Something a little different

I miss blogging. Really, I do. Just lately I haven't had much to write about as I can only talk about grad school so much and other things in my life are just a little too personal to share online. Then one of the blogs I follow posted this and I thought it looked like a great idea! So without further ado...

5 Things I'm Looking Forward To:
5) Disney! We are taking a big family trip in a couple of months and I'm so excited to go back. My niece will be going for the first time and I can't wait to see Disney World through a 5-year-old's eyes!
4) Matt's birthday. He doesn't want to make a big deal of it but you only turn 25 once and I'll have something up my sleeve...
3) The holidays. So much good food and family time on the horizon.
2) Consistent temperatures. I know, I live in Texas, what do I expect? This yo-yoing betweeen 50s and 70s is driving me (and my head) crazy.
1) Getting a dog. Hopefully next summer I will have a dog. I need it for my stress levels. Comps prep is creeping closer...

I need some Tower of Terror in my life

4 Things You Might Not Know About Me:
4) I'm a morning person. I try to contain it, but most days I wake up raring to go.
3) I constantly waver if I want to be a mom or not. 
2) I want to be able to cook more. So many good recipes out there, so little time.
1) I don't like working out per se, but I love the feeling I get afterwards and it makes sitting on a spin bike for 60 minutes so worth it.

Oh I would love to break out my pizza stone soon...

3 Shows I Love:
3) Mythbusters. Yay science!
2) How I Met Your Mother. The one show Matt & I actually try to watch live.
1) Once Upon a Time. Those creators of Lost got me again...

2 Things that Frustrate Me:
2) Traffic. 635's constant level of traffic is making our toll charges creep up but it's worth it for my sanity.
1) Family Court.

1 of my Favorite Words:
1) Puppies! All dogs are puppies in my book and the word just makes me so smile.

This pictures makes me so happy

10K Results

I hope everyone has been having a great week! Mine has been quite interesting to say the least and I'm so looking forward to this weekend. Anyway, a few weeks ago I talked about my fitness journey and that I was running my first 10K soon. Well, that Sunday has come and went and I wanted to share my results with you in case you were interested. 

First thing Sunday morning, we got up, had some cereal, and got ready to head out to downtown Fort Worth. My parents were in town and were awesome enough to come with us to support me (and keep Matt company while he waited). It was pretty cold that morning-- in the 40s-- and I realized I needed to get some cold weather running gear. My fleece held me up until race time but my legs were covered in goose bumps!

A little before the race started, I warmed up a bit, stretched, and then it was time to line up and go! It was a gorgeous morning to run and the route we took was really pretty. We ran around the Trinity River and got to see the sunrise over downtown. The course was well-marked and there were various water stops and people cheering at random points on the course.

Lined up ready to begin!

And I'm off with my little pony tail bouncing in the wind

Towards the beginning of the course

By the way, I have no coordination to drink water and run at the same time. More of it got on my face than anything. Oh well.

My goal for the race was to simply not stop running. I knew my typical pace was a little under 10 minutes/mile so I figured it would take me a little over an hour, especially because it was so cold it took me a while to get warmed up. But I ended up running it in 59 minutes and 8 seconds! Average mile pace of 9:32! I was definitely happy with that. 

So happy to be about to cross the finish line

Got my first medal!

It was awesome seeing Matt and my parents at the finish line and I'm glad they were there to support me. I will definitely do another 10K again. The distance is great-- not too long where you start getting weird injuries but long enough to get into it. I followed a nice training plan that I think really prepared me well for it. Now to find the next race to sign up for!

Love love love

Yesterday was not a good day. But after seeing this video, it helped me to smile and remember how awesome dogs are. Hope you have a great Friday!

Cats Stealing Dog Beds

Five Things Friday

I haven't written anything in a few weeks so I figured I should pop in. No better time too than to give a quick rundown of what's been happening lately.

1) How is it already October 11? I was emailing a professor yesterday and almost asked how the beginning of his semester was going. And then I realized we're halfway done. Can't be...

2) I will probably be taking my comprehensive exams a year from now as opposed to spring of 2015 as originally planned. This is pretty scary to think about though everyone tells me I will prepare enough and be fine. I will have to devote a later post to describe comps in detail, but let's just say it involves 6 months or so of studying straight. You get 2 chances to pass and if you don't, you're done. Talk about pressure!

3) I'm so looking forward to this weekend! We will be going to a friend's son's 1st birthday party and it should be a blast. Cute babies serve as a great study distraction!

4) I've been reading this book called Newjack for my corrections class and it's really interesting. Best part, it's written by a journalist so it's not as dry as some books I've read. If you're interested in the life of a prison guard, I would recommend it. 

5) It seems we are in the middle of the autumn baking season. Thankfully my husband is pretty awesome and is supportive of such endeavors. The hard part is picking what to bake...

This may be on the agenda...

So what does your weekend have in store?