2.5+

We ran 2.5 miles last night (at the very least -- it may have been more). It took me a long time to get going, though, because I was not dressed appropriately for the cold, and my lungs were not doing well at the beginning. Once I warmed up, though, I kept a solid pace and finished strong, never stopping (not even at the beginning when running was difficult).

Today, I fit into my goal pants -- the goal pants I wanted to wear to Thanksgiving at Nicole's mom's house. They fit. They are snug, admittedly, but they FIT. I have them on. I can sit, I can walk ... it's all good. And I have a week to spare (to get rid of this spare, wah wah).

Running 2.5 miles makes me think we can do this next week. 4 miles. We'll run slowly, but we'll do it. We can do it. One step closer to running a half marathon.

Post-It Notes

Post-it Notes are a major aspect of my teaching, strangely enough.

I tend to jot down details that I need to remember: who walked in late, what I need to cover in class tomorrow, ideas for lesson plans for next semester...there are post-it notes EVERYWHERE.

I'm a Senior Advisor this year, as well, and the post-it notes are a part of advising them -- we have a blackboard filled with our school year goals (some include getting accepted into colleges, enjoying their last year, playing video games...). The post-it notes are specifically for college applications: once a student applies, s/he receives a blank post-it note to write what school s/he applied to. So far, there are 21 post-it notes on the board.

The post-it notes symbolize goals -- what I want to accomplish, or what I want my students to accomplish.

It's not surprising, then, that I have post-it notes taped to my laptop. The one on the left where my left wrist rests as I type this says:
Washington Park
11/26 -
Thanksgiving
5K
Turkey Trot

I wrote it 9 weeks ago and it's been there ever since (with no coffee stains, which is amazing). I wrote it before I knew the race WASN'T a 5K, but instead is a 4 miler.

The right post-it note says:
11/26 - 4 miles
12/5 -- Colder Boulder
12/1 - 12/30 -- 30-45 minute runs
1/1 - 3/1 -- 10K Training
5/31 - Bolder Boulder

I like being able to make goals and ACTUALLY KEEP THEM. It's amazing to me.

I know this blog is about our 101 things together, and we've been focusing on one for a while now (running a half-marathon), but this blog is kind of like one of my post-it notes. It's a reminder.

1. Thank your lucky stars you have someone who loves you.
2. Stop eating like a heifer.
3. Keep moving forward in life.
4. I'm imperfect. That's the way it is. I can only strive to be a better person.

A few thoughts before class

My night class starts in an hour; I have one more paper to grade, Starbuck's to grab, and this blog to write.

I'm a busy person!

First of all, I love being able to look back on my previous entries and smile at how naive I was. I was shocked I could run 5 minutes. Now, I can run 25. It's amazing. This program works miraculously.

I'm applying for a few Master's programs in the upcoming weeks. Cross your fingers for me; I'd really like to move forward in my career, and I think I'm taking the appropriate steps.

Our one year anniversary is coming up! Ah, I sound like such a girl. But it's true, and I'm excited. :)

I told my mom that Nicole and I are engaged...and have been since February. There was a lot of awkward silences on the phone, but at least she knows.

We complete week 7 tomorrow night; next week, we're going to start running for 30 minutes (even though the program says 28, we're going to push to 30 since our race is a 4 miler instead of a 5K).

Week 5 Begins

We just got back from our week 5, Day 1 run. It was, in a word, amazing. I felt great -- totally and utterly great. I never felt winded, I never hurt too much, and I never doubted that I could finish. When we finished, I didn't feel like I was staggering to get back. In fact, I sprinted about 10 seconds after our time was done...Nicole ran up behind me saying, "That's not part of the run!" I just felt like I could do it.

On Wednesday, our run consists of two 8 minute intervals with a five minute break -- we can do it. I probably could have done it tonight. Friday, as we all know, is a twenty minute -- nonstop -- run. Holy moley.

Wednesday also marks our halfway point. Turkey Trot, here we come!

No restaurants for us...

I just asked Nicole if it's been a week since we've gone out to eat, or had any meal outside of our home, and the answer was yes. It's probably been longer than a week by now.

I like the life we're building for ourselves; it's healthier in many ways. I'm glad to be home with her at night, eating whatever is left over or something new or a bowl of Golden Grahams, and just talking with her, playing with our dogs, or getting ready to work out together.

I have no desire to eat at a restaurant, either, which is VERY strange for me. I love food. Hence, I have plenty of weight to lose. But I am not craving restaurant food or fast food or anything of that nature; I just want to go home, make a salad, and run for thirty minutes. Not bad.

36 Dollars, or Why Number 49 Matters

If we don't start managing our bank accounts IMMEDIATELY, we'll never save money for a house or a new car. We're chronic spenders; I wish one of us was a saver, but we're really REALLY not.

I checked my bank account this morning: $36. Yes, that's right. $36. Well, it's not right, but it's accurate. The thing is, though, I only get paid once a month -- so my next paycheck is twenty days away.

Where does the money go? I almost put two question marks there because I'm so desperate to understand why I have a spending problem.

So, I dusted off the old finances spreadsheet I made when we were trying to buy a house a few months ago -- I haven't touched it in two months -- and updated it. My new goal? Check every day to make sure my spending is marked on the spreadsheet.

Not that I have anything to spend now.

Welcome!

Welcome to Pink and Imperfect! My name is Libby, and my partner, Nicole, is sitting over at the other laptop downloading music to her iPod.

This is our blog. We have a mission -- crazy, but true -- to bake, bond, and fall in love through 101 "things" for the next 1,001 days. We believe this is possible.

We chose 101 activities that reflect who we are as a couple. You will see that some items are just for one of us (Nicole has to wear every item of jewelry, for example); but the list as a whole is supposed to help us work together, continue to live happily together, and eventually -- with number 101 -- get married. Perhaps even legally.

We hope you'll partake in this adventure with us; perhaps you'll even decide to join your significant other in a similar way. Thanks for stopping by.

And, in case you're wondering where this idea came from...go to the Day Zero Project.