the final touch...

Snow-prise! Saturday I woke up to about 5-6 inches of snow covering my car.  I wasn't going to let this stop me from driving up to my parents to put the final touches on my Disney Princess Half Marathon outfit!  I pulled up to my parents house to this view...

Yes, a four foot snow drift covering the entire front of my parent's house.  I literally stood there for several minutes wondering how the hell to get inside!  I finally made my way near the garage and around to my mom's sewing studio.  I had ordered two pink running shirts that she had waiting to embroider.  We looked it over and she got to work.  By the time I had finished shoveling a path to the front door, she had created this...

15 days to go!

I just got a pony...

Okay... I really didn't get a pony, but my reaction to what I got in the mail this afternoon resembeled that of a three year old girl getting a pony for her birthday.  My outfit for the Disney Princess Half Marathon is almost complete... 

Cancel Reinforcements...

One of my best friends got married this past weekend.  They are by far one of the best couples I've ever watch go from acquaintances to dating to marriage and it was awesome to get to watch them do so.  The absolute best thing about these two people is the way Christ shines through them.  They are fabulous.  And, she trusts me.  Trusts me enough to have me do her flowers, set up the reception site, and coordinate the reception festivities.  Now, if you only knew her, you would understand how huge of a deal this is.  Not that she doesn't trust people, but she's well... in the details.  She LOVES weddings and events and details.  She LOVES schedules and lists and fun and details.  After a 4 mile run (hey, a girls still go to train), I met her bridesmaids, her dad, and the bride herself at the church where they dropped off tons of flowers.  We chatted, we hugged, we laughed.  Then I got to work.

I always start out looking so neat and organized.  Give me about 5 minutes and I can do this... to any workspace.









Two hours in and I only had 2 horrible looking bouquets done.  I panicked... yes full out panicked!  I texted my roommate and asked her to come immediately over; then sent a message to one of my other good friends to see if she could come early to the rehearsal.  While panicking I kept working and within 5 minutes had arranged the best bouquet!  Cancel reinforcements.

 

I know I'm extremely bias, but I really love her flowers.  They were perfect.  Perfect for the event, for the bride, for the occasion.  Perfect.  There were so many flowers left over I made a couple little arrangements for the foyer.  

Then set to work on the alter.  Oh! the alter... how awesome is this...

So perfectly homespun, perfectly Kara.

Baby it's slick out there!

Snowpocalypse was a HUGE let down in St. Louis!  Must over-hyped storm of the century.  I left work early on Monday when the sleet started falling and expected to wake up to a winter wonderland Tuesday morning.  Yes, there was ice.  Yes, it was slick.  But, where was the 1-2 feet of snow?!  Since I live on a hill and my car is less than agile in winter weather, I stayed put all day Tuesday... cause you know... the snow was coming!!

All day I waited and waited.  It kind of started snowing late in the evening.  This was it... charge the laptop, charge the cell phone, charge the kindle!  I went to bed again expecting to wake up to a winter wonderland Wednesday morning... no luck.  I started seeing pictures from friends in Columbia, MO and Chicago, IL.  My brother sent this one of his car...

My sister-in-law said there were drifts over her shoulders.  My mom sent this pic of our farm...which doesn't look so impressive till you know that bush is well over my head and that's a solid pile of snow drifting behind it!

After spending a day getting these pictures, I sent them both the view from my front door... wondering how I was ever going to dig out of this mess...

We got two inches with drifts up to my ankle... it was a nightmare!

unexpected 10 miles

After a long yet crazy, awesomely fun weekend of wedding excitement (more coming soon), I was ready to sit back, relax and watch movie after movie yesterday afternoon.  I heard a little something about winter weather heading our way, but hey! it's St. Louis, there's always some kind of new weather heading our way.  I didn't really pay that much attention until my friends on twitter started twittering about snowpocalypse 2.0.  Once home from work I got online and witnessed for myself the mess making a bee line through St. Louis. 

Because I'm less than 30 days away from the Disney Princess Half Marathon, my mind imediately went to my training schedule.  Sure enough, there it was... 10 miles!  Quickly navigating between my training schedule and the forecast it was clear, yesterday was the only possible day to get a 10 miler in.

Soon enough I changed cloths, ate a light lunch, took a 20 minute nap, loaded up the fuel belt and I was out the door. Amazingly enough I felt great just about the whole time!  A few times I started talking down about hills and how far it was, but just as quickly as those thoughts came they left.  Today I'm feeling great! 

Small reminders...

I'm a sucker for a good theme.  I love having stuff around me reminding me of the goal I've set for myself.  And, the Disney Princess Half Marathon has done just that.  My room may look like the room of  a three year old girl, but man do I feel motivated to train for this race.

I'm heading to Disney with a group of about 10 (3 or which are seriously training for the half).  To keep us all motivated I bought us each little tiara Christmas tree ornaments and had my mom embroider towels with a little tiara and the words "Go run your Princ-ass off" She made me another one for Christmas that says "You are running your Princ-ass off"




For Christmas my mom also got me this tiara to wear at the race.  As you know, I'm not positive about wearing it in fear that I'll get angry and throw it to the ground around mile 6.  Funny enough a few days after I opened this present I was babysitting for a friend and her little 3 year old daughter came bouncing down the stairs holding a box.  I opened it and it was the exact same tiara!  Her parents just mocked me as I explained I got the same thing for Christmas.

My roommate got me this little block decoration.  I love it cause it is still appropriate to have in my room long after the race (as apposed to the pink fluffy tiara above).






Other items which remind me and push me to keep running include a tiara charm I wear as a necklace and the recent purchase of a mickey mouse glass that will land in my office.

What are you using to motivate you to keep training?

Disney Princess Half Marathon

Exactly one month from today I'll be waking up in Disney World; heading out to pick up my race packet for the Disney Princess Half Marathon!!

I'm so excited!  The two biggest questions (other than will I finish before the golf cart picks me up) is where will I eat and what will I wear.  After spending a little too long looking up restaurants, all reservations are made.  Most exciting of which is our post race celebration dinner here...  

Second question: What to wear?!  We've got big shoes to fill as a princess!  I'm thinking I'll be somewhere between full fledged costume and regular boring running cloths.  I just ordered a pink short sleeved and long sleeved running shirt (ps... on sale at Target for $5)!  My mom is going to embroider this lovely on the back for me...

I'm wearing some kind of tiara, but haven't picked which one yet.  You see, 13.1 miles is a really long way to run.  And, I typically get cranky and angry around mile 6; I'm guessing having a metal tiara bouncing on my head will just increase my anger to full rage status.  My mom got me a tiara for Christmas which will go with me, but I'm also purchasing this little guy thinking it will be a tad more comfortable.