The Tooth Fairy cometh!

All that work wiggling the loose tooth finally paid off tonight:

Crazy couple of days

My friend Kristen and I hit the Black Friday sales nice and early. We got to K-Mart at 4 a.m. And there was no one there (except tired, grumpy-looking employees who were telling us to F-off with their eyes). So we headed back to her house for a spell, got some donuts and coffee at this 24-hour place and went back to K-Mart at 4:30 (store opened at 6). Yeah, still no one there, which was a tad surprising. We staked out our claim right in front of the door and enjoyed our coffee and donut (the best donut I have had in FOREVER, BTW).

Around 4:45 another guy showed up. We ended up talking to him as a few other people trickled into line. At 5:30, a bunch of people showed up, and I was suddenly thankful we were there early! Unlike the people at the Wal-Mart in New York (I am assuming everyone here has heard about that tragedy), the people in line here were cordial and polite. It was almost like a big party, with people laughing and talking. Eventually (felt like a million years) the doors opened and I was first in the store.

I was there for one thing and one thing only. This:



I wanted a blue one for Matty, since we got Kara the Barbie Jeep she's been fawning over (and wishing for, LOUDLY, every day. No freakin' joke). I could see them through the window as we waited, and there were only four of them on the shelf! Being there first sure paid off, because I was able to claim one for him easily. Thank goodness!! The regular price was $137, so $89 was a steal! Plus, I had a $5 off coupon that I used, and that made it even better!

So now both the kids are taken care of for Christmas. Whew!!

Of course, our 9 1/2-year-old clothes washer decided to die on us yesterday. Thankfully there were some good deals at Sears, so I was able to get a new washer and dryer (ours now takes 3-4 cycles to dry anything) for pretty cheap. They won't be here until Friday, which is kind of a bummer.

Anyway, I started feeling a little under the weather yesterday and still felt a little funky today, so I took the weekend off from working out. I hope to feel well enough tomorrow to start again.

I should be out Turkey Trotting....

...but someone (*cough* Matty *cough*) turned the volume of my clock radio all the way down so I couldn't hear it when it went off at 7 a.m. My eyes popped open just before 8. I had to be out of here by 7:30 to make the race (didn't start until 9, but it takes a while to drive there and I hadn't registered yet). So instead of racing right now, I am sitting here, preparing to eat a bowl of oatmeal and plotting my own Turkey Trot. Sure, I am disappointed since this was to be my last race of the season, but as long as I get out there for a 5K today, I will survive. LOL.

I made sure to turn the volume back up after I woke up so I don't miss out on the Black Friday sales tomorrow morning. Kristen and I have a (very) early shopping date, which means I have to be up by 3 a.m. Gulp!!

Will come back later to post stats. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

**BACK TO ADD**
Run:
Distance: 3.31 miles :-)

Thank goodness for extended warranties

I am so thankful I purchased an extended warranty on my elliptical machine. I had just started using it tonight when I heard something fall on the floor. I looked down, and a part of my machine was lying on the ground. It wasn't a big part (a plastic disc that attaches to the side where the arms are attached), but it made it so the arms began falling off. The plastic just cracked and the whole thing just fell off. I have to call tomorrow to see if I can get it fixed soon. Bummer.

I took my micro test today. I actually feel like I did well! I only have a report to type and a final test and I will be done with this class!! Only two weeks left! Woo hoo!!!!

Still waiting for my new shoes. The suspense is killing me! Blah!

Today's stats:
Bike:
Time: 30 minutes
Distance: 7.44 miles

Taking a backseat

This blog has been taking a bit of a backseat to life right now. I am in the thick of things with micro class, and even though we only have a few weeks left, there is so much left to do! We have a test tomorrow, which I am NOT looking forward to. We just had a test last week, although that was a lab practical and this one is a lecture test. Then we have a report to write up, which I will likely spend Thanksgiving weekend working on. And on Dec. 9 we have our final. It all makes for a very stressed me.

But I did manage a pretty good run yesterday. It's the best one I've had in a month, which isn't saying much because it's only the third run I've done in the past four weeks. But it was far better than last week's huge turkeys. I think part of it was because I finally got a good night's sleep the night before. We got a "new" mattress on Saturday. It's about six months old and I got it at an estate sale. It's one of those Tempurpedic-type beds, but sold through Costco. And they only wanted $100 for it!! (They retail for $799 right now.) Anyway, it is super comfy and I slept so incredibly well on Saturday night, it's not even funny. I actually look forward to going to bed now. LOL!

Yesterday's stats:
Run:
Distance: 2.5 miles
Pace: 10:50 minute/mile (I don't remember the exact finish time, but for some reason I remember this)

Friday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

A visit from the Tooth Fairy is imminent

Kara is about ready to lose her first tooth! It's one of her bottom front teeth, and it is REALLY loose. She's been wiggling it and saying she wants to pull it out. I think she really wants the cashola from TF (she's become interested in taking all my spare change lately to put in her piggy bank). I predict that tooth will be out in the next day or two. :-)

I am waiting (impatiently) for my new running shoes to arrive. Running is so miserable with my old shoes. But I really want to be out running more again. *sigh* I really need to get serious because I think I will be doing that HM in Sacramento in March. I am even foregoing two other races I have done the past two years (Trinidad to Clam Beach and Foggy Bottom) just so I can save the money to pay for the HM. The idea of that race excites me more than the other two right now, anyway.

I didn't work out last night, but I did on Wednesday. I will probably stick to the elliptical today and possibly venture out for a short run tomorrow before heading off to study for (ANOTHER) micro test. I have just a few weeks left of this class! I am so excited!

Wednesday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Oh, look at my pretties

Aren't they divine??

My new running shoes are on their way! I found a great deal online on the Mizuno Wave Alchemy's that I am in love with. (Thank you to everyone who suggested looking online. I really do like to support the local running store, but in this economy I really need to get things as inexpensively as possible.) These are version 8 (mine are only version 6) and I got them on sale for less than $80! And no tax or shipping fees! They retail for $100 normally, so I feel like I got a good deal. And I didn't have to drive anywhere!! I should see my much-needed new kicks in the next week or two. :-)

There is a race I want to do next year. It's called the Shamrock'n Half Marathon, and it's in Sacramento. My parents live near SacTown, so it's totally doable. They say it's a flat course, near the banks of the Sacramento River. I am just dying to do another HM, and this one really sounds exciting to me! I should know in the next day or two if I'm going to register (I really, really want to!!).

OK, that's it for now. I haven't worked out yet today, but am planning to use the elliptical tonight. I'll post stats later.

Tonight's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Fish are addicting

We got our fourth fish yesterday. Another fantail goldfish with interesting dark orange and white patterning. Named him Finn (the white fantail is officially Fanny). :-)

I ran again today. It's nice to be out there again, but I certainly need new shoes. If the nearest running store wasn't freakin' 40 minutes away, it would be a lot easier to get said shoes. I need to make a real effort to get them because I am running on totally worn-out shoes.

And I just have to share this fun Christmas tidbit with you guys (thankfully Kara can't read yet and doesn't access my blog, LOL). I found Kara's big Christmas present on craigslist this year. I have become a serious CL nut, selling stuff to earn extra cash and buying a few things here and there. Well, Kara had been hitting me up big time to buy her a Barbie Power Wheels Jeep. You know, the kind a kid can actually drive. They are EXPENSIVE! There was no way I was going to spend a minimum of $229 on something, then tack on another $30 for shipping and another $25 for taxes!

So I searched CL and found one for sale near my parents. They were asking $89 for it!
Long story short, I set it up with the seller for my dad to pick it up and pay him, and we will pay back my parents. So now this beautiful Barbie Jeep is sitting in my parents' house, waiting for us to visit at Christmas and surprise Kara (pic from the actual CL ad):



Needless to say, I am quite excited! :-)

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles

Check out the fish!

So not only do our fish have some cool new digs, but they have a new roommate, as well. We got a fantail goldfish today. They were on sale for 99 cents. LOL! I think it's very pretty!!

The new tank (yeah, they have a castle. Jealous?):



New fish (no name yet):



I did manage a run, but it wasn't until this afternoon. All I can say is that almost three weeks without running is way too long! The first 1/2 mile felt horrid. It did get better, but it was a struggle, to be sure. This month is going to suck for running, which is doubly crappy since this month marks my two year running anniversary. I have quite a bit of ground to make up.

Today's stats:
Run:
Distance: two miles

Our fish are gonna live like kings (or queens)

Our fish, Tommy and Rainbow Fish, got a new setup tonight. It wasn't long after we got them that we realized a 2.5-gallon tank is REALLY small. So tonight we upgraded them to a 10-gallon palace, complete with filter and pump and lights. I got the tank kit on sale for $30, so I feel good about that. Tomorrow night we'll transfer them to the new home and I'll take some pics. Even Tim was really excited about the new tank because it looks beautiful in our kitchen.

As for the workout front, not much has been happening. I did exercise last night, but I haven't run at all. I want to try a run tomorrow morning, if I can get up early enough. It needs to be in the morning or it won't happen at all, since it gets dark so early now. I guess I should get to bed soon if I want to wake up early, as I am wiped out from a crummy night's sleep last night.

Yesterday's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

That must be a record or something

So I stayed away from this here blog for six whole days. And I didn't work out for six days, either.

Well, it wasn't really my plan to be AWOL like that. I ended up getting sick last Wednesday and spent a few days in bed. When I finally was able to drag myself out of bed, I didn't think exercising would be the smartest thing to undertake. So I chilled out for a few days, hoping you guys would miss me. :-)

Anyway, I did manage a workout tonight, and I am hoping for a short run tomorrow afternoon during my school break. Nope, I haven't gotten new running shoes yet, but I hope to get some soon. Until then, I will keep the running to a minimum.

Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes

Election Day 2008

Did you?

Today's stats:
Elliptical (I need new running shoes, dammit!):
Time: 30 minutes

Meet Tommy and Rainbow Fish

Kara came home last week with a certificate for a free goldfish from the pet store. We went in today to redeem it and buy a basic fish set-up, only to find that every kid in town had come by to redeem their certificates, thereby draining the store of the 17-cent fish.

The owner felt so bad that we trudged out in the pouring rain to collect such a small prize that she gave both Kara and Matty a similar fish for free. And these fish were selling for $3.50 a piece! Take that, cheap goldfish! Kara was so excited! I bought a small tank, gravel and chlorine-removing drops, and the owner threw in a fish net and some food for free, too.

So here are Tommy and Rainbow Fish, as named by Kara (who was hamming it up in the background):






I'll be back later to post stats. It's definitely going to be an indoor workout day, as it's totally storming outside.

Trick or treat!

We took the kids to downtown Fortuna for some trick-or-treating yesterday afternoon. Most of the merchants there hand out candy between the hours of 4 and 6 p.m. It's a great alternative for younger children. This was the third year we've participated in this particular event. I have some pictures I will share in a minute.

Afterward, I took Kara out to a subdivision around the corner from our house. We had never ventured over there for Halloween before, but it was totally awesome! Literally hundreds of kids and parents were out and about, and nearly every house had someone giving away candy. There was one residence where they set up a haunted house in the garage. Kara was really blown away by that. She was so enraptured she forgot her line (but they gave her candy anyway). She had a great time! And I had never experienced a Halloween like that before, since we lived in a rural area. We had to be driven from home to home to do our trick-or-treating.

When it was said and done, we must have hit more than 50 homes. Kara's plastic treat pumpkin was filled to the brim.

OK, here are a few pics:

The kids and Tim. Matty wasn't terribly happy for a few minutes (he was tired):



Kara, looking like a mermaid model:



Matty, rawr!:



We heart SpongeBob!:



Best costume EVER! (The dad was a murderer holding a hatchet and the daughter was a victim's head in the freezer):




Today's stats:
Elliptical:
Time: 30 minutes