Baskin Robbins, oh how I love you so!
TONIGHT – Wed, April 30 – 31 Cent Scoop Night
5 – 10pm
Archive for April, 2008
Cheap Baskin Robbins Ice Cream!
My First Half Marathon Experience: The End.
I finally saw the glorious Mile 13 sign and booked it. I think that last 0.1 mile was the longest ever. As I was running as fast as I could to that finish line, I thought, Maybe I should let up a little. I don’t want to pass out in front of all these people. How horrible would that be? Very. My final time was 2:35:11. I am happy with that time, considering it was my first time running that much. I know I could have shaved about 10 minutes off that time if I hadn’t walked so much, but hey, if I didn’t walk, I might have collapsed and then not finished at all.
After I finished, I just walked like a zombie to get food, water, and my medal. I made sure to get the most important thing first – the medal – which weighed about 10 pounds. I finally found my parents, and we took pictures and headed out of the massive crowd of people around the Coliseum. We had to walk across the pedestrian bridge and around downtown some before finally heading home. Hey, I just ran 13.1 miles … what’s another one or two?
For the rest of the day, I just laid around, ate whatever I wanted, and debriefed the whole experience with friends who also ran. One of my roommates got me roses, which are so beautiful! I’m so excited that I didn’t get any blisters and haven’t been sore AT ALL!
Congrats to all of you who finished the half or the full! Who’s in for next year?
(I’ll post more pictures when I get them!)
My First Half Marathon Experience: The 13.1
The course
“An athlete is not crowned unless he competes according to the rules.” – 2 Timothy 2:5
There were a few times I thought it would be awesome to take a little shortcut. I wondered if the other runners would start yelling, “What in the world do you think you’re doing?!” I would officially be known as “that girl,” so I decided against it.
I can sum up the course in one word: hills. They just appeared out of nowhere. I did not appreciate that. Maybe I should have trained on more hills so I could have walked less often along the course. Brilliant idea. There were 2 parts that were really tough for me: Miles 4.5-6 (before coming back up Belmont Blvd.) and somewhere between 9 and 12. At both of those points, I had no clue what mile marker I was at and didn’t see anyone I knew. And there were lots of hills. My favorite parts of the course were Miles 2-4 (because I saw my parents, lots of friends, and was feeling good) and seeing the Mile 13 marker. I totally kicked it in gear at those points!
Music Stages
Sing to him a new song; play skillfully, and shout for joy. – Psalm 33:3
What would the Country Music Marathon in Music City be without live music? Not as fun, that’s for sure. Not every act was belting traditional country tunes, but it was upbeat music that got me going and that’s all I cared about. The only one that stands out to me was a church band that was rockin’ it out in front of their building to a song I knew. That gave me a little push to keep on keepin’ on. I encountered quite a few runners that had tambourines. Huh? I don’t get that one.
Fellow runners
“… Let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us.” – Hebrews 21:1
I was pleasantly surprised that I wasn’t tightly crammed in a group of people for the first mile or two, stepping on feet and dodging the slower walkers. While running down Belmont Blvd., it was so exciting to see fellow Dave Ramsey people running up the other side of the street! Our awesome shirts made it easier to recognize each other; I saw at least 10 of them. Somewhere around Mile 9, this girl came up to me because of my DR shirt, and we found out we have a mutual friend at the office. Crazy. I didn’t encounter any wackos or people passing gas in front of me like Ben did, thank goodness.
Below is a picture of me and my coworkers in our awesome shirts! (I’m in the huddle of people on the right.)
Sideline supporters
“But exhort one another every day…” – Hebrews 3:13
Ok, saving the best for last. Seeing my friends and parents along the side of the course was definitely the best part (well, besides finishing, of course)! I saw at least 20 people I knew – Lesson #1: Run close to the sidewalk so you’re easier to spot. I was running down Belmont Blvd. and saw this neon green sign above all the heads that my mom was holding. It was great! – Lesson #2: Signs rock. I didn’t expect to see most of the friends I did. When I saw them, I totally went crazy and did the big high-fives and kept going – Lesson #3: Surprise your friends.
I had so much fun last year cheering on a couple of my friends who ran the marathon. Now I really understand how much it means to see familiar faces cheering their heads off for you while running like that. Thanks so much to all of you I saw – you made my day!
My First Half Marathon Experience: The Beginning
After months of training and countless conversations revolving around running routes, helpful tips, and needed encouragement, the big day finally came.
The weather forcasters were right – it rained in the AM hours. I woke up at 3:30am to thunder, lightning, and a downpour. I prayed and prayed for the Lord to stop the rain come marathon time. I knew it would be completely miserable for me and thousands of others to run in the pouring rain with no one to cheer for us along the way. I am totally sure it would have made me swear off running for the rest of my life. Reality and sadness were beginning to creep in as I drove to Nashville up the interstate, but I really did know that it would stop raining. Guess what? It did. The weather come race time was fantastic. It may seem so minor, but I still can’t get over how the Lord heard mine and others’ prayers and tangibly provided for us all to make it a more enjoyable experience.
I thought I was going to be really nervous right before the race and would have to go use those gross port-a-potties about 5 times, but thankfully I saw familiar faces and started the race with my friend Meggie. Though I had trained for months by myself, starting this big race with a friend was the best! Since we were in corral 25, we finally crossed the start line 50 minutes after the Kenyans took off on their 5-minute mile foot race – no hope of catching them. After I crossed the line, there was no going back – especially after the News Channel 2 cameras got Meggie and me on film and used it in their news segments! OH YES!
Off we went on a tour of Nashville …
Boys & Girls Club Cookout
On Saturday, a few of my friends and I hung out at the Thompson Lane Boys & Girls Club for a cookout and game of soccer. My friend Amy works at the Club, and she organized it all by inviting a handful of the kids and families who frequent the Club out for an afternoon of hanging out together. We played a little basketball, air hockey, pool, tag, and soccer while a few of the guys fired up the grill and cooked some tasty burgers and chicken for us all.
We had kids from 5 years old to 28, from many races and backgrounds, from various levels of soccer skills, play this international game on a field that is nicknamed “The Mud Pit.” Thankfully, I didn’t fall any, but there was this one dude who fell almost every time he came down the field. It was really fun! Makes me want to play soccer more than I currently do.
I love this picture of Charmaine and Oleax on the field. They both have beautiful smiles. 
Welcoming Spring
And everything that’s new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breathe
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with You
And how You make me new
With every season’s change
And so it will be
As You are recreating me
Summer, autumn, winter … spring.
- Nichole Nordeman, “Every Season”
Hockey & Earthquakes
In addition to Sushi the Fish, this has been a week full of things I want to write and update you about, but I’ll start with just two of those for now…
PREDS GAME
I won awesome tickets to a Predators/Red Wings playoff game on Wednesday night (thanks, Dave!). I sat with my coworkers Dayna and Katie and Katie’s husband, Jonathan. We joined the rest of the arena in screaming our heads off and swinging the rally towels we were given – thankfully, we didn’t hit each other in the face. I’ve been to a few Preds games, and this game was totally unlike any other. That’s what’s so awesome about the playoffs! I made the “mistake” of inviting Dayna; she’s from Detroit and suddenly a big Red Wings fan. We didn’t let her dampen our spirits at all. LET’S GO PREDS!
THE EARTHQUAKE
In other news, there was an earthquake early Friday morning. CRAZY! I randomly woke up a little after 4:30 a.m. and a few minutes later, everything started to shake! Why are my neighbors shaking the stairs outside like a madman?! … Am I dreaming this? … Nope, a picture frame just fell. … Is this an earthquake? I thought all in a matter of seconds. Then the shaking stopped. I looked out my window. Nothing looked out of the ordinary. Then everything started to shake again for a few seconds. I am sure many of you were wondering if you were dreaming all this while it was happening – or maybe you were still sound asleep and had no clue what was going on. I am glad I woke up and experience it, though. It’s not every day in TN you expect for the ground to literally shake beneath your feet! I think I’m going to make myself (and anyone else who wants one) a shirt that says: “I Survived the TN Earthquake! April 2008.” 
The Name Is…
It’s official – SUSHI is the chosen name.
Thanks to everyone who voted and offered suggestions!
May Sushi live a long, healthy, and prosperous life.
Name That Fish!
I adopted a new fishy last night. I got an awesome red one, with the intention of possibly naming him Big Red. I have been asking tons of people their suggestions for a real name – maybe Big Red can be a nickname. The top picks so far from the previous post and word of mouth are (in no particular order):
- Rosita Chiquita Juanita Chihuahua
- Big Red
- Sushi
- Sushina
- Shark Bait
So, leave a comment to cast your vote – or suggest another name – for the name you think best fits the personality of the fish. Don’t know anything about his personality? Watch this video. (I thought Dayna was crazy for filming this, but now it comes in handy!)
R.I.P. Jonah
8:25am. I arrived at my desk, turning on the lights and getting food to feed Jonah, my pet betta fish since July. Jonah was … um … floating. I tapped on the glass bowl a little bit. Nothing. What in the world?! I put fresh water in his little home on Friday and didn’t do anything different in my caring for him. But it was official – Jonah was no longer with us.
Jonah was in my care for 9 months and had come to be a beloved addition to our team at work. We’ll have no more days of Dayna threatening to pick him up with her bare hands. No more “waving” to the kids who stop by, full of fascination. Yes, it was a sad day, indeed.
I will spare you all of the details of cleaning out his home; I’ll spare you mainly because I have no details. Chris R. thankfully cleaned it all out for me and sent Jonah on the subway to Fishy Heaven.
The only answer to Jonah’s mysterious death is - Ben over at Pet Peeving poisoned him. Ben has previously fish-napped Jonah, making himself a clear suspect. He was also out of the office today. He also makes a good Dwight Schrute, a character known for killing Angela’s cat, Sprinkles, on “The Office”. Hmmm.
Ok, done with the sappy stuff. I am so used to a fish on my desk now that I must get another. I am going this week to adopt another. But what should I name it? I thought about “Jonah Junior” but have been encouraged to give this fish his own identity instead. Plus, as Brett said, if I keep naming fish Jonah, at the rate I’m going, I’ll forget what number I’m on eventually. Encouraging. Thanks, Brett. So, offer up name suggestions for Fish #2.
