#reverbroads11: A Week-Long Catch Up

I'm participating in #ReverbBroads11, a month of blog prompts promised to be silly and reflective. Given the craziness of the holidays, I have happily been away from my computer for the week... but am paying for it now. So, here's the shortest versions possible of all this week's posts. Enjoy!

December 25 - Silent Sunday - Just post a picture that represents your day.

Christmas dinner on the back patio - only in 70-degree Southern California! Merry Christmas!

December 26 - Write about the things you collect, include photos, tell why these items are cherished by you. (via Catie)
I've gone through some crazy wave of random collections. As a kid, I collected rocks (not just backyard rocks, but like gemstones you can buy at campground gift stores and such), keychains (I was once that girl who walked around sounding like a wind chime because I had all 47 of them on my backpack), and gosh knows what else. I think my favorite collection(s) are: Christmas ornaments and magnets. They both represent all the places I've been and visited (and in some magnet cases, places others have been). My family has collected Christmas ornaments from our vacations for as long as I can remember, and when I started doing a lot of my own traveling in grad school primarily, I kept up the tradition for myself. My Boston ornament is a wreath with lobsters in it, my Hawaii ornament is Santa surfing and posted next to a palm tree. I love being able to look at them each year, when I put them up, and remembering all the amazing places I've been lucky enough to go! Magnets are the same, they're just a daily reminder, which is sometimes just as great!

December 27 - What does your office/home/bedroom tell others about you? (via Kristen)
My office is still only about halfway put together, but I think for what it is (currently) and what it will be, it says a lot. My office is a daily reminder of where I've been and what I've done - and helps me remember that each day. I think it says about me that I try and remember that, to know that I've been lucky enough to love what I do, and have had the opportunities that have crossed my path! I'm a lucky one! This is right above my desk in my office, and yet to be hung are my diplomas and some other miscelleneous wall art. I'm reflective, love knowing others personally, and that's why I love having pieces about me all over my office walls. It's important.

And thanks to my uncle, I can finally add my NAU penant! Yay!

December 28 - Do you consider yourself a romantic person? Do you prefer fancy dinners, roses and chocolate romantic, or are you more non-traditional? (via Kassie)
I think I consider myself a romantic person, and while I love the sweep-me-off-my-feet stories, I like things to be personalized to me. While roses are pretty, they're not always my favorite. I can be won over with ice cream over a box of chocolates. So romantic in the sense of knowing me and my taste and not just going for the stereotypical.

December 29 - What was the soundtrack of your year? Of your life? Which songs most strongly represent the various eras of your life? What songs were playing for the most crucial, formative moments of your life? Or, if the chronological approach doesn't work for you, which songs best capture the different facets of your life? (Childhood, Love Life, Adulthood, Loss, Growth, Career, Happiness, Sadness, etc.)  Please elaborate. (via Bethany/Katie)
This is SO hard. I can't even being to think about songs that represent my life. However, for the year, it was a lot of up and down, and while the end of my year featured a hard dash back into running and making that my life again, I think all the songs on my running playlist are there for a reason - peppy, upbeat, (with few exceptions) and keep me going. Favorites? Neon Trees (1983 & Your Surrender), Young the Giant (My Body - new fave!), Rihanna (We Found Love) and some random others. I love anything that keeps me on my toes, up and moving.

December 30 - If you could go on a trip regardless of cost, where would you go and what would you see? (via Dana)
Easy. Everywhere. No, really, like a round-the-world cruise. South Africa, New Zealand, Egypt, India, Russia, Sweden, Portugal, Greece, Brazil, Chile. Take me everywhere, please!

December 31 - What is your "one word"? One word for this year, one word for next year. (via Amy )
I know I set a word for 2011, but I couldn't even tell you what it was. Something related to job-searching, surely, but... clearly it didn't hold that much value to me this year. For 2012, however, I've narrowed my word to focus. I wanted a word that I could apply to personal and professional life, that would allow me to keep moving forward, growing, and taking in all that I could. Focus. With running, it's focusing on my goals (half-marathon January 29 and hopeful for others!) but focusing to be sure I don't hurt myself again (two knee surgeries is enough, thank you) and to listen to my body when it tells me to mellow out. With my personal life (or current lack there of in Athens), it's finding things I like doing and making a place for myself in a new community. Professionally, it's remembering why I do what I do and making sure I am doing what I can to make the best for myself in this position. It's been a rough transition and I know I just need to allow myself to settle in a little more and make the best of it. If I focus, I know I can do just that. Bring it on, 2012!

And there you have it. Many thanks to all those that contributed to Reverb Broads, it's been fun!

Training: 5 Weeks Away!

This was supposed to be posted yesterday, but I figured I'd spend the day off the computer. :) So you get it now... enjoy. As of yesterday (Christmas Day), we are 5 weeks away from the big day!

Sunday: 3 miles

3.23 miles = 24:35 minutes / 7:51 minute miles

After a day of laundry, errands, and cleaning, the last thing I wanted to do was run, but it was an absolutely gorgeous day outside and I knew I couldn't pass it up. Well, apparently a gorgeous day and running in just leggings and a short sleeve shirt does a body good! I cut another 55 seconds off my PR, the one that I had just run like five days ago! Awesome.

Monday: Rest

Rest

That's just what I did.

Tuesday: 5 miles

4.85 miles = 41:56 minutes / 8:38 minute miles
I cut it short this morning; this run wasn't hard, but I need to find a good 5-mile route for all these 5-milers coming up the next few weeks. This was a good run, though; it wasn't as cold as it's been, so I got some great outdoor time. After this run, and looking at my mileage and timing, I realized that I slowly but surely am getting into shape! It's feeling good to see all these sub-9 miles, even if they are only on 4 mile runs.

Wednesday: 5 miles

5.02 miles = 46:06 minutes / 9:10 minute miles

I knew since I didn't make it to 5 on Tuesday, I knew I needed to push it and make it happen today! I was feeling a little sluggish, stressing over everything I had to get done before I flew home on Friday. I've also learned that the days I don't run, I don't sleep well -- however, Tuesday night seemed to be different and I slept terribly, so I think that contributed to some of the sluggishness on Wednesday. But made it work and kniocked out the 5.

Thursday: Cross-Train

Rest

My cross-training was running all over town and finishing my errands before I got on that plane Friday morning! I sprinted store to store in what added up to be 6-minute miles... just kidding. But I did do lots of running around!

Friday: Rest

Rest

Travel day! I was so excited to be going home, but this day was quite busy before I even headed to the airport! By 7:45 am, Molly was already at her kennel (I hate dropping her off; I know she's fine, I know she'll be fine, but I hate it); at 8:10 am, was dropping off the car at the body shop so she could get fixed while I was gone, and they took me to the hotel where the airport shuttle was picking me up. 9:15 am, was on the road to the airport. So, mind you, I figured it was December 23, Friday before Christmas, and well Atlanta is very wishy-washy in its busy-ness levels. So I got to the airport almost 3 hours before my flight, only to get through security in 10 minutes. Boo. So I got to chill for a while, which was actually kind of nice. My side of the terminal wasn't busy at all, so it was a mellow few hours, thankfully, before a long flight.

Somehwere over West Texas... or New Mexico. Take your pick!

Got home, into the madness of LAX, where my sister picked me up! I had all plans to get In N Out on the way home (personal tradition) but I was so hungry and tired, I just wanted to get home!

Los Angeles!

So I did, and was promptly greeted by the whole fam and my favorite Hungarian comfort food. Glorious. And then, my favorite silly tradition: the Chino Hills Boat Parade! Mind you, we're about 40 miles inland, so yes... boats are paraded down the street, towed by their trucks, decked out in lights... and it's awesome. It's only a few years old, but has become one of my favorite silly things to do.

Chino Hills Boat Parade!

Saturday: 6 miles
6.03 miles = 53:54 minutes / 8:56 minute  miles
I knew if I could handle last week's 8-mile run pretty easily, I should be able to handle these 6 miles. I wish I would have timed it for a full 10K, just to see where I'm at! But this run was fabulous - it was so great to able to run in 40 degrees instea of 30 (it makes a big difference!). I snaked down from my  parents house, down to my old high school, all the way around it, up through some neighborhoods, back into my parents' track, figure-eight through the blocks to finish off the 6. It was a great morning run and a great way to start off my Christmas weekend. Next week is 7-miles, which I may push up a bit since I did 8 miles last weekend, I might be able to push it a little bit.

Christmas Eve run.

Merry Christmas from Southern California!

'Twas glorious. Oh, and I got my In N Out on Christmas Eve. Perfect. Hope you all had a great holiday, later this week I'll do my Christmas-shenanigans post! Hope your weekend and days were filled with love, laughter, and those you love.

Total Week Mileage: 19.2 miles! Score!

#reverbbroads11: Memorable Holiday Moments

I'm participating in #ReverbBroads11, a month of blog prompts promised to be silly and reflective. I'm actually doing today's post on time. December 24 prompt:  Name your top 5 best holiday gifts given or received. Who gave it to you? Who were you giving it to? Why was it memorable? (via Kassie)

There are some Christmases I feel that I've put way too much thought into some gifts, while some people always have come easy. This Christmas was tough, both financially and in terms of coming up with ideas, so I'm excited so many of my gifts are homemade this year and I can only hope my family loves them. I've actually beeen pretty stumped by this top 5 prompt, so they may be a mix of gifts givena and received, in addition to a few traditions.

1. I'm laughing as I type this one (my mom apparently didn't know the whole story, and I just shared it with her across the table. She says it's a sad memory, I think it's funny). Picture this: fourth grade, I'm 10. It's Christmas Eve, and there's a pretty, shiny, teal bicycle under (er, next to) the Christmas tree at my aunt's house, where we spend every Christmas Eve and have for as long as I can remember. I see the bicycle, it has my name on it, and I am crushed. Why? Because now it's been declared official to me that Santa isn't real. You see, my older cousin and I had been goofing off and snooping (as every good kid does) the week or two before, and found the bicycle in the stable. We knew it was probably for me, but I was happily in denial. Well... bicycle under the tree, you confirrmed it.

Mom and Dad with their book!

2. My mom and I both said this one out loud as soon as I asked her and my sister about this prompt -- 2008, again, Christmas Eve. We all open presents in one mass flurry of red and green paper, ribbons and bows... this one was different. My sister asked us all to open ours ("us" being me, my parents, each of my cousins, and my aunt and uncle) all together. Obviously, it was the same thing. My sister had made photo books (on Shutterfly, I think) capturing the memories and silliness of our years and years of Christmas Eves. To this day, it sits out on my coffee table during the holiday season and every year as soon as I unpack it, I flip through it for some chuckles and reliving.

Me, my sister, and her quilt.

3. I feel like all these awesome gifts are lately (minus the bicycle). My sister was a senior in college Christmas 2009, and having been active in her sorority since her freshman year, I wanted to capture that some how. How best? A t-shirt quilt, of course. I asked her to send me some of her favorite Phi Sig shirts that she never wore but couldn't get herself to get rid of. A few weeks before Christmas, I had about ten shirts in my mailbox and was so excited to get to work! A co-worker of mine taught me how to piece them and sew them all together and on Christmas Eve, she got her t-shirt quilt. I was really proud of it, having put it all together myself, and hope she cherishes it as much as I think she does in my head!

4. Christmas 2006 -- I was smack in the middle of the ACUHO-I internship process. I had just finished my applications, was getting ready (and really nervous!) for interviews after Winter Break in January, but was excited for some really cool opportunities. For Christmas, my parents know how to pay really close attention to things I'm big on that year, or things going on around my life. That Christmas, they got me a brand new, beatiful navy luggage set. Growing up, I had dozens of soccer duffle bags and random other suitcases, but never a pretty 5-piece set of my own! I was SO excited. I'll never forget look on my dad's face as he came around the corner of the hallway, around the tree, and wheeled the set practically straight into my lap and said, "For the internship I KNOW you'll be doing this summer." I  had never (okay, maybe not never) felt more set on setting myself up to do something my parents were proud of me for! (Side note: I didn't get an internship, and was totally and utterly crushed. However, this 5-piece set has gotten more than its fair share of air mileage in the last five years, between trips home, conferences, and other random adventures. I still hope I make my parents proud)

5. I'm stuck. Seriously. Can I come back to this one?

#reverbbroads11: The Game of Life

I'm participating in #ReverbBroads11, a month of blog prompts promised to be silly and reflective. I'm actually doing today's post on time. December 22 prompt: If someone made a board game of your life, what would it look like? What pieces would you need to play? (via Jessica)

This one has been hard for me! There are so many games I would tailor mine after, of course with my own Megan-esque adaptations. Favorite games? Monopoly, LIFE, Candy Land, Yahtzee! I'm what you might call competitive. So really, any game where I can duke it out with someone else and actually be declared winner, I'm all about it.

I think my board game would look like a US road map; it would incorporate my love of travel, but also my adventures in moving around the country and all I've been able to do! I think the game pieces would be various replications of things I love - a running shoe, soccer ball, dog, jewelry!

Other than that... no rules yet. Maybe I'll devise a mock-up.

Happy Holidays!

Today is my last day of work for 2011 - tomorrow, I am off to the land of sunshine (not really, lately), palm trees, and most importantly... all my loved ones! I am so excited to be home for Christmas. Normally, I'm antsy/anxious, but I will say this year, I'm truly excited. I think that partially comes along with a tougher-than-expected adjustment to the new state, job, and way of living!

With that... I leave you with this. This is my first project when I get back in January. Super excited!

 She's gonna be super pretty - I'm thinking white legs and a new, sharp black fabric. It'll go perfectly in my all black-and-white bedroom, at the foot of my bed! Better yet, she was only $10 from CraigsList (it had been posted for almost two months at $15 and I finally emailed the woman and asked if she'd take just $10 for it just to get rid of it. Win!). I may actually need to finally invest in a staple gun for this one, there's some tricky parts to her.

And since I don't have a tree of my own this year to show off...

University of Georgia Tate Student Center Christmas tree!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!