Witty Wood

Merry Christmas from the Wood Hood!

2011-12-22T06:35:00.000-08:00

Warmest Wishes & Eskimo Kisses

from the Wood Hood!

All I Want For Christmas....

2011-12-22T05:59:00.000-08:00

.....is a year's worth of Barre Amped classes

and to get really good at it. ha!

yup. as i expected, i LOVED it.

tutu class was no freggin' joke - but it left me completely worked out, muscles fatigued, and feeling amazing.

who knew that 2 lb weights could make your arms completely catch fire?

it does. hold those suckers and pulse....and pulse.....and pulse enough and they will ignite. shew.

who knew a 6" bouncy ball lodged between your knees could make your whole entire body quiver?

well, when you're dipping down....and down....and down....and squeeze and squeeze - oh...and go up on your tippy toes while you're at it. holy mama.

this class ain't no joke and i am going to have to rob a bank to keep going.

thanks so much for the burn, doss! cannot wait to go back!

source

TuTu Class

2011-12-21T13:20:00.000-08:00

you've met one of my best friends on numerous occasions throughout the history of this blog; the largest montage to jdoss was on her bday in june. anywho. if you don't know her, sorryboutcha.

she is actually the one that motivated me to start this hobby that i love/hate - running. i like to think that we motivate each other to keep healthy, motivated, and also remember to have a good time :) over the past few years, she's fallen in love with what i like to call "tutu class." it's really called Pure BarreAmped. it's def hitting the main stage in the fitness arena. basically, "BarreAmped is the ultra results oriented fitness regime based on modern and classical dance, Pilates, yoga and deep stretching created by fitness DVD star Suzanne Bowen." *from the website

naturally, she kicked major rear in the classes, the instructors fell in love with her, and now she's a certified instructor!

tonight - i'm going to my very first tutu class, which jess will be teaching, and i'm scared to death. i'm not scared of a power lift class, a sweat fest spin class, a freggin' marathon - i'm scared of this class because it's out of my comfort zone. i'm admittedly scared but SO STOKED! i need a change up in the old humdrum work out routine. i am excited do something completely different.

stay tuned.... if i my muscles don't shake the brains out of my head - i'll report tomorrow.

don't kill me, doss!

Ugly Christmas Sweater Chronicles

2011-12-16T09:20:00.000-08:00

Ugly Christmas Sweater Parties have quickly become one of my most anticipated functions of the Christmas season. If you're not familiar with such parties (have you been hiding under a rock?), you basically find the most hideous sweater you can find and show up.

Offensive? To some, Maybe.

Hilarious? Absolutely.

The past few years, we have been fortunate enough to be included on an invite list and we are always so excited to see what we can craft year to year.

Who doesn't love a good dress up theme party?

If you don't, we're not friends.

Please see the Ugly Christmas Sweater Chronicles - Wood Hood Edition.

2009

2010

2011

This year, I re-introduced the wig and JWood brought back the sweater vest I wore as a dress from 2009. Who says we don't reuse?!

JWood is rockin' a Dolla Sto wreath as his head ornament, as well as a door hanger as a bow tie. We were a sight and had a blast!

Until next year, ugly sweaters!

birthday.

2011-12-01T08:27:00.000-08:00

I've been a terrible blogger. I apologize for my absenteeism.
Forgive me, ok - yesterday was my blasted birthday :)

29. Bam.

That happened. How did that happen? What have I been doing with these 29 years? I can honestly say now, "I've had that for 10 years." Or..."I haven't seen that person in 6 years...." Or... "Remember in '98...." (and it still feels like last year)

Time flies.

29 years of being Mauri....good, bad, happy, sad. But, mostly great.
I have been blessed far beyond what I deserve with a great husband, great family, great friends, great health, a great job, great co-workers, great fun, great wine, great food, great trips .....just grate!

As I cross over into my very last year of my 20s, I feel better than I have ever felt.
I'm more confident than I have ever been.
I am in a good place.
So, bring on the next 30!

gasp. 30 is close. ouch.

Que:
MAURI'S 30 BEFORE 30.
1. Blog on a weekly basis
2. Pay off all credit card debt
3. Olympic Distance Triathlon
4. Volunteer for a non-profit organization
5. Write a hand written letter to someone once a month
6. Slow down and enjoy every moment
7. Ride in the Jack and Back
8. Take an inexpensive road trip to a city I have never visited
9. Read at least 4 books
10. Go on a multi-night backpacking trip
11. Perfect a signature dish
12. Complete a 1 month clean eating project
13. Successfully grow a garden
14. Practice Yoga
15. Pay for someone's meal behind me at Subway
16. Go to a Star Party
17. Picnic and watch the sun set with Justin at Love Circle
18. Rock out at an outdoor music festival
19. Learn to use my DSLR camera
20. Take several Pure BarreAmped classes taught by my best friend
21. Attend a UT away game at an SEC school that I have yet to visit (my goal is to visit every SEC stadium, just not in one year)
22. Make a skirt/dress using my sewing machine
23. Shop less
24. Organize and scrapbook my photos
25. Take Justin on a surprise date
26. Become a shart shooter with my new shotgun
27. Host a proper dinner party
28. Have a proper physical
29. Run a sub 2 hour 1/2 marathon

30. Pray. Pray more often. Pray for friends. Pray for family. Pray for my husband.

thankful.

2011-11-01T10:54:00.000-07:00

my, oh, my.

october flew by and here we are on the heels of the holiday season.

where did october go?

for us - it went in long talks over campfires, in many steps taken in the smokies and taking in the beautiful fall colors, singing rocky top while cheering on the painfully struggling vols,

and learning to live together at the wood hood again.

october has been full of ups and downs; great news from some and sad sad news from others.

with the beginning of november here at our doorstep,

i want to spend the next month expressing the things for which i am thankful.

today, i am thankful for technology.

with my friends and family be scattered about, i am thankful for telephones and media outlets to share photos, videos, and converstations. even miles and miles apart - i still feel connected.

ANC ---> DEN ---> BNA

2011-10-06T06:32:00.000-07:00

after a very, very long summer season - my snowbird is flying south for the winter!!!
the mountains in AK were already snow capped upon his departure.

152 days later, jwood will be back today!!!

so long, alaska!

it's time for him to get back down south where the weather is mild, the hair is big, and the wood hood awaits.

to all of my friends and family that have supported me and loved me despite my grumbles this summer,

i cannot express how much you mean to me and how much i appreciate you.

here's hoping that we never have to do this again. :)

welcome home, jwood!

Touched down in the land of the Delta Blues....

2011-09-27T13:55:00.000-07:00

This weekend was therapeutic.

There's something about a weekend spent with Mama Mel that just seems to make everything right with the world. I swear that woman has magical powers.

Every once and again, I need her pixie dust :)

Friday night - I met up with Mama Mel & Ed at Huey's for some dinner and drinks.

It was FRIGID in that joint and the servers offered up some really

stylish Huey's sweatshirts for us to wear.

Twinks!

Since Mom and Ed are regulars at Huey's and she talked them

into letting us keep those sweet sweats. Score!

Don't be jealous, JDoss....

Saturday was a busy day!

I got in a nice 6 mile run. It was perfect. I felt good. The weather was amazing.

Just me and the pavement.

After my run, it was time to suit up and get ready for the Memphis Tigers football game!

Ed is a huuuuuge Memphis Tigers fan. Now, if you pay attention to college sports at all - you know that Memphis is known for it's salty basketball team, not their tough football squad.

I called JWood to tell him we were going to the game.
JW:"Are you just going to scalp tickets? How much are they?"
MW: "Ummm, you buy them at the game ticket counter for $10 a piece......... "
JW: silence. "oh....so, it's not like going to a UT Game?"
MW: "NOTHING is like going to a UT game, baby." :)

Memphis got trampled by the SMU Mustangs, but it was fun regardless!

Thank goodness that they sell adult beverages in the Liberty Bowl Stadium :)

Saturday evening, I represented .5 of the Wood Hood at JWood's cousins wedding!

I surprised the bride, Brooke, and got to spend some time with JWood's family and his precious grandparents. I love grandparents. Aren't they just the most precious people?

The ceremony was beautiful and Brooke was stunning!

It is hard to believe that I have known and loved these girls since they are baby twins!

Wood grandparents.

The weekend was a success!

I came back to Nashville rested up and ready to take on the week!

Only one more weekend until JWood arrives!

The Wood Hood will be complete. The OG will be back in da house. :)

One: Picture of Yourself

2011-09-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Laughter.

Happiness.

Love.

Two: Songs

2011-09-13T12:15:00.000-07:00

This is a tough one. Unlike movies, I'm obsessed with music. There is just something about a melody and striking lyrics that can stop you in your tracks, take you back to that moment in time, bring about a force that you cannot resist the urge to dance, or a tear to your eye.

I do not discriminate between genres of music; I like it all.

To choose two songs that are my favorite is basically impossible.

However, these are the rules. Here ya go.

Soulshine by the Allman Brothers Band

Dixieland Delight by Alabama

I feel guilty.

Sorry Jay-Z, Marc Broussard,

Gavin DeGraw, Dave Matthews, Neyo, Luda, Soulja Boy,

George Strait, Ray LaMontagne,Hank Jr., Led Zepplin, The Beatles, Waylon, Black Eyed Peas, Buffett, Zac Brown Band, Hootie, Munford & Sons, Norah Jones, Jamie Foxx.....

ah. dangit.

Three: Films

2011-09-08T08:35:00.000-07:00

I must admit. I am a terrible film/movie watcher.

Going to the movies seems like an absurd expense.

I generally fall asleep within the first scene of movies at home.

Films just aren't really my "thing."

I know. I know. Crazy, right?

With that said, I'm breaking the rules.

I am making two lists of three.

List # 1:

my all-time-hands-down-could-watch-over-and-over

again and know-every-word-favorites:

1. The Sound of Music

2. Steel Magnolias

3. Top Gun

List # 2:

movies-i've-seen-recently-that-i-enjoyed

and-did-not-sleep-through-the-entire-thing:

1. Black Swan

2. The King's Speech

3. Taken

dose of dumas

2011-09-06T18:21:00.000-07:00

It never fails; A dose of Dumas does the body good.

There is something about the simplicity that I once loathed that now brings the utmost comfort.

I never dreamed in a million years that I would miss "home" as much as I do.

Never say never.....

We have started a yearly tradition of celebrating Pistol's (my Dad) birthday, dove hunting,

and a good ole time had like only home can provide.

Meg and I loaded up the circus (Lily & Rowdy) and headed to South on Friday night.

Saturday was spent clad in camo and I could not wipe the grin off of my face. We had lunch in the rice field with our grandparents and Pistol. They finished the rice harvest that day.

Growing up, I took harvest for granted. Now, I realize how beautiful it is.


Meet Step-Bro, Dylan.

After some farmin', we took part in some dove huntin'.

If you haven't ever been around a dove hunting town - you should experience it.

Not that I have ever been in a war zone, but I can only imagine that is what it sounds like.

POW! POW! POW!

Shots are fired rapidly in all directions. Birds are crashing.

It's crazy, but so much fun!

I actually got one :)

Dove season begins "camo season," which means JWood is almost home!

He always says he'll be home in time for "camo & football season."

A dose of my Daddy and Dumas was just what I needed to get me through to J's return!

Love you, Pistol!

Tennessee

2011-09-02T06:39:00.000-07:00

Pardon the interruption of the 10 things about MWood installment....

It's FOOTBALL TIME IN TENNESSEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Four: Books

2011-08-31T05:57:00.001-07:00

4. Eat, Pray, Love

3. The Help

2. Water For Elephants

1. Anything by Nicholas Sparks

Five: Foods

2011-08-30T12:32:00.000-07:00

1. Crawfish.

It's really embarrassing the amount of crawfish that I can consume in one sitting.

Don't give them to me in a fancy bowl or put on a plate - I'll take mine on a table or in a box top.

2. Queso

I've often been offered a straw to assist in my consumption.

3. Doe's Eat Place Hot Tamales

I only prefer the one and only original in South Mississippi.

4. My Daddy's Ribs

Like most of these other foods, my favorite foods have an association with my favorite people and places.

My Daddy's ribs are the best. Hands down.

5. S'mores.

My sweetness weakness.

Six: Places

2011-08-29T12:15:00.000-07:00

Do I really only get 6?!
Here's my bucket list of places I'd like to visit....

6. NYC

5. Napa Valley

4. Italy

3. Switzerland

2. Germany (for Oktoberfest...obvs.)

1. New Zealand

Seven: Wants

2011-08-28T18:29:00.000-07:00

7. Good Health.

Good health for me and those around me. Heck, for everyone.

6. Debt Free

Man, life sure would be a lot easier. Loans, payments, bills - I hate you.

5. Contentment & Happiness

There is nothing better than the feeling that you have when you know

you're exactly where you are supposed to be.

4. Travel. Travel. Travel.

I have a list a mile long of places I wish to visit. I want to check those places off.

3. Love.

I want those around me to know and understand how much I appreciate and love them.

2. Cowboy Boots. :)

I want a really nice pair of cowboy boots.

1. Degree

There is nothing else in this world that I want more than for JWood to

get the degree that he/we have worked so hard to obtain.

Eight: Fears

2011-08-26T11:48:00.000-07:00

8. Losing my job.

With the economy in such a turmoil, losing my job ranks high on my list of fears.

7. Death.

Notsomuch me. Death of a close friend or loved one.

I know that it is part of this life that we live, but I am ill at the thought of those situations ahead.

6. Failure.

I'm a perfectionist. I do not like to fail. At anything. If I don't think I'll be good at it, I don't do it.

5. 30.

I lost 30; I never want to see those 30 again.

4. Close spaces.

I am better now that I am older.

However, there were many years of my life that I would not step foot in an elevator.

3. Not living up to my potential.

I feel like I have a lot to give and a lot to offer.

I want to be the best wife. The best sister. The best daughter. The best friend. The best employee.

(see #6)

2. Intruder

I fear an intruder of my home, my belongings, my body.

1. Falling.

I love to hike and I like to live life on the edge,

but I surely don't get too close to fall over the edge of that literal or figurative cliff.

Nine Loves

2011-08-25T18:09:00.000-07:00

(in no particular order)

9. UT Football, ESPN College Game Day, & the fall. (college football in general, UT mostly)

8. Belly laughs. Laughing so freggin' hard you're crying, snorting and you can't catch your breath.

7. My friends. I have the most amazing friends, old and new.

6. A tasty local restaurant meal enjoyed with a delicious glass of wine or brewed beer.

5. Words of Affirmation from either a job well done at work, or a pat on the back from a loved one.

4.. The outdoors. Biking, hiking, running, backpacking, boating, and home.

3. A stimulating, educational, satisfying conversation.

2. My absolutely dysfunctional functional family, including my dog.

1. My relationship with the Big Man. I'm inadequate, unworthy, and thankful.

10 Day You Challenge: Secrets

2011-08-24T07:35:00.000-07:00

I found this over at Hello! Happiness and thought I'd join in on the fun.

Today is 10 Secrets -

If I post them on here, does that mean that they still remain secrets?

Either way....

10 Secrets about MWood:

1. Too much of something freaks me out.

Seeds on a strawberry.... The pokey things on a pineapple...logs in a pile....bugs on a log. Ew.

2. I always wanted to do hair. I still think I'd enjoy it. The Higher the Hair, the closer to God.

3. I know every word to Steel Magnolias and The Sound of Music.

4. I love hip hop music.

5. I miss the smell of dirt, grain fertilizer, and mosquito spray from home.

6. I've thought more and more about moving back home the older I get.

7. I have an addiction to Facebook. Guilty.

8. I am not sure kids are for me.

9. I am like a kid on Christmas morning for ESPN GameDay and college football.

10. I've never been fulfilled by a job, until the one I currently have.

Only took 6 years post graduation.

Rowdy.

2011-08-23T09:16:00.000-07:00

Setting:

The Wood Hood

Cast:

JWood, MWood, Megs/Sistergirl/Auntie Meggie, Lilypants

Plot:

Normal Summer Saturday at the Wood Hood - MWood, Megs, & Lilypants doing what they do.

Then, the plot thickens.....

Conversation via email on Friday

MWood: Megs, look at this cute little puppy that Freedom Farm posted on their Facebook page! He looks just like Lily, huh?

Megs: Awwwww, MWood - we NEED HIM!

*sidenote: We have trouble with Needs vs. Wants*

MWood: Freedom Farm is going to have him at their adoption day on Saturday at PetSmart.

Megs: Can we at least go look?

Saturday Morning at Wood Hood:

acutal conversation

Megs: So, are we going to go see Sundae? (that's the above dog's name)

MWood: Well, we can but we have to clear it with JWood and Lilypants. I'd be really pi$$ed if I came home from AK to a dog that I didn't even know we got. And, Lily must go with us - she's the princess afterall.

MWood calls JWood: (wakes him up because he works night shift)

Honeyyyyy....

JWood: Yes.....

MWood: I sent you a picture of a puppy that I want to go look at - did you get it?

JWood: Yes. I don't care if you get it, just make sure that Lily is ok with it.....

MWood: Ok! Yay! I just wanted to check with you to make sure you were ok with it. He looks so much like Lily, huh?

JWood: Yes. He does...how old is he?

MWood: 2 years old, potty trained!

JWood: (tired and ready to go back to sleep) Ok, MWood. Love you. Send me a picture. I'm going back to bed now....

MWood: Kloveyoubye!

Megs, MWood, Lilypants drive to Freedom Farm adoption day....

Scene Change: PetSmart.

Megs: Awww, there he is!

MWood: He is really sweet. Can we get him out and play with him?

(plays with Sundae for a bit....)

Megs: Umm, he is a bit bigger than we thought.....

MWood: Yea... and he barks a lot.......

*Lilypants turns up nose and is disinterested....

In corner, M & M spot a frisky black ball of fur.....

Megs: Ummmmmmmmmm, what is THAT?

MWood: Ohhhhh, lawdy. We can't even go over there!

Megs: But he's sooooo cute. Do you think he's up for adoption?

MWood: Probably....he's here, afterall.....

2 hours pass

Megs: So, how does all of this work? How much and who do I pay?

Freedom Farm lady: Do you want to adopt him?

Megs: I think he must go home with us.....

Meet the latest addition to the Wood Hood cast!

ROWDY!

Rowdy:

3 month old Cocker Spaniel.

Black.

Not Potty Trained.

Rowdy as they come.

He fits right in.... with everyone but Lilypants, of course.

The princess is still adjusting :)

MWood: sends text to JWood of Rowdy....

JWood: upon waking up hours later.... MWood.... What's that?

MWood: Your new nephew!

JWood: But.... that wasn't the dog from the original picture you sent.....

MWood: Um, no. No, honey, it's not. But, he's sooooo cute!

The rest is history!

digits

2011-08-05T06:05:00.000-07:00

thank goodness it's friday!!

can i get an AAAAAAmen?!

i'm happy that it's friday for many reasons, but i'm pretty sure that if there were more days in this week -

i'd be a few digits short of a full hand.

i need a chapperone.

every morning - religiously - i have a protein smoothie bowl.

i am not sure the last time i didn't have a smoothie bowl for breakfast.

i'm addicted.

you should be too.

mauri's smoothie bowl:

1 cup baby spinach

1 scoop of amplified wheybolic extreme 60 vanilla protein powder

1/2 cup almond unsweetened milk

1 tsp cocoa powder

1 cup frozen strawberries

blend. devour.

sometimes i get crazy and throw 1/2 frozen banana or some peanut butter.

this week, i've gotten crazy and thrown in flesh.

gross.

i made the mistake of buying whole frozen strawberries this week and they don't quite fit into my blender/bullet/chopper thing like i'd like.

yesterday, i decided i'd just see if i could cut those berries in half to make it all better.

fail.

i nearly sliced off the entire tip of my left index finger.

OUCH.

way to go, mwood.

you have a huuuuge proposal to work on and need that finger to type. do you realize how many times a day you use the end of your left index finger to type on a daily basis?

a lot.

i survived yesterday.

fast forward to today.

i hate bandaids, especially wet bandaids. double ew.

so, when i went to the Y for my swim this morning -

i tossed the band aid and figured it'd be ok.

let me just say,

i swam 800 meters holding my index finger and my thumb together.

the skin that i sliced off would draaaag in the water with every stroke.

*shiver*

this morning, i decided to make a smart decision and try to slice the strawberries with a butter knife...

because - you know - it's not as sharp as a pairing knife.

FAIL.

a butter knife will cut you with enough force behind the blade.

please ignore the fact that my hands look like i'm 40.

go away, ageing.....

seriously.

i need to lock the knife drawer.

high five for friday.

my digits couldn't handle another sliced and diced morning.

*did i mention that i also sliced off my left index fingernail last week with a potato peeler?
just another day in the life.... *rolls eyes*

Music City Triathlon

2011-08-01T17:59:00.000-07:00

Well, hello there -

I know you were concerned of my whereabouts; I did not drown in the Cumberland River!

I have just been a busy bear at work, which is a very good thing.

So, about the Music City Triathlon!

It. Was. Awesome.

Those are really the only words - though not very crafty - that I can use to describe it.

My very first Sprint Tri ended far better than I could have ever anticipated,

especially with training on my own and not having any guidance as to how a Tri even worked. Ha!
If you don't want to read bunch of race day mumbo jumbo - tune in to the next post where I'm sure I'll be talking about something else, but today - I have to hash this out for my own little journal :)

I went to the packet pick up in the blazing heat on Saturday and walked by the finish line and thought,
"please oh please just let me see this line tomorrow...."

I walked around like a fish out of water - I hate being the new kid - trying to find my packet and where to sit to listen to the "beginners session" - aka - for those folks who don't know what the heck they're doing.... me.

I got really nervous, because let me just say -
there is a list rules longer than the actual race that you have to follow.
don't do this, don't do that....
I don't like rules.

I had already resigned to the fact that I could quite possibly be DQ'd during the bike segment.

I took my packet home and let Meg help me get my tattoos on and my numbers placed on every moving and stationary portion of me, my head, my arms, my bike, my helmet....

If I didn't know my race number, I failed number class in pre-school.

They had the race number thing covered.

Meg and I woke up supa dupa early on Sunday to make our way down to the start area.

Meg is a gem - I don't know what I would do without her.
She has been to nearly every race/run/stupidthingihavesignedupfor these past few years and I love her for it.

She got some great pictures that I'm forever grateful to have.

We made our way to the Transition Area where I set up my bike

(precisely like they told me in the session on Saturday - another DQ item....) and tried to calm my nerves.

There was a LOT of money hanging out in that lot.

Please note the awesome arm tat....

I was most concerned about the swim in the Cumberland River.

Open water swim and lap swimming at the YMCA are two totally different animals.

Throw in some current, murky water, fish, dead bodies, who knows... you got yourself a little challenge.

Meg made her way to the pedestrian bridge where she captured the picture above.
All of those crazies were lined up to dive off into that water!

I couldn't believe it - as I was standing there on the deck waiting my turn to get in, I heard my name and looked up at the pedestrian bridge and there was Meg! How she found me in that sea of people, I'll never know. It did calm my nerves a bit that she had spotted me and could keep an eye on me during the swim.

I got in the water - they called my number - I said a little prayer - and I told myself.....just breathe.

The swim went perfectly.

I found myself passing other swimmers, rounding the boueys

without getting swept 100 yards away by the current, and NOT DROWNING.

I finished the swim in 8:36 seconds. Personal Record (PR) 400 meter swim.

One of the aspects of this Tri business that I had not mentally prepared for was getting out of the water and having to run barefoot to my bike - a good 1/2 mile. I didn't sign up for barefoot running - that's for those crazy people. Not this girl. I don't walk around barefoot ANYwhere - not even in my own bedroom. I had to suck it up and hit the pavement. (I still have a splinter in my foot, BTW.)

I got to the transition area and somehow managed to get all of my pieces of equipment together and in the right order. You cannot touch or unrack your bike until your helmet is on and securely fastened - Check. Dry off feet and get socks and shoes on - Check. Garmin - Check. Shades - Check. Gu - check. Boom.
Ready to hit the road.

I was making a deal with those tires right about here....

Where I was thinking - JUST BREATHE on the swim. I was thinking - TIRES, DO NOT GO FLAT on the ride. I could just see me on mile 10 and end up on the side of the road with a stinkin' flat. Thankfully, that did not happen. I would say that the bike was the hardest portion for me, and I am not sure why.

I took my Gu at mile 7 on the bike and got a stitch in my side. Ouch.

Those folks that I picked off in the swim made up for their time on the bike.....zooming past me. D'oh.

Either way, I was pleased with my bike finish.

I completed the 15 mile bike leg in 44:27 - PR 15 mile bike time.

Off to run!

After racking my bike and strapping on yet another race number, I just had the last and final leg to tackle, the run. All I had to do was hammer out 3.1 measly miles. Now, that might sound easy. When you get off of the bike, your legs feel like they weigh 1,000 pounds a piece - "bricks" is what they call it. I definitely had a case of the bricks legs because I kept looking down at my Garmin thinking that it was picking up someone else's pace. I was going faster than I have ever run before and I knew I needed to slow down, but I couldn't really send that message from my brain to my legs. Strange - I tell ya. I just went with it and hoped that I could sustain my - what was fast to me - pace for the whole 3 miles. When I rounded that last 300 yards or so, I was beaming. I had a smile on my face bigger than a kid on Christmas morning. I was almost there - I had done it! I did not drown. I did not crash my bike into the crazy people on the motorcycles checking to try to DQ me. I was running and I couldn't feel my legs - Life was good. I could hear Meg yelling my name at the finish line and was one proud little lady. I only wish JWood had been standing there with her :(

I finished and PR'd my 5k time at 25:20.

Done and done. I felt hard core - tattoos and all :)

It was a great day and so much fun.

The icing on the cake was looking at the final race times to find that I finished 8th in my age/gender group.

Whoop!

Thank you, Team Magic, for a great event!

I've been bitten by the bug....

Quarter Life Crisis

2011-07-14T08:00:00.000-07:00

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MEGGAN!!!!!

Today, my dearest sister turns 25!!!

That's 25 whole years of putting up with me, bless her heart.

To you, my dear Meggan -

You're an old wise soul in a young, vibrant body.

I am not sure if anyone can hold a candle to the joy you bring to each and every person you meet.

You have, and continue, to bring happiness to all of those around you.

Wise beyond your years, and humble enough to listen.

I only hope and pray for another 75 years to spend with you.

You're my best friend and I love and appreciate you more than my meek words can ever express.

Today I celebrate you - your life, your love, your heart, your soul.

You're beatuiful inside and out.

Happy Birthday, my dear friend.

Alaska 2011

2011-07-13T07:13:00.000-07:00

i went.

i'm back.

i tried in every way to stay.

here's the pics of my awesome week.
the weather was perfect - it felt like fall.
70s, sunny, and zero humidity. ahhhh
and, the company wasn't so bad either ;-D

warning - this is picture heavy!

saturday.

brunch and mimosas at sun city cafe.
we went there last year and i knew that was one place that i wanted to visit again.

they have reindeer omelets - just sayin'.

so happy to see that face.

after SCC, we hit up the anchorage saturday market.

for all you people who think TX is the only place on earth ;-)

we, of course, had to hit up the reindeer sausage vendor.

the welcome center in anchorage has a grass roof!

the landscaping was to die for; i wish they'd come to work on the wood hood!

after we traipsed around the market, jwood said - let's go to talkeenta!

talkeetna is a small village that, on a clear day, has stunning views of Denali.

funny story...

as we were getting ready to go, this conversation happened:

jwood: *folding blankets and pillows* i think we should take stuff to camp in the van in case we want to stay the night in talkeenta

mwood: i mean, i'm all about the hippie adventure, but i'd rather tent camp

jwood: we don't have our tent, mwood. the van will be fine - it'll be fun.

mwood:*sighs* let's not mess with all of that; if we decide to stay, we'll just grab a cheap hotel

jwood: *blank stare* ok, dear..... *puts up blankets*

we take off on the 3 hour journey to talkeetna in this beauty.

once we arrive in talkeetna, our first stop was the Talkeenta Alaskan Lodge.

Denali is hiding behind those close and haze. :(

either way, the lodge and grounds were beautiful.

for fun, i asked the rate to stay the night at this lovely lodge.

a cool $410 for the "view" side of the building.

ummmm, thanks anyway. maybe one day....

i did get a jade ring from the lodge shop.

jade is the alaskan state gem and the jade that was used for my ring was mined just south of the lodge.

we made our way into "downtown" talkeetna, and i quickly realized why jwood had such a blank stare when i said, "we'll just get a cheap hotel...."

this little guy was already booked up for the night - pickin's were slim. ha!

whoops. way to go, mwood.

i quickly fell in love with this little town. both of these photos were taken from the only 4 way stop in the town. both sides of main street were lined with adorable shops and fantastic local restaurants.

man vs. food actually did a show in talkeetna at the burger joint - the West Rib.

the road literally ends at this beautiful river.

we stumbled upon the Denali Brewing Company. the brews were deeeelish!

one of the things i have learned - and love - about Alaskans is they dress for function, not for fashion, and they enjoy well made brewed beers. i think i need to move. ha!

the tasting room. it was like a little greenhouse.

talkeetna, i love you.

isn't she cute? one of the many moose friends i made on this trip.

sunday:

sunday was the annual EMC Engineering July 4th (on the 3rd) BBQ hosted by jwood's boss at his home.

they always throw a great party and the spread is out of this world.

i had a blast last year and i was excited to catch up with those that i met last year and enjoy a moose burger!

nom nom nom

the weather was perfect! i even took off my sweater :)

i got to meet some new friends and also hang out with Aggie, whom i met last year!

she and i have kept in touch via facebook over the past year and i am so happy to have a friend in AK!

jwood and i enjoyed the sunshine and his day off among his great co-workers and friends.

i also made another new friend while at the party. jake is jwood's co-worker and good friend and his precious little wife and i hit it off instantly. she's from texas, so she knows a few things about ya'll and yonder.

it was a great day!

we topped the day off by going to tom & aggie's house on the hillside to spend the evening catching up with them. they are going to hawaii for christmas (jealous!). aggie got a new suitcase for her birthday and i wanted to make sure that i could go with them to hawaii in a few months....

the bag was a monster!

monday:

we spent the morning of july 4th on aggie and tom's porch enjoying these

breathtaking views and sipping on coffee. i could get used to that!

this was taken from their kitchen window....swoon.

after taking full advantage of their coffee and views, jwood and i hit the road to Eagle River for a hike in the mountains. you know i couldn't let him get away with relaxing on his last day off :)

we took a little hike in the Chugach National Park.

it was breathtaking.

happy 4th of july from the wood hood!

while on our hike, we stumbled upon this cabin. you can rent it for the night! as soon as we got in the car, i looked to see if it was available any night that week - no go. i will stay there next year! it is just nestled in the woods and has a wood burning fireplace - ahhhhh!

the hike was worth the view, as always.

i wish these pictures did it justice.

after a busy saturday, sunday, & monday off - jwood had to return to work.

boo.

while jwood made the bacon, i kept myself busy during the day taking it easy, and getting some quality work outs in at my leisure. i called jwood on wednesday afternoon and said, "i could get waaaaaay to comfy doing this everyday!" i would sleep in, go to the gym, meet him for a lunch date, rent a bike or go for a run on the coastal trail in the afternoon. it was perfect!

one afternoon, i literally almost ran into a moose with my bike. had other bikers and runners not already been stopped, i would have hit this mama and her little babe.

i met mama and baby on my way up the trail and ran into this gorgeous hunk of a man on the way back.

full velvet rack. stunning.

that day was a breathtaking day on the trail.

i should have probably paid someone for the views i got to enjoy.

thank you, God. i'll pay you those props.

our evenings were spend dining with friends!

we spent one night on the porch at The Bradley House with aggie and tom.

another evening was spent on the back porch grilling steaks with jake and rachel.

i feel so blessed to have met some awesome people in anchorage that helps to make my time there feel more normal and involved, rather than an outsider peering in. i was actually sad to say good bye to these new friends and to know that it will be an entire year before i see them again.

i'm truly blessed.

our last night was spent at the Glacier Brewhouse where jwood and i devoured fresh Alaskan seafood.

the calamari was like none i had ever had.

jwood got the crab legs and i got alaskan red salmon.

my mouth is watering as i type....

leaving jwood at the ANC airport this time was one of the hardest things i've ever had to do.

i had such a great week there and i felt so comfortable.

though i am not sure why God has put us on this path that is not so easy,

i'm thankful for the experiences that we get to share along the way.

i look forward to what the future holds for us. i'm nervous, anxious, hopeful and - i don't know how -

but somewhat at peace after this trip.

"For I know the plans I have for you," says the Lord.

"Plans to prosper you, and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

Jeremiah 29:11

i got a little crafty before i left, because i wanted to take something to j to keep.

i got this idea from another blog and just knew i had to do it!

with our hearts and homes in so many places, i thought these little guys were perfect!

i took the tennessee to j and i kept the alaska.

we'll couple them with the arkansas when we all are back together.

home is where the heart is.

One More Sleep!

2011-06-30T09:10:00.000-07:00

http://www-trade.blogspot.com/

One more sleep and I'm departing BNA for ANC!!!

I have a million bazillion things to do before I leave,

but I am so excited to see my JWood and get a big ole burly Alaskan hug :)

I'm having a mental block on the packing situation.

I'm going from this...

to this.....

Ummmm, I guess cute open toed espadrilles and sun dresses are not gonna work.

Weather - FAIL.

Ah well - I'll make the most of it in my Black Beast :)

See ya from Alaksa!

Have a safe and wonderful weekend.

Thank a soldier, why don't ya...

ridin' dirty

2011-06-23T11:49:00.000-07:00

My trip to AK is so close I can't hardly stand it!

7 days and a wake up!

We're within the 10 day forecast, people.

Side note: Am I the only one who gets really excited when your upcoming trip is finally in the 10 day forecast? I'm a psycho weather checker anyway - thanks to being a farmer's daughter - and it just makes it all the more exciting when I can check the weather at my future destination.

Anyways.

Last year when I visited AK, we rented a car so that we could travel around and I would be mobile while JWood is out makin' the bacon. We assumed we'd just do that again this year until we explored the rental world and found that inflation must have hit the auto rental industry. $600-$1000 for the week. Whaaa? Not happenin'. What was I going to do? I felt trapped from here - I didn't want to be held hostage in a house all day while JWood was working when there is lots of exploring in the AK wilderness that I need to do.

Enter - The Hippie.

Hi, Hippie :)

This is JWood's best friend and has been so awesome to open his home to JWood these past two summers. They're literally like 2 peas in a pod. We are very thankful for the Hippie.

After much discussion with the Hippie about our current car dilemma, he mentioned that he found a mini-van that he would really like have to cart around his little flower children.

Jackpot!

He, too, has family visiting this summer and was faced with the super duper expensive rental issue. JWood and the Hippie are both fortunate enough to be able drive work vehicles around Anchorage, but they need an additional vehicle for visitors like me :) So, instead of paying for rentals over the summer and JWood paying what little "rent" the Hippie would actually take for letting my man crash his pad -

we bought this beauty in exchange.

JWood is calling it the "Black Beast"!

I will be truckin' around in true hippie Alaskan fashion in this puppy in 8 short days :)

"try to catch me ridin' dirty...."

be jealous.

summer solstice

2011-06-22T14:05:00.000-07:00

When I tell people that JWood is in AK for the summer, the question I most often get is:

"Is it light all day there in the summer?"

Well, kinda sorta....yes, no, not really.

Yesterday was the first day of Summer, technically known as the Summer Solstice.

In AK, the Summer and Winter Solstices are a big deal.

June 21st is the longest day of the year and December 22nd is the shortest day of the year.

In between those days, they gain and/or lose around 5 minutes a day.

Crazy!

Happy Summer Solstice!

This was midnight in Anchorage, AK on June 21, 2011.

angels

2011-06-20T06:34:00.000-07:00

God has angels and He uses them, thankfully.

This past week was a scary and eye-opening week for me.

Wednesday afternoon after work, I got a frantic call from my very best friend and Sister telling me she had been in a bad car accident and she didn't know if she was hurt and to call 911.

Yikes.

I never, ever want to hear those words again.

Meg was in a pretty bad accident, but thankfully - God has angles and they protected her that day.

I could have easily lost my very best friend.

She was hit head on by a van that hydroplaned and hit her broadside.

After several hours and many humorous stories, we left the ER with Meg walking (barely) and cracking jokes with just some bruises and soreness. Though it was terrible and she's still recovering,

I am so thankful that she is here. She's a lucky lady. Cars and belongings can be replaced,

people can't.

We're not promised tomorrow.

Tell those that you care for that you love them.

Don't waste a day.

Drive safe!

Dear JWood,

2011-06-15T07:59:00.000-07:00

This sucks.

I miss you.

Love,

Lonely MWood

JWood and Mr. Bowinkle at the bow range - too bad it isn't moose season.....

44 hilly miles

2011-06-14T14:18:00.000-07:00

The Harpeth River Ride far exceeded my expectations. Obviously, I really didn't have any idea what to expect, as this was my first organized bike ride. On Friday afternoon after work, I took myself over to Nissan where they had the Bike Expo and to pick up my race day packet. Like most Running Expos, there were vendors handing out free stuff - but more freebies than at previous running expos I have attended! Score! As I was pulling into Nissan, I saw a group of people riding their bikes down Carothers and thought, "hmmm, they look super fancy and fast....." I ran into an former co-worker of mine, who was riding the Century (100 freggin' miles) on Saturday and he about tripped over himself getting to me with his phone flailing about in the air - "M, M! LOOK AT THIS! LOOK AT THIS!!!....."

Lance Freggin' Armstrong was on his phone with his cheesy grin next to him. Jealous. Yes - envy is a sin.

I took off up to the Expo to see if I, too, could score such an awesome photo on my phone (which, more on my phone later....) But, that fancy and fast group of people I saw on Carothers just so happened to be L.A. and his posse. Day late, dolla short.

FAIL.

Saturday morning, I rose bright and early at 4:50am to get prepared for the unknown miles that would lie ahead. I did my normal PB&J on whole wheat bagel, my go-to pre-race breakfast and loaded up all of my stuff in the Jeep.

I felt hard core - top down on the Jeep, bike strapped on the back.

It was race day, folks.

I got to Nissan and was completely overwhelmed and almost turned around. Bikers can be intimidating. Especially bikers that look like they know what they're doing. Fake it til ya make it, M. I unloaded my bike and got all my gear strapped on and peddled to the start. Let me just say - there's a LOT more equipment to deal with in a bike race. ha! Running - just you, your Gu, and your shoes. Biking? You have a whole trunk load of stuff to strap on and so do all the other 2,000 riders.

The ride began very slowly. I was thankful - at that point - that I didn't have clip in shoes/peddles. There were many stops and starts until we finally took off. Lancer was in the front - waaaaaay far in the front, and far away from my measly little 44 miler group start. Sad face.

Once we got on the road, I quickly realized that this was going to be the hilliest ride I had ever been on. Rolling hill after rolling hill after climb after climb - I was so thankful for the downhills and flats when they arrived. All in all, I felt amazing. My legs felt strong, my cardio was rockin' -

it was just a ride in the park, well, not quite. But good enough for me that day.

I made it to the 1/2 mark and was thankful for the rest stop to stretch my legs and refuel and water. One huuuuge difference in bike rides and running is the rest stop situation. In running races - there are water stops nearly every mile and you do your best to strategically slurp down water without messing with your pace and are in and out in a jiffy. Not with biking! When I pulled up to the 1/2 way point rest stop - I was shocked. People literally laid their bikes down in the grassy lawn and were hanging out. So, I did the same and hobbled over to the spread. Yea - I said spread. There was a huge table with pb&j 1/2 sammys, 1/2 bananas, orange wedges, watermelon slices, boiled potatoes, pretzels, trailmix, fig newtons, cookies, freeze pops, water, & gatorade. Whaaaaa? I didn't know we were going to a picnic! I brought a Gu, but decided instead to snag 1/2 banana and 1/2 of a pb&j. It hit the spot. I re-filled my water bottles, hit up the porta potty, and got back on the road - 10 minutes later. 10 minutes. What? There's no real time goal here :)

After the 1/2 way point, I started to understand why bikers used a few of the items of gear, and was also thankful for some of my recent purchases. Friday night, I bought a CamelBack water bottle. Brilliant. It doesn't necessarily keep water cold, it just keeps it from getting hot. I had been using a cheap free bottle I snagged at a previous race expo and the water would literally be HOT. So, I was thankful for my new water bottle. I also bought some gloves. Yea - hard core. But, they were also so worth it. My hands have been sore and sticky after past rides and the gloves definitely helped in that aspect.

As mile 30, 35, 40 creeped up - my feet fell asleep and my butt HURT. Oh.... that's why people wear those tights that have a diaper in the seat..... Oh, that's why people use clip in shoes/peddles. I learned from another rider that he had issues with his feet falling asleep before he got clip-ins. I told him before we started that I hadn't ever experienced that before.... until about mile 25. My feet literally were tingling from the arch of my foot to my toes. Crazy, but not unbearable. I ~~huffed and puffed~~ sailed into the finish with my helmeted head held high and oh so proud!

I learned several lessons in my first bike ride -

1) get the padded shorts
2) suck it up and get the shoes so you're more efficient and you're freggin' feet don't fall asleep
3) biking is just as rewarding as running - who knew?

I have fallen in love with biking! I am already researching other bike rides that I can sign up for this year and have an ultimate goal to do a Century Ride and the Jack & Back! Maybe not this year... but one day :)

Sadly, my phone crapped out and I lost all of the pictures I took this weekend aside from this one that I posted on Facebook!

Hard Core? No? Geek? Yes... Happy Biking Geek :)

Though I have fallen in love with biking and how amazing my body felt after the ride, I am still longing after my first love. You all know that first love - the one you can't have, the one that leaves you a mess and sometimes in tears, hurt to the bone? That one.

For me - that love comes by the name Running.

Update: I ran 1 whole painless mile last night and squealed with excitement.

My plan is to take it slow and work my way back into it -

just like that old stupid boyfriend that you tried over and over again to make it work. Ha!

Next adventure - Music City Tri!

(pray for me - open water swimming is hard.)

Doss Day!

2011-06-09T07:51:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday, JDoss!!!!

"A friend is a person who knows everything about you, and still likes you." - Unknown

It's hard to believe that I have been best friends with JDoss since 2005 when we first bonded over coping with a terrible job, and the rest is history.

2006 - baby M & J ha!

"The best kind of friend is the kind you can sit on a porch swing with, never say a word, then walk away feeling like it was the best conversation you ever had"

"Friends are the family that God forgot to give us"

"Promise me you'll always remember: You're braver than you believe, stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think" - Christopher Robin to Pooh

"A true friend is someone who thinks that you're a good egg,

even though they know that you are slightly cracked"

"Life is partly what we make it, and partly what it is made by the friends we choose"

"much of the vitality in a friendship lies in the honoring of differences, not simply the enjoyment of similarities"

"A friend is someone who knows the song in your heart and can sing it

back to you when you've forgotten the words"

"Friendship is born at that moment when one person says to another,

"What?! You too!? I thought I was the only one!!" - CS Lewis

"One measure of friendship consists not in the number of things friends can discuss,

but in the number of things they need no longer mention"

"True friendship isn't about being there when it's convenient; it is about being there when it is not"

"We're friends because we hate the same people."

"Do not underestimate the intimacy of running,

and the people with whom you share your miles"

- Runner's World

"Runners...you're competitive, but you want to have fun, too. You want to enjoy life.
And runners really get to do that, I think - after we recover" - Marathon runner

"Best friends remember when you say to forget it. They’ll wait forever when you say just a minute. They know somethings wrong when you say whatever. That’s how you know your best friends forever."

"Friendships born on the field of athletic strife are the real gold of competition.

Awards become corroded, friends gather no dust"

Charlotte: "Don't laugh at me...but maybe we could be each others soul mates. And then we could let men be just these great nice guys to have fun with."

Samantha: "Well, that sounds like a plan!" - Sex and the City

"A good friend will come bail you out of jail, but a best friend will be sitting next to you saying, "Damn! That was fun!"

Two peas in a pod....

Though we didn't "grow up" together - we've grown up in this grown up world together.

These past 6 years have been full of happiness & laughter, sorrow & sadness, triumphs & failures.

Through it all, JDoss and me have been side by side.

I only look forward to celebrating many, many more birthdays with you Jess!

Thank you for being one of the greatest gifts Nashville ever gave me.

Happy, Happy Birthday to you!

my cup runneth over.

2011-06-06T08:38:00.000-07:00

i'm beyond blessed and unworthy of the ladies that i call my best friends.

this past weekend was fantastic and good for the soul. there is something about a great, laid-back conversation with old friends that brings a bright smile to my face and a happy heart.

i spent friday night in jonesboro for a long overdue visit with natalie. we had dinner and i caught up with some old friends that i hadn't seen in years - litereally.

natalie and i enjoyed lots of laughs and hugs on friday night :)

saturday - we rose bright and early and went to the majestic grill to meet up with karin for brunch.

we sat there for hours, just talking and catching up.

at one point, i teared up because i am so thankful for these awesome girls and what we have become.

after brunch, we hit up the highly recommended nail bar for mani/pedis. let's just say - after 2.5 hours and having to watch country strong twice, we won't be recommending that place to anyone. ha!

we did get our nails done and had a great time.

it is hard to believe that we have been friends for 10 years!!

seems like just yesterday we were baby freshman and just trying to survive.

after i returned back to nashville on saturday night, meg twisted my arm into going on a sister date!

after an amazing day with friends, an evening with meg was just icing on the cake.

yesterday - i dominated wifely duties.

i mowed, weedwacked, blew off the driveway, cleaned the house, did laundry - all in preparation for my cousin Laura and her hubby Britton to visit for the evening!! :)

they were en route from little rock to the smokies and i'm so jealous!!

they're camping, hiking, biking, and going to the biltmore this week. it was so super tempting to hide out in the back of their van this morning and go with them. but, i decided that since this is their first vacation away from their adorable son Gabe and one year old twins Madeline and Seth, i'd let them be.

they deserve a week away hiding out in the woods

we went to dinner last night at broadway brewhouse and meandered around broadway for a bit.

it was great to visit and laugh and love on them. i was so glad they were able to stop in for a visit.

among the other many wifely things i did yesterday, i also took my child to get her summer cut!

she's so happy to be cooler!

the past two weekends have been so hectic and action packed, but so wonderful.

i am thankful for the great friends i have in my life and the opportunities that i have been given to spend quality time with them.

my cup runneth over.

****

happy 5 year friend-versary to you, kelly!

i met kelly 5 years ago today. it's hard to believe how quickly time flies.

i'm so thankful that distance has only strengthened our friendship and

makes me eagerly look forward to the next visit.

i love you, kels!

this road worrier is putting up the bags and resting for a few weekends. next trip - ALASKA!!

24 days and a wake up!

stars.

2011-06-03T09:09:00.000-07:00

(pinterest)

hallelujah it's friday!!

this little road worrier has packed my bags again and i am heading west to meet up with some of my longest, nearest, and dearest friends. we all met (aside from bobbi and me growing up together) on bid day in 2001 at good ole arkansas state university in the alpha gam suite. i never dreamed that through that sorority, i would meet some of the most remarkable ladies and would call them life-long friends.

it is so hard to believe that it was 10 years ago this year.

my how time flies.

we've been through some crazy college nights, deaths, divorces, sickness, graduations, weddings, parties, and most recently - births! we now have 3 little ya-yas to join our group :)

though we do not see each other nearly as often as we would like,

the time that we do spend together is cherished.

whether it be a year or a month that has passed, we pick up right where we left off.

i know that they are always there if i need them, no matter what.

i hate that we all are so scattered and i am missing out on their everyday lives

and spending time with their girls.

i'm heading to jonesboro tonight to spend the evening with natalie and we're meeting up with karin in memphis tomorrow for brunch and a day at the salon. it will be a much needed and long overdue catch up session. i wish that bobbi could be with us :( she will be there in spirit!

i have been so blessed to have met some amazing ladies over the past few years.

last weekend in austin, i kept pinching myself because i am so grateful to be surrounded by such great friends. i am very fortunate that i am able to spend some quality time with each group of them this summer.

Bobbi, Me, Karin, Natalie at Regan's 1st Birthday.

have a fantastic weekend, all!

take advantage of any and every opportunity to see those that you love and care about whenever possible.

tell them you love them.

we're not promised tomorrow.

i might crash.

2011-06-02T07:57:00.000-07:00

along with all of the travelling and eating and beverage enjoying i've been doing, i have tried to remain diligent in my work outs. i just feel better if i am moving.

sometimes, though, my mind is tougher than my body. boo. it has rejected me - yet again. i had many goals set for this summer. RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival 10 Miler, Harpeth River 44 Mile Bike Ride, and the Music City Tri - to be exact. well, about 3 weeks ago, i ramped my running up too quickly and the stress fractures that i got in my feet after the marathon reared their ugly heads again. the tops of my feet ached so badly.

the beautiful visions of crossing finish and enjoying a Moon Pie and a piece of deep fried pizza with jdoss were quickly shattered. i had to come to grips that i needed to take some time off from running and let my feet heal. again.

so - i'm currently on 2 weeks and 4 days of rest (but who is counting?).

i have bored myself to tears on the elliptical machine. how in the world do people do that - only that - every day? ughhhh. i am trying to divert my energy and attention to getting prepared for the Music City Tri minus the running part right now. there is still hope for the Tri, we'll just have to see if my feet play nice between now and then.

but, i actually have signed up for the Harpeth River 44 miler NEXT WEEKEND. whoa. it snuck up on me. i've been logging my time in spin classes and have ridden a few 25 and 30 milers actually on my bike.
goal for the Harpeth River ride? to ride - upright - and enjoy it. it's a "ride," not a "race." right?

well, that was the goal until yesterday. thanks to the lovely social media sight they call facebook, i discovered that LANCE ARMSTRONG will be at the ride. what? stop it. i may or may not be obsessed with this man. i have followed him in all of the Tour de France races for years. am i star struck by keith and nicole walking around in the same shopping mall as me? nope. am i super excited to know that THE taylor swift goes to the same dermatologist as me and my pimply face might run into her one day? could care less.

LANCE ARMSTRONG, on the other hand, on his bike in the same race as me? *sigh*
i am like a kid awaiting christmas. discovering this news has completely derailed my plan and my goal.

new goal: do not crash at the sight of lance armstrong. do not become a bumbling idiot when you ask him for his autograph. (oh, yes. there will be an attempt at an autograph.)

new plan: do i need to re-think my race ~~i mean ride~~ day outfit? i was planning to wear this:

I might brush my hair for Lance. Sorry I didn't for you this day, Justin....

anyway. i was planning to wear this shirt because it's going to be blazing hot AND because it has pockets on the back. completely functional. you know - for my camera, so i can paparazzi style click photos of LA.
but, it's LANCE ARMSTRONG LIVE STRONG YELLOW.
over the top and too much into it? maybe. nahhhhh!

stop.

who am i kidding?

he will have finished the race before i even make it to the first water stop.....crisis averted.

i get it.

2011-06-01T06:24:00.000-07:00

ok, ok, ok. i get it. austin is awesome.

jdoss (which was a surprise to kelly) and i visited kelly in austin this weekend. have you ever heard anyone say anything other than amazing things about austin?
no? me either. i thought - it can't be that cool....

wrong. that's what i get for thinking.

my trip to austin this weekend was one i will never forget. the only thing missing was my boo. i kept thinking - jwood would LOVE this and jwood would LOVE that and man, i wish he was here to experience this city with me.... welp. guess we'll just have to go back :)

kelly and patrick were the greatest host and hostess - they both know so much about the city.

i need to go educate myself on nashville, in case i ever have visitors. ha!

i'm going to describe the epic weekend in picture and in link form, because if you go to austin - you must go to every one of these places. the city is so laid back, yet active!

let's not even forget to mention how awesome the food is. most of the places are locally owned and use local products. there is outdoor dining, shopping - outdoor you name it.

they got it.

put your chin straps on - this is going to be a long one.

Friday Night - nashville comes to town....

jdoss and i got to town late on Friday night. we went straight to the Rainey Street neighborhood. it's a neighborhood that the city just approved for bars. (as you can imagine, there were quite a few for sale sings in the yards surround...) we went to Lustre Pearl . it was my kind of place - a big house and the seating was out in the back yard. there were picnic tables, ping pong, and hoola hooping. the dress was come-as-you-are-casual and the people were groovy.

oh yea - major bonus? $1 koozie. Boom.

(you'll quickly find a theme.... delicious food and beverages....)

let me just take a moment to pay my respects to Mexican food, Mexican food in Austin - in particular. they serve it WITH GUACAMOLE. heaven in a bowl. we hit up the 4th meal at kerby lane cafe where we enjoyed this bowl of deliciousness and jdoss ordered the best cinnamon roll known to man. other food was eaten, these are just the most notable. ha!

saturday, we woke feeling pretty spunky considering our late evening the night prior. wanting to attempt to burn some of the calories that would be ingested over the weekend, we opted for a walk to get our blood pumping. there was an awesome trail in the trail at Lady Bird Lake. it was so alive - there were people running, biking, walking by the masses. there was also a place to rent canoes and kayaks. the lake was packed. here again - JWood would love this! the trail has an outlet right in the heart of downtown Austin. we hopped off the trail and took a foot tour of downtown. all in all, I think we knocked out about 6 miles and got to experience an awesome trail and take in the sights of downtown. 3 birds - 1 stone.

after our trek around town, we decided lunch was definitely in order by way of Shady Grove Restaurant. it was all outdoors and the food was fresh and local - like most of the food in austin. jdoss and i had the hippie sandwich :) dining in our work out gear? yea... why not?

our next stop on saturday was barton springs pool. this is where the whole, "keep austin wierd" rang loud and proud. i cannot fully hash out into words the happenings here. it's a public "pool," that's not really a pool. it's a "springs," but not really a spring... it is a lake with walls, and HUGE. us, along with about ~2,000 people, paid $3 to get into this massive grassy area with a lake-like pool in the middle. we saw topless ladies, men with loin cloths sunning, pot smoking, yoga, headstands, a cello, bongo drums, lots of tattoos, etc. etc. etc.

all of this - but you can't bring your own pb&j. true story - a friend of kelly's brought his wn pb&j and someone told him he could not have it there because he didn't buy it there.

whatever.

oh, and did i mention? it was freggin' hot. i woke up and checked my phone on saturday morning to find a special weather statement - austin was going to experience heat index of 102*. it's may.

standing in line at barton springs.

we three were like the energizer bunnies on saturday.

that night, we got all gussied up and hit up the town to celebrate jdoss' birthday! what is a doss birthday without her favorite food - pizza? not a birthday at all. austin has food trailers on every corner. not nasty carney food - legit food, in a trailer. it's the thing there.

we had roppolo's pizza on wheels.

yum.

we had a drink at a really cool pub called the ginger man. if you're in austin and are a beer fan, have the firemans #4 blond ale. it's a texas brewed beer and deeeelicious.

at the ginger man, this was spotted.....

harry potter bolo.

we finally settled into Hangar Lounge where we met up with some of kelly's new friends for some dancing! there was a dancefloor inside and also one on the rooftop. we danced the night away and loved getting to know laura and obinna. jess and i pretty much had city and friend envy all weekend. there may or may not have been a dance circle....

perfect host and hostess :)

don't stop, get it get it!

laura was a blast! so thankful that kels is in good hands without us :)

love you, ladies.

view from the rooftop of hangar lounge.

after we left hangar, what does one do? oh, you know - walk 1.5 miles to another food trailer. of course. jess and i walk most of the way, hand in hand until or feet started screaming at us....

piggy back rides! laura knows what's up and packed flip flops for the late night. smarts.
not only is she cute and nice - she's street smart too.

final stop - homeslice pizza (another food trailer. and yes - there other food trailers that sell food other than pizza.... we just didn't visit those. ha!) that's obinna, laura's boyfriend. he's pretty much the coolest thing since sliced bread. and - that pizza was the jam.

sunday was sunday funday. we hit up brunch at austin java with obinna and laura, kels and patrick. the 6 of us sat for several hours telling stories, laughing, and enjoying some of these.....

after austin java, we walked across the street to corrupt the W and hang out on their patio.

this is where we noticed that we all had on similar shoes... and our feet (mainly mine) were beginning to feel the effects of the salt and the heat...

fancy cocktails at the W.

Obinna, JDoss, & Patrick

Kels, Me & Laura

next up - the best mexican food joint i've ever visited. and, i'm a connoisseur of all things queso and mexican, by the way. Palvos Mexican Restaurant. they, too, had amazing queso that came with sides of guac, beef, and onions to be added in. i cannot put into words the joyous noises that came from my mouth. mmmm i had the Pastor fajitas. they were pork fajitas cooked with pineapple, so it was perfectly spicy and sweet!

i made a friend outside of palvos.... keep austin weird.

after the daytime sunday shenanigans about austin, we went back to kelly's and crashed.

we enjoyed the evening of visiting and vegging - oh, and laughing at my feet.

i guess the heat and the fun were too much for my little body.

i swelled like a pufferfish.

neat.

while out and about on sunday, i got a call from american airlines letting me know that my flight at 6:50pm on monday had been cancelled. but, no need for me to be concerned because they had rescheduled me to fly out on TUESDAY NIGHT AT 6:55pm. what? i would have LOVED to have stayed all day monday and tuesday, but sadly - folks gotta work.

since i have zero patience, patrick so kindly called and arranged for me to fly out on a different flight on monday. at 9am. :(

my trip was cut short, but i was thankful to get home to this little ball of fur - and she was pretty stoked to see me on the other side of the kennel doors too. oh, and i was pretty stoked to rediscover the bones in the tops of my feet by monday evening :)

how would i grade the weekend?

A+

it was a weekend for the books and one i will never forget.

i cannot wait to go back and take jwood.

if you get the chance to visit austin - go.

these are the rules.

mercy!

2011-05-26T06:56:00.000-07:00

remember that rediculous game when you were a kid called mercy? you bascially tortured another person with your bare hands until they screamed, "MERCY!" because they couldn't take it anymore and their fingers were about to explode? no? oh.... guess i was the only cruel kid.

anyway.

i think it's about time we called "MERCY" on mother nature.

tornadoes and severe thunderstorms once never bothered me. in fact, we would stand outside in the good ole delta and watch storms roll in from miles and miles away (because SEARK is flat as a pancake and you can see for miles and miles....) this was all fun and games until my little hometown was the victim of a devestating tornado, and so was my family. in fact, if you look up Dumas, AR on Google Earth - you can actually see the damange. apparently they took those orthos right after the tornado. creepy.

i take these things much more seriously now. this spring has not helped my fear of storms in the slightest. with the utter heartbreak, loss, and destruction that the South has experienced this Spring - i want to call "MERCY."

why am i writing about this today? because this happened in my backyard last night....

the wind got pretty darn wicked at the wood hood last night and this tree just snapped - in half. lily and i were home alone and let me tell you - we both bolted up out of bed at about 12:30am. she growled and i growled. tree snapped. exciting times for us in the wee hours of the night (yes, i had been asleep for a while - i'm old).

i'm thankful that God spared the wood hood and that tree fell in the opposite direction.

Mercy, Mother Nature, Mercy. please let lily and me sleep in peace.

cheers!

2011-05-25T12:50:00.000-07:00

Today is National Wine Day!

How dare I ignore a holiday, especially this holiday!?

Cheers, my lovlies!

Happy Friday!

2011-05-20T07:40:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday, peeps!

The communication between JWood and I has been sparse this week. He is working the night shift so when he is getting up and going to work, I'm already snuggled in bed with Lily. When I am getting up for work,

he's wrapping up his "day" and dragging his tired butt to bed.

We haven't had much quality conversation this week. :(

I asked him last night if we could have a real conversation at some point this weekend. ha! It's just part of it and we are re-learning how this whole distance relationships works all over again.

One day at a time.

Our deal was was to send a picture a day. Yesterday, I sent him this....

It was my - Good Morning! Here is what I see at 5:00am....

Today (the first picture I've gotten all week - might I add....), he sent this -

This is his - Good Morning! Here is what I see at 5:00am....

He wins.

Good Morning and Happy Friday to you all from the

gorgeous mountains and Gulf of Alaska.

(can I teleport there, please?)

TGFM

2011-05-19T06:47:00.000-07:00

Thank God For Meg.

Flying Saucer in Memphis

The words that I put in this post cannot even begin to display the love, adoration, respect, and joy that I feel for my sister, Meg. (Or, as Lily calls her - Auntie Meggie :) )

If you've spent any time with me at all, you know quickly that she's my best friend and waaaay cooler than I am.

Not that I do not appreciate her every single day, but this week has been a true slap in the face on how much I depend on her and am so thankful that she shacks up at the Wood Hood to keep me company,

especially while JWood is away.

Meg is house/dog sitting this week and has been gone since Sunday. Boom. Empty house. Just me, my thoughts, and Lily. As if I didn't already know that I suck at being alone -

this week has sealed that deal.

One of the stipulations of this whole work-in-Alaska-for-the-summer

was that Meg had to move in.

If JWood and Meg didn't agree to it - it wasn't going to happen.

When M ain't happy, ain't nobody happy. :)

Though I miss her, I have embraced the complete solitude and have made the most of it. I have gotten in some solid work outs, cooked myself some delicious healthy meals,

finished a book, and caught up on some DVR and down time.

I'm learning, slowly, how to be alone and enjoy it.

With that said, HURRY BACK TO THE WOOD HOOD, MEG!

JWood and I could not do it without you, Meg.

We Love You, Seeeester :)

weekend worrier

2011-05-17T06:31:00.001-07:00

let's face it. i live for the weekends.

this past weekend was just lovely and exactly what i needed.

memphis, massage, and mama. :)

Midnight

2011-05-11T06:10:00.001-07:00

Midnight in Alaksa - May 10th, 2011

tri and tri again...

2011-05-10T13:47:00.001-07:00

i mentioned in a post earlier that i had a mini meltdown last summer when i had issues with my bike. there was a crash, there were about 10 flat tire rides, there was a ride that turned into a walkwithyourbike3milesbacktothecar. the number of issues that i had with my bike became quite humorous over last summer, so "humorous" that i literally put myself in bike timeout until jwood returned in the fall. my bike had a layer of dust on it by september. but, alas, he came home and saved the day! i have enjoyed many bike rides since last september, completely hiccup free. j bought a bike and we even went on a 30 mile bike ride one day, and not one single mishap or fit commenced :)

j made sure that i knew how to properly air up my tires (apparently i wasn't putting enough air in them each time, thus why they left me flat and stranded several times.... who knew? air = full tires.) moving on. we also bought this awesome bike carrier that is on the jeep for easy access.

i am prepared.

so, as i mentioned - i've bumped my head and have decided that a triathlon is on my list of things to accomplish this summer. i mean - what else do i have do? right?

yesterday was nice and warm and lovely out. i decided it would be a perfect day for one of my weekly bike training rides. i air up the tires, put my bike on my trusty bike rack, take myself in the jeep to the smyrna greenway. i dismount the bike, grab my water and off i go. the smyrna greenway has about a 10 mile paved path, perfect for a quick little afternoon jaunt on the bike.

it was perrrrfect out and i got my rhythm down and was really feeling good about myself. i'm on a solo bike ride, j is in AK, i have overcome last summer.

FAIL. the frazzlin' greenway was UNDER WATER about 1.5 miles into my ride. $%@#&(*though this fail was not my fault, it was a fail nonetheless. here we go again........

i haven't grounded myself and bike yet, but we're definitely on probation until the flood waters recede.

back to the spin bike i go.

my first actual bike ride outside might be on the day of the tri. *rolls eyes*

day 1....

2011-05-09T07:57:00.000-07:00

Yesterday doesn't count, because I did actually see the Hubs. So today is officially Day 1 of Summer 2011 for the Wood Hood.

We woke bright and early at 4:45am yesterday to gather the final things for JWood. As we were driving towards the airport, I said, "Why don't we just miss the exit and keep driving East to the Smokies?" We both chucked and said - wouldn't that be nice....

It seems so surreal in the airport as we both got coffee together for the last time for a few weeks. We shuffled around, sat and stared at the wall, and then counted down the days until I would be visiting. As time drew nearer to saying "see ya later...", reality began to creep up and I got a lonely pit in my stomach. We hugged and hugged some more. As we clung to each other for the last few moments, J said, "take care and give LilyPants lots of love for me"..... *tears* I did so well until that! Way to make me cry like a baby. His flight took off at 8am and so here we are.

I'm not one to just sit and be sad. I just cannot let myself do it. I need to be busy and thankfully, Jess was up for entertaining me yesterday morning. After I left the airport, dried my tears, said a prayer - I met up with Jess in Hillsboro Village for a nice and HOT 7.5 mile run. It was just what I needed. I needed a good sweat and run to cleanse me of my sadness and get my head back on straight. After our run, we hit up Jackson's for brunch and a few cocktails :) The run was totally worth the cinnamon toast. Boom.

Yesterday afternoon, I let Meg entertain me. Ha! We went to Target where I bought a large body pillow to attempt to fill up some of the void in my big king size bed.

Nice to have, not the same.

And, here we are. It's Monday - Day #1. I must have been a little preoccupied in my morning ritual.... I am makeupless today. I was driving to work and thought, hmmmm - I didn't put a stitch of makeup on this morning. hahaa If that's the worst thing that happens, I guess I'm good to go. I'll just look like a haggard pseudo-single lady today. :-/

7 weeks, 3 days and a wake up.

tick tock

2011-05-05T07:17:00.001-07:00

Great. Now I have Ke$ha stuck in my head.

Yes, the clock's a tickin'.

This week has been a roller coaster of emotions. There may or may not have been a fight with big alligator tears on Monday. Why? Who knows. JWood hasn't felt well this week (why are men such babies - I love you, honey... :)) - he was studying for finals - I am a spoiled brat and think that the world revolves around me. Basically.

We survived the fight and now, I don't even remember what it was about really. There is always a little doubt and an uneasy feeling when you part with someone for an extended amount of time. I know that JWood loves me. I know he wants to be here with me and live the life of the notsorichandfamous. But, what if..... then, I push those thoughts to the back of my head and remember that this is a necessary evil. He isn't leaving for the summer because he doesn't love me, he's going because he does love me. Get over yourself, MWood.

I digress. Like I said - it's been a roller coaster. Monday sucked. Tuesday was pretty boring because JWood was studying. Yesterday was a huge high! JWood completed his finals and we all breathed a huuuuuge sigh of relief. Another one bites the dust!

For better or for worse.... they were serious, huh?

do?

2011-04-28T08:06:00.001-07:00

i do realize that what jwood and i do with his seasonal work is very uncommon around these parts. in alaska, it ain't no thang for couples to be apart for a significant amount of time for work. it's just the way of life up there. you work when the weather is "good" and there's light out. so, for jwood - this whole leaveyouforanentiresummer was "normal." to me, notsomuch. i'm getting used to it though.

it's funny the reactions i get from people who genuinely care, but - like i said - don't really understand how it all works.

common convo:

person: what does your husband do?

M: well, he goes to school for civil engineering at TN Tech and then works seasonally in alaska during the summer.

*awkward pause*

person: he does WHAT?

M: (very patiently...) yes, it's not normal, i know. but, yes - he works 7 days a week for 10 hours + a day for the summer on a civil construction site - in this case, the anchorage airport runway.

person: wow. well, what are you going to do?

this is where i want to be the smarty pants that i am and say - "well, i plan to do a few recreational drugs, have random one night stands, and try to lose my job and get on welfare."

what do you mean - what am i going to do? what am i supposed to do? i feel like there is some great answer that i am supposed to have for this very common question.

M: same thing i do everyday, i guess......

there are huge disadvantages, obviously, to being apart for 4 months. life happens. things happen. events happen. and, we miss out on experiencing life together for these few months at a time. it's not the really big things that i miss the most about jwood when he's gone - it's the little things that i don't think about that really get me.

for example - last summer, there were a few mini-meltdowns.

* bike tires were jacked and i needed help - no jwood

* hated my job and just wanted a big, strong hug at the end of the day - no jwood

* my car battery died (because i left the lights on) - no jwood

* i let the grass get too tall and had trouble mowing - no jwood

* i can't get my fingernail polish open - no jwood

each of these occasions ensued a major calvin-sized (that's my dad - he's been known to throw a fit or two) melt down. there were fits thrown. major fits. alligator tears. poor jwood would get calls with me spitting mad at him and he didn't even do anything wrong - he just wasn't there and i needed him.

however, i grew a lot over last summer and i am sure i'll do the same again this year. i like to be independent and be able to stand on my own two feet. (but, it sure is nice to have a leaning post :) )

what am i going to do this summer? i actually have a few things planned :)

i'm going to visit my little mama in memphis, i'm going to austin to visit my friend kelly, i'm running in the RC Cola and Moon Pie Festival 10 miler with Jess, I'm riding in my first ever bike race (I won't be racing, more like riding) of significant distance, i'm going to visit jwood in the AK during the 4th of july, i'm going to attempt my first ever triathlon, and i'm going to the music city brewer's fest..... to name a few.

so, person, what am i going to do? a lot. if i sit still, i'll get sad. what i won't be doing? hugging my husband after a long day. celebrating with him after i cross the finish line at these events. having coffee and eggs with him on our back porch on saturday mornings (one of my favorites). fighting with him over his sloppy sleeping. kissing him and telling him to be careful and have a good day before our day begins. hiking in the smokies just isn't the same without him. guess i won't be doing much smooching - except with lily, of course.

what else will i do? miss him.

11 days and a wake up....

2011-04-26T11:08:00.001-07:00

well, hello there.

i'm still alive!! hooray!

it's been an amazing spring. i am truly blessed. my new job is going well. i'm beginning to recover from the marathon and two stress fractures. (no wonder people hate running - it's no fun to start over). jwood bought a bike and we've enjoyed biking together. i've begun training and preparing for my first triathlon. we went on our first overnight backpacking trip. we have gone to the beach. jwood has knocked out several more classes on that never-ending class list for graduation. we had an awesome trip for some yummy crawfish. i survived the whole winter/spring driving a stick shift jeep.

it's been great. i have tried to savor each day... because they're numbered.

in fact, 11 days and a wake up numbered.

jwood heads back to AK in 11 days and a wake up. boo.

i find myself in an inner-battle regarding this life that will be our normal for a few more years. this whole back and forth from alaska thing. i'm trying to embrace it, because it's amazing experience for jwood and his future career. financially - it's the only way we can stay afloat. but, dangit. it sucks. i try to tell myself - this is only making you a stronger couple and one day you'll look back and it'll all seem like it went by so quickly. it will. but, now - i want my husband here. i want "normal" "normal," not our "normal."

either way - my kicking and screaming and being sad won't make it go away or change it. well, i guess it could and jwood could stay here and we could go bankrupt. but, i'd be pissed about that too.

so, i'm back to say - i'm baaaa-aaacccckkkkk. i'm going to do my best to chronicle my "normal" while jwood is plugging away in the frozen vast wilderness (which, in anchorage, isn't wilderness at all - it's actually like most other cities). maybe one day i can look back on this daily journal of mine and realize how much we grew during this time apart.

with that said - i'm warning you, my dear readers. i'm not holding back. feel free to go with me on this journey this summer - for better or for worse. there are some days that just plain suck and i will write about it. and some days, most days, that are pretty boring and run-of-the-mill. i'll write about it all, good or bad - happy or sad.

11 days and a wake up left - let the countdown begin. too bad we can't go hide in a bungalow in the mountains for the next 11 days. or run off to the beach.

nope - jwood is studying. i'm running and working. lily is snoozing and begging for treats. meg is megging. (have i mentioned how thankful i am for HER? i'd be in the loony bin every summer if she weren't around to keep me company) we're rocking along like the separation reality isn't going to smack us dead in the face in a few short days. *bam*

welcome to life at the wood hood :)

new year.

2011-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

it's a new year. i'm still in disbelief that this year is my 10 year high school reunion, i am 28 (with no kids ~~gasp!)~~, i am married, i have a new job, and ..... a new zodiac sign? really? i had a minor identity crisis last week after some cook in Minnesota decided that this poster child Sagittarius was now some new sign that they just made up. i mean - what's an ophiuchus anyways??

no ma'am. forever and ever a sag, amen. whew.

ok - now that i got that out there in the open...

let's move on and catch up on the life and times at the woodhood.

i have high hopes for 2011 and it better not let me down. jwood has began his first of five semesters left towards graduation at tennessee tech university in cookeville. oh yea, back to school he goes. we are seeing the light at the end of this tunnel and so thankful for his ability to work in alaska in the summers and go to school full time during the year. he's in full swing with classes that i cannot even phathom. what happens in a statics class? is that where they learn how to get static out of clothes in the winter? sweet! no? oh.......

i couldn't be more proud of him. :)

i have began my brand spankin' new job this week and i love it. i swear, my worst day at the new job will probably beat my best at the old gig. i will never complain again. i'm getting nestled back into the civil engineering world and getting to participate in marketing planning meetings to boot. my first day included a lunch outing to tin roof 2 - my favorite. i think i'm going to live and ahhh - i like it. i am so thankful for God's answered prayers and blessing me with this great opportunity.

as if school and a new job weren't enough - we decided to tackle a "do it yourself" home project because a) we're cheap and b) we're a glutton for punishment. we've been wanting to put down "hardwood floors" for a while now. our carpet was ick from tracking in dirt, our monstrous fires, and lily accidents. grrr. so, we took advantage of the long MLK weekend to spend some time with miss kelly, who was in from austin, and to put down new flooring.

disclaimer: this ain't easy. when someone says, "oh yea, it's easy - just pop it together." run for the hills. it's faaaar more involved than what we'd originally thought. whew. there were a few times that jwood may or may not have hit his hand with a hammer, there may or may not have been a time when i almost lost my lunch because door facings were being ripped off the wall and tossed about in frustration. new flooring turned into new rugs, painting baseboards, painting door facings, etc. etc. etc., but i'm so proud of it!

it turned out great! what a labor of love :)

In the beginning.....

The finished product!

Thank goodness for a stress relief with Miss Kels :)

have i mentioned that it's been basically blizzard status

this winter in middle tennessee and at the wood hood?

oh yea - global warming my rump.

happy winter from the wood hood :)

I resolve....

2011-01-07T06:33:00.001-08:00

* attend church every Sunday that I am in town
* write more hand written cards and letters
* save cocktails for weekends and special occasions
* encourage a healthy lifestyle for myself and those around me
* swear less, pray more
* spend less on frivolous items
* cook new, adventurous healthy meals for my hubs and Sis
* sew
* keep in better touch with old friends
* don't turn down invites
* see life as the glass 1/2 full. Afterall, I am blessed
* complete a triathlon
* be an encouraging wife and thoughtful sister and daughter
* plan a once a month date nite with my hubs, just us.
* blog more.......

Hopefully my new job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!that I start in 2 weeks will not beat me down so that I don't want to blog. That's the plan. Here's hoping for a healthy, happy 2011!

1.1.11

2011-01-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

i'm blown away by how blessed jwood and i have been in 2010 and look forward to what this new year brings.i am humbled by God's mercy and love and for providing jwood and me our jobs, our health, and our families and friends.

though our christmas was completely chaotic and ridiculously busy, i couldn't help but savor each moment at each of our stops. all 9 of them. whenever i got frustrated or felt like 9 was too many, i took a step back and reminded myself how lucky i am to have that many people that love us and for us to share this special time.

so 2011, you have a lot to live up to. 2010 treated us very well.

bring it.

marathon mwood

2010-12-14T19:06:00.000-08:00

well, i can officially mark one of the items off of my imaginary bucket list.
i am a marathoner.

i ran 26.2 miles. it's still settling in, two days later. what once was just a silly thought has now come to fruition and a reality in my life. what an accomplishment! i'm pretty darn proud of myself.

let me just be candid. training for a marathon sucks. it's taken up sooooo much time & energy. i bascially surrendered my life - every thought, every meal, every drink, every muscle, every spare moment to my goal.

my goal?
time goal? nope.

finish - yes. finish vertically with all philanges and extremities still attached. ha!

i got to sneak out of work a little early on friday so i could make it to the expo and get checked in to the hotel and have some time to just hang. well, good thing that i got there early because i realized that i had
forgotten my stupid sports bra. what? who does that? i mean, that's like one of THE most important items that a female runner should remember. i had to hit up the oak court mall, as it was the closest to the hotel, and just
hope and pray that the bra i got wouldn't give me a disease b/c it hadn't been washed or completely chafe me beyond belief!

i hit up the expo before going to the hotel and ran into a sorority sister of mine that was running her first 1/2! yay, mel! she kicked butt and it was so good to see her!

the expo - meh. it left a lot to be desired and
they didn't have any free goodies. boo.

i picked up jdoss' race stuff since she, unfortunatly, couldn't come. let me just say - when you are used to a running partner and then that partner has to take a break due to injury - it's almost like you're injured. it took me a while to suck it up and not quit training because i missed her by my side. but, i decided to go ahead and run and wear her race number under mine so she was there in spirit.

Dad, Stacy, Meg & JWood were so awesome all weekend. they were so supportive and endured all of the running day madness, including the crowd! they were there at the start to see me off and at the finish to celebrate with me. my favorite sentiment from this morning was from my Dad, whom has always pushed me to never quit and to always try my best. i could tell he was a little nervous about the daunting task that was ahead of me and worried about me. he said, "kick butt and do your best, but be smart." :)

as time drew near to start, i met up with my new little running group that i got to know over the past few weeks. we stretched, talked about how nervous we were, and hit the ground running. God was looking out for me because as soon as jdoss was sidelined, sarah joined fleet feet's program and she is a gem. i couldn't have made it without these people around me, especially sarah.

sooooooo - the race.

i felt really strong for the 1st 1/2. hit up the Gu at mile 8 and then the halfers split off from us at around mile 12. um, it was tempting to just sail on through and call it a day. after we continued on and the halfers
turned off, it was desolate. ha! we were committed and the crowd wasn't. there wasn't neeear as much crowd support for the marathon. heck - we were there for HOURS longer. i guess i understand. somewhere around mile 14 - the front of my shin began to twinge and the tops of my feet got a little sore. then - around mile 15 - i felt like i was going to blow chunks and revisit friday night's subway. wha??? i haven't ever felt like that before. so - here i am running with 10 miles to go...my legs are falling apart and i feel like death. power. through. i'm sure it was just nerves and my mind playing tricks on me. i began to feel a little better around mile 20. i called my sis from my running friend sarah's phone to let them know that i was still alive and had about an hour left. she gave me the biggest pep talk and it was exactly what i needed to power on through. heck - i'd made it 20 miles.... i just had to gut out the last 6.

funny thing - i thought that maybe i had depleted of salt, which i probably had, and a lady had a HUGE bag of pretzels. SCORE! i snagged me 2 and chomped down to hopefully revive myself only to find that i now had chomped up pretzel in my mouth that i could not swallow. d'oh. it took a good 1/2 mile to get that one bite down. ha! i finally made it to a water stop and was able to eat the rest and wash it dwon. hilarious.

the last 4 miles were a complete blur. we were running with the 4:45 pacer and she was very motivating. she cheered and yelled and pushed our group right to the finish. i had a secret goal of finishing under 4:58 mintues,
because that's the latest biggest loser's time in boston. ha! so, i felt very happy about 4:45 finish :) the last .5 mile was so surreal. my new friend, sarah, and i yelled and pushed each other -

OMG! WE'RE DOING IT.
WE'VE DONE IT!!! C'MON - NOT MUCH LONGERRRRR!!!! i called myself picking up the pace as i ran into the red bird stadium - i probably went from a shuffle to a slow jog, but it felt like i was hussain bolt in the olympics. just get me across that finish!

don't i look like an olympic sprinter?? ha!

Busted. I may or may not have shed a few tears.

even though everything me hurt - i felt amazing. i cannot describe the euphoria. awesome.

the rest of the weekend was great - i hit up an ice bath, ate nearly an entire pizza - don't judge, i burned 3,000 calories - and napped and then hit up downtown memphis to celebrate! i brought a party dress to celebrate marathon success and my birthday! don't kid yourself either, i wore my medal for that evening and several days later. ha! we had a blast!

thanks to all of my friends and family who endured this rediculous training with me. it went a little something like this..... mwood - want to go here? nope. gotta run. mwood - want to go there? nope. gotta run. it was a group effort and i couldn't be more appreciative. and a special thanks to these two - they were amazing throughout this process. i'm sure they're as excited as i am that this task is complete!

so, 2010 has been a good year and i am so greatful to have made it through healthy.

4 1/2 marathons and 1 full marathon in 1 year - i'll call it a good year.

now - it's time for a rest. :)

Hunting Widow

2010-11-16T17:32:00.000-08:00

Oh the joys of being a southern wife with a Southern husband.

HUNTING SEASON!

I have been a "hunting widow" for most of the fall.

In fact, since JWood has been back from AK, he's spent 3 entire weeks in Arkansas hunting, getting ready to hunt, preparing to hunt, feeding deer to hunt.... all things hunting.

But, I really shouldn't complain. It could be worse. He's with my Dad.

I think he's safe... well, kinda. :)

I cannot wait to get to SEARK next week and join my

camo-clad Dad and hubs!

Happy Hunting Season, folks!

Fun Friday Evening!

2010-11-12T19:23:00.000-08:00

What does a Friday night look like for me these days?

Just like this.....

Tomorrow is a big day in MWood Marathon trainingland. It is my last 20 miler before the Marathon!!! My first 20 miler went much, much better than I had anticipated,

so I'm scared to death it was beginners luck.

My body might catch on because it knows what's up. Ha!

All in all, I've been blessed and have been injury free and healthy throughout the training. I only hope and pray to round these next few weeks out well.

Lots of icing, stretching and hydrating! My legs are tired and sore,

as to be expected and I've had a little nagging pain in the top of my foot so

I'm just trying to show my legs some love.

Lemme just tell you, marathon training is not the easiest thing I've ever set out to do. Lawdy. It's a commitment. Like, almost as much of a commitment as agreeing to let your husband move to Alaska for 5 months. Ha. I'm pretty sure this is harder than living without my main man for an entire summer. Running has consumed my life. My eating, sleeping, drinking, breathing are all focused around my runs. When you're running 10 miles 2 times during the week after work and a 20 miler on Saturday, it takes up quite a bit of time. I know all of my friends, family and coworkers are just as ready for December 4th as I am.

Thanks for all your support, friends and fam.

I guess that's part of it. If it was easy, everyone would do it right?

I am kindasorta ~~really~~ bitter that I'm missing the opening weekend of rifle deer season in Arkansas with my Dad just because I have to run in the morning. Grrrr

All my little bloggy friends, while you're enjoying your Friday evening,

I'll be over here icing and getting ready for the morning.

Wish me luck!

COME ON, TAPER!!!!

well, hello there....

2010-11-06T10:24:00.000-07:00

i've surfaced.

wow. it's been a whirlwind month.

i just looked up and it's 3 weeks from
thanksgiving. holy cow.

so, what's mwood been up to since i last posted? oh you know....
hanging with this man right here :)

quick recap of what's been a'happenin' in the wood hood.

the day of jwood's return back at the end of september,

jess and i ran the women's 1/2......

Talk about in step.... ha!

we celebrated jwood's return and 30th birthday with a sunday funday! it was
a blast. huuuuuge marshmellow, yummy food and great friends.

Clearly, I was enjoying the large 'mallows!

We're forever 21 at our house :) I made Justin's favorite cake - Homemade German Chocolate!

A Lenderman-girl sandwich :)

Happy Birthday, JWood! Hope for many, many more 21sts!

I was pretty proud of my homemade icing.

i said goodbye to a very dear friend of mine who moved away to austin. :(

i miss you like crazy, kels!

3 of my oldest friends in Nashville. Love you, girls!

i also said goodbye to my friend, jill, who moved to NYC!

i'm living vicariously through her experiences on her blog.

miss you, jilly!!!!

jwood and i took our 4th annual october trip to the smokies. it was an
amazing little get-a-way. i def needed a few days away from work and some
alone time to hang out with forever boyfriend after being gone for so long.
we had a real cabin for a few days and hiked and played around in east
tennessee/western north carolina. october is my favorite time in the
smokies. it's truly a religious experience. the delicious fall colors will
just leave you sitting in silence.

3rd time is a charm! we hiked charlie's bunion and it was gorgeous!

the first time i hiked it - it was completely socked in with fog.

the second time we hiked it - we got hailed on.

this trip though - God was shining his face on us and it was awesome!

the final evening of our trip was spend atop mt. leconte at leconte lodge.
one of the coolest things i've done in a long time.

i've been counting down to this trip for a while...

of course, in true wood

fashion - there was a hiccup in our reservations. we hiked to the top with
all of our gear to spend the night (of course, we left our confirmation at
the bottom of the mountain) and got to the top to check in and they didn't
have our names on the list. whaaaa? of course. all i could do was laugh -
par for the course on our luck these days. nothing is easy. they did some
research and realized they had expected us on october 6th, not 19th. they
were so kind to accomodate us and put us up in one of the crew member's
cabins, so we were able to stay and have our first leconte lodge
expereience afterall :)

after we got our stuff settled in our little cabin, we went to myrtle point
to just sit and take in the beauty. it was amazing.
they served dinner family style. the food was hearty and delicious. not to
mention, the amazing hot chocolate. yum! after dinner, we went to the cliff
tops to watch the sunset.

breakfast was served the same as dinner and we sat with the same people.
let me tell you - i was not a happy camper having to leave. i def could
have spent several days on top of that mountain secluded from the reality
and real world below. that is def a trip i will be doing again :)

Atop Myrtle Point

At Cliff Tops after dinner

The Mandatory Pic in front of the Lodge.

back to reality and work. blah.

this year's halloween was another super success!! jwood and i have grown to
really look forward to halloween and dressing up! jwood didn't really dress
up when he was younger, so i'm enjoying getting to share the fun with him
as a grown up! check out our previous years here....

we started planning our costume back in august when he sent
me this pic of him in his rain slickers. if i got asked once, i got asked
1,000 times if he was on a crab boat fishing this summer instead of working
on asphalt. ha! so, we decided to utilize his slickers for halloween! i got
super crafty and actually sewed my own costume - crab claws!! we were a
crab fisherman and a crab!! we went to a party at my friends, B and A's
house, and had a ball!

Miss Hickory Harlem and me

Snookie, me and Wynda - Waldo's girlfriend

Some of the lovely ladies at the party

The Crab Fisherman caught a crab!!!

Wood Family :)

so yea - we've been suuuuper busy since jwood's return.

oh - did i mention that i'm training for a FULL FREGGIN' MARATHON??? wow.

it's been one of the most challenging and time consuming things i've ever
committed to do at my own free will. it's been challenging and rewarding
all at the same time. i've completed 5 weeks of the training, with 5 more
to go. lemme tell you, 20 miles is a loooooooong way. ha! but, thankfully,
it's going well and i've been blessed to be injury free thus far. i'm
training for the st. jude marathon on december 4th. this will be the 1 year
anniversary of my first 1/2 marathon! :) please keep me in your thoughts
and prayers that i remain injury free and can cross that finish line in one piece and vertical :)

there you have it my friends.... a recap of our past month. hopefully i
will be able to report more than once a month. i'm praying for some positive changes in mwood-land.

i will keep you posted if those prayers come to fruition.

happy november, folks! it's mwood birthday month!!!!