Tuesday random thoughts

These Lean Cuisine meals are delicious.  

Oliver Queen can be my superhero any day.  Also, thank you Netflix for letting me look at his face. 

Split squats give a new type of sore to the day after leg day. 

My dogs can truly appreciate the art of a lazy Sunday.

It is freaking cold at work.   



85 days until Hawaii. 

Thankful for my tempered glass screen protector on my phone doing what it was supposed to do, breaking.  Thankful for my phone doing what it was supposed to do, not breaking. 

Water park fun

We took a day trip to the Schlitterbahn water park in Kansas City this week.  It was a great, hot day for it and we had a ton of fun!  We were able to test out our new waterproof camera we purchased for Hawaii.

 

 The lazy river area is a combo lazy river/wave pool.  The waves added some extra oomph to it. 

 Notice my hand grasping that raft handle...that would be the hand that failed to get sunscreen sprayed on it and is now burned and swollen.  My fingers are fine because they are wrapped around the bottom but the top of my hand...not fun. 

River rapids action shot...one of our favorite rides. 

It was a long drive there and back but worth it for the fun day in the sun. 

Hotter than Hell

Today was my 2nd year running the Hotter than Hell 5k.  Let's just talk about the fact that Wednesday and Thursday this week were what, like 70 degrees?  Something ridiculous for July but also perfect for running.  Not today though.  No, today had to live up to the name. 

The dog woke me up at 5am.  I let him outside and got a giant smack in the face by the humidity.  After laying around about an hour I got up and got ready and ate my trusty Cream of Wheat. I had to drive about 35 minutes out of town to get to this 5k.  My morning water was hitting me and I really needed to stop at a restroom on my way...luckily I found a Burger King right before my turn.  This stop, I later realized, was very important.
To sum it up:
-Pull into parking lot to see cute fireman #1 directing traffic
-Get further directions from cute fireman #2
-Am slightly confused on where to park so I naturally park in the most awkward place where I probably wasn't supposed to and sit and wait to see what the next car coming in does.  She parks pretty close to me.  So I get out and start walking...enter cute fireman #3.  I ask him if I should park there and he tells me not really but it's ok for me.  Well, it's ok for the 3 of us that had already parked there...although it's a nice thought that it was just ok for me. 
-Get race packet, stand/sit around for 30 minutes waiting for the run to start. 
-Walk over to race start where we are going to be escorted by a firetruck for a bit.  It seems nobody wants to be at the front of the starting line.  So there I am, right at the front...thinking I typically would hover in front/middle myself but I'm gonna own that starting line.  The race announcer guy tells us the route and tells the 10k runners that they will be doing the course twice.  I immediately am thankful I am only doing the 5k.
-Race starts-I go hard out of the gate but all those shy people in the back were sandbagging and I was quickly passed by several speed racers.  That's ok by me...I was ready to find my pace.
-Less than a mile into it and I'm thinking "holy hell why did I think this would be fun to do again?"
-Out out, in.  Out out, in.  Out out, in.  Just focusing on breathing steady like that.  With intermittent thoughts of "are my legs going to stop working?  I really think they may actually stop working."  and "Where the hell is the water stop?!" 
-Finally I see the water stop which is the halfway point.  I drink half my cup and pour the rest on my shoulders in the most unsexy fashion.
-Here is when I realize I could probably stand to pee again.  Thank goodness I stopped at Burger King because I'm not sure I could've made it. 
-Spot two firemen in a golf cart with a water hose.  One of them gives me the thumbs up as a question of if I want to be hosed down.  Um.  Yes.  I thumbs up back followed by a "yes, please and thank you."  That was awesome and evaporated off my skin in about 15 seconds. 
-Think to myself  that if someone did have to pee at least they could get hosed down and disguise it that way.  Again, grateful I stopped at BK. 
-Start noticing the tenth of a mile markers written on the trail and start getting irrationally angry with those things that are reminding me how long it's taking me to run a tenth of a mile. 
-See the guys coming back around to run the loop again for the 10k and think about how crazy they are.  Also think how fast they are.  And how I'm glad I'm not going to be doing that. 
-Out, out in. Out, out in.  Out, out in.  I am so hot that I am actually chilled.  I don't think that's good.  Doesn't seem good. 
-"Good thing there are Firefighters everywhere because I think I may actually need to be rescued." 
-Finally the end is in sight.  Cute fireman #1 asks me if I'm doing the 10 or the 5k to direct me which direction.  Buddy, even if I had signed up for the 10k I would say 5.  Point me to that finish line.

-This here...this is the finish line.  Brilliant.  Running under a stream of water to finish with a crowd of firemen cheering you on.  I sprinted in to the finish and as I got hit with that water I thought this could either turn out real cute or real not cute.  One of those "what I think I look like running through a stream of water to the finish line" vs. "what I actually look like running through a stream of water to the finish line."  Lately I've been striving for a finish time under 30 minutes, but I was pleased with 31:34 given the fact that I thought at one point I may need to be rescued and treated for heat stroke.

I grabbed a bottle of water and wanted to wait for the awards ceremony.  I figured I had a good chance at placing given the size of the race.  We had to wait for the 10k group to finish.  Then they had some issues with calculating the results. I finished a little after 9:30 and we finally did the awards ceremony at 11:30.  In those 2 hours I enjoyed watching some children play games and just people watched.  I was a little bummed to see we hadn't received a Unilever product in our race packet like we did last year. But during my 2 hours of observing, I spotted them playing a ring toss game with a bunch of products.  I wanted one but didn't want to move. 
-During this time I thought I noticed one of the cute firemen glancing my way often.  Then some of his buddies would talk to him and glance my way.  Then when I saw him talk to the firehouse dog (pictured above) and thought to myself  "is the dog looking at me now?  That dog is looking right at me" then I realized I may just be delirious from sun exposure. 
-A bottle of water, a bottle of Gatorade, and 2 hours later again I am grateful I thought to stop at Burger King before I arrived.
-As the awards ceremony started one of the guys directing the product game said "I've seen you sitting over there, go ahead and grab one."  He let people who hadn't gotten a product scoop up the remaining.  So I grabbed some body wash and said thank you.  Little did I know, when they gave me my 2nd place prize I was about to score a lot more products!  They included a coupon for a free Firehouse sub.  Also found that a packet of Biofreeze was in our race bag.  That is now on my neck. I love that stuff.

I learned my lesson last year and got the correct sized t-shirt.  It's super comfy.  I still wear the one from last year all the time even though it's too big.  My 2 hours got me some good sun time in.  I really didn't mind waiting around with all there was to look at but I think the firefighters directing the race were a little stressed about it.  They really make it a fun, family oriented race.  Even though it's a hot one, it is worth it.  The firemen are all super nice.  Had I not been somewhat afraid I may vomit if I stood up I would've walked around and maybe talked to them more.  But seriously, the idea of standing up did not even occur to me.  This one just took it out of me!  The next run is the Diva Dash in August and that one should be a great time too! 

Doggie Conspiracy

This is the result of two dogs conspiring.  While one giant dog has his head in the garbage very loudly digging out leftover chicken...the other is quietly helping herself to a good sized portion of icing off a piece of a birthday cookie cake.  This works out well for both of them since the giant dog REFUSES to pull his head out of the garbage and suddenly...those legs that never work well for him are supporting him just fine.  Fine enough so when I yank him back he literally does not move.  Since I am so focused on him...who is successfully feasting even as I stand right there...the little one enjoys her dessert in the background unnoticed. They executed that plan perfectly and both went to bed with a full stomach.

His pillow

I woke up this morning to see the dog pillow being put to good use...and had to laugh.

He looked so exhausted that he just couldn't quite make it all the way. 

He does love that thing though!

Gorilla glue to the rescue

I continued to check items off my to-do list this weekend.  One thing I hadn't planned on was fixing a shelf in my scrapbook room.  I was cleaning up the room and realized my shelf was separating into two pieces and if I didn't do something eventually I'd have a piece of molding hanging on my wall without any shelf attached to it. 

So off to Lowe's I went.  After wandering and wondering what aisle it would make sense for glue to be in, just as I was about to Google it, I finally found it.  Then I realized there is a crap ton of glue choices.  I grabbed wood glue then saw the Gorilla Glue.  This seemed like an amped up super glue...so I put the wood glue back.  I figured with a name like Gorilla it has to be strong. 

The Gorilla glue label is kind of scary.  Wear gloves.  Must spray the area with water first.  And don't over apply the glue because it expands.  So I maneuvered a water bottle between the top molding of the shelf and the area where it was separated and applied some glue while trying to figure out what constitutes over applying vs. not enough (with gloves on). 

Since I didn't have a clamp I resorted to leftover landscaping bricks.  Four of them seemed to be the magic number.  I was scared they would fall over and crash into my wall so I put a pillow up against the wall.  (don't ask why it's in a bag...my mom brought it over)  The right side of the shelf wasn't pulling away as bad...so with the bricks on the left I just threw a couple of journals on it and the right side was good to go. 

They weren't kidding.  This glue seriously expands. 

A couple hours later and the top and bottom of the shelf were properly attached again.  They don't seem to be separating again anytime soon.

I thought I would try to hang it back up without taking any of the items off of it first.  That went about as well as you could imagine it would.  But the shelf is now hanging as it should again and all items in their place. 

I decided to break out my cordless drill again and finally get around to hanging a glass shelf I had sitting around for several months now.  I had picked up brackets at Lowe's along with the Gorilla Glue.  My laundry room had been missing something and it turned out to be a shelf. 

Good thing not many people go in my laundry room because it's a tad uneven...but everything isn't sliding off one side so I consider it a win.  Good enough.  Also, I really enjoy putting holes in the wall with that drill. 

I enjoyed watching 3 fox (what is the plural of fox, just fox?  foxes?  I'm going with fox and being too lazy to Google it) play this weekend out my kitchen window.  They played around just like puppies.  All items are crossed off my weekend to-do list except wash my car and checking my mower to see if it still works.  I tried to wash my car but turns out I can't get the darn hose spigot to turn.  Like at all.  And I didn't check my mower because I hate mowing and don't want to do it. I just really also don't want to continue to pay someone else to mow.  So there is my dilemma.  First world problems. 

Seeing the ugly

 

I made myself a long to-do list for this weekend and one of my items was "hang white shelf."  Now the white shelf has been sitting in my closet for probably a year now and I couldn't decide where to hang it up.  So I started to look, really look, around the house for a good spot and crossed a few spots off as possibilities.  Then I eyed this...



This was hung up 7 years ago when I first moved in here....by my ex....as a TV wall mount for a small TV in the bedroom.  Once the TV was mounted, womp womp, it was too heavy for it and the TV just faced the floor.  So this terrible looking wall contraption has been sitting on this wall for 7 years.  Yep, 7.  Now...I have tried to take it down in the past but my ex, using all his smarts, stripped the screws in the black portion of the mount.  It hit me when I was looking this tonight that I walk by it all the time, hell I look at it nightly from my bed....but I don't SEE it.  I don't see the ugliness because I choose to ignore it.  (more on this later)  So my mind made up, I decide to tackle the wall mount.  To my surprise, the white portion pops off and the screws come out super easy.  What the hell was the purpose of the white portion?!  The mount was all that was needed!  #theexdidit

So after taking off the useless white section of the mount I verified once again I couldn't get the black portion off.  And I took out my lovely shelf. 

It even came with the cutest little level! 

Enter me with a drill.  This is where things will either go great or horribly wrong.  I had returned my cute, pink drill some time ago for a big girl drill.  I grabbed my instructions and figured that thing out in no time flat.  Like a boss. 

After removing the unnecessary, white stuff (maybe it was to hide a cord?) I was left with the black, ugly mount.  So I played with shelf placement and figured out exactly how to make it work for me. 

Proof I am no home improvement expert above:  The hole on the left I couldn't drill into because it was a stud and I just couldn't get it.  The screw on the right is a bit higher than the screw on the left.  But the best part....it hit me as I was putting the screws in the wall that maybe I needed to be screwing the actual bracket on!  At least I realized it early before I got the screws all the way in.

After successfully getting the rest of my screws with the actual brackets on my shelf was ready to go.  I had made these DIY chalk paint mason jars a few months ago and had been saving them for this shelf. 

The mount is still there, but it's hidden pretty well unless you're really looking at it straight on and actually looking for it in particular. 

Pretty happy with how it looks now!

My two supervisors during my project.  One obviously scared of the drill and the other....

 

seems to not be concerned about me attempting home improvement and must place himself in the center of the room where I need to be moving around. 

 

As I was completing this project I was really thinking about how long I let this go.  I walked by this ugly thing every day and chose not to acknowledge it.  I just pretended it wasn't there when really, it was a very big, ugly "thing" in my room.  Then I got really deep (cause that's how I roll) and started thinking that is a lot like many parts of life.  So many times I've pretended ugly things weren't really there until one day I realized how long I've let something go...for example, 5 years of an ugly marriage.  But sometimes it just seems so daunting of a task to tackle it and I think I can't do it or it's too hard.  But really, you start taking it down little by little and yes, there are still holes that aren't filled, and there are still marks...but you can replace it with something much prettier, something you can really enjoy. I can deal with leftover marks when I know I'll end up with something better. So often I've failed to acknowledge the ugly things or make excuses as to why it can't be fixed and settle for less than what it could be.  I'm more talking the big things, not little, minor things.  Those big things that I choose to ignore that are right there in front of me...an ugly TV mount, an unhappy marriage, debt I needed to tackle. Not to say people don't always acknowledge the good things in life...but that post is for another day.  I waited 7 years...but taking this down and putting up something new was a lot easier than I thought it would be and the result makes me happy.  I actually like what I see now...and I'll enjoy looking at it daily. 

June Favorites

What I've been loving/obsessed with in June...



Bangles from Sweet Tea Jewels.  They are slightly pricey...but I find good coupon codes on Instagram.  Their shipping takes forever but I like them so much I don't mind the wait.  I have 7 of them now and about 10 more on my wish list. 

I discovered this Dove shampoo/conditioner from a sample I used in Austin.  When I couldn't stop smelling my hair after I used it I knew I had to buy it.  I love the smell!  Crème Cup lipstick from MAC is the perfect pink that I've gone to this month.  I normally have plenty of mascara samples that I don't ever have to buy a full size.  After using this Dior Show sample I think I'll have to shell out the money for the full size one because it is awesome.  And Colour Pop Cosmetics...if you like make up like me and you haven't discovered Colour Pop yet...it is amazing.  Super cheap and great quality. 

My favorites this month are the eyeshadows in I Heart This and Swan and the blushes in Prenup and Holiday.   You can see I've made a dent in Prenup. 

To show you just how much I love them...this is how many eyeshadows and blushes I own from Colour Pop.  The eyeshadows are double stacked.  I have a few lipsticks but I'm not as obsessed with those. 

Food favorites-I discovered a delicious new protein bar at Wal-Mart...PowerCrunch.  The best flavor I've tried is the Peanut Butter Crème.  Then of course my trusty Cream of Wheat.  A must have for me. 

I used to use Advocare products, stopped for a while and recently started up again.  This combination of the Arginine Extreme and Spark is something I mix up for a pre-workout mix every time I workout.  I also have a scoop of Spark every morning.  It's like my coffee.  So far my favorite flavor is fruit punch but I just ran out.  Another shipment is on the way! 

Music I've been loving is the new Breaking Benjamin album.  The Netflix show that I can't stop watching is Wentworth...think OITNB except more violent, dark and realistic.  Very good!

Those are my stand out products and favorites for the month of June!