Miscellaneous Memoirs

I want to start blogging more about cool stuff like clothes and daily life stuff so here is a good start.
So, Facebook, my daily social networking staple, is asking for Beta Testers to submit Q&As and I am taking on the challenge.  Here is a little taste of my first attempt.  I have to submit three so my next one will be more brief! This didn't copy any of my hyperlinks :( so I added a few back in manually and then got lazy, I really want to take a blog class!

Q: How should I organize my closet and keep it that way?


A: If you're a ‘clothes whore’-der like me or only own the basics, your closet is something that confronts you on a regular basis. Organizing your closet can be a challenging feat for some: To fold or to hang? To organize clothes seasonally, by color, or by article of clothing? Oh, the options! A closet on its best behavior should be a place to not only store your clothing and shoes, but also make getting dressed everyday a painless task.

Though I still struggle (on a regular basis) with tackling my closet’s order; I have found several helpful items and tips that help me to keep it running smoothly. No matter what your budget or closet and wardrobe size, finding ways to better classify items you use daily will help start your day off smoothly and make getting dressed more fun! Someday, I want an Oprah closet, but until I hit the jackpot or marry a millionaire below is how I make it work.

First thing first, start a ‘donation’ pile/ hamper/ whatever vessel can carry clothes to a donation bin. Go through your clothes, undergarments, bags, shoes and everything and eliminate anything that is damaged beyond fixing, anything you haven’t used/worn in 6 months and anything that does not fit you. I understand keeping special items or costumes but most of us have some excess that can be put to better use. I know it is tempting to keep the special t-shirt from high school or the pants that used to fit but really, throw it away or donate it. You don’t want your closet to end up like Lindsey Lohan’s closet.

Second, I find it best to organize by all of the above: season, color and article. I have a skirt, pants, tops and dresses section of my closet and they are all separated by color within each section. That way if your like, ‘I am having a black pants and white top day,’ you know right where to go! There are awesome hangers like this to make hanging pants more efficient and save space. I fold sweaters (you shouldn’t hang them!) and they are in a section in a shelf, hence the seasonal separation. I also fold jeans and stack them on a shelf in the closet. If you have a dresser, use it for t-shirts, athletic clothing, etc and fabrics that should not hang. Separate each different group into drawers and try to keep them folded nicely. Some people even like to roll their folded clothes to make more room. If you don’t have one, invest in some plastic drawer sets; it is totally worth it to not have to hang all these items!

In the spirit of brevity, here are a few more tips:

· These plastic show boxes are about $2 each and keep nice shoes clean and organized. Shoe hangers on the back of a door are space savers.

· Don’t use wire hangers! They damage the posture of your clothes.

· Use the pants hangers I described above to hang your scarves, shawls, etc.

· If your feel extra OCD you can use these vacuum bags to shrink and preserve bulky items or clothes you know you wont use often.

· Use clothespins or hangers with clips to fasten clothes that don’t like to stay on hangers.

In the words of Albert Einstein, "Out of clutter, find Simplicity. From discord, find Harmony. In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity." So whether that really applies to your closet or not, get organizing!

Have a great weekend people!  Ironically, this weekend, I am going to organize my closet and take my huge donation pile to Goodwill!

So, it has only taken me a month but I have to let everyone know how my race went! I was inspired to blog again by some really cute blogs I was introduced to this morning (more about that later). I went to Nashville with my parents, aunt Barbara, and my mom's college roomate and her husband, along with the rest of my team at the end of April.  The Country Music Marathon was April 24 so we went a few days early and luckily I got to stay a few days after for a nice vacation too!

I'm sure you are all aware of what's been going on in Nashville with the terrible flooding and now recovery efforts so I feel silly having felt frustrated by the weather conditions on my race day.  Straight to the point, I trained for 6 months to complete the full 26.2 mile race and on race day was diverted to only complete the half marathon (13.1 miles) because of lightening, high winds and threats of tornadoes! Nashville has really taken a beating as this weather only got 1000x worse a week later. Obviously, I had mixed emotions because I had trained for so long and was unable to finish; but, at the same time I was glad to not have to run in the constantly deteriorating weather.  I was also very relieved that I got diverted BEFORE I got to the half-way point.  It was a blessing to run at my slower pace because some of my fast teammates passed the half mark and were eventually pulled off at mile 19+!  I would have been devistated if I had gotten to mile 23 and had to stop running, which was the case for 4 of my teammates.  None of us were able to complete the full race as only the elite runners who finished in near 3 hours finished.  I finished the half with pride though and was glad to have worked so hard to get even there!  I was saving up my energy for the full 26 so 13 was nothing!  Haha, or so I thought, until I decided not to take an ice bath or do anything I normally do to recover and I was so sore the next day I literally had to go down stairs BACKWARDS! How embarrassing!

My family and friends were so AWESOME! They cheered for me the whole time and even made shirts and signs with my face on them! 


I also had my name across my race singlet so strangers were cheering for me by name the whole race too! 
 

If you've never experienced this it is truly priceless and beyond encouraging to have support from the sidelines.  I understand why people do multiple races because of the motivation that comes from all the spectators!

SO, I still have it in my head to complete a full marathon and would like to get it overwith this year, so I have decided I want to run the San Antonio Rock n' Roll marathon in November!  I will have to start training soon through the heat of the summer which will not be fun but I really want to check this one off my non-existent bucket list! Anyone interested in joining?! I have to find a group to train with because it is literally not in my realm to run more than 10 miles alone and without support!

I have met my fundraising minimum!  It doesn't reflect it on my fundraising page because I had to mail in the last few donations and it takes a while; but, YAY!  My cousin Clarrissa's parents gave me the final donation to meet my goal yesterday!  Thank you Freddy and Irma!

Thanks to a lovely Easter weekend with my parents and cousins Zack and Clarrissa and their families in Bastrop, today, Monday came too soon!

On Good Friday I ran 10.3 miles around Town Lake and then I got on the elliptical for 2 hours after that at the gym to simulate the cardio workout of the 20 mile run my team did on Saturday.  Because of my injury, my body probably couldn't handle both 20 miles now and 26 in three weeks so my coach planned an alternate workout for me.  It went well though and I was glad to finish with only some tolerable pain in my right foot.  I am going to the physical therapist tomorrow to have him work out some of the pain and give me the go ahead to keep running on it!  I feel good about it because now I know I can do it, even if I have to walk a lot and after a month + of frustration at least I know I can still run, even if it hurts! My cousin Alan gave me some great advice today to remember to enjoy myself, even I walk the whole thing I can still brag about having finished a Marathon!  I dont want to injure myself and not finish!

I played golf with the boys on Saturday at the Pine Forst Golf Club in Bastrop where my cousin Zack used to be the pro.  It is less than a block away from thier house. It was such beautiful weather and a beautiful course that I forgot how to play and did pretty bad.  I think I beat my brother on one hole...terrible. Luckily the boys were patient and we all had a great time.  I used this purple ball that was magical and skipped over water and bounced off trees into the fairway a few times and was almost un-lose-able and that was pretty entertaining.  Zack was also nice enough to help me through some really hard times with come golf pro pointers.  But it was definitely the worst I have ever played.  Props to Clinton for playing really great on the front 9 and out-driving Zack twice!

Other than golf we had a super relaxing weekend at the Fleming's house and I got lots of rest, reading and relaxation in.  I also didn't drink anything but water all weekend and that made me feel good! I needed a break and I have vowed to take good care of me for the race.  I miss my parents and brother a lot so it's always nice to spend any time with them I can. 

My brother turns 20 on Tuesday!  He isn't a teenager anymore.  This makes me feel old, I can only imagine how old it must make my parents and family feel.  He is the baby of the family.

My uncle Ray was admitted to the hospital Saturday to start preparations for his transplant THURSDAY!  Ah, this is so exciting and nerve-racking.  Please continue to think about him and my Aunt Kathleen!

Another update to come soon!  I soo appreciate all the encouragement!  Thanks everyone!

I just wanted to take a minute to tell everyone Happy St. Patty's/Paddy's/ Patrick's Day.  This is my favorite day and I love to celebrate everything it is about.  I took a half day off tomorrow and I'm pretty Irish so today is guaranteed fun!  Did you know the shamrock is a symbol of this day because St. Patrick used it to illustrate the holy trinity?!

I am starting to run again, slowly but surely and getting more and more motivated everyday!  I will give more updates soon!  Have a great day!  Don't drink and drive!

MM

After the Austin Half I went to the doc and was on crutches for a week because he thought I had sprained some tendons in my right foot.  THEN it got worse and my left foot had pain so I went to a sports medicine guy and I have tendonitis in both legs/feet.  BOO!  I was frustrated that I spent a week going through the horrible hassle of using crutches but I have been seeing the physical therapist and can thankfully walk mostly without pain now! This is just not pleasant though.  I haven't run in more than two weeks and I'm worried about it and anxious to start back but I still don't think I am quite ready. 

I have exercises and stretches to do daily and I am still going to PT so hopefully I can try to take an easy run early this week.  I just am afraid to re-injure myself and make it worse.  According to my PT and coach I should be able to ease back into it and get right back on track for my marathon that is in 54 days!  They are both really encouraging and I need them! 

I am still so excited to run in Nashville, injuries or not and I am trying to stay positive.  It feels weird that I feel weird about not running, and I like that! 

This weekend is also the Austin Sports and Social League Annual Kickball Tournament and I am pumped to be joining my championship co-ed softball team for a day of fun kickballing.  I think my legs and feet should be ok, granted my easy runs before Saturday go well. 

I have been trying to keep up my cardio by doing spin class and getting on the ellipitical.  I also did yoga this weekend, which was super awesome.  I had taken a class or two before but must not have been into it because I went this weekend and LOVED it! 

Jill, my bff and roomate from ACU came in town last weekend and we had a blast.  Party bus, rebels honky tonk, crazy cab drivers and so many more things Jill and I will have in our hearts forever (ha) made for a ridiculous and memorable time.  I love and miss Jill and will post pictures soon. 

My brother has for real pneumonia...It's crazy that he has it and he has been sick for almost a month now but is finally starting to feel better.  Poor Clintonious.  He is a trooper.  I went to Waco last Sunday to help him and went to the grocery store, etc.  I would be crying for my mommy if I were him. 

My fundraising is going awesome! I am about $400 away from my minimum and I have raised 85% of my goal!  One more fundraiser is in the works and it is going to involve April Fools, beer pong and flip cup tournaments and it will be awesome! 

So lots of good and weird stuff going on but I am excited about March!  My second favorite holiday, St. Patty's Day, my trip to see Bree in D.C., increased mileage, hopefully, kickball, fundraising party, etc will make for a great month! 

Thanks for all your support!

I always start my posts with, 'Its been a while', so, I know its been a while. I'm still alive and running. Our Breakfast Club fundraiser was fun and not a complete fundraising failure, so thanks to everyone who came, especially Marie and Lyla...they are so cute and I love them! I finally went to Highball, too with some friends and had a great time. We bowled and played a lot of ski ball...what I call herkey ball. It's so cool! I also planned a trip to Washington, D.C. for the end of March. My cousin Bree who goes to Georgetown is graduating in May so I am going to visit her and hopefully see the cherry blossoms. I've been once before, the summer when I was 14 I think, but I was in an awkward stage and didn't really appreciate it so this time I know I will!


So, I've talked a little about taking ice baths and Epsom salt baths but I just want to sing their praises a little more. Ice baths after a long run are the strangest thing, they hurt, you freeze and kind of go numb, and then you forget all about the 10 miles that you ran because they almost totally eliminate soreness. Not to say I am not sore after 10 or 12 miles, but they seriously do help. I bundle up with a jacket and a ski cap and a swimsuit bottom, get some coffee and a book to read and the 10-15 minutes I spend in the ice is totally worth the tingly burning sensation my legs feel.

This was Saturday after my 10 miles. My parents came in town this weekend and we had such a lovely time. My dad's sister, my Aunt Barbara came too! I hosted a Silpada jewelry party for fundraising Saturday and my mom and Barbara helped make the most delicious food and just really made the party nice. It was a success too and I made some money for LLS. My party will stay open until the end of February if you are interested in buying some jewelry! My brother came in town for a few hours and it was just a great weekend. Oh and GO SAINTS! I love them and Drew Brees...I've said it before but they Cowboys better not let me down another season because I am really excited for the Saints. And I'm not on the bandwagon...I've liked them for a while, and I've like Drew Brees for longer than that...so boo yah.

Now onto Epsom salt baths. I mentioned these I think in my last post when I was resting for a possible injury. Well that turned out to be that I let my calves and lower legs get way too tight and they built up with a lot of toxins that were trapped. I had a massage and the therapist suggested salt baths. The magnesium, etc helps to draw out all the bad stuff (it draws good stuff out too so you have to hydrate really well) and help loosen your tight and sore muscles, as well as improving circulation, etc. Here is a great blurb on their benefits. I am a fan of these now too because I hardly have any calf/shin/ankle pain at all! I have one spot that is still sore on my ankle but I've been icing it and took another Epsom bath last night so hopefully this will help relieve it. The bag says pour two cups in or something like that which is pretty accurate but you should just pour about 2 lbs in. If it's a 4-pound bag, use half, and so on. Get the water as hot as you can stand it and swish the salt around so it dissolves and you don't sit on salt crystals. Soak for about 20 minutes while drinking water. Again, hydrating is important because the salt is drawing out important fluids with the bad ones. I did one like two weeks ago and one last night, some people say once a month but it's up to you. Yay for baths!

Other than that everything is going well. I was sick last week with the flu/stomach bug that is going around here and didn't get to run until Friday and Saturday. I am feeling much better and I am excited to get back into the swing of things after being sick and injured. Luckily I haven't missed any long distance runs so I still feel like I am on track. I ran 12 miles two weeks ago, 10 last Saturday and am supposed to run 14 this Saturday, but it turns out I am going to run the Austin Half Marathon on Sunday!

I missed the memo on doing a half for practice before my full race but I got really lucky and got a spot to run this Sunday!! All my other teammates will be running, too. The circumstances are unfortunate - another girl on our team had a death in the family and is unable to run - but I am thankful for the opportunity and that her race bib won't go to waste. Here I come Austin Half! The course is in my neighborhood so I am really pumped to run it and get the feel for how a race goes. My coach says to see it as a dress rehearsal. My friend Jacci is coming in town to run it too! And we have Monday off! I am getting really excited.

I bought a yoga DVD last night. Got home after track practice and realized it's an intermediate level disc:(. I am a beginner so I am going to try to find a beginner level DVD and try to take some yoga at my gym. I've heard it is great for you obviously like everyone else has, but for training it's really great for stretching your over worked muscles. I am really excited about all these new things I am learning! And I thought I knew it all;).

I will update you soon about the race and etc!  Until then I am going to keep running and resting and gearing up for Sunday!

Thanks for the support!

I have been MIA for a few days because I finally took the time to back-up my computer and install Windows 7. It took my computer 24 hours! to back up to an online storage place, WOW. Six thousand something files. Then it took another couple of hours to upgrade to Windows 7 so my computer was out of commission all weekend. I think I like it so far though, we'll see.
I ran 8 miles on Saturday. We did part of the Austin Marathon course and some of it is in my neighborhood so it was fun. I started having bad shin pain about mile 3, stretched it out occasionally and finished the 8. Well, then Monday I ran with pain and yesterday I had to stop running at our track practice.

So, my coach thinks my shin and ankle pain and pressure may just be because my calves are really tight and pulling on all those other muscles. I am going to take the rest of the week off until Saturday and see how it goes. I am going to stretch really good and use the foam roller to relieve some of the pressure. I love the foam roller! It hurts so good! I am also going to go have a sports massage and hopefully the therapist can work out the pain! I got new shoes Sunday too and they rubbed a blister on my arch so that didn't help the pain. I hope I can get used to them because they feel good on my right foot and I think the discomfort in my left foot is related to the calf tightness.

I’m crossing my fingers this works because I would be devastated! Absolutely devastated if I have a real injury that prevents me from running. My parents got their flights to Nashville so it's a done deal and I'm running that race!


Also, this weekend my friend Micha and I are hosting a screening of 'The Breakfast Club' at the Alamo Draft House on South Lamar. We will also be holding a drawing for those who attend for gift certificates to restaurants and bars around town like Uchi, Saba and Lavaca Street Bar.


I'm getting a little concerned though because not many people have RSVPed and we don't want to get stuck having to pay for anything and not raising any money. So if you're reading this come and bring your friends Sunday, Jan. 31, at 10 a.m.!

Thanks for the support!

Ten miles was awesome! I seriously felt great almost the whole time and ran intervals to the finish! Ran for 10 minutes, walked for 2 min. I feel like this is a milestone in my training. Now that I have run 10 miles (in 2 hours) I feel like I can do anything. I am happy with my time too, I was afraid it might take me all day! I got a cramp below my right calf about mile 4 but was able to stretch it out and finish. It was really sore Saturday and I rested Sunday and yesterday to make sure I didn't injure it but I think I'm ready to run again!

Oh, after my ten miles I took an ice bath! This was excruciating for me and a lot harder than the run but I can actually say it worked. Besides my calf I had little to no soreness, and 10 miles can make you really sore. Although I could only sit in it for 6 minutes and my toes were throbbing and then I shook uncontrollably for 10 more minutes, I would probably take another ice bath. Maybe I will see if just cold water will work, the ice is brutal.

I had a great long weekend spending time with friends, especially my friend Megan. I loved my Mighty Fine burger after my run; it made for a nice nap Saturday afternoon. Megan and I went out Saturday night and had a blast. I ran into my brother's roommate and friends on 6th street. What a small world! The Cowboys make me angry, but other than that, my weekend was a success. I played disc golf with Bmo and friends Sunday afternoon at Zilker and went to dinner with my cousin Zack and Clarrissa Sunday night, and then rested all day yesterday, thank you, MLK, Jr. Now back to the routine. Tonight is track practice! Thanks everyone!

Uncle Ray is getting out of the hospital today! Thanks for the prayers.  This is good because now he can still go to his appointment at M.D. Anderson on Tuesday to start another round of chemo.  They gave him some blood and stuff, not sure exactly what was wrong, a complication of cancer, but now he is able to travel to get treatment.  Chemo sucks but it is what you have to do.  My mom is going with him so please keep them in your thoughts. 

I ran 4 miles of hills last night in the rain! It hasn't been as cold this week, thank goodness. I went to all my practices this week and did great on my own all the other days!  It feels good to be hardcore because today I get a rest day to prepare for tomorrow morning's 10 miles!

Today is 'recommitment' dat for our team.  This means that I sent in a form confirming that I am committed to raising the full $3800 and to running the race!  The team staff will now make our travel arrangements and register us of the marathon.  This is exciting!  I made it this far and I am going strong to finish what I started!  And it's Friday, yay! And a long weekend, yay! We have a team party tonight to celebrate and then I am going to bed early to ensure I am at my best for tomorrow's run. 

My friend love Megan is coming in town this weekend so I am looking forward to seriously relaxing after my run and dentist appointment on Saturday.  Megan just moved to Dallas from Austin and I miss her a lot so this weekend will be great. We have Monday off too, did I mention that?!

I am also going to eat a Mighty Fine Burger with my friend Oscar after my run tomorrow.  I've never had one but I hear they are super yummy.  We were planning a day trip to Manda, Texas and Oscar, Texas after our lunch, haha, but since Megan is coming I am postponing.  Manda, TX is a small now ghost town outside of Elgin off of 290.  Who knew!?  And Oscar is about an hour away from Manda near Temple.  It will be a fun day trip sometime soon. 

Manda, TX School House


Ok, I will let you know how the 10 miles goes, oh and how the ice bath I have planned goes.  I will have a lot of firsts this weekend: Running 10 miles, taking an ice bath (eek), eating a Mighty Fine burger, and probably more.  Happy Friday, Friends!

Bad news, my mom called this morning to let me know that my uncle Ray was admitted to the hospital last night. Apparently, my other aunt and uncle went to Ray and Kathleen's house last night to hang out and left about 8 p.m. and Ray was fine. By 9 my aunt Kathleen had to take him to the ER, :(. He was running a high fever which can be scary because his immune system is so weak. I haven't heard anymore news except that he is waiting on a bed and will be in the hospital until they can figure out what is going on. Please keep him and my aunt in your thoughts and/or prayers. As I mentioned in a TNT letter I mailed out recently, Ray is eligible for a bone marrow stem cell transplant! This is awesome news and can be life saving. After my mom and her brothers were tested and were not matches the doctors actually found one that was nearly perfect, an anonymous donor, right before Christmas. Unfortunately the donor backed out, or changed their mind, or whatever, it sucks and was obviously a big disappointment. However, there are some other possible matches that they are evaluating so this is good! This could possible save Ray's life and allow him to life cancer free! Please also keep him in your thoughts that this transplant happens, he needs it. The transplant process is a roller coaster of emotion, just like they show it on TV. I know it's really hard on Ray and Kathleen and our family to get news there is a match and that change so quickly, so I hope that we don't have to go through that again. It is apparently common for donor's to change their minds though, which is unfair and shouldn't be allowed in my opinion, so I pray that Ray and Kathleen have the strength to get through this process of finding a reliable match. Ray would receive an allogenic transplant, or one that uses a donor's marrow instead of his own. It's very interesting to hear about the process, etc and you can read about it at http://www.lls.org/all_page?item_id=5965&gclid=CJqehdLhoZ8CFRSdnAod-wpcJw. If you are interested in joining the bone marrow registry, please visit Be The Match's website at http://www.marrow.org/index.html?src=GOOG04304. It is as simple as swabbing the inside of your cheek and you can save a life. If you are skeptical just ask yourself, why not?! Do it! Thanks for the support everyone!

I was going to end my post with these photos, but am having a few issues with the blogger so pretend that they are at the end after it says I'm ending it with photos from New Year's fun! Happy New Year!