My apologies

Dear sadly neglected readers, I would like to ask your forgiveness for abandoning the blog and leaving you with nothing to read (ha - I'm sure you've all found lots of interesting things to read). I've been working on some new projects (pictures coming soon). Updates:

• Running is going well. I ended the Blarney run with a time of 32:30. It was fantastic and it felt good despite the windy day. I ran with Steve and Kristi. They both finished ahead of me and did a great job!


• Guitar is going so-so. I have almost mastered "Need You Now" by Lady Antebellum.


• Sewing has taken center stage at the moment. You'll see the project soon. I promise.

Here are some fun other blogs I've found in the mean time for you to check out:

• Can you tell what my new hobby has been?


• How cute is this?


• If you haven't read my friend Kalie's blog, Tales of Wanderlust, in a while, then you're missing out!

New project pictures coming soon!

FYI - Gary's Gallop is this Saturday! Come run with me :) I'm hoping to break last year's personal best!

Exercise High and Running for the Alma Mater

Hello folks who I've sorely neglected for about a month,

First off, please allow me to apologise for my lack of posts. I should really get more on top of that, but life happens. Also, summer is going to be nuts with running, horseshoes, softball and volleyball. Eek!

Second, I've started up training again with Milwaukee Adventure Boot Camp (LOVE) in Elm Grove. While my schedule and finances do not allow me this treat more than a few times a year, I'm so stoked to be back. I'm waking up at 4:30 a.m. (Crazy? Why, yes!) to drive over to Mary Knoll Park and get my butt kicked for an hour (5:30 - 6:30 a.m.). We literally don't stop moving the entire time. We do lunges, plank holds, sprints, squats, kicks, band exercises, weight exercises, stretching, running, hills, bear crawls and more. There are even a few exercises that we have renamed funny things like "the naughty housewife" and the "boob lifter".

While it is kind of ridiculous to get up so early and run around like a crazy person, it is a huge boost to my exercise routine. Plus, a ton of people that were in my classes back in fall are still there this spring and we're all just so happy to see each other! When I first signed up a lot of people lovingly asked, "are you nuts?" to which I replied, "apparently." Then they saw how fit and happy I was, so now I get lots of "babe, look at your calves!" which makes me extremely happy. (That and when I wore a skirt that made the BF say "whoa...") I know that your self worth is not in how you look, but based on your personality/soul instead. However, my soul is doing cartwheels with all this energy I have! Then again, that energy is gone and I'm snoozing by about 9 p.m. for the next 4 weeks. Ha!

Finally, I have some more happy news! I took off another 32 seconds from my 5k time! That's right! Running Gary's Gallop on April 17 was a lot of fun, although super windy. This event is to help the athletic programs at Wisconsin Lutheran College - my college, sweet college. I loved going and seeing all the smiling Warrior faces. Tons of students, alumni, alumni kiddos, and community members were there to run the very hilly course. Even my church's 5K Klub was out with a good showing.

I ran with my friend Tammy who was on the WLC Cross Country team. I kept up with her for about the first mile and a half, but she was still going strong when one of the hills took it's toll on me and my side. I had to slow down a bit, but was pretty excited about my mile times. My favorite part of this race is that you do your last 500 meters or so by running around the track and then a dash down the center of the field to the finish line. It's like running for a touchdown! At the finish line, my friend Brian who is also on the Alumni Committee with me gave me a high five... and then patted my head... silly man.

While the formal results aren't posted yet, I can tell you that my friend Angie won 2nd place for our age group and that my time for this run back in 2008 was 35:01. Man, that makes 31:29 feel even better!

Up next: No idea. Suggestions for May anyone?

Found two new races!

Hello all!
I was reminded today at my Alumni Committee Meeting that Gary's Gallop Run/Walk is coming up in April. I love this race because a) it's for my alma mater Wisconsin Lutheran College, b) I think the race director does an awesome job, c) I get another WLC t-shirt, and d) the last 100 yards are a dash across the football field at the Krauss-Miller-Lutz Outdoor Athletic Complex!

There is a 5K run (first mile is down hill!), a 2-mile walk, and a kids' dash after the 5K. They are so cute! You can check out photos of last year's race here. The race attracts about 300 runners and walkers, families, Warriors (that's us WLC folk) and friends! All proceeds go toward WLC's athletic booster organization, the Warrior Club. So far, GG is the only race that I have planned that I've done before. Hopefully, this won't make me to sure of myself and that I can keep a good pace.

I knew I wanted to do Gary's Gallop, but I honestly couldn't remember whether it was in April or March, but now that I know, I was stumped about which race to run in March. Thanks to this handy-dandy site called Running in the USA, I found The Blarney Run.

The Blarney Run is held every spring in Wauwatosa on the weekend nearest to St. Patrick's Day. This 5K has a course for runners and a shorter course for those who want to walk. Like Gary's Gallop and the Steve Cullen Healthy Heart Club Run, parts of this race will be run on the Wil-O-Way Underwood Parkway. I think my favorite part of this race is that the kids' race is called the Twinkle Trot! All proceeds from this race go to helping the Wauwatosa Historical Society.

Anyone want to join me for the races? The more the merrier!