birds!

Sleep. Wake up. Work. Run. Eat. Make jewelry. Repeat. I feel like down time is a rare thing to come by these days. I've got another jewelry show this summer back in SD, so I'm getting ready for it. I'm also trying to stick to O's half-marathon training plan. With the exception of one cross-training day, I've done all the workouts. Tonight's 3-mile run was a challenge, since my parents are coming into town this weekend, so I went grocery shopping after work. Two hours later, I get home and am starving! I grab a handful of trail mix, change into my running shoes, and me and Koda were off on an evening jog, in spite of the fact that I would have much preferred to sit in front of the TV with the remote and just chill tonight.

Here's a photo from this past Sunday's 5-mile jog. Brandon and Koda came along and played catch at the park while Becki and I ran in what turned out to be record-breaking heat. I love how I'm seemingly being held up by Becki in this photo. Meanwhile, her face is glowing as if to say, "Is that really it?! Can we go a few more miles?" I have no idea why the colors on this picture seemed to be going crazy. I think I somehow saved everything inverted, because my pants were navy blue and not red. My skin is more of a pink color, versus the blue shade you see below. The pained look on my face, however, is not a Photoshop error.



Here are some recent necklace designs. These are headed to the shop in downtown Sioux Falls.

My parents will be visiting this weekend. They arrive tomorrow, and we're celebrating with taco night at Becki's.

17 more weeks of this craziness

Carrots is the new breakfast of champions.

We're getting our 5-mile run in this morning, so Becki told me yesterday to eat a light this morning. Frankly, I don't really have much experience eating before this level of exercise, so I grabbed a handful of cereal and some carrots.

On my drive home from work today, I saw a middle-aged man staning on a street corner wearing a grass hula skirt and a fanny pack. At first, I thought he was perhaps walking to a costume party, then I noticed that he was just standing there. Must have lost a bet or something? The fanny pack made me laugh out loud. You just never know what you're going to see in the city.

What's the craziest thing you've seen lately?

Today our goal was a 20/30 minute easy walk or run. There's something that is refreshing knowing I've got a training schedule to follow (thanks, O!), that there is no question of whether I'll lace up my running shoes or put it off for the next 2 days because I've got groceries to put away and enjoy our new flavor of ice cream. I've never been one to be really strict about my workout schedules. I'm a sporadic exerciser, and typically have the attitude that doing something is better than nothing, and whether it's today or tomorrow, it's not going to make me or break me. So very laissez-faire of me, coming up with creative ways to avoid workouts! I think I can say that it's different now, because I've had a few months to mentally prepare, so I know that cheating myself on a workout is only going to make the run more challenging for me in the long run.

I started out running tonight, then felt like my body was saying walk, so I took it easy today. It's interesting- my mom asked if I was able to walk today after my long run yesterday. Actually, my muscles for the most part feel fine- it's the blisters on my feet that were hurting the most today. At one point, I felt like I was physically and mentally DONE- about half way through our run yesterday- so I really felt like I'd be more sore. Even though my muscles didn't hurt, I feel physically more tired at bedtime these past few days than I've felt in a long time, because I'm typically such a night owl.

Shifting the topic a bit-- I can't believe I have to do 45 crunches per day for the next 126 days. Anyone want to hop on board and take before and after photos of our six packs? My before picture will be a sepia-toned photo involving my hand artistically holding a six pack of Fat Tire beer.

The weather was lovely in Denver today. Koda and I were experiencing cabin fever, so we went cruising then decided to go visit Becki and Pat in their new house. City dog Koda gets to go on lots of walks and jogs on-leash, so he was delighted to run around in a real back yard! He had a blast exploring every corner of Becki and Pat's new place. He found all sorts of treasures in the back yard- a slightly used bone, some crunchy sticks, and a tennis ball that looked like it has been around the block. Pat was so sweet and took Koda on a walk- or in Koda's mind, a mini adventure through their new neighborhood. Since dogs have short memories, I often offer up that Koda just had the best day of his life every few weeks or so. I think today was the best day of his life.

Becki and I ended up going to a big park in town to tackle our first training run together. I had originally planned my first 5-mile run alone, and I thank GOODNESS she was with me! Other than one quick trip to the restroom, we jogged the whole thing without stopping. Granted, my jog was slower than my actual walking pace at one point, I'm pretty sure, but still- I think it was a good start. I'll consider the fact that I didn't twist my ankle or trip or faint a successful first long half-marathon training run.

Oprah says tomorrow is a light walk or jog day- just 20 to 30 minutes, and 45 crunches. That is music to my ears after today's workout.

Tomorrow I start official training for the Denver Half Marathon. How does one prepare the day before her very first 5-mile training run, you may be asking yourself. Well, apparently in my world, it involves eating pizza, ice cream, and drinking beer. Please que the song "We Are the Champions" while you picture me in my sweatpants downing frothy beers and scarfing an ice cream sandwich before eventually falling over backward off a barstool.

Speaking of "We Are The Champions," that might be a good song to have ready right before I run through the finish line. What do you think? Either that, or one of my current favorite running songs, "Don't Cha," by the Pussycat Dolls. Trust me, I only wish I were kidding.

We helped Becki and Pat move into their new place today. They've got hardwood floors, a real back yard, and a faux finishing paint job in their living room. Luckies! Anyway, they bought the whole moving crew beer and pizza, and after trekking many times up and down the stairs to their third-story apartment (which I kept thinking of as just a part of my fabulous new half marathon cross-training routine), beer tastes good. So I just remembered- 3 beers, one glass of wine, 3 pieces of pizza and an ice cream sandwich later- that I have to run 5 miles tomorrow. 5 miles!

I don't know if I've ever run that far in my life. Perhaps in high school, but that was probably around 13 years ago. I'm currently downing glasses of water in hopes that I wake up feeling 5-mile ready tomorrow. Wish me luck.

: art show :

Here are some pictures from my art show this past Friday night. I was exhausted all day Saturday and am still trying to recover.

One of the most delightful parts of the art opening is that it took place at a mixed media/collage art supply shop, so I met a lot of fellow artists, many of whom had taken classes in soldering. Trust me- it's not every day you get to have a 5-minute coversation with someone about Silvergleem.

I also enjoyed when one visitor described a necklace as "so Hollywood." I honestly don't know exactly what she meant by the term, but I'll take it! I also liked the little girl who was just fascinated by my things, saying "Pretty!" every 1 minute or so. One woman bought 3 charms (3! all for herself!) and another person called the shop, asked if she could come early because she had plans that evening and didn't want to miss the show, and drove about 15 miles from a nearby town. Every show or event I do is always SO different. Even though they're more work than you might imagine (or perhaps you've been through it with me and don't need to imagine- you've lived it!), I love these darn things.

Tomorrow is my first art show since 2005. It's currenty 12:30 a.m., and I got done pricing my items over an hour ago. Anyone who is close to me and has been through art fairs with me knows this is a HUGE feat. I usually get to bed no earlier than 3 a.m. the evening before shows.

For those who have not been through the art fair thing with me, I should mention that I make each tag by hand. Sometimes I'm lucky enough to have a friend or family member- with a really kind heart- who offers to help me out. First, I print out sheets of tags and cut them into lovely little 1/2 inch by 3/4 inch rectangles. 100 lovely little rectangles, to be exact. Next, I take my hole punch and punch away. Next step involves cutting 100 pieces of 4-inch ribbon, then winding that ribbon through each tag. I recently got a small hole punch, so while it looks better, it probably took me twice as long to execute this step today! Finally, I tie a knot at the end of the ribbon. Then comes the printing, cutting and attaching of each price tag. I'm certain I could figure out a double-sided tag that would help expedite the process, but some part of me- a twisted part of me- enjoys all the little steps. I'm not sure if it's the sense of accomplishment, the fact that each tiny tag is made with sweet, sweet love and I hope it shows, or that I'm just insane. After 6 years of this stuff, I'm learning that it's much more fun when done prior to midnight.

I decided tonight to get a hotel room tomorrow night in Fort Collins. I have to be there mid-morning for setup, so I have all afternoon to hang out. I'm afraid after a long day today and tomorrow, me driving my aging Escort back to Denver at 10 p.m. might be dangerous for a variety of reasons. So I'm opting to stay in Old Town and I'll wake up Saturday morning and grab a coffee at my old favorite place. I might even hit the flea markets and thrift stores on the edge of town. Denver has just about everything a girl could dream of, but I've not had any luck finding good thrift stores. There is a nearby Salvation Army that's just stinky, then there are antique shops where I find neat things, but then realize they're asking $50. I'm bringing a book, some new magazines I haven't had time to read, and am hoping to have time after the show to relax. It's been a crazy week- one with very little sleep and lots of last-minute fun, so I'm looking forward to winding down a bit after my show tomorrow night!