what i did today

So you know I will take any opportunity to get a new iPhone app. And you know I just started this Couch to 5k program and what do you know they have an app for that!

It has all the workouts in a list so you don’t have to remember where you are in the program or actually you know print it out and keep track.

So once you pick your workout you are able to load your playlist into the music player at the bottom. Once you start it keeps track of where you are which can be quite difficult to do. It has a VoiceOver that tells you when to walk and run. The font turns red during walks, green during runs and yellow at warmup and cooldown. I love the countdown as well. And it tells you when you’re halfway through.

Couch to 5k does have a few free podcasts you can follow but I love the advantage of changing up the music at any point. If you don’t care about what you run to then i wouldn’t spend the $2.99 for this app but for me, I get a new app, freedom to pick the music I want AND the ability to send my results to facebook. Ok so probably not worth it for that but you know.

So as you can see I’m on day 2. Not that impressive yet but I have to start somewhere and I’m happy to have this to help.

Posted via email from Amy’s posterous

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So somehow Melissa talked me into going to TrySports to get running shoes.  I hate to run.  Like, really hate to run.  Cycling, I don’t mind.  But I’m not a fan of running.  But then Melissa is all inspiring with her upcoming marathon and she promises it gets better and easier and you don’t feel like you’re going to die after a few minutes miles.  And I really would LIKE to like running.  So I decided to start the Couch to 5K program.  Monday night Melissa got done with her SECOND novel and her and her husband met the four of us up at TrySports.  Now you know you have a great friend when she inspires and encourages you to run.  But you know you have a great BLOGGING friend when she takes pictures of your running analysis and shoe fitting.

Turns out I have some external thingie on my right foot that causes it to turn outward when I plant my foot.  It’s caused by carrying the girls on my right hip for so long.   I went home with a new pair of Brooks and some cycling shoes that I can clip in the bike.  I finished Day 1 of Couch to 5K yesterday so I guess I’m on my way.

I TOTALLY meant Bobcats game.  Yeah, that’s what I went to tonight. *ahem*  An email popped up in my inbox yesterday evening telling me about a meet and greet he was doing before he sang the National Anthem for the Bobcats vs. Celtics game in Charlotte.  Well, when Danny Gokey is 15 minutes away and you run a fan site for him, you kinda can’t NOT go.  Although you know my arm didn’t need a bit of twisting.   Heather’s might have when I asked her to go with me.  But she did and was a pretty good sport through my nervous chatter on the way up.  And thankfully I have an awesome husband who was off work that understands puts up with my celebrity obsessions fangirl moments.

You can read a FULL account of what went down here but pretty sure all you need (ok, want!) to see are these….

Our patio table umbrella was quite literally gone with the wind today.  I found the umbrella like this in the yard.  I must have caught it just after it happened.

I guess the wind was so strong it lifted it out of the table.  In the meantime, it shattered the hole it was sitting in.  Once I went outside, I could hear the glass continuing to shatter.  I watched as one section fell through.

At that point, I grabbed my camera and caught the final demise of our patio table. See for yourself…

For those unable to see the video, here is the after pictures:

So I did it. I love them. I also got a cute dress that I can wear with jeans or tights during the winter. And you simply can not beat $50 for boots. Yeah they’ll probably fall apart by spring but so will my decision to wear them as well.

Yes, there are dirty towels on my floor and coloring pages on my door. Yee haw.

Posted via email from Amy’s posterous

Yesterday I took a 16 year old to church with us.  We’re good friends with her and her family.  In fact, you may remember her as she’s the one we took with us to Disney this past spring.  She had her big Sweet 16 birthday party Saturday night and on the way to church she was telling me she wanted to buy some boots with the money she got.  I asked her what kind because you know I wanted to test my in-style-ish-ness and she’s planning to get a pair of cowboy boots and then those flat boot thingies that go to your knee with the straps around the top.  Yeah, no idea what they’re called.  I felt like I was at least a little on the right track as Scott had just mentioned last week he liked the new Cowboy Boot look and also Tami Taylor (Connie Britton) of Friday Night Lights always looks adorable in them as well.

So of course I had to do some research because while I’ve been vaguely familiar with the look, I wasn’t quite sure what kind of outfit to wear with them or what color to get.  My only run-in with cowboy boots in the past have been the black fake-leather ankle-boot variety in the mid-90s and I daresay THAT would not work. 

It was time to do some research.  And where else do you look except the celebrities?  Oh yes, I could go to the mall in the “big city” but that would require much more time and effort and well, I’d turn into those old people-watching stalkers with coffee sitting on the bench.  This way I’m just a middle-aged celebrity stalker sitting in front of my computer.  So here we go.

First and most popular seems to be wearing cowboy boots with a dress:

What I learned:

The dress should be cute and flowy or at least A-line and a few inches above your knee.  The boots should be mid-calf and a mid to dark shade of caramel brown.  Black is ok if you are wearing a black dress.

Next is similar but with a skirt:

What I learned:

That’s not the best outfit on Rachel but I did learn that red boots are ok.  Also, you can go a little longer with the skirt but it should be very flowy. 

Next is super short shorts:

What I learned:

I will not be wearing boots with an outfit like this.  Although it is super-duper cute on them, I just probably should leave that alone.  But the point?  Wear the short shorts and the boots on the high side of your calf.  Color doesn’t appear to matter.  Who’s really going to be looking at the boots with shorts this short anyway?

Next is boots with pants:

What I learned:

We’re still tracking with the brown/caramel with some red thrown in and mid to high length boots.  But in order to get this trend right, you need to wear skinny or close to skinny jeans and tuck the jeans into the boot.  Wear a cute, longer top and layer it with a jacket if it’s cold.

Next up is patterns:

What I learned:

Do not do patterns unless you want to look unstable eclectic bad or you are Taylor Swift and you are on tour.

So in summary, since we are going into winter here, I’d recommend either caramel or red boots with your skinny jeans tucked in. Or, if you are feeling like you can brave the cold or are having 75 degree weather in November, go for a skirt or dress and layer with a sweater or jacket!

And I’m not sure why I did all this research because when I asked said 16 year old what to wear with them she said a high-waisted flowy skirt or tuck them into your jeans.  I should have just listened to her. *sigh*

*Update*

After a little more research at my favorite shoe retailer, Nine West, it looks like they’re going a little shorter for boots this winter but still are saying tuck your jeans or even leggings into them!

I just remembered a dream I had last night. And I know it’s boring to hear about others’ dreams unless you’re in them but here we go.

I have this recurring dream that I’m in college, I forget a class and then the exam comes, I’m reminded somehow of the class and then I freak out when I don’t know any of the answers because I haven’t been in class for weeks.  I worry about how I forgot, where the class is and how to catch up.  I don’t think I ever find out how it turns out.

Last night I had the same dream except this time I purposely didn’t go to class.  And also, I was in high school.  When I went back, my friends wondered where I had been and I couldn’t remember my locker and couldn’t remember the combination to the locker.  I also couldn’t remember the layout of the school or where my classes were.  I remember desperately trying to find a map of the school.  I think I had to go to the office to get a print-out of my class schedule so I knew what to do, which is similar to my original recurring dream.

Seems the main changes are that I’m purposely failing vs. just forgetting and that I’m younger.

In other dream news, I had a dream this week that two parents gave me a baby and I was holding her, I stepped forward a few steps and when I turned back around the parents were gone.

I doubt all this means that I’m going to go back to high school only to purposely skip class and adopt a child.  That first one always makes me wonder its meaning though because of its frequency.