Flowers Again....

K-2’s boyfriend is coming home from Iraq tomorrow.  She has a countdown web page and everything for his arrival.  The last few months have been a whirlwind of emails, phone calls and packages. Plus, she just got flowers… again.

He has been on his way since Thursday to see her tomorrow.  He has sent her more flowers in the last three months than I have gotten in my entire lifetime. 

It’s so fricken romantical….

I want to go back to school

Advertising Design

Interior Design

Business

Marketing

The last 11 years of my life I have been in and out of major depressions, sick and/or in a transitional phase (remodeling) that didn’t allow me to seriously think about what I wanted to do with my life.  I have wanted to go back to school for a long while and have thought about it for the last two years but I knew I wasn’t ready to tackle work and school at the same time feeling the way I did.

The last year has been a pivotal one.

• I have joined Weight Watchers and have started losing weight.  This alone has helped tremendously in building some of my confidence back. I will always struggle but everyone does and life isn’t always meant to be easy.   
• I have slowly but surely built some very strong friendships to replace the ones I so painfully had to say goodbye to over the years. I can’t tell you how important it is knowing that someone cares about you – just because.  It’s a nice feeling that I wish I felt earlier in my life.
• Although depression is something I struggle with and have for years, I have some clarity.  The last 8-9 months have been important for me in this fight.  I feel as if the shackles have been taken off of my heart and my mind has been free to dream again. Hope is alive and well – at last.
• I have completed three inline skating half marathons this year which is something that fills my heart with joy every time I think about it. I mean, if I can put my mind to something like that I can do most anything right?
• I will be finishing my remodel of my home this winter and will have additional time to utilize. Plus, if I decide to go for interior design I will have a finished project to reference.

I’m not getting any younger and I although I’m good at what I do, it isn’t a passion of mine and never has been.  I needed to survive so I worked my way up the ladder but it was only because it was the only ladder there at the time.

I want to be able to do something that doesn’t feel like work.  I also worry that I don’t have a degree in anything.  I realize my work experience is extensive in my field but in my industry the niche I’m in is tiny and jobs are scarce.

I need something to fall back on if anything. I’m on my own and have been for many years and I am the only person I can fall back on if something goes wrong. However, don’t get me wrong people, I’m  hoping this changes for me in the future but I can’t rely on it, ya know?

So I have reached this point where I am able to write about it.  Today feels like a big day because of this.  I have thought about it for so long and I have talked with so many people regarding it but writing about it? 

Well, now I have to do something about it…

GO CHARGERS!!!

Today is ‘Spirit Day’ at my niece’s school. They have to wear blue and gold and sing school songs all day.

Don’t you wish our days were so easy?  All we had to worry about was what outfit to wear and or what test you’d pass?

Hmmm…

Anxious...

Five more minutes and I’m outta this joint to see my man!!

I can’t wait!!!

Giggles...

Check this post out….

This Better???

Listen boys - if you can't say anything nice, you shouldn't be saying anything at all right? Isn't that what your mama's taught your naughty butts??

Here you go - a better picture of the boots and dress and I don't need anymore of your smart mouthiness.

Hear me?!

*rollin' eyes*

GOOD. LORD.

PROJECT RUNWAY!!!

So they all four made it into the final runway thingy for fashion week. NO ONE got kicked off the show - I'm happy but I'm not. I mean, Jeffrey should have been canned simply because I don't like him but I suppose that isn't very nice of me huh?

Oh well.

JEFFREY - I suppose the people behind Project Runway want me to believe that Jeffrey is human because he has a son but I don't buy it. Not one stinking little bit.

His outfit is totally him but they were right when they called it cheap looking.

ULI - YOU FINALLY WON! I LOVE IT! I knew you had it in you Uli!

Great job and you totally deserved that win! I love this dress!!

WOO HOO ULI!

MICHAEL - You missed the mark on this dress and I was so scared they were gonna let you go when it just you and Jerkman up on the runway.

Thank heaven you get to show your stuff at fashion week!

LAURA - We have seen this dress hundreds of times hun. Although I think you will rock the runway at fashion week, I fear they will all look the same...

IT FITS!!!

Can you believe it? My red dress... IT FITS!! In fact, it's a bit loose on me and I'm so happy!!!

I love red. I love sassy, sexy outfits and I can't wait to go shopping again!!!

WOOOO HOOO!!!!!!!

Wow.

The sunrise this morning was beautiful. 

Simply amazing.

P.Diddle

P. Diddy was across the street yesterday from my work.  (I work across from one the most popular radio stations in MPLS.) His entourage consisted of three bullet proof escalades and a police escort.  The drivers all looked like they were from the mafia.

There was no TV coverage like when Jessica Simpson arrived or anything like that.  No fans freaking out or holding “I love you signs.”

Poor P. Diddy dude….

Good News

The doctor says I baffle him and that my CHD has improved somewhat.  He also said I’m fine to keep skating and that makes me very happy.

Bad news is that he doesn’t know what is making me feel so crappy.

I guess I can’t win them all right?  At this point, I’m so happy I can keep skating that I’m not all that broken up about it.

WOO HOO!!

1 hour and 11 minutes later....

Tomorrow morning I'm going to the hospital for more tests. I know this will aid me on my quest to find out why I have been feeling the way I have lately but I honestly don't want to go. I guess I can't whine about it a whole lot being my last post was about being positive and all that crap but whatever.

I still don't wanna go.

I am. I can. I will.

Tonight was a good night.

I lost 4.6 pounds this past week which means I lost the 3 pounds I gained last week plus 1.6 more. I worked hard for it being I had a very rough start of the week which was no one's fault but my own.

I feel better about where I am with this but I know I need to stay focused. Losing weight this way hasn't been the hardest thing I have ever done but it's for sure up there with some big stuff in my life and could easily turn into a 'hardest thing' if I lose myself again.

I know this whole thing is forever and sometimes that overwhelms me. I mean, I will have to write down, count and weigh what I eat forever and if I stop, I will gain weight. It's that simple and I know it.

Tonight's meeting message? Start focusing on the positive things instead of beating ourselves up for the bad things. This is something I not only need to help with my struggle with food but also my personal life.

I tend to worry too much and it is usually for nothing. Even if I know there is nothing I can do about something but worry, I do it. A family gift I'm told. A nervous tick. I curse I have struggled with my entire life.

I need to let go of the negative, not only for my weight loss but also for my sanity. Who knew Weight Watchers was so insightful?

HA HA!

Three-year-old buys pink convertible on Internet

At least he has some good taste…

Know This.

It is not what a person says or promises to you that you will find the truth of ones character but in their actions. 

I feel like throwing up.  Not because I’m sick but because of something I have intuitively known for a while has come to pass.  If I could put into words what this felt like I fear this page would never end.

May The Force....

Be in your Cereal?   Start your day with real Jedi™ action… 

My co-worker B has a Red Light Up Saberspoon and I’m totally jealous. 

ugh.

Are you serious?

Indifferent

It’s starting already and it’s hard for me to stop it.

Operation Bearing Cleanse

I have wiped, oiled, cursed at & even caressed all of my bearings hoping that I have cured them of their illness. They will never be the same but they work.

Thank the Gods!

I'm so bored.

I am.  It’s awful.  I have written emails.  I have called people.  I have taken walks. I have done almost all of my work that I have available to me for the week.

I’m bored.

I hate it when it’s slow. I hate it. HATE IT. I mean, I even did my invoices already.  Ugh.

Good news is that when I get home I should have an allen wrench and some oil to fix my skates.  Mark was hopefully able to drop them by my place while I am here at work.  Today is a super beautiful day and it’s a PERFECT day for skating but I will (cross your fingers) be making some progress on fixing my skates so I can blade another time. I will have to take my operation outside so I can enjoy the great weather. 

Soon there will be snow and cold.  I can’t even believe how horrible that is gonna be.  At least roller dome is gonna start soon.

Ho Hum… It’s 4:30.

Carrot Cake?

Carrot cake is my most favorite cake.  Well… besides cheese cake and maybe better than sex cake…  OH and spice cake with the cream cheese frosting.  Basically, carrot cake is the best though.  Hands down.

A co-worker brought some carrot cake in.  It’s in the cubical adjacent to me and I want a piece of it.

I do.

I realize I’m gonna have temptation all my life with my weight and earlier in this whole weight loss thing – the temptation didn’t bother me.  Not at all, in fact, I was motivated and completely ok with not eating my favorite naughty things.

I’m almost back up on the wagon and if I can pass up this cake – I can pass up anything.  Well, maybe not Carbone’s sausage mushroom pizza but I will cross that bridge when I come to it.

Losing My Pants....

Today was a gorgeous day. Beautiful.

In fact, it would have been better had I been able to actually fix my skates. I have lost all of my allen wrenches and was unable to get my wheels off in order to perform the emergency operation on my bearings that they need.

Seriously, this is a problem. I need to skate.

With extra time on my hand I decided to go through my closet. I got through all my pants, shorts, skirts and sweats. I figured I would leave the tops for another time.

The pile on the left of your screen is the pile of shorts, pants & skirts that no longer fit me.

The pile on the right of your screen is the pile of shorts, pants, skirts and workout sweats that do fit.

Well..... kinda. Good enough anyway.

That means I have three pants for work and two skirts. I have two pairs of shorts and three pairs of sweat pants.

That's it people. I need to go shopping obviously but I don't want to spend money on clothes that in the near future will only need replacing. Perhaps a second hand shop is my answer.

Cheap.

While going through the clothes I came across the pair of jeans I used to wear all the time. In fact, at one point this pair of jeans was nearly tight on me.













As you can see, they no longer are tight and they no longer fit.

It makes me feel good to have this kind of progress but I see how far I still have left to go. It seems so overwhelming at times but it will take some time.

It took time to gain it - it will take time to lose.


Anyone got an allen wrench?

StaTe oF EmErgEncy....

HOLY FRACKIN' CRAP!

MY BLADES ARE SHOT!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm not even kidding.

Ok. BREATHE!! OmGosh! I can't even believe it. The wheels don't move. They don't roll. OMgoSH!

I'm about to walk out the door to go to the greenway and thought, I better check my skates - make sure they are clean. Obviously, the marathon in the rain was too much for the wheels bearings. I thought I dried the wheels enough prior to placing them in my bag but apparently not enough!

Holy crap, people. I'm just pissed.

Excuse me while I tear down the wheels and clean the bearings....

This better work....FRACK!!!!

Better Quality - More From Duluth

Me, N & C

C, Older sister L, Me & Younger sister N

ME!

Younger sister N

Me being L's model... he he he

A Little Dab Will Do Ya....

I taught my babies well.

I'm so proud...

I'm getting so old....

I would like to say that this happened to me; not because I need a boyfriend as I’m content, but because I would like to be so incredibly gorgeous that men make complete asses of themselves. 

My co-worker (and good friend) K were going on our regular walk to get some extra exercise for the day and occasionally K will get honked at, whistled at or gawked at because of how very pretty she is.  She realizes men find her attractive and she has told me some of the stories about how some men are crazy when trying to get her attention. It embarrasses her mostly and she doesn’t talk about it much. 

So we are on our walk, right?  I noticed a man sitting in the lobby in the same chair I had seen him in the day before.  Generally, we take our walk at the same time every afternoon without fail.  We have seen this guy around as he is a student on one of the lower floors in our building.

We were walking inside today due to the rain and we are in the skyway system adjoining our building to another and we hear someone walking close behind us. 

“Excuse me!  Excuse me, ladies.  Can I just take a moment of your time?  This will only take a minute.” The man blurts out as he is handing a card to K.

K asked, “Are you lost?” as we are constantly being stopped and asked for directions by people that are trying to get to a building within the industrial park system.  The road our building is on has the wrong street sign on it basically and it causes serious confusion for visitors.

“No, I’m not lost but can you just read this and let me know if this is ok?”  He is still trying to hand the card to K and she reaches to grab it from him.  All the while he is stammering over his words.   It was at this point that I realized he was asking her for his number with the card.  He was shaking.  He was a literal mess, clearly a noodle and unable to stand normally in front of her.

I felt sorry for him as he continued to look to her for his answer.  Again and again asking, “What do you think?  Just read….  Just a minute of your time….just read….take a moment….”

K read the card, visibly confused and embarrassed handed the card back saying, “I’m gonna have to give this back to you. Sorry.” We continued on our walk.  We could hear him down the hall, “So sorry to have bothered you miss…”

K is 25 and the man could have been her father he was so much older than she was.  She was embarrassed and explained that the card had included his name, number and explained how he was looking for a relationship.  He had printed it up to hand to her and I can only assume other woman.

About 90 pounds and 10 years ago this happened to me and although uncomfortable at times it was flattering.  At some point in my life I would like it to happen again.

Just once.

Just Say No

I did.

I didn’t eat the bagel and I had an 8 point meal at the Macaroni grill.  That means I stayed away from the bread and oil prior to eating the entrée.  This was difficult being it took nearly an hour to get our food.  However, because it took so long they sent us home with a free dessert.

Yup, you heard me.

I now have a lemon passion pudding cake contraption in the fridge that I will be taking home with me.  I figured out that if I cut it into 4 pieces (or more) it will be 7 points or less per serving.

Holy frack.

That is some serious calorie action if you ask me.

I have a BMR of 1725.69

You use energy no matter what you're doing, even when sleeping. Your Basal Metabolic Rate (BMR) is the number of calories you'd burn if you stayed in bed all day. Go here to figure out your BMR According to the Harris Benedict Formula I have a Calorie-Calculation of 2372.82 (using the lightly active formula) in order to maintain my current weight.  In order for me to lose one pound of weight I need to create a 3,500 calorie deficiency in my weekly diet.

Knowing all of this… I still want a damn bagel.

Temptation Cubicle

I have a budget of 26 points in a day that I can eat.  I have eaten 4 of those points for breakfast – a fiber bar and a banana.

There are bagels and cream cheese in the cubicle directly across from me. That is where all of the ‘treat’ food is kept being the cube across from me is empty. One of our co-workers is ‘paying us back’ for always allowing everyone to share the vendor treats we get.

I can’t have one.

I am planning on going to a vendor lunch at the Macaroni Grill this afternoon.  I had to plan ahead regarding the meal I’m going to order at the Macaroni Grill so I can stay on track. I can order a cup of Lentil bean soup, a garden salad with no dressing and a side of asparagus for 8 points.  OR I can have the Skinny Chicken for 5.5 points and a salad for 2.5 for a total of 8 points as well. That leaves me 14 points for an afternoon snack and dinner.

Lame huh? Especially since I will be at a good Italian restaurant - a restaurant where nearly everything (no lie) on their menu is over 1,000 calories.  Take a look for yourself…

It sounds miserable I know.  That’s only because it is.

Trust me.

I want to eat a bagel. 

Half a bagel is 4 points but if I have cream cheese on it – 6 points.  Can I afford to eat 6 extra points throughout my day? 

Not really.

I want too.

Like, really, really bad.  Ya know?

PROJECT RUNWAY!!!!

They played a re-run people.

A frackin’ re-run.

Downward Spiral

With Weight Watchers you get 35 extra points you can have plus your daily points for the week.  I have already eaten my daily points plus 33 of those extra points in the first three days of my week.  I have two points left, people.  If I eat them – I will gain weight again.

Frackin’ great.

So this means that I need to concentrate on some serious exercise this weekend.  Like, tons of it in order to make up the damage I have done.  If I don’t I fear I will lose motivation to continue this.  I’m at a breaking point and I can feel it.

Why does everything have to taste so frellin’ good all the time?

Cold Stone At Work?!?!

I’m not even kidding.  They have brought Cold Stone Ice Cream into our work place.  We got to pick from Strawberry, Cake Batter, Coffee, Chocolate and French Vanilla ice cream.  Then we got to put on toppings.

Seriously.

Are they kidding me?? I don’t need this crap!!! I have no will power left and I have succumbed to getting some Cake Batter ice cream with a scoop of heath and a drizzle of caramel.  It was so sweet I couldn’t take more than four bites before I had to toss it but I still ate some.

I’m sure it was 8 points worth of my day.  I can’t believe this.  I feel sick to my stomach.

Hmmmm?

If you were given all the free time in the world and a crap-load of money – what would you do?

Potassium

I have been told recently that I am dangerously low on potassium. My diuretic along with all the exercise and sweating I have been doing has been taking it’s toll apparently. Although I have been trying my best to bring the amount of potassium up in my body, I fear I’m doing a crappy job. I still feel the effects of the systems listed below and that really sucks. Last night I was out at 9:00pm. The other night I was out at 9:30pm, Saturday night – 7:00pm and Sunday 10:00pm. Although to some people that is a normal bedtime but I’m usually awake until about 11:30 or midnight most nights.

I’m tired, I’m forgetting just about everything everyone has told me, I’m mixing up dates and times, I’m exhausted all the time and it’s getting rather old. I need a banana….

Potassium is an electrolyte – a mineral salt that conducts electricity when dissolved in water.

Deficiency Signs and Symptoms

A potassium deficiency is characterized by muscle weakness, fatigue, mental confusion, irritability, weakness, heart disturbances, and problems in nerve conduction and muscle contraction. A diet low in fresh fruits and vegetables but high in sodium is the typical cause of dietary potassium deficiency. We often see dietary potassium deficiency in the elderly.

However, dietary potassium deficiency is less common than deficiency caused by excessive fluid loss (sweating, diarrhea or urination) or the use of diuretics, laxatives, aspirin, and other drugs. The amount of potassium lost in sweat is quite significant, especially with prolonged exercise in a warm environment. Athletes or people who regularly exercise have higher potassium needs.

Beneficial Effects

Potassium is an extremely important electrolyte that functions in the maintenance of:

· Water balance and distribution

· Acid-base balance

· Muscle and nerve cell function

· Heart function

· Kidney and adrenal function

Over 95 percent of the body’s potassium is in cells. In contrast, most of the body’s sodium is outside the cells in blood and other fluids.

How does this happen?

Cells actually pump sodium out and potassium in via the "sodium-potassium pump". This pump is in the membranes of all body cells, and one of its most important functions is preventing cellular swelling. If sodium is not pumped out, water accumulates in the cell, causing it to swell and ultimately burst.

The sodium-potassium pump also functions to maintain the electrical charge within the cell. This is particularly important to muscle and nerve cells. During nerve transmission and muscle contraction, potassium exits the cell and sodium enters, which results in an electrical charge change. This change causes a nerve impulse or muscle contractions, so it is not surprising that a potassium deficiency affects muscles and nerves first.

Although sodium and chloride are important, potassium is the most important dietary electrolyte. In addition to functioning as an electrolyte, potassium is essential for conversion of blood sugar into glycogen, the storage form of blood sugar in the muscles and liver.

A potassium shortage results in lower levels of stored glycogen. Because exercising muscles use glycogen for energy, a potassium deficiency produces great fatigue and muscle weakness, the first signs of potassium deficiency.

Principal Uses

The principal uses of supplemental potassium are for potassium depletion (deficiency) and high blood pressure.

Romantical Moments

When the girls and I were in Duluth we watched someone get engaged.

We were sitting on a two or three story balcony having drinks, munching on chips and salsa, complaining about our waitress, looking at the night lakeshore and watching a couple down on the beach.  They moved off the boardwalk and walked down to the water.

They were dressed very nice but you could tell they were young. He asked her and put the ring on her finger. We could see her smiling from where we were sitting.  They hugged and kissed and kissed and hugged and hugged and grouped and kissed and hugged when she said yes. I mean, they were practically doing it on the beach in front of everyone.

All four of us chicks were silent as we watched.  The wind from the beach blowing our napkins and hair all over the place and we all just huddled to get a closer look.  It was romantical.

Eventually, after about 30 minutes of their public affection moment they left and we were left to the boring night sky and our terrible waitress.  The moment had passed and we had to walk back to our hotel yet.

This morning, the couple came into my head.  I wonder if they knew we were watching; someone else sneaking in on their moment?

I wonder if it will last?

...CLUNK...

That was me falling off the Weight Watchers wagon.

Yup. 

I have to admit this past weekend, although I did make some very good choices, I didn’t keep track of everything I ate. I even broke down and bought some Mike & Ikes. It’s not like I wasn’t eating or anything but I felt as if I was starving. I mean, I felt like I hadn’t eaten all day right after I ate a meal.  It was weird. I suppose skating 13.1 miles and then walking 20 miles (literally, as I have my pedometer as proof) the same day used up a bit of calories and my body was protesting.

Well, I’m sure I have fed myself plenty since Saturday but because I had a taste of certain things I felt as if I could just eat what I dang well wanted today. I mean, I had NO willpower at ALL! If this is what an alcoholic goes through when he gets a sip of alcohol after a long while I totally understand the disease now.

This morning one of our vendors dropped off bagels and cream cheese and I ate one.  THEN!  The girls went to Caribou and picked up a hot apple blast for me.  Do you know how good hot apple cider tastes with a bagel and cream cheese???  It’s “like a party in your mouth” like my Weight Watchers leader Judy would say.  I say it’s more like the best damn combination of morning food ever – we are talking people dancing topless on tables in my mouth kind of party.

 

Tonight is weigh-in, people.  It doesn’t look good.

What A Chick Wants...Part 2

OK… I changed my mind.  I want this instead.

Maybe.

What A Chick Wants...

I totally want this; except in red or some other color.  I thought about it this weekend while I was toolin’ around in my sisters little Malibu.  I miss driving in something tiny that hugs the road….

1:24:06

WARNING: This is by far the longest post I have ever written so brace yourself for some seriously long reading action. Keep all body parts and limbs in the blog at all times and please strap in for safety. I don't carry insurance on this thing ya know.


After meeting and picking up our older sister in Hinkley we raced up HWY 35 to our final destination. Knowing that our friend wouldn't be there until later we decided to take a few 'detours' and go sight seeing on the scenic drives that Duluth has to offer.

Thank heaven that our older sister L used to live in Duluth for two years back in her college days and knew the roads like the back of her hand. We went all over and she knew all the hidden things that most tourist never get to enjoy.

It was a wonderful start to one of the most enjoyable weekends I have ever had in my life.

After we drove for a while we ended up stopping at a beach and enjoying the wonderful breeze off Lake Superior and taking in the gorgeous views.

Here N and L are sitting enjoying everything.

A lot of the rocks were flat and smooth but there were quite a few that had carving in them. I took a bunch of pictures of them but this one stood out the most. I mean, I kinda thought it was sweet; romantic.

Hundreds of years from now, this will still be there ya know? Well, maybe the wear and tear of the lake will erode it quicker than I think but it was still very neat to read all the carvings.

Not soon after we were done taking in the views we got a call from our friend C and we mosied off to the hotel to check in and meet up with her.

Once we were all settled in we took a walk down to Canal Park and took in all the great weather.

While we were walking up the board-walk we came across the horse carriages and thought we would take one for a ride.

Here we all are in one of the carriages before we took off. The picture isn't that great but our driver was kind enough to offer so I couldn't pass up the opportunity.

Our drivers name was ..."Jerry Springer talk show guest in training". I seriously can't remember her name but I know everything that ever happened to her since she arrived in Duluth four years ago.

She moved here to be with her boyfriend at the time but he ended up being a dumbass and cheated on her from what I gather. She decided to stay in Duluth despite the fact that she was from Virginia. Or wait, was it Arkansas? I don't know.

Anyway, she knows all the great places to shop for $1.99 evening gowns (so she can look all classy on the Jerry Springer show) and she LOVES to layer on her make-up so that even if it rains and two or three layers sheds off - you can still see the 14 other layers.

Her horse's name is Gwenie and she is just a baby so she doesn't like to pull on her reins very hard and hurt her mouth.

They like to talk a lot when she has no customers as it keeps her occupied and Gwenie feeling supported as a working girls can sometimes lack self esteem.

Honestly, it sounds like I'm really giving this lady a hard time but that is only because she didn't shut up like, the ENTIRE 25 minute ride so not one of us four could actually speak to each other.

It was really kind of rude and needless to say she didn't get a tip. In fact, I can't believe we paid to hear about her miserable life. Oh well, live and learn. I can at least say that I have had a carriage ride which is something that I wasn't able to say before.

Once our experience with the horse and her owner was over we head to Bellisimo's Italian restaurant to have a good carb filled dinner. It was not long after that the girls and I headed back to the hotel. They dropped me off and they head out for a drink from one of the nearby bars.

Not feeling good most of the week and having some issues earlier in the day I opted to tuck myself into bed around 7:00pm in hopes that the extra rest would do me good. We had our alarm and our wake up call set for 4:30am and I wasn't about to feel poorly then.

Turns out that the extra sleep did wonders (or the excitement of the day) and I was the first one up and ready to go. We walked ourselves down to the DECC and caught one of the first buses headed for the start.

Unfortunately, we picked the bus where the driver 'forgot' that we were HALF marathon skaters and not the FULL marathon skaters. This mean that he missed a turn we needed to take and we had to back track at least 4-5 miles. All I can say is I'm glad it was only 5:00am when we left and we had the time to spare.

Once we got there we got dropped off in PITCH blackness. I mean, it was so dark that you couldn't see the person next to you while we walked. In fact, we had to walk nearly a mile to get to the starting line from where we were dropped off. If it wasn't a mile - it sure as frack felt like it walking with full skating gear on your back at 5:00am in the morning. It was a good warm up either way so can't be too broken up about it.

Once we got to the start, we started our streaching and hoped for the best. At this point we hadn't felt rain so we were hoping it was going to stay that way.

We were WRONG.

It rained on us. In fact, we were the only skaters throughout the entire marathon that did get rained on. This meant I had to wear all of the warmer clothes I brought with and was hoping to shed right before we left.

This picture was taken about 5 minutes before the horn sounded to start. You can tell that the sun was starting to rise and the light was coming around. It was at this point that the national anthem singer sang. It was so beautiful I got chills while he sang. He had a wonderful voice, especially for so early in the morning.

You can also tell from this picture that we inched our way to the top of the pack. There were 315 finishers in the Half Marathon according to the results. I wanted to make sure I had an edge even if it was for only the 3 seconds it took to cross the start line.

6:45 am....And we were off....

I believe this picture was taken about 2 or 3 miles into the race. As you see obviously from this picture there are kids that are passing me.

Yes. Kids.

I realize that this might make my skating ability look less than stellar. And this could very well possibly make you think less of my half-way-professional-amateur-skater-chick persona but I'm not worried or anything. I figure you people will get over it at some point.

Plus, I can' skate much faster than most children without passing out so you will just have to deal with it.

The first miles were ok to skate. N and C held back the first mile or so but soon took off a head like I knew they would. Everything about this race was different. I was alone and I have never, ever skated in rain before. I have never skated with wet clothes, skates and socks - especially wet socks!

It was awful really. Every time you pushed off you got more water in the bottom of your boot and the more your socks got drenched. Honestly, I didn't realize that the bottoms of the skates were so porous but then again I don't know much about a lot of things.

Life keeps ya on your toes, ya know?

At one point during the race, I didn't think I could finish. I watched of all the people passing me with ease - especially on those hills. I didn't dare look back to see if I was the last skater in the race. I refused to look back because if I had found out that I was the last of the skaters it would have killed every last bit of hope I had to finish and I knew it.

My legs ached, my feet were cold, my chest felt as if it would explode any minute, my throat was parched from my wheezing breath no matter how much water I drank from my pack and my mind was failing me at the worst time.

I wanted to quit.

I needed to quit.

Every aching part of my body demanded I quit. I thought of asking a dude on the side of the road blocking the street to drive me back in. I thought of maybe taking the skates off and walking back.

But I didn't.

I skated - feeling a little sorry for myself for a slight moment and questioning my sanity to even attempt this kind of thing and that is when I saw it.

Lemon Drop Hill.

The most talked about marathon hill in all of Minnesota. If you have ever ran Grandma's marathon or skated the Northshore you will know what I'm talking about. I was already at my breaking point of the race and I could see it coming for almost a full mile. It was the hardest thing and it totally played horrible mind games with me.

All I could do was look down and focus on every kind word all of my friends and family told me before I left. Every bit of training I have done for the past year came into play while I started to ascend this hill. No it wasn't as big as the hills in St. Paul but for some reason it was more scary and meant so much more than any other hill I have ever skated.

This was a marathon I have wanted to skate since I started skating five years ago. This is what I have been working towards. I told myself that if I made it up the hill, I could finish this race.

I struggled and struggled. I won't lie. I was nearly dead, I swear, when I reached the top. I could barley gasp for air my chest hurt so much but I did it.

I made it too the top.

I had never felt so alive in my entire life. I started laughing and the woman next to me laughed with me when I looked back for the first time and exclaimed...

"WE AREN'T THE LAST ONES!!!!"

I was nearly in tears when I saw the sea of people still struggling to get up the very hill I had just conquered. It was liberating and I knew I was home free at that moment. All of a sudden a second wind came over me and I was flying through the tunnels with ease. I knew it was just a matter of minutes until I was done.

I raced down the hill into the tunnel system on HWY 35 and seriously passed about 15-20 people. They saw me struggling and I think it sent a few people up in arms when they saw it was me who was passing them up.

There was another hill we all had to endure as we turned the corner for the finish and I want to say that this hill was even worse than the first but knowing that once I got up this hill it was all down hill to the finish about a mile away - the pain didn't matter anymore.

I glided down the hill and at only 300 meters left the couple in front of me reached for each others hand and kissed. It was moving and was so touching that they had raced together.

Although touching and super romantical, I got over it quick when I realized I had 300 meters left and I would soon be crossing that finish line myself.

Elation doesn't even begin to explain the feeling I had inside. All those years of dreaming that I could finish any type of marathon at the Northshore had just come true.


Finally.

I was finisher 261 of 315 and finisher 141 of the 182 females that did the half marathon. My time was thought to originally be 1:15 (which sent me into hysterics basically) but was later found out to officially be 1:24:06 (which is damn fracking good for 13.1 in the rain with limited oxygen if I do say so myself) which gave me a pace of a 6:26 minute mile.

N and C both finished with a time of 1:08 and I couldn't be more proud of them. Neither one of them trained (well, not like I did) for this at all and I think they did a great job!!

In fact, they liked this experience so much that both of them want to come back next year to do the FULL marathon. YES! The full and that means I'M DOING IT TOO!! Next year people, I will be doing the FULL marathon in Duluth and seriously, my training starts tomorrow. For real.
I'm not kidding.

(I'm the fracken crazy chick on the far left, younger sister N is in the middle and usual marathon runner friend C is on the right)

After the whole sweating our guts out gig we went back to the hotel, showered with extra hot water and got ready for our action packed day. I mean, seriously people, it was only 8:00am when I finished and we had the rest of the day to take in Duluth.

Our first stop was the point off of Canal Park where we found a sandy beach and played in the sand.

Literally.

I made sand castles while my two sisters (not kidding) threw and kicked sand at each other. I'm not sure how it all came about but I believe it was my younger sisters fault being most things are.

he he he

N, are you gonna sabotage my Christmas gift for this?

Eventually, they calmed down and ended up sleeping for a while on the beach while I watched the waves hit the shore. At this point my phone started ringing and making outbound calls. Of course I would be yapping on the phone at some point during this novel, right? I mean, it's not like I could sleep or even stop smiling with all the exciting activity of the day still fresh in my mind.
Not to mention that my time was mixed up with someone else's at first and I thought I had done a record time for myself. Turns out that I didn't do the 1:15 like I thought but I still increased my time by four minutes and that is nothing to sneeze at.

Aren't the waves beautiful despite the cloudy weather? I could have stayed there all day, in fact next year I plan to spend a lot of time doing that exact thing after the race. It was a good way to relax me after all the craziness.

It was at this point that I was relaxed and ready to snuggle up on a couch watching some super bad-ass Battle Star Galatica that my partners in crime wanted to go hiking.

Yes, I did say hiking.

I mean, wasn't skating 13.1 miles enough for the day? Lord. My sister and that friend of hers are some crazy folk I tell ya but it made for an absolutely beautiful nature walk for my other sister L and I.

We went to the land of the seven bridges and began our walk into some of the most beautiful terrain in Duluth.

Luckily, L had known about this area from her college days.

Here are N and C climbing up a steep embankment despite L and I's strong protests. I mean, they could have killed themselves or something.

Obviously, they laughed at us and called us chicken because they decided to go much higher.

Can you see the two specs of color up near that pine tree on the left? Well, that is them. You can imagine the horror I felt when N yells down to me, "Yea... so how do we get down do ya think?"

Geezzzz. Talk about my heart pounding.

They did make it down but not soon enough for my taste but I'm petrified of heights. Especially when it's heights that the ground could suddenly collapse from underneath due to some 500 year rock slide and the amount of moisture in the air.

I know I could need therapy for this I'm sure so no need to mention it ok?

It was once N and C came down from their little mountain excursion that they told us they were gonna go on a hour long hike and L and I needed to pick them up later.

We managed to keep ourselves busy walking up this quaint little road and stopping along the way to walk on rocks in the river nearby.

After an hour or so we started to worry about N and C being they had no climbing gear and they had a hankering to do some serious rock climbing. I mean, what if they would have fallen?

I checked my cell phone and got no signal. They were supposed to call when they were done and who knows if they were trying to call? What if they were hurt and needed us and couldn't get through????

Panic mode sets in and we get in the car and go up and down the curvy, hilly roads yelling their names. Finally, we hear something and the games begin.

It was hilarious being we were so worried they were so pissed play time was over. I mean, we were ready to go and they were just getting started apparently.

They were across the river and couldn't find a way to get back to the road without climbing a seriously steep wall of dirt, rocks and grass. Here you can see N making her way up with C close behind her following her foot steps.

The picture doesn't do this cliff justice people. I can't believe they got up it without the aid of helicopters, ropes and beautifully tan, sweaty muscled rescue men.

Ya know what I mean?

Eventually, we got out of the forest and back to civilization.

We saw a few boats come into Canal Park and watched the one of a kind bridge in the nation go up so the boats could pass through to the harbor.

This is the AMERICAN CENTURY and the dudes on the boat totally didn't wave at us.

Jerks.

We did however run into some scantily dressed college men that were high diving off of the old sinking building in the lake.

It was fun to watching them for a while but I got cold watching. I can't imagine swimming in that water.

Good lord.

We ended up walking up the board-walk to the rose garden and seriously, I thought I was gonna die.

I was exhausted and tired and tired and exhausted. I didn't think I could move my legs in front of the other anymore but it was worth the walk for sure.

I mean, it was just amazing how pretty everything was. I'm glad L wanted us to see it.

Here is a great picture of us three sisters at the garden.

The oldest L is on the left, me in the middle and the youngest, N is on the right of the screen. It's so rare to have pictures of us together. I'm glad it turned out!

This was the last shot I was able to take before my camera phone crapped out on me. Here are L and N pretending to be angelic cherubs in this garden dome.

Aren't they precious????

I had a wonderful time. I can't write enough about it. In fact, I haven't even touched on everything we ended up doing but this gives you some idea just how great a time it really was.

I can't wait until next year!!!

C-ya!

Well, it's morning time and we are packing the car. Well.... My sister is packing the car while I write to you all.(aren't I helpful?) I asked her what she wanted to say but she offered me no help other than to say...

"GO BIG BLUE"

Unfortunatley, we are no longer in high-school and this isn't a pep-rally.

So without the help of my counter part in this whole deal I bid you farewell as we motor off to the land of the cold water and big ships. It would be helpful if all ya all would do a reverse rain dance so it skips over where we are skating tomorrow morning.

I would appreciate it.

I'm sure I will have tons of pictures and lots of stories when I return being I will be with both my sisters and one of our closest friends. It's gonna be FANTABULOUS people - seriously.

Rain or not.

It's Time!!!

The Northshore Inline Skate Marathon is in two days.  We are leaving tomorrow morning, early, for Duluth so that we can check in to our hotel and hit the skate expo to pick up our packets.  Turns out that the half-marathon skaters, like my sister, our friend and I, start at 6:45 AM and the buses start leaving at 5:00 AM to haul our butts up there. The full marathon people don’t start until 7:30!!  What gives????

Ummmmm, yaaaa.  Can you even grasp that concept???  I HAVE TO GET UP WHEN?!?!

People, this isn’t cool.  I mean, yes I have been training and yes I have been excited for this final marathon of the year but I’m just super frackin’ pissed that I have to get up so crazy early in the morning to do it. Do you know how cold it’s gonna be next to Lake Superior at 6:45 AM????

According to this – it’s supposed to be raining and cold on Saturday morning.  I mean, the sun isn’t gonna even rise according to this until 6:47 AM and I will already have been skating for 2 whole minutes.

Ok.

Ok….

I’m pissed.

 

Remember.

"Nothing tastes as good as being thin feels"

RING... RING...

Oldest Niece:  Hello?                                                                                      

Me: Who’s Dis?

Oldest Niece: Who Der?

Me: Ya… then WhoDis?

Oldest Niece: WhoDer? You Der? Who Der? WHO DER?

Me: Who Der? What Dat?

Oldest Niece: Dat is Dis and dis is dat. WHO DER?

Me: It’s dem I tell ya!  It’s DEM!

Oldest Niece: DEM WHO? Dem is who! Dem is you? WHODER! WHODER! WHODER!!!!!!!!!!!!     

Me: Dem is Der with you….

Oldest Niece: Who Dis….What Der… Who Der?

Me: Ya.  Dem got ya eh?

Oldest Niece: Yup.

Me: Who dis?

Oldest Niece: Da woman. Who der?

Me: I’m dat chick ya know then?

Oldest Niece: *snickers*

Me: *laughes*

Oldest Niece: Wanna talk to mom?

Me: Ok.

Oldest Niece: Bye.

Me: Cya.

 

I just love my babies….

 

*sigh*

PROJECT RUNWAY!!!

All the designers were told they were gonna have two surprise guests and they would meet them at a party later. Turns out the 'special guests' were two of the kicked off designers from weeks past; Vincent and Angela.

We are talking about two of the WORST designers on the show! It was a total joke really and I can't believe they did it but they did.

Whatever.

They were told they had to make a cocktail dress out of black and white material and they had to use all the material they purchased. They had $100 dollars and one day to make the dress. Here are the results...

ULI - This thing is cute as heck but it looks like every other dress she has made. I love the sleeves but could have done without the necklace and the pattern on the dress.

Change things up Uli or you won't make it to the final three and I want you to get there...




VINCENT - GET RID OF HIM!!!! AGAIN!!!! Does everything turn you on? Do you 'get off' on everything? STOP!

EWWWWW!

You are a slimy, perverted old man and you disturb me.




MICHAEL - LOVED this dress. It's elegant, simple, different and new.

He's going all the way!

I know it.




KAYNE - WHY? WHY? WHY didn't he use white on this dress? He could have stayed!

Oh Kayne.....

I'll miss you....




LAURA - I feel bad for Laura. I mean, she is prego and she is the oldest and she probably misses her family a lot.

HOWEVER. What the frack was she doing holding a champagne glass on national television while being three months pregnant?!?!?!? Am I the only one freaked out by that? I'm hoping that she was just HOLDING the glass and not actually drinking but whatever. What was she thinking?

Oh and I loved the dress - finally. I'm glad she changed things up and I'm glad she one the challenge.





JEFFREY - Asshole.








ANGELA - Good lord.

You were kicked off the first time with good reason.





MY PREDICTION for the final three -- MICHAEL, LAURA & JEFFREY
MY HOPES for the final three --- MICHAEL, ULI & LAURA