142,099

Every once in awhile my car does something to remind me of her age. Today, she froze with 142,099 on her odometer. At fourteen years old I guess it could be something much worse, but I feel like it's just a little reminder of just how precious my little Honda is. If you think about it, in 1994, when she was new, I was graduating from elementary school. She's only fourteen. It's not like a dog where every year is equivalent to seven years, that would put her at a century old. The 'ol beaut may have lost her luster, have a few minor bumps, an ABS light that likes to flirt with me, and electric windows that are gradually becoming slower and slower, but, regardless, I still teeter on the fine line between wanting/needing a new car. I want a new car(badly) but do I NEED one? Probably not... I'm betting she's probably got another 142,000 miles in her. Let's not be ridiculous though, I do have an image to uphold.

Green Thumb, for now...

A weekend at home, finally. I got a chance to catch up on some much needed sleep, which Kitty took full advantage of as well. I opened the house up since it was such a beautiful weekend and, I kid you not, Hobbes was absolutely lethargic with the breeze coming through the windows. He would sprawl out on the floor, decide he wanted to get up and walk around and then another bit of breeze would hit him and BAM... he would crumble back down to his knees. This cycle continued all weekend until he decided it was too warm in the house so he headed south to the cool basement.

I kept my days very busy with a to do list on the kitchen counter so I wouldn't get bored. I worked in the yard mainly. This doesn't include mowing, I've still managed to keep a lawn boy on my payroll until Ben gets home/finds out. I honestly would much rather mow my own yard so it's done on my schedule and not on someone else's, but the mower is in the shop (from my first and last mowing experience) so I'll just have to let my lawn boy keep mowing.

I finished the garden! After hemming and hawing over whether or not mother nature would grace us with another frost, I headed to the nursery and based my decision to go ahead and plant on the outrageous number of people there. I figured if they all thought they were good to go, then apparently I am too! I planted three tomatoes, two green peppers, two strawberries, nine onions, a crap load of green beans, and one cilantro plant. My hope, besides not killing them, is to make my own salsa and spaghetti sauce this season. We'll see! Here's a picture of the garden finished and everything still green, I'll let you know how long that lasts!

The empty patch is my green beans, yummy!!

Wedding Weekend

I spent last weekend in Atlanta for Lauren's wedding. Like most wedding weekends as a bridesmaid you go from event to event, just pausing long enough to change from one dress and into another. Friday was the luncheon at The Swan House, Friday night was rehearsal with dinner following at Sugo. The wedding took place Saturday evening at Naylor Hall in historic Roswell, Ga. It was the most beautiful setting and she had perfect weather! Bryan and Lauren are spending their honeymoon in Costa Rica, while I spent the week in Pittsburgh...sigh, it doesn't even compare!

Enjoy the pictures!

Bride with Bridesmaids at The Swan House

Megan, my sexy date for the weekend

Naylor Hall

Lauren and her dad, precious picture!

"I Do"

Rachel, me, and Megan taking FULL advantage of open bar!

Breaking it down bridesmaid style

We're too sexy!

Picture with Lauren before we sent them off

Yesterday's "incident"

So what I have always feared while traveling happened yesterday. I got in a car accident...in my rental. Before you get all worked up, the other driver and I are fine. Before you start cracking blonde women driver jokes you need to know that it wasn't my fault.

I have to admit that when it's time for me to leave a city and head for the airport I have only one thing on my mind and that's my wonderful bed awaiting me. If you know my driving habits you know that, since living in Atlanta, I've gained a slightly heavier foot. So, with the combination of gethomeitis and my abnormally large stomper, I tend to become the pace car as opposed to just keeping up with the flow. I know my dad is proud.

But none of those factors came into play yesterday. Literally five miles from the airport exit an accident happened about 500 yards ahead of me (which I couldn't see because a semi was a few cars ahead of me). So everyone, as you can imagine, slammed on their brakes. The car in front of me pulled to the right to the shoulder so she didn't hit the semi and I didn't hit her, but the car behind me was not as quick and came barreling into my bumper. Yes, I tensed up, yes, there were some girlish shrieks, but I survived!

I saw in my rear view mirror that the air bag on the car that hit me had deployed so I thought it was a lot worse than the impact felt. To my surprise (I was fully expecting a douchbag male to get out of the car) a 17 year old girl with, no I'm not lying, leopard tights, vintage t-shirt, brown knee boots and a piercing above her lip gets out. She is shaking and apologizing and asking what we should do. She was so sweet, worried I was mad and kept saying her parents were going to kill her.

Keep in mind that I haven't been in an accident since getting my license so I'm trying to refer back to drivers ed class 12 years ago to decide the best course of action. It's then that I realize she's looking to me for direction on how to handle the situation. GREAT, now is not the time I wanted to be the adult. The damage to my rental was minimal, I was actually shocked at how well it took the impact. Her car, a 97 Lincoln Town Car, looked like she had driven into a wall. But both vehicles were drivable and she was one exit away from her house. So, remembering something about less than $500 worth of damage just exchange info and move on, I figured my car looks fine and I have a flight to catch. So we exchanged info and went on our merry way. Right thing to do? I'm still not sure. But it worked for both of us.

The rest of those five miles I spent trying to remember if I took out the extra insurance that Hertz offers but, because I'm cheap, I'm sure I declined. I called Ben, he settled me down and gave me all the insurance information I needed. The Hertz people were actually very nice and just had me fill out an incident report and I was on my way. I contacted my insurance about the accident and less than an hour later I was sitting at my gate thinking that I handled everything fairly well.

In honor of how well I handled the stress I got home and ordered a large veggie pizza and cinnastix for delivery. I ate two pieces of pizza and downed all the cinnastix, don't judge me, just be happy I'm alive!

Eat Fresh!

In case you've ever wanted to be a fly on the wall when I'm in Subway ordering... this is what you would hear:

Sandwich artist: what can I get for you today?
Me: 6inch veggie patty on wheat please.
SA: would you like that toasted?
Me: please.
SA: and what else on your sandwich?
Me: lettuce, tomatoes, little bit of regular mustard, and a little bit of lite mayo.
SA: meal?
Me: yes, diet coke, regular baked lays, and.... three chocolate chip cookies please.
SA: confused.

What?!?! I LOVE Subway cookies, and plus you gotta get your calories in somewhere.

My Little Lion

Maybe it's because I feel guilty or maybe it's because he's just so darn cute, but I've dedicated this post to kitty.

Since Ben is gone on business, it's just Kitty and me hanging out.... that is, when I'm home. If you lean in real close you'll be able to hear him purring on my lap. He INSISTS on sitting between me and the computer.

He also insists on being in every room I am...that includes laundry, bathroom, bedroom, kitchen... when I go out to check mail I come back to him sitting in front of the door. He's as loyal as a dog so I think that's why I feel bad leaving him when I'm off traveling. Everyone tries to make me feel better by saying he's just a cat, but to me, he's my companion when Ben is away.

Anyway, I've hired a sitter... yes that's in addition to a lawn boy. I'll tell you what, selling your second home makes your money so much easier to throw around! But shh.. don't tell Ben. He still thinks I'm mowing and kitty is insanely independent. HA!

PS. When do you stop calling your cat, kitty? He's three, but he'll always be kitty to me. Is that like saying your first born will always be your baby?

Here's some pics of my little lion, enjoy!

Moo Moo is the only toy I've actually bought him, this is all Grandma's fault!

He's so CUTE!

Time to get those claws clipped.

Yes, he's sleeping on our Snuggie.

Kitty's got ups!

I may be allergic, but how could you not want to cuddle with this?

I got passed by a banana...

Hubby by my side, 13.1 mile challenge, one half pound of consumed ham, a couple margarita's, and $19.75 is what Easter weekend meant for me.

Yay, I got to see Ben this weekend! He flew home for Easter and to cheer me and Heather on for our first half marathon of the year. I was really excited to see him and spend the whole weekend doing nothing but family activities.

Saturday came early for Heather and me as we queued up at the start line at 7:30am. We spent the first 45 minutes prior to the start circulating through the ladies bathroom line trying to work out all our "nerves" so we could alleviate any pit-stops along the route. I'm proud to say I was successful.

The weather was colder than I had anticipated, which I think benefited me in the end. For the first five miles I couldn't feel my hands or legs and, coincidentally, those were my fastest mile times. Who knew what numbness could do for you?!?

I felt pretty strong during the race and actually really felt like I was kicking some major ass. It was then that a yellow banana went running past me and brought me down a few notches. "I was passed by a banana," was all I could think about. Then I started to wonder; they (the professionals) suggest only running in gear that you have practiced in and not break out any firsts on race day... so, did she practice running in her banana suit? on a treadmill? on main street? To make matters worse, I passed a lady cheering in a grape costume yelling, "Grape Job!" I was speechless. This race brought out Champaign's finest.

The race ended at the 50 yard line of Memorial Stadium. Running on astroturf is not my idea of a good time, especially after you have just drained your legs for almost two hours prior. To give you an idea, it's like trying to run on the soft white beaches of the Gulf after running up 500,000,000 flights of stairs. I've already composed my email to the race committee with my thoughts about that.

I did impress myself, I finished 11 minutes faster than last year's half marathon in Indy. Time: 1:55:34, which comes out to 8:50 miles. Stats: top 15% of 25-29 year olds, top 16% of women, and top 27% overall. Not a bad showing. I like to think there's a little Kenyan in my blood.

I recovered fairly quickly and actually enjoyed the race experience. I'm already looking forward to my next half in three weeks. Yes, three weeks and no, I don't smoke crack. But apparently, I have a sister-in-law that does. She's the reason I'm signed up for these races. But who am I kidding, I LOVE the challenge!

After the race, we headed back to Brian & Heather's for Easter with my family. It was so much fun, we had a ton of food, an Easter egg hunt for Brady and Charlie, and lots of food.. did I already say a ton of food? I guess I was focused on recouping those calories I lost out on earlier in the day.

Saturday night we headed to Ben's house to celebrate his mom's birthday. A few margarita's and some awesome Mexican food wrapped up a very long, super fun, eventful day.

Sunday we had Easter with Ben's family as well as their traditional Easter egg hunt. Their eggs have money in them! Yes, money... not pennies, silver and green backs. I walked away with $19.75... turns out the recession didn't have an effect the 2009 Easter egg hunt! Before you judge me for participating in a kids Easter egg hunt you should know that the egg hunt consists of the 'kids'; one baby, a 14 year old, and then a range of 25-30 year olds. All us 'kids' decided that next year it would be entertaining to have the adults hunt for eggs, and instead of money we could put their medication in them. Lipitor, fiber bars, calcium chews, Tums, etc.... I think we would have a fight on our hands for a few of those eggs! Not sure when we will out grow the egg hunt, I guess when the ratio of 'kids' to 'kids' that are responsible for the other 'kids' out numbers the other 'kids'.

Unfortunately we had to rush off after we collected our eggs to get Ben to the airport. We had such a fun weekend and it came upon us so quickly and left us just as fast. I have Lauren's wedding in Atlanta this weekend. My flight back I'll connect through DC to have dinner with Ben on Sunday. So just a few days before I get to see him again... even if it is only briefly, it's something to look forward to!

Long Lost Friend

It's me! Your long lost friend... I'm still alive! I'm sure you were picturing me at home weeping every night missing my husband and wondering how life was ever going to go on with him away. WRONG! Quit the contrary.

I have to tell you my social calendar and work calendar are so packed I almost don't have time to update you or actually be a good single parent to Hobbes. He's resenting me right now, so while I am sort of sad at the moment, it's only because I've pissed off Hobbes.

April has been crazy (and it's only week one) and will continue to be crazy until May arrives. This past weekend I packed up as many outfits, dresses, shoes, and elastic band pants as I could cram into a carry-on and flew down to ATL for Lauren's bachelorette weekend. The weekend consisted of a lingerie shower, bar hopping, spa getaway, and an unimaginable amount of calorie consumption. While a "spa weekend" may sound restful to you, I can assure you that sleep and relaxation were the least of our priorities.

Friday night was the lingerie shower and to say we had a blast would be an understatement. Two of her high school friends hosted and they did an AMAZING job. The house looked like it was right out of a Southern Living magazine and the food was so good I scanned the block for a hidden catering van. Of course no shower is complete without a three foot penis cake as the center piece to the dining room table. Nothing was halfway done, everything was over the top and just wonderful. Lauren LOVED it!

After we'd killed off the margaritas it was time to paint the Roswell square red, if that's possible. Our southern bride was self conscious in her new push up bra and new found boobs, but by the end of the night we had to keep her from showing them off. Needless to say, we had a great time and Roswell will never be the same!

Saturday we actually got up early to head down to Reynolds Plantation. We rented a cottage for seven girls. The cottages were on the same grounds as the Ritz Carlton, so, as you can imagine, we clearly did not fit in, but we were doing our darnedest to try. Not that we had showered all weekend, but we at least put dresses on.

The spa was amazing. I literally have not enjoyed a spa treatment as much as this one. We spent six hours getting treatments, steaming, drowning/relaxing in the hottub, and swimming around the indoor pool. We were able to bring in our own champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and left over Guacamole from the night before. Like I said, we were doing our best to fit in with the regulars. We all had some sort of massage treatment. I opted for the "favorite places" massage that included a thirty minute scalp rub and twenty minute foot massage. This was great, I think she actually worked out all the issues in my feet from running. I think the combination of seven girls, unshowered, with approximately five pounds of mexican food in them gave the spa a nice aroma from our bodies sweating out all the spices. I guess if we're going to smell like food, it may as well be Mexican!

The rest of the weekend was spent laying around, taking in the sunset, talking about boys, life, work, etc.. Sunday we enjoyed breakfast at the lodge on the balcony overlooking the golf course. Yes, I became a wanna be snob in twenty four hours, but its hard not to given those surroundings. I kept asking myself why Ben and I never knew about this place when we lived down there, and then I realized it was the $600 a night price tag that made it not so noteworthy.

Unfortunately we were brought back to reality when we hit 285 and realized that we all had to go back to work the next day. I actually didn't fly out until Monday, so I came home and crashed. I literally slept for three hours and had to force myself out of bed and not sleep all through the night.

This week I've been in Cleveland for work and tomorrow I pack up to head home for Easter. On the way back I'll pick Ben up at the airport so I'll at least get to see him for a couple of days. Saturday is my first half marathon of the season. I'm actually having a slight panic attack since I'm actually in the middle of my training schedule, so this will truly be a practice run. While I say it's a practice run I really hold myself to higher standards than that, and will probably try and push myself to the point of puking... but I guess that's what the sport/challenge is about. See what your body can take.

Ben's cousin and I are already plotting for a bye on this year's Easter egg hunt. I think it should only be fair that everyone has to give us half their eggs automatically since we exerted all our energy the day before. Did I mention that they still do an Easter egg hunt with money in the eggs? There are only one and a half kids in the family. One baby and one 14 year old, then it jumps to 25... I don't think we will EVER be to old to hunt for money!

Well, I'm sure you all missed me, but please know I'm keeping busy and the days are flying by. I'll try to keep up with my posts, but if not, here's a schedule in advance of my next few weeks. Just because I know you like to keep track. Even if you don't, it helps me!

This weekend: Illini Half Marathon, Easter, get to see Ben
Next week: In town for work
Next Thurs: Leave for ATL again, Lauren's wedding, return on Sunday
Following week: Fly to Pittsburgh for week, return on Thursday
That weekend: Finish garden and try attempt to plant, run 9 miles
Last week of April: finish training for Indy Half Marathon
First weekend of May: Pick Ben up from airport and meet everyone in Indy for half marathon

Phew... it's exhausting, but staying busy keeps my mind from thinking about how quiet the house is. Happy Easter Everyone!