September iPhone Pics (the first half of the month)

• A little fun at the Shawnee Mission Dog Park!

Willow and Crickets favorite weekend activity

• Hadley decided she wanted to go for a run with me one evening.  I had to teach her right.  Stretch first:

THEN run:      (how cute is she!?)

She actually did shockingly well and ran much further than I anticipated.  She was so mad when we told her she had to quit running she had real tears! 

• Allie turned 12, and there isn't much the girl loves more than chocolate.  So I did what any good aunt would do and got her a box of all kinds of chocolate-y goodness...along with a cool balloon and some flowers, of course.  

We had dinner at Outback Steakhouse (her pick) and managed to make it out of there with only two drink spills and about 7 loaves of bread consumed.  I bet they couldn't wait for us to leave, haha.

Couldn't leave without getting some pictures with my favorite boys in the world! 

#luckiestauntever

And another one - just for fun :)

• The word is still out on which dress I will end up wearing for Angie's wedding in Aspen in two weeks...  I personally like the one on the right but Angie loves the two piece.

• I got asked to sub for a sand volleyball team and had an absolute blast.  I used to play somewhat regularly, but that was years ago.  I was nervous if I would still be okay...and it all turned out fine.  Maybe volleyball is like riding a bike?   You never forget how? ;)

• Another beautiful Kansas sunset:

• Too matchy-matchy with the headband and skirt?  Ha.  Never. :)

• I usually capture the sun setting, but I happened to get a good one of it rising this month on my way home from working out:

• This months additions to the ever-growing bucket list of places I want to go:

• When my friend Laura was in town for a race, we spent one day shopping in KC.  I fell in love with this cashmere sweater from Athleta (look how cool the back of it is!), but I did NOT fall in love with that price.  $198?  Ouch.

• Ended up with this cardigan from Lulu instead.  Cheaper and I can wear it way more places.  Kind of loving it right now and have worn it way too much (not with shorts). 

• The other way-too-expensive item I fell in love with?  This amazing purple dress:

Seriously, if I had ANYwhere to wear this thing to, I might have actually considered the $448 price tag.  Maybe. 

• I've had my eye on this bag from Parker Clay for months.  As soon as it came back in stock, I jumped online and got it...and it was already one of only three left!  They go fast!  (The one I got is number 20 of 300 made.  AND it's hand made in my favorite spot: Ethiopia!)

• I had to document this.  It was the second time in as many days that I got stopped at this exact spot when I was already running behind.  It had been months before this that I had to wait on a train...so twice in two days was too much.  AND to make it worse, there were actually two trains - one going each direction.  One came through in the opposite direction right as the first one was about to end, so it was double painful.

• The remnants of my lunch:  a green smoothy.  This is what I resort to eating (drinking?) when my mom isn't around to cook for me. 

• Feeling pretty tan next to my sister, haha!

• I always knew my brother would be a great dad - kids have always flocked to him - but it's so fun to watch him with his own son now.

(And I kind of love the little guy, too.       Okay, more than kind of...) 

• It's been awhile since I had a foot update!  Nothing's changed, maybe that's why.  Still swollen, still discolored.   Siigghh....

• When this cold front moved in, I really thought fall weather would be here to stay.  (I was wrong, but it was nice while it lasted.)

• Are they not the cutest little siblings you've ever seen??

#luckiestauntever  -- for real

• Oh IKEA.  While I've always loved you before - in other cities - now that you're in KC, I am boycotting you.  The fact that it took me over 45 minutes to get home the week you opened is ridiculous.  

(See all that red on the map?  That's leading directly to the exit where IKEA is...and where I drive by every.single.day for work.)

I have not gone yet.  And I wont' go for at least a few more months when people quit freaking out over it. 

• This sunrise was about to get really good.  And I could have made this picture work with some editing, but I took it on my way to an early morning track workout.  No waiting on the sun on those days...

• I just though it was ironic that as I was driving through the "Flint Hills" of Kansas, it was completely flat.   Anyone else??

• Wedding shower for my bestie from high school in Wichita.  (We all went to high school together...ya know...like 13 years ago.)

• After the shower, the girls got all dressed up in 80's gear to go out for the night.  Jaime and I drove back to KC, but it was hilarious enough just to watch them get ready.  A lot of spandex and neon!

• Too much Tahoe gear on?  (TahoeMade Attire hoodie and Lake Tahoe sweatpants from Raileys in Incline Village)

• Went to church with Jason and Kelli one Sunday morning.    

Is my hair too curly?? ^^                   Someone was happy to be out of there!^^

• Since I got nothing out of that church service besides playing with the kids, I went over to Tony and Christa's and we watched church on the big projector screen (shower curtain) they had set up for Allie's birthday party the night before.

• One of the best things about fall (besides jeans and hoodies) is the fall festivals all over!  I found some cute fall decor at this one in Hawthorne Plaza.

• Just documenting the insects around my house:  bees and spiders

• Been trying to get back in to running once a week or so.  It's been a rough go.  4 miles had me drenched in sweat!

• I got a phone call from Hadley saying her "nail salon" was now open for business.  So I did what any good aunt would do and drove right down there to get my nails done.

She was very intense with the painting (and apparently ambidextrous), but I recommended a little more practice before going public.

• I think my niece/nephew need a few more toys in the play room.  Don't you?? ;)

• Sunset picture number 342 for the month:  

Taken from my front porch

• Packing.  One of my least favorite activities.  Especially when you know there is no way in hell it's all fitting in your little carry on...

Broadway Bridge 10K

My old college friend, Laura, drove all the way (12 hours) from Birmingham, Alabama, to come see me over the weekend.

Okay, not really just to see me.  Mostly to run the Broadway Bridge Half Marathon as training for her upcoming Chicago Marathon.  

But either way, she was in KC and staying with me!  

She got in late Friday night and after my super hard track workout Saturday morning (lots of sprints and stairs -- this will come in to play later in the story), we went downtown to pick up her race packet and get details for the race on Sunday.

Somehow, somewhere along the line...Laura actually convinced me to run with her.  

It went something like this:

________________________

Me:  "Sure, I'll drive you down here in the morning!  I might go back home, or maybe I'll just stay here."

L:  "Oh, well if you're going to drive me, you might as well stay. And if you're going to stay, you might as well just do the 5K!"

(insert more begging and convincing comments from Laura about how we could rung together)

Me: (looking at the map) "Hmmm, I guess I could at least jog a 5K. (contemplating...)  Nah, 5K is too wimpy.  Not even worth my time (because I know I'm not fast).  If I'm going to run, I'm going to wing a 10K."

L:  "Yes, good girl.  Let's sign you up right now before you have time to change your mind."

___________________________

She even had the people working the event coaxing me in to it, too!  "Oh, come on.  You look like you're in shape!  You can run a few miles!"

I swear, I'm such an idiot sometimes, haha.  I mean, winging a 10K on a semi-damaged foot?  Sure, why not.  Sign me up.   #peerpressure 

"Yes, it's official now.  I've got the shirt.  This is happening."

So after a day of shopping on the plaza (ie on our feet walking aaalll day) and an early Saturday night, we got up at 5:30am on Sunday and were in the car at 6am on the dot.

OH WAIT - back up to last night.  We also convinced me roommate to run the 10K, too, haha!  Poor guy.  He couldn't say no to BOTH of us!  

KC Skyline on the drive downtown at 6am

Is it bad when you're already sore from sprints and stairs before you start running a 10K -- that you haven't trained for?  

Hmmm...probably not a good sign, huh.

Oh well.  Let's do this!

Here goes nothing!

Laura had to run at a slower pace than I wanted to go, so Jeff (roommate) and I only ran with her for the first few blocks really.  Some plan we had to run the first half together, haha.

Jeff wanted to finish under 1:15 and I was determined to get it under an hour.  I mean if I'm going to run a 10K, I'm at least going to run it hard.  

(Plus, Laura told me she didn't think I could finish under an hour with my foot.  Noted, and challenge accepted.  I'm too competitive for my own good sometimes.) 

Running slow enough around mile 2 to take pictures = going to have to pick it up later

The course had WAY more hills than I was expecting -- which was zero.  So that wasn't cool.  Jeff stopped to walk up a long hill around mile 3, and I just couldn't call it yet.  So I kept going and told him I'd slow down at the top and wait for him.  Buuut I didn't, haha.  I was feeling pretty good and knew I was going to have to pick it up if I wanted to get my one hour time.

The first couple of miles we got passed a lot.  The last two miles, I didn't get passed once.  I was the one doing the passing.

It actually felt pretty good to be out running again.  Well, it felt good right up until the last mile when I realized I was going to be cutting it close and had to really speed things up.  I was pretty sure I was going to throw up at one point...

Good thing I did pick it up.  I crossed the line with just under 2 minutes to spare!  Yikes!

I was okay with that time.  I mean, it's certainly nothing to write home about, but for no training and a sore entire body from a killer workout the day before, I'll take it.

(Definitely would not have done a hard track workout before a 10K...had I known I was going to be running one, of course!)

Post-race selfie!  Hardly even sweating because it was so COLD out!

Jeff finished a few minutes behind me -- still an awesome time, especially for another non-trained, non-runner!  We were feeling pretty good about ourselves! ;)

Laura had given us these tiny little tablet looking things that expand in to a towel when you put water on them.  We didn't need them during the race, but we some fun with them when we were done!  

Jeff and I had about an hour to kill before we started looking for Laura.  So we snacked and drank and stretched...and tried to stay warm!  I went back to the car, took off my sweaty sportsbra and just put on a hoody.  I had goosebumps!

Apparently the hills got the best of Laura, too, because she finished well after she had anticipated.

This is her yelling about those hills...  ^^^

All in all, it was a super fun morning.  It felt great to run again (although I'm sure it won't be feeling so great tomorrow)...

Roommate + friend post-race pic

Thanks, Laura, for pushing me to get out there and give running a shot again!