katiecocker.com

My Valentine

2012-02-15T07:25:00.000-08:00

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

2012-02-03T06:48:00.000-08:00

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

2012-01-26T11:26:00.000-08:00

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..

2012-01-17T07:11:00.000-08:00

..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

2012-01-12T06:33:00.001-08:00

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!!

2011-12-02T05:42:00.000-08:00

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

to do

2011-11-11T08:37:00.000-08:00

I finally feel like I'm making progress on my master 'to do' list to prepare for being out of the office for 2 weeks. I relate it to cleaning up your house for the dog-sitter: Things will be nice and tidy while you're away, but all you get when you return is a pile of mail on your counter top and an empty fridge.

However, these beautiful roses are definitely making my checklist more enjoyable. We had our shower at work yesterday and our CFO donated a zillion roses from her garden for the party.

There's even more in my house!

Now back to work. I have a lot to do in 2 days!

xoxo

Parking rules

2011-11-07T11:05:00.001-08:00

You can't see it because the Toyota Highlander is in the way, but the sign actually reads "ONLY GIANT COMPACT CARS."

Good thing. For a minute there I thought the Toyota driver was just being stupid.

there's a reason you can find us at the bar

2011-10-24T12:39:00.000-07:00

Rob and I signed up for dancing lessons. I'm sorry that should read: Katie signed Rob and herself up for dancing lessons. Our first session is tomorrow night. When I set up the appointment I did not comment on Rob's dancing abilities. I was going to let that be a special surprise.

They say they can turn Rob into a groove-machine in less than a month! I am going to wear boots.

awkward.

2011-10-21T12:38:00.000-07:00

So here's the awkward thing about my blog right now. Most of the stuff I want to talk with you about, I can't. :-( Pretty much my life looks like this right now:

1. Running. I'm a mentor in the half-marathon training group - the same one I was a participant in last year. Thing is, you mentor a pace group below your normal long-run pace. SO, I am mentoring the 11-12:00 minute group and getting cranky/bored about it. Don't get me wrong, I love, love, love my mentees and all my running friends. And I am really inspired by helping my mentees reach their goals and realize their dreams. But it's hard watching them train without me even getting to participate in a race. Wah, wah, poor me. Can someone with real problems come and put me in my place??

2. Moving. Rob and I are not moving in together until after we are married. That's right. Rob's house and my apt are the same size so 1+1 does not = 2. All our stuff has to fit into one house (+ a storage unit.) So we have both been busy cleaning out our old junk and making 4 zillion trips to Good Will. Ugh it is exhausting. Like way more exhausting than running 12 miles and then having to yell/encourage your participant for all of mile 12 (all 16 gd minutes of it - if you are a runner with any ability you understand that jab) that YES! they can do this - their legs can do this, and they are not going to pass out and YES - they really freaking can do this and they are like so super close, the stopping cone is so close (well, sort of close) and they can make it (damnit I will carry you there to have this end) and really - like you have no idea how close you are and think of how you will feel when you cross that finish mark and you haven't stopped to walk (after you stop feeling like you'll throw up) and omg you are going to run this entire last half mile - look at how far you have come - yes you got this - dig in, don't stop, slow down if you have to (KT says oh dear god please don't) but we are almost there, just keep going, keep pushing, just keep your legs moving, just shut off everything in your head right now and move your body, just keep going.........Actually, never mind. Mentoring is way more exhausting than cleaning out some closets. After reading that you totally want to come running with me, yes? ;-)

Which brings me to 3. Getting married! Tomorrow is 4 weeks away from the big day. I am so super excited and can't wait until Rob and I are married. But dang if there aren't a squillion things you have to do before you can get hitched! Invitations, dresses, showers, bachelorette weekends, gift ordering, meetings with the pastor, meetings with the cake lady, meetings with the caterer, meetings with the florist, bridal portraits, writing newspaper announcements, oh, my, gosh, I'm, not, even, kidding. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

So, my cup overfloweth. As does my schedule. And lots of the fun bits I can't talk to you about because we have to save some excitement and surprise for the big day!

**Thanks for reading my running/mentoring rant. I do love mentoring my group. I do love pushing my participants those last 2 or so miles of every long run. And I love seeing them accomplish their goals and know that I played just a tiny part. I am just ready to focus on my own running goals again. Wah, wah, could my problems be any more waspy.

Until then, I leave you with one of my favorite photos from the bachelorette weekend. I'm certain Briana is talking about something super not-ridiculous.

xo

Princess Town

2011-10-10T13:18:00.001-07:00

That is what I am calling where we went for my bachelorette weekend. (The real name of the town is Hendersonville.) I don't know how but April and the girls managed to keep it a secret from me until we got there. We went to the NC mountains and had a fabulous tour of four different Asheville wineries. They even gave me my own wine glass/pimp cup with a wedding dress on it for all the different tastings! We had a sweet lunch set up for us in the middle of one of the vineyards. After our wine tour we had dinner in a bank vault and then showed Asheville how to get down. It was incredible and I wanted to never leave. I swear I have the best friends in the entire universe. I love Princess Town, but most of all I love my friends for making it such a magical place and weekend!!

Your Private Lady Parts

2011-09-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

Does the title of this blog post gross you out?

Me too.

So all my pregnant lady friends, WHY DO YOU POST PICTURES OF YOUR UTERUS ALL OVER THE INTERNET? I do not wish to see the inside of your body. Your fetus is not cute.

Really, if I get on FB and have to look at one more woman's inner parts I'm going to cry.

That is all.

need a ride?

2011-09-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

Apparently on the way home from my multiple-cocktails-birthday-dinner-haze I was paying just enough attention to capture this delight on film:

I'm fairly certain IGOTCHA! is precisely what rapists yell right before they stuff you in the back of their creepy van and take you to the closest empty storage unit for what they'd call a good time.

Looks like someone could use a little rebranding action..

Happy Tailgating!

2011-09-12T08:22:00.000-07:00

Isn't it funny as you grow older how much more stuff you have to bring to a tailgate? Until I turned 25 I didn't realize you needed anything more than a cooler of beer and a festive koozie.

Russia and ARB invited us to the Virginia Tech game this weekend. They had an awesome tailgate spot and great seats inside. It was the best time.

Rob and I made some buffalo chicken balls and blue cheese dip to take down. Here's the recipe if you want to make some on your own!

Go Pirates!

I won the lottery!!

2011-09-08T10:01:00.000-07:00

OMG!! I can't decide what I am going to with all this CAAAAAAA$$$$$$$$$$$$$$HHHHH!

Maybe I'll buy a candy bar? Or go nuts and get a movie ticket! Maybe I'll buy 1 gallon of gas! I know I know - I'm going to the flea market and going to buy someone's used knickknacks!

I promise I'll never forget the people who helped me get to this point. Rob S for buying the ticket, Rob C for giving him the money to buy the ticket and Jesus. Definitely Jesus.

xo

I brake 4 geese

2011-09-07T06:28:00.001-07:00

Seen on my way to work this morning: an entire flock of geese stopping rush hour traffic.

xo

Wedding showers!!

2011-09-01T11:01:00.000-07:00

Hi there, have you missed me?

So sorry I have been away but I've been celebrating being a bride-to-be!! First, Rob and I went to New Jersey to visit with everyone in his family. Sunday came and we were scheduled to have lunch with his family after church. We went to pick up the group from his sisters house (read: fabulous new house) and SURPRISE!! They had thrown me a surprise shower! They really got me on this one and we ended up having the best time. Julie even got my mom to fly up for the day for it! There is a video Lori took of me walking in and I get teary eyed every time I watch it, I'm just so touched that his sister and mom put so much effort into doing that for me.

Then two weeks later April and Liz threw me a tea party shower in North Carolina! April bumped the date because of the hurricane and I was really worried no one would be able to come, but everyone showed up!! It was such a great time, I am really blessed. April posted a bunch of pictures of the party on her blog here. There was tons of really yummy cupcakes and scones and fresh teas. April and Liz put a ton of effort into the planning and details, I am really grateful and fortunate. We all laughed and had a grand time. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the party: (check out the pretty pink gerbers in the background!!!)

I'm overwhelmed how generous everyone has been to Rob and I as we are preparing to start our lives together. I know I'm being sappy, but I just feel really special and loved. It's a great thing.

Change that actually works

2011-08-10T12:48:00.000-07:00

Could also be titled "How to cure a hangover by making $120." But Obama celebrated his birthday last week and I forgot to get him a present. Better late than never.

We went to the Beer Bourbon and BBQ festival this past weekend with friends. We had a terrible time, as you can clearly see from this photo.

Isn't it a shame that the morning after the funnest evenings can't be just as fun? A shame indeed. But this weekend I discovered one of the best ways to cure a hangover:

It was pretty soothing for my aching everything.

And yes, April, that is my Greek Week t-shirt from 2005. Don't judge.

Trendsetter

2011-08-03T07:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guess what. Kate and I have the same sweater. I've had mine since 2005 so it looks like someone is taking some fashion tips from MOI.

Maybe she is a Pirates fan?

I need more smart people in my life

2011-07-25T08:09:00.001-07:00

Would someone invent me a wedding diet that includes these?

Please and thank you.

Big Boss Run Club

2011-07-19T14:00:00.000-07:00

We've been running with the Big Boss Run Club for the past several weeks. I've been running their 3-mile route because of the heat. (Even at 7:00 p.m. in the shade it feels like 400 degrees.)

The best part is after the run when everyone goes upstairs in the brewery and gets a beer! My favorite beer is the Blanco Diablo. People (who know more about beer than me) have reviewed it here.

Here's a pic of the bar from their website - I love that they write what's on tap on a chalkboard up above the bar. It's also cool that they make all the beer right where we are drinking it.

Fleet Feet's half marathon training program also starts back in 5 weeks. I'm really excited because I'll be a mentor this year. And right after that (they actually overlap by a few weeks) I'll start a marathon training program and run the Tobacco Trail marathon in March, 2012. Goodness - I don't know what I'm more excited about - the end of NC heat for the year or getting back into running! Either way, hurry up September!!

I thought it was impossible!

2011-07-18T06:53:00.000-07:00

First they put eyes and smiles on the little guys and now Goldfish tastes even better?! What will they think of next..

How to clean your tile grout

2011-07-06T07:51:00.000-07:00

I have to preface this post with a confession: I'm what you'd call a neat freak. Cleaning calms me down and it's something I like to do in my downtime. Sometimes I am frustrated because I'll find everything in my house spotless and organized - leaving me nothing more to clean. (Don't worry I have a list of back up tasks I keep for times like those.)

One thing I have come to love about my apartment is the tile floor in the bathroom. If you're a neat freak like me, you know that grout in a tile floor needs to be scrubbed every 6-10 months and replaced every 3-4 years, depending on how often and wet it gets. Well when I moved in, the grout in my bathroom hadn't been scrubbed or replaced since the building was originally built in 1964. See the vintage dirt here:

I read a bunch of stuff online about powdered bleach products, vinegar and lemon juice, you name it. But a lot of these products were expensive, time consuming and in some cases dangerous. I decided to go old school and use Soft Scrub with Bleach. I put SS all over one section and waited about 2 minutes before starting to scrub. About 5 minutes into scrubbing, I put the product on Section 2. Wash off section 1, repeat with Sections 2 and 3. Then I rinsed, mopped and dried the entire floor and waited about 30 minutes. I came back with some Windex and washed the floor like a window. (Depending on the size of your bathroom this may or may not be feasible. My bathroom is big enough for 1.5 people - 2 if one of them is in the shower.)

Voila! It's so beautiful and white now. It took me about 2 hours from scrubbing to finishing up with the Windex.

Happy cleaning!

King

2011-06-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

Franklin got some new pet beds. One for sleeping upstairs, one for sleeping downstairs and, duh, one for watching TV.

What? You thought the King was going to lug one bed all around the house? And there's no way he's going to lay directly on the floor. Psh.

Quick update

2011-06-16T14:09:00.001-07:00

Here's what I'm up to these days.

Tracking 3 baby bunnies in my parent's front yard. Franklin doesn't know what they are but he knows he wants one gobbled up in his mouth.

Hanging out at the pool and laughing at this guy. Let me just say, the incredibleness of this does not shine through with the photo. So gross - and he's ALWAYS there!!

Still struggling to find an appropriately-sized spoon that will fit in my yogurt. Today the only thing left in the office kitchen was a teaspoon. You don't need a spoon to eat a donut, do you?

AND! Rob ran his first 5K last weekend! I'm so proud of him!! He ran 9:09 pace - WOOOW! He'll never admit it, but I think he had a good time.

Cheers!

Wide load

2011-06-10T09:23:00.001-07:00

The only clean spoon in the office kitchen today is 8 feet wide.

This is an appropriate excuse when my trainer asks why there's a Wendy's lunch on my nutrition chart for today, right?

TGIF.

That's more like it!

2011-06-08T06:33:00.001-07:00

A few weeks back I posted about a terribly literal advertisement posted in my local Whole Foods.

See? Yummy meat doesn't come from a sweet mooing cow! It happens to come from a round rock looking thing - this poster tells me so. Who's ready for dinner?

If at first you don't succeed (suck-seed)

2011-05-18T06:08:00.000-07:00

..maybe it's a seedless orange.

This past weekend Rob and I headed to Bladen County with Dave Mac for the White Lake sprint triathlon! This was my second tri and Dave's first. I was 2:30 faster than my time last year, finishing in 1:45:30. I made up a ton of time from last year in the bike and run. And this year I was relaxed enough to really enjoy the race. Dave smoked me and finished in 1:38. The pic above is me coming in the last turn for the big sprint finish!

I have got to figure out the swim part. I can lap you in the pool all day long, and slalom ski around Kerr Lake with the best of them, but ask me to swim .5 miles in a lake and it's like you've asked me to perform brain surgery. Maybe next year. For the swim that is. Not brain surgery.

Have a great rest of your week!

Most engaging horse race ever

2011-05-16T10:57:00.000-07:00

I think I've been waiting to post about the Derby/Engagement Party because I've been secretly hoping it isn't over. It was a really perfect and joyous weekend. We went out with Lori and Rob Smith on Thursday for Cinco de Mayo where they had a live band and some strong margaritas. Then our families went out for pizza on Friday night - this was the first time my parents met Uncle Jim, Julie and Rob's friends. On Mother's Day, we took everyone to the church we're joining and will be married in November.

Because of Rob Smith, we have some really great photos of the party. Rob already posted some in an album to Facebook, but here's some more of my favorites.

Thank you so much again to everyone who came and made this such a memorable weekend. And a big, big thank you to my parents for all the work they did to make the night special in every way!

BugGate Scandal 2011

2011-05-12T08:19:00.000-07:00

After church last night, there was a major scandal at the Davidson APT. Someone (left unnamed to protect their identity) thought it would be a good idea to grace her apartment with a beautiful flower picked from her building's parking lot. She put the pretty flower in a sweet vase on her nightstand table and went to watch a half hour of the DVR before bed.

When she came back in her bedroom, she found about 40 little friends crawling all around waiting to join her in the bed.

Being a good hostess, she thought they might like to live in her trashcan, but apparently not because they kept crawling out. She thought maybe her new friends might be hot and would like to go for a swim. Too bad she didn't know they hadn't had any swimming lessons and they all drowned.

Fast forward to 11:30 p.m. That poor girl has been running from her bedroom to the 'swimming pool' for almost an hour now with fresh 'friends'. On top of all that, she had to drown her pretty new flower.

The picture above is only about half of the ones I killed last night. Today's lesson: don't bring wildflowers indoors unless you want your bedtime extended by 90 minutes and you want to feel itchy all night long.

hugs and kisses...

Who doesn't love a good venn diagram?

2011-05-02T09:01:00.000-07:00

Dad sent me a link today from Garden and Gun.

Seems rather appropriate for this weekend, don't you think?

xo

Who else...

2011-04-28T11:01:00.000-07:00

is super excited about the royal wedding tomorrow?! I can't wait to get my eyes on her hair, her dress, oh and William I'm sure will look smashing as well. (Can you tell I've been watching British TV all week :-)

Andrea just sent me a link to "Kate Middleton For The W in" which I have declared as my new favorite blog. So sorry April and Rob.

I'm skipping my gym class and my friends and I have already decided to text each other all during the wedding. I don't care, a royal wedding is not an exception to visiting company before 5 a.m.

Here are some of my faves from the new blog:

Happy Feaster!

2011-04-26T05:51:00.000-07:00

Hope you had an awesome Easter! We went to my parents house for brunch. The weather was great so we ate on the deck.

Well, four of us ate. One of us sunbathed on his pet bed in between begging for a mimosa.

Sweet little lamb in my belly

2011-04-19T10:38:00.000-07:00

I'm a proud carnivore but this promotional poster is too literal:

Picture of a lamb chop, OK. Picture of a living lamb advertising lamb chops? No.

I know my tasty steak came from a once-mooing cow. That's how it goes - he's lower on the food chain and was raised to be my dinner. But that's not something I want to think about every week. I just want to eat my dinner in peace.

Just wait until those vegetarian hipsters see this..

Devily Delicious

2011-04-18T07:18:00.001-07:00

Rob wanted a deviled egg plate when we were doing the wedding registry. But for whatever reason (I don't like deviled eggs) we didn't add one to the list. The store had a huge sale last week and I went back and got him one 50% off! Actually, I ended up paying full price even with the sale because I had to buy 2 of them. I found out that crystal trays don't like being dropped in the parking lot. Who knew?

I gave him the tray ready to eat with a fresh batch of deviled eggs. I think it turned out pretty cute. :-)

F-T-P = F-U-N

2011-04-13T12:28:00.001-07:00

I hope everyone had an awesome weekend! Rob and I went to New Jersey to visit with his family. We hung out with his parents, with the Dengler's, babysat the kids, and visited with awesome friends! It was a great visit!

While we were there, we rode his parent's bikes down and caught the second day of a (rowing) regatta. ECU doesn't have a rowing team, can't imagine why - I mean, doesn't everyone want to go swimming in the Tar River??

On our way back to Raleigh, we stopped in DC to see Foster the People. It was an awesome time. In the restroom during the opening act, I spied an FTP poster on the wall. I waited to take it until the show was over but after they played, the poster was gone - someone beat me to it! I went all around that bar looking for a leftover poster and found the last one in the front window of the bar. I snatched it off, borrowed a pen from the bartender and ran upstairs to see if the band was still there. To my delight, Mark Foster himself was right there in front of me talking to some groupie girls. After I told him I took the poster off the wall and asked for his autograph, I got diarrhea of the mouth and started telling him all about how we drove from NC, etc. I'm cutting this part short - I learned my lesson after this mistake..

He signed my poster - which I'm thinking about framing. Later, Rob told me he was doing shots with the bartender while I yakking with Foster - haa!

Springtime!

2011-04-07T10:25:00.000-07:00

Well, it's April and we've hit our first continuous stretch of warm weather in Raleigh which leads me to believe it's here to stay through the summer! While running an errand at lunch today (on the hoity-toity side of town..) I saw this flower bed and had to stop and take a picture. Their yard-man is earning every cent:

I told Mom I wanted tulips in the wedding and she informed me they only grow in the Spring. Damn those temperamental tulips. Guess we have to enjoy them while they last.

xo

Please can we play duck now?

2011-03-21T11:19:00.001-07:00

For someone with a peanut-sized brain and no language skills, he's a very effective communicator.

I hate that Rob likes pickles.

2011-03-15T10:29:00.000-07:00

I'm the only one in my entire family that likes pickles. Every time I've ever gone out to lunch with them, they happily hand over their pickles spears. It's a silent and constant reflex in our family. Without exception, I eat every last one in my quadrupled supply.

Rob and I went out to lunch today and as he's walking back to our table with the food, I eyed a pickle on both of our trays. My heart fluttered a little. And then I remembered. Rob likes pickles, and isn't going to hand his over to me. Now, I have to carefully ration my single pickle during lunch. This is going to take some getting used to.

Awesome minds think alike

2011-03-14T07:34:00.001-07:00

Rob finished the invitations for our Derby-themed Engagement celebration this weekend AND my favorite blog Saved by the Southern Belle posted this today! Rob custom-designed our party invitations and I could not be more thrilled with how they turned out. They are really a treasure.

That coincidence, combined with the beautiful weather we had this past weekend and I'm finding it harder than ever to be patient. I'm so excited to wear a giant hat, sip mint juleps and celebrate with our family and friends!

Until then I will just stare at this photo in anticipation...

xo

Pretty party

2011-03-09T13:18:00.000-08:00

Not a pity party (that was my post about the dang flu.) But a pretty party! I really love entertaining. I also really love taking pictures of my table when it is all set up for guests to visit. Here is a recent dinner party for four we threw last weekend:

Rob gave me the beautiful napkins for Christmas and I already had the silver rings. The colors in the napkins tie in so beautifully with my chairs and peacock painting (not pictured.)

We made a little appetizer dip, Southern Stuffed Rosemary Chicken and roasted potatoes.
Yummo!

Hot shorts

2011-03-07T09:25:00.001-08:00

Mr. Butler Man is apparently not a fan of dirty shorts. Or maybe he's opposed to Tabasco sauce?

SWF seeking sunlight and water

2011-02-28T07:19:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago Gillian and Graham got us sock grass growing kits. They gave Rob a cute snowman and I got a sweet leaf lady. It's been so much fun growing (read: competing about) these for the past few weeks!

I am well aware of Rob's gardening history, so I made sure to take all the advice he gave me - and do exactly the opposite. Worked like a charm, because my leaf lady is a FOX:

She has so much grass hair we nicknamed mine 'Bermuda', which is yes, short for Bermuda Grass.

Isaac Newton really knew his stuff

2011-02-24T09:04:00.000-08:00

I had the flu last week and find myself 4-days into the next week still on-the-mend. Naturally, I want to tell you how it was the worst case of the flu ever seen but that's not really the case.

I had the basic, no-frills Influenza-B. And while I am happy to be alive, I'm not surprised to find myself as such.

However, I'm still finding myself tired from taking a shower. Still wiped from a full day in the office. And goodness help me if the elevators in my apartment break again.

Last night was the first time I worked out since a hilly 5-mile run at 8:32 pace on February 12. In my run last night, I ran 3-miles with my group at 9:45 pace. While the numbers report otherwise, I was really pushing my body. At mile 2.3 I was screaming at myself - 'C'mon faster, girl! Move your freaking legs! This hill is nothing!! Why aren't you moooving!!' And when I got home it was all I could do to put on my PJ's and pull up the covers.

I've been thinking all morning about the amount of effort I'm currently spending to get life in the state of motion it was in B.F. (Before Flu.) I'm amazed at how much I was juggling with such ease, and I'm worried I'll never get it all back together.

Does it only seem like more effort because my body is still on the mend? Or is it easier than I ever realized to keep all the balls in the air - once in place?

We get it, Suri

2011-02-23T10:28:00.000-08:00

I love this website about Suri Cruise. She is the cutest thing ever.

http://www.wegetitsuri.com/

xo

Oh, Sweet Valentine

2011-02-15T09:44:00.001-08:00

Please sing along the title of this post to this song:

We celebrated Rob's birthday and Valentines Day this past Saturday. We made a yummy feast of steaks, mashed potatoes, carrots and salad with homemade dressing! For desert we made Godiva Chocolate Cream Martinis. I think I am still full from all that food!

We also made homemade Mozzarella Sticks! (I bought a backup of frozen ones just in case ours didn't take.) They were really awesome.

Weird employment - plant designer

2011-02-10T10:54:00.000-08:00

Apparently office ambiance is important. At least it is to these guys.

They come in to our office building twice a month and spruce up our various spruces.

They take this garbage:

And make it beautiful:

What a difference! I could almost not bear coming into work with a lobby that looked so terrible.

Mr. Plant Man, thank you for being so awesome at your job.

Gulp-Gulp-Moo Party

2011-02-07T08:22:00.001-08:00

I came home from work to find my creamer and salt and pepper shakers in deep convo:

I hope they stay fast friends forever.

PS - I have to give credit to the fabulous April Rose. She is the founder of Gulp-Gulp-Moo, which I'm sure will become a common themed event much like the 'Squeal and Peel'. Read her blog here! (http://carolinabelle84.blogspot.com/)

xo

Got kids?

2011-01-25T12:00:00.000-08:00

This will give you a good laugh if you're bored at work.

I was a perfect child and never did anything worthy of being published on this site. However my Snowbear was one heck of a troublemaker. He spent over half of his little bear-life sleeping in the top shelf of my parent's closet.

http://shitmykidsruined.tumblr.com/

Enjoy!

so fancy I cannot pronounce the name

2011-01-24T08:04:00.000-08:00

I am in love with this china and crystal combination:

My mother is giving me my grandmother's set of silver that was sent over with her when she left Germany when WWII was beginning. When she came over, her parents packed a trunk full of family linens, family silver, etc. They were worried about the silver being stolen so her family wrapped it up to look like trash. I guess throughout her 20's she never really knew what was in the trunk or went through it because years later as newlyweds, my grandparents cleaned out the trunk and threw all the silver in the trash, thinking it was garbage! Luckily for us, they plucked it out before the trashcan went to the street. It is missing a few knives and salad forks, but the times I'll remember with my grandparents every time I use the silver are irreplaceable.

xo

Save the date!

2011-01-21T13:00:00.000-08:00

11.19.11! (Gushy moment, it's exciting to think about the fact that this will forever be our anniversary!)

We are going to a Flyball tournament this weekend. If you don't know about Flyball, watch this. It's incredible.

I'm running 3.5 miles tomorrow and 8 miles on Sunday. Alexis, Kim, Brenda and myself ran 7.5 miles of hills last Sunday. Funny thing, even though it was out-and-back I promise all 7.5 were uphill. So funny...

Did anyone see the Hood to Coast movie? I'd love to know what you thought! We were iced-in and missed it.

Have a good one.

xo

What's new

2011-01-13T06:42:00.001-08:00

Rob and I looked at one potential reception site yesterday. We could easily drop $50K there without even scratching the surface on catering. Hope you don't mind brown-bagging it ;-)

I want to hold our celebration in this house featured on La Belle Vie. We're looking at this place tomorrow and I'm really excited.

I have faith things the planning will be more fun once we set a location and date! Can I go back to being 6 years old when I thought it was all about the dress?

And I started training again for the White Lake tri with Dave Mac. No bricks yet, just swimming, running and some cycling classes.

xo

PS - sorry about the weird birthday post going to the top. Heart technology.

so thrilled!

2011-01-04T05:54:00.000-08:00

Hope you have had a great start to 2011! Rob and I had an exciting holiday, over which we got engaged! I'm very lucky to have him in my life. (I'm sure he says the same thing about me. Especially when he tastes my awesome cooking.)

I'm already being taken to bridal expos and showered with tidbits of wedding planning goodness. I will cherish every moment of this excitement. No. Matter. What.

I could get even more sentimental for you, but I think the Platters say it best:

xo

Merry, Merry, Merry

2010-12-17T11:12:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to say today. But I wanted to share this picture of my very-merry four-legged friend. Santa Paws is the local SPCA's holiday fundraiser. You give a 'donation' and then get your special friend's photo taken with Santa. Apparently Franklin was feeling extra-philanthropic when we went - we had to go through the line 3 times to get a decent shot.

In case you were wondering, Franklin would like a tin of chocolate-chip cookies for Christmas.

xo

Meet Pete-stachio.

2010-12-12T18:25:00.000-08:00

We found Pete-stachio under a cardboard box, naked and hungry with no place to sleep. We fed him and gave him a home. He's very happy these days and keeping busy cracking nuts in my apt.

Merry Christmas and GO PIRATES!!

city sidewalks, busy sidewalks

2010-12-06T13:56:00.001-08:00

Happy December! I love this time of year - right when everyone is so excited about Christmas that you don't mind the cold outside! (Even though I'm still enjoying the hot chocolate and Christmas music, I'm secretly already looking forward to Spring when the warm sun hits my skin for the first time!)

Here are some pics from our trip to New York. What an oh-so-nice place to visit!

American Girl store and Molly and Sam modeling their trip presents

To get your pic taken in front you have to yell 'I'm the Boss!' in the thickest NYC accent you can muster...

After the Christmas Spectacular show with the Rockettes in Rockefeller Center

Photobombing in Times Square

Rob loves shopping (and the drinks that come after.) He also really loves tipsy walking around NYC.

Rob and Matt at the Hurricane Club

Hope you're all having a wonderful holiday season so far! Don't forget to brave the mall and buy me lots of gifts!

Only kidding about the gifts.

Sort of.

xo

what I'm thankful for

2010-11-24T14:22:00.000-08:00

a
a
- everything

Happy Thanksgiving!!

I would make a pretty fur coat

2010-11-22T12:37:00.000-08:00

2:12:27.

I am a cheetah!!

At least I like to think so. I ran the entire 13.1 miles at an average 10:07 pace.

Here's my race report, because I know your life won't be complete until you know every detail..

Mile 1-3 was fun. I just relaxed and took in the entire experience. I looked back on my training and the friends I had made. I reflected on my hard work and what I had sacrificed to get to that very moment. I enjoyed the music playing in my Ipod and smiled at the cheering spectators. Around 3.5 I separated from the girls in my group and went on my own.

Mile 4-9 wasn't easy, but I wasn't stressed either. I focused on using every muscle in my legs, stomach, back and chest. I did some calculations and realized I was on pace to finish in 2:08. I was partly surprised at my fast pace, but chalked it up to good training. I didn't realize yet that I had started out a little too fast. I was still enjoying my run.

At mile 9 came the huge bridge and largest hill of the race. I put my head down and kept pointing out pieces of dirt on the road and saying - pass that. Now pass that. Now pass that. All the way up the entire blasted bridge.

Mile 10 came right after the bridge and suddenly my body had nothing left. My legs were cramping, my feet were on fire, I simply wanted to walk. Just for a minute. Just until the pain stopped. I took all of my training and put my head in control - my legs were just there to hold everything up and keep the train moving. I told myself over and over again what my cycling teacher says, "Whether you think you can or whether you think you can't, you are correct." I committed to run to the stoplight in the distance. When I made it there, I committed to run to mile marker 11. When I made it there, I committed to run to mile 12. And so on. Until I crossed that blessed finish line with my family and friends cheering for me.

If you're wondering whether or not you should run a half-marathon, YOU ABSOLUTELY SHOULD. It was an incredible experience that I will never forget. With nothing left inside, I fought with myself for nothing more than to just be better.

Thanks for indulging me by reading. More on the New York trip later. Hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving!

xo

Four more days!

2010-11-10T11:48:00.000-08:00

I remember the first time I went running. I put on my most acceptable pair of cotton house-pants and laced up my tennis-shoes. I didn’t even wear a sports bra.

It was smitten by my second stride.

It’s been a long journey since that first jog around the block, but an exciting one. I’ve since upgraded all my gear – house pants are now forever on house-arrest. I like to think it’s also not just my gear that’s gone through an upgrade…

When I first started I simply wanted to finish. Now my goal is to finish in 2:15 – right around 10 minute pace. No worries if I don’t meet it. But won’t it feel great if I can?

do it yourself

2010-11-04T10:17:00.000-07:00

Award for craftiest project of the year goes to....

ME! WHOOP! That's right - I'm crafty. Oh so crafty.

I would say Rob helped, but there's only one trophy in this quest for greatness.

For how-to instructions please contact this fool here: LUV2CRAFT@robcocker.com

xo

deep thoughts. not by jack handey.

2010-10-21T12:08:00.000-07:00

Ever had a panic attack? It’s a relentless tsunami of crippling thoughts. I have them during long runs and they disable my legs. In past runs, I’ve shuttered my brain—completely cutting any connection between the panic and my muscles. My panic is rooted in the fear that I’ll never finish the run. That continuing to put one foot in front of the other won’t get me to the finish line.

Crazy, right?

Recently I’ve been working hard to relax during my runs. (Relaxation in this case is purely relative…nothing beats Gossip Girl and a glass of wine) To distract my thoughts I’ve been diligent about my form. Because of my extra focus, my feet have been moving more efficiently. I’ve learned how to engage my back to take extra weight off my legs. And I’ve learned how to pick up my chest to open my airway for deeper breaths – meaning more blood pumping everywhere.

This is all stuff I taught myself while I wasn’t thinking about ‘never finishing’. And what’s happened? I finished third in my group run last night. Out of 50 other runners. And it was the most fun I’ve had on a run to-date.

It seems so simple. Stop in the moment and enjoy where you are.

xo

half-marathoner

2010-10-18T11:43:00.001-07:00

Yesterday I ran my first half-marathon! I finished in 2:33. I wanted to finish in 2:15. But there were hills. Lots and lots of hills. I averaged 11 minute miles. (I can't figure out how to get any faster.) I'm hoping I'll be faster at OBX because it's a very flat course. My Dad (the gazelle) finished in 2:10.

We got awesome medals for finishing. After I woke up from a 3-hour nap I decided to model. I seriously considered wearing it to work today!

Ok I'm a huge dork! My friend Kim - who I know through Katie Reese - ran the Baltimore marathon on Saturday. After the way I felt after I finished my half - I couldn't imagine being only halfway done with a running event. Everything in me was completely exhausted!

That's all for now. Hope your weekend was also great!

xo

I'm competitive if you are. Actually, more so.

2010-10-11T09:26:00.000-07:00

If I were granted 3 wishes from a genie they would be:

No work but lots of disposable income.
Inability to gain weight.
Weekend fun every day.

So if you know a good genie, don't forget about your favorite blogger.

Even without genie-granted-wishes my weekend was great. In honor of the first Container Store opening up in Raleigh next weekend, I will organize my weekend into the following categories: running, friends and shopping. (Life is so hard ;-))

First things, shopping:
Don't know why but I've never been able to find the perfect black turtleneck. They've always been: ribbed, too long/short, arms too long, turtleneck part not stiff enough, too trendy, too expensive, etc. I went on a hunt this weekend and came home with this:

From BR. I can't wait until cooler weather to wear it. With that purchase, my budget is closed until Christmas present shopping.

Friends!
I had dinner with Anna on Friday night. She's hilarious - says the hardest part of married life so far is that Scott leaves the seat up.

Briana and Mary Beth came to visit on Friday and Saturday. Only detail I'll share about Friday night is that MB got a free taxi-ride. Back to her original location. Saturday, we treated ourselves to a 5 hour lunch to talk and catch up. I miss them already!

Running
We ran 12 miles on Sunday. My stomach issues were much better. But there was a bathroom at mile 6 so I stopped just to be sure. When I stopped, I lost the girls I was pacing with. So I had to run 6-12 by myself. I felt really great mile 6-10. But then loneliness and fatigue starting working their magic. I pushed through 10-10.5 and then stopped for one second to stretch my calf which had begun to cramp. BIG MISTAKE. Getting moving again was like swimming in mud. I was running almost 13:30 pace at that point. One girl in pink began to catch up to me.

Then like out of a fairy-tale, Kerry, the mentor for our pace group, was running back to finish the last mile with me. He said - "C'mon Katie, you got this, let's go. Only 1 mile left." I picked up the pace. Then he turns to the girl in pink behind me and says, "Put a target on her back. You can beat her!" (I'm thinking WTF!) Of course, she starts to pick up the pace a little, too. Since we were running on the Tobacco Trail, you can see for a mile ahead of you. (It was made from old train tracks so it's super flat and straight.) All of a sudden I see my Dad waving and cheering for me at the finish mark- almost a mile ahead. I said to myself, "This bitch is not beating me in front of my Dad." So I pushed it in the highest gear I had and finished the last mile at 8:37 pace. When I turned to high-five the pink girl, I didn't even try to disguise the shit eating grin on my face.

Here's a pic of my Nike workout - you can see the awesome pick-up at the end. I'm so happy!

That was a long post - thanks for making it to the end. We have race simulation this weekend and I'm so excited! Rob and I are also going to a Corn Maze and the movies! I'm so glad he's back safe from Vegas. If I do anything interesting during the week I'll be sure to share.

xo

How was my weekend?

2010-10-04T12:45:00.001-07:00

Fun

Funner

Funnest

And I saved a little lizard! I expect a thank you card from his Momma.

That wasn't enough fun so I ran 11 miles on Sunday. Lucky me I spent mile 6-9 trying not to go to the bathroom on myself. My prayers were answered and I found a port-a-john but my NEW tennis shoes got stuck in some mud when I was headed back to the trail. Go ahead and send me a complaint because I'm not including pictures of that wondrous experience. Really, please do. I'll stop my frantic Googling session on 'marathon running GI distress' to share my experience with you. In detail.

In other running news.. I finally figured out how to quiet my head during these long runs! This time I filled my thoughts thinking of that old Window's screensaver with the incoming stars:

It was awesome, for the first time my mind was silent!! Focusing on something static would work wonders with my ADD..soccer field? Commercial about World Cup? That we watched at Lynnwood? I love watching the Pirates play there. Mmm wonder if we can get pizza later. Gosh I'm hungry. How many more miles? I like these new shoes. Wonder how many shoes professional runners use in a year. Bet that costs a lot. Or they get them for free? What's the last thing I got for free? Something with my Harris Teeter card? Gosh I'm hungry....................

We're less than 6 weeks away from the half-marathon, I'm so excited! That's all for now.

xo

Waterlogged

2010-09-27T08:59:00.000-07:00

You know it's going to be a great Monday when you get in your car and find this:

I better figure out how this happened before the next time it rains! Or I'm going to spend another lunch break vacuuming out my flooded car.

We ran 8 miles this Sunday at 9:25 pace. I loved the new fast pace! I've been working to grow a toe blister and black toenail for the past few weeks. I'm not including pics - you're welcome. Says the man at the shoe store, "Your shoes aren't big enough." Thank you, Sherlock Holmes.

Rob's mom came to Raleigh this weekend! She's awesome. I had dinner with her Saturday and made lunch for her on Sunday where she met my parents for the first time. She made peach cobbler with peaches from the Sandhills - very important. We had a great time just talking and laughing. I wish we saw his family more. Here are some pictures of the lunch.

Goat cheese pasta salad - April would be so proud:

Mrs. Cocker's Peach Cobbler: (that's cinnamon on top, not burnt anything.)

And here's my table - before we took out the extra setting, oops.

C'est tout. Rob said I needed more pictures in my blog. So blame him for all the visual goodies. (Roll through and check out the pic of my Century patch I just added.)

xo

so many magical miles

2010-09-24T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last night was speed night for my running group. I got really confused about when we were supposed to run fast and slow so I just ran about 5 miles normal pace. WHATEVER I DO WHAT I WANT FOOL. haaha

We are backing down the mileage for our long runs this Sunday. Last week we ran 10 miles. TEN MILES! This week we're running 8 miles. Then next week it's back up to 11. I never in a million years thought I would say "I'm only running 8 miles this weekend." Our 10 mile run last weekend was fun. Mile 1-6 were great. I was in the front of the pack, having a great time. Then something hit me about mile 6.5 and I had to keep telling myself - only half mile away from the turn-around. (We ran an loopy thing that had us turn around at mile 7, I could go into more detail but it's pretty boring.) I got to the turn-around and everyone sped up. Or I just slowed down. Not sure what it was, but I couldn't quiet those voices in my head any longer. Louder and louder they were saying "If you just slow down it will stop hurting. If you walk just for a minute you'll catch your breath." So I slowed down a little bit, lost my lead and finished about 1-2 minutes behind the group.

My 8 mile run was the best one so far, so I'm glad we are running that again this week. I led the entire group from mile 3-7. I hit my wall pretty hard with one mile to go. I had nothing left and I knew there was a steep hill at the quarter-mile mark. None-the-less, I was the 5th girl to finish. I plan on crushing it this week. I'll learn how to finish stronger eventually.

In other not-running news, I have a junior league thing tomorrow morning. Then Rob's mom is coming over for lunch on Sunday after my run. I'm so excited to visit with her!

That's all. I'm taking suggestions on a non-running hobby. I'm getting too obsessed!!

Have a good weekend, bye!

xo

cockaTWO

2010-09-23T13:16:00.000-07:00

I had a birthday yesterday. (Shame on you if you're reading this and didn't give me cake.) My gift from Rob:

There's a story behind it. (Did you think there wouldn't be? Hi, I'm Katie. Have we met?)

So I'm at my mother's house one Sunday afternoon flipping through the latest Garnet Hill catalog. I get to a page advertising Lilly bedding. On the wall in the bedroom is the most beautiful painting I've ever seen.

After closer inspection of Garnet Hill than should be legally allowed, we decided that the painting isn't for sale My mother has the bright idea to call GH - just to see if they might know where it came from.

It took about 20 minutes of explanation to get the poor phone-lady to understand that I was calling to inquire about purchasing something her company didn't sell. She finally succumbed to the idea that she was going to have to handle this one herself (at one point she verbally realized they had no department for this kind of call..) She went digging in her files and eventually came back with a phone number.

I can barely punch the numbers in the phone to make the call to "some antique store in Palm Beach..." Through a very pained breath, taken (no doubt) in between puffs of her Virginia Superslim, I hear: "No, no, we loaned the bed frame."

Crushed. All that work to get so close. I am lost. And without words.

She sucks another drag. "You know, my friend's store sometimes works with Garnet Hill. And they sell right many cockatoos."

My sun comes out again and boy is the light shining bright. When I call the new store, they did indeed sell the painting! My painting!

But they sold it. About 2 months prior to my call. I am told it was a one-of-a-kind antique. The painter signed his name "S." Now it's not just me that's lost, so is my painting.

I take my magazine and story to Rob's house that night and he indulges me over dinner. I wake up the next morning and feel a pang of sorrow for my beloved painting. But the world keeps spinning and so do I.

Three months later, it's time for my birthday dinner. What does Rob show up with? My cockatoo painting! However this one is signed "Rob Cocker." He has recreated my painting from the magazine!! Tears, hugs and disbelief. The painting is more beautiful than I had ever remembered or imagined. I am in love. And we name her, "CockaTWO."

xo

Left. Right. Repeat.

2010-09-23T07:54:00.001-07:00

During last night's run I was just under a half-mile away from finishing and absolutely panicked. "What if I never get there [to the finish mark]? What if I can't finish this run?"

Stop it.

If I keep my feet moving forward I will finish the run. It doesn't matter how slowly they move forward. It doesn't matter how long it takes me to finish.

It matters that I don't quit. And if I don't quit my feet will get me there. Simple.

I did finish my run last night. 4.5 miles of hills at 10:33 pace. In 88 degree weather. After a Tuesday Body Pump class. This little tortoise couldn't be happier.

who does 175 miles at a 150?

2010-09-21T06:28:00.000-07:00

We did New Bern for the second year! It was a different experience than last year - still exciting, but all the stomach butterflies were gone. Rob and I rode our FIRST century ride on 9/11 for the MS150! When it was all said and done, we rode 178 miles in 2 days.

We got a really cool century patch for riding 100 miles on Saturday - definitely a little more bike ride than I bargained for. The pain (and tears...) were well worth it.

Rob was really supportive and we finished in 8 hours. The pic at the top is from the after-party. They canceled Sunday's century route for weather. Probably good so we weren't tempted to try it. We did 75-miles with the Hurricanes group in 5.5 hours - I pulled the group twice! I spent most of the next day icing my legs, although I did run the slowest 4 miles of my life just to stay on track with my half-marathon training.

I promise not to stay away so long next time,
xo

Lucky Number 7

2010-08-30T11:27:00.000-07:00

Hello my faithful readers. All 3 of you. I hope you had a wonderful weekend! Franklin got a new ECU collar, just in time for football season. Our Sunday long run was 7 miles. I had an amazing time- I averaged 10:43.

The picture above is my jersey for the MS150. I finished it yesterday. Toying with adding 'Jolly Rider' or 'ARGHH' underneath. I can't wait for everyone who passes us to yell "Purple!"

Come back soon and bring your friends!

xo

more running! and a little love action

2010-08-26T09:42:00.001-07:00

Goodness I write about running a lot! Hope you like reading about running a lot! Guess it's more interesting than writing about what else is happening in my life: work, RC, sleep, Junior League and Teen Mom (heart Maci).

We ran 6 miles this past Sunday - I had never run this far with this many hills before. I ran the whole thing at 10:53 pace. I was wishing for a little faster, but I had the Saturday Night Fever on Saturday (calorie intake = negative 200.) Our mentor ran with these finger-toe-shoe things. Anyways, it was a great time and I felt like I had really accomplished something..once I woke up from a 3 hour nap.

We ran 3.5 miles of hills last night which was so much fun NOT. Tonight is a social run with the group for another 3 miles. I'm really excited because some friends are coming to run it with me!

PS - today is my parent's 33rd wedding anniversary. Wow! The pic up there is them when they are 18 or 19, before they were engaged.

local supporter?

2010-08-25T08:00:00.000-07:00

I buy my chicken and milk from Harris Teeter. Most produce too. And thus my food (and the money I spend on it) is mostly grown in California. Or Mexico. Pretty much anywhere but North Carolina. It's just easier and cheaper. And I like my time and money more than local NC farmers. Which is a shame because my grandparents made good money farming.

Rob and I recently watched Food Inc. and I've now begun to question my precious time and money. (I'm so jaded by everything advertising and marketing, but those sweet cows looked so sad!) When we cook hamburgers and steaks using Whole Foods meat you really can taste a difference. But it's hard to justify the price, ~$20/pound, for everyday meals.

I had to call and get some books for a new business pitch tomorrow. I called the local bookstore who didn't have the book. Would take 3 days for them to get it in-store. I immediately felt guilty when the woman said, "Thanks for thinking of us." But I didn't know I needed the books until this morning! And it's a business book - I imagine most of their sales come from bookclub ladies. I had to call Barnes and Noble - 3 different ones until I could get the book. I spent more time on hold than I did talking to 3 salespeople. And not one person was nice.

Here's me: 25 and following a tight budget. Can you imagine how hard it is for families of 4 or more to buy local? I want to do better for the environment and my local industry. But I don't have time to visit the Farmer's Market every weekend. Certainly don't have the money to make Whole Foods my new Harris Teeter. But those poor cows, bookstores and farmers! Where's the happy medium?

it's (not) electric

2010-08-20T07:16:00.000-07:00

I asked Franklin to come to the bottom of the driveway with me when I readied my car for towing last night. He thought he'd be slick and act all scared of the electric fence (which hasn't been live in over a year due to a fallen tree.)

Guess who I didn't find in the front yard when I came back up the driveway. BOGO Special if you can also guess who's never allowed in the front yard again.

cake everyday!

2010-08-20T06:39:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was our first hill run on speed night. I was expecting the worst run of my life because:

Yesterday my car broke down (again) and however hard I fought not to, I freaked.
We threw Louise's baby shower yesterday and ate too. much. cake. I got about 40 people pieces of that cake. A cake that was supposed to feed 60. I feel sick typing that.
It rained hard yesterday and the steam stuck around like mud on a hog. Try running through that. Try running fast through that. Then try running fast up several hills through that. Again, sick.

So as my Dad drove us to the park, I prepared for a struggle, er, survival seems more appropriate.

We started running and I felt pretty good. I passed 2 people up the first hill and used every chance I could to recover. We hit the halfway point and I thought - wow I feel great! I cranked up my iPod and went for it - before I knew it I was in front leading the whole group! It was awesome - but what I realized is that once you're in front you have to really fight to stay there. I wasn't mentally prepared for that. I finished 5th out of the entire group which is good. Next run is Sunday - 6 miles. Wish me luck!

Tonight = QT w BFF April Rose, boxed wine and sushi. Does it get any better than that?

xo

HEY

2010-08-17T14:30:00.000-07:00

I went to my first League meeting last night with my small group. All of the women I met were very nice. They all had career-type jobs in the area. Some were recently married, some engaged, some single, it was a nice mix. As we went around two of the women said they had met their fiance/husbands at work. I think it's going to be fun - they are a great, focused set of women. I'm really looking forward to getting to know them and going through my provisional year with them.

Today is cross-training day on the schedule. I (gasp) haven't worked-out yet today. Didn't sleep well Sunday night so I made sure I caught-up on those hours Monday night--meaning I slept in this morning and missed my beloved Body Pump with Robb. Looks like I will be riding my bike around Meredith this afternoon - yippee. It's really too bad Robb can't be there with his lovely homo jokes to push me up those hills. (For all you (read - 2) readers in Raleigh, you HAVE to go to Pleasant Valley Tuesday mornings for Robb's Body Pump...it's the absolute most fun you can have on a 6AM weekday.

Happy Tuesday!

xo

Sunday long runs

2010-08-16T07:57:00.001-07:00

I posted before that my dad and I signed up to run a half-marathon in November. We started training about two weeks ago. Sunday's we meet with our group for our long run of the week. This Sunday before they sent our pace groups out the organizer asked why are you training for this half-marathon? They threw you a pack of shot blocks if you called out any answer. Some of the answers: quiet time away from my kids, no-guilt while eating Ben and Jerry's, and my personal favorite, extra beer.

All through my run I thought about why I'm doing this. Towards the end of the run I thought it's because I'm crazy. For the entire rest of the day I couldn't figure out why. And then it hit me this morning - because I can. Is there any better reason?

Free shot blocks for me next Sunday!!

PS - my dad is smoking fast. We are running with the fastest pace group and he came in second yesterday and first on our shorter speed night. One of the older guys came up to my dad and said - "Man you're really holding it down for our 40 age group." HA - my dad has 14 years on that age group and still kills it. I'm towards the end of the fast group, finishing about 7 of 10. But still proud of myself that I can hang with the faster people. I can't help but run a little faster when we turn around at the halfway point and pass by the slower pace groups! This has been a great experience so far.

xo

my favorite things

2010-06-24T14:09:00.000-07:00

Hydrangeas are my favorite flower. Cows are my favorite farm animal. Pirates are...well my love for purple pirates goes without saying. Where's Julie Andrews when you need her?

xo

freaky like weird aliens

2010-06-22T14:49:00.000-07:00

Sweet Franklin got bit by a snake on his face the other week. Don't worry, it hasn't stopped him begging from the table, eating trash and licking his dinkle.

In my internet-search about snake-bites, I found this gem: http://www.dogforums.com/2-general-dog-forum/33440-dogs-copperhead-bites.html

I hope you enjoy as much as I did.

xo

boys and things that come by the dozen

2010-06-22T13:29:00.001-07:00

To say the past few weeks have been hard to handle would be slight miscalculation. The highlights - I've been blessed with a front row seat to my best friends weddings, got to visit with Rob's family and completed my first triathlon.

Rob's family is great. They are so dear and welcoming. I only wish they were closer and we could see them more often.

My triathlon was incredible. I signed up in the advanced group and placed 16/21, but would have placed 6/30 in the correct novice group. Drowning would have been a blessing in the swim but I managed to get in-and-out of that God-forsaken lake only 5 minutes longer than my average practice time. (Swim - 22:01) The bike was windy and pretty rough so I didn't get up as much consistent speed as I would have liked. Plus making all those right-hand turns around the lake was tedious. (Bike - 50:50) The run was really incredible - I didn't bonk once! I picked off people left and right - passing them like a smiling fool! (Run - 30:00) My total time with transitions was 1:47:59. I could have made up some time in the first transition and on the bike. I probably could also have run faster, but I could also win the lottery. I'm proud of how I did. I'd like to do an Olympic length tri but am going to wait until next season. Dad and I are planning to run a half-marathon this November. Wish us luck!

The weddings were great. Anna was the most beautiful bride, I couldn't help but get jaw-eyed when she and Scott said their vows. Just like Scott is in love with Anna, I was in love with Anna's bridesmaids luncheon thrown by the most fabulous woman east of the Mississippi, Mrs. Winkie Worley. In love with her 24-place (not a typo) setting of Francis 1. And her crystal glasses, matching crystal coasters and finger-bowls. She had rooms full of debutante photos, oriental rugs, antiques and china cabinets. And she was so gracious, nice and perfect. Take me back.

In sad news, sweet Dink passed this past May. I miss her precious face every day. Especially when I have a delightful girl-power story to share (anything that fits in the palm of your hands makes for a great captive-audience.) Rob's friend Matt held a touching burial service for her.

And I'm moving this weekend. To a sweet high-rise on Glenwood. Because my plate wasn't quite full enough.

xo

Christmas come early

2010-04-30T08:43:00.000-07:00

I wish every day for a Hootie and the Blowfish reunion tour. Guess I've been on better behavior in 2010 than I originally thought: http://www.ticketmaster.com/event/0E00449CB4DE772B?artistid=766592&majorcatid=10001&minorcatid=1

Now if I can just convince my Dad to let me borrow his plaid button-up jacket one last time..

xo

is it here yet?

2010-04-29T10:43:00.000-07:00

My triathlon is a mere 10 days away. Ten days away. 240 hours. I can't remember when it sounded like a good idea to sign up for this event. If I only knew then what I feel in my muscles now. Or precisely, what I don't feel in my muscles. There's hardly feeling in any part of my body anymore. Just the quiet hum of exhaustion. Several times this month I've caught myself daydreaming of sleep and dreams in my bed. I imagine how it would feel to lay there until I or the night's sleep dust could no longer keep my eyes locked away from the incoming sunlight.

I haven't seen a sunrise since I began training. I drive to the gym with the shine of my headlights. The sun has already made her grand entrance to the world when I arrive home and begin readying for work. I lay on top of the bed-my muscles too weak to remove my gym clothes. I hope to get sick most Thursdays and Fridays. Just a head cold. Just contagious enough to skip work and go back to sleep without guilt.

It's wonderful to know in merely 10 days I will have accomplished something I once thought impossible. Daunting. And scary. Between me and sleep is only 10 days. Only another 22 miles of running. 63 miles of biking. A weight-lifting class. 1.5 miles of swimming. And the personal strength and power to keep telling myself, you can.

xo

kdizzle in the house

2009-11-10T11:31:00.000-08:00

Hey! I started a blog - awesome! I work at a public relations/marketing firm in Raleigh. I love my job - and some days I love it more than others! I have a fabulous dog named Franklin, he is cool. He's my running buddy. When I'm running really fast, he's at a nice trot pace - funny how that works out. I'm really in to fitness - running, cycling, water skiing, target shooting, yoga. I rode the New Bern MS150 with my best friend and mom for the first time this past year and we had an awesome time. More to come soon. Thanks for stopping by!

Nike Mii!!!

2009-11-10T11:28:00.001-08:00