Enjoying Something I've Always Hated

I'm not a natural-born runner. Or a fast runner. Or even a good runner.

I've hated running my entire life. I've come to realize now, as an adult, that while my childhood self was really speedy, I also had no endurance. Not a lick of stamina. I was technically in good shape, I loved being athletic. I played soccer, basketball, softball, volleyball, ran track, and competed on my high school's dance team. I was playing sports year round, which means I was getting plenty of exercise everyday. But I never ran. I hated conditioning, and ended up giving up soccer and basketball to focus on the two sports that made me run the least: volleyball and dance. Loved them, still love them, but they don't require the same endurance as say football or cross-country. They just don't.

For the last couple of years, I've had a pretty much exclusive relationship with my elliptical machine. While I got in some yoga and Pilates on the DL, I pretty much stayed loyal to that machine. That lasted until one month ago. My elliptical machine found its way to that special place for dead electronics in the sky. It was bound to happen, it was 6 years old. I'd logged in plenty of hours on the ol' girl, she had a good life. It was time to think about what I was going to do. Buy another one? Join a gym? Become a couch potato/obsessed soap opera fan? After a lot of thought on the subject, I'm currently at that I-really-want-a-new-elliptical-but-I-really-don't-want-to-pay-for-it state of mind. I decided I would run stairs here at the house until I found a good deal on an elliptical.

2 days into running stairs (OMG, I hate running stairs. Talk about BORING), I up and decided to go for a run. Outside. What was I thinking? I hadn't run in years, and besides, didn't I hate running? Sure enough, the first run sucked. My legs felt like they were being yanked from my body, my hips felt about 80 years old, and I never felt like I could gulp enough air. I wasn't even able to run a mile without walking. At the same time, it felt kind of good. I found this strange, because I'd never felt that way before. In fact, it felt so good, I've continued.

Yesterday, the hubby and I participated in the Path to the Cure event in Huntington, WV. 3000 walkers and runners showed up, all decked out in pink for the 5K. I'd only been out running a couple of times before the race, but I managed to run almost the entire race. The hubby thinks I may have walked 2-4 blocks, which isn't bad for me. I'm pretty proud I just finished. Plus, now I have an actual time that I can try to beat while I'm enjoying my fall running.

Path to the Cure
Huntington, WV
September 29, 2013

Happy Monday everyone! I hope everyone has a great week!

The Parental's 2nd Kentucky Trip

Wow, it's been awhile since I've blogged!

I'd fully planned on getting a couple of blog entries in while my parents and my aunt were here, but alas, even the best laid plans go awry at times.

Their visit flew by! It went by almost as fast as the hubby's and I's October Oregon visit. And the week that my aunt was here? Ha. It seemed like 1 day. It was sooooo much fun having my family at the new house vs. our Ashland rental from the days of yore. Actually, it's more like, the days of ick.

If you thought I might be getting better at remembering to take pictures, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I wouldn't just count on scrounging together photos that my family took, you'd be wrong.

If you thought I'm old enough to know better, well, you'd be wrong.

The important thing is I do have a few photos to share from the last 2 weeks :)

Myself, Mom, and Aunt Marilyn, upon our reunion as a fabulous trio :)

The hubby's Aunt and Mother came down to the house to visit with everyone.

Dad, Aunt Marilyn, Myself, Mom, and Hubby. Man, I need a piece of art for that wall :)

Gizmo thoroughly missed his Grandpa.

Lunch at the local brewery.

Unbeknownst to me, this stadium near us was home to one of the 1st NFL teams. I can't believe I didn't know that!

Appetizers we had for a small party which included my parents, the Hubby's Aunt, Uncle, and Mom, and some of the Hubby's high school friends.

We finally had one sunny, warm day on the day before my parents  left. At least we had one day where we got to sit outside in the sun!

The Hubby and my Mom. That's our house in the background!

Also, we did a million other things that I did not take pictures of, including: A trip to Huntington, lunch at the Black Sheep Restaurant in Huntington, a wonderful dinner at the Hubby's mother's house, watching 5 million hours of the NCAA tournament, drinking countless gallons of wine, and dining at an Irish pub in Cincinnati. 

In the meantime, I must be getting old, because I'm so tired from their visit! And it was a relaxing visit. Oy. I can't imagine how 40 is going to feel if 30 feels like this :)

Weekend Recap: 7/14/12

Leaving another weekend in the dust...

The hubby and I were really anxious this weekend, because construction on the home is supposed to start today (Monday). However, it's 9:57 am and there's no one at the property. Grr. I'm not sure I would recommend the building process to anyone that's looking to get it done at an efficient pace. This has been the most drawn out and laborious process. I really think I might scream if they don't show up today.

Besides the hubby's and I's restlessness, we tried to just have a good weekend anyway. Saturday, we went to the mall in Huntington, WV, just to get out of the house for awhile and take our minds off construction frustration. We did some shopping, did some eating, and of course, did some drinking :)

We got a board game called "Wits and Wagers" while we were at the mall, so we busted that baby out on Saturday night for some family fun.

My latest wine obsession. I'm not into red wine, but I'm starting to branch out. I'm hoping this is like tipping my toe into the water, and at some point my immature palette will evolve to the point where I drink red wine by the gallon. Well, maybe not by the gallon... Wine always makes a board game a little more fun.

This is what happens after a few glasses of red wine. The question for the game that was asked had to do with Ferdinand Magellan, and I picked up my iPhone without thinking, and googled Christopher Columbus. Not cool, Jessica, not cool. My iPhone was confiscated until further notice.

I snapped this priceless one of the hubby shortly after the Magellan incident. But before confiscation :)

Rarely do we have a weekend without puppies. This is the only time I can ever capture all the dogs' attention at one time. That special time when they all want chicken jerky at the same time. Suddenly, I'm the most popular person in the house.

Upon making a purchase at the local Victorias Secret whilst we were at the mall, I received a free purple stuffed dog. Haloti became enamored with the stuffed animal and has declared it his property. This photo was kind of blurry, but still kind of cute.

He chose to "bury" his stuffed animal under this blanket. Right buddy, like we all didn't just watch you hide your toy under the blanket!

And finally, it's been hotter than hot! This Southern heatwave feels like a sauna, thanks to the humidity. This has also brought some crazy summer thunderstorms to the area, many of which have knocked out the Internet for a couple of days at a time. I figured I needed to blog today, because who knows how long I have until the Internet is taken out again?

Happy Monday! The hubby and I are sitting on pins and needles, forever waiting for construction to start. Please be today!

Happy Birthday Dad!

Today is my Dad's birthday!

I like to think that I'm getting over homesickness, since I've lived in Kentucky for a year and a half now. Yet, I still feel that pang of homesickness when I miss stuff I would normally have celebrated with my family. My mom's birthday, the Superbowl, my brother's birthday, the NFL draft, my dad's birthday. I think I've been feeling more homesick lately because the hubby and I aren't taking our planned trip to Oregon this summer, since the house will be in the middle of construction. I guess that's part of being an adult, eh?

My Dad is hilarious. I think he uses a dry sense of humor to disguise his huge heart. He spends a lot of time with the sheltie that he and my mom rescued, and with the cat that I "rescued" in college. To be around those animals, it's completely obvious that they love him. My Dad was also a hospice volunteer for 5 years. He spent a large amount of his own personal time helping those whose lives were drawing to a close, running errands for them or just simply keeping them company. A typical night at my parents house involves Mom having a glass of wine on the couch, yelling at whatever sport is being displayed on ESPN that night. You'll find Dad in the rocking chair in the back of the room, with his headphones plugged into his laptop, watching whatever show, movie, or YouTube clip Mom doesn't want to watch. It's pretty funny to see.

In honor of his birthday, I've rounded up some of my favorite photos of our years together:

December '07. My brother's college graduation.

Taken a couple of hours after my brother's graduation. I think you can see everyone is feeling pretty toasty by this point. It looks like my Dad is making the hand signal for "phone", but I can't say for sure :)

Christmas '07. Dad's ready to open the presents.

Sept '08. The Oregon vs. Purdue game. Looking oh-so-proud of his son. There was a time when Jeff couldn't take a picture without a peace sign and sticking out his tongue. Sigh.

February '09. The Superbowl. Haloti is very interested in whatever Dad is about to eat.

July '09 on Jerame and I's wedding day. Grilling salmon and zucchini for the feast we devoured after the ceremony. Beer within arm's length of the grill :)

October '10. The day we took Jerame's mom to meet my family during her visit to Oregon, although it looks like a Game Day doesn't it?

July '11. Taken during my first trip back to Oregon after moving to Kentucky. Pictures of Dad smiling are slim to none. I promise, he is happy in these photos! :)

Still my trip to Oregon. Although I planned my trip for July so I could have nice weather, it was only sunny 1 day on my 11 day trip. This was taken on said nice day. Dad relaxing on the deck with my brother's dog.

Sept '11. My parents first trip to Kentucky, and I believe, Mom's first time to Kentucky ever. This was taken while exploring downtown Huntington, WV (about 20 minutes from our house in Kentucky).

Another pic from my parent's Kentucky trip. Dad loved this little former train station that's been reformed into a small shopping center.

I wish I had some older pictures, but wouldn't you know? Photos on my computer only go back so far, since previous cameras used to have film that was developed instead of photos that are uploaded to the computer. You know, back in the stone ages? Oh, how the times have changed!

Anyhoo, Happy Birthday Dad! Wish Jerame and I could be back there to celebrate, but I have a feeling things will calm down after this year and the hubby and I will be making regular trips back to Oregon. Hopefully Mom will let you watch a program on the TV tonight, instead of on your laptop. Just kidding, Mom! :)

Mom and Dad's Kentucky Visit

Last week, my mom and dad came to check out where I now live. We had a great time! We were able to check out quite a lot of sites and I was able to introduce them to most of Jerame's family. Jerame and I took Mom and Dad into Huntington to check out Marshall University and have lunch at the Marshall Cafe. We also took them to Lexington to check out the UK-Florida football game (it's no secret my mom loves football!). Jerame's aunt and uncle, Martha and Ron, also hosted an amazing dinner at their house which gave my parents the opportunity to meet them as well as Jerame's mom and dad. It was a fantastic trip and my parents took some good photos, thank goodness :)

Lunch at the Marshall Cafe

Dad and Mom checking out the historical items

My parents and I outside a wine store we found in Huntington

Dad loved this little shopping center that was once a train depot

Jerame and I with Mom outside Commonwealth Stadium

Dad and Mom at the game

View of Lexington from Commonwealth Stadium

Dinner at Martha and Ron's house. Good pic of Joyce, Mom, me, and Martha

I love this picture! Jerame and his parents and me and my parents. This is the only picture of all the in-laws in existence :)

West Virginia Chili Fest 2011

This Saturday, I had the opportunity to check out the West Virginia State Chili Festival in Huntington, West Virginia. The Duck's football game was not on television in our area so the husband and I figured why not check it out.
We started off the day inviting Jerame's aunt and uncle up to our house in the morning for homemade biscuits and gravy before we all went to the festival. Jerame is a much better baker than I and his homemade biscuits are yummy! He makes sausage gravy to go with the biscuits and I must say, they are probably the best biscuits and gravy I have had. Not that I am biased or anything :)

Homemade B's & G's

Later in the morning, we headed out to Huntington. I had never been to a chili fest before so I wasn't sure what to expect. When we arrived, there was an entire road closed and lined up and down with different chili vendors. The way they had the festival set up, you purchase tickets and then trade a ticket for a sample of chili. I have no idea how many chili's I tried, but I ate a lot of chili! Jerame's favorite ended up being the first one he tried which was a Spicy Garlic Chili while my favorite was a completely untraditional chili, a Slow Roasted Pork Green Chili. Delish! I also discovered Chili in a Bag (my second favorite!). They actually open up little bags of Fritos and mix chili in the Fritos. Definitely a guilty pleasure! There was live music as well as a hot pepper eating contest that we witnessed. The prize for that contest was a dinner for two which Jerame and I decided was not quite a good enough prize for the pain these people would probably later endure. It was a ton of fun and we came home stuffed! We decided it was a great way to spend a Saturday when the Ducks aren't on TV :)