"Don't you ever crave a juicy burger?"

Do you know what I like? I like making decisions for myself. Knowing that an outcome, good or bad, formed because of my decision is a satisfying feeling. Sure, not every decision I make is a good one, but I realize that it was my own. I cannot blame you or you or even you. Nearly two years ago I decided to become a vegetarian. No one told me I should. No one said I should not. After living most of my life eating meat rather sparingly, I thought I'd take the plunge. People ask me why I'm a vegetarian whenever it is brought up in conversation. It's usually followed by, "don't you ever crave a juicy burger?" I answer the second question first. "Never." Then I try to explain the first part. I honestly have a number of reasons that are good for me and maybe not for you. I'm completely okay with that. You take care of yourself and I'll take care of myself. I have to warn you though, if you are ever in need, it would be my pleasure to take care of you. I have always been well taken care of on this earth so I thought I'd do my part and take care of the earth as much as I can. There is an abundance of land being used to raise animals and water used to grow grains and feed them is an extreme amount. We use over half the water in our country for livestock. Should I repeat that sentence? As a person with a passion for health, I know it is not an end goal. Health is the path you travel to reach your end goal. Reducing heart disease, cancer, and diabetes are all positive aspects of vegetarianism. I just think about the animals out there. I don't want them to suffer. I get sad just talking about it so I really think I'll leave you with that. Did you know you save the lives at least 100 animals a year by not eating them? I learned that one day. It helped reassure me of  my personal decision. So, my reasons may be environmental and they may be health benefits, and they may be because I do not want animals to suffer but I hardly think it's necessary to ask why I'm vegetarian. I certainly don't ask why people eat meat. After all, you may not be able to part with a juicy burger. I cannot blame you. We've gone over that.

            Best, 

                   Anne

So Close to Sixteen

It was supposed to snow today. It was supposed to rain today. It was supposed to be cold today. It did not snow today. It did not rain today. It was nearly 50 degrees today. I could not have asked for a more beautiful day. I love how Washington is funky like that. Looking at weather.com is without a doubt one of the most pointless things to do. You take what you're given and run with it. That's exactly what I did. I went to work at 7 am and was ready to run a few hours later. I decided today would be a great day for my long weekly run of 16 miles. Then I would have the rest of the weekend to relax, if you can believe it! 

I snapped a few photos of the various surroundings. Sometimes they all look the same, but each day I feel something different. All love, though.

Around mile 3 I felt an uncommon pain in my lower left leg. It was not comfortable. My only problem, besides the pain in my leg, was that this does not really happen to me. Even if my body aches, it's usually just because I have been running for a long time but it never starts at the beginning of my journey. The worst part? I need to run. This is my escape and time to just get out there and go. I enjoy my surroundings, I smile at other walkers/runners, I hold back on petting the adorable dogs because I know that is not what I will do during the marathon, and I have a few hours to myself with my music in my ears and the breeze leaving a smile on my face. I could have easily turned around and tried the sixteen on another day but I decided to put my stubborn painful foot down and keep trucking.

 I tried to take a picture of the mountains because they were as clear as every but somehow it looks like a painting. Well, I guess you'll have to deal with that. It was really the least of my worries. I was cruising back and around mile 13 I really felt that stupid annoying pain getting worse and worse. It's difficult to respond when you know exactly how far you have to go and in the grand scheme of things, it seems so minimal...so doable. By mile 14, I gave in to that pesky fibularis longus and came to a halt. It was time to use my emergency call (Yes, I tuck my phone into my running belt in case I ever need it for something---you can breathe a sigh of relief, Grandma. Things happen. I'd hate to be stranded 8 miles out). I called my roommate Briana and she was such a dear life saver. Unfortunately, I just could not pound the pavement any longer. With two miles to go, I threw in the towel.

I guess I'm not as tough as I thought. Blueberries really put things in perspective...

Today's Dedication: My mom

My mom rides her bike twice a day (weather permitting). I thought about her today while I was running. If she is unable to ride her bike, she feels like she missed a great part of her day. I am the same with running. Everyone needs a little time to just get out there and do something that makes them truly happy. I see that in her after she goes on her bike rides. Don't get me wrong, that is not the only time she is truly happy. I have one happy mother. She makes me happy, too. If she has an off day, she adjusts her bike ride accordingly. She will usually just shorten her route and wait for the next time to come back stronger. This is all I could think about while I was out there. I nearly heard my mom saying, "don't push yourself." Mothers do know best. My mom knows me best and I would like to think I know my mom best...as far as in comparison to all the other moms...She is one of the strongest people I know and look up to. No matter what the situation, she always finds a graceful way to deal with it. I envy it and try my best to emulate it. One bike ride at a time. One run at a time. One day at a time.

          Best,
                 Anne

To be honest:

All I can say is...

 ...I think you are all...

 ...as lovely...

...as chocolate and flowers. 

             Best, 

                     Anne

Miles and Miles Per Hour

This morning I woke up scared that I would see pouring rain outside my window. Instead, before I hopped out of bed I heard the house shaking. Not my favorite feeling in the world, to be honest. I looked out the window and didn't see rain as highly predicted (thank goodness), but I did see whipping winds. Guh-reat. Nothing I could do about it though! I just prayed my feet would stay on the ground, but who doesn't do that, you know?
15 miles meant something special today. I was bringing out the secret weapon.

 This bad boy has three compartments for little water bottles. The only problem is that I lost two bottles since the first marathon. I only needed one for the run so that worked out fine but guess what else this guy holds? My iPod, house key, and gummy bears!

Not only is it convenient but it's stylish! I've never felt more confident. I think I may start wearing it on a daily basis because lets face it, I need to stay hydrated, listen to music, and munch on gummy bears. In comparison to your average fanny pack, this hydration belt wins because, uh, it allows you to stay hydrated! No brainer.

Enough fashion talk, let's get to the run! The wind is sort of great and horrible at the same time. It just depends which direction you are running. I got the "best" of both worlds throughout the course. I came to the conclusion I'd rather have the wind for 15 miles than rain. Rain is great every once in awhile but do you know what isn't? Blood blisters. Yep, I went there. We're going to need to get comfortable talking about the good, bad, and ugly related to running. There's a lot of ugly, but I try to see mostly good. That's because I usually am unable to see myself...

After my windy run, I had to document what happened. Can you say windswept beauty? Let me say that I did not fix my hair at all during the course of the run (I now realize that is an obvious mistake) and I had to share this picture. Let me also say that my ponytail is not even in this picture. Not sure what happened to it.

Thankfully, I have no intention of finding love through this blog. The only date I had in mind was with a bottle of conditioner.

Today's Dedication: John

This dedication is for my brother and I should clear this up at the beginning. There is no correlation to this post and the fact that his birthday was yesterday and I have not given him a present yet. I promise. As I was running, I kept thinking about food. The gummy bears at the halfway mark did not cut it, although they gave me a little burst of energy. With several miles to go, I continuously wished a delicious meal would be sitting on the table upon my arrival. John is one of the best cooks I know (and am lucky to be related to). He has a natural talent in the kitchen. I love talking to John about what he is making for dinner because that's usually something we chat about on the phone. It's quite common to hear "something with chicken or steak." I know, why would I care then? I've never heard him say, "I really feel like whipping up some vegetable lasagna" but I still see his passion for cooking. It's true, garlic, olive oil, and onions do produce the best smell that there can be. I wonder if Burberry sells that cologne? My present shopping would be complete! John has always known good food. It probably stems back to the days of honey nut cheerios at the kitchen table before school. I could see his innovative mind just churning at future possibilities. I send John recipes all the time from blogs but I know he is not much of a recipe guy. Even still, I know he will take ideas and apply them. The result? Delicious home-cooked meals made by my dear brother. Easy peasy. I'm just waiting for him to appear on Top-Chef. You don't have to go to Le Cordon Bleu to be a genius in the kitchen. Although, it wouldn't hurt...

So now I'm still debating what to cook for lunch. I assume it will involve pasta, spinach, garlic, and whatever else I can find in the fridge. I could really go for something made by John, though. 

            Best, 

                   Anne

A handful of habits.

If everyone is unique in their own way, it's only natural that we have our own habits that make sense to us but maybe not everyone else. I think that is completely normal. I only say this because I like to believe it's okay to have strange habits. Hey, I won't care if you don't care.

I braid my hair at night when I'm stressed out and can't sleep. Yes, I really do. Unfortunately, I've woken up nearly every day for the past few weeks with tiny braids in my hair. In fact, I still have one tucked away in my ponytail at the moment.  

I have a tendency to walk into stores looking for one thing and leaving with a handful of greeting cards. I do not care if they are over 3 dollars. They make me smile and they make other people smile, too! Sometimes I think I should have been a greeting card writer...

Additionally, I've gotten into the habit of sitting in my dark living room on Friday nights doing homework, catching up on television shows, and trying to unwind after each hectic week. Tonight is no different. After all, I have 15 miles to rest up for in the morning.

Do you have any interesting habits? I love hearing about them. I could go into detail about how I make up lyrics to songs that already exist and sing about what I'm doing at that moment to the tune of another song. It may sound strange but...okay, that's strange. There is nothing I can say to make that sound better. At least it makes me happy. I'm also content changing the radio station every 30 seconds until I find the "perfect" song. Sorry, Mom. Anyway, I'll save some of my other habits for another (rainy) day. I guarantee I have plenty more! Hope you are all enjoying your Friday night.
See ya tomorrow! 

           Best, 

                  Anne

39.

Somedays Every day I miss my family. They never let me down. They're always there. I'd rather spend time with them than anyone in the world. The only problem? 2,103 miles. 

            Best,
                   Anne

Eat, sleep, dream, run.

Waking up was a bit of a struggle this morning. My eyes were heavy. My head was still asleep. Most importantly, I was a little concerned about the dream I just had. As I set out to run 10 miles this morning, I began thinking about this dream. It may have something to do with my Steelers post. Long dream short, I was watching the Packers warm up right before the Super Bowl and the football ended up in the stands at the same time one of their offensive players was injured. I assume the reason I caught the football in the stands was because it was my dream, but I'm still wishing I had not. I tossed the ball back to the ref and then the coach came up to me and asked me to take the injured player's position for the game. I was completely shocked and repeated, "I am a tiny little woman" many times, but no luck. I woke up before I saw the outcome of my performance. I'm sure I would not have lasted very long in the situation. Clearly I was affected by this blog post. Well played, Green Bay. Well played. 

After I had enough thinking about being snapped in half, I continued running. It was a breezy morning with clouds. Cannot complain about that! I was happy to cut back a few miles based on the program. In fact, I found it sort of comforting. While it doesn't seem like 10 miles is giving your body a rest, I found it to be a nice change from the increase in miles. I'll worry about 15 miles next week. Today, I was content with 10 peaceful miles. 

Today's Dedication: My roommates

When I thought about my run as being comforting, I paralleled it to my roommates. There is nothing I enjoy more than coming home from an exhausting day and finding comfort in seeing any of my roommates when I walk in the door. We can talk about the day or talk about the TV line up or talk about life in general, but we do something far more than talking: we laugh. Not a single day goes by where we are not laughing hysterically about something or other. I find comfort in their smiles and stories, but it's the laughter that keeps me sane. They are people I can be myself with and to me, those people are hard to find. I only wish I found them when I moved here. We all have different backgrounds and contribute such uniqueness to our home that makes for a very entertaining and wonderful living dynamic. It was a relief running 10 miles today and it is a relief spending time with the kind ladies I share a home with everyday.

           Best,
                  Anne

The Steelers Stigma

Let's get one thing straight. I love the Pittsburgh Steelers. I'd like to thank my dad for instilling a love for a team that is actually quite fantastic. I still remember the days of Kordell Stewart #10(okay, they probably weren't that long ago, but long enough for my lifetime!) and wish I could make my way back to Pittsburgh to visit such a beautiful and unique city. Now my dad never told me I had to cheer for the Steelers (I just wouldn't be loved anymore if I didn't) so there was some sort of incentive, I guess. Just kidding, of course. I grew up surrounded by the appreciation for the Steelers so I began to appreciate them as well. I appreciate the fact that they have the most Super Bowl titles and am certainly rooting for one more on Sunday. I believe in seven. Why not? Mike Tomlin is doing great things with this team. I, for one, am impressed. 

Now I'm getting extremely tired of this Steelers stigma. Everyone time I talk about the Steelers or tell people I like them, I hold my breath while I wait for them to crack some Roethlisberger comment. How many times do I have to say I cheer for the team of talent and not root for the man who has done horrible things? Can I talk about how I'm in love with Troy Polamalu and his dynamite defense or luscious locks? He is my favorite, not Big Ben. How about Rashard Mendenhall? Pouncey? Wallace? Ward? Such a dynamic team that deserves every win they've gotten. Remember Tiger Woods? Do you stop watching golf because one player did something horrible? No, you cheer for Phil Mickelson and call it a day.

So here we are, friends. Two days from the Super Bowl with an incredible match-up of the Steelers versus the Packers. I guess I don't have to emphasize who I'm going to be pulling for anymore. Maybe the Steelers have the most wins. Maybe you want the underdog to win. Either way, let's hope for a good game because these are good football players. But if it's a question of who has the better head of hair, Polamalu takes Clay Matthews any day.

Is that so terrible?

         Best, 

                Anne

Don't forget

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day.

I am grateful for this day.

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

I am grateful for this day. 

Despite the battle to make it through.

        Best, 

               Anne