officially.sucked.in.

ive known for a long time that im really really good at sitting in front of the computer and randomly searching for things. blogs. clothes. photography ideas. facebook stalking.

and then i found pinterest.

source: somewhere on google images

o.m.G. if this isnt the biggest time suck of all the things i already was so good at searching the internet for all in one spot, i dont know what is. but alas, i think its safe to say i might be addicted. have i pinned everything on the planet? no. am i likely to ever buy any of the clothes or make any of the recipes? probably not. but the last few days have been kinda fun trying to figure it all out (thank you, sarah, for aiding in this new obsession).

found here

fact.

so i thought i would put together some of my favorite outfits like my very own pinterest board. but i didnt really know how to do it like other people do on there so i came up with my own way. and since picnik is leaving us high and dry on april 19th (waaaaaa, sarah understands my pain even more than me), i figured i would use them. and my clothes is way cheaper than the ones you probably will find on pinterest cuz im poor. well not really poor, but more like cheap. and i wear clothes until they fall apart.

for those days when i actually go to work...

(dont worry, i wear socks and understuff too)

(the hoodie is essential... the hospital is ALWAYS cold)

 its finally winter time here in maine
(throw in a headband and some gloves too)

(i have at least 10 pairs of those feetures socks. love.them.)

since i only work 3 days a week, i usually roll out of bed on my days off and get into something comfy... like these...

(i have been known to leave the house and go out in public wearing that as well. i have no shame)

buuuut if for some odd reason i have to get dressed, this is usually the norm

 and if i head to the gym cuz its just toooo cold to run outside

these are my go-to items

(yes i often wear a hat or headband)
(and i just got the lululemon tank yesterday but i forsee wearing that every day. forever)

incase any of you were thinking: where are her cute scarves to accompany those awesome outfits? what about the matching nail polish? bangles and earrings?

hahahahahahahahaha. no.

im sure this is just a fad, although i think its been around for a while now and im just jumping on the preverbial bandwagon late in the game. whatever, it keeps me occupied amidst chasing my crazy cat all over the house doing things she shouldnt. feel free to follow my randomness if you so desire... 

11 things

yesterday i came upon christy's newest blog post.... and she tagged ME to do the 11 things post that everyone is doing. yay! (i had really wanted someone to tag me, so thanks christy! i knew someone would come through haha)

the rules:
1. you must post the rules (ok, well i guess here they are... do i have to follow them?)
2. post 11 fun facts about yourself (ill try to make them "fun" if only for a certain somebody who tends to think im not fun in any way, unless i hurt myself)
3. answer the questions the tagger set for you in their post and then create 11 new questions for the people you tagged
4. tag people and link to them on your post
5. let them know youve tagged them (um hi christy, you didnt let me know!! good thing i found out myself!)

alright, so the fun facts about me:

1. i only drink water, milk, beer, and the occasional glass (bottle) of wine. no juice, no soda, no hard alcohol. i had a really bad experience with vodka one time, and that was the end of it.

2. im not sure what a "brazilian blow out" is, but i hear it advertised on the radio. and it truly freaks me out.

3. ill take looking at pics of jennifer anniston and rachel bilson over hot guys with no shirts on any day. my husband is aware of this.

4. i have to shave my legs in the winter. im not one of those people that can just let that go.

5. i want to marry josh turner. or at least have him sing me to sleep every night. again, my husband is well aware.

6. whenever the llbean catalog arrives i go through and cut out the golden retriever puppy pics and hang them up on the cork board in the kitchen. i have issues.

7. i can get ready for work or to go out in 10 minutes if i have to. shower, hair elastic, clothes. done.

8. ive painted my nails while driving before. im pretty sure if texting is illegal while driving, painting my nails sure should be as well.

9. i often wear my senior year college basketball sweatsuit. out in public.

10. i dont understand tosh.0 or chelsea handler or that show 30 rock. not interested, dont care. add all the housewives of wherever. no thanks.

11. ive only ever had my eyebrows waxed. im extremely scared of anywhere else. ouch.


and the questions that christy asked us to answer (cuz shes just dying to know, im sure)

1. how long have you been blogging and what made you start blogging?
  i started blogging over two years ago, october 27th, 2009 to be exact. i really dont know what made me start blogging but im so glad i did, for many reasons.

2. whats your favorite way to spend a saturday and/or a day off of work?
 oh you mean like today? id say i love to sleep in, but that usually doesnt happen. i enjoy getting caught up on stuff around the house and just relaxing, reading, and working out.

3. do you wear makeup?
 i occasionally wear eye shadow and mascara. i dont own foundation. i have lipstick from my wedding, that i wore once. that day.

4. if you could tell your 15 year old self one thing about where you are now, what would it be?
 be patient and dont doubt yourself.

5. whats your favorite easy go-to meal?
 peanut butter toast with banana. with a side of thin mints.

6. are you a sports fan? whats your favorite sports team?
 absolutely!! duke mens basketball is my favorite sports team, mens college bball is my favorite sport, then the red sox, then the cardinals, then the patriots.

7. do you like to travel?
 yes but i dont do it nearly enough. and i hate to fly.

8. if money were not an object and your boss said to you tomorrow "go take a week off and do something fun", where would you go and what would you do?
 id go back to punta cana and have our honeymoon allllll over again.

9. do your family/friends know you have a blog? do they read it?
 they sure do! i know my mom and mother in law read it. a few of my friends read it. i dont think my dad knows i have one. my step dad doesnt know how to turn on a computer. i think ty skims it every now and then (and for my wedding gift he got my first year of my blog book bound for me... inscription read: danielle- this book, and the pages within, chronicles a year of humor, ambition, determination, and love. i couldnt think of a better way to memorialize the day of our wedding than to give you a tangible example of all the qualities i love about you. love always, ty). awwww.

10. whats your favorite fashion accessory?
 fashion? whats that? i wear the same necklace everyday (have since 2003, only have taken it off a handfull of times)... my mom gave it to me for my college graduation- its a solitaire diamond necklace with the diamond from her engagment ring with my real dad.

11. valentines day- yay or nay?? i like cards and chocolate :) i think flowers are a waste of money, but i usually get them haha

tagged people (dont worry, you dont HAVE to do this... but you should, duh.)

Sarah E. - tales of a running mom
Ally - the shabby princess
Jessie - kissing frogs
Julia - double d athlete
Sara - middle aged runner
Leah - eat breathe sweat
Sarah A. - feet fail me not
Jen - running with the girls

11 super awesome questions for you

1. what is your favorite blog(s) to read and why? (bonus points if its mine hahaha jk, kinda)
2. if you are a runner/swimmer/biker/all 3... whens your next race?
3. coffee or tea?
4. what is your favorite recipe? (write it in here so we can all have it!)
5. what tv show do you never miss?
6. what is the best book you've ever read?
7. peanut butter... discuss.
8. if you could eat one thing for the rest of your life for all meals what would it be? (i like food, can you tell?)
9. what article of clothing do you own that you would be devistated if you lost or it somehow got thrown out?
10. what kind of cell phone do you have?
11. are you going to the movie theater on march 23rd???

fun fact friday

1. i actually got dressed today. with real clothes. i dont really know why, i have nothing to do (read: should have just stayed in sweatpants and a hoodie).

2. my closet is color coordinated. its really sad but i would never find anything if it wasnt this way.

3. ive lived in missouri, illinois, maine, new york, massachusetts, and arizona.

4. random things/texts/pics/etc makes me smile.

5. i would love to have a "shop" on etsy. just gotta figure out what i would sell...

6. this morning i was too lazy to clean out the dishwasher (clean dishes) so that i could put the dirty ones in there. so instead i washed all the dirty dishes by hand. in my head it made sense. now i still have to put the clean dishes away.

7. i set 2 alarms when i need to get up in the morning. i get afraid the power will go off or my cell phone will die.

8. i make to-do lists for EVERYTHING.

9. my cousin is 11 months older than i am. we spent so much time together when i was younger and i really looked up to her. she has 5 kids (vs my zero). i dont know how she does it.

10. ive broken my nose twice. once heading a soccer ball (yes im aware i did it wrong), and once was jumping into a jeep with the top down and i hit the roll bar.

10 day you challenge- 1

one picture (of yourself)

how do i even choose ONE picture of myself? i take pics of myself all the time!
is it supposed to be a pic of me right now? (i havent showered, ill pass). a recent one? old?
its my blog, so i can do what i want.

the morning of my 5th marathon (mount desert island)

this photo says a lot about me... im smiling before running 26.2 miles (knowing whats coming!)
its my 2nd marathon in 2 weeks.
im a little crazy, im always usually happy, and i love it.

10 day you challenge- 2

two songs

anyone that knows me well enough knows that i am constantly finding new

songs and falling in love with them. picking two is tremendously difficult... but if i have to...

1. come away with me - norah jones

2. better days - goo goo dolls

10 day you challenge- 3

three films

shes having a baby

wizard of oz

st. elmos fire

10 day you challenge- 4

four books

10 day you challenge- 5

five foods

1. french fries

2. ranch dressing

3. monkey bread

4. chips

5. salmon

im soooooo healthy.

10 day you challenge- 6

six places

1. hamel/prairietown, illinois

2. punta cana, dominican republic

3. cape elizabeth, maine

4. phoenix, arizona

5. disneyworld

6. elmira, ny

10 day you challenge- 7

seven wants

1. a nap

2. my student loans/credit cards paid off

3. calorie free french fries and ranch dressing

4. a puppy

5. jennifer anniston as my neighbor (that would benefit so many more people than just me!)

6. to find out who the mother of teds children is. seriously.

7. clarity.

fun fact friday

1. i really love my work schedule: 12 hour days/3 days a week. ive had a 9-5 job once when i lived in phoenix and i hope i never have one again. (other jobs have been 3-11p or 4p-12a).

2. goo goo dolls. forever.

3. ive got a pot roast in the slow cooker and im making whole grain chocolate chip cookies.

4. we bought our tickets this week: 91 days til im lying on myrtle beach!

5. for the amount we pay per gallon for propane, i think they should have to shovel their own damn path to our tanks.

6. some things are just better left unsaid.

7. i refuse to leave a bottle of riesling unfinished.

8. i think i would like to visit DC this year.

9. my brother seriously wants to marry paula dean. can you blame him? mmmmm butter.

10. i now own a pair of purple hunter boots.

11. a) at two of my friends weddings (i was in both of them) i took over 500 photographs. each.
b) someday i hope to photograph a wedding. and get paid to do so.

12. i feel i have some sort of creativity inside me that hasnt yet flourished.
13. i wish i was left handed.

14. i already want another tattoo.

15. i drink milk chocolate muscle milk.

16. i got my belly button pierced for my high school graduation in 1999. they pierced it with an eyebrow ring, so i have few options in the way of jewelry. ive worn the same belly button ring (barbell) since i got it pierced. ill take it out midway through my 1st pregnancy and then im done with it.

17. i have 9 other piercings. all ears. i only wear the first holes.

18. where does all this laundry come from? you'd think we were a family of 6.

19. one is never enough.

happy friday everyone!

10 day you challenge- 8

eight fears



1. death (my own and losing the ones i love)

2. flying. i seriously need xanax, and/or a lot of alcohol.

3. snakes

4. spiders (i know im so cliche, but really, those 4 are real fears)

5. michael flatley lord of the dance! ("his legs flail about as if independent from his body!") (come on, you knew that would be in there)

6. someday ill look as old as i really am (side note: someone said to me yesterday "youre like what, 20?" haha)

7. everything (everything) that can happen to my child (future child/children) (working in health care/as a respiratory therapist doesnt help that fear)

8. not being enough.

10 day you challenge- 9

nine loves

1. my husband

2. ranch dressing (might be tied for 1st) (just kidding) (...maybe)

3. family & friends

4. fall in maine w/pumpkin spice lattes

5. taking pictures

6. thoughts of the future (future sometimes includes tomorrow. i get easily excited)

7. just baked oatmeal chocolate chip cookies

8. pink

9. girl scout cookies caramel delights. they will forever be samoas to me.

  (side note: omg i just found THIS)



10 day you challenge- 10

i saw this a few days ago (got the idea here) and decided i would give it a shot. something to do :)

what secrets do you guys not already know?? (oh there are soooo many)

im gonna go more with things you might not know about me, rather than secrets.

its safer that way.

1. im an elmira college mark twain scholar. hes an interesting guy, no joke.

2. im really bad at checking my voice mail. it could sit there for weeks, unlistened to. ill see you called and call you back... dont bother leaving a message cuz youll just repeat what you said when/if i call (see #6 below)

3. i have yet to decide if im team jacob or team edward. im leaning towards team jacob. especially since he's 6'7".

4. ive used the same wallet since march of 2010.

5. one of my calves is legit an inch smaller than the other.

6. id really rather not talk on the phone. it bugs me. unless im drunk, obviously.

7. when i was in 5th grade a large group of girls, me included, did a dance for the talent show. oh did we ever have some talent! we practiced in someones basement and put together some sort of shitshow awesome performance to "jump" by kris kross. we wore our jeans backwards, our "coed naked" shirts backwards (blast from the past there, huh?), and backwards hats. someone somewhere has it on video.

8. i wish i had closer/stronger relationships with some members of my family.

9. i used to have a guitar. my aunt got it for me. i used it to hold my pennies.

10. i have regrets... but over the past few years ive realized they have made me the person i am today. and i really love that person. 

22:xx

for about two years now ive been desperately trying to get a 22:xx in a 5k. ive come close a few times, and totally crashed and burned a few times. ive come to hate the 5k distance. a lot. i always start off too fast (6:58 for the first mile... yeah thats never good), then die around mile 2.5 (mile 3 has been known for its 9 min/miles). its never pretty.

in the last few months ive started doing more core work and speed work, in hopes that maybe a 22:xx 5k could be in my future. i did it a few times on the dreadmill, but i really wanted an official time in an official race.

last week i remembered that the scarborough frozen 5k was coming up, a race i had run back in 2010 for my 12 in 2010 resolution. (recap: here). i remembered it being flat, and it gave me a PR at the time. the race also starts at 1pm which is nice, especially in january when it can be very cold. i wanted to run but i decided not to tell anyone cuz i was sick of saying ok im gonna do it today! and then having to admit defeat. so i only told 3 people i was doing it.

then i came down with some stupid respiratory infection and felt like crap on saturday night. ty suggested i probably shouldnt run the race, which i agreed with... but ultimately changed my mind. i was going to suck it up and see what happens.

so my typical 5k looks like this:

1. wake up, oatmeal, coffee, water, ibuprofen.
2. leave for race, arrive, hang out with people, head to start line.
3. run race. fast for 1st mile, slower for 2nd mile, shitty for 3rd mile.
4. be disappointed in prosecution of shitty race.
5. go home. look for next 5k.

on sunday, i decided to change things up a little:

1. woke up, oatmeal, coffee, water, ibuprofen (some things will never change)
2. race started at 1 (woo hoo!) so i stretched a little (who am i??)
3. left for race, arrived, and ran a warm up mile (warm up? whats that?)
4. took an espresso love GU 15 minutes prior to race
5. run race:

so this is what happened... (side note: before i got out of the car, one of the people who knew about the race texted me "good luck". it was the 22nd text from him in our conversation. it was a sign!!)

i started on the start line since there wasnt chip timing. i took off at a 6:25 pace, and immediately slowed it down. we went up a slight hill to begin with but i knew the rest of the course was flat, so i settled in at a good 7:15 pace and tried to just keep my head into it. i got to mile 1 (7:04) and thought "oh great, another too fast start". but i felt really good so i continued on. my watch went back and forth between 7:10 and 7:25 pace, so i knew i was ok. when i got to mile 2 (7:14) i knew i had it unless something really bad happened in the 3rd mile (not unheard of). even on my worst days i knew i could run a 9 minute mile, i just had to continue to put one foot in front of the other and believe that i could do it.

at mile 2.5 i looked at my watch and the pace read 7:20. i was shocked... i think my thoughts were "i could probably walk the rest of this and still get 22:xx"... but i wasnt going to let that happen. i powered through the end and as we got close to the finish i saw the timing clock ahead and it read 21:56. holy shit i was really going to do this! (side note: if i had sprinted the last couple hundred yards we would have been talking 21:xx. new goal? ahhhhhh!)

i crossed the finish line and my watch said 22:02. BOOM! my 3rd mile was 7:19... although positive splits, i didnt do what i usually do during that 3rd mile and completely fall apart. i was beyond happy with my consistency and finally got what ive been trying for so long to accomplish.

age group 3rd place winner!

so i guess changing things up a little and actually stretching/warming up really helped. the espresso love gu also helped power me through those miles. i felt strong all the way through, despite breathing issues with this dumb respiratory infection.

so this means i dont have to run 5k's anymore, right?

i'm out.

back in december i posted my 2012 race schedule (along with a pretty classy wedding photo... not talking about the royal wedding, although one of those is in there too).

anyway, that race schedule has 6 races on it. not one of those is a marathon. if you know me and have been following along for the last few years, thats probably a surprise to some of you. and to be honest, i even surprised myself.

ive gone back and forth about what i want to do in terms of my running... races, training, simple enjoyment. ive seemed to have lost that feeling... just putting on the sneakers and heading out the door. ive been training for marathons since 2009. i just.need.a.break.

thats not to say i already dont miss it. my original idea was to do either shamrock or national marathon, and training would have started pretty much now. then i decided to take a year off. then i changed my mind and decided to do sugarloaf in may. but the more i looked into training plans and sneakers and and and.... i couldnt commit. my mind is only half into it, and it needs to be 110% into it. my body tells me daily through the minor aches and pains that its had enough (for now), yet ive continued to ignore it day after day.

i want to run marathons again (yes, pleural). i want to run them strong and FAST. the sub four will be mine, one day. but not today. and not this year. i have a list of marathons that i want to complete someday, and i know in my heart i will make sure it happens. my husband, although he doesnt fully comprehend how/why i love running so much, is extremely supportive and i couldnt ask for anything more than that (he spends his money on expensive golf stuff and whiskey, ill spend my money on sneakers and races. and bud light, of course).

so all that being said, i made another big decision this week:

i pulled my application for the 2012 nyc marathon.

last year was the last year you could enter into the "if you dont get picked for 3 years in a row you are automatically guaranteed entry into the 4th year", and i did that. i had to enter this year to keep that open. so i did. then i thought more about it.

do i really have a good chance of getting in this year? no. but is it possible that i would get picked? yes. and this being the year that im not doing any marathons, chances are i would be picked just because i dont want to be.

if i got picked to run the marathon this year and i couldnt run it, i could defer it and be automatically in for next year! sweet, right? think again: the price this year to run the marathon (just to step foot on the starting line, run for 4 hours (well, 3:59:59 obviously), get your pic taken (smile!) and get a medal and maybe some bananas... $255. yes you read that right, no i didnt put the decimal place in the wrong spot. so if i got picked, and had to defer for some reason, i would PAY the $255, this april, and NOT run. and then next year, where im guaranteed to get in, i would pay $255 (or probably more im sure) AGAIN. so it would be $510. for bananas.

throw in there that i live 6 hours away, so i would have to drive. gas in november of 2013 will probably be like $5/gallon. do i know anyone that lives in nyc? um... susan? could i stay with you? who knows. so a hotel it is.  $$$$$$$$$

with things that are going on right now in the way of money, i think the chance that i would have to pay $510 just to run ONE marathon is absurd. then i thought, well maybe i should take the chance and really hope i dont get it... ill only have to pay $255 next year or the year after to run it. (yes, i actually tried to rationalize this!).

please compare with me:
sugarloaf marathon: $60
maine marathon: $65
mount desert island marathon: $90

total for ALL THREE: $215

give me a break, nyc. when i put it in perspective, ill run around nyc someday when i go to visit. for free. i emailed 3 people at ny road runners and made a phone call and hadnt heard back so i figured there was no way they were going to take me out of the drawing. but alas, i got an email last night.

i'm out. for this year, and for the "hope" of getting in for 2014. for the sake of my bank account, im just fine with that.

fun fact friday

1. im anxiously awaiting an email that ill probably never get so that i can write a blog post. sounds fun, right? stay tuned...
  (update: got the email. blog tomorrow.)

2. im at work and feel like crap... again, so fun. this IS "fun" fact friday after all

3. i have maybe 6 different colors of nail polish. i rarely paint my nails, and when i do, it stays on until it cracks off/grows out

4. im pretty sure i sent a TMI text to a good friend yesterday. i do that sometimes.
  (do you too want TMI texts? see #13 below. i have a lot of freetime, and love new friends)

5. im really going to try and take less kitten pics for this years 366 project (its a leap year). a puppy this spring should help.

6. with what little running i plan on doing this year, i think i will look into kinvaras. or vibrams. yes, i just said it.

7. i started lifting again. the bar is delightfully heavy (read: no upper body strength).

8. ive decided when it comes to the end of 2012, ill take a look back and figure out what i either did everyday or didn't do this year and make that my new years resolution. prediction: breathe & no pickles! its just easier.

9. my patients families in the intensive care unit this week are awesome. they also want us to get fat. this morning there were boxes of chocolate frosted donuts and harry & david goodies. who can resist?

10. seriously, why do they even make rye bread?

11. drinking a gallon of water a day is not always the easiest thing to do, but i have it down to a science... almost. 1 nalgene = 1/4 gallon... drink one from 9a-noon, noon-3p, 3p-6p, 6p-9p.

12. #11 causes me to pee. a LOT. and as added fun to my day, i just dropped my pager in the toilet.

13. i text like a teenager. its probably a really good thing i didn't have text messaging when i was a real teenager.

14. my basement is such a disaster i can't even go down there right now. maybe in the spring.