This is the Title of an Uncreative Violinist.:)

A serious update is needed!  After the Christmas Eve service I played last weekend, we headed to my in-laws for Christmas where we were greeted with loads of presents under the tree.  I really loved all my gifts: tons of giftcards, sheet music of Prokofiev Violin Concerto No. 2 from my MIL, and a brand new Tonareli violin case from my husband which took me by surprise.  That was probably my favorite gift, because it was also very unexpected.  I had wanted to order one several months ago, but my husband told he didn't think I "needed" one and to forget about it.  So I pouted and promptly forgot about it until I opened that big blue bag on Christmas morning. And today is my birthday--the last one I'll spend in my twenties:( But it's okay, because I'm ready for a new decade, plus I'm determined to make my 29th year a great and memorable one. For my birthday, my mom wanted to spend the day with me, so we first went to an Indian buffet for lunch.  After that

Funny how life just gets in the way of your plans.  Ryan was planning on leaving for home tonight after work, but during the night, I heard him throwing up and it continued on all night.  Poor thing!  He didn't go to work and stayed in bed instead.  My dad arrived late in the afternoon and we had dinner at a vegan restaurant called Loving Hut that my brother wanted to try.  It was okay.  I'm really not into veganism.  I got the Thai Curry with the veggie protein, and while it didn't taste bad or anything, it had a really weird texture to it, and I just got tired of eating it after awhile.  It didn't satisfy me.  If I had to survive on a vegan diet, I'm sure I could--I just prefer not to:) After dinner, I did some random shopping at Target and picked up a few more stocking stuffers for the in laws.  I got a clutch for the SIL and red gel pens for my BIL since he's a high school math teacher and I figured he could always use red pens for grading.  A boring gift,

Wheeeee!!! Three more days until Christmas!  And one more day of teaching before my 9 day break.  I have this Friday off, so I plan on doing some last minute Christmas shopping (everyone is almost take care of, just small stuff like stocking stuffers) and possibly spending time with my Dad if he decides to come up that day.  If not, I'll probably see him on Saturday and hang out with him then.  He wanted to hear me play in a string quartet I'm a part of for a Christmas Eve service that evening.  At first, I wasn't really sure about my dad driving back home after a midnight mass service, but we'll see how our plans pan out.  If I don't have enough energy to be on my way after the service, I'll just sleep at home for a few hours and then leave on Christmas morning. I know I've gained a few this month--I have to partially blame that on my students who have been giving me treats the past few weeks:  cookies, other baked goods, boxes of chocolate, bags of nuts

Ummm...so Christmas is next week??!!  What the heck!  Well, I've gotten almost all my shopping done.  I'm still at a little bit of a loss over my brother and sister-in-law, but I think I've settled (disappointingly) upon creating a smorgasbord gift basket for the two of them, with an assortment of girlie type stuff for her, and manly stuff for him--and perhaps a gift card for a restaurant so the two of them can get out once in awhile away from the kids.  I hate to say it, but being around those two does NOT make parenthood look appealing;  fortunately, I'm aware that having kids doesn't really translate into your life completely ending--I've seen other couples lives remain intact, so there's proof that it's a personal choice.:P I also made a big purchase for the hubby who has been asking and asking for a Northface Triclimate coat.  I want to get him some other stuff, too, but I'm not sure what.  Maybe cookies because he's been stealing the ones

It's been a long week.  With the arrival of December come the expected holiday gigs for most musicians and I've been busy with them ever since the beginning of the month.  Lots of rehearsals (some necessary, some not), driving all over the place, doing more laundry to clean all my black concert attire (okay, and maybe caving and buying MORE black attire. I just can't help myself) and meeting new musicians as I go along.  I keep seeing the same people at all my gigs, which is nice because I have a chance to actually talk to them and get to know them.  Unfortunately, one of the gigs I've accepted is for a midnight mass service on Christmas Eve.  It's going to last until 1:30am.  It will be hard playing knowing that my husband and dogs will already be with his family by that time.  I will join him early Christmas morning, though, so there is no real reason to complain.  I also have that whole week off which I'm looking forward to. This past weekend, I attended

How is it possible that a whole week has passed since we were getting ready to leave for Thanksgiving break?  It was all seriously a blur.  We arrived in Canton late and I got up fairly early (although not as early as I had hoped) to start preparing my side dishes.  In the end, I didn't have enough time to make the two pies I had wanted to make, but it turned out alright because there was more than enough food and the guests ended up bringing unexpected desserts of their own. I made brussels sprouts gratin, pureed turnips with thyme, sweet potato pecan casserole, and homemade bread rolls.  The turnips were my favorite thing that I made and I'll definitely make them again in the future.  The rest of the break was spent mostly at home with the family.  There was one day in there that I didn't leave the house due to, ahem, feminine issues.  My family and husband have quickly learned that I am utterly useless on that one particular day every month.  Needless to say, I missed o

I know I've been MIA, but I wanted to drop a quick post before I go out of town and am absent even more.  Or maybe not--I may find myself twiddling my thumbs while at my parents house and wander over to the computer and write a super interesting post about how much food I ate over the holiday weekend. Anyways, I have today off because I squished all my students into Monday and Tuesday so I wouldn't have to be stressed about all the things on my to-do list.  Originally, I had this grand plan to make ALL the dishes and desserts I'm making for T-day in advance, but then I remembered that it would be more of a hassle to load food into my car along with three individuals' worth of luggage, three furry animals (and one that sheds--my brother's cat, ick) a PS3 system and recording equipment (what the heck? my brother insisted).  So I just decided I will get up at the butt crack of dawn and start chopping/boiling/baking and hope that it's all ready by the time guests

Yesterday, as I was teaching, I was thinking to myself how amazing it is that literally each and every one of my students (I have around 35 right now--the number has dropped considerably since summer) have their own unique personality and how differently they all behave during their lessons.  For students who have been with me for more than half a year, I more or less know what to expect as far as their attention span, their reactions and gestures, etc.  I've been noticing, however, that one quirk that sort of gets under my skin that quite a few students do, is watching my face AS they're playing.  And it totally gets in the way of their playing because they are so focused on reading my facial gestures to gauge whether they're playing well or not--it's both annoying and hilarious.  If it gets really bad, I usually make a comment about it in the nicest way possible (I really don't want to crush their innocent spirit or change who they are), usually in a joking way s

Monica from Run Eat Repeat did a "7 Random Things About Me" post and asked her readers to do the same.  Since I didn't want to take up too much space, thought I'd do it on here.  Here goes: 1.  The thing I get asked the most by strangers when I'm out and about is "What nationality are you?"  In the past, I never knew how to answer it b/c I didn't feel like going through every single nationality.  I soon learned that there's a term for mutts like myself and the specific backgrounds we have: I'm eurasian!  Half Chinese and a smattering of a few European ancestors.  Even though my mom is from Argentina, that really isn't an ethnicity as that country inhabits immigrants from mostly Italy and Spain. 2.  I seriously think that if I weren't a musician, I'd enjoy being a repo agent or a detective because I'm good at tracking down people who don't want to be found, and/or finding out useless facts about them when most people c

Well, there it is.  I missed practically a week of postings.  Maybe I should take the easy way out and just make a list of 30 things I'm thankful for in just one post.  Is that alright? I was out of town this weekend on an impromptu trip to Middletown to visit the in-laws and didn't really have the time or adequate access to the internet. I keep seeing Facebook statuses saying their Christmas decorations are already all up.  What the heck?! It's not even Thanksgiving yet!  I mean, it's almost here and I can't wait, but seriously, how about waiting a week and a half for one holiday to pass before getting started on the next one?  Speaking of Thanksgiving, I'm so excited to prepare a plethora of side dishes at my parents' home.  I've gushed recently about brussel sprouts and I'm definitely going to make that this year. Every year, I say I'm going to get a head start on my Christmas shopping (NOT decorating, those are two different things, I sa

I'm doing such a bad job of religiously posting my 30 things...this is turning out to be a "20 something Things I'm Grateful For"--sorry!  I'm just not used to posting every single day and let's face it--there are some days I'm just busier and I forget to do it. It's a perfect day today and I just got back home from voting.  Eager to find out the results, although I have a feeling I know how it will turn out.  Regardless of the results-- I'm thankful for the right to vote .  Around election season, I tend to get riled up by comments on Facebook (I know, I'm STILL on FB) and I really hate that.  I try to imagine if I'd let myself get that worked up if faced with some people in person, and I don't imagine that I would.  Maybe a little, but not to the extent that a social network allows for.  I need to remind myself that that is what is so great about our country--we all have different opinions and worldviews, but we're perfectly fre

Today was a pretty relatively slow and stress-free day.  Arrived at Central Presbyterian in downtown Columbus for a quick rehearsal and performance for what was apparently the last service there before they close their doors.  The church is a historical landmark, but sadly has suffered a loss in size of their congregation so they can no longer maintain the church.  It's sad.  I have no idea what will happen to it, but I suppose playing Vivaldi's Gloria with choir was a nice way to hold their last service. After, I stopped by Easton town center to get in a quick look at some of my favorite stores, but I only left with one pair of black slacks which is just another boring item to add to my collection of concert attire.  I'm not really into any of the trends I'm seeing this season--or maybe they just don't look great on me.  Either way, leisure shopping has become a chore for me in recent years, so unless I go with a friend, I probably won't be doing that again

I was tired after coming home from teaching last night, and the hubs had a tiny nerd get-together at our place, so I just crawled into bed.  Today, I went to a student's chamber concert and then ran around doing different errands.  Tomorrow morning, I'm up bright and early for a small rehearsal and performance for a church service downtown. Before I go to bed, however, I do want to say how thankful I am for my students.  I love them all and I have a great group of kids this year.  There are an exclusive number of kids that have been with me long term and are dedicated to sticking with me (until they're ready to move on), but the majority of my studio each year experiences a regular turnover, and I'm so lucky that each one brings a unique and entertaining personality to their lesson each week!  They definitely teach me so much more than I expect and they motivate me to continually improve myself as a teacher and musician so I can give them my best. On a completely

I won't be writing much since I don't really have a lot to say, but I did want to check in with #3 (or #4 technically since I 'accidentally' started this on the 31st) of "things I'm grateful for". I'm SO thankful for my car.  It sounds arbitrary, I know--but try to imagine your life (unless you live in a big city) without one.  I find it so incredibly difficult to imagine what life must have been like over a hundred years ago.  Isn't it funny how far our society has come technologically speaking, and yet, I feel like our intelligence and education has heavily spiraled downward compared to people at the turn of the 20th century. At any rate, I remember what it was like to be without a car for a few miserable days when I got myself into a small car wreck 2 years ago.  My parents graciously lent me their car while we shopped around for another one, and we were also incredibly lucky when the insurance came through and we were given more than what w

This sounds absolutely awful and is probably the complete opposite of a lot of modern marriages today, but for the most part, my husband handles the finances in our household and I tend to not really know what's going on.  It's not that he hides it from me or thinks I'm not capable of understanding it, but I just don't ask and sometimes certain things go over my head (investments, Roth IRA, etc.) so I find it easier to just ignore it.  This is something that I definitely want to change because I realize that at any moment, I could very well be on my own--God forbid something should happen to Ryan--and have to deal with all of this myself.  Also, I'm growing a little tired of my own tendency to walk away from things when I don't completely understand them at first.  It's such a bad habit. ANYWAYS.  Up until recently, I was under the impression that we had some debt and not a lot in savings.  I was very wrong.  My husband just disclosed to me today that we ha

I went for a nice short, slow run Sunday afternoon and I felt pretty normal afterward.  I still am not sure if I could ever handle a truly long distance (anything longer than a half marathon) without injuring myself, but perhaps the key for me is to be a lot more consistent and take in the miles gradually.  It's possible that my routine of sporadically running here and there and changing up the mileage each time was a lot worse for my body than I thought.  As the temperature drops, I'll probably be finding myself going to our gym and using the treadmill (which I absolutely hate); I thought about joining the local Urban Active just to use the indoor running track, but running in circles might drive me even more crazy than the treadmill.  At least I can watch TV while using the TM. Our evening entertainment tonight is an Austrian film based on a true story.  The Robber ( Der Rauber) is about a marathoner who robs banks.  When my husband selected it on Netflix, I kind of though

Hannah from HANNAHVIOLIN is posting one thing she's thankful for each day for the month of November.  I think it's a good idea and will join her in doing the same.  Although I'm not consistent with posting something every day, it will force me to take a closer look at how fortunate and blessed I really am.  And yes, I know I should be thankful for what I have every day of the year, but for the eye rollers and party poopers out there, I think major holidays are especially good for precisely these kinds of things.  Perhaps they are viewed at as cliche, but I think they serve a purpose and greater meaning. So.  The first thing that comes to my mind that I'm thankful for (and the order of my "things" are completely random as I think of them) is that I have a job.  I was thinking about this on my drive home from teaching today; when one thinks of a successful career or being gainfully employed, becoming a musician isn't really the first thing on their list. 

Last night Ryan and I met up with some friends and went to see The Haunted Hoochie , supposedly one of the top scariest haunted houses in the country.  I was dreading this for the past two weeks and kept changing my mind as to whether I would go or not.  I am the world's biggest wuss--I fear EVERYTHING!  I don't remember always being this way, but I'm finding that the older I get, the less tolerable I am of things that frighten me, even if they aren't life-threatening.  I'm scared of roller coasters (I used to love them as a kid), haunted houses, heights, airplanes--I don't know, maybe I've just watched too many Final Destination movies or something. Anyways, Ryan's friend bought the tickets for us, so I HAD to go.  We arrived and fortunately didn't have to wait hours in line since we got VIP tickets (tip: if you ever visit the Hooch, get the VIP tickets, otherwise you will be waiting in line for at least 2 hours).  As soon as we walked in, I clun

Karen from Dreamer frequently posts "10 Bits of Magic" and taking a cue from her, here are a few of my own: 1.  Going back to music learned long ago and re-discovering something new each time. 2.  Driving around with no particular place to go on a warm Fall weekend. 3.  Discovering a great family owned Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant with your husband for your 5th wedding anniversary. 4.  Stopping whatever you are doing to just watch your dogs play with each other. 5.  Watching your students experience seeing their first concert with a world class violinist and introducing them to her backstage after the concert.  [The look on their faces was priceless!] 6.  Jeni's Bourbon Butter Pecan ice cream (made right here in Ohio!) 7.  Filling your entire day with only rehearsals and concerts. 8.  Not feeling up to a workout or a run, but being glad you did it right afterwards. 9.  Knowing that there will always be a spooky movie on anytime in October. 10. 

I think most people have been told at some point in their lives that they resemble--either closely or somewhat--some celebrity or character.  For instance, when my best friend met my husband (then boyfriend), she told me he reminded her of Jason Schwartzman from the movie Rushmore .  He really didn't like that comparison and I can understand why [although, to side with him, I don't think he looks like him either]. My celebrity doppelganger(s) run the gamut from flattering to insulting to nearly downright racist!  Here they are: 1. Flattering:  Eva Longoria- actress This comparison has been made a few times, but I have a sneaking suspicion it's because I happen to be both petite and my name is Gaby, like her character on "Desperate Housewives". 2. Insulting: Tera Patrick- former porn star When I first looked her up after someone told me I bore a striking resemblance, I was flattered when I saw her face; then I scrolled down, realized what she did f

This IS my blog, and typically, people write about what they like on their blogs...so I feel totally ironic chronically apologizing for sporadic negative tones throughout some posts.  But on the other hand, I can't say I'm truly sorry because I need an outlet sometimes.  And I'm noticing that since I haven't been running or exercising at all in almost a month, my negativity has gone WAY UP.  I spend too much time on FB and get pissed off; other people piss me off way too easily, whereas in a completely normal situation, it would fizzle and I'd forget it in a second.  What is wrong with me?!  People are weird.  I'm weird.  End of story.  End of rant.  No need to go into detail about anything specific that's pissing me off, because typing it out and seeing it would remind me of how utterly petty it actually is.  And then all you people would know how truly insane I am! Ha! I still don't really know who reads this thing, as I can't always tell where m

Yesterday, I met with a potential beginner violin student.  I knew ahead of time through the office manager that it was a young (4-5 yr old) child, and I was a little pessimistic about it because I don't do very well with especially young children.  Typically, their attention span is very short and their focus is all over the place.  They bounce off the walls, and I end up feeling more like a nanny then a teacher.  This cute kid came in and his mom had two other siblings with her, so she stayed outside while I had a chat with him in my studio.  As soon as he walked in, he was asking a million random questions, and my attempts to have him sit still while I showed him my violin were futile.  He kept getting up trying to touch the instrument, or pick at the cushion covers on the bench, etc. etc.  After 15 minutes, I thought I had made up my mind and decided to get the mom in to let her know that I couldn't take him as a student as he was too young for my teaching style.  As I was

I am fully aware that my blog is missing major appeal factor without pictures to accompany my posts--what can I say?  I'm not on top of it.  But perhaps it's better that I don't have tons of pictures of myself to plaster all over this blog.  That might turn readers away! ********************************** My students crack me up.  One of them--a 9 yr old--came in today and told me he had played the violin at his great aunt's wake yesterday, and he was surprised that for the first time, his "hands weren't sweaty!"  And we both observed and agreed that playing for a funeral versus playing in a recital are two very different atmospheres, so it's only natural to have those nerves come or go. A couple students later, an older student (maybe he's 13 or 14) came in and played through some of his youth orchestra's excerpts for a seating audition next week, and he handed me the list of pieces he was supposed to play. At the top I noticed he had wr

Today is the quintessential Autumn day; the colors of turning leaves are noticeably vibrant, it's not quite cold yet, but there is still a lukewarm breeze in the air, and the sights of hardy mums and pumpkins/gourds are everywhere. I had a hair appointment this morning and left early so I could stop at Starbucks for a pumpkin spiced chai, only to emerge back into traffic that was at a complete standstill.  Apparently, last night there was a gas explosion after a tanker rolled over on one of our main highways in Central Ohio.  Yes, traffic was extremely annoying--but I couldn't help but think about the driver of that truck and how his family must feel right now. One man is dead and the rest of us who are still here are bitching about being late for work. Yesterday, a piano student of mine came into her lesson and sheepishly announced to me: "I've made my final decision."  By her tone, I knew what was coming next:  "I decided to take a 'break' from l

Yesterday afternoon, after I came home from a studio recital and a pit stop at another student's performance at an Indian festival, I felt a little wiped out.  I was starving, so I ate lunch plus a little more--and then I felt a tickle in my throat and thought, "uh-oh": I was getting sick.  I hardly ever get sick and was just starting to feel a little proud of my no-sick streak when this bug hit me.  I tried to attack the symptoms with salt and cayenne pepper mixed in some water to gargle, but the sore throat got worse into the night.  Fortunately, I was very tired and a sore throat wasn't enough to prevent me from getting a good night's sleep.  Once I woke up, my body felt pretty good--just the darn sore throat! I just find it really interesting that whenever I've gotten sick in the past, I've always had an immediate craving for really healthy foods; I start salivating over salads, deep green veggies, clear liquids and lots of fruits.  I hardly ever eat

...since I've taken a break from running. It's funny how when I'm not running, I feel like I have nothing to write or talk about.  I came so close to feeling like a legit runner, and then I had to go and hurt my foot:(  I feel like I'm back to square one and am still waiting for the right time to go for another run. But with the lack of exercise comes more practicing! [One day, I'll find a way to balance both, but for now, it seems to be one or the other:(]  The program for the next concert we're playing is Bernstein's Candide Overture, Brahms' Symphony No.1 and Beethoven's Violin Concerto, Karen Gomyo, soloist.  Brahms really wears me out, so I've had to spend a little more time with that.  It's a small orchestra in my town, but I really love it.  I just love orchestral music, in general.  I wish I could do it all day long. In other news, I'm a bad wife:  tomorrow is my husband's birthday and I haven't planned a thing!  I mean

This weekend, I attended my first OSU Buckeyes game in the entire 4 1/2 years that I've lived in Columbus.  That shocks a lot of the locals, but honestly, I'm just not a football girl.  My brother and sister-in-law had extra tickets (they both attended OSU) and we like hanging out with them, so Ryan and I thought it'd be good to go.  Initially, I was pumped and tried to get into at the beginning...and I was pumped when the marching band came out.  But then more people started showing up into the game and we had limited seating space, so halfway through, I was squeezed between a larger man and my husband with no wiggle room and I was HATING it.  And there was still 2 hours left in the game when the discomfort started.  You want to know what I was wishing the last 2 hours of the game?  That I'd rather be running for 3 hours straight than to sit through another football game, lol! [I actually almost did earlier today, but I'll get to that in a sec.] Finally, the game

This whole week I've wanted to post something but have been feeling uninspired.  After the race last weekend, I took a hiatus this week from running which I feel absolutely horrible about--there is really no good reason to take that big a break from running other than I was just a lazy bum this week.  I also wasn't feeling too hot on Monday, so I took the day off and stayed in bed most of the day.  This weekend, my brother and sister in law are coming into town again (they were just here two weeks ago for the OSU game) for another game and invited us to go, so we'll both be going to our first buckeyes game in the whole time we've lived in Columbus.  Ryan and I aren't really football fans, but we'll be with people we know and will be going out for a nice Italian dinner afterward, so it's all good:) I saw this on another blog and I've been wanting to do a questions post just for the heck of it: A. Age: 28 B. Bed size: Queen.  C. Chore that you hate

This is a random pic from the Hocking Hills Park's website. I did not take this man's picture and unfortunately, do not have any pics of me running it, but I swear that I did! Wow.  What a race!  Truly one of the best--and hardest--races I've done so far.  I wish I had taken pictures but I was so nervous/excited for the race, I didn't even think about taking pictures!  I have a feeling, though, that pictures wouldn't do the scenery there justice. I think I only got 3 or so hours of sleep last night--I was so worried about not hearing my alarm that it actually kept me wide awake:P  Anyways, I was up around 5:40am, hopped in the shower (yeah, I like to take showers before AND after a race, that's just how I roll), got dressed and then had my coffee and toast w/almond butter.  My friends showed up at 7am and we headed to Hocking Hills.  We arrived on site around 8:30 and picked up our bibs and chip timers.  There were a few waves of 20Kers, so by the time all

Getting ready to head to bed earlier than I normally do b/c of the race tomorrow morning.  I wasn't really super hungry for dinner tonight because I had Chipotle for lunch and gradually ate all of it in between my breaks while teaching (and I had a TON of breaks today....two sick students in a row!) so I kind of felt like I got all my carbs in for the day, but when I got home I realized that I am still very much a married woman and if I don't cook for my husband, he'd probably starve to death.  SO, I made pasta!  Every runner seems to recommend eating pasta before a big run, so this was perfect.  I tossed angel hair pasta with peppers, red onions and grape tomatoes in a garlic cream sauce and made pan-fried chicken on the side.  I feel huge right now.  Good thing I'm running over 12 miles tomorrow:P On his way home from work, sweet hubby also picked up some gels for us and picked the mocha and espresso flavored gels for me.  I've never tried gels before, so I'

Yesterday's run:  8.2 miles, 1'26" I had an eye exam yesterday morning and the office was literally right across the road from the Olentangy Trail head at Worthington Hills, so I headed over as soon as my exam was over and met my friend for a run.  Even before we started, I felt cranky!  I made the huge mistake of running out my door that morning without eating anything substantial (just a few dollops of greek yogurt and a swig of water) assuming that I would have enough time after my eye appointment to grab a power bar or something at the market behind the trail.  Well, this market sucked and didn't even have a health food section.  I walked out empty handed and started our run.  Physically--as far as muscles and bones go--I felt okay; mentally, I was a hot mess and couldn't stop thinking about my empty stomach.  My friend also made me pinky-swear to drink more water this week before we attempt a 12 mile run this Saturday--I'm a very bad water-drinker! An

I discovered an interesting documentary on Netflix called They Came To Play ; it follows several amateur pianists from around the world as they prepare and compete in one of the only international competitions for amateur pianists over the age of 35.  This grabbed my attention for obvious reasons--I am pretty fascinated by and fixated over the possibilities of continually improving as a musician and being given the opportunity to share and display that at any age. I will admit, when I was younger, I had selfish and shallow reasons for desiring to become a successful violinist.  I recall one time, when I was 12 years old, my parents brought me to the Cleveland Institute of Music to audition for Linda Cerone because we felt I needed a better teacher and CIM is an excellent school and had a great preparatory program.  After I played for her, she asked me why I wanted to become a violinist, and I couldn't think of a good answer and so I said, "because I think it would be fun to

Haha...well so much for a 2 hr run....I overslept.  Sooo, now it'll only be an hour run before my friends arrive.  Maybe I'll stay over after they're done.  Normally when we go to this park, we only do one lap of the 3.8 pathway. I was hoping to do 4 laps.  Maybe I should only shoot for 3. My friends are disgusted by this, but as I'm overdue for a big grocery trip, I have nothing worth eating in my house for breakfast, so will probably stop at a McDonalds for breakfast.  Don't judge me!  I can NOT eat on an empty stomach, so sue me!  I usually get their breakfast burrito...that's healthy, right?  Whatever.  I'll just run the calories off anyways. Gotta go!

I'm seriously considering leaving Facebook.  I'm sick of it!  What a time waster, plus I just get mad whenever I'm on it.  I should make a new rule for myself:  for every minute wasted on FB reading people's stupid comments, I have to run the equivalent--if not more--amount of time that day.  So basically, I need find four hours each day to run.  I'm kidding!  I don't spend THAT much time on FB. In all seriousness, though.  I might take a breather from my one social media outlet.  Blogs don't count because they seem to have the opposite effect on me--I get really pumped and inspired by other blogs. Anyways, I need to fall asleep sometime soon since I'm planning on waking up early to hopefully probably not run for approx. 2 hours before meeting up with friends to do a few miles.  I didn't tell my friends that I was planning on showing up 2 hrs early b/c chances are if I told them, I wouldn't even do it AND they already did their long run earl

The three day weekend really threw me off as I spent the first half of the day thinking it was Monday today!  I'm so glad I was able to spend this weekend with my family, plus I got to see an uncle I haven't seen in over 10 years.  Time really flies.  I can't believe I graduated from high school ten years ago!  Yikes. Unfortunately, my running fell by the wayside this weekend, although yesterday, I "ran"/walked a 5K.  "Ran" because I had my yorkie poo with me and was taking a walk with my dad and husband, as well.  Phoebe, my dog, is such a loyal sweetie--she tried so hard to run the whole way, but she's a tiny thing, only 7 lbs., so we could only sprint once in awhile.  I'm hoping I can get my butt out of bed early enough tomorrow morning so I can go for a really long run since my last long run was about a week ago. Hmm, what else is going on? I was asked to judge violin seating auditions for the Columbus Youth Symphony later this week, so

I wasn't planning on writing any posts this weekend, as I am at my parents' house for the Labor Day holiday, but I was woken up by my dogs panting for water at 3am this morning and couldn't fall asleep after that.  It is now 6am and I'm completely wide awake with a grumbling stomach. I think I couldn't fall asleep for two reasons:  1) My old bedroom is the most isolated room in the house and is super hot and stuffy in the summer, and freezing cold during winter.  As a result, my hubby had to have the AC unit turned way up, and it caused my sinuses to flare up.  2) I can't stop thinking about my 94 year old grandmother who is currently out of the hospital and at home with us, but probably most likely, has ovarian cancer.  For the first time since I found out she became ill, I cried as I lay in my stuffy bed, realizing how very real it was that someone I love and have known my whole life could leave us very soon.  Yes, she is old--but she's always been in ex