Dave Ramsey had to share the stage with this huge styrofoam pig last summer during the filming of the first lesson of Financial Peace University. This week the pig appeared in the lobby of our office (mind you it is 8 months later), so of course I had to get a picture with it. People have had fun moving the pig around the lobby, staring Dave down in the studio and greeting people as they came off the elevator. It’s not every day you have a big styrofoam pig in your office, now is it?
“If you want to become the best runner you can be, start now. Don’t spend the rest of your life wondering if you can do it.” –Priscilla Welch, winner of the 1987 NYC Marathon
A few months ago during our big staff meeting at work, Dave planted a seed about the upcoming Country Music Half Marathon. I thought, “Yeah, right!” and whispered to my friend Mary Beth, “Why would anyone pay money to run?” I wasn’t fond of running just for the sake of running, let alone paying an organization almost 100 bucks to be just another number.
Maybe my whisper reached Dave’s ears. “If you finish the race, I’ll reimburse your money,” he said immediately after my question.
Hmm, if I just finished… Who cares about my time… It’ll give me something to shoot for to be disciplined in my cardio exercises in the coming months, I thought for a few weeks afterward.
I took the plunge and signed up to run/walk/crawl/hop/skip/roll/whatever it takes 13.1 miles on April 26. I decided to finally commit to: 1) give me a real goal to keep me disciplined, 2) build up my stamina, 3) just to finally do it. I cheered on friends last year and remember thinking, Man, I can do this! All these older people are in better shape than me!
I’m about 4 months into my training program. So far it’s been a good experience, with a handful of not-so-good days sneaking in. I can now say I enjoy running. Why? Because I know I can do it. Running 3 or 5 miles regularly is not something I dread anymore because I know I can accomplish it. I took the “baby steps” to get to that point, steps that were hard in the beginning and sometimes made me wonder if they were really adding up. I have come to know the exhilarating feeling of running (and sometimes a little walking) a distance I didn’t think my body was capable of and achieving a goal I wasn’t sure I could accomplish. It’s pretty cool. I’m still unsure about the whole 13.1 thing but am taking the steps little by little to make it within my reach…so I can get back my $70!
Training for this half marathon wouldn’t be as fun if I didn’t have other friends training for it as well. If you’re committed also, why did you sign up for the half or full (or “double full” – that’s for you, Grace!)? How’s it going so far? What’s your favorite route?
For the next few weeks, I will actually care about college basketball.
I have always enjoyed going to basketball games and experiencing the atmosphere of competition and team loyalties, but since I don’t have a particular team I am 100% die-hard about, I don’t keep up with the regular season. (Maybe it’s time I just pick a team. Suggestions are welcome.)
I think it’s great how people like me can participate in the excitement and have a great chance of having a better bracket than a faithful NCAA fan when all is said and done. Due to time, I didn’t fill out brackets based on my favorite mascots and school colors, though I am confident that is the key to any successful tournament bracket.
My Bracket’s Highlights:
Good luck, everyone!
The weekend was going great. Friday night after work, I went out for pizza, Cranium, and college basketball with my team at work. Saturday night I went to a friend’s birthday party which was great. Pretty much just talked with old and new friends and snacked on some good party food. Came home, looking forward to a peaceful sleep, renenergizing me for church and a 6-mile run on a beautiful day on Sunday.
Then 1:45am came around, and I was sick for the next 36 hours.
I will spare you the details, but let’s just say I was miserable and didn’t know what to do because I haven’t gotten sick like that in so long. Recently it’s just been annoying allergies and lack of energy that have stopped my daily activities that I enjoy. I watched a lot of TV and slept a lot over the past couple of days… which actually gets really boring after awhile.
I am thankful to say that I am feeling better and getting lots of missed calories back into my system. Hopefully I’ll get back to posting again soon!
It finally snowed more than 1 inch! Hooray!
Last night around 10:30, I stepped out on the balcony to clearly see my apartment neighborhood because the blanket of snow that had already accumulated was reflecting the light. It was so beautiful! The fluffy snow was untouched and quietly falling while the neighborhood was silent and everyone was probably peering out the windows. It was like everything just stopped and became quiet for a brief moment.
This morning I woke up to the white wonderland (by Tennessee standards). It hadn’t melted yet; it was a miracle! Here are some pictures I took when I ventured out this morning: 
Due to a recent constant craving for certain kinds of junk food, I am curious as to what your favorite junk foods are. I have a pretty big list, but after much thoughtful consideration regarding this profound, life-changing question, I decided on my top 3: chips, ice cream, and french fries.
If you could eat 3 kinds of junk food for the rest of your life that had no effect on your health, what would you choose? Be as specific as possible. (I’m still thinking about the specifics of my top 3.)
Ok, peeps, got another question for you today.
My name is Marianna. It’s pronounced Mary-ANN-uh. Some people I know insist on calling me Mary-ON-uh (this is in no way related to the previous post about guys annoying girls. Trust me on this one). They insist on calling me Mary-ON-uh even after I or another person have said my name correctly multiple times in the same conversation.
Are they listening? Do they think that I am wrong? How do I get them – people I’ve known for a while, talk with regularly, and correct often – to pronouce my name correctly?
(Comments suggesting violence are not needed. I’ve already tried that. Obviously it didn’t help much.)
“Even when [guys] are older and supposed to be more mature, they still get some kind of sick joy from making girls highly annoyed,” my friend Katie said.
Ok guys, why?
It’s a BEAUTIFUL 71-degree day! Considering it snowed just a few days ago, this is very exciting!
This morning at church, it looked like most people were embracing the change in weather patterns because we had all (well, the ladies at least) pulled out the short-sleeved, flower-print shirts and our faces were glowing at the thought of beautiful weather, church, friends, an afternoon of relaxation and a good run… sounds great to me!
To welcome in the weather that’s here today and will be gone by the middle of the week, I had lunch with a small group of friends at a nearby Sonic on the patio, which is always a good time. (If you don’t have Sonic where you live, I’m so sorry.) This afternoon I am putting aside my chores that confine me indoors to be outside as much as possible. Hanging out on the deck, going for a run, who knows what else. 
