Happy Memorial Day!

What a crazy few days.

Work has been SLAMMED. It was, hands down, my best week to date since I started as an esthetician. I can’t wait for my paycheck next week! The downside to being so slammed is that I come home and am exhausted from work/working out every day last week. Thus no blogging for the past few days.

I was able to muster enough energy to go Saturday night to watch the UFC fights with some friends. It  was a very fun night; we laughed until we cried, ate some horrible buffalo wings, and some drunk girl tried to bite me. Yes, bite me. The only explanation I have is that she was drunk and reved up into looking for violence thanks to the fights. We left after that.

Sunday, I ran my 3rd 5k at the Delaplane Strawberry Festival. Its a cross country course out at Sky Meadows State Park and boy, did it kick my ass. It starts out on a paved road then veers off into the woods/cow fields. We ran through mud, cow patties, over a creek, gravel roads…and LOTS of hills. My pace was ALL OVER the place!!! My first mile was 9:27, my second was 11:21, my third was 12:27, and the last .1 was a 9:47 pace. The  3rd mile was almost all uphill, you’d get to the top of one hill only to see another in front of you. On top of that it was at least 75 degrees out there. Needless to say I did a very slow 34:42. But who cares because it was SUCH a beautiful course and so neat to run somewhere SO different (I live downtown so almost all my runs are on sidewalks, in the park, or on the road)

The road the race started and ended on.

what a gorgeous day…and view!

Me & my BFF Katie. This is our third 5k together…its crazy to think a year and half ago we could barely run 1 minute! We always run a little bit together and then Katie goes out on her own as she is MUCH faster than me.

Katie and I after the race. She of course looks GORGEOUS and I look like a tomato.

Despite it being a very difficult course, Katie and her husband BOTH won 3rd place for their age groups. Even cooler, this was the first race they have ever run together!

The festival had a bunch of craft booths, food, music, a petting zoo, and a bunch of other neat odds and ends.

Strawberry stand.

Matt and I shared a delicious strawberry sundae after the race.

Kodak made a new friend. I think both of them were wondering if the other was a dog.

Playing ball and charming everyone in sight.

SLURP!

Kodak was such a trooper. It was VERY warm out and he only started to really get tired as we were leaving. Here he is showing us where we should go to cool down.

I found the cutest halter for Roxy from this vendor. (Kodak’s argyle halter is also from her)

Here she is modeling her new cupcake halter:

The giant batch of strawberries I bought!

To celebrate an awesome race, I made an extra awesome smoothie:

1 cup kale

6 BIG strawberries

1 cup frozen pineapple

1/2 cup frozen mango

1 cup vanilla ultra soy milk

It was soooooo delicious.

Today Matt ran the Loudon Street Mile and freakin’ dominated! He ran a 4:51 mile this year, shaving off 11 seconds from last year! He also won 3rd in his age group AND was 16th overall. I am very very proud of him.

Walking home, I was struck with how BEAUTIFUL it is here.

After the race, we went to the grocery store and then to Matt’s dad’s for a cook out.

I thought this “burger” cake would be an excellent addition to the cookout…but Matt said no.

Matt snuggling his nephew.

After the cookout we went to the Winchester National Cemetary to take photos.

Its been a really nice weekend. If only we had had another day…it all feels like it flew by.

What did you do???

Posted in life, matthew, pets, running | 5 Comments »

Remember when I thought I was going to blog alllll the time and be amazing…yeah, me too. It seems that blogging like so many other things (art journaling and knitting to name a few) is something I get all reved up to do, totally excited to  ”become” some craftier cooler version of myself…and it falls flat. Plus blogging these days isnt just “oh i’ll write about my day”, its “giveaways, getting book deals, and having 10000 followers”…or that’s how it seems sometimes. I read so many really awesome cool inspiring blogs (aurajoon, becoming jennie, bitchecakes, oh she glows, skinnyrunner, fitnessista, nhershoes and healthy tipping point are all my faves) and just get intimidated. It’s REALLY dumb when I write it down since that whole thinking kind of counteractswith the whole point of blogging “be yourself! share your day!”

ANWAYS…Im trying it again.

The last time I wrote here I was training for my first half marathon. I DID IT! Yes…lil’ ol me ,the laziest girl in the world….ran 13.1 miles.

For the complete story go here. It was one of the most AMAZING days of my life. I couldn’t have asked for a better first race. The weather was perfect, the scenery was picture-perfect, and the fact that I went from barely running a mile in November of 09 thanks to my hip injury to running a half 5 months later…well, I think that’s pretty freaking cool.

Since then (its been a little over a month) I did my first 10k, got shin splints, am slowly getting better, and  hoping to do my fist trail 5k on Sunday. I truly love running. I miss it when I take time off and I am astounded at how centered I feel when it’s a part of my routine. I am so new to it still and have a lot to learn but it makes me so genuinely happy to just have the ability to do something so simple that is so good for me physically and mentally.

a very sweaty genevieve after a 4 miles run in 88% humidity. sexy!

In other news, I have a garden!

I started one last fall after I moved into my new apartment but it really wasnt too interesting because I was new to it al. All I can say is that thanks to some hard work and some help from my mom, it is looking SPECTACULAR!

my garden in all its glory!

lovely little stonecrops!

the herb corner: so far I have rosemary, chives, cilantro, basil, and  a few tomato plants.

the HUGE lavender plant left behind by the previous occupants. I love it!

cobweb hen&chicks. I love this little cactus!

cacti…with my mint pot in the background.

front porch.

I love coming home and seeing what looks different, whats growing, whats dying. Its such a beautiful burst of color.

I have a new addiction….green smoothies.

The love affair began after reading countless blogs about them. I am a spinach fan through and through but salads rarely fill me up so throwing spinach in an awesome smoothie seemed like it could work!

I call this one “berry good morning!”

(garnished with fresh mint from my garden)

-2 cups raw spinach
-1 small banana
-1 cup frozen berries (rasberries, strawberries, blackberries, blueberries)
-1 cup hemp milk (great source for omega 3s&6s)
-1 tbsp agave nectar

“choco-berry surprise”

-1 cup spinach
-1 cup kale
-1 cup frozen berries
-1 small banana
-1 cup hemp milk
-1 scoop chocalate amazing grass
-a little agave to cover the kale taste (blech)

“maui morning”

-2 cup spinach
-1 cup frozen mango
-1/2 cup frozen pineapple
-1 cup vanilla soy milk (for protein!)
-1 small banana
YUMMMMMMMMMMMMM! I did this one this morning and it was DELISH.

Who knew you could get 5 servings of fruits and veggies before 10 am?!?

Have no fear, I am still a Sonic loving machine with a love for all things fried…but by and large, my diet is really starting to change (and I like it)

Im eating fresh foods a lot, packing my own meals, and rarely getting fast food/take out. The only frozen meal I’ve had lately is a black bean veggie burger from Gardenburger that I like to put fresh avocado on.

My boy and my weenies are all well too!

we went on a 2 mile walk around one of the civil war battlefieds last sunday. the weenies LOVED it.

and a few more random pictures…

sooo sleepy.

devious creatures.

my little love.

my constant.

cleanin’ up good at a friends wedding.

Genevieve…over and out!

grateful 5:

-1. I took Roxy to the vet for a spot on her belly. They say most likely it is benign and nothing to worry over. I blame being a worry-wart and skincare dork.

-2. the gorgeous weather lately. i haven’t turned on my ac yet and its perfect with just the overhead fans going.

-3. avocados are PERFECT right now. I love me a good avocado.

-4. Matt let me sleep in this morning…it was divine.

-5. being alive.

Posted in garden, life, running | 8 Comments »

They said it would snow…and boy, did it!

This weekend we got ROCKED by a snowstorm like no other. I havent seen snow like this since I was in 5th grade or 6th grade! They told us it would hit Friday morning with heavier snow later in the day anddd it pretty much didn’t stop until maybe 3 or 4 Saturday. Unfortunately we are supposed to get MORE snow tomorrow…like 10 inches possibly. UGH.

I am so sick of the snow.

Without further adieu I present to you the adventures of Snowpocalypse 2010:

Friday the snow started almost exactly at 9. I went to work and had one client for two services. I quickly high-tailed it out of there around noon as I wanted to get home before the real fun began (plus Virginia drivers can’t drive in snow…myself included) At home I fed the cat three million scoops of food and grabbed Roxy plus a packed bag in order to get to Matts.

Roxy and I made a pit stop at Sonic for lunch for Matt& I. Roxy looks so thrilled in her Where’s Waldo sweater…

She sneezed. I captured the fabulous face.

Sonic was fabulous…I expected nothing less.
We took the dogs out later in the afternoon to play outside.

Kodak in his jacket which actually was an awesome buy at Walmart. It kept him dry all weekend whenever he went out in the snow. Plus he looks killer in it.

Trudge trudge trudge.

Roxy was not a fan of this snow from the very beginning.

This is Kodak’s ball i.e. his crack.

He will do just about anything for a ball. He seriously will play fetch until he is almost falling asleep standing up. Even cuter, is that he doesn’t just play ball like a normal dog…he plays soccer. You throw the ball, he runs at lightening speed to get it, and after fetching it then drops it, and either noses the ball and/or kicks the ball BACK TO YOU. Inside he will actually grab things (blankets, socks, pant legs) and hold said item while he kicks the ball up and down the hallway. Matt needs to make a video because it’s the funniest thing I have ever seen. It’s kind of insane and I don’t know how he decided this was the way to play ball but it’s how he does it.

I like him.

Most of the time…I think he likes me too

Also I know you are jealous of my fancy houndstooth elmer fudd hat….

and my shitty rainboots which make for the WORST snowboots ever. My feet were FREEZING this weekend!

The snow really got going a little later on Friday afternoon and that was the end of that…by the 9 or 10 the news said we were in full-force blizzard conditions. GROSS.

We zonked out on the couch until 6 am the dogs decided it was time to WAKE UP and Matt went out to begin shoveling. The snow was still going with no signs of stopping.

Matt asked for breakfast so I made blueberry pancakes with eggs. One of the few easy things I can make…haha.

The world outside.

Matt is awesome and shoveled 9 times from Friday to Sunday. This was smart because a) it kept him from going stir-crazy and gave him some exercise since he couldn’t run and b) meant there wasn’t 2 feet of snow to have to shovel once the snow stopped.

Matt also dug tunnels for the dogs!!!! Kodak OBVIOUSLY played with his ball in them.

While Matt shoveled every other hour, me and the puppies did a lot of this:

Roxy makes a good pillow apparently.

I love these two little dogs more than I could possibly describe.

After some good napping Matt shoveled some more and we measured the snow. We used Matt’s car since the ground wasn’t very accurate due to snow we had previously gotten Tuesday (seriously we have had so much snow this winter)

That, my friends, is A LOT of snow.

Mr. Lofton’s Opus.

Roxy trying to swim through the snow (which I may or may not have plopped her in….)

The snow FINALLY ended later than afternoon and we even got a bit of sun as well.

Sunday was all about waiting for the snow plow. Matt left for a 10 mile run and I sat around, played online, dreamed of leaving the house, and fed my new addiction that I discovered during the snow storm…Toddlers and Tiarras. Pure TV GOLD!

I also discovered that in a pinch, fake vanilla lattes are ALMOST as good as real coffee. Almost.

Around 4 the snowplow finally came and Matt and I left the snowy confines of his house to venture out into the real world.

Now for the most embarrassing part of the weekend…Around 7 I started to worry about my cat who was at my apartment still. I decided to jump in my car, drive the 2 miles over, check on her, and then come back to watch the Superbowl with Matt. I got back to my place fine, enjoyed the angry death glare of the cat while I fed her, and then got back in my car to go back. Because one of the main roads was blocked off I INGENIOUSLY decided to take a side road UP A HILL to take a back route I go sometimes.  I might mention that this back route takes you through a pretty yucky part of town. While driving up the one way hill, a girl was walking along and I turned my wheel slightly to make sure she had enough room. BAD BAD BAD IDEA.

I got stuck.

I tried going forward while turning the wheel. I tried reversing while turning the wheel. I tried going straight. I tried everything. Meanwhile people are trudging by with their 40s and giving me weird looks and cars are starting to wait behind me.

I call Matt slightly panicking and hoping he will have some magic recipe to tell me how to get unstuck FAST. Unfortnately there is no recipe and with a sigh he told me to wait and he would be there. Being the brilliant driver that I am, I decided to turn off the car (I cannot tell you why I decided to do this). When I tried to turn in back on to once again try to move the car a single inch….

THE BATTERY DIED.

WTF!?!?!?!!?!?!!

Of all the days and times to die, my battery chooses this time? Of course it would…

because it’s me and stuff like this ALWAYS happens to me.

I was in full-on freakout mode by now.

Matt came and was obviously exasperated by the turn of events. Luckily thanks to his car knowledge, some cables I kept in the back of my car, and some fine young gentlemen who decided to stop watching from the porches and help…my car got restarted and moved out of the snow I was stuck in.

I would like to use this space to thank Matt who left the warm couch to help me and ate it hard on the ice while doing so. Thank you baby!

The rest of the evening was THANKFULLY uneventful. We made some nachos and watched the superbowl (I read and snuggled Kodak…and then fell asleep.)

This morning I came back home with Roxy and began the song and dance called “I dont wanna run but I know I have to”. My 4 miler should have happened on Sunday but I didn’t feel safe running on porrly plowed roads and decided to give it a day. The half marathon is 2 months away and every day I skip a run is a day wasted. So despite my EXTREME reluctance to go out and do it…I went out and did it.

To feel more hardcore, I busted out my “miss new booty” running tights.

It was a joyless 4.2 miles…but the feeling of accomplishment once I got to the end was awesome. I started the day thinking I wouldn’t even run at all…and yet somehow found it in myself to run longer than I have in over half a year IN THE SNOW which sucks in my opinion.

Andddd just to reiterate how much FREAKING snow we got…here’s a shot of the porch of my bedroom:

Theres so much snow Roxy cant even see over it all. Its just this massive snow wall as soon as you open the door!

I suppose I better learn to like it because they’re calling for 1-3 inches tomorrow with 5-8 inches tomorrow night…and more damn snow Wednesday. FML.

Thank goodness for netflix and the ability to watch every criminal intent known to man on my instant queue while I hole up in my apartment during the snowpocalypse part 2!

My 5 gratefuls for the past few days:

1. Having power.  A lot of people lost it and I cannot imagine how much that sucked.

2. Matt and his ability to put up with my antics.

3. Puppy snuggles.

4. That my car actually started back up and didn’t have to get towed.

5. Enjoying today with my friend Kate.

Posted in cooking/baking, matthew, pets, running, winter 2010 | 2 Comments »

So yes…I ,Genevieve, am a complete slacker and havent written in here at all.

I really have no excuse other than I haven’t felt motivated to write. Money is REALLY tight lately and its set a cloud of perma-funk over my life. Its all I think about but the last thing I want to do is sit around and just complain about how little money I have. Yet here I am…doing so. I know I am far from the only person dealing with this but this is my first foray into the world of  ”I just bounced my rent check and god am I ashamed”. It is far scarier than I could have ever imagined. I just keep saying to myself over and over and over “it will get better” and “this is good and teaches you things you didn’t know before” I know for a fact that money does not bring happiness but I am also learning that being stretched SO thin can be an ugly awful feeling and leaves you lying awake at night wondering if you will be able to pay all your bills, let alone have money to get the dog some food.

Maybe I need to pay more attention to the things I tell myself in my art journal?

One good thing about being tight on $$ is that I have been cooking A LOT more! I actually like cooking…who knew?

Among some of the things I have cooked:

Poblano, Black Bean, and  Mango Quesdillas

My friends Ellen, Lauren, and I made these one night and they were DELICIOUS.

Spaghetti Squash with Avocado Pesto

First off let me say spaghetti squash is just weird! I wanted very much to like it but it really is just odd.

It really just in no shape or form will EVER replace spaghetti for me. Sorry squash. Its fun ripping it all up after you cook it though…just not really fun eating it.

BUT

the avocado pesto sauce was A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.

Mmmmmmmmm.

And last but not least,

(image by skinnychef.com)

rosemary sweet potato fries.

So amazingly delicious. Add in a garlic basil dipping sauce and you are in HEAVEN. I changed the dipping sauce recipe and instead of mayo used greek yogurt. EVEN MORE AWESOME!

In case you didn’t get the memo, greek yogurt is my new downfall and I will never go back to regular yogurt again.

Lucky for me Costco sells it (not my favorite brand boo-hoo) so I dont go even more broke by buying copious amounts of yogurt. If you want to really go hardcore buy the 0% Fage and just add some honey. It’s so simple, so yummy, and 120 calories with 20 grams of PROTEIN and NO FAT!

Side note: since I have been spending so much more time in my kitchen, I realized the other day that my FAVORITE PART of my kitchen is all damaged from a leak

This is very sad.

On the running front, I am on week 4 of my training for my half. All systems go! This Sunday I will conquer 4 miles! The race is 80 days away. I have so far to go and I know I am going to really be hating myself for even doing this the closer the race gets…but I want it so bad.

All the animals are wonderful and make me happy when nothing else does.

It was VERY cold here for awhile so the puppies bundled up outside.

GOOOOOOOOOOO!

A very dashing Kodak.

Roxy braving some icy winds.

HELLO!

anddd Stubbs, who never fails to be weirder and weirder each week.

This is where she now hangs out during the day…halfway under the couch with her legs sticking out.

Oh hai.

One last Roxy photo because she is teenytinytinytiny and cute!

I am so proud of her. She has bounced back from her surgery so well and been so brave and every day I am so happy she is still here being her barky huffly burrowy snuggley self.

I’ll end this entry with two photos that make my ovaries explode…

Matt and his adorable nephew jamming out with some chopsticks.

G-Money out!

Posted in cooking/baking, life, matthew, pets, running | 2 Comments »

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Tags: body image
Posted in body image, running | No Comments »

First and foremost, it is FREEZING. According to the weather channel it is currently 17 degrees…but thanks to the crazy winds, it feels like -3. I need to run today but I am REALLY debating it. I cant run on the treadmill because I am terrfied it will set my hip off (I ran on a treadmill a few days before my hip bursitis began in March, I still wonder if that played a part) and Im not sure I can mentally handle running around the indoor track at the gym (13 laps = 1 mile. UGH) So I may have to put up or shut up and hopefully not die while I do my run.

This shirt Matt got me for Christmas will come in handy!

Speaking of which, I took down the tree last night. It was my first tree since I started living on my own. Goodbye little tree. Have fun in the scary basement until next year!

Best ornament ever! Matt’s mom gave it to me! She also gave me a dachsund made out of a wrench and a little beanie baby doxie. My dachshund collection is slowly growing! (thank you laura!)

Roxy is doing AMAZING. She has shown me what a strong little dog she is and pretty much taken me by total surprise. She is putting weight on her right leg, able to run, and totally back to her nutty ways. All within 2 weeks of having major surgery, one of her discs taken out completely, and having a blood transfusion!!! The hardest part right now is getting her to slow down, not run whenever she feels like it, and keep her off the couch and stairs.

She got her staples out a few days ago…all 13 of them!

Now that she is feeling better, I can go back to annoying her!!

New Years was very nice.

Matt’s band plays at a hotel every year which means free dinner, free room, dancing, and a midnight kiss.

I was lazy and wore the same dress from last year (picture featured is from last year). I couldnt find anything I liked for this year as everything is TOO short and bubble dresses make me look HUGE.

Matt on the other hand looked quite snazzy. Check the red snakeskin shoes yo.

I like him.

I look like Im grabbing his junk but Im not, just pointing out his fancy shoes.

Pictures of the band and midnight.

Matt is always hidden in the back. I dont think people even see him!

This was before I snuck my own kiss on stage.

My tired tired feet at the end of the night after a long day of work and then some dancing.

I started Gaining New Years Eve, first of my goals for the new year will soon be accomplished!!!

And since I mentioned that, I should get on my running clothes and get to steppin’

Ive  got 104 days to be half-marathon ready.

I am nervous that I may be making a goal I cannot complete but in the end I will at least be more than ready to conquer the Apple Blossom 10k in May!

Ahhhhhhhh!

EDIT: For all those interested, after writing this blog I DID go run. 20 minutes in weather that felt absolutely frigid. My toes are still trying to warm up. I feel like a superhero!

Posted in art, life, pets, running | 1 Comment »