Sunday, September 26, 2010

Sunday Breeze


Fall is here; I can feel it!

All the windows in the house are open: number 16 of my fall favorites.

Also enjoying numbers 7, 8, and 15.

Josh and I are attempting to clean out the fridge from the week's left overs...yum yum in my tum tum. AND we had an impromptu visit from long lost friend Kara.


Love seeing good friends!!

Hope your Sunday was as swell as mine!

Saturday, September 25, 2010

A Loss and a Win

Well, it was sad to see our beautiful Hogs lose to Alabama. We looked so darn good and we were so darn close; we should have won... enough said.

However, on a brighter note, I had a 5 mile run today and I kicked its butt! I rocked some pretty steep hills and made pretty decent time.

This was after my awesome victory!
I suspect the reason I did so well is because I had my hubby by my side the whole way. He rode along beside me so I wouldn't have to tackle the run by myself.

He got a little sweaty from those hills. Ew.

But he doesn't mind, because he is a boy, and boys don't mind stinky smells. Actually, I think they like stinky smells.

I have to say, we make a pretty good pair. He made this run SUPER easy.

Ajax waited patiently at home. I doubt her little legs could have carried her that far.

It is so relieving to finally have a great run. It has been a little discouraging to fight these miles week after week, but not today. Today was a success. Today gave me confidence.

I feel on top of the world.

Wednesday, September 22, 2010

All Dogs Live In Heaven

I wanted to do this all day today.

Oh, the luxury of a dog. 

I wonder if she could survive in the real doggie-world. Doubtful.

She would whimper, and expect the other dogs to bring her food in a bowl and scratch her belly.

They would tell her to take a hike.

But at the Clark abode, we cater to her every whine.

Makes me wonder who the actual owner is. Humph.


Tuesday, September 21, 2010

Belated Birthday Post

As previously mentioned, my hubby's birthday was this past weekend! The little baby turned a big 'ole 23! I enjoyed every minute of the fact that this was our first 'gift-giving' day as husband and wife. As silly as it sounds, I was even excited to walk down the Hallmark aisle and head directly to the section labeled 'husband'...eek! 

And Josh was super excited on receiving all this loot! (As you can see, I got a little card-happy in Hallmark. Too much excitement about the 'husband' cards= I had to get two.)
If you look real closely, you will also spy a Mad Libs, Worst Case Scenario edition. Mad Libs rock!

And his big present: a bike! Josh gave me a bike for my B-day a few years back, however I always complained I had no one to ride with. He's been wanting a bike ever since and he was completely surprised that he finally got one! Plus, he is in biking distance to school which means saving gas money AND mileage! He's super pumped...despite the forced smile on his face.

Saturday, friends Jacob and Jessi came down from Fayetteville to spend the night. We went out to eat at 21 West End, a snazzy restaurant with a cool atmosphere. Even though the prices were a little high, the food was amazing and it was perfect for the occasion. If you find yourself in the area, I highly recommend it!

Here we are in Downtown Ft. Smith in front of the ferris wheel. We have yet to catch a ride on this thing.

Once home, we opened a little bit of bubbly.

And of course, some dancing ensued. "V for Jesus"!

Sunday, Josh and I relaxed and he enjoyed his favorite home-cooked meal, chicken fried steak. He specifically requested no green veggies for his man/birthday dinner....all meat, gravy, and carbs. Needless to say, I woke up the next morning craving some extra vitamins.

Happy birthday to the most amazing man I know. I love you and I am blessed to be your wife.

Saturday, September 18, 2010

Happy Birthday Josh!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY HUBBY! 

Spending the day with friends, watching the Hog game and eating lots and lots of food. More pics to come.

Sunday, September 12, 2010

Falling for Fall


Autumn is almost here (officially September 23)! I always said I wanted to get married in the fall, but even though that didn't work out, it is still my favorite season. "Why?" you ask...well, you're in luck. I have put together a list of the top 20 things I love about fall (in no particular order)

1. Extra blankets on the bed
2. Camp fires and s'mores
3. Pumpkin Spice Lattes (here)


4. Afternoon runs with leaves crunching underfoot
5. Black Friday shopping
6. Thanksgiving (here)

7. Vanilla-scented candles
8. Waking up to chilly mornings
9. Leaves changing their colors (here)

10. Dressing up for Halloween
11. Trick-or-Treaters
12 Cute jackets! (here)

13. Warm pies out of the oven
14. Robes and slippers
15. Arkansas football (here)
16. The AC off, house windows open
17. Pumpkin patch and pumpkin carving
18. Insanely awesome scarfs (here)


19. Ajax chasing falling leaves.
20. LOTS of family time.

What are some things you love about fall?

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A Land Down Under

...Where women glow and men plonder. 

In 2005 I traveled South Korea, Australia, and New Zealand for a semester abroad. I would like to take this time to reminisce with a few photos...


An Emperor's palace

A Buddist Temple

The Sydney Opera House

Down Under's flag...duh.

Kangaroo and her joey.

The Twelve Apostles

Uluru- an sacred Aborigine sanctuary 

Tasmania

The Outback

Paradise
You should go. Call me if you do so I can hide in your luggage. Seriously.

Monday, September 6, 2010

Parks and Recreation


Our first visit to the Ft Smith dog park. Plenty of space for the Pup to run.

The water, which Ajax dipped her feet into. Maybe next time she'll be a bit more courageous.

Ajax made a puppy-friend with a mini-Australian Shepherd. I think she needs a permanent dog-friend...Josh? Can we get another one?

Then to Fayetteville for dinner with the Leonards.

Grilled veggies...my favorite!

Yum! It was definitely a good spread.

Ajax approved.

And what is a night with the Leonards without the boys trying out some wrestling moves.

What a great Labor Day Weekend, full of friends, family and food AND the Hogs dominated in their game against Tenn Tech. Woo Pig Sooie!

Now I'm looking forward to a short-week at work and soon, my hubby's Bday! I already have ideas churning in my head....

Saturday, September 4, 2010

To Oklahoma and back

Today, my good friends Katie and Mandy came to the lovely Fort Smith to visit yours truly. It was the first beautiful day of fall and it was a perfect day to drive around and show them this cute little city. 

Mandy and I in downtown Ft. Smith, top down!
Next stop? The Indian Casino!! The Oklahoma border is a 10-minute drive from Ft. Smith, which means casinos are just a hop, skip, and jump away. We are poor (and smart) and we each only took $20 bucks to spend.

Katie ended up winning $10 bucks!! Here she is, walking out with a whopping 30 dollars! 

Mandy and I, on the other hand, lost our money. Here was are, sad we are leaving with nothing. Never gamble with more than you are willing to lose- thats my motto. Luckily, it was worth the fun!

This sweet little old man in a golf cart took our picture, then gave us a ride to our car. We didn't have the heart to tell him the picture didn't turn out well.

Perfect weather, perfect friends. Can't wait until they come again!

AND, my dad and brother are in town for the Razorback's first game! They are staying for the night and I am so excited to see them! 

This is turning out to be a wonderful Labor Day weekend. 

What are your plans for the holiday weekend?

GO HOGS!

Thursday, September 2, 2010

My Running Story: Continued

After running my first 5K with pal-Megan, we decided that the next obvious goal would be a half-marathon. Now, if you say this is a lofty goal, I would agree. We didn't know the first thing about what it takes to train and run for a half marathon, however I believe this innocence is what allowed me to do it!

Our 5K was in May 2009 so we choose a race in November to give us plenty of time to develop strength and endurance. We blindly choose the Wynne Marathon, which we later discovered was one of the flattest races in the nation. Score! So, the easy part was over - finding a good race. Now the hard part - training for it. 

The toughest lesson I learned was this: running in Arkansas summers SUCK! If you can run through the summer, you can run through anything (except this summer; this summer was 100% unbearable). We started off slow and steady, keeping a strong 3 miles under our belt. We stayed at the 3-5 mile marker through June and July. Once August hit we began increasing our mileage. 6. 7. September. 8. 9. October. 10. And this is where it came halting to a stop. A dead stop to be exact. 

See, pal-Megan is a life-saver, aka. a nurse at Children's Hospital, and in October her working schedule was switched. She was changed to a night nurse, practically an impossible schedule when trying to run with your gradschool-friend (me).  Not only were we unable train together, but Megan could no longer could run the race. AHHHH! I no longer had a running buddy.

What was I to do? This was a journey that I did NOT believe I could complete on my own. I would love to say that I was brave and fearless; that I continued on in my training despite the Megan-shaped hole in my running heart. However, my friends, I cannot say this. I actually did the complete opposite.  

To be continued