As always time seems to slip away and life gets the best of me and I've slacked at up dating this hear blog of mine. But I'm here updating now and that's all that matters right?!?!?!
With a week of class left we decided to have a class pot luck / surprise baby shower. Tell me why I volunteered to make a cake for this little shindig we where having. I was leaving right after class to head out of town. So the day's leading up to class where super crazy busy. But I have to toot my own hour because this cake turned out fabulous!!!! It was homemade from scratch all the way down to the icing. I was so proud of it, I haven't baked in forever and I loved every minute of being back in the kitchen doing what I love. This fabulous master piece didn't let down either. Every one LOVED it and I'm not just saying that because I made it, really my class-mates couldn't stop raving about it. I will defiantly be keeping this one for future baking goodness.
The night before my last class and said above pot luck followed by a 6 hour road trip I ran a 5K Glow Run about 45 minutes away from my house. Now back up a few days, my Director at work was suppose to run this as well. She was the one who actually talked me in to doing it. Unfortunately for a few reason's she wasn't able to make it. I decided to tough it out and still run the race. It might shock you to know this was the first race I'd ran alone not knowing anyone there. I was a little nervous and hesitant going into it alone but I embraced myself and rocked it.
It was raining and ugly out, we had a 15 minute rain / lightening delay due to a storm. Once we finally got going I was passing people left and right. I kept checking my pace making sure I wasn't pushing myself to fast in the beginning and I wasn't. The rain kept coming and a few bolts of lightening here and there. In my head I kept thinking this was the worst idea I'd ever had. Part of the course was dark back streets that I ran by myself because others where way ahead of me (so I though) or further behind me. I was a bit scared not going to lie, being somewhere I wasn't familiar with at all. They had water stations in the worst places, you'd think they'd have them on the streets with no lights or store fronts vs. on the main roads, simply for safety reasons.
Pretty soon I caught up with this little dude and he was struggling a bit so I tried encouraging him to keep going when he wanted to stop. I asked him if he knew how many people where in front of him and there was only one he said. We stayed together for the last half mile of the race and then I booked it through the finish line. I hadn't looked at my watch much through the last mile since it was raining, I was trying to keep it down from getting wet. Yall I came in 2nd place. I had no clue, I mean he had mentioned there was only one other person in front of him but I wasn't totally positive. I've NEVER placed in a race and I ran my fastest 5K time ever. I was so stoked and proud of myself. Yes it was a smaller race only 80 out of the 100 people that signed up came (due to the bad storms we where having) and everyone has told me that a race is a race no matter the amount of participants not to use that as a excuse. And I'm not, there where some awesome runners out there and I just happened to be on my game and totally kicked butt!!!
First race ever when we lived in Hawaii. (left) May 1, 2011 5k- time 43:57.
Most recent race June 26, 2015 5k-time 25:35.
Yall, I still can't believe it!!!
PS: look at those chubby cheeks on the left. I know I know not really but yes really.
After I came back from my little girls weekend get away (I'll recap that later) I made this delicious little treat for our work 4th of July Pot Luck. I came across the recipe on Pinterest (it was a birthday theme) and new I wanted to try it and though it would be perfect to incorporate it into our Red, White and Blue theme.
Yall, this was AMAZING, like I'm talking there was only one slice left. It was scrumptious, melt in your mouth delicious. I've been on a roll here lately in the kitchen and defiantly enjoying it.
Another month down and one more closer to the hubbs coming home. The end feels so near yet its still so far away. I miss him with all my heart and can't wait to wrap my arms around him again. I'm actually gonna miss doing this fun little monthly counts, but I wont miss doing life alone that's for sure.
Speaking this crazy deployment.....1) I've seriously slacked on keeping up with his truck. It's a standard which I'm not able to drive due to my lack of skills. It's on my 30 b4 30 list to learn, one day one day. It's been driven twice in the last 8 months so when I asked Amy to come over the other evening to help me get it going we had no luck what so ever. Even after letting it charge connected to my car for about 20-30 minutes it still wouldn't even attempt to turn over. I knew I had to cough it up and buy a new battery. Sometimes that's the price you've gotta pay and I did. A big Thanks to some awesome guys he works with (that returned early from deployment) they picked it up the next day and had new tires put on and the brakes checked. So it's all set for his return, I've just got to keep it going till then and not let the battery sit so long with out being started.
2) This massive backyard of ours, its amazing, I love it and the pups do to. But it also comes with a bit of maintenance. Sure I could pay someone to do it but that would be wasting money when I am more than capable of doing it myself. I don't love doing it but I don't hate it either. I look at it as another way to get a workout in. However I've learned I really need to make sure I stay on top of it, meaning mowing it every week. YALL!!! I let it go a week and a half, 4 day's longer them normal and it was killer. I struggled. Yes we had a lot of rain with in that week so that didn't help. Although, I'm not complaining because its helped keep it nice and green but man was it tough to cut. The bag kept getting full and I'd have to stop and empty it after less than two times around. I was so frustrated. I ran out of gas at one point and thankfully had just enough in the tank in the garage to finish out the yard. It might have been 8:30pm before I was done with everything, weed-eating and blowing included but I got it done. I kept telling myself I could finish it up tomorrow but I knew I'd be kicking myself in the butt if I did that.
I remember always giving the hubbs such a hard time on the weekends when he would say he was going to sleep in and then he'd be awake on his 2nd cup of coffee around 6am sometimes. I'm like dude what happen to sleeping in and he would always say "that, that was sleeping in for him." I'm like no, "sleeping in means not getting up and outta bed till close to 8am" I couldn't sleep much past that or I felt like I was wasting my day away. And now I find myself laying there wide awake most mornings before 5:30am. I just can't help it, no matter how late I go to sleep, even on the weekends... I'm up and my brain is going 90 miles a hour thinking about everything I could / should be doing.
This morning for example, 5:35am laying there thinking of everything I was doing today and figured I might as well go ahead get up and get started. Morning workout (40 minutes), Dog's walked (20 minutes), Dressed, Laundry going, Shake-o made and dishes done all BEFORE 7am. I decided to switch my morning plans because sitting around the house for the downtown market to open at 8am just made no sense at all. lol. Originally I was going to the downtown market first then, make the 25-30 minute drive out to Guthrie, KY to the most amazing little Amish Bakery. To pick up a box of freshly made donuts and some cinnamon rolls. I plan on freezing the cinnamon rolls till the hubbs gets home and taking the donuts to work with me on Monday. They only make and serve the donuts on Saturday's, and they don't last long so you've gotta get there early. I was kinda sorta itching for one and decided to treat myself. It worked out perfect because I got there right at 8am when they opened. From there I headed to back to Clarksville to our market. Sometimes I'll go and simply just walk around it a couple times checking out the vendors not purchasing a thing. I just enjoy going, gives me something to do on Saturday mornings. But today I knew I wanted to pick up some local honey since I was getting low. The food trucks and baked goods looked so yummy, I sampled some different breads and a fruit tea which I wasn't crazy about before heading out. I was so tempted to give into a yummy waffle, a tamale even the homemade Amish ice cream but I didn't I knew I had donuts in the car, lunch plans and jazz on the lawn later that evening. Not to mention a couple homemade M&M cookies at home. I didn't need it.
One last stop on my way home. I remembered The Mill, a little local antique / craft store was having their re-grand opening today. It's super small and I normally never find anything there but I always enjoy stopping and looking since its so close to home. I ended up picking up this cute little "Tennessee Home" plaque that will fit perfect on our Christmas Tree to represent out time here.
All of that and I was still home before 10am. With lunch plans not till 1pm I decided to tackle the upstairs. Our bedroom and bathroom needed a good deep clean so I figured why not knock it out before lunch. Nothing's better then a freshly clean home. Well yes there is, having someone to help me with it or at least keep my company while cleaning. Blah Blah Blah, I know soon enough he'll be home. Lunch was fabulous, I hate that L and I haven't gotten together more over the deployment then we have but we always have such a great time when we do. It'll be great once the hubbs is back and the four of us can all get together.
I spent the rest of the afternoon into the evening lounging around and kinda being lazy at home. Out girls night at Jazz on the Lawn got canceled since a few couldn't make it and honestly I was totally fine with that. There's always next time.
