I run

I have many habits. Some not so good habits, and some good. Let me give you an example~

Not so good habit~
I pick my lips. Gross I know. Not to mention that I am a grown woman who does this. Anytime I am stressed, or deep in thought, my hand goes right to my lips to see if there is a willing victim. AND the bigger the piece, the more satisfaction I get from it. Because of my habit I have become dependent on chapstick and it is not uncommon for me to make a run to the store to buy 10 new sticks.
 
I need a support group.

Lip pickers unite!!!

Good habit~
I run. I started running after I graduated from high school and fell in love with it then. Then I started having babies. I thought I could continue to run for the beginning of my first pregnancy, and then the vomiting began. All running came to a full and complete stop. I did not run again for 7 years. About 2 years ago I joined the local YMCA and headed straight to the treadmill. I am not gonna lie, it was not pretty, but I went back the next day and it got better. The love was still there, I just needed to work on me. Having been a mom for the last 7 years this was something I had forgotten how to do and I was desperate to get it back. So I kept it up and it got easier, and smoother, and less of a task and more of a treat.

Somethings I love about running~
~It allows me to listen to the music that I would NEVER be able to play in my car. The faster the beat, angrier the lyrics, the faster I run.
~At some point in the run my body takes over and I go into auto pilot. This allows me to really think and enjoy my time.
~I burn a boat load of calories.

Last month my friend Kristy invited me to do a 5K run with her. I have been wanting to do a race but had no idea where to begin so this seemed like a perfect chance to get my feet wet.
So I upped my running at the Y, rubbed my armpit raw for the first time ever, and bought a new pair of running shorts for the big day.
Looking good on race day is very important. Trust me.

   Cute shorts, right!?

My running buddy Kristy~

I wish I could be this tan in a photo just once!!

The crowd~

It was like one big giant party and I loved it!!!! Then the race started and this mob of people started to move forward. You moved forward whether you wanted to or not. I stuck right behind Kristy, she has done several races and knows her way around a crowd. Without her I am sure I would have been trampled. After it was all said and done I came in #409 out of 905 and 27th out of 71 in my age group.

Oh, and Kristy beat me.

It is on like Donkey Kong! Little competition is good for everyone!

I ran my best mile ever, and it is safe to say I am addicted. There will be many more races in my future. A few things I learned in my first race~

~I should have run some outside instead of only on a treadmill. I had swollen ankles the next day and had to take the week off to recover.
~A race is a wonderful opportunity to people watch! Seriously, even the freaks run.
~It is a giant party after the race, lots of free goodies and who doesn't like free!!
~Nothing feels better than crossing the finish line!

I have another race on the calendar at the end of October so I am off to prepare for it!!

Meg





This is how my garden grows.

Last week was a very stressful but productive week for me. The best thing about last week is that I finally got the house listed and the sign in the front yard!! Can I get an AMEN!!

"AMEN!!!!!!"

So now I am turning my attention back to somethings that had to be put on hold while I was patching holes and trying to match paint cans to rooms. Mainly, my garden was put on hold.

Side note: Never again will I paint two separate rooms the same beige but make one a shade lighter than the other. Complete mayhem. Trust me, I almost lost my grip on sanity over this.

Anyway, back to my garden. It is going crazy, and I am surprised it has lasted this long! With the weather in the high 90's and the heat index well into the 100's, I am surprised it has not shrivelled up and died yet. Not to mention the past couple of weeks it has been lucky if I get out there to water it every other day.

This is what it looked like it the beginning~

And this is what it looks like now~

Craziness, right? It is seriously about to take over! A few of the items I have growing this year are~

Cantaloupe

 So far I have three growing, and I bought pantyhose yesterday (to put on them) to keep the bugs off and help support the fruit. Today, my project is to reinforce the chicken wire it is growing on. The fruit is starting to weight the whole thing down.

Red Pepper

This will be in my belly tonight. Yummy!!!

Cucumbers

Best crop I have ever had of cucumbers this year! Cucumbers are a great starter plant for anyone who wants to start a garden. All you have to do is keep it watered and harvest in the morning before the sun gets hot. Trust me, you will have more cucumbers that you know what to do with.

Green Beans

Another plant that I have more than I know what to do with. We have had green beans A LOT this summer.

Broccoli

This is the first time I have planted broccoli. So far it looks like I will only have one plant that will produce an actual head. But I love this plant! The waxy nature and the silvery blue color of the leaves makes it one of my all time favorite plants in the garden. It is tied with my tomato plants, I LOVE the smell of a tomato plant!

and Carrots

 Another plant I have never planted before. The other day as I was trying to get control of my cantaloupe vine, one of the vines had attached itself to one of my carrots. So when I pulled the vine it up rooted the carrot. This is what it looked like~

This will not get us through the winter!

 I expected more than just that tiny little thing. It looks like I will have a lite harvest of carrots this year. This seriously smashed my dreams of the carrot cake I was going to make. Oh well, they still have more time in the dirt before harvest.

I also have 2 cherry tomatoes, 2 Roma tomatoes, 1 green pepper plant, 2 zucchini, and a box of wild flowers. The wild flowers have taken longer than I had expected and as soon as they give me something to take a picture of I will post the photos. BUT, right now they are just causing my water bill to go up. Ungrateful weeds!!

So this is how my garden grows and I really want my house to sell before we get to far into Fall because I have my Fall and Winter crop already planned out!!

I love my little garden and all its wildness.

I think it is a reflection on its gardener.

Organized. Chaos.

~Meg