Half Marathon - Check!

Two weeks ago I ran my very first half marathon! That's 13.1 miles and I did it in 2 hours and 31 minutes. My family and friends stood on the sidelines and cheered me on at various points of the run, which was amazing (especially since it was cold and raining). I am quite proud of myself, and would love to run another one again someday. It was a lot of fun and such an accomplishment to know that I'm capable of running for that length of time. Honestly, I still can't believe I did it!

If you would have asked me a year ago if I could run 13 .1 miles, I would have said something to the tune of "Do you KNOW me?! The only athletic bones in my body were likely injured during my 14 years of cheerleading." When I began this journey nine months ago, I didn't even like running. I could hardly run one mile without being extremely exhausted. What a difference a great training regimen makes.

I ran a 5K yesterday, and it was my first time running again since the half, and it felt great! I can't believe I'm saying this, but I can't wait to get back on the track and do more long distance runs!

A visitor in our Sunday School class last week heard that I ran the half and asked if I was a runner. Having never been asked that question in my entire life, I paused, thought for a moment and said...."Well, I guess I am."

Thanks for your support, friends!
B

The Race is (Almost) On

These are the shoes that will take me across the finish line of my very first Half Marathon. I'm feeling a mix of emotions about the big day, but above all I'm ready for it to get here (Memorial Park: I will NOT miss seeing you at 5 A.M.) I have no doubts that I'll be able to finish the 13.1 miles, and I'm praying for no injuries or illness over the next two weeks. This has been such a challenging and rewarding experience so far, and I've learned that you can truly do ANYTHING you put your mind and body to! No task is too big for me and God to tackle together!

I'm looking forward to crossing that finish line in 14 days!
Brittney

How about a resolution?

I always feel compelled to make a few resolutions, you know, get into the New Year's Spirit. Heck, I even kept a few of the ones I made last year, and broke a few as well. There's a lot to be said for ambition, right?

This year, I hope to run a half marathon (which I'll cross off on January 30), have more date nights with J, and take more time for myself. And, ok, I'll throw in the "lose 10 pounds" one, too.

Happy New Year, everyone!

B

Well, hello there....

I know you don't want to hear any lame excuses about my lack of blogging lately, so I won't bore you with them. I will give you a run down, however, of what I've been up to lately, and just some of my random thoughts! Then, I'll follow up with some pics over the next few days!

- Christmas with the Adams' family (hosted here at our house) last weekend; lots of cooking, catching up and laughs!
- Christmas with J's family in Baton Rouge this week; lots of fun, gifts, parties, people and great memories! A little exhausting....
- Performed in the Really, Really Big Christmas Show at Second Baptist Church and had a blast! I'll post pictures of it, it was such a moving experience and I got to hangout with/meet really great people!
- Hosted our first Christmas Party at the house and it was SO fun! Lots of fun stories from that night, and got to show off our new casa to our friends and family!
- Training for the 1/2 marathon still (absolutely NO pictures will be posted of it) - farthest run so far is 8 miles....less than 40 days to go! Boy, is it a lot of work and time!
- Obsessed with reading on my new Kindle (I think I'll actually have my book club book read before our meeting this month!)
- Studying to get my CDL....don't laugh! Someone has to drive my cheerleaders to away games, people. I'll be spending the better part of my week, unfortunately, at the DPS.
- Also obsessed with scarves....my answer to the daily dilemma of "what necklace should I wear"
- Also majorly obsessed with the Tory Burch purse J surprised me with for Christmas! L-O-V-E it! He got lots of brownie points for that one!
- Loving the color gray this season - it just seems to go with everything!

....more to come, later.

Continued to be blessed beyond measure.
B

So, I've been MIA

I really do want to keep up blogging, not that you can tell from my absence here lately! Let me tell you where I've been, though if you know me at all, you can probably guess the first two!

1. SBS Cheer! Football season is in full swing, so that means Friday night football games, pep rallies, volleyball games and daily practices! It's been a great year so far! I'm obsessed with my 15 girls and truly feel honored to coach them daily!

2. LSU - it's been a wild ride so far (except for tonight's Auburn loss...boo)! We've had fun traveling to BR for games!

3. I'm applying for provisional membership to the Houston Junior League. Apps are due Monday and I'm finalizing my signatures today. It's quite a process!

4. Training for the 1/2 marathon! It's really changed my life & schedule. I go to bed pretty early now so that I can be up for my 5 a.m. weekday runs. It has really changed my life more than I expected - my eating schedule is different, I peak in energy earlier in the day - its been fun!! I ran a 5K this morning, which was great!

5. And, I've been sparsely keeping up with our lovely house and seeing friends and family! Excited for another 2 weekends to be in town to do more of this!

Happy Fall!
B

Where did August go??

Is it really the end of August? Sheesh! That means its practically Christmas (at least according to Hobby Lobby it is!). Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to this month:

Hanging out with family and friends at White Linen Nights!

We went to Denver for Jeremy's friend, Quinn's wedding!
It was beautiful! Another pic from the fun wedding weekend!

Other miscellaneous August activities:

• I GOT INTO THE HALF MARATHON! Yes, you read that correctly! I'll be running 13.1 miles in January! I'm so nervous/excited! I've been training since May, and ran my first 3 miles this past weekend and it went great. I seriously felt like I could've kept going (but I was happy to stop!). I'll keep you posted on my progress!
• Football season has begun! SBS started last Friday and LSU begins this weekend! We'll be heading to Atlanta for the Chick-Fil-A kickoff game (LSU vs. North Carolina). I'm SOOOO excited!!! Geaux Tigers!!!
• I got great news last night - my brother and his wife are expecting their first baby!! Soo excited to be another Aunt! Come April 2011, I'll have 5 nieces/nephews! Holy Moly!
• We had the chance to spend QT with our Compass friends this past weekend and had such a great time out at Cedar Creek! We love our St. Luke's friends!! They are such a blessing to both of us!!
• Work has been CRAZY busy - but I love it! I have the opportunity to work on major SBS events this year, and though its been stressful, I really enjoy the satisfaction of knowing you planned something thoroughly and it all goes well! I like it :)
• What am I reading? I read several books in July (The Alchemist, Bitter is the New Black, Heart of the Matter, and Perfect on Paper). My favorite was Perfect on Paper - a great chic lit book with a lot of heart! Loved it! Book Club is reading a book about the Salem Witch Trials...not sure about this one yet, TBD!
  
• What am I watching? Drop Dead Diva! Tell me you are watching it!! Best show ever - the lead actress has this uber confidence that is so compelling! I love it! Too bad the season finale is sitting on my DVR from last night....
• What am I not doing because I'm blogging? WORKING!! Gotta go people, duty calls!

Love, love!
Brittney