Wednesday, April 30, 2014

Finishing Touches

I am putting the finishing touches on my 26 while 26 list today with the help of my new Day Designer. And because this beauty goes from May 2014 to April 2015, it's the perfect way to stay organized and on-track during this next year of awesome adventures! The BIG REVEAL of the list is coming your way tomorrow!

I'm so excited I can barely stand it.
xoxo, E



Tuesday, April 29, 2014

If I could do it all over again...

My dear friend posted the following on Facebook over the weekend:


I have always been someone who had multiple things on the list of "what I want to be when I grow up."

  • Doctor
  • Math Teacher [Algebra to be specific]
  • Lawyer [Remember how I said I can quote the opener of Law & Order? This was that phase]
  • Dance Studio Owner
  • Rockette
  • Champion for Childhood Cancers
  • Broadway Star
  • Physical Therapist
  • Travel Blogger
  • Any position at the Food Network
  • Head Event Coordinator for NY Fashion Week
  • Magazine Editor [I actually took the GRE to go back to grad. school for this one]
  • Copywriter
  • Physician's Assistant [Told my mom I was seriously thinking about this one on our flight to NYC for me to audition for the Rockettes in 2012. My timing is stellar, I tell ya]
  • barre3 Studio Owner
  • Stationery Designer

I think that about covers the biggies. Clearly, I have a wide array of interests, but I think you can boil my passions down to the following:
  1. I have a passion for helping children who are battling illness
  2. I want to use my brain
  3. I love entertainment
  4. I love to move (dance, barre3, etc.)
  5. To me, there is something so beautiful about words on paper

But, back to my friend and her Facebook post...

It was so interesting to me to read all of the different responses from people - both those from people I knew and complete strangers. It was an awesome "exercise" because even though we are perfectly thrilled with the lives we are living, there are certain desires deep within us that still live on. 

My answer:


[please ignore that hideous typo: Broadway]

I happened to be on my way to the orthopedist when I read the post, so I have a feeling that influenced my answer, but I've always had a bizarre fascination with the bones of the body. In fact, I can still name most of the ones I learned in Anatomy class my senior year of high school. #Dork

If you could go back and do it all over again, would you change anything? Let's say you wouldn't, play the game that Julie started on Facebook, what parallel universe fire still burns inside of you?

xoxo, E

Monday, April 28, 2014

13.1 and Done!

Okay kids, I can now officially say that I've completed all of the items on my 25 while 25 list!

So, tighten up those laces and get ready for plenty of photos and stories from the last 3 days.

If you follow me on Instagram - or I texted you in a panic last week requesting prayer - you probably know that at the end of last week, I was at a bit of a low point due to some pain in my left foot. I took a sick day on Friday and spent the morning at the orthopedic's office.


Luckily, Momma arrived in OKC a couple of hours early... just in time to console a sobbing teary Elizabeth after the doctor said he was sending me for an MRI that afternoon to check for a stress fracture.

Once I picked her up at the airport, we had a couple hours to kill before my appointment. We went to the expo for the marathon to pick up my packet. I'll be honest with you, I had a really hard time during this process. I just kept thinking, "I trained this hard, there's all this fun 13.1 merchandise, and I'm not going to get to run because of a stupid fracture 2 days before the event."

[Yes, I went ahead and jumped off the cliff before the MRI because the doctor said he was confident it was a fracture.]





After my pity party at the Expo, we went to grab some lunch before my MRI. You guys, my mom is such a trooper. She was so understanding and compassionate as I cried (and cried and cried) with disappointment that I might not get to run.



In an attempt to distract from the results waiting game after my MRI, Momma suggested we rent a couple of movies for our Friday night. While in the middle of the second movie, my phone rang. The doctor called and said, "Well, I'm at a total loss as to what's going on. There's no fracture. You can run on Sunday!"

Y'all, I squealed. Momma had to get me back on track by whispering questions to ask the doctor about managing the pain for the race. All I cared about was that I could run the half and complete my final 25 while 25 goal!

Fast forward to Sunday morning...

My alarm went off at 3:45 a.m. and I popped right out of bed. It was race day!!

After taping up my foot, taking my Arnica and some Advil, pulling on my compression socks, and eating some breakfast, Momma and I were ready to head downtown.


We met up with Bobbie (and a few new friends) at ICG around 5:30 a.m. Right as we were about to head out, we got a text message that the start time was delayed 30 minutes due to weather. Darn you Oklahoma.

After another delay, we decided to go ahead an walk over to the course to see what was going on. After a couple more delays, a freak cold front blew in and we all began to give up hope that we would get to run. There was a rumor that if the start got delayed past 8 a.m., they'd cancel.

Darn Okie storm clouds.


We made a mad dash to the start line, in the rain, and I think the whole crowd started to cheer when we heard the National Anthem via the loud speaker. The sun started to peek through the clouds, and the race was on!


I couldn't believe how many people were at the start line. Bobbie and I were two out of 11,000 running in the half marathon. We were psyched and ready to go!



I felt great for the first 8 miles. I even survived the two big hills that preceded Gorilla Hill!



Once I got to mile 9, my legs felt as heavy as boulders and my left foot was really starting to ache. After a couple walking breaks, I found myself at 13th and Broadway with the Finish Line in sight!!

Jilly was on the sideline cheering us on, and she snapped the second picture below as I approached the finish!



I'm pretty sure this picture captures the moment I was searching for Momma - and then I found her!! Mommacita captured this great video at the Finish. I don't look like I'm in too much pain do I? 

So, let's get down to the nitty gritty - I ran 13.1 miles in 2 hours and 31 minutes!! 


I was pretty darn psyched to get my medal!


Know what else was pretty awesome?? Turning my phone off airplane mode at the Finish and seeing all of the awesome text messages and tweets from friends!

   
  
  

Following the race - and a shower - I realized just how much my body was freaking out, so I had a date with some ice packs and my DVR.

Oh, and I also had to try on my half-marathon present from Bobbie. I'll be colorfully accessorized during my next half for sure!


I am seriously proud of all of my friends that ran in yesterday's race, thankful for the friends who were along the course & cheered us on, and so incredibly grateful to God for beautiful running weather and a relatively pain free 13.1. 

And with that, I'd call 25 while 25 a success!!

xoxo, E


Thursday, April 24, 2014

Child of the 90s

Want to know what's awesome about being a kid in the '90s?
This buzzfeed list covers some good ones.

Things I remember about being a '90s kid:

  • Dawson's Creek
  • TGIF - Full House, Boy Meets World, Step by Step, Family Matters, etc.! 
  • Beanie Babies - God bless my parents
  • Skip-it
  • Water Snakes - as seen here
  • Superman, with Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher 
  • Talkboy
  • Screaming myself hoarse at a Backstreet Boys concert
  • Being obsessed with finding the perfect pair of denim pedal pushers - like the ones Topanga wore in Boy Meets World. 
  • Dunkaroos - yes, I loved opening my lunchbox to find vanilla Dunkaroos.

Want to know what's awesome about being an adult in the 2000s?
The internet.

You can find recipes on Pinterest that tell you how to make the Dunkaroos icing.

But, know what's better than that?

Finding a box of vanilla Dunakroos from some dude in Canada on eBay.

That's right. I bought a box of Dunkaroos on eBay. And I paid more for shipping than I did the actually cookies. I was totally like a kid on Christmas when the box finally arrived!!





Maybe it's my sophisticated, grown-up palette [sarcasm] but man oh man, that was some sugary sugared sugar masquerading as icing.

One quick glance at the ingredients had me reaching for an Organic Squeeze juice in my fridge. I mean, this box definitely qualifies for "if you can't pronounce it, you probably shouldn't eat it!" 


Maybe some childhood memories are best left in childhood. It's a wonder I didn't have any cavities as a kid!

All that being said, I'm definitely taking the Dunkaroos to work today to share with the crew. Why should I be the only one that gets to relive childhood?! [I have a feeling that I'll be exposing a co-worker or two to Dunkaroos for the first time!]

I wonder what I'll remember from the second decade of the 2000s...

xoxo, E


Wednesday, April 23, 2014

a few things...

I was scrolling through my phone the other day, cleaning out some of the notes, and I stumbled on a mini-list that I'd started.

I'm a list maker. Grocery lists. Half marathon "songs to download" lists. Favorite quotes lists. Lists. Lists. Lists.

Back to the mini-list...

I'd planned on doing a "25 things you might not know about me" post before my birthday. Welp, that time has passed. However, a text message from Chelsi yesterday made me think that some of these might still be worth posting!

Chelsi: Hold the phone. You have a sister?! I had it in my head you had no siblings!
Me: Hahaha. I have two half-siblings.
Chelsi: Mind blown!

#1 - I have two half-siblings.
My brother is 17 years older and my sister is [cough cough] 14 years older.


L to R: Steph (sis-in-law), Billy, Me, Kristen, Joe (bro-in-law, with a sweet 'stache)

There isn't anything "half" about how either of my siblings have treated me over the years. My brother would hang his sneakers off my ears, taught me my name was Michael Jordan, and played on the beach with me as a kiddo. [He also let me live with him in Los Angeles for a summer during college and taught me how to play Rock Band.]


My sister made me laugh when I was little until I had a serious case of the hiccups, is always on my team when we are giving my brother a hard time, and still calls me "punkin." [As you can see below, there's no doubt how I felt about my big sister.]


#2 - Mohammad Ali kissed me on the cheek when I was little. 
This was always my "unique fact" in school. It happened to come up in conversation when we were in Hilton Head this past weekend and my mom said, "We were staying in that plantation when MA kissed you." I didn't realize that's where we were when he bent down to kiss "the cute little red head" riding down the hall on her blue, plastic motorcycle. [aka: mote mote]

#3 - I was Annie in one of our dance competition routines.
Enough said.


#4 - I was cast in a Rack Room Shoes commercial when I was in elementary school.
The shot started on my feet hopscotching and then the camera panned up to my bouncing curly hair. Curls for the win.

#5 - I can quote the entire opener to Law & Order.
"In the criminal justice system, the people are represented by two separate yet equally important groups, the police who investigate crimes and the district attorneys to prosecute the offenders. These are their stories." [dun dun]

#6 - When I was younger, I told my mom I wanted a mini-van with doors on both sides when I turned 16. Thank the Lord they didn't hold me to that one!

#7 - I am an introvert. 
I love being around my friends, and I'm pretty outgoing [aka: loud] when I'm around people I know, but I love love love my alone time. 

#8 - I love Algebra. 
Gimme that quadratic formula, baby.

#9 I've seen National Treasure more times than I care to count.

#10 I have a serious obsession with paper products and wish I had the skill to be a stationery designer.

So, how'd I do? Any surprises in this list?

xoxo, E

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Gotta Get Away

Even with [out of the ordinary] rainy weather in Hilton Head, I had a blast spending my birthday weekend with my parents!

You guys, every time I go home I realize just how much I love [and miss] North Carolina. I mean, come on, how gorgeous?!


Momma and I hit the road first thing Thursday morning for Hilton Head. I love a good road trip on any day, but a road trip with Mommacita? Well, that's just the best!


Helloooooo Hilton Head!



As soon as we got to HHI, we changed clothes and set out for the golf course. As it turns out, Thursday was the only beautiful day of the weekend, so I'm glad we got down there so early!


We boarded our first class carriage [hehe] and went to have lunch at the lighthouse!



I think I said twenty times that day, "Hilton Head is just so pretty!!"





I have never [ever] been a fan of golf, but I totally fell in love with the sport during the tournament! The sound of the club making contact with the ball - the speed with which the ball zips through the air - the oh so attractive golfers... yeah that didn't hurt either!




One of our favorite moments during the day was on the 16th hole. There was a soldier who held the flag - which happened to be an American flag - when the golfers were on the green.
[You'll have to forgive me for my lack of golf lingo knowledge.]

I totally sneaked these photos on my iPhone - no cameras allowed during the tourney!



On Friday - which I like to refer to as rainy day impossible - we drove around the island to look at the different plantations, including the one where my parents lived when they first got married!


Afterwards, we met up with my sister, bro-in-law, and their awesome kiddos for lunch! My sister gave me a monogrammed pullover for my birthday; such a perfectly timed gift for the crazy weather... plus I got to match my adorable nieces and nephews!



Oh yeah. We're related. No doubt!


After lunch, Momma and I braved the rain to go to the outlet mall. You guys. There was a Kate Spade outlet.

Can you say heaven?!







Momma picked up two adorable dresses, and she got me this wallet. I'm in love! IN LOVE!


On Saturday - my birthday! - Momma and I snapped a quick selfie before hitting the road back to Charlotte. As much as I love our "real" pic... there were some epic sillies that went into the making of it!



I had such an amazing time with my parents last weekend, and I'm so pumped that Momma will be flying out to OKC this weekend for the half-marathon! 

xoxo, E