Fifteen for Friday

Ladies and gents, it is my pleasure to inform you ... that things are about to get random.

The ever lovely Danielle recently tagged me/game me the Liebster Award, and Liz just did a random things post so I thought I'd combine the two into a post of my own. I'm either incredibly cool, original ... or neither.

1. This morning, I attended a lovely breakfast albeit more of a meet-and-greet at a local elementary school. I've been a tutor through the school district's program for seven years (?), and I'm in fourth year of tutoring the same girl. The breakfast is a chance to meet her teacher this year, talk about any issues and see the classroom. My teacher had a meeting so I talked to the school coordinator and ate a lemon poppyseed muffin while I tried to entertain Miles.

2. The program actually brings a group of students to the office and there are eight of us who work with the kids. We do homework, read and eat snacks. And I make the snacks. Usually, it's a combination of fruit, grain and peanut butter though I might spice things up with Goldfish crackers and carrots. I'll tell you this: Apple and PB is an acceptable combo but putting banana and PB in a tortilla will confuse the heck out of some kids.

3. After tutoring for so long, one of my biggest fears is that Miles will struggle in school and I will not be able to help. They teach things so differently now, and I once had to have a fifth-grader show me how to multiply. Seriously.

4. My co-worker went to Florida and all I got was a stinkin' orange fresh from the grove. Two, actually, because my work husband hates most fruits and gave me his. By the way, the oranges are only stinkin' in the stinkingly awesome way.

5. My work husband and I frequently go to the nearby hospital cafeteria for lunch and one of the cashiers asked me if we were indeed married. I laughed. We make good friends but I'm pretty sure we'd kill each other within a week.

6. My actual husband and I will be celebrating Valentine's Day this weekend. We have a total sexy thing planned. Miles will go to Camp Grandma and then we're going to run a 5K and paint the kitchen. If things get out of hand, we'll get brunch.

7. I initially had high hopes of PRing the 5K but my runs of late have showed me that my fitness might not be where I thought it was. My PR is 25:33 and I finished the same race last year in 27:35. My adjusted goal is to finish closer to the PR than last year's race.

8. I have a $35 gift card to Amazon, and I have no idea how to use it. I considered buying ZCut but some of the reviews say that it's not worth it when you can get the ZWOWs for free on YouTube. I am also thinking of trying protein powder but I hate to see blowing it on something I might not like.

9. My friend has gotten me addicted to this game called Ruzzle. I seriously could play it for hours. If only it didn't eat data on my phone ...

10. I began playing Scrabble as a youngin', sitting on my mom's lap as she played with my grandma. I absolutely love the game, and I still play (and get beat by) Grandma when I visit Cincinnati. Mark even proposed on a Scrabble board, and we had games set out at our wedding for guests to play.

11. I have asparagus on my grocery list but I have no idea why. I am not making anything that asparagus will complement nor do the boys of the house eat it.

12. I am a complete meal planner, and I often know what I'm making for the next week by Wednesday. Our upcoming meal plan includes broccoli pesto from "Happy Herbivore"; Blackened Salmon Po Boys with Alexia Multigrain Onion rings; beef stew; and ... I am still missing a meal. Any ideas?


13. I often track my menus/meal ideas on Pinterest. It's far easier than bookmarking things at work and hoping I remember to print out the recipe before going home. I think I might be one of the few who actually makes the things she pins.

14. This one might not be my style but my friend/roommate posted a story on Facebook about a Disabled veteran asking people to sign a petition as his service dog faces euthanasia for biting woman who beat him with a pole. It's an incredibly sad story and makes me want to hit things.

15. My college roommate deserves a medal for living with me. Mostly because I napped in her bed when I didn't want to climb into my loft.

Happy Friday! Any randomness today?

En plein air

It's no secret that I'm fond of my daycare provider. She makes healthy, fresh-from-the-garden meals; she makes it a priority to teach them good manners; and Miles, at 19 months, already sings "A, B, C, D" and counts to three.

But this morning, I became her biggest fan.

She didn't bat an eyelash or give a sideways look when I dropped off Miles 20 minutes early in full winter running attire. She didn't offer any snarky remarks when I mentioned that I was going to soak up the day's rays on a quick run before work. In fact, she was probably supportive or encouraging as she always comments about how good the example is that I'm setting for Miles.

I'm not going to argue her on that one.

The air was mild (relatively speaking) at 27 degrees, the wind was non-existent and the sun was bright when I arrived at the park. I had briefly considered running downtown from work but knew the park would be clear of yesterday's snow. And even though the park is a frequent haunt, my miles in the basement made the familiar sites welcome.

I set off along the path with two goals in mind: take it easy and enjoy. I didn't want to look at my watch, fretting about pace, nor did I want to squander such a rare chance to run outdoors. Though my runs en plein air were much appreciated last week, my pace wasn't where I wanted and I realized/feared that I had squandered some fitness by spending too much time on the revolving belt.

The first mile or so was a bit lethargic and I had to force myself to look around but as I made my way toward the back end of the park, I began to settle in. My footsteps got lighter. My breathing was steady. My eyes narrowed as the brilliant light reflected off the bright white snow. I pushed my shoulders down and back.

I stopped for a moment around mile two to snap some photos but otherwise kept my feet moving, faster and faster as the miles ticked away. I finished the run just shy of five miles, happy and committed to getting outdoors more frequently. Even if it means sacrificing 20 minutes with Miles a morning or two a week.

Had it not been for one small lapse, the morning would have been an epic success. And by lapse, I mean that I forgot my shoes.

I had taken my gym bag to work, with clean, professional-ish clothes so that I could avoid stopping at home between the run and work. I had a Handful tank that served a dual purpose: bra and base layer; a racerback blouse; blue cardigan; and denim trousers. I even remembered a black belt though, sadly, the pants don't seem to require it these days. A pair of professional shoes - or even the boots that have become uniform these days - were still in my closet ... and in the living room ... and, shit, kitchen. I never, ever wear my running shoes outside of running but thankfully I have an old pair that I keep at my desk in the event I take a lunchtime walk.

I'm pretty sure the hot pink sneakers make the look.