Fore!

Last week we hit up the driving range, in preparation for the upcoming golf outing. I was excited to use my clubs (and by my clubs I mean my dad's old ones) but was extremely nervous. As we pulled into the parking lot, I actually had some butterflies in my stomach. Seems silly, huh? Well, I am pretty self-conscious about my golfing skills, being that I don't really have any. In fact, this was the first time I swung a club in front of someone other than my parents! Because I never felt ready to subject anyone else to my below sub-par golf game, the majority of my past golfing experiences, which isn't a lot, it has just been my dad and me. And, while we're on the subject, I've lived by a few rules when golfing with him: 1. Do not tee off on the first hole if there are people waiting in line behind us. Rather, drop my ball where my dad's lands. 2. Always politely decline if offered to join a single or twosome we run into along the course. 3. When frustrated, try very hard not to cry. (Shamefully, I actually shed tears one afternoon, after an especially frustrating day.)

Anyway, back to the story...After getting a large bucket of balls, we walked far away from the other people out there (because I was convinced there was a huge spotlight on me and that everyone would stop what they were doing and watch me, and then laugh hysterically at my attempts at hitting the ball) and started swinging. I put my tee in the ground, got out my 3 Wood and.....whiff! Not the best way to start, but the good news is I improved from there. Quite a few were grounders, but I did manage to get some up in the air and most of the balls I hit, I was hitting straight. Now if I could just get some power behind it, hit them up in the air higher, and hit them a little farther out, I would be in good shape. Oh and stay focused. Golf is definitely a game of concentration. And a few things I constantly have to remind myself: stay down, do not try to smack the hell out of the ball (that's when I whiff), and do not get up to watch the ball after hitting it.

The first outing went better than I expected it to and turned out to a be lot of fun. Not to mention it's cheap entertainment. $9 for a couple hours worth of fun!

Case of the Mondays

Monday is not my favorite day of the week. The optimist in me says that it is like a new beginning and a fresh start. But the negative side always creeps in and sadly reminds me that the weekend is over and will not be here again for another 5 days.

One thing I do look forward to every Monday morning is a Facebook status update from one of my co-workers, who dubs himself the driver of the bitter bus more days than not. He is about as sarcastic as they come and I appreciate him for that. Here are a few examples of how he makes me smile as he welcomes in the week:

Dear Monday, You bring rain, wind, lightning and disturb my sleep. You frakkin' vile, dysfunctional cow. Please feel free to go directly to hell. Do not pass Go, do not collect $200.00.

Dear Monday, You are dragging on and on like an unstoppable case of dysentery. Or a Celine Dion concert. Please do us all a favor, and end already.

Dear Monday. You bring downpours, flooded streets and wicked lighting. So, so typical for a skank like you. Please feel free to piss up a rope.

Dear Monday, Just because its a holiday doesn't mean you're not still a heinous dirtbag.

Dear Monday, Once again, you have arrived like a boil on the butt of humanity. Please do the right thing and abdicate in favor of Tuesday as soon as possible.

Dear Monday, There is a 10.30am train to Skankville. Please be on it.

Faux Hawk

Ever since seeing this hair tutorial a few months ago, I've been wanting to try it out. I decided 80/35 was the perfect venue to rock such a look.

It only took about 15-20 minutes to do, 5 big hair ties, 5 small hair ties, about 10 bobby pins, and some hair spray. First, I divided my hair into 5 sections, using the bigger hair ties, then used the 5 small ones to form each section into something resembling a bun. Finally, I used the bobby pins to help fill in any holes.

And the final product looked like this:

Backview:


Sideview:


Overall I was happy with how it turned out. I received a lot of compliments and felt more like a rockstar than I probably would have otherwise :) The only thing I think I would do differently next time is pull my bangs back. I, personally, think I look silly without bangs, which is why I didn't do it, but I think it would've pulled the whole look together better, because, as you can see below, from the front, it looked like I was just rocking a high bun.



But it was a fun experiment, definitely something different, and I'm always up for mixing things up. Would I do this again? Si!

Me Gusta

Homeless Kit

I'm posting this story that I heard last night, as a reminder of just how spectacular the people in my life are:

"So we were driving home and I saw a homeless man sitting on the side of the road and I decided we needed to do something to help. So we drove home, I got some shirts, a granola bar, and a powerade, put it in a bag, and drove back out to where he was. Unfortunately he was gone by the time we got back. So now we have a homeless kit in the trunk for the next time I see a homeless person"

Any guesses on who this was?!

Friends don't get much better than that :)

Newest Accessory

I'm excited to try out the gift Sarah gave us bridesmaids - an apron from Anthropologie!



I may not be the best in the kitchen, but at least now I can look the part.

Dam to Dam '11

Dam to Dam went very well this year. First, there was no rain, unlike last year when it poured for the first 6 miles or so. Second, we ran it about 3 minutes faster than the year before, which I was happy with, considering the most I had run pre-race was 8 miles. We ran it in 1:53:57. I was 151 out of 788 females in my age bracket and 657 out of 3761 total females.

A few highlights from the race stick out:

*The crowd: Even though I was extra excited to see a few familiar faces, like Lucas and the Holtgrewes, just seeing people lined up at different points of the course made a huge difference. I always seem to get that extra boost I need when I see people clapping, cheering, and ringing their cowbells.

*Flags: At about mile 7, along the Morningstar hill, (the biggest hill of the course) there were flags lined up along both sides of the road, representing all the Iowa soldiers who have died in action, since the first Dam to Dam race in 1980. There was also a group playing bagpipes and drums at the top of the hill. I got goosebumps as they played"Amazing Grace" as we ran by them, and it was a great way to keep things in perspective as I ran up that hill.

*Inspiring Words: Between mile 10 and 11, we overheard a conversation between 2 girls as we ran by them. The one girl was saying how she couldn't keep up anymore, and the other girl said to her, "yes you can. You are the reason I am running beside you right now" She continued to push her friend along with encouraging words. It was an awesome conversation to overhear.

*Smiles: Although there were several photographers stationed at different mile markers towards the end of the race, we only have 1 photo each on record of this year's run, but it was our best photo, I'm sure. For the last photo op, Jake thought we should flash a smile, and here are the results:



His photo should be on an ad for next year's race, we've all decided.

*The Isiserettes: As you round the last corner, and run the last 400 meters or so, you can hear the drums from the Isiserettes beat. I LOVE running past the Y and seeing the drummers and dancers as I give everything I have left in me, in those final meters to the finish line.

*Cheer Squad: After finishing the 20K, we were able to cheer on other members of Team Hot Sundae as they ran the 5K - J-rod, Les, and Stacy all did a great job and it was fun to see them run to the finish line.

*The Afterparty: Food, free beer, and my runner's high - all while being surrounded by the other runners and all the supporters make for a great atmosphere at the finish line. I saw a lot of familiar faces, including an old friend from college who I hadn't seen in nearly 4 years! A great way to end this year's race.