A List

My mind is random today, but I still have a few things to share. Please bare with me.

1. I are currently obsessed with several television shows: Mad Men, Game of Thrones, and Girls. Sadly, these all come on Sunday evening which means either 1)I stay up really late (aka: 11pm) to watch all of them, then super be tired Monday morning, or 2)Save a show for later in the week and avoid all form of social media. Clearly my life is full of problems.

2. I worked on Memorial Day, although it wasn't too bad because it was a paid holiday and I was out by lunchtime. I immediate came straight home, took a 2 hour nap, then went on a 30 mile bike ride, which was promptly followed by a double dip ice cream from Braums. Pretty darn good Memorial Day if you ask me.

3. I'm getting faster. On Sunday I had a brick workout of a 15 mile bike ride followed by a 2.5 mile run. You would think that my pace would suffer after riding hard for over an hour, but I averaged a 8:46 pace! This time last year, I was thrilled to keep a 10minute pace for a couple of miles and now I'm easily holding a sub 9:00. Who am I?

4. I signed up for a 5K this Saturday and I'm kind of nervous. I have a goal time in mind, but I am mainly using it to get into "racing mentality." I have never truly pushed myself during a race before- I always hold a comfortable sustainable speed. Saturday I want to push myself so hard I could be throwing up at the finish line. Doesn't that sound horribly wonderful!?

5. Triathlon training has taken over my life. If I'm not running, cycling, swimming, or yoga-ing, I'm resting or eating. Oh, and I have to manage to throw in work, sustaining an amicable relationship with my spouse, and planning a baby shower. June 24th couldn't get here soon enough.

6. Despite being completely drained, I've never felt stronger or happier. This tri-training, crazy hectic life kind of suits me.  Who am I?

7. My dog has bad breath. As a result, Josh and I have been alternating brushing her teeth with this little doggie toothbrush. She loves it; I do not. 

So, what randomness is happening in your life right now? Anything as boring interesting as mine?

Weekend Happenings

Well ladies and gentlemen, summer is finally here. Josh is done with his spring semester of classes, sweat is dripping down my back, and my blog posts have become sparse. What can I say? When days are filled with friends and fun, who could blame me?

Last weekend Josh and I attended the Little Rock Zoo's Wild Wines of the World event. The night was spent with countless wine tastings, food from local restaurants, and great friends!

 Paris might be missing an Eiffel Tower.

This weekend was the second annual Block Street Block Party. Block St., located in downtown Fayetteville, hosted a big 'ole party (hence the obvious name) all day on Sunday. Lots of dancing, food, art, and music made for a great time! 

Josh spilt water in a less-than-ideal place. Goober.

I hope your summer has started off with a blast!

Happy 2nd Anniversary!

Today marks the 2nd year anniversary to my best friend.

Since we recently bought our family a new car, we decided to keep today low key.

Low key= a quiet night at home and a mini-cake from Rick's Bakery!

Josh, you make me so incredibly happy. 

You make me feel honored, respected, and beautiful.

You lead me with such strength and love

and I am so lucky you choose me to be your wife.

I promise to always be by your side, through the good and the bad.

Happy 2nd Anniversary Husband!

We're Expecting!

We're expecting triplets!

Now, who can tell me what kind of bird egg this is! 

We're impatient parents and we've got to know.

The ultra sound won't tell us. 

Ozark Valley Triathlon Training Schedule

Well, since I announced my next adventure about three weeks ago and I'm already five weeks into my training schedule, I might want to re-address the topic. Ya know, cause I try to be a good blogger when I can. Fail. 

I am lucky to have a boss who is training for a full Ironman Triathlon. In case you don't know what that is, it's a 2.4 mile swim + 112 mile bike ride + 26.2 mile run. So practically, the baddest slash coolest thing you can do. And he volunteered (read: I annoyed him until he agreed) to create a 12 week training schedule for me.

He has given me my schedule a few weeks at a time so it won't feel so daunting. I easily become bored with training plans, so only knowing what I'm doing a few weeks out has helped this mentality.

Here is the link to my Ozark Valley Triathlon training schedule.

The first few weeks were a little chaotic since I was trying to find the balance of living a life + training for three different sports. By week 5, I now hopefully have the hang of it:

Monday: Long Run

Tuesday: Rest or Yoga/Pilates

Wednesday: AM Speed Run + PM Swim

Thursday: Long Bike

Friday: Speed Swim

Saturday: Brick workout 

Sunday: Rest or Yoga  

This sprint triathlon is a 1000 meter swim, 19 mile bike, and 4 mile run. I know if I had to, I could go out tomorrow and complete the distance, but I actually want to do well during this race. I want to push myself and be proud of my finish time. I want to compete. With only 8 week left until race day, I sure have my work cut out for me.

How My Garden Grows: 6 week update

Remember my container garden I began 6 weeks ago?

Well, look at the baby now! 

Quite successful, don't ya think?! I have been amazed over the past weeks how these plants went from tiny sprigs to full blown plants. I feel like gardening has given me a glimpse of God's intricate beauty and vast creativity. So much fun!

Now, lets take a look at God's handiwork:

I've gotten just a few strawberries over the past 2 weeks, but plenty more are on their way.

My cabbage is overtaking it's container. I will definitely need to start eating this up or transplant it to bigger pot. Since it is getting so hot, I will be moving this to a shadier spot soon.

I'll be moving my lettuce bowl as well. My beautiful lettuce has taken off! There are three different types of lettuce in the bowl -no clue which kinds- and a dill plant. We've been eating from the outside leaves for the past week and it is Oh. So. Good. I may be a little bias, but it is some of the best lettuce I've ever eaten. 

My onions have grown strong and tall! I can only imagine the cute little bulbs growing underneath the soil and I can't wait to pull them up!

Do you see the baby red bell pepper? I was so giddy a few days ago when I came out to find this little guy. I have named him Peter. Peter, I can't wait to eat you.

The orange bell pepper plant is currently on a growing spurt, but has yet to produce a baby pepper like it's cousin. Come on buddy; Peter needs a friend!

My herbs. My wonderful, fragrant herbs. The oregano and parsley have been put to good use in the kitchen. This past weekend I transplanted the cilantro and mixed basil I had been growing from seeds. The basil looks strong but the cilantro have definitely seen better days. Being knocked over countless times and being caught in a thunderstorm probably didn't help the baby sprouts. Hopefully they will make it through.

The tomato plant is so grown up now. When it was first planted, it could barely peek over the container rim and now there are four baby tomatoes growing away. I wonder when they will be ripe for the pickin'?!

My squash and zucchini plants are quite perplexing. They are HUGE but the leaves keep dying. Is this normal? I haven't seen any baby zucchinis yet.

 But I spy a mini-squash!

And that, ladies and gentlemen, is the current standing of my container garden. I LOVE going out each morning to water the plants and to look for any progress that might have happened over night. And I can't wait to get home from work each day to say hello and sing sweet nothings. Gardening is so satisfying and I haven't even reaped any benefits from it yet! 

Make sure to check back next month to see if I have hands full of produce or dead plants. Only time will tell!