Checking In

I have a list of random thoughts right now, so this blog post is going to be a little ADD. Bear with me. Basically, here's what I've been doing, thinking, etc.

1. I'm back into the swing of things with working out. Yesterday I did my normal 45 min run on the treadmill, and the day before that I did 36 minutes. My treadmill needs to be calibrated, so I'm never sure if the miles are accurate. So, instead of running for distance, I run for time. 45 minutes for me equals about 5 miles, 36 min ~ 4 miles, 30 ~ 5K, or "long" runs of 60 min ~ 6.5 miles.

I had a slight freak out the other day thinking that I needed to start increasing my long runs during the month of February to get back to training for my next half marathon. False alarm! Half training starts the first week of March, so right now it's all about maintenance and keeping my endurance up so I don't have to start again from square one. Whew!

2. The book I'm reading right now, In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson, is a total snooooooze fest. It's about the American Ambassador and his family that lived in Berlin starting in 1933 when Hitler was coming to power. I'm about half way through, and there is still no plot. Just lots of details, dates, names, etc. I'm still not really sure if there is going to be a climax, or anything for that matter. Is he going to skip forward and actually talk about the actual war? The atrocities committed by the Nazis? I'm still not sure. I hate giving up on a book though. I should have known better; I read another one of his books, Devil in the White City, a few years ago. It was almost as boring, but involved a serial killer so at least there was some intrigue.

3. I put an outfit on Emily this morning, fully expecting it to be slightly on the big size since it's a 3T. I was a little saddened that it actually fits her nicely. The pants and sleeves are a little long, but the fit is still well. Also, I need to stop buying summer clothing. Our summer is 2 months. Mayyyyybe 3. But I can't help myself! These adorable outfits arrived in the mail yesterday:

I have no clue why Blogger wants to make this sideways, that's now how the original photo is. Anyway, just tip your head to the right. 

4. Emily looks like a dandelion most days. Seriously, girlfriend needs to grow some more hair. Right now she's kind of rocking a mullet. So, this past weekend I attempted to do something with her hair. It's too fine to really braid, so I tried to just use the daisy chain method to get her hair out of her face and into a relatively cute look. I think I did pretty well, if I do say so myself! Here's a cute picture of her before we went to a cousin's birthday party:

She looks so grown up! But hello short dress. This one will be going to the consignment store. I'm glad she got to wear it at least once though.

5. I'm really trying to reign in my food consumption and eat healthier. The holidays are always hard because there's goodies galore and who wants to be on a diet at Christmas? I use My Fitness Pal to track what I eat every day, and it also accounts for my exercise. Because I'm trying to lose a few pounds, my allotted calorie amount each day is a pitiful 1220 calories. Oh that is hard some days! But, it's all about making smart choices, and the website helps me stay accountable for what I'm eating. There are some days where I "forget" to put in a snack or so, but hey - sometimes you just need a cookie.

6. Pandora kind of rocks my socks. Literally. You can download the app on your phone, and listen to your own channels wherever you want. I know this is not new technology for anyone. I've even known about it for a few years. But I've recently started listening to it quite a bit more. I had a few Christmas stations, plus a Jason Mraz/Colby Calliat station. Today, I'm listening to classical music in my office. I needed a little quiet in my life today. And less talking. A lot less talking :o)

Anyway, that's what I'm up to and thinking about. Happy Friday!