The Versatile Blogger

Wow, two posts in one week from Jillie.  I know you guys were shocked to see me in the ole google reader today after posting a few days ago.  Even more shocking is that in another life, I used to blog daily.  Oh the days.  So what am I doing here on a Friday morning?  Well, that dang Kovas tagged me for this beautiful "The Versatile Blogger" award and since this is about the 8th time I've been tagged and the previous 7 times I've avoided it, I figured it's time to play the game.  
First, I have some random thought bullets to spew off, just cuz it's Friday and just cuz it's my blog and I can:
• I'm feeling pretty crapotastico the past couple days.  A combination of Code Red allergies, stomach "issues" (trust me, you don't want the details - Beth from SUAR would be very proud, though), and total insomnia.  Yesterday's scheduled run of "anything over 6" was a measly 3 before my stomach made me bail.  Of course...cuz you know, things were just going TOO well - heaven forbid I'd have 3 solid weeks of base building. 
• No news on the insurance.  Go figure.
• I'm drinking a RockStar, zero carb, green tea, Yerba mate energy drink.  I know - shameful, but that's how tired I am (I don't do coffee).
• Good luck to, Tom, a guy I've been working with, who is running The Chicago Marathon this weekend.  Please give him some LUUUUVin!!  He's going go do awesome...he's been running great and I know if the weather cooperates (which I hear it's suppose to be pretty warm, grrr), he will run very well.
• I loved hearing everyone's thoughts on my last post: Boston vs. 50-miler.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading every single comment and smiled at such a diversity of opinions.  I laughed knowing what many of you would say as soon as I saw your name - sure enough, you did not disappoint :).  Thank you so much for your thoughts, truly they are all very helpful and exactly what I needed to hear.  I am leaning towards one direction....time will tell if it pans out.  For now, I'm just trying to get the miles built up without my heel protesting.

Ok, back to "the award" dangit -  here's the rules:

1. Thanks and link back to the person who gave you the award.
2. Share 7 things about yourself.
3. Pass the award to other bloggers.

1) Um, Thanks Kovas!!??!!??

If you recall some time ago, I had one of these awards and totally eluded my own list by having you guys write 7 things about me instead.  Oh how fun that was to read about all my faults.  Don't worry, I eventually graduated from therapy after all your comments and am now a much better person, so my therapist said ... so time for me to put on the big girl panties and jump on the bandwagon.  You're going to be so riveted with wowness after reading this list, I'm not sure how you'll be able to go back to work afterwards.  Thankfully it's Friday, and you'll have the weekend to recover.

Here we go....

2) The 7 THINGS:

1.  Because it's one of those mornings, I have to start off this list by stating I absolutely hate my hair right now.  I'm not sure what happened; I was growing it for Locks for Love and was pretty dang close to possessing the required 10" and still be able to pull it in a ponytail (mandatory for when I run) when I had a major melt-down before Tucson Marathon last December and decided I needed to chop 7" off for a "new me."  Something has been off since and my sweet hairdresser and I can't seem to get it right (sorry Becky, it's not you, it's my stupid hair!).  Pic was the good old hair days.  Hum, maybe the hair wasn't actually that good...maybe it was that margarita I'm holding that made it only appear good?!?  Who knows.  Today, I gave up and hair is in ponytail - you now it's a bad hair day when the ponytail is donned at work.



Abbey and I having some sunglasses fun, night before the Tucson Marathon, Dec '09

2.  I love my boys to death, I honestly do, but I'm so glad God gave me a daughter.  I can't say it's been "easy" with her all the time but I never had any sisters I so desperately wanted so I love the girly time Abbey and I have together.  Those times are few and far between now with her off to college :(.

3.  My first car was a AMC Gremlin.  Purple.  With an orange wheel.  I paid $285 for it. Don't go judging now.

4.  I've spent more than half my life mom-less.  I'd do almost anything to spend just one day with her right now. 

5.  I swam competitively in high school and landed some cashola to swim in college at the big ole University of Northern Iowa.  Ironically, I'm deathly afraid of drowning.  I had a severe anxiety attack going over the Coronado Bridge in San Diego one year and seriously considered swimming back over to San Diego instead of going back over that bridge.  I did, however, run over the Golden Gate Bridge just fine this summer in the marathon.  In fact, I never even thought about my anxiety crossing it...probably cuz I was more worried about dying due to being so out of shape.

6.  I hate to cook.  One of two shows I'm addicted to is "Chopped" on The Food Network. 

7.  I grew up in the big city of Davenport, Iowa but some of my happiest childhood memories were at my grandmother's in Lansing, Iowa in the NE corner of the state on the Mississippi River.  It's beautiful there!  She actually lived outside of Lansing, in a tiny town called Churchtown, population 14, maybe.  I think I could easily move there.  If they removed the humidity in the summer.

3)  Tag, you're it!
   1.  Chris: http://albatross90.blogspot.com/%20
   2.  Andrew: http://runningmanwannabe.blogspot.com/
   3.  Christi: http://pedestrianrunner.blogspot.com/
   4.  Derek:  http://drogmn.blogspot.com/

Happy Weekend!  I'll be trying to run 16 on Sunday, cross your fingers!
Good luck to my good friend Marcia, my buddy, Tom, and all others running Chicago this weekend - so envious (my very first DNS race I signed up for :( )!!  And Sarah and Juanita running Portland (FUN memories there last year with you guys!).