Walkin' to Cure Diabetes!

This morning I woke up bright & early (thanks to my trusty, new Wake-up Light :) ) to participate in a 5k walk in support of Juvenile Diabetes Reseach Foundation (JDRF). The company I work for supported a group walk & we fundraised over $1,000 for it! Plus, it was located at Carowinds, a theme park near Charlotte (hence the picture with the rollercoaster below) - so the scenery was a fun plus!

Did you know...

• More than 15,000 people children and 15,000 adults - approximately 80 people per day - are diagnosed with Type I diabetes (T1D) in the U.S.
• It can come on suddenly, cause dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carry the constant threat of devastating complications

I'm sure that almost everyone out there knows at least 1 person with T1D - it was really inspiring this morning to see groups' t-shirts advertising their support for someone they know (a family member, friend, coworker). JDRF is the largest charitable organization and supporter of T1D research! They also have multiple events throughout the year to raise money for T1D research - walks, rides, kids walks, etc.

There are so many sponsored walks/runs/rides out there, working to raise money for all kinds of things - I encourage you to do some research & choose one to get involved with! They usually have fun activities or music afterwards, and it's a great way to get some exercise into your weekend routine.

Anyone else out there have an event like this coming up? What are you walking/running/biking to help cure?

I've Been Tagged...

Alright, so I was tagged by my good friend Jen, over at A Little Blue to share some information:

 

1. four shows that you watch: 

(1) vampire diaries

(2) one tree hill

(3) gossip girl

(4) greys anatomy

2. four things you are passionate about:

(1) my marriage

(2) my friends

(3) helping others

(4) crafting

3. four phrases you say a lot:

(1) I love you!

(2) No freakin' way!

(3) What the...

(4) I'm tired.

4. four things you've learned from the past:

(1) don't sweat the small stuff

(2) there are definitely things worth fighting for

(3) communication is the key

(4) patience is a virtue

 

5. four places you would like to go:

(1) Ireland

(2) Italy

(3) Australia

(4) Bora Bora

 

6. four things you did yesterday:

(1) worked out/ran on the treadmill

(2) read another chapter of Atlas Shrugged (long book, not easy to get through)

(3) looked for jobs

(4) took a nap

7. four things you are looking forward to:

(1) Christmas

(2) 2011

(3) our 2nd wedding anniversary in March

(4) turning 27 (okay maybe not, but I'm trying to be optimistic)

8. four things you love about winter:

(1) watching snow coming down to cover the ground

(2) wearing lots of hoodies, scarves and cute hats/gloves

(3) drinking lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows

(4) winter activities: ice skating, sledding, snowball fights

 

9. four bloggers who should share their list of fours:

(1) jenn

(2) angie

(3) curt

(4) devan

Run, Forest, Run!

About a month ago, I started running. Running and I usually have a "hate/hate" relationship, but surprisingly lately it's been lovely. Haha, I say lovely, but what I mean is...I don't really like to run, but I do it because it feels really good afterwards! :) Honestly, I am extremely slow...I used to start off pretty fast and then I'd get side stitches or start breathing funny and have to stop. So, I've been starting out slow and staying consistent throughout my entire run (but STILL slow).

We have some really nice trails behind our place and they actually run all throughout Omaha (total distance of trail = 24.10). The hubby, believe it or not, has been running about 12-14 mi. every Saturday...I don't know how he does it, but I'm always so proud of him. He will definitely run a marathon in the next year or two!

Me, I started out running about 2 miles when we first moved here, and just kept increasing my distance each week. This past Saturday was the 2nd time I ran 6 miles!!! 6.2 actually. Here's my time when I hit each mile:


Mile 1: 12:24
Mile 2: 25:58
Mile 3: 39:56
Mile 4: 54:35
Mile 5: 1:09:21
Mile 6: 1:23:58
Total time: 1:26:25
Avg. min/mi: 13.59


Told you I was slow! :) But, I'm still pretty proud of myself...and I intend on keeping it up. I don't know if I'll be running my hubby's distance anytime soon, but my goal for now is 8 miles. What has really helped me is having a "running" playlist on my iPod...without it, I would have wanted to quit so many times. It's amazing how much music can be motivating! Most of my playlist consists of rap and extremely upbeat songs. And my husband has introduced me to Gu which basically just energizes a runner before/during a run. I take some 15 minutes before I run my longer runs and I really think it helps to get me going.

Oh, and the hubby surprised me with a SPIbelt which carries all of my necessary items (phone, ID, key)...it's awesome, it doesn't move around at all while I'm running and it's black/hot pink! :)

So, get ready for some more running updates as running continues to kick my butt!

Time for an Update

Well I figured it was time for an update...things have been a little crazy around my neck of the woods. Hopefully they'll calm down here in a few weeks. So here's what's been going on:

• All of our stuff arrived from the movers...I opted to unpack it (when the military moves you, you can have the movers unpack your boxes for you) so that I could go through everything and put things where I wanted them to go. Here's the aftermath of the unpacking:

It was madness I tell you!!

• My mother came to Omaha again to help me unpack...she was a godsend! She is amazing at cleaning and organizing...she did so many loads of laundry and loads in the dishwasher. Thank you MOM! :) Anyway, we got to explore a little bit more around the greater Omaha area...I took her to Garden Ridge (it's one of her favorite stores). If you don't know or haven't ever been to a GR, it's basically a large decor store (frames, mirrors, pictures, pillows, candles, holiday decor, etc....at REALLY good prices)! Plus, we checked out Texas Road House (Mmmm!) and the Nebraska Brewing Company (the beer was awesome, food was so-so...I'm eager to try it again with the hubby).

• I finished a knitted pair of socks...my first ever FINISHED pair of socks! I have attempted 3 other pairs and have yet to finish any of them...I have the '2nd sock syndrome' and just couldn't seem to get over it. But, the knitting group that I was involved with in Monterey had started a sock-a-long (basically a version of a knit-a-long in which a group of knitters start a project together and vow to finish it in a timely manner). The deadline is at the end of September so I'm proud to say that I finished in plenty of time! :) Here they are start to finish:

 I even used some of my yummy Sunshine Yarns yarn that I've been dyeing to work with...this one is called 'Bella'

• The apartment is coming along very nicely...I know I've promised pictures and they are coming. I just want to surprise the hubby when he gets to Omaha, and since he's a follower of the blog, I don't want him to see anything that might ruin the surprise! ;) But, I promise, I can't wait to show you guys what all I've accomplished with it. It's so much more homier than when I first got here and is really starting to come together.

• Speaking of the husband...he is finally done with his training. He left Monterey 6 months ago for some training and other than seeing him a few days in May...it's been a LONG, LONELY, HARD couple of months. He is done and I will be seeing him in a few days...and I can't even begin to tell you how excited I am to see him and for us to be back together. 

• And, I am happy to report that I've been working out pretty regularly. And it feels great! There's a small fitness center in the clubhouse of our apt. complex, so I've been running on the treadmill, riding the bike and working my arms out a bit. I've also been alternating that with running outside about 1-2 miles. I hate running...but I know I should do it and after awhile, it won't be so hard!

That's about it for now...just mainly working, watching TV (I think DVR is the greatest invention ever...this is my first time having it), and hanging out with the pups. Happy Hump Day!