A Few Updates

"He who goes to bed hungry dreams of pancakes." ~Proverb

Running Report.

As you all know from this blog, I am in training for my first ever half marathon in San Francisco at the end of July. Up until the official start of my training plan last Monday (I'm doing Hal Higdon's novice training plan), I had been trying to slowly (I promised the cute--but married, sigh!--physical therapist slow and easy) to where I can run 3 miles fairly easily prior to starting the plan. A couple of weekends ago, I decided to put that to the test and run in the Run for the Zoo 5K.

Now, I've read that when you run a race, you should set three goals: one as like the absolute "I have to do this" goal; one as the "I think this is fairy realistic" goal, and one as the "This would be awesome if I could actually do it goal." My goals were: run the whole race (it sounds stupid, but after running on my birthday weekend and learning that one cannot successfully run after eating/drinking margaritas, mexican food, pizza, ice cream and marshmallows in the 48 hours preceeding the race, I was a little worried again!); run the race in under 31:00 (a 10 minute mile); and run the race in under 30 minutes.

Well, I am happy to report.......I achieved all three goals! My time was 29:33. And, when a girl meets her goals, she deserves pancakes! :)

Now that the training plan has officially started, I'm getting more and more nervous about this whole half marathon thing. Let's cross our fingers I can do it! Any advice is welcome.

My Big Fat Mouth

I'm a talker. That's not breaking news. But I'm also surprisingly good at keeping secrets. So when my law school bff, Brett-Brett (the tall one on the right below), told me 6 months ago that he was planning to propose to his girlfriend, Miss Texas, I kept my mouth shut. I managed to say nothing even after I saw the ROCK of an engagement ring he planned to put on her finger. And then, literally AN HOUR from the big moment, I just about blew the secret. Here's how it went down.

Brett-Brett planned a trip to California for the proposal and I told him to call me after he did it. I knew they were leaving on Sunday morning because I'm cat sitting. So, I get a call about 4:00 on Sunday afternoon.....what would you think that call was about? Yea....I almost said, "OMG, CONGRATULATIONS ON BEING ENGAGED!" but instead I just said, "Do you have big news??" At this point, Brett-Brett figured out that I was about to ruin things and jumped in to say that they did--he had taken Miss Texas on a surprise trip and they were IN THE CAR on the way to the hotel (read: Shut your big fat mouth, Tiffany!)

Fortunately, Miss Texas didn't catch it and the surprise remained in tact, but holy cow. That's a lot of stress on a girl!

Something Borrowed

On Sunday I went to the movies by myself to see Something Borrowed. I had never gone to the movies alone before, but I figure that if a girl wants to see a movie, sometimes she has to go what she has to do. It was actually kind of relaxing and enjoyable.

I thought that the casting was perfect and the actors/actresses did a great job. I am a little torn about a movie where the take away could be "it's okay to cheat with your best friend's fiancee so long as you two really are meant to be together and she's a jerk, because you'll live happily ever after." Even if your friend is a jerk.

But I must say that I've never related so much to a character as I did to Rachel. Not that I have a Darcy---my girl friends are awesome as we've previously discussed!

But in the way that she keeps her mouth shut too much and is scared to go after what she wants a lot of the time, but instead steps back and watches other people do it. Guilty.

And I think that the take away I got from the movie was to tell people how you feel--don't keep it inside and never say anything because you just never know what could happen--is totally something I need to remember. One last thought....I won't ruin the movie but let me just say if I were here, and some guy sitting on a couch told me I was his first choice, I would have totally picked him. Just saying.

Wine Tasting Tours

While the girls and I are out in San Francisco for the half marathon, we're planning on taking a day to head up to wine country and do some tasting! BFF and I got to tour and taste at several wineries on our weekend retreat to Sonoma a few summers back and it was a blast!

So the girls and I debated renting a car, but we've decided there are several problems with that. First, no one wants to drive in SF (and after this blog, can you blame them?) Second, there are going to be at least 5 of us if not more, so we'd need a big freaking (read: expensive) car. Third, no one wants to be a DD and miss out on the best wineries in the country!

Instead, we're looking into various wine tours. We want something that picks us up in San Francisco, takes us to Napa and/or Sonoma for tastings at a few wineries, and then brings us back. If anyone has any ideas or suggestions, PLEASE let me know!

And He Shall Be Called.....

Yes, folks. My new calf has a name. As you might remember from this blog, my friend Yamil was in charge of naming the calf. I waited with a lot of anticipation while he though up the perfect name. Clearly Yamil thought long and hard about this.

And the selection was......Roberto. Love love love it.
P.S.: It's not too late if you want to participate in my gift to Yamil and his friends at the House of Dreams orphanage. I need a few more decks of cards from different states! Just comment or email me to let me know that you'll be sending cards and I will wait until they arrive to mail the package!

Steeplechase Report #3: Horses

"A racehorse is an animal that can take several thousand people for a ride at the same time." ~Author Unknown

And now, we have our third and final report on the steeplechase I attended last weekend along with 50,000 other people. Don't forget to catch the fashion report or the tailgate report if you missed those. I saved the best for last....the horses! (Sidenote, Miss Canada requested larger photos...but Blogger didn't cooperate. I think that if you click on the pictures, they will become larger in another window...)

As an ag girl, you know that I love a good horse race. I think this started when I was 6 months old and my dad bought me my first horse. It was only continued when our old man neighbor, who was sort of like an adopted grandpa to Little Brother and I, would tell us about his racehorses. I mean here we were, like 7 and 4 years old having conversations about jockey weights and trifectas.

Anyway, I was excited to see a steeplechase. I was honestly a little shocked at how many people at the races didn't care at all about the horses. Several people there in our group didn't seem to watch a single race....but I represented well and was glued to the rail the whole time! I love love love the sound of stampeding hooves going by. I wanted to get shots so you could see what I saw.....here you go!

These races are LONG—like 2-3 miles and there are a varying number of jumps—between 8 and 24. Let's compare that to the Kentucky Derby, which has no jumps and is only 1 1/4 miles. Or to the Belmont, which you always hear commentators talk about being such a long, greuling race at 1 1/2 miles.

So you want to talk about some talented, athletic horses....these were them!
Now, there was no starting gate (much to my surprise and confusion) but instead they just get the horses all lined up in a fairly straight line in the order of post position, and off they go.

Here are some pictures of the races going on.

We had running....

And we had jumping.....

Now, I can tell you that if the jockey falls off the horse, he is disqualified. I know this, because in the main race, three of them fell off and were out after the second jump. Talk about crazy!

And when it's allk said and done, the winner proceeds to the winner's circle and is crowned. (The marquee race was won by a woman jockey for only the 3rd time ever. Go girl!)It was amazing to watch these beautiful animals in such a beautiful setting. The rolling hills of rural Virginia sure make make me wish that Mr. Right would waltz off his Southern planation and sweep me off my feet. Preferably on a racehorse….but I’m not picky.

Steeplechase Report #2: Tailgaiting

**I already wrote and posted this once, but during the big blogger meltdown last week, it was lost. I've tried to re-write as much as I can remember, but honestly I was feeling more clever last week, so this re-do may not be as good. Regardless, stay tuned tomorrow for Part 3....The Horses! If you missed my Fashion report, click here.***

"The rule on tailgating here: There are no rules, so plop your canopy down, set up your lawn chairs, fire up the grill and party." ~ Dave Hollingsworth

Just so we're clear, I went to school at Oklahoma State. And lived a block from the football stadium. This girl knows how to tailgate.

But apparently they do it differently in the south.....it involves taxidermy, chandeliers, floral arrangements and private bar tenders. There were no grills, no kegs, and no touch football games. Instead there were linen tablecloths, fine wine, stuffed foxes and floral arrangements.

Taxidermy

Apparently the rich folk don’t leave home for a steeplechase without bringing along their stuffed foxes. Seriously…..we saw three. And people were mesmerized by them. I mean I can’t even tell you how many people took freaking pictures with these things.

These people apparently brought not only their fox, but also a chandelier....

What do these foxes have to do with anything? I haven’t a clue.

Food and Drink

Everyone said it would be like a tailgate, but it wasn’t like one I’ve ever been to. The people we went with had their own bartender who was serving your choice of 4 different wines. There was one fancy person kind of beer (meaning no Coors Light or Corona which are really staples where I come from). And don't worry, Mrs. Top Gun was drinking sparkling cider purchased just for her and the little Top Guns growing in her belly!

There were beautiful flower decorations on every table. Then there were these gourmet spreads of food.

I did find one table serving fried chicken, and thought it was hilarious, so I snapped a picture. I mean here we are wearing our fanciest clothes driving "our" fanciest cars, yet we're serving food that you can buy in a bucket for$1.99. Maybe it was the wine talking, because it seems less funny to me now.

The Rides

Then we have the fancy cars. Everyone drove out in the middle of the “Member’s Hill” where we were in their Bentleys and Porches. The friend of Mr. and Mrs. Top Gun who got us tickets showed up in his Bentley. Here we are posing in front of (read: blocking) the car. Notice the jeep on the left. There was some grumblings about it being there. I bet it's not back next year.

Sidenote: Every time I hear of a Bentley, I think of Kim Kardashian when some reporter asked her if she had any tatoos and she responded with, "Would you put a bumper sticker on a Bentley?"

Audi was a race sponsor, so they had their newest car there in every color.

I was a bad photographer when it came to the cars. There was one really fancy car that parked next to us, but I learned the guy we were there with didn't like him because last year, his car stole "our" Bentley's thunder. I protested by not getting a picture. I'm nothing if not loyal.

My favorite part of these fancy cars? There they all were, parked in the middle of a freaking field at a horse race, with cows in the background.

Photos of the Week #19 and Project 64 Week 19 - Cerulean

Okay, blogger went completely crazy last week and wouldn't let me on, then erased proir posts, then would let me on but would not let me upload pictures......long story short, I threw up my hands.

Now I'm trying to get everything caught up. And because I'm super anal and organized and the classic example of a Type A personality, I'm going to give you a schedule of how this catch up nonsense is going to go.

First, today I'm going to combine my Photos of the Week and my Project 64 blogs into this one.

Second, we're going to skip Meet the Cast Monday tomorrow so I can figure out my steeplechase series. If (by some blog miracle!) my post from last Thursday on Tailgating is recovered, I'll just have the third and final post on the horses to do. However, because I think my tailgaiting post may be lost forever in internet outerspace, I may have to re-post. Sigh.

Okay, after that I think we should be back on track and I'll try and get back to our regularly scheduled programming and organization. I don't know about you, but this blogging by the seat of my pants is stressful on a girl! With that....let's get to the photos!

Project 64: Week 19 - Cerulean

I knew exactly what I wanted to shoot for this picture. This is a tiny, old Catholic Church just down the street and I love the bright blue colors on the steeples. Be sure to check out the other entries at Project 64!

Theme: Up

This was one of my favorite "people" shots from the steeplechase I attended. I thought this little guy was super cute and I loved watching him watch the horses warming up. Of all my fashion shots, I deem him best dressed!

Theme: Birds

I actually don't like birds. I blame Alfred Hitchcock for traumatizing me in elementary school. (P.S. what elementary school lets kids watch horror movies?!?) Fortunately, I had this shot of a bird house that fit the bill!

Theme: All Smiles

This is my favorite photo of the week. My Little Brother graduated from college. I know that "photography" wise it's not that impressive, but for this proud sister, it was perfect for the theme! I thought it fit well for Photo Inspiration Friday!

Theme: Milk

I knew that this shot I took a month or so ago would come in handy one day!

Theme: Water (Live Every Moment)

This picture is also from the archives---I shot it just as it was starting to warm up this spring on a running path. I just love the color of the water and I've been waiting for the right theme to use it for! Go over to Live Every Moment to see all of the other entrants!

Theme: Action (Pioneer Woman)

I always love a new Pioneer Woman assignment! This week I entered a few of my steeplechase photos in the challenge. Didn't make one of the groups.....but I'll keep trying next time! Check out the amazing entries that did make the groups here!

Theme: Friendship (Quotography)

I wish this theme would have come later---like post-Girls Weekend 2011---because I don't have any recent "friendship" pictures. But, I did find a quote and a photo from the last time I was in Oklahoma and the Blonde Oklahoma Girl threw a dinner party. It's crazy to believe I've been frineds with these girls for over 5 years now, but our friendship does just get better over time! Be sure to check out the other Quotography entires here.

Theme: 2 Corinthians 5:17

I love this quote, and when I was trying to think of something to symbolize new-ness, I figured nothing was better than a blooming flower. Since tulips are my favorite, I chose this shot! Don't miss Verse of the Week at Lindsay's blog!

Steeplechase Report #1: Fashion

"She'd rather wear a pair of cutoff jeans than an fancy evening dress..." ~Brad Paisley, Old Alabama

As you guys know, I did a crisis preventing trip last weekend and attended the Virginia Gold Cup Steeplechase in The Plains, Virginia with my friend Mrs. Top Gun. I'm going to divide my report up into three parts (yes, Mom and Loud Oklahoma Girl, that means no Family Farm Friday this week.....you can whine now). We'll start the day off with fashion. Those of y'all who know me in real life are probably sitting there with your jaws dropped thinking to yourselves, "SHE is writing a FASHION post?!?" Well yes I am!

To try and gain some street cred here, I figured I'd share what I wore. I was a little nervous about the hat (due to a prior traumatic experience) but I think it all worked out okay. My goal was to look good enough not to get kicked out---I went very middle of the road. If this were the Oscars, I wouldn't have made either the best or worst dressed list, and I'm good with that!

Now, even before I went, I was excited about the fashion. I had no idea what I was in for. Without further adieu....here are my favorite Gold Cup fashions.

The Belles

For the ladies, it was all about the hats. There were hats as far as they eye could see..... (please read this in your best Bubba Gump voice).....There were:

Flat hats...

Floppy hats...

Flower pot hats... Straw hats...Big ugly bow hats....

Crazy hats...

Wild game looking hats....

Curtain-looking hats...
Black and white hats....

Red hats...

Rose garden hats...

Box shaped hats...Big puffy fake flower hats...
and I guess that's about it. :)

The Gentlemen

Now, y'all know I do love me a southern boy. Seriously, you get me someone with an accent who calls me ma'am and my heart melts all over the floor. However, I was not quite prepared for the southern man's steeplechase wardrobe!

We'll start off with a kilt (of which there were multiple) And follow with the most popular look of the day...seersucker suits. This dude added a bowtie. Nice touch.

Silk print pants. This might have been the most shocking look of the day.

A bowtie and matching baseball cap. I would be friends with this guy. He's formal, but here to party. (What movie? Anyone??)
This might have been my favorite look. Very Baggar Vance-ish.

And we'll finish off with this guy. My secertary asked if it was Richard Simmons. Alas, it was not. I have no idea why he wore this, but we all love America, so it was okay.

Little Ones

Lest you worry about there being future generations to carry on the traditions...fear not! I think they have it under control!Oh yea, one last thing. I am probably going to get arrested for snapping pictures of random people one day, so if you see a few days without blogs, you might want to check up on me and start gathering up bail money. Thanks in advance.