Just Peachy.

I love halloween. I spend a good 352 days dreaming up my costume each year and look forward to the big day for months. When I realized the annual halloween party fell during the two weeks I had to be out of town for work, I was crushed. In all seriousness, I almost cried. It was like taking candy away from a two-year-old. Thankfully, the Ghost Runner's 5k Dog Run, which Chloe and I were already signed up for, was having a costume contest. Clearly I had to dress up; Princess Peach couldn't wait another year to make her debut. I had to tweak the outfit a little and come up with something for Chloe, but I was so in.

Playing dress up never gets old, but contrary to popular belief, running in a tutu is not all its cracked up to be.... read as: running in a tutu causes extreme chafing on your inner thighs leading to lots and lots of pain, sometimes even bleeding. Thank goodness for Gold Bond. I'm sure I looked super cool when I kept reaching down my tutu to pull down my compression shorts mid-run.

You might remember last year's dog run when Chloe was well behaved and kicked butt.....this year was slightly different. The second the race started, she thought she needed to run like a sled dog. She pulled and yanked and tugged the entire 3.1 miles (I guess I'm too slow for her) until we approached the finish line.... It must have looked scary because she planted her butt and refused to cross. How embarrassing, Chloe. Everyone was watching......

After the race, the costume contest took place. Sadly, Princess Peach and Toad did not place :( We were beat by an OU football player and cheerleader. I was extremely disappointed that I ran in a tutu and underwent extreme chafing for nothing. And I especially hate to lose to a sooner. I hate OU. Go Pokes. The silver lining is that I still got to dress up for halloween; the chafing was totally worth it. The other silver lining? Cole got second place. He's so dang fast, what a stud.


If you ever want to make your own tutu, follow this tutorial. Its super easy and makes you feel like a princess fairy. Notice: glitter goes everywhere.

0

I'm only half crazy.

I've run a lot of 5ks in my life. I also ran that one 10k. What I've never done is run further than 6.2 miles....until recently. 

Running a half marathon has been on my bucket list for a while. I've attempted to train for one a few times before but have never gotten very far. Its a big commitment and life is hella-busy. Training is tough, its discouraging, the weather doesn't always cooperate and its easy to give up. But this time around, I'm sticking with it. That feeling of accomplishment I had after my 10k is something I want to feel again, and I'm ready to push myself to get there. 

Sunday morning, Nov. 24, I'll be in this crowd of Route 66 Half Marathon Participants, lining the streets of Tulsa, Okla. Can you feel the butterflies? 'Cause I sure can. Some people might say 13.1 miles is crazy......but its only half crazy.

One would assume that being on the upward side of 5'9" with an athletic build that I would be a fast runner. Those people are wrong. I'm not a fast. Heck, I run slower than AOL in '99. I blame my Ronald McDonald sized feet for being too large to pick up properly. I run like a weirdo (seriously, my form is all jacked up), I struggle with Sports Induced Asthma, and my knee likes to pop out of place on the reg. I am also very good at coming up with 1,000 reasons why I shouldn't run. But, I have the guts to get out there and try, to overcome my fears and struggles, to push myself and to be a better me. Regardless of what my time is, it will be a new personal record because it will be the furthest I've ever ran. And that, my friends, is a huge accomplishment.

"Give a girl the right pair of shoes and she can conquer the world."

Now that its in writing, I can't turn back....and that is a tad bit scary. Luckily I have a fancy new pair of Brooks running shoes, courtesy of Keep It Local and Red Coyote. I also have a large selection of running headbands and a cute, cold weather zip up for those brisk fall runs in the near future. In the right shoes and outfit, I am invincible - Carrie Bradshaw would back me up on that. Here's to 13.1, ya'll.....wish me luck!



***Big shout out to Cole for encouraging me on the reg. For re-talking me into this half every weekend when its time for my long runs. I'm sorry for the million complaints from, "I just suck at running" and, "I don't feel like it today," to the always popular, "My feet hurt, I'm so sore." I'm also sorry for being the world's worst running buddy. You're a champ for putting up with me, trying to help me even when I don't want to want to listen, and signing up for this race and many more with me. Thank you!***

0

Foodie Friday | Apple Spice Cookies

I'm sure your Pinterest boards are covered in every kind of pumpkin spice thing you can imagine. Girls are walking around in UGGs and scarves with PSLs in hand, pretending its cold outside when really its 82 degrees. I'm guilty, I'll admit it. I will never stop wearing UGGS with shorts or scarves with tanks. I'm ready for fall temps, but here in Okla., 82 is about as "fally" as it gets, so you have to trick your self into believing sweatpants and hot chocolate are OK.

So, if you're like me and longing for the toasty warmth of a wooly blanket and crackling fire but don't have the luxury of real-life fall weather, try these cookies. They'll at least have your taste buds thinking its crisp outside.

Apple Spice Cookies

I ate them too fast to take a picture. Sorry.

via Jens Front Porch

2 cups flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp nutmeg

1 1/2 sticks butter, softened

1 1/3 cup brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1 cup chopped apple (or a little more)

1/4 cup apple cider (the good stuff w/the spices at the bottom of the jug - shake it up, shake it up) 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl. Add the egg. Combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, salt and nutmeg in a bowl and gradually add to the butter-sugar-egg mixture until combined. Then add in chopped apples and apple cider to combine. 

Drop by large (and I mean large) spoonfuls onto cookie sheet. Bake for 18-22 minutes. 

Eat. Probably all in one sitting. Because they're that good. 

Now I'm off to spend the weekend at the cabin, laying in a hammock and trying to convince myself that its sweater weather. I'll probably break a sweat, but who cares. Its principle.

1

Run with the Pack

For months I've been using the hash tag #thechloediaries. You probably get tired of seeing Chloe's face all over your TL, but I don't care. She is my dog child and I love her. However, I hate when people make social media profiles for their dogs. Sorry, but its stupid.... Until now.

I think they made Pack Dog with me in mind. Dog obsessed, Instagram junkie, social medialite. I've seen every episode of Dogs 101 and can't look at a puppy without going "awwww." Typical white girl? Maybe. Regardless, to say the Pack is the greatest thing since Beggin' Strips would be an understatement. Its basically Instagram for dogs - my dream come true.

Chloe: fighting crime one tick at a time.

You know you want to "track" Chloe. I mean, she's a hoot, seriously, guys. Go ahead.... Follow this link. While you're there, make your own pack profile and we can all be pack pals. If nothing else, you can at least look at cute pictures of puppies for hours on end. It doesn't get better than that, trust me.

0