and now it's snowing

victorious!!

i did it! my first 10k! the longest distance i've ever run! and it felt great. well, maybe i should wait until tomorrow to really give an accurate account of how my body responds. but for now, i'm good.

i've found that the first 10-15 minutes of any type of cardio that i do is some of the most difficult. i don't know why it happens that way, and i wish it didn't. it's always a bit aggravating to feel like i need to stop when i'm not even that far into a workout. however, once i pass that time frame, i feel like the world is mine to conquer. without fail, that's how today's run started out. it was a chilly 40 degrees outside, with a bitch-of-a-wind that would not let up. (thankfully the rain held off until after the race. if it had started raining during the race i would have had to say peace out.) we ran through downtown, the south main district, uptown district, past st jude children's hospital, and finished at autozone park. when i got to the 2 mile marker and saw that i was on pace, that gave me a little boost of self-confidence, and the rest is history!!

63:21 and a smile on my face :)

side note: apparently we had "good" weather for the race because as i look out of my window, sleet is starting to cover the roof of our neighbor's house. thank you, mother nature, for holding off until we could all get warm and safe inside our homes. i think i'll go make some hot chocolate now.

this is me loving food.

my friend rachel has been raving about her new mark bittman cookbook for some time now. considering the godliness she has bestowed upon him, it only seems appropriate that this month's issue of Women's Health has an entire article dedicated to his recipes. these things look delicious and it's all i can do not to run into the kitchen and just start eating everything in sight. let me illustrate this for you:

lamb burger with smoked mozzarella

garlicky shrimp fajitas with guacamole

and these beautiful concoctions are supposed to do good things for my figure!? YES PLEASE. oooowe! i am SO ready to eat. for these recipes and 35 others that also look amaaaazing, click this.

remote blogging

it has been exactly 30 hours since our home internet began NOT WORKING. and i thought i would be ok, but i am not. i feel as though i may  die. i need email, i need facebook, i need news, i need contact with the outside world. so i went to otherlands.

otherlands is this amazing little coffee shop about 2 blocks from my house. it has a couple different rooms, so there are appropriate places to eat, drink, socialize, study, or merely exist. there's wonderful local art on the walls- paintings and photographs- that's really inspiring me to get back into painting and crafting. i went to michael's craft store today to pick up some things for my booming (ha) card making business. i have made ONE card to date. and i was my own client. my friend rachel for into law school- yay!- so i made her a congrats card. i should have taken a pic of it to post here, but because i am such a brilliant business-woman... i did not. 

ok. let's get back on track. even though i hope that we can fix our internet soon, i think i may start spending more time here, just sitting, sipping, and browsing. it really has been quite and enjoyable hour and a half. despite many people's pessimistic attitude about memphis and what it has to offer, little gems like otherlands exist all over this city, and i'm always thrilled to find a new one. 

sweeeeetness

so i've come down with a bug. i think it's only allergies, but my dad had something similar earlier this week and his progressed into more of a cold. i'm really hoping that doesn't happen, since i'm hosting an engagement party tomorrow night and in general i pretty much loathe being sick in any way, shape, or form.

so last night, in an attempt to feel just a little better, i spent some quality time with the fabulous girls of sex and the city. first, the movie. then season 4. I LOVE IT. i did have a wonderful, relaxing bath in between, just so my laziness wouldn't fuse me to the bed. and the boyfriend was at school studying for yet ANOTHER assessment (only 2 more!! yay!). i saw yet another benefit of having a wonderful, caring, loving boyfriend. i needed some more allergy medicine and some sugar-free popsicles. he shows up with allergy medicine, popsicles, orange juice, kleenex, AND ghirardelli chocolate!! so sweet! i'm talking about the boyfriend, not the chocolate. well, the chocolate, too.

chocolate, warm baths, sex and the city, popsicles, and LOVE. life is complete.

work it out!!

so our mexico trip is in about 8 weeks, and i need to get going on this "bikini body" situation. god bless google, because i stumbled across a wonderful library of workout videos, catered to specific purposes- like getting a bikini body. cha-ching!

Workout Videos from Fitness Magazine

and i am looking forward to buying that bathing suit i've been eyeing for six months.

perfect valentine's

we did it low key last night. our first choice for a restaurant was already booked up early in the week, so instead of searching for a place that would clearly be runner-up, we opted for a night in. it was quite a contrast to last year's valentine's- a romantic, candle-lit dinner at Paulette's... hands down one of the most romantic restaurants in memphis. and it was an absolutely perfect night and one i'll never forget. regardless of the differences between this year and last, they were equally as wonderful, enjoyable, and romantic. 

this year we decided to "keep it real", if you will. 

we picked up a bottle of wine

 went to target and got a movie

 and yummy chocolates

and then went to little caesar's for their $5 hot-n-ready pizza deal (which by the way is the best deal any company that has ever existed has ever invented- we LOVE it).  

it was one of the most perfect valentine's days EVER. we had a wonderful time together, talking laughing, snuggling. 

all of this proves that it doesn't matter where you go, what you do, of how much money you spend, valentine's day is made perfect by the person that you spend it with.

happy anniversary to us

the best 4 years of my life.

HOLA RIVIERA MAYA!!

i booked our spring getaway this morning!!! aaaaahhhhhhhh i am sooo excited i can't even describe it. april 26 cannot come soon enough. we've got a non-stop flight, all-inclusive resort package, and a GREAT price. i don't know how much it would cost to do an excursion trip to some mayan ruins, but that would be sweeeet. i now have time to do some research and figure out what all there is to do around the resort. that is, assuming that we could peel ourselves off the white sandy beach long enough to do something else. doubtful.

it is also a priority to figure out how financially likely it will be that i can participate in THIS:

PLEEEEEEEASE.

oh god.

my driver's license expires on my birthday so i logged onto tennessee.gov to renew that bad boy. i was debating whether or not to get a new picture, since my current one was taken circa unstyled hair and 5 yrs younger. and i'm thinking i'll probably want a new picture on my i.d. since it won't expire til 2014. and let's see, in 2014 i'll be... oh dear god.

30

in2014i'llbe30in5yearsonlyfiveyearsthat'snotverylongfiveyears. 

t h i r t y . 

SO i decided to keep my current picture. end of story.

4 days worth of thoughts. get comfy.

i just realized how wieeeeerd i am! i mean, i've always known i had a slightly crazy side but this confirms it. i am currently watching tv, waiting for my 9:30pm bowling date to arrive, and i am flipping back and forth between 2 shows. The "Planet Earth" Documentary. and E!'s "The Girls Next Door". HA! even i cannot believe the extent of my diversity :)

and i find both shows fascinating. for different reasons, obviously, but nevertheless, FASCINATING. it's amazing how many parallels you can draw between the struggles of African wildlife and the pressures of becoming a playmate. survival of the fittest. or the most surgically enhanced. same thing, right?

anyway. on the 21st, i'm having an engagement party for a childhood friend. it will be a modest party, but i'm determined to make it as great as it can be. all of the people coming to the party are old old old friends - like, 1st grade friends - and we don't get a lot of chances to visit now that everyone leads their own grownup life.  BUT here's what i'm thinking for food:

spanish salted almonds (see  post from jan 2nd)

croissant rolls

spinach dip with pita chips

guacamole with tortilla chips

shrimp with cocktail sauce

cranberry meatballs

veggie & fruit plate

valentine's candies

chocolate chip cookies

and assorted DRINKS!!!

yay! can't wait!!

sean and i are celebrating our 4 year anniversary next week. :) we usually combine anniversary and valentine's since they are so close. this year, we've decided on dinner at The Tower Room American Grill. i've wanted to eat there for years, since it has a wonderful, high rise view of memphis. and i've heard the food is delish. regardless, it sounds like a good valentine's spot, and it shouldn't break the bank. so i'll let you know.

alright, i think we're caught up.

enjoy your friday and i'll enjoy mine. 

love it

i am obsessed with any show that has anything to do with houses: design, sales, organization... ANYTHING. sometimes i wonder what my true calling is. i mean, is it normal that i can watch the exact same design/home show over and over and over and over...? sean said it accurately today. "jennie, i barely watch any tv. and i've seen this episode at least twice." touche, seany. but i just can't get enough. 

some of my favorites are clean house, my first place, curb appeal, property virgins, designed to sell,  AAAAAAAAND...... house hunters international!!! at this very moment, a lovely british family of three is searching for a new home in the english countryside. and i'm so very glad they invited me along.  there's just something about watching people search

 for real estate. in a foreign country. it rocks my socks off.