my new phone = awesome

One of the perks of having a husband working in the wireless communications industry is that I get a pretty sweet discount on new phones. I also get to upgrade more often then everyone else.

For the last four-ish years I've been on the hubs' account, this set of perks has been pretty meh. I really couldn't care less. Phones are phones... as long as I can call people and get text messages I don't really care what else it can do or what it looks like.

Then came the Droid Charge... aka: my new favorite piece of technology in the world.

Why is this phone so awesome you ask? Simple, It's cute, it's easy to use, and I CAN WATCH MOVIES AND TV ON IT!!!!

This may not seem like a big deal to others, but anyone who has had to entertain a cranky three year old in a waiting room for an hour can completely understand why free access to Diego and Spongebob anytime, anywhere, is a godsend. Anyone who has sat in their doctor's office waiting room for an hour with nothing but last year's backyard poultry magazine to pass the time will understand the joy of being able to watch HBO instead.

And the part that makes this phone better than pink glitter cupcakes is a little app called Cozi. It's basically a big hub of organized happiness where Steve and I can sync schedules, to do lists, grocery lists and everything else that I call him a million times a day to verify.

I've never seen the need to purchase phone cases before... but a phone this awesome simply can NOT remain plain and naked from the factory. It needs something just as fabulous on the outside as it is on the inside. It needs THIS:

Yes, It's rainbow zebra print rhinestones. Yes, I'm absolutely in love with it. Yes, you should be jealous.

green monsters and a bum foot

Last week, during the Blogger fail, I hurt my foot while I was out running. Funny story actually.... Finn went to chase a squirrell and I planted my foot poorly, then got dragged a bit. Now the arch of my foot is strongly protesting any physical activity more difficult than a casual walk.

No big deal, I like walking. Finn likes walking. We just have even more reason to hate squirrells now. :)

I'm going to wait a couple of weeks until around my birthday when I get fitted for new running shoes to start back training. It just doesn't make sense to me to start back in after an injury when I'm due for new shoes so soon anyway. I don't want to risk reinjury.

The break from running doesn't mean I'm slacking off though! I'm sticking to the plan of being good to my body and giving it the things that help it work best. Probably the most important thing for a body to be strong and healthy, besides TONS of water, is fruits and veggies.... on that note:

[image from Google... I'm too lazy to take one of my own]

Allow me to introduce the green monster smoothie. I think I've mentioned it before. This sucker is full of fruit and veggies to fill you up and give you tons of energy during the day... not to mention essential vitamins. There are many variations of this smoothie, an entire website in fact, but my favorite is simple:

1 cup loosely packed spinach leaves
1 banana cut into pieces
1/2 cup cantaloupe pieces
1 cup almond milk

Blend all ingredients in your blender or food processor, pour it into your favorite drinking glass and you are good to go! You could also add a drink umbrella if you're feeling frisky... or if you're off alcohol for some reason and you want a fun fruity drink by the pool. It could work, just sayin'.

Trial Separation... another Music Monday post

Don't worry, Steve and I are going strong. The trial separation is between us and dairy products. I'm well aware that my digestion is not a topic everyone wants to hear a lot of details about, but suffice it to say that dairy and I have a love/hate relationship that may not be worth it anymore.

Saying goodbye to cheese is going to be difficult, but I'm really excited about the new recipes I'm trying this week! There are a lot of fresh veggies (some that I've never eaten before) and fresh seafood. Or, as fresh as you can get in Atlanta.

I'm also going out of the cookbook and food blog box and winging it one night with a recipe that's been bumping around in my head for a little while. Stay tuned for the results of that adventure.

Steve is a bit hesitant to try all of this new, non dairy, cheese-less menu of awesome, but I've assured him that we have plenty of plain pasta and pb&j to help him through if necessary. :)

Be prepared for some food posts with pictures if this experiment turns out well. It's been a while since I did a dinner post and this blog could use some eye candy.

mind over matter

Some days running is a chore. I wake up and the idea of going out and pushing myself physically like that is the absolute LAST thing I am interested in doing. The idea of curling up with my nook, or watching my favorite shows on DVR, or watching Sex and the City the movie for the millionth time.... those activities sound much more enjoyable to me than putting on workout clothes, harnessing the pupster, and hitting the pavement.

Even my cute running skirt and pink running top don't help on these days. My kick-ass running playlist is no help either.

Other days I'm totally up for the challenge mentally, but my body says "umm... yeah, I don't think so babe".

In both situations it ends up being a question of mind over matter. Sometimes it takes a half hour of reading through journal entries about successful runs and inspirational quotes to get my tush off the couch... others it takes a mile of "I think I can" running through my head to keep me putting one foot in front of the other.

I'm proud of the fact that I'm at a point where I care about myself enough to push through whatever barriers come up and stick to my routine. I'm proud of the fact that I'm internally motivated enough to keep at it. I'm proud that I'm able to run 6-9 miles per week.

For some people this may not be anything major. I am well aware that plenty of people run more than that in a day... but for me this is huge. I'm proud of myself because a year ago I never thought in a million years that I could run like this.

Of course, there are some sweet perks to a runnign routine like this, such as weight loss and looking more toned. I can't discount how happy I am about that. The sense of accomplishment I have after finishing a long run though beats vanity every day of the week and twice on Sundays.

Music Monday

Some of the blogs I visit from time to time have done "music Monday" in the past and I really liked the idea... stat the week out on a positive note and all. This may be a one time thing, or it could be weekly... who knows?

Anyway, this week's musical selection is a song that has recently made its way onto my running playlist and become a bit of a theme song for me. The lyrics are completely on point with how I feel a lot of the time and the beat is so catchy and fun. I promise, you'll love it.

A blessing and a curse

Ever since I was very young I have been cooking and baking. Before I was tall enough to reach the countertops I had a stool or chair to stand on so that I could help my mom with anything and everything. One of my favorite pictures is of me in an old apron, standing on a chair, covered in flour, putting cookies on a cookie sheet.

Seriously, I think I was capable of making chocolate chip cookies by myself from scratch before I started Kindergarten.

I have always loved cooking and baking especially. My friends called me "Martha Stewart" and "Betty Crocker" throughout school. One year even my teachers called me that because for Christmas I made them all cinnimon bread and home made jam as gifts.

Now that I'm an adult, the love of cooking and baking has been both a blessing and a curse.

A blessing because: OMG! Cupcakes and italian food whenever I want without leaving the house!

A curse because: OMG! Cupcakes and italian food whenever I want without leaving the house!

For example, today I made a new cupcake recipe from one of my friends that I was given in our weekly recipe swap. I now have 24 canoli cupcakes on my counter topped with home made buttercream frosting and chocolate chips.

You can imagine how this is a willpower nightmare: canoli + cupcake = heaven.

I will either a) eat way too many and die running them off, or b) make lots of new friends to get rid of them.

Then again, I could always give them to the neighbors as "make sure the creepy maintenance guy doesn't take my stuff" incentive. Hmmm....