Playlist

First Day of My Life - Bright Eyes

This is the first day of my life
I swear I was born right in the doorway
I went out in the rain suddenly everything changed
They're spreading blankets on the beach

Yours is the first face that I saw
I think I was blind before I met you
Now I don’t know where I am
I don’t know where I’ve been
But I know where I want to go

And so I thought I’d let you know
That these things take forever
I especially am slow
But I realize that I need you
And I wondered if I could come home

Remember the time you drove all night
Just to meet me in the morning
And I thought it was strange you said everything changed
You felt as if you'd just woke up
And you said “this is the first day of my life
I’m glad I didn’t die before I met you
But now I don’t care I could go anywhere with you
And I’d probably be happy”

So if you want to be with me
With these things there’s no telling
We just have to wait and see
But I’d rather be working for a paycheck
Than waiting to win the lottery
Besides maybe this time is different
I mean I really think you like me

Competitive Running

I bought a book yesterday that is the women's complete book of running. I can't remember the specific title but that comes close enough. I've read a lot of it so far which is a nice break from studying ethics, Erickson, DSM-IV-TR diagnoses, and other random stuff.

I'm psyched about running and cannot wait to move. I've already looked up running clubs in the area. Currently, I'm having to enjoy running from the sidelines as I got my first running injury while I was in Florida. I think it's a stress fracture in my foot but I can't confirm because that would require a trip to the doctor. So I'm taking the rest of the month off.

But come August 2, it's on. I start my first training program to get ready for a half marathon. Totally psyched! I hope to eventually do a whole marathon but that's for down the road.

And I can't wait to go get my next pair of running shoes. So excited!

Dreams & Zombies

It's 1 pm and I just got up for the day. I attribute this to a couple of factors ... well, two factors. The first being that I'm in this huge house all alone (without furniture even) and I have a very over active imagination. There aren't working lights in two of the front rooms yet which really creeped me out the first night I was here. At night, in places that I'm unfamiliar with, I like to have lights on in all the rooms except the bedrooms/bathrooms until I go to bed. I just think it makes me feel more prepared for whatever is out there. I have stayed away from scary shows/horror movies while I've been here because I don't need any help scaring myself any. So I have stayed up late at night trying to put off going to bed since that means all of the lights will be turned off. I also stay up late whenever I'm stressed out/don't like my job in an attempt to put off the next day coming. However, this time, it's definitely being in a new place alone. It'd be fine if they had curtains or working lights. Some of my thoughts have been along the lines of what if zombies suddenly started pounding on the door? What if Zeus suddenly turned into the dog from I am Legend? What if there really is someone standing in the shadows? I've decided I would probably make an excellent writer if I actually had the attention span to match.

So I went to bed at 1am last night only to be promptly woken up at 6am by Zeus. Had I gone to bed at a decent hour, this would not have been a problem ... also if I had not been having such cool dreams, this would not have been a problem. I find that this factor plays a whole lot into my sleeping late. When I first wake up, I remember what I was dreaming about and usually it's pretty awesome - so awesome, in fact, that I then go back to sleep. I usually don't remember what it was that I was dreaming about later that day but they're usually better than some movies. I know that last night I was traveling somewhere with three friends and it was so vivid with checking in and taking an airport shuttle. I need to turn my awake life into as much of an adventure as my dream life appears to be.

Watermelon Run 5K

I'm currently in Winter Park, Florida, a tiny little town on the outskirts of Orlando. I'm dogsitting for a family that I know and will be here a total of 11 days. When I got here, the mom let me know that there was going to be a 5K on July 4th. She and I run together when she's back in Baton Rouge and I will be returning here in February to compete in a half marathon. I figured why not? I need practice and don't really have anything else to do.

Oh gosh, Florida humidity + race = brutal. Parts of me that I didn't know sweat were sweating. It was nasty. My time was 34:57 which isn't my best time but I finished! And I finished in both the top third and was one of the first 3000 people to cross the finish line so I got a nice little souvenir cup.

There are parts of this race that I liked a lot better than the Race for the Cure in Waco.

1) Pace signs - All of us got to run according to what pace we could do. This really helped out with the start of the race as the people with 10+ pace and walkers were to line up in the back so I didn't have to dodge them. However, it also seems some people were a little too confident in their pace but at least it wasn't a lot of them.

2) Time clocks - At the 1, 2, and 3 mile marks, they had time clocks up so you could see how you were doing. The only downside to this is that not all of us started at 0:00:00 seeing as how the start corral was pretty deep. It helped to know that I started around the 1 minute mark.

3) Star Spangled Banner - A trumpeter came out to play this before the race and I realized that we don't hear this song enough ... especially on the 4th of July. Francis Scott Key really captured the fight in Americans' hearts to be independent and free.

4) Watermelon - oh gosh, out of everything at the end of the race that they had to help hydrate us, the watermelon was by far the best. It's 92% water. I think this should be an option at the end of all races.

There were also things I didn't like ...

1) No warm up - Now I didn't like that there wasn't an organized warm up like Race for the Cure had. Granted, these were all pretty serious runners and we all warmed up on our own. I just think that a group warm up would have helped pass the time.

2) Tshirts - Both races had race tshirts but I learned on this one that you don't have to wear it to the race. And if I do another hot race like this, it's time to put aside my modesty and just run in a sports bra and shorts. I haven't run in a tshirt since Race for the Cure and have been fine in a tank top but I was dying out there. The only downside would be I need something to wipe my face.

3) Running alone - I mentioned this before but it's still true. I would much rather have someone there with me although now it doesn't have to be someone running. There were over 3000 runners there today .... aka strangers. Before the race, I was starting to get really anxious about this and knew that if it didn't get better, I would have gone back to the car and left. I think if someone had been there with me and we were chatting, it would have been much better.

But I finished and survived and had a really strong finish - a faster pace from 2.8 on and then sprinting the last tenth. Gotta finish strong. And now I'm off for a pedicure and some self care before Zeus and I head out to the lake tonight to watch some fireworks :-)

New Blog

As much as I have tried to avoid it, I have finally given in and started a second blog ... but for good reasons. I know I'll sound like a huge dork when I say this but I love making hats. My family is full of really creative women who seem to excel in everything ... unlike me who seems to struggle with everything that I attempt. I was so glad to move away from Baton Rouge because people I meet would not know who my mother or sisters are and I wouldn't hear comments like "do you make your own clothes, too?" or "you've got such a talented family, what do you do?" Um, nothing. I burn almost everything I cook and I can't sew a stitch to save my life. While I have started to decorate cupcakes, the level of talent still pales in comparison to that of my sisters and mother.

However, all of this changed my last semester in undergrad. I took Hatmaking (yes, it's a real class for college credit). I loved it and loved making the different hats. But time got away from me and I didn't get to pursue it like I planned. This past November, my oldest sister told me that she was having a tea held in her honor and everyone needed hats and she wanted to make one for it. She asked ME to teach HER. And then my MOTHER asked ME too! So I came home for Thanksgiving and taught them how to make hats and in the process made another one for a friend of mine. I loved how it turned out and ordered several additional hoods so that I can make some more. Granted, I don't need a bajillion hats so I'm going to start making them as presents and selling them. I just love the creative outlet that this provides. I'm almost done with a cloche for a girl I used to nanny and have another idea to start after I finish that one.

Anyway, if you want to follow that one ... http://capsbykiki.blogspot.com/

:-)

It's been a long time ...

As I go about my days now, things will happen that I think I should blog about and then I never get around to doing. Right now, I feel like my life is on hold while the real world is flying by me. I've been home for one month and am still unemployed/homeless. This isn't for lack of trying either. I have repeatedly applied for positions but that darn license is holding me up. I mailed in my application to take the exam FOUR weeks ago and still haven't heard from them. This is getting increasingly frustrating. On top of that, I was called about one of the positions that I applied for in Austin. I was so psyched about this job. They wanted to interview me so I passed all of their minimum qualifications and had the preferred experience (my specialization sure is coming in handy). So I called the lady back and first question was do I have my license? I explained that I was in the process. She said to call her when I had it and we would set up the interview. That was almost two weeks ago. How long are they willing to wait? Ugh. I am so ready to have my own place again - to live alone again - and have ALL of my clothes! I am so tired of living out of two suitcases which I've been doing since December. This has gotten old. I'm ready to settle down.

At least something has been occupying my time this week. JURY DUTY. Let me tell you - it is the most boring experience of my life. I have spent two days sitting around and waiting. The only thing that was said to us today was that we could go to lunch for an hour and then we had to be back at 10am. That's it - no update on the status of anything. We're left in the dark not knowing. I think I'd rather get a root canal - at least Dr. Scotty tells me every step he's making. However, I have decided that the one good thing about this is that I have now eaten at Poor Boy Lloyd's two days in a row. I have missed Louisiana cooking so much. Their crawfish poboy can almost make jury duty worth it. I'm crossing my fingers that I don't get picked for the jury though. I try so hard to not judge people and this goes against everything. I don't believe that it's our place to pass judgment on others. If I do get selected - I hope it's for something minor and not a murder. Louisiana has the death penalty, and I'm not okay with that.

This past weekend, my parents and I drove down to Meraux, LA to help my sister and her fiance paint their house. He's been rebuilding it for the past five years. Meraux was hit hard by Hurricane Katrina and everything was destroyed in the floods. Homeowner's insurance protects against floods - not hurricanes - so people were left with nothing. The sense of community in South Louisiana is amazing. People have slowly been rebuilding their lives as they can. It's their home and they're not going anywhere. So my mom and I decided to have fun with the painting. We took a trip to the local goodwill to pick up some painting clothes for us and my sister....

My life's playlist

"Come Back to Me" - David Cook

You say you gotta go and find yourself
You say that you're becoming someone else
Don't recognize the face in the mirror looking back at you

You say you're leaving as you look away
I know there's really nothing left to say
Just know I'm here whenever you need me I'll wait for you

So I'll let you go, I'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you, come back to me

Take your time, I won't go anywhere
Picture you with the wind in your hair
I'll keep your things right where you left them
I'll be here for you

Oh and I'll let you go, I'll set your free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you, come back to me

And I hope you find everything that you need
I'll be right here waiting to see
You find you, come back to me

I can't get close if you're not there
I can't get inside if there's no soul there
I can't face you, I can't save you
It's something you'll have to do

So I'll let you go, I'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you, come back to me
Come back to me

So I'll let you go, I'll set you free
And when you've seen what you need to see
When you find you, come back to me

And I hope you find everything that you need
I'll be right here waiting to see
You find you, come back to me

You find you, come back to me
When you find you, come back to me
When you find you, come back to me