Fake Birthday

In my family, we have a tendency to celebrate fake birthdays.  That is...we celebrate someone's real birthday just not on the right date...cuz...you know...more often than not one's birthday doesn't fall on a convenient day.

My birthday actually isn't until Friday, so naturally we would have celebrated it on the following Saturday, but we thought my mom was going to have to go out of town.  We made plans to celebrate my birthday this past Saturday night instead.  Now, as it turns out, my mom isn't going out of town, but...well...plans were already made.

I didn't mind, though.  Since I'm a mid-March birthday, I've always managed to celebrate for an entire week as my birthday has always fallen during Spring break.  I'm pretty clever to use it to my advantage that way.  Just because I've been out of school for um...a few years now doesn't mean things should change in that area, now do they?!  I think not.

I mentioned to my dad a few months ago that I have a love for the souffle.  It's one of my favorite desserts, actually.  I believe I had my first one, a chocolate souffle, at a restaurant called Neros in Caesar's Palace in Las Vegas during one of our Thanksgiving trips many moons ago.  Such airy delightfulness.  Mmmmmm.  Most recently, I had the pleasure of consuming a Grand Marnier souffle when I went on a cruise two years ago.  My taste buds didn't get to experience much happiness during that trip as I got incredibly sick with strep throat and bronchitis while on-board, but I do remember that dessert with fondness.  Ah, but I digress.  shocker.  So anyway, my dad told me I needed to go to Tony's someday as they are known for their souffles and they have many, many different flavors.  I must know more of this Tony's he speaks of!  I asked if we could go for a special occasion...say perhaps my birthday?  He said it was a bit too pricey.  =(

A couple of weeks ago, my dad had a change of heart.  He informed me that he decided we could go to Tony's.  Oh dear heavens...all I cared about was that I was going to get souffle!

We dressed up in our nicest attire - we all looked stunning, I must say - and we headed over to the restaurant.  It's valet only, don't you know?!  I decided to be bold and daring and order the wild boar tenderloin as my main course.  Over half my family thought I was nuts, but it was yummy, so I felt validated.  I started my meal with a delicacy I normally wouldn't order because of the calories and fat content, but...well...it was my fake birthday.  Oh how do I love lobster bisque?  Let me count the ways.  This was the best lobster bisque I have ever eaten, by the way.  rich creamy loveliness.

We decided to order two souffles for the table - I didn't mention the souffles at Tony's are HUGE - and serve 4 people a piece!  My mom got to pick out one flavor - bananas foster - and I got to pick out the other flavor - while chocolate Grand Marnier.

Since my dad had mentioned it was my birthday, our server brought out a special plate for me.  So sweet.

After they served us all a piece of each flavor, two servers walked around with sauce toppers for each souffle.  For the bananas foster souffle, we had a caramel sauce with bananas.  For the white chocolate Grand Marnier souffle, we had a white chocolate sauce and a Grand Marnier infused whipped cream.  They did not disappoint, each bite was a bite of heaven.

Then, the awesome Tony's staff brought me out a martini glass filled with pink cotton candy for my birthday.  How funny is it that such an expensive restaurant would serve cotton candy?!  love it!

As we left, the hostess handed each of us a bag of delicious biscotti.

We then went back to my parent's house for presents.  I did not get all my parents, so all the more reason to keep extending the ol' birthday (well that and my real birthday hasn't happened yet - ha!).  I got some new pillows for my bed, a subscription renewal to Runner's World, new pajamas, a car mount for my cell phone for when I'm using the Navigation function, and the matching trash can and tissue holder for the bathroom accessories I got for Christmas.

source here

So far, I'm having quite the birthday week!  Maybe...ahem...34 isn't going to be so bad, after all!  =D

Kim Versus the 10K: Bayou City Classic

This is my first repeat race EVER and it will be only one of two repeat races that I have scheduled for the year (though, of course, I reserve the right to add to that list as the year progresses).  

I had two goals for The Bayou City Classic.

1)  PR  (last year's time was 1:26:38)

2)  Run the entire distance, walking only through the water stations

I did have one friend to run this race with me - Melissa - who, consequently, ran this race with me last year, as well.  I love knowing at least one other person running a race.  It doesn't matter to me how much faster they are - it's just nice knowing someone else is experiencing the same conditions and that there is a natural built-in support, you know?!

I wish I could say I prepped all week long for this race like a true champion, but sadly...I'd be lying.  My diet plan was practically non-existent.  I have a bit of insight into my psyche as to why that occurred, though, and I'm working on it so that I can get back on the right track and stay there.  My running plan didn't happen.  A little birdie barely managed to convince me to hit some minor mileage on Thursday night, but other than that I hadn't done anything since last Saturday's 9-miler.  My hydration plan was lacking. I finally got the water thing down on Friday, but that's not saying much when I had caused such a deficit in my system.  =/

Enough about my downfalls...onto the recap:

Saturday morning, Melissa and I agreed to meet at my work so we could drive together to the race.  We got there VERY early so that we wouldn't have to deal with road closures and all that jazz.  It was quite windy, though not really cold.  We met up with a couple of her friends and started the race just after 8.  My legs felt kind of heavy right from the start.  I had some defeatist thoughts come through my head.  I fought them.  For the first mile, we navigated down town and then we hit Memorial Parkway.  I really don't know how they get away with calling the course "flat and fast" because Memorial Parkway is anything but flat.  I had forgotten this from last year.  =/  I thought about walking up the hills, but then I reminded myself that wasn't what I had set out to do (see goal #2), so I just pumped my arms and carried onward.  

There were water stations set-up every 1.5 miles.  Initially I had considered skipping the first and third, but since the sun was beating down on us pretty brutally and I could feel the salt caked on my face, I knew I needed to hydrate, so I did walk through all of the water stations.  I was happy when I finished drinking my water just past mile 3 and I heard Melissa and her friend shout my name from across the median as they were approaching mile 4 on the opposite side of Memorial Parkway.

I started getting a bit discouraged as I hit the 5th mile marker and realized I was going to be cutting it SUPER close to last year's time.  I knew there was one last big hill to conquer and I thought about giving up and just walking the rest of the race - see...total defeatist.  I didn't register for this race to give-up on it, though.  I pumped my arms hard up that hill.  I rounded the corner and saw the 6th mile marker.  I looked at my watch and knew I had to high-tail it to have a hope of PRing.  I sprinted my heart out.  It worked.

I look like a VERY serious runner here.

Official Time:  1:25:50 (48 seconds faster than last year)

Finishing Song:  Dead and Gone - TI featuring Justin Timberlake

Melissa and her buddies were there to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line - awesome!  I then consumed massive amounts of water and we got our finisher's t-shirts.  Then came the swag.  Wowsers - check out the loot I got!

Yeah, buddy - I got 3 packs of Shot Bloks, a 5-hour Energy, and many Clif's bars.  Sweet!

All in all, a good race, a positive experience, and I was quite proud to say I accomplished both of my goals - a PR and I ran the whole thing, only walking through the water stations.

Lessons learned:  eat right, stick to running/training schedule, and hydrate, hydrate, hydrate as my actions for the week will affect my performance!

Day 01 - Relationship Status

I saw that Simi plans on doing this 30 Day Challenge and I figured I would like to jump on the bandwagon since...you know...I'm such a follower.  It will give you all an opportunity to learn more about me and it will give me an opportunity to explore myself.  Win/Win?  We shall see!

I won't be actually doing one of these a day as I think it would be a bit too post-y.  I don't have a tendency to blog every day anyway and I have some trips coming up and wouldn't be able to maintain it even if I tried.  So, what that means is that I will go down the list and write about a couple of the challenges a week.

Here is the list of challenges:

Day 01-  Your current relationship, if single discuss how single life is.

Current relationship = single/dating
Single life sucks.
and....discuss:

Well, I've been single for quite some time now.  I wish I could say "single and lovin' it", but I'd be lying.  Everyone says to embrace these days - this freedom.  I do.  It's just that the single life for someone who has always wanted to be married and to have children is a lonely existence.  Up until VERY recently, most of my weekends were spent at home A-L-O-N-E, feeling sorry for myself.

source here

A year or so ago, my mom said to me, "Kim, I know you are waiting for Prince Charming to just come knocking on your door, but do you think you could meet him halfway somewhere?"  Ouch.

It's really hard to meet someone these days.  I can't meet anyone at work.  All of my local buddies are coupled up and none of them have any single friends to even try and play the matchmaker game.  I'm no barfly, so this means I've relied mostly on internet dating over the past few years.  EHarmony and I are basically mortal enemies - see here, here, and here for proof.  I'm currently on my second go-around with Match.com.  The first time didn't fare so well - see here for proof.  BUT, alas...this second time around is getting interesting.  ;)  I've tried posting Craig's List ads.  Though I vowed to never go that route again because of the number of married men out there seeking an affair (I'm quite the Nancy Drew, don't ya know?!), I did meet a couple of nice guys who I briefly dated, BUT I also met some total weirdos.  I even tried a dating group to meet guys called Eight Friends Out.  See here for an example of what a disaster that was for me.

source here

Have you ever seen the movie Some Kind of Wonderful?  If you haven't, you should.  It was one of my dad's message movies - that is a movie my dad saw and decided all of us kids needed to see to get the message.  The message, in this case, was that it is better to be alone for the right reasons than with someone for the wrong.  I've applied this a time or two in my day.

Oh and something that really irks me is when people say it will happen when I least expect it.  I got into the whole dating game VERY late in life.  I least expected it for a long, long time is my point and not a whole lot has happened.  Time will tell though, friends.  Time will tell.  I remain hopeful, no worries.

So, your challenge should you choose to accept it is to join me in this 30 Day Challenge.

a celebration of sorts

My dogs are so cutesie.  sometimes.  I came out of the shower and discovered them all cuddly like this on my bed.  Sweet little love muffins.  You probably wonder how I could ever talk bad about them when they look so precious and innocent.  This is how they lure you. 

Delilah & Penelope

Today is Delilah's "Gotcha Day".  It's the day we celebrate me bringing her home to be part of our family.  For 3 years I've tried to convert her from a hood rat to a dog.  We are assuming she is 4.  I feel kind of bad celebrating her Gotcha Day considering I am the worst kind of mother to my one true love, Penelope, and forgot to celebrate her 10th Birthday on February 5th.  Perhaps tonight should be a joint celebration? 

The thing is I can buy Delilah bones and she will devour them.  I can buy Delilah toys and she will destroy them.  I can't buy Penelope anything.  She very rarely chews on a bone.  She very rarely plays with a toy.  She used to be quite the Frisbee enthusiast before she went blind.  Every blue moon she will still grab a rope toy to be thrown which is nine kinds of pathetic cuz...um...how is she going to find it once it reaches its destination?  I hate celebrating with food, but they do lovie themselves some Beneful Prepared Meals, so I will probably buy one for each of them and let them go to town.  Normally I buy one for them to share when I feel guilty about something.  I'm very predictable.

So, one thing I don't do often enough is take my babies for walks.  I know, I know...I'm awful.  Let me explain, though.  First and foremost, I have to take them separately which is kind of obnoxious.  I wish I could say that this is because Penelope is blind and it's easier to navigate her that way, but the truth of the matter is that I had to do it this way before she went blind because they are both unruly and undisciplined during a walk and pull in too many directions.  Secondly, Penelope makes cRaZy noises since she can't see and everything catches her attention, so I find myself making announcements to everyone who stares at us that she is blind as if that makes it all less awkward for any of us.  AND then beyond that, I really don't have any excuses except that I'm just bad.  =/  Tonight, however, both of my monkeys will get walked (and then mama shall run).

Do you celebrate your pets' birthdays or am I just a weirdo not sporting a beardo?





Spaghetti Squash Gratin with Basil

My friend Rachel posted on Facebook a few weeks ago that she was making this deliciousness for dinner for her family.  Well, you know if it has spaghetti squash I am all up on it, so I requested the recipe and Rachel was kind of enough to send it to me.  Here it is in it's original glory.

Yes, of course it's South Beach friendly or else I wouldn't be making it it.  Well...I guess technically the incorporation of the full fat cheeses isn't (Gruyere and Parmesan), but...ah...who's judging?  I could have subbed other cheeses - low fat varieties, but I decided to remain true to this recipe because both are strong flavored cheese that I happen to truly adore.

Here's what you need:
1 large spaghetti squash
1 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion
garlic
salt
pepper
3 eggs
1/2 cup skim milk (or...um..an alternative - see below)
fresh basil
2 oz (or more) Gruyere cheese
Parmesan cheese

So, first and foremost, I baked my squash.  I bought a big'n since I knew I needed 4 cups for this recipe, by the way.  For a reminder of how I choose to bake my squash, see here.  I did this earlier in the day so it had plenty of time to cool.

Later, I chopped up a medium white onion and added it to a frying pan with one TBSP of olive oil.  I didn't have any fresh garlic cloves on hand, so I just used minced garlic.  I don't have a tendency to measure my minced garlic, so I can't tell you how much I used.  I can tell you that I do like my garlic.  =)  I also added a pinch of salt.

 

While that was sauteing, I went ahead and cut open my spaghetti squash, scooped out the seeds (discarded), and then got my 4 cups of spaghetti strands out. I then chopped up the 4 cups into bite size pieces.  I added this to the frying pan with a bit more salt and some ground black pepper.

Next, I whisked 3 eggs with....wait for it...1/2 cup of vanilla almond milk.  Gross, right?  ha!  I totally forgot I cleaned out my fridge and threw out my this day expired milk because I'm a freak like that didn't have any skim milk on hand and I couldn't possibly fathom leaving the house, so vanilla almond milk (and crossed fingers that it turned out okay) it was!  In my defense, I do only buy the unsweetened almond milk, so that makes it better, right?!  ;)

Then I chopped up fresh basil - a lot cuz...um...I heart fresh basil - and added that to my egg mixture.  2 oz of shredded Gruyere was to be added next, BUT I'm pretty sure I added more than that.  ooops.

I sprayed a glass 2.75 qt. dish with Pam and added my spagetti squash/onion mixture first.  Next, I poured the egg/cheese mixture over the top and sort of stirred it all together.  I then topped it all with some shaved Parmesan and a bit more of the chopped basil and it all went in the oven on 375 degrees.

And then after 45 minutes I took it out of the oven and it looked like this:

mmmmm...

probably not the best plate for picture purposes, but...oh well

preparation + prayer = 9 miles

I have been drinking water all week long like I'm being paid a sponsorship to do so.  The KIMpossible from 2 years ago would not recognize herself today, that is for sure!  As I have mentioned before, I was so THAT girl who could go the entire day without drinking a single beverage.  so true.  so bad.

I wanted to set myself up mentally and physically for a killah 9-miler, so here's what I did on Friday in preparation for Saturday's run:

1)  Carbo loaded - though typically I limit my bread carbs to 2 of my 3 meals, I allowed one with each of my meals.  For breakfast, I had a PB&J sammy on whole wheat bread.  For lunch, I had a hamburger patty (no bun) with a side of homemade BAKED sweet potato fries (the fries are considered a bread carb on South Beach).  For dinner, I bought myself a grilled chicken sandwich from Chick-fil-A.  Of course there were healthy sidekicks (fruits and/or veggies) with all of these meals.

2) I drank plain water all day long with the exception of the last two 16-oz cups which both had the added bonus of Nuun in them.  I figure a little extra electrolytes could only benefit me in the long run.

3)  I foam rolled some areas of contention.  My calves seem to get tight lately on my runs, so those got foamed out first.  My upper back and shoulders are always an issue, so they were foamed out next.  For good measure, I finalized the process with my knees only because my left knee has been suffering from some minor runner's knee as of late and I didn't want my right knee to feel left out.

4)  I took an Epsom salt bath.  That Pink Girl does this before her really long runs.  Though 9 may not be considered "really long" by some, for THIS girl at THIS point in the game, it is.

5)  I lotioned up my legs and shoulders with this product I remembered I had bought soooo many years ago from Origins for tired legs.  Why I could have possibly thought I needed such a product years ago when I lead a relatively inactive lifestyle is beyond me, but I'm thankful I still had the product in my possession and that it still appeared to have its original potency.  It had that subtle spa-menthol smell and a definite cooling effect.  I figured it was a preventive measure.

6)  I had a nice long talk with my monsters (read:  my dogs) about how I desperately needed 7 to 8 hours of sleep.  I told them how proud I was of them for allowing me the courtesy of 7 straight hours without interruption the night before (Thursday night) and how grateful I would be if they allowed me this privilege once again.   I then made sure I did my part by getting my booty to bed at a decent time.

Of course, the best laid plans seem to always be ruined...the dogs woke me up at a ridiculous hour to go potty.  So much for our heart-to-heart.  I noticed when I put them out that it was drizzling and humid out.  great, just great.  I wondered if I should postpone my run until Sunday.  I decided just to go back to bed.  We slept for another hour and then they were STARVING.  Poor things...you should really feel sorry for them since we all know how mistreated they are.  So, they ate and I decided to go ahead and take my thyroid pill.  Then we resumed sleeping.  When we woke up again au natural, I made myself a nice breakfast of oatmeal - 1/2 cup of oats, 1 cup of water, 1 TBSP Splenda brown sugar, and an unmeasured amount of cinnamon.  Delish!  I added a banana and it was the perfect breakfast!  I don't like to eat and run, so I hopped onto FB for a while, before gearing up, sayin' my prayers, and heading out.

It was much much cooler than I realized (apparently a cool front came through in between my interrupted sleep), so I felt a bit chilled in my tank and capris, but I knew I would warm up turbo fast.  I swung by the ol' mailbox at 2.5 miles for a drink and then resumed my run.  I swung by the ol' mailbox at 5 miles for a drink and some Clif's Shot Bloks and then resumed my run.  I swung by the ol' mailbox at 6.5 miles for a final drink before heading out to complete my run.  I did need to stop and stretch at 7.5 miles because the wind was killing me at this point.  It was so gusty that it was making it so hard to run.  I then continued on my jaunt to complete my 9 miles.  Did you notice I never once mentioned intervals?  That's because I didn't do them.  My body hates them, I'm sure of it.  I decided to forgo them and to just run the mileage and my body responded so much better to this technique.

I expected to be sore and uncomfortable like I was last week when I ran my miserable 8, but I wasn't.  I actually feel great.  I chalk this up to preparation and prayer, honestly.  I'm also proud to announce that 4 out of my 9 miles were completed at a sub-13 pace.  This is such an improvement for me.  I also managed to take over a minute off of my average pace from last week's 8 miles.  How crazy is that?!  There is definite improvement in the air, my friends, and that makes this girl VERY happy.

After my run, I showered QUICKLY to get to family lunch.  I once again used that tired legs lotion - you know, just in case my legs decided to give me trouble later.

Yay for BJ's Brewhouse and their delicious turkey burger (subbed veggies for the fries, of course)!  I also added a side of their chili because I was starving having burnt 1228 calories during my run.

In other HAPPY news, I had to go to an INCONVENIENT Academy to pick-up my race packet for the Bayou City Classic 10K which is on 3/12.  Traffic was horrific trying to get there for some reason and I was in a truly foul mood by the time I arrived.  I decided to peruse the Clearance Section whilst there and low and behold I found ONE Nike Dri-Fit Tank in my size for $9.88 (normal retail price $36.99).  Um..SCORE!  That practically made my day.

So...a good weekend and counting!  I'm wishing the same for all of you!  =)

ABCs of KIMpossible

source here

 Everybody else seems to be filling this out...and since I'm quite the follower these days I decided why not?!

(A) Age: 33  (for just a couple more weeks...eeek!)

(B) Bed Size: Queen (but dreaming of a King-size someday)

(C) Chore You Hate: putting laundry away, clearly (if you saw my laundry room, you wouldn't disagree)

(D) Dogs? two - my blind 10 year old Beagle Penelope and my almost 4 year old Whatchamacallit hood rat Delilah

(E) Essential Start Your Day Item:  um...I don't know...I'm not really a coffee drinker, so I won't go that route.  I don't always go for the same breakfast.  how sad and pathetic to say my thyroid pill, huh?!

(F) Favorite Color: Green

(G) Gold or Silver? White Gold

(H) Height: 5 ft 5 1/2 in (never stood a chance with a mother who is under 5' tall)

(I) Instruments You Play: failed attempt at the clarinet many moons ago - you can't imagine how many reeds I ruined.

(J) Job Title: General Manager (glorified babysitter to a bunch of grown men)

(K) Kids: still holding onto the dream of having them someday, but in the meanwhile, see (D)

(L) Live:  NW Houston

(M) Mom's Name: Frances, but she goes by Nutzie (long story)

(N) Nicknames: Kimby, Kim-Kim, Kimpossible, Kimska

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? One - the summer in between my Junior and Senior year in high school, I had my first of two ACL surgeries.  Because I was so young (read: a minor), they kept me overnight. 

(P) Pet Peeve: when people don't do the "thank you" wave when you let them in your lane in traffic.  rude.

(Q) Quote from a Movie: "Have you ever danced with the devil in the pale moon light?  I ask that of all my prey." - The Joker (Batman)

source here

(R) Right or Left Handed?  Right

(S) Siblings: 2 sisters, 1 brother, and an Oliver (I'm just sure my parents would be disappointed if I didn't claim their favorite child)

(T) Time You Wake Up? 4:30-6:00 am (depending on whether or not I'm running in the morning)

(U) Underwear: yes

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: peas, beets, and cooked peppers - blech

(W) What Makes You Run Late: A.D.D.

(X) X-Rays You've Had Done:  (besides teeth) left knee twice, right knee once, left pelvis twice, right hip once, right wrist once...I think that's it.

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: I think my Chicken Tetrazzini (pictured) and Beef Bourguignon are the best.

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: I think Tigers are so majestic.

And there you have it!  A little bit more that you never cared to know about yours truly!  =)