A Runner's High

So - I ran my first half-marathon (13.1 miles) ever!! I'm very VERY excited about it. It wasn't necessarily easy but I would do it again with ALL MY HEART AND SOUL!!!!

If you want to see pictures click here!

Here's the break down of the race:

We were told that we had to be parked no later than 5:30 a.m. and that roads were closing at 6. The race was supposed to start at 7:00. My friend Ashley, who went to Guatemala with me, woke up at the crack of dawn to take me to the race only to find out it was postponed until 7:45!! It was RAINY, WINDY and COOOOOOOOLD!!

I had my favorite breakfast: Ice Cold Milk and Bananas. And like 2 bottles of water. And in my fuel belt I had water (Gatorade during runs makes me puke) and M&M's!

Mile 1-3: I run this distance often so this part was the easiest (which I'm proud to say practice has paid off). I had to tell myself to chill and to take it easy because it was just the beginning. At the beginning of races, you're adrenaline is on HIGH you want to take off like Speedy Gonzalez. I stop to take off my long sleeve shirt because it get's really hot when you run! I think I was running at an ~11 minute pace here.

Mile 4-5: I ran most of this but I told myself it was okay to walk. My 3-1 fartleks began. It's my favorite way to run. 12 min pace.

Mile 6: PAINFUL. Like excruciatingly painful. I got the worst stitch of all time! I was talking to a lady about how it's my first half and she asked it if was okay if she ran with me (she is a lot older and has several under her belt). As soon as I agreed, this pain came in directly under the right side of rib cage and I wanted to curl over into a fetal position and cry. She left me saying, "Breath deep...I promise it will pass!" It was seriously like my insides were being split open. (I'm not exaggerating...it was painful.) It lasted a full minute...
12 min pace

Mile 7-9: A complete blur. Except that here the 1-1 fartleks began. I was happy.

Mile 10: I remember celebrating the fact that I had kept a pretty consistent pace. They pace person said: 12.23! I replied back: ARE YOU SERIOUS? Pace person: Yes, keep it up!
I told everyone around me that we should be soooo proud!! They sorta looked at me like I was crazy. I was really HAPPY!!

Mile 11: I prayed aloud: "DEAR GOD - HELP ME! BE WITH ME NOW!"
People asked if I was okay. My response: "My toe really hurts."
My index toe on my left foot usually hurts when I run, but the pain was a bit exaggerated since my feet were cold and wet and I also tend to be slightly dramatic. I started counting to a 100 over and over to get my mind off my hurting toe. That is until I remembered a chant I learned at a VBS 2 years ago. It goes like this:

RUN, RUN, RUN the RACE!
KEEP, KEEP, KEEP the PACE!
RUN THE RACE! KEEP THE PACE!
KEEP YOUR EYES ON JESUS!

I was still at a ~12.23 pace

Mile 12-13: I slowed down to a 12.40 pace. I walked a lot more, but still managed to run most of it. I saw a girl who had been running really well the whole time look like she was throwing in the towel. I ran up to her and said - COME ON! WE CAN DO THIS! WE GOT THIS!! KEEP GOING!! We ran/walked together until the very end. She runs better than I do, so she said see you at the finish line and she took off, but not before giving me a pep talk!

In the middle of all this, I was soooooo incredibly encouraged to see one of my students and her mom under HWY 59. They had a poster that said: YOU CAN DO IT, MS. MARQUEZ! I almost cried, but instead I stopped to give them both a hug. They handed me a bag of snickers!! :o)

The last bit: The finish line was after you turn a corner...I would have loved to have sprinted from the corner...but I waited until I got a little closer. I started yelling - I FINISHED before even crossing the finish line! The clock read 2.47...my watch said 2.45. I'm waiting on the official results to know what my time was. But the bottom line I FINISHED!! AND I DID IT UNDER 3 HOURS!

This is really one of the most incredible feelings I've ever experienced. After saying my whole life that I would never ever in a million years like running, I have developed a love for it! Crossing the finish line was pretty emotional for me. I couldn't do it alone - Christ is my strength and thank you Regina White for crossing the 5k finish line with me in April 2010 and assuring me that if I could run/walk my first 5k, I could run a half!!

Followthrough #1 - The Table

Okay, I made a promise. And I'm keeping it. Here's Promise #1: The Craft Room Table.

View A: When you walk in, you see the full effect of the table when in use. Look at Zaccheus trying to steal the show. (yeah, still no flooring. don't hate.)

View B: The Birdseye view. Ooohhh, look at how nice it is!!!!
View C: Looking up. This is the signature of authenticity. It was hand made. Yeah. Impressive, right?

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So, I'm totally excited because I have a finalized vision for this room. Those curtains are going BYE BYE! I'm in search of the perfect BLACK curtains.
The room will consist of these colors:

• BLACK
• White (and variations of...)
• Silver (accents)
• Brown (wood - the chairs, table, and old school desk)

These colors don't seem like the likely combination, but ooooh JUST you wait. I can't!!!

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Just cause, I want to show you the old school desk - or the reading corner.
On the chair, I have a blanket that I crocheted and a little blankie my grandmother made for me. To the side of the chair I have a basket full of my favorite magazines EVER! And I want to get rid of the thing beside the basket, but I haven't decided I'm ready to let go yet.

A Delightful Surprise INDEED!!!

So, I'm really bad at taking pictures and posting them.

There are things that I want to show you, so writing it is like a commitment thing where I have no choice but to follow through. So here we go with the list:

1. Craft Room Table. It is FREAKING awesome! Like the best, most perfect workspace.
2. Sewing Desk. It's a desk that I bought for 15 dollars at a garage sale. It's super cute. I stripped it and painted it and bought glass knobs for it! (it's not exactly finished, but it will be VERY SOON!)
   
3. Bias maker. I don't know if that's really what it is called, but OMG it's the best tool I have ever spent money on (other than my scissors) and it was less than FIVE dollars! LIKE OMG! Seriously, I saved so much time with that thing and it makes me so happy!!! And it makes my sewing look so much neater!
4. Serger. CAN I JUST SAY - this is the DELIGHTFUL SURPRISE OF THE DAY!!!! So, I have my very own serger. And I've wanted one forEVER. Honestly - because it looks soooooooooooo cool! I have no idea how to use it. I will though, I will. It's the machine you use to keep your fabric from unraveling. I really wish that it was the super cool green one my grandfather had in his shop, but it's not. It's a white regular looking one, but cool nonetheless.
   

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Last weekend, I lost my voice completely. I thought that I'd be able to work on projects and get better while I worked, but I was WRONG! I had no energy whatsoever. I watched movies, crocheted, read, slept UNTIL I REALLY COULD NOT TAKE IT ANY MORE! I am the worst sick person ever! It's pathetic. I whine because I don't feel good and also because I'm so completely bored!!!!! I know it's not supposed to be the happenin' thing...but I REALLY need to learn to sit still - or to be still...How they say in spanish: Tener Sosiego.

The one thing that I was happy I didn't miss while I was sick was the opening of the Family Time Capsule! It was almost eleven years ago, Thanksgiving of 1997, that we made a time capsule. I was fifteen. There were lots and lots of letters from everyone. Some HILARIOUS and other really sad. It's strange to think that my grandfather was around. He had a letter in there too. The letter I wrote was mainly about how much I love my brothers and the description of my parents house. It also mentioned my crush from back then! That was hilarious. I'm certain that the time capsule idea will continue as a tradition. I'm excited about what the future holds and it will be nice to reminisce. Life is good - no one said it would be easy.

A Certainty

I like to paint. I've tried oils, acrylics and watercolors. Of the three, I've decided I like watercolors the most. I like it because it provides perfect imperfections and the most beautiful colors when you mix them and it's really one of most freeing activities - EVER. I've painted nothing worth posting. I just wanted to tell you that I'm certain that I like painting with water colors the most.

Fun, FUN!

1. Made a load of progress on my craft room! It's been since before the Christmas holidays that I've messed with it. SO SO SO excited about it!
2. Since buying the house, I've not had a light fixture in my bedroom. The one it had was u-g-l-y! So, I took it down without replacing it. I looked and looked and LOOKED! Nothing was stealing my heart! (Don't you think that when you're spending money on something that is almost permanent - it has to be your new favorite BLANK! Sursly...that's my strategy.) All that to say that there's a restaurant by the office that I pass by and they have the best lamps ever! They are outdoor lamps. Well, guess what? A similar outdoor lamp is now hanging off the ceiling in my bedroom. The glass has some texture to it so it creates these prism shadows...I don't know what else to call it, but I think it's MAGICAL! I love it!
3. I received the March issue of Country Living magazine and one of the ladies whose blog I frequent made it IN! So fun! It's exciting...and I don't even know this lady. Look she makes fun totes for her friends:
4. One more thing: check out these business cards!!
   

YAY! part 2

After seeing a really fun project on Heather Bailey's site, I decided Pearl needed a seasonal update.

Saturday ended up being pretty busy. Took a short trip to Navasota to meet with Suzy. Afterwards, I picked mom up since we both planned on being crafty this weekend. And then, we started running out of time because there was a party to go to. Well, as I mentioned before, sometimes I literally, stop, drop and ROLL with it. I started the project at the party. *blush* In my defense, it was not the most happenin' party I've been to, per se.

The Cranes:Work in progress...(Thanks to Tim, my bro.)
ha ha ha - side note: I just thought - looking at these pictures - of a man at a toll booth who said to me, "Smiling is free!" I'm so "serious!"
Final products:Detail on the dangley heart:

YAY!

Have I ever mentioned how much I enjoy the Valentine's Season? True it can be over the top & perhaps overrated, but I love the displays when you walk into little shops like Cornelius, Another Place in Time, HALLMARK... Nevermind the cheesy white bears with the heart shaped red paws, but WOW for the RIBBONS and hearts and just pure merriment!

I like to put little rearview mirror decor things on Pearl (my car). For the fall & winter, I've had paper cranes. Those are coming down so Pearl can sport one of these!

I'm so excited about making it!! You can make one too if you'd like. Visit Heather Bailey for instructions.

P.S. A new header is coming soon! I'm excited about showing it to you.

A Wednesday Word: making wednesday worthwhile

***I'm bringing Wednesday words from the dead. It started in November 2005 with the word hors d'oeuvre.

suc·cess (sək-sěs') Pronunciation Key n.
The achievement of something desired, planned, or attempted: attributed their success in business to hard work.

There's no holding back when you want it. Sometimes you have to say, "WAIT UP! STOP! What am I doing? I've got to stop, drop, and ROLL WITH IT!" That is exactly what I did this weekend. I put a halt to my to do list and I made an apron (from scratch)! It's my very first apron and indeed it was A SUCCESS!! It's brought a big smile to my face...a little sunshine!

Thanks to J-good I have a picture. A cell phone picture, but a picture nonetheless!

An extra word because it describes my Wednesday PERFECTLY!
co·nun·drum (kə-nŭn'drəm) Pronunciation Key n.
A paradoxical, insoluble, or difficult problem; a dilemma: "the conundrum, thus far unanswered, of achieving full employment without inflation" (Arthur M. Schlesinger, Jr.)