Austin 1020

On Sunday I ran in the Austin 1020, which is a 10 mile race with 20 bands along the way.  My sister-in-law, Renee convinced me to run it with her in celebration of our 30th birthdays.  I had been training for this race for just under a month, so I was pretty nervous about it.  In my training, the furthest distance I had run was 8 miles.  And I did that only ONCE. So thinking about having to run 10 miles had me pretty nervous. 

We arrived at the start line bright and early and prepared to run with about five thousand other runners.  It was a really cloudy day, and looked like rain the whole time, but luckily it did not, and the clouds kept things cool. 

The race turned out to be really fun!  The bands were a nice distraction, and the atmosphere was really upbeat and laid-back.  It was also really nice to run alongside Renee the whole time, even though I told her on several occasions she could totally go ahead, since I am 100% sure I was slowing her down.  But she was nice enough/sympathetic enough to stick with me.  My favorite mile was mile 6 when they handed out iced wash cloths.  At that moment it was the best thing I'd ever experienced.  My least favorite miles were miles 9-10... since those were distances I had never run before.  During those miles, I started getting really overly dramatic and thinking things like, "Oh my God, I don't even remember what my life was like before I started running this race!"  I wanted to stop so badly, but what I wanted even more badly was to just be finished, and at that point I knew the only way to finish faster was to keep running.  I was hurting though!  Sidenote- I realize I sound pretty negative, I just unfortunately am not one of those people that enjoys running immensely, gets the "runner's high," etc.  I did have fun though- promise!

David met us at the finish line, and we spent some time stuffing our faces with the post-race food, drinking our free beers, and listening to the final band (Puddle of Mud).  Apparently we ran straight back into the early 2000's?...

Just after we crossed the finish line- hands already full of food.

 

Finishers!!

I'm proud of myself mostly just for signing up in the first place, but also for going through with it and finishing at all!  But I'm also proud that I met my two other goals: 1.) Do not stop running the entire time and 2.) Finish under two hours.  I think my final time was around 1:45.  So I'm pretty excited about that!  What I'm even more excited about though, is that I get to stop running now :-) 

Chopped

I've pretty much always had my hair shoulder length or longer.  The summer before my senior year of college, I cut it to my collar bone, and that was the shortest my hair has ever been.  For me, long hair is just easier.  I know long hair takes longer to wash, dry, curl, etc., but I don't have the patience for those activities anyways.  Five to six days a week, my hair is in a ponytail, braid, or some other quick up-do.  Because of that, long hair was always just easier for me. 

Before we moved to Australia I was kind of getting to the point of being sick of my long hair.  I considered cutting it short at that time, but I figured such a decision shouldn't be made in the midst of a stressful move.  I had also always wanted to donate my hair at some point in my life, just had never been brave enough to a.) grow it long enough that it wouldn't have to be super short after the cut and b.) pull the trigger.  So I put it off once again.  Well, like most things in Gladstone, finding a pace to get a good haircut was a challenge.  I went for a 2-3 inch trim a couple months into our move, and the girl literally parted my hair down the middle, divided my hair with half over each shoulder, and then simply trimmed those two sections.  Done and done... $75 dollars later.  After realizing that I could have very easily just had David give me the same exact haircut, I decided to save my money and finally grow my hair out nice and long so that I could donate it when we went home for Christmas. 



When I saw this photo, I KNEW the hair had to go- OUTOFCONTROL. 
Photo by Katie Miller Photography

Fast forward to the weekend after Christmas, and I was SO ready to chop my mane.  It was seriously out of control long... even giving me headaches sometimes.  Totally unnecessary.  My favorite hair stylist in Phoenix excitedly agreed to cut it for me, so off I went.  She kept asking me if I was nervous, but I really wasn't at all. 

BEFORE

She divided my hair into four ponytails and chopped away.  Easy as that!  And truly, it didn't end up looking as short as I thought it would.  We thought she had cut about 8-10 inches, but when I got home and measured it more carefully, it was actually a good TWELVE inches- a FOOT! 

Right after the big cut!

AFTER



AFTER - I still have yet to replicate this style

Totally creepy



I went back and forth when deciding where to donate my hair - Locks of Love or Pantene Beautiful Lengths.  I ended up going with Pantene Beautiful Lengths, because I liked the idea that they focus on wigs for adult women who have lost their hair due to cancer treatments.  I got the impression that Locks of Love gets more publicity, so I figured I'd give my hair to the place that probably "needed it more-" although they are both worthy causes/organizations.  You can see the story of a Pantene Beautiful Lengths donator below:

Oh, and since I didn't donate at an organized event, it was up to me to send my donation in on my own- which was really a very simply process.  But of course, I procrastinated and it took me a few weeks.  Every time I opened the drawer where I had my ziplocked ponytail, I would get totally creeped out.  It's weird how the second hair isn't attached to your head anymore, it seems so gross.  I kept threatening David that I would hide my "hair creature" under his pillow or in his work bag.  Muahahaha. 

Anyway, that's my Rapunzel story.  My hair is growing crazy fast- probably about three inches already!  I still don't mind the shorter hair, but I AM really excited to get a few more inches, because I really miss the braids that I used to do.  I am actually thinking that I will probably grow it long and donate it one more time.  Why not, right?

Reflecting on 30

I will be turning the big 3-0 on Saturday.  How did THAT happen?!  I have mixed feelings about the whole thing.  I feel like it should feel different or somewhat monumental, but so far, I'm not too worked up about this milestone.  Let's hope it stays that way.  I did, however, want to do something to reflect back on my thirty years so far.  A fellow blogger, Julie, did this on her 30th, and I'm totally stealing the idea.  Thanks, Julie!! :-)  So in honor of my 30th birthday, I have recorded some of my favorite memories, stories, and reflections from each of my 30 years so far...

One: According to my parents, I was basically a dream baby/toddler.  Super cute (not biased at all), very easy going, well-behaved, and hardly cried. Their only complaints were that I was never a napper and I was always a night owl (Update: still hate napping, still a night owl).

Two: This is when my picky eating tendencies started (and lasted until college basically).  My mom said I was quite religious about always eating two fried eggs for breakfast. I didn't talk much- especially not to anyone other than my immediate family. My grandma and aunt were sure something was "wrong" with me. :-) Oh, and also noteworthy- my favorite little brother, Mark, was born! 

Three: At three I started dance lessons at the YMCA.  I was a very dedicated student and would regularly put on my tap shoes and tights and practice my moves on the coffee table.  This was also around the time that my cousins, sister, and I got really into my mom's Jane Fonda workout videos. We would get all decked out in our tights and leotards and get our sweat on with some awesome 80's jazzercise. There are some pretty amazing home videos documenting this.

Me and my bangs swimming with my cousin - Me and my bangs at the beach with my older sister

Four: I don't really think I TRULY remember anything (that isn't from photos, videos, or stories people tell) before age four. At four, I was in Preschool with my cousin and forever sidekick Lee Anne. I have lots of memories of my time in Preschool: Ms. Harshburger and Mrs. Morley were my teachers, playing on the playground, feeling special when my mom let me stay longer than the usual half day for "lunch bunch," bike parade, etc.  It was also at age four that I broke my right arm in two places.  My brother and I were playing some pretend game in which I was the queen (obviously), and I fell off of my throne (the built in cabinets) onto my toy shopping cart.  I didn't tell my mom what had happened because I think maybe I thought I would get in trouble for climbing up there (?).  Anyway, a couple days later she noticed I was eating with my left hand and then it turned out my arm was broken.  As even more evidence of what an odd (and painfully shy) child I was at this point, I was for some strange reason so embarassed of having to wear a cast that I decided to wrap a blanket/towel over my cast everyday since then no one would notice? SO strange, but so funny looking back on it. 

Five: Kindergarten! I loved Kindergarten!  Mrs. Combs was my teacher, and she was the best ever.  My favorite center was the rice /sand table.  I think my favorite thing I learned that year was how to draw a star... I still remember the little story she had that went along with it. 

Six: First grade with Mrs. Mroz at Saints Simon and Jude School. I liked wearing a uniform, and I'm almost positive that I was the teacher's pet :-)  I also randomly remember being so embarrassed (again painfully shy) when one of my friends told me that a boy in the class liked me.  Pretty sure I avoided him for the next five years.

Seven: This was the year that my older sister and I were allowed to fly BY OURSELVES from Arizona to Indiana for a fun cousins weekend with our grandparents.  It was SO much fun!  And kudos to my parents for letting us do that, because I'm pretty sure I'd be too paranoid if the tables were turned. 

Eight: This was probably a pretty scary year for my parents. I was psuper sick this year and ended up being hospitalized for double pneumonia, double collapsed lungs, low oxygen, among other things. I  missed 30 days of school that year. Our neighbors bought me the movie the Sound of Music as a get well gift and I watched it nearly everyday that I was home sick. I still know all the words and even some of the dances.

Nine: What I remember most from fourth grade is the big "cliques talk" that Sr. Marjorie gave to all of the girls.  I guess maybe this is when girls start getting mean?

Ten: 5th grade. This was the year it seemed like all the girls (myself included) started wearing bras and shaving.  My parents had decided that my sister and I could start shaving on our birthdays in fifth grade. Having to wait until March to have my sister teach me how to shave was almost unbearable and so embarrassing at the time.  (Update: I hate shaving now.) 

Eleven: I remember sixth grade being pretty awesome. I had an awesome teacher who had to have been only like 22- Ms. Lamy.  She made us memorize all of the prepositions in alphabetical order... I still remember most (aboard, about, above, across, after against, along, amid...). Not a very useful skill now, but a fun party trick.  The other sixth grade teacher who taught science was super strict and said very adult things to us that now make me laugh. Whenever someone would ask if we HAD to do something, she would say (in her very high super nasally voice), "all you HAVE to do is die and pay taxes." At the time, we were all just like, Um, ok?... now it's so funny (and very true!) to me.  Oh, and I also got braces.

Twelve: I FINALLY was old enough to be in the pointe class at my dance studio. Yay!  A few kids in my seventh grade class started meeting up in the bathroom to kiss (gasp!), which led to a very intricate bathroom pass procedure and a very memorable/embarrassing talk about the birds and the bees that involved rose petals and thorns.  My friends and I still laugh about this.

Thirteen: Being an 8th grader was pretty awesome. Passing intricately folded notes was the cool thing to do.  Class trip to Washington D.C. was a major highlight. 

Fourteen: I started high school at an all girls private school. I was super obsessed with teen stars like JTT, Devon Sawa, etc.  I was probably one of the most boring/well-behaved high schoolers and spent every weekend either babysitting or hanging out with my two best friends, Sarah and Kayli, watching Ten Things I Hate About You on repeat. 


Fifteen: NYSNC super fan- JC all the way!!! Attended my first of four NSYNC concerts. Enjoyed hilarious carpool adventures with my cousins everyday. 

Sixteen: I celebrated my sixteenth birthday in Tijuana, Mexico (of all places) on a Habitat For Humanity trip. It was an amazing experience, but I was super excited to get back and get my drivers' license! I also got my first job at sixteen working as a life guard and swim lesson teacher at the local public pools.  Scored a tan that I never thought was possible... and that I now (in my old age) TOTALLY regret.  Why... why?....

Sorry skin, please go easy on me in my thirties...

Seventeen: Got really into my dancing this year, took the SAT's/ACT's, got my first detention. (for talking during a fire drill, of all things).  Family cruise to Alaska- SO amazing!

Senior prom (sparkles!!!!) and a senior pre-graduation luncheon

Eighteen: Graduated high school and started college at Gonzaga University. I loved college and everything about it: living in the dorms (aside from the dysfunctional roommate that later withdrew), freshman mixers, parties, and having a sister who was a senior and old enough to buy disgusting booze (like Smirnoff Ice) for my friends and I.  Thanks, Lauren! :-)  Oh, and I most DEFNITELY (and quite easily) gained the freshman 15.

Highlighter parties were a thing. So was "pre-funking" in the all boys dorm.  Just babies we were!!

Nineteen: Sophomore year of college. I got really into my Spanish and Psychology classes and decided to double major. Between all that studying I was still getting my fill of college fun on the weekends. I think this was the year my friends and I were REALLY into drinking games. On a related note, I was baffled as to why I was still hanging onto my Freshman 15 (shaking my 30 year old head at myself...).

Twenty: I studied abroad in Granada, Spain.  I lived with a Spanish family and my bestie, Jen. We traveled a ton, drank lots of Sangria, ate lots of tapas, partied until the sun came up like any good Spaniard does, and somehow managed to avoid leaving with a euro-mullet.  Oh, and we also became pretty darn fluent in Spanish.  I also completed a major bucket list item when I traveled completely by myself to Mallorca, Spain for a weekend. 

Mi Hermana espanola and I in front of La Alhambra

Twenty-one: This was probably the best year of college. I lived off campus with five of my girlfriends in an amazingly huge house that was known as "The Dollhouse."  We adopted a homeless cat, took "family photos" for Christmas,  finally drank legally (and much more responsibly than in previous years), and just generally made the most of our last year of college with a few poor decisions sprinkled in here and there just because we were young and dumb.  

Typical... face in a Solo red cup...

Twenty-two: Graduated college and began the most challenging two years of my life when I joined Teach For America. I taught 7th and 8th grade math and science in South Central, Los Angeles. During my first year, I cried nearly every day on the way to and from school. However, I also knew all too well that however much I was struggling was NOTHING compared to what my students dealt with every day of their lives. My twenty-two year old mind and ways of thinking about the world were challenged and changed (for the good) more than they ever would have been otherwise. I grew up A LOT this year.  And this experience will continue to shape what I do with my life and how I think about the world for the rest of my life.  This was also the year that I met and later started dating my roommate's brother who would later become my husband. 

Twenty-three: Year two of TFA. More comfortable and confident in my teaching, but still a struggle. The coolest thing I ever did as a teacher though was doing a frog dissecting lesson. I'm still super proud (and surprised) that I did that! No idea how I managed it, but in between the most challenging/time consuming job I could imagine, I was able to complete my masters degree AND maintain a long distance relationship with David. 

Twenty-four: Completed my TFA committment, moved to Houston to continue our relationship finally in the same city, and continued teaching- but this time in an elementary setting. 

Twenty-Five: Met two of my favorite students of all time- Erik and Oscar. I still carry a little school photo of Erik around in my wallet.  These two students will stick with me forever. In the spring, I took a girls trip to Philly with Kayli and Sarah.  This was also the year that I found a suspicious looking spot in my hair line and soon found out it was skin cancer. Lucky for me, I caught it early enough and all turned out OK.  See why I curse those lifeguarding years already?...

Twenty-Six: 2010 was a busy and monumental year and probably the best year of my life so far. I got engaged in March and was married in December!  In between all of that, I was in two of my best friend's weddings, and David was the best man in one of his friend's weddings. It was the year of weddings, for sure.

Just after David proposed (hence the teary eyes) and our wedding day!

Twenty-Seven: We bought our first house and David started travelling more for work (a sign of things to come).

Twenty-Eight: At twenty eight, I found out we would be moving to Australia.  Lots of tears and transitions this year: quitting my job, saying goodbye to friends and family, moving across the world, living in a small town, adjusting to a new culture, suffering through a life without Diet Dr. Pepper, etc. But of course it turned out to be an amazing experience.  We traveled a TON, made new friends, and it was an amazing time of growth for our marriage as we depended only on each other and shared a new and sometimes scary experience. 

Twenty-Nine: Most of my 29th year was spent in Australia. I was finally more settled into our life there, loved checking places off our travel list, and had finally met a group of girls I became very close with.  Also noteworthy- I jumped off a bridge- no big deal.  Of course, big changes usually happen right when you get comfortable somewhere, and so right before Christmas, we were moved back to Houston. Still feeling "new again" here, still re-adjusting... slowly, but surely.

Thirty: TBD.  I'll keep you posted... :-) 

A Birthday Weekend Getaway

I was a bad blogger/wife and didn't post on my lovely husband's birthday a few weeks ago- November 18, to be exact.  Fail.  So now I will attempt to redeem myself with a recap of the birthday weekend festivities. 

Even before we knew we were moving, I had planned to take David to a little beach town called 1770 for his birthday (about an hour and a half drive from here).  I had been there previously (you can read about that trip HERE) when my parents were here visiting, but David didn't get to come with us that time, and he had mentioned several times that he wanted to go at some point. 

I was a little bit worried about the weather, since it was looking like there was a good chance it might rain all weekend.  But we lucked out and the weather was nearly perfect! 

 




When we arrived, we had lunch and some birthday beers at a cute little restaurant right next to where we were staying called "The Tree."  This is basically the best restaurant "near" us.  And yes, again, this is an hour and a half drive from where we live.  The food here is one of the few things I will not miss about Gladstone. 

 

 

After lunch, we went on a little hike and checked out some gorgeous views over the water.  Unfortunately, it got a little bit overcast during our hike, so the water didn't look as bright blue/green as it does when it's a clear, sunny day. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We had booked a sunset canoe tour for that evening.  We got to the meet up place, had a mini kayaking lesson, got suited up, and paddled about 10 minutes out before our guide broke the news that we would have to turn back since it was just too windy. 

 

 

Clearly I was contributing a lot to this kayaking effort

Pelicans!





We were a bit disappointed, but we quickly made our own alternate sunset watching plans.  We grabbed a bottle of wine and some cheese (in the form of cheese crackers) and headed down to a bench at the water's edge to watch the sunset.  It was gorgeous, and so nice to just talk, relax, and enjoy the view.  This will probably be one of my favorite memories from our Australian travels.  There was an amazing sunset when I visited with my parents as well- which you can see photos of HERE. 

 

Wine and "cheese" at sunset

 

Going... going...



...going... GONE!






The next day we headed to the nearby beach at Agnes Water for... SURF LESSONS!  Truthfully, neither of us have ever really been all that interested in surfing, but it just felt like such a huge Australia bucket list item/must-do since Australia is known for some of the best surfing in the world. The class that day was HUGE, so I was a little worried that the lessons wouldn't be all that great.  But we were pleasantly surprised.  The instructors did a great job managing such a large group, and I felt like I got plenty of one on one instruction throughout the day.

 

 

  

 

 

Surfing is seriously hard, but a lot of fun!  The water was the perfect temperature that day, so it was nice to be in the ocean for several hours.  We both managed to stand up and catch a few waves on our boards... nothing too impressive though.  I felt like a pretty hard core surfer because I even had a surfing accident.  I fell off my board and when I came up out of the water, a wave pushed the board right into my nose.  There was blood everywhere, so of course I booked it out of the water to escape the shark that I was sure would immediately come after me and my bloody nose.  Once I settled down and stopped crying after the random German tourist passing by suggested that my nose might be broken (it wasn't), I got back out there for a few more waves.  I was pretty proud of myself after that! 
 

 

 

Catching "sun waves"

 

 

 

No idea what is possessing me to post a picture of me in a bathing suit.... PROOF that I stood up, I guess...

 

Surf School Graduates!

 

It was a quick little weekend trip away, but we had a really good time. David never really likes to have a party or anything big for his birthday, so I think this was the perfect way to celebrate.