Saturday, November 29, 2008
November 29: On this Day...
One year ago... Nick and I were heading to Kauai for our honeymoon. We left snow behind and soaked up some Hawaiian hospitality. Can we go back yet?
Two years ago... Nick asked me to marry him at Carey's, the place where we met up for our first date.
Fifty-five years ago... my dad was born. He would've gotten a kick out my cycling, buddies, and other hobbies that I've since picked up. He's been gone since April, 2001.
Thanksgiving and Jingle Bell 5k with Photos
We had a nice day with hubby's family. Nothing too spectacular to report, but that's only because we always have a good time with them.
My sister-in-law's boyfriend likes a little whipped cream with his pie. He spent sometime applying a protective shell around the dessert.
Thanksgiving at the in-laws typically involves firearms and target practice at some point. :D Last year we shot pop cans off of the fence post. This year we shot clay pigeons. I'd never done that before and had fun. I'm not very good, I only hit three pigeons out of numerous attempts, but would like to try it more often. We may look for a shotgun for me. :D
I did scan the Black Friday ads and didn't see anything worth getting up at 3 a.m. for. I did head to Sioux Falls at 8 a.m. By 9, the town was still hopping at parking lots were full. With patience it wasn't impossible to get a parking spot. Within 4 minutes (I timed it) I had a spot at the mall. Lines moved quickly, I got the boots that I wanted for myself and my giving tree gift.
I don't really like shopping, though I do enjoy finding stuff for people for Christmas. Getting everything yesterday would've been exhausting. This way I can stretch it out. It was a good day to scan for ideas. My brother and his girlfriend were in Sioux Falls so we explored downtown a bit. They were nice enough to hang out with me while I had lunch at Sushi Masa. Yum. I haven't been there for awhile, I need to go there more often.
I had registered myself for the Jingle Bell 5 k. In preparation I wanted to make a couple of festive hats. One to wear while I ran and one for fun.
The Christmas Tree hat was meant to have lights on it. Like actually functioning lights. I bought a set of apparal lights at Hobby Lobby, but wasn't confident in their brightness and didn't have luck switching batteries. So, rather than cutting into the hat, I went on without them.
There was a good turn out for the 5 k run. But, not as many as I thought there might be.
I just didn't want to be last. The race began and everyone went faster than I typically do. I generally plod up and down the driveway at an easy pace and never have much to light a fire under my butt. I went with the group but even at a slightly quicker pace, I fell behind. Though for much of the run I was really only a half block behind the slower group.
Still, I felt self conscious. There weren't many people running, but there were ALOT of people along the street watching. A lot of people said that they liked my hat. I was laughing at myself earlier, I knew that I'd be running slowly... I may as well have a big "LOOK AT MEEEEEE!!!" hat on my head too. :-)
The route started at 14th street and went down Phillips, through the park and back. By the time I got to the last side street before the final approach into the park, there were runners coming back. Falls Park was gorgeous and actually fun to run through. There were many volunteers watching the racers.
Coming back out of Falls Park it's slighly up hill. I made it up the hill and considered my options: continue running or walk just a little bit. I was afraid to walk at all because sometimes that's the death knell. But, I still had a mile to go and didn't want to walk all of that. I'd seen some of the faster runners walking on their way out of the park too, one guy with a side stitch. A few of the 'slower' group ahead of me were taking a walk break also. I thought if there was a time to walk, it'd be now while nobody was around to watch. :D I only walked maybe the distance between two light posts and then I continued on.
Another lady was walking, I passed her. She was fiddling with her ipod. When she started running again, she passed me. However, it wasn't long and she was walking again. I passed her. There were more people around and I felt like I was going at a really good (for me) pace. I felt like I was trying (emphasis on trying) to hold Cycling Cathy off at a time trial. :D
A cousin of my dad's and her husband happened to be at the parade and yelled for me. I kept going. I saw 7th street go by and I'm like, "Ooof, 7 more blocks?" A few people crossed the street completely oblivious to me running along. That was very annoying. I had to go around them. A person doesn't think about that, but when you're tired any little deviance takes a little bit more energy. Nick pointed out that I had training for that though, my dogs are always nearly tripping me up. :D
As I approached the finish line I felt like I'd run a good race for me. Though I've felt like I've had a good run before and not gained any time. The walker lady had been a half block behind me and as I was getting to the line I saw her along my side and I'm like, "Crud!!!" So I picked it up and I think that I got to the line JUST before her. It doesn't truly matter, if I'd been just behind her and officially DFL... I was still with SOMEONE else.
I looked at the clock and it said 32:15, my watch said 32:08. I say to myself, "Holy Sh**, that's 4 minutes faster!!!" My mom didn't expect to see me so early, I had said that it'd take 36 minutes. I had hoped that I'd be a bit faster with a crowd. She says, "YOU SHAVED 4 MINUTES!!!" I say, "I know! I feel like it too!" Then I continued to cough up a lung for the rest of the night. :D
The parade was really nice and a great start to the season.
My sister-in-law's boyfriend likes a little whipped cream with his pie. He spent sometime applying a protective shell around the dessert.
Thanksgiving at the in-laws typically involves firearms and target practice at some point. :D Last year we shot pop cans off of the fence post. This year we shot clay pigeons. I'd never done that before and had fun. I'm not very good, I only hit three pigeons out of numerous attempts, but would like to try it more often. We may look for a shotgun for me. :D
I did scan the Black Friday ads and didn't see anything worth getting up at 3 a.m. for. I did head to Sioux Falls at 8 a.m. By 9, the town was still hopping at parking lots were full. With patience it wasn't impossible to get a parking spot. Within 4 minutes (I timed it) I had a spot at the mall. Lines moved quickly, I got the boots that I wanted for myself and my giving tree gift.
I don't really like shopping, though I do enjoy finding stuff for people for Christmas. Getting everything yesterday would've been exhausting. This way I can stretch it out. It was a good day to scan for ideas. My brother and his girlfriend were in Sioux Falls so we explored downtown a bit. They were nice enough to hang out with me while I had lunch at Sushi Masa. Yum. I haven't been there for awhile, I need to go there more often.
I had registered myself for the Jingle Bell 5 k. In preparation I wanted to make a couple of festive hats. One to wear while I ran and one for fun.
The Christmas Tree hat was meant to have lights on it. Like actually functioning lights. I bought a set of apparal lights at Hobby Lobby, but wasn't confident in their brightness and didn't have luck switching batteries. So, rather than cutting into the hat, I went on without them.
There was a good turn out for the 5 k run. But, not as many as I thought there might be.
I just didn't want to be last. The race began and everyone went faster than I typically do. I generally plod up and down the driveway at an easy pace and never have much to light a fire under my butt. I went with the group but even at a slightly quicker pace, I fell behind. Though for much of the run I was really only a half block behind the slower group.
Still, I felt self conscious. There weren't many people running, but there were ALOT of people along the street watching. A lot of people said that they liked my hat. I was laughing at myself earlier, I knew that I'd be running slowly... I may as well have a big "LOOK AT MEEEEEE!!!" hat on my head too. :-)
The route started at 14th street and went down Phillips, through the park and back. By the time I got to the last side street before the final approach into the park, there were runners coming back. Falls Park was gorgeous and actually fun to run through. There were many volunteers watching the racers.
Coming back out of Falls Park it's slighly up hill. I made it up the hill and considered my options: continue running or walk just a little bit. I was afraid to walk at all because sometimes that's the death knell. But, I still had a mile to go and didn't want to walk all of that. I'd seen some of the faster runners walking on their way out of the park too, one guy with a side stitch. A few of the 'slower' group ahead of me were taking a walk break also. I thought if there was a time to walk, it'd be now while nobody was around to watch. :D I only walked maybe the distance between two light posts and then I continued on.
Another lady was walking, I passed her. She was fiddling with her ipod. When she started running again, she passed me. However, it wasn't long and she was walking again. I passed her. There were more people around and I felt like I was going at a really good (for me) pace. I felt like I was trying (emphasis on trying) to hold Cycling Cathy off at a time trial. :D
A cousin of my dad's and her husband happened to be at the parade and yelled for me. I kept going. I saw 7th street go by and I'm like, "Ooof, 7 more blocks?" A few people crossed the street completely oblivious to me running along. That was very annoying. I had to go around them. A person doesn't think about that, but when you're tired any little deviance takes a little bit more energy. Nick pointed out that I had training for that though, my dogs are always nearly tripping me up. :D
As I approached the finish line I felt like I'd run a good race for me. Though I've felt like I've had a good run before and not gained any time. The walker lady had been a half block behind me and as I was getting to the line I saw her along my side and I'm like, "Crud!!!" So I picked it up and I think that I got to the line JUST before her. It doesn't truly matter, if I'd been just behind her and officially DFL... I was still with SOMEONE else.
I looked at the clock and it said 32:15, my watch said 32:08. I say to myself, "Holy Sh**, that's 4 minutes faster!!!" My mom didn't expect to see me so early, I had said that it'd take 36 minutes. I had hoped that I'd be a bit faster with a crowd. She says, "YOU SHAVED 4 MINUTES!!!" I say, "I know! I feel like it too!" Then I continued to cough up a lung for the rest of the night. :D
The parade was really nice and a great start to the season.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Checking in
Alright, Cycling Cathy's post reminded me that I really do mean to use this blog as a sort of report on my working out. Not that it matters too much, but it's nice to feel as though you're accountable in some way for activity.
A few co-workers and I formed a team to count the number of steps we take in a day through the healthysd website. I think we'll get pedometers from the state. I have one at home, but was never able to get it calibrated correctly.
I don't really enjoy this lack of daylight. The morning seems like it would be an ideal time for me to get outside for my run, but it is very difficult for me to get out of bed. It's warm there and the house is full of sleepy pets and a couple of sleepy people. Even when I go to bed early, it's still tough to get up. I suppose that's where I should just decide to drive to Vermillion and work out in the a.m.
However, when I don't have a rigid work schedule, I prefer to go and run over the noon hour. OR walk, or whatever.
Last Friday I didn't make it home in time to run before the sun was gone. So, I did two miles up and down the driveway with flashlight in hand. Saturday, I was at the cheer and dance competition for work in Yankton. I enjoyed watching the routines more than I enjoy watching football. My feet were still very tired after standing on cement all day.
On Sunday we cleaned house and family came over. I shot some photos for my brother and his girlfriend, mom and grandma stopped down and we all had dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Vermillion. Yum. It was really nice to hang out with family at home.
Last night I was home by 4, so I was able to run and see a really pretty sunset. I got 3.1 miles in. I felt really good and thought that I was going at a good pace, maybe faster than normal. I must've slacked a bit at other times during the run. I was a minute slower than normal. Still, it was a perfect evening. Once I started, I was at a comfortable temperature and there wasn't much of a wind to speak of.
I have been getting some miles in on the trainer. My attention span is generally only good for 30-45 minutes. IT's better than nothing and right now it's just to fill space between runs or when I don't feel like running. I also bought a yoga DVD and get around to doing that in the morning once or twice a week.
There still are a number of gaps in my 'training log', but I'm doing my best to not be a coach potato.
I'm tentatively planning to run the jingle bell 5k, a run prior to the parade of lights in Sioux Falls on the 28th. Is anyone else going to either event (5k and/or parade of lights?)
Happy Tuesday!!!
A few co-workers and I formed a team to count the number of steps we take in a day through the healthysd website. I think we'll get pedometers from the state. I have one at home, but was never able to get it calibrated correctly.
I don't really enjoy this lack of daylight. The morning seems like it would be an ideal time for me to get outside for my run, but it is very difficult for me to get out of bed. It's warm there and the house is full of sleepy pets and a couple of sleepy people. Even when I go to bed early, it's still tough to get up. I suppose that's where I should just decide to drive to Vermillion and work out in the a.m.
However, when I don't have a rigid work schedule, I prefer to go and run over the noon hour. OR walk, or whatever.
Last Friday I didn't make it home in time to run before the sun was gone. So, I did two miles up and down the driveway with flashlight in hand. Saturday, I was at the cheer and dance competition for work in Yankton. I enjoyed watching the routines more than I enjoy watching football. My feet were still very tired after standing on cement all day.
On Sunday we cleaned house and family came over. I shot some photos for my brother and his girlfriend, mom and grandma stopped down and we all had dinner at Texas Roadhouse in Vermillion. Yum. It was really nice to hang out with family at home.
Last night I was home by 4, so I was able to run and see a really pretty sunset. I got 3.1 miles in. I felt really good and thought that I was going at a good pace, maybe faster than normal. I must've slacked a bit at other times during the run. I was a minute slower than normal. Still, it was a perfect evening. Once I started, I was at a comfortable temperature and there wasn't much of a wind to speak of.
I have been getting some miles in on the trainer. My attention span is generally only good for 30-45 minutes. IT's better than nothing and right now it's just to fill space between runs or when I don't feel like running. I also bought a yoga DVD and get around to doing that in the morning once or twice a week.
There still are a number of gaps in my 'training log', but I'm doing my best to not be a coach potato.
I'm tentatively planning to run the jingle bell 5k, a run prior to the parade of lights in Sioux Falls on the 28th. Is anyone else going to either event (5k and/or parade of lights?)
Happy Tuesday!!!
Monday, November 10, 2008
Photo Experiments
This photo didn't turn out as good as I'd hoped, but it's not as bad as I feared. The dog sort of looks like a dog, though I lost track of where I began. While I did crop the image, the dog should've been farther away from me so that the bone wouldn't be right above his head. Ah well. It's art, right? I tried to do some lighting of the ground and trees behind me, but need to adjust my camera settings a bit differently. Who knows when I will try this again. It's getting cold at night.
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Always Wear Your Helmet. :-)
Don't judge this yet. This is a test for something that I'm working on. I will certainly be posting the results here, eventually. It's going to be cool. I think. :D It may take a bit of time for me to use up the roll of film though. :-( (I may have something to post next week)
Monday, October 20, 2008
Art and Dining in Beresford. Plus a workout report.
We had a pretty decent weekend. I worked on some things around the house on Saturday. That night Nick and I went into the big cities of Beresford and Alcester.
The Nuance Gallery had a reception for Vermillion artist, Charles Weidemann. I'd not been to the gallery yet so I asked Nick to go with me. I didn't really know many people at the show. My high school art teacher was there, so it was nice to catch up with her.
Mr. Weidemann is a 76 year old painter and works in the realm of realism. Painters boggle my mind. I mean, sure, I can *paint*. But, I can't PAINT. Certainly not realistically. I can make an accurate depiction of something by drawing it, but not really *that* well either.
The artist seems like a neat guy. I hope that when I'm 76 I'm still making art, even if it's just to make myself happy. I am happy for people who can continue to do what they enjoy all through their life. I hope that for everyone.
It was nice to indulge my inner artist. Beresford has such a talented pool of people that have landed in the area. The owner of Nuance is a Beresford local and is a talented painter. She has a son who was a high school classmate of mine. I know that at least two of her children are talented artists themselves. Two other Beresford artists have work in the gallery too. One does woodwork, turning bowls out of logs and other raw materials. The other creates art from eggs.
Really, check it out.
There are other pieces from the area too.
Afterward we headed to Alcester for dinner at the Steakhouse. They have such good food. The place was packed. Nick's steak was a bit more rare than he'd asked for. Unfortunately he didn't enjoy his meal as much as usual, but that was a rare exception rather than the rule. My chicken alfredo was awesome. The last time I was there I had the parmesean and herb tilapia. Yummy.
Alcester is a smaller town than Beresford. They don't really have that much for business in town. There are only two restaurants in town, a cafe and the Steakhouse. Beresford isn't large either, but they have essentially three art galleries (at least two aren't open that often either) and limited places to eat. You can find lunch in town, but there isn't anywhere to really have dinner. Am I totally wrong? The only sit down place is Emily's. I haven't been there for awhile but the other half hasn't been giving it rave reviews. I should disclose that I don't know when the last time that he ate there was either.
Regarding small town life: Yesterday we were also wishing that the local bakery wasn't such a thing of the past either. I haven't been to the one in Centerville, but I wish those weren't as rare as they are.
Regarding excercising: I haven't been as diligent as I'd like. I haven't been on my bike since the Margarita ride. I've been making attempts at running. I get out at least once a week, typically. Most of the time I've only squeaked out two mile runs in the last month or two. I started getting kind of frustrated and felt like I was falling off of the wagon.
Last Thursday I ran three miles. Saturday I walked three. Yesterday I ran four!! Yay! I don't know when the last time that I ran four was, probably last winter. I felt pretty good. I was going pretty slow, but felt like I could've kept going for awhile. However, my knees started aching a little around mile 3 to 3.25. So, I finished four and called it good. Woo!
I've gotta get my roadbike in on the trainer.
The Nuance Gallery had a reception for Vermillion artist, Charles Weidemann. I'd not been to the gallery yet so I asked Nick to go with me. I didn't really know many people at the show. My high school art teacher was there, so it was nice to catch up with her.
Mr. Weidemann is a 76 year old painter and works in the realm of realism. Painters boggle my mind. I mean, sure, I can *paint*. But, I can't PAINT. Certainly not realistically. I can make an accurate depiction of something by drawing it, but not really *that* well either.
The artist seems like a neat guy. I hope that when I'm 76 I'm still making art, even if it's just to make myself happy. I am happy for people who can continue to do what they enjoy all through their life. I hope that for everyone.
It was nice to indulge my inner artist. Beresford has such a talented pool of people that have landed in the area. The owner of Nuance is a Beresford local and is a talented painter. She has a son who was a high school classmate of mine. I know that at least two of her children are talented artists themselves. Two other Beresford artists have work in the gallery too. One does woodwork, turning bowls out of logs and other raw materials. The other creates art from eggs.
Really, check it out.
There are other pieces from the area too.
Afterward we headed to Alcester for dinner at the Steakhouse. They have such good food. The place was packed. Nick's steak was a bit more rare than he'd asked for. Unfortunately he didn't enjoy his meal as much as usual, but that was a rare exception rather than the rule. My chicken alfredo was awesome. The last time I was there I had the parmesean and herb tilapia. Yummy.
Alcester is a smaller town than Beresford. They don't really have that much for business in town. There are only two restaurants in town, a cafe and the Steakhouse. Beresford isn't large either, but they have essentially three art galleries (at least two aren't open that often either) and limited places to eat. You can find lunch in town, but there isn't anywhere to really have dinner. Am I totally wrong? The only sit down place is Emily's. I haven't been there for awhile but the other half hasn't been giving it rave reviews. I should disclose that I don't know when the last time that he ate there was either.
Regarding small town life: Yesterday we were also wishing that the local bakery wasn't such a thing of the past either. I haven't been to the one in Centerville, but I wish those weren't as rare as they are.
Regarding excercising: I haven't been as diligent as I'd like. I haven't been on my bike since the Margarita ride. I've been making attempts at running. I get out at least once a week, typically. Most of the time I've only squeaked out two mile runs in the last month or two. I started getting kind of frustrated and felt like I was falling off of the wagon.
Last Thursday I ran three miles. Saturday I walked three. Yesterday I ran four!! Yay! I don't know when the last time that I ran four was, probably last winter. I felt pretty good. I was going pretty slow, but felt like I could've kept going for awhile. However, my knees started aching a little around mile 3 to 3.25. So, I finished four and called it good. Woo!
I've gotta get my roadbike in on the trainer.
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