The Color Run

On Saturday, I participated in The Color Run in Des Moines.  There were two waves of races - one at 1 PM, and another at 4 PM - with a total of approximately 27,000 participants (and 600 volunteers) according to the Des Moines Register.  Gena and Luke drove down from Minneapolis, and Kari drove down from Ames, and we all ran together (well, we walked and talked a lot, too).  We arrived around noon for the 1 PM race, and ended up being in the first wave of the race (there were about 13 waves).  I had a blast.  I would love to do it again.

Check number13 off my 30 before 30 list!  And then Gena found this other fun run, The Glo Run.  I think it sounds super fun to run at night with a glow-in-the-dark shirt and three other pieces of glow swag.  Sign me up!

Wellness

I had my wellness assessment at work this morning.  We get a discount on our health insurance if we complete it, and I actually look forward to it every year.  This has been the first full year I've been gluten-free, and I think it's been a good thing for me.  I didn't eliminate gluten to lose weight; I eliminated it to feel human and rid myself of years of tummy troubles (that's the nice way of saying it).  Anyway, this year's wellness assessment was actually nice.  I wasn't told I was at risk for being obese (maybe that's in the digital version I'll receive later).  I didn't get shuffled around between stations (they now have one person check your weight, height, body fat, measure your waist, and perform the blood test).  I had a lovely conversation with my wellness assessor (I made up her title; I'm pretty sure that's not her official title).  Her husband is a farmer in Bondurant and will get a 50% discount if he takes his corn to get dried at the grain elevator if he drops it off by Friday.  We bonded.  Anyway, so the really great part of my wellness assessment was this: I lost five pounds and three inches from my waist this past year.  Maybe it's from working out more intentionally (as in actually trying when I'm there and not pouting like a moody teenager about having to be there), but I guess my mom was right when she said I look "less bloated" now that I'm not eating gluten.  Oh, mom...gotta love the pure honesty.

And speaking of honesty, a friend of mine shared this hilarious blog with me.  It's written from the perspective of a toddler.  You will laugh, I promise.

Bringing Home The Gold

The USA women's gymnastics team won the gold! And, apparently, I ruined a lot of people's days by posting about it to Facebook.  Seriously, if you don't want to know about what's going on in the world, it's probably a good idea to NOT read Facebook updates...

Here's my favorite picture from the day.  Gabby looks like she's on cloud nine!

Thanks, Huffington Post!

And then here is Jordyn Wieber with her medal.  If I had a gold medal, I would wear it every day.

Congrats, Jordyn!

And then, Michael Phelps made history today by becoming the most decorated Olympic athlete.  He won  gold and silver medals today, for a grand total of 19.  That's insane.  How wonderful for him!

Congrats on the win, Michael!

I didn't work out today because the Olympians worked so hard.  Maybe tomorrow I'll hit up the gym...

Summer Wedding

It's been almost two weeks since Blake and Danielle's wedding, so I'm a little behind on this post.  The wedding ceremony was in Boone, and then the reception was on the Iowa State University campus in Ames.  Looking back on it, we realized that of the thirteen girls from my sorority pledge class, this is the only wedding we had in Ames.  It was great to be back in Ames, as always.  I love that place.  Maybe because it was the first place I ever moved where I felt like I belonged and I could really make a name for myself.  I wasn't Dina's little sister, Mick or Darcy's daughter, or the yearbook editor.  I was me.  And it was great.  I digress...

The wedding ceremony was lovely and in Dani's home church.  The weather after the ceremony was a bit stormy and rainy, so we stayed for a bit afterward to wait out the rain.  It reminded me a lot of my wedding...without the whole staying in the basement to avoid tornadoes for two hours detail...  Again, I digress...

I love Baby T!

They're going to be BFFs, I'm sure of it!

One of my favorite families!

Josh took this.  He thinks it's the funniest picture ever.

The reception was at the Scheman Building, just north of the Iowa State football field (where many good times have been had).  Catching up with the Kappas is always a delight!  Rachael flew in from Florida; Jesslyn drove in from Indianapolis; Michaun, Karissa, and Amy came in from Chicago; Heather drove up from St. Louis; Annie and Cassie drove down from Minneapolis; Brittany drove in from Omaha...and the rest of us still live in the Des Moines area.  

Catching up with Jessica (and Baby J), Michaun, and Rachael

First Dance

Love you girls!

Iowa State's KKG '03

No wedding is complete without a round of "Oh, Pat"

The happy couple!

Jessica, Cassie, Heather and Annie brought their adorable babies.  We got to see Rachael's little bun in the oven.  And, meeting Amy's new boyfriend was also a highlight of the night.  It's always great to see my friends from college.  I wish we could all go back to 120 Lynn Avenue and live it up once more.  But, alas, we cannot.  However, that won't stop us from having a great time and rocking out to our pledge class song's version of Def Leppard's Pour Some Sugar On Me.  Here's a clip if you need a reminder.  Just imagine a dozen or so girls classy ladies rocking out to a raunchy version of this song.  It's a classic.

Summer Reads Update

Last night I finished The Art of Racing In The Rain, one of my Summer Reads books.  I cried.  I am now sure it's my job to make sure I raise Sophie right so when her spirit comes back as a human, she will be a good person.  Holy cow, Enzo.  I love you (and I don't even like big dogs).  Tear jerker.

I also read all of my magazines for July.  This is a big deal.  I'm trying to watch less TV.  I'd really love to cancel our cable.  Maybe once Josh moves to Iowa City, I'll do it.  HGTV is on at Anytime Fitness, so if I really need to watch something, I can coordinate it with my cardio workouts.  Plus, I have about as much to watch with cable as I did without cable.  I'm a simple girl.  Give me a newscast, and I'm hooked.  I grew up with three TV stations and seemed to find entertainment then; I'm sure I could handle it as an adult.

I Work Out

When I work out, sometimes I think of the LFMAO song, Sexy and I Know It. 

This week, I started working out with a personal trainer.  I stopped working out at Farrell's because my ridiculously inconsistent schedule wasn't really jiving with the rigid Farrell's schedule.  A few weeks back, I took advantage of a free seven-day pass at Anytime Fitness (it's open 24/7).  The location of the gym is 0.7 miles from my house, which breaks down to a four-minute drive or a 14-minute walk.  I'll probably never walk, let's be honest.  However, it's nice to know it's an option. 

So, when I signed up at Anytime Fitness, I asked if I could meet with a personal trainer to learn how to use the gym equipment.  Alejandro was assigned to me and I love him.  He's from Honduras (or some other South American country that starts with an "H") and can't speak English very well, but he knows what he's doing.  Before he moved to Ankeny, he was ranked number 2 in his country in some body building competition.  This give me confidence that he can whip me into shape.  Anyway, I learned how to use the equipment, and after an additional training session with him, I committed to attending two sessions a week with him for the next month.  Yesterday was my first actual session with him and I'm sore.  I'm really looking forward to the next month of workouts!

Another pro for Anytime Fitness - the fitness classes for the summer are free.  I went to a metabolic intervals class and it was awesome.  I really liked the instructor, and the workout was tough.  I think that was one of my problems with Farrell's - I was too comfortable.  I made a point to not get to know any of the other people in my classes so I wouldn't feel too comfortable and I'd consistently try to keep the performance bar high.  However, after more than two years there, I got to know people and I lost my drive to work hard.  Plus, I hate sweating, so kickboxing days were avoided for the past six months.

Also, Alejandro is making me keep a food log.  I actually thought twice when I was at the movie theater this afternoon and didn't go with a large popcorn (plus the small popcorn was free).

Almost Done

Today was a long day.  I didn't make it to the 5:15 workout at Anytime Fitness, but I did make it to the 6:15 Farrell's workout.  Work was hectic.  I made a lot of progress on the things I had to make for tomorrow and Thursday's shoot.  I'm pretty sure I should start wearing a mask when I spray paint.  The maintenance guys at work were kind enough to turn on the vent system for me.  I think it was because they couldn't stand the smell.

Where the magic happens...

Also, I had my personal trainer workout at Anytime tonight with Alejandro.  It was amazing!  I have no idea how I've made it this long without a personal trainer.  He pushed me to work out harder than I imagined I could.  He also made me realize I'm not as fit as I thought (hello, BMI).  I think I'm going to have to schedule weekly visits with Alejandro.

It's almost midnight, and I'm almost done with my projects for tomorrow's shoot.  One more coat of spray paint tonight, and probably another tomorrow morning, and it'll all be done!  Woo hoo!