May Books

[My little preface: It's been long time, no post - I've just felt a bit uninspired and also just sort of holding my breath for the end of the week, when hubby's next news from training will make its way to my ears. In the meantime though, it's almost June which means it's time to report on my reading adventures from May!]

1. One Day by David Nicholls

This book also is being made into a movie. (Are you surprised?) It's an interestingly formatted romance that visits Emma and Dexter on the same day each year for about 15 years or so. It started off a bit slow but I got engrossed soon enough, and attached to the characters, and interested in the twists and turns of their lives and relationship. I'm not sure how I feel about the ending, but that would also be spoiler-y to discuss at great length, so I'll leave it at that. :-)

2. Bossypants by Tina Fey

This book was just released and I was curious to indulge in it. I definitely found it funny and intriguing. I definitely enjoyed a lot of the "behind the scenes" SNL and 30 Rock type stuff (though I haven't ever really watched the latter), especially Tina's take on how the Sarah Palin skits came into being. I also enjoyed reading about how she got to where she is today. It was a quick and fun read for sure.

3. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

I was so happy that I finally finished this book! I had it on my Kindle and I'd been working on it since April, and I finally finished it on the beach last weekend. It won't exactly take my opinion to tip the scales that this is a wonderful read, but for the record I'm glad I stuck through the more old-fashioned (and lengthy) style to follow the story to its fruition. Plus, now I can watch the movie on DVD when it comes out. Priorities, people.

This is one of the lightest months I've had as far as reading is concerned - in part because Jane Eyre took so long and also because I currently have two books going, one of which I'm almost finished reading. For the record, my M.O. lately has been to have one library book and one Kindle book going simultaneously. This is to save money and continue to benefit from the library, while getting things on the Kindle that they don't have. I take the Kindle out of the apartment with me and read it most frequently at volunteering, and I keep each library book in the apartment and read it here (often before I go to sleep). Some of my reading time is also devoted to reading the paper on the Kindle each day, and a lot of my leisure time is going toward Lost on Netflix other types of media.

I find myself definitely prioritizing my "to read" list these days. I know that there is precious time before I am reading cases all the time like a madwoman. I look forward to this phase in my life, but I will miss the freedom to read for pleasure as voraciously as I have been this past year. At least I've largely been taking advantage of that opportunity while it's here!

As always, let's have it - what have you been reading? Is there anything I should add to my high priority list before I start school in August?

A Year? Really?

Aside from the lovely weekend getaway, this past weekend was also notable for a milestone sort of reason - it was exactly a year ago that both hubby and I graduated from college, a few states away and on the same day. How does this fact make me feel? Pretty much that classic blend of feeling like it hasn't been that long and reflecting on how much has changed. Stereotypical, yes, but also true. I miss college, but there are also plenty of things I love about this new life, even if I haven't been spending much of my time with hubby lately. As always, I am trying to appreciate the past and all the experiences I've had while still looking to the future with excitement and a sense of seizing all the positives about the current situation. Right now it's too easy to look forward to hubby coming back, to moving to our next location and the next adventure, to starting grad school. At the same time, to keep my sanity and sense of peace each day, I am trying to focus on all the little moments in each day even while I wait for those other things.

Oh man, this got nostalgic fast! I'll just wrap it up and say here's to our college experiences, and here's to the year we've spent living since then. It was a great time and I can't believe I'm already more than a year out of college!

 

My nuclear family (parents)

 

 The core of my adopted college family <3 

 My second family (hubby, parents, brother)

And three weeks later, we got married, but that's a whole different post!

Weekend Getaway

This weekend with R and C, I took a quick trip to the beach! It was beautiful, relaxing, and lots of fun, and much what we all needed. I feel really lucky that I could take some time away and spend time with two lovely friends.

Definitely one of the most beautiful beaches I've been to in recent memory!

The property where we stayed by a peaceful marina 

Sailboats out on the water

 

The three of us at dinner one night. Please excuse my lovely frizzy hair courtesy of the humid conditions!

I did unfortunately get a bit of a burn on the backs of my legs, I think because I underestimated how easy it is to miss spots with the spray sunscreen. I'm not too much worse for the wear though, and it didn't dampen the lovely time I had!

More Good News

Not to rub it in, but I have another reason to be so excited for this trip that starts tomorrow - can you believe this forecast?

I know! I can't believe it either! Feeling very grateful for this opportunity to get away with two lovely friends. With that, I'm off to do some laundry and packing!

Beach Packing List

I'm pretty excited about this weekend's trip to the beach with R and C. Anyone who has been in my vicinity this week has probably heard about it... ah well. In my excitement, I've been thinking about, and in some cases acquiring, some key elements of my packing list, and I thought I'd go ahead and put some of it into a post.

First off, a bathing suit is pretty important I'd say! After striking out ordering online, I went ahead and bought one at trusty Tar-jay, proving once more that the most important thing is how the suit actually looks on me. Much as in summers past, halter cuts are my friend and I went with this:

(Image from Target.com, bought with matching bottoms)

Just today I swung by another store because I had implanted in my head the idea of a light white cover up, for walking around and shielding my shoulders from the sun at the beach. I am not the palest of people, but I'm on the paler end of the spectrum, and I do burn when in the sun for hours at a time, if I don't take any countermeasures. 

My cover up looks like this: 

(Old Navy)

 

I will also be taking along some sunscreen to hopefully avoid painful burns, and skin cancer too. I picked up some Neutrogena spray stuff - hopefully it works!

I also figured I could use another pair of flip flops for the summer and got these -

(Also from Old Navy)

So that's the highlights! Now I need to just write up the rest of the list, avoid waiting til the last second to pack, and I'm good to go!

Food and Fitness Lately

Let's face it, the majority of what I write on here has to do with fitness or food, so I might as well embrace that!

This was the first week of my post-5K workout routine. It was possibly slightly harder to keep up my motivation to do my running workouts, but I did them - 2 miles on Wednesday and Friday mornings, and 3.5 miles yesterday morning - Sunday. My 2 miles on Wednesday was about a minute faster than it was on Friday, which seemed odd and slightly unsatisfactory, but I keep trying to remind myself that at least I did the miles, and the fact that I CAN do them is great, let alone the time. I think I concentrated so much on avoiding pain and exhaustion that I just ended up going slowly on Friday. But hey, sometimes there's nothing wrong with that. I think I just need to keep reminding myself that there's no rush to increase my speed by a lot - the current plan is to gradually extend distance anyhow. This upcoming week I plan to do 2.5 miles twice, but I will be taking the weekend off as I'm going on a fun trip to the beach with two girlfriends! It will be a light week, but I'll be back in it the week after, and I hope to do 4 miles for my next long run. I also did spin twice this week and some yoga as well.

I've been cooking a variety of things, and one of my recent favorites is a taco salad that is easy, filling, and healthful, which is a winning combination for me. I'll link the recipe here, and note that I made it with ground turkey and added some red beans, along with a nice dollop of Greek yogurt on top. Some photos -

 Turkey, peppers, beans, cilantro, salsa, and cumin in the pan. 

 Finished product - a nice, big, healthful, yummy plate of food!

I also used a get-together this weekend as an excuse to make something I've been hoping to add to my repertoire for quite some time - cheesecake! I used a Barefoot Contessa recipe and it turned out really well - no cracks in the cake or anything! It was time-intensive, but not labor intensive - I had to wait for ingredients to come to room temperature, cook the cheesecake mostly low and slow, let it cool to room temp, and keep it in the refrigerator overnight. It was worth it though, and I will be using this recipe in the future - only on certain occasions though, because it is most certainly not a low fat recipe. :-) 

The finished product - albeit still in the springform pan 

This week I'm mostly in my normal routine, but I am very excited for an upcoming trip to the beach with two girlfriends! It's a luxury living in the south to be able to embrace the beach so early in the season, and I've got my new swim-suit ready, along with my sunscreen and some reading material! I can't wait!

A Little Bit of Indulgence

Tomorrow is shaping up to be a lovely day. In the morning, I'm going to spin and yoga classes, and in the afternoon I have an appointment at a spa for a little pampering! I decided this would be my reward when I got to my weight loss goal, and as it turned out, it coincides with the 5K achievement too. It's rare that I treat myself to a massage or a pedicure, and I've never gotten a facial before, and tomorrow I am treating myself to all three - though also with the help of a generous birthday present from some fantastic parents-in-law. To say I'm excited is a bit of an understatement, and I am looking forward to some pampering and relaxation! There are always things to improve on, but it feels nice to take some time out and congratulate myself - and also to give myself something special while hubby is (still) gone. I'm going to soak it up!

That's about all from here - it hasn't been a super eventful week, just keep on keeping on, trying to get little things done here and there. Til next time - I'm sure I'll end up sharing how tomorrow's spa visit goes!

Really a Runner!

 R and I after the race

Well, I've now completed my very first 5K, and that makes me feel like I can really call myself a runner on some level. The whole experience of doing C25K and capping it off with an organized race has far exceeded my expectations, and it makes me feel wonderful about the ways in which I've improved my fitness level.

Yesterday's race was a lot of fun. My amazing friend R had agreed a while ago to do the race with me, and she made the whole thing so much better. She was someone to talk to while we waited for the start, of course to run with me, talk to me, and be encouraging during the race, and she even got me some water right after we crossed the finish line. As background, R has been a runner for a long time, and has even completed a marathon or two in the past, so to know that she entered this race for the sole purpose of supporting me, and that she ran much slower than what she's capable of, meant so much to me, it's hard to exaggerate.

As far as the race itself, there were mostly positives with a couple things I could have done better. My best pace on the distance in the past had been about 10:40. I kept telling myself to keep it nice and slow at the beginning so that I wouldn't be in pain and I could kick it up more at the end. Well, that failed. Both the excitement of the race and having my running buddy kept me a little too fast in the first mile - I felt bad telling R to slow down! When we hit the first mile just short of 10 minutes though, I knew it would be necessary. Of course it wasn't a problem, it was just something I wasn't used to. I think thanks to that fast first mile, I was experiencing some bits of discomfort during the second and third miles, especially on the hills, but my slower pace, breathers on downhills, and positive self-talk all kept me going through the end. I just kept reminding myself that there were people behind me, that I was doing a great job, and that all that mattered was that I didn't walk at all, since that was my biggest goal. The time would be a personal record regardless, so I just kept telling myself it was fine to go on the slower side. It all paid off at the end, because we finished right around 32:15, which was better than all of my expected estimates, and better than my 5K run last Wednesday, which was just over 33 minutes. My pace was 10:23/mile, and considering that two months ago I wasn't even sure I could jog a whole mile without walking, the feeling of accomplishment is huge. 

In addition to all these good things, and R's support and encouragement, it was an absolutely gorgeous day yesterday, with ideal running conditions. That certainly helped as well!

I've been congratulating myself a lot, but my mind has also inevitably moved toward the future and where I will take my running abilities from here. I really can't resist the idea of eventually training for a 10K, because even though it's double this last race distance, I know how some dedicated training can make a huge difference. I will shoot for that most likely later in the year, and for now I'm going to try to settle into a basic running routine that will gradually increase my distance and just maintain the level I'm at now as well. Hopefully I'll also run a couple more 5K's, including one with hubby when he comes back!

Based on a little reading I've done, I think my new plan is two shorter runs per week, with one longer one on the weekends. For now my shorter runs will be 2-3 miles, and I will gradually try to increase the long run. I think a week from today I will perhaps start with 3.5 miles and see how that goes. I'll also continue to do my usual spinning and other classes, and I want to concentrate on strength training to hopefully tone my body more too. I know it's tough to spot train and tone, but I would love to have more muscular arms! I suppose I'm not alone in this, but there you have it.

I know a lot of my friends and readers are also athletes, many more accomplished than me, and I know that some of you have academic training in these areas, so I'd be curious if anyone has any advice about where to go from here and how to get there. I'm now venturing into territory beyond C25K, and any more knowledge I can gather is very useful!

My last official C25K post

This is the last official C25K post because I completed the program today! Technically, I sort of went a step further, because the program would have me do a 30 min jog this morning, but instead I added a little more time and distance to complete 3.1 miles, or 5 km. I did that because it was also my last running workout before my very first race this Saturday!

The run went better than I expected - I did have more hills on the front part of the course (through my neighborhood), but I'm sure that was ultimately good for me. I felt fatigue at the end, but no actual pain, and no cramping. I tried to push a little at the end with what I had left, and it must have paid off because I finished at 33:07, which is a 10:40/mile pace. I estimate my miles at 11:00 so this definitely exceeded expectations, and most importantly I know for a fact I can go the whole distance. I am confident that on Saturday I will have a good time, I will run the whole thing without walking, I will feel good about myself, and I'll enjoy the company of my friends R and C! I am definitely getting excited.

I'm so glad I decided to take the plunge and do C25K. It's a very good thing I did for myself with the extra time I've got on my hands this spring. It feels good.

Some of the Latest Culinary Adventures

I haven't been taking pictures of everything I've cooked lately, but it was fun to have my parents as a new audience, especially since I so often just cook for myself these days, and I just thought I'd share a few of the food photos I've acquired with some brief descriptions!

An Easter display - wine my mom brought back from a trip to the southwest, tulips my dad bought, a chocolate bunny from my MIL, and eggs I colored with my dad. 

This is a recipe from Giada -  Apple and Onion Confit Crostini with gorgonzola. It was tasty and got good reviews from my parents too!

 BLT Deviled Eggs from Paula Deen. I generally like deviled eggs and loved the way this one was a departure from the standard. Also, you generally can't go wrong when using bacon...

Parmesan biscuits with smoked salmon and arugula by Giada. Honestly, this was one where the result wasn't as good as how I imagined it being, it was a bit too salty. That might be my fault though, for using the wrong kind of salt or something. Still pretty good but I am probably not super motivated to make it again. 

Tonight's dinner - Shrimp and Mango Tacos from the New York Times - I am a big fan of this recipe! It was yummy and healthful, one of those recipes where the end result is greater than the sum of its parts, and it was easy to make as well. This is definitely a keeper, though it goes squarely in the category of making when hubby isn't around. He is usually a very open-minded eater and there is not much he doesn't like, but he doesn't like shrimp! Crazy, I tell you. Anyway, I'm glad I have a little more of this lined up for lunch tomorrow!

I made some other things while I was up north as well, including Cinnamon Twists and Pasta with Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese. I've got a few more things coming up this week, after a nice big trip to the grocery store today that included a lot of produce!

Back

Well, I am back in my apartment down south, and I'm happy to say, it's still here! Aside from a glance through my mail, plugging things back in, picking up milk and bananas, and so on, I haven't done much of anything since I arrived, because I don't really feel like it. I have things in my head that I know I need to take care of, just sort of bouncing around, and I figure I'll make a list... tomorrow. I'm hitting the ground running also tomorrow, planning to get up, eat a little something, go for a jog (5K, because my first race is on Saturday!), go to the dentist, volunteer, and go grocery shopping. Eeep. The most important thing for success, I think, will be getting a good night's sleep, which is why I plan to go to bed right after I watch Glee! (ie, 9:00 pm or more like 9:30 factoring in reading.) I'm telling myself that laundry, social plans, and all that good stuff can wait... right?

Here's hoping I'll adjust to being back here soon enough and get into my nice daily rhythm. I'm glad I got the chance to go visit family, but now I am glad to be back here too!

 (And as an aside, my emphasis on sleep lately makes me worry a bit about the next phase of my life... aka law school. Sources tell me that sometimes sleep can be lacking. I did it somehow in undergrad, so I guess I will figure it out! In the meantime I will relish all the sleep I can get!)

April Books

It's that time again, for the monthly book round-up. Lately, it seems that almost each book I read is being turned into a movie. Sometimes I know this in advance, and other times it's a coincidence. Weird!

1. Black Heels to Tractor Wheels - A Love Story by Ree Drummond

I'm glad I took the chance to read this one. I'd started to read PW's posts about her real-life romance, but never really got that far. It was great to have them in book form so I could read the story in one long narrative. This is great for anyone who is a romantic, especially if you're already a PW fan. Her story-telling is good as ever and in my case it made me think of my own love story very fondly (even if all in all it was never as dramatic!). This was a pretty quick read and I'm glad I got it in!

2. I Love a Man in Uniform: A Memoir of Love, War, and Other Battles by Lily Burana

I highly recommend this to milspouses anywhere and everywhere, or anyone who just wants to know more about what it's like. The author is witty and made me laugh out loud more than once. She is not the stereotypical milspouse, but then again, how many of us would describe ourselves as totally fitting the stereotype? Burana mixes a frank assessment of the parts of the lifestyle she could do without at times, and doesn't gloss over some of her difficulties, but at the end of the day she shares her pride for her husband's occupation and the community she became a part of when she married him. I know this tension is present for me, and though we are not the same or have all the same opinions, I identified with so many of her statements. It was a great milspouse read that was real and gritty - I really enjoyed this!

3. The Help by Kathryn Stockett

This book is very popular right now, and that's a major part of why I read it. Apparently it's also becoming a movie, which I wasn't aware of, but I'm not surprised. It's a fictional treatment of race relations in 1960s Mississippi, and even though it's long, it had me very absorbed and entertained. I liked it a lot and I will definitely want to see the movie!

4. Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin

I went ahead and read another Giffin book, and I'd say I liked this one a lot more than Baby Proof. I didn't know until I was partway through that it will also be a movie, but again, I wasn't surprised, because it reads like a classic chick flick! My only problem was that partway through my visions of the characters changed so that suddenly Rachel looked like Ginnifer Goodwin and Darcy looked like Kate Hudson, so it was kind of weird to have them morph in my head like that...

Right now I am working on Jane Eyre, which I started when I was younger and never finished (or at least I don't remember finishing it). I'm reading it because... it's now a movie! I know, you're so shocked. I'm sure it will be featured in May Books - hopefully I'll finish it soon!

And now, my usual prompt - what are you reading? Any recommendations? Did you read any of these books in my post and have a different opinion from me? The same or only slightly different? Have you seen any of the movies of these books, or are you pumped for any particular book-movies to come out?