9 Months + 2 Marathons (Chicago Marathon & Richmond Marathon)

Well, it's been a while!

Since February, life has been full (I refuse to say busy, because who isn't busy?)! I finished my final semester of classes in May, took my qualifying exam and passed, and took my comprehensive exam and passed (with an oral defense, too). Two big hurdles done with my PhD!

I spent the summer mostly at home, with a wedding in June and a trip to the beach in July, and wishing I had more travels coming up! This summer was less busy travel-wise due to writing my dissertation and lack of money due to my new house:) I hated it, but I definitely learned that I need to make sure I find ways to get out of town when the summer heat and humidity arrives and work becomes very slow. I'm convinced I have summer SAD, if that can be a thing!

In the fall, everything picked up. I started teaching two classes at VCU in August-> Techniques in Counseling and Practicum (which is a supervision class). Both have been very fun to teach and have been manageable while writing my dissertation. I went to a conference in Chicago in October and officially defending my prospectus in November, which means I am a doctoral CANDIDATE! My study is currently waiting on IRB, so fingers crossed it won't take too long.

I did a lot of weekend trips in September and October and have quite a few coming up through the end of November and beginning of December. I LOVE getting out of town for a few days on the weekend, but I also love being home in my new house...so balance is key. My big events were running the Chicago Marathon on October 8th and the Richmond Marathon on November 11. Marathon training this year was really great. I met an awesome new group of runners and genuinely enjoyed the training season. I still hate running in the heat, and the long weekday runs get hard with work, but I am more used to it all now. After not making it to the starting line last year due to the flu, I am so thankful to get through 26 weeks of training and 2 marathons HEALTHY!

The Chicago marathon was not great (but Chicago IS great and I had the best time at my conference and exploring the city!). It was 60 degrees at the start and about 75+ at the end, and the entire 2nd half of the course was in direct sunlight. I had a gut feeling pretty early that I would not be able to maintain a sub-4 pace, but I kept it through the first 14 miles and then it was downhill pretty fast. I walked a lot, had to drink a lot of water, and generally hated life for a few hours. The course and crowds were AMAZING, but it was a tough day. I also never got the hang of how crowded it was (especially at the water stops). I finished in 4:10:01.

Ready to go at 6 AM!

Catching my mom and brother at mile 13!

After Chicago, I was not feeling my love of running for a while. I took 5 days off, and then got back into training. I continued with my training team and did another 20 miler before a three week taper. This taper was a lifesaver. By really resting up, my motivation came back the week of the race, and I felt my running "pep" come back. I also knew it would be better than Chicago because the weather was COLD, and I was running with so many friends and on a course I know so well.

Richmond did not disappoint. It was a BEAUTIFUL day, with temperatures in the upper 20's at the start and no higher than upper 30's at the finish. I started in layers and kept taking things off until mile 15. Pure sunshine the entire race.

I was so thankful to be healthy for this race. Last year was such a disappointment-> getting the flu the day before when I had had such a great training season. I got emotional the night before just thinking about what I felt like last year. I read a quote that someone had saying "don't forget to hear the birds." This was exactly how I was feeling-> I wanted to take it all in and really appreciate it. And I did. I didn't listen to any music and ran pretty much solo for 25 of the 26.2 miles. And it went by so fast. It was an incredible day, and I did not take a single part of it for granted. Even when I was struggling in miles 19-23 before my second wind kicked in (which I attribute to an awesome course ending), I was happy.

Look what I saw at the expo! I am on the 10k poster! Haha.

Finish chute! I was taking it all in. Thanks for the photo, Karen :)

Happy :)

My cheering squad!

Happier still:)

Tawny!

I know I have talked before how running is so much more than just running, but what the last 6 months have reiterated to me is how the journey of running is really what running is about. The races are just days, but running is a lifestyle. It brings me new friends, keeps my sanity through some emotional stressors, and makes me feel my best self. Our bodies are so amazing and there is nothing that celebrates the human spirit more than a marathon (even a bad one). I learn something about myself at every race. Yesterday reinvigorated my love for the city I call home.

I ran Richmond at a PR of 3:55:53 and enjoyed every second of it (well, maybe not some of those seconds between 19-23...). And I will bask in this glow for a while.

Long Time No Talk!

Well helllllo!

It's been 6 months since my last post, and I have been recently getting the urge to post again! I really enjoyed the break and my step back from blogging, but I did miss posting some days. I won't be a regular poster, but I do think I am ready to get back into the blogging game for a little bit!

So what have I been doing? Well, much of the same! I started a new job in July, so I have been adjusting to my new school and my new role and it has been wonderful! I was definitely a good decision! I work at my alma mater (high school) as the Counseling Director, which is fun, but also feels very different than when I went here, so that separation has been great.

I also am almost done with this semester of school! I took two classes this semester- an Educational Measurement class on creating test and survey instruments and a Qualitative Research class. I have enjoyed the content of both classes very much, and I finish completely for the semester on December 14th! I have some presentations between now and then, but I am pretty much done. It is hard to believe next semester is my LAST of classes! BUT I have a lot to do- taking two courses, teaching a course (same one I did last spring) and then my qualifying exam and comprehensive exam....THEN I get to start writing! I have my topic and chair, though, so I am feeling good and excited to get started! This program has flown by and overall been really great. I still don't know for sure what I will do with it, but I am looking forward to having options (like not paying tuition and making more $$$)!

As for racing- oh, what a fall! I was all trained for the Richmond Marathon, feeling great and having completed THREE 20 miler runs, and I woke up the day of the race with a 102 degree fever and the FLU. It was awful, but there was no way I could race. It took me about 10 days to get over the flu (please get flu shot)! I was able to run a Thanksgiving Turkey Trot 10k, and instead of finding another marathon, I ran a half marathon this past weekend the Blue and Gray in Fredericksburg) and ended up setting a personal record! SO that was exciting and at least made me feel like the marathon training was for SOMETHING. It was a hard pill to swallow to miss it, but feeling as bad as I did made it a little better. There will always be another race!

Besides all that, I became an aunt in October (!), attended a lot of baby showers, and traveled to New Orleans this fall for a conference. It has been a lot of fun, and I am looking forward to the holidays!

I will check in again soon!

On the last day of my twenties...

On the last day of my twenties, I woke up at 5:30 AM to 50's degree temperatures and went on a 3.5 mile run...

On the last day of my twenties, I wore a purple dress..

On the last day of my twenties, I played with kittens at work...

On the last day of my twenties, I went to my summer class from 4-6:40 and talked about the different views of educational research...

On the last day of my twenties, I went to my former high school's graduation...

On the last day of my twenties, I talked to good friends and laughed with coworkers...

On the last day of my twenties, I sang Broadway in my car...

On the last day of my twenties, I watched an episode of Gilmore Girls...

On the last day of my twenties, I went to bed grateful for my twenties but ready to have them behind me...

On the last day of my twenties, I thought about all the amazing places I have been in my 29 years...

On the last day of my twenties, despite having a rough week, I felt blessed.

Here is to turning 30 and the best decade yet!

Singled Out vs. Married with Children

Disclaimer: this post is not about me hating kids or hating on my friends for having kids. It is only my perspective and not the perspective from the other side of this-> what it is like for friends with kids to have friends without. Yet, this is simply about how it feels to be single, unattached and almost 30 with no kids on the horizon.

This post is for anyone who is not having babies (for whatever reason) when practically everyone you know is or will be soon. It is a weird place to be. A few years ago I wrote this post on my feelings about all my friends getting married, and while many things from that post still hold true, having babies is a totally different dynamic. For my relationships with my friends, marriage didn't really change our dynamics, or if they did it was temporary when the relationship was new, but babies undoubtedly do.

Don't get me wrong, babies are great. They are cute and smiley and say and do adorable things and bring out a different side to you and your friends. They also keep me employed, because I work in schools! But, and I am totally being selfish here, they also take your friends away from you. When babies enter the picture, your friends are tired, worried, stressed (mentally and/or financially), less flexible or willing to hang out with you due to home life being a little crazy, and their minds are all about their kids as they should or should not be depending on the level of obsession:)

My social calendar was once filled up with social gatherings surrounding alcohol and freedom...then it moved to wedding showers and Bachelorette parties (I am lucky that I still have many of these, too)...now, baby showers are taking the cake (literally, though, any excuse for cake is great). Instead of easy to purchase home items, I am looking at registries for items I don't understand (if someone can explain to me half of what people need for babies, I would appreciate it), and I am going to parties where the talk is all about babies, the birthing process, bodies during/after babies and everything in between. (Shout out to my friend this weekend who showed me her c-section scar...it looks much better than I imagined!)

The thing is, I love it and hate it at the same time. I love to see friends so happy about this new stage of their life and see them and their partners embracing their maternal/paternal instincts. It is also great to see the different approaches to parenting and the cool kids they ultimately produce! But it is also a bit of a mourning period for me when each friend starts having kids. Mourning what our relationship is because it will never be the same. Mourning the fact that I am no where near that stage of my life.  Mourning what is wrong with me that having babies doesn't seem so great to me anyways?

The dynamic towards me as a childless, single, almost 30-year-old has also changed. Where once (and still sometimes) people were envious of the freedom and different path I am taking career, lifestyle (running + travel!), and education-wise (PhD), people also judge. I have heard more and more over the past year that "you don't understand because you don't have children," or "you don't know real love because you aren't a mother." Since when do women tear each other down? Since when is my life less important or less fulfilled because I don't have kids? Since when does my choice NOT to settle with any man  or practicing *ahem* safe sex, delineate me to a lifetime of sub-par love and lack of understanding? How does anyone even know what I think or feel about relationships and marriage and babies and life goals? Why do we have to judge so much?

Fact of the matter is, I don't know if I want kids or not. I don't know if I want to be married or not. But I sure as hell do not sit around mourning what I don't have. I wasted enough of my time in my mid-20's doing that, and it led to me feeling worthless and lost. I view life as a journey with different paths, not one better or more perfect than the other. If I marry and have kids- great!- and if I don't- that is great, too! But I do mourn for what I am losing, in terms of friends and how that relationship will change. No matter how wonderful something is and how change is a part of life, it is never easy, especially if it is on a path different from your own.

My life has been a big part of celebrating other people. Engagements, weddings, babies....all these wonderful things. But, when will people be celebrating me?

Some other great posts on this topic: When Everyone Else is Married with Children, An Open Letter to My Friend Without Kids, 16 Things New Parents Want Their Friends Without Kids To Know , How to Stay Friends When Your Friends Have Kids

Please share your thoughts on this topic below.

Unplugging

Happy New Year! I hope your first few days of 2016 have been full of rest, thinking about the new beginning, maybe a little less food than the past few weeks, and friends and family!  I don't believe in making resolutions at the new year, because I believe you can change your life at anytime, but there is a big resolution I have been thinking of for a while.

Unplugging.

I tend to get caught up in the day-to-day lives of other people and how I measure up to them. I spend too much time on Facebook and Instagram, twitter and tumblr, blogs and online news sites, and when I really thought about it, I realize how much happier I am when I am not plugging in. 

This goes back to things I said about my blog, too. I love this as a diary of my life, but I am finding I have less and less to say, and don't want to keep it up when it is not a true measure of my thoughts and activities. It is really at it's best when I am saying important/interesting/exciting things rather than the ordinary. I don't want to feed in to the culture of comparing and measuring up, because what I am doing and what you are doing shouldn't have to be compared. We are all doing fine.

So, this year I am unplgguing a little bit. I am not going to post as much and will only do so when I really have something to say. I think that many people talk when what they are saying doesn't mean anything. I think that the point of an online forum is to speak when what we say can help other people and make a difference. This blog does not do that for me anymore, and I only want to keep it up if it does. 

So I will be seeing you this year, but much less. I am sure I will have races and travels to talk about, but my day-to-day is just that, my own day-to-day. I'll catch ya when I do.

HAPPY 2016!!!

Losing Perspective

I had a very humbling moment the other day that put a lot of things in perspective for me. I was sorting through old emails that I had saved from work and was reading through various funny exchanges with coworkers, and then I cam across the announcement from when I received a big promotion. I saved the initial announcement and all the subsequent emails that came from friends and coworkers congratulating me. I remembered that feeling of excitement and shock from when I received the position and how proud I felt of myself. I remember exactly how it felt to think about the new job and what a great opportunity it would be for me. It's like I was back to two years ago in that moment. It seems like a long time ago, but it was only two years.

I tend to get antsy. I am always looking ahead or in the future for the next thing I want to do or try. I get fed up and make plans for other things. I have a hard time staying in the present and really working through things that aren't making me satisfied. I stay busy instead-> buy a condo, go back to school, run marathons, get second jobs, go on trips, and contemplate what else I could be doing rather than what I am doing. I lose perspective of what the purpose is of all this.

I always lean towards the grass being greener even though I know that is not the case. I know it in my head but my heart feels differently. Lately I have been working on mindfulness and presence and trying to make good of situations. It's hard and I am fighting against a lifetime of habits and mindsets. I crave change and challenges yet the second they aren't new or exciting anymore I crave something different or something I used to have. I live in the past or the future and not the present. That is not the way to live life.

The emails I read recently, the Paris terrorists attacks, talking with people who are struggling financially or with their health or their families...that all brings me back to ground. I don't want to be one of those Generation X/Y people who can't sit still. Those people who are always moving and changing and unsatisfied. Yet, I don't want to sit still either. I think I need to be more mindful of my thoughts and actions and really work on me before I make well-thought out changes. Change doesn't fix things that are going on within myself and I need to remember that. Everything has pros and cons.

I need to make sure I don't keep running away from things and instead face them head on. What this means and how I do it doesn't have to be drastic, but I think that the common thread to all my problems is me. I need to really figure out what is best for me- whether it is personal, professional or physical. I can't lose that perspective. Easier said than done for sure, though!

I hope you’re learning to listen

And I hope you’re learning to stay

And I hope you find what you’re missing

And I hope that you’re making you’re way

I’m a headcase if I don’t keep moving

And my head hurts if I don’t sit still

It’s an itch that I’ll never stop scratching

It’s a hole that I’ll never quite fill

-Electric President

Anyone else struggle with this? 

Sleeping more, running less and UCI bike race!

Hi there! Wow, my posts has definitely slowed down since summer and traveling has come to an end. I guess when I am not traveling I don't feel like I have a lot to post on:)! So here is a quick catch up since our coffee date last week.

1. I have been on a running break for about 10 days now. I was worried about some minor aches and pains becoming chronic, so I decided it was a good time in my training cycle to take a breather. I will end up missing a 16- and 12-miler total from the break, but I have already done two 16-milers, so I feel good about breaking. Next weekend I will come back and probably run with the novice group for 17 miles since my group is doing 20, but it will just depend on how I feel. I am feeling pretty good from this break, so maybe I will be able to kick out a 20-miler no problem? Wishful thinking:)
2. I have gotten SO MUCH MORE sleep during this running break. It has been amazing, and I think is what has contributed to me feeling so much better. I can run in the evenings most days after work now that the weather has cooled off, so this should continue once I get back to running. I may do one weekday a morning just to change things up when I have my evening classes, but I am totally sold on evening, fall running!
3. Since I haven't been running I have been walking in the evenings, and I am still a firm believer in walking to keep your mental sanity and get some endorphins from the outdoors!
4. The UCI bike race starts in Richmond this weekend! The city has been prepping for this for months and it will be neat to have people from all over the world visiting Richmond over the next 10 days! VCU is closed, so I get an extra week off class (hence why classes started so early in August), and I am hoping to check out some of the races in the evenings next week!
5. I started watching Below Deck on Bravo last night and I think I have a new guilty pleasure! It is about the crew of a chartered yacht. Since being on my cruise this summer, I am fascinated about the lives of the crew members, so this hits the spot.
6. I love having my windows open:) Anyone else?!

I hope you have a great weekend! I am headed to Virginia Beach to visit a friend and enjoy some last rays of summer!

If we were on a coffee date

If we were on a coffee date, I'd make you walk to Starbucks with me through Carytown and I would order a venti iced skinny vanilla latte, because iced coffee will be out of season soon and I need to milk it for all it's worth! And caffeine is my best friend some days!

If we were on a coffee date, I'd talk to you about my PhD program, because I am so loving teaching this semester. I am already thinking ahead to my dissertation, pulling articles and thinking about my study. I love it. Such a good decision, despite all my trepidations. You don't always know if you are going down the right path, but I am a firm believer that every thing happens for a reason. Creating your own path is the most exciting part.

If we were on a coffee date, I'd talk about how I am ready for fall weather and fall running. The miles I have run this summer have been my highest ever and I am so ready for running after work as opposed to the mornings and being in 50(!) degree temperatures!

If we were on a coffee date, I'd ask you if you like your job. I'd want to know how you work through the days/weeks/months when it is not as fulfilling and what you do to combat that.

If we were on a coffee date, I'd want to know about your sleeping schedule. Does everyone need less sleep than I or am I just a zombie?

If we were on a coffee date, I'd want new book recommendations. I need some good chic lit:)

If we were on a coffee date, I'd talk about new, easy recipes for lunches and dinners and how to best cook for one person!

If we were on a coffee date, I'd ask about your family and what your personal goals are for the future. How your relationships are, and how as I approach 30, I feel my relationships with friends changing as they settle down and start families. How I am no where near wanting that and how some days I wonder if I am missing something internally that everyone else has?

What would you want to talk about if we went for coffee?

What I've Learned This Summer

The best way out is always through.

-Robert Frost

What good is life if we don't learn a little something along the way? Get ready for some of my ramblings:)

Let's face it: summers can be long (at least for me). It is filled with long days-> I feel like I am one of the few that hates how long it stays light in the summer-> and long working hours with 10 hours days and no students. It's ridiculously hot in Virginia and people are in and out of town. Activities are suspended, routines are off, and free time abounds. Travel is about the only good thing about the season, in my opinion!

I am not daft enough to know that I am lucky in all my travels, but that is what I have to do to stay sane. When I haven't been traveling, I have mostly been in a funk.  Even taking 3 weeks off and traveling on weekends has not been enough to make up for working during the weeks. 

I've learned this summer that working in schools in the summer is not my thing. It's not the working part that I don't like-> I have always worked in the summer-> it is being in a school without students and many staff members and having to work long days with little people interaction all while mainly staring at a computer. I am a people person at work if there ever was one.

Due to this, I have felt in a funk for a big part of this summer. Aside from traveling, which makes me feel great, happy and limitless, the times at home have been an emotional roller coaster. I realized that I can't be totally happy in my life when I am unhappy in work. I am better at it than I used to be, because I transitioned from the mindset of "live to work" to "working so I can live," but I hate not loving my job. Some people can- they can deal with work while they are there and completely push it off their minds when not there and not have it not affect their out of work life. I can't.

Office work in the summer leaves me anxious and restless when I get home. Marathon training has been a blessing (even though I hate the heat), because it has kept me very active and busy when my friends are out of town. But with no classes and friends in and out of town (and having babies-> that is another post) since the beginning of July, I have had a lot of free time. Unfortunately, I am not one of those people who can be content sitting at home watching TV or doing random projects. I need alone time to recharge for sure, but I don't need evenings and days of it over and over again. I feel the summer is filled with these long, endless days.

This was not my first summer working in my current job, but last summer it was still new so it didn't affect me like it has this summer. I do feel better after this week because teachers and orientation activities start next week (and VCU started), so the end is near, but I need to figure out how I will work through this next summer. Even if I like my job during the year, I cannot hate it for 3 months out of the year. That is not a good balance for me personally. 

So I am going to take this year to examine and explore some options for next summer/year. I turn the big 3-0 in June and can feel some big changes on the horizon. We will see:) I also really relate to this post, which has helped me turn my feelings of "have to" to "get to." Lots of very truthful feelings and mindsets there! That blogger definitely put some of my thoughts into her own words.

And so while I have no answers, I leave you with this picture, because the night I took this I was feeling really deep and wrote the quote below:

I have yet to ever have a day at work that tops experiencing a sunrise or sunset, exploring a new city or land, tasting new food, immersing myself in a new culture, meeting people outside my normal path, or living, seeing, breathing and feeling how big and wide and wonderful our world is. I know I am one of the lucky ones who can do this, yet I cannot ever see enough to be satisfied. I want to spend my whole life discovering this great world. 

What a beauty she is.

Enough of my rambling- anyone else NOT love the summer? Any tips for me?!

Coffee > Everything

Summer weekends seem to fly by, don't they?

This weekend I was able to catch up on life from the week and do some things that I have been wanting to for a while! The first of this was Friday Cheers on Brown's Island in downtown Richmond. This is a live concert series offered in May and June every year- and I haven't been to since high school! I think in high school it was the "cool" thing to do when you could drive-> downtown music is so hip!

My friend Nathalia and I along the river.

We got there early so it wasn't crowded. I love the views!

Chillin' and watchin' music

Gorgeous sunset that night- it was hot, though!

I like looking at the city buildings in the background with the island and canal in the forefront.

I stayed out until about 9 PM and had to get home to get to sleep for my early morning. Saturday morning I had marathon training team at 7 AM (no sleeping in even on weekends!). I am on team Merlot (there are a lot of sub teams due to the size), and they take weekly pictures. Here is my pre-first run picture (before the humidity hit).

I love hats in the summer because sunglasses give me weird tan lines and don't block the sweat!

After the hot run, I laid out for a bit, napped, and drove up to Maryland with my dad for a surprise retirement party for a family friend. We were there about 3 hours before coming back.

Sunday morning, I had a ridiculously hot run, and rewarded myself with iced coffee in a brewery glass. Because coffee > everything (as someone on my instagram feed so eloquently put it).

I LOVE ICED COFFEE,

Then, I went to my summer job where I work the front desk about once a week at Willow Oaks County Club. I literally roll towels and read for 8 hours. It is not very exciting, but I do get a free meal and it is nice to have a little extra spending cash for the summer.

For some reason I was SO TIRED when I got off (a week of less than ideal sleep hits me hard), so I went home and laid on the couch for the rest of the night. I started Orange is the New Black season 3 on Friday, so I saw an episode of that, and caught the end of Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants-> such a good movie! I cried. I love the scenes in Santorini because I know exactly where they were filmed!

What did you do this weekend? Anyone watching OITNB? What do you think?

Not the Best

I'm gonna be honest, 29 was not my best birthday.

I came home on Tuesday night to this- a broken AC unit and my condo at 81 degrees.

The delights of home ownership

I called Michael & Sons, a local company, and talked to a very nice technician who told me they would be out at my house between 12 and 4 pm on Wednesday. I prepared to sleep in the heat!

This bedside set-up reminded me of my dorm in college that didn't have AC...I don't know how I survived!

Of course I tossed and turned all night, so I woke up on my birthday exhausted. I planned on a long run, but I was not feeling it for numerous reasons, so I did a short run and went to work. My coworker brought me fruit and sunflower seed butter and another brought me cupcakes! All food is good food:)

Happiness on my desk

We had our 8th grade "graduation" ceremony, so work was fun, but I left early when I got a call from the HVAC technician. It turns out that it was my capacitor, which was a cheaper fix (couple hundred versus couple thousand). However, my compressor overheated while the capacitor was being fixed, so my AC had to be kept off all afternoon and we didn't know 100% if it was fixed.

I am not gonna lie, those few hours were not great. My mind kept going to "what will I do if I have to get a new AC unit? How will I pay for it? WHY DO PEOPLE OWN THINGS? Home ownership is a waste! I'm gonna sell my place and rent forever-> at least you can plan financially even if it is more expensive each month! Ahhh but I love my condo- what if my rental place has crazy neighbors?!" 

I went on a walk to clear my head but I only made it worse because my mind kept wandering. It's amazing how repairs can really set you financially back, especially if they pile up back to back! It's hard to always have enough...

I turned my AC back on right before I went to my stats class. I *thought* it was working, but wouldn't know for sure until I got back later in the night. So I had a thrilling stats class (I really love math but the class is boring and the professor goes pretty slow because a lot of people haven't had the material before) and then met friends for Thai food!

I had a big birthday dinner last year, so I wanted something smaller this year where I could talk to everyone. I met with three friends at a place in Carytown. Look at the sign I saw on my way to the restaurant! Haha.

Throwback to the 90's, and I appreciate it.

After a delicious dinner, we went to sweet frog for some fro yo goodness. 

We don't mess with Sweet Frog!

We ended our evening around 9 PM-> out late on a work night! And when I got home my AC was officially working! So the day ended well, but I could have done without the first parts of it:) I went to bed before 10 PM because I did a group run Thursday morning at 5:45 AM.

I honestly do not put a lot of pressure on myself to have "amazing" birthdays, because it can leave you feeling disappointed. I distinctly remember on my 16th birthday, crying after my parents had gone to bed because it wasn't as amazing as I thought it was supposed to be. It wasn't bad by any means, but just not that INCREDIBLE day that everyone expects. From then on I have taken a much more low-key approach to birthdays, and I like that better. I am happy to be turning a year older and celebrating, but don't like the expectations of the day. So even though this year was not my best, that is ok. It can always be worse. And, hey, I feel like it can only go up from here!

Anyone else have a particularly good or bad birthday experience? I had a surprise party on my 15th which was awesome (thanks to my amazing friend, Sarah!) and totally unexpected and my 21st was very fun, too!

29 Awesome Things from my 29 Years

Hey! It's my birthday! Today I celebrate my last year as a 20-something. In honor of the beginning of the end (ha), here is what I am thankful for/proud of/liked the most/random facts from my 29 years (in no particular order). They have been pretty awesome.

1. I graduated with my B.A. and M.Ed. and started my Ph.D.! I think I love school:)
2. I lived in 9 different homes in 3 different cities (2 different states)
3. I bought my first car
4. I bought my first HOME!
5. I worked 10 different jobs (2 of which are career related)
6. I got 1 career promotion
7. I went to Europe FIVE times (France/Italy, UK, Italy again, Spain and Greece)
8. I explored parts of the U.S.A. and surrounding territories-> Puerto Rico, Bahamas, California, Nevada, Texas, Alabama, Florida, Ohio, Illinois, D.C., Pennsylvania, Massachusetts, New York, New Jersey, Delaware, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia, Tennessee, Kentucky, Vermont, New Hampshire, Michigan...
9. I attended 32 weddings (and was in 4 of them)!
10. I opened a Roth IRA and 457 (b)
11. I played soccer and swam for about 12 years each!
12. I ran 4 half marathons 
13. I ran 1 marathon
14. I overcame an eating disorder
15. I got 2 cats (only 1 lives with me!) 
16. I was vegan, vegetarian...and then stuck with being a "lazy vegetarian":) I promise I can make up my mind.
17. I went on a million dates (felt like it at least!)
18. I joined a sorority (Alpha Chi Omega)
19. I had a total of 43 housemates/roommates (not including family)
20. I made the all-girls and mixed show choirs in my high school
21. I was in a choir in college and an acapella group after college
22. I was in 2 plays
23. I had 2 solos
24. I learned the importance of a good book
25. I had my first celebrity crushes (Johnathan Taylor Thomas and Leonardo Dicaprio)
26. I had 4 hamsters (Chip, Whiskers, Squeaky and Jack-> yup, from Titanic)
27. I met a lot of awesome friends who make my life so amazing and teach me to be a better person (gonna get sappy here)
28. I learned to let go of friends who weren't good for me and stand up for myself
29. I chose to be happy:)

I am excited for 29!!!

What are some of your big life milestones/accomplishments? Anyone else with a June 10th birthday? We're pretty awesome:)

Time of Your Life

When graduation season approaches, especially since I work in a high school and currently am in graduate school, I always think back to my own graduations and life changes.

I remember always hearing people say that high school or college was the "time of your life." And I always worried that was the case; that those years from 14-22 were supposed to be the best and if they weren't, then life would be a long road downhill.

But I have to disagree.

I feel that since I finished my master's degree and got a full-time job, that these years have been the time of my life, and a time I will never get back. I live on my own, support myself, travel, run races, spend money and time on what I want, live by my own accord, and don't have anyone or thing to answer to but myself. These may be selfish times for sure- I am not married nor do I have any kids- but I am loving it.

I think back to all the uncertainty of high school and college for me- not knowing if I would be ok. Would I get a job? Would I like it? Where would I live? Would I be able to take care of myself? Would I get married? Did I want kids? Would I be happy?

Right now, at 28 (almost 29), I am living in a time of so much joy for myself and people around me- friends are getting new, exciting jobs and moving cool places, getting engaged and married, having babies and starting families, traveling the world, and going back to school and getting some bad a** degrees. It is not just me embarking on new paths- it is everyone. This is a special time of my life for sure, and I love to share in all this joy with people. 

I know this time won't last forever, but I have to wonder why people put so much pressure on young people to have the time of their life in high school or college. Sure, it is a fun time- you are spending time with friends (I do miss having friends around me all the time) with limited responsibilities, but I never felt it was entirely carefree. You do worry about things: loans, debt, jobs, classes, and how life will turn out, and you are still discovering what you want....I think that for most people now, college is not as carefree as it once was, and while that is fine, students and even adults still put a lot of pressure on those times to make them AMAZING. In reality, it is ok if they are not, and honestly, should they be? That is a long life of disappointment if your heyday was in the first 3rd of your life.

So I think it is important to make every moment in your life the "time of you life" or else what is the point in living? Sure there are ups and downs along the way, but I really think that this time is pretty great.

And to relay this view, I read Andie Mitchell's book "It Was Me All Along" (which you should read-> she also has a great blog), and found this quote particularly fitting to life and all the pressures we put on ourselves to be happy and perfect. That the ups and downs are what make us and are nothing to be ashamed of, but that owning them is what makes up who we are and life all the more sweeter.

Here's the truth I've come to know: fat or thin, it was me all along.

The thing is, it's easy to find the bad. I'm cynical at times. Pessimistic and realistic. I can, and do, look at situations in pros and cons. But what I've come to know as true, in the last twenty-eight years, is that I am everything I've ever been.

I will always know fat. And love who she is. And know that fat, in itself, is not a bad word. I'll own it and respect those twenty years. They were hard, but they were sweet, too. I grew up oin that body, in that time, in that big, beautiful mind.

I will always know thin. And love who she is. And know that even when she feels heavier mentally, she's freer now. She's effervescent. Small, but tough,

I will always know that the grass, though it seems emerald and glowing in that field on the other side, it isn’t. Flowers grow here; they grow over there. As weeds do, to. 

But both are wide and they’re open. And I can lie and cry in one and move and spin in the other. Just knowing this: they’re the same field. And they’re both mine.
________________________________________________________________

What do you think about the "time of your life?" 

Ketchup

Is my post title cleaver or stupid? I can't decide.

Guess what?! I am officially done with semester 2 of my PhD! Yay! About 4 more semesters (not including summer sessions) aka 2 years of classes to go before the fun of DISSERTATION begins. I can't wait. Seriously, let's.do.this.

This was actually an anti-climatic end as both classes had about the same amount of work due throughout the semester, so there was no BIG end project that I needed to get off my chest to feel relieved. I had a big paper due the second week of April that was the biggest relief of the semester, but otherwise everything was very manageable and spread out (with a lot of reading). The work load was very do-able this semester, and I enjoyed working with the master's level students for 6 weeks in teaching and supervising. I am excited for more teaching this summer and next fall!

That being said, I am excited for a 3 week break before summer classes start and celebrating in Chicago this weekend! I honestly won't know what to do with myself during the week without having to go to VCU at least twice a week after work. WHAT DO PEOPLE DO WITH FREE TIME?! I need a new Netflix show as I am almost done with Lost. And I may read. And run. And eat. So I guess not much is really changing...Maybe I will sleep more-> not that I don't get enough sleep anyways:) 

Can we also talk about how I just realized today while checking into my flight that on Frontier Airlines you have to pay for a CARRY ON?! WTF?! It is $30! Now, I know I am cheap but my goodness that is ridiculous. I am driving up to D.C. to take a cheaper flight and it will end up not being that much cheaper. I will never fly this airline again. This is killing my traveling frugal-ness! Arg. I think someone should pay this for me- mom?! dad?! random friends that have better jobs and aren't in school?! I think I may take the challenge and fit everything in a backpack (which is free to carry on). We'll see if I can do this.

And another random catch-up item, someone recently asked me about how my body changed while marathon training. I realized I never really commented on it on the blog-> probably because I didn't have too much too say nor any kind of eye-opening insight. I didn't weigh myself much at all during the 16 weeks of training, but I think I gained about 2-3 pounds of muscle. However, I lost inches all over (except my wonderful thighs), so I was told by people that I looked thinner. It is hard to find a balance between eating enough but not too much during training because you are hungry! My food bill definitely increased:) Since it's only been about 5 weeks since the race and I have still been running regularly, I haven't noticed much of a change in weight/body composition, but my hunger has decreased a little. I honestly don't weigh myself much and just go by how my clothes fit. So again, no life-changing information from my experience, but I know every one's body adapts differently to training. I am usually pretty healthy, but I didn't always stick to great habits during training and usually gorged myself the day before, during, or after my long run:) Gotta enjoy a little extra junk when it is "acceptable." Just can't go toooooo crazy all the time!

And look what I got to do at work today! Pick up dogs from Richmond Animal League for our Vet Science class! Not too shabby of an errand:)

They were so good!

Have a great weekend! I will be in Chi-town with a recap coming early next week!

Media Blows

I have been wanting to talk about this for a while, but when I try to sit down and write a post about it, my thoughts do not get put into words on print very well. Here is my attempt!

I am sick of basically everything about the media-> news, social, entertainment, ect. I have begun completely turning off the TV (I literally only watch Netflix now...don't get me started on commercials and certain reality shows) and am finding that when I go online and I am not reading blogs and instead come across news stories, I just get annoyed and question the state of our society. News made out of nothing, hateful comments, judgement, too much emphasis on who is dating who/how much weight they have gained or lost/who is a jerk in real life/who is pregnant...is overwhelming and saddening. Part of this is my fault,- I have let the media become too big a presence in my daily life- but part of it is also the state we are currently in. This happens on TV, in magazines, on the radio, facebook, instagram, twitter, ect...

I was at brunch this past weekend with some friends, and at the table next to us an entire family was on their phones, not talking to one another. The saddest part is I know this is not unusual. At my work students are getting in fights over social media- screen shots being sent of pictures or conversations, threatening messages...it is constant. More so this year than in year's past, probably because I am working with middle schoolers, but it is a constant issue even with high school students. The amount of drama created via apps, smartphones and the internet is exponential.

I also hate what I hear when I watch the news. I typically only have the news on in the morning while I am getting ready because I like my local weatherman, but so many of the stories are fluff and oftentimes the network is plugging it's own shows. There are "investigations" on issues that are unfounded and often little research is going into the stories. It is like news stations are so desperate for SOMETHING to fill their time (since they are on ALL THE TIME) that the quality is so low. I think it makes people think things are a bigger deal than they actually are, and it gives people power that they did not have before, because their complaints or concerns can now get warrant.

Don't get me started on entertainment. I have loved People Magazine my whole life, but when this was an article on their website yesterday, I just about felt the need to write a complaint to the editor.

REALLY?! THIS is what you call an "incredible body transformation...?!." First, it looks like someone went from in-shape to SUPER in-shape...and why are we using Reddit as a basis for a People website story?! It is my own fault that I go to these websites when I am killing time, but I can't help but feel that they are just getting so much worse than they used to be. Made up stories on things that mean NOTHING are what fill their pages and websites. I love TV and movie scoop, especially recaps and reviews of shows, and even sports stories, but I think the rest of the entertainment industry is going garbage.

Because of all this, I find myself judging people I have never met and having opinions on situations that I do not know the whole story on. Since when does that give me a right to have an arguable opinion? What ever happened to getting facts straight, researching or LIVING an experience to make up what we think about it? The Bruce Jenner story for one thing. Until I saw the interview I very well may have silently judged what was going on based on the media reports. That is not cool and should not be something I do about people/events I otherwise would know nothing about.

Staying away from the media is hard and oftentimes I do not know a lot of the hard news occurring because I stay away from it so much (my knowledge of the Baltimore riots this week has been limited because I don't watch or read much news), but I just can't immerse myself in this culture anymore. So much of our lives are now based off of the fakeness that is the internet, and I just want to do back living in my bubble and only having opinions or making decisions on things that I am in the presence of. Or when I do have opinions, learning the whole story before I make up my mind. I guess that is what TRUE living is, right?!

It is hard to totally distance yourself from it all, and there are so many things about media that I DO like: staying connected to people, following celebrities (yes, my vice), recipes, pictures, ect...but there is such a fine line between not letting it impact your own life and judgments. My new goal is to really take this to heart and try not to judge or expose myself to this crap as much. I also want to call out people more who are doing it. I am tired of being polite and standing idly by while others judge.

There is so much more to life that all this crap. The media blows.

How do you feel about the media? What do you do to stay away and be nonjudgemental?

Not Much to Say

I honestly have nothing much to report this week!

I am in the taper, so running is happening but a lot less...

VCU is on spring break, so I haven't had class...

Work has been busy (I guess that's what happens when you finally have a full week after 3 weeks of snow days?), so I have been busy busy during the day...

The weather has warmed up, so spending time outside has been great...

I have seen friends & even volunteered during the evenings...

I am also re-watching LOST on Netflix...SO GOOD. I just can't get into any new shows lately...

...soooo life is pretty good! I haven't even taken new photos on my phone! I guess I have been living in the moment a lot:) It's kinda nice...I think I'll try it more often!

Have a great weekend!

Currently...

I saw this on Running with Spoons and had to do my own version!

Current-

Book: None:( I have not read much since the new year due to school and just not being in the mood! Do textbooks and research articles count as books?!

Music: “Hero” by Family of the Year

Guilty Pleasure: Ummmm, donuts probably! I have eaten them a lot during this training cycle!

Nail color: None- it’s been so dry I have been letting my nails be free to “breathe" and try to put lotion on them all the time.

Drink: COFFEE! I have found a new all-natural creamer that I love. Milk, cream and sugar. BOOM.

Food: Baked sweet potato chips. I have them every day for lunch and food-prep them every Sunday. I could literally eat all the ones I bake on Sunday in one sitting. I LOVE THEM.

Obsession: My fit bit...I love knowing my steps and how it syncs up to lots of different apps:) It's been fun!

Wish: That school was cheaper and I had more money to travel…

Need: Warmer weather!

Triumph: Training for a marathon! Is it March 22^nd yet?!

Bane of my existence: Training for a marathon…haha:)...and my car...lots of little issues coming up. Womp womp:(

Indulgence: Dark chocolate…every day!

Procrastination: I need to touch up some walls in my condo but I never get motivated to do it…if anyone wants to come over and help, let me know! I will provide the paint:)

Blessing: Health of myself, friends and family. I am very lucky.

Excitement: I am seeing lots of out of town friends the next two weekends, so I am excited to see everyone and to start traveling a little bit more this month!

I get to see these girls next month!

Mood: Optimistic :)

Link: http://markmanson.net/fuck-yes#sqyrbY:j6A. Such a good thing to keep in mind while dating or in a relationship!

What are your currents?