October 20, 2013 by Stephanie

Every Day Should be Race Day

This weekend I finished my fourth half marathon.

Before the Go Commando Half Marathon

This was a brutal race.

It started raining in the middle of mile one.

It did not stop until after mile twelve.

The rain fluctuated from sprinkling to blinding downpour. My clothes were soaked through by mile four.

There was a hill (or 2 or 3) in every single mile.

So I was soaked, cold (it was below 45 all morning), and my source of music was out since I was afraid of drowning my phone. I was feeling defeated every turn staring up at the road at another hill.

Here I was running with just my thoughts for 13 miles. Why did I do this to myself?

As you see on my shirt, I chose to run this race for T.J.

I was able to raise a $615 dollars for Parent Project Muscular Dystrophy. It wasn’t quite my goal, but still awesome to see the outpouring of love and support. I have left it open for anyone else who feels compelled to donate.

I didn’t run the whole thing. Many times, quite frankly I wanted to quit. Between the hills and rain, I was miserable. But then I remembered TJ, and a smile was put back on my face.

I started to really take in the race, more than I had for the last three (even Disney). Shocker I know.

Running for two and a half hours gives you a lot of time to be with yourself. It is a lot of time to criticize that I wasn’t going to PR, or focus on the cramp in my leg, or wonder if the liquid running down my face was rain/tears/snot.

But having TJ in the back of my mind made me run in a totally different way.

I had so much fun on this race despite being cold and sopping wet. I saw parts of Clarksville that are absolutely gorgeous in the fall. Since I wasn’t worried about time (well only to get into dry socks), I was able to observe things and be in the moment. We often try to rush to the end goal, so it was nice to take in the process. I was running somewhere between a walk and a hard pace. And I was quite content with that.

I think “every day should be race day.” And here is why.

1. People are constantly cheering for you. Who doesn’t love compliments like “You doing great.” “Work it girl.” “You are strong.” Some people even hold signs for you or come out in the road to give you a high five. Seriously, can these people come to my office all day?

2. Along the same lines, I have never felt that these races are competitive. Constantly you are cheering for your fellow runners on. I always end up running in the same group. You ebb and flow. Sometimes I was ahead of the rest, sometimes I was at the back. But the common theme was that we cheered each other on when we needed it most. We gave each other a heads up if the turn around was ahead. We made jokes to take away the fact our body was cramping. We ran along side each other to give the other person strength to take the next step. I think things in life would go much smoother if we took a lesson at this. Support each other even if it means you wont “win.” We are all living, so technically we are all winning. Comparison is the stealer of all joy. Run your race, and don’t be jealous of what others have.

3. Work hard and put in a solid effort, and you will be happy with your results. I am really proud of what I did today, and I worked for those 13.1 miles. No one can take that away from me.

4. No one criticizes what runners wear. Actually the more neon the better. I wear a fanny pack people. I would be ostracized if I wore a fanny pack to work or out and about. Think about it, these races are super accepting of all people.

5. Puddle jump. Oh hey rain. You tried making this race all about you? Well take that and puddle jump. Seriously enjoy life. (Why I realize that this doesn’t occur on most races, but I think there are ways to make every run fun…my interpretive dance walks are a big indication of this.) So take a moment to enjoy what you are doing in the here and now.

6. Do something to challenge yourself. This race was grueling with all the challenges, but the biggest challenge was the mental game. Being able to say you accomplished something challenging like this is a huge confidence boost. You also learn that you can do things if you just believe in yourself. We can do more than we realize.

7. There should be cookies at the end of everyday. Run for the cookies. Live for the cookies.

13.1 miles later and feeling like I was about to board Noah’s ark, I made it!

October 18, 2013 by Stephanie

Friday Filter-TV Show “Southland”

Before all the shows started back up this fall, Tom and I kept busy watching the entire series of Southland.

This is a cop drama based on a department in the heart of LA.

You will have a love/hate relationship with all the characters, except for Detective Ruben. I always liked him.

This takes a very raw look at police departments and all that they deal with. Since this is Tom’s chosen profession, it was interesting to hear his take on the accuracy. For the most part, being from Hollywood, it wasn’t too bad.

They dealt with everything from murders, addiction, gang wars, under cover, family dynamics of cops, and everything else under the sun.

What I appreciated about this was the focus on the actual day to day calls, and how in a split second everything can change your day. For the most part, it never really followed one single plot line. And life is really just a web full of plot lines instead of one steady stream.

This show only had 5 very short seasons, but it was all good. It was nominated for several awards throughout it’s airing, and was even brought back after a pro-longed hiatus for the last couple seasons.

It reminded me a lot of the real-life show Cops, just with a script. It had very in your face camera angles, which I believe helped catch different emotions than we see in other cop shows. The lighting and hues highlighted I believe also added to the “realness” effect. It didn’t have that “shot in a studio” feel to it.

You see how cops (new and veteran) struggle with trying to find a balance of upholding the law and how the job fits into their own lifestyle, views, and morals. The show talks about instincts and what can make or break a cop.

It also does not follow just one pair of cops. You get to see a variety of layers in the department and how they all may interact. This was particularly refreshing because for the most part it was not just a single story-line as with most shows.

I will say that the finale didn’t really feel like a finale. There were so many unanswered questions and ambiguity in how it ended. The fact that the show was not sure if they were going to be coming back for a 6th season or not probably played a huge role in how the last three episodes went down. They must have known that it was a possibility that they may not come back so they went out pretty heavy with these episodes, but also left enough open in case they did get the nod to go ahead with another season.

I also liked that most of the actors in this were unknown to me. Regina King was the only one that I knew off the bat. So that was nice to see some fresh faces get some screen time.

This is a great show that we binge watched in a couple weeks. If you are looking for something new, I highly recommend putting this in your Netflix queue.

Friday Filters offer a review that are my own opinions. I was not contacted by anyone associated with these works or compensated for my review. My review has not been influenced by anything other than my love for entertainment and art.

October 16, 2013 by Stephanie

Anxiety for the Anxiety

Without going into too many details, I have really high anxiety.

This is nothing new, but it has been pretty prevalent the past couple months.

With any transition there are some adjustment periods. With all kinds of new things going on (living situation, community, job, dogs, etc.), along with saying goodbye to other things (community, job, etc.), I should have expected it.

Unfortunately, I didn’t.

But you have to figure out a way to deal. So day in and day out, I put one foot in front of the other.

I also need a lot of reminders.

A LOT.

I made this easy frame with a scripture that encapsulates a lot of reminders that I need.

the supplies

I did the scripture in word document. I changed the fonts/sizing to emphasize certain words.

I picked out a piece of scrapbook paper to match our bathroom colors.

I bought a cheap frame at Walmart and spray painted it orange.

my reminder

Working on centering myself around prayer has really helped keep the focus on living and letting things go that I cannot change. I have had to work on acceptance and am continuously learning to be humble.

The bottom line is there is no reason to keep being anxious about being anxious.When I sit down and think about it, it is really quite silly for me.

Being more thankful does provide peace, and this is a great reminder to count my blessings and send up my requests to be less anxious about what is happening in the moment.

And what is better than a reminder every time you are on the toilet or brushing your teeth?

Brings a whole new meaning to “brushing things off” and “relieving” your stress.

October 14, 2013 by Stephanie

Doggy Etiquette

This weekend we saw a different side of Crosby. While on a walk, a loose dog came running up on us. Crosby was not having any of that. He “defended our [Grace and myself] honor.” Another dog had gotten loose and came rearing up on us ready to attack and tried to until Crosby had a say.

That experience along with many others I have had while on walks with my dogs prompted this list.These are just a few things I believe you should consider when interacting with dogs.

1. If you own a dog, know your dog’s temperament. You as the owner will know their personality the best, and with that how to control them.

2. If you see another person walking their dog(s) be aware of how the dogs are reacting to each other. If I notice that either mine or theirs are getting worked up, I either stop to give way for them to pass and keep my dogs’ attention locked on me (I bribe them with treats I have stashed in my sweet runner fanny pack), or I push my dogs to a run to get far enough out of sight. It is really obnoxious when people just gaffe at you as you are obviously struggling to hurry your two dogs along at the nagging of the stranger dog. In my effort to become a professional dog walker I have gotten tangled up in leashes trying to get my two dogs away from another dog whose owner seemed to be oblivious to the fact that their tiny dog was egging mine on. You are not helping with your stares or slow walking. Although, I am sure one of these days I am going to see myself on America’s Funniest Home videos trying to untangle myself after the dogs have spun me around and twisted the leashes around the three of us. So if you are trying to win AFV money by secretly recording me, carry on my friends, just let me in on that prize.

3. I think it is great when I see kids walking their dogs. It teaches them responsibility and how to take care of things. However, if the kid cannot control the dog when they are at their energy peak, they have no business being alone on a walk with the dog.

4. If you have a dog, you need to be ready to physically control your dog if they get aggressive. The owner of the dog who ran up on us the other night was afraid to control him in that state. This just allows the dog to continue the aggressive behavior without any consequences. Dogs are animals, and they need to know who is in control, otherwise they will be.

5. Do not bark at a dog that is not yours. You do not know how they are going to react. This is something that kids and drunk people should really stop doing. They think it is cool for some reason. I don’t come up screaming at you, why would you do it to my dog?

6. Do not come running up on my dog without asking. I don’t know how many times people have tried to touch my dogs without asking. Again, you do not know that dog, and you do not know how they will react to strangers. Case in point, Grace stiffens up like a statue and Crosby goes berserk with his licking/scratchy gurgling (his barking attempts). Same owners-very different reactions. So ask before you approach. Also something that kids and drunk people should learn to do.

7. If your dog goes poop in a yard that is not your own, PICK IT UP. Someone in our neighborhood leaves their dog poop all over our front yard. This is so rude in my opinion. Believe me, I hate picking up Crosby’s cyclone poop (he poops in rapid circles) that fills two poop bags, but I do it because as his owner it is my responsibility to get it out of their yard. You don’t leave your kid’s diapers in someone else’s living room do you?

So there you have it. A few of my tidbits on how to be more courteous with your dog interactions.

Do you have any words of wisdom for dog owners and dog interactors?

October 13, 2013 by Stephanie

Autumn on My Mind-Fall Collage

This is our last link up of this series. I can’t believe it’s been a full month since we started!

“Autumn on My Mind Collage”

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. This is a link up to show in photos what you love about the season. We would love to see what fall looks like in your community!

Rules of the Link-up:

1. Do one entry or all! It’s up to you!

2. Add your entry’s link below, and be sure to put the button in your post!

3. If you do link up, check out a couple fellow bloggers to see something new.

4. Your hosts (Elizabeth and Stephanie) would love a following on Bloglovin, but it is not required! We are just glad you stopped by for “Autumn on My Mind!”

The leaves haven’t changed so much here. They all just have tinges of orange and yellow. I see it coming in the next few weeks, but that means that I haven’t been able to document fall in this area yet.

Since I don’t have pictures of true fall here, I have a compilation of photos that say what I love about fall.