the saints & sinners 1/2 marathon report.

so i got a little crazy a few months back and decided i wanted to see how far i could push myself as a runner. that got me thinking about something called the half fanatics, a group dedicated to crazy 1/2 marathoners. this is the one i pursued...

NEPTUNE

1. 2 Half Marathons within a 16 day time frame.

2. 3 Half Marathons within a 90 day time frame.

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there are lots of other options that just get crazier and crazier as the levels go up, like doing 12-18 half marathons in 365 days. wow that makes my body cringe just thinking about it!

anyway. i hadnt really told very many people that i was going to do this in case it didnt really happen number 1. then i didnt want someone to try and talk me out of it so i kept it kind of quiet until friday night when i posted this pic on facebook and twitter...

right away most of my running friends liked it, thank goodness. so i headed off to bed for a very early wake up call at 430am! the race was out near the hoover dam so it would take about 45 minutes to get there plus i was budgetting for traffic just in case. it was set to be a small race, 1st year, small company, and not tons of press. after all the craziness at nike i was more than excited about a small race. it was also right before halloween so they were really encouraging people to dress up for the event. i had found a great set of ladybug wings awhile back at target and decided thats what i would dress up as. so i bought a red team sparkle skirt to complete the outfit. but by the time i went back to get the wings they were long gone and i didnt know what to be! luckily some twitter friends had great suggestions, superman, a red m&m, ladybug, superwoman, and mrs incredible:) i still really wanted to be a ladybug but would use superwoman as my back up just in case. somehow my mom and i found wings just in time in the baby section at a halloween store and antennas to match. phew!

back to the early wake up call, sorry, tangent. i was out of bed pretty quick knowing that i needed to start the fueling process and secure the wings of my costume since my tank top was finally clean. both went smoothly and we were out the door just about on time. the drive was easy even though the sign they kept talking about at packet pickup for the turn was barely visible. my mom came with me and we both huddled in the car as long as possible since the wind was blowing like crazy plus the sun wasnt up so i was freezing. finally deciding to get out and hit up the bathroom we went at the perfect time for just a little bit of a line, but a monster one when i was finished.

mission accomplished!

soon it was time to head to the start line and that meant taking off my jacket, yuck. the start line began at bootleg canyon then winded across to the 6 tunnels and back to the finish line at boulder beach (where i finished my triathlon!). i took my inhaler and lined up with the under 2 hour group. the course was supposed to be super flat and mostly downhill so i was going with my dream goal of breaking 2 hours, but lined up in the back of the group just in case. we sang the national anthem and were off! talk about a downhill mile, whoa. i actually hit a 7:45 minute mile for the 1st one! after seeing that i knew i needed to slow down otherwise i would never make it 12 more, but it was soo hard with all the downhills. there was a pretty good size uphill that slowed me down a little. after that it was pretty flat for awhile.

we weaved our way over on the mostly flat straightaway to the tunnels and passed the relay point which meant we were also halfway! i got to see sandy there since she was handing out glowsticks so people could see each other in the tunnels (ps we really did not need them at all). i kept checking my watch at this point as i had set a goal for my self that in order to hit the under 2 hour mark i needed to be at the 10 mile marker when my garmin said 1:30. this way if I totally bonked i only had 3 more miles and 30 minutes to do it in.

now to get to the tunnels you need to run up a slight gradual hill. its really not bad, gives you a great view, and we ran it last year at the turkey trot so i knew what to expect. the suckiest part is that this portion is all gravel. i mean loose gravel. i hate trails, im not any good at them and am clumsy enough on solid ground, i don't need big rocks to help me take a tumble. luckily we hit the 7 mile marker as we went in and i was still feeling really good. now once we got to the tunnels the terrrain is really packed in there and much finer dust so it's was easier to run on. before i knew it we were at the turnaround to go back through and down to the beach!

i grabbed a gu (that tasted awful) because i knew I couldn't finish 4.5 more miles without some kind of fuel. on facebook the race people kept posting they would do "saint" tables with water/fruit and "sinner" tables with gatordae/donuts. i kept waitin for those darn donuts and never saw 1! anyway when we came out of the tunnels my garmin kept disconnecting of course, so now my mileage was off a bit. but the stopwatch was right on target so i went with that instead. i hit the 10 mile marker at about 1:28 and knew i only had 3 more miles, i could break it.

the last 3 were all downhill and on pavement, thank god. it all looked familiar as it was the same path I ran in april. this time I knew what to look for and knew when I was getting closer and closer. finally I hit the 12 mile marker at 1:48 and could feel myself start smiling. I just had to keep it together for 1 more mile. in the past few miles I had started really feeling how hard I was running and it began catching up with me. but there was no way I was giving this up or letting it slip away in the last mile.

as i turned down the final path i saw my mom who jumped up and started cheering while rounded into the finishers chute. i was able to pick it up that last bit and saw a clock that blazed 1:57:xx and my name as i crossed that line!! i had really broken the elusive sub-2 hour. wow. i got my medal from a super cute girl and hobbled down a bit to find my mom. bonus of a small race she was right there and i was able to celebrate with her right away:) i found sandy close after and then ran into a few other runner friends where we all compared notes as usual lol.

1/2 marathon #10!
1:57:15.

finally ready to refuel i headed over to grab some water and chocolate milk everyone was drinking (yes!) to find it all in a bit of a different container. one of the big sponsors for the race was a mortuary in boulder city and so instead of the standard ice chests keeping things cold, everything was iced down in a coffin. weird. and very halloweeny haha.

my mama:)
such an awesome support team!

we stayed around for a few minutes and the beginning of the awards, just in case, ha! then the hunger hit. my mom and i headed back into town for breakfast at the cracked egg, one of our favorite places and were greeted with this...

pumpkin chocolate chip coffee cake.
YUM!

the next morning/afternoon i woke up super super sore. way more than i was after nike for sure, i think because i didnt walk around nearly as much as we did in san francisco. but i walked downstairs to find these waiting for me:)

soo sweet.

the new thanksgiving.

for as long as I can remember we have gone to southern california for thanksgiving. in fact we all talked about it a few weeks before, we've never spent a thanksgiving in las vegas. one year in high school we went up north to my grandparents (my dads family) just outside of san francisco, and 2 years ago I had to stay home for work (yay, retail). other than that since i moved to las vegas in the 6th grade we have never as a family spent a thanksgiving here.

we were sooo young!

after last year the rumors started flyin that not everyone was planning on coming out to california. it was starting to get more expensive with plane flights, hotels, and, food out for the whole weekend. we used to be the only family that traveled so we had plenty of places to choose from to stay in. things started changing as we all started getting older and this was the year it all caught up. so we decided to just stay in vegas and start some new traditions.

in the spirit of starting something new mom and i decided to sign up for or very 1st turkey trot! i found a 12k (which is about 7.5 miles) out at the hoover dam that was perfect. it was also a trail run, something neither one of us are found of, but we figured we would give it a shot! i picked up our packets at our local running store wednesday evening with ease. afterward I did a few errands and picked one of my favorite per-race/long run dinner, qdoba:) once richard got home that night I was just about asleep so I could get in the sleep I needed for the next day.

i woke up the next morning feeling better than i had all week and was ready to go! we hitched a ride with my parents and my brother was home to come with us too. we arrived in plenty of time (a worry the day before since there's only 1 way in and one way out) and used the bathroom inside the hotel. mom and I headed to the start line and the boys headed up the hill to see us off. it was an out and back course through the six railroad tunnels with a great view of the dam at the turnaround. now to get to that great view they hyped up so much was a hill straight up and back down. i saw mom on the way back and we high-fived. she looked really good and strong! instead of mile markers like most races they had a few out there to count down your mileage instead. it was actual nice on the way back haha. about 1mile out you could see the finish line. at this point we were starting to pass the 1 mile fun walkers and that gave me an extra burst. as I crossed the line I could see my dad, richard, and my brother all in separate spots and the announcer even called my name!

1:07:39!

1:35:09!

oreos and bling, what more do you need!

i felt great after and was almost immediately hungry while we waited for mom. she finished soon after with a great time and we collected our bling ready to trek up the hill to have some breakfast. we ate at the cafe and it wasn't the best ever, but it satisfied the hunger. they dropped us off on their way home and i headed in to shower and nap before we met up with everyone at my parents house for the big feast. i slept for about an hour and definitely could have slept way longer if my alarm hadn't gone off. we headed over to my parents where my aunt nettie and uncle sam already were. richard and I were in charge of soda and the pumpkin brownies i decided to make, a sweet deal if you ask me haha.

we joined in with the family and feel into football, appetizers, and black friday ads. it was a great way to detox from the race that morning. i will say it wasn't the same without eggnog. mom and I were only a week out from the vegas 1/2 marathon and were watching just about everything that went into our bodies. that doesn't mean I didn't eat plenty:) the turkey and sides were ready a little later than we hoped for and we were waiting with our tongues hanging out. it was a-mazing! my mom is awesome cook and did a fantastic job (of course) with her first thanksgiving.

in the lockwood house, you always, always keep your fork!!

richard and i hung out for awhile then decided to head home so we could rest for a little bit before heading out for black friday madness! i got in about another hour nap and we were up and I had coffee in hand on our way out the door to target. the plan was target 1st then the nike outlet and ulta in the same parking lot. then kohls on our way to the mall, with a possible stop at best buy. we lined up at target way down the bend from the front door at about 1130p and the line actually moved pretty quick to get us in. we weren't there for the big things, we were just there for the experience and to hopefully pick up a couple good things. no matter how good a big screen tv deal is, i don't think I could camp out for 4+ hours in the cold for one.

crazy, crazy!

we scored a few good dvds and headed over to nike. i bought a jacket for the vegas race, which I badly needed, plus another one and some arm warmers. afterward we headed into ulta. we weren't quite as successful there as we hoped. the it was off to kohls. this place was crazy! the line was crazy long and we sure did wait in it to buy a few things. by the time we got out of there it was almost 3a and we had a bit of time to waste before the mall opened. so we decided to check out best buy. talk about crazy? omg. the store had been open 3 hours and the line was still snaked through the whole store with people holding big purchases. i think it was this point we decided we just needed to head to the mall then home. as we were getting ready to leave a fight broke out in the back corner causing the police to be called and associates to start running to break it up. yeah it was time to go.

we got to the mall and it was definitely time to eat. now a mall food court isn't always the best place for a runner 1 week away for a 1/2 marathon to eat. i was sooo tempted to have a pretzel or cinnabon cinnamon roll but made the right choice and went to subway instead. i had a egg breakfast sandwich and some chocolate milk, it was delicious! i felt so much better after eating and was soo glad i picked the right thing. we headed shopping in the few places we were hoping for. richard made the big purchase he was waiting for all night, a black hoodie from express. i also found my best and biggest purchase of the night at jcp, a grey toggle cost with a hood that I had my eye on for a few weeks. i got a smokin deal and even had to buy a smaller size then I thought:)

england, get ready ill be there soon:)

we made the collective decision to leave after we paid for that. i was ready long before, but i think richard forgot what we were doing, as he was looking to "just browse around." this is black friday, you don't browse, you go in, get what you want, and get out! turned out to be good we left then because as we were walking out a local newscaster from channel 5 asked if we would be on live tv! of course we said yes and went for our few minutes of fame.  im pretty sure we both fell asleep that morning before our heads hit the pillow at 6a. we set alarms for noon so we didn't sleep away the day (according to richard) and we were meeting my family later that day for the movies.  

noon seemed to come awfully quickly and we were back up before we knew it. my whole body hurt all day, sore from the race and the lack of sleep plus all the walking during black friday. we decided to meet my family at town square later in the day to see the muppets! i was seriously sooo excited. i grew up watching that show, so the fact they were coming out with a movie now, i could not wait. we met my parents there a little early since they wanted to walk around a little bit before. just before the movie started we headed to the theater to meet up with my brother and erik and his family. we took up almost a whole row and there were definitely more adults in that movie than kids! ps it was amazing! if you havent already seen it, please go. its sooo funny.

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saturday, richard and i decided was going to be for sleeping in and decorating. thats exactly what we did. with all the craziness of the last few days we gladly took the lazy saturday to do whatever we wanted. last year we decorated and it was weird and rushed after the whirlwind thanksgiving in california. this year we were able to take our time and enjoy the process (for the most part :) ). the tree came out beautiful and richards idea of wrapping the center with white lights gave it a really cool twist.

merry christmas!!

sunday afternoon richard had to go to work:( its the absolute craziest time of the year for his job and they offer sunday double time to a few guys to help get ready for the week. he takes advantage of the bonus every year, who wouldnt! so i got to be extra lazy on the couch curled up underneath my blankets with flannel pjs on:) it was a great end for me to the 4-day weekend. we started new traditions, and had a whole new kind of thanksgiving in las vegas. we survived another year of black friday and am not totally sure that i will do it again. we also got to escape to our own house and do the things that were important to us, like decorating for christmas:)

the country adventure.

once i really began racing i knew that one day i wanted to go back to nashville for the race they hold every year.  the first year of racing the timing just didnt work out.  so i made sure it worked its way into the second year.  i already had an offer of a spare room for the weekend and could not wait to go back!  when richard and i started dating i wanted to take him with me hoping he would fall in love with the city too.  finally in 2011 it all fell into place. 

we began looking into tickets and hotels pretty early in the year hoping to score some sweet deals.  after weeks of checking we finally decided to buy.  thank goodness we did since tickets spiked$30 each way the next week!  i started training back in january for the race and was well prepared by the time it arrived.  we were both so excited about taking a vacation away.  this would also be the first time we would go to a race by ourselves. 

we left on a thursday evening since the race was on a saturday (seriously best idea ever).  we ended up driving to the airport ourselves since it was in the middle of the day and we were coming back pretty late on sunday night.  it wasnt my favorite idea ever, i wont lie, but it turned out to be a lot easier.  our flight was delayed about a half hour and by the time we finally landed in nashville the airport was about to close (who does that??).  we found a few people on our flight that were also going out for the race and i was getting more and more excited!

after picking up our rental car and heading to the hotel that was literally 2 minutes away from the airport we should have been exhausted.  except we had both slept in that day and the time change had really honked up our bodies.  i needed to get some decent sleep so my body could adjust and be ready for the big race on saturday.  we finally fell asleep watching the coverage of the royal wedding, even though i was dvring the whole thing at home.

friday morning came faster than we thought.  we woke up a little early so that we could eat breakfast at the hotel then went back to our room and were mesmerized by the replay of the royal wedding.  ok, maybe that was just me.  but richard was so sweet to leave the channel on so i could drool all i wanted:)  ps did you know the new princess and i have the same name, catherine elizbeth!  ok she spells it a little different.

 

we headed out to our first stop of the day, the race expo.  it is hands down one of my favorite parts of race weekend.  you are able to pick up your bib/race chip and wander around hundreds of booths filled with everything running.  its fantastic.

look out 1/2 marathon #4!

only runners think this is funny, its hilarious.

we headed back to our car with full intent to head out to the jack daniels distillery, until we found out the tour was $45 each!  that was a little rich for our blood but decided to still head out to murfeesboro so that richard could get his fast food fix.  we had found out there was an exit on the way that had a chick-fil-a, a white castle, and a steak shake all in the same shopping center and richard had been salivating ever since.  luckily there was a panera bread right next door so i could eat too.  we started at white castle.  and well...

needless to say he was a little excited

after stopping by chick-fil-a to take back to the hotel for a late night snack, we headed back the 30 minutes north to nashville.  except we didnt really have anything to do.  we had planned on the jack daniels tour and hadnt really made a back up plan.  we decided to visit the gaylord opry hotel, allowing me to cross one big thing off my list.  and oh let me tell you, i fell in love.

the stairs of my dreams, thanks to beauty and the beast.

the location of my imaginary wedding!

of course i found the red barn on the property.

we kept the evening simple and headed back downtown to find a restaurant i could carb up in and something we didnt have at home.  however we didnt really take into account the fact that there were 30,000 runners racing the next day and the restaurants were packed!  after an extremely long wait we had a really great dinner at the big river brewery, seriously delicious!  afterward we headed back to our hotel to try and get a good nights sleep before that awfully early alarm started blaring.

430am the next morning i was rolling out of bed to starting putting water in my system and food in my belly.  the weather was looking fanastic.  sunny with a high in the 80s.  it was actually the warmest day of the week.  with the location of our hotel we only had to walk up a small hill to get to the shuttles that would take us straight to the starting area.  if you ever have the opportunity to take a shuttle and not have to worry about parking...do it!  it is so worth the money.  

arriving at the start area was a little overwhelming.  being in a new city i didnt really know where i was going.  and this race had a separate start and finish line.  that meant that richard had to navigate his way from one end to the other, also not knowing where he was going.  i pretty quickly got in line for the bathrooms that were lined up everywhere in the large field at vanderbilt university.  that of course took forever!  and i was not willing to pay for vip porta potties. 

we make a lot of bathroom jokes.

before i knew it we were lining up.  which made the race time real and the fact that i was really hoping for a sub-2:14.  i had said it out loud only a few times and was ready to give it a go.  i gave richard my phone with directions to the finish line, kissed him for good luck, and told him to find me!  as i lined up in the corral he started walking.  except that i sent him in the wrong direction.  good thing he realized pretty quickly that his dots were not lining up and he turned around.  

richards adventure from start line to finish line. seriously best support team ever.

this was definitely one of the funnest races ever.  every stretch of the course was filled with cheering spectators!  they were out on their porches drinking and spraying hoses for the warm day.  then there were the hills.  holy crap!  this was the hilliest race i have ever ran and it was seriously tough.

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every corner i turned i kept looking for richard but couldnt find him anywhere.  one of the coolest things was running over the freeway and looking down to see so many ups trucks (with all the checked runner gear) with a police escort headed toward the finish line.  the bands were great and the course was never boring.  and for the first time ever i actually stopped to use the bathroom at mile 10 because i literally couldnt hold it anymore!  

as we got to the split for the full and 1/2 marathon i knew we were getting very close to the finish and i literally only had 2 full miles left.  it was really starting to get warm out and i was ready to be done.  i also knew there was one more big hill.  and i still hadnt seen richard anywhere.  but if i was going to get my pr i knew i had to keep going and stop looking for him.  somehow though i knew exactly where he was without even seeing him.  

he caught me turning the corner toward the finish line.

i crossed the finish line almost right after this and found richard almost immediately.  i was ready to stop right there, except since there were so many runners i was literally almost getting run over so i had to keep moving.  it was the longest finishers chute ever with not really good food or drink.  plus i was dying to know my time.  i found richard outside the runner area and he was concerned with stretching/making sure i was ok (so good to me) and all i cared about was my time.  finally the text came through...

2:13:22!!

i was beyond excited and could not believe i finished in that time on such a tough course.  then the hurt set in.  we made our way toward the shuttles and i bought a finisher shirt on the way.  i was definitely ready to get out of there and eat some serious food!

my original food plan post race was to find somewhere to get chicken and waffles.  after that didnt really happen we ended up at the waffle house across the street from our hotel.  OMG it was amazing!  the best part was when i ordered tea they instantly asked "sweet or unsweet?"  i was in heaven.  after a good shower and quick nap (that richard fought in the beginning then kept asking to continue sleeping) we were back out to explore downtown nashville.  my friend jp had invited us to a bbq later that night with his runner group so we still had some time for ourselves.  

we walked very slowly, mostly because i walked like an 85 year old woman and because there were sooo many people!  all i wanted to do was eat.  i had gone 2 months without starbucks, fast food, and alcohol.  on top of that i hadnt had ice cream, pizza or anything fried for a month.  ice cream was definitely the top of that list!  we found mikes ice cream on broadway.  heaven.  the long line was 1000% worth it.  we souvenir shopped (mostly unsuccessful) and people watched a lot.  

finally came richards favorite part...the bbq he had been waiting months for.  we had gotten many recommendations about jacks and made our way into line after awhile of wandering downtown.  the line was through the restaurant, out the door, and down the block.  let me tell you though, totally worth it.  now richard was in heaven.  you can order as many meats and sides as you like.  there are divider plates, the sauce comes on the side, and the sweet tea comes right out of the jug!

we made our way to east nashville after that to meet up with jp and his runner group.  everyone was nice and welcoming, very southern hospitality.  richard and jp finally got to meet and i got to see what a real runner group looked like (it was awesome). 

we tried to convince jp to come out with us, it didnt work very well.  he gave us some great recommendations though of places to go and said he might meet us later.  richard and i headed back to our hotel to change and see the nightlife downtown.  all the bars were free to get in and i was ready to drink, plus there was a last call!  we only went to a few before the wear of the weekend set in and we ended up back at the hotel munchin on fast food right after last call. 

sunday we stayed in bed as long as we could and opted for a late check out.  we packed our things slowly, that day i walked around like a 75 year old woman, and made our way to the car to head out for pizza.  we had been saving pizza for the last day.  richard always likes to try pizza in the new cities we go to and i was dying for some.  jp had recommended pie in the sky near vanderbilt and when we arrived there wasnt many people there.  richard was weary, but we didnt know where else to go.  so glad we stayed!  you could order any salad on the menu as a side salad and the pizza was fantastic!  the longer we stayed to eat the more people showed up.  by the time we were leaving the place was getting pretty full.  i had found out where the pizza place was the day before and foundthat my favorite coffee place was just a few miles away, we had to go.  it was the first coffee i had in 2 months that was frilly and girly.  bongo java, also in heaven.  amazing!

we made our way back to the airport shortly after that so we could catch our flight.  i couldnt believe the trip was over.  it had been so much fun and a great getaway for the 2 of us.  maybe it will even be on the move to list one day...

the coffee.

i am an avid coffee drinker.  there is no denying it.  however, i am picky.  i used to only drink the frilly drinks from starbucks.  that is until i started working at old navy north mesa and was introduced to the wonder of flavored creamer.  after that i purchased my own small 4 cup coffee pot and a rotating stock of creamer for home.  i figured this way i would save money on coffee, i mean i was damn near going to starbucks everyday on the way to work.  i also realized how many calories i was saving by drinking coffee at home. 

the absolute best time of the year for coffee is the holidays.  first because starbucks comes out with holiday drinks, i am always up for a grande nonfat no whip peppermint mocha, and they are made in the fantastic red cups.  i have had holiday drinks in the regular white cups and they really just dont taste the same.  also the pumpkin spice creamer comes out right before halloween, that is the best grocery shopping trip.  trust me, if you have ever been on the phone the first time i see it, you would understand. 

now, there are millions of people all over the us that drink coffee everyday.  some cant start their day properly until there is coffee involved.  i can make it through the day no problem, long about 230pm though, i get a nasty headache.  plus, the day just goes so much smoother with coffee. it smells good, it warms your heart and your throat, and its like a comfort food.  most of the mornings when i make coffee at home i get in the shower and make my first cup once i am out.  it starts brewing while i make my lunch so i am very close and can begin pouring as soon as i am finished.  i wander around in the closet getting dressed and in the bathroom putting on my makeup with my cup in hand.  when i make the starbucks run i wake up 15 minutes early to make sure i leave plenty of time for the stop on the way to work. 

my family just came to understand these things.  my dad always drank coffee growing up, i always thought it was really gross and smelled awful.  i started drinking the frilly coffee in my senior year of high school and now it is an everyday thing.  however, now that i live with a non-coffee drinker its a little more entertaining.  i will never forget the look on his face the first time we went grocery shopping and i needed coffee and it was about $10 because it wasnt on sale that week.  i thought he was going to throw a fit in the grocery store.  he doesnt quite understand the big deal with having coffee every morning.  one day he even asked, "you are already up, why do you need to have coffee?"  i chuckled all day from that one. 

in the beginning of november is the fateful day that starbucks comes out with the red cups.  i found out from a friend via facebook, where else, the day before they were released.  now that i am counting calories i had to factor that cup in, but man it was soooo worth it.

thats right i even took a picture.  that morning i came home from the gym all excited to leave a few minutes early to stop for red cup.  richard looked at me the whole time in my giddiness like i had lost my mind.  i mean yes, it is a pretty silly thing to get this excited about, but im easily amused.  as i was running out the door richard just stood there smiling shaking his head at me.

i realized this is another thing you have always had as part of your person, but for the person you live with it may be something entirely new.  its one of the quirks that you learn about each other when you live together.  who knew coffee would be so entertaining.

the meals.

i love food, i really do.  i am not shy in a restaurant, no matter who i am with, and love having a kitchen filled with food.  i also love to cook.  im not very good mind you, but i do love it.  i like being able to prepare things and piece things together to make a meal.  growing up mom did most of the cooking and as i got older i always volunteered but that didnt usually work.  so when i went to college i was excited to do it on my own, until i realized how hard it really was.  i definitely got better while i was there, but not great.  after i moved home with my parents i didnt cook much again, so when i moved out i was really excited to get to explore my skills again.

richard and i are both fairly plain eaters, and we also eat similarish things.  when it comes to sandwiches mine has meat, cheese, and thats it.  no mayo, no mustard, no tomatoes or lettuce.  he is close to the same, except with no cheese.  i am a pretty plain jane eater, but i do think i am starting to expand a little bit.  when he and i first met his dad actually asked me to help him expand his eating choices, my family and friends are still laughing about that conversation.

before moving in together richard would always tell me that he wanted to gain weight, which trying to understand that as a girl is a whole new crazy idea.  we as women are constantly trying to lose weight, tone, stay the same, or have body image issues in general.  it never really occurred to me that men do as well.  body image issues is something i have struggled with my whole life.  i am a curvy girl, i have a big butt, hips, big curly blonde hair, big boobs, and pretty fair skinned.  i love being a curvy girl, sometimes though, those curves got a little too out of control.  i never took it to the extreme of an eating disorder, thank goodness i was surrounded by the right people in my life, but there has not been many times in my life i have felt completely comfortable in my own skin.  right now however, i am beginning to feel the most comfortable i have in a very long time.  this is also, a lot of work.  i am in the process of losing weight on a plan that has been very successful for me in the past few months, post latest half marathon.  clothes are fitting better, i am actually needing to replace some, overall i feel much more confident in myself. plus i am determined to not gain the stereotypical weight you add on when moving in with a significant other, we'll call that love pudge.  so he had decided that he would definitely gain some when we moved in because we would be eating meals together and my meals usually include many different things, especially dessert.

i thought this was going to be great, i would be able to come home and cook for us both, then when richard came home he would have something to eat.  now after the first grocery store adventure, part 1 and 2, i really began to wonder how this was going to work.  the things we were buying were completely different.  no way was i eating vegetables out of a can and he laughed when i carefully picked my fruit.  i started to realize that we eat in the sameish places, but when we eat at home, its very different.  he is a chicken nuggets and mash potatoes eater, while i may have the chicken nuggets but with carrots and strawberries, two things he doesnt even like.  i dont really like to eat after 8pm, and richard isnt even home most evenings until after 11pm.  i would plan what i thought i wanted to eat for dinner in the morning, he doesnt need to decide until he goes to work.  we both spent a lot time trying not to hurt the others feelings about not wanting to eat what they were eating. 

so by the second week, i had given up the thought of eating the same meals.  i know it sounds silly and maybe a tad dramatic, but it saved us both from getting our feelings hurt and really there are so much bigger things to fight about than meals.  it was energy trying to save face and come with a rebuttal that didnt need to be there.  when we are here on weekends together or randomly during the day we are very conscious about making sure we eat meals together.  i may make an extra veggie, he may add another carb, but we are still cooking and eating together.  who knew coordinating meals together would be so difficult.