100 things

So, a lot of bloggers seem to be posting this list called "100 things". I suppose it's a way to tell the world 100 things all about you. Hopefully my sister will never find this, since she's mocked me since childhood about how much I "love myself".

1. I love cake.
2. Cold, fresh from the fridge, cake to be more specific.
3. I grew up in Ellicott City, MD
4. Went to Catholic school for 12 years.
5. I have one brother and a sister
6. I owned a leopard gecko.
7. and a bearded dragon
8. and fire bellied toads
9. and two rabbits, Artie and Darcy.
10. Now I own two cats, Oliver and Bella
11. My cat Bella is deaf - I would end up with a special needs cat...
12. for years I wanted to be married by the time I turned 21
13. I was diagnosed with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome at 19
14. By 24, I had beaten it.
15. I had my tonsils taken out at 21
16. Peanut Butter is my best friend
17. Some days I still wish I could wear a uniform.
18. Thunder storms still scare me slightly
19. I became a home owner at 27
20. I dreamed of being a forensic photographer
21. 25 was the BEST year of my life!
22. I think children are absolutely amazing individuals
23. I had 8 or more sinus infections per year as a child
24. Some days my "autism" really kicks into gear
25. I don't do well with change
26. I have two tattoos
27. I don't like to take more than one shower a day, unless I work out.
28. Leadership excites me
29. I can't wait to have a family
30. It's my dream to be a stay at home mom
31. I weighed 150lbs by the 5th grade
32. I used to dream of being 6 feet tall
33. Sometimes I call in an hour late to work just so I can lay in bed for an extra half hour
34. Milk duds - love them
35. My seperation anxiety as a kid was through the roof
36. I am a much better student today than I ever was
37. I have never bought a lottery ticket
38. I smoked regularly for 10 years
39. I drove a zamboni for 9
40. Running built my self confidence
41. So did losing weight.
42. I like brussel sprouts
43. I am an Aunt
44. My roadbike is a prized possession
45. I am terrible at Math
46. My writing ability is fantastic
47. I was diagnosed with a learning disability when I was 17
48. I enjoy a good glass of wine
49. But I can drink Miller Lite like it's WATER.
50. I have eyes that can change color depending on makeup, or clothing choice
51. Some months, I have to scrape by in order to pay my bills.
52. But I always have money for Happy Hour on Fridays
53. I'm actively looking for a new job right now
54. I  would like to be a Principal some day.
55. I will count "points" for the rest of my life when it comes to eating
56. One day, I will compete in an Ironman
57. I was just accepted into my fourth school since 2000. Here's to my fourth piece of paper to hang on the wall.
58. I love anything that is sweet.
59. Right now, theres nothing better than a lazy Sunday morning laying in bed with my cats (uh oh, that sounds crazy)
60. I've made friends this year I never knew I'd make...
61. I've learned that I like guys who have large hands
62. I miss my best friend Laura EVERY SINGLE DAY.
63. I have my dad's legs. No joke.
64. I've worn bifocals since I was 18.
65. I love lilies
66. I don't drink enough water, I can go days without anything to drink
67. Sometimes I forget to eat vegetables
68. I love winter.
69. I am on match.com and eHarmony, but not actively right now.
70. I have a very small comfort zone, specifically 72-74 degrees. Anything more or less and I'm either hot or cold.
71. I have another blog called Tales from the Stoop. Stories shared by my neighbors, who are long time residents of Hampden.
72. I HATE fake people
73. I grew a "pair" this year and learned how to stand up to people professionally
74. People tell me I look like Princess Diana
75. I won't go to my 10 year HS reunion because quite frankly, the people I miss are slim and I still talk to them
76. I like steak. Medium Rare.
77. For the first time in my life I'm growing lettuce and eggplants
78. I am guilty of facebook stalking.
79. I spoiled Oliver at a young age and taught him that sleeping under the covers is ok
80. Sometimes I really don't care what people are saying to me.
81. At the age of 27 I have had both a colonoscopy and an endoscopy.
82. I enjoy US Weekly and TMZ. Others people gossip is my guilty pleasure.
83. Chocolate, chocolate, chocolate...
84. Once, I bought something from an infomercial just because I was feeling fat that day.
85. Some days I drive in silence... and don't realize it until I get where I'm going.
86. I have run 3 full marathons, 3 half marathons, 1 relay and competed in 1 triathlon. A Half Ironman is coming up...
87. I fear someone will break into my house while I'm sleeping and I won't know what to do.
88. I can start a conversation with a brick wall.
89. I worked at a Jewish camp one summer and by the end could sing the Israeli National Anthem. 
90. I love to paint
91. I like being in control
92. I have done the sobriety test - on the side of the road.
93. I tend to volunteer, a lot
94. I lived with my parents until I was 27.
95. One day I will run an Ultra Marathon
96. I had a bad habit of picking on my lip growing up, most days it's gone, but some days it returns
97. I hate talking about myself (ironic that I'm doing this...)
98. I have a very high sense of urgency
99. I love to smile and laugh.
100. I have a terrible time remembering to call people back.

So. There you have it. My list of 100 things. I'm sure I left off some REALLY great ones... but, after taking 3 days to get this together... what you see is what you get!

Life

Things have certainly had their ups and downs lately.

I'm focusing more on the ups, as I know downs are things we all have to go through just to reach back to the ups.

Let's see - training for Eagleman has been intense. Except I don't think I'm doing all that I could possibly do to get ready. I'm terrified that the Columbia Tri is only like 8 weeks away.

Swimming with Patti's group has really started to take effect. I definitely notice I'm stronger and slowly getting faster.

I've added another kitty to my household. I hope I didn't have to claim her on the Census. She's all white with amber eyes. A very pretty girl. She and Oliver seem to get along just great. They are really cute. Oliver is now 8 months old and Bella is 1. I suppose he likes his women older =) Only issue so far - she sheds ALL over the place. White hair will be the death of me. Oh, and I forgot to mention, she happens to be hearing impaired... a.k.a. deaf as a doornail.

Work is going well. We have just hit spring break and I couldn't be happier. I'm going to use the week to refocus myself on training for Eagleman. The hours to put in are intense. I'm also going to use it to begin fixing up the garden out front, although I have no idea what I'm doing.

I've applied to go back to school for Principal certification. I am mildly excited about it. I think I'll be even more excited once I work out funding. I have yet to find the money to go.

I'm also going to attend an orientation to volunteer with the Baltimore chapter of Back On My Feet. As part of being a volunteer, you have to attend at least 1 morning run weekly for 4-6 weeks at 5:30am. Not only do I think it's a neat program, but it'll help drag me out of bed at least one day a week to run BEFORE work... and I used to like that.

I've been seriously battling with my weight lately too. I'm hoping its the fact that I'm spending 2 hours a day, 5 days a week training. I've had the appetite of a horse and I'm sure it's because I'm not getting the right foods. I keep consulting my Atheletes nutrition book, but probably not enough. Getting out more with the girls on the weekends also isn't helping. My growing ability to crush Miller Lites continues to amaze me and often, those around me.

Oh, and how could I forget to mention! My sister is having a baby! She is due July 31 and I will be an awesome Aunt to another little girl. I haven't posted on Facebook because I know my sister doesn't exacty want it to be broadcast in that way. But, I forgot I could post it here because most of my FB friends don't even read this.

Off to shower and spend the evening with my goddaughter Carolyn and her sister Katie...!

Donations

Once again, I've taken on the challenge of raising funds for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I'm doing the Aflac IronGirl again, this time as a mentor. I'm excited to help people train for this. All the while, I'm getting in time training for Eagleman in June.

I sent out the second round of donation emails today. I sent out the first about 2 weeks ago. We got a major head start this year. The event isn't until August. Being a mentor, I got a fundraising discount. However, I pledged to raise another $2000. If I was able to meet my goal, that would make my total funds raised $10,000 since 2008. I'm pretty happy with that.

Today, like I said, I sent out my second round of emails. I have received one check in the mail for $300. I should add that this year, people are paying to get their name on my body. Today I received two more donations, one for $50 and one for ....... $1000.

My mouth went dry. I stepped back and mumbled - that must be a mistake... so I emailed the donor and - It was NO mistake.

Here is his response:

"No mistake. We need to support people like you that work hard to help others. I am so busy I find it hard to commit my time to these important efforts. The least I can do is help those that can with generous donations. Thanks for all that you do. I am pulling for you and your mentees this year. Keep me posted."

Wow.

Genetics

Aren't genetics great?

This morning I endured my first colonoscopy AND endoscopy at the grand old age of 27.

Thanks, genetics! I couldn't have done it without you.

And the results? Prove to be true... turns out I have a few lovely things passed down from my dad, one of them being colitis. Luckily, it appears I have a mild form where his is much worse. Hopefully through proper diet, it doesn't get worse. They biopsied a few things in my stomach and colon, so in two weeks I will know more. This seems to be something that is fairly common these days. I think it's due to the food we eat and how it's treated today, but I guess we will never know the answer.

Sigh...

Newest Addiction

Happy New Year everyone!! I hope that everyone enjoyed the holidays and for most of us, it's back to the grind tomorrow. I can't believe how fast the holidays flew by, especially that time between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

I've spent this last week fully submerged in Yoga! About 5 minutes up the street is a Bikram Yoga. I've attended everyday this week and can honestly say I can notice a major difference. Aches and pains I had are no longer there... my flexibility has greatly increased... and it just feels good to sweat out things for 90 minutes in a 110 degree room!

Along with yoga, I've started rehydrating with a product called ZICO. Anyone ever heard of it? It's pure coconut water. It has the ability to benefit your muscle performance, heart health, stress reduction, mental acuity, kidney cleansing, natural hang-over cure (ding, ding ding...!) good for skin, hair and nail health and claims to have five essential electrolytes that your body needs to keep nerves firing, muscles moving and help manage stress. It also has MORE potassium than a banana to prevent cramping and promote recovery. Amazing! I've tried the natural and mango. Both are great. I just ordered a box for the house. I want to see what it does for running and training. Oh, I forgot to mention 11 ounces only has 60 calories. That's not bad...

Next week I'm headed to Florida... well.. not next week - on Friday!!! This year I'm running Goofy's Race and a Half Marathon. We will arrive Friday morning, pick up everything I need and head to the hotel. Saturday morning I'll run the half marathon and Sunday I'll be running the full marathon. Somewhere in there we'll hopefully meet up with Laura and enjoy the nice warm sun. I can't believe race weekend is practically here! I registered for this a year ago!!! 39.3 miles. CRAZY!