believe it

No pictures today. Just a deep thought...

Our advanced half marathon training group started 2 weeks ago. Last night we had a 4-mile tempo run. I was doing awesome in the middle of the pack until I got caught at a stoplight where the back group caught up to me. I had pushed so hard to gain my lead that I couldn't get my legs to fire as quickly once we crossed the street. The back girls started to pass me and I got really discouraged, so discouraged I almost quit to walk.

However Kerry was bringing up the back of the pack and wouldn't let me slow down. He believed that I could catch up to the front pack when I thought - when I knew - I couldn't. I ended up finishing last (by about 2 yards) out of 15 other runners at 9:30 pace. I consider it a victory because I kept running, kept pushing and didn't stop.

I learned last night that you just have to believe in yourself - even if you don't have your own personal Kerry. If you think you can hard enough, no matter how much it hurts, you will eventually believe you can, because you will.

xoxo

My Valentine

Since Rob's birthday is on Valentines - one of the worst nights to go out to eat - we have started a tradition of staying in and cooking a fancy meal for the big day. This year we had my parents over to celebrate and we made stuffed mushrooms, roasted zucchini, gruyere cheese potatoes, steaks and little peanut butter chocolate parfaits. It was so yummy and fun to cook! Here's a picture of our birthday/valentine table. Hope you had a great Valentines as well!



xoxo

1K

I have been meaning to post this for a little while now. Running during our honeymoon put me over the 1,000 mile marker for running with my Nike iPod gadget! Essentially I have run from Raleigh to Texas. Or to New York and back. Paula Radcliffe came on to wish me happy running when I uploaded my 1,000th mile!



Monday starts another training program that will have me running another 300 miles or so over the next 12 weeks. I wonder who comes on to wish me happy trails when I hit 10K??

xoox

Triangle Restaurant Week

This week is Triangle Restaurant Week! Rob and I went to Solas for supper on Tuesday to celebrate my new haircut. But who really needs an excuse to eat at SOLAS, c'mon.

We sat in this little thing with netting all around us, I felt like I was on Wills and Kate's honeymoon. (Of course their honeymoon was exactly like our Tuesday night dinner. Exactly. The. Same.)

Here's a pic from their website, you can see the honeymoon netting in the background, so romantic. Actually you can see Wills and Kate if you close one eye and hold the photo rotated just so.



In other news...
I'm finally healed from foot surgery (if you have not yet eaten this week I have pics to share with you... I realized Rob will do anything as long as it involves his new camera and head lamp.) At least I'm finally back at the gym, right in time for my running group to start, Nashville here we come!! This is my first Rock n Roll run so I'm excited to see for myself what all the hubbub is about. That's all for now, I can't wait for the Super Bowl and Rob's birthday!!

Bye now!

oh DMV..

..you so silly.

I spent several years paying off my car and all I got was this flimsy sheet of paper. Also known as the most expensive sheet of paper I've ever owned in my whole entire life.

Let me be clear - I'm fine to keep my car title in my maiden name. Really cool with that, I mean, who is it really bothering?



And now you're asking me to toss my very expensive sheet of paper in the mail to some rando PO Box with the promise you'll mail me back a new expensive sheet of paper in just 7-8 weeks?

How about this. How about I send you a copy of my title and a copy of my marriage certificate. Once you send me my car title with my new name I promise I'll send in the old title for you to destroy. Of course I promise not to forget the $15 you also requested for processing.

It really is so nice doing business with you. Our honest, trusting relationship is such a breath of fresh air.

Food Update

One of my top 5 favorite things about being married to and living with Rob is getting to cook dinner together every night after work. Before church I've been making a little weekly dinner schedule for us, then after we go and get any missing ingredients. It's super easy and fun. (And cost effective!)

This Tuesday we had a salad that called for feta cheese. But only needed a tiny bit of feta. I was looking for a recipe to use up the rest of the cheese and came across this* - an veggie eggplant pizza. We have some friends that say they eat vegetarian a few nights per week (and it hasn't killed them yet and they are skinny-minnny's) so I gave it a try.



It turned out to be super delicious! It was really different than anything we'd cooked before. And Rob asked after if it was really vegetarian - so we didn't even miss the meat. However, I do think it could be even better with a little bacon or ham... ;-)

Now I have to find some recipes to use up the little can of tahini spread!

xoxo

*We left out the onions and used a pre-made pizza crust from the store.

Change of address!!

I know I have a lot of wedding things to update about, but first things first.

This blog has a new address! Rob bought www.katiecocker.com which now hosts this blog! So, every day when you want to read about our awesome life (you do read every day, yes?) you don't have to go to kdizzle.somethingconfusing.numbers.blogspot.whatever. Just type www.katiecocker.com. I have made progress on the actual changing of my name: social security office yesterday (that was quite a gem as experiences go...) and DMV scheduled today. Can't I just ask Santa to do all that name changing for me??

I will also plysically have a new address after this weekend! We moved a lot of my clothes Monday when we came back and are moving the rest of my stuff this coming Sunday. We are loving married life so far, cooking dinner together every night is so special. Last night we rummaged through the massive pile of yet-to-be-put away wedding gifts to make ourselves a candlelight dinner for two!



I'll be back soon with honeymoon and wedding goodies.

xo