Flowers for a Cause

Finally sunshine and spring weather. I am rejoicing! I was so tempted to just blow off all plans last night and sit on my deck with a cool drink and soak in the sun (well obviously I would never blow off city council or dinner with grandpa but it was quite tough to force myself indoors).

I went to a fundraiser Friday for the Midlands Humane Society - Run for the Wet Noses. Cute right? Some of the silent auction items were gorgeous flowers so it was the perfect excuse to start on my summer porch decorating. Pretty flowers and helping out a great cause = win win!

Now just need this weather to stick around so I can plant more flowers in my backyard! But for now this little space certainly makes me happy. I usually stick to all pink and purple but this year decided to mix in a bit of yellow. So far I am liking the extra pop of cheery color.

I found out just last night that not only was a large amount of money raised at Friday's Humane society fundraiser it also encouraged adoption. All but two dogs were adopted from the shelter by the end of the weekend. Amazing!!!

"They will fight against you but will not overcome you, for I am with you and will rescue you." declares the Lord. Jeremiah 1:19

Lincoln Half Marathon 2013 Recap

I will admit I almost didn't run this race. It was cold and drizzly all day Saturday and I had a lot I wanted to accomplish in a very short time frame. I had just ran the Gambler Half two weeks prior and had no burning desire to prove I could run another. Luckily several runners in our group - thanks Brandy and Christine! - encouraged me to run. Totally worth stepping away from tasks and "to-do" lists to spend time with this great group and force myself to tackle goals.

"I run because I can
When I get tired
I remember those who can't
what they would give to have this
simple gift I take for granted
and I run harder for them.

I know they would do the same for me"

I wasn't expecting anything stellar - last year I had a HORRIBLE time for the Lincoln half and I truly wasn't motivated. It sadly was way way too cold for my cute running skirt pictured above but at least it wasn't raining. I decided to just run and give it my best without torturing my body and call it good.

I got lucky and had a pretty decent race for me. Nothing for the record books but considering my lack of training and motivation it wasn't awful (those other girls pictures above were beyond speedy with times like 1:36, 1:46, 1:47 wowza and kudos girls! The boys both finished their first half also deserving of kudos). Overall time was 2:11:50, an average pace of 10:04 a mile. Far from my fastest but also a lot better than the last few races I ran. Splits were as follows:  5k, 30:01, 10k 1:00:30, 15k 1:31:56. As always I started off a lot stronger than I finished but I finished.

I truly do feel blessed that I have this ability and opportunity to run as I know so many others do not. It is without a doubt a gift. I celebrated the finish with Berkshire Hathaway Shareholder Meeting fun - mimosas and shopping??? Sounds perfect to me!

Now if only I could find some time for a massage to reward my tired muscles from two Half Marathons in the last month! Probably wont happen considering that "to-do" list is still quite long.

CB Community Education Foundation Disco Prom

I was somehow coerced into being a Queen candidate for the Disco Prom to support the CB Community Education Foundation. An embarrassing old prom photo of me has also surfaced and is now floating around on flyers. Fun times!

It is a great cause though so I am happy to support and help raise money. I would love donations to help my race for Queen (more importantly to help the foundation). Even better come to the prom in your finest Disco attire and enjoy a fun evening out. If you happen to have any super cool disco gear - especially disco boots - I am in need of borrowing them!

Cheers to Friday

It's Friday!!!! Hope everyone has an amazing weekend. I have a nice full weekend starting with a Humane Society Dog Derby fundraiser tonight, hopefully some yard and house work Sunday, and a nice little half marathon in Lincoln on Sunday with my awesome running gals. Maybe even squeeze in some shopping since it's Berkshire weekend.

I did manage to snap a few quick "spring" photos . Even thought there was snow on the ground yesterday morning by evening it had melted and the sun was shining. Loving all the green after a long dry brown summer/fall/winter. Will be even better when flowers start to bloom.

My brother has a yard full of dandelions that haven't been sprayed with chemicals yet. I am super tempted to try out a fun recipe like this dandelion preserve by Yummy Supper or this dandelion and asparagus tart by Honey & Jam. Anyone else have any luck with dandelions (either the greens or the flowers)?

Snow in May?!?

There is currently snow on the ground. It's May 2! This is unacceptable. I get that the moisture is great, but can't we have moisture in the form of a nice warm spring rain. Not a cold snow??? Pleaseeeeeee.

 In hopes of coercing the sun and heat to come join me in Iowa here are some fun sunny images.

You will probably be overloaded with Flordia photos by the end of this week. But I can't help it - it was gorgeous there and since the weather here isn't cooeprating I have no pretty pictures and can't even plant flowers.

Florida Instagram Snaps

A few quick snaps from Instagram of a very short but amazing recent trip to Florida. The perfect amount of sun and relaxation I needed! This place was gorgeous. I even broke out the real camera more pics to come.

 

Easter - a Bit Delayed

Better late than never right? Our version of a family Easter this year - a trip to Niobrara with the two "crazy" Uncles, my parents, and grandpa. So many great memories and fun times. Only thing better would have been if my brothers and sister (soon to be sisters) could have joined us. Well according to my mom I am sure grandkids would make it a million times better!

The weather was mostly cold and rainy but luckily one day cooperated enough that I was able to drag everyone out of the cabin and to the farm for a walk and fresh air. Some were more cooperative than others.....

Izzy of course is always game for an outdoor adventure.

Loved having the whole family together for a weekend of great home cooked meals, cards, planning where to build a little shack in the woods, and relaxing.

Proof that I really was present. Taking down someone's turkey hut that was illegally placed on our property. Real kicker was the owner showed up while I was in the process and actually decided to get mad and argue with me about this "right" to have the hut on our property. People amaze me at times.

So lucky we have this place to escape as a family!

It's Friday!!!

So excited to enjoy this weekend and the amazing sunny spring weather we are finally being blessed with! There might even be a fun last minute trip to somewhere hopefully even warmer and sunnier often known as the Happiest Place on Earth!

"Live life then, with a due sense of responsiblity - not as men who do not know the meaning and purpose of life, but as those who do. Make the best use of your time, despite all the evils of this day. Don't be vague but firmly grasp what you know to tbe the will of the Lord." Ephesians 5:15-17

Have an amazing weekend my friends and make the most of every minute!

Justin's Farmhouse Progress

I have been slacking on the pictures of Justin's awesome farmhouse. I really need a nice sorta sunny day where I can take some pictures of our three finished rooms (the master bedroom, workout room, and living room)! Until then you are stuck with random Iphone pictures of in progress rooms. Right now I am tackling the stairway. Brutal  but will so be worth it in th end! You can already see a huge difference in these few photos with just the little bit of paint I removed.

Last night I actually got most of the paint off all the railings - but still some work to do. Thinking a nice crsip white for the walls. Also debating stripping that window you see down to wood instead of painting white like we did the other windows. What would you all do?

So wish I could devote more time or have a team of helpers for this project as the "to do" list is always way longer than the allocated time. I'm sure my brother is getting quite anxious to move in.

NMC Council Bluffs Open House

NMC has a location in Council Bluffs and they had an open house to celebrate their first year of business. Normally not sure how jazzed I would be to go to a CAT equipment open house. But this one had two major selling points. 1. You get to drive a skid loader through an obstacle course and 2. My brother Erik works there now!

It truly was a great event - they had awesome BBQ, lots of drinks, fun prizes to win, and the highlight of the event was for sure the skid loader course!

I can't believe they really let rookies like me drive this sucker! After a quick set of instructions I was off.

Shockingly I didn't knock over a single cone or hit anything. Score for me. My time was like 2:18 with the fastest being :58, but hey I'm not a professional like that dude and it was my first time ever driving one of these!

It truly was pretty fun - I think we need one for the farm so we can do all kinds of dirt and yard work. Right? Thanks Erik for not being embarrassed by your crazy sister. If you need any equipment Erik is guy to call!

The Gambler 2013 Half Marathon Race Report

Yesterday was the Gambler Half Marathon in Council Bluffs, I think this is my fifth year running this race! Crazy to think I have been running half marathons for like six years now.  I was very very unmotivated and less than enthused for this race. I let life get in the way of training and my longest training run ended up being 8 miles, probably a solid month prior to the race. Not ideal. We also had my little brother's engagement party the night before so I decided several glasses of wine were a great idea since my running time wasn't going to be anything to write home about. Regardless I really wanted to support this race since it's local, benefits a great local organization (Jennie Ed Breast Health Center), and I always know a lot of the race volunteers. I attempted to add some motivation by splurging on a new Lululemon running outfit - that store is danger I tell ya!

Managed to show up at the race about ten minutes before start time, find a few friends racing,  and trudge through 13.1 miles. I could tell about half way through the race I would be sore but other than that it really wasn't bad. I never felt like I was dying and enjoyed each water station and finding volunteers and racers I knew along the way. As you can tell below I was super excited to see my mom at the finish! Thanks mom for always showing up to support me at these crazy races.

We tried to go to breakfast afterwards but nothing was sounding good so instead enjoyed a free bagel and beer and took a nap. Score. Had to take a self portrait with the medal for proof I finished. Overall it wasn't my slowest race but certainly not my fastest either. I ended up finishing in 2:18:14. So about a 10:34 pace which seems slow compared to my friends and family that run but isn't horrid. Kicking myself now for not training a bit better or at least skipping the several glasses of wine Saturday night as maybe I could have had a decent time. Another run in the books anyway and without a doubt a great very organized fun race. There was even a moment of silence and prayer for the victims of Boston to start the race along with a dedication that today we run for Boston.

The race was followed up with a much needed nap, some time working on my brother's awesome house, and then a Creighton Baseball game with my mom and dad since the weather finally almost cooperated (still some sprinkles). Turned out to be a great day!