Marathon Monday- Week 3

15 Weeks left until the race!!! This past week, I completed week 4 of the 12 week training program.

8/16- 3 Miles
8/17- 2.3 Miles
8/22- 5.2 Miles

Bring it on 6 Miles!!! (AAAHHHH)

I can do all things through Christ, who strenthens me. - Philippians 4:13

DON'T FORGET!!! This is not about the race, this is a fund raiser to help the children of St. Jude. A few of us Tri Delta alumni's have formed a team and are raising money for these precious children. If you would like to donate please go to www.mystjudeheroes.org/calliepc

Marathon Monday- Week 2

This week went a little better than expected! Actually, it went WWWAAAYYY better than expected. The farthest I have ever run is 4 miles and that was back in May. So I started running 2 weeks ago, after a 2 month hiatus, and I'm making ALOT more progress than I thought I would. This past week I ran four times.

8/10- 3.02 Miles
8/11- 2.30 Miles
8/12- 4.13 Miles
8/15- 5.10 Miles

Yes my friends, I ran 5 miles which puts me at week 3 of the training program I am going to follow and I haven't even started it yet. So, I'm pumped!!

Philippians 4:13

P.S. I OFFICIALLY registered for the race this afternoon!! AAAHHH :) If you would like to make a donation to St. Jude through our team please feel free. You can make a donation on my St. Jude Heroes website. www.mystjudeheroes.org/calliepc

Thankful Thursday- I'm One Lucky Girl

To say "He fills my life with GOOD things" is an understatement.. It should read more like "He fills my life with GREAT/AWESOME/FANTASTICAL things!!!"

Can I please just fill yall in on all of the awesome things that are going on the next couple of months????

IN ORDER:

1. The Saints first pre-season game is tonight. That means it's football season and I believe that calls for a celebration. Pizza and Beer it is at the Collins household tonight. GEAUX SAINTS!!!


2. Ann-Hamilton, Mallory, Katie, Krista and I are going to see SUGARLAND on Friday in Southaven. All sorts of other Gwood folks will be there too, so it will be super fun!! Not only do we get to see Sugarland, but we also get to go eat at the Rendezvous. I know... I know... to alot of folks this not a big deal, but to me... and the rest of us going, IT IS!!! Also, while we are there, we will hopefully get to see Kate, Leslie and Jamie WOO HOO!!

3. MEAGAN RAE is coming home to do her cd release parties the last weekend in August. If you haven't checked out her 6 new songs, I suggest you do it now. meaganraemusic.com I have my table reserved for Websters and my t shirt ordered!!!!!! Can't wait to get that cd in my car and those songs on my ipod!! WOO HOO

4. Mississippi State Footbal kicks off in 23 days against Memphis!! I can't wait for Kendol and I to be in Starkville every weekend ringing our cowbells! Let's hope I'm a little less spastic than last year. (I got so excited at the egg bowl that when I threw my abnorally long arms in the air, I knocked the guy beside me's sunglasses off his head and they landed about 10 rows down... Let's hope his tickets aren't next to ours again)

5. I just ordered tickets for me, Kendol, Kalley, Brister, Havis and Caleb to go see HANK WILLIAMS JR. and JAMEY JOHNSON. I don't think anyone understands how excited I am about this (ok maybe some of you do)... I seriously might pass out when he plays "Dinosaur." Don't ask me why this is my favorite, but it's my favorite song of all times. I will either pass out or jump on stage, haha! (yea right! i'm too terrified of policeman to do that, but it would be awesome) Colt Ford (chicken and biscuits song... so dumb), Josh Thompson and The Grascals will also be there!

6. WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS, WEDDINGS!! Crawfords, Ruthie's, Colin's then ending this wedding season with Wally a & Stephanie's!! and I'm sure I'm leaving some out.. forgive me. Showers and weddings every weekend. I love it :) I should have lots of good stuff for "Wedding Wednesday" Blogs!

7. Baby Hayes will be here in about 102 days!!! (I'm not counting down or anything) AHHH can't wait for these baby showers to get here already.

Before I know it, it will be half marathon time.. which means CHRISTMAS TIME!! Which makes me even more happy, bc that's my favorite time of the year. So blessed!!

MARATHON MONDAY!

OK... since I declared that I will be running a half marathon in December, it's time to get to work. I will not be publishing these Monday blogs to Facebook and Twitter bc I assume no one really cares ha! But I am going to document my progress just to keep myself accountable. If you want to keep up, great! If you don't, I don't blame ya!

I have found two different training schedules online that I am going to kind of combine. One is a 12 week program from HalHigdon.com that starts out at 3-4 miles the first week and goes up to 10 miles. According to him, 10 miles is all you need to train for bc he says endurance and determination will get me through the last 3.1 miles... Apparently he doesn't know me too well bc that is the most insane thing I've ever heard!!! But he's the expert, not me. The other program starts off at 1 mile and goes to 12 miles in 16 weeks (which is exactly how many weeks I have). At this point, I am already through week five of this program bc it pretty much starts from scratch. This past week I ran three times, just to get back in the swing of things and it went pretty well. I ran 2.15 miles, 2.5 miles and 2.3 miles. In this heat, I'd say that's a success, but now it's time to get serious!

I must learn to get up in the mornings and run. I tried this one day last week and it didn't go so well. I don't know if I was just that hungry (fatty mcfatty... always hungry) or if I just didn't let myself wake up enough, but IT WAS MIZ!! (but definitely alot cooler) So, I googled about this earlier. Should I eat before I go or not? Some places say no. Others said to eat a banana or energy/breakfast bar and have a glass of water. I don't have time to just sit there and wait for food to settle though. I require as much sleep as possible. I already don't speak until after lunch, so the earlier i have to get up the worse it's going to be for everyone around me ha!

Well that's where I am, as of today! Please feel free to post any tips or advice!! I can use all the help I can get :)

Terrified Tuesday

OK!!! So I may have just made the most insane decision/commitment of my life! I WILL run the St. Jude Half Marathon (or I will die trying ha). Last year, most of my college best friends trained for and ran this race. It was their first half marathon ever and I got to thinking, "if they can run a half marathon then so can I."

Having never run a day in my life, I started running on January 1, 2010. (Yes, this is when it was in the teens most days and the coldest winter of my life) On January 23, 2010 I attempted my first 5k (3.1 miles) at the Lisa Lassandrello 5k in Memphis. I have attended this race for the past 4 years (walking in the back with Mallory, of course), but this was my first attempt to run it. After only 3 weeks of running, I miraculously was able to finish and I believe my time was around 38 minutes (not very good at all). But Kate and Jimbo were at the end being the best cheerleaders, so I had to smile even though I thought I was about to die... literally. And that's where all of this started.

Liz, Katie, Jimbo, Me, Mallory

The 5k we attend each year is in honor of our friends Kate and Jamie's mother Lisa Lassandrello, who lost her battle with cancer when we were in college. In the picture with us is their dad Jim Lassandrello aka Jimbo aka Coach Lass. What an awesome, awesome family!



Me, Mallory, Katie, Liz and Leslie after the race.

Liz won 1st place for her age group!!

After I ran my first 5k, I started the "Couch to 5k" program on my ipod, instead of running aimlessly around the neighborhood with no clue as to what I was supposed to be doing. In February, Krista and I ran the Southgroup 5k on County Line Road, benefiting Blair E. Batson Children's Hospital. At this point, I had improved my time down to around the 35 minute mark, I believe (still not very good at all).

Me, Kaitlyn and Krista
Kaitlyn ran the 1 mile Fun Run!

By April 18, I was up to 4 miles at a time of 41 minutes and 13 seconds. Then it started to get hot outside.... and by hot, I mean HOTT!! So, of course, I slacked off a little bit and started doing the ZUMBA videos INSIDE ha! (They are awesome for those of you who like to dance and do more of a cardio type workout)

So, at this point, I have not run since July 19 and that day I only ran 2.5 miles bc of the heat. I can't handle it, so I have ALOT of work to do. If anyone has any tips for running in the heat, please let me know. Prayers are much needed.

I CAN DO ALL THINGS THROUGH CHRIST WHO STRENGTHENS ME.

PHILIPPIANS 4:13

HERE IS MY MOTIVATION!!
IF ALL OF MY FRIENDS CAN DO IT, SO CAN I!!

Liz, Katie, Leslie, Kate and Evie before the St. Jude Half Marathon in December 2009!

Evie, Kate, Katie and Kaylis after the St. Jude Half Marathon in 2009.

Liz, Evie, Kate and Katie wearing their medals out for the night to celebrate!

SO... LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THIS IS ME SAYING "I WILL RUN THE ST. JUDE HALF MARATHON IN MEMPHIS ON DECEMBER 4, 2010." I will keep ya'll up to date with a blog conveniently titled "Marathon Mondays." I have a feeling this is not going to be a smooth, pretty process, so this has the potential to be very entertaining.

P.S. KENDOL AND KRISTA HAVE AGREED TO DO THIS WITH ME, AS WELL! LET THE TRAINING BEGIN. (on the hottest day of the year... it's only 105 outside... shoot me now)

123 Days and Counting

DANG IT... IS IT TOO LATE TO BACK OUT??

FABULOUS FRIDAY!

"This is the day that the Lord has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it." Psalm 118:24

Ok, so I'm going to switch things up a bit today and use the topic of FABULOUS FRIDAY! Let's face it, some days are just awful, but we have to remember that God has given us another day on this earth, so we must make the most of it. Well, this week has been nothing short of a nightmare, but God has still blessed me with a couple of FABULOUS things that have brought a smile to my face. Here they are, in all of their FABULOSITY!!

KENDOL!!
There's not much to say, except he's FABULOUS!

I don't know if there's anyone in the world (besides Meagan Rae, of course) who is more excited about this little cd of hers that is soon to be coming out. I can't freaking wait til her cd release parties. I will take a cd and a t-shirt.. please and thank you! I would take an 8x10 picture as well, but I already have one!
Doesn't she look FABULOUS on her cd cover?? I can't wait to hear all of the new songs! AAAAHHHHHH It's really happening folks :) I remember back in like first grade, the whole fam packed up and headed to Jackson for the Alan Jackson/Faith Hill concert. Before we went to the concert, we went to watch Meagan Rae in a talent show: black jeans, red cowboy boots, crazy cowgirl button up and a cowboy hat singing Mary Chapin Carpenter's "I Feel Lucky!" (i'm 99% positive that was the song) Her dreams are coming true, one step at a time. So proud :)
http://fb.me/DkdpDgPo

People.com released a sneak peak of the new "six pak" album from Blake Shelton this morning called "It's All About Tonight." I love him, so this has has made my day. I have been listening to the six songs on repeat since 8 a.m. Go check it out. "Who Are You When I'm Not Looking" is FABULOUS.

http://ow.ly/2iNwP

All week I have been looking forward to heading to the Delta for the weekend and having dinner with 3 of my most favorite girls: Katie, Michaelle and Amanda. We will be dining at the FABULOUS Crystal Grill. Can't wait to catch up!!


This past Sunday, we turned Kendol's Manroom/Office into a Manroom/Office with a bed. I think it turned out pretty FAB!

Recently I have redecorated a couple of other things around the house, as well, that turned out FABULOUS!

I put in a new Toile shower curtain in the extra bathroom and decorated with some of my copper crosses and bowls from the MS Gift Company!

I did a little redecorating on this table as well. It needed spicing up a bit!

New gold/orange picture frame from Pier 1!! Super cute!

New bedspread!! Looks like a totally different room. Love it!

Enough about the house, Dillard's is having extra 30% off their sale items, so of course I had to go do a little retail therapy. Who can pass up sassy shoes for those prices

While at Dillard's, I also purchased some more of their awesome new "high lengths mascara." If you don't have any yet, I suggest you go get some. It's the bomb.

And last but not least, to finish out this FABULOUS FRIDAY afternoon, I am going to treat myself to the most FABULOUS thing on earth.

A Coca Cola Classic

So Blessed

GOOD THING #9
Baby Names

Baby Lloyd has a name! As Ann-Hamilton put it "I have gotten something Monogrammed, so it's official" haha! Baby Lloyd's name is Hayes Miller Lloyd. She will go by Hayes. Both are family names on our side.

GOOD THING #10

God's Love

Eleanor is going to Chrysalis today. I cannot believe she is old enough to go to Chrysalis and that it has been ten years since I went. What an awesome, awesome weekend with God. She is going to have so much fun and meet so many wonderful people. I admire her passion for God and for Church. She has such a strong faith and I know after this weekend her faith is going to be even stronger. I can't wait until Sunday to hear all about it.

For God so loved the world, that he gave his Only Son, that whoever believes in Him, shall not perish, but have everlasting life. John 3:16

GOOD THING #11
The Beach

I finally got to take a trip to the beach that was longer than a weekend. Needless to say, this trip was eventful. 8 girls, 3 cars and a precious 2 bedroom condo. As I've said before... I hate to drive... but where was I? In the driver's seat, leading the pack to a place I'd never been. The trip went pretty smoothly until we reached Seagrove. Then the GPS's quit working. You would have thought the world ended. We were so lost. I still don't understand how we used to get around without them. Once we finally found our condo, we spent the week on the beach and at the pool, eating way too much delicious seafood, buying out the polo outlet (and all of the baby stores), went to Cirque De Soleil (not the real one, of course), visited Seaside & the Baytowne Wharf and JuJu & KayKay even got to meet Archie Manning at the Old Florida Fish House.

P.S. I don't think it ever took more than an hour and a half for all 8 of us to get ready each afternoon to hit the town... No Lie!!

All 8 of us at the Old Florida Fish House, just seconds before Archie Manning walked in.

At the Back Porch (as if you couldn't tell)

Sara Grace, Eleanor and Chloe

GOOD THING #12

1st Anniversary

On Sunday, Kendol and I celebrated our 1 year anniversary. WOW... We still cannot believe it has been a year!! What an awesome year it has been. If it's true what they say about the first year being the hardest, then the rest of the years will be a breeze bc that was a peice of cake!!

In honor of our anniversary, here are some pictures from this past year!

After the beating "TSUN" in the Egg Bowl!! GO DAWGS

Our first Christmas!!

Our First Snowman!! Fully prepared for the Tailgate, of course!

The second the Saints won the Super Bowl! Kendol's been waiting on this moment for 25 years. GEAUX SAINTS!!


Fun weekend at the Shack Up Inn in Clarksdale.



Delta Wedding!


4th of July at Eagle Lake



1st Anniversary Dinner at Tico's