Rooftop parties, fashion and beautiful people...

All in all, I have a pretty cool job and I get to do some pretty cool things. And, even though I'm working, it can be a lot of fun. Wednesday night was one of those nights.

My client is one of the sponsors to Project Runway, and this week's show featured them. The challenge was to design an outfit using all the things that are used in producing a vehicle -- everything from seat belts, to leather from the seats, to air filters. One of our designers was on the show and actually introduced the challenge to the contestants. So what do you do when something cool like this happens? You throw a party! We had a nice rooftop viewing party, overlooking the skyline of Detroit. It was a fun mix of media (my job), fashion design students (Detroit has some great programs in the area), and generally the beautiful people.

Side Note: I always get so intimidated by "the beautiful people club" and it always makes me feel that much shorter, dumpier and unattractive. I know I should be more confident, but it always makes me feel like I'm in the wrong place. The funny thing is, a lot of my friends are in "the club" so does that make me a beautiful person, too, or just the token ugly friend of the group??? Hmmmm..... :) :) :)

I've only seen an episode or two, but it was cool to watch the show with the guy introducing the challenge on TV. :)

Even though my job is super cool :)... so freaking glad it's Friday. And Friday of a long weekend! No big plans, but the week has been filled with some long hours, so I'm ready to enjoy the last bit of official summer. Everyone have a fun-filled and safe holiday weekend!

Matching Shoes!

Yep... that's right. After two long months of wearing out the left shoe, Friday I was able to start wearing BOTH shoes again. Sounds silly, but it really is all about the small things in life. Granted, they are flats, but I'll take it.

And, I tell ya, the timing worked out beautifully. We had a wedding to go to on Friday night and I was happy to not draw too much attention to myself. The downside: I had a sweet dress all picked out, but it would only do it justice if I wore my typical 3-inch heels. Opted for a dressy pair of pants instead. The wedding was beautiful and we had a nice time.

Saturday, I was up early to head to a bridal shower for my college roommate. Since I was helping co-host, I couldn't make it to my cousin's shower that was scheduled for the same day. There is something seriously wrong when you're double booked on a Saturday for bridal showers! Nonetheless, it was a nice afternoon filled with blenders, towels and muffin tins. :)

Sunday, both JP and I crashed and didn't move off the couch for most of the day. It was beautiful outside, but there was really no way we were going to exert anymore energy.

So far, it's been a long week already and it's only Wednesday. Going to a posh viewing party tonight (working though), so we'll see how that goes. Right now, I'd much rather go home and veg for the night but I'm sure once I get there it'll be okay. More on that later... :)

Why some people shouldn't be parents

I wasn't really planning on continuing my rant from yesterday, but as fate would have it, my grocery shopping experience tonight prompted it.

Disclaimer: I'm not a parent. I understand sometime kids will be kids and no matter how much of a super mom or dad you are, you won't be able to control a sudden outburst. I understand sometimes parents just have bad days and are just plain tired.

BUT... I also firmly believe some people should not be allowed to have children. Like the fine example I encountered tonight while grocery shopping.

This young girl (about 18-20 years old) was with her mother and small son (about 4 or 5 years old). I first noticed them not because of the little boy yelling, but of his mother. Yes, she was yelling throughout the store, trying to teach her son how to say, "give ya a doll'a if you holl'a". Not that he would understand what it means, but still not appropriate to teach a small child. She then went on to yell and berate her mother for not remembering to put something on her list. Something to the effect of, "You idiot! How could you forget to write it down!" In my world, I would never even dream of saying that to my mother because I would have been promptly slapped for disrespecting her. (I don't know that I'll spank my children - we'll cross that bridge when we get there, - but my brother and I both were and grew up to be fine, respectful adults.)

Later, I crossed paths with them again and the little boy was screaming bloody murder because he didn't get something he wanted. That lasted for the rest of the time I was in the store. I saw/heard them leave and the store all breathed a sigh of relief.

Oh no, it doesn't end there. As I'm walking out, he had just finished one of those little rides and wanted to go again. His mom was yelling at him saying, "I ain't got no more money" over and over again. He answered by another round of screaming bloody murder.

Poor kid. I'm sure he was never taught proper manners, and probably never will be. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to be allowed to be responsible for another person's life! Okay... rant over. I'm really not a bitch, I promise I'm nice. :)

Good news... my foot is healing very well. The pain is almost completely gone and my doctor said I should go another day or two with the funny shoe, and then I can start wearing my own (matching) shoes again. No heels, but I'll take it! Super pumped and need to go back in two weeks for another x-ray. I'll bring up the "so... what kind of workouts can I do now?" conversation then. Yay for matching shoes!

Why kids are fat, deaf and annoying

Although it doesn't sound like it from my title, I truly love kids. Well... most kids. In fact, I wanted to be an elementary school teacher. Anyway...

So, I'm working from home today and it's beautiful outside. Mild temps, sun is out, slight breeze. Perfect to open up the balcony door and get some fresh air inside. But... the kids in the NEXT BUILDING OVER are so freaking loud. Their windows or door must be opened because I can hear them playing the Wii. In fact, it's so loud I know that they're playing the bowling game. Did I say the noise is coming from THE NEXT BUILDING!?!?!?!

First of all, when I was a kid (you know, it was so long ago) and home during the summer, my mom scooted us out the door in the morning and we played outside. All. Day. Long. Thankfully, we lived in the middle of no where, so we were free to run, scream and play. When we were inside, we had to read for at least an hour a day (no problem there, I've always loved to read) and when we were allowed to watch TV, it was at a normal volume level.

Grrr... kids like that annoy me. Really, the parents that sit there and don't make their child behave irritate me more, but that's an entirely different story. I'm really not an orge... I love kids (that behave)! Really!

Crutch-free

I feel so free! Today I'm suppose to be testing out walking without my crutches. yay! When I woke up this morning, I reached for them and then remembered I didn't need them. What a sense of freedom. (Sad, I know.)

Working from home today though. My office building is so freaking big that it would be a BAD place to get stuck inside and realize you need crutches. Have I mentioned how great my clients are to me?

Keep your fingers crossed that I'm healing well enough not to need crutches anymore. Back to the doctor tomorrow, where I anticipate she'll tell me to walk in the shoe for a week and then come back to see if I can then get rid of that. Thankfully my job is so flexible! I've had an appointment nearly every week. I will miss the constant upper body workout though. My tri's are seeing the effect of walking around with crutches for the past 3 weeks or so! :)

26.2 -- Wow... That's a long way!

Totally in awe of the female Olympic marathoners right now. They're only 10: 31 into the race, but they are so freaking amazing!

NBC just showed the course map from an aerial view and it seemed like such a long distance. Then it hit me. "Hey, I've done that a few times." In about double the time, but I've covered that distance in a respectable amount of time (you know, compared to other normal people).

BYOB (Bring Your Own B-12) ???

Growing up, I was never a huge meat eater. It was mostly because I didn't enjoy the taste, not opposed to the idea of eating animals. I mean come on, we lived on a farm where we raised animals for our meat. (One rule to growing up. We weren't allowed to name the animals. My mom didn't want us to be scarred when we found out what/who we were eating for dinner.... :) )

My first job when I was 16-years-old was at McDonald's. And, I haven't eaten a hamburger since. When I went away to college, and had complete freedom in my diet, I went vegetarian. (I do eat seafood/fish and dairy so I'm not a complete vegatarian). Again, mostly because of taste but I really started to enjoy the health benefits. The first time I came home and proclaimed I no longer ate meat, my mom promptly bought me a few books and told me if I was going to be a veggie, I had to be knowledgable about it and do it correctly.

My family is a big meat and potatoes family, so my parents will try anything to get me to eat meat. Anything that is slightly off in my life, they (half) jokingly say, "well... it's because you don't eat meat."

So today's phone call from my mom was nothing unusual. With my stress fracture healing so slowly and the whole long affair with my abdomen and chronic pain issues, I figured my body just healed slower than the average person. My mom saw something on TV this morning about B-12 shots and how vegetarians should especially consider it. She said she thought maybe I was deficient and that's why I'm healing slowly, especially since she said I wasn't like that as a kid. And, that I should ask my PCP during my annual check up (I'm a HUGE preventative care fan!!!)

I usually just brush her "it's because you don't eat meat" comments off, but I took this one into consideration. Tonight, I did an internet search and actually found some blogs/forums that discussed this very topic. Maybe my mom wasn't completely off?

My question: has anyone considered/received a B-12 shot? Has anyone talked to their doctor about it?

P.S. Thanks to everyone for their well-wishes and support on my great master plan. I'm counting on all of you to help keep me with it! :)

Re-dedicated Runner

I feel like such a bum! I'm still in comfy clothes at 6:30 p.m. (read: I went from my PJs to another paid of PJ pants and a t-shirt), haven't left the house all day and am currently sitting on the couch with my foot up. This is not the life. When I had surgery a couple years ago, all I could do was watch movies for 2 months. I swore I would never wish I could just stay home and watch a movie ever again. And, I never have. Sitting that long will do that to ya...

Seriously, I'm very fortunate to have such super cool clients, who actually insisted I work from home while I'm on crutches.

While I can't physically work out, I've been mentally planning out my next training plan. After getting full approval from my doctor and e-a-s-i-n-g into it, of course. I'm re-dedicating myself to being in the best shape of my life -- working out, eating right and loving every second of it. Here's a glimpse of what I'm thinking...

Yoga: Pre-work yoga (at least 3 times a week)


Running: Train hard and grab that sub-4:00 marathon! (including repeat, hill and speed workouts)


Weights: Focus on weights. I dabble in it, but haven't really become dedicated to it since working out with my old trainer, Ricky. Being strong is so important, and I'm GOING to do it.


Cross-training: My last couple of marathon training plans haven't included cross-training because of the intensity of the running schedule. I want to get into spinning/cycling and swimming. Hmmm.... does anyone see a tri somewhere in the future...

Healthy Diet: I've gotten away from the whole wheat pastas, been eating out too much and portions are bigger than I need (I totally agree when people say women gain weight the 1st year in a relationship. JP and I have always been active and healthy eaters, but we've re-dedicated ourselves to be as healthy as we can be... as healthy as we can be with a trip to DQ every once in awhile...)

I always like Nike ads, but this Nike Shox ad really illustrates how I feel about my plan. Now, if only I could get rid of these crutches... :)

IT Guru

Being one of the least tech-savy person in the world, I am pretty proud of myself for updating the layout of my blog. Granted, Blogger makes it pretty idiot-proof, but nonetheless, I changed the look (a tad) all by myself. I can't figure out how to stretch the photo in the title box, so any help would be appreciated.

The weekend was pretty low-key. Saturday - sat at home. Sunday - sat at home. This morning, JP and I went out to lunch and then we went back to his house to get him packed up to hit the road again. Poor guy -- he left again this afternoon and will be out of town for the week. If you're keeping track, that means I was out of town for two weeks in a row and he'll be out of town for two weeks in a row. Some people envy us for getting the opportunity to travel for work so much. Granted, it has taken us to some cool (and not so cool) places, but we'd both rather sleep in our own beds and eat a home cooked meal any day.

I am getting a little stir-crazy sitting at home so much, but getting out is so tiresome and such a hassle.

Going to watch a little more Olympic coverage and head to bed. Mmmm mmmm -- I do love men's swimming. Abs everywhere.

Sitting home... still

Last night was deemed "Wii and pizza night" and JP and I had over some friends to celebrate the festivities. We had a great time noshing on pizza and watching the Olympic opening ceremonies. Ever since I was little, the Olympics have been so fascintating to me. Obviously, I love athletics and the dedication and passion the athletes have for their sports. Admittedly, I get all teary-eyed with those inspiring behind the scenes stories. Like the USA team flag carrier in the opening ceremonies. From being one of the famed Lost Boys to becoming a world-class athlete. If that doesn't give you goosebumps, I don't know what will.

After watching the US team walk in, we decided to try out hand at the Wii. Nothing like a little friendly competition on a Friday night. I'm happy to report that both couples remain intact after some grueling rounds of golf, bowling and the duck hunt-esq game.

Tonight, JP is at a bachelor party and I'm hanging out at home watching the Olympics. If I were crutch free I would've found something to do, but I figured it would e better to stay home and do as the doctor ordered -- stay off the foot and keep it elevated.

I'm getting really antsy not being able to do anything. To go from some hard core training to a sudden dead stop... It's driving me crazy sitting home!!!!!

Please Visit the "D"!

Like much of metro-Detroit, I live in the burbs and commute to downtown Detroit. I've done a lot to stimulate the city's economy -- baseball and hockey games, resturants, bars and a variety of events. I'm proud of all the work that has been done to revitalize the "D", but I'm sick of one bruised eye that keeps getting bigger and bigger.

Local and national news (CNN, CNBC, NY Times, USA Today, etc.) are blasting this across the country. Where is the Detroit mayor right now? In jail. Yep, the Detroit mayor is currently sitting in a little, cement cell tonight.

In addition to the text message scandal (did you see Jon Stewart's skit?), he is facing felony charges tomorrow for allegedly physically assulting a police officer. But that's not what landed him in jail. With everything that was mounting up against the mayor the court, which originally allowed him to travel for business and personal reasons freely, mae the decision he needed court permission before leaving the city. Period. Easy to obey, right? Nope. He went to Canada for a business meeting and the judge found out through the media. The judge was pissed and sent him to jail.

Please know there are wonderful people, places and things to do in Detroit! Hopefully he'll be removed soon and we can continue to grow the city to become a better place.

For you runners -- the Detroit Marathon is a great race. There are beautiful parts of downtown and you run by all the highlights -- beautiful homes, Joe Lewis Areana - Home of the Stanley Cup winners the Detroit Red Wings, Tiger Stadium. Ford Field where the Detroit Lions play, over the bridge into Canada and back thru the tunnel (world's only underwater mile -- how cool is that!), and around Belle Isle - Detroit only little island. Oct. 19, 2009!!!! If you've been training for a race but not sure which fall race to do, come to the "D"!!!

Pictures above: Belle Isle, Tiger Stadium -- "who's your Tiger?" and The underwater mile!

More Calcium, Please

This afternoon I went back to the doctor to get my cast off! I was so looking forward to it and was really hoping not to get another one.

Okay, when I was in high school I had several casts (basketball injury) but for some reason I don't remember getting a single one off. I think I blocked the horrid memories. The tech comes out with this thing that looks like a power tool you could but at Home Depot. I was expecting some medical looking thing. As she's cutting into my cast I'm trying not to freak out. After all, I'm a grown adult. I think I flinched a few times and she finally looked at me and said, "It won't cut you, don't worry." Riiight. She was obviously not the one with a blade milimeters away from her leg.

Outcome: I'm only healing a teeny-tiny bit, so she said if I promised to stay on the crutches 24/7, she'd only put on the wrap/soft cast. Deal!

I'm absolutely convinced my body just heals slowly. But, to help things along, I stopped and got some calcium supplements on the way home. I got the chewy kind and they're actually not too bad tasting. I drink a glass of milk a day, eat yogurt or string cheese, and eat almonds, spinach, etc. everyday! I'm sure I'm still not getting the recommended amount. Has anyone tried supplements!?!?! Hurt? Help?

My client is super cool and told me to continue working from home for the rest of the week. I was going to go in tomorrow, but she insisted I stay home and keep off my foot. On one side, I get bored with no one to talk to throughout the day, but I have to admit rolling out of bed, flipping on the laptop and not getting dressed until noon is nice...

Life without running...

Had a great time last week in Canada (eh?). One of the girls I work with has a place up there, right on the water, so we did our team off-site there. It was beautiful and there's nothing like working out on the deck, in the sunshine, munching on good snacks and drinking at 3 p.m. :) We really did get a lot of work done!

Oh. I can't believe I forgot this. We did the coolest thing while we were up there. There is a little boutique that my co-worker does a lot of shopping in, and she really wanted to take us there. We wouldn't be able to go before they closed, so the owner offered to stay open late JUST FOR US! How cool is that!?! I felt so VIP. Four girls running around this kick-ass specialty store - where everything is 50% off! Everything there is stuff you'll never see anywhere else. It was a bit pricey, but I'm willing to spend the money that isn't the Banana Republic tee everyone else has on. I got this cool, crinkly material black dress with a tan belt. It'll look super hot with some leopard print heels I've been wanting for awhile. And, I got a slinky black top -- satin body with sequence cap sleeves and tie belt. I was super excited and JP really liked my selections. In fact, he said, "hmm, why didn't you get more." (Girls, best answer ever, huh?). If we had more time, I'm sure I would've done more damage. :)

Other than that... not much is new. Without running/working out, I don't have a lot to write about. I've been catching up on reading, hanging out with friends and actually watching some TV. I really miss running, but I have to admit that I'm kinda glad to have some more time to see family and friends.

Heading back to the doctor tomorrow, so hopefully she'll take off the cast. My secret plan is that the cast comes off, I still have to take it easy, but I can at least swim and start lifting weights. Whadda think? :)