Then Heather Said...

One way to cure fat talk

2010-04-14T11:23:00.001-04:00

Sent to you by Heather via Google Reader:

One way to cure fat talk

via Low-Fat Kat by Kat on 4/13/10

I've got a couple of events coming up that I need to look cute for, and even though I have a closetful of clothes, I'm plagued with the classic "nothing to wear" syndrome. I got 3 dresses on Friday night (all on clearance – I refuse to pay full price for anything!) and promptly modeled them for Jenny (thanks for the feedback, babe!!).

I'm planning on wearing this one this weekend to a friend's wedding; it's not my favorite, but it fit well and actually cinches my waist a bit. I'll show off the others later.

I was just looking through the photos when the fat talk started…

"you can't even tell I have a waist"

"I look so square and squatty"

"my arms are ginormous; I'll have to keep my cardigan on all night"

"chipmunk cheeks"

I was feeling so depressed looking at these pictures because, save for the hundred gallons of beer I drank on Saturday, I've been doing really well lately with my eating and exercise. It was then that I decided to whip out an external hard drive and look at photos from a wedding I attended last July.

That totally nipped the fat talk in the bud.

Then the depressing "how did I let myself go so far?" thoughts set in, the ones that do me no good because I can't change the past. I remember feeling like I looked good at that wedding. At least in comparing these pictures, I know I'm doing good for myself now and that by continuing to make better choices, it'll only get better from here.

How do you snap yourself out of negative self-talk?

Things you can do from here:

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Update

2010-01-07T22:30:00.001-05:00

Reminder: update your google reader!! THS has moved (and there's good stuff going on over there!!).
The new site:
http://thenheathersaid.com

Come by and say Hello :)
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Update your reader!

2009-12-28T17:22:00.001-05:00

Have you updated your reader yet? http://thenheathersaid.com/feed

Update Your Reader!

2009-12-25T21:44:00.001-05:00

Then Heather Said has moved - please update your readers and come visit me at http://thenheathersaid.com

Holidays on Ice

2009-12-24T18:04:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas Eve, my friends.

Just wanted to stop in quickly to say hello, and tell you that all those posts I promised are well on there way.

A quick synopsis of my lovely day:

I went on a good 35 minute interval workout in the parents (and kels') neighborhood today (only got slightly lost) - followed by an hour of balance work, gift wrapping, and a delicious sushi lunch with the siblings. (well, sister and I had sushi- my brother voted for a pepperoni pizza lunchable.) Followed up by a little rock band and now watching "Holidays on Ice" on the Hallmark channel- hosted by REO Speedwagon. Doesn't get much better than that. With a glass of wine and a fire in the fireplace, it really is beginning to look a lot like Christmas. Especially if you factor in that we are getting A LOT of snow at the moment. Apparently I brought it with me from New York. (and to think I was hoping for 75 degrees and sunny all weekend!)

We are just about to sit down to a very yummy turkey dinner with all the fixings (and my 2nd glass of red, of course!) and although my "christmas eve to do list" is getting fuller by the minute- you can rest assured that spending time updating THS is high on the priority list :)

So, in order to not be a complete tease-blogger, I will give you a little "something" to hold you over- a sneak peek of a little bit of what is to come:

I know you are just sitting on the edge of your seat, right? Don't fret my friends- as the Govenator would say, "I'll be back!" ;)

(perhaps wine has already started the tipsy blogging? Drogging to come? aren't you lucky!!)

What are you up to this wonderful Christmas eve??

4:23 AM

2009-12-23T04:46:00.001-05:00

Dear Albany International Airport Starbucks,

Please tell me that you open at 4:30 AM. I need a container of 'perfect oatmeal' and an awake tea latte. Stat. And if you do open at 5 AM, please excuse my haziness while I approach.

xoxo-
Faithful Patron

Dear Blackberry,

Thank you for getting your act together this morning on our drive to the airport. I was REALLY starting to freak out about your lack of internet connection last night and this morning. I can't imagine a day of 8 hours of travel without twitter. I'm guessing you just needed a nap or something. I hope you are well rested, because I have a feeling you may be composing some blogs throughout the day- isn't that exciting?

xoxo - H

Dear Division Manager at my office,

Thanks for teaching me about the park and fly hidden past Airport Rd. I am looking forward to my car being snow-free and heated for me when I arrive at Midnight-Thirty Monday morning. Best. Idea. Ever.

Best,
Your favorite office cookie all star

Dear alleged sleep "issue"-

I'm getting really sick of all the waking up in the middle of (and beginning of and end of) the night.
Contrary to your supposed belief, when I went to bed at 7:00 last night, I was hoping to sleep until 2:40 AM. Was waking up at 7:30, 7:47, 8:19, 10:47, 12:03, and finally, 1:12 really necessary? You may have thought you won as I did get out of bed at 1:17 to start my day over an hour earlier than the already ridiculously early scheduled time- but don't get too excited. I will conquer you and all the falseness that you think you are soon.

Be afraid. Be v. afraid,
Heather

Dear man that just asked the barista when they open,

Thank you. I now have 17 minutes until heaven.

And you look nice in a sweater.

I'm just saying,
Girl smiling at you in corner

Dear ubertwitter,

Thank you for the function "everyone near you.". My goal is now find someone else in airport tweeting before 5:00 AM.

Forever fan,
@thenheathersaid

Dear family -
I get to see you super soon! HOORAY!!!
xoxoxoxoxox- heath

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

2009-12-23T02:33:00.001-05:00

Even better- my celebrity woman crush, Mary Louise Parker on Chelsea Lately. Hip Hip Hooray!!!

2009-12-23T02:20:00.001-05:00

Admission: waking up before 2AM is made a lot better when Keeping Up with the Kardashians is on. (Guilty as charged)

2009-12-23T01:53:00.001-05:00

Without bb internet you can look forward to a billion posts by text today. Aren't you lucky. (I miss twitter)

2009-12-23T01:29:00.001-05:00

My blackberry internet has been down since 5:30 PM tuesday. This should make for a v. interesting day of travel.

Top Ten Tuesday: What's Next

2009-12-22T16:12:00.002-05:00

This is a short post.
Today I was writing a long post.
It just kept getting longer and longer.
It continued on for many paragraphs and pages.
I just could not tie it all together and finish the post.
So I decided I would finish it tomorrow, from Denton, Texas.
Saved it as a draft, took a step back, and remembered that it’s Tuesday.

Top Ten Tuesday

Tomorrow morning I will wake up at 3:30 AM and prepare myself for a trip to Albany International Airport, followed by a flight to O’Hare, a two hour layover filled with an Operation Beautiful spree, and a flight to Dallas. I will be reunited with my family- Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, and an added bonus- Grandma and Grandpa! And I will be reunited with the use of a personal computer.

Now-a-days, I do most of my blogging either by blackberry or during my break at work, and I am really looking forward to spending some not rushed time in front of a home computer sharing opinions, recaps, and adventures with you all. [and photos – I have a lot of fun photos to share with you all!]

So, because it is Tuesday, I would like to share-

Top Ten Previews:
A list of upcoming posts on Then Heather Said

1. Race to Relationship – a metaphorical look at the next step for the recently un-engaged girl who may or may not have a new crush.
2. Race Recaps from Boston and Vermont – My two November race recaps complete with photos and results.
3. Bloggie Secret Santa Exchange Experience – The joys of giving and receiving, along with the experience of co-hosting along with the fabulous Danielle.
4. Operation Healthy Living Blog Definition – What classifies as “healthy living” and where do I see THS fitting in?
5. Sparktastic – details on my own experience with sparkpeople and a review and giveaway of The Spark book being released December 29th
6. Belief: Part 3 – Especially for all of you that keep emailing me about Parts 1 & 2 :)
7. Extreme Cookie Challenge – A few of my favorite recipes from the 25 days of Cookie Baking.
8. Snap 2009 – The rollercoaster of a year in a photo review.
9. The Declaration of Independence – What I’m declaring for myself for my 2010 resolutions.
10. What’s New in 2010 – The vision I have for THS and the excited changes coming in January.

I want to know: What's on your top ten list today? Share your top ten favorite songs of the moment, oatmeal toppings, movies of all times, blogs to read, characteristics about yourself (YOU ARE AWESOME, afterall), ways to spread holiday cheer, etc.
Can't think of ten- give me a list of 3! Go ahead- share your list ;)

Belief: Part 2

2009-12-21T13:20:00.003-05:00

There was a time in my life, after I started a relationship with Christ, that I didn’t want to be called a Christian. Because the connotation is so often misguided. And as a matter of fact, the term “relationship with Christ” kind of makes me cringle a little bit. I believe in Jesus. And I do believe that I have a “relationship” with Jesus in the fact that I do spend time seeking His ways, His words, and His truth. But I didn’t want to be called Christian because what I thought it meant. To others, and possibly even to myself.

I think sometimes people use Christian as an adjective that is synonymous with ignorant.
And floozy.
And the kind of person that believes in make believe.
And judgmental.
And hypocritical.
And sitting on a high horse thinking they are better than everyone else.

But it’s so far from the truth.
I try to “follow” Christ’s example. Not in a WWJD kind of way, over popularized and taken for granted in- but in a “Jesus loves the people” kind of way. Less like the movie Saved, and more like the musical Godspell.

Jesus hung out with what the Bible refers to as, “The Least of These”. Meaning the people everyone else in society looks down upon. The people that are judged. The people that no one else would treat as though they have any value. He found value in them, because the truth is, EVERYONE has something valuable to offer.

As Aaron Rose once said, “in the right light, at the right time, everything is extraordinary.” And I think this especially goes for people. All people- rich man, poor man, blogger friend you never agree with, CEO, stripper, barista who never gets your order right, Arabian, middle school student, Amish mother of seventeen, grocery clerk, elderly woman going 25 mph in a 55, homeless man with a card-board sign, strict Jewish grandfather, police man, Queen of England, card carrying member of the NRA, pop star with 5 singles on the top 100, environmental activist, former political figures caught in scandals, bully, new neighbors who play weird music late at night, your favorite teacher of all times, man, woman, child; all people. People who are role models and people who we criticize every day. Jesus cared for all people. But especially the people no one else cared for; and I think this is what makes the gospels so relatable- haven’t we all felt, at one point or another, that no one cares for us? Even though we know our families, friends, significant others love us very much- aren’t there times when you feel completely alone and misunderstood and a bit like an outcast?

Jesus fed the hungry. No questions asked. He didn’t inquire about what they were doing to get food on their tables. He didn’t make them fill out a form to prove they were actively searching for employment. He didn’t care if he was being taken advantage of, or he was being “used” for food. He fed the hungry. He didn’t allot them a certain amount of vouchers in exchange for a certain amount of food- he fed until they were satisfied. He didn’t complain about people’s laziness, or not trying hard enough to get a job, or say it was pathetic to beg, or ask for help. If they were hungry, He fed them. He brought satisfaction.

(and He turned water into wine- which is my kind of man. I’m just saying.)

Jesus was also very smart. He wasn’t a floozy. He knew Jewish law just as well as anyone in the church. He understood things that we often don’t understand in today’s society. I once heard a lecture on the sarcasm of Christ. Apparently, a lot of what Jesus says in the Gospels, is actually a way of Jesus making fun of Caesar and religion and people who go around acting like they know it all- we just don’t see it because we aren’t educated on the time; the culture and society of the Biblical days.

I didn’t want to be called a Christian because I didn’t want people to think I was things OTHER than what Christ was. Because I think Christ was pretty awesome. And as cliché as it is, I want to be like Jesus.

I didn’t want to be called a Christian because some people take being called a Christian today as being closed-minded, ultra-conservative, pro-life, homophobic, and think you deserve the world to be handed to you and that everyone else is wrong.

But, the truth is, I am a Christian. And I hope and pray that I am none of the above mentioned traits. But I don’t think that I am more “right” or “better” for being a pro-equal rights activist, liberal woman who would stand up for anyone who was treated unfairly. I don’t think I’m better, or even right, for being pro-choice. I don’t think I’m a better person for, if having the opportunity, voting no on prop 8. And I don’t think I’m better for knowing Christ, following Christ, or LOVING Christ. I don’t think I’m better for any of it.

This is not meant to be preachy. This is not meant to say, “Believe in Jesus!” This is not meant to criticize any political stances or beliefs of anyone else. This is not meant to tell you that you are wrong and I am right- because I honestly don’t believe that. The reasons I believe in Christ have nothing to do with my own righteousness. I don’t want to be a Christian to be “right” all the time. And I don’t want to be a Christian to obey the rules. I want to be a Christian to help people, to fed people, to encourage and support people the way Christ did, and the way He still does- through His recorded words in the Bible, and the community of believers spreading his love each and every day.

I don’t like to be called religious. Because of the connotations. And, truthfully, I am more “religious” about Wisconsin Football than about anything having to do with a church.

I have faith in a lot of things. I have faith in positive thinking, and the building of community. I have faith in people in helping people and the power of prayer. I have faith in going after dreams and following your heart, and even though I don’t always want to believe it, I have faith in true love. I think it must all stem from being an optimist. But all the things I have faith in, are founded in my understanding Christ, and spending time trying to know and be more like Christ over the past six years.

I know how to have faith in myself, because of Jesus.
I know how to have faith in others, because of Jesus.
I know how to have faith in change, and time, and love, and words, and truth, and community, and love- all because of Jesus.

Through my own experiences with Christ in my life; the seeing him in other’s lives and finding it attracting, and the seeking for truth in His words and image and understanding, and the pleading that God is real, that His love is Real, and that Christ’s sacrifice is real- I was seeking Faith. Overtime, I learned how to rely on faith. There came a time when instead of saying “I don’t know if God is real- we will never know.” I began to say, “I don’t know if God is real- but I CHOOSE to believe he is.”

In the beginning, during the searching and seeking and wondering, it was almost as if I had to be secure enough in my self to not care if I was wrong about God, and Christ, and the whole belief thing. I had to trust that my love for Jesus was strong enough that I didn’t care what anyone else said about me for loving Him. And I finally feel I am resting in this truth. I don’t care what unbelievers say about my beliefs, my thoughts, my understanding of Christ. And I (perhaps, finally) don’t care what believers say about my beliefs, my thoughts, and my understanding of Christ. For so long I struggled with trying to understand my place in Jesus, instead of relying on Jesus’s place in me. I finally feel like I can grasp who I am, and where I am on the “path that God has for me” because I know that it’s not something that can be answered in a three paragraph essay. It’s ever-changing, and ever evolving.

The most important thing for me in faith, is to continue to question.
QUESTIONING IS SO IMPORTANT IN FAITH.

I question God daily- and not just, “oh, God! Why did this happen!?” but more like, “when will I understand, You?” and “If you are a Merciful, Loving God, then why do bad things happen to innocent children?” and “Who is right? And who is wrong?” and “how can I do more for those who have less?” and “what’s next?”

I question myself, daily. Am I strong enough to keep going? To keep living here, in a town where I don’t really know anyone but whom I work with. To keep moving forward and not sit in the sadness or depression that so often seems so determined to creep into my life. Can I continue to run, or will I give up? Why am I running? Is for the wrong reasons? Does it even matter? What’s the difference between right and wrong- isn’t it all perspective? Isn’t it all subjective?

I question love, daily. Is it real? Is it something we’ve fabricated over time? Is it something we’ve diluted, and left watered down throughout our societies rein on the word or inflated so much that it’s completely different then what it should be? Will I feel romantic love again? Was I feeling romantic love before? Can love be wrong? Am I deserving of love, and if so, why? Are we all deserving of love? Should love be questioned? Can love be naive? And Should love be naïve?

But the FAITH is the choice I have. To know that no matter what the answers are, there is existence. And power. And substance. And that eventhough I may NEVER understand, the fact that I keep asking, and yet still believe- that’s the core of my Faith, the strengthening of it. Stronger faith in God, stronger faith in goodness, stronger faith in others, and stronger faith in myself. It is worth it to choose faith, even when I would rather be cynical and angry and dark and twisty. It is worth it make the choice, every day, or hour, or minute if I have to- because faith leads to hope; and hope is what powers, what changes, the world.

[to be continued…..]

Do you believe that Faith is a choice or something you either have or don’t have? Do you agree that questioning strengthens faith? What do you choose to believe in?

fireworks and fanfare.

2009-12-18T12:29:00.005-05:00

Lately, I've been REALLY WORDY.
I know this shocks you if you've been reading for a while.

But seriously, my past few weeks of posts have spotlighted some long, drawn out opinions, stories, emotions, and details that go on and on and on.

Today at lunch, I logged into google analytics, as I usually do on my break, and noticed a large spike in new visitors. (HELLO there, new visitors!) Interesting....

Of course I went on the search to find where they were all coming from and thanks to the "traffic sources report" on Google analytics, I learned that all these first time visiting friends were being sent my way via Kath, who shared the package I recently sent her. [Thanks Kath ;) ]

The same thing happened when Caitlin mentioned my writing on twitter.

Long, wordy posts for the new visitors.

While I love writing (obviously) and I love sharing stories and parts of my life (obviously) I can't help but wish that there was something EXTRA SPECIAL AND SPECTACULAR for those visitors sent by the all-star bloggers (and maybe something sparkly).

It's not that I don't want to share into the depths with the new visitors- I do. But it's kind of like a dinner party;

If i were to send an invitation to a friend, asking them to bring a guest to my house for dinner, I would want to do everything in my power to make the guest feel welcome, comfortable and truly enjoy their experience. And I may use nice dishes and spend extra time whipping cream myself rather than using the spray can- because everyone deserves to feel extra special- both my friend and the guest. Extra touches, and sometimes sparkle, make the little things, the big things.

So- dear readers; old and new alike- Thank you for visiting.

Know that you are extra special.

And that I want to treat you that way, every day.

Belief: Part 1

2009-12-17T15:47:00.003-05:00

Recently I received an email filled with interview-type-questions about something very exciting happening in 2010. A woman I respect on so many levels invited me to be a part of something and needed some back story on me, my beliefs, and my life thus far. So we discussed a few things, and a few weeks ago I spent an entire day writing pages of pages of stories, secrets, and understanding to help her get a better perspective of where I was coming from in lieu of this project.

I wrote way more than she ever could have wanted, I am sure. [we are talking many, many pages of text. It felt kind of like a sophomore year term paper] And although the purpose of all those pages was to help her gain perspective, what it really did was help me gain some perspective. Perspective on why I should never be ashamed of who I am, or what has happened to me. Perspective on why there is no reason to be sad about a broken engagement or a lonely holiday season. Perspective on why I believe what I believe and on a rekindling of my heart and spirit.

My parents raised me to be a gentle, kind, and honest person. When I was younger, I went to church every week- but for me it had very little to do with God, all those years. My mom was always very active in the church as I was growing up, especially when I was a teenager, which lead me to be a volunteer Sunday school teacher when I was in high school- but I don't remember us ever talking about God outside of church much. It wasn't like we had nightly Bible readings or prayed together or discussed the gospel at home. Although, I'm not sure it didn't happen and I just wasn't aware of it. My sister always seemed to have a "close relationship" with Jesus from a young age. She participated in summer ministries and really seemed to identify with the word "Christian"- and for a long time I had never understood that.

At the time, if you asked me, I probably would have said I was a Christian, because that's all I knew, but in hindsight, I have NO IDEA what I actually BELIEVED back then. I was ignorant to it. Growing up I was a "good girl" (for the most part). I did what I was asked, I was active in about 283284 things in high school, and I genuinely just loved people- all people. Though I’m not sure it was always for the right reasons - I was insecure and wanted to be liked by everyone, known by everyone, appreciated by everyone – and so I made it my personal mission to be friends with just about everyone I could. I would like to say it was because I had a heart of gold, but I am quite certain, at least in the high school days, it was a tad bit more about my wanting an image of gold.

When I graduated, I went to college in Madison, WI. (about 30 minutes away from where I went to high school) Edgewood College is "a Catholic college in the Dominican tradition" but back then- the only way you would know it was if you really paid attention; very close attention. Sure, there was a chapel on campus (attached to my dorm, actually.) and some of our teachers were "Sister" or "Father"- but campus ministry was as prevalent on Edgewood's campus as it would be at any state school I would have visited. It was available, but not forced, and rarely even heard about. Basically, the way I saw it, Edgewood was given money by the Catholic church and that is why it was called a Catholic school.

For awhile, I remember actually being curious about faith in college, and having discussions with some close friends and hall mates. I found myself admitting I did not believe. That the Bible was a work of literature and that Jesus must have been a good man, but I just don't know about God. I’m not sure if this is what I really believed, or this is what I wanted to believe. I’m not sure if I was saying what I thought would make me appear smart, or relatable, or sure of myself. I really don’t remember much about how I felt back then, but I do remember a few of the things I said during these conversations- and a lot of my discussion had to do with logic, and reason, and science.

Nearing the end of my sophomore year, my dad got a new job in Texas. My parents asked me if I wanted to move or stay in Wisconsin. It was a HARD decision. A few of my very best friends from high school attended the University of Wisconsin, Madison- and they were literally a few blocks away from me at Edgewood- and some might say I had an unhealthy dependency on a few of these friends. I had a hard time thinking about going on with my day-to-day life without them and trying to imagine my life in different state, so far away, was hard. Until I had a revelation that one day, they would go on and find husbands/wives and get married and start families. And I realized that I could not live in the basement of their houses. And I needed to go and stand on my own and take a little journey of self discovery. A journey to see who I was on my own, with out the comfort of everyone I knew for so long just a few blocks away. I needed to see who I was when they weren’t in earshot. What I would say if I wasn’t influenced by their opinions every five minutes, how I would choose to spend my time if I so got to do so, and if I could survive.

So I decided to leave Madison and head south. Apparently this came as a shock to many people- even to this day I hear from friends and classmates who swear they never thought I would leave – and I understand that. I LOVE the city of Madison. It will probably remain my favorite city in America for a long time- when I go home to visit, I always make sure to spend one day alone- walking down my favorite streets, reading in my favorite parks, just drinking in the warmth as my heart fills with pure contentment. I love Madison still, and I loved Madison then- but I knew I had to move on. It was time.

I started looking at schools with in four hours of my parents- I figured I needed a little cushion since I would be moving somewhere in which I didn’t know a soul. One of my favorite things about Edgewood was the school size. When I was there, it was just a couple thousand students- so classes were nice and small. We were offered so much individual attention from our professors and I am so thankful that I was able to learn in that environment. When I started looking for schools, I looked for a small school within four hours of my parents.

And I found LC; Louisiana College. [And I had no idea what I was in for.]

Louisiana College is a Baptist University. Having been at Edgewood and forming the above mentioned opinion, I assumed this meant that the Baptist Church gave the school money and perhaps a chapel building would be somewhere on campus. I thought I would go about my day to day life at LC, much like I did at Edgewood. I thought it would be another college, in another town- filled with stories of drunken debauchery, rallies and protests, tailgating and parties at the off-campus houses.

And then I moved to the Bible belt.

I quickly learned upon arriving, that just about everyone at LC chose LC because they wanted to further their "relationship with Christ" while attending college. Not at all what I was expecting. NOT AT ALL. And NOTHING like my time at Edgewood; No drinking, no boys in the girls dorm or girls in the boys dorm, no smoking, no parties, attend chapel service every week, many bible studies going on around campus, and an optional, yet majorly attended Monday Night Worship hosted by the Baptist College Ministry, which was all over campus.

I spent the first few weeks arguing with the freshmen girls that lived in my section of the dorm. (since I was a transfer student, I was living on the floor with all the freshmen.) The arguments would all end like this:

Roommate/Suitemate/Hallmate: But the Bible Says....
Me: But if I don't take the Bible literally... If I think its a work of literature.…
Roommate/Suitemate/Hallmate: But the Bible Says....

It was a never-ending cycle. And I was frustrated.

After a few days of classes, however, I started to meet more people my age, and realized that not everyone at LC believed in Christ because they had "always believed" and that some of them had opinions of their own. I must say to their credit- not many more days after, the girls who argued with me as above, started to understand this a bit too- and soon a soul search of their own was born; "why do i believe this", “is there more than just because I’ve always known this”, “how do I share my faith more clearly” etc. – these are some of the most exceptionally smart and genuine girls I know, and I am so grateful for the learning experience we had together, especially those first few weeks.

I was invited to church by several people. [Clearly they were doing their part at "finding lost souls" ;)] I'm pretty sure during the first month of school, I visited four churches. One church really stuck out for me; a place called Donahue Family Church. The people there were kind and REAL- there wasn't a fake hug to be had- all of the hugs were REAL. When people asked how school was going, they REALLY wanted to know. And the worship leader/assistant Pastor, smiled when he talked about God. He smiled when he sang on stage. He smiled when he was praying and giving thanks. And all the time, all the smiles, they were REAL.

Donahue had a decently popular college ministry, and not too long after my first visit, I became a regular attendee of both the church and the college group, Fusion. Even when I didn't know what I believed, they accepted me. Even when I argued with every word they said, they took time to listen to my concerns, my objects, and my distrust. They still invited me to go out for ice cream, and play volleyball, and watch movies. Sometimes we discussed Christ, but not always. It seemed like every week I had more questions.

These people I met were SMART. We could hold intelligent conversations about any number of things, and yet they still had FAITH, such strong faith. A lot of my preconceived ideas about believing in God had to do with God vs.. Science- and I guess at some point in the previous two years at Edgewood, I had started to believe that Faith in God means you are shallow minded. (yes - I am ashamed to admit that. I am ashamed that I thought that. I wish I had been open minded and understanding when I thought I was.) But these people were definitely not shallow minded. They were brilliant. And they believed and believed with every part of their being, even the parts that doubted. Their doubts made their faith stronger- I am still trying to find the correct words to accurately describe that, but it remains indescribable.

So i continued to go to church with them. Twice a week. And i continued to go to small group with them, and let them pray for me, and ask them questions, and I bought a Bible- because I wanted to see what all this was about. Not because of everyone was doing it, as much as because everyone seemed to have something I was lacking- something deep down to the core of their being, yet I couldn’t explain what it was. It was appealing. It was attractive. And it deserved respect. I wanted to know more.

Yet I continued to fight it, for what seemed like a long time. I was prideful and stubborn to say "ok, yes, I guess I do believe" in the beginning. I was so scared. To be wrong? To believe? To submit? I don't know. But I was terrified. And I don't actually remember the moment I decided. I didn't pray "a sinner's prayer" or "ask Jesus into my heart" or anything like that. I never had a moment where BOOM! suddenly I believed. I have no idea when it happened, or where it was, but I can say that my life has been better because of Christ. It happened much more slowly than a bolt of lightening. It was gradual, and a bit like a conquest, and I have no idea WHAT caused me to go from unbeliever to believer; but I do know some things that happened that aided me in the decision, that perhaps when they were all added up together, there was no other choice for me but to believe;

-watching other people truly worship. hands raised, hearts open. when i first started attending church, i didn't sing along. I more or less watched the congregation. And i was often moved to tears. I didn't know why, but just watching these people whom I had come to love being so connected to something they couldn't SEE but just believed, it stirred me. They didn’t know, but they still knew. They didn’t know because they saw Jesus face to face- they knew because they saw Jesus in the faces of others. They didn’t know because they heard God on a mountain top- they knew because they heard a mountains worth of personal experiences.

- I became really close with a clever girl with a beautiful soul, Mary. We would study outside on the lawn when it was sunny out. and we would end up having extremely long conversations about the questions I had. And every night, I would go to her room, and we would sit in her bed and pray. I would pray that if God was real, and he was tangible, that He would open my heart so that I could understand and accept Him and not be closed off to Him. Soon- my prayers became less about "help me believe" and more "thank you for belief"

-another very good friend, Andrew, poured a lot of time into me. He would make time to explain things, and listen, and make sure I wasn't homesick. He was one of the leaders of Fusion, and he would spend time explaining every tiny little question I had. but he did so in a way that was so honest. And he used resources other than just his own base of knowledge. And it was good. One day, Mary and I went joined Andrew and his roommates to watch a DVD from Passion One Day. (Passion is a college movement started my Louie Giglio. It's pretty popular among Christians all over the country/world) One of the segments was of a pastor from Minnesota, John Piper, speaking on "Boasting Only in the Cross". It moved me. He was standing on a stage, outdoors, on a very windy day, talking to THOUSANDS of college-aged students, and to hear his words, and his plea to them, and even more so to see their reaction what he was sharing- these moments left impressions on my heart. (it remains on of my favorite communications to this day.)

-there are a countless number of individuals from my time at LC who spoke to my heart, to the core of my very being. they helped me to grow and to open my mind to things other than myself. they taught me about true, honest love, and how to help people win. and how to be genuine every day.

-i just felt different. that sounds silly. but i can't explain it. it is an experience. nothing spooky or overly charismatic or anything, but just different. like I honestly started to "feel God" in my life. it sounds kooky, but its not. And its another thing that can not be explained. I didn’t physically touch, see, hear, smell or taste God; but I did feel him with other senses.

And so somewhere along the way, I just believed. No smoke or mirrors, no final number, no crying at the alter, no end all be all; I just believed.

And so i studied. and i read my Bible. and i attended Bible Studies and Small Groups. And I felt like I should be doing ministry. Because Jesus died for me. But more importantly, because there were people out there who didn't know they were loved; loved enough that they were died for. Because there were people out there who didn't have someone in their life, cheering for them. Because there were sad, lonely people out there that needed love, and compassion. It was never about religion. It was never about what you "shouldn't do". It was never about rules and laws and strictness. Not for Jesus, and not for me. It was about love. And it still is. For Jesus, and for me.

and i left school.
i left school to go to work.
i don't regret it.
but i think about it often.

i say i want to go back to school about once a day, and i have been saying that since 2004 when i left school.

but i don't regret it.

because what came next was learning experiences from inside the ministry that i could have never learned by getting any kind of degree... [to be continued- edit: part 2]

Top Ten Tuesday: Witty & Brillant

2009-12-15T12:13:00.003-05:00

Top Ten Snippets From Emails I’ve Received This Year

Because my friends are witty and brilliant and I think you may enjoy them
(also because I am feeling like crud and it’s much easier to copy and paste than to write anything witty or brilliant myself. All credit due to my friends, who are witty and brilliant.)

10. from a MOH who had yet to order her dress:

I promise i will not be wearing sweatpants at your wedding.

9. Would make me want to “hit them, baby, one more time”:
There is dance team practice outside my room right now. It is making me laugh. A lot. Britney has been on repeat for 45 minutes now.

8. Advice on how to handle the labor day weekend:
As for your “non-wedding Sunday” I vote you watch a HIMYM marathon. Or you can send me texts all day. Or you can make a voodoo doll of one of your favorite recent fiancés. Personally I vote you just eat some jello flavored with vodka constantly all day, even when at church :)

7. Ha:
There is ONE club in Mankato and EVERYONE makes fun of it-it's called the Haze. I went for the first time on Friday. . . . and met a guy. .. who is older... and very attractive…and enjoyable to talk to.

And I was thinking, "What are you doing here?!?!? This is NOT the place I am supposed to meet a guy." Obviously, he's an axe murderer (I mean, besides being a construction worker) Or maybe he believes that Napoleon Dynamite is the best movie ever made (I put both of those on equal levels of horribleness)

Anyway, we've been texting, and we may meet tomorrow. I expect to tell you all about this afterwards. I can't really tell anyone here, because they would say “do not go meet him. You met him at the Haze.” But then I'm like, well, I was at the haze. . . . I went to watch my Bosnian friend dance! (her name is Goga). So, maybe he was accidently there too?

6. Take a minute to picture yourself dressed all “western”:
remember how great homecoming week and all the spirit days were as a student? not so much as a teacher...

5. I just need a big hat and long fur coat:
I have a (somewhat) dorky favor to ask you- I am getting an online dating profile (yes, I know)...and I need your help with my "About Me" section. I draw blanks!! go ahead, pimp me out.

4. In response to my story about needing to have my gallbladder removed:
You really know how to not throw the twist ending everyone knows is coming into the story. I mean seriously, I was super excited to hear you say at the end, "and they were all wrong. I actually felt like crap because I have swine flu". And obviously it would be awesome 1) because you were clearly ok - you decided to write me an 8 page email and 2) I know someone who has swine flu. But alas, my hopes and dreams are ruined.

3. The cookie challenge has extra challenge:
While procrastinating yesterday, i came across an article about finding your happy weight. I went to self magazine's happy weight calculator to find mine. Let me tell you it was not a happy weight for me. It was unrealistically low for me for several reasons. One, it was less than i weighed for sophomore year, so as an adult, not likely to happen. Two, i really like cookies. Three, it is less than i weighed at my wedding (by almost 10 pounds) and i have set my wedding weight as a pretty good goal weight that does not involve me starving myself of working out three hours a day (as much fun as that would be). Four, i really, really like cookies.

2. Adventures will be had:
I was trying to find things to put in your package and I heard "I want to go see heather"
I looked around my empty room. It was coming from the area of scarves.

"I want to go see heather" The voice is muffled. I dig a little. A beautiful tanish, peachish, ummm, I don't know what color it is. it is a color that does not look that good on me, but would look really good on you.
"I want to go see heather"
well, yeah. don't we all?
I pull out the scarf. It is from England. It is used, but beautiful.
"Can I go? I'd really like to go be worn by heather!"
"Are you sure you want to leave all your friends?"
"I'm bored here! And you never wear me. I'd like to go to New York and keep heathers Neck warm during winter. I'm sure I would match her outfits. You never wear me. Besides, I'm ready for an adventure."

And off the little scarf went, jumping into the box. From my scarf collection to yours.

1. From the best email I received about the whole broken engagement thing:
That being said, I fully believe that you will (and already are) coming back stronger than ever. I'm keeping you in my thoughts and hoping for the best (and knowing it'll come). You've put too much love into the universe for it to not reward you back. He is your Aidan, I guess. Cute and nice and seemed like just right, but there's a Big of your own out there, just waiting. (Besides, your last name is just too cool to give up just yet.)

About that last one:

Sometimes I’ve been super silly and questioned if I will “be alone forever”. Sometimes the drama just takes over and I can’t help but feel like a character in some terribly sad melodrama destined to be single forever. Sometimes I feel that any time I meet a nice boy, he will find out that I had been engaged before and run away because I am “damaged”.

Now, before you all go telling me what a catch I am and that I would make “any guy really happy” let me just say this- I am aware that one day I will be in a relationship again. I am aware that the right guy will not only not run away when he hears that I was engaged, but stand right by me, helping me to get through the hard parts of healing and trusting and going forward in the beginning of a new relationship. And I am aware that “you have to kiss a lot of frogs before you find your prince” and I know that “God blessed the broken road that led me straight to….my future husband” and I know that one day I will walk down the aisle, and say I do, and share the first dance as husband and wife. But sometimes, I forget for a minute- and I feel sad, and sorry for myself, and angry, and heartbroken, and not enough.

Those times, I remember this email. Sometimes I reread it. Sometimes I just ponder on it. Sometimes I giggle at how much Shugarman trumps my almost-last name (it really is fabulous). Sometimes I watch episodes of SATC season four and realize that Aidan was great, but he wasn’t the one- and my former fiancé was great, but he wasn’t the one. And I am thankful. Because sometimes friends just KNOW what to say- the words “there’s a Big of your own out there, just waiting” mean so much more to me than any cliché about my worth and my future happily ever after ever will. And the words “your last name is just too cool to give up just yet” remind me to celebrate my singleness, my individual uniqueness, and this blessed time I have to continue to be the best me I can be.

And I am so grateful for people in my life who care enough, who understand me enough to not just spit out what they are suppose to say, but instead share what I need to hear- and what I need to rest in, even for months after it’s said. That goes beyond the author of that email, or any of the emails I shared pieces of today. That goes beyond people I grew up with, or have known for years. And that goes beyond people I have met in person. Sometimes the people that show the most care are people who leave comments on blog posts, and take part in twitter conversations, and support you even when they've never seen your face, or heard your voice, or hugged your neck. Sometimes the people that know and understand you the most are people that haven't spent anytime in a room with you. And for that, I am thankful, too. Thank you, friends. [i cherish you all; new and old]

For the Reader

2009-12-14T12:08:00.002-05:00

I have a thing for bookstores. And not just because You've Got Mail has been on my "top five favorite movies" list since 1999. (although I'm sure that helps)

I've spent my fair share of time in bookstores, too.

Monday night "Bible Study" with a group of four high school girls I mentored. (We had every intention of deep discussion of the Bible, but without doubt each week turned into deep discussion and encouragement of the trials each girl was facing. It was the best support group I've ever belonged too- Me and four high school juniors.)

Meeting with friends who barely knew each other to question Jesus and belief and undertanding and the Bible. To drink coffee and share cookies and disect the word promise. To debate and agree and feel like we were getting somewhere and to disagree. To open our eyes to each others' up bringings, to each others' stories, to each others' beliefs.

Double-Date nights to the childrens section to play "I Spy" and "Where's Waldo" and pick out books for future children. To share our favorite childhood stories, and find solace in Todd Parr's The Peace Book.

Quality roommate time with stacks of magazines we were much too poor to purchase, and much to interested to ignore. Chosing our dream living rooms in Elle Decor, pouring over Real Simple and Martha Stewart Living recipes and tips, and, of course, being fully invested in the pages of People.

Many lonely evenings when I didn't know a soul in town, and instead of trying to seek friendship in community, would hide out in the stacks, reading entire books in an evening- complete series' in a months-time. Leaving work each night to go search the shelves for my next choice, and staying until close.

Preparing for a week full of postings at a table facing a window- indulging in a piece of carrot cake and a warm, soul healing tea as I tried desperately to forget that I was once again in a town where I knew no one, and once again feeling so alone.

I love a big bookstore, even if it makes me a Fox. (F-O-X) I love the big cozy arm chairs where I can sit cross legged and flip through art books gathering ideas and suggestions for what I'll make next. I love the journals section with a giant selection of words yet to be written - the promise of new creation, new stories, new documentation. I love being able to inspect the bargin area for the next addition to my neverending collection of books I will read someday, which seems to be taking over a few shelves in my kitchen.

I love small independant book stores. They all have fabulous names you could have never thought of yourself. With lots of detailed staff recommendations. And toys and gifts to go along with it all. You can only take your time in a store as such. The doors, the walls, the shelves are captivating- inviting you in and never allowing you to want to leave. I want to stay forever, reading the back cover of every single book displayed- because you know they were handpicked. Someone in this store asked specificly for 3 copies of this book, and not because it was on the best sellers list, or it is by a famous author, but because it means something. Like Nancy Drew, I am determined to seek until I find what exactly it means, to him, to her, and on most days as I make my way to the register, to me.

I love the smell of old, used bookstores. Paul's on State Street in Madison was always a favorite while I was in town. Running my hands through the stacks, over each cover until I found something that peaked my interest. Judging books by their covers- but not by their photo or title, but by how much love the old canvas covers had enjoyed by their previous owners. Allowing myself to drift off and imagine - how many times did a mother read a Mother Goose's fairytale to her child from this pale blue, ratty covered collection of fables. How much laughter was shared as each page was turned. How many gasps of surprise. How many lessons learned.

I love a bookstore this time of year. With twinkly lights and garland lining the register, carols playing throughout, and a simple "happy holidays" from the clerk as you make your purchase. Peppermint Brownies and Eggnog Latte's at the cafe, as neighbors share stories of what Santa will bring this year. The Polar Express and Holidays on Ice on display, near a display of "Christmas Toys for every girl and boy".

I do a lot of my Christmas shopping at book stores. I'm sure my family is not surprised by this, as their gift requirements in my eyes are "not bulky and fabulous". Year after year they've received DVDs and CDs and Books- all which can easily fit in my carryon suitcase. All of which I can purchase at one bookstore or another. And as I am preparing to finish my Christmas shopping this week, I thought I would give some insight for a few of you who may not have spent as much time in bookstores as I have. A few of my all time favorite books that would make some FABULOUS holiday gifts- for anyone you cherish (including yourself!)

Jen Lancaster's latest release, Pretty in Plaid DOES NOT DISAPPOINT. So much so, that I'm reading it for the 2nd time. I am all about giving gifts that compliment each other and I can't stop thinking about how wonderfully this book would looked wrapped up in a plaid bag with some nice argyle socks to match the cover. If you haven't read Jen Lancaster's other books (here, here, and here) you should definetely get on it. She is hilarious, and I am super excited to see what she comes up with next.

No books have every made me question my thinking the way Shane Claiborne and Robb Bell have with their books Irresistable Revolution and Velvet Elvis. These are two books I should reread every single year to make sure I am living life the way I should - pouring love out of me onto those who deserve it (EVERYONE (even and especially the people I foolishly wish didn't deserve it)) and living with purpose. I can't recommend them enough.

My friend Marcus recommended this book months ago, and I listened to it on CD over the summer- it was FABULOUS. Neal Gabler's biography of Walt Disney: The Triumph of the American Imagination is a fabulous recollection of the man and the wonderful world of Disney we all know now. I absolutely LOVED learning about "all things Mr. Disney" and I plan on rereading/listening to it before my next trip to Walt Disney World (an idea I grabbed from my wonderful friend, Marcus.) If one of your loved ones are planning a trip or are as obsessed with Disney as can be (cough, mother, cough) this would be a perfect gift for them!

This is another book I listened to on CD over the summer- and it had my heart MELTING. No matter your political stances, I Love You, Ronnie Nancy Reagan's sharing of the love letters between her and President Reagan will make you believe in true love all over again. If there is one book I could suggest purchasing the audio book for- it would be this one. Hearing the letters read in a male and female voice, as written, take you deep into the complexity and intensity of their relationship. This book would be perfect given to your special someone, or to a couple celebrating their first Christmas together. Pure Bliss to my heart!

If you have a high school senior on your "to shop for" list, buy them Stephen Chbosky's The Perks of Being a Wallflower. If you've read it, you know why. (it's a must read). If you haven't, then you should - even if you are far out of high school. Chbosky also wrote the screen play for the movie version of the musical Rent - another of my favorites. I would love to tie the two together in a bundle- and if I was Oprah, you'd all be getting one for the Holidays. Another great gift to tie to this book would be a DVD copy of The Rocky Horror Picture Show- as its mentioned several times in the book. (and now I want to do the Time Warp)

Easily my favorite movie, The Family Stone would make a perfect Holiday gift for ANYONE. (i may or may not have two copies). Make it a bundle gift by adding a couple of other Christmas-Themed fabulous movies- The Holiday & Love Actually, for example - and you've got yourself a winning gift.

I'm usually a non-fiction, memoir kind of girl, but Marisa de los Santos' novel Loved Walked In and the follow up Belong to Me are EASILY my two favorite reads of the last year. She really knocked it out of the park with these. Wonderful character development, terrific story line, and relationships that go WAY BEYOND the often-read-love interest- these two novels should be on everyone's "must read" list. Buy the set for your best girlfriend or as a gift to yourself. Everyone deserves to have Love walk in on them- and reading these books will make you believe it has through the words on each page.

What's the best book you've read this year? Any suggestions for what I should be reading next?

Upcoming Blogger Meet Up, Follow Friday, & Traditions

2009-12-11T14:20:00.005-05:00

Then Heather Said, "Let's Meet Up!"

Do any of you lovely friends in this fabulous blogging community live in the North Dallas/Denton area? Or will any of you be visiting for Christmas Vacation?

The fabulous Nicci and Kelsey and I are going to be having a Blogger Meet Up and we would absolutely LOVE if you wanted to come meet with us, too!

We plan on getting together at Sweet Basil Thai Bistro. I personally have yet to visit, but I am STOKED to get the opertunity, because I have been hearing GREAT REVIEWS! And seriously, the above photo I grabbed from the yelp site is already making my tummy rumble ;) We are shooting for getting together on December 26th - and once we get some feedback on other people wanting to come we will narrow down a time that works well for us.

If you are interested in joining us (and we REALLY hope you are), please drop me an email at thenheathersaid@gmail.com!

Then Heather Said, "Happy Hanukkah"

Hanukkah officially begins at sundown today.

A very happy Hanukkah to my Jewish friends out there- especially my dear dear friend, Corrine.

Corrine and I were great friends in college and I always loved hearing about her families traditions for Jewish holidays and celebrations. I remember "lighting" her electric menora in the dorm (of course, no open flames were had) and in the spring, when the easter bunny came to visit our friends Bridget and Brenda, the Passover Kitten would drop off a Passover basket at Corrine's Door. I miss weaving our holidays together and celebrating EVERY DAY we could. hugs and kisses to you and your family, Corrine.

If you want to learn more about blending holidays between friends and families of different religions, can I please point you to Sara's blog? Sara is a VERY TALENTED artist/graphic designer/creater/writer/former wedding-bee-blogger.

I've been reading her Stinkerpants Blog for awhile now, and she is a wonderful canidate for FOLLOW FRIDAY. Add her to your reader, people!

I remember reading Sara's blog last holiday season as she admitted she didn't like the holidays but moved past her feelings of hate to make her and her husbands first december together something special with some holiday decorations. The post she shared this past Tuesday, however, is a-whole-nother story of wonderfulness. Please head over and see what I mean. Her post itself is fabulous and I have thought about it many times this past week- but the conversation going on in the comments section is very interesting.

Then Heather Said, "Site your Sources!"

These are a few resources I've used to help make celebrating holidays, special days, and even smelly old Tuesdays memorable. I am all about celebrating the small and the big, showing the people I love how wonderful they are in unique ways, and decorating with sparkles and sprinkles ;)

Treasuring God with Our Traditions - Noel Piper

Making it Memorable - Robyn Spizman

Hostess with the Mostess Blog

Every book SARK has ever published; but most famously
Fabulous Friendship Festival

and

Living Juicy

What are your favorite ways to make the Holidays memorable with the people you love?

Gift Guide; BSS & more

2009-12-09T14:03:00.005-05:00

I just need to say, quickly, before we get too deep in post: HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CARRIE :)

I wanted to put together a post of cool gift ideas I've found over the past few weeks for those of you who still haven't gotten your Bloggie Secret Santa a gift. But these gifts are not just for your favorite blogger friend- they would work for a multitude of people in your life (i just KNOW it!)

For my Bloggie Secret Santa gift, I have been trying to keep to a few “gift giving rules” I’ve set.

First off, because I don’t know the person I’m purchasing for very well, I made sure to spend a bit of time on her blog the last few weeks. As I’ve caught myself up on what my Bloggie friend is interested in, I’ve taken a few mental notes. Does your giftee participate in a certain activity or hobby? (reading, crafting, yoga, running, etc?) If your giftee posts photos of herself, does she gravitate towards a certain color palette? Does your giftee eat a certain specific diet? (GF, vegan, vegetarian, etc.)

The second thing I have been trying very hard to remember is that a Secret Santa gift is a great opportunity to give something IMPRACTICAL but still PRETTY DARN COOL. I think that Secret Santa gifting (and Christmas as a whole, really) is an opportunity to give the giftee something spectacular that they wouldn’t ever purchase for themselves. Some of my most favorite gifts I’ve gotten over the years have been things I NEVER would have spent the money on myself but truly cherished receiving. I tend to be a bit thrifty, and a self-proclaimed bargain hunter so it’s not very often I pay full price for something for my own personal use, let alone spend an extra few dollars on something extravagant. For example, it would take a lot for me to ever purchase a “gourmet” hot chocolate mix for over ten dollars for myself. But when I received one as a gift last Christmas, I treasured every sip of the warm, rich, frothy love in a mug. I want to look outside the “practical” and into the “fabulous” when purchasing a gift for my giftee.

The last rule I've set for myself is HAVE FUN! Christmas shopping can sometimes be a bit stressful- especially when you are trying to find the most perfect gift for everyone on your list. Add to it that you've probably never met your Secret Santa and you may very well just want to throw in your elf hat and call it a day! But I'm not letting that happen- I am trying very hard to enjoy every minute of shopping for my Secret Santa giftee.

Here are a few ideas I've come up with a few different people on my list; bloggie friends and others.

You Love Julie & Julia, Baking, and Pretty Things:

Jessie Steele Damask Apron from Wrapables - 29.95

This apron classes up any and every kitchen. I can imagine a few people I know wearing this classy little number and holding a tray of cupcakes, offering one to each guest.

Scarf-Print Trivet from Antropologie - $14

Let's face it, Antropologie is THE place to find pretty little things- and this trivet does not disappoint. I keep hearing that orange is the new pink- this darling little piece sure adds to that argument.

Paint by Number Dessert Plate from Anthropologie - $12

This plate is just one of the several design options in the Paint by Number Dessert Plate set. I would LOVE to hand these out to a trio of friends as they approach the dessert bar in my kitchen.

I Can't Stop Reading Your Blog, even when Most of Your Posts are Photos of Food:

Postcard Set by Emcee on Etsy - $12
I am a little bit obsessed with this post card set. You choose five designs from Emcee's postcards for your custom set- I'm loving the above along with one that reads "Reawaken Your Sense of Wonder; Let Curiosity Lead Your Life." 2010 Motto, much?

Photographers Necklace by JustJaynes on Etsy - $21
It seems like a bunch of my favorite bloggers have been getting new cameras to share wonderful photos on their blogs. And I know a few photographer friends who would love to add this to their key ring, charm bracelet, or jar of trinkets, too.

Blogs & Tea print by Jennifer Ramos on Etsy - $9.50
I know that Tina has a print which reads "i love you blogs and coffee" and I have been dreaming of the day I have a computer, desk space, and a designated "blogging scheduled" to order one myself to decorate my tiny office area. Isn't this just DARLING.

Your Personality makes me Smile and It should be Celebrated:

Me 2 a T plate by Em Tanner Designs - $28

Two of my very best friends are pregnant, and I CAN'T HARDLY WAIT to spend some time with their little ones and start to discover their individual and unique personalities - because you bet your bippy they will be getting some cute personalize plates by Em Tanner Designs one day. How cute would a personalize character plate be for your favorite blogger, but instead of adding their name, adding their blog abbreviation. KERF, HTP, CNC, etc?

Personalized Note Cards by Every Day Grace on Etsy - $12
OK- I just need to spend a minute telling you about Andrea from Every Day Grace. SHE IS AMAZING. I have worked with Andrea on several occasions in the past- for gifts for some of the people I love the most in this world- and can I just tell you that her customer service and quality of product are unparalleled to anything else I've experienced in the last several years. This girl is talented and beyond kind. She will go above and beyond to make sure your order is EXACTLY what you want it to be - and she is simply the most darling, sweet southern girl you will ever meet. Her products are all adorable and she never fails to surprise me with what she's working on next. GO CHECK OUT EVERY DAY GRACE.

Custom Return Address Stamp by Scribbling Club on Etsy - $15

Who doesn't want something this adorable, really? There are no other words.

You are the Very Definition of Foodie:

Foodie Fight from Spoon Sisters - $18.95
Every time I look at this game on the Spoon Sisters website (and let me tell you, I have looked at it many, many times) I can't seem to wonder if this should have been a Foodbuzz Festival Freebie. I'm just saying.

The Chef Set page Flags from Spoon Sisters - $5.95
These cute little sticky notes are perfect for the person who has a billion different cook books, likes to plan elaborate meals for a large group, or is type A down to the bone desiring beautiful organization. Perfection. Perfection. Perfection. (and inexpensive!)

Fleur De Sel Caramel Popcorn from Organica Deluxe - $21

Tina recently posted a giveaway from Organica Deluxe, and when I was searching through their website this Popcorn caught my eye immediately - salty, sweet and spicy? YES PLEASE!

You're One Part Scientist One Part Kitchen Dweller:

Built Oven Mitt and Pot Holders from Wrapables - $11.95-$14.95
Look Cool when the Oven is Hot. Had to go there.

Cuisipro Ice Cream Scoop & Stack from Wrapables - $14.95
This is probably my favorite gadget I've ever come across while online shopping. The scoop & stack makes little cylinder's of ice cream. Little perfect cylinders. You can build TOWERS of ice cream cylinders. Who doesn't want to do that? (for some cool photos see the Lovely Room's post from July)

Self Leveling Measuring Spoons from Spoon Sisters - $13.75

I'm quite certain that these measuring spoons could quickly become a bakers best friend. I'm determined to find the measuring cup version, as well. I am so sick of dirtying a butter knife every single night as I move forward in the Cookie Challenge.

Now that I've shared some of my favorite gifts for this season- tell me; what's on YOUR wish list?

vibrant snow

2009-12-09T09:02:00.003-05:00

I live a mile and a half away from my office.
This means in the summer, I walked to and from work a lot of the days.
This also means that when we get several inches of snow and the road are horrible and traffic on the highways is at a standstill, I am the first, and in today’s case, only person in the office.

The snow will not stop falling. It is determined to give the city a fresh, washed out, completely blank canvas and I really can’t complain. Because sometimes, I want a blank canvas, too.

Sometimes I want to take a big giant pink eraser and scrub away the last few years of my life. Erasing the pain. Erasing the heartache. Erasing the loneliness.
Sometimes I want to throw a bucket of white paint against the wall of my emotions- not taking the time to tape the trim of “good parts”, use a brush or roll over the details- but just cover the whole thing. Sometimes I want to spray it all away, the way the garden hose washes away the chalk markings of a four year old. Sometimes I just want it all to go away.

When I have a bad dream, that doesn’t make much sense to me, causing me to wake at 3:15 AM and not stop thinking about the past. Where I went wrong. How I should have never of said yes. How I could be living a different life, in a different town, with a different agenda. Because the current agenda of “survive. Run faster.” Just isn’t really working with my heart at 3:15 in the morning. I want to sleep. I want to rest. I want to embody peace. But instead my heart hurts, and my eyes cloud, and my brain twirls in circles.

I keep looking out the window to my office and watching more and more snow fall. I swear I cleaned off my car before I drove to the office an hour ago, yet it is completely covered again. This snow is determined.

And so am I.
I am determined not to let the bad dreams win. Or the sad days. Or the heart ache.

I am determined to move forward. A little more each day.
I am determined to enjoy my life, and count the things I am thankful for more than just on Thanksgiving. I am determined not to let a broken engagement, and a lonely few months take over my otherwise fabulous year. I am determined not to sit in the wanting differently, not to long for what I don’t have.

I am determined not to be CONTENT with my life, but to be CELEBRATING it. I don’t need a blank slate because my life is full of color- deep, rich, vibrant color at that. I don’t want to wash away the past, because I know it’s building my character- developing my perseverance. And making me an all around better person. And I know that even though there are bad days, bad nights, and occasionally bad weeks- that I love my life. Even when it’s snowing.

Lists: Love or Lust?

2009-12-07T11:07:00.002-05:00

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Is it just me, or do Monday’s always feel like a fresh start of the week?
I know that on the calendar Sunday is the first day of the week, but I can’t help but consider Sunday the last day of the weekend (soaking up every last bit of relaxation, productivity or both!) and Monday the “kick start” kind of day.

I’ve been journaling a lot lately about my need to make goals. I’ve been wondering what the purpose is, to all the lists I make each year. It’s something that lives deep down under my bones- lining my soul, really. I have this addiction to “to-do” type lists; Not just tasks to complete- although those lists definitely exist in many facets of my life- but other to-do lists. Things to avoid for the week, Goals to accomplish for the month, Progress to be made in a plethora of areas. When I become self-aware of an extreme in my life, I either battle or support it with a list.

For example- when I notice I haven’t been doing much cardio lately- I create a list of 10 cardio work outs to complete in the next two weeks. When I realize my last three meals have involved a veggie burger patty- I make a list of other protein-filled meals to eat for lunch and dinner this week. Each morning I make a list at the office of what I hope to accomplish and what REALLY needs to be accomplished. Most Friday evenings I sit cross-legged in front of the TV with my giant whiteboard and make a “Weekend Fun-do” list; things that I should consider doing and things I really should celebrate doing- ranging from “fold the laundry while watching The West Wing” and “Drink wine”. And you’ve seen my become a better runner list, my fitness bucket list, my 101 in 1001 list, and a new list of sorts every Tuesday. And this weekend, when I took notice I’ve been slacking on my running since Thanksgiving and that the times for my first three 5K increased by over a minute each- I wanted to make a list of what I need to do to stop being so silly and get my butt outside to run in the cold.

Clearly, I love lists.

But I wonder about the list making. Is it good for me? I mean, of course, it's healthy and good to line out your goals and determine where progress should be made- but maybe I need to take a step back and remember that everything in moderation is the key to a healthy life.

It sounds a bit silly, doesn't it? Evaluating my list making because it may not be "good for me." But look at it this way- a lot of the time, at least in the last few months, I have made lists for the sake of making lists- I'm not making much progress on the lists I have been writing out.

For example- that Ten Steps to a Becoming a Better Runner list I wrote a month or so ago- I discussed my need to do ten things:

1. take the time to track my nutrition
2. get more sleep
3. cross train
4. evaluate/journal about my workouts
5. add yoga training 3 times a week
6. implement core work
7. run out doors
8. stay hydrated
9. properly warm up & cool down with each run
10. stay motivated to run

If I take the time to review the last month, I realized that I'm only doing a few of these things. I am definitely not tracking my food or spending more time sleeping. And I haven't been doing much working out at all- let alone specific cross training and yoga that I had planned on. I must say, I've done much better putting the core work in- thanks to Ange, staying hydrated, and the few times I have run in the past month I have made sure to warm up and cool down properly and do the running outside- but I haven't been running much at all lately.

This isn't the only list I've made this season that gets overlooked and a majority of items gets ignored. The lack of determination in sticking with a plan, following goals, and completing a to do list seems to have become a bit of a habit lately- and I don't like that. I don't like that I keep making the lists, but not making any progress. I don't like that I'm falling backwards- starting to resemble the girl with the good intentions that never moves forward. It seems that my love for lists, has become more of a lust for lists. I'm interested with the list making, with the beginning- but I haven't cared too much for a long-term relationship with the lists. I just write the lists, turn the page, and carry on with my life, until the idea for another list waltzes into my life and the cycle starts again.

I'm not trying to be hard on myself. I know that I am doing a lot more now that I would have been doing last year at this time- I have definitely made progress and am living a much healthier lifestyle than I was, even six months ago- and that is a wonderful, rewarding thing I should take pride in. But I also know I need to get a grip and realize that I am happiest with myself when I am making the healthiest of choices.

I am happiest with myself when I feel strong after finishing a run in the brisk air, rather than making 27 excuses of why I can't go outside today to get some speed work in . I am happiest with myself when I take the 10 minutes to do core work in the evenings, rather than just sit in my v. comfy recliner. I am happiest with myself when I feel full off of fresh veggies and whole foods, rather than stuffing my face with food that does not sit well in my stomach. Of course, as I continue on a weight loss journey- I am happiest when the numbers on the scale move downward, and not just sit still for three weeks. I am happiest when I can wake up after a full nights of rest and be ready to face my day, rather than hit snooze three times and stop for a sugar free red bull on my way into the office.

It's not that I don't enjoy occasional treats and indulgences, days of rest, and days of curling up under a cozy blanket and drinking wine while NOT DOING A THING. These times of "spoiling of myself" are special times I continue to enjoy- but I want to make them the exception, not the rule.

Of course, being Heather, I want to make a list of how to do these things- a plan of how to accomplish feeling the happiest. But this time, I refuse.

Instead I am going to face each day, one at a time- choice by choice- determined to make the healthy choices, because they truly make me the happiest.

Lots of follow up questions for you to answer today, my friends! I want to hear your experiences and opinions.
What is your relationship with lists? Do you find that they are a motivational tool for you and what you want to accomplish? Have you ever found yourself listing out of habit? How do you suggest I go about making healthy choices? What have you used to help yourself get back into good habits that make you happy?

alone and thankful

2009-12-04T18:46:00.000-05:00

Today is one of the days I am thankful for the single life. That I'm not married. That I'm not living with the man who was almost my husband, before he saved my life and said it was over.

I am thankful that I can come home after work, and change into old gray sweatpants and an oversized sweatshirt and sit crosslegged on my one piece of comfortable furniture in the living room, the recliner. With a blanket over my lap and my hair in a messy bun. The door is locked and I don't plan on seeing a soul for at least 20 hours.

I am thankful I can watch anything I want on tv- no compromise, no debate. Just whatever I feel like. (Which currently seems to be a line up of Greys & Criminal Minds reruns.) All the while sipping a pama-ginger ale cocktail and completing Sudoku puzzles. I love that I can choose to sit in the silnce and read short essay styled memoir books until dawn- or listen to DVDs of The West Wing playing in the background as I flip through magazines.

I am thankful that I can work on my Christmas cards throughout the weekend- because I have no set plans other than some time working at the mall tomorrow. I can leave them in piles of done, not done, stamped and unstamped- spread out on my four end tables that sit next to the one recliner in the living room. And I love that I can sign them with the last name I've always had- my capital S has always been prettier than my capital M, anyway.

I'm thankful that I can lay in front of the tv for 15 minutes doing core exercises while catching up on hollywood gossip, add extra resistance in the abs while I laugh my way through Chelsea Lately. No need to move to another room because I'm blocking someone's view of the stunning television programing.

I love that I get to spend time baking in my kitchen, every night. I get to search for the perfect recipe I want to try. I love that I get to bake with, and fully enjoy, peanut butter- without the fear that he may accidentally come in contact and have an allergic reaction.

I love that I am selfish when I am at home. Because there is no other way right now, in this season of my life. This chapter. No one else's opinion to weigh against my own. No one else's suggestions to bring into consideration. Just me- doing what I want to do, when I want to do it. My own choices of yes and no and maybe. Of now and later and never and always. I am thankful.

Follow Friday: Reappearing Roommate

2009-12-04T14:00:00.003-05:00

Were you headed this way thanks to Caitlin?
Welcome! Caitlin said some pretty nice things about me, and the blog, via twitter today and I just wanted to say a quick HELLO! to anyone that popped over from her recommendation :)

I've been writing some very long emails today, so I haven't had much time to blog but I wanted to just give a quick FOLLOW FRIDAY love to a blogger and real life friend whom I adore:

Jessica is Finding Herself Through Words - and she will soon be my temporary roommate! Jess and I lived together for a while back in Beaumont, and early 2010 she will be moving to Capital District NY. I am so excited to have her close to me, again! And now I will have a new running buddy! (dream come TRUE!!! ) Jess is one of my favorite girls in the world, and I can't wait to be reunited soon! [Jess was also my first guest post!]

HOORAY for having a good friend nearby! I am so excited for you, Jess, to be starting this new chapter of your life, and obviously to be spending some time at my apartment- baking cookies, watching friends, and blogging side by side ;)

Christmas Senses.

2009-12-03T13:21:00.002-05:00

I have this habit of standing up for people I don’t actually know in stories. I can’t decide if the habit is horrible or amazing. If someone is telling a story, for example, of someone cutting them off in traffic and how angry it made them, my instant reaction is usually something to the tune of; “maybe they were rushing to the hospital to see a loved one who was just brought in from falling out of a tree, or they didn’t see you because they were so tired from working a double volunteer shift at the homeless shelter, or they were running late for their first day on a new job.”

When a friend is on hold with Dell for 27 minutes before getting help to solve a computer problem, I am most likely to pipe up with, “maybe they are evacuated because of a fire and no one is there to answer the phone.” I defend people. And I am guessing it gets pretty annoying. Because sometimes you just want to vent to someone, and let them listen and nod and know that you were “done wrong.” Apparently I am not the person to vent to; apparently, I defend people.

I guess I’ve always tried to have a bit of optimism available in the back pocket of my jeans. I’m the kind of girl that loves a page-a-day calendar filled with quotes on kindness, believes in the power of the people, and has once declared that “Sprinkles make the world a happier place.” (but seriously- don’t they?) So I should have found it no surprise that in the last few months, everyone seems to keep telling me they admire, appreciate, or are surprised by my optimism post broken-engagement.

I keep getting emails and blog comments and text messages and cards in the mail (oh how I LOVE those- real mail is quite possibly the best day brightener there is) that suggest I am optimistic. That praise me for being strong, and continuing to chase and find happiness throughout the last five months. Words that lift me up and make me feel all warm and fuzzy for handling a bad situation a good way.

The problem arises, however, on days I feel less than optimistic. On days I feel sad and lonely. I don’t want pity and I don’t want sympathy, but I want freedom from this.

It came to me during Thanksgiving weekend. I had a great four day weekend. I ate my pizza, and brownies topped with peppermint stick ice-cream. I spent time relaxing and reflecting on what I was thankful for and watching my favorite Holiday time movie. I thought about Christmas, and what makes me feel cheerful this time of year. And then I tasted something bitter.

I started receiving concerned text messages from parties who thought I would be feeling sad, and lonely, and wanted to check in to make sure I was okay. I felt just fine until reading these. I was chipper. I was excited for the holiday season. I was listening to Holiday Music CDs, and trying to decide how big of a tree to get. I put out a few decorations, and started my Christmas cards, and read a bit of Luke 1, and was ready for a Holly Jolly Christmas- but then, suddenly, and almost as if it had been there all along and it was just waiting to be uncovered, I felt the sadness seep in. And the loneliness creep in. And Then Heather Said, “I want to go HOME. I want this all to GO AWAY.”

And the optimism went out the window. Along with the Christmas cheer.

I no longer want a tree. And Christmas music made me cringe. And I didn’t want to watch Love Actually on TV. I just wanted it to be over.

The past week, I have kept searching for the cheer.
Is it in a box of Christmas Decorations at the office? Nope, it’s not there.
Is it near the brightly colored, cardboard tree cutouts that I have adored in Radio Shack? Nope, not even hiding in the corner by the shiney stuff.
Is it found at the bottom of my to-go cup filled with peppermint mocha? Negative.
How about when the snow started to flurry Tuesday morning outside my office window? OH, HELL NO.

I didn’t want any of it, and then I realized that it was okay.
I had a realization that it was okay to be sad and lonely. It was okay to be homesick, and long for the 23rd of December when I will be with my family in Texas. It’s okay to “just sit this one out.” And to go through the motions and not feel the cheer, no matter how weird it feels. I realized that it is okay to be the Grinch, as long as I didn’t let it take over my life.

And then it happened. I decided to bake. It’s like I had Isabel Stevens disorder and baking took away the pain. I decided to bake 25 different kinds of cookies to precede Christmas. And I started sifting flour, and beating egg whites, and rounding the dough into balls. And I caught myself humming. I caught myself humming a CHRISTMAS CAROL.

And I started thinking about what I’ll be giving to my Bloggie Secret Santa. And I did research for some gift-giving blog posts I plan on sharing soon. And I kept finding things PERFECT for everyone I know. And I remembered that it’s more about the giving than the receiving. And I remembered that’s what I love about it. Its not about me, or feeling loved, or feeling the warmth of a friend; its about you, and giving love, and giving the warmth of a friend.

And I got an early surprise gift, when a dear friend called me last night to share some wonderful news. And I giggled with her. And we celebrated through love and laughter and truth and friendship- though miles away. And my heart started to fill with joy for her.

And I came to work. And a coworker asked me if I would do him a favor and wrap some Christmas Gifts. And I SQUEALED. Because wrapping gifts is on my top five favorite parts of Christmas. And I remembered I had a list of my top five favorite parts of Christmas.

Suddenly I could smell it- Christmas. Cinnamon and freshly fallen snow and ribbons tied in bows. Evergreen and savory vanilla and the smell of my dads leather chair.

Suddenly I could hear it- Christmas. The crunch of cookies and bells telling of angels wings and the crinkling of paper. Reindeer prancing on the roof and jolly, rolling laughter and the clinking of ice cubes dancing into a glass, awaiting the liquid cheer.

It wasn’t until I accepted the mourning over what this Christmas could have been.
It wasn’t until I accepted the longing to be with loved ones.
It wasn’t until I accepted the Grinch who had appeared.
But it came. And it’s here.
Christmas time is here, and my heart is full.

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-12-01T22:41:00.000-05:00

1: singlar sensation.
2: episodes of E True Hollywood Story I watched today. Tori Spelling before work, and Home Improvement after work.
3: number of times I've had subway this week.
4: number of days I'm not running in a row to rest and proactively avoid shin splints. (Felt a tiny bit of soreness after my run Sunday, so I'm spending some good time icing each night. May try running again Friday.)
5: minute nap after dinner today made all the difference. I woke feeling ready to clean the kitchen!
6: number of blog drafts I started today before this one
7: Sudoku puzzles I've completed in the last hour. I. Am. Addicted. (Again)
8: number of minutes I spent doing some " whittle my middle" tonight. I am having a love/hate relationship with planks this week.
9: cookie recipes in my "que"- today, I decided I am going to try and bake a different kind of cookie everyday starting now to Christmas (surprise, Mom! I'll be baking in your kitchen for a few days ;) )
10: the sytycd dancer you should be voting for- jacob is unbelievable. (Although I have about 5 favorites)

I doubt it.

2009-12-01T10:26:00.001-05:00

Did you wonder where I have been the last 6 days or so?
I doubt it. Because if you read my blog, you more than likely follow my twitter or are my real life friend and therefore did not worry that I was in some tragic accident.

Should I spend the time recapping my weekend?
I doubt it. Because I didn’t do too much of anything exciting.

Will I cave and purchase a gym membership this week as snow is CURRENTLY FALLING outside my window?
I doubt it. Because I'm focused on project snow and am determined to bundle up and face the chilly temps to run outside.

Will my Grinch-type-spirit last forever?
I doubt it. Because I have much too romantic of a heart to not be wooed by the most wonderful time of the year.

Will my Grinch-type-spirit last for the day?
I doubt it. Because I'm already feeling a bit guilty admitting that I am not all "HOORAY HOLIDAY" today.

Will I face my bitterness head on during my lunch break, determined to turn my mood around?
YES. Because I don't doubt myself. I don't doubt the truth that beauty lies in everything, in everyone. I don't doubt that one small turn of events can turn a bad day to a GREAT day. I don't doubt the power of positive thinking. I don't doubt the power of words. I don't doubt my own abilities. I don't doubt the truth that at the right time, everything is extraordinary. I don't doubt that love wins. I don't doubt it; I know it.

Pre Holiday Hilarity

2009-11-25T10:13:00.001-05:00

The Girl Who Couldn't Dance

After tweeting, "Question of the day: what music will hung-over heather choose to listen to in order to get her through the day", she decided on Pandora's Glee Cast radio, via blackberry, of course.

The last time she listened to Pandora on her blackberry was in her kitchen, last week, while baking for a birthday celebration.

One thing you should know about Heather is that she likes to dance. She has very little rhythm and looks awkward every song, but that doesn't stop her. She dances while she brushes her teeth, she dances while she sells shoes, she dances in her chair as she is keeping up with her correspondence. She can't help it- when there is music, she dances. The magic of the music gets a hold of her and her shoulders start to move. It ALWAYS starts in her shoulders.

So last Wednesday, while she baked cupcakes and glo bites galore, she listened to Pandora, on her blackberry, in her kitchen. And she danced. She felt her foot tap. And the wiggle. And the shimmy. And the shaking, and the quaking, and the spinning, and swaying, and turning and dipping. And while she danced, she sang along, often using her mixing spoon as a makeshift microphone and channeling her inner Miley. And the volume for said Glee Cast radio was cranked. As high as it will go. Which, considering we are talking about a blackberry here, is quite impressive.

It should be noted that when sound in acoustics of her front office space [red stapler not included], really seems to carry. This theory of carried tune was proven this morning when a coworker surprised Heather.

As the "Glee Cast" Pandora station uploaded it's first selection, the office staff's attention was forced towards Heather's desk. One co-worker seemed especially interested.

He said, "Is that BUST A MOVE!?!?!?"
Then Heather Said, "sure is."
With what she could only describe as the excitement of receiving an Official Red Ryder Carbine-Action Two-Hundred-Shot Range Model Air Rifle, he said, "I haven't heard this song since high school!! It's was my FAVORITE!"

Of course it was.

She mentally cursed the blackberry screen for showing her the busy, spinning hourglass as she continued to smash the "volume down button", hoping to intercept what her overtired imagination believed was coming- an office wide dance party featuring one too many "engineer dance moves" spotlighted down the hall turned runway. And, her biggest fear, her own I can't fight the music, dancing secret revealed.

But it was no use- she felt her foot begin to tap. The wiggle. The shimmy. And before she knew it her hips were shaking and her shoulders quaking, leading her to STAND UP and spin, and sway, and turn, and dip. Until she channeled her inner Rhianna and was begging, "Please, don't stop the music!"

Then Heather Said, "Yes. I am going to get through today just fabulously."

It's the little things- like uniting over an over karaoked song, a maple frosted donut, Trivia Wednesday, and feeling the urge to dance even after a night of very little sleep. It's the little things that keep me LOVING each day, in a town where I know very few people, feel homesick each night and often question, "What am I doing here?" I am dancing. I am dancing here. And that is enough for me.

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-11-25T07:46:00.004-05:00

Top Ten Tuesday

Ten Things I Will Be Doing on Thanksgiving:

1. Waking up super early to head to Arlington, Vermont. I've never been to Vermont before, so this will be a milestone trip ;)

2. Running in the Arlington, VT Running of the Turkeys 5K Road Race. This will mark my third state to race in since I stated my Fitness Bucket List Goal of running a race in every state. For this race I'm going to try and beat my 5K PR, of 33:49.

3. Writing out Christmas cards. Sending Christmas Cards is one of my favorite annual activities. I already have all the prepwork done- I've addressed all the envelopes and gotten out my red and green markers/pens. I'm also planning on spreading some operation beautiful love in my cards this year- it's such a wonderful cause that I truly believe in and I can't wait to incorporate it into my Celebration of Self Holiday Season.

4. Pizza & Ice Cream. When I am not with my family on Thanksgiving Day, I have a little tradition of eating my own special dinner. It started back in high school one November when my family traveled to Chicago and I stayed in Wisconsin, Having my dear friends Danielle and Jen over for a late Thanksgiving evening gathering- Red Baron Four Cheese Rising Crust Pizza and a Fudge Brownie topped with Peppermint Stick Ice Cream and Hot Fudge. It's TRADITION and I will (hopefully) be partaking in said tradition this year. Although- this year I plan on adding lots of veggies to the pizza, making a salad to accompany, and probably not eating anywhere near as much pizza as I used to back in the day. I've found that naturally my portion sizes have been growing smaller as I've been filling up on more WHOLE foods and watching my intake of protein and fiber each day, as well as staying well hydrated.

5. Watching Friends. I can't imagine anything more perfect to have on my TV than a collection of Thanksgiving Friends episodes. Nothing gets me laughing as much as Monica/Joey with turkeys on her/his head. And The One with the Football is one of my top five favorite episodes, so I'm sure that will be viewed, as well.

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6. Getting Really Excited for the Bloggie Secret Santa- the deadline to sign up is FRIDAY. Make sure you email Danielle if you want to be involved in the swap! We would love to have you be apart of the gift exchange :)

7. Handprint Turkey. What more would you want?

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8. Whittling My Middle. As the love hate relationship with this challenge continues. Thanks, Ange. I love you/despise you for thinking this up ;)

9. Posting on Gratitude. Along with 99% of bloggers in America. Can't wait to hear what you are all thankful for, too! :)

10. Going to bed at a decent hour. As clearly I have to work on Black Friday at the store. I plan on turning up my Holiday Spirit to FULL BLAST and spreading cheer to all ;) [also may wear reindeer antlers such as these:

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Decoration Breeds Declaration

2009-11-23T21:52:00.002-05:00

Usually, on Monday night at 8:00 I have a long distance girl time date with my dear friend R.Davis. We spend one hour together, via text messaging though thousands of miles away, watching One Tree Hill. I cherish this time each week, because even though we aren't in the same room, and we don't even hear one anothers voices, I feel the least lonely on Monday nights at 8:00.

Last week, at 8:59, during the "next time on One Tree Hill", we learned that the next new episode will not air until November 30th, and therefore tonight's episode was going to be a rerun.

Regardless, I knew I should stay home tonight- spending some much needed time tidying up the apartment, and in my honest opinion, even more importantly- bringing out the holiday decor.

So this week's "least loney Monday" played a different tune. Instead of sitting crosslegged on my living room floor, I watch the One Tree Hill rerun while keeping busy doing housework, moving from one room to the next. Still conversing with R.Davis about the happenings of the episode, though not being as focused on the drama of the Scott family. And suddenly, as my unpacking of decorations grasped my full attention, "least loney Monday" became "surprise! This may haunt you forever Monday".

After uncovering my former fiance's old stocking, and three ornaments all stating "You're Engaged!" in one form or another, I was reminded that I will quite possibly always be reminded.

We said we were in love, we were engaged, we planned our future, we planned a wedding, we thought we knew what was to come; a walk down the aisle to lead to a first dance, a first house, and a first day of kindergarten sometime down the road.

I thought we knew what was to come and today I was reminded that I didn't know, I never knew- and never imagined that this is where I would be today. In my apartment, alone and single, in a town I never knew of and without him. As I unwrapped the tissue from the ornament in the same slow, delicate manner I unwrapped the paper covering it as I received it from him last Christmas, I realized that today is the day to declare it.

I declare this holiday season a celebration of singleness- a time to ring in cheers of girl time, and toast to how much better of a Heather I am today than I was last year at this time.

I declare it time to find the joy in each and everyday- and even more so, to SHARE it. With people I love, those I see daily, pals I only know through the internet, and strangers. I declare I wish BIG, all season long. Wishes for me and wishes for others. I declare I will wrap my mood up in red and green and purple and gold; finishing it off with a large, fluffy bow, all the while humming Jingle Bell Rock or reminding my self that Santa Claus is Coming to Town.

I declare this winter's snow to be filled with magic- and love and calm and simplicity and happiness. And only this. And not just the first snow, and Christmas snow, but EVERY SNOW. I declare the snow will be FUN to shovel, and safe to drive through, and beautiful even when it's slushy. And I will dance as it is falling, and spin until I am falling.

I declare this the least lonely of holiday seasons, yet. And I declare that I don't know, and I won't know, and that is wonderful, and exciting, and keeps me from sitting stagnant in the familiar. And that makes all the difference.

And I believe it.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Words from the Past

2009-11-22T15:43:00.001-05:00

Blogging by blackberry, again.

I've shared before about my elusive green books. Today, I sat down and took a trip down memory lane- each page taking me to a different season of the last 13 years of my life.

Sometimes when I read passages from these books, or other journals, I become a bit embarassed. I've even thought about throwing out the books a few times, or tearing out certain pages- but I continue to hold on to them and fight the urge to take a sharpie to words that make me feel queasy.

But sometimes I don't feel like having a green book bon fire; I read a few sentences and I am transformed to the girl I was before. I feel the same things I felt back then- I remember the sounds I heard as I was writing, and the way my day went, the way my heart beat faster or the sting of the tears in the back of my eyes. Sometimes I am thankful for my documenting years ago, because I can sit in those memories and recollect the emotions- and the romantic in me loves to remember the good days, the butterflies, and even the bitter sweet goodbyes.

A few short snipets from the past- starting with a "typical 13-year old girl's poem". Ha.

"Silence.
I sit alone.
No one to talk.
No one to listen.
Only hearing my own thoughts.
Dark. Empty. Peaceful. Beautiful.
The ticking of an overhead clock keeps a steady beat to the thoughts
in my world of
silence. " - January 1997

"It's moments like this and feelings like these I want to wrap up in a box and cherish. Save for another day. So when I start to drift, when I start to fade, when I start to forget; I can just lift the lid, take a little peek and be led right back." - september 2001

"Today is the homesick day.
Today is the day I listen to Dave CDs all day long. I have enough of them to not have to listen to the same one twice.
Today is the day I rely on the little things to pick me up.
Today is the day I wish I was back on campus, in the dorm, watching Friends episodes with the girls, laughing while eating Gumby's or Big Mikes.
Today is the day I miss playing soccer on the hill. Each and every morning before class. I'd give anything to be running drills while the sun rises.
Today is the day I remember too much what it felt like to feel like myself. As I sing along, every lyric that passes reveals another memory of home.
Today is the day I rest in sadness and long for before. And don't feel bad about it at all." - october 2003

"I love March Madness.
I love having brackets all over my desk, hanging on my door, near the dorm tv, one in my car, and one in my Bible. Yes, my Bible.
I love dressing in team garb. My team, her team, his team, any team.
I love the NCAA commercials. I hope Joe* makes one some day.
I love having a fun excuse to take some personal time off from work. Round one mid-day games are so much more fun than any appointment I could possibly have.
I love suddenly becoming passionate about teams I've only seen play a few games during the season.
I love how an online bracket can connect old friends who live a nation apart.
I love how it's more than a holiday, it's a month long celebration.
I love the memories collected during March throughout the years.
I love that once your favorite team loses, you find yourself high fiving strangers after sunken free throws, cheering on teams you cursed over during football season.
I love that pizza and wings never tasted as good as they do during the final four.
I love that the girl who picks her bracket based on uniform designs or the cuteness of team mascots undoubtedly will beat my choices every single year.
I LOVE MARCH MADNESS." - 3/17/05

*one of my very best friends, Joe, runs fast. And he was a NCAA track star. And he holds a world record. And I'm proud ;)

When was the last time you took a trip to memory lane? Have you ever flipped through an old yearbook, notebook or journal? Do you still relate to the person you were back then?

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Follow Friday: in photos

2009-11-20T13:27:00.002-05:00

after an exciting night out with work friends last night, i awoke with a bit of a wine headache.
this means that for today, the key is simplicity.

The list of bloggers to tell you about seems to gets longer just about every day. [I am always up for adding someone to my google reader if one of the people I read finds them interesting. There are SO MANY brillant, creative, unique, and FUN people sharing their lives out there.] So, since I'm keeping it simple today, I thought I would give you a little list of 3 who I read every single day.

Three [more] Healthy Living Bloggers I simply just adore:

Carrots N Cake

Lives in Boston.

Adorable pug, Murphy.
GREAT reviews.

Just announced she has a book deal :)

Greens for Good

Lives in Florida.

Shares GREAT details on being vegan.
Sweet kitten named Harvey.

Posts often leave me deep in thought.

Fit Chick in the City

Lives in NYC.
Trains people for a living.

Always offering GREAT tips and tricks.
LOVE her mini-workout posts.

What blogs to do you read that you think I would like to add to my Google Reader? Like I said, I am ALWAYS up for trying out a new blog; who is your favorite blogger?

Vegan Sneak Attack

2009-11-19T01:27:00.001-05:00

This week, I brought a co-worker an apple.

He swore to Jen and I that he only liked Red Delicious apples and that he would never like another kind of apple.

Then Heather Said, "Ummmmm....hello??? Are you doubting the power of the Honeycrisp?"

So Tuesday, I brought him a Honeycrisp and SURE ENOUGH- he now likes "two kinds of apples, afterall."

source

Last fall, when my former fiance and I were deep in the midst of wedding planning, we discussed a cookie/coffee bar at the reception. I had high ambitions back then (hell- I had a future husband back then ;) ) and I was planning on baking all the cookies by myself. In order to decide what kind of cookies to include on the bar of yumminess, I started experimenting with every recipe that looked fabulous and took them to work to be taste tested.

Soon, cookie testing days started falling on co-workers birthdays, becoming duel purpose treats and not too long after cookies became cupcakes, brownies and other treats.

It didn't take much time before I was unofficially declared the birthday baker, bringing treats to share in order to celebrate the birth of each of my co-workers.

source

After the whole apple lesson, we got in a bit of a discussion about my baking lately. We have an office birthday to celebrate tomorrow and the 'what to bake' conversation was in full force. I'm pretty sure there were some comments made regarding my wanting to "make everyone healthier" in the office. (While I was not the one to make said comments, I will not deny that this would be nice: how much easier would making healthy choices be if everyone around you made healthy choices too? THIS is one of my favorite things about talking to healthy living bloggers everyday.)

As the conversation continued, I mentioned something about vegan treats. Everyone in the room looked grossed out and two guys asked me what 'vegan' means. After some discussion, I was informed that my coworkers would NEVER eat, let alone enjoy, a vegan baked good. No dairy? No eggs? That must mean dry and tasteless, clearly! As many of you know; NOT THE CASE. The challenge wrote itself- afterall -even though I'm not participating, it is Blogger Vegan Week hosted by Michelle and Katy, and Thursday is Blogger Vegan for a Day. It seemed like the perfect opportunity to spring a sneak attack on my coworkers.

I turned to everyone's favorite vegan baker, Angela of Glo Bakery and Oh She Glows fame. I remembered two posts from several weeks ago that seemed to be ALL THE RAGE when Ange first posted them; her Glo Bites posts!

So tonight I got to work on both the vegan spiced pumpkin and PB&J glo bites
along with some chocolate vegan cupcakes. And, of course, being the trickster that I am- I don't plan on saying A THING about the vegan-ness of the treats until Friday :) (I am tricky like that!) Stay tuned for details on how it all pans out.

Have you ever tried to "trick" friends or family with a healthy version of an often unhealthy treat or snack?

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-11-17T07:26:00.010-05:00

1. As I've mentinoed before, this week at work is "Super Crazy Busy" week. We are hosting a training at our office, which means we have a bunch of extra guys here, learning things. And it means I have been up REALLY early in order to get to the office REALLY early in order to unload my car and prepare everything that needs to be done for their classes.

2. I am RUNGRY. Do you remember when I posted about being rungry? Well, it's back. I want to run SO BADLY right now. I had planned on running last night, but my plans got changed because of catering arrangements and luncheon pick ups and such. I wanted to run this morning, but I was already planning on being at the office WAY before the sun was rising, which meant a REALLY early wake up. I want to run this evening, but I am scheduled to work at the mall. So - tomorrow night I am DETERMINED to have a great run. I can feel the need to run down to my BONES. and i love love love LOVE that I have come to love running so much that I truly miss it when I've gone more than 2 days between runs. [my last run was a 5 mile interval run in the rain Saturday morning.]

3. Also- as i've talked about a few times before, usually, I spend evenings alone. Most of the time at my apartment. Besides working at the mall, I don't really have a lot going on with my peers- and lately, my nights are filled with keeping up with my long distance friends, clearing out the google reader (an always reappearing todo list goal), and whittling my middle while watching some sort of hour long TV drama [mondays it's the WB, thursdays it's ABC]. But THIS WEEK IS DIFFERENT. My week is JAM PACKED- and that's aokay with me.

4. Yesterday, as I've mentioned, I had to take care of some stuff for the training, and I also had a very quick, and very fun dinner with Jen. Tonight, as previously mentioned, I work at my part-time retail job. Tomorrow night I'm attending an open mic night at a coffee shop near my house. Thursday I have the training is over celebratory drinks and dinner, followed by a group of us going to see Alfred Hitcock's 39 Steps at the Proctors Theater [I am VERY excited about this!]. Friday night I work at the mall again. I SERIOUSLY can not remember the last time all 5 of my week nights were booked in one week. I'm pretty excited because I have a feeling this means the weekend will get here VERY quickly.

5. Did you think I forgot about the 101 in 1001 list? Well, good news- I didn't forget. The last race I ran, the one I've YET to recap, I wore a ribbon in my hair:

But I'll fill you in on the details of said ribbon when the recap happens. You are probably thinking that I am a procastinator and not posting my recap becauseof it. (ok- i admit it- i procrasinate. often, even.) But truth be told, I'm waiting for someone else to upload her photos from the race, since my camera's batteries did not last. [consider this a gentle reminder ;) jk- no rush!]

6. I have been on the look out for the Peanut Butter and Jelly Larabar since I first saw Tina post about it this past summer. FINALLY, I found it last night at a local Hannaford grocery store.

source

7. Remember when Meghann [and a few awesome other bloggers] entered the Sam-E Good Mood Gig contest?? Well, Meghann made it into the top twenty and therefore is now in the finals for the contest. Please, take a few minutes and Vote for Meghann here! You can vote once every day- so if you wanted t0 add a bookmark and visit everyday, I'm sure that would be a-okay with Meghann!

8. Have you heard about the Bloggie Secret Santa? Find out more info here or here. [or both!!]

9. Perhaps you know these two girls. Nicci and Kelsey. These two lovely bloggers live in Denton, Texas, which just so happens to be the town where my parents and younger brother now call home. Since I will be in Denton for the weekend of Christmas, we are arranging a blogger meet up - and I am STOKED.

source: you can read all about her and Nicci's last meet up here and here!

Do you live in the Dallas area and want to meet up with us? PLEASE let us know- we'd love to meet you!

10. On a normal day this is what i would eat at work:

breakfast (sometimes before work- sometimes at work): oatmeal- prepared with 1/3 c oats, 1/3 c water, and 1/3 cup soy milk. Topped with something yummy. For example- my fav combo as of late is 1 TB grapenuts, 1 tsp maple pb, and 1 tsp brown sugar. tea or coffee. usually in a latte form.
snack: fruit and cheese. yogurt. bar. carrots and pb. etc.
lunch: salad or leftovers or sandwich with one fruit or one veggietable serving on the side.
snack: something I can trick myself into think its dessert: such as a larabar, a pear with choc PB, or piece of cinnamon toast.

Now. This is what I have had today.

before i left the house: oatmeal mixture mentioned above.
in my morning meeting: pistachio walnut muffin and chai latte.
mid morning: about a cup of red grapes.
late morning: pomegranted chobani with 1/4 cup granola.
noon: piece of italian bread dipped in sauce.
currently eating lunch: salad (lettuce, tomato, cucumber w/vinegar dressing), baked ziti, two more pieces of bread. [from our luncheon]

It doesn't really seem like a lot of food right there, and it's nothing I'm freaking out about, but I'm just curious by it;

I think that I may be having a "stress eating" problem. I feel like everytime I slow down today, I'm starving and needing to eat something ASAP. This interests me. Have I been doing this my whole life? Is this where my struggle with weight gain came from in my late teens/early twenties [when my "stress" levels also seemed to increase]? Am I allowing food to comfort me even if it's not what I would call my "comfort food"? And if so- why?

Let's discuss this:
Do you turn to food for more than just nutrition and fueling your body? Does food fuel your soul or is that a myth we tell ourselves and grow up thinking is true?

Bloggie Secret Santa

2009-11-15T10:24:00.001-05:00

You can expect this post to be updated early monday morning with links and photos and general goodness- but for now I wanted to get this info out there ASAP for you all- so it's coming to you via blackberry :) aren't you excited??

EDIT: I am here. on a computer. making edits. You are even more excited now than you were before, right?

Remember Thursday when I mentioned a blogger secret santa swap?? Well- it started as a twitter poll and after MANY positive responses, I posted an "upcoming" post regarding the plans being in the works.

Friday morning I woke up to SEVERAL more comments, emails and twitter DM about the Secret Santa idea- and I was stoked!

Then Meghann twittered about a Secret Santa exchange. I was excited that word was spreading so quickly; but when I uploaded the link in her tweet, I was brought to Danielle's Blog.

Apparently great minds think alike, because Danielle was dreaming up a Bloggie Secret Santa as well.

After a quick twitter conversation with the fabulous Kat, I sent Danielle an email suggesting a merger; a double hosted blogger secret santa- and she happily agreed. A few emails have been exchanged, and we have decided to forgo the online exchange programs and hold an old fashioned "pull the name out of the hat" system.

You can read Danielle's gift exchange post here.

Would you be interested in participating this season? Danielle and I are excited to make it happen, and we are hoping YOU will join us.

If you haven't already done so, please email Danielle your name and address at aroundtheworld340@gmail.com with "Bloggie Secret Santa" in the subject line.

Just as a few guidelines, suggestions and extra info:

-Gifts can be homemade, and after reading all the comments & emails from you bloggers, I'm guessing a lot of gifts will support our "Foodie" namesakes ;). Some may consider some specific store items (as Danielle says- if only we all had a TJ's in our reach). And some may be something completely random that you know your receiver will love after spending time catching up/reading their posts- afterall, we have the BEST resources at the tips of our fingers to do some research to find the perfect gift!

-It's important to remember that it isn't the size of the gift, it's the thought that goes into them.

-While shopping, please keep in mind that you are in charge of postage prices; the heavier the package the higher the postage.

We encourage you to use your imagination and special blogger creativity to send along your absolute best to a fellow blogger.

We will be announcing the swaps two weeks from today on November 27th.

P.S. Would your blogging friends and/or readers like to join as well? Just link to this page and/or Danielle's page to share the love.

Have Fun with this and Happy holidays!!!

Follow Friday: Photo J's.

2009-11-13T16:07:00.005-05:00

Happy Follow Friday, my dears!

Then Heather Said, “Today is a J kind of day.”

Let’s talk photography.

If you were to ask who my favorite life-photographer is, I would give a list of five names.

If you said, “no. just pick one.” I would give you a list of five names.

If you said, “come on. Seriously. You can only have one favorite.” I would ignore you and give you a list of five names.

You would note that all five of the names I give you are female. You would note that all five start with the letter J. You would note that I am indecisive and can not pick just one favorite.

Today is the day. The J kind of day. The day you learn about two of these lovely ladies; Jenna and Jill.

Jenna is someone I would label a “world famous blogger.” She used to run a blog titled That Girl. Then she fell in love, got engaged, and started a blog called That Bride. Then she joined the ranks of the ever popular WeddingBee and became Miss/Mrs. Avocado, sharing her wedding planning and details with all who were interested [a lot of her element posts ended up in my own wedding inspiration binder back when I was planning my own almost-wedding]. After the Wedding, she was That Wife. I’ve been reading her blogs for YEARS now- and I was super excited when she started her photography business, Jenna Cole. So excited, in fact, that I became her first paying costumer.

Jenna decided to pursue photography because she wanted to “spend my days taking pictures of people that helped them to see how beautiful they are.”

i went through the last few months and chose a few of my favorites as proof to you that she her photography speaks truth to this statement:

and of course, one from our play date together, as well:

(above 6 photos from JennaCole)

And then there was Jill. Jill is a Michigan photographer whose work I love more and more with each new blog post. Seriously. Without fail, every time she posts, I am in awe. I think it’s best said in her own words, taken from her website; “in all my work, I want to create images that tell your story, display your personality, and celebrate the beauty of being alive.”

Mission accomplished, Jill.

I tried to pick just a few favorites- and I just couldn't stop. There were WAY TOO MANY.

[ummm. Rob Bell and a Ring-Ninja. Need I say more?]

[previous 8 photos from Jill Devries]

I have a few Jenna Cole shots up in my apartment, but not nearly enough. And I've yet to hang a Jill Devries. I think one of my 2010 goals will be to add some shots to my walls by each of them [photos that i'm not in- maybe some detail shots they've each taken? i can picture a nice little collection on my kitchen wall of a few shots by my favorite photographers. something similiar to this] They both have such a great way of capturing light!! Don't you agree?

Please go take some time to browse through the sites of Jenna Cole and Jill Devries - and leave them a message to remind them of how FABULOUS they both are!

You Had Me at "The Bow"

2009-11-12T20:36:00.004-05:00

I'm a self proclaimed "thrifty girl" and I can only remember one time I paid more than $15 for a pair of shoes, but I may have to splurge for the kate spade satin gift bow flats.

I'm serious here- I just took a look at all the shoes in my apartment- I splurged on my running shoes, and ended up getting the originally $122 on a 30% off already reduced clearance price plus an additional $10 off coupon for a smashing $34.

I once found a pair of flats I liked so much at wal-mart for $9 and ended up buying four pairs.

My yellow flats from my jenna cole photoshoot were marked down to $6, and I have four pairs of brown flats I bought from Journeys after they were marked down to $5 a pair. My knock-off Uggs were $12 and my standard black pumps were clearenced out to $10. My other four pairs of shoes I've received as gifts from sweet people in my life.

I can't decide if it's cool or sad that I've paid so little for my shoes.

And I can't decide if it's cool or sad that I can remember how much I've paid for each member of my shoe collection.

But I just found the pair of shoes that are going to change everything.

Today I sat, flipping through the December Elle, with my girl Sarah Jessica Parker* on the cover, and I came across a gift giving guide on page 201. I saw a necklace that made me squeal out loud- so, in true fashion, The Heather Said (to herself) "twitpic this!" And it was done. Kate Spade. Triple Strand. Gold Gift Bow Detailed Necklace. The kind of necklace I love love love, but I'm not sure why.

A few page flip & browses later and I land on page 216 where I find my breath fleeting and my heart stopping. Kate Spade Satin Gift Bow Detailed Slipper Flats. In a selection of colors. For $95. I'm pretty sure that the cost of all of my current flats put together total less than $95.hmmmmmmm.

BUT- and this is where I really start to love my neurotic list making habits- on my 101 in 1001 list, which I wrote over 11 months ago, I seemed to have written, "purchase self a GOOD pair of shoes". And I think that shoes that cost $95 may just qualify as good.

NOW- if I had a computer at my home, you would be lucky enough to see these dream satin gift bow detailed slipper flats- but alas, I am blogging via blackberry and you will have to either trust me, open up a google browser, or wait until 7:45 AM tomorrow morning when I can get to a computer to post these beauties as soon as literally possible.

Until then, I'm going to dream up a few fundraisers to make myself some extra cash in order that I can follow through with this beautiful shoe scheme without having a spending induced panic attack- all creative suggestions will be greatly appreciated. ;)

EDIT: without any further delay, the necklace [and check out that matching ring above. a boy could propose to me with that cute little ring. ok. just kidding. Then Heather Said, "been there. done that. have the old ring sitting in a box to prove it ;)" (too soon to joke about that?)

I'm not having much luck finding the shoes, yet. And I forgot my copy of Elle at home- so on my lunch break I plan on running by the apartment, picking it up and getting you guys & girls a snap shot of the beauties. Seriously. You are going to squeal. I know it.

*seriously- I'm not joking around with Sarah Jessica Parker. She's my favorite celebrity. And while SATC sealed the deal, I loved her early on, from the moment I saw Girls Just Want to Have Fun. (And Don't even get me started on The Family Stone- it's fabulous) I've thrown parties to celebrate her birthday at my apartment three years (however, I was kind of an "any reason for a theme party" kind of girl) and I once told my friend Trav I wouldn't be friends with him anymore if he didn't stop making rude comments about SJP. And if you are feeling daring, google the video for the interview Isaac Mizrahi had with her- delightful! (It may be available on watchisaac.com - where they once said MY FULL NAME during a video segment. It was my 15 minutes :) ) anyway- end of spiel.

Let's Discuss: Secret Santa Blogger Swap!

2009-11-12T16:47:00.004-05:00

Just a quick update at the end of the day to fill you in on a blogger plan in the works.

Today while on break at work, I looked at my family's holiday wishlists on amazon. [please, do not even get me started on my fathers 4 item list which leaves me v. little inspiration ;) love you, Dad!] I was thinking about how I am ready to get all my shopping started as soon as possible, and that I may even work on making some early-Christmas cookies this weekend.

I started to think of the other people I would be buying/making/collecting gifts for, and I started to think about the blogging community. I honestly feel like you guys are more than just bloggers- you are my friends. And i wanted to give each and every one of you a gift.

Isn't that exciting? A gift! From Heather. To you, dear blogger!

Then Heather Said, "Oh, wait. I am poor."

How can I give a gift to all of my favorite bloggers and still afford to pay my rent? Why not a Secret Santa Blogger Swap? HOW FUN WOULD THAT BE?!?!?

So, in true form, I turned to twitter and asked for some feedback- and so far I have over a dozen people who want to participate! I love the idea of a Blogger Secret Santa because it is so easy to learn about a person and what they may like via their blog! [Office Secret Santas often leave me clueless!]

We are still coming up with the terms, so expect more information to come in the next few weeks. But- this being a swap for all of us bloggers, I wanted to get some opinions and ideas from you all to direct the outcome of the secret santa blogger swap.

What are your thoughts on the following [start discussion in the comments or send me an email at thenheathersaid@gmail.com ]:

a) A Specific Swap Gift: for example: an ornament, a foodie item, a book, or something from your hometown/state etc. [please throw out any ideas you have here and your thoughts on whether we should do something specific or just general "gifts"]

b) Price Range

c) Along with the gift swap, adding on a "guest post", "blog spot light", recipe feature or another "bloggy" type thing? [again, give me your thoughts on this along with any ideas you have for this]

I can't wait to hear all your ideas and feedback!

Post Script Disclaimer: I want to make sure I point out that I am not the first person to think of a blogger swap- there are swaps going on ALL YEAR LONG throughout the internet [there is even an online swap community]. Some of the feedback I received mentioned that some bloggers were part of a Christmas swap last year as well- and I don't want to steal anyone's thunder.

Joining the Whittlers

2009-11-11T13:19:00.002-05:00

Angela has started yet another blogger trend.
The Whittle My Middle challenge.

Yesterday, in my Ten To-Do’s to Become a Better Runner- I mentioned my needing to do some Core work- so you can bet your bippy I agreed to participate in the challenge.

In Ange’s challenge includes pictures, measurements and core work. More specificly, 6-10 minute core workouts 5 days a week. She lists 6 different exercises she plans to do each day during her workouts- a few of which use a stability ball.

I myself do not have a stability ball, so I planned on doing some substitution exercises. Soon after I decided this, I saw a tweet from my friend Kristin asking for some stability ball-free core ideas – I replied that I am making my own workout and Kristin and my new blog friend , the Queen, both asked me to post the details of my core workout on Then Heather Said- so here I am.

My Core Workout will be 6-10 minute core workouts 5 days a week and include the following exercises, which I have embedded with links to “how to’s” from sparkpeople:

Dumbbell Crunches

Hip Flexor and Extensions

Lying Straight Leg Raises

Pendulums

Planks

Side Planks

TStands

I'm not going to lie [afterall, we did just talk about honesty!] - I'm a bit terrified of this Whittle My Middle 30 day plan! I haven't focused on core work in a really long time, and I know I'm going to be quite sore, especially at the start, but I also know that's a GREAT PLACE TO BE. The soreness means it's working. [this may become my mantra for the next month]

Great News- you don't have to be a blogger to Whittle Your Middle, and I've just proven you don't need a stability ball ;) - what do you say, will you join the Whittlers with me? Want more reason to join the challenge rather than "everyones doing it? Here's an article about why a strong core is a good thing! So- are you in?

The Best Policy

2009-11-11T12:12:00.005-05:00

source

Then Heather Said, "Honesty is the best policy"

Earlier this week, Ryan wrote a wonderful, thought provoking post about the honest lives of bloggers, specifically healthy living bloggers. As I read it, I found myself questioning my level of honesty on my own blog.

From the beginning I’ve shared that my desire for Then Heather Said is to be genuine and open about my life since the broken engagement. I find that being honest with my readers ensures that I am being honest with myself. While I do talk about my health[ier than before] lifestyle, I don’t know that I would classify my blog as a “healthy living blog” [although, I’m not sure what I WOULD classify it as, either.] Yet, after reading the post Ryan wrote, I couldn’t help but question my own levels of honesty on Then Heather Said.

How much of a fence do I put up on what I am going through?
How often do I avoid writing about specific subjects and why do I avoid it?
Where do I draw the “that’s too personal to share” line?
Do I try and present myself to appear a certain way to my readers?
What have I been hiding? Where do I need to come clean?

When I worked in Youth ministry in Texas, I often had to defend myself and my desire for genuine honesty within my ministry work. I am not perfect, and nor was I back then; and I knew it. The last thing I wanted was for the high school students I was mentoring to see me as someone they should try to live up to; I didn’t want to be idolized in any way, I wanted my life to point to Christ.

I remember certain people having a problem with my honesty with students back then.

Sometimes I would share during small group what I personally was struggling with and areas in which I needed prayer.
Sometimes with my interns, we would discuss my weaknesses, and the lessons I’d learned that may help them with where they were.
Sometimes I would share stories of mistakes of my past and days I wish I could take back.

I was open, I was truthful, and I was relatable. I was available to be vulnerable to these high schoolers. I never wanted to appear to “have it all together” and know exactly how to handle every situation. I never wanted to fool them into thinking I always did the right thing, and never hurt or never wanted more or never felt insecure or alone or confused. It was important to me that they knew my story and knew that I still question God daily, and that this was an okay place to be. A good place to be, even.

I myself have fallen to the point of thinking a leader was someone to “be just like”. And not because the leader was trying to coral people into a “following” but more because I saw something in them that I couldn’t accurately describe, and wanted in my own life. This is a dangerous place to tred- idolatry & coveting the personality/dedication/lifestyle of people you admire. And not just as a believer/follower of Christ/Christian- but in day to day life. Gaining inspiration from, being motivated by, and admiring positive qualities in others is safe. Trying to model your life exactly after another individual is dangerous. To sound a bit cliché- If we were all the same, the world would be boring. Our uniqueness is beautiful and we should embrace that. [operation beautiful plug, much?]

I think a lot of times, leaders, in church and other places, feel they need to live up to a certain standard and hide the hard stuff, the dark stuff, the rough stuff. And perhaps this happens in the blog world too. I don’t want to sound whiny. I don’t want to sit in negativity and make it seem like I think the world is against me. I don’t want to complain or appear to be mean or judgmental or rude or ignorant [bliss or no bliss].

It’s a fishbowl affect. When a person steps into leadership, of almost any kind- warranted or not, their lives become a fishbowl and the world watches. Leadership is a kind of popularity, and popularity a kind of leadership. This is definitely true in the church scene, in politics- national or local, in Hollywood, in corporations/offices around the world, and perhaps even in blog-land. How often do we hear it from opposing sides during an election, in our own social circles, and in the aftereffects of a “Hollywood scandal”- do you think Miley is ever going to live down her “being a role model” and taking photos in a sheet or dancing with a pole at an award show?

When people are looking, it’s hard to be honest. It’s hard to say, “I’m not as cool/smart/put together/healthy/dedicated/optimistic as you think I am.” And maybe, as bloggers, we shouldn’t have to, truthfully.

Do I want to read the blogs written by bitter people who complain all the time, of course not. And I truly believe that my blogging through the pain helped me to STAY (and often just be) optimistic about my life when I was broken hearted. When I didn’t always feel strong, knowing that I would report my emotions to readers helped me to become strong, and to find the strength that was within me.

The same goes for work outs and eating good food. Many healthy living bloggers have mentioned that posting meals online every day keeps them accountable to not OVER DOING the indulgences and keeping up with their exercise. The blog community is the best accountability I’ve yet to experience- encouragement to just put my shoes on and run, to take a break when I need to, and a reminder not to do too much too fast. [seriously. You bloggers are amazing. Thank you for keeping me motivated on days I want to be lazy.] Perhaps our “blogging attitude” helps our “reality attitude” stay more positive.

All things considered- my favorite blogs are written by people who aren’t afraid to share their faults and their struggles- and push past them. They don’t whine about the world being against them, and they don’t pretend that life isn’t hard. They discuss their fears and open their lives to the world [wide web] and face the negative comments as they come- with strength and dignity and grace and keeping their heads held high.

Then Heather Said, "Let's be honest."

So for the last day or so, I’ve been thinking about things that Then Heather HASN’T Said, and decided that perhaps I should come clean on a few things- not because I have to, but because I want to; for allowing myself to be honest with you, I am most honestly facing myself. So just a few quick notes about, well, life.

-Sometimes, I still think about how I would of/could of/should have been married. In reality, my brain AND my heart know that my former fiancé SAVED MY LIFE the day he called off the wedding; I didn’t marry the wrong guy, I didn’t make a big mistake, I didn’t miss out on my future as it will be now- but I still think about it. I think about it when I am making dinner for just one, and when I have no one to go to the movies with, and when I see something at Target that I would like to come home and leave on the table for him, just because. And I thought about it a lot the day I sliced open my hand carving a pumpkin.

-I’m not going to church. [and I know my former pastors have and can read my blog. And I know my former students have and can read my blog. And I know my former ministry partners have and can read my blog- and perhaps all these reasons are why I haven’t said much about this- or Jesus, at all.] I’ve allowed myself to be offended by people in the church in the past, and I fear those feelings again. I’ve tried going to a few services- at my old church in the area, at churches I’ve never visited before in the area. And I feel like I’m suppose to say “I know I should be going to church” - but I'm not saying it- because that's not how I'm feeling. I love Jesus. So much. And perhaps this is a post for another day- but I am having a hard time with church. Maybe it's because the former fiance and I met in ministry. Maybe it's because so much of our relationship revolved around the church and so much of our lives were imbedded in church. Or maybe not. I just know I don't want to go. I don't want to go back to my former church again, not yet [my former fiance is currently working there] and I definetely don't want to go church shopping. I am happy spending my Sunday mornings on the trail, praying as I run. [and if we are being completely honest, which i am, i'm not really praying too much lately, either.]

-a follow up to all that? I am questioning more than ever before. But i don't really want answers. I just want to question.

-I am strong and independant and I love living alone and getting to make my own agenda every evening. But I am lonely. I miss having a bunch of friends to do things with through out the week. I miss having a jam packed schedule. I miss hosting dinner parties and game nights and meeting for coffee or dinner. I miss having peers that I called my friends.

-There are 100 places I'd rather live- but I know it's not the time. I love my apartment. I love my village. I love my job. But I love St Paul. I love Madison (my favorite small city of ALL TIMES). I love Boston. and I especially love my parents and wish i could wake up in their house every day. A friend recently suggested I move to Denver, another to Durham, NC, and another back to Southeast Texas (yeah- that's NEVER going to happen- sorry ladies.) I love having people tell me I should move near them because it makes me feel loved. I love hearing it because it's something to dream about. I love hearing it because I am alone 6 out of 7 nights of the week. But I am here, in a small little village tucked in the Capital District of NY for a reason, i'm sure of it, and in the words for Tim Gunn, I will "make it work."

-I struggle daily with one thing or another. I define myself in words I hope to be. I run 4-5 days a week and I still have trouble calling myself a "runner". My apartment is a mess and I have only half unpacked from Boston. I still compare myself to others every single day, even though I preach not to do so. I keep replying "no" to wedding rsvps because I am too poor to travel, and also, because I am too afraid of what my heart will feel like as I watch her walk down the aisle. Even though I know it's better this way. I keep asking myself when I will feel okay enough to watch that ceremony? I'm terrified of letting the people I love the most down. I have problems asking for help. I wish I had a computer. And also some cheese fries. and i think my feet are way too big. and I asked for Thursday off from work so I could watch Greys.

Honestly. That's me.

Do you relate? How do you feel about my thought that "Leadership is a kind of popularity, and popularity a kind of leadership. This is definitely true in the church scene, in politics- national or local, in Hollywood, in corporations/offices around the world, and perhaps even in blog-land. " ? Do you think bloggers face the same kind of critism in the blogging community that other popular leaders do?

Top Ten Tuesday: Theme 1

2009-11-10T12:39:00.003-05:00

Most Tuesdays I share with you 10 things that are going on in my world. Most Tuesdays theses 10 things are pretty random and don't really go together. Most Tuesdays are easy-blogging and I don't really have to commit too much, admit too much, or even transmit too much. Today is Tuesday, but it's not like this.

Today I wanted to talk about my Getting Back on Track. I touched on it last week and promised more info to come, and here I am, just now getting to it.

Of course, this actually worked out for the best because my mind set has changed a bit on the whole "Getting Your Glow Back on Track" thing.

Don't get me wrong- I want to stop over indulging [did you see my mention of bbq kettle chips yesterday] and I want to keep putting good stuff in my body and tackling some challenges to make me stronger and healthier and to be honest, shed more weight [more on THAT desire to come]. But more than anything else, I want to become a better runner. I want to be able to run an entire 5K without ever stopping once, not even to sip my water. I want to be stronger and better conditioned. I want to improve on my 5K time and be able to eventually move past the 5K onto a longer race. This will all happen with time, I know. And I do not want to rush this experience.

The truth is I love every run, even when I don't always think I do. I am thankful for what my body can do. And I am thankful for every mile I log and every finish line I cross. I am thankful for my legs, and my heart. I love running. [who would have thought?]

Sunday afternoon, on my drive back from Boston, I started thinking about my "getting back on track" and why I wanted to do so. I want to have a healthy body. I want the scale to keep reading lower numbers. I want to feel good about myself. I want to continue to feel HAPPY every day. But mostly, I wanted to "get back on track" to improve my running. After that realization, my list was formed:

Top Ten Basics to Refocus on to Become a Better Runner

1. Nutrition and Tracking Food– Michelle recently completed her first tri, and during the recap she shared something her friend and co-tri-star, Madi, said; "I no longer eat because I want to lose weight. I eat to fuel for my exercise".

This is where I NEED my focus to be right now.
Honestly, I want to continue to lose weight, as mentioned above. Since I started my "healthier heather journey" I've lost 24 pounds. [so close to an even 25- you know that's driving me nuts, right?] But I also know that if I continue to pour everything I've got into my running and exercise, that the pounds will keep shedding. How do I know this? Because not long ago I had reached my first weight loss goal- 20 pounds- and decided to put the scale away until after my first 5K. And when I took that scale out again, it said I had lost 4 more pounds. Maybe it's mental- but tracking my food to see how much I can eat to lose weight does not make me very excited. Tracking my food to make sure I'm getting the RIGHT stuff in my body to fuel me for my best performance- not just on race days, but perhaps even more importantly, in my training- THAT get's me excited.

As I mentioned before, I recently noticed a decrease in meat in my diet, and I have started tracking my meals (again) at sparkpeople.com in order to make sure I’m getting enough protein.

Also- I’ve read a bunch of different suggestions for “runners diets”- each suggesting what percentages of carbs/protein/fats a runner should be focusing their meals on. I haven’t committed to any of these numbers, but I am following the suggested guidelines that my “spark nutritional page” has set for me based on my activity level, weight, & desired future loss. For now that means: Calories 1410-1760, carbs 187g-270g, fat 37g-65g, and protein 60g-145g.
I don't freak out if I am a little over or a little under some days, but these are just goals for me to shoot for. Also, I make sure that on days my exercise is really increased [like my 10 mile interval day] that I properly fuel before and after my activity, even if it means more calories.

I am going to track my food every day for the rest of November to make sure I am getting the proper amounts of protein my body needs.

2. Get better rest – I am doing much better the past few weeks on this, but I need to continue to make getting a proper amount of sleep a priority. Especially now that it is getting dark before I even leave the office, and I definitely need to do my weekday outdoor runs in the mornings. I am aiming at being in bed at 10:00 PM every night but Thursday, which I will go to bed at 11:00 PM.

Why Thursdays? Fridays are “casual” at work so I tend to take a lot less time to get ready, and also, I watch Private Practice Thursday nights at 10:00. Yes. I did just set my sleeping schedule depending on ABC. Way to go, Heather.

I am going to aim to get 8 hours of sleep every night for the rest of November to make sure I am properly rested to face my day, my work load, and my training.

3. Cross Training – I've been reading a lot about the benefits of cross training for runners. I've faced a few challenges with cross training the past few months. First off, as mentioned above, I love running- so I really don't mind if every cardio activity I put into my week is on the trail. But I know I need to mix it up. Secondly, a lot of people have suggested spinning- but to be perfectly candid- I am terrified of spinning. This is something I am trying to work on, as I know it really can't be that bad. And I know I need to mix it up. A lot of times I am just fearful of trying something new, but this is something I've been trying to work on since July, and I think I am going to put this to good use this month.

I am going to participate in at least eight cardio activities other than running throughout the rest of November to help me find my cross-training-soul-mate-activity.

4. Train Smart – Mostly for me, training smart is about listening to my body. Especially taking time off when my body tells me to rest. This is something every runner needs to be reminded at one point or another: TAKE THE TIME TO REST. You’ll come back stronger and improve your distance or speed if you do.

Also- I read this today on a running website; “Identify your personal mental barriers and then train through them.” This is something I am definitely going to make sure to focus on. I want to break through the walls that my brain tries to build around me :)

I am going to spend a few minutes each evening for the rest of November journaling about my workouts, what I feel like my body is saying to me, and what my mental barriers might be.

5. Balance & Flexibility – Since I first started running, I’ve seen such a huge improvement in my flexibility. In my post-workout stretches, I can reach farther and hold each stretch longer. Just as my running has made me more flexible, I think my becoming more flexible will help improve my running.

I also really want to improve my balance. I have been wanting to try some serious yoga for a while now. And by serious I mean, more than what I’m doing, I guess. I have never taken a yoga class or followed any kind of instructor, podcast, television, dvd or otherwise. The only yoga I’ve done are things I’ve tried a time or two on my own from magazines or online yoga pose guides [and lots of "desk yoga" at work]. I’m definitely on the look out for some ways to get more yoga into my life. Do you runners have any suggestions?

I am going to try to practice yoga with some sort of instruction at least 3 times during the rest of November.

6. Core Work - This is simple: I've read it 100 times in the past few weeks- having a strong core is crucial to becoming a better runner. And I have definitely been slacking at the core work.

I am going to do 2 days of core work each week for the rest of November.

7. Running Out Doors – I’ve mentioned before about Ange’s Winter Challenge, Project Snow. Being outside in the cold does not always sound like fun. Exercising in the cold very rarely sounds like fun. But I’m hoping that as I continue to brave winter weather, I will come to have a love for it. And I know that if I continue to condition myself to running in cooler weather, I will become a better runner because of it.

I am going to run outside at least three times each week for the rest of November, in proper gear and attitude ;)

8. Hydrating – This is something I know is important, not just because everyone else says so- but because I've experienced the difference in my running while well hydrated and while dehydrated. And I'm not just talking before races, but before every run. And not just an hour before the run, either. I want to be well hydrated ALL THE TIME so that I am properly hydrated for my training and my racing (even when I’m only racing myself). Also- staying hydrated is good for your body and your skin! I’m so down for healthy skin :)

I am going to drink at least 64 ounces of water each day for the rest of November, plus morning and evening tea, and water during workouts.

9. Warm Up & Cool Down – I need to make sure I am making time for my entire work out- THIS IS A MUST. Sometimes, I feel like I'm so pressed for time that I rush into my running without properly warming up which can definitely lead to injury. Sometimes, I feel like I'm so pressed for time that I rush back home from my running without properly cooling down and stretching, which can also lead to injury. The last thing I want to have to deal with is injury!

I need to remember that it is better to properly warm up and cool down and shorten my full-force workout when I am restrained for time than to put my body in danger.

I am going to spend at least 5 minutes warming up and 10 minutes cooling down for each workout the rest of November.

10. Stay Motivated – There are so many reasons I am motivated to run, such as reading inspirational stories about other runners. Another way to stay motivated is to train with people. A team atmosphere can add to your motivation, help you to experience through firsthand interaction with other runners, and add a fun/social element to your running as well.

As silly as it sounds, I feel like I have a good team atmosphere here in the blog world. Even though I don’t physically run with any of you, I receive so much encouragement every day that I run. No matter if it's good lucks and advice via twitter before a race, a congratulations or “good job” in a comment, or even (and a especially) the “get your butt outside and run! You will be happy you did!” texts that keep me accountable when I start to feel lazy.

As much as I love all the Internet interaction from my fellow running buddies all over the world, I still think I need to find someone to train with in person. I’ve already talked to someone who is active in a running group here in the area- but they take the winter off and only run together for the spring and fall. I know that come spring I will be joining them for some team-runs. But as for the winter, I am determined to find a running buddy or two. I haven’t decided exactly HOW I’m going to do this- but I will let you know when I have it figured out. And, of course, I am definitely up for suggestions.

Do you have any suggestions of how I can find a running buddy?
How about other ways to improve my running? What do you do to improve the quality of your running?

What is Manic Times 2 Plus Soreness?

2009-11-09T12:13:00.003-05:00

My Monday.

Next week we seem to have a training going on at the office. People from various branches coming in to learn things.
I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today, as my to-do list seems to keep getting longer faster than I can cross anything off.
And I want a soft pretzel and bbq.

OK. Apparently I thought that it was okay to be all cranky - Sorry about that.

I'm going to make a few claims here, so that I am better kept accountable:

-I will blog. everyday this week. (i already have a list started of topics I want to cover. a few things I've promised more info on, product reviews, giveaways, and of course my Boston Trip and Race Re-cap from this week, just to name a few.) This is not a "to do" as much as a "get to do" as I love blogging and this fabulous blogging community we are all apart of in one form or another.

-I will get some sort of activity/exercise in my life every day. Because I am quite sure it is the only thing that will keep me sane when work picks up.

-I will not purchase any BBQ Kettle Chips. (this is a promise i made to myself while eating lunch with Laura, yesterday- as I am quite certain i could eat a full bag of them every day for the rest of my life, and that is just not healthy.

-I will continue to tell myself I am going to completely unpack from this weekend, and if it does not get done, I will not get upset ;)

OK. SADLY- thats all the time I have for the blogging for now.
but i didn't want to leave you with out a little teaser of whats to come here on the blog. Let's just say, I miss these two so very much already:

Stef & Laura showing off their Road ID's at our 5K

Creating a list always helps me regroup and stay focused. [i may have 4 lists on my desk RIGHT NOW]- What do you do to help you on super busy or stressful days?

The Sterotypical Female

2009-11-06T01:31:00.000-05:00

A few years ago, when I lived in Beaumont, I had a very close gal pal, Lacey.

When we went on a two day road trip, she packed in the largest suitcase I've ever seen. It was gigantic. So large, in fact, that upon arrival to load the vehicle, our friend Kyle asked her if we were driving her suitcase to our destination.

This little "your luggage is the size of a mini-cooper" joke continued on through every trip we've ever taken together, and I still smile at the memory. Oh Lace, and her volkswagon of a suitcase.

I find it especially charming tonight, errrr, this morning, as I'm preparing for my trip to Boston tomorrow.

Here's a short informational review:
- according to google maps, our hotel in Boston is 3 hours and 1 minute away from my office.
- I am leaving work at 2:00 PM tomorrow and making the drive to meet Stef & Laura
- we are running a race sunday morning, and plan on departing each others company soon after crossing the finish line.
- therefore, my departure from Boston will be less than 48 hours from my departure from work

A duffle bag would serve me well, right?

Oh, no doubt, I agree. My duffle is packed with all my race stuff. and some extra "just-in-case" work out gear.

My large weekender bag is packed with my other clothes. As if I was going away for several days, errrr, weeks. And three pairs of shoes. Cause, you know, I'm going to be there less than two days, yet I may need three pairs of shoes, four if you include my running shoes.

I also have two large reusable grocery bags filled with snacks and breakfast items for the hotel room. I'm not racing without my normal breakfast options. That's just not going to happen. Also, I'm bringing all four types of peanut butter I have in my apartment; you know, just in case. And 13 various snack/energy/nutrition bars. 13. Just. In. Case.

Speaking of case, I can't forget my traincase. Filled with tolietries and make up. Nevermind that I wear make up about 6 times a year. This weekend may be one of those times, right?

And then we have my all time favorite solo-road trip travel companion; that which clearly signifies my being called odd.
My laundry basket.
Here's the truth- I LOVE LAUNDRY BASKETS. It's my favorite piece of luggage.

You may be thinking that I have clothes in my laundry basket. You would be WRONG.

My laundry basket will sit in my passenger seat as I travel to Boston. In the laundry basket are items falling into one of two categories.

1) things I will/might/could potentionally need during my drive. My operation beautiful kit, my water bottle, a paper copy of directions incase my gps freezes up, select CDs, advil, a jar of change for tolls or coffee stops, a paper cutter, a stack of magazines, perfume, my purse and camera, etc.

2) Things I don't want to get ruined during transit and therefore need to keep an eye on. Like a present. Or fresh flowers. Or a globe. Or my race registration confirmation paperwork.

The laundry basket in the front seat should be a Then Heather Said trademark, but the truth is, the laundry basket doesn't just accompany road trips.

I'm not 100% sure of this, but I think it all started in the dorm, when I was an RA. I would be working on an art/craft/class/bulletin board project in my room, not want to stop, and need/want to go to the lounge- so I would load up the basket and be on my merry way.

I also do this at my parents house. When I want to work downstairs but all my stuff is upstairs - just load up the laundry basket.

When I was a personal attendant for my former roommates wedding, I carried a laundry basket from one location to the next; loading it up in the morning with things I needed to drop off at various locations throughout the day.

The laundry basket has helped me cart bachelorette party stuff, decorations and favors to my black & silver 25th bday party, art supplies and treats to my small group, and just a bunch of junk to the office.

I love the laundry basket- and I think you might love it too. It's for more than just laundry. :)

And clearly, I should go to bed now as the laundry basket, traincase, grocery bags, weekender, and duffle are all packed and ready for my < 48 hour trip.

Do you tend to overpack or underpack for trips? What's one thing you never leave home without? Are you willing to try the laundry basket method??
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Tardy: Troy Monster Madness Dash 5K Recap

2009-11-05T12:08:00.005-05:00

Okay, it’s time.
I’ve put it off long enough. My second 5K is fewer days away than my first 5K is days ago- perhaps its time for me to post my recap?

I think so.

I feel like I was counting down the days until the Troy Monster Madness Dash 5K Run/Walk for just about a decade. I had first thought about running the race last spring, when I saw the bulletin board for the Capital District YMCA 5K Series in the YMCA I was attending for some “pre-wedding workouts”. The series includes six different 5K races, each in a different city in the NY State Capital District.

The Troy Monster Madness Dash 5K is the 5th in the series. I already had plans for the first weekend 5K in Albany. The second, in Glenville, was to be hosted the weekend of my Bachelorette Celebration in Denton, the third race, in Saratoga was WAY TOO CLOSE to the wedding date for me to assume I wouldn’t have other things to do that weekend (I am a procrastinator, and I’m not afraid to admit it.) And the forth race, in Guilderland, was the weekend following the planned wedding, and therefore was reserved for our Honeymoon. So the Troy Monster Madness Dash 5K was it, I decided.

The week after making this decision, I leisurely walked 3.1 miles from my office building to the Schenectady YMCA in about 50 minutes, and decided that even if I couldn’t run the entire thing, as long as I came in under 50 minutes, I would be happy. I was set on the Halloween race.

It didn’t occur to me until writing this post that after the wedding was cancelled, I should have signed up for the Saratoga and Guilderland 5Ks. Why didn’t I think about this until now? Oh, well. I digress.

I had been “training” since last spring, but I didn’t start REALLY focusing on my running until the week of the break-up. With no centerpiece flowers to make, no wedding decisions to finalize, no relationship to nurture, and no friends in the area, I suddenly found myself with a lot of time on my hands. And for the first time in a long time, I honestly asked myself what I wanted.

A few days after the relationship ended, my dad came to town. He had business meetings in NYC the following week, so he graciously changed his flight arrangements, came to Albany, and was my Superhero. He helped me put my life back together. And he spoiled me a bit. ( also- I think he gave my mom some sanity- I know she had a hard time being in Texas while I was in New York dealing with my broken heart alone- dad coming to the rescue seemed to calm her down a bit, I think.)

When he was in town, we stayed at a hotel nearby. One night, while watching Entourage in the room, I remember talking to Laura via text about how much I respected her new found love for running, and how I really wanted to follow in her footsteps. She had inspired me. And I was ready. But I didn’t know where to start.

Laura told me to go run as long as I could, and to keep track of how many minutes I could run before I stopped, and let her know, and we could make a running plan together. I had my very own running coach.

I changed into my gym clothes, laced up my sneakers, grabbed a bottle of water and headed down to the fitness center of the hotel. I turned Ace of Cakes on the television (because, really, what better to work out to than the food network ;) ), and I warmed up on a treadmill. I walked for ten minutes, then restarted the timer on the treadmill.

And I took off. I ran for 7 minutes, and managed to get to .55 of a mile. Wow. That wasn’t bad at all. I recovered for a few minutes, and then ran for 7 more minutes. Then recovered again. Then ran for 7 more minutes before cooling down. And I knew what I wanted. I finally asked myself what I honestly wanted, and I finally had an answer. I wanted to be a runner.

Not long after, I started the ever popular Couch-to-5K training program, but it didn’t last long. After the third week, I just started running my own interval plan. The longest I’ve ever run without stopping is just over 2 miles. Still to this day, I have run an entire 3.1 miles- and for a while this was a struggle for my ego- but eventually I realized that it’s okay for me to go at my own pace. What I need is to go at my own pace.

And so I continued to run (and walk and run again) and time myself. I noticed that sometimes, the days I do short intervals I finish 3 miles in a lot less time. When I run 2 miles, recover and run the remainder, I come in after 40 minutes. Yet, one day, I decided to 1 minute splits of running and walking, and made it to the finish line in just under 29 minutes. Apparently, my speedy run is a lot speedier than I anticipated.

But, my goal still remains to run 3.1 miles straight. Even if that’s something I have to work towards for a while, I know I will get there eventually.

Then Heather Said, “Yeah- but what’s the point?”

Oh- you came here to read my recap of my first race ever and I STILL haven’t gotten there? Sorry about that. I’m a bit long winded.

Ok- so my first race was last Saturday. By the time Friday came around I was so excited that my first race was only a day away. At work, I felt extremely giddy, and giggled whenever I thought about my crossing the finish line the next morning. A few times of thinking about the race and the training and the decision to “become a runner” made me tear up a bit. I was emotional. At work. On Friday. [is this normal?]

Friday night, I got ready for my race.
I made a yummy broccoli pasta dinner and spent my evening at home, relaxing, sipping tea and trying to calm myself down. I was definitely fending off butterflies most of the evening.

I made a few operation beautiful notes to wear, one on my pre-race zip up hoodie, and one on my costume. Here is the photo of the one I had on my hoodie, along with a stack of papers I brought along with me to the race.

Before going to bed, I started to get really nervous that I was going to forget something REALLY important in the morning. So I brought out my folding table and left myself some reminders:

I headed to bed quite early, and my excitement was not letting me fall asleep easily. I remember trying to count backwards from 100 about a dozen times before I finally was in deep slumber.

When my alarm sounded, I jumped right out of bed! No snooze button for me! I got ready, made breakfast, and triple checked my post it note to-do list, and then I headed off.

When I arrived at the Troy YMCA, I checked in and got my race number. Being the Monster Madness Dash, we were encouraged to dress up. My boss, Jen, helped me come up with this super easy to run in costume, a baseball player. Of course, the way I roll was to be there an hour before race time. Apparently, this is when a lot of “serious runners” check in as well. I took note that my baseball costume was sure unique, because everyone else I saw was either dressed in a runner costume, or a ymca staff member costume. Not very original, guys. But, I tried not to care too much that I didn’t get the matching costume memo;

And here is my Operation Beautiful note that I wore on my costume. I got the idea for "you are stronger than you think" from Ange, who wore a note like it to her half marathon. I thought it was such an encouraging mantra for other racers to read!

One of the women, Shannon, whom I started the race with took a photo with my Operation Beautiful sign and sent it to Caitlin for the blog. I was pretty excited to see it show up on Sunday Morning :)

Thankfully, a bit closer to race time, more runners in costumes showed up. Unthankfully, I didn’t get any photos.

The night before the race I had put a call for advice out on Twitter. A lot of people told me to make sure to start out SLOWLY- I have read a lot about the anxiousness for the race causing runners to start out super fast and then burn out before long, and I wanted to make sure not to do that. Also- Alex reminded me to HAVE FUN and that was on the top of my race priority list. This being my first race and on an unfamiliar course, I was aiming for a time of sub 40 minutes.

Right before the race started, I positioned myself towards the back of the runners. I talked to a few ladies who were also running their first races, and several who were also planning to do intervals.

When we took off across the starting line, I tried to run as slowly as possible. This lasted about three minutes. Soon, I could not hold it back, so I picked up the pace, just a little bit. Soon after, I found my groove, and carried on at a pace I was comfortable with.

The course was REALLY hilly. We ran near and on a golf course, and the uphills were killer. There was one major incline that seemed to go on FOREVER. Of course, this meant there were also some major downhills that definitely helped my time. I made sure to remember what Kath had said about making her strides long to take advantage of the down hills, and I tried to use my long legs to my benefit.

I took a few walking breaks throughout the race, mostly while I was taking drinks of water. After last week’s self peptalk, I was okay with walking when I needed to, and made sure not to be discouraged and pick my running right back up as soon as I caught my breath.

At the 3 mile mark [i'm assuming] a girl was yelling out our places as we passed her. When she pointed to me, she yelled "121!". I noticed a good number of people between me and the finish line, and I realized that now was the time to not hold ANYTHING back- and I started SPRINTING. I'm quite certain I was running faster than I have in the last year. I ended up passing 9 people! Here I am much later, at the finish line.

I ended up coming in 112th place with a time of 33:49- So much better than my 40 minute goal!

My next race is this Sunday in Boston. Laura, Stef and I are running the Luv2Run Boston 5K – and once again, I am super excited, but this time for a bunch of different reasons!

This will be the first time I am running with people I know. And I don’t just mean “running a race”, I mean running in general. I am looking forward to enjoying the running experience with two of my favorite people!

Not only is this my second race ever, it’s also in Massachusetts, which means that after Sunday, I am one state closer to my “Race in all 50 states” fitness bucket list goal! [only 48 more to go! ;) ]

I am determined to meet a goal. I haven’t decided yet which goal I am going to aim to complete. I am either going to try and run the entire way or beat my time of 33:49. I think I could definitely beat my time fairly easily. Also, I think running with Laura and Stef will help me to run for longer than I am able to on my own. (I am quite sure that the reason I can’t run 3 miles without stopping yet is purely mental.)

Do you guys have any suggestions on which one I should aim for?

Can you view?

2009-11-04T12:34:00.004-05:00

I think I finally have the photo issue figured out.
I'm not sure why, but Blogger didn't want a lot of you to see the photos I uploaded THROUGH the blogger site.
This was most frustrating because I could view the photos from both my work computer and my phone, but for some reason, no one else could.

So, I posted my photos on a different website and updated the photos in the last few posts streaming them directly from the other website.

Apparently, this seemed to have fixed the problem.
Can you see the photos in the last few posts now?

I'm sorry for the cruddy photo quality. I would REALLY like to use photobucket, google photos, snapfish or another photo uploading hosting site to upload photos from my camera for blogging use, but they are all blocked on my work computer. This is just ANOTHER of the many reasons why I really really really need to make the decision to invest in a personal computer.

I did write Santa a letter recently asking for a netbook or laptop to show up under the Christmas Tree this December. Hopefully it makes it to the North Pole. If I don't unwrap one on Christmas morning, I am definitely considering just making the leap and purchasing one.

I've gone a long time with out a personal computer, and I have managed just fine. Between my blackberry and using my work computer during lunch, I have still managed to blog several times a week, keep up with friends and family via social networking sites and email, and use google several hundred times a day. ;) But the more and more invested I become in this little blog, the stronger the desire for a computer of my own has become. I think I just need to do it.

The problem is, buying a computer STRESSES ME OUT. That's a lot of money for this thrifty girl who doesn't buy shoes unless they are on clearance (even though I get 40% off at the store in which I work), and refuses to buy her dishes at full price. (I'll wait for the Macy's sale, thanks. Even if it means having only two sets for several months, again, thanks.) How do I know I'm making a good decision? How do I know what I need or want? How do I know what will work best? How much software do I need to buy? How many years, or umm...days, until this will become outdated? Is this the right price? Can I barter here? Isn't there some kind of discount I can get because my heart was broken this year?

THE WHOLE THING STRESSES ME OUT.
I'm a great shopper- I'm Cheap (edit: Thrifty!) i find the deals and I can fill a cart with $40 worth of product for $3.75- (it's been done!) But- this is SO HUGE. WHERE DO I START?

Ok- where do I start. Here. Give me your thoughts, opinions, and suggestions! Where should I look? What do you suggest? What do you love? What do you hate? I need to have a plan so I can start a "computer fund" jar ;)

[OR- maybe a millionaire will stumble upon this blog, sympathize and just send me a computer ;) That would be fine too.]

Eleven Twelve

2009-11-04T07:41:00.005-05:00

Then Heather Said, "ELEVEN!"

You may remember a Top Ten Tuesday post a week or so ago, when I mentioned my carving my hand, along with this pumpkin.

The good news?
My hand is healing quite nicely! [although my dreams of being a hand model are flying out the window, as it seems I will have a nice scar for a while.]
The GREAT news?
I crossed off the 11th item on my 1001 in 101 list: Carve a Pumpkin.

When I carved my hand open, I did go into a sort of panic.
I managed to puncture the fleshy part of my left hand inbetween my thumb and pointer finger. It wouldn't stop bleeding, and I didn't know what to do.

Okay- that's not entirely true- I did know to put pressure on it, and try to stop the bleeding. I had a bit of a hem & haw situation on my hand as I tried to decide if I should go to the doctor or just the pharmacy. [my little apartment, while adorable, was lacking any real first aide supplies, other than two remaining bandaids my friend Megan had sent me in my "your heart may be broken but your life rocks" kit. Of course, I had no idea WHERE these bandaids were, i just knew that I put them "somewhere." classic.]

I paced my apartment for a while, keeping pressure on the wound, every so often letting out a cry to, well, no one, "it won't stop bleeding!"

Finally, the bleeding at least SLOWED DOWN enough for me to see the actual wound. It seemed deep, but it also seemed ridiculous for me to go to the Emergency Room. I thought about finding an Urgent Care Center, but working my blackberry was a bit difficult while trying to balance it on my leg, type with my pinky, and keep pressure on my wound.

Then I remembered that Laura had visited a CVS Minute Clinic not very long ago. I wasn't sure if all CVS's had minute clinics, but I decided that since the CVS Pharmacy was only a 2 minute walk from my apartment, that it was a much better solution than panicing in my apartment.

When I got to CVS, there was a LONG LINE at the pharmacy counter. So I spent sometime in the first aid aisle, looking at bandages. And I started to panic a bit.
[just in case you haven't figured it out quite yet, apparently, i am a baby.]
Was it necessary to have 56 different kinds of bandages? Really? I was overwhelmed trying to make a decision on what to get, so I moved on to "something to clean my wound".

"Which one stings? Alcohol? Hydrogine Proxide? Both?" Moving on.

Triple Antibotic Lotion- ten different tubes of various sizes all with extra adjectives. Pain Relieving. Quick Healing. Clear Gel. WHATEVER.

By this time, the tears had returned a bit. and i was telling myself what I had been avoiding in order to seem more like the responsible adult I should be (although, I suppose a responsible adult a)wouldn't have cut themselves and b)would have first aid stuff at their home). Anyway, I mumbled to myself, through tears, of course; "I WANT MY MOM!" And it was true. I wished I was in Denton, TX carving my hand open, because at least then my mom would be there to make it all better, make a decision for me in the bandage aisle, and even tell me I'm being ridiculous and to get a grip already! (yeah, right, like I was going to tell MYSELF that!)

After an elderly woman who had been having conversations with an invisable friend asked me if I was okay, I finally headed to the pharmacy counter.

I was handed over to the "consultant lady" who helped me find $23 worth of first aid products and assured me I didn't need to get stiches, and also, my hand was not going to fall off. She also didn't seem very impressed that my 3 sizes too big Cape Cod Sweat Shirt was covered in pumpkin guts, but whatever.

Like I said, my hand is looking A-okay now. Crisis averted. ;)

Then Heather Said, "TWELVE!"

After my 5K on Saturday, I stopped at Target to pick up some treats for the soon-to-be costume-clad Trick-or-Treaters I was anticipating at my apartment.
Jolly Ranchers. Check.
Mini-Tootsie Pops. Check.
Mega-Super-Blow Pops. Check.
Hersheys Bars. Check.
Spider Rings and Halloween Themed stickers. Check and Check.

As I was departing from the candy aisle, I passed the rows and rows of chewing gum and a little, pink, lightbulb appeared over my head.

DING![Apparently with sound affects.]

WATERMELON BUBBLICIOUS – into the cart you go.
Actually, Target didn’t have a package of Watermelon Bubblicious on it’s own, so I had to buy the variety pack- which was fine by me, because I was able to deposit 3 various packs of gum into my Halloween Bucket.

Fast forward to Saturday Night, after the trick-or-treaters had run home to dry off from the rain showers and start their sugar-buzzes in high gear, I watched some TV and opened up my first piece of the watermelon wonders that bring me back to my childhood:

I sat in my recliner and blew bubbles for approximently 90 minutes before realizing that the flavor had left this gum 89 minutes prior.

And then I went to bed.

Am I the only one that is this big of a wuss when it comes to injuries? When was the last time you hurt yourself? [don't worry- mine wasn't the cut. Yesterday I walked into a Nike box at work, and now I have a pretty bruise on my arm. sweet. ;)]

Lack of photos

2009-11-03T19:07:00.000-05:00

I'm really not sure why so many people have problems viewing my photos on my posts lately.

If you can see photos, can you leave a comment and let me know?

Also- if you can't see photos, can you let me know if you are viewing my blog via google reader or are you putting my web address into your address bar - I want to work these kinks out for you guys asap! Please don't stop reading! I promise to fix things soon!! xoxox
Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-11-03T14:46:00.008-05:00

1. First and Foremost
remember when I told you my best friend is preggo? Well, they found it it’s going to be a girl!!! BRING ON THE PINK!!! I was v. excited to see this on the HWTM Blog this morning- (and apparently, so was Danielle- as I just read an email she sent me with the same link :) )

from HWTM

I feel a trip to Baby Gap and a great big Etsy search coming on soon :) HOORAY!!!

2. Palmer Photography Ad
Did you notice the new ad to the right? Let me introduce you to Michelle Palmer, a photographer out of Louisiana.

Michelle got started with photography when she spent a semester in London. On her website she notes, “There were so many amazing things to photograph, and I wanted to really capture their beauty to show people back home. So, I took THOUSANDS of pictures and kept trying to get better. One of my favorite things to do is photograph something very ordinary, but do so in such a way that it becomes extraordinary”

Michelle has a Zazzle website where you can see and purchase her work! Check it out. [a few of her items are already on my Christmas wish list!]

3. Jenna Cole Photos
Back in July, I had a photoshoot with my 3 best friends while we were celebrating in Dallas. I am so blessed to have spent some time with Jenna of Jenna Cole Photography, and was so excited with the outcome!
I’ve had the photo cd for MONTHS now, and this past weekend I FINALLY got a FEW prints made.

I now have 4 frames with pictures matted and ready to be hung in my little apartment. [let’s see how long it takes me to place them ;)]

I love my photos with the girls, but I have gone through a bit of a transformation since we took these. I’ve lost over 15 pounds since then, my hair is much shorter, and I’m currently shining in my singleness and dancing each day as an independent woman (throw your hands up at me!) I’m hoping that sometime next year, after I reach my final weight loss goal, I can schedule another photo shoot with Jenna. She is just fabulous and I can’t recommend her enough!

4. Michelle’s Package –

Michelle- good news. I mailed out your package today! You should be getting it soon! Thanks again to everyone who entered the Starbucks Thank You giveaway!

5. Have You Met Mark? – Here’s a little something you may not know about me – I’m a mark representative! Mark is a division of avon, it's quite exciting to be a part of a company I truly believe in.
mark is a beauty brand that celebrates remarkable young women who are making their mark in the world. mark was developed to celebrate young women and the difference they can and are making in the world today. The foundation of our brand is the philosophy of social beauty- the idea that women love to be social and want to be beautiful. With a vision to provide young women with a unique brand experience that engages them in a world of community, participation and empowerment, how could I turn down this opportunity?

Take some time to shop my mark e-store. [may I suggest you do some Christmas shopping?? Is it too early?]

6. Project Snow
It was early. It was cold. It was dark.
But I was not to be stopped.
This morning, after shutting off my alarm at 5:40 AM, I layered up, laced up, and headed outside to brave the cool weather and get my blood pumping. It was my first morning session of Angela’s Challenge Project Snow.

I started with a brisk 5 minute warm-up walk as I made my was from my apartment to the nearby park. The sun was just starting to rise over the lake when I arrived.

I ran down and up the 30 stairs 5 times, to get an extra lower body boost in my cardio, and then I took off to the small path that weaves throughout the park. I spent 15 minutes doing speedy intervals with quick recoveries, and did a quick cool down jog back to my apartment, where I took about 15 minutes to get a good stretch-session in (while watching THAT Morning Show on E!)

I have to admit, I’m very grateful that I decided to get up early this morning and get some movement in. It definitely pointed my day in the right direction.

7. Powerbar review:
Because I woke up early to run this morning, I had an opertunity to start my energy-bar reviews. I like to utilize bars before morning cardio sessions because they are easy to prepare (also see: tear open), often have a good carb to protein ratio, and allow to not work out on an empty stomach but also not feel bogged down an entire meal or lots of food. Because I was planning on a moderate cardio interval work out this morning, and not just running the entire way, I decided to only eat half of the bar before my workout.

Today’s bar is the PowerBar Nut Naturals Fruit and Nuts Bar
A cross between a jazzed up rice crispy and the granola bar your mom used to pack in your school lunch. It somehow managed to be both chewy and crunchy, as well as share the sweetness of fruit (strawberries & cranberries) and savory flavors of Nuts- almost like a pb & j

What I liked:
Real nuts, a full serving of whole grain, 10 grams of protein, three grams of fiber, and 16 vitamins and minerals. Hello nutrition in a few bites!

What I didn’t like:
It tasted like I expected it to- no pizzazz!

Final Thoughts: If this bar was available, I would eat it again- but I'm not sure I would spend money on it unless it was on mega-sale. So far I stand by the Larabar Gingersnap & Clif Nectar bars being my favorite. This PowerBar gets a B+ on my grading scale, though.

8. Challenges – It seems to be a month of challenges in the blog-o-sphere. I really wanted to take part in the Pile on the Miles Challenge (POTM) this month, but it looks like it’s a no-go. This challenge uses Google Documents to track miles ran/walked and the spreadsheet is not really practical from my blackberry. (did you know I do about 90% of my blog reading & writing on my blackberry?!? Yes- I do think this means I am a blog-a-holic!) So I’m not going to be tracking with the rest of the challengers on Google Docs, but I do still plan on keeping track of my miles for November.

Another Challenge spreading like wildfire, is a combination of Ange’s Get Your Glow Back and Caitlin’s Back on Track (more to come on that soon.) I have a post in the work detailing my own “Get Your Glow Back on Track” challenge I’ve decided on. Stay tuned ;)

9. DailyMile – I’m not even sure how I came across it, but last week I found myself registering for another website. According to the Daily Mile website, The Daily Mile is a social training log for runners, triathletes, and cyclists. On the DailyMile website you can track your training, races, and connect with other athletes.
I’ve met a few local runners on Daily Mile, and look forward to possibly meeting up to run with them soon!

10.Vote for Meghann –
Can you do me a favor and jump on over here and vote for Meghann? She’s currently in 3rd place and would REALLY love this job, which is given to the blogger who earns the most votes. Go ahead- click over. It will only take a few seconds :) [and feel free to spread the word!]

[don't you worry. i promise i will get to my 5K recap soon.]

Halloween 2009: Costumes x 3

2009-11-02T11:44:00.011-05:00

This is a short photo story about the time I wore 3 costumes on Halloween.

Saturday Mornign I ran in the Troy YMCA the Monster Madness Dash. My boss, Jen, helped me come up with this super easy to run in costume, a baseball player.

After the race, I headed home to watch the Badger Game! I was super excited for their shut-out victory against Purdue. For my second costume of the day, I was a Badger Fan. [ok- that wasn't much of a costume ;) Clearly I am a Badger Fan every.single.day. ]

After the Badger Game I got ready for the Trick-or-Treaters. I was pretty stoked about getting to be an active part of my community [one of my goals for this year.] Because my apartment door doesn't really look like a seperate home enterance, I set up a few tables outside, that just so happened to go along with my 3rd costume of the day.

I was an Operation Beautiful Post It Note! :) I set up a little Operation Beautiful table as well, to spread the word about the great cause.

Of course, after about an hour of handing out candy and telling people about Operation Beautiful, it started to rain. So I had to move the tables inside, and I stood outside with an umbrella for a bit.

Frankenstein didn't like the rain:

But SuperGirl did brave it :)

Luckily, my neighbor invited me over to her covered porch to hand out candy while staying covered. I had a good time chatting with her and seeing all the little kiddos in their costumes. Halloween is one of the few times of the year I wish I had a baby to play with. [This is were Danielle's baby is going to come in handy ;) ]

What did you do on Halloween? Did you see any extra-creative costumes?

Costumes

2009-10-31T13:24:00.001-04:00

Today is Halloween, you know.

& today was my first 5K race EVER, you know.

& today Wisconsin is playing Purdue, you know.

& today is the first year I'll have my very own trick-or-treaters, you know.

THREE COSTUMES A CHARM!

I ran in the Monster Dash dressed as a baseball player.

I'm watching the game dressed in my red & white bucky shirt.

I'm handing out candy in a TOP SECRET costume. [I know the anticipation is killing you!]

I'll say it again,
THREE COSTUMES A CHARM!!!

Don't worry- I'm taking lots of photos [now that I've located my camera, finally] to give you a full Halloween recap come m
Monday morning.

[If you want previews, be sure to follow me on twitter! (@mooreshugar) I've been putting photos from my blackberry on twitpic!]

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Coming Soon

2009-10-30T12:57:00.004-04:00

Information on this:

Tomorrow is my first official race. The Troy YMCA Monster Dash 5K. I am so excited! The eagerness has set in- MAJORLY! Everytime I think about the race, I get the "right before the rollercoaster drops" feeling.

I sent out a twitter call to some runner/bloggers asking for tips and suggestions for my first race and I have been doing some reading at runnersworld.com and such- I plan on having a low key night with a good, healthy dinner and an early bedtime.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. [that is my excited "noise"]

Also- bar reviews are SURELY going to be coming shortly!

Remember when I opened my Halloween gift from my parents?
Well, my sister also sent me a package that I received yesterday- but this package was a "Happy First 5K" gift! Thanks, Melissa! I am so grateful for your love and support!

I may be facing my big race all alone tomorrow- but I know I have the support of my family and friends behind me!

Fabulously Frightening Follow Friday

2009-10-30T12:44:00.002-04:00

Then Heather Said, "It's time for Costume Tricks and Party Treats!"

For this weeks Follow Friday, I wanted to keep with the spirit of things;

I have two blogs I suggest you read for some Halloween Ideas :)

The first is a blog I just started looking at a few weeks ago, called WTF Costumes. It all started during a google search for a good costume for me to wear to my 5K Monster Dash on Saturday morning. I stumbled upon WTF Costumes and spent quite a bit of time looking through the posts- I was VERY entertained! Go check it out for a giggle!

The second blog is one of my ALL TIME FAVORITE blogs- Hostess with the Mostess. Hostess is one of the first blogs I subscribed to, and I simply adore just about every thing she posts! Ideas for holiday dinners, birthday parties and other celebrations- from decorations, theme ideas, centerpiece creativity, recipes for food and beverage, and lots of products she loves- her blog is filled with so many great ideas!
[also - she recently posted a babyshower by Jesi Haack Weddings, JL Designs, and Sweet and Saucy Shop that was basically made for my unborn child: here, and here - anthro + owl + carrot cake + beautiful decore and all for a baby with a name thats on the tip top of my "future children name ideas" list in the ellusive green book]

Are you hosting a Halloween celebration? What decorations do you plan on using? Are you dressing up, tomorrow?

My New Favorite [made up] Word

2009-10-29T15:25:00.005-04:00

Then Heather Said, “I’m RUNGRY!”

Yesterday I worked my part-time retail job after working my full-time office job.
This means not getting home until 9:30 PM.
For some unexplainable reason, at 9:20ish I decided I had a craving. Shockingly not for BBQ Kettle Chips which I had been talking myself out of all day. Thankfully, that craving went away. But what I was craving was a run.

A run? Seriously? YES!
Enter my new favorite word: “Rungry”

Run.gry- [ruhng-gree], adjective. Having a desire, craving, or need for a run; Feeling runger. ;)

I couldn’t stop thinking about it. It started the MOMENT I got in my car and the urge to jog got stronger and stronger, until I found myself changing into workout clothes, gloves and headband included.

I knew it was definitely too dark at 9:45 PM to go to the trail I normally run on, so I decided just to run on the main road in my little village- which was very well lit and safe (people were still sitting on the patio of the Irish pub and watching me from the coffee shop windows.) I had no idea the distance I would be running, or how long I would last, after being at work for over 14 hours. But I just had to get moving.

I started with a warm up speed walk for a bit, while on the phone with my friend Megan. Eventually, we decided to talk later, and I really picked up the pace. I didn’t time myself or really even set any goals. I just ran until I was ready to stretch. [its time I let you in on a little secret. I think the reason I wanted to run most of all, was because I really wanted a good stretch, and I’m a firm believer that cold stretches are not the best stretches. I would much rather jog for a bit in order to get a good stretch in for sore legs than just to stretch on its own.] All in all, I was out of the apartment for exactly 35 minutes.

Today, when I went to google maps to track my distance and see how many miles my little cardio jaunt managed to added to my week. It seems that all together, speed walking included, I completed 3 miles. I felt satisfied and had a good long stretching session while watching some television.

I think my running in town was a good change for me. A change of scenery and lack of quarter-mile markers assured I wasn’t running according to habit and I was able to challenge myself without keeping an eye on the clock. It felt so good just to get my legs moving and breathe in the cool air. I really enjoyed myself. [of course, after running until 10:16 PM, my body was wound up and NOT ready for bed until almost 1:00 AM- oops.

Then Heather Said, “Thanks Mom & Dad!”

When I got home from my run, I opened a package I received from my parents. My mom is an AWESOME care package creator! She sends a package for each holiday, and I was more than happy to open my Halloween present a few days early.

I got some very fun stuff, but I’m most excited about this:

My mom and dad sent me 10 different energy bars!; 7 Power Bars and 3 Balance Bars. I’m so thankful for my parents! Especially because they are so supportive with my healthy living lifestyle- supporting my running and being active! I’m pretty lucky to have such an awesome family. I was so touched that my parents included healthy stuff in my Halloween package to go along with my “best Heather ever” lifestyle. And to make things even better, I’ve never had Power Bars or Balance Bars so I was pretty intrigued!

The Balance Bar flavors are chocolate mint cookie crunch, cookie dough, and sweet & salty chocolate almond. The Power Bars were from 4 different Power Bar product lines “Fruit Smoothie” in creamy citrus, tangy tropical, and berry blast, “Harvest Whole Grain” in oatmeal raisin cookie and peanut butter chocolate chip, “Original Power Bar” in Oatmeal Raisin and a “Nut Naturals” Fruit and Nut Bar. I’m really excited about getting to use try all of these bars; you can look forward to some bar reviews in the near future!

Then Heather Said, “Drumroll Please!”

The winner of the Starbucks Thank You Giveaway is:

MichelleYPalmer! Email me your mailing address and I will put your Starbucks VIA Ready Brew and Passion Tea in the mail :)

Thanks to everyone who entered and spread the word about the giveaway!

What is your favorite kind of bar? Are you a classic granola lover? Do you have a certain brand or flavor you love the most? My favorite bar I've had so far is a toss up between the Ginger Snap Larabar and a Clif Nectar Bar (i like the pink ones best!) But I'm super excited to try a Glo Bar eventually!!

Also, i just have to ask- can you use 'runger' in a sentence ;) ???

Defining Myself

2009-10-29T12:19:00.003-04:00

On my sparkpage, in my “about me” section (which I updated just a few days after the broken engagement), the last line reads; “I am choosing to take this time to define who I am and who I want to be.”

And it would seem that this week I’ve put a bit of a label on. I’m not really sure how it happened- it wasn’t something I strived for, like “Runner.” And it’s not something that I’ve always felt, like “Writer”. It just suddenly appeared.

Last week when I was sick, I made a list of all the meals I had eaten during the week to see if perhaps there was a common thread to my symptoms. Maybe I’ve been watching too many Criminal Minds reruns on cable, because I was determined to see if something in my diet was causing me to be “ill” even though I felt “fine,” much like the FBI searching for similiarities in victims to be able to profile the unsub. Seriously, I need to lay off the Criminal Minds/Law & Orders/CSIs. I watch crime shows DAILY now. I digress- I am NOT defining myself with Crime-Show-Enthusiast [not yet, anyway.]

Upon looking at my list, I noted that something was missing.
The meat.

And so I started thinking back to what I had prepared and purchased in the last month or so. I realized that in the last several weeks, there were only 4 times I remember eating meat. One dinner including a tilpia fillet and three meals away from home. It seems I’ve gotten in the habit of loving mushroom burgers over beef, and sweet and sour chickpeas (thank you Ange!) rather than chicken. It wasn’t really a conscious choice, it just sort of happened.

I haven’t had ground meat in the house, but I did have a massive bought-in-bulk-at-BJ’s box of Boca Pattys that I’ve been substituting in any meals I make that would normally call for ground turkey [like my favorite mini-meat-loaves. Now my favorite mini-loaves-period.] And I’ve been loading up on the veggies in my diet, using winter squashes as often as possible and adding black beans and chickpeas to just about everything as well. Sunday when I was craving chili, I loaded up my recipe with dark, light, and white kidney beans and left the meat out of the equation.

When I really thought about the food I’ve been eating lately, I took my normal action and started questioning. Does this mean I should jump onto the vegetarian bandwagon? I just recently read Matt from NoMeatAthlete’s guest post on Rachel’s Blog, SheditandGetit, where he recounts how giving up on the meat helped him qualify for the Boston Marathon. Would I give up meat to become a better runner? Should I? Why would I? Why would I not? What other benefits are there to vegetarianism? What benefits are there to eating meat every day? What am I missing and what am I gaining? [I am a bit question-neurotic]

During my self-debating, I remembered reading a while back about a word I came across on Caitlin’s blog when she was in Tennessee.
FLEXITARIAN.
Kelly and Meghann
have both discussed their own views of Flexitarian this year as well.

So what does "Flexitarian " mean?
According to my favorite not-the-perfect-place-for-reliability-yet-that-never-stops-me-because-i-love-this-website internet source, Wikipedia: Flexitarianism is

"is a semi-vegetarian diet focusing on vegetarian food with occasional meat consumption. A self-described flexitarian seeks to decrease meat consumption without eliminating it entirely from his or her diet. There are no guidelines for how much or how little meat one must eat before being classified a flexitarian. Flexitarian is distinguished from polpescetarian, i.e., one who eats only chicken and fish, but does so exclusively.
In 2003, the American Dialect Society voted flexitarian as the year's most useful word and defined it as "a vegetarian who occasionally eats meat."

I am not afraid of labels. I proudly label myself by relationships (daughter, sister, friend, etc.), activities (blogger, crafter, writer, runner, etc.) and passions (believer/Christian, badger-fan, encourager, etc.)- why wouldn't I want to define myself with that label?

Then Heather Said, "I eat a Flexitarian diet."

What this means:
I love veggies and whole grains and other protein sources and usually try to load my meals up with those goodies.
I have been more adventurous in the kitchen trying new produce and veggie-products I've never used before.
I'd much rather eat a black bean burrito than a chicken burrito, and especially over a beef burrito.

What this doesn't mean:
I think that Flexitarian is the best way to eat for everyone.
I think that you should eat a flexitarian diet, too.
I won't eat my mothers breakfast caserole every single chance i get.
Or anything else she cooks which I don't think I could ever pass on.
I will never eat another Brat while watching a sporting event. (oh, PUL-EASE.)
I'm never going to decide to try/begin/experiment with a "vegetarian" or "vegan" diet.

Also, I have realized that I need to keep an eye on my protein because of this. Therefore, I've started tracking my food at sparkpeople again. I don't know how long I will be keeping track of what I eat, but I do know that since I've made the determination to identify my eating less meat, I need to be responsible and make sure I am letting my body have what it needs; especially with my running a few times a week. [also- a lack of protein + change in milage COULD have something to do with me being sick last week- but i'm not sure about that.] So far, it seems like I have been doing a fine job naturally substiting protein filled foods in meals where I haven't had meat, but I want to keep a close look on my choices in the next few weeks.

What are your favorite meat-free protein rich foods? I'm interested in getting some sort of protein powder to add to my fruit smoothies but don't know what to start with; do you have any suggestions?

Cómo se dice "Glo!"

2009-10-28T12:02:00.003-04:00

Then Heather Said, “Quiero intercambio de sopa!”

Good Afternoon, my friends! Yesterday I received a tasty soup recipe from my first-cousin-once-removed-in-law (yes I looked it up!), Aimee.

I haven’t seen Aimee and Michael (my first-cousin-once-removed) and their BEAUTIFUL children in YEARS. Luckily, I have been able to keep up with them the past year or so on Aimee’s Blog. I love reading about their family adventures and the cute things the kids are always saying!

Here’s what Aimee sent me:

Aimee’s Soup!

Ingredients:
1 envelope chicken fajita seasoning mix (or taco seasoning, whatever is on hand)
1 1/2-2lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, diced
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter
1/3 cup flour
2 1/2 cup chicken broth
1/3 cup canned diced tomatoes
1/3 cup salsa (any variety)
1 cup cubed Velveeta
8 oz Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1 cup heavy cream (don't be scared, save this for a celebration day)

Optional toppings (highly recommended):
Fritos
Guacamole
1/2 cup shredded cheddar

Directions:
Prepare fajita mix according to package directions. In large skillet, cook chicken with fajita mix until fully cooked, set aside.
In same skillet, saute onion in butter, until glossy...stir in flour until blended.
Gradually stir in broth. Bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes, unil thickened (not real thick though).
Add tomatoes, salsa, Velveeta, Jack. Cook and stir until cheese melted.
Add chicken. Stir in cream (do not boil).

When thickened, garnish with optional toppings. Enjoy!

Aimee’s variation notes: You can easily add corn and black beans to this recipe to make it even chunkier! Hope you like it!

Aimee, I must tell you, this soup looks FANTASTIC! I foresee another Soup & Margarita Fiesta at my humble abode in the near future :) Thanks for sharing with us!

Then Heather Said, “Get Glo-ing!”

I want to point your attention in that direction: >>>>>>>>>>
(If you are viewing this in google reader or something similar, click on over HERE and take a look at my page.)

You will see another link has been added to Then Heather Said- for Glo Bakery.
Glo Bakery is a vegan bakery specializing in health bars [globars], although she does create many other vegan treats. Glo Bakery is in Canada, but US Shipping is now available.

Everyday I hear more and more about the wonders of these Glo Bars – and I even put them on my Christmas Wish List :) Everyday for the past few weeks I’ve been tweets and blogs highlighting fabulous reviews of these yummy (and good for you!) treats! [for one review, see my friend Julie’s blog post here.]

Angela, the brilliance and heart behind Glo Bakery, also writes a fabulous blog (which I highlighted here) and is celebrating her 1-year Blogiversary this week. As part of the celebration, she is offering a Glo Bakery Glo-Out sale! Head to the Glo Bakery Cart to see the deals! (and go ahead and tell her I sent you ;) )

[ and Santa, if you are reading, help a girl out ;) ]

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-10-27T14:20:00.007-04:00

Top Ten Tuesday; the Photo Edition

Another photo of Danielle and I at the corn maze. I feel like I was a little spoiled by two full days of girl time! I wish we lived closer!

Last night, I did have long-distance girl time with another one of my very close friends, Rachel. I'm stoked, because we decided that Monday nights will definetely be a Rachel&Heather long-distance girl time date! Starting at 8:00 PM Eastern, of course, for some One Tree Hill! :) We discussed the show as we watched, her in Texas and me in New York. and it really did make me feel like we were enjoying one anothers company and doing something "together(ish)."

Remember when I told you about my making a necklace early this year and promised a photo? Here you go.

I've started my Christmas Shopping. A bit early? I don't know about that. I'm quite excited about getting everyone on my list something fabulous!

Also have been working on my amazon.com wish list. And I may have recently listened to a Christmas CD. And thought about takin out my decorations "just to look at". And have started planning my Christmas Cards [with an extra special twist this year!]. Perhaps I'm a little excited for the holidays?

This past weekend I tried to like beer, again. This happens every so often. I decide it's time that I give it a whirl. I tried this Post Road Pumpkin Ale. I didn't like it. I will stick to my red wine.

Does anyone want to come over and play trivial pursuit? I am in desperate desire for a game night! I'll even serve some treats.

Did you see this lovely little piece of work on Operation Beautiful?? During the carving of this fab pumpkin, I also seemed to have accidently carved my hand. But it is bandaged up and healing well. Woot.

Friday night, I went to see comedian Kathleen Madigan at the GE Theater at Proctors with my boss Jen and her husband, Jeff. Kathleen was FABULOUS. Laughing for a few hours was the perfect way to end my week :)

Do you watch THAT Morning show? It comes on E! and I have been loving having it on as I go about getting ready in the morning. Mark, from the original Road Rules and about a MILLION of the RWRR Challenges is one of the hosts, and I've always been a fan- does anyone else watch this?

Don't forget to enter the Starbucks Thank You Giveaway!

I had this realization Sunday during my run, and decided to post an Operation Beautiful Note for MYSELF on my apartment door, so that everytime I leave the house to go out on a run, I remember it's truth.

Before my run on Sunday, I told myself I was going to run 3 miles, no stopping, no matter what.

I often struggle with pacing myself. I have been running under 10 minute miles if I'm only running a mile at a time. But if I try to run two 10 minute miles in a row, I get really tired by the one and a half marker. I have been trying to slow my pace down to 11 or 12 minute miles for a leisurely jog and to be able to (hopefully) increase my milage. It's not going so well. I have a hard time running anything more than around 10 and a half minute miles- and that is even difficult.

I ran to a point of exhaustion and found myself in a spot I did not want to be about two miles in. On the side of the path ready to lose my lunch. I walked it off, and after my recovery walk, I was back to jogging again. During this jog was when I remembered a video that Caitlin posted months back. In it, she was mid-bike-ride just after coming off her injury break and she had stopped to take a video because she realized that she should be greatful for what her body CAN do and not try to push it farther than it could go.

I thought long and hard about this as I ran another mile before needing to walk again. I should be happy with what my body can do. Yes, I should continue to condition and train my body to go farther, faster, and BETTER- but I also need to be HUMBLE ENOUGH to be OKAY with not being able to run 3 miles right now. I am still NEW to running. I am still FIGURING OUT the best ways for me to prepare, fuel, and recover from runs.

So often I compare myself to other runners. Especially my friends who run, that have been able to run 3 miles for a long time now (Laura), and people who are celebrating their PDRs and going farther each day (Stef). And I tell myself I haven't been running ENOUGH, or hard ENOUGH, or pushing myself ENOUGH- but that's just silly. I need to go at my own pace: no one elses. Even if that means running 10 minute miles and recovering for 30 seconds before another 10 minute mile, recovery, and 10 minute mile to complete my 5K on Saturday.

Because this running thing is not about ANYONE ELSE but me.
My Body is Strong enough to run at my own pace. To pound the pavement several times a week. To Stretch and Stride. To carry me through my goals. To feel the wind, the sun, the cold, and the rain that I run through.

My Mind is Strong enough not to compare myself to everyone or anyone else, and to keep pushing myself AT MY OWN PACE, to get further and faster. To not give up because I don't match up to someone whom I think I should run LIKE. I should run like ME. And my mind is strong enough to know this.

My Heart is Strong enough to continue to chase my love for the running, and to be humble and thankful for what I can do. To desire and drive towards my goal of racing in all 50 states. My heart is strong enough to face the finish line I will find on Saturday morning, in costume (still not sure what), no matter how fast I run or how often I walk as long as I'm ready to push on to the next race.

The First [little] Giveaway

2009-10-26T13:13:00.005-04:00

A little over a week ago, I had a lunch date with a friend at one of my favorite places to indulge: Smokey Bones BBQ. I have a deep longing every so often for these pretzel rod appetizers they have [as I write this, my mouth is literally WATERING!] and I can usually go for anything that goes well with BBQ sauce.

Even better, during the fall, Smokey Bones has some pretty freakin’ amazing football themed deals- As in every College Football Saturday [College Football Saturdays are a favorite! But that has really nothing to do with this post.], NFL Sunday, and even Monday nights after 8 (MNF anyone?) all their appetizers are half off. This means my pretzel rods of goodness (with THREE dipping sauces!) are less than $3 in my neck of the woods. Holy Moly – add this great treat deal with the fact that I LOVE LOVE LOVE their “Hail Mary” (ahem- punny drink names make my happy in my heart. And in my tastebuds. I’m just saying.) and you could say that Smokey Bones is my FAVORITE PLACE to watch a game [other than Camp Randall, of course!]

Smokey Bones is a favorite. But that has really nothing to do with this post.

So, anyway, last weekend, after said pretzel rods, Hail Mary, and things dipped in BBQ sauce [like pretzel rods! ;) ] I headed to Starbucks for another indulgence, hoping it would fuel me for an afternoon of productivity in the reading and cleaning department [of my apartment. Ba-dump-ching.]

So to Starbucks we went. And the indulgence did in fact continue.

Grande Soy Toffee Nut Latte is a favorite. But that’s not what I ordered. And therefore, that really has nothing to do with this post.

It’s October, and I’ve been on Pumpkin-Overkill-Mode lately, so OF COURSE, I had to go for the Grande Soy Pumpkin Spice Latte. And it was good.
While I was at Starbucks, I sent out a twitter plea, asking for advice on whether I should purchase some VIA. I hadn’t yet tried it, and of course, being a Starbucks fan for almost a decade now [I think my first visit was back in 2000] I was curious. Could this really be as good on the go as if I were to grind my beans and make my own cup at home? Luckily, I took the advice of my friend & barista-extraordinare Tim, and picked up a box.

You may remember my being kind-of-almost-something-must-be-wrong-with-me-yet-i-feel-fine ill last week. This led me to put off trying my VIA Ready Brew until Thursday morning, at the office.

I was excited. I poured the packet of via into my mug. I used the hot water from our water cooler. I noticed how rich & dark the coffee looked right away. I breathed in deep the smell of the medium blend Colombian and I was happy.

And Impressed! Rich, smooth and tasty! And Then Heather Said, “THIS IS FABULOUS” and shared her findings with her co-workers.

Let’s take this story back in time a bit: flash back style.Last Monday during my lunch time, before I went home early from work, I read a twitter from previously mentioned Tim, that read, “What are the 3 top reasons you would buy Starbucks VIA? Best answer gets some VIA!!!”

I put my creative hat on, and twittered away:

1) include in cards mailed to pals for long-distance coffee dates
2) keep one in emergency car kit: no coffee=emergency!
3) share with postman, toll booth operator, store clerk, hair stylist, etc: people whom deserve xtra thank you’s.

Imagine my surprise when I woke up from my maybe-sick-or-something-nap and read this
“@timkong: @mooreshugar Great job with the VIA Suggestions. Email me your address and I’ll mail you some VIA.”

HOORAY! I love winning :)

I’ve already sent out one long-distance coffee date.
and I added two VIA Ready Brew packets to my emergency car kit.
And now, I wanted to share some VIA with people whom deserve an extra Thank You: and that would be YOU – my readers! Whom have supported and encouraged me through the difficult stuff and celebrated the good stuff with me!

So, without further ado:

The First [little] Giveaway

Starbucks coffee is a favorite.
TAZO Passion Tea is a favorite.
and that is the point of this post.

The winner will receive a pack of on-the-go Starbucks favorites from Then Heather Said; VIA Ready Brew & TAZO Passion tea!

ENTER NOW!
There are three ways to enter:
1. Share: leave a comment with your favorite “warm me up!” beverage for fall.
2. Post a link on your own blog to the giveaway
3. Tweet Tweet: Are you on Twitter? Tweet about the giveaway:

@mooreshugar is hosting a starbucks thank you giveaway: http://thenheathersaid.blogspot.com/2009/10/first-little-giveaway.html

[if you tweet or post a link on your blog, please let me know via a comment on the blog so I don’t miss any extra entries! ]

The giveaway will end Wednesday, October 28, at 11:59 PM. I will choose the winner randomly and share with you on Thursday morning.
go ahead- enter away!

Pumpkin Craze: Soup Swap Recipes Continue

2009-10-26T10:25:00.000-04:00

It’s been a little while since I posted a Soup Swap recipe- and this weekend, I put one of the entries I received to the test: and let me tell you, this recipe ACED it!

This recipe was sent in by a friend of mine from Texas, Robbie. Robbie and her husband Ron have three WONDERFUL kids- and they are one of my most favorite families in southeast Texas! Time with their family has definitely helped me to set standards of my personal desires for my own (future) family; How to prioritize family needs, and constantly show love to my (future) children. And to laugh through life; the good days and bad.

Ron & Robbie have also taught me how a woman should be respected, cherished, and treated in a relationship- usually with out needing to explain what he is doing, but rather just loving by Ron loving Robbie out loud and without barricades. Their love is honest and a beautiful testament of God’s love for us.

I feel like I’m not doing a good enough job explaining how awesome this family is (perhaps cause it’s Monday morning?)- so I’m just going to hope you understand: THEY ARE AWESOME.

Onto the soup:

From Robbie’s email:

Thanks to Rachel Ray, this is a family fav. It's especially good served with smoked mozzarella quesadillas...they make DELICIOUS dippers. This soup uses a fabulous blend of ingredients that combine to make a heart-warming and tummy-pleasing flavor. Upon first glance, it may not seem like something even worth trying, but go ahead. I'm quite certain you will be pleasantly surprised. Like other soups, I'm sure this would be better the second day, but I can't say for sure. We have never had any left for another meal. It is always eaten up the first time around. ENJOY!!

Pumpkin and Black Bean Soup

Ingredients
2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 cups canned or packaged vegetable stock
1 can (14 1/2 ounces) diced tomatoes in juice (Fire Roasted tomatoes work well too)
1 can (15 ounces) black beans, drained
2 cans (15 ounces) pumpkin puree (found often on the baking aisle. NOT pie filling)
1 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon curry powder (or to taste)
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (or to taste)
Coarse salt

Directions
Heat a soup pot over medium heat. Add oil. When oil is hot, add onion. Saute onions 5 minutes. Add broth, tomatoes, black beans and pumpkin puree. Stir to combine ingredients and bring soup to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and stir in cream, curry, cumin, cayenne and salt, to taste. Simmer 5 minutes, adjust seasonings and serve.

Then Heather Said, “Here are my modifications and specifics”:
-I skipped the onion. And therefore the EVOO.
-I used Libby’s pumpkin – I had opened up a LARGE can on Friday for oats and such, and I used the remains, which was probably about 25 oz, rather than 30.
-I was all out of cumin, and didn’t realize it until I was already cooking- Instead I used onion powder- not really as a substitue, but just as MORE yum-ness.
-I had a long debate with myself about the need for heavy cream. Could I use vanilla soy milk? Light cream? Ricotta for a bit more flavor? After going over this self-discussion for about 20 minutes on my Sunday run, I finally decided to stop at the market on my way home and pick up some heavy cream. Next time I may experiment more.
-I served with fresh dark whole wheat bread I got from the local bakery section of my small village market.
SO GOOD.

It’s clearly October: I’ve kind of been on pumpkin OVERLOAD the past few days. Pumpkin oats, pumpkin granola, pumpkin soup, pumpkin coffee, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin spice pancakes, pumpkin pie kashi bars, pumpkin muffin, even tried pumpkin beer. (I am declaring tomorrow a pumpkin free day: don’t want to burn out!) What is your favorite way to eat pumpkin?

Follow Friday

2009-10-23T16:21:00.002-04:00

Sometimes people ask me how I’ve been losing so much weight.
I’ve lost somewhere around 25 pounds in the past 10 monts. [I don’t know the exact number because I’m on a scale hiatus as I train for races this fall. I stopped stepping on the scale once I reached the 20 pound loss because my goals had shifted from “lose 30 lbs by Thanksgiving” (something I am still striving for), to “Run. Faster. Longer.” When Mid-November comes around, I will probably start keeping track of loss again per week]

I have a long list of things that have helped me on my “get healthy” journey. I plan on going into these things more in-depth as time goes on, as I’ve gotten a few emails lately inquiring my “tricks & tips.” Ha. Sorry to sound cliché, but healthy food & exercise are key. [of course, there are TIPS to helping these things become part of your lifestyle- THIS is the long list mentioned above, which I will touch on later.]

But there is something I want to share that has helped me with my path to “healthy”.

When I first decided to stop being lazy and do something about my health, I joined an online community, Sparkpeople. From the Sparkpeople homepage: “SparkPeople is growing into one of the largest free diet and health-related sites in the world.”

I liked using sparkpeople for many different reasons. But that’s not what I wanted to share. [I promise I will talk about the goodness that is sparkpeople at some point, but not today.]

What I do want to share with you, is perhaps best summarized by a quote of my sparkpeople profile “my program” section:

“The one thing that has made ALL THE DIFFERENCE for me is accountability within my spark friends. And I've taken it BEYOND just the spark. There are two girls in particular whom I talk to EVERYDAY outside of the spark check ins that help me force the hard times, say no to icees, and celebrate the victories in my life. Having people who understand my struggles and have vowed to keep me accountable even outside of this web community has helped TREMENDOUSLY.
Get yourself a spark buddy: NOW.”

Meet Laura & Stef. They are each on their own “Healthy Living” journey, too- and they are both now chronicling their journey via blogs.

Laura and Stef and I met through sparkpeople, but I don’t consider them “spark friends” anymore. They are my REAL LIFE friends now. I’ve already met Stef in real life once, and the three of us will be spending some time together in Boston the first weekend of November. (we are running the Boston Luv 5K together on the 8th!) I am so excited for some LSH fun!

Laura recently decided to go back to school to become a RD- she is the woman who inspired me to turn my walking into running. She lives in Texas and has all the southern charm of peach cobbler, but with out the fat. She is a wonderful and dedicated friend, super funny, and all about living life the way SHE wants to, not the way the world may want her to; which I think is fabulous.

Stef just started a new job. She is in the middle of a move. She is getting married this summer. She is facing a world of changes and she is doing it with grace and style! Stef calls both Boston and New York home, and splits her time between both, often. She is an all-star at making weekends away healthy and this girl is known for lifting like a man to look like a goddess. (she is such a motivation for me to get to the weight room!) This girl has pizzazz and knows how to use it while she is facing a life full of changes.

These girls are real. Honest and Genuine and know how to bring it. They keep me in line and encourage me on my rough days (sometimes without even knowing it). I’m definitely a fan of both of their blogs: Go check them out.
Laura & Stef.

In Disguise

2009-10-22T12:34:00.003-04:00

Friday afternoon. At the corn maze. In disguise.

I've been sick all week.
I don't know what's going on, truthfully, but I know I haven't been myself.

Sunday morning, after a 4:15 AM wake up call to get Danielle to the airport on time, I went on a search for a grande soy two pump pumpkin spice latte. Can you believe no Starbucks were open at 4:50 AM? True story.

So instead, I headed home and realized I had been coughing all morning.
But I didn't feel sick.
But, since I had gotten approx. 4 hours sleep, I decided it would be best to take the morning off and battle away any kind of illness that was trying to come my way.

Woke up at 11:30. Met a friend for lunch at one of my favorite places, Smokey Bones BBQ, ran some errands, and came home to create my sneaky mac and cheese.

Monday morning, I woke up feeling fabulous. Thankful that I spent Sunday morning napping and ready to face my week. Until about noon, when suddenly, I felt dizzy and nauseous. Apparently, I started to look pretty bad too, because my boss, Jen, made me take my temperature and sent me home at 3:30 PM.

Tuesday morning, I woke up and felt a-okay; but I had strict instructions not to return to work until my fever was gone. And so I took my temp: 100.4. (this seemed to be a magic number in the blog world as of late. If i remember correctly both Megan and Lauren had 100.4 temps when they were sick recently.) But I didn't feel sick. So I talked to Jen, and was told to stay home and get some rest and fluids. So I went back to bed (hey- I'm not going to complain about getting more sleep), and woke up for lunch and lots of SVU.

Wednesday, I came to work, fever free and happy. HOORAY! I was a bit anxious about the piles of "to-do" on my desk, but I came in early (6:30 AM) and tried to knock out as much as I could. Until 12:00, when the nauseous-ness came on strong and I found my self suddenly losing everything I had eaten for the day. [was that TMI?]
But I didn't feel sick.
Of course, that didn't matter because Jen sent me home in a flash, and there I was, watching TV and reading magazines and taking a nice long nap. [which was nice at the time, but after waking up led me to be cranky with my mother whom called in to check on me (sorry, Mom!) and then have trouble getting to sleep at night time. And wake up every.single.time.i.heard.any.single.tiny.sound.all.night.long.)

and today I don't feel sick, still. And I am determined to get through the ENTIRE work day.

I have no idea what the heck was wrong with me yesterday- was it the flu? But I didn't feel sick. maybe it was something I ate- this is most probable. It would seem that now I am terrified to eat anything I ate yesterday morning, which is making me a bit sad, because I am now AFRAID of oats. and might maple peanut butter & co. peanut butter. and chobani yogurt. All of which are on my current "favorites" list.

Anyone else have any ideas?

Then Heather said, "Let's run."
So, I have not run. I was going to run Monday, until I went home ill.
I decided I would make it up Tuesday. But running with a fever scared me. What if I passed out. What if I passed out and no one is around. What if I pass out and then a dog eats me? [and i still haven't ordered my roadID.]
So then, I woke up yesterday knowing I was in for a GREAT run after work.
Until 12:00 came along, and I realized that I couldn't keep any energy in my belly.

TONIGHT I WILL RUN. It has been now WAY.TOO.LONG.
especially considering that my first 5K is next week Saturday. EEK. [why am I suddenly terrified.]

I seem to have a little fear going on right now since it's been over a week since I've been on the trail. I don't know why. It's completely unrational. It's not like I forgot how to run. It's not like a week is going to take away all of the progress I've made completely. It's not like my legs are no long strong enough to carry me a few miles. Right?

regardless, I am scared. my mind is playing tricks on me and I am determined to fight it.

so, your job, if you choose to accept it: text me, twitter me, email me, comment me, call me: MAKE SURE I RUN TONIGHT. I may need some encouragement.

Then Heather Said, "Help!":
My first 5K is on Halloween. It's actually the TROY FAMILY YMCA MONSTER MADNESS DASH - 5K RUN/WALK. And do you know what that means? I need a costume. Costumes are HIGHLY encouraged- which is SO MUCH FUN, right?

My co-workers have suggested I dress up as some kind of superhero because, truly, who wouldn't want to run with a cape. While I agree, I also fear that my clumsiness may lead to my getting tangled in said cape and either a)injuring myself or b)injuring someone else.

I'm looking for creative costume ideas that would be relatively inexpesive, easy(ish) to run in, and not make me look like a total goon. So, help me brainstorm:

What should I dress up as for the Monster Mash 5K?

One through Ten

2009-10-21T12:16:00.001-04:00

Before I get started on crossing off the eleventh item on my 101 in 1001 in list, I thought I should take some time to discuss some completed tasks.

I made the list ten months ago and in that time I’ve completed ten things. [Apparently I’ve been procrastinating ;) ] Since I plan on recapping the 91 remaining items as they happen through out the next two years, I thought maybe I should share some highlights of the first ten “to-do”s I’ve completed.

A short blurb about each of the ten items I’ve completed so far [in no order]:

27. Make a Necklace:
Danielle graduated a year ahead of me from Lodi High School. She and I became best friends there. I don’t know when it was exactly that the best-friendness began, because in a town of 3,000 everyone pretty much knows everyone and we had been hanging out in circles that intertwined for my entire time in Lodi. We were both involved with Show Choir & Musical, and we bonded at sporting events, eventually becoming good friends and working together in the Wisconsin Dells, during the summers.

Early on in our friendship we realized we shared another similarity outside of jazz hands and leadership and dressing up like Ally the Alligator. We loved to craft. It started with scrapbooking back in the day, but eventually became a love for paper. [I can’t speak for Danielle, I suppose, but at least in my case, it became a love for paper.] Over the years we’ve tried our hands at a few other crafts along the way; and we even both got the same sewing machine for Christmas last year. [mine is finally out of the box, but still not threaded. Hmmm.]

During a few of the most recent trips I took to St. Paul to visit Danielle, we found ourselves at The Bead Monkey. Danielle made all of her bridesmaids super cute necklaces to wear at the wedding, so our first trip was to find a design we liked for her to give jewelry making a try. After they turned out sodarling, we found ourselves back at The Bead Monkey during my trip this past May, for a few other projects. We found a pattern and beading for my own wedding day earrings (which post broken-engagement became my “Wicked on Broadway” earrings.) and I also found some wonderful beads and trinkets to make into a sort of charm necklace.

My dear friend, former roommate and Maid of Honor, Kelly, had brought me back some beautiful beads from her trip to New Mexico, and I was so excited to make a necklace to display the mementoes. I took the trinkets from Kelly into The Bead Monkey, found some beads and charms to match and made a cute, long piece that I love wearing with a colored Tshirt and cardigan. [I’ll work on taking a photo of said necklace soon.]

37. Stand in Times Square & 29. See a Live Comic Show –
For this past Valentine’s Day, my former fiancé took me on a surprise trip. It was sweet, and fun, and short, and memorable; a short day-long trip to New York City. It was my first official trip.

We went to breakfast, the Museum of Natural History (I have a great love for museums), Times Square to meet our good friend Joey for cheesecake and coffee at Roxy’s diner (I also visited the MTV store to get some “Team Lauren” buttons for myself and few friends who aren’t afraid to admit their love for The Hills), dinner at my now favorite NYC casual dining locale, Blockheads, and Comic Strip Live. [we saw four great comedians- including Sherrod Small, who is one of my favorite VH1 Nostalgia show commentators :) ] Followed by Coffee at a tiny 24 hour deli and a long drive back upstate. It was a wonderful surprise, a great trip and I am thankful for those memories.

57. Read Catcher in the Rye –
Catcher in the Rye had been on my “to read” list since high school. Finally, this past spring, I loaned it from the library and read it. Was not as impressed as I thought I should be, but that’s probably because I based my need to read it on so many pop culture references.

5. Get a Pedicure-The weekend of the wedding-that-never-was, my parents came up to NY, as planned. It was wonderful. We stayed in a lake house and took day trips to NYC and Boston (Rock of Ages & a fabulous walking tour were both delightful!). We kayaked, grilled out, indulged in a wonderful Itallian dinner at one my new favorite local resteraunts (so many fresh ingredients from the chef’s personal garden!), and lounged around. It was the perfect way for me to spend that weekend, with out a doubt.

The weekend started for me when I left work early on Friday, and took my mother to a local Spa & Beauty Salon. It was both of our first pedicures- and it was so much fun! I got to pick the color for both of our toes, and I had OPI’s Dutch Tulip and my mother had OPI’s Cajun Shrimp – both of which were delightful shades of pink. Perfect for a weekend of feeling like a wonderful, beautiful, independent woman!

51. Get a Bed-This is not very exciting. Former fiancé and I picked out a “marriage bed” back in June. It was delivered in the very beginning of July. It’s now my bed. It has a headboard. It is comfortable. I like it. I need to invest in a new comforter or quilt or something- that will come, in time, I’m sure. Anyone have a brand they are crazy about?

The collaborative: 3. Get a New Cell Phone, 34. go to NY State Museum, 33. Eat Sushi, & 13. Drive My Own Car
After the wedding was officially called off, my dad scheduled a trip to come to NY just a few days later. Because God loves me, my dad was already scheduled for a training in NYC the following week. I am a firm believer that this was not coincidence. He was able to move his arriving flight up a few days, and come to Albany to help me breathe. He spoiled me, of course, made me feel like special again, and helped me to stand on my own two feet. We got a lot done that weekend, but we also had some fun and I really enjoyed having my dad come to my rescue.

My dad helped me go to Sprint and get my own phone plan. My former fiancé and I had been on the same plan for years, and I was ready to have my very own plan. With that, came my dad’s suggestion that I go “all out” and get a blackberry instead of a regular flip phone. BEST. IDEA. EVER. As you might remember, most of the time, I blog from my blackberry, and having it keeps me very connected with loved ones all across the country. I should note that they don’t refer to them as “crackberrys” for nothing. Blackberry = addicting.

My parents also helped me get my own car. When my former fiancé and I first moved from Beaumont, TX to upstate NY, we sold my very old, very unreliable car and just worked with one vehicle for 11 months. It wasn’t always easy, but it did mean only one car payment, and while just starting out in New York, that was helpful. We were planning on getting a car for me this fall, but clearly, that was no longer an option.

I am so grateful for parents who care about me and want to help me so much. I seriously would be lost with out them. I know that sounds cliché, but it is true. They have both helped me SO MUCH during the recovery of the break up, the getting my single life on track, and being able to stand on my own two feet, not relying on my former fiancé for anything. At first it was hard for me to accept help from other people, I felt it would make me weak. My boss, Jen, had a talk with me though, about how it was important for me to be able to accept assistance from the people who love and care about me; for me and for them. I can’t thank my parents enough for helping me in everyway they can. [THANK YOU!!!]

While my dad was here, we also got a bunch of other “business” taken care of- so we made sure to make time for some fun stuff too!
Two of these things were also on my 101 list- Sushi & the NY State Museum!

We went to dinner at a place called Hiro’s in Albany, and the sushi was FABULOUS. My dad made sure to help me pick out a bunch of new things to try. (my theme for my after-break up lifestyle was “try something new as often as possible!”)

We also took a trip to the NY State Museum. I had been one time before, and enjoyed myself but was a bit rushed through; with my dad, I made sure to take my time in the exhibits that interested me and learned so much. We had a blast.

This past Saturday, Danielle and I also took a trip to the NY State Museum- again, I had a great time. We spent a lot of time there – and didn’t even come close to seeing it all. A few of the exhibits we spent a lot of time in weren’t there last time, and I learned a lot.

If you are in the Albany area, I highly recommend a trip the NY State Museum (admission is free! Donations accepted.)

So now that we are all caught up with what I have done, it’s time for me to set my sights on what is left to do!

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-10-20T22:33:00.002-04:00

1. Went home from work early Monday afternoon due to dizziness and feeling icky.

2. Woke up with slight fever. (100.4) did not go to work.

3. Instead slept a lot and drank lots of fluids.

4. And then woke up and watched Law & Order: SVU for quite a few hours.

5. Also decided to bake apple bread. (Thanks Kati for the recipe- I'll post about it soon!!)

6. I am really getting scared about my running a 5K in a week from saturday. I haven't run in quite a few days now, with Danielle being here and then being sick the last two days. We will see how my run goes tomorrow evening.

7. It looks like I may have convinced a friend to run with me, though. So tomorrow will be the first time I run WITH someone. Am v. excited.

8. I feel like I am boring and have very little to talk about. Perhaps because of my feeling crummy?

9. I am looking for a dvd of 20 minute beginner yoga workouts (more to come on why soon) - anyone have a suggestion??

10. What's the best book you've read lately? I'm collecting a list and I must know. :)

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

An Ode to the Island of Rhode

2009-10-19T12:39:00.003-04:00

In second grade, I attended Kolmar Grade School in Midlothian, Illinois and I had Miss Cuculich. She was a first year teacher, meaning that at the time that I had her, she was most likely younger than I am now. Wow. That's weird to think about. Miss Cuculich taught me a lot of things, as any good second grade teacher would.

There are a handful of memories I remember about second grade. I remember hatching chicks in an incubator in our classroom. I remember playing tag at recess. I remember having a whole month of theme days and I remember my mom helping out in the classroom. And I remember memorizing the states and capitals.

Skip five years down the road and you'll find me in a new town, state, and school. I was a seventh grader at in Lodi, Wisconsin. I remember a lot more about seventh grade than second grade. [ a lot of which I wish I could forget. urg. middleschool!] But one thing I definetetly recal is the moment I realized what Miss Cuculich wanted for us in second grade. She wanted greatness.

During a daily trivia question, my teacher asked, "How many states names begin with a vowel?" I got to work. Reciting states names in my head and counting on my fingers. When I took time to look around the room and see that EVERY HAND WAS UP but mine, I felt a bit silly. Was this some sort of joke? Was this the kind of question everyone in the country just knew the answer to? Did my parents transfer me to some sort of genuis geography-loving school? Was I ever going to live up? how many states DID start with a vowel?

No. No. No. and, well, No.
Oh, and 12.

Later on in the year, I overheard two classmates talking. Kid A was sharing stories about a family vacation out west. His friend asked if they had spend any time in Arkansas. My ears perked up.

ARKANSAS? Out West? WAIT. A. MINUTE. Arkansas even started with a vowel, which was apparently some sort of Middle School special interest here in Lodi, and apparently this boy had lost his mind.

Two days later sense was made, as one of the popular girls admitted she had never left the great state of Wisconsin. The lunch table broke out in 13 mini conversations of how many different states/countries we've all visited, trying to one up one another in "culture experience", as if we had taken off on these trips to our own accord and not in correlation with what our parents chose to do over our summer vacations.

That's when I heard it; over a dozen friends sing a song I had never yet encountered, as they kept track of family trips on their fingers. "Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Arkansas, California….." JUMP BACK. Where did this come from?

I was counting my own state to state experiences on my own hands, but not in alphabetical order. The fact that I had never been west of Minnesota didn't stop me from starting in the northwest corner of the map moving down the pacific coast in my mind, "Washington, Oregon, California… all the way through the Rockies, southern, midwestern, south Atlantic, and northeastern states, being careful not to forget Alaska and Hawaii.

Right then and there I realized a few things; a) I needed to head westward. b) I was thankful to have more states under my belt than a handful of girls [oh how scary it was to be on the bottom of the list for ANYTHING in Middle School!] c) Miss Cuculich wanted greatness for us.

Coming to this realization, Then Heather Said, "Thank you, Miss Cuculich." [who I am quite certain is now Mrs. Something or Another.]

Last night, I found myself thanking Mrs. Something or Another again as I was studying squash. Yes, squash. You see, I seem to be quite obsessed with fitting winter squashes into my weekly menu plans the last few weeks. (you may remember my making butternut squash fries and roasted mashed goodness last week.)

Whether you can name the states in alphabetic order, by region, or not at all, perhaps you remember a tiny little state, Rhode Island. A co-founder of Rhode Island, small and mighty, is a guy named Roger Williams. In 1643 he also published a work, A Key Into the Language of America in which he documented the English word "squash" coming from the Narragansett word "askutasquash" meaning "a green thing eaten raw."

I should note at this time I am very happy I am not eatting squash raw. It does not sound appealing in the least. And although, of course, now my curiosity keeps trying to tell me that perhaps I should just give it a try in order to honor the etmology and all, my logic is speaking otherwise. No raw squash.

Instead of raw squash, last night, I decided to be go out on a limb and try something new. I got adventurous in the kitchen.
I've been craving some comfort food lately, and when it comes to comfort, Mac'n'Cheese is where it's at. But I wanted to jazz it up with something festive- and what better than "a green thing eatten raw." Or rather, a pretty, orange squash I planned to cook.

And here's what I came up with:

An Ode to the Island of Rhode:
Sneak in the Squash Mac N Cheese Bake of Wonders
[notes and nutrition info to follow]

1 lb Butternut Squash, peeled & cut into chunks (about half-inch to 1 inches pieces)
1 cup vegetable stock
2 cups vanilla soy milk
cinnamon, cayenne, salt & black pepper
1 lb of macaroni ( I used whole wheat)
1 cup shredded sharp cheddar
3/4 cup ricotta (I used low-fat)
1/4 cup plus 3 TBL Parmesan Cheese
3 TBL breadcrumbs
1 tsp olive oil
cooking spray

Preheat Oven to 375

In a medium saucepan, heat squash cubes, milk and stock. Bring to a Boil, and reduce head to simmer.

As this is boiling, cook macaroni according to package directions. I like to cook my pasta a bit al dente, as it will be baked in the oven as well.

When squash is tender, remove from heat and mash squash. I don't have a potato masher, so I was doing some crafty work with a fork and large serving spoon.

Season with Cinnamon, Cayenne, Salt & Pepper. I added about 1/4 tsp of each, except for the salt- which was about 1/2 tsp. If you are a spice lover, go a bit crazy on the cayenne. I dare you.

When pasta is done cooking, transfer it to a large bowl. Stir in squash mixture as well as cheddar, ricotta, and 1/4 cup parmesan cheese.

Spray your baking dish; I used a 9x13 pyrex dish. Transfer macaroni/squash/cheesy goodness to dish.

In a mug/bowl/cup, mix remaining 3 TBL parmesan, breadcrumbs and olive oil. Sprinkle mixture over dish of goodness.

Cover with foil & bake for 25 minutes.
Remove Foil and Bake for 45 minutes. Top of bake should appear brown and and crispy :)

*This did take a little bit of time: about 15-20 minutes of prep and an 70 minutes of baking. But it would be PERFECT for a vegetarian meal for a small group, a side dish for large group, or something to cook up for a potluck. I got 12 goodsized servings out of it - which is great for sharing, but A LOT for a single girl. I may try and half the recipe if I ever want to make this for just me.

A Few Nutrition Facts - For 12 Servings
Each Serving:
Calories - 165
Fat - 6.6 g
Carbs - 18.7 g
Dietary Fiber - 2.3 g
Sugars - 1.8 g
Protein - 8.8 g

Do you remember learning the states in grade school? Was it alphabetic, by region, by "coolness"? Can you list all 50 states today? [There is a Friend's episode where Ross has problems with it- do you?]

A Different Kind of Follow Friday

2009-10-16T20:34:00.002-04:00

I am currently seated at a local coffee shop just a few blocks from my apartment. It's small, and has local artists' work on the walls for purchase. A young man, most likely in high school, is playing an acoustic guitar and sharing a song list of cover, original, cover, original, cover.

I don't know if it's the two drinks I had at dinner, the euphoria of my best friend being here, or just simple talent: but I like him. He is strumming along, sharing his heart and his voice with a small crowd, and he looks like he is doing what matters- he looks as if THIS is what life is all about. His guitar, words like poetry flowing through the air and the auroma of espesso and hot cider surrounding. This is following some sort of path, some sort of idea, some sort of thought or feeling or knowing that this is happiness.

Today had been full of happiness.
Waking up to no alarm and remembering it was only friday and my weekend was one day longer.

Breakfast and daytime TV with one of my oldest friends, chit chatting about topics that barbara and whoopi and joy and the girls were discussing, and getting ready on my time for an afternoon of fun with my co-workers. Picking out a pumpkin and laughing with the people I spend each day with, and going to dinner with a few of my favorites. And now here, in this moment, with a Joshua Radin cover, soy pumpkin latte and Danielle.

And to think 3 months ago I was broken and scared and confused and sad, facing something I never thought happened in real life, but only in movies and television.

All this to say, if today is rough- know that the happiness is coming. Truth is, the happiness is OUT THERE, waiting for you to take ahold of the moment and seek it until you find it. In the small things. Because truly, that's what makes the happiness, things that seem small, but in truth are big.

The wonders of a small human growing inside of one of the most brillant, beautiful, and kind women you've ever met. And the fact that a friendship has lasted over a decade; despite distance. Reaching warmness thanks to steamed milk and hot espresso. And hearing people make music, not because they want more money or even to pay their bills, but because they truly love it and truly believe it can change the world. And maybe, just maybe it can. And knowing you are strong enough to survive the hard stuff, because you have before and you will again.

Today, I was going to point you to two of my very wonderful friends' blogs for follow friday- and although I think you SHOULD be reading them already, I'm going to save it for next week (sorry, ladies)because for all the blogs you could read, there is something else for you to follow. Happiness. And you should follow it to the core and to the death. Because it's out there for you, right this moment.

Trust that. And go find it.

Sent on the Sprint® Now Network from my BlackBerry®

Umm hi.

2009-10-15T13:01:00.003-04:00

Guess what I did.
I told you all about my friend Laura, yesterday.
And she felt bad.
Because I sent you over to her blog, and she didn't even share the news with you.
so she did something about it and posted THIS BLOG for you to read.

Can you go give it a glance and tell her congrats?

xoxoxox

What have you done lately to point your life in the direction of your dreams?

Soaring with the Greatest of Ease

2009-10-14T12:42:00.004-04:00

A quick list of why my spirits are SOARING today.

1. My boss posted this note on my screen today to let me know how she feels about me :)

2.Caitlin posted some of my notes for my challenge on Operation Beautiful

Go see what else I posted.

3. Jessica wrote a post this morning sharing some memories and thoughts about when we first met. It was so encouraging to know our friendship has had lasting impact on her life :)

4. It seems like almost everyone in Blogland is on a path of following their dreams lately. Including my dear, dear friend Laura. She shared some VERY exciting news the past few days, and I am so stoked for her! (and PROUD of her!!!)

5. My best friend Danielle, will be here TOMORROW. Excited would be an understatement.

6. I was graced with a quick less than 2 minute phone call from my dear little Chelsea, a good friend back in Texas. I was sad that our conversation was so short: but hearing her voice made my whole day shine!

7. It's grocery shopping day. I LOVE grocery shopping day.

I'm in the mood to try something NEW! Do you have any suggestions for products/items I should try? I've been adding things to my grocery list ALL DAY LONG... What do you suggest?

Guest Post: Jessica of FMTW

2009-10-14T08:21:00.002-04:00

Once upon a time, I shared an apartment with a girl named Jessica.

Let me just tell you, I LOVE Jessica. I love that she is bubbly and excited to try new things. And I love that she knows how to handle serious situations. I love that she is a friend to the core and would do anything for her best friends. I love that she is bold and determined to find her way in this world. I love that she is supportive and understanding and gentle and kind. And she is sassy. [the good kind of sassy.] I love that when we went to the fair and I got ill after that stupid gravitron thing, she took care of me and that she can’t help but want to save every homeless animal. She has a heart of gold. And I am so thankful that we have stayed friends, even after my move to New York.

Jessica sent me a message a few weeks ago about Then Heather Said. She told me she started her own blog ( http://findingmyselfthroughwords.blogspot.com ) and wanted me to read it. When I saw that Jessica was touching on her having called off her wedding, a little light bulb appeared above my head.

Although we were both on opposite sides of a wedding being cancelled, we had so much in common in the wake of our relationships ending. And so I asked her to write a guest post for Then Heather Said. Jess has been making some big decisions in regards to her dreams the last few weeks [this seems to be quite popular in blog-land as of late.]

Then Heather Said, “Have you met Jessica?”

My name is Jessica and I have been blogging since the first time I read "Then Heather Said...".

This blog has changed my life. I used to vent in the unhealthiest of ways i.e., not eating, developing bad sleeping habits, turning all of my feelings inward, etc. This is my new outlet. It has made me realize that I can really do whatever I want, literally. And while that is probably not the aiming point Heather is pursuing, I am pretty sure that the outcome is just fine with her.

I live in a small, presumably boring town. All of the people have the same familiar personalities and the same expectations for me that I used to have:
-Graduate from high school with no babies.
-Possibly go after a degree at the local college.
-Find someone, and get married to him.
-Start a life here.

Like Heather, I have also recently become unengaged. And while the people of my town think I am taking a step backward, I see it very differently. My situation, while it different from Heather's, it is also very similar.

The differences:
-I called off my wedding because I got cold feet.
-Her wedding was called off because he got cold feet.

The similarities:
-Heather and I both want more out of life.
-I feel like I am meant to do more than stay in this small town.
-And I am using my blog to define my future.

Everything in life has repercussions. Everything serves a purpose. I broke off my engagement because it felt like once the date was set, the clock was counting down to when my life would end forever and our life would start. I was not ready for our life. Thankfully, I realized that it was not supposed to be like that earlier than the day I was to say "I do". Although, parts of me wish I could have realized it earlier than the day I, along with half of our families, spent more than a few hundred dollars.

But hey, you win some, you lose some. Right?

Breaking off my engagement was one of the smartest, most difficult, but also the most adult decision I have made in my short life. That decision has spurred on many other thoughts in my head. The main one being: "What should a single, twenty-year-old girl, who has nothing tying her down, do?"

My answer? "Whatever I want."

Now I am on a mission, to find out exactly what it is that I want to do. To try and decided if I want to pursue my crazy dream of moving to New York to become an accomplished writer, or not. It should be an easy decision. The answer to my dream seems clear.

This is going to be a series of small steps that turn into a sprint. I have a tendency of jumping into ideas with both feet, holding nothing back. The majority of the time I lack the support from the people close to me. My family does not genuinely support me when it comes to my ideas because it usually changes soon after deciding to follow through. But I can do this, and I will do this.

I will pick a day, start putting money aside, and do some very careful planning. My dream is to spend New Years in a new place. I think I could reach that goal this year.

Steps to making this a success:
1. Find a place to live in New York.
2. Find a place to work in New York.
3. Save enough money between now and Christmas time to make this happen. (A second job may be in my near future.)
4. Breaking it to my parents that I really don't want to go back to school, not right now at least.
5. Going for it!

I have a little over seven weeks to make this happen. Now, if only I could stick to this dream, and follow through.

Follow Jessica on her journey: http://findingmyselfthroughwords.blogspot.com

Top Ten Tuesday

2009-10-13T14:28:00.004-04:00

1. My best friend, Danielle, will be here to visit on Thursday. THAT IS SUPER SOON AND I AM SUPER EXCITED.

2. Also, as stated before, she is PREGGO. I am so excited about this. I have been doing my very best to keep this on the DL until she and her wonderful husband, Eric, were ready to announce to the general public. But let me tell you, there were many MANY trips to babygap in the past few months and I have been fighting the urge to BUY IT ALL. There were quite a few blackberry camera photos of the cutenss, but I knew posting to Twitter would be a bad idea. With my keeping my mouth shut until she gave the green light, I figured just posting this photo would lead to way too many rumors about my own life,

and I am just not ready for pregnant to be the next adjective people use to describe me. [I AM NOT PREGNANT.]

3. Sometime after the Badger game on Saturday, I remembered that my blackberry has a “Sprint TV” application which allows me to watch episodes of several tv shows. So I caught up on some ABC & NBC Shows throughout the weekend. I’m now READY for Grey’s on Thursday. [although I didn’t watch last season, I did see the season finale and have now caught up on this season as well.] I haven’t watched Grey’s with a girlfriend since season two, so I am stoked for Danielle and I to watch it together Thursday Night.

4. I also watched the first 3 episodes of Flash Forward on ABC. I had heard a lot of great things about this show, and it did not disappoint. If you haven’t watched it yet, get thyself over to ABC.COM and start. The storyline is fabulous.

5. I also watched my first episode of The Office. Yes. I did. I started with the wedding. When I twittered that I hadn’t seen any episodes, many people replied that I should start at the beginning. But I just had to see the wedding after so many people were commenting and sparking my interest in quotes and videos and thoughts of the episode. [anyone who says that twitter is a bad form of advertising is just silly. It works.]

6. Last week, I got a fabulous new water bottle in the mail from my dear friend LAURA. ANDI LOVE IT. It is a Nathan bottle and it is wonderful. It has a straw- for some reason I’ve never used a water bottle with a straw- how FOOLISH of me! It’s so much easier for me to stay hydrated through out the day with this thing. I don’t know why I didn’t think of it sooner. THANK YOU, LAURA.

7. Last night I made 2 butternut squash sides for dinner. I kind of failed one and aced another. First the “fail”, I tried making Butternut Fries. These were so easy, and so good. But I wasn’t keeping a very close eye on the fries as they were in the oven, and so about one half of them were a little too browned & crispy [burned] for my liking. But the other half were really yummy. Like sweet potato fries, only better. Next time I will definitely ACE this.

It’s simple: Preheat to 425. Peel your butternut squash. Cut in half. De-Seed the squash. Cut into fry shaped pieces. Put on a lightly greased baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until lightly brown. Yummers.

8. I also made mashed Butternut Squash. Again, so easy and so good. I roasted my squash first, rather than boiled it. Roasting brings out the natural sweetness in a vegetable, fruit or even meat.

Here’s how: Preheat to 400. Peel your butternut squash. Cut in half. De-Seed. Place in baking dish (I used pyrex). Salt & Pepper. Dot with butter. Add water to the pan so there is about a quarter of an inch. Cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool slightly. Put squash in dish and mash. Enjoy!

9. Every time I hear the song Hotel California I think about Rock Band. Yes, I’m serious.

10. There is still time: The Super Internet Soup Swap still needs entries. Send your favorite soup recipe to me at mooreshugar@gmail.com

You are Beautiful.

2009-10-13T12:18:00.005-04:00

If you've been reading for a bit now, you've seen me mention Operation Beautiful a time or two.

Operation Beautiful is something I truly believe in. So much so that back in September I posted about my personal pledge to post at least one Operation Beautiful note a day throughout the remainder of 2009. I am loving the challenge, for many reasons. And I love Operation Beautiful, for so many reasons, as well. So much so, that if you look over there to the right, you will see that my first free advertisement I've added to Then Heather Said is the Operation Beautiful post-it link. :) HOORAY for Operation Beautiful!

You may remember my mentioning that Operation Beautiful is being turned into a book! [oh, the excitement!] I am so thrilled for Caitlin - she is following her dreams and reaching out to people to ban negative self-image and fat talk! By starting this movement, she is helping to empower women all over the world, to encourage them to believe in themselves and set them on a course to follow their own dreams. It all started with one little piece of paper; which may seem small- but in truth, it's HUGE. She is truly changing the world, one post-it note at a time.

And I truly believe that Operation Beautiful, the book, is going to take the world changing empowering movement to a whole new level.

And you have a chance to be a part of it! [and win some cool prizes along the way!]

Caitlin recently announced a CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS for the Operation Beautiful book! She is looking for 125 notes and/or stories to be included in the book, which will be published in Fall 2010 by Gotham Books.

GET TO WORK, here's how (from the Operation Beautiful Website):

*Has Operation Beautiful changed the way you see yourself?
*Have you posted a note in a unique place?
*Do you have an amazing story to share with the world? Specifically, She's looking for stories about body image, family, friends, food, fitness, random acts of kindness, and faith.

If so, Caitlin wants to hear from YOU!
She is looking for:

Notes with unique messages.
Notes in unique places.
Stories of why YOU are truly beautiful.

She's looking for stories about body image, family, friends, food, fitness, random acts of kindness, and faith. She wants to hear your message!

Enter your note and story using this form.

[also - head here to see all of the swag you could win for entering!]

What are you waiting for? I'm not kidding here. GO. POST. A. NOTE.
Because you are Brillant & Beautiful & Deserve GOODNESS.
Share that Goodness.

Then Heather Said, "Go spread the beauty!"

quickest post ever

2009-10-12T13:00:00.002-04:00

I just need to say this, quickly:

my best friend is preggo.
I've been waiting FOREVER to tell people. (or at least what seems like forever.)
and she finally gave me the green light.
(apparently I am more excited about her having a baby than any of my own exciting adventures.)

HOORAY! and much CONGRATS to Danielle & Eric :)

[I am going to spoil that baby, like woah.]

More to come on this soon. xoxox

Follow Friday

2009-10-09T14:28:00.001-04:00

Number of Reasons you should be reading Accordingtonina.com : 587,954,328 [at least]
Number of minutes I have allotted myself to write this post on a break at work: 16.25 [at most]
Number of Reasons you should be reading accordingtonina.com that I will be sharing with you: 7 [Can it be done?]

Seven Reasons why you should visit According to Nina:

1. Recipes – Nina features “stories on a plate” which share a recipe and a story/memory from said recipe. She also often shares easy, but DELICIOUS (trust me, I’ve tried) recipes that help her in a time crunch. Everything she shares is impressive.

2. what’s in my inbox – my favorite blog posts by Nina include information she receives by email. Coupon codes, great quotes, ideas, simple sweetness, bits of info. Everything she shares is valuable.

3. Target Tuesdays – anyone who tells you they don’t like target is a LIAR or in need of help. [ok. Maybe I’m just bias.] Nina shares her love for target by taking weekly trips and spotlighting some of her favorite finds. Everything she shares is on my Christmas list.

4. Bergdorf's To Bama by Leila – Nina has two regular contributors; the first is Leila. She has all the charm of a southern belle (born&raised) and all the sharpness of a chic city gal (where she recently departed to head back home to the south). Everything she shares is fabulous.

5. Jennifer's Kind Finds – the second is Jennifer. Jennifer finds something absolutely fabulous, and way out my price range, and scopes out a similar, nicely priced alternative. Same style, different price tag. Everything she shares is a steal-of-a-deal.

6. 3 C’s- Nina is classy, creative and clever. Scroll through the past posts and you will soon see what I mean. Everything she shares speaks of her character.

7. Ideas-a-plenty- Whether its home décor style, fashion finds, great gift picks, party decorations and menus, what blog to check out, or what to order at starbucks- it matters not. Everything she shares is an idea I want to try myself.

What are you waiting for? Go check out what Nina has to say.

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Inaugurating Peace

2009-10-09T08:19:00.002-04:00

When I was going through my notebooks the other day, I came across this letter I had written to a future love of my life. I had scheduled to post this on Sunday, but seeing as today is an extra special Friday, I figured I should go ahead with it.

A little history:
President Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize this morning. He is the third seated President of the United States to win the prize, following Theodore Roosevelt and Woodrow Wilson. When Alfred Nobel wrote his will, he made sure to include that the peace prize should go “to the person who shall have done the most or the best work for fraternity between the nations and the abolition or reduction of standing armies and the formation and spreading of peace congresses.” All of the other Nobel Prizes are awarded by Swedish institutions; but the Peace Prize is awarded by a five-member committee elected by the Norwegian Parliament. (this is because at the time of Nobel’s death, Sweden and Norway were united under the same parliament.)

I know there will be discussion and debate over the warrants of this award, President Obama’s deserving it or not, what he has done, what he has yet to do, what each of us personally would do if we were in his position. But the truth is, we are not in his position. He is our President and I put my trust in the office.

Then Heather said, “Congratulations, Mr. President.”

A blurb from Heather’s personal journal:

January 20, 2009

Today is historic.
I suppose all days are historic, in theory, but today is a day we will look back on in our old age and say “remember when” “I was here” and “I felt this”.

Today reeks of change.

I pray that one day, I have babies.
I pray they are brilliant.
And I pray that right now, you, my beautiful, wonderful, most perfect child, are reading this with eagerness to know your mother and who she was “back in the day”. To learn more about her growing up, her thoughts, her experiences, and the world that surrounds her.

And let me continue to tell you, TODAY IS SPECIAL.

Barak Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of these United States of America.

The first African American president.
The first President to be born of two parents of different races.
The first President whose election was made possible by the voice & votes of young America.

[by the way, my child: your vote. Your voice. Your life. Matters. ]

Today I worked my simple, yet splendid, office job.

At 11:45 AM, I joined my coworkers in the break room to watch ABC’s coverage of the inauguration. It didn’t matter who we voted for, it was a moment in history to remember, and so all of us, registered or not, democrat, republican or independent joined together to witness the celebration and ceremony of it all.

After President Obama placed his hand on the Lincoln Bible and swore to be the best President he could be…

[and who could ask for more, really? You, my child, take his lead, and be the BEST you can be, in ALL things.]

I listened to President Obama give a terrific 17 minute speech. And afterwards, I printed it off from the internet and highlighted the parts that gave me chills and made me shed a tear. In order that I could document this here…

Here is my most favorite part:

“Let it be said by our children’s children that when we were tested we refused to let this journey end, that we did not turn back nor did we falter; and with eyes fixed on the horizon and God’s grace upon us, we carried forth that great gift of freedom and delivered it safely to future generations.”

I pray, tonight, over your life. That you know what freedom is in your life. And I pray that you respect freedom. And celebrate freedom- both in the large and the small. In the outrageous and the common.

Tonight, I will watch DVDs of The West Wing with friends – to laugh, and dream, and learn with loved ones as I continue to let the truth of today seep in.

Beyond today, the truth is: I love you. Already. and Always. and Forever.

ouch.

2009-10-08T16:48:00.002-04:00

the number of times I walk into walls, doors, tables and the like is really quite ridiculous.
I think my co-workers are starting a pool regarding how many times I say "ow!" throughout the day.

my elbow hurts.

101.1001

2009-10-07T15:46:00.004-04:00

The last few weeks I’ve been taking some walks down memory lane.

After I shared the story of the romance between myself and the elusive green books, I found myself flipping through them, remembering memories of making lists and living experiences to list about.

During a phone conversation with my dear friend Megan, a story of high school sparked a debate that only a yearbook reference could solve. Once I found an answer, I spent a little bit of time flipping through the pages recording my senior year, and wondering a few things about my experiences in a tiny little high school in a tiny little farming community in the rural mid-west.

This past weekend I decided it was time to get out my Halloween basket and jack-o-lantern candle holders. This took a bit of effort. It would seem that in my brilliance, I put all the holiday decorations together, meaning Halloween was stored with Christmas. It would also seem that I decided to build my leaning tower of belongings with a strong, sturdy base; which, of course, would be my box of Christmas decorations. In order to get to said holders of candles and basket, I needed to deconstruct the great pyramid-o-storage space and get to the bottom of things; which in this case, was quite literally, getting to the bottom of things.

During my great expedition, I came across a box of old journals and notebooks. You would think I put them in a safe place to come back to later and continued on to the holiday-decorations-treasure-chest, finding what I needed, and put everything else back in it’s rightful place so that I could get to my bedroom without pretending I am an Olympic hurdler. Well, if you did think that, you would be wrong. [which is probably why up until yesterday morning, I had six piles of boxes, papers, and “stuff” in my dining area.]

Instead of following through with my plans of getting what I needed, putting humpty-dumpty back together again sans the King’s horses and men, and going about my weekend to-do, I sat on the floor in my kitchen and flipped through journals, notebooks, and sketchpads of the last 8 years.

One of the journals in the box was from the beginning of 2009. The first page starts, “1-1-09: Happy 2009.” It was a new year, I was in a new region, and I just signed a new contract for work. It was all new. And on the third of January, I wrote a list. (I know you are shocked.) Apparently, “Today I read about an awesome idea on a blog. 101 in 1001. make a list of 101 things to do in 1001 days, which is about 2.75 years. Here I go: 101 things to do in 1001 days. [10-1-2011]”

As I read over my list I realized that a few of the items made the cut because they were planned to happen; Get married, visit Disneyworld, etc. Other items on the list I had totally forgotten about! So far, I’ve completed 10 items on the list. And if my calculations are correct, I have 735 days to complete the remaining 91 items; roughly this is one every 8 days.

Now I know that some of these items may never get accomplished and I shouldn’t try to push them along to have them done in time (for example: get married sure looked like a sure shot in January when I made the list…now…not so much.) However, I think it would be an entertaining and worthwhile challenge to try to accomplish one of these items each week or so for the next two years. It will take some planning. It will take some enthusiasm. And it will damn sure take some documenting for this here blog.

So the list ( things I’ve done are bolded & italicized ) :

Then Heather Said, "101 in 1001"

1. visit Disney World
2. get married
3. get a new cell phone
4. buy a stranger coffee
5. get a pedicure
6. go to a wine tasting
7. leave a $20 tip on a meal less than $20 in cost
8. get a passport
9. push a baby in a stroller
10. fund a Roth IRA
11. go to a karaoke bar
12. watch My Fair Lady
13. drive my own car
14. knit a scarf
15. bake a real apple pie from scratch
16. have a homemade Christmas
17. take a class/lessons
18. wear a tie
19. find a doctor to call “my doctor”
20. send a card to a random address from the phone book
21. go to a MLB game
22. vacation at the Nation’s capitol
23. make Isabel a blanket (Isabel is my friends’ baby, whom I adore)
24. spend a full hour in silent meditation
25. catch a fish
26. get a personal computer
27. make a necklace
28. make homemade ice cream
29. see a live comic show
30. visit a zoo
31. wear red lip color
32. see off-Broadway musical
33. eat sushi
34. go to NY State Museum
35. go skiing
36. create secret handshake
37. go to a reading by a published author
38. stand in Times Square
39. visit PCC
40. play bingo
41. toss a football
42. feed the homeless
43. make fresh salsa
44. 10K
45. dance the night away
46. buy self a decent piece of jewelry
47. go hiking
48. get a raise
49. make a wreath
50. drink wine & read the Bible
51. get a bed
52. volunteer to decorate
53. sleep under the stars
54. see a 3D movie
55. re-memorize the US Presidents in numerical order
56. watch Gone with the Wind
57. read Catcher in the Rye
58. paint on canvas
59. visit orphanage in Mexico
60. learn to fold a fitted sheet
61. bob for apples
62. eat fresh cotton candy
63. kiss on a Ferris wheel
64. decorate Christmas tree with paper
65. eat jiffy pop near a campfire
66. find a local best girl friend
67. take Michael to Vegas (hmmm…about that.)
68. send “something” to “someone” (specifics hidden as “someone” reads blog)
69. wear pajamas to the movies
70. tie dye
71. share Jesus with a stranger
72. mix fresh lemonade
73. see another Badger game live (it’s been WAY too long)
74. play euchre
75. carve a pumpkin
76. give a toast
77. jump on a trampoline
78. donate blood
79. have a picnic in the park
80. read Captivating, again
81. read Wild at Heart, again
82. wear a ribbon in my hair
83. chew watermelon Bubblicious
84. go sledding
85. have a water balloon fight
86. buy a GOOD pair of shoes
87. make fudge
88. drink a milkshake with two straws
89. subscribe to Martha Stewart Living
90. Drink Jamba Juice
91. make a snowman
92. go a month without eating out
93. ride a horse
94. paint a wall
95. make truffles
96. pick berries
97. wear a smoky eye
98. watch a parade in person
99. play hopscotch
100. participate in benefit run/walk
101. fly a kite

What’s on your list? Anyone want to volunteer to do any of these things with me? Anyone want to volunteer for #66? How about #2? [just kidding]