tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-38343420039068307082024-02-19T06:16:03.270-05:00Bake.Run.LiveBaking, Running, and Life in betweenCarolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.comBlogger62125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-17375167652544788532013-09-18T07:17:00.002-04:002022-07-17T14:03:09.034-04:00Alexander Cockburn, my friend (1941 - 2012)<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLW0G8P58VFWq2TlyjZlVc3uHVqya6CB-wbeMHY8RpLAgThXqGgXVCF4-rGTkJOwmPc0Ya6DYeSCJd0XRJ5HKtLjyzF3fy6xup0gEDBs8O1I1HdppgX5SnPbNHga54icu8jkqXUkcDiAu/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLW0G8P58VFWq2TlyjZlVc3uHVqya6CB-wbeMHY8RpLAgThXqGgXVCF4-rGTkJOwmPc0Ya6DYeSCJd0XRJ5HKtLjyzF3fy6xup0gEDBs8O1I1HdppgX5SnPbNHga54icu8jkqXUkcDiAu/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLW0G8P58VFWq2TlyjZlVc3uHVqya6CB-wbeMHY8RpLAgThXqGgXVCF4-rGTkJOwmPc0Ya6DYeSCJd0XRJ5HKtLjyzF3fy6xup0gEDBs8O1I1HdppgX5SnPbNHga54icu8jkqXUkcDiAu/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLW0G8P58VFWq2TlyjZlVc3uHVqya6CB-wbeMHY8RpLAgThXqGgXVCF4-rGTkJOwmPc0Ya6DYeSCJd0XRJ5HKtLjyzF3fy6xup0gEDBs8O1I1HdppgX5SnPbNHga54icu8jkqXUkcDiAu/s1600/IMG_0079.JPG" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmLW0G8P58VFWq2TlyjZlVc3uHVqya6CB-wbeMHY8RpLAgThXqGgXVCF4-rGTkJOwmPc0Ya6DYeSCJd0XRJ5HKtLjyzF3fy6xup0gEDBs8O1I1HdppgX5SnPbNHga54icu8jkqXUkcDiAu/s400/IMG_0079.JPG" width="400" /></a><span face="Verdana, sans-serif"></span><br />
<span face="Verdana, sans-serif"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">I wrote this post last year, the week after we lost Alexander. He was our dear friend, whom we miss every day.</span></span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">The loss was immediate and intense when we received </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">notice that </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Alexander had passed from this world on July 21, 2012. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">We knew he was battling cancer, but we were sure he would win. Alex was the type of person everyone thought would live forever. Yet, even with news of his illness, I never considered a world without Alex Cockburn.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">As the day wore on, more and more online memorials were written about him. I had never heard of most of the websites, but the range of emotions toward his death was vast. For most, Alex was seen as a far-left political journalist, to the point of being labeled radical. Nothing I read described the man we knew and loved. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">We didn't lose a great political antagonist. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The Alex we knew was witty, caring, compassionate, and generous. A true friend in every sense.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Alex and my husband, Dave, met over their mutual love of classic American cars. He was born in Scotland, raised in Ireland, and moved to the states in the mid-'70s. He settled in the Northeast and ordered car parts from Dave shortly after. Buying parts led to buying cars. Alex was soon visiting SC and driving away in a new (to him) purchase. This continued for years. In those early years of trading, Alex wrote a magazine article about Imperial Motors, and from that time until we closed in 2003, business boomed. Dave felt he owed much of his success to Alex for spreading the word worldwide.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">In a <a href="http://www.c-spanvideo.org/appearance/583462654" target="_blank">2007 C-Span interview</a></span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">, Alex said that becoming friends with Dave opened up a new part of America for him. Likewise, becoming friends with Alex opened up our whole world.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Fast forward to the mid-1990s when Dave and I married. Alex came for a visit soon after. This time it was for an old pickup truck to use on his "farm," as he lovingly referred to his place in northern CA, where he had recently moved. Later, the farm evolved into a quaint apple orchard with freshly squeezed apple juice and "special hard cider."</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Alex the Cider-Man - photo by Caroline Eller</span></td></tr>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">From that visit on, we had a tradition whenever Alex was leaving. In the last few minutes, he would dig out one of the many cameras he carried around with him in a satchel and take our photograph. Then, before he left our driveway, we held hands and said a prayer. We thanked God for our friendship with Alex and for his safe travels. It was always the same after that first time. "Well, it's time for the photos," Alex would say, "and then THE prayer."</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">With Alex, everything was prefaced by "THE." The first time we traveled to his place in Petrolia, CA, we were introduced to THE famous pork BBQ. Within a small hill, he had dug a fire pit. Above that, he engaged a pulley to lower the pork atop the coals, leaving it for hours and hours until so tender it would melt in our mouths. After this visit, there was another new tradition. We always had "THE" pork at his home or ours. Dave's method was not quite the engineering piece of work as Alex's, but the result was just as good.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Alex loved to eat, and even though he was as thin as a rail, he could put food away - and with great speed. I always stocked up on wine and meat for his visits. Of course, I always drank more around him too, but no matter, every sip was more delicious in his company. I once told him that I could see why women fell in love with him so easily - he was a charming guy. Very engaging. I loved conversations with him and the way his words sounded, not just from his Irish lilt, but the way he spoke and formed his sentences. </span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">He got off topic easily but usually brought things back to his point, more or less. He had a wonderful, dry sense of humor and would insert little pieces of this and that into every conversation. He was sharp as a tack, and his mind was always working. </span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">In the early days Alex would bring a tape recorder and record Dave speaking. I'm sure it took them at least a year to be able to understand each other. Dave has a very southern, country drawl and Alex with his Irish/Scottish accent.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">We were unlikely friends. Alex was a brilliant journalist. His mission and passion were to unveil the truth, however ugly it might be, and display it for all the world to see. He had written for the Wall Street Journal, Village Voice, and had a long-time column "Beat the Devil" in The Nation. He added us to his <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/" target="_blank">CounterPunch</a> newsletter in the late '90s when it was ignited. And if a headline had his name underneath, I would always read it. The rest of the newsletter - not so much. We aren't political. We aren't radical. Sometimes we even forget to vote. We are simple folk who fell in love with Alex and his beloved dog, Jasper. </span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">When something happened in the world that made us perk up with interest, Alex was the first person we called. We always thought he would "be in the know" and could give us details we might not see on the evening news. If Alex needed a part or mechanical advice for one of his cars, he would call Dave, whom I think he thought of as some kind of "Car Whisperer". But Dave did his best to live up to Alex's perception of him and almost always came through with the part no one else could find or the solution no one else knew for the car.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">If an interesting car or truck came on the scene in SC, we would email Alex the photos as bait to see if he showed any interest. If he did, he would quickly reply, asking for more details. Who knows just how many cars/trucks were exchanged over the almost 40-year relationship he and my husband shared.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Alex broadened our minds with his intuitive questions - making us think instead of just believing everything we heard. He engaged us on topics we didn't usually delve into. And it will probably spin his fans, followers, and critics in circles to know that Alexander let my husband watch FoxNews, on his TV, in his house. Oh My. He gently teased us about our conservatism but never belittled us for not sharing (most of) his political opinions.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">He enjoyed cooking, baking, and entertaining his friends in his home. He introduced me to the world of bread, specifically THE "Russian Rye." It was beautiful and delicious, and he was generous with the recipe. From then on, Alex and I traded bread recipes. If I tried a new kind, I would snap a photo and shoot it off to him. He would examine it and ask about the yeast and the recipe.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Russian Rye</span></td></tr>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">We traded wine too - in the mail. We had a special box that was made for shipping bottles. So I would send him a couple of my favorites at the time, and he would send the box back with a couple of bottles of Lost Coast Plush. For me, it was always Plush. He knew it was my favorite.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Visits with Alex were pleasures that we looked forward to and savored. After unpacking his stuff - the many bags of things he took everywhere, he would spread out in our guest room. And I mean s p r e a d o u t. He didn't just use the room; he took it over. I was always amazed at how quickly he could also clear it out. He basically took over the phone too. We would retire to our room at about 11pm, and the phone would start ringing. We never got up because we knew it would be for him. He used to carry around a typewriter and fax machine. When he bought his laptop, we scurried about ensuring he would also have internet access. When he went wireless (and we hadn't yet), he drove to town, slowly - watching his computer for open wireless accounts that he could "borrow." He would stop in the middle of the road when he found one, so he could send his column off to whoever was waiting for it.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The first time we went to CA, we planned to drive one of his cars home, as I had never driven across the country. Alex had maps of every state we would cross, with all the routes highlighted. "Go the back roads," he said. And he graciously gave us use of his 1963 blue Plymouth station wagon. Everywhere we stopped, we took a picture of ourselves and then a picture of the car - for Alex. </span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">1963 Plymouth Wagon</span></td></tr>
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Alexander hated to be cold. Northern California is chilly at times but not as cold as SC winters, and SC really isn't usually cold. When he came to get the Plymouth, it was either late fall or early spring, and it was unseasonably cold. He was cold outside, cold inside - wore his jacket all day, every day - even to bed, I think. When it came time for him to depart, he wanted a blanket to keep him warm. We had just come across a wonderfully thick blanket, so we offered it for the drive. On our next visit to CA, we picked up the blanket. Alex was reluctant to give it back.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">The next time he visited us, we hid the blanket. By then, we were in a new house and were frequently napping on our screen-in porch. On cold winter days, we liked having the blanket to keep us warm. We hoped Alex wouldn't ask about it. We knew it might be a year or more before we were in CA again to retrieve it. A day before he was to leave, Alex asked, "do you remember that lovely blanket I borrowed once before?" Dave and I exchanged nervous glances and said we didn't have it anymore. A terrible lie. Alex dropped it. And when we heard the news that he had died, Dave said this was his one regret - that he didn't give him that damn blanket.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Often during Alexander's visits to SC (of which we were blessed with many), Alex was left to fend for himself during at least one day. He always went to the little town where we lived and walked around. Talked to the locals and bought gifts & wine for dinner. He was once declared the "best looking guy in Tryon (NC)." He was proud of that and reminded us often. At the end of one trip, Dave and I both had to leave the house early on the day Alex was to depart. Later, I discovered that Alex had helped himself to my stash of loose tea, homemade jelly, the opened bottle of wine, and the small supply of moonshine we had tucked away in the fridge. That was Alex, and he would have expected no less if it had been us in his home.</span><span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;"></span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Alex was a generous friend. During any conversation, whether in person or by phone, if we mentioned that we would like to have such-and-such that he was talking about, we would receive it in the mail soon after. When he visited, there were always gifts - a red enameled bowl from India, Turkish coffee pots, handmade serving platters, a clock made out of a Lincoln wheel, sacks of tea, and local coffee. We once brought him an olive wood salt bowl w/ finishing salt - he acted like we had given him the moon.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif" style="background-color: white;">Around 2002, we had to move my mother-in-law to a nursing home. I was complaining to Alex on the phone one day that she was ripping out all the tags that I had sewn into her clothing. The edges were rough, and she didn't like them. Not long after, I received several dozen silky, soft clothing tags with her name sewn on them. That's just the way he was. Very giving, very caring.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">We didn't know Alex first as a writer, although we have signed copies of many of his books. We didn't know him as a political journalist, but we relied on him for political information.</span><br />
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<span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Most of all, we are honored to have called him a friend, and we miss him.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span face="Verdana, sans-serif">Our last family photo, with Jasper and Percy, is in Petrolia, CA. Oct. 2011</span></td></tr>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-22167718968800930132013-05-31T08:10:00.000-04:002013-05-31T08:10:36.431-04:00Friday Confessions 5.31.13<center style="text-align: left;">
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It's Friday AGAIN! Time to <span style="color: red;">confess</span> and come clean before the weekend.</span></center>
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Here goes:</span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that it has been 2 weeks since I have confessed. Last week I stuck to my <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-plan-day-one-day-three.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">plan</span></a> all week long. I did not give into the temptation of Key Lime pie and Eclair cake on Monday, nor did I cave to chocolate cream cheese cake. I was making headway. Then, a holiday weekend. Things fell apart a bit.</span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I ate out several times, enjoyed every bite, spent an evening with friends for Memorial Day and enjoyed my food then too.</span></center>
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Then stepped back into full plan on Tuesday. I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>, I haven't been as steadfast this week, and I can tell a difference. I feel sluggish and yucky, so with the monthly lunch outing over with as of today, I can refocus and re-commit.</span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I tried my feet at running this week. A three mile run/walk with a running friend. I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> I was very thankful that she reached out to me. I needed a push to see what I could do. Did my foot hurt, oh, you betcha. Was it worth it? Oh yes. I saw this on facebook this week:</span></center>
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And I am still very frustrated that I am not running like I want to be, like I was this time last year. So maybe, I am still a runner. I was beginning to wonder.</span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I have switched from my beloved Black tea to green and herbal blends. It wasn't a conscience choice or effort, it just kind of happened. I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that my new evening tea has me quite enamoured. This Hibiscus tea is delightful! With a drop of raw honey, it it tastes like I'm really cheating.</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWVVJtkwQMt62ln7zAhc59ULDFuHfK2nEom-lZJ9A2zCxFGe3dJGucdME3IGp0empb48oyQKks_8b5sq8x1axqm2fWDxIO2teFMUVr-xkcn-WkdHX0uOM34rBoSb_yehXcXqZYoWMl8De/s1600/v01027.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNWVVJtkwQMt62ln7zAhc59ULDFuHfK2nEom-lZJ9A2zCxFGe3dJGucdME3IGp0empb48oyQKks_8b5sq8x1axqm2fWDxIO2teFMUVr-xkcn-WkdHX0uOM34rBoSb_yehXcXqZYoWMl8De/s640/v01027.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, a good friend of our's has listed a unique vacation property in Northern California. We stayed there some years ago, and have very fond memories. If you find yourself headed in that direction, check this place out. I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>, and promise, that you will be glad you did. It's a bit rustic, so you've been warned, but also a place you will never forget. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><h3>
<a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/1187641?fb_action_ids=10151724715363474&fb_action_types=og.likes&fb_source=other_multiline&action_object_map=%7B%2210151724715363474%22%3A456435081115443%7D&action_type_map=%7B%2210151724715363474%22%3A%22og.likes%22%7D&action_ref_map=%5B%5D" target="_blank"><span style="color: #0b5394;"><b>Redwood Tower on Wild Lost Coast</b></span></a></h3>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are YOU confessing this week?</span></h2>
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<b style="background-color: white; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Head over to <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" style="color: #a9bdff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: start; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love</a> to join the confessing!</span></i></b></center>
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<a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo HighHeeledLove_zpsbbcc137c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o621/highheeledlove/Blog%20Graphics/HighHeeledLove_zps6db62c81.jpg" /></a></center>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-38379042927190558252013-05-17T09:39:00.000-04:002013-05-17T18:43:01.403-04:00Friday Confessions 5.17.13<center style="text-align: left;">
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It's Friday - time to <span style="color: red;">confess</span> the week's indiscretions and come clean before the weekend....</span></center>
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Here goes:</span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I am looking forward to lunch today - this week has been National Nursing Home week, and we always conclude with a big catered BBQ - which is today! Yum! I will be stepping out on the Plan today, and enjoying every bite!</span></center>
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Speaking of the Plan, I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I'm still doing it and you can see my latest update <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-plan-days-8.html" target="_blank">here.</a></span></center>
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I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I am soooo frustrated with my foot. I did a tiny bit of running 2 days this week, and my foot was throbbing the next day. Does anyone know where I can get a new one?</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>, once again, that I LOVE my residents. Take this true story from this week:</span></center>
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My sweet 97 year old lady gives me a hug today, grabbing one of my many love handles as she does. </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">She says: You are so sweet Caroline, and so pretty. And I guess you know, honey, you are sort of fat.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> </span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">I say: Yes ma'am I know I am.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"> </span><br /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">She says: I thought you did, does your husband like it? </span><br style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;" /><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;">Me: He doesn't mind it too much.</span></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that at one time, this would have bothered me a little bit, but I've learned that my old people just don't have their filters working anymore (if they ever did), and I enjoy their honest banter - most of the time anyway.</span></center>
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<a href="http://www.killthehydra.com/wp-content/uploads/youre-fat-someecards1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="448" src="http://www.killthehydra.com/wp-content/uploads/youre-fat-someecards1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Lastly, I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I have discovered <a href="http://www.feedly.com/home#welcome" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Feedly</span></a>. Since Google Reader is going away in just a couple of months, I needed to find another reader to keep track of my favorite blogs. I tried <a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #76a5af;">Blog Lovin'</span></a> but I just didn't like the layout so much. For now, I'll stick to Feedly - it has a nice, clean looking page that I can customize with different views and categories.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Well, I think that's it for me, what are YOU confessing this week? </i></b></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Head over to <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" style="background-color: white; color: #a9bdff; font-family: Georgia, Utopia, 'Palatino Linotype', Palatino, serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 23px; text-align: start;" target="_blank">Aubrey @ High-Heeled Love</a> to join the confessing!</i></b></span></center>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-88832682122520566142013-05-17T09:17:00.000-04:002013-05-17T09:21:31.383-04:00The Plan Days 8 - 11<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 7</b> - Remember I made that batch of Almond Butter cookies? Well something in them cause a reaction - maybe the coconut? I had stomach cramps and gained .8 pound. They weren't that great, so I won't mind not getting to eat the rest of them.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 8</b> - Test Bread - I toasted my bread and smeared on my yummy raw almond butter. Then my stomach started to protest just slightly. But I'm also having my monthly cramping, so which was it? I lost 1.3 pound so think I will retest bread in a day or week or so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 9</b> - Rest Day - Party Day - Blew it Day. Breakfast was fine, weird, but fine. I had Blueberry/Pear Compote w/ chia seeds. The texture was very strange - like crunch, slimy seeds. I have a 1/2 portion still in the fridge, so I will eat it, but will I make it again? Maybe not.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3chfNSa8NMBPoAUZP6dU5C28Q32KbuL7CSy00TC-6bJbo7wHw3mysMcptiAYh_lDyq4Xh6aamUmvSrBeg2f5dIF4rzZyEDGrujY7TcYiRwNxMYZQM2eBBX7UUok66OoMdqDhND9jYNHWs/s640/blogger-image--935661574.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3chfNSa8NMBPoAUZP6dU5C28Q32KbuL7CSy00TC-6bJbo7wHw3mysMcptiAYh_lDyq4Xh6aamUmvSrBeg2f5dIF4rzZyEDGrujY7TcYiRwNxMYZQM2eBBX7UUok66OoMdqDhND9jYNHWs/s640/blogger-image--935661574.jpg" /></a></div>
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L<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">unch was really good - bed of mixed lettuce w/ heated sauteed veggies, goat cheese, pumpkin seeds, avocado and cucumber/mango salsa with carrot soup. Very satisfying.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Then Nursing Home week social. I had my snack beforehand to help keep me strong. That was a waste of apple/almond butter. I was tempted by the chicken wings and cookies. And a bite of a cupcake. The cake was way too sweet and I threw the rest out. I usually love the icing, but it tasted really yucky, so only a bite of that. But the chicken wings, I'm not sorry about those. They may turn me into a slug later, but I'll skip the dinner animal protein tonight. I've probably gained 3 pounds. (only gained 1.5).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 10</b> - I had to give a presentation today in a city almost an hour away, so no way to pack my lunch. My program ended right at 12 noon. I hung around with my boss for a little while, then decided to head back down the mountain to do a little shopping. I was looking for a Wendy's because I knew I could get the Apple Pecan chicken salad w/ no blue cheese and no dressing. Could not find a Wendy's anywhere. I was really hungry, I saw the McDonald's and was headed for Chicken nuggets & fries. Right across the street was an Ingles grocery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Our Ingles have the absolute best salad bars - so I turned left instead of right, and got a delicious salad w/ a bit of fruit. Felt much better with myself for making a healthy choice. Lost 1.1 pounds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 11</b> - With the conference yesterday I got off schedule, so used today as another rest day, and re-tested bread. Did not have any cramping after eating it today for breakfast, had salad & leftover veggies for lunch.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPnab_ws3puKwTGOLGlKin4Qb0gCd4sDBxaHcZXlki8uUohppf7RiGAdfLRTqVw_r4EovyrPFLjjXpGGjToZYRWw2m45ZC8nEabdBvfCbV40PcAB7U1yv5hOh2BKh3QuM0B2IVDYG-6rz/s1600/photo+3+(2).JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPPnab_ws3puKwTGOLGlKin4Qb0gCd4sDBxaHcZXlki8uUohppf7RiGAdfLRTqVw_r4EovyrPFLjjXpGGjToZYRWw2m45ZC8nEabdBvfCbV40PcAB7U1yv5hOh2BKh3QuM0B2IVDYG-6rz/s320/photo+3+(2).JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For dinner I made a vegetable Timbale. I had no idea what that was until tonight. A layered vegetable salad, kind of like a lasagna (without the sauce, cheese and meat), but not really. This one called for zucchini, onions, carrots, swiss chard, mushrooms, goat cheese and manchego cheese. I was supposed to use 4-5 oz of goat cheese. I think I'm reacting a bit to the goat cheese, and I only had 1 oz anyway, so crumbled it up to give it just a touch of cheese in the middle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The picture really doesn't do it justice. Since I haven't been using any salt or dressings, I could really taste the saltiness of the manchego cheese on top. It was delicious.</span><br />
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<i><b>Bill’s Timbale</b></i><br />
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<i>• 1/2 head of Swiss chard (use kale if y</i><i>ou have thyroid dysfunction)</i><br />
<i>• 1 large zucchini</i><br />
<i>• 1 red onion</i><br />
<i>• 1 1/2 large carrots</i><br />
<i>• 4-6 oz. soft goat cheese</i><br />
<i>• 2 oz. manchego</i><br />
<i>• 8 shitake mushrooms</i><br />
<i>Preheat oven to 400 F. Use a mandolin or slice vegetables as thinly as you can. Create layers like a lasagna: zucchini, onions, Swiss chard, goat cheese, carrots, shitakes, Swiss chard, carrots, zucchini and top with </i><i>manchego. Cook for 30 minutes or until top layer of cheese is slightly golden. Makes 6 servings.</i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Total weight loss - 4.5 pounds</i></b>. Have gained twice - once on a rest day when I made those almond butter cookies, and after my cheat day earlier this week.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are 10 days left for the formal part of the program, but I would like to continue eating this way, because I feel so much better mentally and physically. It does take a good bit of planning, but I love looking in my notebook each morning knowing exactly what I'm going to eat for the day.</span><br />
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-75542986023414621172013-05-12T13:21:00.000-04:002013-05-12T15:13:05.511-04:00The Plan - Days 4 through 7<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, I made it through the toughest part - the <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-plan-day-one-day-three.html" target="_blank">3 day cleanse</a>. And then the next four days as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I've not had any reactions so far to any of the "test" foods - almonds, goat cheese, dark chocolate or steak. Tomorrow I get to try bread - white bread. I'm so excited!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The ounce of chocolate at the end of the day is really worth waiting for. I'm still taking the L-Glutamine and have had zero sugar cravings. I'm going to take it for another few days, maybe this whole week coming up because it's National Nursing Home week at work, and there will be food everyday. And I'll be the one serving it everyday.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 4</b> - tested goat cheese, and I passed. I was also able to add dark chocolate in after dinner. And I could have added red wine, if I had any, but I haven't been drinking lately, so will save the wine for later.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 5</b> - tested Rye flour, and I passed. Now, I can have a rye cracker or two w/ almond butter as a snack.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 6</b> - tested steak. I was worried about this one because I love it so much. And I didn't drink enough water, so at 7:30pm I chugged about a quart and was still behind. But, lo and behold, lost 1.6 pounds, so I passed Steak! The book says that beef is tough on the digestion system and most people do well to have it only once every 7 days. So chicken is my friend, for now, until I test another protein.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>Day 7</b> - Rest day - no testing, just all non-reactive foods.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total weight loss so far - 4.4 pounds (in 6 days).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">On the Lyn-Genet Plan facebook page she posted this wonderful looking almond cookie recipe, so I made a batch of those today. I can have them as a snack or as a dessert.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Here is the recipe:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpGkoYIQgPfAKG55ulqEWjPATJp7MDrSDYyQwptxk3Cq5rOFMFpRxeDjB8pIcvN6SSlavIVUxlG3AglZktZca8ZCeyEDP5IL9xpnsb210OcimGSg1Gkx0h0VueR86JFiDRD_MGcguGiFP/s640/blogger-image--218477947.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="239" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYpGkoYIQgPfAKG55ulqEWjPATJp7MDrSDYyQwptxk3Cq5rOFMFpRxeDjB8pIcvN6SSlavIVUxlG3AglZktZca8ZCeyEDP5IL9xpnsb210OcimGSg1Gkx0h0VueR86JFiDRD_MGcguGiFP/s320/blogger-image--218477947.jpg" width="320" /></a><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Almond butter balls</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1/3 cup almond butter</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">3 tbsp chia seeds</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1/3 cup shredded coconut</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1/3 cup almond flour</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1 tbsp confectioners sugar</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">1 tbsp cinnamon</span><br />
<br style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;" />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Preheat oven to 350</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;">Combine almond butter, chia seeds, coconut and almond flour in a mixing bowl.<br />The almond butter mix should make 9 small balls<br /><br />Combine sugar and cinnamon- roll balls in sugar/cinnamon mix<br />bake at 350 for 10 min<br /><br />Portion is 3 balls they taste like sugar cookies <i class="_4-k1 img sp_dymwb8 sx_05ed83" style="background-image: url(https://fbstatic-a.akamaihd.net/rsrc.php/v2/yZ/r/UhMLg0EVnbW.png); background-position: 0px -1211px; background-repeat: no-repeat no-repeat; background-size: auto; display: inline-block; height: 16px; vertical-align: -3px; width: 16px;"></i> and they are chock full of protein!!</span><br />
<span class="text_exposed_show" style="background-color: white; color: #898f9c; display: inline; font-family: 'lucida grande', tahoma, verdana, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GBsgFV0Nnb6HbxNyqKF87I-FFjS38V228s6QzLdNGPV_LDnK34vvZxOtNdpc-cYfuMh9D0gHVAb0WcrmB5XEVvBxPv0fTRcZSB2fzDCGOb5rQ5B8-dMspp8COQecH2D48-I5NxBUrhPl/s640/blogger-image--1258301004.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_GBsgFV0Nnb6HbxNyqKF87I-FFjS38V228s6QzLdNGPV_LDnK34vvZxOtNdpc-cYfuMh9D0gHVAb0WcrmB5XEVvBxPv0fTRcZSB2fzDCGOb5rQ5B8-dMspp8COQecH2D48-I5NxBUrhPl/s640/blogger-image--1258301004.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: inherit;"><b>
The little black things are the chia seeds - they kind of look like something else, but I'm not saying...</b></span></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I wouldn't go so far to say they taste like sugar cookies, like they said in the recipe, but very good. I will definitely eat the whole batch (over the week - not all at once).</span></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This next week will be a combo of test/rest days. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Tomorrow I will test bread. And, get this, it's white bread (well I can choose wheat if I want to) but no multigrain, no flax, no oatmeal - no fancy, healthy bread. I've got gluten issues, so this will be interesting to see what happens.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After bread comes a new protein - maybe eggs or bacon? I haven't decided yet. Also this week I start to wean off the Flax granola and add in different breakfast offerings. Blueberry/Pear compote is up for Tuesday. I've already made it and it looks kind of gross, so I'm hoping it will taste completely different that what it looks like.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thoughts so far:</span><br />
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<ul>
<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The biggest difference I can tell, so far, is that when I wake up in the morning I am awake. I'm not groggy or sluggish. I don't have to have caffeine to "wake up." I get out of bed, and I am awake. I don't know if I have ever felt this before.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I am sleeping really hard at night. I used to be an incredibly hard sleeper, in the last few years have had increasing trouble with sleeping. So it's wonderful to be able to go to sleep and stay asleep all night.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I'm actually not dreading weighing everyday. I'm still not crazy about it, but it's not messing with me as it has in the past.</span></li>
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<li><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I function better with vegetable protein at lunch and animal protein at dinner. I'm not getting tired after lunch. At some point I think I actually test having 2 animal proteins in one day. For now, I think I'm doing very well with vegetable protein at lunch.</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Incidentally, I've pretty much stopped all caffeine. Maybe a cup of green tea once in a while (not every day), but I've switched from my beloved black tea to rooibos and herbal teas w/ either a spot of honey or nothing at all. And I don't miss the black tea. I really thought I would. I will still drink it occasionally, but may not go back to an everyday habit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What are you thinking about this plan? Sound interesting to you?</span><br />
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-42156009061991963922013-05-10T09:12:00.002-04:002013-05-10T09:12:54.978-04:00Friday Confessions 5.10.13<center style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's been too long since I've <span style="color: red;">confessed</span>....But here goes:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>: I am soooo glad the Trail Race I directed last week is OVER! I was disappointed in the turnout, but am so glad it is done. It's a lot of work and I don't mind saying that I would not be upset if the race gets dropped next year...or maybe someone else can take it over.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>: that I am still having my <span style="color: #6fa8dc;"><a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/03/a-most-annoying-foot-pain.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #6fa8dc;">Most Annoying Foot Pain</span></a>.</span>It gets a little better, and I think it's going, and then it's not gone. I haven't run regularly in several months. My eating got out of hand and I gained back some weight.</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovZ585NzqbNROSRttDbi9vm8yEYqv0uoAF_YmiiH2dvROkeDEWuJqZPDyyfAdLrXLS75ZJxxWyQKdcA_Dqwzl_NZUhAhg9CANjmD5kJCEdOuPgEleF9dRV_8jHCHhpAVoNND8VX5DjRgy/s1600/The_Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgovZ585NzqbNROSRttDbi9vm8yEYqv0uoAF_YmiiH2dvROkeDEWuJqZPDyyfAdLrXLS75ZJxxWyQKdcA_Dqwzl_NZUhAhg9CANjmD5kJCEdOuPgEleF9dRV_8jHCHhpAVoNND8VX5DjRgy/s320/The_Plan.jpg" width="213" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>: that I needed a new strategy. So I started <a href="http://lyngenet.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f6b26b;">The Plan</span></a>. I started just this week, and you can check out my progress so far <span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/05/the-plan-day-one-day-three.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">here</span></a>. </span>I confess that the first 2 days were pretty tough physically, but today, day 5, I am feeling pretty good. Sleeping much, much better, and feel good physically as well as clear mentally.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>: that next week is National Nursing Home week, and we have special stuff going on everyday (Translation: special food every day). So I will have to watch myself from mindless eating and drinking. I will, I <span style="color: red;">confess</span>, cheat next Friday, when we have our annual BBQ lunch catered from <a href="http://www.muttsbbqgreer.com/" target="_blank">Mutt's BBQ</a>.</span></center>
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Well, I guess that's it for me, what are YOU <span style="color: red;">confessing</span> this week? </center>
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Head over to <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank">High Heeled Love</a> to join Aubry's Confession party!</center>
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<a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank"><img alt=" photo HighHeeledLove_zpsbbcc137c.jpg" border="0" src="http://i1151.photobucket.com/albums/o621/highheeledlove/Blog%20Graphics/HighHeeledLove_zps6db62c81.jpg" /></a></center>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-80930262402962774032013-05-09T10:50:00.002-04:002013-05-09T11:02:27.347-04:00The Plan - Days One through Three<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiY4NoUl9iUDEyjxmW81s9teT47ksxZG0N_Nau3ZelrUpX_pKuS0DCbiL13Q7Wy08PAcnj6w4fMlT-3ItT8KNVQAnqwI9ZuGNIcy4mnyBVrHCcwE63SJyLAzn6zqPp_TiECFenDoxZS4Qu/s1600/The_Plan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiY4NoUl9iUDEyjxmW81s9teT47ksxZG0N_Nau3ZelrUpX_pKuS0DCbiL13Q7Wy08PAcnj6w4fMlT-3ItT8KNVQAnqwI9ZuGNIcy4mnyBVrHCcwE63SJyLAzn6zqPp_TiECFenDoxZS4Qu/s320/The_Plan.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day One:</span></b><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First thing I weighed myself. That was not fun, but as Lyn-Genet says repeatedly in her book - this is for data gathering only. I will be able to tell which foods I react to by a number of signs - one of them being weight gain.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So got that out of the way, drank my 16 oz of water and downed my liver detox pills.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Breakfast</i></b> - Flax granola w/ coconut milk. One cup of this is A LOT! Lots of chewing, and I was grateful when I hit a cranberry every once in awhile. When I was almost finished I remembered that I also get blueberries, so grabbed those and dumped in the bowl as well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Breakfast was very, very filling. There are 40 grams of protein in a cup of flax seed, and a whole lotta fiber in there too.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Lunch</i></b> - Carrot Ginger soup w/ sunflower seeds (Would have been fantastic w/ salt, but wasn't terrible), Steamed broccoli - I can only eat so much broccoli, Mixed greens w/ apple and pumpkin seeds - the best part of lunch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>S</i></b> - Apple</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dinner</i></b> - Sauteed kale w/ coconut sauce. The sauce was really thick and rich, almost too rich. Not sure I like it. Roasted Veggies w/ lemon oil (very good), carrot/beet salad w/ pumpkin seeds. Could not eat all of the carrot/beets. It wasn't terrible, but not great, and lots of chewing.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did get hungry on Day 1. Went to bed at 8:30pm w/ headache and woke up at 6:30am with headache and nausea.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day Two:</span></b><br />
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<i><u><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weighed myself first thing: <b> - 1 pound (Nice!)</b></span></u></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drank my water and took liver pills</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband took one look at me and said, "I really think you should stay out today, and tomorrow, until you get past this." Well, I agreed, but had things that had to get done - Skype calls today and a lunch outing. So off to work I went. Miserably so.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Was incredibly nauseated. Could not eat my flax, could not even think about it. Packed it all up and brought to work. By 9:15a I was better and able to eat it w/ blueberries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Lunch:</i></b> Carrot soup w/ sunflower seeds, mixed greens w/ apple and avocado (Yum on the avocado!), could not stomach the broccoli.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>S</i></b> - apple w/ raw almonds. <i>This is my first "test" to see if I react to almonds</i>. We'll see when I weigh in the morning. Have had no physical reaction so far - my headache is worse, but think that is because the Anacin has worn off.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dinner</i></b> - Sauteed Kale w/ coconut sauce, beet & carrot salad, and RICE! I was so excited about the rice. It was delicious!! But could not eat the beet & carrot. I could not get warm, and the salad was cold, so I just skipped it.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The food "tests" are in the least reactive to the most reactive, so the foods I will test this week will be the least reactive, for most people.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day Three:</span></b><br />
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weighed first thing: -.8 pound -<b> total 1.8</b></span></i><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drank Water, took liver pills and probiotics</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I did not react to the raw almonds yesterday. Yay!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I slept hard and woke up very well, clear headed without my normal grogginess.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Breakfast</i></b> - Flax granola w/ 1/2 pear & coco milk - I was late to work due to 8am hair appointment. Had a 9am bfast meeting. It was tempting sitting in that room w/ eggs, biscuits & gravy aromas wafting around me. But I resisted, and ate my stuff afterward in my office.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Lunch</i></b> - Headed out for lunch outing to <a href="http://www.strawberryhillusa.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Strawberry Hill</span></a>. So flipped lunch & dinner today. I ordered a grilled chicken salad with no cheese, bacon or dressing. But what I really wanted was a hamburger and tater tots with strawberries for dessert. Ah, this is only 20 days, and I'll be back at Strawberry Hill at the end of the month. I did sneak a couple of french fries, hopefully that will have ill effects. They weren't even that great.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i>Dinner</i></b> - Cream of Broccoli soup - very yummy. Made with coconut milk. Very good. Mixed greens w/ avocado and pumpkin seeds, dressed w/ lemon oil.</span><br />
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<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day Four weigh in: -.7</span></i></b><br />
<b><i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Total cleanse weight loss : -2.5</span></i></b><br />
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<b><i>Today I get to have some goat cheese. Looking forward to lunch!</i></b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDg7IAznqMMwNM34emrcJBnuyzHqDZHAxQHvLlYQ41TpzdNNXQM_drRXKVS4yXOHmKcrDOKjU3feGVFcyAdyrWlFJ_jd505ADlx-U3jRgutveXIn6SvVuZNxdLrRh0wgFKu3ZFQ5cSbi1Y/s1600/plan+on+on.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDg7IAznqMMwNM34emrcJBnuyzHqDZHAxQHvLlYQ41TpzdNNXQM_drRXKVS4yXOHmKcrDOKjU3feGVFcyAdyrWlFJ_jd505ADlx-U3jRgutveXIn6SvVuZNxdLrRh0wgFKu3ZFQ5cSbi1Y/s1600/plan+on+on.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b><i><br /></i></b>
So far very pleased with results. My head feels clearer and less sluggish. More blog reports to follow!</span><br />
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<h3>
<b><i>What do you think of this plan? of this idea that our body has chemical reactions to certain foods?Have you had reactions to "healthy" foods?</i></b></h3>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-73206926415326864072013-05-05T18:07:00.002-04:002013-05-05T19:56:03.131-04:00Prep Day for The Plan<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Today was my major prep day as I'm starting The Plan (read about it <a href="http://lyngenet.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">here</span></a>) tomorrow. The Plan starts with a 3 day cleanse.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Cleanse rules:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Stop all supplements and medications, that I can safely, for the 3-day cleanse - to help liver rest.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink 1/2 my weight in ounces of water. All before 7:30pm.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Take liver detox each day</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">No exercise</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weigh myself first thing each morning - this will mess with my mind a bit, but I have to do it to see if I have reacted to any food. A gain of .5 - 2 pounds means reaction.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Everyday for breakfast I will have Flax granola w/ coconut milk. So I made enough granola to last me through the week, hopefully. I had a 1/2 cup of it today as a snack, and it's pretty good. Won't be hard to eat at all.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Also today I roasted vegetables, made 2 different types of soup, and 2 kinds of vegetable side dishes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what my first 3 days will look like:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 1 (cleanse)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weigh</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink 16 oz water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">take liver detox</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B - 1 cup flax granola, 1/2 cup blueberries, coconut milk</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L - Carrot Ginger soup w/ raw sunflower seeds, Steamed broccoli w/ lemon oil, mixed greens w/ 1/2 pear & raw pumpkin seeds</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">S - apple</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">d - Sauteed kate & mushrooms w/ spicy coconut sauce, Beet & carrot salad w/ pumpkin seeds, Roasted veggies</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 2 (cleanse)</span><br />
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<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weigh</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink 16 oz water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">take liver detox</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B - 1 cup flax granola, 1/2 cup blueberries, coconut milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L - Carrot ginger soup w/ raw sunflower seeds, Mixed greens w/ 1/4 avocado and 1/2 apple, Broccoli w/ lemon oil</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">S - 1/2 pear w/ raw almonds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">D - Sauteed kate & mushrooms, brown rice, pumpkin seeds, carroty & beet salad w/ sunflower seeds</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Day 3 (cleanse)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Weigh</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drink 16 oz water</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">take liver detox</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">B - 1 cup flax granola w/ 1/2 apple or 1/2 cup blueberries, coconut milk</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">L - Work lunch outing - will order grilled chicken salad</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">S - 10-12 almonds, or if I reacted to almonds yesterday - then 1/2 apple or 1/2 pear</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">D - </span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">mixed greens w 1/4 avocado, carrots & pumpkin seeds, Spicy Vegetable Soup</span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigswWZ-ZL7NJpCT7mZZOVCqd0w4eD9Oscn4NEpNN7uyKtgom5F3SsNa3ObQ95my9CLedKKLXxE3ks-BsLa40Htj8IVj0zfCbG3DK_MMMQzgHUZlPGKCqsuKylQKrKvRmC6U04yhR1sjQn/s640/blogger-image-1519321669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiigswWZ-ZL7NJpCT7mZZOVCqd0w4eD9Oscn4NEpNN7uyKtgom5F3SsNa3ObQ95my9CLedKKLXxE3ks-BsLa40Htj8IVj0zfCbG3DK_MMMQzgHUZlPGKCqsuKylQKrKvRmC6U04yhR1sjQn/s640/blogger-image-1519321669.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roasted Vegetables</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8KPTmx8iPlOSaLT2VfIhS5rRh8cQxrqIQhIGE-Zwggt2ctlf66QNCG7tfNmBYTKM0ENVLY0oEKrQOIglh9CwShxd6HdTKdY-rD1bTxMaXzH8D2wfaAc7lJyWEP2uqC12joLpvDzttelJ/s640/blogger-image--1813941712.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgW8KPTmx8iPlOSaLT2VfIhS5rRh8cQxrqIQhIGE-Zwggt2ctlf66QNCG7tfNmBYTKM0ENVLY0oEKrQOIglh9CwShxd6HdTKdY-rD1bTxMaXzH8D2wfaAc7lJyWEP2uqC12joLpvDzttelJ/s640/blogger-image--1813941712.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Flax Granola w/ cranberries</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The only food that is processed is the Coconut milk, which I bought in the dairy section. It's very creamy and I do like it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This Plan will take a lot of planning. After day 6 I have the option to continue the Plan as written for 20 days, or I can "Plan" 2-3 days a week, or I can stay on the "rest" days to lose more weight and inflammation.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Before I think that far ahead, I want to make it through this week!</span></div>
Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-49626198277132127502013-05-02T11:54:00.000-04:002013-05-04T12:37:24.598-04:00Prepping for "The Plan"<a href="http://www.bloglovin.com/blog/4994635/?claim=f4qyhtss5fg">Follow my blog with Bloglovin</a><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Like many people I've had terrible troubles with allergies this season. I started noticing that my symptoms seemed worse on days I'd eaten salad w/ vinegar and blue cheese for lunch. Seemed weird to me, but I really did notice a difference on those days. Some days I will have a chai latte, and my fingers swell and I can't get my rings off - what is this about?</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">While thinking about this, I quite by accident came across a friend's post on Facebook about a program she saw on the Dr. Oz show. I'm not really a fan of his, but watched the video and something about the information struck me. So I investigated.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">You can see the links to the videos from the Dr. Oz show: <a href="http://www.doctoroz.com/videos/anti-diet-plan-eliminating-reactive-foods-pt-1" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Here</span></a>. When I was young I tested positive to many food sensitivities. Because I had no obvious symptoms - hives, breathing troubles, etc, I thought I had outgrown them. But maybe I was wrong.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This plan was developed by Lyn-Genet Recitas. You can check out her and her website <a href="http://lyngenet.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span>.</a> </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">"<span style="background-color: white; color: #5a5b58; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;">Our focus is on creating internal harmony using the precepts of The Lyn-Genet Plan, an anti-inflammatory diet. The Lyn-Genet Plan reduces chronic low grade inflammation which is the basis for premature aging, disease and weight gain."</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #5a5b58; font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 18px;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She has an interesting diagram about how food makes us fat: <a href="http://lyngenet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/11/How-Foods-Cause-Weight-Gain.pdf" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here.</span></a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The premise of this plan is that many healthy foods we are eating, are not "friendly" to our particular body chemistry. This doesn't make them good or bad foods, we simply react to them in a non positive way. The Plan sets about trying to discover what foods are friendly and which are not. That is not to say that I will never be able to eat foods I am react to, but I will have knowledge of what is happening to me when I choose to indulge. The reactions can manifest as weight gain (from .5 - 2 pounds in a day), congestion, digestion troubles, sluggishness, hives, headaches, etc. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> The first step of the 20-day Plan is to reset the liver. The first 3 days are a "cleanse" of sorts. I've done many, many cleanses, and this really doesn't look like a cleanse. Three meals and a snack? Two thousand calories a day? No liquid diet, no shakes, no fasting. Seems very, very doable. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">After the initial 20 days, if I make it that far, I should have an arsenal of about 30-40 foods that are friendly for me. And most of us eat the same 30-40 foods all the time anyway, so I just may have a few new foods, and a few less of my now-favorites. I will also know how to tell if I am reacting to a certain food/ingredient or not. And if I do have a food reaction, I will know what I need to do to reduce the inflammation in my body.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">There are a few supplements she recommends, so I've ordered those. One is a Liver detox, MSM (for those with allergies), probiotics for my gut, and L-Glutamine just until sugar cravings go away. I've also purchased flax seed for my flax granola as well as chia and hempseed. Honestly I haven't read all the recipes to know what I will do with the chia and hempseed, but I'll have them. I have my shopping list prepared and a cheat sheet to help me get through the first 3 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My plan is to start Monday. My goal is to lose some weight, and discover my friendly foods so I will have fewer reactive (allergic) symptoms in the future.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I plan (hope) to post regularly about my experiences - good and bad, mainly so I will have a record of how this is or is not working for me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This coming weekend will be a flurry of activity. First I have the PACRun 5K Trail Race, of which I am the race director. I will be ever so grateful when that is done and over Saturday morning. Then I can get all my food bought and prepped for my first 3 days.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">If you want more information check out Lyn-Genet's book - <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plan-Eliminate-Surprising-Healthy-Fat--/dp/1455515485/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1367508186&sr=1-1&keywords=the+plan" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">The Plan: Eliminate the Surprising "Healthy" Foods that are Making you Fat, and Lose weight Fast.</span></a></span><br />
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-17145510855558547952013-03-26T11:35:00.002-04:002013-03-26T11:35:41.254-04:00A Most Annoying Foot Pain<h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Plantar Fasciitis. WTH - you say? </span></h2>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Pronounced "<span style="background-color: white; color: #000033;">plantar fash-ee-eye-tis</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; line-height: 24px;">" but</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"> I tend to leave the double e out of the middle. </span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">At any rate, however you say it, it is a most annoying injury. Just when you think it's had it's fill of you, it raises it's ugly heel and stabs you once again.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I've had this before I started running. Runners seem to be more prone, but it is certainly not limited to those who exercise. It was summertime, and since I was wearing sandals to work everyday I kept a golf ball at my desk and would mindlessly run my foot over it every time I sat down. That seemed to speed the heeling, and I was limp-free fairly quickly</span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">Unfortunately it's not summer-time now, and I'm too lazy to take my shoes off every time I sit down at my desk. Plus my feet stink more during winter.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">What is this mystery condition? There is a ton of info on the web, and since I know how to use Google, I am now a PF expert.</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><a href="http://www.heel-that-pain.com/" target="_blank">Heel That Pain</a> has a lot of comprehensive information, and many, many videos about the condition as well as other heel problems. They also have videos of stretches that may also help. They offer one product on their website - shoe inserts which they call "heel seats".</span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;"><br /></span>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">The short of it is that the Plantar Fascia muscle, which runs the length of your foot and connects your heel to your sole, becomes inflamed (there are a variety of reasons), and causes knife-like pain in the heel. The pain is usually more pronounced at the first step out of bed. There are a multitude of treatments, stretches and apparatus that are all touted to bring heeling.</span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">I've tried many of them, including - using my tiger stick on my shins/calves, rubbing my foot over a lacrosse ball, rubbing my foot over a frozen water bottle, putting my running shoes on first thing in the morning, stretching my soleus muscle (which I think is the same thing as my shin) on my steps, stretching my calves out. I've also ordered some foot compression sleeves to sleep in. They should come today, so I can't report on any success/failure of them yet. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; line-height: 24px;">When I had it years ago I had a night boot, but never could keep it on more than an hour, so ended up not using it at all. I considered ordering another one, actually I did order one. Then seconds after I hit the Amazon order button I opened up my account and canceled the boot. It looked like a space boot, and with my history I just didn't think I would be able to sleep with this thing on my foot. </span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I've only run once in the last 4 weeks. But hubby and I have upped our walking to 2 miles/night. I was experiencing a distinct improvement, and was gearing myself up for a run this week, but the extra walking has brought slight aggravation. So I will keep with the walking, stretching, rolling, icing, massaging and see if after a week there is improvement. If so, then I will try a short run/walk and see what happens.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I was hoping to PR a 10K this April, but since I've already missed the first 3 weeks of training, I haven't even signed up for the race yet. I've decided not to sign up for any until the pain is gone. I don't want it to worsen, and there will be plenty of time for races after my foot has healed.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I am impatient though. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">I think my trouble started when the weather started turning, I started running almost every day - short distances, mind you, but still I think the quick increase (I was running 3x week) is the source of my pain. There is no way to know, but that's my suspicion.</span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">My friend and owner of my local health food store also took a look at my running shoes, and thought they might be too stiff. He scored the bottoms with his pocket knife, so when I do get back to running, that should help prevent it from re-occurring. Or at least I tell myself that. </span></span><br />
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<span style="background-color: white; color: #404040; font-family: Gudea, sans-serif;"><span style="line-height: 24px;">Have you ever had this condition? What has worked for you?</span></span><br />
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-37594676132714085442013-01-20T15:41:00.000-05:002013-01-20T15:45:48.129-05:00Coconut-Dark Chocolate Truffles<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Last week I was invited to a dinner party. A Paleo Dinner party. If you don't know what a Paleo diet is, you can read about it <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://whole9life.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a> </span>or you can Google it. I have a few friends who are making positive changes in their lives with this eating plan. At this time, I don't have plans to adopt the full lifestyle, but I am making some 'paleo' changes - adding more vegetables, less carbs, less starches and eliminating processed foods.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I wanted to bring something appropriate to the dinner, and I had just received my newest<span style="color: #741b47;"><a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/" target="_blank"> Eating Well magazine</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There were several recipes which incorporated coconut in some form. Coconut seems to be a staple in the Paleo diet, so I was intrigued when I saw these truffles. They are sweetened wholly by dates, 2 cups in fact, then mixed with coconut flour and cocoa powder. All this was mixed into a paste with my awesome Ninja blender.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After they sat overnight I rolled them into about 40 little balls. Then covered them with melted dark chocolate, then rolled in toasted coconut.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The recipe stated that after they chilled, the dark chocolate outside would create a nice crunchy coating, in contrast to the soft truffle center. Well, I really didn't believe mine would turn out that way. I had doubts, but they were gone once I tasted these. They were divine. Really, truly gourmet. No sugar, no white flour, no gluten and they tasted amazing. A definite keeper.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You can find the complete recipe<a href="http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/coconut_chocolate_truffles.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #f4cccc;"> </span><span style="color: #e06666;">here.</span></a></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"> After confirming with my dinner host that all the ingredients truly were on the Paleo good list, I offered to bring them to the party. I bought the dates at my local health food store, Nature's Storehouse, and the owner, my friend John, gave me the dates in return that I bring him a few truffles. What a nice guy! I dropped them off on my way to work, and the report back from him was very good.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The meal that night was superb - all whole foods, very delicious and tasty. You can read about my hostesses journey at <span style="color: #45818e;"><a href="http://myhealthychallenge.wordpress.com/" target="_blank">My Healthy Challenge</a>.</span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">As I am trying to cut out white flour and gluten from my diet, for health reasons, the baker in me has been rebellious. It was refreshing to know that there are healthier options available to me, that taste just as good, maybe better than my over processed ingredients.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This doesn't mean I'm giving up cookies and cakes all together. But I am branching out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Try these for yourself - you won't regret it. And even better if you have a gluten free or diabetic loved one to share them with.</span></div>
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-1572242437002196602013-01-11T13:11:00.002-05:002013-01-11T13:11:14.090-05:00Friday Confessions 1.11.13<center style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, first of all, I need to <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that it's been quite some time since I did this. I feel a bit rusty.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Here goes!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I am soooo glad December is over! That is my hardest month of the year. It is my busiest month at work, and add to that the personal stress of Christmas and all that holiday stuff, it just gets downright crazy.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that my diet slid away for a couple of weeks, but I'm getting back into a nice groove and hope to stay there.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I was able to keep up with some exercise - at least once or twice a week at least, more sometimes. So that was an improvement, and a sign that I am actually making life changes.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I'm ready for a new year. A clean slate to fill up with new goals and achievements. I've set up some 2013 goals and I'm excited about what this year will bring. You can read about that <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2013/01/new-year-fresh-start-30-day-push.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: cyan;"><b>here</b></span></a>.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: red;">confess</span> that I haven't signed up for a 2013 race yet, and feel I need to in order to get serious about my running schedule. I have a couple of options, and just need to sign up. Two of my goals for the year are to PR (get a personal record) a 10K (6 miles) and to run my first Half Marathon The 10k is in April and the Half will be in November.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><i><b>Well, that's it for me this week. What are YOU confessing? Head over to <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank"><span style="background-color: white;">High Heeled Love</span></a> to join the confessions!</b></i></span></center>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-74131878771112295362013-01-10T11:50:00.000-05:002013-01-10T13:20:44.638-05:00New Year, Fresh Start - 30 Day Push Challenge<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now, I am moving on to another challenge of sorts. Chalene Johnson (of Chalean Extreme, Turbo Fire & Turbo Jam) has a free 30 day challenge to master organization and achieve goals. Chalene is absolutely awesome. She is upbeat, energetic and the most positive person I have every encountered. Granted, what I see of her is recorded, probably scripted, and may not be the whole picture. But compared with other popular female fitness gurus, she is head and shoulders above the others.(And I have a bit of a girl crush on her too).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">You can check out the program here: <a href="http://www.30daypush.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Thirty Day Push</span></a>. Like I said it's free and you will receive a daily email for 30 days. Each email will contain a short video clip as well as daily "homework assignments", but most will not take more than 10 minutes.I did get stuck on Day 2 for a few days. That was the most thoughtful one for me, so far. The first few days, for me, were thought provoking, and while I am over-thinking some of the exercises, I am certainly thinking about things that have not been on my mind in years. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I told my group that this process feels like I am pulling pieces of myself back to me, like putting together a puzzle of myself/life where all the pieces had been scattered to and fro before, and are finally finding their rightful place. I find this liberating and frustrating. Liberating because I feel my life coming back together. Frustrating because this stuff takes time and emotion to figure out. Nailing my top 3 priorities has helped me align myself to future goals and endeavors. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Here's a quick rundown of the some of the first days of the program:</span><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Day One was about naming my life priorities. It was basically a brainstorming exercise to figure out how we want to be remembered, by naming what is important in our lives.</span></b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">My values:</span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Family</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Friends/relationships</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Physical, emotional and spiritual health</span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Faith</span></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: x-small;">I want to remembered as a loving wife, caring sister and the funnest aunt/grandmother. I want to be remembered as being a loyal friend, and someone who was willing to help when needed. I hope to leave a legacy as being one who reached out to others with compassion and who encouraged others to be their best in all things.</span></span></div>
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Day Two was figuring out the top three priorities and writing mini-mission statements for them.</span></b></i><br />
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<strong><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">Day 2: My Priorities:</span></strong></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">My priorities are my family, maintaining peace in my life and home, and doing the best job I can at work.<br /><br />My husband is the most important person in my life. To honor him and my relationship with him I will spend quality time with him. To do this I need to use better time management to get my workouts completed in the mornings. I also need to really be present when I am with him, not thinking about all the other things I think I need to do. Eating well also plays a part because not eating well causes mood swings and crankiness. Taking care of myself with clean eating and healthy exercise also honors my husband. I will also spend less mindless activity on the computer in the evenings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;">He deserves my best, which includes all my love, respect and support.</span><br />
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<i><b><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Day Three was fun - ten goals for the year.</span></b></i><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: x-small;"><b>Day 3: Goals:</b><br /><br />1 & Push Goal: I will PR a 10K - April 2013<br />2. I will lose 20 pounds - November 2013<br />3. I will run my first Half Marathon - November 2013<br />4. I will increase weekly running mileage to 15 miles or more. June 2013<br />5. I will get stronger - 75 push ups - June 2013<br />6. I will get super cool stuff for "Swag Bags" for PAC Run (I'm race director) - May 2013<br />7. I will have a couple Bible Devotion/prayer w/ Dave once weekly - starting Jan 2013 and continue.<br />8. I will plan/cook dinner 3x weekly (at least) to share meal with Dave - Feb 2013<br />9. I will pay down credit card debt - Dec 2013<br />10. I will buy a sleep number bed with cash - December 2013</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Days 6, 7 and 8 were interesting. Charlene asks us to put our "To Do" lists on a smart phone. This was kind of overwhelming for me. I tend to over-research things. So I looked at several different apps. Did Google searches for the best kinds of apps and then searched for reviews of the top apps that I found. One thing I really wanted was a program that I could also access on my computer that would sync with my iPhone And I found "Orchestra". So far so good - but I've only been using it about 3 days. I've committed to it for 2 weeks and will then give my group a review of the Pros & Cons.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I love always having my list with me. I've had things scattered all over my house, my office, my purse. Now it's all in one spot. I can look at it anytime (either on my phone, ipod or computer) and update it anytime. The bulky notebook I kept in my purse is gone, the notebook I kept in my day-timer is gone as well. I'll still use pen/paper for quick notes, but can quickly add things to Orchestra. One of the neatest things so far is that it has a voice option. I can press a button and dictate a new task. How freakin' cool is that?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">If you have set New Year's resolutions this year, but haven't put any plans in place to meet those goals you may want to check out the </span><a href="http://www.30daypush.com/" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">30 Day Push Program</span></a><span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">. It's free and will help you make positive changes in your life. Goals are great, but there absolutely must be a plan so you can reach the goal! </span><br />
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-10720031989549330382013-01-09T20:57:00.000-05:002013-01-10T13:17:35.826-05:00Holiday Hotties Recap<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Thank God the month of December is behind us. It's a hard month for most, with the temptation to eat more, move less, not to mention the added stress of buying gifts in a short amount of time, with money we may not have. It's stressful to say the least!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Where I work, my co-workers and I are surrounded by food from Thanksgiving to New Years. We get a small taste of temptation around Halloween, but then it hits hard at Thanksgiving. I work in a Retirement Community that has a strict "no-tipping or gifts" policy. The exception to this rule is "if we can eat it, we can take it." Sooooo, since the residents and their families know this rule as well, we are given food, food and more food as gifts of appreciation and friendship. This keeps us in sweets for years if we were to keep it all for ourselves. I dropped most everything that made a stop in my office in the staff room. Out of site, out of mind. Almost. Good in theory. Okay, I had about 2 really bad weeks between the food at work and the cookies I baked at home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">But, I did jump a major hurdle for myself this year. I only baked 5 types of cookies, and only enough for immediate family and one neighbor. <b>This is huge, huge.</b> In years past I have baked up to 20 different kinds of cookies, hundreds of dozens and dozens. Pre-rental property days we gave them away to customers of husband's business. Then we gave them away to all our renters (about 22 of them), friends, family, co-workers, the dentist, the vet - you name it - we gave them cookies.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This year I went to mini quick breads. I can bake more of them at a time, and they are not tempting to me at all. At. All. Really. That is a true statement. Next year I plan to scale back even more and bake only 3 kinds of cookies. Get it all done in 2 days, and then it's done and safe in the freezer.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">So, all of the above was to lead into the results of the Holiday Hottie Challenge I was in with my Beach Body Facebook group. You can check out the guidelines of the challenge <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-hotties-december-challenge.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here.</span></a></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">My sister got a big head start at the beginning, and try as I might I was never able to catch her. But I came very close, and came in second. Our coach, Lindsay, came out with some super awesome prizes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The top 3 finishers (Me!) will receive: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><i>Clean Eating's Meal Plans Made Easy..."the Clean Eating Meal Plans Made Easy" bookazine, 16 weeks of easy, slimming dishes.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The top 2 finishers (Me!) will receive: <span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><i>2 year subscription (16 issues) to Clean Eating Magazine.</i></span></span><br />
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<span style="line-height: 17px;">And the top finisher(My sister) will receive:<span style="color: #333333; font-size: x-small;"> </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><i>a $50 gift card to either Lululemon, Underarmour, or Nike</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 17px;"><i>(She chose Lululemon.)</i></span><br />
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So, awesome prizes, dontcha think? I was impressed and glad I kept up with the contest!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Now we are on to something new - more about the Push 30 challenge in my next post. Stay tuned!</span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-52489210995717033952012-11-30T13:31:00.000-05:002012-11-30T13:31:11.025-05:00Friday Confessions 11.30.12<center>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Time to confess....I've missed a few weeks. This is a crazy time of year where I work!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess that all the Christmas decorations are up at work. It took 2 days and several volunteers, but everything is up and residents are happy. Now we can enjoy the month of December. I confess that I absolutely dread having to take it all down after New Years day.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess that the <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/11/holiday-hotties-december-challenge.html" style="color: red;" target="_blank">Holiday Hottie Challenge</a> I am doing is helping me stay focused. I normally just let my diet and exercise go basically from Halloween to New Year's, but not this year. I've worked too hard to let some Christmas cookies and eggnog get the best of me. I also confess that I'm very proud of the push-up video in my Holiday Hottie Challenge post. Very, very proud.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess that in year's past I have spent days baking Christmas cookies to give away to friends, family & neighbors. This year I am scaling back and switching to quick breads. They are much less tempting for me. I will still bake some cookies, but not the several 100 dozen that I roll out.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I confess that a good friend and co-worker is at the hospital right now, as her 3 year old son is having major surgery. I have been praying for them and confess that I am anxious to hear that all is well with the little one. Not having children, I can only imagine how hard and emotional this would be.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">If you want to go into your weekend pure and clean, consider heading over to see Aubrey at <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank">High Heeled Love</a> to join the confessions. I promise you will feel better.</span></center>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-46984114847174589682012-11-29T21:15:00.001-05:002012-11-29T21:15:08.525-05:00Holiday Hotties December Challenge<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
With my job as an activity director in a retirement community, the time between Halloween and New Year's Day is wrought with awful and wonderful temptations, on an almost daily basis.</div>
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I honestly admit to using bribery to get my residents out of their rooms, and into my activities. Most of the time, the bribes include food. Usually sweets. The last taste buds left on our tongues, as we age, are the sweet ones. This is why many older people will use lots and lots of salt, when the food is already well seasoned. They simply can't taste it. But the sweet buds linger on, and I use it to my advantage. And to my disadvantage. Sugar is one of my greatest weaknesses. I simply adore it, in all is forms. But especially in cookies, cakes and chocolate.</div>
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Resident family members leave us food at the nurse's station, they send us food in the mail. They leave it on our desks. Vendors give us food, doctors send us cakes and donuts. There are parties for staff, parties for residents. Then a few more parties for staff. We just love to party and to eat. </div>
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It's no secret that most Americans experience a 3-9 pound weight gain during the holiday season. Exercise routines slack off and eating plans slip beyond recognition of healthy.</div>
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Thankfully I have two accountability groups to keep me honest and mostly on track during this food-filled season.</div>
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My running girlfriends started a Healthy Challenge Facebook group to keep us accountable with eating and exercise. We post our food & exercise daily. Share recipes and tips as well. These girls are great - I also run with them almost weekly and enjoy their camaraderie and friendship.</div>
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My Ninety day challenge group coach Lindsay Phillips started a Holiday Hottie challenge. It could not have come at a better time. And those who know me have seen a bit of my competitive nature. Well, seriously, no one <i><b>LIKES</b></i> to lose, right?</div>
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Our Hottie challenge started the Monday after Thanksgiving. We were given a grid of ways to earn points. Whoever earns the most points by Dec 31 wins a prize.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFfraX17eMtVF6VrnpCXkrDeEYk6iADtUglXDn2aJmleu0Jv2n2VQEdbehsDohIQT2DBf-yLpxDOzhV7Npp88eTsPYdzX5C99AAjuQgTla_nAfOw1G0ckjJomdyCRBi8iqVXfwcwpYG_n/s1600/704231_4315797166621_187389607_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYFfraX17eMtVF6VrnpCXkrDeEYk6iADtUglXDn2aJmleu0Jv2n2VQEdbehsDohIQT2DBf-yLpxDOzhV7Npp88eTsPYdzX5C99AAjuQgTla_nAfOw1G0ckjJomdyCRBi8iqVXfwcwpYG_n/s640/704231_4315797166621_187389607_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I've printed off a copy at home and work, so I can remember what will earn me which points. Some things are easy - we almost all post our daily menu & workout. Now I just need to remember to snap a picture of my sweaty self, and get some pictures of my healthy meals. Well, I need to get back to some healthier meals before I start taking <i><b>those</b></i> pictures.</div>
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My sister, Mary, who has been doing the 90 day challenge with me has had some amazing results. See for yourself:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYjFLxKzmrJN_wmFirpUej4lOP6UwAchk0ALT6033hFB2N2IU1MU4D3tgniAkClJFQHJlDmwQT_ZZUbSjbEUg8jG0CsDaF6mnzSX3c7HhP7R3NrJf3Rk3ot3NE1O9aTPCPpVCzmDviQoF/s1600/704010_10151346465050030_1120451962_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="491" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbYjFLxKzmrJN_wmFirpUej4lOP6UwAchk0ALT6033hFB2N2IU1MU4D3tgniAkClJFQHJlDmwQT_ZZUbSjbEUg8jG0CsDaF6mnzSX3c7HhP7R3NrJf3Rk3ot3NE1O9aTPCPpVCzmDviQoF/s640/704010_10151346465050030_1120451962_o.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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I am so proud of her! And because I am a chicken, I am showing her before/after pictures, instead of mine. When I get a little farther along, maybe I'll be brave enough to show you those. Maybe.</div>
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I <i><u>will</u></i> show you this nice little video Mary took of me doing push-ups. I have always struggled with upper body strength, and the only way I could do push ups was on my knees. On of my "crazy, awesome" goals is to be able to do 25 toe push ups I'm not quite there yet, but, check this out!! If you can hear the sound, that is Mary and my parents cheering me on in the background.</div>
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<a href="http://youtu.be/JvIDXcVdU5o" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Push ups</span></a></div>
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I've never met any of the girls in my Hottie challenge face to face. We do not even live in the same states. We post daily, encourage each other and are forming connections that are strong and lasting. We are all working on becoming better versions of ourselves.<br />
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My sister Mary is racking up major points in our challenge. She is creating cheers for all of us. Here is the one she came up with for me (think: Liar, liar - pants on fire).<br />
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If you are interested in this kind of challenge, just find Lindsay Harrish Phillips on facebook, and friend her. Tell her I sent you (and it might earn me some extra points!!).Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-9946554540668959392012-11-21T21:18:00.001-05:002012-11-24T09:07:08.073-05:00My Happiest 5K - Charlotte Color Run!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found out about the <a href="http://youtu.be/4EERSfHiqT8" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">The</span><span style="color: lime;"> Color</span><span style="color: blue;"> Run</span></a> last year when someone in our running club put a link on Facebook. It looked like so much fun - an un-timed 5K with lots of powdered color. It is touted as being the Happiest 5K on the Planet. And now that I've experienced one, I can honestly agree. It was 100% happiness.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My sisters and I decided to do it together, in Charlotte, NC. And in the end, two of my nephews also joined us. Along with 12,000 other Color Runners. Yes, Twelve Thousand!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The event was held at the Charlotte Motor Speedway:</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Originally, the advertised date was set for October 2012. When registration opened, the date had been changed to Nov. 17, 2012. Ah, the same date as my <a href="http://www.tryonrunningclub.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Tryon Running Club's</span></a> first 1/2 Marathon. Bummer.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, next year will be my year for the 1/2. I'll be 45 next year, and will celebrate with 13.1 miles of movement.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of the Color Run was delightfully flat. There were two hills, the last one on the long side just before the finish. One of my nephews (he is 11) was a little upset at the fact that no one would actually win this race. He wanted to run the whole thing, so I told him I would run with him. Thank God we reached the first Kilometer and first Color Station. My nephew was a little bullet. Weaving in and out of the crowd, sprinting and glancing back to make sure I was still there. I ended up getting much more of a workout than I expected, but was running much faster than I really can while still being able to breathe.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkvMK1LJNrN4eDFPvMtz7t71-IRVkm_e9joeSQqRDy0aR0Zfk1xXAZxzs-OvwWoBfqoV1hEwOBAErnRkQwrmAyuApbd8GRaihEZDwbAN7I1jEv6rMjfs9X01myiiETg3NfFd2lvWHEnFh/s1600/IMG_0796.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhTkvMK1LJNrN4eDFPvMtz7t71-IRVkm_e9joeSQqRDy0aR0Zfk1xXAZxzs-OvwWoBfqoV1hEwOBAErnRkQwrmAyuApbd8GRaihEZDwbAN7I1jEv6rMjfs9X01myiiETg3NfFd2lvWHEnFh/s640/IMG_0796.JPG" width="478" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the first color stop I told him we had to wait for the others since this was supposed to be a family event, much to his utter dismay. "You mean we have to stop and WAIT? We just wasted all that time running??" He was none too pleased. But honestly, I needed to catch my breath!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">We all went through the Blue together. The volunteers had buckets and bottles full of the blue powder (cornstarch) and threw it at us as we jogged on. There were clouds of blue everywhere, the path was covered in blue. Some of the volunteers wore masks and hats, but they were also completely covered. Some got in my mouth and it was chalky and dry. With no water to rinse out, we just spit it out the best we could. Then my nephew was back at it, wanting to run. So he and I took off again. I slowed to a walk on the first hill, and he jogged back to me. I told him to go ahead and wait for me at the bottom of the hill. After I met him there he said "Aunt Caroline, since you've had time to walk, do you think you can keep up with me now?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">"No, baby. I can't keep up with you, you've already worn me out!" I replied. So on we went - he sprinting off, then jogging back to where I was, then running at a nice, even pace. We went through the next 3 color stations together - leaving the others to come on along.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At the finish line my sister Mary, of <a href="http://marysfortybyforty.blogspot.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">Forty By Forty</span></a>, and I were greeted by our blogger friend Aubrey, of <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #a64d79;">High Heeled Love</span></a>. What fun to finally meet in person!</span></div>
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At the finish line - before Color Bombs</h3>
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They threw out color packets to the crowd</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In everyone's swag bag was a packet of color to throw at the finish line. Every 10 or 15 minutes there would be a color explosion and everyone would throw their packets up in the air. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was completely bombed with a green one. It landed on my head and then exploded. I slightly resembled a happy looking Grinch ..and I had to wash my hair 4 times. I gave my packet to one of my nephews so I could take pictures of the sight:</span><br />
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Going up in colored smoke!</h3>
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After Color Bombs - a green packet exploded on my head.</h3>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There was loud, fast music everywhere - at the start, at the color stations, and at the end. The kind of music that has you swaying, then dancing and loving life. You know - the kind of music you run with!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It was a super fun day. The Color Run was great, and benefited Habitat for Humanity. The exercise was wonderful but doing it with my family was priceless.</span></div>
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<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-88892470412722926102012-11-09T14:22:00.001-05:002012-11-09T14:59:00.028-05:00Friday Confessions 11.9.12<center style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It's that time again! 'Fess up before the weekend!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I confess that I've missed a few weeks of confessing. One Friday was a travel day. I was coming home from here:</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a lovely, stress free week on white sand beaches. It was off season, so we pretty much had the beach to ourselves, as you can see. We stayed right on the beach and were treated to dolphin sitings in the ocean every day and gorgeous sunsets every night.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was hard getting a good picture of the dolphins, but if you can see the black thing in the middle of this photo, that's a dolphin. We saw them playing and jumping, usually in groups of 15-20. Very, very cool!</span></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Tuesday</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wednesday</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8H7tKRicCcwaMR8U5jqiN_dWmX_33uKWQEDgwuV-3-P7HKYlYiliMdCFVqnr8xcSTEeWPAxsYIDOShkowT2PZlZ2IBC3wzbABittgJ5a_S1jxbrr6Lnxow4Zn6Ug6td-dq4vipE_amU4M/s1600/DSCN3112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj8H7tKRicCcwaMR8U5jqiN_dWmX_33uKWQEDgwuV-3-P7HKYlYiliMdCFVqnr8xcSTEeWPAxsYIDOShkowT2PZlZ2IBC3wzbABittgJ5a_S1jxbrr6Lnxow4Zn6Ug6td-dq4vipE_amU4M/s640/DSCN3112.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thursday</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We rented bikes the last 2 days, and next time we'll do that the very first day. It was so much fun! I confess it's been a long, long time since I've ridden a bike without any gears. But it's really, really flat down there, so no hills to worry about.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I confess that I can't wait to go back!!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Last week in our baking group, I had a request for coconut-something. So I found an easy recipe for Coconut Macaroons. Oh. My. Goodness. I confess I ate more of them than I should have. I found these at <a href="http://cestsibon-kristen.blogspot.com/2012/04/coconut-macarons.html" target="_blank">C'est Si Bon</a> - they are easy and delicious!</span></center>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YeZptf5C0AsLIL3gdRcN2ZBG8DUQoCiV-vwsnDJPWGerlozB-EGAWxwciagsL_0U98EtChaCOLx7uaHVMGv7oimW6NjpbZUErZqwq0b_jRRXhXagS7gpfPv4qh7EFqb3flocttaEfmep/s1600/IMG_0754.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YeZptf5C0AsLIL3gdRcN2ZBG8DUQoCiV-vwsnDJPWGerlozB-EGAWxwciagsL_0U98EtChaCOLx7uaHVMGv7oimW6NjpbZUErZqwq0b_jRRXhXagS7gpfPv4qh7EFqb3flocttaEfmep/s400/IMG_0754.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I confess that I've only run twice this week. Six miles on Sunday and one on Monday. It was cold and rainy two days, and I just fell out of my groove. The <a href="http://thecolorrun.com/" target="_blank">Color Run</a> is coming up on the 17th, so I need to get some more miles in this week!</span></center>
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<i><b>What are YOU confessing this week?? Thanks to Aubrey at <a href="http://high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank">High-Heeled Love</a> for hosting this month! Hit the button to join the party!</b></i></center>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-49538401611606044872012-10-19T11:36:00.000-04:002012-10-19T12:09:02.227-04:00Friday Confessions 10.19.12<center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's that time again! Time to 'fess up before the weekend!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #990000;">confess</span>.....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that instead of baking this week, I had my residents make these adorable Halloween S'mores kits. If any of them had eaten a s'more before (nice rhyme, huh?) they didn't remember. So when we sampled them (one each) they were impressed. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Everyone knows how messy these things are, and there was chocolate everywhere! I told them (all females) that there "is no lady-like way to eat these", and one of residents responded - "and where do you see a lady?"</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I handed out damp paper towels to everyone to clean their fingers, and another lady said "Oh no, I don't want to wipe them off, I want to lick them off"...okay....that's just how good these were.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found these on Pinterest from <a href="http://www.mommyskitchen.net/2011/10/halloween-ghost-peep-smores.html" target="_blank">Mommy's Kitchen</a>, to be exact.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1G8BxsjRQ6wNHYQs5HM7Mb1eQY6vSn42E1xFoga3HxiwwfPEyUrBxwv1irRG51lOIjwORj8OzMa1mOk7Md3hCV0JRAxytRjbs8lDM92hQqMupR5H2Lf57iwL5UQ2bzd9T8giDvR5vKXT/s1600/DSCN1873-001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE1G8BxsjRQ6wNHYQs5HM7Mb1eQY6vSn42E1xFoga3HxiwwfPEyUrBxwv1irRG51lOIjwORj8OzMa1mOk7Md3hCV0JRAxytRjbs8lDM92hQqMupR5H2Lf57iwL5UQ2bzd9T8giDvR5vKXT/s640/DSCN1873-001.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #990000;">confess</span>....</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that I was pleasantly surprised to see a comment on my <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/10/rock-my-run.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #3d85c6;">Rock My Run!</span></a> post from Chief Rocker Adam (one of the founders). AND, then he hooked me up with a couple of free credits. How lovely was that? All the more reason for you to check them out. Great running music and they are really nice, too!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #990000;">confess</span>.....</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">we will be having a Halloween Costume contest at work this year, so my department is trying to get it all together. Can't spill the beans here - but can say that I love the fact that the girls I work with love to dress up, not just for Halloween, but other theme days too. Great fun!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #990000;">confess</span>....</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">this is one of my most favorite times of the year. I love the cooler weather and the leaves are starting to show color.</span></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I actually took this a few years ago, but love this shot!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #990000;">confess</span>....</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that's it for this week! </span></center>
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<b><i><span style="font-family: 'Helvetica Neue', Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mamarazzi is on a bloggy break, but Aubrey over at <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" style="color: black; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">High-Heeled Love</a> is hosting.</span></i> </b></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">What are YOU confessing this week? </span></i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b><i><span style="font-size: large;">Get it off your chest, you'll feel much better!</span></i></b></span></div>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com9tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-48708900985357397602012-10-12T08:34:00.001-04:002012-10-12T08:34:42.748-04:00Friday Confessions 10.12.12<div>
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It's that time again! Time to 'fess up before the weekend!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I <span style="color: #3d85c6;">confess</span>....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I had one more race last Saturday. It was my third race in three weeks. I survived, but I didn't perform that well on this last one. It was Benson 5k near where I live, for <a href="http://www.greercommunityministries.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Greer Community Ministries</span></a>. They fed my mother-in-law daily for the last few years she was in her home (through Meals On Wheels). I was glad to give back a little bit for so much that they gave to her. This was the first race I have done where there was a prayer for the runners before the start. I <span style="color: #3d85c6;">confess</span> that is was very, very nice.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It wasn't my greatest time (but not my worst either). As usual I went out too fast, then hit a wall. I'm getting to be a fairly decent runner, but not a great racer. I'm improving, but it's slow going.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I discovered a new running music website -<span style="color: red;"> <a href="http://www.rockmyrun.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Rock My Run</span></a></span>. I did a review on them <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/10/rock-my-run.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">here</span></a>. I love their mixes. On tap is an 8 mile run for this Saturday - the most I have attempted to date. So I'm thinking I might need a new mix to help me get through it.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that instead of dreading the long run on Saturday I am really looking forward to it, and to running with my friends. I've missed the last couple of runs, so I'm eager to get back with them.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that I would LOVE to win the giveaway <a href="http://www.shutupandrun.net/2012/10/yurbuds-sport-earphone-giveaway.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">SUAR</span></a> is doing this weekend for a set of Yurbuds Sport Earbuds. The ones she's giving away are made specifically for women. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">One of the ways to enter is to blog about this giveaway....so....done! Check out her page for all the details, and to enter yourself!!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that we made these delectable <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/10/triple-layer-brownies-aka-yum.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Triple Layer Brownies</span></a> during my baking group this week. They were so good. The residents had lots of steps to get through. Put the cookie dough in the pan, unwrap all the Reese cups, place them on the dough....watch me do the brownie mix. And they ooohed and aaaahed when they came out of the oven....</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">that I briefly thought about how to hide some to take home and stash in my freezer. My sister talked me out of it. And good thing, 'cause they never would have made it to my freezer!! </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">So, we gave them ALL away.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Mamarazzi is on a bloggy break, but Aubry over at <a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank">High-Heeled Love</a> is hosting.</span></i> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b><i>What are YOU confessing this week? Spill the beans, you'll feel much better!</i></b></span></div>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com11tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-16253363926397721402012-10-11T17:12:00.001-04:002012-10-11T17:12:41.545-04:00Triple Layer Brownies (AKA YUM)<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was baking day at work. I've been looking forward to this session for some time. My office mate found these jewels on pinterest and repinned them just for me. Actually, just for herself, because she knew that if we made them in our cooking group, she would get to eat one too. And, well, she was right.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I usually make a grocery store stop every Thursday morning - they know me there and always ask whats on the agenda for the day. I rattled off the ingredients and the layering method to the check-out girl. She pulled out a slip of paper and said, "okay, what temp and for how long? I've got the rest in my head." I felt an immediate kindred spirit with her.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The original pin didn't have a website attached, or a name - just a picture with the directions. So I needed a name for these things. I was thinking of calling them Reese-Stuffed Cookie Brownies. A bit long and cumbersome. Our traveling IT guy came up with Triple Layer Brownies, and it stuck.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You just can't go wrong with Reese cups, brownies and cookie dough - right?</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LwpZK4kXTUp7Az7MOXVyvLDeK5Y-Yv202eGyCR2HVT90uFdmXWwjxR8RrR4ib-eUARzsEHBb5rG-7H0XsoOrBTilJdKDpic_I4Cjh4Jy90CgdouGVaopzEEYo_AMruxJyLbRDMCYK5kn/s1600/DSCN1864.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; display: inline !important; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2LwpZK4kXTUp7Az7MOXVyvLDeK5Y-Yv202eGyCR2HVT90uFdmXWwjxR8RrR4ib-eUARzsEHBb5rG-7H0XsoOrBTilJdKDpic_I4Cjh4Jy90CgdouGVaopzEEYo_AMruxJyLbRDMCYK5kn/s640/DSCN1864.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">First, take the cookie dough, smash it into a disc shape and press into bottom of a muffin pan. Then place Reese cup on top.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBNvdj5fAvNVcIc8FHULyYy6-akl2BXndfjBGVkZEiyYqmRgxItaC0taBJEn4h68lLI9AE49jsDjPuCzBqvcWhnEr76LAyU5217q-LWrPnl1yzJ9RNaNV9dz58Y0Ly1nuqUafOXs-Rax8/s1600/DSCN1865.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXBNvdj5fAvNVcIc8FHULyYy6-akl2BXndfjBGVkZEiyYqmRgxItaC0taBJEn4h68lLI9AE49jsDjPuCzBqvcWhnEr76LAyU5217q-LWrPnl1yzJ9RNaNV9dz58Y0Ly1nuqUafOXs-Rax8/s400/DSCN1865.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Next, prepare brownie mix and pour over Reese cookie and almost fill pan. I made the batter with a tiny bit of extra water to thin it out to a nice pourable consistency. </span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyRbcDgC3HhngtdKY7zn5HFaR6HuTz5OgaHwGQS0dejTjaupvXd1qhrTOSg6lrbp5cyriOmnib2-QYCgpnpTuNg19OFjhr0H3RszebvIIoBk2XOf_OOm3AVHV4QH4LCc_4ozlyOwKMdar/s1600/DSCN1867.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQyRbcDgC3HhngtdKY7zn5HFaR6HuTz5OgaHwGQS0dejTjaupvXd1qhrTOSg6lrbp5cyriOmnib2-QYCgpnpTuNg19OFjhr0H3RszebvIIoBk2XOf_OOm3AVHV4QH4LCc_4ozlyOwKMdar/s400/DSCN1867.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Bake in a preheated 350 oven, for about 18 minutes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">You want them slightly underdone. You can eat them immediately while they are hot and gooey, or wait until they have cooled off. They are good either way. I know this from experience.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">There isn't a recipe, really. Just easy, layered goodness. Enjoy!</span>Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-89058646549013488082012-10-09T09:35:00.001-04:002012-10-09T10:16:21.200-04:00Rock My Run!!<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is an endless Runner debate. Run with or without music? Most have a definite opinion and either love it or hate it. There is research that supports the benefit of using music, and there are purists who believe running "naked" - without any gadgets is the way to go.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">When I first started running I didn't listen to music. But the sound of my gasping and grunting started getting to me, so I turned to tunes. And found I loved running with music in my ears.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But I usually run early in the morning - in the dark, with a headlamp on my forehead and a flashing light attached to the back of my shirt. I want to make sure I am seen by drivers. I want to hear cars, and feel I need to be especially watchful. And I have my dog with me too - so I have to kind of keep an eye on him. I can't take too many distractions - so no music on early mornings.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I started with music during races. It helped me with pace, and kept my mind off the fact that I had to keep running and breathing until the end. Most songs were inspirational in lyrics. "<span style="background-color: #f4cccc;">Titanium</span>" by Rihanna has gotten me up many a hill - sometimes in my ears, sometimes in my chant.</span><br />
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Lately, I haven't been running to music at all. Weekdays, I've been running early. And on Saturdays I've been running with a group - it's much more fun to talk and chit/chat. </span></center>
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But I will run with music again, hopefully soon, because it's a nice escape once in a while. I recently discovered <a href="http://www.rockmyrun.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Rock my Run</span></a>. It's a really neat website that offers running mixes. And they are mixed together so that they transition smoothly from one song to the next. DJ's upload their offerings, and each mix "costs" between 1 and 3 credits. But, check this out, you get one credit just for signing up (and you can sign up with your Facebook account), and you get one credit each month after. So if you're not in a hurry for music, you could get one every month or two. And you can always buy credits as well. </span></center>
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<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;"><b>From their website</b> - <i>"Rock My Run is a product of Rock My World, Inc., a business focused on providing GREAT workout music for active people. Specifically, Rock My Run provides running mixes, designed by popular, professional DJ’s that will increase the enjoyment and performance of a person’s workout or race.</i></span><i><br style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;" /><br style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;" /><span style="color: #333333; font-size: 12px;">People interested in a more enjoyable running experience come to Rock My Run and are able to find mixes that have music they love, in a variety of lengths, genres and (eventually) paces. Plus, all of the mixes have a listing of the songs that are in the mix so runners always know what they're getting!"</span></i></span></center>
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I downloaded my first mix last week, and I LOVE it. It's fabulous 80's music - the title of the mix is (and I love this!!) <a href="http://www.rockmyrun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11382" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Miles & Mullets</span></a>!! How awesome is that? And unless you are an 80's graduate, you may not get the whole mullet thing.</span></center>
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<span style="color: #292929; font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 14px;"><b><i>Description for "Miles & Mullets" -</i></b> Dust off that leather Guns & Roses jacket and lace up your high tops! DJ Rock Right has 30 minutes of hair and testosterone from the finest rock bands of the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s. It is straight up mullet madness as you look back at all the classics that gave the middle finger to pop music and banged their heads in rebellion. This mix is about 30 minutes.</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;">This past Saturday, I had a 5K race - so I downloaded my second mix </span><a href="http://www.rockmyrun.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=11427" style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Grrl Power 2</span>!</a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; text-align: left;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #211922; font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 17.53333282470703px; text-align: left;">This mix was created by world-famous DJ Mike Czech, and 100% lyrically powerful, 100% clean and (nearly) 100% powered by female vocals. The BPM in this mix does vary a bit over the course of the mix and rather than finishing with a high BPM thrust at the end, drops down into some lower tempo, but equally motivating tracks, before finishing with a brief cool down. This one is about 45 minutes long.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">They have at least 100 different mixes, and when searching for your perfect one, they can be filtered by genre, BPM, length, DJ, and clean or explicit lyrics. I really like the fact that I can search for only clean lyrics. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I've tried creating my own mixes, with Itunes, and other software that supposedly groups songs together with the same/similar BPM. But it's tedious and there's always a song or two that I skip over during the run because it doesn't fit. I love the fact that these mixes are seamless, and I can preview all the songs included before I decide to download. I'm looking forward to more awesome mixes to add to my shuffle for those days I do run with music.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Check them out for yourself! And remember, you will get your first credit just for signing up!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;"><b>What say you? Run/exercise with or without music? What's your go-to song?</b></span></div>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-86689794863097955732012-10-05T09:55:00.001-04:002012-10-05T09:55:38.717-04:00Friday Confessions 10.5.12<center style="text-align: left;">
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It's Friday! So it's time to confess! I missed confessions last week...so here goes.</span></center>
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I <span style="color: #3d85c6;">confess</span> ......</span></center>
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That I've run two races since my last confession. First was <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/09/achy-or-breaky-2012.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Ache Around the Lake 8K</span></a><span style="color: #cc0000;">. </span>It was a good day. My sister, her son and my dad also participated. It was super-duper to have them, and my mom there cheering me on and supporting me.</span></center>
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Next up was <span style="color: red;"><a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/10/moonshiner-5k-night-trail-race.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Moonshiner 5k Night Trail Race</span></a></span>. It was my first night trail race - everyone had to wear a headlamp. It was a blast. I hope I get to do this race again next year. I loved running at night on the trail - and it reminded me that I really do like trail running, and I need to get on one more often.</span></center>
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I <span style="color: #3d85c6;">confess</span>....</span></center>
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That I'm one month into my 90 day challenge. You can read about my <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/09/90-day-challenge-30-day-update.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">first 30 days</span></a> if you are interested. I'm very, very pleased with my program. I am increasing my weight lifting abilities, and stamina. My running is improving and my body is slowly melting. There's not much better than fitting into clothes in your closet again (except maybe a good pizza...).</span></center>
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I <span style="color: #3d85c6;">confess....</span> </span></center>
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that I ran across this video....and it made me laugh out loud!!</span></center>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">What ours looked like - not bad!</td></tr>
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That during my baking group this week we made these yummy thingies. I really don't even know what to call them. They were easy, sweet & salty and I found them on my beloved <a href="http://pinterest.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: red;">Pinterest</span></a>.</span></center>
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Check out how easy there were <a href="http://bakerunlive.blogspot.com/2012/10/sweet-salty.html" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e69138;">here</span></a>!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>What are YOU confessing this week? </b></span><b style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Have you run any races? </b></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><b>Made any sweet, addicting treats?</b></span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Thanks for stopping by!</span></center>
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<span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"><a href="http://www.ourdandelionwishes.com/" style="border: 0px; color: #cc6666; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Mamarazzi</a> is on a brief bloggy break, so the Friday Confessional party will be hanging out with Aubrey at </i><a href="http://www.high-heeledlove.com/" target="_blank">High Heeled Love</a><i style="background-color: white; color: #333333; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px; text-align: start;"> through the end of October.</i></span></center>
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-66828233043963016252012-10-04T13:59:00.004-04:002012-10-04T18:40:54.976-04:00Sweet & Salty<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Today was baking day at work. I found these little gems on Pinterest (where else??) and tracked them down to <a href="http://megstermeter.wordpress.com/2009/05/26/tasty-tuesday-memorial-madness/" target="_blank">Megster Meter</a>. Her pictures are really great - so check them out.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This "recipe" only has 3 ingredients - mini pretzels, Hershey kisses & M&M's.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh0M8Jx9UOiLvcjcRGdozXt9kDcgM43Zr_K4O__oTCl95iv4yTxUFxsAO3w6Jkr5Z6UZrJj9K2Gy9I-SWG3DS0tR9M8zv7XiQkHUIcl5-Li6QUcKOo_JvXeiBDuYvEQkI6REMK4Hp_SVh/s1600/DSCN1849.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="396" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnh0M8Jx9UOiLvcjcRGdozXt9kDcgM43Zr_K4O__oTCl95iv4yTxUFxsAO3w6Jkr5Z6UZrJj9K2Gy9I-SWG3DS0tR9M8zv7XiQkHUIcl5-Li6QUcKOo_JvXeiBDuYvEQkI6REMK4Hp_SVh/s640/DSCN1849.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Place the pretzels on your baking pan in a single layer. Preheat oven to 275 degrees.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu788UmMSOUsbN9EAFgqtZPiApedYPOGuQheZmcqVsE9TT5CTzVDvJQMaljUel6V82UHbku5_1BsNduijaXlxTKKAEl4L0SNJTbsJUCEEqn4x9P4efQPjWaMG0OFnBLL0P8C5le1i9obl/s1600/DSCN1854.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQu788UmMSOUsbN9EAFgqtZPiApedYPOGuQheZmcqVsE9TT5CTzVDvJQMaljUel6V82UHbku5_1BsNduijaXlxTKKAEl4L0SNJTbsJUCEEqn4x9P4efQPjWaMG0OFnBLL0P8C5le1i9obl/s640/DSCN1854.JPG" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Top each pretzel with a Hershey kiss</span><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">.</span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFvyLgLip4CLYQT1whafZgn78tOsv_ZGgpfQ_8MINvQmaaM2z-OJps_etRskjpNi4CmKKb149nfExsaVSzC4y_JKAEw7SEpjvRNrLVLOQjLwrjOuLXN-7IkMDMBCwElmHArrSPnc8UKRz/s1600/DSCN1861.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnFvyLgLip4CLYQT1whafZgn78tOsv_ZGgpfQ_8MINvQmaaM2z-OJps_etRskjpNi4CmKKb149nfExsaVSzC4y_JKAEw7SEpjvRNrLVLOQjLwrjOuLXN-7IkMDMBCwElmHArrSPnc8UKRz/s320/DSCN1861.JPG" width="320" /></a><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Place pan in oven for 3 minutes. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kisses come out soft and melty.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Immediately press an M&M onto tip of kiss.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then place in fridge to firm up. All done!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Of course we skipped the fridge part. We placed them immediately into our mouths. And there was melted chocolate pretty much everywhere - on hands, smeared on mouths, shirts, table. Oh well, they really enjoyed them!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I found these Candy Corn White Chocolate M&M's. They are nice fall colors - white, yellow and orange. My residents unwrapped the kisses, and placed them on the pretzels in the pan. I placed all the M&M's on top of the kisses. One resident told me I was using too many white ones, "Use more color on those!" </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">And one resident asked me if I didn't trust them to put the M&M's on top. Um, busted. I did want them to look pretty and not have melted chocolate everywhere. After we taste-tested it was too late for that.</span></div>
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<br /><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small; font-weight: normal;">We made a gazillion in just a 1/2 hour. And we're thinking of doing them again in Red & Green for December.</span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />I'm really glad I got my 4-mile run in this morning so I could munch a few of these!</span></span><br />
<span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: small;"><br />Enjoy!</span></span></h2>
<br />Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3834342003906830708.post-40510058875008502852012-10-02T06:54:00.000-04:002012-10-04T18:38:20.256-04:00Moonshiner 5K Night Trail Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ready, Set, Go!</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Almost three hundred runners lined up this year for the 3rd Annual Moonshiner 5K Night Trail Race. This race was put on by <span style="color: #e06666;"><a href="http://www.halfmoonoutfitters.com/" target="_blank"><span style="color: #e06666;">Half Moon Outfitters</span></a> </span>in Greenville, SC. Everyone had to have a headlamp to participate. How lucky that this is the only night trail race in the southeast and it's basically in my backyard.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This was my first year, and on the drive over I was wondering what in the world I was doing. It started at 7:30pm on Friday night, and I was already tired from the week. My friend Jennifer reminded me that I was the one who asked her. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">This race was just going to be for fun, so I wasn't nervous or anxious at the start.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vPayRjgulGx0fv7LhnZ4wHIV4oHD79q2idi1g6K-Il_ot6AhK4zbh6RCFjv2mG-4K2vn7pSweYGCN21kxvq9_GihMLy2Y4pJpzcZl0dp4pbHhDtnGVUuAje5tK3RN1e5o-eysFjVmS_9/s1600/206287_3270216133513_1516779264_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6vPayRjgulGx0fv7LhnZ4wHIV4oHD79q2idi1g6K-Il_ot6AhK4zbh6RCFjv2mG-4K2vn7pSweYGCN21kxvq9_GihMLy2Y4pJpzcZl0dp4pbHhDtnGVUuAje5tK3RN1e5o-eysFjVmS_9/s320/206287_3270216133513_1516779264_n.jpg" width="212" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moonshine, anyone?</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I picked up my Jennifer at her house. Before we left, her husband wanted to get pictures of us with some "moonshine". I look like I've already had a bit too much!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We put our headlamps on at her house, and being the nerd I am, I forgot about it and wore it the whole way, driving in the car.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I've never been to this park, let alone on the trail, so had no idea what to expect. It started on road, then went to trail, back to road, then to trail and the last little bit was road. It was a nice mix. It was really cool watching the lights dance in the forest as runners ahead of us bobbed along in the dark. I couldn't see the runners - just their lights shining bright.</span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98P-CKDISRfsUf8GFZgsv1ChQjVsoZamZudP1ZKlCvn1DhI4mgwUjZao7TlrvhuYgJhpAi4mxCM2KMCaHwIv3OOPNMHbaXcx2EQpwqc8_Z7i6qBv1HDjSXjx5-Hpt92F5NCSUDYUYl9Al/s1600/10458_3270216773529_2131663965_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj98P-CKDISRfsUf8GFZgsv1ChQjVsoZamZudP1ZKlCvn1DhI4mgwUjZao7TlrvhuYgJhpAi4mxCM2KMCaHwIv3OOPNMHbaXcx2EQpwqc8_Z7i6qBv1HDjSXjx5-Hpt92F5NCSUDYUYl9Al/s320/10458_3270216773529_2131663965_n.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Walking up to the start.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The main goal going into this race was to not fall down and hurt anything. And thankfully, neither of us did, although there were a couple of near misses.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">The first part of the race was all downhill, which was really nice until I realized that at some point we would have to head back up.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Announcer Start Guy</td></tr>
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<span style="text-align: center;"><span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">About 1/4 mile or so into the race, maybe a little farther, there was a bottleneck. Everyone just stopped. It was when the road went to single-track trail. Hey, it was a trail race - and there were 300 people there to get on it. Not a big deal. Once we hit trail it got really fun. I loved running at night, with my headlamp. I passed a few people, and had a few people pass me. I was going too fast, and my breathing was turning into gasping, but I didn't want to slow down or stop. Finally we hit road again and I had to take a walk break.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-vUhsOQ0I86lwW504vHwXL8rFuW11rPRyjB3EM867R-Oe-6_3CtOs8yzcSgHJaHlDYIUYkq_dPUYg4LFhGgLo9oT_5smAwMoq1urZKRCU_80B0h4dfl1Rw7adNh2YQuZDTLFrD6K5eEc/s1600/314190_3270216853531_2086226200_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjU-vUhsOQ0I86lwW504vHwXL8rFuW11rPRyjB3EM867R-Oe-6_3CtOs8yzcSgHJaHlDYIUYkq_dPUYg4LFhGgLo9oT_5smAwMoq1urZKRCU_80B0h4dfl1Rw7adNh2YQuZDTLFrD6K5eEc/s320/314190_3270216853531_2086226200_n.jpg" width="228" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking very happy before this race!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DIXaV_LZJzfxsGyN1l52JQXRtyZR4bOzvT96m24Q_WuDjtxazb9PS4k1NHTONt7H9f0xzv2QtIYGQ-eZkJb0fH9lmz6XX9vGdyK8FioaoZZ8osjnnkFcebxaPoekwA3TpUXMx1pbfptD/s1600/403268_3270215733503_1880531458_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4DIXaV_LZJzfxsGyN1l52JQXRtyZR4bOzvT96m24Q_WuDjtxazb9PS4k1NHTONt7H9f0xzv2QtIYGQ-eZkJb0fH9lmz6XX9vGdyK8FioaoZZ8osjnnkFcebxaPoekwA3TpUXMx1pbfptD/s400/403268_3270215733503_1880531458_n.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Super cool shirt in our race packet.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">We hit the first mile marker, and there wasn't a water station. You could see all the dust from the trail swirling around our headlamps. Swirling right into my very dry mouth. You know you are dry when you can't come up with any spit in your mouth to swallow down. It was warm, too, and I was feeling the humidity. I was dripping by the end of the race.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The end of the race kind of snuck up on us. All of a sudden we were heading up a hill, and I could see the glow of the time clock. I looked at Jennifer and said "let's go for it!" and we took off racing as fast as we could toward the finish line. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">I was trembling when we finally stopped and gulped down some gatorade, water and a banana.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Trebuchet MS, sans-serif;">Official time was 36:31 - Not great, but not bad for me either. And it was super-fun. I think this is one I will look forward to next year!</span><br />
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Carolinehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12151958453235381234noreply@blogger.com0