Y'all laugh at me when I say this but...

GO COCKS!!!!!!!!! :)

South Carolina 34

Clemson 17

This is a huge rivalry game for us, and we always seem to come up on the losing side each year. But not this year!!! Talk about domination! What a great day. Even though I did not get tickets for the game this year, we tailgated in the parking lot. Our neighbors were super awesome, sharing their high def TV, food, chairs, etc. We had so much fun. And that stadium was rocking! We couldn't believe the noise! Way to go Gamecock Nation!

Go Cocks!

I ran 5 miles and all I got was this t-shirt!

I kid! Well not really.

This is how my Thanksgiving Day went down:

My friend L picked me up at 8 AM and we headed downtown to the race location. We picked up our race chips, stood in line for the porties, and it was SO chilly! Fortunately L brought some hand warmers and they really did help a lot. My brother met us down there (bless his heart) and took our picture for us.

I joked to L about how she didn't have to worry about staying with me, as I'm pretty slow. Well as soon as we started girlfriend was GONE! She's really in shape, and I hope I can run with her next year!

The race route took us on a loop around downtown Columbia, and then we headed off to the Blossom St. bridge. I was slow, but had a steady pace. We soon made our way back over to the Gervais St. Bridge. At this point, I was starting to get pretty tired. I kept looking behind me thinking "well at least the 4K walk started behind us, so if I have to stop and walk I'll at least blend in with the walkers." Except...it was a 4K walk! Which mean they turned off eventually and finished before us. Which meant, the next time I looked back it was just me and the rest of the back of the packers.

We started up Gervais Street, and this is when it hit me. Holy Mother of All Hills. This street is not steep, but it is a constant incline for about a 1/2 mile. This about broke me, and I had to stop and walk. I tried to do 30 seconds of walking, and 2 minutes of jogging. I wasn't alone, several others had to do the same. When I got to the top of the hill, I almost vomited. Seriously. And I almost cried, because I was sliding closer and closer to the back. At that point, I was DONE. I didn't think I could make it the rest of the way. We still had at least a mile left, but somehow I pushed on. There was one more hill to go up, but at least this one was short. When I crossed the finish line I had tears in my eyes, because I was so frustrated and I felt so unprepared. If it had not been for that long incline, I truly believe I would have done better. I finished in 1:01:36. BUT AT LEAST I FINISHED! Thank the Lord.

I am definitely going to do this again next year, and I can't wait to improve my time!

Here I am about mile 2. At this point, I had no clue the Demon Climb was coming up. I might have run home had I known! haha




















But no worries, the rest of the day was fab! I showered and put on my Turkey Trot t-shirt:

This was cooking during the race and was ready to go:

Crock Pot Mac and Cheese -mm mmmmm good!

My mom made a killer meal:




























Do you see the lasagna in the background?? ?That's for my brother who doesn't like turkey. Spoiled much? He's 33!!!

My dad with his orange cat that he named Volley. Nope, not for volleyball - for the TN Vols. I get my love of kitties honest, no?

Thanksgiving was kick ass y'all! Hope yours was special as well! xoxo

The Perfect Song

If I should ever get married, this song below WILL be played somewhere during the ceremony.

I already know who I will ask to play the piano - a former co-worker and friend, who is the one who sent this to me originally. And if I can ever find my old college roommate (Are you there Margaret? It's me, one of your bridesmaids?) I'll have her play the cello portion. She was so talented.

But regardless, if you have never heard this version of Taylor Swift's Love Story, please take a moment. It's worth your time, I promise. If you listen to the end, the man who arranged this version explains why he put it together. So sweet.

I cannot stop listening!

Here we go

The holiday madness is upon us. This year, I'm doing something different. I'm running away the holiday stress. I know that finding time to run is going to get more and more challenging the closer we get to Christmas, with holiday parties, work functions, etc. to go to. But I know I will find the time. Why? Because it dawned on me the other day as I was running through my parent's neighborhood that I was having FUN. Yes, it's hard and my legs want to give out sometimes. But the rush that goes through me is amazing. I found myself smiling mid-run. It was so unexpected. And I waved at a few cars. Who does that?

To keep myself on track, I've committed to several upcoming races.

First up: A Turkey Day Trot 8K. By the time many of you will be rolling out of bed on Thanksgiving Day, I will have already run and completed a 5 mile run! Thanksgiving Dinner will never have tasted so good.

Dec. 5th: Charleston Reindeer Run 5K- I'm not 100% sure that I am going to do this one. I'd like to get someone to ride down with me. I have a friend in Charleston that has already signed up for it, so at least I'd have a start/finish line partner. I would LOVE to run this though, as it's through the streets of Charleston. Heaven.

Dec. 26th: Cold Winter's Day 5K in Columbia - I'm pretty happy about this one because M should be back and running this one with me! She has had a pretty rough month or two. Knee problems and Swine Flu has pretty much set her back to square one. She's hoping to be ready to run this with me.

Again, if I can find someone to go with me, I'd like to run the Charleston Bridge Run next April. TBD.

The scary one: My friend E who lives in Atlanta asked me if I'd like to run the Atlanta Peach Tree 10 K with her next summer. Holy Moly that one scares me because of the HEAT! Atlanta in July? Even worse than Columbia. But...I have now committed to it, and she has started training for it as well. She hasn't run in years, but she's got plenty of time if she starts now. And me too.

So there you go. Looks like I'm in this for the long haul! Wish me luck for Thursday! The most I've run is 4 miles, and this race is just under 5. Also, I'm hoping the rain holds out. They are calling for it. I will be so crushed if it does, because I have never run in the rain before. And really do not want to start.

Have a great Turkey Week everyone! I'm going to do an updated post tomorrow hopefully about my Sephora purchases - what worked and what really didn't.

It's a Sephora Delivery Day!

My Sephora package arrived today! Here is what ordered:

Sephora Large Round Brush - I have been looking around for a good brush, and this one had great reviews. So I thought I'd try it. I was very pleased with the results!

This is my hair just after blow drying. My hair is super fine and extremely prone to frizz. This brush made my hair feel super soft and frizz free. I just did this a little while ago, but if this were morning before work, I'd run a flat iron through it just a tad to smooth it out further.



















The rest of these products I have not tried yet. So we shall see...

Dior Iconic Mascara - Have heard great things about it, so I'm crossing my fingers. I also heard that YSL has a new mascara out that is amazing. That may be my next purchase after this, and my last attempt before breaking down and getting Latisse. I have the THINNEST lightest eyelashes and am obsessed with finding the best. I tried Anastasia last time. It was ok for about 2 weeks, but then it started drying out which I did not like. (And yes, I have tried every drug store mascara on the shelf.)













Sephora Sunless Tanner - We'll let ya know how this works also. I'm obsessed with self tanners; I'm so pale it's ridic.

My Beauty Insider samples - Philosophy goodies! Can't wait to try them out.

Cargo Eye Shadow - Don't you just love how they show you where to put each color? It has an insert that shows you where to apply them as well, as obviously that will fade off in time.

There were a few other perfume samples as well.

Have y'all seen Ellen's new Cover Girl commercial?? LOVE IT. She's hilarious.

Last but not least, my fitness goal for each week throughout the holidays is to get in 12 miles a week, whether I walk or run them. Easily doable! Although I've only done 4 so far this week. Better get with it!

Happy HUMP Day!

Did someone call for Tim the Tool Man?

I had the day off today, so I decided to go for my first outdoor run since Daylight Savings Time kicked in. By the time I get off work, it's too dark to run outside, so I have been kicking it on the treadmills at the gym.

Since it was warm outside today, I decided to strap on my handy dandy fuel belt that I bought several months ago. I never used it, since up til recently I was only running about 2 miles outside. Today my goal was at least 3 miles, and it was HOT. And plus, I wanted to get used to wearing the belt, because eventually I'd be increasing my mileage and knew I'd need it come spring/summer.

The belt wasn't so bad at first. I really liked that you can adjust it as much or as little as you want, and I could pull it down so it was low on my hips. It holds my keys, Ipod, pedometer/stop watch, water bottle, and Blackberry. Not a bad deal, despite the fact that I felt like Tim the Tool Man.

However, I must admit, the further I ran the more the belt kept slipping. I had to keep pulling it down in the back every few minutes. That got annoying quickly. So I guess I am going to have to either just get used to adjusting every so often, or keep playing with it and hope I can get it to stay put. Any suggestions? I know several people on Twitter said they just use hand held water bottles. I guess I am just going to have to experiment, and figure out which method works best.

Also, did I mention it was HOT today?? The sun was beating down on me and it was killing me from the get-go. When I finished my run, I yanked so hard on the white top of the bottle, it came flying all the way off. I lost it on the bridge. Wah, wah. At least I have another one, and I can still use that one. I just have to screw the whole lid off.

Another debbie downer: treadmill running has weakened me. Outdoor running is so much more difficult (for me at least)! I couldn't even make it 3 miles without taking about 2-3 walk breaks. My heart rate was high, and I was sweating profusely. My tunes were sucking as well. I felt like a loser.

So this has got me concerned about running that 8K on Turkey Day. I signed up for it this weekend thinking I should be able to do it no problem. However, if today is any sign of what is to come, I'm in trouble.

My plan for this week: Continue to treadmill run but run at a 1% incline to prepare for outside running.

*Insert Tim the Tool Man grunt here*

The 46 stages of Twitter

Thanks to MWM for passing this lil jewel on. If I had to make a choice between Twitter and Facebook, I'd choose Twitter in a skinny minute. That's how obsessed I am.

Enjoy...the 46 stages of Twitter:

1. Hear the word Twitter. Scoff.

2. Hear it again from someone else. Scoff again.

3. Hear about famous celebrity who is apparently "On Twitter." Scoff, but make mental note to check it out.

4. Log into Facebook to comfort self.

5. Sign up for Twitter.

6. Give up because it seems dumb.

7. Loudly criticize others on Twitter.

8. Follow @johncmayer, @aplusk, @rainnwilson, @wilw, @mrskutcher, @oprah, and one other person you actually know.

9. Post tweet that is a variant of: "Trying out this Twitter thing."

10. Attempt to dig a little deeper into Twitter.

11. Notice rampant usage of words: "Tweet," "Twitter," "Twitterverse," "Tweetie," "Tweetdeck," and something called "RT."

12. Scoff again, this time in confusion.

13. Tell friends you "tried that Twitter thing, but didn't get it and it's stupid anyway."

14. Log into Facebook because that site at least makes sense.

15. Read story about Twitter somewhere.

16. Log back into Twitter.

17. Try to avoid saying Tweet, Twitter, Twitterverse, Tweetie, Tweetdeck, and ReTweet.

18. Respond to @rainnwilson.

19. Curse self for fanning out.

20. Log off for 4 months.

21. Come back, just to see.

22. Post something relatively funny.

23. Get RT'd.

24. Discover that RT means ReTweet.

25. Make it your life mission to get RT'd.

26. Install Twitter app on your phone.

27. No longer ashamed to say "I've gotta Twitter that."

28. Attend events with the sole intention of "Tweeting" them.

29. Pray to get RT'd.

30. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

31. Close computer.

32. Open computer. Refresh. Refresh. Refresh.

33. Think in 140 character sentences.

34. Compulsively check phone all day every day.

35. Tweet that you compulsively check phone all day every day.

36. Alienate actual people in your life in an attempt to impress ones you don't know.

37. Lose weight because you forget to eat.

38. Place phone by bed so you can check first thing in the morning.

39. Defend Twitter to the death from detractors.

40. Hear self, and vaguely recognize that you have become "That Guy."

41. Feel like, and start to behave like River Tam.

42. Vow to quit Twitter to preserve sanity.

43. Read this and change mind.

44. Think to self, "I should twitter that."

45. Recognize irony.

46. Twitter it.

Sad but true.

There is no easy way to say this...

I need a tan.

So bad I need to wear sunglasses when I look at my legs.

Now that I have inserted that disclaimer...check out my cute boots I picked up today at Target. I know, it's hard to see without being blinded...

(this is the hat I bought on the Santa Monica Pier this summer-I love hats!)

Photo Session

I'm not a professional by any means, but I took some photos of my friend's baby a few weeks ago. They live out in the country, and I mean COUNTRY. But this made for a really pretty backdrop. It was overcast that day, but we still managed to get some great shots. Here are just a few.

Baby Uggs!

And you had to know this was coming right?? I just couldn't help myself.

This city girl needs a country boy! :)

Track your blog visitors!

Some of you asked me about how to track your blog statistics on my post about what brings people to my blog.

Go http://www.statcounter.com/ and enter in your blog name. It will walk you through it. And then log in as often as you like to check your stats. It's pretty comical at times! But also fun to see how much/little traffic you get from day to day. It tells you which posts were most popular (aka the most hits) It even breaks up your blog hits into first time visitors, repeat visitors, etc.

Post coming later today about some things I've learned from running. I had a lot of advice from runner blog friends (like Danica, can't thank her enough, that girl was a huge help. She rocks.) but a lot of things I learned a long the way were on my own and I want to share! Some funny, some not so funny, but all my jumbled, crazy thoughts about this entire experience.

Trip to TN

I spent a lot of my childhood in the East TN mountains, as my entire family is from there. My dad got transferred to SC right before I was born. Growing up we would go many times a year to visit my grandparents in Johnson City. I still relish traveling through that area any chance I get! This past weekend my brother and I (along with several other thousand loyal Gamecock fans) took the trip to Knoxville. We had to take a detour to get there, as there was a huge rockslide on one section of I-40. We didn't mind...look at the view we had (despite the cloudy, rainy day).

Here I am about to chow down on some delicious pizza at the Tomato Head in downtown Knoxville! You can't see it in this photo, but I did have my garnet hoops and necklace on - not to mention my garnet scarf! However, it all got covered later by my lGamecock poncho :(




















View from our seats:

Although my Gamecocks suffered a really terrible loss by UT, it's hard for me to hate the Vols. My dad, an alum, has had these seats since the late 1960's. There are still even a few folks around us that always ask us "How's your mom and dad??" Everyone is so nice. Beside us to our right, there has always been an older couple that has gone to every home game since even before my dad started going. He remembers my dad taking my mom to football games when they first started dating. How neat is that? He wasn't there this time and the gentleman 2 rows behind us told us he passed away 2 weeks ago. So sad :( But the amazing thing is this loyal fan was a marathon runner! Even in his 90's! Incredible. Such history in that section. My dad used to go to every home game, but the past year or so he hasn't gone and they've sold most of them. He's hoping to go to one this year, but time is running out. My dad's love for the Vols is pretty strong! It makes me sad to think about giving up those seats. As much as I love my Gameocks, gotta give it to the Vols fans. They are pretty nice people...

(just don't get me started on their new Coach...even my dad can't stand him!)