that was expiring last night.for $20 off any purchase over $50.

Long story short, I have some new leggings headed my way. :)

We took Buddy to the dog park for a while so he could explore (he doesn't really play with other dogs) and run around. I think he's a little tired now.

What are you up to this weekend?

Glitter everywhere!

I have been meaning to get my bulletin board changed for the new class. Most of the other classes have theirs up, so I was kind of behind.

We only had 6 kiddos for the day, so I alternated between crafting and breaking up fights. 

There was a lot of glitter involved.

A lot of glitter.

But seriously, look how cute this turned out.

Their names are in glitter too, which was not the simplest solution I could have come up with. I don't know how your glue-writing is, but mine could use some work.

We are having a nice, relaxing evening at home watching football. I'm so excited it's the weekend!

This cracks me up.

I also like this shirt

I hope you're having a good Friday!

Don't mind if we do

Art today was "popcorn" - they turned out pretty cute, so I naturally didn't take a picture of any of them when they were finished.

Today was one of my kiddo's last day before they change classrooms in September. They brought presents.

I like presents.

A while ago, I bought a Groupon for Keenan House. We went for dinner tonight and got beer flights, mussels and sliders for half price. Don't mind if we do.

Also, I bought these at the store today.

I am a sucker for limited edition flavors of pretty much anything. And these are actually really good too.

Somewhere between work and dinner I hit the treadmill for 4 easy miles and an episode of The Walking Dead. I'm finally caught up and now I have to wait until October to see what happens. I hate watching shows that are still on the air - I'm not a fan of waiting for new episodes!

A (not) easy run, sunscreen, and marshmallows

Today's run was not one of those ones where I feel awesome and want to keep running forever. I wanted to stop at a half mile, and at miles 1, 2, and 3. But I chugged right along and got an annoying text from work that made me finish up fast and strong. Whatever works.

5 easy miles in 50:07. I'll take it.

It wasn't so much the running that was the problem as it was the pain in my neck/shoulder. It's back. Again. I think I may need to look into getting a massage or going to a chiropractor or something. It seems to keep happening and it really makes it difficult to run - it makes it hard to take a deep breath! I don't need that.

Buddy was tired from all the sleeping next to the treadmill while I ran.

A while ago I posted about my favorite sunscreen - I realized the kind I have is only at Sephora and it was out of stock forever. I just got an email that it is back in stock! You can find it HERE.

I recently learned that having a phone that actually works makes me use a TON more data than I had been using before. Weird, right? I think a phone plan change is in the works.

I failed to take a picture, but dinner was cedar plank salmon (Alaskan salmon, none of that sketchy east coast stuff) and cous cous with onions, zucchini and beets. I will very shortly be partaking in some ice cream.

Oh, speaking of sweet things, I forgot to tell you about these:

I turned them in to rice crispie treats. They're good, but they're not really very chocolatey or minty, which is odd. I think the marshmallows would be good in hot chocolate. You know, when it's not summer anymore.

Some kiddo stories from the day

This morning I had three kiddos in the classroom and I was trying to get some cleaning done before they got too crazy. They were sitting in our library area looking at books. I had music on. They told me my music was too loud.

Three two year olds reading books told me my music was too loud.

One kiddo almost always wakes up first at nap time. He's pretty good at keeping quiet so his friends can sleep, and he's one of the only ones who can actually whisper instead of just stage whispering. We end up having some random conversations. His favorite question is "what is magic?"

Today's conversation was pretty cute:

Kiddo: Why do we have a ceiling?

Me: Because otherwise we would pretty much be outside. And what would we do if it rained?

Kiddo: I know what we would do if it rained. If it rained we would go to the toy store.

Me: Because they have a ceiling?

Kiddo: Yeah

I bribed the munchkins to nap today. Generally speaking, all things Frozen are not allowed in my classroom. I can't handle hearing "Let it go" anymore, and the kids know that they're not supposed to sing it all day long. So, today I told them that if they ALL napped, that we could listen to Frozen.

They all napped. It was beautiful.

Then we listened to "Let it go," which was less beautiful, but it made them happy.

My assistant is back from vacation tomorrow, so that means I shouldn't have to work over 10 hours again tomorrow. It's going to be amazing! :)

Back to life

I'm back in the land of the living today.

I wasn't quite sure if I was going to make it through the work day when I got to work this morning. I couldn't even stomach my coffee! It makes me sad how much coffee I wasted today.

On the bright side, I did survive the day and have even eaten some real (not just applesauce and juice) food. Apparently, a bunch of people at work were sick over the weekend with the same thing - thanks germy little kiddos!

Buddy and I went for a short stroll after work. He was on high alert looking for Tom's car so he was jumping at every little sound.

Tonight I'm catching up on the laundry that I didn't do this weekend and hopefully getting to bed on time. Lofty goals, right?

In the zone and sick again

Saturday:

I almost didn't run this morning.

I woke up with my favorite pinched nerve in my neck a few days ago and it has really been lingering (just ask Tom, he has to listen to me whine). I said I wouldn't run today if it was still hurting, but I really wanted to run.

The first few miles were mostly unpleasant. The pain in my neck/shoulders made it feel like I couldn't quite catch my breath. At about mile 4, I suddenly felt better. I could still feel some pain, but I was breathing more easily.

Our run has a really mean hill towards the end, and for some reason today when I hit the top, I felt great. I didn't really realize it was happening until one of my group made a comment that I always say I'm slow, but that I was pulling away from the group.

I was in the zone, I didn't feel like I was working really hard, my breathing was even and my feet were barely hitting the ground. I just went with it and finished the last half mile ahead of the group.

It was a nice high until I got home and was telling Tom about it, and somehow managed to hit my head on the freezer door handle. Hard. Don't ask, I have no idea how I managed it.

It's fun to watch Tom and Buddy play.

Sunday:

So, I wrote the above on Saturday afternoon, and then I was taken down by nausea and fever. Today was spent on the couch trying to get some nutrients in me and sleeping on and off. Hopefully I'm functional in the morning, we'll see how it goes.

Faster and shorter

I know I said this before, but I have no idea how I used to work so many hours. With my assistant out of town, I worked 7:30-6:10 today. Then it took me a little while to decide what I was going to do for my run.

My training plan called for 6 miles - a warm up, 4 miles at 9:19 and a cool down. There was no way that was happening, but I wanted to get some speedwork done, so I went with faster and shorter instead.

I ran .25 miles @ 10:00 pace (that's almost like a warm up, right?), 2 miles @ 8:34 and another .25 miles @ 8:00 pace. I ended up at 2.5 miles in 21:39.

Gross.

Much better than the not running at all that I wanted to do.

When Tom leaves the house, Buddy runs upstairs to look out the window in the office to see if he can see where Tom is going.

Tom made a pizza on the grill for dinner.

I didn't manage to take a picture until we'd eaten half of it. Pepperoni and banana peppers, yes.

Tomorrow is finally Friday, and I can't wait! It has been a long week with crazy kiddos. They will be changing classrooms at the end of the month, and I think they're starting to get a little anxious about the upcoming change.

Some circus art, a hot run, and a spoiled dog

I'm just going to erase nap time from my memory for the rest of the week. I have a kiddo that will not be quiet/calm/still at all and has been keeping pretty much everyone up lately. Her family recently moved, so her last day is Friday. I can make it to Friday.

Here are a couple of our circus crafts from the week.

I actually ran outside after work today. Tom was doing some home improvement stuff and the power to the treadmill was off, so I braved the heat. It wasn't as hot out as I thought it was going to be, which was nice.

3 easy miles around the neighborhood, ignoring the pinched nerve I woke up with this morning.

I was feeling pretty runner-y when I got home.

There are worse places to come home to.

Buddy has such a hard life. He hung out with me on the back deck while I cooled off after my run. The hardship.

We wanted something easy for dinner, so I made BLTs and we inhaled some of our favorite avocado salsa along with our sandwiches.

I'm hoping to get to bed early, my assistant is on vacation until the middle of next week, which basically means I have to work all. day. long.  I'm not super happy about the situation.

Cholula goes on everything

I was pretty excited to get off work on time today. I got a new tank top (really just a new color of my favorite tank from Oiselle - it was on sale!) that needed to go for a run. 

It was 4 easy miles on the TM while I watched the latest MasterChef. And then I was sad because one of my favorite people on the show got sent home.  

Just a little sweaty.

Look how cute this dog is.

Look closer.

Dinner tonight was a big mix of things - sweet potatoes, onions, black beans, kale, eggs, avocado and cilantro.

That was before I covered it in hot sauce.

Cholula goes on everything.

House hunting and sushi

Oh hey, it's Monday again. 

We had a really nice Sunday, starting with coffee, pancakes, and generally relaxing. 

Buddy and I went for a walk in the sunshine. He was pretty much exhausted for the rest of the day.

Then, Tom and I headed out to check out some houses.

The first place we went was cute, but way too small. It had a really pretty yard though, and a little shed/chicken coop.

The second place we saw was really cute.

Really cute.

It also had a creek/brook in the front yard, and you have to drive over a little bridge to go up the driveway.

Then we were off to the last place, which felt really cramped. I didn't even take any pictures there.

We have a few more that we want to check out, it doesn't feel like we've found the right one yet. 

Today was fairly uneventful, just a very long day at work because my assistant called out. Then, Tom and I had sushi for dinner. I don't think I've had sushi since we left Kodiak. It's been a while.

Do you like sushi? What's your favorite roll? 

Not a bad morning's work

I woke up before my alarm this morning for some reason.

I decided to combine my group run with my long run this week. Technically, Saturday is a rest day on my training plan, and I usually run 6.5+ miles with the group and then do my long run on Sunday.

So I met up with the group and did 6.57 miles in 1:01:47. We started off at a reasonably slow pace this morning, but were joined by a woman who ran Boston in 3:18 at the halfway point. We were going much faster after that. When I got home, I ran another 6.6 miles on the treadmill in 1:09:28. 

Not a bad morning's work.

Buddy has been sleeping on my shoes lately.

I think he's trying to tell me that I have too many shoes in the living room.

My made a pretty lazy circus bulletin board at work the other day.

One of the other teachers made a crack about having a flaming ring, so, of course, I had to make one.

I probably should have made it bigger, but there were some structural issues since it's made of paper and pipe cleaners.

The main reason I wanted to move my long run this week is that we are going to look at some houses tomorrow. Hopefully we see something cool! :)

A little Thursday Randomness

It's been a little crazy here.

Buddy got string from his rope toy stuck in his teeth/gums and it got infected. He had to take a trip to the vet yesterday to get it taken care of. He was a little dopey the rest of the afternoon.

Since he's not allowed to have rope toys anymore, Tom bought him a couple of new toys at the pet store.

Buddy approves.

This was all over the internet, so when I saw it at the store, I had to try it. It was actually really good. Very refreshing, and not a weird fake watermelon flavor.

I dyed cotton balls with food coloring the other day so we could make "cotton candy" during art yesterday. They ended up being pretty cute, and none of the kids tried to eat it.

I ran 3 easy miles again yesterday in my fancy new shoes. I had a little bit of heel slippage on one foot (it must be my smaller foot), but a little creative lacing seems to have fixed it.

Today was supposed to be some speedwork with mile repeats, but I did something to my lower back picking up one of the bigger kids today at work. So, instead, I'm laying on the couch with Tiger Balm on my back and trying not to move around too much.

There have also been a lot of things happening at work this week. Some craziness because of the kiddos and some serious non-napping, and some craziness on the management side of things. It is pretty well sorted out now (other than the non-napping), so it should be a nice day tomorrow.