"For Whom The Bell Tolls" - Metallica

I love this Metallica song.

[random fact] I super love that they use the word "whom".

So ya, I'm gonna toot my own horn here for a second and say - - -

holy. freaking. crap.

I
HAVE
THE
BEST
HUBBY & DAUGHTER.

e v e r.

So I wasn't 100% motivated today.  I hadn't been able to get my (&$@%# garmin to work [indoors] after three failed attempts.  Ya, coaches LOVE that.

So I started.  I was fine.  No music.  No TV.  Just me and my moving piece of rubber [oh and that Garmin thing].

Enter mile 4.  no joke - it WAS mile four!

enter cow bells.

Yep, Pita & Peanut.

Ringing Boston [John Hancock & Niketown] cowbells........to get my head right.

Guess what?  It. freaking. worked.  Long [awesome] run done.

Pita ran [literally-see he CAN run] from the photo opp.

Peanut - stuck around to show off her goods.

Just a huge, "I'm so grateful" moment.

In the words of Trader Joe's . . . "thanks for listening.reading."

Do you keep your cow bells?

"The Best Day Ever" - Sponge Bob Square Pants

what?

Don't JUDGE.......listen to the song.  SBSP totally rocks it.

So yesterday . . . did it really even happen?  what ever.

Today . . . .

It's 7:34am.  And it's already . . . "the best day ever".

And get this . . . it's EVEN "rest" day [which I rarely like].

So far today . . . . .

• I got up at 5:15am [freaking internal alarm].
• I got up made the Pita egg whites with chicken, apple, cheesy something sausage. 
• Have done two loads of laundry. 
• Cleaned up one 8 pound dog's puke [I swear he has issues]. 
• Answered a butt load of emails for work.
• Hosed down everything in my backyard from the haboobage.
• Got the freaking awesomest message from my new "BOB" [coach].  I'm so ready!!
• Then I got this from Lesley at Racing it off.  Could it be any more fitting?

• Ummmm, wait . . . . yes, apparently it can.

• Thanks for the new addition - I pay big bucks for the brassy-strawlike hair.
• Ate one of these for breakfast. Yep, Jess's freaking awesome PB bars. Heaven.  Yes, she sent a whole bag of goodies for  the whole family.  She rocks!

Day. Made.

Happy Friday to you!

And now from my very most favorite YouTube video ever . . .

...."Now go out there and kick it!"

"Remind Me" - Brad Paisley + Carrie Underwood

Can someone please remind me why I live here in Haboob-ville?

So we were Haboobed last night.

Pita:  so that's either a wall of dirt or it's the end of the world.

Me:  don't say that.  Peanut isn't home tonight.  When we go down [or hopefully "up"] we go together!

Looked at my phone to see if it was going to R-word.  " r a i n ".  Nope.  but look at the cool dirt effects at the top.  Only in AZ baby!

Then it hit [from the south].  We had the house on lock down [blinds, shutters, drapes].  Mase was laying in the middle of the yard like, "what you lookin' at?"  Ummmm ya, then we couldn't even see him.  No joke.

Woke up to this:

disgusting.

I mean seriously . . . .Mase wouldn't even get in.

Remind me . . . .

Why my awesome nephew is leaving for two years?

[yes, I really turned up in my running gear]

Actually, I freaking - freaking - love him.

Remind me . . .

Why I have to hit "start" for my Garmin to work?
First run ever using it "indoors on Mill". 
I'm a total idiot.
Was sooooooooooooooooooo stoked to see all my [nonexistent] "data".

Remind me . . .

Why people drive mini-vans.

I kid.  I kid.  I know.......... most of my sisters drive them.  They are a "necessary evil".  But seriously . . . . adding this sticker to your car . . . .

well. 

it. still. makes. it. a. mini-van.

Anything you'd like me to "remind YOU" of today?

Happy Haboob Wednesday!  [what? you know YOU like saying it too.]

"Shoes" - Kelly [BROOKS SHOE GIVE-A-WAY $100!]

Yep, you read that right.

Shoes + Free = all kinds of happy.

You KNOW I'm a shoe girl.

These were the three pairs of shoes that completed my outfits over the LONG weekend.

Friday:  c a m o .  what?  I had a sale to hit [no joke - it was WORK related].  I didn't want to be seen getting all the deals.  I was incognito.

Saturday:  Dinner with the Pita. [best fillet I have ever, ever, ever, ever, ever ---okay, okay --- had in all my many years!]

Sunday:  church shoes.  Yep, I agree - - when paired with a white skirt and burgundy and white top . . . . they say, "Yes, shake your head disapprovingly at me.  Bring it on." ;)

But come early mornings.......these shoes don't stand a chance.

I love my recovery runs in my Brooks.

You. want. or. need. a. pair?

You'll find all the Brooks shoes your running heart desires [ here ].

One [freaking] lucky reader will receive his or her choice of Brooks Running Shoes valued at up to $100.

Here's how you win:

YOU MUST LEAVE ONE COMMENT FOR EACH THING YOU DO BELOW. [sorry to SCREAM at you].

1.  Leave a comment telling me . . . . “How you would use a new pair of Brooks Running shoes”

2.  Be a follower of my blog.

3.  Follow OnlineShoes.com on Facebook [and tell them EMZ sent you!!] . . .HERE [ FACEBOOK ]

4.  Follow OnlineShoes.com Twitter.  HERE . . . [ @onlineshoes_com ] and tell them @runemz sent you!!

Entries will be accepted between July 5 and July 18.

Seriously.
how.
sweet.
would.
a.
new.
pair.
of.
kicks.
be?

Happy Tuesday!

"Fast Lane" - Bad Meets Evil

quick. n u m b e r s  post. Yay!

20 - Miles I ran today.
50 - minutes late I was starting my run
1 - Barnes and Noble visits with my Peanut
0 - purchases made at book store
4 - times I thought last night....Mike Tyson, he's just misunderstood.
4 - times I immediately changed that thought to  . . . no . . . he's got serious issues.
14 - times I wanted to rip that crazy coach lady's vocal cords out at the Pita's [old fart] Basketball game.
5 - times she yelled something totally inappropriate then looked at me.
0 - replies back.  what?  remember yesterday's post?  I'm totally trying.
2 - replies Peanut gave her in reply. [silently, smiled.  was super hilarious]  That girl . . . she's got her Dad's back.  allllllllllllll daaaaaaaaaaaay looooooong.
114 - times I sat there thinking --- that Pita.  He's one handsome guy.

5 - burgers purchased [ummmm and eaten] last night post-game at In-N-Out.  Holy. Yum.
94 - times since last Sunday I wish I lived in Seattle.

1 - cake baked this morning.
1 - Friend Peanut has coming to spend the night tonight.
497 - gummy bears laid out to go on the above mentioned cake
100 - percent chance it'll be an "Oh, Canada" cake.  Only because I/WE freaking love Caroline, Andrew, Anne, Q, Adena . . . and about 5 others - - -sorry no time to link....I owe you, like always.]
1 - times I cried last night.  IN. Freaking. Laughter.
26 - minutes the Pita "played" basketball last night [ out of 40].
2 - advil he took after 26 minutes of play.
2 - calf cramps prior to lights out.
1 - time he said, "so this is what a marathon feels like". h i l a r i o u s.
1 - time he said, "so me doing tourney play [3+ games] would be like a 24 hour treadmill run, right!"
2.4 - minutes it took me to stop laughing out loud to reply . . . " XXXXXXX" sorry cannot share.
7.4 - times I thought man "T-Pain" knows how to self promote.

14 - minutes until the Pita gets home for our LONG weekend together YAY!

Happy Canada Day Ehhh.

Happy Early 4th!! 

YOU KNOW I LOVE THE "4" th!!

Any big plans?  Ohhhhh, do tell!

"Words" - Train

[BTW, if you have not heard the above mentioned song . . . ya.... you'll want to]
[also - this post is non-running related {yes, I had one heck of a workout x 2 today but that's not what's on my mind today} so you've been warned].

Last night the Pita and I had a LONG. LONG. LONG.

LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONG. Talk.

the. best. talk. in. years.  The one where you start it at 9pm and you feel like it's been 14 minutes but it's really been 94 minutes.

We. got. talking. about. words.

Yep.
Words.
Simple. little. words.

The words we choose say a lot about the kind of person we are.

When talking to friends, family, even strangers, our conversation and disposition reflect our insides like a crystal clear, well lit mirror.

I'm 100% guilty of not always speaking kindly.  I'm highly emotional.  And unfortunately, [can be] highly [HIGHLY] reactive.  I remember in my [pre-home business days] asking some folks to do their job [on a project we were working on]. I'm sure I didn't always demonstrate that nicer way.

Flash forward a few years. Semi-maturity sets in with life/marriage/family experience. Unexpected opportunities and heartbreaks put the big picture in perspective.

Believe it or not . . . . . I've [actually] mellowed, I've accepted, I've gained a better sense of reality.

Swear words rarely cross my lips, and these days I make a point of profusely thanking people for their kind deeds or the work they do to compliment my own projects/plans.

Sure, I still occasionally fall into the trap that is called snarky, but by in large I try to live with an open heart and mind and kindness in my words [or at least make sure I AM NOT intentionally hurtful].

But.
Man.
Snarky
can
be
fun.

It feels good when we say something that makes everyone chuckle or roll their eyes or respond.

Doesn't it feel great when people think you're funny?  And blonde + funny does NOT = stupid funny. ;)

Humor has a way of making us each an easy mark. Go ahead. Make fun of my toenails or lack thereof. Some of the clothes I wear? They've probably got a target on 'em.  The sucktastic race I just had.  Some of the stuff I do? Heck yes, I bet you can find the humor in that, too.

However, humor with an intent to hurt makes me question the source's motives. It makes me question the source's insecurities.

I'm grateful for all of the challenges I've fought through [as well as my family] in the past 4-5 years. They've  f r e a k i n g  made me stronger, and they've given me the right to only care about the stuff and people who really matter.

Adversity is a gift.

And I'm choosing my words carefully.

Thanks P.D.M.

"Motivation" - Kelly Rowland [feat. Lil Wayne]

Seattle . . .

You left me feeling like this. [ummm but actually, this was pre-race ---- shoulda known ;) ]  SO love Amanda and her signature pose.

Seattle has left me with something . . . . . .

M o t i v a t i o n . [x 4,444]

That 3:10 marathon.

That "BQ like a man" goal.

 - - it's so freaking mine.  Ya, it might be in January of 2012 not December of 2011 [as I was planning] but . . . I'm totally okay with that.

So on to SEATTLE race report with new happiness and a lot less anger.

On the way there.  I saw my mountain.  And this awesome opportunity to advertise for Southwest.

Awesome moment #1:
Sitting in seat - look up for air fan thingy . . . . Am I the only one who instantly thought this was an Ironman sign?  Jeff, was I in your seat?!

Loved that.

Awesome #2:

Sitting next to an 18 year old and his Dad on the way to the Expo on the "light rail".  He was soooooooooooooooooooooooooooo intrigued. 

him:  we don't have these in Oklahoma!
him:  we have to pay to ride things like this at the fair!
him:  and we have to pay about $3.00 MORE!

It went on and on and I loved it.

EXPO time:

Fun stuff.
Got to meet a friend from DM [dailymile] Samantha.  awesome.

then........well.......we pretty much rolled out.

It's Seattle!  I don't want to go to the expo for hours!  It's sunny and did I mention
freaking . . . 65*.

Soooooo.......we went to Pioneer Park [I think].  I chilled with the baggage and the Pita found some awesome sandwiches at a local place.

We sat in the sun and listed to this guy jam on this violin-ish looking thing.

a w e s o m e.

Went to our hotel.

And

Hello....................look..................at.................this.................view.

DoWeReallyNeedToLeave?

Do you see what I see?

Yep. My CC bill going up by the second.  Nordy's.  Heaven.

So the Pita dragged me out and we were off for. . . .

Pita Vs. Seattle food fest 2011.

Yep - First stop: Pike's for:
1.  Strawberry Shortcake
2.  Sandwich
3.  Bread Pudding
4.  Peach [what?]
5.  Blueberries
6.  Mac N' Cheese
7.  Salad [Cesar]
8.  mini donuts

I got:

Boosh.  heck ya!  Best.  $15.  Ever.

Signs from Pike's.  I. freaking. loved.

And

Awwwww. yaaaaa.

Oh and I found this to eat.

ummm, was NOT yum.

Sooooooooooooooo..........

Then I said so what's for dinner and --- ya, he wasn't hungry.  In fact he was a bit full.  So off to the gym we went at 7pm.

In PitaVille . . . . workout = hungry again in an hour [I'm smart & I want dinner]

Got 5 miles in.  He did 40 on the elliptical [new record].

shower. clothes.

good.
great.
On. We. Go!

ummm, ya.  we didn't make it out the hotel door.

Hello, Ruth's Chris & Blue C were IN our hotel.
nom. nom. nom.

Friday.
This was the Pita's day.  He had a few worky things he/we needed to do.
We drove to Gig Harbour for the day.

b e a u t i f u l.

House we went to - A-freaking-mazing.

They chatted.

I chilled.

Loved it.

Dinner. . . . . Spaghetti . . . the best ever.

And

Salmon.  The good crap.  Alaskan something - something.

Yep, I tried.  I likey'd.  I ate.

Fast Forward one hour.

We late-y leaving.  Pita Indy 500-ing our way back.  Emz a pukie. [big time].  I get car sick/motion sick.  This. was. bad.

Ate 1/2 bagel.  Texted Dawn [duh, she totally needed to know about this], drank two 16oz bottles of wa-waaa-washington water.

Set alarm.

I'm out.

Woke up.  felt a bit "wonky" but good great! [no excuses].

Walked 1/3 mile to shuttle.  Was on within 5 minutes. I kinda "cut".
Shortish bus ride.  Arrived with an hour to spare.  Toilet.  Bag drop off.  Stand in front of generator for 30 minutes inhaling who knows what but it was warm.

Walked up to corrals.  Saw Jess, Mel & Amanda [above mentioned photo].

And I am off.

I unknowingly ran past Chelsea.  She.  Freaking.  Rocks.

She took these photos!

And I CANNOT believe I didn't see this.

Yep, she made it too.

Freaking
love
that.
[hmmm, I haven't been there today]

So... ya..... not mentioning running numbers but it wasn't pretty.

First 6-10 [ish] miles were 7:23 average
and
it
got
worse
from
there.

Here's me smiling for the Pita.

To which he said:  "What are you doing 3:20 is ahead of you.  suck it up. run faster!"

he. knows. me. well.

but....
he didn't know my legs today.
They weren't there.

blah. blah [I sucked] blah. blah.
3:27:08 [flipped off camera guy]
Finish line.  YAY!

My Pita.

Love. Him.

Then Jess - got this awesome photo for us.  Thanks Jess!

Then I got my photo with the girls.  Super.Sweetness.

[Me, Stacie, Mel & Jess].  Sorry, I kept you guys waiting for FREAKING ever.

And one photo with me and Stacie. 

[the treadmill lovers!!] ---- [let me rephrase, we love treadmills!]

OK -----

So I'm hiding that I'm uberP'dOffRightNow.

Walk in hotel.  Bye Bye hotel.  Off to TM for 2 miles.  NOW, I am better.

Ice. ice. ice.

texting while icing.

BAM.

It's fun time.
Got my Run Emz shirt on [shuddup].

And it was time for food.

fun,

shopping [photo intentionally omitted, Nordy's!], Ninja's,

getting "Randy" [Randy Couture]. . .

[seriously. nicest. guy. ever.  Sat three seats away from him.]

And four points to the Pita for scoring front row seats.  Crazy fun.

at the baseball game & a 4 mile walk.

a w e s o m e n e s s .

Here's what the Pita thought of my finishing time:

[which is 29.4% why I love him.  He knows I expect a lot of myself and he expects EVEN 4 times more.]

The run . . . . ya, I sucked it up.

but . . .

the weekend  . . . . best one EVER.