Sep 5th 2010 12:22:49 pm

This post is based on the blogging prompt “What is the biggest challenge you’ve faced in the past year?” from IndieBizChicks’ September Blogging Special.

Isn’t this view of the Brooklyn Bridge awesome? I think this photo is a good representation of the challenges I have faced over the last year as I have been trying to get comfortable living in New York City. I took this photo at about mile 12 of my long Team in Training run yesterday. I had already run over the Brooklyn Bridge, across Manhattan, up the West Side Highway, and back down to the Manhattan Bridge. I was exhausted and a little loopy by the time I made it onto the Manhattan Bridge, but I was still blown away by the view. The run was an extreme challenge, but so totally worth it to experience so many beautiful parts of the city on foot.

Living in NY is similar: difficult, but totally worth it. I am (finally) REALLY enjoying the city this summer. When we first moved here I was a little overwhelmed. I can’t quite remember all of my complaints – they have seemed to dissipate over time – but I know that the fast pace, noise, and difficulty getting around were a few of them. New York is just a lot different than the other places I have lived. I was always open to tackling the challenge of living in a big city, but I was not always sure I would succeed and find happiness. Running has been a big part of helping me appreciate NYC.

I joined Team in Training for a lot of reasons: to get in better shape, to help raise money for a great organization (there is still plenty of timt to help!), to celebrate the tenth anniversary of my last marathon, to celebrate my 30th birthday, to be a part of a New York City tradition, and to meet new people. I know that I have already raved about the TNT experience a lot, but it has far exceeded my expectations. Through my runs I have explored parts of the city that I may have never visited and I’ve had a lot of fun with a great group of people. To illustrate, here is a video of us running over the Brooklyn Bridge from about mile three yesterday:

I was probably having a little too much fun… like usual.

Anyhoo, New York is pretty great. Last night I was completely pooped, but Travis and I traveled out to Coney Island for a Brooklyn Cyclones baseball game anyway. We had a good time sampling too much junk food (like Nathan’s hot dogs – yum!) and checking out the wild scene on the Coney Island boardwalk. One more NYC experience checked off the list!

5 Comments » Categories: Brooklyn, Exercise, Feeling Happy, Food, New York, Team In Training

Aug 15th 2010 05:26:18 pm

I must admit, I am proud of myself today. I completed the Bronx Half Marathon, and it wasn’t even that bad!

I have run the 13.1 mile distance in the (long ago) past — you can see my results from the 2000 Drake Relays Half here under Rachel Lamble — but today’s race was my longest run this season. My recent, week-long trip to Disney World set me back just a bit in my training, which meant that 10 miles was my previous long distance max. I was worried that I may not be totally prepared to tackle a half-marathon race at this point in my training.

Races are a little bit different than regular long run practices because there is more adrenaline in the air and runners are much more likely to push themselves to go faster, even if that isn’t the best idea. I had already decided not to try for any specific time, but it was hard not to get caught up in all the discussion of paces and time. Luckily, the weather was cool this morning and I ran with two fabulous friends, Lauren and Jessica, who kept me going at a consistent speed. I felt fine for nearly the entire race, with just some stiffness and soreness during the last three miles. Lauren and I crossed the finish line together with a time of 2:30. We sprinted the last mile, or so, which was difficult, but I am glad that I gave my best effort.

I could not have done the Bronx Half Marathon without my Team in Training. It may sound cheesy, but they are the ones who convinced me to sign up and convinced me that I wouldn’t come in last. Lauren’s dad and Brian provided us with transportation all the way to and from the Bronx. Lauren even hosted a Saturday night pre-race dinner at her house and everyone brought carbolicious foods. (The photo above is from dinner, from left to right are Hannah, me!, Jessica, Lauren, Brian, and Travis snapped the pic.) I truly cannot motivate myself to train for long distances on my own, but with my team it all seems doable. Amazing.

After the race today I felt quite stiff. I tried to stretch, but I think I am going to be sore for a few days… I actually think that is a semi-good thing. It means that I pushed myself past my comfort zone a bit. I want to improve my pace time slightly before the marathon (my goal is to run it in under 5 hours), but I think I am on the right track!

p.s. If you want to read more about our Team in Training adventures, read Jessica’s excellent blog: Jessica Runs Like a Girl. She has a masters in creative writing and her descriptions are much superior to mine.

8 Comments » Categories: Exercise, Feeling Happy, Friends, New York, Team In Training

Aug 1st 2010 08:31:11 pm

Travis and I got back late yesterday from a wonderful week in Florida. You can guess by the photo where we spent our time…

Due to a paranoid concern for safety, I usually try not to advertise on the internet where I am going until after I have left there. That was the case for our trip to Disney World this summer, but I also felt a little embarrassed telling people where I was vacationing. Disney World may not be the most “adult” destination for four childless twenty-somethings (we went with my brother & sister-in-law — Hi Chels & Scott!), but it was an easy, affordable, sunny, and happy place to spend a week. We planned this trip last year after spending an incredible 17-hour day together at DisneyLand in California.

Say what you will about Disney (too commercial, too saccharine, too dependent on gender stereotypes, historically incorrect, etc…), Disney World really, truly is a very fun and wonderful place. I am not sure how anyone could dislike a place that’s main purpose is making children happy. It reminds me of New York City in that we saw people of every color and heard dozens of different languages, but unlike NY, at Disney the streets are impeccably clean and everyone is happy and polite and not in a hurry. …well, unless they are rushing to get in line for Space Mountain!

We had a great time. I love roller coasters and funny shows and tasty treats! I got mocked for constantly exclaiming how pleasantly surprised I was by the quality of the food. (I mean, I was not sure I could survive a week on “carnival food,” but I shouldn’t have worried.) My favorite ride was the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios that takes you up in an elevator and then drops you a bunch of stories over and over. So fun! I think we rode it seven times! Each day was packed with lots of activity – the time flew by!

The most surprising outcome of the trip: I cannot wait to take my children to Disney World (or Land) someday. And you know what that means… I am finally getting down to the business of thinking about having children. That is a big step!

You can see way more photos than you probably want from the trip over on my Disney World Flickr pool.

3 Comments » Categories: Family, Feeling Happy, Trips

Jul 13th 2010 02:35:16 pm

I stole the idea for this fun exercise in positivity from a really lovely blog, Calico & Co, and thought it was appropriate since this is my 30th year of life on Earth…

Enjoy my list of 30 things I ♥:

I ♥ candy.
I ♥ coffee.
I ♥ sunshine.
I ♥ snail mail.
I ♥ my iPhone.
I ♥ Photoshop.
I ♥ sleeping in.
I ♥ the internet.
I ♥ my husband.
I ♥ pretty paper.
I ♥ video games.
I ♥ funny people.
I ♥ art museums.
I ♥ baby animals.
I ♥ Team in Training.
I ♥ tasty sandwiches.
I ♥ pre-war buildings.
I ♥ exploring NYC on foot.
I ♥ my little chihuahua dog.
I ♥ exercising and seeing results.
I ♥ parties and party decorations.
I ♥ ultra fine point Sharpie markers.
I ♥ real, delicious, healthy, whole foods.
I ♥ cupcakes! (Really, any cute dessert.)
I ♥ finishing a task and/or reaching a goal.
I ♥ my family (extended & in-laws included).
I ♥ fantasizing about my future dream house.
I ♥ sparkling water (acqua frizzante in Italian).
I ♥ uncompromisingly friendly and optimistic attitudes.
I ♥ chatting & laughing with friends (usually at inappropriate times).

…and just one more for good measure…

I ♥ the magical universe – hey, we exist!

4 Comments » Categories: Cute Things, Feeling Happy, Just for Fun, Lovely Things

Jun 19th 2010 11:07:17 am

Whew. I just completed my first 5 mile run of the season at this morning’s Team In Traning group run in Prospect Park. (This is a photo of me after the run doing some stretching. I look like a dweeb, but I don’t mind.) It was actually much more doable than I was expecting. Before starting this training, I hadn’t run over three miles in a few years. I know I have a lot further to go to work up to the marathon in November, but I am glad that I have been able to tackle this beginning mileage so “easily.”

Today while I was running, I was thinking about turning thirty. I’ll be thirty in February and I just keep thinking how wonderful my first 30 years have been and how lucky I have been. I feel so blessed to have always had such good health and I don’t want to take it for granted. Training for the marathon with TNT helps me with that in two ways: 1- by keeping me active and fit, and 2- by helping to raise money for medical research and care. (…Of course, that leads to the part where I ask for your support… If you would like to help me fight Leukemia and Lymphoma, please check out my TNT fundraising page!)

It feels good to be taking care of my body. I have always been active, but I am so happy that I decided to challenge myself with the goal of another marathon.

6 Comments » Categories: Exercise, Feeling Happy, Health, Team In Training

May 21st 2010 12:37:29 pm

I am a terrible athlete. Absolutely terrible. I can’t throw or catch a ball, bench press 100 lbs, do a yoga handstand, or even run very fast… but that didn’t prevent me from joining the cross country team in high school. Ever since then, running has been the most effective form of exercise for me.

My enthusiasm for running has varied over the years, but it has always been a part of my life. In every place I have lived, running has helped make it home. It has been my way of exploring my neighborhood and making it my own. In Kansas, I ran the safe streets and bike trails around my parents’ suburban home. In Iowa, I ran the gravel roads around the farm land and waved to the Amish. In Oregon, I ran the forested hiking trails of Hendricks Park and Skinners Butte. And, In Brooklyn, I’ve finally felt at home while running the crowded city sidewalks and Prospect Park trails.

Ten years ago, when I was just a freshman in college, I signed up for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Team In Training with my friend, Jody. We both enjoyed running and I guess we thought it would be “cool” to run a marathon. We were attending school in Lamoni, Iowa, and in addition to our individual training, we had to wake up at a terribly early hour each Saturday to make the over-an-hour drive to Des Moines to do our weekly training with the TNT group. It was intense and I truly can’t believe we did it. In June, we both crossed the finish line of the San Diego Rock N Roll Marathon – a full 26.2 miles run by two 19-year-olds far from home. It was more challenging and more fun than I can describe! The 21,000-person crowd running the marathon went on for miles on the roads of San Diego and the number of spectators was even larger. It was such a wild party atmosphere for the entire five hours it took me to finish. (Jody finished much faster and actually placed in our age group!) The experience of that marathon is one of the most vivid memories of my life.

So… why did it take me ten years to do another? Well, it is mostly because of the training. Marathon training is demanding. I have attempted to do it on my own in the past and failed miserably. I know that I need a group to help motivate me to complete the hours and hours of running that is required to prepare for a full marathon, and… I am extremely excited to announce that I have joined The Leukemia and Lymphoma Soceity’s Team In Training (TNT) program for the second time and I will be training for the New York City Marathon on November 7th, 2010! Getting into the NYC Marathon is not easy – people from all over the world apply to run in it – and I feel that running it with TNT is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. I am excited, can you tell?!

Part of being a member of TNT means raising money for The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. There are many different charity endurance training programs to choose from now – many more than when I first discovered Team In Training in 2000 – but I chose TNT again because of The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s commitment to research, education, and patient services. Seventy-four percent of every dollar raised goes directly toward these activities. I have set a daunting, yet exciting, $5,000 fundraising goal for myself and I plan to meet it. Click here to visit my TNT fundraising website. I would be more than thrilled if you would consider making a donation. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a wonderful charity that not only provides funds for cancer care and research, but has also made a huge impact on thousands of lives through TNT. I am proud to be a part of it.

I plan to improve my TNT fundraising page over the next few weeks, and also write weekly blog posts about my training experience. Please check back to follow along on my adventure!

9 Comments » Categories: Exercise, Feeling Happy, Health, New York, Team In Training

May 19th 2010 02:50:03 pm

Recently, I have been reading/viewing the blog Kind Over Matter daily. It is sort of a combo of feel-good indie crafts and positive inspiration. They share hopeful illustrations and quotes multiple times a day. I really like that it is sweet and uplifting without being super-cheesy or specifically religious.

I have been wanting to post my own version of an uplifting illustration in Kind Over Matter style. While I was thinking about what I wanted it to say, the song “Secret Crowds” by Angels and Airwaves kept going through my head. It is a song I listen to often when I run and it always gets me pumped up. AVA (the band name abbreviation) is a side band created by Blink-182 guitarist, Tom DeLonge, and here is a perfectly descriptive quote from my sister-in-law, Chelsea, one of their biggest fans: “AVA is AWESOME!! They’re an amazing punk bank spreading a postive message!” Right on. (Plus, they just came out with a new album, LOVE, that you can download from their website FOR FREE! sweet.)

That is probably too much description for something that was meant to be a quick snippet of inspiration, but just listen to the song. I love how the lyrics use such urgent and aggressive words (violence and fire) to express the imperative of spreading hope and love.

spread hope like fire; spread love like violence

2 Comments » Categories: Feeling Happy, Just for Fun, Thinking, music

Apr 28th 2010 04:33:37 pm

Life has been changing and moving quickly lately. On Saturday, we spent all day at the Handmade Cavalcade craft fair, then on Sunday we took an all-day trip to New Haven, Connecticut, to sell our car. Boohoo. I feel sad about it. We bought our 2004 Subaru Imprezza WRX about two weeks before our wedding in 2003. (The photo above is us driving off in the car after our wedding ceremony.) It felt like our kid, or maybe our home. We drove it across the country twice, and it had been our only car for five years. But for the last year here, in New York, the poor thing just sat parked on the street. We hardly used it (maybe driving 200 miles in the last six months) and Travis had to move it to a new parking spot twice a week. Yuck. Plus, the insurance was expensive. So, it is on to a new life via CarMax and we are car-less. It is a relief to not have to worry about it any longer, and after one last trip to the DMV we will be able to cancel our insurance. I do love extra money!

Early Monday morning we headed to the hospital (by hired car and driver) for Travis’ ACL reconstruction knee surgery. The Hospital for Special Surgery was fabulous and everyone there was very professional. You can read Travis’ thoughts on the experience on his blog. The surgeon said that the surgery went perfectly, and it seems like it did because Travis is recovering quickly. My only complaint is that it now falls solely on me to take Crusher down and up the three flights of stairs to our apartment every time he needs to go outside….

Life is good and all of the recent excitement has gone as smoothly as we could expect, but I am definitely ready for some downtime! If you need me, I’ll probably be taking a nap.

4 Comments » Categories: Family, Feeling Happy, Feeling Sad, Health, Home, Travis

Mar 31st 2010 09:18:32 pm

I’ve been reading this great, new-to-me blog called Scoutie Girl and today it is hosting a “We Scout Wednesday: Weddings” theme. The blog author, Tara, wrote about her totally laid back and completely sweet wedding in 2007. Her post was super-cute and honest, and it inspired me to play along….

Travis and I were married almost seven years ago… it doesn’t seem very long, but man, what a difference those seven years have made in technology. All of our official photos were analog, taken on 3 1/4″ negatives that are now stored somewhere at my sweet and understanding mother-in-law’s house. The few photos that I do have in digital form were taken by my cousin, Matt, who is an excellent photographer – so I guess, I really came out with the best of both worlds.

Thinking back on the wedding, I am just overwhelmed by how much work my friends and family did for me (and Travis) for the event. At the time, I was really caught up in the planning and I was trying to do “it all” myself. I was obsessed with Martha Stewart Weddings and I wanted to include a lot of handmade elements. I did all my own invitations, programs, confetti, CD favors, the guestbook, and I hand-beaded all of the guy’s corsages. I felt like I did a lot, but it was nothing compared to all the logistics (and bill$) my parents dealt with, the fun rehearsal dinner my in-laws hosted (thank you Johnsons!), the great job Travis’ uncle did officiating, all the help we had in set-up and in clean-up (thank you, Manns!), all the miles everyone traveled, all the good spirits (thank you, brothers!), and kind words (thank you, everyone!), and patience with the millions of photos and the super-delayed cake cutting… I mean, my sweet sister-in-law sat with me while I cried at the hair dresser before the ceremony, and my extended family all came out to a post-wedding picnic in 100+ degree weather. That is the kind of stuff that I did not notice on the big day because I was too focused on my handsome new husband and our glorious new life, but it is the stuff I think about now and hope that I can pay forward someday.

Thank you, family.

6 Comments » Categories: Family, Feeling Happy, Just for Fun, weddings

Mar 26th 2010 06:09:35 pm

Whew! I have been adding things to my calendar left and right and I am so excited about all of the upcoming events. I wanted to share some of the major things that I will be attending in the next couple of months, just in case you will be there. I would love to meet up!

Next week, I am going to Stitch Fest – an event hosted by Martha Stewart (well, her company) in honor of the release of her new book, Encyclopedia Of Sewing and Fabric Crafts. I am really pumped about the event because we are meeting at the MSLO building and each attendee gets a copy of the book included in the price of the ticket! We also get to mingle with Martha Stewart staff crafters, which sounds thrilling! ha! I am disproportionally star struck when it comes to anything Martha Stewart… I am lame.

Also coming up in a little over a week is Cocktails & Creatives: A New York screening of Handmade Nation hosted by The Maximalists. I am really looking forward to finally viewing Handmade Nation. It is a documentary all about the contemporary handmade movement and it has been making the rounds for over a year. I do not know how I have missed it for so long!

This is exciting: I am really happy to announce that Swap-bot is an official sponsor of the Spring Handmade Cavalcade craft fair happening at the end of April, here, in Brooklyn. That means we will have a table at the event where we will be handing out lots of Swap-bot swag and spreading the good word about the ‘bot! The Handmade Cavalcade events are hosted by The New New Etsy Team and they always showcase an amazing variety of local crafters. I can’t wait! Hope to see you there!

I will be attending BlogHer 2010 in August. I am actually not entirely sure how I feel about this conference – I am not all that into things that are explicitly and specifically for women – but I have always been intrigued. Since the conference is taking place in NYC this year, I thought it was the right time to try it out. I am sure I will learn a lot of helpful stuff and find out about more fun blogs than I could ever hope to keep up with! I am looking forward to the networking!

Last, but certainly not least, I will be attending CraftyCon in October and I think you should, too! CraftyCon is a conference for people who are working to make a career within some area of the craft world. It will be held in Chicago and I can’t wait to meet all of the crafty peeps who will be attending! (I am pretty enamored with this event because I have been helping the CraftyCon organizers with all of their web graphics – look at that sweet website! ooh la la!)

2 Comments » Categories: Crafts, Feeling Happy, New York, Swap-bot, Work