Wicked

This past weekend, D.J., myself and the fam went to see Wicked. I was a little skeptical at first because I enjoyed the Wizard of Oz, but it was never my favorite movie and I’ve only watched it more than once because I was born and still reside in Kansas. It would feel sacrilegious to not know most of it by heart. I must say, my skepticism was superfluous and I enjoyed every minute of the play. Although the premise is the Wizard of Oz, the point of view is completely different and the dialogue and humor made the play magical. I’ve only seen a handful of plays, but this one moves to the #1 position and I highly recommend that everyone go and see it if you get the chance.

Flip Cup and Beer Pong

This year's Halloween was full of all kinds of good times. We had an abundance of trick or treaters, we ran out of candy, ran to the store to buy more candy only to have about 5 more kiddies show up, our award-winnig pumpkins were stolen and smashed down the street, and we are the 2009 Costume Contest Champions. It may have taken us the better part of the day to construct these beauties, but it was well worth it to bring home the grand price trophy. It was D.J. ingenious idea, my well-structured architecture and D.J.’s willingness to be everyone’s toy for the night that put us at No.1. Thanks to all who voted for us.

What happens if Vegas... always follows you home

This past weekend was quite an adventurous one. D.J. went to Vegas for the weekend for another of our long list of friends’ bachelor parties. Why does Vegas seem to be so popular with the guys; especially a group of married or almost married guys? I think there was 1 single guy out of the 12 that went. After hearing an earful of stories about the mischief they got themselves into, I think my favorite part was a quote from the 1 single guy. Let me set it up with a little ambiance:

One evening, post-dinner, at a base-pounding, moderately-lit club well-suited for finding a good time, the single guy stood at the end of the bar and was approached by a semi-attractive lady.
“Hey, what’s your name?” The lady asked as she approached.
“I don’t have any money.” The single guy replied and then turned and walked away.

I know what you’re thinking and no, she wasn’t a hooker (well, at least that they could tell. She was with a larger group of ladies). I can’t say I completely blame him for his abruptness. Vegas is an expensive city and I’ve definitely exploited young, attractive men for a couple cocktails myself. What hard, working woman hasn’t? But what’s the point in going all the way to Vegas if you’re not even going to converse with some crazies looking for a good time for the weekend.

My weekend wasn’t quite as eventful, but definitely interesting. After spending Friday afternoon in the parking lot at Kauffman stadium and not bothering to enter into the game, a group of us left and ended up at a karaoke bar. A few too many cocktails later, I ended up home, too full of beer to even think about drinking any more, yet not quite too full to fit my 2nd hamburger for the evening. I woke up Saturday wishing I’d put nothing into my stomach and not wanting to leave the couch. I’m getting to old for this.

D.J. came home on Sunday and we ending our weekend with the last game of our softball league and a little after-victory pizza party in the parking lot. Good times all around.

Into the Ring

I’ve developed a new hobby: Boxing. DJ and I joined a new gym this past week called Punch and it’s pretty amazing. We needed a change from our regular gym that didn’t offer any classes because we had some serious lack of motivation keeping us on the couch. This new gym has free weights and treadmills and elliptical just like your typical gym, but it also offers boxing and kick boxing classes and has a full boxing ring in the middle. I can’t wait to get DJ in the ring. He may be stronger and have a harder punch, but I’m way quicker and scrappy. He doesn’t stand a chance. The other cool thing is that they also have yoga classes and a running club. DJ and I have gone to the Saturday morning classes the last couple weekends and it’s ridiculous how sore we are afterward. I could barely move all weekend and the trainer said that the class was about a 2 out of 10 in terms of difficulty. Hopefully, it’ll kick us into shape in no time.

Heading West

Wow! It’s been a crazy couple of months. My apologies for not keeping up on the blog. I’ll do a little back tracking and start with our vacation to Mt. Rushmore and Yellowstone National Park back in July.

We left on the Thursday before the 4th of July and drove about 8 hours into the evening. The next morning, we made the rest of the way up to Rapid City where we planned to stay the next 2 nights to see the Black Hills, Mt. Rushmore and Crazy Horse monuments. We spent a good portion of Friday in the car, but finally made our way to Mt. Rushmore around 2:00 pm so we could find a spot somewhere on the mountain to watch the fireworks. They are suppose to be some of the best fireworks in the US and we were stoked (ok, so maybe I was way more excited than the rest of the crew). We spent the afternoon walking around, enjoying the scenery, getting tons of pictures and finally settling on a spot in the parking lot we found to have an exceptional view of the president’s faces. Although it had been raining on and off all afternoon, things cleared up around 6:00pm, so we thought we were in the clear for some spectacular fireworks. Boy, were we mistaken. About 9:00, the fog snuck its way in out of nowhere and we couldn’t see 5 feet in front of us, let alone up the mountain. At 9:30, when the fireworks were suppose to start, the announcer came on and said they were going to do a test firework to check visibility. There was a loud boom and then red clouds and that was about it. That didn’t stop the crowd of 10,000+ from cheering like it was the best display they’d ever seen though. But, I guess if I’d been there since 7:00 am, I’d probably be screaming for them to light the damn things off too. So, after about another 20 min, the rest of the booms and red clouds displayed in the sky (I’m sure there were other colors, but red was the only one that was visible) and we slowly made our way back down the 2 mile hike to the car. The good news about the lackluster fireworks show, was that it was on Friday, the 3rd, so we had a chance at redemption on the 4th in Rapid City.

Saturday we went to the Black Hills and over to Crazy Horse Museum before heading back into town to watch the local fireworks show. It was a great night of lying in the park.

Sunday we made our way to Deadwood so we could see the historic town and learn a little history of our great nation. However, we couldn’t make it past the tourist shops and gambling to learn anything, so we propped ourselves at a table and laid out 20 bucks each. About 2 hours and 8 drinks later, D walked out of there up $7 while the rest of us pretended the cheap beer and wine was worth the $20 each. We spent the rest of the day driving through the mountains, around the mountains and up and down the GD mountains until we finally made it just East of Yellowstone. We stayed in Cody, Wyoming, where we rolled into town just when the Rodeo ended. It was quite a disappointment.

The next couple of days we spent inside Yellowstone Park and it was amazing. We saw our first grizzly bear after being in the park about 20 min. It was only about 30 yards off the road and it was just going about its business, not even worried about the 20 or so cars and 50 or so people that were gawking at it. We also saw tons of buffalo and elk. We saw a wolf and 4 other grizzly’s. DJ was actually the one that spotted a Grizzly before anyone else saw it and he caused the “Bear Jam.” That’s what happens when a bear is spotted. Everyone tries to pull over so they can see, but it just ends up stopping traffic. We also ran into several “Bison Jams” but they don’t officially call them “Bison Jams” in the park. We were just literally stopped because there was a buffalo in the road, just hanging out, doing his bison-thing.

The next few days were a blur, we hiked, we went to Old Faithful, the Upper and Lower Falls and all around the park. We split the park up into quadrants and took on a new section each day ending with a lovely dinner at a new spot each day, then heading back to our room for some cocktails and cards.

On our last day, we drove down through the Grand Tetons and stopped in Jackson Hole for lunch. Talk about a beautiful city. That’s a place I’d love to go back in the winter time and do some skiing. It’s a great little town. Expensive, but great. After lunch, we made the rest of the way though the most boring 2-lane highway in Wyoming until 3 hours later we reached I80 and civilization. After another 4 hours, we stopped for the night in Laramie.

The next morning, we finished up the last leg of our trip and landing in Denver, where we met up with Ashley and went to a Rockies baseball game. Lauren and Tobin met us out after the game and after lots of alcohol, rain, lightening and games of shuffle board, we called it a night. The next day, we woke up to some major cravings for Chipotle and determination to find the original Chipotle, so after what felt like an hour drive and 8 Advil later, we devoured burritos like it was the last food on earth before heading to the airport to make our flight home.

All in all, it was a great trip filled with fun and endless entertainment. I would defiantly recommend taking a trip to Yellowstone for anyone. It really helped remind me out beautiful our world is right here in America.

New York state of mind.

I was in New York this week on a business trip and I found myself doing a little bit of reflecting on the New York lifestyle. The glitz, the glam, the over-priced, too-small apartments, the walkability and free to come and go as you please state of mind. I always dreamed of living in a big city, but I just don’t think I’ll ever be cut out to be a New Yorker. I enjoy my space, not only in my housing choices, but also when I’m driving. Try getting more than 2 feet away from any car on the highway.. I dare you. Just when you think you’ve secured a little breathing room, some jerk in a suburban has snatched it up and squeezed his way in. I even witnessed some good old fashion coffee throwing on the highway. Some guy was so pissed that he got cut off, he laid on his horn non-stop for a good minute and then rolled down his window and tossing his cup of hot Dunkin Donuts java and the rear fender. Why waste the coffee you rightfully paid for and obviously need if you’re that testy in the morning?

I also noticed how different being on Long Island is from Manhattan. The big apple is full of busy people everywhere rushing to get someplace and Long Island seems to be on a bit of a slower pace. It smaller towns and quant little houses are quite a switch from the packed in apartments of downtown. Because of the sought after suburban feel to the towns, I definitely see the attractiveness. You can work in the city at some all-important job in your fancy suit and then come home and feel like a normal family living in a small town. It’s the best of both worlds—as long as you don’t mind spending an extra hour or two in traffic to and from work each day.

Overall, the trip was a success and although it was long hours, it was nice to get away for a while and experience a new city. I may never be a New Yorker, but that won’t keep me from loving New York.

The Race

So, this past weekend was the big race. I’m disappointed to report that I wasn’t able to participate in the ½ marathon, but opted to do the 10K instead. My knee is still giving me problems and I didn’t want to injure it more or slow my running partner down. I’m sure it was for the best, but that doesn’t really make me feel much better. All my hard work and training and I couldn’t go the distance. It also makes me wonder about my ability to finish a full marathon—something I’ve dreamed about doing for a couple years now. The full was suppose to be the next step after this (my 2nd) half, but maybe I’ll have to try another ½ later this year or next year before diving into the full.

For now, I’m going to start doing more cycling and maybe start swimming to help reduce the amount of pounding on my knees. Hopefully in a few months, it’ll be like new again.

Where's my Big Bubble?

This past weekend, D.J. and I went to the Sugarland Concert and it was amazing. I’m a big county music fan and I’ve finally converted D.J. He’s totally hooked and I think he has more country stations programmed in his car than I do… So, as part of our anniversary gift to each other, we went to the concert at the Sprint Center. Billy Currington opened for the duo and who knew he was such a hottie. I tell you what, that curly hair and tight t-shirt left me wanting more.

One of my favorite parts of the concert was during the encore, when they blew up these huge bubbles and then went crowd surfing in them. It was pretty spectacular. I really wish I had a bubble I could just wander around in whenever I wanted so I could escape the chaotic world and get all kinds of work done. Just me and my laptop; rolling through the work day without a care in the world. My bubble would spare me from the knee pain that keeps creeping back up on me; preventing me from running in my race. My bubble would shield me from the dirty ice machine at work. My bubble would allow me to have selective hearing so that I can pretend I don’t hear certain people when they try to talk to me, “What? What’s that you say? I can’t hear you, since I’m in a bubble. Don’t mind the fact that you can hear me… I still can’t hear you.” My bubble would be my sanctuary for just a few hours of the day. Because let’s face it, life’s no fun if you’re always in a bubble. Unable to go through doors, smell the freshly cut grass or touch the cutest puppy in the world. So, I’ll take the bubble every now and then so I can surf through a hard day, but I don’t want to abuse the bubble privileges.

New Tenni-Runner Day.

I have to admit that I am an avid lover of shoes and find the nearby shoe warehouses difficult to resist when I have some time to kill over lunch. I tell myself that I’ll just casually browse the scary tall heals, the cute flats and the sexy pumps, but the temptation is too high and I rarely walk out of there empty-handed. Yesterday was a different kind of shoe day… new tenni-runner day! With my knee trouble still lurking around, I thought it would be a good idea to trade in the old kicks for some shiny new running shoes. Being partial to Saucoony’s, this was the easiest shoe shopping experience ever. One trip to Gary Gribbles running store and 10 min. later, I was walking out with my new tenni-runners excited to try the 5 mile run later that night. And boy, I tell you what, it was glorious! The shoes are an amazing. I ran all 5 miles with no pain in my knee… my ankle is another story though.

I’ve been trying to avoid running on hard surfaces to help lessen the pounding on my knees, so I’ve been running on the grass whenever possible. This has really helped the last few runs I’ve been on. The deceptive part about the grass is the hidden potholes. While I do run with my head down to watch for the concealed weapons of ankle destruction, my eyes can’t seem to discover all of them before my foot stumbles into them. Plus, with my chin buried in my chest, I’m left vulnerable to any obstruction directly ahead of me. I can only image what the passers-by think when they see me running, head down, about to run into the 50 light poles that are scattered about the small patch of grass between the sidewalk and street, but twisting awkwardly at the last second, narrowly avoiding the tall, white rods of Illumination. I’m sure it’s quite a sight.

The best part of last night’s run was that once I made it though the crater mine field, over the bridge and onto the trail, I was almost pummeled by the incredulously high number of bikers flying down the hills and around the tree-blinding turns. I turned my iPod way down to barely audible so I could hear the flashes before they buzzed passed me. I was so worried about falling into a hole and getting run over, that I couldn’t concentrate on anything else. The miles flew by and I didn’t even have time to think about my knee. I don’t know if it was the softer soil, distractions or the new tenni-runners that helped my knee feel better, but new tenni-runner day was a great day!

Diplomas, Parties and Inspirational Speeches

Ah, high school graduation. A time of excitement and fun, sadness and unknowing. As I watched my baby sister-in-law walk across the stage of her High School graduation this past weekend, I couldn’t help but think about my high school career years ago. My senior year was probably the most fun year of the four. I only had half days the entire 2nd semester because I was in a work study program and I got extended lunch periods because I was in the “Cafeteria Kid Cop” class. (we got to walk around during one lunch period and tell kids to pick up their trash. It was a cake job, and as a reward for our job well done, we got to go off-site for the other 2 lunch periods.) As a result, I left school around 12:00 each day, went to lunch with my friends and then headed home for an afternoon siesta before going back to school at 3:00 for basketball or soccer practice. It was a pretty sweet schedule when I look back. I got a couple hours of hard work and learning, took a large afternoon break and then worked out for 2 and a half hours before coming home to an amazing home-cooked meal, ready when I walked in the door. What do I have to do to get that schedule back today?

It wasn’t a great year just because of the fantastic schedule, it was also the year that my class bonded and my group of friends expanded as we merged with other groups in our class. Without the friends from older classes to split up our groups, we turned to each other to fill the void. We may have just been acquaintances those first 3 years, but senior year united us and made it a fantastic year of fun times. About 20 of us decided we’d spend the last few weeks of HS playing Assassins. If you’re not familiar with the game, it is pretty much spectacular: each person picks a name out of a hat and that name is the person you have to hunt down and shoot with your nerf gun. Once you’ve successfully assassinated your target, you get to take the name they’ve drawn as your next target. I don’t remember who won, or who got me out, but I do remember hiding in bushes and around corners to sneak-attack my targets. We didn’t leave the house without our gun and were always on the defensive for fear a sharp-shooter was lurking nearby.

So, I say to all those high school graduates out there: enjoy your final summer before college; before your friends scatter to different cities and it gets harder to keep in touch, before you realize that college isn’t all about parties and fun; before you live off Ramen and Spaghetti O’s; before you have to take complete responsibility for your actions, ALL your actions. Before you jump into the next chapter of your life, take a moment to reflect on the years you’ve surpassed and take a deep breath and enjoy what you’re doing right now. Because no matter how exciting the next few years will be for you, you just can’t beat running around with a nerf gun, stalking your friends trying to get the next kill.

It's all in my head --- or knee

For about 10 years, I have suffered from what many may see as an irrational trepidation towards knees. I don’t like them. I don’t like looking at them, I don’t like talking about them and I sure as hell don’t like touching them. If anyone gets within 5 feet of my knees, I start cringing and immediately tense up, followed shortly by a light sweat. My instincts demand that my knee bend, often putting me in the standing ball or fetal position depending if I’m standing or sitting during the attack. This anxiety towards knees started back in high school when I went to a general physician because I was experiencing pain in my knee when playing basketball. I’ll spare you the details, but needless to say, I walked out of there terrified and emotionally scared from the way he handled my knee.

It is partially because of this fear that I am now in quite a predicament. With my recent increase in running mileage, my oh-so-familiar knee pains have flared up again, but this time it’s more persistent. My right knee will allow me to run about 4 miles before completely giving up. It starts to feel like it’s just going to buckle and if I try to run through it, I get shooting pain all around the knee. Not good.

The awesome part about this past Saturday’s run was that we did a large 8 mile loop, so when my knee decided it was done, I couldn’t have possibly been further away from my car (note: see map below for visual). So, I did what any respectable 26-year-old would do: called Mom to come pick me up. I flagged down a stranger filling up his gas tank and asked to borrow a cell phone. After curiously looking me over and cringing at my overly-sweaty, beet red face, he reluctantly handed me his cell phone. After several rings, I was almost worried the ‘rents were either not home or where screening their calls and ignoring the unfamiliar number. Thankfully though, Mom answered and 5 minutes later Dad was there to rescue me in his shiny black Buick. (side note: I would have called the hubs, but he was about 15 min. away, whereas I was practically down the street from my parents’ house. A girl can only sit on the corner for so long before passersby begin to speculate…)



I haven’t gone on a run since Saturday, optimistically (or stupidly) hoping that my knee will heal itself with some good old fashion rest and TLC, but I just don’t think I have enough time to give it the proper amount of rest it truly needs. My ½ marathon is in 4 weeks and I’m already 2 weeks off on my training schedule. I’m starting to have flash backs about the tiny, dark, dark room with the bad, bad man.

Despite advice, stretching tips and leg taping by my pseudo physical therapist, Danielle, (clarification: she’s a real PT, just not my PT) I think I may have to make a trip back to the dreaded doctor. Please just don’t mock me when I make my husband come with me and hold my hand.

No more audibles

During the past 7 weeks of training, I have frequented the site www.mapmyrun.com which is great for finding routes of the appropriate distance and I can check how many hills I’ll have to climb during that run. Seems pretty simple, right? Well, apparently I am struggling, because the last few times I’ve mapped out my run beforehand, I seem to end up off track. The first time it happened really was a misunderstanding. We were running on a trail and when we came to a fork in the trail, I decided we should take a Larry instead of a Ralph. Consequently, we ended up on a shorter path than expected and ran 2.7 miles instead of 3.2. The second time it happened I was running alone, so I don’t feel as guilty. Once I got started, I decided to change my previously mapped out route and thought I remembered another route that was less hilly. Throw the flag on this runner for calling an audible because I definitely shot my yardage stats and ran 5 miles instead of the intended 4.5.

This last time, D and I ran together and we ran a big circle around my neighborhood and then an out and back. It’s a very basic route with some good rolling hills. My knee was hurting me, so it felt like we were running slower than usual, so imagine my surprise when we finished our 4.5 miles in 37 minutes. We’ve been averaging about a 9 min mile on our shorter runs, but I knew for sure that we weren’t doing 8.20 min miles. So, I looked up the route again and I’ll be damned if I didn’t have us turn around about a block short of where we should have, leaving us about .37 miles short .

Punt the ball because the quarter back of these running routes went 3 and out. Maybe I need to stick with marked trails or only run routes that end in zero: 2.0, 3.0, 5.0, etc. Apparently when you add a .2 or .5 to the mileage, it’s a trick play in my mind.

Sad, sad basil. Don’t cry.

This past weekend, I planted my herbs in these beautiful little pots the Easter bunny brought me, filled them with nutrient-rich dirt and saturated them with water until their thirst looked quenched. I was completely satisfied with the success of my little potted garden. I am now eagerly awaiting the time when I can pluck the rosemary, thyme, basil and cilantro that I’ve sowed… I may have to wait longer that I’d hoped on the basil. Due to its rapid growth, basil is not well-suited for the smaller, table-top planters that the other herbs now call home. The basil was transplanted into a much, much larger pot and haphazardly left on the deck. I should have given the basil a fair warning: Beware of Dog. Poor plant didn’t have a chance. I found the sad looking shrub ripped of most of its roots and tossed in the corner of the deck. Luckily, it wasn’t the edible plant the beast was after, more just playing in the fresh dirt.

After giving Wrigley a quick lesson on how to treat plants and a reminder that digging is not permitted, I re-planting what was left of the basil (it no longer stands upward, but mostly droops— it’s sadness is too much to try to hide) and moved the large planter under the deck to shield it not only from the wild dog, but also from the storms that were coming that night. Our hope being that the saddened basil would be strong enough and shielded enough under the deck to withstand the rain and winds and then we would move her to the side of the house (where I will inevitably forget about it and kill it due to lack of watering, let’s be honest).

The good news is that the sad basil survived the night. The bad news is that it received a second attack this morning. We didn’t get it moved to the side of the house soon enough. Luckily it was not ripped from its roots and thrown to the side. It was left standing, (or well, drooping) in the pot with very little dirt around it.

Sad, sad basil. I’m sorry I’ve let you down.

Anniversary

This past weekend was our 1-year anniversary and I surprised DJ with a trip to Chicago and Cubs tickets. I still can’t believe it’s been a year already. It was so nice to get out of town for a long weekend. We stayed with G-ma and Auntie Whetter for a couple nights and then stayed downtown on our last night so we could have dinner at the Signature Room and enjoy a few cocktails without having to worry about getting home.

We went to the Cubs/Cardinals game on Saturday and it was so much fun. We took the train downtown early so we could hang out in Wrigleyville. We ate the Cubbie Bear and began to drink ourselves silly. I think DJ finished two 16oz beers in the time it took me to get one done. He is clearly beer drinking winner. I wasn’t able to get two seats next to each other, but we were just one row apart and we got lucky because we were by a great group of people. That’s what makes the Wrigley field so much fun… the people are amazing. We played musical chairs for about 3 innings trying to avoid the large boulder that obstructed the view of the seats next to me and to try to get DJ and me next to each other. The more we drank the more fun the game became. The most exciting part of the game was that it went into extra innings and the Cubs won with a homerun in the 11th.

All in all, it was a great weekend and an excellent way to spend our 1-year anniversary.

Twit or Tweet?

Ok, so Twitter is all the buzz these days. It’s infiltrating every part of my life and I don’t think I can stop the rapid spread. As a marketer, I like to keep in the loop about all things Digital, so I signed up for a Twitter account so see what it was all about. Within a matter of hours, I had 10 followers. Hey, I thought, that’s interesting. People are interested in my life. Then I thought, what is so interesting about my life and how much do I really want to share? I already feel violated by the hundreds of photos my friends like to post of me on Facebook and I so rarely update my profile that I couldn’t even tell you what’s on there about myself. Then I asked the question, “How social do I really want to be?” I’ve been wrestling with this concept for a couple weeks now and it only took an episode of Seinfield to help make things clear. In “The Kiss Hello” episode, Kramer posts the names and photos of everyone who lives in building in hopes of allowing everyone to better get to know each other and greet everyone by name and offer a warm embrace when they pass each other in the hallway. Jerry finds out quickly that this is more than he bargained for when he is greeting with a kiss by every female in the building and even Kramer plants a fat one on him.

I don’t want to be greeting with a kiss (unless you’re my husband) and I don’t necessarily want everyone to know everything about myself. Whether you trying to meet new people, share some information or trying to promote yourself, there is still a fine line between being interesting and being annoying. I mean, does anyone really care that “I’m at dinner with the hubs,” or “just about died running the hills in Shawnee Mission Park?” Will they be waiting by their phones for the next Twitter update from lwhetter? I doubt it. I would love to inflate my ego and say that those who follow me are fascinated by my life and want to know all about what I do on the weekends, but even if that were true, I just don’t think I’m ready to be that open. You hear all the time about celebrities whining about how they have no privacy and that they are constantly being stalked by the paparazzi and finding unwanted photos posted of them online. And yet, the average person is exposing themselves on their own; willingly divulging intimate details of their lives in less than 140 characters.

I may have a Twitter page, (please feel free to follow me if you’d like) but don’t expect to see 20 “status” updates a day. I am going to ease into the Twitter phenomenon and see where it takes me. I think I’m going to stay somewhere in the middle when it comes to sharing myself online. Somewhere between the timid smile and head nod of closing myself off to the world completely and the kiss hello approach that is too social. I like to think of myself as the “Pound It” of online socialization.

A Starting Point

Whet Your World was developed in an effort to keep up with friends who seem to continuously move away, share my insights into the ever-changing world of Digital, keep my mind sharp writing witty one-liners, as well as keep myself motivated to endure the strains of the physical activity I have recently re-engulfed myself in: running.

I have started to track my progress as I train for my 1/2 marathon that is quickly approaching much faster than desired. I'm only in my 3rd week of training, so I have a long road ahead of me. Last night was cold out, so I headed to the gym to run my 2 miles on the dreaded treadmill. After running 3.5 miles outside on Monday in crazy winds (not exaggerating the crazy wind part, Danielle can verify), running in a climate-controled, wind-free, self propelling machine is much, much easier. Maybe my hatred of the treadmill was too haste...Those 2 miles flew by and before I knew it, I was home with Wrigley playing frisbee in the back yard.

A Year in Reflection

As I come up on my 1-year wedding anniversary, I find myself looking back on my first year as a Whetter. It’s been quite a momentous year and one of the most exciting times of my life. Key highlights:

• Gained an amazing husband, whom I respect, admire and cherish. I can also beat him in any debate/argument even though he was the Blue Valley State Debate Champion 3 years in a row. I think it’s his constant willingness to tell anyone of this Championship Debate years that makes my victories that much sweeter and my attraction to him that much stronger.


• Moved-Finally out of Larryville. No more long commute for me.
  Bought a house- We may not be able to furnish every room, but I really don’t think a Christmas Tree room is that unreasonable. Just because the room is only used one month out of the year, doesn’t make it any less important to us.


• Became an aunt for the 2nd time- I could not be more excited about having not one, but two nephews just down the street from us. Between Zach’s flag football, basketball and baseball games and Tanner crawling, pulling up on furniture and throwing up everywhere, it’s a exciting time to get to play with them and send them home. They are by far, my two favorite people under the age of 10 and I love every minute with them.


• Bought a dog- Wrigley, ah Wrigley. Don’t be deceived by those droopy ears. She’s vicious.


• New best friend- Finally came to the realization that that no matter what I do, I will always be a pale shade of white. SPF 30 is my best friend and I will fight it no more.


• Started a garden- I may not being able to keep a cactus alive, but herbs are a whole other species.

Goals for 2009 (April to April)

• Keep the herb garden alive
  
• Run in my 2nd ½ marathon in under 2:20:00
  
• Run away with my husband at least once


• Upgrade the Night Rider. She’s working on her last leg

Puppy Love

My husband D.J. and I recently invested in the newest addition to our family: Wrigley. I say “invested” with nothing but love, but that is exactly what she has been these past few months. Between food, treats, bones, toys, a crate, shots, vet visits and an absurd amount of Kennel Cough medication, Wrigley is quickly becoming an expensive addition to our family. We wouldn’t trade her for anything though. One look at her face with those beautiful blue/grey eyes and the extraordinarily long ears and my heart melts. She may be growing at a rapid rate making us fear she will be more the size of her father (85 lbs) instead of her mother (a quant 70), but that doesn’t stop her from thinking she’s a lap dog. If you sit on the floor, she’ll be in your lap in a matter of minutes. She doesn’t seem to mind that she has to adjust herself every 30 seconds because all four legs just don’t seem to quite fit like they use to. She’ll just grunt or moan to let you know that you’ve disrupted her sleep while you try to adjust because your bum has gone numb.

We’ve been working with her on her training. She knows sit, shake and lay down. As soon as you get a treat in your hand, she successfully does all three simultaneously without needing a command. It’s kind of like the Alpha leader in a werewolf pack (yes, I am referencing the Twilight series), it’s like she can read our minds, so we don’t even have to say the command. Our next goal is to conquer “stay” and “Ouch! That f’ing hurts!” (aka stop biting me) and “Don’t go upstairs, damnit!” (aka don’t go upstairs, damnit!). I’ll let you know how those turn out.