12. Creative Journaling

Posted on November 12, 2010 by Nora

I’ve mentioned a few times that I’m taking a Creative Journaling class (which counts as a writing class = counts to one of my 30 before 30 Goals!) and considering I’m pretty much in love with it I thought I’d share a little bit about it.

* The entire class is free. That in and of itself rocks.

* The lady who organizes it shares with us various ideas for journaling (inner child journals, tidbit journals, gratitude journals, travel journals), gives us prompts each week, and inspires us to try different writing styles. At first it’s awkward like the nature journal week where we had to write bird calls and attempt drawing various kinds of birds. (For the record, I drew an owl. It looks a lot like a cat.)

* Last night we did some “gratitude journaling,” (which you know I love since I do Grace in Small Things each week). The best part? Darling shared her list with me and I shared mine with her. We had some overlaps which is really no surprise and had a few laughs/smiles over what we each wrote. And ok, maybe a few tears in the eyes too.

* I’ve found that through journaling I feel as though I’m improving my writing both in the journal and here on my blog. Not sure if it’s true or not, but my creative side is flowing a bit more than it used to. I guess that means the class is working!

* Did I mention that they provide treats during class? Last night the tables were chock full of peanuts + M&Ms as well as tons of tootsie rolls. So delicious.

* I’m not really on a regular journaling schedule per se, more just writing when the mood strikes which as of late is about two to three times per week. The cool thing is that unless I’m super exhausted, I’m writing about five to ten pages at a time. Who knew I had so much to say to myself?

* Last night we were able to convince (though it wasn’t that hard) the organizer to continue with this class after December. It will be more of a writing prompt/sharing/artistic journaling session each time but I’m ok with it because I really enjoy going to this class.

Do you keep journals besides your blogs? What kind do you keep the most?

6.2 Miles Later…

Posted on October 19, 2010 by Nora

… I fell in love with running races.

The reason I signed up for this 10k in the first place was to prove to myself that I could run races after the doctors told me earlier this year it may not be a possibility.

And run them I can!

There are no pictures of me pre or post race as I was house sitting for a friend this past weekend and was way too groggy the morning of (note to self and other runners: don’t turn off your alarm on accident at 5:15 when it first goes off) the race to attempt a camera photo.

I wanted to get downtown early to avoid any traffic thanks to all the construction plus streets closed for the race, so I arrived around 7:15 am, walked around the mini expo, scored some Vitamin Water, stretched, and did some people watching since most people did dress up in Halloween costumes.

I meandered over to the start line about 7:45 am, positioned myself in between the 9/10 minute milers, and before I knew it, we were off. Well, sort of. It took three minutes for me to get to the start line thanks to the 4000+ people participating in the race.

The first two miles I kept pace with some of the 9 minute miler girls until one of the long, gradual, seemed like it was never going to end hills, at which point I decided that my knee would want me to chill out a little bit since hills are like its kryptonite. I slowed down a bit at the 5k mark at which point it was about 32:30, grabbed some powerade at the hydration station, and stretched out my quads a little. My knee was starting to protest a bit, so I finished out the mile and once I hit 4 miles I walked and stretched out the quads one more time until the 4.2 sign that a spectator was holding up.

That’s when I decided that there would be no more walking.

I started thinking about how I honestly never thought I’d be able to run more than two miles at a time thanks to my knee injury. About how I was accomplishing one my 30 Before 30 Goals. About my dear friends who ran 26.2 the weekend prior and how if they could do that I could surely run another 2 miles without stopping. I thought about how I wanted to be able to tell everyone I did the best I could, ran as fast as I could and be able to call a few special people after with glee in my voice instead of disappointment.

And so I did it.

I conquered the hills that stood in my way (and boy were there a lot of them), saw the finish line , conquered another hill (seeing the finish line was a cruel trick; we still had another out and back to do), gave high-fives to the little kids who were hanging out on the sidewalks, and then at the 5.9 mile mark I sprinted the last 3/10 of the race.

I finished in 67:05; average time for race finishers was 65:05.

I have to say that all in all I am incredibly pleased with my performance since my three goals were: 1) to finish 2) walk as little as possible and 3) if I did have to walk, finish in 80 minutes. If I didn’t have to walk, finish in 72 minutes. All goals accomplished. I must also confess that the last few weeks of training my long training runs fell off my radar thanks to finish my MBA and that pesky thing called life.

A lot of people have asked me what’s next and the short answer: More 5ks and 10ks. As much as I’d love to run a half marathon I know my knee won’t tolerate it. I plan to sign up for a few 5ks that are in St. Louis later this year and find another 10k early next year.

For now, though, I’m on a total race running high.

(And of course, a special thanks to everyone who shared tips, training plans, asked about the race, and sent me well wishes, texts and positive vibes the day of the race!)

(The winner of the Ghirardelli Chocolate Giveaway is Leesh from The Blarkness Chronicles! Congratulations; I’ll contact you for your mailing address today. Thanks to everyone who entered and stay tuned for another giveaway soon.)

Shout it Out: Blog Friends Rock

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Nora

One of my 30 Before 30 goals is to meet 15 bloggers that I “know,” but don’t really know (if that made any sense).

Last weekend I met Ashley. If you don’t read her, you’re missing out. She’s a fabulous, genuine, adorable, funny, intelligent, so-much-fun-to-be-around, want-to-put-her-in-your-pocket kind of friend. I’ve “known” her for a little over two years now and this past weekend in KC we finally met. It was a total spur of the moment decision to visit her, the whole thing happening within a week of her saying she’d be in Missouri. How could I say NOT go to visit her since she drove 12 long hours from Texas?

We spent hours shopping, baking in the Kansas City heat, walking with our shoes off in support of a charity, taking ridiculous (and some seroius) videos, enjoying beer on a rooftop bar, dancing to videos on youtube in our fabulous comfy PJs from Victoria’s Secret, and eating greasy Mexican food at all hours of the night. I honestly can’t do the weekend justice in words, so go watch this video. I still laugh every time I watch it so maybe you will too. Or maybe you’ll want to go on a road trip to meet me and help me reach my goal. Or maybe you’ll find it annoying, in which case don’t tell me.

It was a whirlwind of a trip but I was definitely sad when it was time to leave. Darn bloggy meet-ups always end too soon.

Here’s to a new blog friendship solidified in real life and more to come!

Don’t forget to enter the Giveaway for the All-Natural Insect Repellent (odds are pretty good right now!) and if you want to procrastinate a little bit more, check out my VEDA Videos!

30 Before 30 (Part Three)

Posted on July 23, 2010 by Nora

The final installment is here! It’s been tough to come up with 30 things (well, things that are actually feasible and remotely attainable) for this little project but all the items have some sort of special meaning or have been on the ever-growing “to do list.”

If you’re interested or you missed the other installments, you can view them here. I’ll try to give periodic updates on how the list is progressing; I have started the Harry Potter series (finally, I know) and am loving the first book so far. Baby steps, people.

1. Learn how to knit; make myself a blanket. I’ve had knitting needles and yarn for almost a year now and I haven’t touched them which is kind of pathetic. I am big into blankets: reading under blankets, snuggling up in one for a mid-day nap, and of course using them for the requisite by-the-fire-in-the-winter nights, so it’s only natural that I’d want to knit a blanket.

2. Finish the cross-stitch baby blanket that I started… five years ago. Yes, I cross-stitch. No, I’m not an 80 year old woman. I love being able to see instant results on the project. At this rate I’ll have it finished before I have a kid of my own. Ideally I’ll finish it and be able to gift it to a family member.

3. Read all of the books that I own today. There’s a lot of them but I’ve made a list so I know what I have, know what I need to read. I figure once grad school is over it should be no problem.

4. Get back to my goal weight and stay there. (As of this post, I’m about 6 pounds away from my goal weight.)

5. Take one each of the following classes: Dance Class, Cooking Class, Baking Class, Writing class.

6. Meet at least 15 bloggers I haven’t met before. I’m thinking a road trip or a series of small trips over the next few years. Also BloggersInIndy and Vegas of course!

7. Buy all Christmas presents for friends and family from only local companies and/or Etsy. There are so many adorable shops around town with unique designs from local designers and Etsy, well, I love everything on Etsy. I’m a big fan of supporting local/independent companies, as is my family, so it just makes sense that I do this, finally.

8. Get involved in an election. Any of the following would count: Campaigning, making phone calls, working the polls, etc.

9. Treat myself to a weekend at a spa. I’ve always dreamed about a weekend in the mountains at some sort of secluded spa with just me, a comfy bed, my thoughts, and a stack of journals.

10. Start my own charity. I have a few ideas (Darling and I have been plotting the beginning of one for a few years now).

30 Before 30 (Part Two)

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Nora

Thanks to all of you for the fabulous feedback, suggestions and enthusiasm about my 30 Before 30 Part One! I’m thrilled to know there are some bloggers in Alaska, ladies who want to skydive with me, and of course, a group interested in the France/Italy trip.

Here’s the next 10 on my list…

1. Get up early enough to watch the sun rise. Ideally this would take place in Florida or one of the places I’m determined to go before I’m 30, but I’ll settle for it taking place in the STL if need be.

2. Be a vegetarian for a month. (I’d go vegan but I’m allergic to way too many fruits, vegetables and etc, so I’d pretty much starve for 30 days.)

3. Go camping. (Yes, you read that correctly. Go camping, for the first time before I’m 30.)

4. Read Gone with the Wind.

5. Go to the new New York Yankee Stadium, hopefully before Derek Jeter retires. I’ve had a celeb-crush on him since I was 13.

6. Watch at least 25 of the Oscar’s Best Movies from the last 75 years. It’s amazing to me how much cinematic genius is out there and yet I’ve seen very few of them.

7. Sing karaoke. In public. My family always teases me because they never hear me sing. In actuality, I sing all the time, just when I’m alone.

8. Make a scrapbook of all the letters and postcards from my grandfather and great grandmother. At present they are sitting in a keepsake box collecting dust; I think they deserve more than that considering how special they are to me.

9. Take myself on a solo vacation: no friends, family or signifcant others.

10. Plant a garden and keep it alive for an entire season.

I have ten more to go. Any more suggestions for me?

Don’t forget to enter my giveaway for a chance to win a $50 gift card from CSN stores!

30 before 30 (Part One)

Posted on July 2, 2010 by Nora

I’ve been giving this list a lot of thought.

While I’m big into list making, unless it’s directly related to work, school or weekend errands, lately I’ve been awful about crossing things off or keeping up with them (hello, New Year’s Resolutions. I’ve only managed to stick with two of them). You’d think that blogging about it for the world (or rather, the 150 people who read this each day) would make me more accountable, but alas, not so much.

However, I’m going to give it another try because these are goals that I’ve had swirling around in my head for the last six months or so, things that I’d like to do before I’m 30 for no particular reason other than to say that I did.

1. Read the Harry Potter Series. (Please don’t shoot me! I wasn’t into the fantasy/scifi genre when these came out, but I’m ready for them now).

2. Conquer my fear of heights which I believe will be in the form of sky diving, with my brother, the weekend before my 30th birthday. A bit drastic but I hear it’s an amazing experience and I know if I summon my willpower I can do it.

3. Self-host my blog and grow it a little bit more. I know, a tad bit vague but I’d like to ramp this up with either some more readers, giveaways, or a focused theme.

4. Go to Italy & France. Maybe at the same time, maybe not. There’s a good chance I wouldn’t come back from Italy in which case the rest of this list will go right out the window.

5. Donate my hair to Locks of Love. This means no more dying my hair, letting it grow long, and then chopping it all of. I’ve cut off enough hair before (I used to have a long mane of hair) but it’s always had dye in it, so I’m doing one more dye job and then it will be au naturele for me.

6. Take French classes (again). I used to be nearly fluent in French. Then I graduated college and stopped speaking, reading, writing. I miss it. I want to be in a place where I dream in French (it used to happen to me all the time!).

7. Run a handful of 10ks. Half marathons and full marathons are out for me thanks to Doctor’s Orders, but a 10k or two, I’m allowed. I’d like to run my first one later this year if I can, and then maybe two or three a year after that.

8. Become a homeowner (after figuring out where I want to live, at least for the next five years).

9. Make at least ten cupcake recipes from my Martha Stewart Cupcake book. Sounds like it would be cake (no pun intended…really) but her recipes are incredibly intense and it takes about three to four hours just for the batter!

10. Vacation to Alaska. I have this odd desire to live in Alaska but before I do that, I think visiting would be a good start. I want a real experience, not the touristy kind so I’m thinking a vacation rental kind of situation.

I still have 20 more things to come up with; any suggestions for something I absolutely, positively must do before I’m 30? (I have three years and two months to go!)

To all my US based friends, have a lovely Fourth of July weekend! I’ll be back next week with an Ode to Jack (he turns six!), a giveaway, and weekend updates.