Dogwood 5K

This past Saturday I ran in my hometown festival 5K. Last year I ran in it with little to no (let's lean heavily on the NO side) preparation. I think my time was around 39 minutes. I don't really know for sure. I know I walked a lot last year, like a lot, alot. So it may have actually been 49 minutes? 39 sounds better, so we'll go with that.

This year I started running religiously in mid-March, and there were only a handful of days that I skipped. Except now I know you're not supposed to run every day and you actually need breaks in between to rest. Lesson learned. I'm going to start alternating long running days with days in the gym. I'm paying for that membership and haven't been in the longest time, so I will start going again. Probably next week, cause this week is crazy busy. (I can already see this is going to get put off.)

Anywho, Saturday morning came. I had recruited my best junior high bud and she recruited her best running friend to keep pace with me/keep me from walking.

My younger runners that helped keep me going.

I can't say that I didn't walk at all, because there was about a 100 meter stretch where I did walk. And now I wish more than anything I would have just pushed through it because then I could say I didn't walk AT ALL, which was kind of my goal. My goal was also to keep up with Payton, but I think she hung back with me more than I kept up with her.

I ended up cutting 8 minutes off my time from last year and finished in 31:18. I was proud of myself.

Some of the girls that I raced with. The lady in the green t-shirt had all of us as 4th grade students, minus her sister that is right beside me.

Now I have three more races planned for the next three months. And in between there is going to be some serious half-marathon training going on. After Saturday I know I am in no shape to add another 10 miles, so it's a good thing that isn't until February.

Eric Church Concert

 Molly, her friend Scott, and myself went to the Eric Church concert in Columbus. I LOVE Eric Church and his song. His songs are country and a little bit of rock too. They're good dancing songs.

And if one was looking for cute country boys, an Eric Church concert definitely is the place to go. But we weren't looking. So I'm just saying.

We danced so much we embarrassed Scott.

I thank God I ain't, What I almost was (he didn't actually sing that song (boo!) but it's one of my favorites. I actually think this was taken during "Carolina."

The main man.

"All you gotta do is put a drink in my hand."

Molly rockin' out during "These Boots."

Lights out and cell phones on during "Springsteen." It was so pretty.

and a little video I took of "Springsteen!"

Running

In high school I ran track. I by 'ran' I mean the hurdles, not around the track. Just 100 meters. And to be honest I probably put as little effort into running as possible back then. I wasn't fast like a sprinter and I was lucky to make it a full 400 meters without completely killing myself, so I stuck to hurdles. I was fast enough to do them, and I coordinated enough to get over them (95% of the time) without injuring myself. I always made it to the finals, usually placed in the top 4 and occasionally won a couple meets!

After I graduated I put running on the back burner for good. Then a few years ago before Erin's wedding, I started running every evening at the local track just to get pretty legs again. And then when she was married, I quit again. Last April I ran a 5K just for the heck of it with no training what so ever (and it was pretty embarrassing).

In December I started training for the Flannigan's St. Patrick's Day 5K. Well things happened (hurt knee, life) and I quit running for about 6 weeks until it got warm enough to run outside again (it was 85 in mid-March). And I've been a running machine every day since. And Tyler is getting into it too, so we have been talking while running or running together when we can, which is a great support system. I also run with Payton, who is a junior high track/cross country superstar, and this summer I'm going to start running a few evenings a week with my cousin who is doing a race with me in July.

I personally agree with many of these sayings, especially the part about self-discovery. I do a lot of thinking while I run. It also puts me in a good mood. I feel awesome when I finish and less stressed. And my butt looks much better in my spandex shorts! ;)

I'm at Week 7 in my C25K workout. I've signed up for the Dogwood Festival 5K on 4/28, Komen for the Cure 5K on 5/19, currently undecided between the Run for the Zoo or Warrior Dash on 6/3, and the Color Run on 7/21.

I'm so excited for my race on Saturday. I'm hoping my excitement will help me to not be horrible and keep pace with Payton. My goal is to not stop!

And in February I'm going to run the Disney Princess Half-Marathon with Erica at Disney World. I am so excited about that one that I can hardly stand it and it's 9 months away! You get to run through Cinderella's Castle!!!

I'm not a costume wearer, but I'm afraid if I don't wear one I'll regret it! Gotta think of something cute and practical for running 13.1 miles.

They say you should be able to add a mile a month to your distance. I've got 9 months to add 11 miles. I hope I can do it. I don't want to get picked up by the cart at the back of the pack and transported to the finish line for not moving fast enough. :)

I even got new shoes to help put a little pep in my step while running. I love them! I saw them at Macy's back in February, but of course they didn't have my size. I randomly went into Famous Footwear last week and there they were! On sale!!!! 

cutest running shoes ever.

And I've been keeping track of my miles with my Nike+, and I'm pretty proud that in the last 1.5 months I've ran 70+ miles. Now granted that's not a lot if I plan on running a half marathon, but I'm proud of myself for now.

Happy Birthday Ty!

Happy 24th Birthday 

to my little brother.

He is seriously the funniest, coolest guy I know.

(And he's available ladies or ladies with single friends! He's a catch, really.)

Tyler and I out for a joint birthday celebration last week.

101 in 1001 Challenge

This is a post I carried over from my old blog. I started this list back in September and have been making nice progress on it since then.



A few years ago I started the 101 Things to do in 1001 Days challenge. At the time, I thought February of 2011 seemed so far away. And I thought I would get so much done in those two and a half years. Well, the time went by and I got about half of them finished. A few of them I've completed since, too.


Right now I'm in need of goals and things to work towards. Especially on my bad days and when I'm lonely. I like to have things to look forward to doing. So I've decided to give this challenge another go. Here is my list. When I'm done with it in mid 2014 I will be 29 years old! That just seems so far away, but at the same time I'm excited for all of the things that can happen in the next 1001 days! You can keep track by that little link over on the right hand sidebar.

Emily's 101 Things in 1001 Days - Round 2


start date: Wednesday, September 7, 2011
end date: Wednesday, June 4, 2014


bold=completed
italics=in progress

get married when the time is right (I'm not gonna lie - I do want to get married someday)
move out of Columbus and closer to home (not even sure I want to do this anymore!)
get my teaching license in two years (2013) (not going back to school now, so this is on hold!)
get a teaching job (on hold as well)
start a family (no rush! obviously need the husband first)
get my masters in something education related
start some kind of business
make home made ice cream
try 30 new recipes from my 'yum' Pinterest board (garlic cheese bread sticks, crock pot potato soup, mint chocolate chip cookies)
grow a vegetable garden
learn how to 'can' (or just 'can' since i guess it isn't really that hard?)
freeze corn
clean out closets and purge (or yard sale) anything I haven't worn in years
build something from the Knock Off Wood website
make Christmas stockings for my family
make matching tree skirt for the stockings
get a new lens for my camera
get a pair of riding boots to wear during the fall and winter
get a pair of Sperry's (or knock-off's that are cheaper)
buy a house to remodel
go to the New England coast
go to the west coast
fly somewhere (Florida to go to Disney World with Erica)

visit NYC (3/23/11 with Molly)
visit at least 2 Big Ten football stadiums I've never been to (I saw Penn State's Beaver Stadium, so that counts, Northwestern, Michigan)
go on a cruise
visit another country
take Molly to Washington DC
go to Nashville
go to Las Vegas
go to Charleston, SC
take a cross country road trip
visit Mt. Rushmore
visit 5 states I've never been to (New York, New Jersey, Michigan, Arkansas)
go skiing 
stop talking about other people/gossiping
go to church more often and work on my relationship with God (this is really always an ongoing thing) (I've gone every Sunday since March and have joined a bible study on Monday nights! I LOVE it!)
pray every day before bed and in the morning, thanking Him for what I have
write a letter to my 30-year-old self and keep it
make a list of 1000 things I'm thankful for/write down five things every day that I'm thankful for
join the Dogwood Festival Committee (started going to meetings on 1/11/12)
take a spin class at my gym (went with Abra on 9/20)
run in a 5K w/o stopping (races scheduled for 4/28, 5/19, 7/21, 11/19)
do the 200 sit-up program
learn how to play the piano (taking lessons this summer)
read 15 books (My Secret Affair by Mimi Alford, Through My Eyes by Tim Tebow, 50 Shades of Grey)
finish my high school scrapbook
finish my college scrapbook
donate blood (5/24/12)
donate my hair to Locks of Love

volunteer at the Ronald McDonald House

donate the box of stuff in my closet to RMH

donate 10% to my church

send a care package to a soldier
do 28 good deeds on my next birthday 
send more handwritten letters to friends

write a letter to myself to open in 10 years
learn how to actually use my camera (taking a photography class at OSU right now)
participate in "NOfacebook NOvember" and "No Facebook February" each year
make my hair my natural color again (6/13/12)

take pictures of my life for one month
finish my map quilt (goal is to be done by the Ohio State Fair in 2013)
make two quilts for myself off of my list or pinterest board
make two pencil skirts to wear to work
go to a professional sporting event (Memorial Golf Tournament, 6/4/12; Columbus Crew game, 7/21/12; Cubs/Reds baseball game, 8/10/12)

take a class of some sort (photography class at OSU, Pilates at OSU, other classes at Vineyard)
organize a craft weekend retreat for friends
organize a clothing swap party for friends
play bingo at a bingo hall
go to an Ohio State football game each year (Colorado on 9/24/11, UAB on 9/22/12, Nebraska on 10/6/12)
learn the cheerleaders' dance to the Ohio State fight song
visit 5 different colleges I've never been to (University of Dayton on 12/18/11; Penn State University on 4/11/12; Northwestern University on 10/28/12, University of Michigan on 12/8/12)
watch 50 movies I've never seen (Stepbrothers, Country Strong, Bridesmaids, Uncle Buck, Crazy Stupid Love, Horrible Bosses, The Town; Friends with Benefits; Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close; Secretariat; Crash; Ma and Pa Kettle Go to Town; I Don't Know How She Does It; Firelight; The Vow; Christmas Wish; Yours, Mine and Ours (new one); Lincoln; Pitch Perfect; Anna Karenina; Les Miserables; Zero Dark Thirty; Safe Haven; The Wives He Forgot)
eat at 15 restaurants i've never been to (OrangeLeaf, Cuzzins, Matt the Millers, Amato's Woodfire Pizza, Figlio, Gresso's, Cornerstone Deli & Cafe, Claddagh Irish Pub; Cranberry's Resort @ Indian Lake, Jersey Mikes; Easy Living Deli; Sloopy's Diner; BJ's Brewhouse; MoJo Lounge; Chelly Belly's, Betty's, Thurman's, Thorny's, BRAVO!, Sublime Smoke, The Cheesy Truck; Twisted Lizard; Old Man's Pour House, John's Place, MCL Cafe and Bakery, The Ram, Lorenzo's, The Tin Roof; La Chatelaine; Bernards; Sassy's BBQ, Fabians; Tin Bakery; Diaspora; Baker's Pizza)
go to a Brad Paisley concert
go to a few concerts in Columbus (Brantly Gilbert, Eric Church, Luke Bryan, Jason Aldean)
go to a pop concert (Tiesto, 3/28/13)

go to another college's football game (not Ohio State) (Marshall/ECU on 11/26/2011)

go camping with a group of friends

go to the Grand Ole Opry

go to the Kentucky Derby
go to a game at Wrigley Field
go to 20 county fairs (Delaware County; Franklin County; Ohio State Fair; Pike County Fair; Hartford Independent Fair)

carve a pumpkin

color Easter eggs

make 10 items from my 'sewing and crafting' Pinterest board (nail and yarn Ohio, bathroom shelf)
host a family Thanksgiving at my house
host a shower for a friend at my house
learn to drive a standard/manual transmission
answer the '50 questions that will free your mind' 
put $10 in my savings account for every task I complete (tally: $160)
put an entire paycheck in my savings account once
pay off my student loans from OSU
pay off my car loan
continue to put into savings while going back to school 

Added Later (these don't count towards my putting $10 in the bank account. Just things I want to do!)

go parasailing on vacation
go ziplining
get a new bed, dresser and armoure for my bedroom
paint my kitchen
hang curtains in my bedroom
paint my kitchen island
refinish/paint my desk
refinish/paint my kitchen table
get a new washer/dryer
get a kuerig
go to the Columbus Jazz and Rib Fest
go to the Dublin Irish Festival
build a litter box hider thing
take a plane ride with Mikey
join Junior League 
ride a rollercoaster, the swings and a drop zone type ride

Meeting the President

President Obama came to OSU's campus back in March. My cousin Kate was in town for her spring break, so after work we met up and waited in line for tickets to attend his speech the following day.

Not one of my better looking days, but we were in a large waiting room.

Kate was super excited to get her ticket.

Going to see the President!

The next day we stood in line for a while to wait to get into the building. The line was super long. If you're familiar with OSU's campus, you know that where I'm standing to take this picture is no where near the RPAC. Long lines.

Long lines.

Getting closer.

When we finally got inside, we grabbed 'seats' (standing only) right beside this walkway because we thought if he walked through here we'd get to shake his hand. We were mistaken, he didn't come through here at all.

Not Obama's walkway.

Sitting in the back of the room did mean that we had room to sit on the floor for two hours while we waited.

Waiting. Waiting. Waiting.

Finally he comes out to speak and give remarks about energy.

He also gave a shout out to Ohio's basketball teams and said that he had Ohio State picked in the Final Four!

As close as we could get to him. See his head?

Kate and I dressed up just in case we got on TV or we got to meet the president! :)

This is the second sitting President that I've been able to 'meet.' I saw President Clinton in 1996 when he came to Chillicothe on a campaign visit. And of course he came back to speak at my college graduation as a graduation gift. ;)

Philadelphia

"In West Philadelphia, born and raised."

I'm sorry. 

I couldn't help myself. 

I sang that song in my head the entire time we were in Philly.

Every time I saw a sign that said "Philadelphia."

I'm a dork. I know it.

I went on a work trip to Philly. We left on my birthday and got back a few days later.

We visited Penn State, a few agricultural high schools on the way to Philadelphia, Chocolate World in Hershey, Pennsylvania, Longwood Gardens outside Philly, Independence Hall and the Liberty Bell in downtown Philadelphia.

Happy Valley - Penn State's Beaver Stadium on my birthday (Yes, it was snowing!)

Chocolate World in Hershey, Pa. There was so much chocolate. I didn't buy anything, except a cookie.
Surprise. Surprise. :) I love cookies.

1/2 pound Reese Cups. OMG! Heaven!

Chocolate World! :)

Our group at Longwood Gardens.

Fountain Show at Longwood Gardens

WB Saul Agricultural High School in Philly (this is actually their barn)

Lovely hydrangea hanging baskets.

These are actually individual bathroom pods. 

A modern garden. I forget what it's called.

Tulips everywhere. I was in love!

Pond and a more 'natural' setting at Longwood Gardens.

Dogwood Trees! :)

Easter mix?

Someday I'll have this in my garden.

Purple tulips always remind me of my high school English teacher.

I like sports, so I always snap photos of stadiums and arenas. (Like Beaver Stadium earlier in this post.) We drove by the sports complex where all the Philadelphia teams play, so I snapped those photos too. I'm not really a fan of any of their teams, but I just like to take pictures.

Flyers and 76ers arena.

Way in the back you can see where the Phillies play.

Where the Eagles play.

Does anyone else get excited about sports stadiums? Just me? Ok.

Independence Square
(and every time I type 'Independence' I sing that Lil Bossie song in my head. and yes, I just linked the Chipmunks version. All I could find.)

With the Phillies mascot.

Independence Hall

More Independence Hall

Where the Declaration of Independence and Constitution were signed.

Liberty Bell

Liberty Bell crack!

We'd fit right in during 1776.

Philly Cheesesteak in Downtown Philly.
(there is meat on the other half, it just didn't get seen.)

I also got to meet my friend Laura. We have been blog friends for a while now and have been looking forward to getting together since I found out about this trip a few months ago. She has been such a great friend during all my ups and downs over the past year. I wish we would have gotten to visit for more than 45 minutes, because I'm positive we could have talked all day long. I will have to go back for sure.

Me & Laura at Independence Square

I had a good trip. The bus ride home was LONG! (12 hours!) and I came home to no apartment key (Molly had it in Piketon), so I got to stay all night and visit with my aunt, uncle and cousin on Sunday until Molly came back to town. Church, pancakes, grocery shopping, dog walking, bible study. All fun things to do on a Sunday.