Puppy Fever

Posted on August 29, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 16 Comments ↓

This morning started off like any ordinary morning. I ate some Marshmallow Avalanche (“healthy” Lucky Charms). I complained about my coffee not being ready in a timely manner. I kissed my husband and sent him off to win the bread. And I went for a run. When I saw that the weather was a gorgeous 69 degrees, I tearfully let go of my plans to lackadaisically watch Millionaire Matchmaker on the treadmill and took it outdoors.

Ugh. Four miles into my workout, I ran into another one of these ominous coyote signs. It was by houses. And near a rather busy road. I’d like to say that I braved it, but really I took a picture and turned right around. I had a fleeting thought that if Boyd was with me I would’ve forged ahead. Not because Boyd would protect me! Only because if we were confronted by a menacing coyote Boyd would certainly play the fool and I’d be able to run away!! Laugh all you want at my cowardice. I know I am a huge pansy. But I am extremely unlucky!

My running app says I ran 6.4 miles in 45 minutes – a 7:01 pace. Stupid app. I know that’s not true. Look at my face. I’m smiling! Sure I felt like lying on the floor when I got home, but if I can muster a grin there’s no way I ran a 10k in less than 45 minutes (I’d look more like this disgusting sweaty mess)! I think I lost signal for a while on the path and something weird happened. Unfortunately, my baby Garmin‘s resurrection was only temporary and it’s back to extreme battery failure again. I’ll have to check my routes on DailyMile.

It was this afternoon that it hit me! I WANT A PUPPY! Everyone here has a dog. To the point where I even miss the Boykin. A little. A tiny bit. I’ve been wanting a Vizsla for almost a year although I started to reconsider when I grew annoyed with Boyd’s rebellious spirit.

How could you resist a picture of a Vizsla snowshoeing? (via Fusion Vizslas) I would like to present the argument that a Vizsla would help me face winter. After all, I have done my research. Vizslas need TONS of exercise (just like me), winter months included!

I don’t actually want a puppy. I’d rather rescue a dog from a shelter. I found a 2-year-old girl nearby. I’m not going to show her to you because I don’t want you to STEAL her. Do you think I can talk Kevin into it? I mean. My birthday is coming up. SOON!

I’ve been enjoying reading the descriptions of dogs in shelters. This one was by far my fave:

She is outgoing and friendly and a body slamming party animal with other dogs.

Body slamming party animal!!!! I love that. That’s actually just how Boyd acts with my family’s Husky! I know Boyd would get along fine with another dog, and he would probably enjoy the company. And now would be a GREAT time to adopt a new dog into the family since I have a lot of free time! All of the houses/apartments we are looking into are pet friendly as well.

Maybe part of this puppy fever was inspired by a book I picked up at the library yesterday entitled Cherished: 21 Writers on Animals They Have Loved and Lost. I’ve only teared up twice so far! It’s a great, sentimental little read. I love little books like this. Plus it’s good because it’s one of those books you can put down after a chapter if you need to without being too cranky! :)

Important Question of the Day – What are some girl names you think go well with “Boyd?”  You know if we have two dogs we’ll be constantly referencing them together! Plus I love names! I’d love a “b” name, but anything that flows with Boyd! :) Of course, Girl would work. Fun fact: Boyd’s name was actually derived from the shelter workers calling him “Boy” which eventually evolved into “Boyd.”

Want to make a bet on if this is just a fleeting fancy or I will actually talk Kevin into it? You just never know. I’m all hyper and giggly about it right now. But that could pass when I remember how Boyd makes me when he won’t come when called. Not even 2 centimeters. Not even for an ice cube! I MIGHT be convinced to pass on the Vizsla crush if I got this piano for my birthday instead.

P.S. My original Vizsla inspiration came long, long ago when I started reading about Julie’s Vizsla, Sadie on PBfingers.

 

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Books, Running

I Put Some New Shoes On

Posted on August 28, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 11 Comments ↓

But first, the Princess Bandaids. BOTH of my baby toenails are split, and my right toe is still swollen from my little tumble down the stairs. That was over a month ago! It gets irritated every time I wear shoes. Which is every single day since I’ve been running so much lately! I decided to spare you from the full-size photo of my feet. I’m a giver!

The Nike Women’s Free XT Quick Fit + Training Shoe! Most running literature suggest that you replace your shoes every 300-500 miles. I blaze through that pretty fast, especially after weeks like this! I hit 46 miles by doing a few two-a-days.

There is no I in team, but there is in ice cream. The Dri Fit style makes me look like I ate a little too much ice cream, but I found it too adorable to pass up! I mean, do you see the shoestrings on the ice cream cone? That’s just clever.

These steals were both from the Nike Factory Store in Colorado Mills! If you look closely, you can see Kevin James inside the store coughing up the dough (he’s in the blue polo).

Omg. THEY EVEN HAVE HIKERS IN THE MALL. Stay out of my territory, you backpacking freaks! :)

A whole store of coats, and I tried on the LEAST practical one. Because that’s what I do. I always like coats that are way too fitted to actually wear a sweater/sweatshirt underneath. Do you have that problem? I hate puffy coats. I don’t need to PAY to look like a marshmallow. This is actually the perfect picture because you KNOW those are the shoes I’ll be wearing in January. Although I did see some adjustable calf boots the other day! Yes. I have monstrous calves. They do not fit into traditionally sized boots. It’s a thing that breaks my little fashionista heart.


We also found somewhere to take a very special nephew when he comes to visit someday! :) Too bad we didn’t hit that before his birthday!

Kevin got new shoes too. He has to keep up with me. He also got some clothes that are not workout clothes because he actually goes out in public besides to run. :) So cute.

I wasn’t my normal iPhonerazzi self this weekend. I apologize. I was really too busy having fun with Kevin James. This morning we tried out our first church in Denver. Maybe I’ll tell you more about it sometime. I’ll just tell you three little fun things about it right now. First, the church has Starbucks coffee. I’m not really sure what to say about that. Except I do love Starbucks. And Jesus. Second, the president of Compassion International was there as a guest speaker today. We really enjoyed that. Third, we thought our rental car got towed because we parked it in a totally inappropriate spot at the end of a row. It didn’t. :)

After church, we had to deal with returning the rental. Boo. That was a little headache. Literally. Hurt my head. But the day took a turn for the better because I talked Kevin into visiting another public library. It was in my favorite, fairlyland Southglenn neighborhood. And we got our library cards today! I spent a solid two hours choosing books. There will be some great book reviews coming your way sometime this week! My studious husband was just happy for some uninterrupted homework time.

Only about 11 months, and he’ll be done! Can’t WAIT! I’m sure I’ll have started some further education by that time. Maybe personal training? Do you think I would be a good Weight Loss Coach? I’m highly motivational, right? I saw a job for that on Craigslist tonight, and I got very excited. I would love nagging people as my job! I know, I know. I’ll keep looking in my field.

P.S. Today’s fun trivia question. What movie does this lovely lemon BCBG dress make me think of?

 

 

Tagged with: , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Running, Vida/Life

If attacked, fight back

Posted on August 27, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 4 Comments ↓

Our weekend started at 1:30 PM! Instead of coming home late for lunch, Kevin James was coming home early for the weekend! I immediately suggested hitting the pool. Kevin made fun of me because my way of getting ready for the pool includes putting on mascara and moussing up my hair. It’s not like I’m actually going to get in the pool. I stuck a toe in the hot tub, but it was scalding! We lounged around for about an hour.

I found it ridiculous that we took 3 phones to the pool. BBs, iPhones, and Droids were all equally represented. Do not ask me why Kevin needs a BB for his Chandler job! :) He also got a coffee mug and a water bottle. I’m a little jealous.

I let my handsome husband choose where we ran tonight. Oh boy. We ended up out in the boonies in some part of the Bear Creek Lake Park Trail system. I was not thrilled with the long drive.

We haven’t run in hilly territory in a while so some of the hills were a little heartbreaking. I kept us motivated by playing some Destiny’s Child on my iPhone. Whenever I would get ahead of Kevin for a little while, I would insert little dances.

I finally went to a place that looks Denver-y! Proud? Why can’t you swim in the lake? Kevin suggested the Loch Ness Monster. He also suggested that the family reunion in the picnic shelter was a actually a KKK meeting. Side note: when I first met Kevin, I secretly wondered if his initials were KKK. They’re not.

You would THINK having your picture taken in all black in front of moutains would have a slimming effect…

It’s like one of those wedding jumping pictures. Except it’s just me. In sweaty clothes.

Everything was going fine & dandy. We were about 2 miles into our run when we ran into THIS!

I totally freaked out. I am NOT a wildlife lover, and I did not like the directions on the sign. If attacked, fight back! NO THANK YOU. And can you imagine Boyd “interacting” with a coyote? Not cool. I literally ran in the other direction. I should’ve taken a picture of that area because it did look like it could be infested with coyotes. I’m sure Grandma Alice will have a good laugh about this…

Whew! We made it! Kevin James didn’t like the new running rule that I invented tonight. If you have to drive to a location to run, your run must be at LEAST as long as your drive. I let him off the hook this time, but just this once. We completed 4.69 miles in 39:23. I didn’t really like not finishing it up to an even 5, but somebody was a little tired. I’ll survive. Combined with my morning Millionaire Matchmaker workout, I ran over ten miles today!

This story has a happy ending. Kevin took me BACK to Yogurtland! I think it was even his idea! The line was out the door with lame high schoolers, but we waited. I can’t believe I waited. I hate waiting in lines. But I had been mixing combinations in my head for the past two hours so there was no way around it. The red velvet cupcake batter I wasn’t planning, but it was an excellent addition. Looking at today’s pictures I’m realizing I’m going to have to suck it up and make at least one girlfriend in Denver. I need to get those nails taken care of, and it’s not like I’m going to drag myself to the salon without a little coercing from a friend! Boo! That’s your job, Megan! :)

Are you afraid of coyotes? I know Kevin’s parents are going to laugh because the whole way to the airport they were telling me stories involving bears they saw on vacation!

What are you up to this weekend? I have plans to run (of course), shop it up, maybe go back to the library, and explore more of the city.

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Uncategorized

Big Fat Greek Dinner: Saj Mediterranean Grill

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 6 Comments ↓

Kevin has been working a little harder at his new job so by the time he got home last night we were just in the mood to go out and grab something. I spotted the SAJ Mediterranean Grill online, and we decided to check it out.

The kabobs instantly reminded me of this awesome street place I used to go in the DR so I had to taste them! Especially since the restaurant looked a lot more sanitary! But they didn’t have a dominoes table. :(

The kabob plate came with hummus, pita chips, basamati rice, and some sort of salad with a tasty, tasty seasoning.

Chicken shawarma plate. All of the sides were really good too! Kevin and I split everything so we had like a little Mediterranean buffet. I was really adventurous and tried everything. Except for those bright purple things. Beets? I loved the tabouli, and the hummus was insane. No fish sauce in anything – haha.

It was such a beautiful night we couldn’t resist eating out on the patio. I normally HATE eating outdoors, but the night was just S-O perfect.

The little neighborhood around the restaurant was adorable! Flowers, fountains, and twinkle lights everywhere!

I’m guessing they REALLY deck it out at Christmastime. If we end up in apartment for a while longer, I’m totally PUSHING for this area. We saw some fabulous ones available. I’m willing to sacrifice and live in a smaller apartment for the sweet locale. I told Kevin that it would be like the adult version of a college dorm. Cool restaurants instead of the cafeteria. And SHOPPING instead of classrooms. Also there’s a music studio there where I think I could get in to teach piano!!! Everything would be convenient for me in the winter. You know I’d be a hermit and never leave a 3-block radius.

Of course, we had to run by a grocery store afterwards. Story of our lives. We can’t keep food in the apartment! And we picked up the fluffernutter goods.

I really have no commentary for that, but it seemed noteworthy! :)

Happy Friiiiiday! Kevin surprised me by coming home at 1:30!!! His boss decided to let him off early for the weekend! Wohooo!!!

Tagged with: , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Denver, Eating out, Food

Cookie Friday: 3-Ingredient Fluffernutter Cookies

Posted on August 26, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 4 Comments ↓

This week after the big move I knew I was going to need something easy peasy lemon squeezy to bake for Cookie Friday in our new little apartment. The good news is that I did find a cookie sheet. It was in the oven! We found it when we made pizza the other day! It’s really flimsy, but it does the trick for now.

The Big 3: Marshmallow Creme, Peanut Butter, & 1 Egg!

You can find the full directions on Babble.com. I was really excited about these cookies, mainly because I like saying the word “fluffernutter.” Just saying it leaves a delicious taste in your mouth! I really missed my cookie scoop & my fingers are no replacement for a decent spatula!

I’m going to tell it to you like it is. These cookies were a crushing disappointment, and they looked really ugly. But the taste was excellent, and the smell was lovely. I made some kitchen science mistakes. I didn’t think the cookies were going to spread at all. I got this notion in my head that since there was no baking powder/soda they wouldn’t spread. Total rookie mistake. They stretched out almost over the lenght of the entire pan. I might as well call them fluffernutter bars!

This is what they were supposed to look like:

Oh well. I’m really surprised I haven’t had a Cookie Friday flop before this! I’m not really an accomplished cookie baker. Want to know the good news? I can try them again. All I need is one more ingredient! :) Also, I found out that marshmallow creme only has 40 calories and no fat! I decided this would be an excellent alternative to when I feel like eating frosting out of a can! It’s sort of like eating Rice Krispies treats, but only eating the best part!

P.S. Ok. So Kevin totally busted me. The lips were a dead giveaway!

Tagged with: , , , , , ,
Posted in Cookie Friday, Food

4 Eyes

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 6 Comments ↓

I’m finally going to the eye doctor on Monday! Can you believe they let me schedule my appointment online (technology can enable your inner introvert)? Hooray for less social interaction with strangers!

I’ve been perusing the super nerdy selections online at Warby Parker. I’m also thrilled by the price tag! They are only $95 for the frames + lenses!

Webb

Roosevelt

Pierce

Tenley

Which is your fave? The Roosevelts may be my favorite! But I’m pretty sure any of them would help me get a teaching job! :)

Tagged with: , , ,
Posted in Fashion

I SCREAM!

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Corrie Anne — 4 Comments ↓

I had only been in Denver three days, but I knew it was time. I needed to find the nearest public library. Koelbel Public Library did not disappoint. It was huge and gorgeous and had five copies of every book I’ve been waiting in line for in Minnesota. How do they keep them on the shelves? I drank a Diet Coke while I was sitting downstairs writing the Married: Month 2 blog post. I bought it in the Friends of the Library Cafe area, but I was still nervous I was going to get in trouble from a librarian for having it in the library. I deemed that it was safe because the people both in front of me and behind me were drinking coffee. But I still felt a little guilty. Unfortunately, I didn’t get to check out any books yet. Maybe next time I’ll work on that. Kevin ended up getting off work a little late, and we had places to be!

Ready for Month 2 anniversary date! Kevin tricked me! I thought we were going to workout before dinner, but he did homework instead. So my hair’s a little scruffy. I had to put it in a bun for my library, you know. Whenever I go to a new library, I like to make sure I’m wearing my glasses, a cardigan, and my hair in a bun. By the way, Joanie Sloan spotted this adorable bow dress at H&M on our amazing shopping trip to Mall of America. I originally wore it to my wild bachelorette weekend in Dubuque.

Helloooooo Yogurtland!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you see all those soft serve machines? They have all different flavors of fro-yo that you get to fill yourself! There is also a toppings bar! It’s just another one of those things (also: Whole Foods) we do not have available in tiny Midwestern towns. You can load up whatever you want, and then you pay by the oz! I already have this place on the short list of places I want to take visitors. Forget the mountains or whatever those things are looming on the horizon! :)

Aren’t they beautiful? I was going to have you guess which one is mine, but I’m thinking that my thumb is a dead giveaway! I had coconut + french vanilla + pistachio and I topped it with Ghiardelli white chocolate chips and sprinkles. You should’ve seen me freak out when I thought there were no sprinkles! They tricked me by putting them in a shaker at the end of the line. That could’ve gotten ugly! The fro-yo is also decently healthy clocking in at approximately 30 calories per oz + whatever toppings you add! :)

There was some kind of huge family reunion running rampant in front of Yogurtland so we retreated to the parking lot of a nearby grocery store. We hung out on a ledge by the pop machines and scarfed our fro-yo. The weather was insanely gorgeous! What a perfect way to enjoy the evening with my cutie husband.

Here’s something bad about Denver. I think I’ve been far too positive lately (haha). I CAN’T STALK KEVIN nearly as well in his new office building. That ground level corner spot he had back in Winona was much more convenient for my favorite creepy activity!! So I have to make do in the grocery store. We popped in to pick up some drinks after our fro-yo!

We ended up hitting the gym for my workout #2 of the day at around 10PM! Kevin banged out a 5k while I was trying out a new plyo workout. I made it through the jump lunges, but when it came to the side burpees I banged my poor funny bone on some of the weights equipment. Oopsies! It hurt bad. Kevin had to get off the treadmill and check on me because I was on the floor writhing in pain. After that I switched to the evil elliptical and put in 20 minutes.

Please help! I’m trying to think up an annoying chant for when I want fro-yo! You know, something similar to the ole “I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream.” I’m certain my husband will find this charming so help a sister out!

P.S. Thanks to hungry runner girl for inspiring my first Yogurtland trip! Also, I HAVE AN AMAZING IDEA FOR COOKIE FRIDAY! I CAN’T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!

Tagged with: , , , ,
Posted in Vida/Life
Follow

Get every new post delivered to your Inbox.

Join 303 other followers