Dog vs. Date Boy

Let's just say... if this was the first time I ever met guitar boy (Mark)... it would probably be the last.  He's not a huge dog person, so I purposely suggested we go to his house the first time we played guitars.  That way the potential of wanting to hang out again wouldn't be altered by a dog.  So naturally, our second hangout was going to happen at my place this time, and I warned him I have a crazy dog.  Tonight Sadie was NOT on her best behavior... and if I hadn't already hung out with Mark before... he might've left wiping his brow, letting out a huge sigh, and thinking, "Sheesh, I'm not going into that apartment again!"  And of course then I would say, "Well fine that-- I didn't like you anyway."  It's a huge bonus if the guy likes my dog and actually plays with her and gives her attention.  But it's not totally essential, as long as they can at least tolerate her over-friendliness and spastic energy levels.  Mark was more on the "tolerate" end of the spectrum, and I think he's allergic to dogs so that makes it tricky.  

Guitar date boy was here for only 2 minutes when Sadie took off out the door.  I'd opened it to step outside to cut my fingernails (a "must do" before playing the guitar) and Sadie was one step ahead of me.  Usually she'll go down the 3 flights of stairs, turbo a few circles in the grass, and eventually run back upstairs.  Of ALL the nights for her to choose to really run away and go crazy all over the parking lot, up and down the sidewalk, and all kinds of routes across the grass... tonight was the night.  I couldn't even get close to her to try to grab her or even tackle her.  She was on the run and not about to come back.

Test #1:  Will Mark come outside and try to play the hero and help?  (What's the right answer, people?  Not sure what I should have expected)  

Answer:  Nope.  He stayed on the couch, playing the guitar.  I was actually totally okay with that... but I think it would've been a few bonus points if he'd come out to help round up the chaos.

I finally gave up and came upstairs.  Mark was surprised I'd returned without the dog.  I grabbed a doggy treat to use for bribery if needed.  Sadie had run into the fenced in playground area, and I'd closed the gate.  So at least she was kind of stuck in there and couldn't get out.  When I went back down (super mad and embarrassed at that point), she came right over to me, let me put her leash on, and came upstairs.  Ooooh, the little punk.  So her consequence was sitting in her kennel for an hour and 15 min while Mark and I played our guitars and watched a basketball game.

I let Sadie out and told her to be good.  She jumped onto the couch and grabbed the paper Mark had been writing chords on.  Ran a few circles, made a few tears... Sadie was back in her kennel.

20 minutes later I let her out again.  We're back to playing guitars and suddenly Sadie's running with Mark's wallet in her mouth.  Sadie was back in her kennel.  And she stayed there until Mark left.

I'm not super giddy or really even drawn to guitar boy... but he's nice and we enjoy hanging out in this fashion.  I'd been hoping to play games or add some other aspect to the night, but after a few hours, Mark said he should get home because he had an early morning coming up... as do I.  So I was okay with ending the night. He said we should play again (of course) and I challenged him to a game of Blokus.  I'm super competitive with games so maybe that will reveal a not-so-good side of me.  But hey... that's me.  

As for Sadie.  I'm not mad at her.  She's still a cute little white and brown dog that is simply cooped up in a condo all day and wishes she could run and play until she's too exhausted to lift her paws.  So we just have to adjust to the circumstances.  I guess since I don't have any sort of "feelings" for Mark, the night didn't phase me as much as it could have if I was super in "like" with him and wanted everything to go smoothly.  I just had to roll with the little mishaps and hope that he wasn't hating everything.  

I think we survived.  And of course now Sadie is really calm and peaceful.  Pretty sure this is how a single mom with kids feels if she tries to attempt dating and brings the guy home to a chaotic house.  I hope I'm never a single mom with kids trying to date people.  That's tough.  But I DO hope I'm a mom with kids one day. :)

Next date:  The other guitar boy who's taking me to Comedy Sportz.  Should be a good one...

Guitar = Date

So, remember my date with guitar guy a month ago? (Review date with guitar guy)  Well, we're finally going to meet up again... to play guitars.  Maybe you're thinking, "Oooh! Another date, good Bree!"  But I'm thinking, "Hmm... does this guy only want to play guitars and that's it?"  Because I'm a busy woman and I don't have free time to just get together and have a jam session regularly. (It would be nice if I DID have the time, but my free time is limited and precious and if it's set aside for a date of some sort, it would be nice if it actually was a date.)  So, this guy is Mark, who was a set-up from a friend.  We haven't hung out since that first time, mainly due to both of us being sick at different times, my false hernia, busy schedules, etc.  Well, Friday brings another "let's play guitars" event, and this time he is coming to my apartment.  That means I'm in charge, and if I want to not play guitars after an hour and do something else instead, I get to decide that.  Also, Sadie will be a bonus distraction from guitars and will probably provide some fun entertainment.

But don't get me wrong-- I'm not anti-guitars on dates or anything.  My beautiful guitar actually scored me another date for the weekend!  Back in December I played at my first open mic night (other than talent shows and BYU's guitars unplugged).  It was at some guy's house in Holladay and I played 4 songs and people told me I was a hit. But I won't toot my own horn... or should I say pluck my own strings? *ahem*  

ANYWAY... there was a guy there who performed before me.  Zach.  Or Zack.  I don't even know yet... nor do I know his last name, which I prefer right now so I don't Facebook stalk him! :)  All I remember is he played well and sang and seemed kind of nervous, but it was cute.  We talked for a while after I performed and I was proud of myself for going out of my comfort zone to introduce myself and make conversation.  Actually, I'm super awkward around guys, especially in a large social setting (I don't go to parties and usually avoid those kinds of situations)... but I talked to this Zach kid and he was nice.

My friend told me that same friend of her's is having another open mic night and invited me to perform again. I told her yes.  Then she told me she'd given Zach my number and hoped it was okay.  I vaguely remembered him from that night and thought, "What the heck... I might as well go along with it, right?"  He called me yesterday.  Weird number-- I didn't answer.  He didn't leave a message.  That same number called again today, and this time he left a message.  Weird number was him.  Zach.  Calling to say hi.  Good boy!  Just the way it should be... girl gives him a number... says he should call her friend... and boom, he actually does it.  I called him back and we chatted for 15-20 minutes while I took Sadie for a walk.  After the normal get-to-know-you small talk with a few inserted jokes and laughs, he asked if I wanted to go to a comedy club on Friday.  (Friday?  No can do.  Guitar date with Mark, the guitar date guy).  But I told him I could do it on Saturday, and luckily that works for Zach too.  

P.S.  For those of you who know what Comedy Sportz is... I LOVE IT!  (It's a fun place where 2 teams of 3 people basically "compete" with improv comedy with different skits and scenarios. Like "Who's Line Is It Anyway."  The audience is very much involved and basically gets to vote on their funny favorites.)  I would go there every weekend if I had the time and money.  And I love that for a date.  So Zach chose a good first date place.  We're going to the one in Salt Lake, which isn't the same as the one I'm used to in Provo... but improv comedy is always a good time, as long as it's good, clean humor!

So I was already thinking I should tell Mark (guitar date boy) about the open mic night because it's something he might enjoy.  But I asked Zach if he was playing at it again and he's thinking about it.  Hmmm... that could be a tricky situation to show up with one guy and the other guy is there too.  So maybe I'll leave Mark out of this one... or just invite a whole bunch of friends to come so it's like, "Oh hey! Mark!  Good to see you... Zach! Hey, you came!"  and do that to other people who come also. Who knows.  The open mic night is March 26th.  I have some time to figure it out.  

But for now I have no problem staying home, watching movies, and wearing old pajama pants.

Cookie Crumbs

My Girl Scout Cookies Are Gone.

I ate them.  All of them.

Now I can go on living normal again...

Letters to Share

This blog post has been inspired (and pretty much copied) from my friend Katie Bastian, whose blog I LOVE.  Every now and then she'll write random letters (like journal entries) to anyone and post her thoughts, concerns, feelings, etc.  I've decided to do the same...

Dear Puppy,

I'm sorry you don't have a yard to run in or a grassy area to lay in when it's sunny outside.  I'm also sorry that big dog around the corner turned out not to be your friend when we thought he was.  I'm sorry you really don't get to HAVE any friends because dogs are weird and don't know how to be appropriately social.  Maybe we should let you be in PetSmart training classes again so you can make dog friends.  I love that you are straddling the couch right now with your head in the blinds, staring out the window at mid-night.  You're a weird, furry little thing but I love you.

Dear BYU Basketball Fans,

I watched the game too, and I'm a huge, sore loser.  I hate losing, especially when there was so much hype and good reason to think we were going to win.  It doesn't even make sense that I'm so affected by the loss because 3 months ago I didn't even really care about or watch college basketball. I usually only follow football. I confess that I'm a bandwagon jumper this season and have become obsessed with BYU's success and completely support and admire the ridiculous skills of Jimmer Fredette.  Hopefully we'll have some magical success in the next game.  *sigh*

Dear Roommate/Land Lord/Best Friend,

Thank you for giving me a place to live.  Thank your sister for giving me a bed to sleep in.  I'm sorry that an open Saturday night that should have and could have been a lot of fun, turned out to be the opposite.  I'm sorry that I can be really moody without good reason.  But I hope you know how much I loved hanging out last night.  Listening to the BYU game in the car on the radio, eating tasty treats and cheering our heads off-- it was so much fun.  And as I took Sadie for a walk afterwards, I thought: "I love my life right now.  I love that I just spent the last 2 hours with my best friend having such a good time."  And those are the moments I forget that I'm 30 and single and often feel like I'm going no where... but instead just feel happy and content.  Thank you for being a good friend.  And I hope you can overlook my faults and weaknesses.

Dear Teens,

I absolutely LOVED skiing with you today.  I love that the ski people assigned me to be a coach for 2 of you when I really hardly feel like a skier myself... but they think I'm good enough.  I love that they watched me go down with one of you when I helped you FINALLY make big, safe, wide turns and not go out of control.  I also love that I laughed my head off when I was going down with another one of you and you completely flew off down the hill and my "successful teaching" wasn't so helpful that time.  I love that my job today didn't feel like a job at all.  I love you kids.  I love that you are willing to try new things and really take advantage of great opportunities.  Also,  I'm not rich enough to buy you McDonald's breakfast every Saturday but I was in a good mood and enjoyed doing it today.  

Dear Boys in My Ward,

Not a single one of you has ever asked me on a date in the last 2 years that I've been in the ward.  The sad thing is I totally would go on a date with any of you-- not because I want to marry all of you, but simply because I'm nice and would go on a date with you.  If you had asked.  

Dear Male Species,

I wish I could watch a romantic comedy with at least ONE secret love interest in my life to think about.  Unfortunately there isn't a single person to linger in my thoughts right now.  Where are you?  

Dear Friend,

I'm glad you needed help with your Spanish tonight.  I don't speak it enough, but when I do-- especially when I read or speak it out loud-- I am reminded of how much I love it.  And I feel things differently in Spanish, like the words are more meaningful.  I miss speaking Spanish... and then I miss my mission.  I hope your Spanish attempt goes well tomorrow.

*Sigh*  I feel better now. Thank you Katie Bastian. :)

Running Report: Back on Track

Well it's official.  I have to start running and can't afford to lose anymore time.  Let's face it-- I've paid a total of $240 for the upcoming relays and races I'm running in.  I REALLY can't afford to just toss out that money and then not do my part in training and getting back in shape.

Future goal dates:

April 9-- 5k or 10k to benefit The Boys & Girls Club  
May 14-- Red Rock MOAB! 6 person relay  (First year for the race)  Red Rock Relay website
June 17-18-- Ragnar Wasatch Back (Logan to Park City), 12 person relay  Ragnar Wasatch Back website
September 9-10-- Red Rock St. George, 12 person relay 


Right now I don't have any plans for another half-marathon this year, but that may change over the summer.  It's a heavy goal for me and a big accomplishment, but I want to make sure I'm doing strength training and more cross-training to get my legs in shape and reduce any knee pains and issues that I started to feel this past fall.  Basically, I just want to be smarter about things and not run my bones into the ground.

So!  How did I get back in the running groove?  My job, of course!  We have an awesome board member for the Boys & Girls Club (a cool lady in her 30's named Sam) and she volunteered to start a "running club" with the teens to get them ready for a 5k in April.  So every Wednesday we'll run as a group and increase our mileage weekly to work the teens up to 3.1 miles.  Precious!  So even though I'd been sick this week, I brought my stuff to work, ready to transform into my running character that evening.  There were 3 girls who were tough enough to take on the challenge.  And I did wear my bandanna and told the teens I had to be gangsta to keep the hair and sweat out of my face.

We ran a simple mile on a route I'd mapped out in the neighborhood around the Club, and it was probably the easiest mile I've ever run!  Especially after taking so much time "off" lately, I thought I would die.  But we trotted along at a comfortable pace... I called out random times along the way, "6 minutes and 31 seconds... good job ladies! Keep it up!" and suddenly we were rounding the bend to finish off the mile.  It was great! I'm actually surprised 2 of the girls stuck it out, with their flat-soled Keds and Converse which aren't comfortable at all to begin with.  Bless their hearts. As we were stretching on the front lawn of the Club, we saw other staff members and kids watching and pointing from the window-- we felt cool! :)  I'm hoping this little running club grows as other teens start to see the fun we're having.  Eventually we'll start driving places to go do our runs-- like the river parkway trail, or running trails closer to the mountain, or Sugar House park, etc.  It will be lovely.  And this is part of my job. Amen!

I still had my running attire on when I came home from work that night, so I decided to run another 15 minutes just around the neighborhood.  I actually like running at night-- despite the sometimes creepiness to it all-- but I stay in well-lit areas and run in the middle of the road (when cars aren't around) so weirdos can't jump out of the bushes or anything.  And the night air is refreshing and delightful.  However-- I usually do most of my runs in the morning, just so you all don't get freaked out and feel like you need to warn me of the dangers of being out at night.  I know, I know.  It's like texting and driving.  I'm improving and being more careful. :)

This morning I got up and went running as planned.  I love to color coordinate my outfits, which is practically half of my motivation to get out the door.  Today I wore black capri running pants with a green stripe down the sides.  I wore a long-sleeved black "sweat absorbing" shirt with a green running shirt on top.  My bandanna of choice was blue & green tie-dye (thank you Mom) and of course my silver and pink Saucony's.  Too bad the shoes didn't match. I'm sure people who drive by me probably think I look like some maniac girl with short hair sticking up all over and bright colors everywhere... but it all makes me happy and I don't care. I've chosen not to run with my iPod the past 2 days because sometimes I prefer the peace of running outside and not having to fiddle with anything.  But I do enjoy my "running genre music" and look forward to busting those songs out soon.

I also played basketball tonight (another disaster as far as my skills go)... so I considered it a good hour of sprinting up and down the court with a few pauses here and there.  Good exercise.  *ahem*

I took a risk and did maybe 15 lunges on each leg today.  I just want to see the level of soreness that may appear tomorrow.  I have another full Saturday of skiing with the teens and don't want to overdo it before then.  If tomorrow comes and I'm fine, then I know that 15 lunges are okay and I won't be limping for 5 days like last time.  Like I said before-- I just need to be smart about things and not kill myself over dumb things.

Last year I started running in January/February... and by October I'd lost 20-25 lbs.  The great thing is all I did was run.  I never did crunches or push-ups or squats or any other random things. I didn't cross-train or eat crazy healthy.  I just ran because I liked it and was excited to see the pounds shed along the way.  But this year I want to work-out better all around. I want to run when I should run.  I know I need to do strength training exercises for my legs, arms, abs, etc. to keep my body healthy and fit in all areas!  And I need to take advantage of cross-training opportunities:  I love roller blading!  I love biking!  I love sports.  I need to allow myself to take the time to do those things too and not do running ALL the time.  I'm hoping this will be a good year of growth and change.  Oh, and then there's eating.  The more consistent I am with exercising... the better my eating habits are.  Diets are no good for me.  I end up splurging way too much.  But if I stay within the realm of the meals I know that I like (that aren't complete junk)... I'm on a good path.

At this point I have gained 10 lbs back since my lowest weight in the fall... and I'd like to get back down to that magical number again.  It's my secret number.  And I know weight isn't a huge deal, but it's something to measure and if clothes fit better along the way... it's a good thing to keep me motivated.

Well this has certainly been one jumble of a rambling session!  Thank you for coming along for the ride. :)  Stayed tuned until next time!

Girl Scout Cookies. They're Baaaaaack.

*Ahem*  This is pretty much how it goes for me.  I wonder why the Girl Scout boss people choose March as the month for the cookies to appear.  It's so not fair.  January is when people try to kick new year's resolutions into place, and it usually takes until February to finally get on board.  Then *WHAM!*  Cookie season, for crying out loud.  And it's tricky because you order them like a month before-- forget about them-- and then they come at the worst possible time.  In my case, the week I decided to be super careful about my eating habits and write down every little thing in a food journal.  What?  Did I really order 4 boxes of cookies?  That's embarrassing.  Must've been a rough day. :)

To back up a few weeks, I went snowboarding in Colorado over President's Day weekend and witnessed a genius idea.  A few girls and their moms had set up a Girls Scout cookie table right inside the lodge of the resort!  People in and out all day long, hungry and exhausted.  And in my case, I simply thought, "Dang, that's a great idea!"  So I bought a box of the caramel ones just to give them props for doing it.  That box only lasted about a day, between me and 2 other people.  (Thank you to Jaide and Cassity for helping me not eat the entire box myself).

So yes, last week I started eating healthy.  I whipped out the "Super Market diet" book to follow for menu ideas and shopping lists.  I really did write down everything I ate each day, and noticed on the days I was eating right, it felt good to write it down.  Sliced apples... broccoli... don't mind if I do!

Then Friday came... and so did my 4 boxes of cookies.  Yikes!  Here's what I ordered:

The names of these cookies have changed so many times, I just call them whatever I want:  chocolate peanut butter ones... peanut butter cookie ones... caramel ones... and thin mints are still thin mints.  I don't know if I have a #1 favorite, but I do love the perfect chewiness of the caramel ones.  Mmmm!  And my least favorites are the thin mints, although they seem to be most everyone else's favorites.  In fact,  I could just throw away the box of them now and not feel sad about it.  They're waxy and don't do anything in milk.  The peanut butter ones, however... mmm.... they're crispy, soft, and perfect dunked in some milk.  *sigh*  And as for the chocolate peanut butter ones-- chocolate peanut butter ANYTHING is delicious to me.  

I shared some with Cassity the other night.  I made a "variety plate" of each kind and a few cookies of each.  Do you know how many CALORIES were screaming from that plate??  Well, just to give you an idea... a serving size is "2 cookies", which is generally 7-9 grams of fat, or 140-160 calories.  You do the math, because I refuse.  It's probably not a coincidence that I missed the last 4 days of writing in my food journal.  (oops)

So then I think:  "Hmmm... is it better to just eat them all at once so they're all gone".... or.... "Should I savor them over the next few weeks and drag it out longer?"  I still haven't come to a conclusion.  But here I sit-- home from work because I'm sick.  I have 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies in my cupboard.  WOW I could really make a mess of myself right now!  But I haven't eaten any today, so far... and that's an accomplishment.

Remember how I need to start running?  Yeah.  Everything under the sun is working against me.  If it's not my own body, it's the world around me. :)  For now, I'll stay cozy inside, feeling oh so powerful with 4 boxes of Girl Scout cookies... with all the control in the world of whether or not I'll eat them, share them, or save them.

P.S.  Did anyone else ever watch "Troop Beverly Hills" when they were younger?  I seriously watched that movie ALL the time!  Here's a little clip to celebrate cookie sales and what not.  Yee haw!

I Hate When I'm Sick.

Being sick is one of the things I hate most.  Especially the day before you really ARE sick, when you start feeling the symptoms of a sore throat, water eyes, sneezing, runny nose... and hope for some miracle that you'll wake up the next morning and you'll feel fine.  Wrong.  Today I woke up and definitely felt worse.  If I was in high school I would've thought, "Yes, I can tell mom I don't feel good and see if I can stay home from school."  But today I awoke knowing I had a Relief Society presidency meeting, ward council meeting, and then 3 more hours of church.  I'm too old to make excuses or have my mom or dad tell them I won't be at church today.  I still had to take the dog out in the cold, wet morning air, get ready as usual, and make it to church on time.  I made it through the first 2 meetings and the first hour of church-- then I went home early.  Luckily I have a nice roommate who made us soup for dinner after she got home from church.  That makes life easier.

But I'm still sick.  The dog still needs to go out.  And I feel miserable.  I hate it. 

I also hate that 2 weeks ago I couldn't walk due to severe post-workout soreness; 1 week ago I couldn't run due to "hernia"-like pains and symptoms. And now when I've finally overcome those struggles, I'm just plain sick.  Some evil force out there REALLY wants to keep me from running and getting back into shape.  For crying out loud, get off my back!  Can't a girl just feel good and normal?  *sigh*  Hopefully soon...