Nashville Rock-N-Roll Marathon.

This weekend we took a road trip to Nashville for the Rock-N-Roll Marathon.  This was Elliott's first time out of Arkansas, and he was such a trooper!  We left Friday morning, stopping in Memphis to eat lunch at the Beauty Shop, and arrived in Nashville right as 35,000 other runners arrived, spent an hour and a half in stand still traffic, making it to the convention center just in time to retrieve my bib, shirt and swag bag.  It was a long day, but our little man hung in there and was ready to crash by the time we checked in at the Marriott at Vanderbilt.  

Saturday morning Gary and Elliott walked me to the start line and wished me luck, returning to the hotel in time for Elliott's morning nap.  Meanwhile, I made my way through 13.1 miles of steep hills in unseasonably warm weather.  The hills and heat took a toll on me around mile nine, when I gave in to my achy knees and walked the remainder of the race, finishing almost 30 minutes slower than my personal worst.  I was disappointed, but happy to be running a race less than 4 months after birthing a baby. Training was a challenge, as I have to plan everything around Elliott's meals, and I admit I should have put in a few more miles per week, but now I'm more motivated than ever to get back in the shape I was in pre-baby.  

Gary was such a huge support this weekend, walking 3 miles (as many of the roads were closed to cars) carrying E in the Baby Bjorn to the finish line to meet me.  Seeing their sweet faces at the end of a tough run was the best reward.  The 3 mile walk (uphill) back to the hotel felt like 10 for me, and I would have paid a taxi $300 to break the law and drive us (with no car seat) back.  But, we made it, and after a shower, a half a large pizza, a 2 hour nap and 800 mg of ibuprofen, I was a new woman.  We spent Saturday evening in our hotel room icing my knees, watching the Mavs loose the first game in the first round of the playoffs, and listening to Elliott's sweet jibber jabber after finally discovering his voice. 

Traveling with a baby will wear you out, but I'm proud of how well our sweet boy adjusted and rolled with the punches this weekend. 

Dallas White Rock (half) Marathon.

Saturday morning Gary and I drove to Dallas to run in the Dallas White Rock Marathon. We stayed Saturday night with his parents in Ft. Worth and left around 6:00am to head to Dallas Sunday morning for the race.

The race started at 8am so we had 2 hours to get there, park, and get to our corral at the starting line. This seemed like plenty of time, but it was 7:45 when we pulled into the parking lot. Traffic from the 20,000 plus runners was insane, but we made it to our corral just in time.

Although Gary did not train for this race, we opted for the 2:15 minute corral. We didn't stay together this time, because I was set on reaching my 2:15 goal.

For the first 10 miles I was running a steady 10 minute mile and feeling good. But, at mile 10 I hit a wall. The guy I was trying to pace myself off of headed the other direction for the full marathon. I had been pushing myself to keep this guy in my sight, because I could tell he was maintaining a good pace. When he turned off, I felt a little discouraged. I also began to feel an intense pain in my right knee that was causing my right leg to give out.

My knees started giving me trouble at the last half I did in Conway. I had slowed my running routine to about once or twice a week since that race to give my knees a break. I've been icing them after every run and putting heat on them every night. This has helped tremendously, but by mile 10 they were worn out.

For the final 3.1 I had to slow my run to about an 11 minute mile and walk for a few minutes here and there when the pain got too intense. I finished just over my goal in 2:16:52. This sill broke my personal record of 2:19:48 that I had set just a month and a half earlier. I felt pretty good about my time considering I had slowed my training down considerably since October due to my knee pain.

Gary finished in just over 2:30. This was a great time since he had run only once since running a 5k back in July!

I'm hoping to get my knees back in shape soon so I can run the half at the Little Rock Marathon in March.

Overall, we had a great experience in Dallas.  I'm proud of our times, and I'm looking forward to setting new records for myself in the coming year.

Our Whirlwind Weekend.

What a weekend!  Saturday morning Gary drove Bekah and I to Conway for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon.  I ran the race just under my goal of 2:20, so I am pleased.  The course had lots of hills, and my legs are a reminder to me of the race's level of difficulty this evening.  I stayed with the 2:15:00 pace group until about mile 6, where I began to loose steam and contemplated walking a few miles.  I kept pushing, but swallowed my pride, and admitted to myself that running the hills was wearing me out too early in the race.  So, for the second half of the course, I power walked the hills and ran in between.  When I came to mile 11 and saw Gary on the sidelines cheering for me, I kicked it up a notch and  finished strong.  What a feeling to push your body to it's limits and accomplish something you thought seemed impossible! 




mile 11



At the finish line!



My biggest fan :)

After the race we headed home, I replenished the 1300 calories I burned, watched the Hogs take down Ole Miss, took a short nap, showered, then headed to Arkadelphia for Tiger Tunes.

My mom rented a cabin at Iron Mountain for the weekend and she, John Allen, and Jessica were there waiting on us when we arrived in Arkadelphia.  The town was packed with family and alumni in town for the homecoming festivities.  After checking out three local restaurants and finding a long wait at each one, we settled for dinner at Chicken Express.  Following dinner, John Allen took us to see his dorm room.  (It still blows my mind that he is old enough to be in college!)

Tiger Tunes was wonderful, as always, even though I no longer recognized any of the students on stage.  My Tri Chis and Kappa's placed, and the ETAs took home 1st for the first time in Tiger Tunes history!  After the show we ran into lots of old friends, but the storm outside cut the usual fellowship time short. 



Mom and Jessica at the show.



Gary and I with Justin and Kirt after the show ( my hair was ruined by the rain).

Gary and I stayed the night with mom and John Allen at the cabin Saturday night.  I enjoyed soaking my sore joints in the the hot tub on the back porch, hearing John Allen tell us familiar stories about OBU college life, and staying up till 2am eating gas station snacks while watching Rosanne reruns on the couch.

This morning we checked out of the cabin and had a quick breakfast with mom and John Allen at the Arkadelphia Waffle House before heading home.

When we arrived back to the home front, we collapsed with exhaustion and slept for 2 hours. 

This evening I have been hard at work on our Halloween costumes for next weekend's "Halloween Spooktacular" at the Harrison's.  Can't wait to show you pictures!

That was our whirlwind of a weekend, looking forward to getting our house back in order tomorrow before a busy week at work.  Hope your weekend was as fun packed as ours!

Ready to run!

So tomorrow is the big day...

The day I've been training for since June...the Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway! 

I've been getting everything ready tonight since we need to be up and on the road early tomorrow morning.  Gary took me to Carinos for dinner, so I could load  up on carbs for tomorrow.  I had the "chicken bow tie festival" and lots of bread. Yum!

After dinner I had to go grab some "Gu" at Academy.  It's a gel you can eat every 45 minutes to help put some calories and energy back in your body throughout the race.  The taste is nothing to brag about, but these little packets make a world of difference to my stamina.



Yesterday some clients/sweet friends brought a goody bag to the salon to wish me luck on my race.  It was filled with water, energy drinks and tablets, antioxidant enhanced drink mixes, and joint health twist tubes for soreness.  It really made my day to know I have friends and family cheering me on!

So, I think I'm all set for tomorrow. Wish me luck!  Maybe this race will spur me to train for a full marathon some day soon...

Old to New.

We've had an eventful week, but also enjoyed spending some down time together this weekend.  Saturday Lola went to the "beauty shop" to get all cleaned up.  When I picked her up, they had a cute Halloween bandanna on her. I can't get her to wear anything, so I was obsessed with how cute she was and proceeded to have a mini photo shoot.  Here's one of my favorites (she was worn out from her spa day):

Saturday night I gave our china cabinet a make-over.  This china cabinet was given to me by my parents when they downsized to their new house this past August.  They had this antique china cabinet in their home for years, however, at their house it served as a humidifier for my dad's cigars, rather than a home for fine china and crystal.  I was thrilled to take it off their hands when they moved, because now all of my beautiful wedding gifts can be on display in our dining room! 

One problem: the antique look didn't quite match our modern kitchen table.  I debated painting it and changing the hardware, but I couldn't bring myself to destroy its original look.  So, I decided to Mod Podge a print on the inside walls of the cabinet to give it a modern twist.  I'm very pleased with the outcome:

old.

 

new.



This new twist has brought added intrest and sentimental value to our kitchen.  It was easy and best of all, cheap!

On Sunday I went for my last "long run" before the race. I made it 10 miles, now I just need to squeeze out 3.1 more on Saturday... I'm hoping to finish in 2:20.  I plan to let my legs rest until Saturday, so I'll be nice and fresh.

Yesterday I followed my mom to Conway because she had to take her car to the shop.  While they were working we shopped to pass the time.  I got 2 new tops and Gary a new shirt, but my most exciting purchase was this pair of Toms:

In my line of work, I spend long hours on my feet, so comfy shoes (that still have style) are a must! I've found my favorites are Toms and Uggs.  And, the best part is they were on sale!

On a more serious note, I've been going through a new Bible study with 3 friends on idols, called "No Other Gods."  Tonight we met to discuss this past week's study.  1 Peter 2:9-12 was one of the many passages we looked at this week.  In this passage, Peter refers to his audience as "aliens and strangers in the world."  This really convicted me.  Our study pointed out:

"he is saying we will be strange and alien-like because our lives [should] stand out as so breathtakingly good in comparison with others.  As a result those around us will want to glorify God.  Not a goodness that comes from self righteousness or legalism, but a goodness that is the fruit of obedience.  I would love for it to be said of my life: The goodness of Jesus Christ burned so brightly in her that people glorified God; she almost seemed from a different world.  That's the kind of stranger I want to be." 

That's what I am wrestling with as I write to you tonight, updating you on all the silly details of my small life.  I Thought maybe someone out there reading this might find it as convicting as I did.  Tonight I'm praying for goodness that stems from an obedience to the Lord.

It's Fall Y'all!

Woke up this morning from a 10 hour sleep to a crisp 53 degrees! Since today is my day off, and the weather felt so wonderful, I decided to get in a long run this morning.  8 miles never felt so good!  It's interesting to me how the further I run, different parts of my body hurt.  The first 3 miles it's my calf muscles, then about mile 3 that goes away and I feel it in my knees until about mile 6, then that pain subsides and moves to the joints in my hips and pelvis area.  Any other runners experience this?

Today I'm going to do some cleaning, including a deep cleaning of our kitchen cabinets, inside and out, as well as our pantry shelves.  Wish me luck!

As promised, here are the photos of our fall decor this year.  I enjoy decorating for the seasons, and I try to change it up a little every year.



::kitchen table::



::front entry::

::coffee table::



::kitchen counter::



::mantle::

::tv cabinet::


More to come! Happy Fall Y'all!

Roll Tide and Go Dawgs!

Well, I'm still feeling pretty crummy.  I think it is only a matter of time before my voice is gone,  but until then I'll enjoy sounding like a man....

In other news, I went online to register Gary and I for the Memphis half marathon in December and it was already sold out!  So instead, this year we will be running the Dallas White Rock half marathon on December 5th.  I really enjoyed running for St. Jude's, but I think we'll still enjoy this race.  It will be nice to have done half marathons in 2 different states.  I also went ahead and registered us for the Dallas Turkey Trot (8 miles) on Thanksgiving day.  We did that one last year and really enjoyed it.

Moving on... this week has been a busy week for Gary:

This story starts in March when Gary met some big wigs from Family Dollar at a bi-annual trade show in Las Vegas. Since then he has been trying to land Jenkins Enterprises' college merchandise in some of their stores. In May Family Dollar asked him to fly out to their headquarters in Charlotte, North Carolina to discuss a game plan. While he was there, they agreed to try his merchandise in 8 test stores this football season! 

So, Gary just returned from a whirlwind trip to Georgia and Alabama.  He left Monday morning and drove 10 hours to Athens, GA and spent the night.  The next day he got an early starting putting together four "baker's rack" sets of Georgia Bulldogs merchandise in four different Family Dollar stores (2 in Athens and 2 in Atlanta).  That evening he drove 2 and a half hours to Birmingham, AL and spent the night.  Today he did the same set in Alabama Crimson Tide for one store in Birmingham and two in Tuscaloosa.  Then he drove back home to me.  :)

We're hoping these stores blow through this merchandise and refill multiple times this football season, because that means he could do big business with them next year!  (Gary has even gone so far as to say he hopes the Razorbacks loose to Georgia and Alabama this year!) 

Here are a few pictures from his trip:
    

Wooooooo Pig Sooie! (I just cant' help it...)

...and then there were 3.

Lauren is back in South Korea safe and sound.  The Order of the 4 is back down to 3.  I had lunch with Kristin and Meghan today at Sticky Fingerz. 

Meghan has got me really wanting to learn to sew.  She has made some really cute things with her sewing machine!

She also made this cute flat iron bag.  We decided today that she is going to make some more to sell at the salon. 

I'm hoping she and Laura can help get me going on this sewing thing.  Maybe in the near future I'll have some cute projects to share with you.  Here is the sewing machine I'm thinking of purchasing.  (Any of you who sew feel free to send advice my way on whether or not this is a good choice.)

I've been feeling a little under the weather the past few days.  This has hindered my running.  I'm way behind on my training for the half in October!  I may be to ashamed to even share my time with you.  However, Gary agreed to run the Memphis half marathon with me again in early December.  So we'll just call the Soaring Wings half marathon my "warm up" for Memphis.

Today I made a Target stop and picked up two new CDs.  (I know, I can just buy them on itunes and put them straight on my iphone, but there is something still satisfying about have the album and book in my hands.)  I'm loving them both!  If you need some new music you should give these a listen.  Band of Horses newest album: "Infinite Arms" and "Volume 2" of She and Him. 

Meghan introduced me to this blog a little over a year ago.  I don't know these people, but I have fallen in love with their family.  Their son has SMS, and they have been working hard to put an album together using various indy artists to raise money for research on SMS.  I purchased the song "Nothing" from their album "Do Fun Stuff".  All the proceeds from the "Do Fun Stuff"album go to research on SMS.  You should check out his blog and the album!

Speaking of blogs you should check out... Laura started a blog today! Check out knick knacks of my life!

Tonight I had dinner at my parents' new house.  They are at a weird new stage in life and I'm still getting use to it.  They just downsized to a smaller house (one where none of us "kids" have ever lived).  My sister got her own house earlier this year, and my brother just moved to college last week.  They are empty nesters.  Strange.  The only thing that stays the same is that everything changes, huh? Here's my mom, sister, and I tonight after dinner:

It's back to work tomorrow.  This time of year is the slowest time of year for us hairdressers.  Maybe I'll get some reading done.  If you need a new look now is a good time to call us!

"Craft Night"

The weather outside is wonderful! I've had 3 great runs this week. I'm finally able to get excited about the half marathon. Not gonna lie, last week I was a little worried, but this week, I'm feeling more confident. 

The next few weeks are probably the slowest work weeks for the hairdresser.  Everyone is getting back in the routine of school and work after summer break, so our days aren't quite as hectic... at least until late October/early November.

After work tonight, Kate, Laura, Jill, and I had our monthly "craft night!"  We had pizza, salad and white wine, and we made beaded wine glasses.  Mine are cobalt blue with yellow, red, and blue beads.  Can I just say I am so lucky to work with two of my very best friends every day?  I just love them, and I love my new wine glasses! What do you think?

I'm a jewelry making fool.

I woke up this morning to a very pleasant 68 degrees! I celebrated the cooler weather with a 4 mile run at the LPOA lake. I'm training for the Soaring Wings Half Marathon in Conway in late October. My training has been slow due to the excessive heat and humidity. I'm looking forward to some more cooler temps this week, so I can finally push back up to 5 mile runs on the week days and long runs on Sundays.

After work, I came home and got busy making jewelry using some new finds from our Argenta Bead trip yesterday. I made 4 new necklaces. I always intend to take the jewelry I make to the salon to sell it, but it's always hard to part with my handiwork. There's just something special about searching for the right beads and hardware, purchasing them, and using them to create a piece of art. By the time the process is complete, I've formed a connection with my work and decide I just can't part with "this one".

Here's what I accomplished tonight:

I'm in a crafty mood, I guess. Good thing Thursday night is craft night with my co-workers!

I'm also obsessed with Diet Cherry Coke and David Bromstad's "Color Splash" on HGTV. Tonight I even indulged in both at the same time...

Fall is my Favorite!

Gary and I spent the weekend in Dallas for his friend, Stephen's wedding. The wedding was nice, and we got to spend some time with his friends, Reid and Stanton. Gary, Reid, Stephen and Stanton have been friends since they were very young.

Today I worked on getting our house decorated for fall! Let me know what you think.

Gary and I ran 5 miles tonight. We beat my goal of 55 minutes. Our time was 52 minutes, 30 seconds! Feeling better about running the half marathon every day!

In other news, Katherine Grant Salon and Spa has a fan page on facebook, and a twitter (KGsalonandspa). We're getting so high tech! We also started demolition on the new location today. Be on the look out for some "before" pictures in the near future.

A Wonderful Weekend!

This weekend has been great! I got to spend time with two of my favorite OBU friends, Laura and Tate (although not at the same time). Friday night I went over to Laura and Caleb's house, and Laura and I cooked dinner. We made Mexican for dinner. Then for dessert we made a cheesecake! It all turned out wonderful, we were so proud. We intended to share and copy recipes from each other, but we were having so much fun just relaxing, that we never got around to that.

Saturday after work, Tate came in town! We met up and had dinner at Flying Burrito in the River Market. After dinner, we headed over to the Taylor Swift concert! She put on an amazing show! Tate spent the night and we got Cinnamon rolls from McDonald's like we use to do in college. I miss those days, and that girl so much!

Today I went to church with my mom. Gary and I started visiting New Life church. We love it. I feel like we have found the place God wants us to be. Gary was in Dallas for the weekend visiting his friends for Stephen's Bachelor party weekend and Dad was at his last day of Real Estate school, so mom came to visit too. If you are looking for a church home, I would encourage you to check them out. God is doing some really great things. Tonight we went back for their fall women's event. Priscilla Shirer was the speaker. She is awesome! She spoke on Ephesians 3:20-21 and how we serve a God who can do so much more than we can imagine. I left feeling so encouraged.

Today I ran 5 miles. Well, I say ran... I walked a lot. Gary and I have been running after the sun goes down, when the temps are in the 70s. Today I attempted to run mid afternoon, and it was hot. 91 to be exact. The heat killed me! I was feeling discouraged, but I did manage to finish in right at an hour. Only 5 minutes past my goal of finishing in 55 minutes. I won't be attempting my long runs mid afternoon anymore.

Tomorrow is a big day for me... deep breath.

Razorback Let Down.

Tonight we went to Amy and Ryan's for Ryan's birthday party. Check out the super cute cake Amy had made for him! We ate lots, and watched the game. It started out so good, but ended up being a let down in the end. Either way, the company was wonderful.

It rained all week, so we didn't get to run much. We did go for a 4 mile run today after work. When I started this I couldn't even run one mile without stopping, now I can do 4! It feels great!

Tomorrow Krisitn leaves to go back to Delaware. I've enjoyed spending time with her and Meghan the past two weeks. It's gonna be said to see her leave.

Not much more to report. Ready for some sunshine. All this rain and gloom makes me tired.

Rolling on the River.

Today was the Easter Seals "Rolling on the River" 5k. Gary and I both ran the race. I finished in 31 and a half minutes. I am getting so close to being able to do it in 30 minutes. Gary finished in just under 30 minutes! He did so good, especially since he trained for like 2 days. We had a good time and the rain held off, but the humidity did make it tough. Overall I am really proud. My last 5k took me close to 37 minutes. So I am getting better.

After the race, we went to lunch at Chick-fil-a and made a stop at Easy Runner. Gary decided he is going to train for the half marathon with me. So, he needed some good running shoes. The ones he ran in today were awful! They watched him run and matched him up with a good pair. We're looking forward to trying them out a few times next week.

I got a pair of Tom's shoes today. They are burlap and super cute. Plus for every pair sold a pair is donated to a child in need overseas.

By the time we finished shoe shopping we were worn out! We came home and took at 2 and a half hour nap. It felt amazing! I have had 2 Saturdays off in a row. That is rare, but thanks to all Laura's help at the salon I will be able to take off a few here and there. That makes Gary very happy.

Tonight Amy and Ryan came over and we got take out from Wing Stop. I LOVE that place. We ate and watched "Taken". We had all seen it, but it was such a good movie we didn't mind watching it again.

What a wonderful Saturday!