Race day

It has been awhile since I have had a "race day" but that is what Saturday morning was. I signed up a few days ago to participate in a 5K. The race was sponsored by my gym and raised funds for Ronald McDonald House charities. I had seen the flyers a few weeks ago and decided to sign up. I didn't choose to run the race for time or a place or anything like that--I chose to run in it as a way to gauge my current running abilities so that I could set goals for a 5K I plan to participate in this October. The fact that the money I spent registering was going to a charity was, of course, a great bonus. I prefer participating in runs that fund a cause.

Overall, the race went well. It was overcast and rainy, and quite humid out, but not a bad day for a run. I didn't break any records, but I survived and had fun doing it. It's been so long since I have had that kind of adrenaline rush. Don't get me wrong--I love writing a good paper or prepping for a presentation, but the adrenaline just isn't quite the same. And I realized I still think the same way when I run (looking for people ahead of me and trying to set goals). Shawn came out and supported me along the way, which was really nice.

(He took this picture a little after mile 2 and climbing a hill--I had passed the woman in purple a little little bit ago, and I managed to pull away by the end, but that girl in the pink did catch and pass me--I need to work on my finish!).

The run took me a little longer than I would have liked, but it gives me an idea of where I am and allows me to set some goals for the Get Heeled 5K I plan to do in October (that one raises funds for an organization that helps breast cancer survivors). It is nice that I have friends and family whose dedication to fitness inspires me (thanks Sam and Sarah for the lovely blogs or your Facebook updates). Maybe I can turn to those for motivation on the upcoming days I just don't feel like running (and would rather bake cookies)!

Stormy afternoon in the Triangle

Yesterday the day started off a bit overcast, but by the afternoon it was pouring! As I walked back to my office from class, the rain got progressively worse, and by the time I headed for the bus a half hour later, some of the streets were flooding. I had to walk through puddles up to a foot deep! I was told that when it rains here, it pours--That certainly seems to be the case.

Across the street from my bus stop (which is uncovered!) a pretty large tree was knocked down.

A nothing kind of weekend

It has been nearly a month since we last posted--I wish this was out of the ordinary, but it's not. School has started up for me, and Shawn is keeping busy with work. We thought we would do something exciting this weekend, but instead, we pretty much did nothing. Although it wasn't "exciting" per say, it was nice! Here's a glimpse of a nothing kind of Sunday in our household.

There was sleeping-in for everyone, including the pets. They continued to nap and sleep throughout the day.

There was cleaning (with Shawn, there is always cleaning! He likes things neat.). We even went as far as cleaning out the fridge and pantry.

There was gaming. I played a new video game with Shawn about worms. You have a little army of worms that competes against another army of worms and tries to destroy them with grenades, dynamite, machine guns and blow torches. It is not excessively violent, so please don't be alarmed. No real worms were injured in the making of the game (at least I hope not since it is a cartoon).

And that's about it. I will try to come up with something more exciting for the next post. Happy Wednesday!

A new look--that's now a bit old

So a few weeks back I had a conference to attend in Georgia. Before I headed to the conference I had a few meetings, and for all these events I wanted to put my best foot forward. I decided one way to do that was to get a hair cut. My hair had been getting pretty long over the last few months, and although I liked it, it took more time in the morning to style it, which led to many braids and pony tails. I felt that cutting it off would help curb that, at least to some extent. It also seemed like a good idea with the crazy heat we have been having this summer. Although I did this in early August, here are some pics of the old and new looks.

Before: 

After:

Papa Spuds

Durham, North Carolina and all the surrounding areas offer a variety of fresh produce. Durham has a farmer's market. Raleigh has multiple farmer's markets. Other towns around the area have them as well. However, Shawn isn't a big fan of farmer's markets. He will go, but he doesn't particularly enjoy weaving through the crowds of people to pick out a loaf of bread or a bunch of grapes. I do like the idea of buying local produce though. So I did a little research and learned about Papa Spuds.

Papa Spuds is an organization in the Triangle that allows you to place an order online for the local and even organic produce you want for the week and then delivers it to your house. They work with a variety of local vendors to provide everything from acorn squash to kale to peaches and zucchini. I decided to try them out a few weeks ago, and have been pleasantly surprised. For about twenty dollars a week I get at least one box of produce, sometimes my order requires two boxes. My typical order consists of green peppers, red peppers, peaches, cucumbers, another thing of peaches (I love the peaches that they offer!), some sort of squash and then at least one, sometimes two, "new" items. These "new" items aren't new to most people, but there are new to me. I am trying to broaden Shawn's and my vegetable knowledge. For example, one week I got kale. Another week I got spaghetti squash. This week I am giving acorn squash and eggplant a try. We will see how I do.

Overall, it's a really convenient system that bring me great, fresh produce every week!