Happy Halloween!

Hope everyone has a great day! These photo are from last week...my apartment complex had a dog Halloween party. Oscar went as a Judo master...and later, Matt tried his costume on for fun. Oddly enough...it fit...kind of...??? I will indeed be dressing up Oscar again today so that he can look festive for our trick-or-treaters! Happy Halloween!

Goals

Hello, friends. I haven't posted about running or working out or anything here in awhile, mostly because I have a separate outlet for that right now. I have a great group of encouraging girls that help with workouts, food, accountability, everything. I am making my way through the C25K program (just started week 4 today!)...running 3x a week, doing weights and abs 5x a week, and just generally starting to feel like my body is firming up in all the right places.

I am feeling great with my runs, but have really wanted a good goal to keep me on track. I plan on running the Coach Hep 5k that I ran this past May...but, um, that's in May. 6 months away. I will be done with my C25K program in 5 weeks...and I need something else. A different goal. A bigger goal. Something...you know, scary and life-changing.

After lots of discussions, emails, tweets, and gchat marathons, Jenn and I have signed up for the 2010 Chicago Half Marathon! We are excited/scared/nervous/thrilled/you name it. The race is on September 12th, 2010...so we have LOTS of time to train. Our plan is: finish C25K, then move on to a 10k training plan, and then...1/2 marathon training! Whew! It is just far enough away that it seems completely doable, and even though running 5 minutes at a time is still stressing me out, I know we'll be able to do this.

I'll keep you updated periodically on our training and our progress...I think we'll need all the support we can get! Go us!

And also...

This is probably one of the more concerning things I've seen in awhile. In case you didn't see this photo already...this is Miley Cyrus's sister, Noah.

She is 9 years old. The end.

I'm alive! I promise!

Hello, lovely readers!

I cannot believe that I haven't blogged since LAST Monday. Shame on me. Life has been caaaa-razy! My fabulous friend and coworker, Becky, has been offered, and has accepted, a wonderful new job over in administration. I am so sad to see her leave, but so happy that she is moving to such a great position! She will have some serious power in the school district, and it is a fabulous career move for her. Yay Becky!

The crazy part is that, for about the next month or so, I'll be covering both high schools as we go through the hiring process. The good thing? In the few days the job opening has been posted, around 30 people have applied! I know at least one girl who has applied for the position, and I love her and just think she would be fantastic. Fingers crossed! So...Becky's last day is Thursday of this week. I have been spending a lot of time over at her high school, meeting some people and just settling in. Busy busy busy!

Annnnyway ... since you last heard from me, I ... took Oscar to a dog Halloween costume party, got sick, got better, went for a few runs, went to see my little sister ride in a horse show, baked a pie, had an awesome squash meal (I'll post a recipe when we get it from our friends), went to Indianapolis for a shopping day, bought skinny jeans (yes! finally!), went to Whole Foods and got lots of yummy healthy food, and...went back to work. Whew, what a week!

I'll try not to be so sparse with my posts this week...I miss you!

Shaina's Christmas List: Around the House Edition

Welcome to my Christmas List, Around the House Edition! This one was really fun to put together, although it ended up being more of a fantasy wish list. The items at the end are more realistic...although I LOVE LOVE LOVE all of this furniture!

We desperately need a new bed. Ours, from Ikea, falls apart literally every day. It is not a good situation. I am lusting after this amazing bed from Restoration Hardware...it is SO gorgeous. I love it.

Okay, this is a big fantasy wish list item (especially considering we don't even have space for this right now), but how fantastic is this gorgeous table from Restoration Hardware? I also love those chairs. Swoon.

We need a new dresser/chest/whatever. Ours is, once again, from Ikea and, not surprisingly, is completely falling apart. How sweet is this big armoire from Pottery Barn??? Amazing!

We also really need a new coffee table...our old Ikea piece of crap is buckling. Possibly because...it's plastic. I am loving this comfy leather upholstered one from Pottery Barn.

I also love the look of this big trunk for a new coffee table - it looks fantastic, plus has great storage. Just what I need.

We really need a new/second couch. This one from Pottery Barn looks so comfy and fun...perfect for relaxing!

I love this pillow, and I think it would look great with the one below...

I think that this pillow is AMAZING and I think it would look fantastic in my living room!

I love these fun fall dishtowels from Crate and Barrel...

...and these...

...and these.

I would like a gazillion of these little glass refrigerator dishes for leftover storage. They look awesome, and convenient.

These are my every day plates from Crate and Barrel. It took me forever to find plates that I liked, and then when I did...we registered for them asap. And then about a week later, I got a little postcard from C&B saying that it was discontinued. I was crushed...but still kept them on my registry. I know have 8 of everything (minus the mugs, I didn't need those) but they are still available online...and I'd love to have 12. And maybe the sugar and creamer. I think these plates are beautiful...hard to see the detail online, so I guess you'll have to come over for dinner sometime and check them out. This is the Atoll Perle Dinnerwear.

When Lisa and I were in Charleston, I found a gorgeous small 3 quart Le Creuset dutch oven on sale at Williams-Sonoma for the low low price of $75. I snatched it up, and have been in love with it ever since. I'd like to get a bigger one - like this 5 quart oval dutch oven - to roast stuff in. Like chickens. Isn't the blue GORGEOUS?

Also love this pretty Le Creuset 4 quart covered deep saute pan.

Aaaand to go with all of my beautiful new Le Creuset, this lovely teapot!

Whew. I guess that's it for now! I think I'll be able to create a few more lists for you...just in case you were worried these were ending! :)

Macy's 1st Birthday

Today, Oscar and I went to a very important event: Macy's first birthday party. Who is Macy?

This is Macy. She's my nephew Cooper's dog, and she turned 1 today. He asked my SIL Meleah if they could have a birthday party for Macy, and Meleah just couldn't say no!

Meleah, her husband David, and Cooper live in an awesome log cabin on a ton of land. They have horses, pigs, goats, and...Macy. Here is Oscar reacquainting himself with Sydnie, my SIL Mindy and BIL Kelley's great dane.
My BIL David's mother just got this ADORABLE little puppy. Here is Sydnie examining the puppy, Buck, who is approximately 1/5720835th of Sydnie's size.
See what I mean? Sydnie is really, really big.
Meanwhile, Oscar made a new friend...


And then we decided it would be fun to have Buck ride Sydnie.
It didn't really work.
Awwww. So much cuteness.
Hanging out
My BIL David, Macy, and my nephew Cooper
Here's my little guy! Isn't he a cutie?
These guys hung out from a distance and watched the festivities.
This guy seemed pretty concerned when Oscar approached. He made a lot of noise. His ancestors probably told him about last year, when Oscar got under the electric fence and tormented the pigs. It was...a bad thing.
Meleah and David recently got goats, and I have to say that they are pretty darn adorable. They were both really interested in me...but not so interested in Oscar. And, yes, Oscar got under the electric fence and chased them around in their enclosure for awhile. Sigh.
Here is an awesome photo of Sydnie sitting on Kelley's lap. And I have my eyes closed. Fail. But it's the only photo I have with all four dogs.
This is Big Ben. He is...HUGE.
This is my SIL Mindy and the super-popular Buck.
BFFs/cousins
Sydnie, once again taking a seat in Kelley's lap.
At the end of the party, everyone got pretty exhausted...and Buck started gnawing on this branch.
The horses blocked Mindy and Kelley from leaving...
...and Oscar collapsed on the ground. Please note his dirty, mud-encrusted paws. I had to take him into the barn to get his paws washed off, and when we got home, he got his annual bath. He has been comatose for the rest of the evening!
Well, there you go...photos from my Sunday at a dog's first birthday party! I hope all of you had a great weekend...and that you are enjoying your Sunday night TV!