Week 5, Day 3

This is the day on the Couch to 5K program that I had marked on my calendar. I was dreading it, yet looking forward to it, if that makes any sense. And today happened to be that day. The day that I had to run 20 minutes straight with no walking. I don't think I've done that since high school. I've worked out on the elliptical machine for way more time than that, but I haven't ran continuously for 20 minutes in quite some time.

Of course it was pouring this morning when I woke up for my run. Not that I'm complaining, because we need the rain, but it was just ironic.

So I went to the gym. Thank goodness for that gym membership that I've held on to for so long but barely used. Came in handy today.

And I ran 20 minutes on the treadmill. What's the big deal? I had definitely psyched myself out, and it honestly wasn't that big of a deal. So either I totally underestimated myself with this running thing, or the Couch to 5K program is working. We'll see in another four weeks when I should be running 3.1 miles.

Don't get me wrong. I still don't like to run. Quite frankly, I never have. But I like seeing the benefits (slowly but surely). So, I'll keep getting up at 5 a.m. to run.

Happy Thursday!

Stil miss my grandpa

No matter how much time goes by, it doesn't get any easier.

I. Still. Miss. My. Grandpa.

We lost him four years ago today, and I remember it like it was yesterday. I blogged about it a couple years ago, and I don't know what else I can say today. That blog post pretty much sums it up. He was an awesome man and I love him very much! RIP grandpa!

Kids say the darnedest things

I don't know what else to say, other than kids say (and do) the darnedest things. Enjoy!

This one has received more than 331 million views. Yes, I said that correctly. 331. Million.



And this one is just cute. Watch it all the way to the end (it's only 55 seconds)

And just like that...

there's a disturbance heading toward the Gulf. And we're not even 24 hours into the 2011 hurricane season! Granted, if this hits us, or near us, I will not complain. I might actually go out and sit in the middle of it. As in the middle of the pouring rain. It won't be anything major that requires evacuation, and we.need.rain. Desperately. Desperately actually is an understatement. I think the last time it rained at our house - like a major rain - was in the days right after we had our landscaping put in. And that was Martin Luther King Day. In January. Yes, January. As in 4 1/2 months ago. So...

BRING IT ON!

Oh, and in case you were wondering... this is what I saw as I got out of my car this afternoon heading back into the office. Yes, that's 3:12 p.m. Awesome. Summer has arrived. And so, too, has hurricane season!

Happy Hurricane Season

It's that time of year again. No, it's not Christmas. It's officially hurricane season. It started today and runs through Nov. 30. Not my favorite season, but one that I definitely pay special attention to. As has been the case in the last few years, the folks at NOAA are predicting a fairly active season. I'll leave it at that. I don't want to jinx anything.

In case you're wondering, here are the names for 2011.

Arlene
Bret
Cindy
Don
Emily
Franklin
Gert
Harvey
Irene
Jose
Katia
Lee
Maria
Nate
Ophelia
Philippe
Rina
Sean
Tammy
Vince
Whitney