Merry Christmas Eve

I woke up at 418am. I could hear the rain hitting the rooftop of our house. Why is it that you hear the rain and you KNOW that it is rain you hear, but you get up to look out the window anyway?

December 15, 2012

My affirmation for today:

I feel great. I am sexy and whole and complete with God in me. I will spread positivity and good cheer everywhere I go today, starting in my household with my husband.

My pledge for today is to be my best and do my best. I will be the best wife, the best pet owner, the best world citizen, the best dieter and the best person I can be.

I will only drink cherry juice, green tea, water and one cup of coffee today.

Today is a great day.

Control Freak

I cannot, in good conscience, call myself a control freak until I can consistently control my spoken word, my reactions in a crisis and my tendency to give in to my sweet tooth.

But...it's coming. I'm making that guarantee to myself.

Christmas Tree Decorator Extraordinaire!

CamiCakes!

Big No-No...

Say it with flowers...

Matching Shoes

Green Smoothie Morning

We are registered for the Publix Half Marathon.

Gratitude

It's another day that The Lord has kept me.

The Dog Walker

Old Reliables

 

Thank God that they are paid for and run well.

Goal Setting - Weight

By February 28, 2013, I will weigh 165 pounds.

The Great Twinkie Panic of 2012

Write the vision...

I pulled this out of a drawer this morning.  I had forgotten all about it.

"On 11 Jan 09, I date once a week (only) and do not accept invitations to come over or agree to men dropping by as a first date.

My husband is taller than me by at least three inches.

My husband has no children.

My husband is financially stable, makes responsible money decisions, is open about his finances and generous with me when it comes to money.

My husband works out regularly, is in good shape and enjoys good health.

My husband can transition from the board room to the back room.

My husband is respectful of me and supports my decisions without being a doormat. He can debate me without anger and lightheartedly.

My husband accepts my friendships, male and female.

My husband is romantic and affectionate.

My husband loves touching me and being touched.

My husband is a great kisser and an amazing, considerate lover.

My husband is a man of character and integrity.

My husband understands partnership and what it means to be in a committed, faithful relationship.

My husband has a personal relationship with God."

About eight months after I wrote this, the man that I called into my life came. I did not write this list as a list of absolutes, but as a basic guideline for the man that I wanted in my life. (You see where I had crossed the requirement about kids out. God threw that in anyway.)

There is just ONE requirement in my list that M does not meet. The height thing - but the was so superficial that it really did not count anyway.

I thank God for realizing the power in writing the vision.

I've got some other things I need to be writing about.

Dropping Thirty Pounds

1. I am dropping thirty pounds.
2. I am dropping thirty pounds.
3. I am dropping thirty pounds.
4. I am dropping thirty pounds.
5. I am dropping thirty pounds.
6. I am dropping thirty pounds.
7. I am dropping thirty pounds.
8. I am dropping thirty pounds.
9. I am dropping thirty pounds.
10. I am dropping thirty pounds.
11. I am dropping thirty pounds.
12. I am dropping thirty pounds.
13. I am dropping thirty pounds.
14. I am dropping thirty pounds.
15. I am dropping thirty pounds.
16. I am dropping thirty pounds.
17. I am dropping thirty pounds.
18. I am dropping thirty pounds.
19. I am dropping thirty pounds.
20. I am dropping thirty pounds.
21. I am dropping thirty pounds.
22. I am dropping thirty pounds.
23. I am dropping thirty pounds.
24. I am dropping thirty pounds.
25. I am dropping thirty pounds.
26. I am dropping thirty pounds.
27. I am dropping thirty pounds.
28. I am dropping thirty pounds.
29. I am dropping thirty pounds.
30. I am dropping thirty pounds.

Typed out once for every pound.

Responsible Adult Ish - Investment Meeting

Winning ticket, baby!!!

Me in my favorite hat!

Cups on cups on cups.

My husband collects coffee cups.

Dear Newsmaker - Petraeus

Did David Petraeus betray us?  Or did he only betray Holly?  (Who is very much in need of a makeover by the way)

Most often, I don't believe a public figure should step down because of an adulterous affair.  However, if the head of the CIA cannot keep his own secrets, well....

Magic Gloves

 

I love these gloves.  I have several pairs of them.  They are my favorites.  I usually wear them while running or walking the dog.  They are just easy to wear, easy to store and not only that, they are expensive.

 

This morning, GiGi and I were coming back from the park and we passed by the bus stop.  There is a little boy that we see from time to time.  Every single time he sees me and and GiGi, he asks what kind of dog she is and does she bite. 

 

As usual, he called out, "What kind of dog is that?  Is it a girl or a boy?"

My response, "She's a girl."

Then, as expected, he followed up with, "Does she bite?"

Me, "No sir."

Him, "Oh. Okay."

 

It happened to be around 40 degrees this morning. The little boy had on a sweatshirt and you could clearly tell that he had his hands pulled up into the sleeves to keep his hands warm.  I asked him if he had any gloves and he said no. 

 

At that point, I gave him my favorite gloves.  As one who is miserable when my hands are called, I didn't mind at all.  Besides, I have a few more pairs.  I won't miss those one bit.

 

***

 

Four More Years

My candidate was victorious.

Welfare Divorce

I was just listening to the Steve Harvey Morning Show. He read a letter about a couple who "has to divorce because their combined incomes make them ineligible for aid to cover the costs of her medical condition."

I feel some kind of way about that. It is not a good feeling.

Snack #1 - 11.04.12

Chex Mix - 210 Calories

Lunch - 11.04.12

Wendy's Bacon Portabella Melt
Value Fries

Breakfast - 11.04.12

Veggie Scramble
2/3 slice of Bacon
Cup of Coffee

Not my best scramble. I believe the heat was too high. I have to pay attention to that going forward.

Date Night

We saw Flight at Atlantic Station, after drinks at Yard House.

The movie was riveting. I couldn't take my eyes away from the screen. I kept wanting to like Denzel's character, but he kept doing things that made him not likable.

And as much as I appreciate happy endings, I'm glad this didn't end all neat.

I am a Georgia Voter

Today, I stood up and was counted in honor of those who fought and died that I might have this right.

#ObamaBiden2012

The Mitchell's are voting...

Dear Newsmaker - Crying Abby

Dear Abby's Parents',

You do realize that you have overexposed your kid to an adult issue, right?!?

I'm all for a civics lesson. But there is such a thing as overkill.

Give that child back her Elmo DVDs.

Trick, Right?!?

This was posted on my FB timeline:

"With Halloween upon us, please keep in mind, a lot of little people will be visiting your home. Be accepting. The child who is grabbing more than one piece of candy may have poor fine motor skills. The child who takes forever to pick out one piece of candy may have motor planning issues. The child who does not say Trick or Treat, or thank you may be non verbal. The child who looks disappointed when they see your bowl might have an allergy. The child who isn't wearing a costume at all might have a sensory issue (SPD) a sensory issue, or Autism. Be kind. Be patient. It's everyone's Halloween! ♥ (reposted)"

Um, lady...you do realize you're bringing your kid to MY house and I don't know you or your kid. All I have is the typical expectation of what I believe polite behavior to be. 

So, am I now to assume that every rude kid has a disability? Really?!? 

Atlanta Marathon Relay Finisher

This is an attempt at a race recap.  I say attempt because I'm usually so focused on finishing a race that I don't really take time to note impressions about the race.  So, let's see. 

 

I didn't train.  Um, yeah..no, not smart.

 

I babysat the night before the race...until 430a. Unavoidable.

 

I didn't actually get up until between 630a and 7a.  I didn't leave the house until 730a.  My exchange was less than two miles from the house.  And knowing that Step was planning on coming in right around 55 minutes.  I figured there was no use in standing outside in the cold any longer than necessary.  M and I parked on Mitchell Street and I walked around the corner to the exchange.  I saw the running group girls gathered about half way up the block and hung back.  M suggested that I warm up and stretch.  So, I took a couple of turns around the parking lot and pretended like I was stretching.  Once I got back to where M was standing, Latisha Lee found me and I had an awesome time catching up with her for a few short minutes before her team member came in for the exchange.  Right about that time, I realized that I had forgotten my earplugs.  Fortunately, the husband had some and gave me his.  (He's a lifesaver.)  By the time, I got those situated and got my Nike+ set up to get started, I looked up the street and there was Step, looking for me amongst the running group girls.  I stepped out into the street and waved her down. 

 

And I was off.

 

Because it was cold, I had on my throw away sweatshirt that I knew that I was going to get too hot for.  It took me about two blocks to get it situated to where I pulled it behind my shoulders and only had it on my arms.  It took me that same amount of time to get my Nike+ started.  It took me the whole first mile to realize that I couldn't hear the music because I didn't have the earplugs on. 

 

So, finally, I've got tunes and I'm cruising. My first two miles went really quickly.  I barely remember passing Atlanta City Hall or the Georgia State Capital because I was still fooling with my sweatshirt and iPod.  I remember looking up as I was nearing the Braves stadium to realize that we were an hour into the race.  So, I'm going along, ready getting warmed up, and feeling kinda good and then got hit with my first "real" hill, on Georgia Avenue coming up to Grant Park.  Sure, there had been a few inclines to this point, but yeah...this one, I pulled up mid-interval and walked.  However, I did use the time constructively and went ahead and ditched the throwaway sweatshirt.

 

There was a water station in Grant Park that was giving out GU Gel.  I had initially taken a vanilla flavored pak, but then heard the next guy say he had chocolate.  Can't go wrong with chocolate, right?  WRONG!  Somewhere in Grant Park there is a big brown stain where I immediately spit that mess out.  It was disgusting.  I decided that from that point on, I would stick with the Gatorade that I had in my water belt. The same Gatorade that had started the morning out frozen, but was begining to melt and had created this slight chug, chug sound as I ran.

 

We were running through a lot of rather non-descript neighborhoods and there were some folks out in their pajamas rooting us on. 

 

I remember running past Oakland Cemetary, thinking "Oh, there's the cemetary."  There was a slight hill up the end of the Memorial Drive leg, only for the turn to take me up a mountain.  I think that was the beginning of my cursing.  This was also where I was nearing my halfway mark.  Still felt pretty good.  I saw Chris C. Carter right about there and we waved and smiled and cheered and kept moving.

 

As we ran through Cabbagetown and under a decorated bridge that I had never seen in life, I remember thinking, "I'm running through parts of Atlanta that I've never even driven."

 

After we got past the underpass, I turned on Edgewood.  This is where I saw runners coming back towards me and realized that I had reached the part of the race that called for a loop back.  EVERYTHING in me wanted to skip over to the other side of the street and run back the way they were going.  Integrity kept me on course.  However, I did start wondering how far down the street I was going to have to run before I could turn back. 

 

This is the part of the course that a group called LEAD was volunteering on.  I swear there were about 100 folks out there from that group.  The group was multigenerational and they were lined up for high fives.  I high fived every last one of them. (I had gloves on.  lol)

 

Shortly after I passed them, there was the loop. #PraiseJesus...  And I actually got a bit of pep in my step when I realized that I would get to pass back by the folks from LEAD.  There were more of them lined up and I gave high fives all over again.

 

As I headed back up Edgewood, I feel a runner coming up on my left and looked up to see Leslie Knight Bailey.  I matched her step for step, happy to see her for a bit.  Then I waved her on.  Once I came up to the bridge, I realized that I was a little over an hour into my leg and that it would be a good time to pull up and contact the team and the husband.  I just sent them a message that simply said, "Mile 5."  I put my headphones back in, started the music and went back to it.

 

By the time we made it back over by Atlanta Medical Center, I was getting tired and starting to pray for the end.  I was walking a lot more by then.  By intervals were out the window.  At this point, I was running when I could and on most of the downhills.  This was also right as I passed my 7th mile.  I pulled up and texted again.  "Past Mile 7 - some cramping. Send good vibes..." And because I went right back to the run, I didn't even realize that my team was texting me well wishes.  I also didn't realize that M was texting me trying to find me.  Apparently, he set up around Mile 11, unbeknownst to me.  So, I didn't know to look for him and apparently, I ran right by him without him seeing me. 

 

North Highland Avenue was very unfriendly to me.  It was long, slightly curving and all uphell.  Yes, I said "upHELL."  Because that's exactly what it was for me at that point.  But, by this time, I knew I was nearing the end.  I was slightly off the time goal that I had set for myself.  But really, right there on North Highland Avenue, I would have donated a vital organ to have a downhill.  Not realizing how close I was to the exchange, I saw Cassie just as I was coming up a hill.  I remember looking at her, glad to see her.  She was so into cheering for a guy passing me that she almost didn't see me.  It was after I passed her that I heard her say my name and that I was almost there, Just a little bit farther. 

 

Then, as I was wondering when I was going to see/hear the noise from the exchange, I just happened upon it.  Seeing Angela Dillard at the top of the exchange with a bullhorn is what made me realize I was there.  I immediately took off my slap wristband and started looking for Biv.  And while I found her and passed off the wristband to her, I only remember handing her the band and taking her jacket.

 

One of the volunteers pointed me to the corral area.  I didn't want a banana or a water.  I just wanted my husband and some food.

 

(After race recap coming up....)

 

Race Ready

Caption this...(lol)

8.something miles. I'm ready.

Saw Srcap at Thumbs Up East Point

I am married to him! Lucky me!!!!

Smoothie Time!!!

view full image

"Smoothie Time!!!"

 

Post Big Chop

Jumpin' da broom...

A Bride

First Date Anniversary - Thumbs Up East Point

Bride To Be

Breakfast on a kiddie plate

September 9th cometh...

I'm getting married a month from today. And all of the little details are on my mind. I need to start tallying up the current guest count.

So far, everyone who has rsvp'd has done so saying that they are attending. Good thing we didn't send out any invites just for gift grabbing purposes.

I am going to try and be a better blogger...again.

Because really I've noticed that my blogs are about nothing.

My current plan is to post something everyday so that I can get my "bride" feelings out.

Sent from my iPad

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