T-cubed. Three Things Thursday.

Heather & Me in Tuscaloosa!

 1. I am a firm believer that all things happen for a reason. I had been trying to figure out for awhile now how I was going to ask my good friend from college, Heather, how to be a bridesmaid in our wedding.  I really wanted to ask her in person and well, she lives in Memphis and works for a crazy sports agent who basically never lets her off work so I had basically come to the conclusion that I was going to have to ask her over the phone. When I heard she was going to Chicago this past weekend and had a 3 hour layover in the Atlanta Airport on her way back to Memphis, I was like "oh oh oh I am coming to see you - we can do dinner" ... so her and I (and her mom) had dinner Sunday in the Atlanta airport and I asked her to be a bridesmaid. ...she said yes... and we were/are both so excited and thrilled.  Her and I have so many funny and amazing memories from Tuscaloosa and she has been more than excited from day one about this wedding planning stuff.  Now Jimmy has to let her off work - I hope 500+ days is enough notice.  I would like to thank Michael Orr for sharing his free AirTran tickets with Heather. Without him and his generosity this past Sunday never would have happened.

2.  Yesterday as I was pulling out of my apartment complex to go to Walmart for a pizza I saw some dude wailing on his girlfriend.  I initially just thought "oh my god" and kept driving but then as I watched the play by play in my rear-view mirror I had to turn around to say something (since I hoped someone would stop for me if I was in her shoes) and ended up calling the Chamblee cops.  It made for an intense trip to Walmart full of 3 police officers, russian translators, and me and 2 other women who stopped having to give our statements.  Looking back - I would totally call the cops again on someone beating their girlfriend.  You just never know how it could play out if you didn't. I felt like a good samaritan for the day.  She ended up wanting to leave with him and not press charges.  I really hope she is okay...

3. Today is my last day of no sweets and only one diet coke per day.  I cannot believe I made it a whole 30 days with no cupcakes, cookies, brownies, candy etc and only 1 diet coke per day... my office used to joke that I sweat out diet coke.  I think I will totally stick to the only one diet coke per day and move to only one sweet per week.  But I a cannot wait to eat a monster cookie from corner bakery, a strawberry and cream cupcake from cami cakes, and a chocholate chip cookie from the cafe in my building.  Surprisingly, after I made it thru week 1, it really was not hard to stay away.  It didn't help that I had the support of Kyle and my whole office.

and there you have it kids. another edition of three things thursday. 1 more day to the weekend!  I hope you have something fun planned. =)

habits.

I know every runner has habits before big races ... the more and more I run the more and more I notice them.  I really began to notice it this past weekend in Nashville when I was searching for alfredo and bagels and would not substitute for anything else and also when it was 5:00 pm and I was pinning my race number on my shirt, yet I had not really unpacked yet.  I know it is more of a comfort level thing since you're not supposed to try anything new, but isn't that about food and clothes and shoes .... not music.

• every night before the race I have to lay out my clothes. shoes. socks. shorts. shirt [with my # pinned on]. hair tie. everything.  I actually sleep with my sports bra on.
• when I carb load i tend to eat the same thing: chicken alfredo, but i tend to not eat all the chicken
• I eat half a bagel the morning of the race. but only half. and i wash it down with water.
• I have the same 4 songs start me off for every race 1) "my time" - jeremiah 2) "we belong to the music" - timbaland ft. miley cyrus 3) "who's got your money" -tina dollar and 4) "Rock & Roll" - eric hutchinson  ... i tend to follow it up with a slower song that allows me to walk if need be.
• I actually pack up my belt pack thing 2-3 days prior to the race, loading it with both GU Chomps and Clif Shotblocks ... making sure I leave room for my blackberry.
• During the race I don't like to rely on the Clif Shotblocks or anything until at least mile 6 ... and then 12 ... 6 mile increments.

what are your habits?! Are they as nit-picky as mine or am I just crazy?!

half marathon #3 in the record books. gah it was hilly.

Yesterdya I ran my 3rd half marathon and my 1st big race since the ING Half this past March. Honestly, I do not know what made me want to do this race and ultimately sign up for it and I am unsure how I really feel about it, but it was a great training run for Marine Corps (which is quickly approaching) and it gave me some confidence that hey I can totally do MCM and I can totally beat that obnoxious 14th street bridge .... but I may die trying to do so.

i headed up to nashville from atlanta friday morning with 2 missions. 1) run a half marathon and *hopefully beat my friend Erin's most recent half marathon time of 2:29 (sorry E, nothing but love for you, but i do love this friendly competition) and 2) ask my good friend Brian from my childhood to be the minister at my wedding. Since i was not working, i let myself see kyle j off to work and i slept in till about 10:00. I took the crazy dog out for one last little stroll, said my goodbyes to him as i dropped him off at daycare (he did not say bye back... he had playtime on his mind), and headed north west to the city of country music. Once I got to Nashville I checked into the hotel and headed to the expo to get my number.  Since I was staying in the "race headquarters" the expo was in the hotel which made getting my race # and checking out the loot super easy.

the expo really wasn't that great.  Not a lot of cool stuff to look at and overly crowded.  Basically I got my race number, goodie bag, walked the expo, got my tee shirt and headed back to my hotel room.  i kinda hung out there all afternoon/evening and escaped to grab dinner and a bagel for race morning.  my hotel was only a few blocks from both the start and the finish of the race which made it really nice come 5:45 AM. (why am i runner again?! i hate early mornings!)  ...I should have known it was going to be a rough one when I set my alarm for 5:45 and woke up at 4:45 (doh! time change. hi) ... my bagel just did not sit well so as I was walking to the start my stomach wasn't feeling so hot.  But I told myself that I was not going to focus on it and just run it out.  I could not have asked for better weather, it was gorgeous. The sun came out every now and then and made it toasty but for the most part it was super nice.  I woke up Friday with crazy calf craps and thought to myself "did kyle sabotage me... he told me he didn't want me to go" ... and I woke up with the same cramp this morning.  I stretched it out and taped it up with KT Tape and hoped it wouldn't give me too much trouble...

The race started & finished at The Country Music Hall of Fame which was cool to see all the country music "stars" on the walkway.  JoDee Messina (who I love) kicked off the race with the National Anthem and it was just a cool cool start.  I was placed in coral 2 - which freaked me out, but then I realized it was because my finishing time was going to be in the 2 hr and some mark. The one thing that can describe this race is - hilly.  ...and they started early.  we weren't even to the first mile marker and we were trucking up and hill.  There were just a lot of hills - at times I felt like I was traversing a mountain (the Smokey's are in Tennessee aren't they...) and we didn't get to go down the mountain too often. Honestly: the 1st part was a lot of hills and not short ones that you run up and get them over with, but hills that just keep going and going.  Mile 3 took us into Centennial Park which reminded me a lot of Piedmont Park here in Atlanta and it was gorgeous and shady.  We ran by Vanderbuilt and Belmont University and through some neighborhoods with stunning houses.  Somewhere around mile 6 my pink KT Tape started peeling & annoying me so I pulled it off and ran only with half of it and hoped my calf wouldn't start to give me trouble. (seriously: what is in KT Tape to make it work?!) We did a turn around at mile 7 or so and my garmin pretty much freaked out.  I hit mile 8 and my watch read 7.34 (or something) and I was like huh -- that's not right. and then somewhere in mile 8 my garmin just said "okay never mind, nap time" and I looked down to see the clock. nice. somewhere in mile 9 it decided to wake back up... so it was hard to watch my pace/miles/etc for the rest of the race.  By the time we got to the Veteran's Bridge I was 110% over the hills and really did not have another hill in me - but I stuck it out and trudged up it. we ran next to the Titan's Dome to trek up another bridge and that one killed me (and put the nail in the coffin that I was never running in Nashville again).  The Shelby Bridge just kept going up and up and it was killer.  Around mile 12 someone yelled "it's all downhill from here" -- and that person was a HUGE liar.  As we rounded a corner up to mile 13 we were headed UP again.  We hit mile 13, took a left and I could see the finish.... and I just coasted across the finish line.  I got my medal from some military man in uniform (who told me, "you didn't even break a sweat did you" -- no sir, I died a few times on those hills), told him thank you and headed to grab water and a banana.  I steered clear of the "cookie cafe"  .... and walked up another hill back to my hotel.  Later Saturday I was reading comments by everyone who ran on the Women's Half Marathon's Facebook page and basically everyone was saying it was a hard course and much harder than the RnR Country Music Marathon and Half Marathon's course -- even a self proclaimed "veteran marathoner" said it was the hardest half she has ever done which makes me feel much much better about my performance (though I am far from a veteran). 

i had no idea it was an inaugural race and there were 5,000 or so people registered for it.  For it being the 1st time it was held in Nashville they did an AWESOME job.  The expo was fully staffed of volunteers so you didn't have to wait for anything (number, goodie bag, or tee) ... the water stops were practically perfectly executed (with the exception of the 2nd one which was kind of a cluster) ... there were so many volunteers in bright yellow on the course cheering us on.  Honestly, I would have thought this was like a normal year after year event which means it can only get better with time.

best sign saw on the whole course was going up a hill (who would have thought) there was some guy with a sign that said "my favorite people are women" -- it gave me a good laugh.

I didn't feel as strong as I had hoped I would, but seeing that it was the hilliest thing I have run since San Francisco I felt pretty good.  I am sure the pictures look horrendous... but I will post them when they're posted.  I didn't like that I didn't know my true finish time thanks to my Garmin crapping out, but a little suspense is okay every now and then right?!  ...i did learn that I love Clif Shot Blocks which will not be my new GU. strawberry.yum.  And, I ran with my Marine Corps playlist ... and I am gonna need to edit & manage it better. It got kinda dull and unfun a hour or so in.

finish time: 2:44:07 --yikes. not happy about that at all. that is 9 minutes slower than my PR. grr. thanks hills.

average pace:  12:39 -- which is under the 14:00 pace for MCM and I am sure MCM is not that hilly.

my garmin only tracked 12.49 miles of the 13.1, but from that i beat my mcm competition by: 1.46 miles

Post race, I took a 20 minute ice bath and then headed back to Atlanta (bad idea - my legs were sore and I was so tired) to watch the Alabama/Arkansas game. My heart took too much on Saturday. Half Marathon and a too stressful football game. It's amazing I am still alive.

Oh and I didn't get to ask my friend to be my officiant.  He ended up going camping Friday and having to take his dog to the vet.  I do have 545 days till I am hitched so I have some time.

Mulligan loves Alabama Football.

When Kyle and I get excited about anything (touchdowns, interceptions, good plays, sacking the QB, etc...) Mully finds the closet toy and runs around with it.

But then when it calms down he goes back to his window and stares out it.

women's half marathon elevation map

so here is the elevation map for my half marathon in Nashville on Saturday. doesn't look too bad. slow gradual hill from 1.5 miles - 4 ... then flat for the most part and then downhill for the finish... i am most excited about touring Nashville by foot. i have never been there, but heard it is a cool city. ...depending on how this goes it will make me decide if I want to do The Country Music Half in April...

race starts at 7:00 AM. I am in coral 2. I figure I will be done by 9:30 AM - 9:40 at the latest. Gotta be back on the road to Atlanta by 10:30... Need to be back in Atlanta by 3:30 PM for the Alabama/Arkansas game. I was kinda excited to see a 12pm checkout time for my hotel, it was shattered when i saw the 2:30 pm (CT) kickoff for the game. Oh Alabama Football how you rule my life in the fall. depending on my true finish time and the ice situation at the hotel, i may get in a 15 minute ice bath... but that's me being optimistic.

I know I want to run it in about 2:21 - so I can beat Erin's most recent time. (love you girl!) a


Saturday is going to be busy, busy, busy with the race and trying to get back to Atlanta...

3 things thursday.

i missed 3 things thursday last week. sorry. but there was nothing worth sharing (in my opinion) but today i just feel like not depriving you of another one so these 3 things are probably super random...

1. i am thinking about cancelling my gym membership. hear me out. at this current time, i am really only using it for swimming since i am focusing more on hard cardio and running and the building i work in has a free gym for use (and it's a nice one). i can go to one of the dekalb county rec centers and use their pool for like $3 per swim. 3x4=$12 per month rather than the $30 i currently pay. But I just don't think I can part from spin class. i l.o.v.e spin so it's gonna be hard.
2. i have come to have a recent hate for netflix. it's a great service and kyle and i love watching TV shows while having dinner, but the discs now a days always seem to be scratched and they skip. on top of it, I have had 1 movie on a very long wait since January. I have been waiting 9 months for 1 movie so far... how much longer am I going to have to wait for it? ....if they didn't have the market cornered we would totally make a switch. If Redbox offered TV shows we would make a switch. But for now, we're like stuck. Boooo.
3. i love good friends and reunions. i had dinner and drinks with a good friend last night and it reminded me how much i miss her. we decided to make it a bi-monthly occurrence and I am so excited about that. friends make my world turn round and round. my bridal party is going to be huge. like 6 people huge.

Big Peach sizzler Photos.

So the photos from this weekend are in. True Speed Photos did a mighty good job of capturing the moment around mile 6. Him yelling "hey 1045 big smile big smile" ... thanks for the good laugh! =)

Big Peach Sizzler 10k 2010

This time last year I ran my 1st ever 10k (read race report here) with one of my really good friends who constantly pushes and motivates me. And man did she motivate and push me to the finish last year. I made the decision that I wanted to try and run as many of the same races each year to see how much I have (or have not improved in a year). So this weekend was the Big Peach Sizzler 10k... 6.2 miles, starting right by my apartment, and all I wanted was it to not be as humid as it was last year.

The Big Peach Running Company is my favorite running store here in Atlanta - the staff is awesome (knowledgeable, friendly, always willing to help) and they are stocked full of basically anything and everything you could ever want, need, and not really need when it comes to running and when yo find something you want, they have options and make your decision just a tiny bit harder. Big Peach puts on a few races each year and every time they host one I try to take part since they're well run, organized, and just fun.


This years race was no different. The night before I took Kyle to our little pizza joint and I carb loaded on tortellini (and put myself into a carb coma), checked the weather (to learn it would be hot and humid, typical atlanta), and i picked out my outfit & put the race number on my shirt... and called it an early night, err i crawled in bed to try to make it an early night but of course I was sucked into E! ...

Race morning was no different than past race mornings - woke up early (too early this time since the race started basically in my apartment complex's parking lot), took out the pup, got dressed, and filled up my water bottle and was out the door. The 1st thing I really noticed was the crowd - Big Peach races always have good turnouts, but there was just a lot of people. Race started at 7:30 and I was feeling good. It is great how properly eating can make such a difference, who woulda thought? The weather was actually really nice a touch a heat but not too much. Since I lived around the start I was really comfortable with the terrain which I think gave me an advantage. As people were dropping off at the 1st hill (which really isn't a hill, its a slow incline), I was chugging up it since I run it weekly... and I knew when the flat parts were coming... and the hilly-ish part of peachtree I could handle those hills pretty well too since I was familiar with them. When I got to the 1st water stop I was thankful I decided to bring my own since they were dry, no water. I heard lots of grumbles around me and it worried me a bit about the water situation at the 5 mile mark so I started to ration my water. Thankfully for those who didn't get water at the 1st stop were able to get bottles of water from Thrive Personal Training not too far down. I somehow lost a contact around mile 4 or so ... half blind running was a 1st for me and the photo guy just around the 6 mile mark was super fun yelling "hey 1045 big smiles big smiles" -- thankfully Miley Cyrus was on so I was able to keep it moving and going. I was about 3 minutes shy of a PR, but I am content and okay with my time. Knowing that I beat my MCM "pick up the stragglers car" in my garmin by over a mile gave me some much needed confidence goinig into October... ...granted 20 miles is much farther and longer than 6.2 so my legs will be more tired by then... honestly, i think it is all about playing games and when your mind is telling you no more to just keep putting 1 foot in front of the other.

I think the reason why I like this race so much is because I run a lot of this course just for fun. It starts by my apartment and much of the middle course is part of my brookhaven route and then the buckhead part is what i run when i take breathers from the office. ...and if i ever start running to work again it is the exact course.

I am happy to report that I made it this year without losing anything. *last year I lost my timing chip, drivers license, and credit card* And I did miss having my running buddy and being told the "Nick Saban would kick me off the team". PS. When are we running again and doing brunch?!

so the stats.the important things.
Last Year's Time: 1:21
This Year's Time: 1:10 (a whopping 11 minutes faster than last year) - and I beat the 14 minute mcm pace man by 1.18 miles. Take that 14th St. Bridge

I am happy with my time. I ran The Peachtree in 1:10 and that was when I was in much better shape than I am now - so maybe there is hope for MCM :o)

**i'll post pictures once they're posted**

Singleton 5 Miler Recap

Last night I was lazy. I had planned on making chicken alfredo to carb load and great ready for my race, but I was exhausted and tired and instead made Jambalaya from the box. Rice and Chicken does not equal pasta and chicken. When I went to bed Friday night my mind was not too focused on what I was waking up to... a 10 miler race. I was thinking about the race, how I am missing ESPN Gameday's coverage of Alabama/Penn State, the wedding venue tour, and then the game. I couldn't sleep and when I finally fell asleep around 12:00 my alarm went off too soon.

Well, 6:05 am came early & I once again was glad I had my clothes picked out. I got dressed, took the dog out and hit the road to head to Tucker, GA for what would be my first 10 mile run since the ING Half Marathon in March. Yikes. Nothing like forcing myself to get some miles in right?! I knew going into the race that it was super low key - no shirts, low race entry fee, just laid back. Given that it was hosted by The Atlanta Track Club, I figured there would be water stops, but I had planned to bring my own water too.... only to realize that I left that bottle at the office yesterday. Strike 1 against my morning. I got there at 6:45 thinking the race started at 7.. nope started at 7:30.. so I got to stand around for awhile. Around 7:15 I was regretting rushing out the door and neglecting to make toast. *had I known the race was 7:30 I would have made toast* ...and as I was thinking about the lack of breakfast I began thinking about the lack of carbs... and then I was thinking, great no prerace fuel, this is gonna be doozy.

When the race started I started strong. I was jamming and moving and feeling confident and strong. Around mile 2.5 I was wondering (and asking race volunteers) where the 1st water stop was only to be told "i don't know" ... and I think that is when and where my mind starting playing games with me. When I finally stumbled across water I was so so so grateful and took some and kept moving. As I was nearing mile 4, my mind starting telling me "you know you can take an exit at mile 5..." and I started contemplating it. Around mile 4.5 I told my self no I am doing 10, i need to do 10. and then the dehydration headache sat in and the wonderful question of "where is the water" came back. ...none to be found. So I bowed out at 5. Another big reason on why I bowed out was something super weird and this is TMI, I know, but my boobs literally hurt. Like stabbing pains every time my foot hit the ground.

But, I feel that 5 miles is better than no miles. I had my Garmin set to the 14 minute pace and I beat the little runner man inside by about .75 miles - which means I am doing well for Marine Corps and beating the bridge. Next weekend I am running a 10k here in Buckhead which is 6.2 miles. Tomorrow I am going for a 30 minute swim and 30 minute elliptical session. ....it's all gonna fall together, but nothing like cramming. :o)

Lessons learned: 1) always carb load. 2) don't skip breakfast. 3) bring your own hydration. 4) confirm race start time before leaving the house.

and now onto a crazy day of wedding venue visits. making spin dip for the game tonight and then THE GAME! Happy Birthday Bear Bryant! =) roll tide roll

three things thursday.

and we're onto another thursday, almost friday, which means helllooo weekend (btw, how GREAT was the 3 day weekend). 2 more days till my 10 mile race at stone mountain. hi hills, i will appreciate you and the workout you will give me. =)


and onto 3 things thursday.


1. i have gone a whole week and a day without sweets. no cupcakes. no cookies. no nothing. at times it is brutal, but other times i am fine. right now, because i am thinking about it, i want a cookie. and while i am updating you on my 30day revolution... i am doing AWESOME with my 1 diet coke per day rule and horrible with my 1 chapter per day rule (chapters read.five.) clothes have gone to goodwill and i went to a girls on the run meeting & learned there was not too much i could do to help out. awesome. no sweets no sweets no sweets is the worst.
2. i always have the worst timing ever. i am drawn to 3 allure bridal dresses dress1, dress2, and dress3. all the dresses are so different and per my million google searches under $1000. there is a bridal store here in atlanta that is having an allure bridal dress sale September 24th & 25th all dresses on sale. s-a-l-e. Of course, I had to find out on such short notice and I am pretty sure my parents will be zillion miles away at the beach (and i want my mom there when i go dress shopping) and i will be in Nashville getting ready to run a half marathon. my timing is always so so so off, luckily kyle is optimistic Oliver and is telling me "there will be other sales" (and I plan on calling to ask, how often they have said sales). ....but, once i do settle on 1 dress - i plan on calling every store in atlanta that sells that line and price shopping.
3.saturday is going to be the longest day ever. i do not even want to think about it. i am running the singleton 10 miler with the Atlanta track club at 7 am (yay for forced long runs). Then Kyle and I are heading a hour south of the city to check out Hazelhurst House (or as Kyle calls it, The House of Hazelnuts...) and we hope that this is going to be THE wedding venue/location. And then we have the Alabama/Penn State game. roll tide roll i have a sneaky suspicion I am going to sleep like a baby saturday night....

POM Wonderful review.

A few weeks back I got an email from Ryan at POM Wonderful telling me that he came across my blog & was enjoying looking at it/reading it and he wanted to know if I would be interested in a case of POM Wonderful Pomegranate juice. Even before Ryan approaching me I had a deep love of POM and their products but I really did not know too much about them or their beverages other than they were (a) super tasty and (b) good for you. But of course, him offering up a free case of POM Pomegranate juice was something I could not turn down. After thinking about it, I realized that even though I love pomegranate everything I have never bought or drank a bottle of straight pomegranate juice and I has always stuck to their teas... so this was a good opportunity to try something new and fresh.

A little about POM: POM Wonderful is the only company that grows, harvests, processes, and ships their own pomegranates. They grow their own pomegranates in California’s San Joaquin Valley, pick it by hand, squeeze it and manufacture their own bottles! All of this is for quality control. Numerous independent laboratory tests have shown that POM Wonderful 100% Pomegranate Juice has superior antioxidant content, ounce for ounce, compared to other juices and beverages.

And my review: To be honest, when I took my first swig (and first bottle) I thought that it super tart and I was not too sure about it. But since I had a free case and Kyle was not interested in it, I decided to give it another whirl and after drinking it and drinking it I really do like it. At first sip, it has a tart taste followed by a bitter taste, but I learned you cannot chug it. It is a product and a juice that you can (and need to) savor and enjoy in small bits. it kind of has a cranberry/grape taste to it - it's unique and i like it. Ryan who initially approached me mentioned that he likes making the smoothies post workout, but i never did try that so I can't tell you if I agree with him or not. but i do know that pomegranate has great health benefits and i would continue to drink it. it's just a bit pricey, that's the main downfall.

other uses: smoothies. pomegranate martinis. cupcakes. there are a bunch of recipes on their website here ...and if once i invite sweets back into my life i want to try and make the cupcakes.
Where to purchase: i know you can get it at the some grocery stores in the refrigerated section and some gas stations, but here is the store locator so you can find a store close to you.



but POM i do miss your glass containers for the teas. I have about 5 in my cabinet and I would love more.

mulligan - video =)

And this is what our little guy would do when we were limiting his water intake when he was being house broken. Kyle and I are walking down memory lane this weekend with old puppy videos & pictures. =)

foto friday.

i am going to call this one: blast from the past. This was before we were even allowed to take little Mulligan home. How freaking cute is he?! We still cannot believe he was ever that small.

30Day Personal Revolution

One of my favorite Twitter people is @jesswuv (blog: jess runs) and a little while back she elected to do something called "tr30days" in which she introduce me to this website. It is all about a 30 day personal resolution. And well, 30Day Personal Revolution is exactly what it sounds like -- you spend 30 days doing things to improve your life. You make a bucket list and swear by it for the next 30 days. I thought the idea was wickedly cool and since I like to steal awesome ideas I have stolen it.

What is even cooler is that I mentioned it in passing to my coworkers and all 3 of us are doing this in September. You'll notice that I am cutting sweets out and limiting myself to 1 diet coke per day. The WHOLE cupcake loving office is doing this to hold each other accountable.

So my bucket list for the next 30 days. Starting today. September 1.

:: FIT ::
1. Run 3 days a week (dogless), 1 run with dog, 4 spin classes, and 4 awesome swim sessions.
2. Ab workout - 1 per day before all my evening shows.
3. No sweets. No cookies. No cupcakes. No ice cream. Nothing. this.is.gonna.be.so.hard.i.will.die. *i am a cupcake & cookie lover*
4. Only 1 diet coke per day.

:: SHARE/CARE::
1. Take the 4 bags of clothes to Goodwill that have been sitting in my closet.
2. Finally get involved with Girls on the Run here in Atlanta

:: PERSONAL ::
1. Read at least 1 chapter per night before going to bed.
2. Go back to having 4 date nights with Kyle J per month. me.him.me.him
3. Take a Saturday afternoon to get a good (but cheap) massage - my body needs it
4. Put at least $400 in savings to use towards the wedding, my next car, or the future move back to DC. Just save it.