Playing with Monsters

D and I ran in the Monster Dash today. It was perhaps the craziest race we've run in all year. Yes, it even beat The Color Run for crazy ... and I'm not talking the costumes. There were more than 16,500 runners. Needless to say, I think it took us almost ten minutes to get to the starting line and I think I spent another ten minutes at a bottleneck at the finish line.

There were so many people, that I probably spent more energy weaving through all the walkers/joggers than I did running straight (so, I am guessing I added at least a half mile of distance with all the weaving.) But it is another race under my belt, another monthly "health" date with my hubby, so I can't complain.

If people ever doubt the benefits of running ... I have to say ... D and I are always in a really good mood after the race. (Granted, if traffic is crazy, we may be grouchy before the race.) I don't know if it's the endorphins, the proof of our commitment to healthy living to each other, the feeling of accomplishment or just the relief another is over.

My parents came down to watch the boys at the race while we ran. It's always nice to having a cheering section ... but there were just so many people, they didn't even see me at the finish!

We then went to the pumpkin patch this afternoon to pick the perfect pumpkins ... so we'll get some carving in. The boys want to do it tonight ... but I am hoping to convince them tomorrow will be a better day :)

Wine, Books, Movies

I love the colder weather ... the warmth of wine (it's not quite fireplace time yet), the soft snuggle of a good blanket, a hot cup of tea, watching movies (and all the good fall TV). 

Yes, this is my kind of season. All though, it is going rather fast. It's already past mid-October and we haven't made it to the orchard yet. I am hoping that we can get there tomorrow morning before my ultra busy Saturday begins. 

K had MEA (okay, it's not called that anymore, but everyone still refers to it as MEA) weekend, which meant he's been out of school since Wednesday. They've all just been living the leisure life. Which gave them ample time to pick out a movie for movie night. Unfortunately, the ample time did not correlate with the quality of their choice. Which makes me grateful for the class of wine next to me to get me through the movie. 

Here's to fall!

Living It Up October Style

I love Halloween. I love cheesy, family-friendly Halloween movies (Disney channel or ABC Family, please.)

Now I have the perfect beverage to accompany one of my favorite months:

Now, this is not my typical type of wine. It's super fruity ... practically juice, really. The base wine is a Syrah, but then there is fruity plum and strawberry. It's the kind of thing that you could serve in a punch bowl and people would keep going back and refilling their cups ... and end up way more drunk than they had intended. I only purchased one bottle when I was in Door County, so I decided to open it up mid-month for Halloween. I'll have to see if it's available for purchase anywhere in Minnesota, as I think it may  have to become an annual treat.

Tonight D and I are watching World War Z. Since it's classified as a horror in the description, we can chalk it up as a good Halloween movie. I also have This is the End from Netflix, so we are getting the whole apocalyptic world thing going on.

And I just happen to be reading Help for the Haunted by John Searles. There couldn't be a better book to be reading right now during the month of October. And that was unplanned. So, while the house is only moderately decorated (can't get D aligned with a full out and out approach quite yet ...) at least I am infusing the appropriate Halloween-ness as much as I can.

The Tube

I am an apple. Yes, the blessed apple who carries all her weight around her middle. I have grown to calling this extra padding my "tube" as it sort of looks like an inner tube wrapped around my body. Granted, the tube has decreased in size in the past three years ... but it's still there.

It's funny, because while the tube resembles a life preserver if it's not a part of your body ... when it is underneath your skin, it's the exact opposite. Apples are significantly higher at risk for most things because carrying your extra fat around your waist is the worst place to carry it.

For my kids and my husband's sake, it will be important to whittle the tube down completely. This year I have taken a much more concerted effort toward my health, and the evidence is not necessarily on the scale, but it is on the fact that my body has changed a bit. So, I will carry on this path and look for even more challenges to push me to the next level. Who else is game?

A Day of Lectures

It's the first day of October ... I have lots of work to do ... and so how do I spend a portion of my day? Attending two hour-long lectures. I am lucky that this is actually considered acceptable where I work. Take some time to get inspired, motivated and go forth and all.

The first talk was by Sheryl Sandberg. Yes, the Ms. Sandberg who wrote Lean In, is COO of Facebook, and in general gives off the vibe that you'd like to hang out with her over lunch and drinks. I happened to have just read Lean In a couple weeks ago. And I ended up liking it a lot more than I was expecting. I had a few other people paint a different picture of what the book and Sheryl's philosophies were. So, I am really glad I read it on my own. I recommend it to anyone I can.

Understandably, I was a bit nervous to see Sheryl in person. What if she didn't live up to my expectations. Her talk covered some of the key themes of the book, and then she took questions from the audience. I was on the second-level and the mikes stayed on the main level, so no questions were going to come from me. In general, you left the session feeling like you could conquer the world ... if you took the accountability and initiative to do so. She also shared some thoughts on how we can help others. What can I say, I am a fan.

The second conversation I went to was with Jonathan Mildenhall, the VP of Global Advertising Strategy and Content Excellence at the Coca-Cola Company. Jonathan also happens to be working on a book ... he believes everyone is born with the same creative abilities, and as we grow ... we just tap into them differently. I immediately fell in love with that thought, as I am always trying to figure out how to tap into my creativity and as a parent, I want to encourage it in my boys. The way he talked about Coca-Cola as a company and how they push themselves to be strategic ... well, let's be frank, I sort of wanted to give him my resume (feeling all empowered from Sheryl and all that). Yes, his demeanor showed a layer of authenticity, but of someone who would challenge you in a way I don't know if I have seen every before.

I hope I can take the lessons and apply them going forward. It would be shame not to continue to cultivate the inspiration.