The Couch to 5K In One Day

Posted on September 24, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

Today I ran/walked my first 5K.

This was nothing less than a miracle.

I kept meaning to start the “Couch to 5K” program, but this never happened. Big shocker.

I got approximately 3.5 hours of sleep the night before.

And to make it even better, it was that special lady time of the month.

I had purposely kept this goal a secret from my husband, so that if I chickened out last minute he would never know my shame. Also, I find it amusing to say the phrase “Don’t tell my husband” (more on this topic later).

My pal Steph ratted me out to him the night before, in hopes he would make sure I showed up.  After some back and forth discussion about why I should and should not go Matt looked at me and said “You will win this race.” And I totally did. In my head.

Me, Steph, & Nada

This is us after the race.

Steph was Bob Green and I was Oprah. She could have finished a lot earlier, but she kept pace with me, encouraging me to run more than I would have if I had been alone. She is such a great friend/personal trainer.

Out of 601 women that ran the 5K, I came in 472nd place! I was so happy I was not dead last.

My race time was 47:14 and my pace was 15:12.

I have threatened to wear my medal everyday.

I also like the race bib, but I just like anything with my name on it.

I loved the energy of the race and the people cheering on the sidelines. My favorite poster I saw said “You are smart and pretty too.”

The fall weather felt amazing today too!

I felt really good during and right after the race. However, 10 hours later, these hips don’t lie. They are tender.

So now you know.

Categories: Daydreams | Leave a comment

Vacation:San Francisco & Healdsburg California Take Two

Posted on September 8, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

We just returned from a fabulous vacation in California. We visited the Beeler-Edwards duo again and this time our friend Stephanie came with us.

Amanda & Michelle

We flew into Oakland and went to the Oakland Temple. Such a lovely feeling to visit a temple, especially one that is as big and beautiful as Oakland.


We went to San Francisco and Stephanie wanted to go to Chinatown. I will let her tell you the story of how she got hustled.

“Here’s a fun story for you.  So, I really wanted to go to China Town and get Chinese gum.  Matt dropped Kristen and I off and we walked from store to store asking for Chinese gum and received the same unfriendly response.  Then FINALLY, we found it!  The woman said she had some “in the back” and went to get it.  She was gone for like 10 minutes.  When she came back she said I was lucky because it was on sale for $1.99 a pack (there were 5 pieces of gum in 1 pack) it was expensive but this is the first store that we found that carried it, your basic supply/demand principle.

But, the next store that Kristen and I went to, we found the same gum for .99.  Apparently, this industrious Chinese woman, left the store, bought the gum, returned and charged me a 100% profit.  AND to add insult to injury, I found out later that it was South Korean gum, not Chinese.  Sad Day.”

 

The gum tasted like dirt.

On our walk down Pier 39 I had one of my dreams come true. I have always wanted someone to ask me “Can I paint you?” But I settled for someone offering to sketch my face in under a minute on the sidewalk. Seriously, the sketch artist hollywooded us out and gave me Angelina Jolie lips. We have never looked better. Best $14 dollars I ever spent.

I used my first unisex bathroom. Big day for me.

Don’t we look like a hair color commercial?

Me, Michelle & Stephanie

We went to the beach and we jumped around.

Matt took some cool pictures.


He also took some great pictures of the Redwood Forrest.

I like Matt’s floating head.

Fun Memories From Our Trip

#1: Stephanie wore a dead old ladies night gown. On purpose. Like she bought it at goodwill and the ladies name was stitched inside.

#2:  Eating at “The Wurst” and it was totally the best. Get your mind out of the gutter.

#3: Did you know that San Francisco is known for it’s sourdough bread? We bought sourdough bread at Boudin’s Bakery and Matt used it to make the best french toast I have ever eaten.

#4: Since you can never have enough carbs, we also frequented the Healdsburg Downtown Bakery twice on our trip and ate the best sticky buns EVER. Don’t tell my trainer.

#5: Everything Amanda did or said. Hilarious. My favorite thing she said was “Women be shoppin!” You can’t hear how funny it is, but we started saying women be doing to everything. “Women be talkin! Women be eatin! Women be flirtin!” Good times. She also has an amazing voice and she serenaded us one night.

#6: Michelle is the hostess with the mostess. She spoiled us with her home cooking and made us feel right at home. One thing that she did that I want to copy, is that she laid out fresh towels and homemade soap for each of us. The soap was made by Michelle’s mom and it smelled wonderful!

#7: We discussed Brene Brown’s book ” The Gift’s of Imperfection”. It is a must read. I am very critical of self help books, but this one is worth your time.


Amanda and Michelle introduced us to a book called “The Secret Meaning of Names”. I love stuff like that so we read each others name profiles and were shocked by the accuracy. Basically, it claims that the sound of your name affects your personality. I’m not sure how much stock I put into it, but it’s super fun!


And here is what my name looks like written in Chinese. Or maybe they lied and it’s really my name in South Korean.

So now you know.

Categories: Travel | Leave a comment

Katy’s Baby Shower

Posted on September 3, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

I love a party. So when my sister Katy got pregnant, I was so excited to throw her a baby shower. They waited for the birth to know the gender, so we used pink and green.

I loved this “Welcome Baby” banner from ETSY. I also used some green and pink pom poms. Can I tell you how much I love pom poms?!!! Because I do, a lot.

I also order “Katy’s Baby Shower” stickers from ETSY for the cutlery.

I thought pictures of Katy and Shea when they were little ones was a nice personal touch. I do not care much for baby shower games. Smelling and guessing baby food or diapers with chewed up candy bars grosses me out. We did play two games and the gift bags beside the pictures were the prizes.

I gave Katy a Pandora bracelet and I wrapped it in this glitter box. This is box is actually supposed to be a decoration, but I just love glitter too much not to use it as a gift box.

I made my first fruit pizza.

Adorable pregnant Katy.

Nada & Katy

My friend Danielle made my wedding cake and did such a fabulous job that we asked her to make Katy’s shower cake. Check out her page http://canimakeyourcake.blogspot.com/.

We had her dye half the cake pink and the other half green. Then whichever side Katy cut was supposed to predict the baby’s gender.

The cake predicted a boy, but Loreli was definitely born a girl. I guess cakes are unreliable. Who knew?

Matt loves taking photos where people are not looking at him. He feels that it captures the feeling of an event better. Usually this annoys me because we end up with hundreds of pictures of people eating and talking and never looking at the camera. However, Matt took some beautiful  shots at the shower of my grandmother, aunt, and cousin. So sweet to see three generations.

Gana, Ellie, and Aunt Lane

So now you know.

Categories: Family Memories, Family Togetherness | Leave a comment

I Love Letters

Posted on August 18, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

I grew up on the third street on the left…

 In the third house on the left…

Number 3333. And yes we were the only people left in America with a gravel driveway.

This mailbox was where my mail obsession started. Nothing is better than getting letters/cards/fun stuff in the real mail.

Some of my favorite “mail memories” revolve around writing letters to my great grandmother. She lived in Georgia and we called her Mamaw.  I loved that she sent me a dollar in all her letters.

When I was a kid, my dad’s company went on strike and to save money my parents had us drink powered milk. Powdered milk = WORST.STUFF.EVER. I remember writing to my Mamaw that we were to poor now to afford real milk. As soon as she read that letter she made a frantic call to my mom demanding to know if everything was okay and if we needed money. I guess my letter was slightly more dramatic than reality, but I freakin hated powered milk. My mom told her everything was fine, but I think she should have hit her up for some milk money.

My maternal grandmother (Gana), my great great grandmother (Granny Sick Dead) & my great grandmother (Mamaw) = Total Hotties

 

My Mamaw also had the most beautiful cursive handwriting I have ever seen. Perfection. I have terrible penmanship and my spelling is atrocious.  However, the one unique thing about my handwriting is that when I was a kid I decided I wanted to change the way I wrote my lowercase a’s.

Before:

After:

I encourage this switch. Never to late my friends. Free yourselves.

Since moving away from my childhood home I have lived in several apartments and rented one house. My favorite thing about renting that house was 1) the doorbell and 2) a real mailbox. Also, my favorite number is 18 so it was perfect. Oh Olive Circle some days I miss you…

A few months ago Matt was watching TV when his quick eye noticed a big error on the United States Postal Service commercial.

Cast your eyes to the location of TN and KY. Don’t worry USPS, I still heart you.

So now you know.

Categories: The Dunaway Years | Leave a comment

Livin’ La Vida Loca

Posted on July 24, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

I unintentionally took a blogging sabbatical.

To make up for over two months of silence, I will now delight you with an obnoxiously large braggadocios post.

You are so welcome.

Update #1: Hanna Andersson Shoes

I have been searching high and low for this pair of shoes and finally I finally found them on ebay!

I wanted the hot pink ones, but they did not have my size, so I settled for this pale pink pair.

 Update #2: Amish Cow

As you are well aware, I love the Amish. I was thrilled when my mom asked me to split an Amish cow with her and two other people. Here is what 1/4 of a cow looks in a freezer (it takes up two full shelves).

We bought it from Yoder’s Slaughter House in Kentucky. Isn’t Yoder such a cute Amish name!?

My 1/4 cow cost me $323.00 and it got us:

  • 50 Pounds of Ground Beef
  • 1 Brisket
  • 2 Chuck Roasts
  • 2 Arm Roasts
  • 1 Round Roast
  • 8 Ribeye Steaks
  • 4 Filet Mignon
  • 2 Club Steaks
  • 7 New York Strips
  • 6 (huge) Sirloin Steaks
  • 14 Round Steaks
  • 3 packages of Stew Meat

Today was the first time I used any of our beef. I made Beef Stroganoff  and my husband raved that this batch tasted better than the others, he was impressed that the meat was so tender. I’m not surprised, the Amish are good peeps, and they raise yummy cows.

Update #3: Two Year Anniversary

Our 2 year anniversary was on July 18th. Matt went cliff jumping about a month ago and his wedding ring fell off in the water. For the record I told him not to go, not because I thought he would lose the ring, but because I think cliff jumping is scary and that he would surely die.

We had only spent $70 bucks on a titanium ring, knowing that one day we would replace it with a better one, so for our 2 year anniversary we got him a new wedding band. I had to hurry and get him one so the women would quit hitting on him. He is married ladies!

I was a tiny bit sad that the old one was lost in the depths of Percy Priest Lake, even though it was terribly scratched and rough looking, I wanted the old one for sentimental value. Sigh, lost an heirloom.

On our first date we went to Peter’s Sushi in Brentwood, TN. At the time, I did not realize we were on an actual date, I just thought “Hey, we both gotta eat, so why not eat together?!”

He ended up paying for my meal and he said that should have clued me in that it was a date. I just think he tricked me.

Now that we are married, I accept that it was our 1st official date, so I bought him a brown Peter’s Sushi t-shirt for an anniversary gift.

One time we saw Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman leaving Peters.

Design on the front right chest.

Design on the back "Rock The Raw".

I also bought Matt a new camera lens. He has been wanting it for a long time. These bad boys are pricey so not only was this his anniversary present, it is also his Birthday and Christmas gift this year. He was VERY HAPPY and voted me the nicest wife ever.

Matt’s present to me was a new Pandora bead for my bracelet.

Bead Romantic Union 14K w/ Diamond

Update #4: Gatlinburg Trip

Some people want to be alone for their anniversary, but Matt and I wanted to have a party. We went with a group of friends to the Smoky Mountains and stayed (for free) in a cabin. I refer to it as the “Cabin of Love”.  My BFF Stephanie came all the way from Texas for this weekend adventure.

 One of the highlights of the trip was going to The Front Porch, which is a family owned Mexican restaurant where they have live music. The food is terrible, but the atmosphere and music are highly entertaining.

 I loved the fancy reserved signs they put on our tables. They took an oatmeal cream pie cardboard box and flipped it over and decorated the white side. I also loved that they had us drink out of mason jars. Classy.

The bluegrass band did not disappoint.

Matt was busy being a fabulous photographer on this trip, but I managed to get a few pictures of us.


To celebrate our two years we brought a number 2 pinata to the cabin and hilarity ensued.

I am trying to convince my family that a pinata should be part of every holiday celebration. Matt said I could get him a horse pinata for his birthday. Isn’t he the best husband ever?!

I also decided that each anniversary should have a theme, so for our 3 year anniversary I want to do Christmas in July.

Update #5: Home Decorating

We recently decorated the living room wall behind our couch. It took us a long time to find stuff we both liked and that actually worked for such a long wall. We bought the picture at Bed Bath & Beyond, the mirror is one I bought from IKEA a few years ago, and the shelves are from Target.


Update #6: Aunting

My sister Stacy is having a baby girl in November! We all thought it was a boy, but I am excited to have another niece. Doesn’t Stacy look like such a natural?! I can’t wait to hold little Evelyn or Emma!

Stacy & Loreli

Loreli also came for a visit in June and is super cute and fun to be around. Matt took some cute picture’s of Loreli for Father’s Day.

So now you know.

Categories: Fun Times With Friends, Holidays & Traditions, The Husband Unit, Travel | Leave a comment

Summer Lovin

Posted on May 17, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

The summers in Tennessee are unbearably humid.  Everyone is sweating. In my perfect world it would be sunny and  72 degrees all the time. So while I dread the heat, I do love certain things about summertime.

Summer Love #1: Lightning Bugs

Generally speaking I don’t like animals, bugs, and such but I do love these little guys. If one finds its way into our home, I will ever so gently help him back outside. Other bugs just get murdered. I love seeing them light up the night. Shine on little beauties.

Credit: Taylor S. Kennedy National Geographic

Summer Love #2: Honeysuckle

Honeysuckle smells divine. It is also quite tasty. That’s right people, the flowers produce sweet edible nectar. You just break off the stem and suck out the sweet juice. Try it, you will feel so in touch with nature.

Credit: Ken Thomas

Summer Love # 3: The Greenery

I  love how luscious and green Tennessee is during the summertime. At night when it cools down, long drives with the windows down are so refreshing.

Credit: www.gardenandgun.com

Summer Love #4: Watermelon

Once I visited an elderly gentleman who lived in one of those fancy retirement communities in Florida. During lunch, he bragged multiple times that he got to eat watermelon 365 days a year. Luckiest man alive. I try to eat watermelon year round, but it always tastes better in summer.

Credit: www.auxiliary.com

So now you know.

Categories: Love It | Leave a comment

Geeky Crafts

Posted on May 15, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

My husband is always emailing me links to things he thinks I will enjoy seeing or reading. I am always impressed with his suggestions, it’s nice that he knows me so well.

Once he sent an email and the subject line was, “more my baby’s style”  and there was a link to this blanket.

Credit: www.gadgetsandgizmos.org

Who wants to make this for my baby? I’m taking volunteers.

On another note, I have been thinking that I need more hobbies. I decided to try my hand at cross stitching. I mean it is just a bunch of X’s and you never have to touch a sewing machine, so it’s gotta be easy right?

I  get so whimsical imagining myself doing my ladylike needlework like the women did in those Jane Austen movies. It will be so perfect.

Here are my favorite cross stitch patterns that I found on ETSY.

Cross Stitch Pattern #1

Robots are so cute. Right now, I am in love with looking at pictures of  robot themed nurseries for baby boys. This could be an heirloom. Doesn’t every boy long for a robot cross stitch creation that he can pass down to his children? Am I right, or am I right?!

Credit: Seditious Stitches Etsy Shop

Cross Stitch Pattern #2 & #3

These would have to be made as a set. They just belong together.

Credit: Grace Kim Andwabisabi Etsy Shop

Credit: Grace Kim Andwabisabi Etsy Shop

Cross Stitch Pattern #4

This makes me giggle.

Credit: Defiant Damsel Etsy Shop

I pity the fool that makes fun of me cross stitching. This is the start of something beautiful.

So now you know.

Categories: Crafts & Whatnot | Leave a comment

Mother’s Day Delights

Posted on May 12, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

My mother is the best. I know everyone says that about their own mother, but when I say it, it is actually true.

Me & Mom

She has raised 6 fabulous children.

Katy, Sam, Stacy, Me, Stephen & Amy

This Mother’s Day, as a thank you for her tremendous mothering efforts, we bought her this iPod.

Stacy decided to trump everyone and announce on Mother’s Day that she is pregnant with her first child and my mother’s second grandchild. Fact: Babies are better presents than iPods.

My friend Shauna sent me my very first Mother’s Day Card.

I laughed when I read this card, because great minds think alike. I had been trying to convince Matt that he should buy me a Mother’s Day gift this year. I explained that if I started receiving mother’s day gifts it might be good motivation for me to have a baby. He was not falling for it. Matt wants me to earn this holiday.

So now you know.

Categories: Holidays & Traditions | Leave a comment

Dessert For Breakfast

Posted on May 5, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

So I heart breakfast food. I could eat it anytime of the day. That being said, sometimes I am puzzled by how certain items are labeled breakfast foods.

They are so packed with sugar and sweetness that I think we should create a second category called breakfast desserts.  Because who are we trying to kid here?!

Here are the top offenders. The so called breakfast foods that my taste buds love and my diet hates.

The best WORST breakfast foods.

Breakfast Dessert #1: Pop Tarts

The brown sugar cinnamon ones are the best. Don’t even try to argue with me about this matter. All other pop tart flavors are inferior.

Breakfast Dessert #2: Doughnuts

Specifically doughnuts with sprinkles or chocolate covered cream filled. Not custard filled, because those are just nasty.


Breakfast Dessert #3: Toaster Strudels

These are dirty little devils. So addicting.

Breakfast Dessert #4: Lucky Charms

They are magically delicious. And they will magically kill you.

Breakfast Dessert #5: Pancakes

Pancakes are my favorite naughty breakfast food. The best pancakes I ever had were the sweet potato pancakes at Pancake Pantry. They give you this delicious cinnamon cream syrup which gives you instant diabetes.

Credit: http://www.thepancakepantry.com

Last time Michelle and Amanda were in town we braved the long lines and ate at Pancake Pantry. Michelle explained to me that you need to order bacon along with the pancakes to “cut that sweet”. Wise words my friend.

Amanda, Me, Stephanie, & Michelle

The next time you find yourself eating one of these items before 10 am,  just go ahead and admit to yourself that you are not making breakfast the most important meal of the day.

So now you know.

Categories: Picky Eater, Restaurants | Leave a comment

The Royal Wedding

Posted on May 4, 2011 by Kristen Ellen

As a young girl, I had a super crush on Prince William. I did not waste my time crushing on movie stars. Oh no I went straight for the royalty.

My friend Nikki loves to remind me of the time she caught me at our neighborhood library, printing out (on the dot matrix printers) page after page after page of articles about Prince William. Hey a girl has to do her research.

Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe

I was happy to hear about Wills and Kate’s engagement. However, I was even happier to hear he gave her Diana’s engagement ring. HEIRLOOMS! Love it.

I had a male friend ask what the big deal was about the royal wedding, he just could not understand why so many women cared to watch it.  The only way I could explain it was that this was “The super bowl of weddings”.

I DVR’d the wedding coverage and after a bunch of fast forwarding, here are what I consider the highlights of the wedding.

Highlight#1: White Gloves

I don’t know why I cared so much, but I was so surprised and delighted to see Prince William wearing white gloves. I have to admit that I got a little giddy seeing him arrive at Westminster Abbey all decked out. He arrived early so that he could mingle with his guests. I found that to be so charming.

Credit: Dan Kitwood/Getty Images Europe

Highlight #2: The Beckhams

A preggers Posh Spice and David Beckham came to the wedding. I mean why didn’t she sing at the wedding? They had choir boys, and while their singing was oh so lovely, it was also oh so boring. I for one would loved to have seen a Spice Girls reunion for this royal affair.

Credit: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images Europe

Highlight #3: Ugly Hats

No comment necessary.

Princess Beatrice - Credit: Chris Jackson/Getty Images Europe

Highlight #4: Kate’s Dress

She looked stunning. Did you know that she did her own makeup?! Are you impressed? I know I was. I was also expecting something more modern looking and I was pleasantly surprised by her classy choice.

Credit: PacificCoastNews.com

Highlight #5: Ring Ceremony

Prince William is not going to wear a wedding ring. It was interesting to watch him give her a wedding band of welsh gold and then she not reciprocate. Kate made some changes herself and removed the word “obey” from the vows.

Credit: Bauer Griffin

Highlight #6: The Balcony Kiss

They did not kiss in their wedding ceremony. Here is there first kiss as husband and wife on the balcony of Buckingham Palace. Kate has not been given the title of Princess yet, but the Queen gave the couple the title of Duke and Duchess of Cambridge.

Credit: Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images Europe

There were two things that the Bishop of London said during the wedding ceremony that I really liked:

“Marriage is intended to be a way in which man and woman help each other to become what God meant each one to be, their deepest and truest selves.”

“In a sense every wedding is a royal wedding with the bride and the groom as king and queen of creation, making a new life together so that life can flow through them into the future.”

As much as it is fun to see Kate having her fairytale wedding, I would not trade places with Kate for anything in the world.

I loved being married here…

Nashville, TN Temple

To him…

Forever.

So now you know.

Categories: Happiest Day Of My Life So Far | Leave a comment