Last week I signed up for the Iron Girl 5K run in Clearwater. My friend, Sundi , mentioned it on her blog, and I completely fell in love with the name. Sundi's fitness journey has been an inspiration to me, and somehow it just seemed fitting to get my feet wet with this race. The Iron Girl is also a convenient location for my former workout buddy, Jen, to meet up with me. Jen started running back in October, and she will be running Gasparilla next month. We're going to do Iron Girl together in April, and I think this will become at least an annual event. Running a race together, that is. At Jen's recommendation, I'm following Jeff Galloway's training schedule. This means I had my first long run today. I laced up my new Nike Pegasus shoes, slapped on a sports bra, and headed out. Today's goal was 1 mile, running for 30 seconds and then walking for 60 seconds. I knew I was out of shape. I just didn't know I was THIS out of shape. I mean, I used to run on the t...

The only part of the new digital conversion process that I like is the fact that now I get 4 PBS stations. I am a self-proclaimed PBS geek, and this week the channel has regaled me with biographies of the presidents. Here are a few things I learned this week. 1. The American people were overwhelmingly against any involvement in World War 2. They felt that it was none of their business and they didn't see the need to lose American lives to a cause that wasn't their own. Of course, all this changed with the attack on Pearl Harbor. What I found interesting is that that's not the way we remember that time period. The commentaries and reports were eerily similar to much of what we here today in regards to our current involvement in world affairs. 2. Harry Truman was a remarkable man. He was unable to go to college because his father lost everything the family had just as Harry graduated from high school. Harry took a job at a bank where he was liked and respected, but his father...

I mowed yesterday. Believe me, this is more of a feat than it seems. I've never before operated a lawn mower. Every time I mentioned this (because I never do anything new without announcing it to at least 7 people) to someone, they'd say, "Oh, just pull the string and push." That's great advice, but we have a riding mower. A very expensive riding mower with lots of buttons and switches and better shocks than are on my car. The thought of being responsible for this piece of machinery scared the snot out of me. Not only did I have to worry about somehow breaking the mower, but Alan was going to have to explain to me how to use it. Over the phone. Let's just say his directions and my brain don't always make a connection. Sure enough, we ended up in a delightful blow-up over a lever he insisted was to the right of the steering wheel. He had to call someone to verify that I was telling the truth when I said there was no lever to the right of the steering wheel....

I stopped by Beall's this morning to browse through the clearance racks. My youngest niece needs new clothes. (She is only 7 months old, but she is already wearing 9 to 12 month clothes. Her height is certainly from my mother's side of the family.) It was 9:02, but they had not opened the doors yet. I stood outside with an older couple. He reminded me of Kramer, very tall and slender with curly hair that hovered over the top of his head. They both looked at me when I walked up to the door, and I asked, "They haven't opened the doors yet?" He walked over to hear what I asked. She glanced back and said, "No, and it's after 9:00." I smiled and thanked her. The man then looked at me and pointed to the Beall's Outlet next door. He said something about the store. I thought he was asking if they were open, so I walked over. Lo and behold, they were, and I called down to them so they could see. About 10 minutes later I was walking through the regular Bea...

I know I've been absent lately, but I just really haven't had much to say. To me that line seems like a total cop-out, but it's true. Sometimes there just aren't words to express what's going on in your life. I'm learning to accept that. I picked up a copy of "Their Eyes Were Watching God" at the library a few weeks ago, and I've been reading it as I find a few quiet moments. One passage, in particular, has echoed in my head, and it perfectly sums up how I've felt. "There's a basin in the mind where words float around on thought and thought on sound and sight. Then there is a depth of thought untouched by words, and deeper still a gulf of formless feelings untouched by thought." That's where I've been lately. Let's face it. The gulf of formless feelings doesn't exactly translate well to the blog world. The new year (and a long overdue photography session) has rejuvenated me somewhat. At least my will power seems to...

Dear Blog, I am so sorry I have ignored you for the last few weeks. It's been a busy Christmas season. Even though I've technically been "on vacation" I've still had exams to score, gifts to buy, and more running around than I EVER like to do. My niece, Mariah, has been here since last Saturday, and this is the first day I've actually had a moment to post anything. We're actually at the library now uploading pictures to Walgreens so we can print them out and put them in a scrapbook. That's our final activity, nicely wrapping up the week. We went to the beach twice. (I'm in southwest Florida, people...it was 85 degrees!). Clam Pass in Naples is one of my favorite beaches. We rented the Aqua Cycle and soon discovered that it looks a heck of a lot more fun when you watch someone else in it. Lover's Key State Park is a delightful spot in Fort Myers. We did go swimming both days. Yes, we're both Florida natives. Yes, it was cold. Yes, it was a b...