The Little Things

My eyes have defintiely been on the sky the past few days. I am not sure if there is a particular phenomenon causing this, but the clouds have been spectacular. (I promise I am the passenger in these shots.)

I tried to catch the supermoon rise. We drove out to what I hope would be a great location for visibility, but ended up just seeing more clouds. At least I had a chance to enjoy it higher in the sky the night before.

We finally made a trip to the zoo. Summer is just too hot. We had a day off work last week so we woke up and said let's go. My favorite were the orangutans. We almost missed them because they were inside. The baby is almost 2 years old and so fun. 

You know what is going to happen next...

Just as you suspected. At one point the two adults in the enclosure went up to a ledge on the high rocks and put a sheet over themselves. I don't blame them for needing a break :)

It is good to be the lazy lion. We almost missed him because we were looking from the opposite direction of this picture. The lioness is actually napping on the other side of the rocks.

I can't pass up a quick visit to the elephants.

I love the baby elephants and can't wait until they go on display. However, the joke is if you want to see baby elephants don't go with Anna. They always seem to be off display when I visit. This little one is about 3 1/2 years old now - not exactly a baby but I will take it :)

The other day at the lodge I saw this ornament. I can't decide if I truly regret not getting it. I am sure they are supposed to be wings, but I can only see a wig.

If this weren't $25 and would look as cute on me as it does the hanger. I would have totally bought it and signed up for a Jingle Bell run :) 

I asked my little sidekick to draw a picture of me. Well, I am cute..even if I have enormous ears and an appendage problem.

Zommie loves family time on the bed.

My sister-in-law sent these Chinese steamed buns back with my mom who was visiting my brother's family in California. I could eat them every day.

The fillings vary. This one was pork and veggies. I have actually made them a time or two, but the bun is never as light and fluffy as these.

There are a few bright spots of color left. I seriously want to move this tree to my yard. I love the size and shape. The brilliant color is a total bonus.

Just outside my office door.

I am probably pretty late to the party on this one, but I have finally experienced the LuLaRoe craze. I had no clue about LuLaRoe when I was invited to an online pop-up boutique recently. The consultant posted the items she had available. Apparently, the availability is based on the consultants current inventory - not a catalog where you pick out and item and order it in your size. She offered items in a variety sizes and styles.

It is super hard for me to buy clothes without trying them on so that in itself was a challenge. I had decided I was going to try a pair of the leggings because that was the one item I had heard of prior to the invite. There were probably 10 or so different patterns in my size. Many of the patterns were not my taste, but I thought this pair would be fun. Leggings come into two sizes - my size was tall and curvy (because of the curves not the height). When I first put them on, I will just say it, I felt naked - not in a bad way. Obviously, they are VERY form fitting and I didn't love the look around my stomach (hence the long shirt). I was slightly concerned the flowers would stretch out weird, but they didn't.My husband complimented them several times, so that is good :)

One minus - the second time I wore them they started twisting a bit so the seam was coming down the front of my leg (below the knee) instead of the side. I am not sure what is up with that. I am eager to see how they last. For me $25 seemed a little pricey for a pair of untried leggings. Now that I have tried them and do like them, the price will keep me from becoming totally obsessed. I would ask for them as a gift, but given each sale is different I couldn't request a particular pattern. I will keep my eyes out for another sale to see what other patterns are out there.

I apologize for the randomness of this post. I emotions are a bit all over the place this time of year and I am just trying to keep busy and appreciate the little things.

Supporter or Stalker?

I just can't help myself. I am so proud of my guy. Saturday morning he had a 16 mile training run scheduled. I can't even begin to fathom what it would be like to run 16 miles. The weather was perfect and the fall scenery still pretty so he decided to take advantage of the road that runs along the Mississippi. My sidekick and I went along to be his support team. We would try to meet him every few miles to give him water or fuel. This was actually his first training run in which he did mid-run fueling. He tried blocks and gels. I thought for sure he wouldn't like them because he is sensitive about texture. He hates any sort of gummy candy, but actually really like the blocks. He had an apple cinnamon gel that he said tasted just like the filling out of danish :)

We started our adventure at the lodge where we got married. There was pre-run stretching. Our little sidekick jumped right in stretched with him.

And off he goes....

There was a brutal section of hills and he had some cramping, but was able to run through it.

The final stretch back to the lodge.

We had a good time chasing him down and cheering him on. Every runner should have their own personal photographer, right?  I know I won't be able to move about as freely when he is actually running the marathon, so I loved being able to do it for a training run. Of course, the scenery made me love the photography even more :) 

If you haven't already, please check out Little More Each Day. Jessica is training for her first marathon too. She is truly inspirational :)

I promise my next post will include some actual movement of my own...I promise. 

A Prize, a Goal and a Birthday Guy

In celebration of my wonderful husband's birthday I want to share a little something that makes me a very proud wife.

Like me, after we lost significant weight two years ago, he managed to put it all back on. He was super discouraged. However, several months ago, something clicked in him again. He made a commitment and he took it off again. I think there was a little bit of The Force involved. I will let him explain.

He lost about 60 pounds to get to his Sandcrawler goal of getting under 200 pounds!!  He was crazy focused.  Since then he has lost another 15 pounds.

Seriously, I think he ran straight from the scale to the box. Out of the box comes his big prize. Bag after bag of teeny tiny LEGOs.

 I love how methodical he is. Each bag is sorted by color and shape before he begins assembling.

I believe the Sandcrawler is his new favorite LEGO set. He hasn't told me which one he has his sights on next, but no doubt there will be another....

For awhile he has been toying with the idea of running a marathon. Now that has to negotiate the maintenance side of weight loss he has made the decision to stop toying with the idea of a marathon and instead make it happen. Focusing on marathon training is giving him a new perspective on fueling his body and maintaining his weight. He looks fantastic and feels better than he has in a long time.

For several months he has run up to 5 miles a day 6 days a week. Three weeks ago he ran his first official "long run" of his marathon training. We dropped him off 10 miles down the river road and met him back near town. I was a little nervous about the fog.

By the time we got to the drop off point the sun was coming out and the fog was lifting.

Off he goes. He later admitted about 2 miles in he started to wonder what he got himself into.

The Piasa Bird is a Native American dragon depicted in one of two murals painted by Native Americans on bluffs above the Mississippi River. The original is long gone and this is a 20th century reproduction. 

I know this is a post about my husband, but I can't help but continue sharing my obsession with all things road related - man hole covers, locate markings and now drains. Have seen manhole covers from this foundry before. I love that this tells you right where the drain leads.

More quickly than I expected he comes around the bend. The blue ribbons on the pole are in honor of a local police officer killed in the line of duty. This road was part of the funeral procession a few days before this run.

As he clears the final obstacle of his 10 mile run we are there to cheer him to the finish.

Training is going well. The next Saturday he completed a 13.1 mile run - an unofficial half marathon - in just under two hours.

For my husband's birthday, we picked out some cold weather running gear. Although it has been an unseasonable warm fall, winter is coming. Wardrobe is going to be a bit tricky since he will be training in considerably colder weather. There is so much to consider in addition to just being able to run the distance.

Unfortunately, it hasn't worked out for me to go with him since the first run. I love this picture he took before his 15 mile (yes, 15 miles - I can't believe it!) run this Saturday. The happiness and pride I see on his face is priceless.

So when will this marathon take place? Ten weeks from today...January 15. He is officially signed up for the Louisiana Marathon in Baton Rouge. We booked our hotel on Priceline, so there is no turning back :)  I am super excited to just be taking a little trip with him. We have been together almost 7 years and this will be our first trip alone together. Here is to a speedy race and a speedy race recovery!! We plan to stay in the area for a couple days to sight-see, sample authentic Cajun cuisine, and visit friends. I can't wait to spend some time with a couple of my Lovely Ladies.

Happy Birthday to the Love Of My Life! I am so proud of you and can't wait to cheer you on :)