Progress!

So, I've put it out there: I signed up for the Chang's 1/2 Marathon! I did my first run (and by "run," I mean a fair amount of walking, too) on August 28th--not training for anything, more to try to lean out and improve endurance. I went 3 miles in 45 minutes.

I've been averaging about 3.5 miles in the 45 minute range.

Last night was a victory--I made a deal with myself. (I always do that. You wanna know where Logan gets it? Me.) We were going to supper with Stacey & Kurty at 6:30 and I told myself if I hit 4 miles in 50 minutes, I could be done, otherwise, I'd have to go 60 minutes.

I did it!!!!! 48.52 minutes, baby!!!!!!!

I'm not necessarily doing anything for speed, I just need to get my endurance up.

Tonight I'm walking with my girlfriend Kim so it'll be great to get my legs stretched out!

I figure if I get my miles in throughout the week, it's ok to eat meatballs and drink beer over the weekend.

That's how that works, right?? :)

Have a good one!!

"I am so not a runner!"

I used to enjoy running a little--like back in high school, I would run occasionally. And a big reason I did this was because I liked the effect it had on my calf muscles. They looked pretty sweet.

A few weeks ago I got an email from Logan's former preschool teacher, Maureen. She announced she was training for a half marathon and blogging her way through the training.

Wow--Marathon Moe.

Love her--So proud of her--Dare I say... inspired by her?

I've been hitting the treadmill for the last three weeks now and finally yesterday I made it to 4 miles--YEAH!!!!! It took me 50 minutes but I had to keep reminding myself that THIS is where I'm starting from.

OK, I kind of had delusions of hopping on the ol' mill, hammering out 5-6 miles and I would have an even glisten of sweat about me. Not so much that I was stinky and had half-moons through my pants under my butt cheeks, but juuuust enough to maybe make it look like I was sprayed down with tanning oil. You know the look. I wanted just enough perspiration for people to marvel at my athleticism and and, I don't know--feel a little jealous because I rock.

Oh dear me. The half moons under my butt after, oh I don't know, 15 minutes. Gross.

The fact that one afternoon I wiped my forehead during a run and seriously splattered the gentleman next to me--Mortifying!

And those days where I'm sore from the day before and starting my run is seriously so loud and clomping because my legs are killing me that people turn and look (possibly because they want to actually see what a moose would look like in a Life Time Fitness.) PAINFUL!--on every little level.

BUT--I am doing it. Slowly but surely.

My girlfriend Kim suggested we walk the 1/2 marathon.

We'll see. I'd like to try to run it.

So--sign up for the PF Chang's Rock & Roll 1/2 Marathon today and maybe--just maybe--you'll get that prime location. Yes YOU could be the lucky duck behind the midwestern maiden, huffing & puffing with sweaty butt cheeks.

And you may want to bring an umbrella.

We Will Never Forget...

It's 9/11/09. Pretty much anybody over the age of about 15 remembers where they were when the terrorists attacked. They remember who they were with. They remember what they did for the rest of the day.

They remember the weeks afterwards. There was nothing on TV. There was nothing on the radio. There were no flights. Every song had an undertone. Whether it was an undertone of American pride, of grieving or of solidarity, there was a message.

The calls were played over the air and on TV. The final messages left by loved ones. Put to music.

There were assemblies, vigils and counseling sessions.

There was panic.

There was uncertainty.

There was also a pulse. A strong, common tremor felt by millions. 

It was a time of people springing to action. Young people, old people, people who had never considered it before were signing up to fight for this.

The United States of America.

We were attacked and we were damn worth fighting for.

CNN, FOX News...all the major stations had continuous coverage of ground zero, they replayed the attacks, they interviewed those who had lost their soul mates. Later, "Shock And Awe" was aired. For days and days.

It was surreal.

Life had been altered.

Casual conversations were peppered with new news. With "Did you hear about's," with opinions. 

Flags were waving.

People donated their money, their time, their belongings, their blood.

And I remember where I was when I saw my first plane in the sky after the dust settled. The airlines were up and running again.

I was in my car, driving to work. I heard the formerly familiar sound that had become obsolete. 

I rolled down my window, craned my neck out and watched that one plane.

People in their cars all around me were doing the same thing.

Life was going to go on.

The radio stations were going to play songs that had nothing to do with this tragedy.

Saturday Night Live coming on was a national turning point.

We eased back into our lives.

We had to.

Life blooms and goes on and babies are born and couples fight and kids fall down and cars get stolen... Everything goes on.

But we say "We will never forget."

Never forget the fear. Never forget the devastation. Never forget your own empathy. Never forget the solidarity. Never forget the images. Never forget the feeling that you had, in that moment, when you felt attacked. Never forget the hugs you shared with strangers. I'll never forget the vigils. I'll never forget the impromptu assembly at my college when one voice, amid the crying and donation taking started singing from the middle of all these strangers, "If tomorrow all the things were gone, I worked for all my life and I had to start again, with just my children and my wife..." 

Never forget. 

"That flag still stands for freedom. And they can't take that away."

We are damn lucky.

Thank you, God.

For blessing the USA.

Raising Awareness about Teenage L.D.

I wrote this for my 17-year-old cousin who contracted L.D. (Lyme's Disease)

I'm posting it here just for fun...

Remember: There is nothing more important than the support of your fam-damnily when dealing with disease. ;)

It started off so innocent
A day so hot and calm
You were covered in SPF 30,
a hat and some lip balm.

You just went out to have some fun,
Forget the day and have a laugh
You didn't even notice Him
Ascending up your calf.

Now I'm not saying it's at all your fault
You're a young and carefree chick
But I just hope you've learned the truth.
The Truth About...
Little Ticks.

There's nothing Dear about this Deer
So do not be misled
Because the only thing some ever see
Is the rash from that Little Tick Head.

Some girls puke or sleep a lot
And some girls get the chills
But that Little Tick, oh he's moved on
Leaving bulls-eyes gives him thrills

Your dad was afraid this day would come.
He knows all their dirty tricks
Because as they say, a Dad's got to worry
About all the Little Ticks.

No protection is fool-proof.
Some are 99%
So when in doubt, to avoid getting sick
make sure you're ALONE in your tent.

"Online Shopping"

Morning!

The other day I had, what I consider, a brilliant idea. We have this blue leather furniture (This was obviously a purchase made before my time. And perhaps in the dark.) that we don't really use, so I said, "Hey--Let's sell it on Craigslist and use the money to buy a funky little bar set or something!"

Brilliant, yes?

So, just this morning, I went on Craigslist's "Want to buy" section and you know what? Nobody wants to buy anything! They all "Need" "Gently used furniture" they are "Willing to drive here or there but don't want to have to go all the way across the valley" and they "Don't want no junk."

But it has to be free.

Really??

Why would anyone feel entitled to a "Gently used!" Queen sized bedroom set? Or "preferably a tan microfiber sofa?"

Is this really what our culture has become?

Not only expecting things for free but also feeling entitled to make requests?

I leave you with a part of one of the posts. Now, I don't know if this is plagiarizing or what, but I'll leave the name out and let me be clear: This is for your reading pleasure only.

I am in no way soliciting free furniture. Unless you want to give it to me. In which case, we need a bar with stools. Preferably stocked. With Jack & Bacardi. And we'll need a mini fridge. For the kids' juice boxes.

Here's the post:

"Hi, my name is BLEEP i am 24 and live on my own. I just got a new place thinking that my boyfriend would be out of jail this month and come to find out he wont be home till about february. This is sad for me but i have to deal with it. Anyways, to the point, i pay all the bills alone and since i just moved in i could use some furniture. My dogs destroyed my couches so now i have to replace them. I have a budget to work on so if anyone has some couches or even just a big sofa or a nice loveseat that they need to sell let me know. I again dont have a big budget to work with so if you want to give them away i am glad to take them or i am willing to pay but no more than $100. Please anyone if you can help i would benefit from it very much .I also could use any household items thanks"

This post looks like something Uncle Marsh would post in the Roseau Times Region. I have my suspicions. At least she's willing to offer up the $100....

Get in shape, Girl!

Remember the "Get in Shape Girl" stuff? My breast friend Kate had it. I, on the other hand, had my dad's 5 lb dumbells and an old bandanna that had probably served as a hanky on more than one hunting trip.

I credit "Get in Shape Girl" with Kate's athleticism and my lack thereof with my affinity for sitting on my ass and eating pub mix.

Anyway, I'm turning 30 in Feb. Dirty Thirty.

I've decided to mark the occasion the way millions before me have. By doing a run of sorts.

Now, I don't know what I'll do. Whether it's a 10k or a half marathon... I'm not committing to anything at this point. ;)

I've been on the treadmill Sun, Mon, Tues & Thurs this week. I've gone 45 minutes each time and yesterday I ran/walked 3.5 miles. It's my goal to go 4 miles in 45 minutes and then bump up my time.

I don't know if this is proper training for anything really, but I'm doing it, baby!

Oooh and yesterday, I swear I was running next to a pro athlete of sorts. To quote Mike King, "Is this because he was a big buff black guy?"

Yup!

It wasn't Michael Jordan but nobody can prove it WASN'T Donovan McNabb. Or Bo Jackson.

Speaking of athleticism, Logan is a rocker and a roller when he plays his Wii. It is a riot to watch him! And I don't even mind anymore that he plays it. I used to be sooo against any kind of video games but now that it's so freaking hot and there are scorps all over the back yard, apparently, I guess it's OK once in a while. ;)

It's a Breakfast Bar kind of day!

Logan has the day off today! I must say, I've missed him. We have a pretty fun weekend ahead of us, so I'm alright with kind of laying low today. This morning I made his favorite bars. I'm going to post the recipe because they are SO GOOD! Seriously, the kids polished off an entire pan. 

A 9x9 pan, but still! Here it is:

Preheat the oven to 350

Combine:

1/2 c brown sugar

1 c flour (OR I do 1/2 c flour, 1/2 c wheat germ.)

1/4 t baking soda

dash of salt

1 c rolled oats (you can even use 2 packs of instant oatmeal)

Blend these with

1/2 c butter softened or melted. Either works.

I also throw in about 1/3 c of Milled Flax Seed

Spread 2 cups of this mixture on the bottom of a greased 9x9 pan

Now for the fruity filling.

1 c whatever berry or fruit you have. I've used blues, raspberries, strawberries... or you can use jelly!

Spread the filling in the middle but keep about 3/4 of an inch away from the edge or it'll burn.

Sprinkle the rest of the oat mixture on top, press down ever so gently

Pop 'er in the oven for 35 minutes or so. It gets brown and crisp.

There you have it! Our breakfast fave! Logan likes it better than "Lucky Charms, Cinnamon Rolls and Caramel Rolls--Combined!"

As for the picture--I TRIED getting a shot of the finished product, but all I managed was Samma--before she finished off every crumb.

Arizona Date Night

We've done this twice before. Chet and I mix a cocktail, grab the black light and a cigar and head out to the back yard. The lights are off and all you can see is the orange glow of the cigar as it seems to float between the oddly illuminated teeth of your fellow mighty hunter.

-OK fine, I'm being a little dramatic. There's a street light on the other side of the brick fence, but still--it's dark.-

Anyway, you need a black light because scorpions glow under its bulb. We've got fluorescent-type one that needs to be plugged in. There are a couple of extension cords involved, but it's a pretty powerful little sucker.

 You'll be scanning it across the rock garden and see leaf after leaf light up and then BAM there's a bright, glowing scorp.

So, last night, after the veni (which was AMAZING, by the way, if I do say so my self) we had another couple over.

They've never been scorp hunting and, after a couple glasses of wine, wanted to see if we could find anything.

Out we went with our light, warning them that last time we did this, we didn't see anything.

Well, the storm we had the other night must have kicked up quite a bit because we didn't see one or two scorps, we saw NINE. They look like toys when illuminated under the black light. Creepy, freaky toys. 

Our weapons of choice were a piece of wood, a plastic hockey stick and a nine iron. 

Everyone got a kill--even yours truly! At the very end of the evening, with the encouragement of my fellow hunters and the courage provided by that third glass of wine, I used the end of the nine iron and squished the nasty critter.

I was glad about a few things--We didn't see any in the garage (and we looked in there. With the lights off and the door closed in the 130 degree heat) and we also didn't see any by the garbage cans or pool pump. I comforted myself with the reasoning that if they were here actually living and thriving, those are places they would be spotted.

We did have one on the side of the house by the door that was pretty tough to take but my fearless hubby took care of that bad boy.

I've also realized a few things about living down here, amid the crAZy critters:

1. I'm pretty sure everybody's got scorps outside their house. You just need to get out there with a black light and some booze to find them.

2. We've been here for about a year and nine months and never once has someone said they know someone or know OF someone who has died from a scorp sting. Or a black widow, for that matter. Most of the time, someone knows someone who was stung when they stepped on one or had one on a towel (ewwwe!) or there's the rare person in the group who's been stung and lived to tell about it.

I'm still really scared of them. Last night, you can imagine how well I slept. But I'm also fascinated. These little pests have supposedly been here on this earth since prehistoric times. They can survive for up to 6 months without food and water, for three days IN water and, as the little critters my neighbor caught in her kitchen and I mailed up to northern MN proved, they can live in a Tupperware container that has not been opened for weeks.

They are quite amazing.

That being said, if I find one in my house, I'm moving.

Veni with Vino!

There are some nights when I find myself wondering, amid my kids running laps around me in my kitchen, "What can I feed you hyper little people?" Usually it's about 5:30 and I know whatever it is has to be done in about three minutes. This is when I tend to turn to grilled cheese and a side of fruit. I'm not proud of this, but justify that the bread is whole wheat, the cheese has protein and hey--fruit is a freaking food group all on its own now so they can never have enough of that! And I'll toss in a few sweet potato french fries for their veggies.

Tonight, though, is one of the other nights. One of the nights when I look forward to eating my endeavor. Consuming my creation, if you will.

Tonight, we're having venison! ("Veni," if you will)

My dad, the mighty Minnesota hunter, brings it to us from time to time and when we have it, it's such a treat. Tonight, I'll be combining two different recipes and, of course, Bethy-ing them up!

Here's the plan, in case you've got raw deer meat thawing and are just not sure what you're going to do with it:

Thaw it & rinse it (obviously)

Then heat a pan with about 1/2 a stick of butter & garlic. Bring on the garlic, I say!

While the butter is melting, slice the veni into about 3/4 inch slabs.

When the butter is melted, sear each piece on both sides--just enough to lock in the juices and let it grab a touch of garlic butter flavor.

In a crock pot, combine 2 cups of red wine with beef bullion. 

Now for the beef bullion, I do three large cubes in two cups of boiling water. 

Put the veni in, give 'er a little stir, and cover it up for a few hours (we're talking about 3-4 so it doesn't dry out)

I think this time I'll let it go for about 30 minutes on high (because I have to leave in 30 minutes to get Logan and maybe get in a workout) and the remaining time on low. But hey--you do what you want.

Now, what's a gal to do with that garlic butter she just seared the meat in? Crank the heat up, chop up an onion and some mushrooms, fry those up in there and, when they're juuuust about done, pour the whole works into the crock.

Now....We wait. I plan to unload the dishwasher, distribute clean clothes piles, wake up Samma, pick up Logan, feed them a snack and get my fat ass on a treadmill for 45 minutes.

So, in theory,  it's been simmering on low for about 2 1/2 to 3 hours, and I'm back in the kitchen!

Take about a 1/2 stick of butter and melt it, stir in an equal amount of flour (slowly!) and tend it until it's blended. (Or shake it in a jar but mine always gets lumpy)

Then, scoop the veni out of the crock and pour the flour/butter mixture into the wine/bullion making a roux.

Toss the veni back in and now let it sit as long as you'd like, really. At this point, you're just letting it absorb flavor.

Throw in a little something for starch, a veggie and maybe a glass of red wine and you're ready to enjoy!