Running

Weekend Review

| cheriarmour

So my weekend started long, long before Friday at 5pm.

Tuesday evening, I stayed up until 2 am, getting my ducks in a row for work because Wednesday morning, bright and early, we were headed out for our Annual Director’s Retreat at work.  The day kicked off with a scavenger hunt downtown, and then we boarded an activity bus for Lake Gaston in North Carolina.

The home we stayed in was beautiful, and the first thing I did when we got there was hop on a paddleboard, and paddle around the lake, despite the fact that I haven’t really done it before.  But I’ve seen it done a ton in the tabloids, so I picked it up pretty quickly.

Lake Gaston

Because I’m still fairly new in this position (I’m only about a year old), I often feel guilty about taking time away from my computer and my email, but it was so nice to spend time sleeping, running, and paddling around the lake, without my phone going off, or without someone walking into my office with a problem that needed to be fixed then and there.

While I was there, relaxing, I continued to worry about my knee and hip.  I was resting (somewhat), taking a ton of Aleve, and hydrating, but some residual knee pain from this bad boy…

Rugby Injury

…which resulted in a fracture, some crutches, and some physical therapy, started to creep back. After I talked to my friend Google, and then the Physical Therapist, she told me it was most likely that I had a small tear in my right meniscus, and that I needed about two weeks of swimming, cycling, foam rolling, Aleve, and that the tear should take car of itself.

And there went my plans for a marathon.

I was a little disappointed, but relieved that I wasn’t making the pain up in my head.

Knee Brace

I was able to pull out some of the braces that Dr. Miller gave me when I was on crutches, healing that fracture, and make use of them for the first time in years. But I made the decision then that I would meet a friend who was running her first full on Sunday, and pace her for a few miles, and that was that!

Pho Pho Pho

After working the expo for a few hours on Friday and Saturday, I convinced my hubby to take me to this new place in Raleigh, Pho Pho Pho, since I’d been looking for pho nonstop since I had it from Whole Foods a few years ago, and hadn’t had a great bowl since.  It was AWESOME, and I was served enough to save some for lunch on Sunday after the race!

Race Day

The night before the race, I was able to sign up for text tracking for my friend Liz, who was running her first full in Raleigh.  When I got the text that she had passed the 13.1 mile marker, I started getting myself together, and walked down the street from my house, which was right between miles 16 and 17.  I spotted her, and we headed out.  My hip felt okay, and knee felt good, so my plan to just run a few miles turned into 5, which turned into 10ish.  Oops!  But I got to see my friend through her first finish line, and she finished her first marathon with an impressive 4:45 time, which was her goal!  And I got to test out my legs before going into a two-week break, which is supposed to fix me up.  Cross your fingers for me!

I had a nutty weekend.  What did you do this weekend!

Poison Control

| cheriarmour

If there was ever a question in my mind about my husband’s love for me, he smashed it today.

Let me back it up.

I’ve completely been overdoing it the past few weeks.  Staying up working late, teaching multiple classes, running home and running a vacuum, and doing the best impression of super career woman and wife that there has ever been.  So last night, after I came home late from work, I kissed Austin, and told him that I was going to take a bath to relieve some of the achy-ness I’ve had in the same knee that I broke a bone in a few years ago.  Whenever I’m stressed or wearing myself thin, that knee reminds me to dial it back.

So, earlier in the day, I bought a bottle of real Aleve (the generic was not doing it), and I pored over my choices in the Bengay section before selecting some Capzasin HP for folks with Arthritis.  I figured that it would help my knee and my hips.  When I got home, I jumped into the bathtub and soaked in water so hot, that sweat started dripping down my face.

I got out, dried off, and grabbed the tube of the cream.  I put a little on my hip, then on the front of my knee.

Nothing.

I made sure to get the back of my knee.

Again, nothing.

So I started to get dressed.  Grabbed a pair of compression tights and compression socks and started to work them on when my hip and knee started to burn.  The burn grew exactly the way it would when you eat a little piece of habanero.  Silent, than louder and louder.  I made my way out to the great room.

“Babe, I think we need to call 9-1-1.  I used some Capzasin and my skin is on fire.”

He looked up from his iPad, recognized I was in some pain, and asked,

“We need to call 9-1-1?”

I begged him to help, and he Googled it.

“I think you’re having a reaction to it”

First we tried vinegar on a paper towel.  We got me back into the shower, and ran cold water over me while I tried to wipe the oil off.  As soon as the water would stop hitting me, the burn would start again.  Every single solitary expletive I know crossed my lips.  And finally, we had to call poison control.

The woman I spoke to was a saint.  When I told her the percentage of the cream, 0.1%, she breathed, “oh boy,” before she told me what I needed to do.

“Are you rinsing in cold water?  That will set and solidify the oil in your skin.  You need hot soapy water, and do you have Maalox?  That will help.  Nothing like Pepto, it contains asprin.  Try that, and give me a call back and let me know how you’re doing.”

Austin poured baking soda on me.  Poured vinegar on me.  Filled his hands with hand soap.  Sipped a bear while I muttered the most filthy words the english language has to offer.  And grabbed the soap from the kitchen sink when nothing else would sud enough.

Allergic ReactionHad to avoid showing you guys a nudie to see what the cream did to my hip.  But it’s not good.

Word to the wise.  Go with the weak stuff when it will tingle burn the top two layers off your skin.  Here’s to a good Wednesday.   

Easter Weekend

| cheriarmour

This weekend was a much-needed exercise in something I’m terrible at.  Sitting my ass down and relaxing.  It’s been a rough, rough week or so at work, and my body has been really upset with me.  Hips ache, Aleve is on a drip, and rest has not been as restful as I would like it.  That’s a completely different post for a completely different day, however.

So I started the weekend on the couch.  I didn’t have to work on Good Friday, and though I thought about it, I could not physically bring myself to open that laptop and answer the emails that had begun to roll in.  And it was for the best!

I was laying on the couch and received an awesome phone call from a friends who let me know that she and her husband were expecting!  How cool!  It’s getting weirder and weirder. Me and my friends are continuing to do adult things, and yet, in some ways, I feel like a kid still.  At what point do I become an adult?  My husband and I are talking about our home, our dreams, our travel, perhaps even plans for kids, and yet, I still find reality television hysterical.

But at any rate, after I spent some time on the couch, and did a slow few miles around the neighborhood, when I realized that I’d made no plans for the evening.  A friend texted, stated that she was in a similar plight, and we made plans to meet at the Whole Foods for dinner and drinks.  It was nice because I didn’t get too crazy, and I fell into bed with Austin at the end of the night.

Saturday, we didn’t do a lot, BUT we did make a great purchase in a mandoline to make chips out of sweet potatoes.  It was okay – I think next time, I’m going to roast the chips in my vegetable dehydrator.  I also was extremely pleased – my 13.5lb bag of Arm & Hammer finally arrived from Amazon, and I got to start some spring cleaning, along with the Bissell that showed up.

I sprinkle this on everything for some help with cleaning!
I sprinkle this on everything for some help with cleaning!

Easter Sunday, we met some friends for brunch, grab some more cards for me to write some letters, and when I was away running a lap in the State Park, Austin put together a hammock that’s been sitting in the house all winter.

Hammock

It was a great, restful weekend, and were leading up to a nutty week. I’m gearing up for tons on Monday, our staff retreat, as well as hydrating throughout for a big race on Sunday, which I don’t even want to talk about right now.

What were you up to this weekend? 

3 Things I did this weekend.

| cheriarmour

Hiiiii!

I hope you had a good weekend!  I can’t stop eating, which I’ll explain later.  (I am not pregnant).

Three Things I Did This Weekend.

1.  Started, then finished the “Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt”.  

Kimmy SchmidtBefore you get all judgey, and comment about how I need to get a life, I will say in my defense, that I did not go to work on Friday, and that I had some time on Friday, which allowed me to finish like half the season.  I really liked it because I connected well with the humor.  It was culturally pertinent, and really smart.  Plus “Kimmy,” (Ellie) is hysterical, and plays her role perfectly,  Definitely recommend it!

2.  Worked at Fleet Feet.  

Clothing TagsI’ve been doing this a good bit.  There are a few weeks in the spring where there is a LOT of racing, and because the weather gets so nice, people rush to get their new shoes, socks, and apparel.  I love the job, and it doesn’t hurt to get a surprise paycheck sometimes in the middle of the week, right?  I had a good, busy day there, but managed to chuck a container full of clothing tags on the ground.  I never really got around to cleaning them up, so I feel bad.  A preemptive apology to whomever it was that will have to refile those 😦

3.  I paced an Ultra Marathon.  

I did this a few years ago.  This time, I went in armed with a little more knowledge.  My runner, Genno, was extremely prepared and organized.  We spoke on the phone in the weeks leading up to her race.  She expressed that she’d wanted to get in under 24 hours, and we chatted about when I should meet her.  On Saturday evening, I hopped in the shower about two hours before I estimated that she’d hit the first aid station once again.  Big shoutout to Austin to doing math for me.  I hit the park about 20 minutes before I ran into Genno, and off we went!

Now, keep in mind that I had never met Genno before, and only run in the same circles as her.  But we did not stop talking for virtually the whole run, which spanned just over 12 miles in chilly weather.  We talked about her husband, my husband.  Her marriage, her daughter.  Her time at the church.  And she honestly had some great insight on having kids as an active woman.  It was really fun!

Umstead Ultra

When I finally got out of the park and to the house, it was after 3 am, and I hopped into my married boudoir without taking a shower.  I’m sorry sweetie, I know that’s disgusting.  I woke up 4 or 5 hours later feeling okay, but like the pollen and dust in the park had aggravated my allergies.  I felt a little sore, but a lot swollen.  Also, I’m SO hungry after running all night.

I can’t say if a 100-miler is in my figure,  but I will say that I will pace again, and would love to meet someone like Genno.

What did you do this weekend?

Insomnia and Running

| cheriarmour

I’m not in good headspace at all today.  I think it’s a combination of things – I’ve had a really tough week at work, which I understand happens, and I think that’s colored my attitude a bit.  I keep having to remind myself to consciously choose to be in a good mood.

Well, until this.

Jason Merritt/Getty Images
Jason Merritt/Getty Images

Zayn has left One Direction. I mean I was already in a mood this week because he left the tour, and now this?! What!!? Let me say this, Zayn is the best vocalist in the group PLUS he’s the best-looking, all dark and handsome. I hope whatever’s going on with him, that he eventually finds his way back to the group for a triumphant reunion album.

So let’s talk about something that’s been an issue for me and how I deal with it.

Since about 2008, I’ve had some issue with sleep.  Part of it was the recession.  With my father working for a large bank, it was a really stressful time for the family.  I started to take out loans to finish out school, gave my my study abroad time in South Africa, and began to worry full-time that my father might lose his job, that his work would affect it health (which it did), that I would end up homeless, that my disastrous relationships was coming to and end, and so on.

Emotionally, my sleep has always been affected in some way.  In period of deep anxieties or depression, I would sleep endlessly, and feel sluggish, an ailment aggravated by the fact that I was eating poorly, drinking, and not at a healthy weight.  But since 2008, my body responds to stress by not sleeping a ton.  At the height of my post-grad job search, I would wake up at 2 or 3 after falling asleep around 11 or so, and watch entire seasons of shows on Netflix, paint my nails, and text friends with similar sleep issues.  On more than one occasion, I contemplated calling out of work, but chickened out because I thought that my insomnia was a silly excuse, instead, opting for a nap, or fueling my work with coffee and water.  But at 27, after a few years of sleep issues, I’ve figured out ways to combat insomnia, especially as it pertains to my running.

Rules for Living with Insomnia

  1. Embrace that shit.  Often, insomnia will thrive on the knowledge that you’re becoming terrified to lay down, for fear that you will lay there for 3 hours or so.  Embrace it.  Physically communicate with it, and approach it head-on.  Tell yourself that you won’t be awake forever, and guess what?  You won’t!
  2. Chill on caffeine, especially after certain times.  You know your body.  For me, I don’t need to be drinking much caffeine after 4pm, and I usually don’t feel it at night.  If you must sip on something, opt for half-caf, or decaf, which contains a smidge of caffeine.
  3. Skip the workout at night.  I am by no means someone who is super comfy with working out early in the morning, but I won’t work out at night, unless I plan to be up for a while.  Your endorphins are flowing, blood is pumping, and ideas are flying around your head.  Save that for the morning, or even midday, when you start to hit a slump.  But skip it before bed.
  4. Don’t work at night.  I work on the blog at night, but as far as work-work, I need to put it down after 7 or so.  If not, my mind is absolutely full, and doesn’t want to shut off for bed.
  5. Mostly skip the screen, but if you must watch some telly before bed, make it mindless.  If it’s bloody, terrifying, or involves Nancy Grace, you probably need to skip it.  It’s not doing your brain any favors that close to bed.
  6. And finally, if you DO find yourself awake in the middle of the night, do something quiet therapeutic, and healing as you try to get back to sleep.  Read a book.  Knit.  Watch something stupid and silly on television.  But don’t start on a project that will take you 4 hours to finish, cause guess what?  You will literally be up for DAYS when you mess with stuff like that.
  7. Okay, this is the for-real last one.  But if you haven’t slept, skip the run.  I’ve made the mistake of running while sleepy, and twisted an ankle, found myself injured, or made poor decisions while navigating the sidewalks.  Sleeping is a time for you to heal.  If you haven’t had enough, skip the workout, head to bed early, and try again in the morning.

And there you have it!  Worst comes to it, take an Ambien once in a while and enjoy how beautiful your skin looks after a full night of sleep.

Have you ever suffered from sleeplessness?  What do you do to combat it? 

Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon – A New PR!

| cheriarmour

I hope you have had a good weekend.

I did!  Let’s lay it out right here in the beginning – I PR’ed at a half marathon on Sunday with a time of 1:55:40, at an average pace of 8:55 minutes per mile.  Whew!

I can honestly say today that I am sore and hurting today.  But more on that in a minute.

Weekend’s Beginning. 

So I started the busy weekend off by heading over to Fleet Feet Raleigh, and working on Saturday, which I do from time to help them out.  And it certainly doesn’t hurt that I get to be around a bunch of running stuff and running people.  You really ARE the company you keep – it’s nice to be around a bunch of runners and not feel crazy once in a while.

So after my shift at FF, I headed out to Holden, where I spent the night with some friends.  I was really paranoid about oversleeping the race, so I figured if I was with three other people who were running the race, it was nearly impossible to oversleep, right?

The Wrightsville Beach Half Marathon

The only thing I knew about this race was that it was flat.  Previously, I had run one beach race before, the Shamrock Marathon, and it was a good experience, however, because it was at the beach in March, the weather was chilly and very windy.  I was a little concerned that the same would happen this time because in the days leading up to the race, the weather app was looking pretty bad.  Bad enough that I had to borrow some rain jackets from some of the staff at Fleet Feet.

So anyhoo, the morning of the race dawned….early.  We had to wake up around 4:30am to drive to the shopping complex at the center of everything, and take a shuttle to the start, where we could run back to the center.  It was warm-ish, like 51 degrees, and we headed out to the start on a trolley.

There were *ahem* facilities as far as the eye could see when we arrived, and I was able to quickly use the restroom before we started.

The race was flat, and the air was still.  Because of how humid it was, I didn’t listen to music, and instead thought…a LOT since the humid air was causing my earbuds were slipping.

After the first mile, I looked down and noted that I was running a little fast.  In the 8:20s.  I tried to will myself to slow down, but kept things between the 8:30 mark and the 9:00 mark.  It hurt – the course was really flat, and with the same muscles firing over and over, my quads and hips started to ache early on.  Once I passed the halfway mark, and saw that I was holding that pace pretty steadily, I decided to push on for the following 6.5 miles, and held in there.

I quite obviously chugged a beer at mile 12.5ish, then pressed on to the finish, where I swung around to meet my friends.  There was a beer stand, massages, pizza (not for me after a race), and most importantly, places to sit after the race!

This was Jeff's first marathon!
This was Jeff’s first marathon!

10403090_10100524726620623_349408993288737128_n

19130_10100524626740783_4461370513366265902_nThe race was good, ran smoothly.  Unlike Tobacco Road, there wasn’t the profound congestion on the trail, so there was no need to bob and weave and waste energy throughout the race.  Water stops were frequent, and were FUN.  My favorite water stop was the ECU stop (they don’t call it a party school for nothing), where they’d rolled out a camper and blasted music for us to enjoy.

I’m sore.  I’m happy.  And I think I would do that race again.

What did you do last weekend?

Tobacco Road Half Marathon

| cheriarmour

I’m sitting on my couch, nursing a beer, and alternately foam rolling my hips (which ALWAYS like to act up when I run long).  I’m just smiling when I think back on today.

So I sort of sprang it on you guys last minute, that I was running the Tobacco Road Half Marathon.  Quite honestly, I knew I wanted to (and needed to run), but I didn’t even sign up until the very last minute – in part due to the fact that I’m being tight-fisted with cash (I just bought a new car cash), and part because I was just nervous.

So Saturday night, after working most of the day at Fleet Feet Raleigh (which is so damned nice once in a while), I went home, watched TV, and made dinner, fully prepped to take it easy the night before the half.  Since Austin wasn’t at home, I did my usual, and started to fall asleep on the couch to a movie, then moved to to boudoir when I woke up around 11:30 or so on the couch.

[Side note: I finally watched Think Like a Lady, Act Like a Man. It was not horrid as I assumed it would be.  It was kinda cute, even though that title is problamatic.]

I set my alarm(s) for 4:15, 4:20, 4:30, and 4:40 am, in order to jump in the shower, put a little mascara on, and make sure I had everything I needed together for the race.  I figured that wasn’t overkill, and went to sleep, only waking up to say hey to my boo when he got home, and then again when I got a phone call from some friends who were out for St. Patrick’s Day, drinking green beer.

What happened next is straight out of a dark comedy.

I don’t remember my alarms going off.  All I know is that I woke up around 5:40, a text came from one of my girls at 5:43ish, and that the race was supposed to start at 7am.  This meant I had about 20 minutes to jump in my car, get on the shuttle, get to the start line.  My husband, the calming force that he is, remained so sweet.

“Do you want me to drive you?  Do I need to get dressed now?”

I was determined.  I hopped in the Kia, drove to parking (which I was so late that I didn’t have to pay for), and managed to make it onto the shuttle with two other late people, and do the start line with a few minutes to spare before the start.

I didn’t want to be rude, so though I started way in the back, I only managed to make it up to the 2:30 half marathon pace group, and decided to stay put so I didn’t push folks who’d actually gotten there on time.  It wasn’t their fault I was running late, so it’s me who needed to suck it up and expend the extra energy once we started running, to make my way to be up with my group.  The weather was nice enough that I only needed a light half-zip, and I noted that this was one of the first races that I didn’t feel like I was dying of hypothermia and shivering at the start.

Off we went!

I trotted along, slowly making my way up, up, up, closer to my pace of about 2 hours.   The race was relatively flat, and as I trotted along, listening to my playlist, I saw a few people that I knew.  I was feeling good!  Still, I worked my way up, and started to settle into an about 9-minute/mile pace.

As you’ll remember, I’ve had stomach issues, so I was a little worried about what that would mean for the day, but some of the girls at work let me try some Huma gel, a gel infused with Chia seeds for natural energy, and I popped one at about 4 miles, and again around 8 or 9, and I felt great – no stomach issues before, during, or even after the race, which has never happened to me.

I cruised along the flat trail pretty issue-free, until about mile 9, where I started to feel like I was getting over it, and I felt a little fatigue set in, and really had to push through for the next mile or so until I got back into the right headspace.

I finished, a few minutes later at about 2:03.  Not a poor showing for the first race in a long time!

Here are some of the girls I met up with!  I work with them all at Fleet Feet.

Sean Astin

Half Marathon
Actor, Sean Astin, Lord of the Rings.

So my assessment of Tobacco Road was that it was awesome.  The course was flat, weather was beautiful, and I would honestly not change anything about it.  I would do the race again to see if I could improve my time (which I’m hoping to do with some speed work), and if I had some friends doing it with me again.

What did you do to enjoy the gorgeous weather this weekend?

I ran a half marathon and kissed on my hubby a lot 🙂

Terrified: thoughts before a half marathon.

| cheriarmour

Want to hear something that really made me laugh hard yesterday?

This is so so rude, but I was at home sort of in the middle of the day because I’m on duty Thursday nights, and I was sending some emails and such, and listening to E! in the background, when I realized that they were playing all the episodes of KUWTK involving Kris Humphries in Bora Bora.  Now the reason why this is so good and so rude is because clearly, Kim is no longer married to Kris (they only made it 72 days, which Austin and I celebrated as our “Kardashian Anniversary”), and Kimmy was the biggest asshole she’s ever been during the Kris era.

Exhibit A:

Now this particular scenario was really exquisite because Kris tosses Kim into the ocean…

Bora BoraCausing her head to slam against the ocean’s surface and her to lose her $75k diamond earrings.  Instead of being a logical human, Kim begins to whimper, then cry, as she runs to and fro on the dock.  When she tells Kourtney whats happening, Kourtney responds by telling her…

DyingIt must also be noted that the earrings were insured, so the tears were just extra.

The Kris era also ushered in this gem.

Ugly Little TrollNow, I won’t bore you all day with the wonderful things that KUWTK has brought to my life, but suffice it to say, that I was entertained for a full at least 5 minutes.

I’m terrified. 

I haven’t talked about it much here because of my fear of looking like a complete idiot, but I’m racing for the first time in a while on and it scares the piss out of me.  Here are my thoughts before a half marathon.

  1. Water?  I should hydrate.  Yes, hydrate.  Water.  Now.  Water, some tea, some seltzer, more water.
  2. Speaking of water, I should prep my water plan for tomorrow.  Where’s my hydration backpack?
  3. I’m not sure what they’re gonna have on the course, let me make sure that I pack some gels.  But gel makes my stomach hurt.  Maybe I should ask the chicks at Fleet Feet when I work what I should do.
  4. What shoes am I going to wear?  I don’t think the Glycerin is doing it for me anymore.
  5. What do I eat for dinner with only a smidgen of fiber so I don’t poo my pants tomorrow.
  6. Speaking of pants, what am I going to wear?  I should lay that out.
  7. Do I have any Coke around for after the race?  Shit. Shit.
  8. Also, what am I going to eat for breakfast tomorrow?

And then, I commence to not sleeping, or sleeping fitfully all night whilst dreaming that I’ve overslept and missed my race.

How was your weekend?  What do you worry about before a big race/event?

 

First time for every thing pt 3.

| cheriarmour

Do you live in the Southeast?  So you’re familiar with this bull that has been going on?

Snow-covered van!
Snow-covered van!

Snow Walk

Kudos to all of you marathoners who have been able to stick with your training nonstop. I have fought for my training, and run as much as I can – have logged tons of miles on the treadmill, and at this point, I’m playing mental games with myself to therapy myself into believing that I can trust my training and that I will be prepped for 26.2 miles in a little over a month. Lord please me with me.

So, I hope you all had a fantastic reason. I had a first a few weeks ago, a second first, and now, a third first!

So, I work out a decent bit.  I mean I love to work out, and now that it’s part of my job, it feels as essential to me as like brushing my teeth!  But the one thing that I continue to feel a little funny about is working out with my husband.  We run together, and running has been my thing, so sometimes, it’s hard to let him into that world, especially given that he’s naturally gifted at it.  I love to run, but I don’t feel like it’s something I’m particularly gifted at.  So I get (unfairly) frustrated when I’m huffing and puffing over here at mile six, and without any training, he’s busting out 7 minutes miles.  GET OUT OF HERE!

Austin’s world is lifting, and lifting heavy.  In the last year, I’ve started lifting more, and even started working with a personal trainer, Jill, since it’s a perk of my job.  But he’s still a pro, so I’ve always made excuses not to lift with him for fear of looking a little stupid.  But Jill’s boosted my confidence, and when we were closed for weather on Wednesday, I missed my appointment with her.  Jill was kind enough to email me a workout I could do on my own, and for the first time EVER(ish), Austin and I did a full workout together, lifting side-by-side.  And it wasn’t so bad!!

The workout itself, which absolutely kicked my butt, was a little painful, especially when we got to the end and my legs were starting to feel like Jello.  But working out with my honey wasn’t half bad, and I have to remember, keep reminding myself, that Austin is my husband and that I don’t need to feel self-conscious about things with him. Definitely something we need to do again!

The weekend in review…

So we had a really fun weekend.  I didn’t work too too much, and only went into work to actually work actually once on Sunday.  But on Saturday morning, when we woke up, Austin turned to me and asked if I wanted to go to Waffle House.

We went, and we were that cute married couple that shared waffles and people watched for an hour or so before we headed to the Farmer’s Market and walked around, looked at candy, bought a bottle of wine, and then bought 20 lbs of sweet potatoes for $10.  Yeesh, but I’m totally up to the challenge.  I may consider chilling on the fiber though, cause mama’s stomach is like mehhhh.

Finally, we did something really really cool, and I’m kicking myself because I didn’t bring my good camera.  Austin just got back from China, and we had friends invite us to dinner at a legit Chinese Food place.  We’re not talking pork-fried rice chinese food, we’re talking legit food, served family style and soooo flavorful it was insane.  I’m kicking myself because I didn’t bring my good camera and take pics, but I’ve already started lining up our next time we go there so I can walk you through the entire experience.

MMkay, so what did you do this weekend?  

Did you eat anything good?  Describe it, in detail, to me!