Our house has beautiful colors!

I keep saying that I am going to post pictures of our lights and paint colors. So I am finally getting around to doing just that! Here is just a little looksey of how things are coming along!!!

our sink & countertop

close up

bar

living room

kitchen

master bedroom

dining room

extra bedroom

hallway

extra bath

extra bedroom

laundry

 

MS Gulf Coast Half Marathon

MS GULF COAST HALF MARATHON... has been COMPLETED. 

[exhale]

Last night we drove to the Welcome Center to pick up our race packets. Packet not really being the best word to describe it. We "checked in" and picked up our t-shirt. My number being 127 and Ginny's number being 126. They should have swapped our numbers though... cause that would fit our ages! But oh well!!!!

We then scooted on over to Academy sports in Slidell,.. where we found some sweet deals. We didn't realize things were on such *drastic* sale until we checked out. I was able to get a pair of polka dot nike shorts for $3.40, a nike hat for $2.01, a nike shirt for $4.50, and nike compression shorts for $3.41. What a deal, right? I was pretty pumped. If I would have known that things were going to be so cheap, I would've grabbed some more things. But oh well. 

hank getting in some tv time.

Anyways. We stayed at the Days Inn Slidell... where the mattresses were fabulous. It was definitely an older hotel... but we were only staying one night there... and only the mattresses really mattered. I went to bed around 9:30 or 10:00... only to wake up at 1:30am thinking that it was time to get up. haha. We got up around 6 this morning.. and started getting ready for our day. 

Ginny & I had shirts made for our half. The weather was supposed to be low 40's at the start of the race and high 60's at the end of the race. WEELLLL, at least that is what the forecast said when we ordered our LONG sleeve shirts. Little did we know, we were going to wake up this morning to 70 degree weather, in which long sleeve shirts are definitely not appropriate. So we decided to take a quick picture in our new shirts, and then change into more appropriate attire. 

Skip ahead a little bit. I got to meet up with one of my old friends from xray school, Mr. Clint Lambert. I dont believe I have seen him in the last two years, so seeing him was really fun. Of course Mr. Lambert is super fast and finished the half in less than 2 hours! Yep, he's fast!

Clint & me,... wow... I didnt know my hair was trying to fly away. lol.

Of course Hank & Kevin were there to watch Ginny & me run, along with my mom, dad, and sister, Karly. Its really nice to have people on the sidelines to offer support. Especially upon return of the race.. its nice that some of the cheering is coming from people who love you and are proud to see you succeed.

The race was about 20 minutes late getting started, because we had to wait on several cars to make it through the security gate. Once the air horn was blown... a huge mass of runners slowly moved out onto the course.  It took me, Ginny, and our friend Jeremy a good 20-30 seconds to actually get moving with the crowd. But once we got to moving, people slowly started to spread out and made it easier to gain speed to our normal pace.

Throughout the race, Jeremy stayed with me. Even walking with me.. which came way too often. It was nice to have someone to stay paced with me and to talk to throughout the run. It definitely made the time fly by. Some days just aren't meant to be race days, and I believe that today was one of those for me. I had a really hard time warming my legs up and getting my breathing right. I struggled through most of the run. But thats okay, because I finished and set a personal record for the half marathon. The next one that I do, I will have a time to try & beat.

my new $3 shorts!! (our second outfits)

Ginny & I have been looking forward to doing this half marathon since June. I'm glad it has finally come & gone.. and we are both able to say that we DID finish a half. 13.1 miles is no joke... especially on a hot, humid morning with lots of wind. :) My finish time was 2:32:22, I believe. But we will know for sure when they post the official results!

Half Marathon: You don't scare me!

ITS here!!! It's finally here!!! Tomorrow morning at 8am, Ginny and I will run our first half marathon... and it couldn't get here fast enough!!!

Back in May we decided to do this... so its been a long wait. We needed the time though. I had never ran more than 6 miles at a time.. and she had never done more than 4. Boy have we come a long way!!! Her longest distance to date is 10 miles, and mine is 13.1. I just had to see what the full 13 was like... and honestly it wasn't that bad. That mileage used to scare me so bad. I just couldn't fathom me actually running that many miles... AT ONE TIME! But Ginny & I took it easy.. and slowly added mileage every week or two.

everybody runnnnn!

Our hard work has paid off... and after months of training we are both ready! Now it wasn't easy... that is for sure. Blood, sweat & tears went into my training. No literally. With the blood & tears happening just a month and a half ago when I rolled my ankle while running, sending me knee & palms down to the asphalt. It happens though. [stupid uneven road] After 6 weeks.. my ankle and foot still bother me if I turn it the wrong way, and when I first get out of bed. But I will be fine. Of course the sweat is a given. We ran 4 days a week during the summer heat.. so the sweat was inevitable.

I always get really nervous before a run. I don't know why. But I do. I guess its just excitement & nerves together. But once we get started, then I am fine. I can't wait to line up at the start line in the morning... and begin my 13.1 mile run. I've already decided what I am wearing, so thats one less thing to worry about in the morning. Ginny & I had black long sleeved shirts made with "born 2 run" on the front and our names on the back. Very cute, if I might say so myself. I will include pictures of them.. on my post race blog! :)

So I've got to wrap this up,.. because Hank is begging me to go to Huddle House for brunch. I will be sure to blog about the run as soon as I can. And tell you all about it!!!! Several of my other friends are running in it as well... so Good Luck to you all!!!! 

Prayers appreciated at 8am in the morning, please & thank you.

hopefully this guy wont be there... haha. well adrian can be there.. but not the underwear guy!

hopefully my sticker will be as cool as this one, for my car! :)

 

house progressss

I realize I haven't posted any house pictures in about 40 forevers... so I'm gonna put a few up. We don't have any paint on the walls yet, (sigh) but hopefully that will change come Monday. I also didn't take any pictures of my fabulous, beautiful, amazing light fixtures because they are covered up to keep paint off of them. Once the covers come down.. pictures will be posted. *pinky promise*

So in the meantime.. here are a few shots of our cabinet and trim work. :)

just needs a few shutters!

 

lanterns are up!

entertainment center!

wainscoting and shelves... where clawfoot goes.

kitchen

a few of the laundry cabinets

All I want for Christmas

Its that time again. That time where the question is asked, "What do you want for Christmas?" 

Throughout the year.. I am able to find numerous things that I would like to have.. ranging from clothes, jewelry, sunglasses, shoes, housewares, music, etc... but it seems like once November rolls around.. the "finding" stops. Not only the finding of things that I would want, but just the general knowledge of anything that I have recently said... "oh yesss,... I'd love one of those."

So last week while laying around the house.. Hank asked the inevitable.. "what do you want for Christmas?" As every year.. I quickly filtered through my brain trying to think of just ONE thing that I recently coveted... and came up with nothing. My only response I could muster, was the typical one for me.. "ummmm I'm not sure, let me think about it." UGH! Why can't my brain have even the slightest memory of ANY of the items I have thought about purchasing for my self.

Over the last week.. I have kept pondering the idea of what my list should entail. But honestly there still isn't anything that just prevails on my list. Nothing that makes me excited to think about having or using. Maybe with age, maturity, and lots of realizations about life... My true wants have changed. 

I honestly just want to spend time with Hank's and my family. I love family dinners... and yes the act of opening presents. I like to watch people as they open the gifts that I bought for them, with hope & excitement that they will truly like what I chose for them. I know, I know... you're thinking... "nah.. she likes presents too." And you are right. I do. But its not about that... I won't even try to pretend to lie.

I love gifts... and surprises just as much as the next gal... but I'm really excited about family time this Holiday season. None of us are getting any younger.. and none of us are promised our next breath. So I believe my most favorite gift this year... will be the gift of love, laughter & family time well spent. There isn't anything like family (the good & the bad, ha)... and I know that sometimes I take mine for granted. I hope that you will do the same... and take a few moments to cherish your time with your family.

But just incase Hank IS reading this and needs some gift ideas then.... AHHH nope, still nothing comes to mind. hahha!

Ain't no sunshine when she's gone

My last post was almost 2 months ago. I am ashamed. I've thought about blogging several times in the last 2 months... but nothing ever came of it. When I first started writing this blog, I said that I would not post anything just to post it.... just to have something there. That if I truly didn't feel like writing anything, then I simply wouldn't. And soooo two months have gone by. Its not that I didnt have anything to write about.. I was just either too busy or too tired to sit down and do it. A lot of things have actually happened in the last two months of my life... and instead of trying to go back and blog about each of them individually.. I'm going to write a little summary here! Here we go... :)

• House update!!! We have cabinets, trim, and doors. OHHH MY!!! Some paint on the walls (primer) and as of yesterday about 90% of our lights are hung! I will have to add pictures later... because I've been nothing short of a slacker.. and not even sure I have taken any updated pictures. I'll do better.
• I ran a 5k last Saturday. The hustle for honduras 5k.. at First Baptist in Laurel. I was *almost* the FIRST girl to finish overall.. but was passed up in the last 500 feet by a 33 year old. BUMMMEERRR. But was still able to bring home a medal with first in my age division. :) So not a total loss. lol.
• Hank & I went to see the Zac Brown Band on October the 29th at the Coast Coliseum. They were FANTASTIC! There were TONS of people in the general admission area where we were.. so besides the fact that I felt like I could be squished to oblivion at any moment (okay, so it wasn't that packed), we both had a great time. 
• The half marathon is just in two weeks!!! Well, two weeks & two days! EEEEEK! Ginny & I are both so excited. I can't wait.
• I ALSO signed up for a FULL marathon (aahhheeemm 26.2 miles) on March 4, 2012. Just 16 more weeks. I'm really excited & nervous about this one. But if I can just keep training weekly without any major hang ups or injuries.. then I believe that I will be just fine... maybe.
• One little random bit of info.. but I was just too ecstatic about this one not to share. I found a $1400 clawfoot tub at lowes for $200. yep thats right! who says bargains don't exist?? because they are wrong! boooo-yahh!
• Ohhhh. NEW YORK COMIC CON!!!! Most of you knew that this past February.. that Ginny & I had secretly planned to take Hank & Kevin to New York for a week to attend the NYCC. And thats just what we did! I will include a few pictures from the trip. It was a complete blast! I took tons of photos of people dressed up as characters... some of which we knew who they were supposed to be, while others I am still trying to figure out. Unfortunately they are not transferred to my computer.. but I promise to add them to a later blog!!! They are just too good not to share.

I will try my best to keep the blog going at some what constantness. I won't make any promises. I have so much to share though,.. hopefully I won't let laziness or tiredness keep me away. Until next time! ;)

My weekend is gone, and I'm ready for its return.

Last week was absolute torture. And I mean it. 

You would think that only working 4 days instead of the usual 5 would make for a faster, easier week.. but no. Those 4 endless days seemed to drag on and on. I never thought I'd see Friday at 5 o'clock... but of course once it did roll around... time FLEW! It could have a lot to do with how busy Hank & I were this past weekend, because I am pretty sure we didn't stop the whole 2 days. Almost every weekend is nothing but complete fun... filled with me spending 99.9% of my time awake glued to Hank's side. But this weekend seemed like I got to spend EVEN more time with him.

A few evenings this past week, Hank dug a trench for our water line to go in. (see my previous daredevil post) So Saturday was our big day for us to buy all of our pipe, connecters, etc to install the actual water line.. in which neither Hank nor I had any experience in doing. Thankfully my sweet daddy came out to help us connect all of the pipe together,.. which ended up being super easy once we had all of the correct pieces. We had to run around 200 foot of pipe from the water meter to the side of our house.. and had it all done in about 15 minutes! I was impressed! I'm not sure exactly how much money we saved by doing it ourselves... but we saved money nonetheless. 

Later that night we met up with the Helton's at Keg & Barrel for some good food & about 4 hours of catching up. It was MUCH needed. Adriane is one of my dearest, best friends and I definitely don't get to see her enough! Her husband, Michael, is also one of the sweetest people you will ever meet in your entire life and they are nothing short of perfect for each other. Nice people just go together well! haha!

Sunday morning.. Ginny & I had decided that we needed to have a long run since it had been so long since we had really gotten our butts out there and ran. We had planned on doing 11 miles.. but after about 8 we were feeling the effects of our slackerness kicking in. We were able to finish a little over 9 miles before calling it quits limping back to our starting point. This week it is ON! I will run at least 25 miles.. come hell or high water. It just has to be done. I feel so much better after running... and I don't need to go as long as I did without getting out there! Especially since the weather is cooler now.. I need to be taking advantage of these cooler mornings! {slaps hand}

The rest of my wonderful Sunday was spent with my most favorite person in the world, Hank. Its really nice to have some one who is always there for you. Someone whom you have a million inside jokes with, who knows when something is wrong without you having to tell them, who asks how your day was and really cares about what your answer will be. Someone who only wants the best for you, and does things for you that they don't really want to do at all... but they do anyways... just to make you happy. And so on & so on... this list could very well go on all day. I'm completely grateful, blessed, lucky to have him in my life. After being together for 9 years and married for 5 1/2, I love him more everyday. Cheesy as it sounds, its true. The best part about my weekend is definitely him. 

”We need a witness to our lives.  There's a billion people on the planet, what does any one life really mean? But in a marriage, you're promising to care about everything.  The good things, the bad things, the terrible things, the mundane things, all of it, all of the time, every day.  You're saying 'Your life will not go unnoticed because I will notice it.  Your life will not go unwitnessed because I will be your witness'." -Susan Sarandon, Shall We Dance

Mi casa, Su casa

I've been a slacker about posting pictures of the house. This week they worked on our electrical and inside plumbing... so I haven't taken any pictures of that... its quite boring, but necessary nonetheless. ENJOY!!!

Shingles, yay! I didn't get to add a big picture with all of them on!

Dining room!

Living room area with dining in background! Just getting window pics!

Window over my soon to be claw foot tub! (my most favorite)

Windows in our master bedroom

Front door is in! They stained it this week.. but I don't have a pic yet, sorry!

Brick started YESTERDAY!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Okay so not a ton of brick is up.. but you can get the idea. lol.

Also.... we've picked out some light fixtures!!! So I thought I'd share for those of you who have asked!

this one for the foyer

perfect for our kitchen

not completely decided,... but i think this one for the dining room

chandelier over my tub in the master :)

 

 

I kinda like this one for the dining room too.. and maybe changing the globes to clear ones. I dunno.