The Beer Garden At The End Of The Turkey Trot Was A Great Motivator For Me. I Wanted That Beer To Taste Like Victory. And It Did. If Victory Tastes Like Beer.

The Turkey Trot was a success.  I made it through without having to talk myself out of quitting or fighting the urge to cut across the park instead of following the course with everyone else.  I started the race surrounded by a few people wearing jeans (a sure sign they were just avoiding Thanksgiving food prep) and what looked like a group of kids on a field trip, but quickly (go ahead an use air quotes around that one) moved beyond them to a place where most of the people looked as if they intended to give running a try.

I found a woman who looked like a former marathon runner based upon her calf muscles and legit running gear, but who had obviously had a baby a few days ago and now was forced to push a huge, all-terrain stroller through the course.  I settled in behind her as she used the stroller like one of those cattle guards on trains - the ones that push the cows off the track as the train comes through.  We were weaving in and out of crowds of people in costumes and on their phones - I think I may have been drafting behind her and being pulled along in her wake.  But, once we made it to some open space she blew away from me (I wondered if I heard a motor on the stroller) and I was left to finish the race on my own.

I finished strong though.  I've been running on hills, so this flat course was a pleasant surprise.  The finish line actually snuck up on me a bit - but when I saw it coming I made sure my form looked good and I picked up my pace a little.  I think they call that the kick or something, but I knew my family would be watching (as they had probably finished a full 10 minutes earlier) and I wanted to at least give them a good show.  They ended up being farther down the chute from the finish so they didn't see my victorious ending, but because I wasn't gasping for air or crying when I reached them, they knew my race performance had exceeded expectations.

And now we may fully immerse ourselves in the holiday season.  We kick off our holidays with some ice skating on Black Friday instead of shopping with the masses.  None of us are very good skaters and I think we feel it's an auspicious start to the season if we face the danger of an ice rink and come out relatively unscathed in the end.  We celebrate with sushi and a movie.  Life is so good.

I'm wearing this.

The outdoor rink we skate on lets you skate for free if you wear black on Black Friday.  That's not hard for me since my wardrobe is at least 50% black.  The coat I'm wearing is so fun to throw on, but can really only be comfortably worn during the holiday season.  Anytime after Valentine's Day and it starts to look like I have on one of Hugh Hefner's robes.

gratitude:  Kleenex, family foursome activities, a funny extended family, leftovers

thanks and love.

Tomorrow We Run The Turkey Trot. I Will Run Alone As My Entire Family Apparently Can Run A Mile In Under Nine Minutes And I Will Be Placed In A Different Heat Most Likely Filled With Athletic Toddlers And People Running Backward.

Well, tomorrow is the big day.  The Turkey Trot is upon us.  This is the 40th annual Trot here in Denver, but it'll be the first time there will be a beer garden at the event.  Also the first time I'm participating.  The coincidence is not lost on me.

I've been preparing for this for a few months now, but I'm still a little nervous.  I've only run four miles once before, so I'm hoping the thrill of the event and the crowd energy will pull me along so I can successfully make it to the end at a pace still considered to be running.  I have visions of those people who finish marathons and Iron Man competitions where their legs turn into spaghetti and they end up crawling over the finish line under cover of darkness.  I hope I'm not the first Turkey Trot participant to end the race that way.  I'm sure most people wouldn't think that could happen after only four miles, but I'm not your average runner, so nothing is off the table.

I've been doing research on how to manage a run like this.  My favorite tip is carbo loading.  Apparently, I'm supposed to eat a lot of carbs today to store up energy for tomorrow's exertion and I'm taking that directive very seriously.  I'm getting toast crumbs on my keyboard as we speak and I have a tasty pasta planned for dinner tonight.  Guilt-free baguette eating may inspire a regular running routine.

Another tip left me a bit concerned.  I was told that you should run the first mile of a race a full two minutes slower than your average speed.  That way you'll have energy left to finish the run at a good pace.  Two problems.  One, I have no idea how fast I run a mile.  My best guess is that it's at roughly the same speed as the rhythm to the song Blurred Lines by Alan Thicke which isn't exactly a blistering pace.  Which leads me to the second problem.  Running two minutes per mile slower than normal actually disqualifies what I'm doing as running.  I may just have to stick to my regular speed (somewhere between a jog and Prancercize) and hope that someone running in a turkey costume and pushing a baby stroller doesn't run me over.

I'm wearing this today.

It's Thanksgiving Eve and time to get our sparkle on!

I wish each of you in the U.S. a wonderful Thanksgiving, and for those of you readers in other parts of the world I wish you a joyous day of thankfulness as well.

gratitude:  a nice weather forecast for Thanksgiving morning, an easy side dish to prepare, boot cut jeans, being present to all the goodness in life

thanks and love.

A Strange After Effect Of A Weekend Of Painting Is The Texture Of My Fingertips. I Was Mostly Responsible For Cleaning Up Paint Spills And I Highly Recommend Using Plastic Gloves If You're Working With Certain Stain Removing Products. Apparently They Remove Your Top Layers Of Skin As Well As Unsightly Marks On The Carpet.

We painted the kids' bedrooms this weekend.  This may seem like no big deal, but it had become an issue in our house.   Although, I regret not getting to this sooner, I truly believe the rooms finally got painted because we found the right color.  After years of searching.  Plus, the kids actually cleaned their rooms and we didn't have a single sporting event scheduled.  The planets had aligned.

I loves me a white wall (although we painted our kitchen black).  I like our house to look a little like a funky art gallery or old schoolhouse.  I like wood floors, white walls, white cabinets, and black countertops.  Having a simple base makes it easier and more fun to jazz things up with a few interesting elements.  Our kids, however, want colored walls - as in not black or white (why do they not consider those colors??).  So we've been on a color hunt for about three years.

This painting delay isn't all my fault.  The kids haven't exactly had a clear picture of what colors they prefer.  We've sampled a lot.  We'd paint two or three swatches of color on their walls every six months or so.  Nothing ever seemed right.  The walls started to look like the back of someone who'd gone through one of those extensive allergy tests.  The one where they prick your skin with different allergens to see how red and swollen each area gets?  JD's wall was a checkerboard of greys and blues and Eliza's was a rainbow of bright greens and blues with one odd orange sherbet patch thrown in (where did that come from?).  I was beginning to have an allergic reaction to it all myself.

Turns out the paint colors we went with were never actually ones we sampled.  I credit Pinterest with our choices.  During one of my pinning sessions I found photos of rooms I loved and knew each kid would love too.  They have completely different styles so to find inspiration pics for each of them within mere days is nothing short of miraculous.  I knew in my gut that these were the right colors - after sampling 500+ colors you just know.  I did bring home a small sample of each color the day before I bought them to make sure no one was horrified by the shade, but there was no "living with it awhile" or comparing colors.  We just pulled the trigger and the results are fabulous.

I'm not the best at picking paint colors out of the blue (pardon the pun) so the key to success for us was to find colors professionals have successfully used in rooms themselves.  Turns out Benjamin Moore's Caribbean Coast and Hale Navy got the job done for us in a big way.  Even though I wish we'd been able to get to this point sooner, we would have never found these colors if we'd rushed or settled.  I'm not even sure Pinterest had been created when we started our search.  I don't know if this is a lesson in staying open and giving things time to develop or a testament to the power of good research.  Either way, the Highs are checking one job off the home improvement list and can now move on to one of the 6,493 remaining.

I'm wearing this.

What's with the weather?  I'm starting to dress like the sky.

gratitude:  Thanksgiving break, tasks completed, togetherness, machine washable faux fur throws

thanks and love.

As I Look At The Boxes Of Holiday Decor In Our Basement, I Wonder Sometimes What I Must Have Been Thinking When I Used Some Of The Things We Have. It's Amazing Anything Survived My 'Paint It All Gold' Phase. One Entire Box Looks Like A Pharaoh's Tomb.

As we head into the week before Thanksgiving, I can feel the engines of holiday preparedness revving in the distance.  This time of year is a real balancing act.  I feel like I'm constantly walking the line between holiday reveler and drill sergeant.  This is the last week the kids have off before Christmas and they need to accomplish a few things before they go back - like a massive room cleaning, that if ignored could derail the planned room painting we have on the coming week's agenda - because why not paint two bedrooms mere days before Thanksgiving?  I would also consider it an early Christmas gift if they were able to learn how to use a hamper, a trash can, and to exit the shower without tearing down the shower curtain.  I hope Santa is listening.

There is also outdoor lighting and holiday decor to install.  It's a challenge to not rush Thanksgiving out the door before it's had its day in the sun, but the clock is ticking, people.  I'm not going to wait until after Thanksgiving to get started - it just is too much to do all at once.  Christmas will slowly leak into our home all next week, so by the time we return from our dinner on Thursday, all that will be left is the tree purchase and trimming.

I love the holidays and I really like our house to feel festive, but I think I'll take a different approach this year.  I don't want December 26th to come accompanied by the claustrophobic feeling I've had in years past - where I've lived with so many faux greens and ribbons and ornaments for the weeks leading up to Christmas that by the time it gets here I can barely wait until the last guest leaves on Christmas night before I start dismantling everything.  I love the way those fully decorated houses look, but it kinda weighs me down when my own home is that way.  And it seems like so much work to do just to have to remove it all in a month or so.

I think this year I'm going to add a touch of holiday here and there, but mostly keep things to a simple Winter theme.  That way our seasonal decor won't get on my nerves so much and I can keep most of it up until spring comes.  I'll take Coco Chanel's advice on accessorizing -  "When a lady leaves the house, she should look in the mirror and remove one accessory"- and overlay that onto our holiday home decor.   I'll decorate, take a look, and then remove something.  The tree is non-negotiable though.

I'm wearing this today.

I need to get my out-of-home activities done early today because these pants seem to grow on me while the day progresses and by late afternoon I look like M.C. Hammer.

gratitude:  our new coffee table, lighting, Thanksgiving break, pretty paint colors

thanks and love.
 

Running Is Nothing Compared To All The Action Going On Inside My Head. If It's Not Inner Voices Having A Lively Debate, I'm Also Performing Several Musical Numbers Based Upon Whatever Comes Out Of My iPhone. My Duet With Justin Timberlake Is Really Something Special.

Maybe it's because I'm not a huge fan of my own voice (I think I sound like a Peanuts character), but when I run there is a lot of inner dialogue going on and it's not a one woman show.  Honestly, I think it really must be crowded in my head sometimes.  It's way more than the classic angel and devil talking me in and out of good choices.  I even have some famous people chiming in from time to time.

Sometimes, when I'm running up a hill, which in the western suburbs of Denver is really unavoidable, a whiny, toddler voice starts in (I think it's that weird yellow dinosaur that was on the Barney TV show).  "Whyyyy are we doing this?   We'll never make it!  I'm quitting NOW!"  And then, in a very predictable move, the Little Engine That Could jumps in with the classic "I think I can.  I think I can."  So I heed the spunky locomotive's words and continue chugging along.  When I finally get to a better place in the run, Oprah makes an appearance in my noggin with a celebratory cheer and the kind of joyous energy only experienced during one of her famous "My Favorite Things" episodes.

My favorite voice by far, and the one most often showing up for me, is Tim Gunn from Project Runway.  He's not so much there during exercise, but more throughout the rest of my day.  I love him.  He gets the designers to organize their thoughts and ideas, to push themselves creatively, and to pay attention to the schedule.  And he does the same for me from inside my little brain.  A lot of life is about being creative, working within a time frame, and doing your best, and Tim Gunn is the perfect presence to inspire me to do that while conquering any task at hand.  One of my favorite lines of his, when he's leaving the designers in the sewing room at midnight before the big show, is "Make it work, people!"

It's a great line for life.  Nothing is really ever perfectly perfect.  It would be weird if it was.  But in trying to live life as our best selves, we need to take what we've been given (good and bad), aim for what we want, and do our best to "Make it work."  Every single day.

I'm wearing this today.

Love the faux leather pants.  I'm not really sure if these are officially faux leather because the texture is a little weird.  To be honest, it looks a little like really thin elephant skin.  I'm just going to continue to refer to them as faux leather though, I'm sure you understand.  BTW, I had to go full body with the photo as the scarf made no sense without a head.

gratitude:  reader responses, inspiring holiday colors on Pinterest, Modern Family, chicken salad

thanks and love.

Maybe It's Because I'm Running In Nikes Lately, But The 'Just Do It' Tagline Is Making Sense To Me. Although Sometimes I Think It's Telling Me To Go Ahead And Eat The Baguette While I'm Making Dinner, So Maybe I Need To Watch What I Apply It To In My Daily Life.

This weekend we had a little gathering at our house to put together some care packages for the homeless.  I was inspired by this video I saw on a lovely blog called Shine Your Light.

Pam from the incredible Simple Details blog gave me the idea about what to include in the packages.  Ah, that blogging community!  Truly, a bottomless pit of resources and inspiration!

It was a really fun time and considering we made 45 bags and had 12 people there it took about 7 minutes to complete the job.  Which, of course, left more time for a glass of wine and an in depth discussion about which fabric I should use to recover our kitchen chairs.  It was just nice to have family and friends (that are like family) all gathered and working together for the greater good on a Saturday afternoon.

I'm glad I took the chance to plan an event like this.  I have a habit of thinking about doing nice, thoughtful things and never actually making them a reality.  I don't know why that's the case, but I've grown tired of my good intentions withering on the vine.  This whole event was low key and really didn't take much to organize: I had to buy the goods, prep some refreshments (read: open wine and fill bowls with purchased snacks), and move the backpacks, shoes and lacrosse sticks out of our great room so our home no longer looked like a sporting goods store after Black Friday.  Easy peasy.

I think we tend to believe the things we do need to be bigger than necessary and that magnification makes them a bit daunting.  So we put it off and then we forget.  But, we shouldn't fear simplicity and smaller scales.

Confucius said it right, "Life is actually really simple, but we insist on making it complicated."

A casual evening with friends over takeout and boxed wine is way more meaningful than a sit down seven course dinner that never happens.  If we keep things simple, we're likely to do more.  And life is really about doing things, not just thinking about doing them or talking about doing them.  I want to remember SIMPLICITY in 2014.  Anyone else on board?

I'm wearing this today:

The over-the-knee boots are making me very happy.  I was scared to try them at first, but now I'm all in.  Fear not my fashion friends.

And it's Meatless Monday.  In honor of simplicity, we'll be enjoying a plain pasta with bit of garlic-infused olive oil and butter accompanied by a big, green salad.  Simple and scrumptious and sans meat.

gratitude:  new furniture arrangements, family and friends, family time finally on Sunday night, laughter

thanks and love.

Fashion Failure Friday. A Sad Tale About Too Much Of A Good Thing.

I've not gambled in Vegas before, but I've heard stories about people who've been on a winning streak then lose it all by playing one game too many.  Instead of taking their money off the table, they roll the dice one last time and everything falls apart.  That kind of happened to me yesterday.

My loss wasn't monetary in nature, it was comfort-based.  I'd been feeling pretty darn good about my fashion choices lately, but yesterday I pushed it too far and felt so ridiculous in my ensemble that I could barely concentrate on my staging work.  I felt like I was in a costume.  It was bad.

My problem was combining too many trends all at once.  I recently just bought a pair of over the knee riding boots.  I love them, and they do look very now.  Problem was, I should have just worn them with a skinny jean and a t-shirt so they could take center stage.  Unfortunately, I chose to combine them with two looks that also would have been better served on their own.  

I wore a flannel shirt (borrowed from JD) with a very sparkly statement necklace.  The classic high/low trend.  It's all over Pinterest and has actually been getting on my nerves lately.  But I ignored my better instincts and attempted to rock my high/low flannel and sparkle with over the knee boots.  You see now how the fashion stage was starting to get crowded.

Then, I foolishly dipped a toe in the leggings as pants movement.  I normally don't do this, but I thought they would better feature my new boots, so I wore a heavy legging instead of a skinny jean.  And these leggings don't even fit well - they have a weird thick waistband and kind of come up high on me so I look a little like Tweedle Dee in them.  I felt so uncomfortable because my flannel shirt was just long enough to cover my backside, but if I raised my arms even a little, anyone around me saw a bit more than they had bargained for.  I raise my arms a lot.  My apologies.

So, word to the wise, if you're planning to rock a fashion trend, let it be a solo act.  This outfit sounded cute, and may have even looked the part for all I know, but the impact of each piece would have been greater if it had just been worn alone.  Lesson learned.

I'm wearing this today:

No major trends to speak of here.  Just keeping the stripe simple with low boots and a little short-sleeved sweater topper.  I may throw on a leopard scarf if it feels chilly, but Jenna Lyons of J.Crew fame stated that she considers leopard a neutral, so no trend over application will occur today.  Whew.

gratitude:  business opportunities, fun dinner conversations in bad restaurants, flat areas for running, driving the kids to school

thanks and love.