Five Minute Friday: Imagine

It's been awhile since I've participated in Five Minute Friday.

I've missed it.

I've missed the people, and the posts, but most of all I've missed flexing my writing muscles.

So here I am. Ready to write about whatever Lisa has planned for the day.

The rules:

1. Write for 5 minutes straight on the prompt word.
2. No editing- just pure flow.
3. Link back to Lisa's blog.
4. Read, comment and share!

Today's word: IMAGINE

It's morning. 
Brisk, cool and not yet completely light. There is a quiet murmur along the sea of tired faces and athletic shoe clad crowd. Some jump to keep moving or shake their arms out, chatting among those around them. Some stare stoically ahead, concentrating on what comes next. You've had your coffee, your banana with peanut butter and your fifteen bathroom breaks. Shoes are double knotted, hair secured and race chip in place. Your number rustles against the synthetic fabric of your shirt as the breeze kicks up. 
It's a perfect day for a race. 
Everyone crowds a little closer together and gets a little quieter as a quiet voice sings the national anthem. You listen intently, mouthing the words and saying a little prayer of thanks for country, service, community and two healthy legs to run with. 
As the song crescendos, the crowd breaks out in applause and a few shout out in patriotism and excitement. 

You hear the pop of the gun as the crowd starts shuffling forward.
Take a deep breath.

It's time.

Immediately when I saw today's word, I simultaneously thought of 'Imagine' by the Beatles and Imagine Dragons since I recently saw them in concert and I love their music. My favorite song of theirs is called 'It's Time.' I listen to that song before ever race because when the EP first came out, I listened to it on repeat before my first out of town race in Nashville.
Start lines and Imagine Dragons are forever linked in my head and heart.
Also, every time I hear this line:

I don't ever want to let you down
I don't ever want to leave this town

I think about how much I love my city.
Tomorrow, I will run my 5th Dam to Dam 20K. It is the state's best race and a great way to see the city. It will also be the 5th anniversary of me 'officially' being a runner as it was very first race in 2009.
I just turned 30, celebrating 5 years of running and running my 5th big hometown race.
I realize I may be getting weirdly overly emotional about this...

Anyway...I guess you could say I had this on my mind. :)

Happy TGIF writing friends.

What I've Been Up to Lately: April Recap

I fell off the grid there for awhile.
After I gave up social media for two weeks I'm having a harder time getting back on.
I really liked the quiet.

So instead of some lengthy post about all my April goals met and those not met....I'll give you a high level recap and lots of pictures. :)

- Spend time in the word and prayer more
By far, this has been the easiest thing this year. I love starting my day with She Reads Truth and April was no exception. BTW, if you haven't yet joined- you should. The Hosea devotional is sorta blowing my mind. I'm loving this as part of my spring morning routine.

- Stop Overcommitting.
I have a problem. It is not solved. I honestly can't wait for the 'stress' part of the 7 experiment. I think this part of my life is getting MAJOR overhaul soon.

- Get Simple (fashion and spending fast)
I have not bought any more clothes. In fact, I got rid of MORE stuff. But I haven't been good about spending. I have trips and things coming up so some money has been spent there that normally would not be.  And I bought a couple things at the Flying Pig Expo- but all on sale and very minimal!

- Eat (mostly) vegan
Epic fail in April. So. much. dairy. It also reared it's ugly head on me this weekend and I took stock on how my overdoing it (see 'stop overcommitting') ties in directly with my stress and sugar/cheese level. Backed off a little. I cannot stress to you how much better I feel without dairy. Will I ever learn? Dang cheese.

Loving healthy salads in a jar

So good. And so. bad. 

- Give priorities priority (more family, regular volunteering, scheduled writing sessions)
I am loving not working all the time with taxes. I got to spend a whole day with my nieces and meet my grandparents for dinner. I have been volunteering at the shelter at least once a week and it really does make my heart happy. As for scheduled writing sessions....well I had some friend and family time to make up, but expect more of those in May. After all, it is my birthday month!

- Rest in the big picture
I really should read my goals more than 2x a month. Because I forget this one. A lot. Some days I feel so connected to God and what His plan is and how I fit in and how T and I fit in. Other days- it is the farthest thing from my mind. I'm going to try and start journaling 10 minutes a day again (last year goal!) because I feel like it really made me focus on what is happening in my day and organize my thoughts. This year is one of so much change and growth and I don't want to miss the forest for the trees.

April Goals:
#imoversugar- Eh. Definite work to do. May is a new month.
Finish War & Peace- DONE!! Review to come!
Blanket- Uh...sorry baby Gwen. Hopefully it will stay springy and you won't need this till fall?
RELAX: #restisbest- I did get some resting in. And it was glorious. I'm looking forward to a summer full of rest!

Lots of 1sts this month:

1st Track Workout

1st Patio Dinner this season

1st Bike Ride

1st run in Shorts!

1st Iced Coffee of the Spring

Other April happenings:

It's fun getting your hairs did when you can drink wine.

Salon Hair is always the best

It was still cold enough for a stocking cap most days

My women's work group took a tour of a local farm to learn about CSA's. So cool!

Girls night!

Boston Memorial Run with my Saturday girls

Drake Relays Race!

Patio Happy Hours with this guys

Some silly dog has allergies and needed a vet appointment

Dinner to send off one of our running gals!

We will miss you Deena!

Silly Shenanigans with this guy

My goals for May are super simple:

ENJOY.

I turn 30 this month and I run 3 different races and take 2 out of town trips. I just want to have fun and remember every second of my last days in my 20's and my first in my 30's. 

This is my anthem. Expect to hear more of this. 

What have you been up to?

What's your anthem these days?

Sunday Seven 3-10-2013

This has been my spot for the past couple of days.

It is gray and rainy and snowy and cold and wet here.
I'm even wearing grey clothing today.

BUT- all this inside time during the waning days of winter gives me some time to get caught up on all the quiet time things I love- knitting, movies, reading and writing!

1. Despite all this cold weather, I've been getting my run on:

Last Sunday, I did 2 runs- one early 6 miler with Deena

Then a slower 4 mile loop around the frozen lake with Roxy. 

I ended up with 23 miles last week.

This week, I ran my normal weekday runs.

A SUPER cold 4.5 on Thursday that froze tears on my face. 

A pretty decent 7.5 with my Saturday run girls

And another 5.5 mile mental run this afternoon in the run.

For a total of 25 miles.

These 30 mile weeks seem to keep eluding me...

2. I decided to join the HealthySELF challenge this month created by Lindsay @ TheLeanGreenBean and Elle @ Nutrionella. This week's challenges were:

Saturday, March 2nd - Spend time prepping food/snacks for the week
Monday, March 4th - Make a list of 20 things you're thankful for
Thursday, March 7th - Eat at least 3 food groups at each meal

Saturday, March 9th - Do a commercial break workout

I did some prepping on Sunday like I normally do for the week instead of on Saturday. 

I sort of forgot about this on Monday and made my 'thankful list' on Wednesday. There are BIG things I"m thankful for- T, family, Roxydog, great friends, basic needs met, Hope, that the rest of it just ended up being all frivolous but comfort things- my favorite comfy spot on the couch with tea and a book, boots and skinny jeans, handwritten notes, cookies, date nights. It was fun and reflective to make that list and I think I'll review it often.

I totally spaced Saturday's challenge...but I don't have commercials since I watch Netflix. HA

3. The day has come...a little earlier than I wanted...but it's here nonetheless. License restriction time. 

The line at the DOT. Just to get a number. To wait in another line. Ugh.

Let's just say it wasn't the best part of my day Saturday. 

But it's here. And I'm studying bus schedules and walking more. I guess I'll have to learn to plan a little better, eh?

4. And since I can't go anywhere, I guess that means I have a lot more time here at home. Which means I finally got caught up on what's in my Pocket:

• More reasons to strive toward a vegetarian diet:
• The largest study ever conducted in the UK confirmed vegetarians have healthier hearts: "The self-proclaimed vegetarians had a 32 percent reduced risk of both fatal and non-fatal heart disease, accompanied by lower blood pressures and cholesterol levels, as compared to non-vegetarians. They consumed, on average, more cheese, fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, and less milk."
• At the 6th International Congress on Vegetarian Nutrition, it was concluded that vegetarians have more favorable chronic disease outcomes
• Even though I love running, there are some things to hate about it too.
• You can't really stretch your IT band, but these yoga stretches sure do make you feel like it.
• And speaking of running, it's not always easy. And it's not supposed to be.
• Sometimes friendships just end. And that's okay.
• Every time I try to track calories on Fitness Pal- I feel like I'm starving. Who eats 1200 calories a day and survives? Not this girl, and in fact- not most people. Know your numbers.
• If I hadn't see this on Kelsey's twitter, I might have never believed it. We should be concerned.
• I may read this post everyday.  Thanks to this list of 6 blogs that will change your life.
• This made me laugh out loud. I need to use Emoji more. 
• Sort of a long read- but a lot of interesting thoughts on gender equality and the roles of parents today- who should work and who should stay home.:  "...couples often create a family myth about why they made these choices, why it has turned out for the best, and why they are still equal in their hearts even if they are not sharing the kind of life they first envisioned."
• This inspires me. A simple life is a happy life.

5. I heard this song at the coffee shop yesterday and I shazammed it and then now I can't stop listening. 

Sorrow found me when I was young, 

Sorrow waited, sorrow won.

Sorrow that put me on the pills, 

It's in my honey it's in my milk.

Don't leave half a heart alone

On the water, 

Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.

Cause I don't wanna get over you.

I don't wanna get over you.

Sorrows my body on the waves

Sorrows a girl inside my cave

I live in a city sorrow built

It's in my honey, it's in my milk.

Don't leave my half a heart alone, 

On the water, 

Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.

Cause I don't wanna get over you.

I don't wanna get over you.

Don't leave my half a heart alone, 

On the water, 

Cover me in rag and bones, sympathy.

Cause I don't wanna get over you.

I don't wanna get over you.

(From:  http://www.lyricsmode.com/lyrics/t/the_national/)

Why are sad songs always the best?

6. I'm late to the party on this I'm sure, but Dads are the original hipsters makes me laugh so hard. I will have to find and scan a picture of my dad back in his days of full beard and coaching shorts early 80's polyester style. He still rocks a kick-ass Ron Swanson-esque mustache. Because he can. 

As evidenced in this picture of him from Christmas circa 2010. Hopefully he doesn't mind me posting it. Love you Dad. :)

7. I watched both of these movies today. Both good. In bizarre and awkward ways that make movies real and good.

Jeff Who Lives At HOme

Tiny Furniture

If you need advice on all the best movies you didn't know you were missing, check out this guest post from my buddy Dannette. 

I can't wait to see The Place Beyond the Pines. Most because I think Ryan Gosling plays those sad, emotional trainwreck types perfectly. (Hello, Blue Valentine?)

What's been going on in your world this week?

Sunday Seven 2-3-13

I can hardly believe it's already February.

January came and went faster than you can say 'Happy New Year!' and here we are just 11 days shy of Valentine's Day.

Yowzers.

With all the exciting things happening this year, I have a feeling the remaining months of the year are going to go just as quickly. 

All evidenced by the fact that Punxsutawney Phil didn't see his shadow.

Spring is coming EARLY!

Which means....

I love bright colors when running outside,
safety first!

Purple windbreaker + SF hat=
Favorite Run outfit. 

1. More running outside! I got in 2 runs outside this week, one on Tuesday and one Saturday with my buddy Jamilee. It felt good to breathe fresh air and run naturally. The treadmill always makes me slack on form. 

I got in 18 miles this week. A few short of my goal, but I felt pretty good about the quality of runs I got in- speed work and conversational pace. Our Saturday route ended up pretty hilly so I covered that too!

 (PS- I have a new running widget on my side bar- check it out! Find me on DailyMile)

2. I worked from home a lot this week.

 One day because I had some business downtown, another day because of this:

And then ANOTHER day because of this:

Roxy really loved having her mom at home:

She loves sleeping in this basket

On Thursday, I didn't feel so hot. Just started feeling really yucky and took the afternoon off to rest (#restisbest!) I ended up sleeping all afternoon- waking to eat some really delicious avocado toast, dozing back off for a couple hours- up to eat again and do a little work stuff, then back asleep until almost 7:30 the next morning. 

I guess I was a little tired? Just glad I avoided getting whatever was creeping on.

I'm also very glad I have an employer that enables me to work from home and take time off when I need it!

3. Speaking of rest...Wednesday night I got to hang out with this guy a little. I cooked us dinner, then we chatted over a beer about wedding plans, our recent church sermon series on 'Living Generously', and the new The Lone Bellow album.

I really like him. <3

4. In my Pocket this week:

• If you read my blog or tweets or instagrams and think why does anyone run that much?!?? - you should read this. Lisa explains the love I have for running in the best way.
• Don't believe it, overcome the lie.
• As a soon-to-be married person, I found this article from Relevant Magazine really interesting.
• So glad someone said this. I can't do Paleo either.
• Wanna be exceptionally healthy? Try these 9 things.

5. I love getting mail.

This week, this came:

Check out A Suburban Menagerie to get in on the study!

And these!

And these!!

Mail and impending marriage are the best.

6. Remember when I mentioned not feeling well Thursday? Well, on Friday, I made sure to eat super healthy and stick with my Simple Green Smoothies and I'm sure that's what made me well.

 I drank a green smoothie every single day of January and I'm keeping it up. Between that and the Kombucha I drank...I felt like a ROCKSTAR.

7. Saturday night date night!

Music from one of our favorite local bands (their new album was recorded in the old building right next to my condo!)

It's back baby.

How was your week? 

What was the highlight?

For me- it was date night with T- live music, cocktails and conversation- the best!

A Year in Review: 2012 Summer Music

Between the months of April to September, I blogged a whopping 10 times.
I could have probably written 60 posts instead. I had that much happening.
Instead, I'm just going to give you a few recaps of my favorite things happening this year: Music, Trips, Races and Special Events.

So for Music....

April 14, 2012: Gross Domestic Product
This is a pretty big deal in Des Moines, it's a show put on by the Des Moines Music Coalition (DMMC). It highlights local and indie bands spanning all genres. It takes place in the various ballrooms of Hotel Fort Des Moines.

This was my favorite Instagram of the night- T and our friend Chad.

These were some of my favorites from the show:

Love Songs for Lonely Monsters

 

Tires

The River Monks

Mumfords

 

 

We had a blast at the show. Some of the bands I had heard of, but not seen live and it was a great way to see them up close. It was really loud since it was in a ballroom, but there were raging thunderstorms outside that night they had to drown out!

 

April 24th, 2012: Imagine Dragons

I'm going to be bold and just say- this was probably my favorite concert of 2012. It was at the Gaslamp in Des Moines- a small music venue downtown. You can get really close to the bands and it's intimate and dark and they serve strong drinks. I heart it. :)

 

First of all, Dan Reynolds is awesome.

 

He puts his whole heart into the performance.

 

And he plays this giant drum while he's up there which sort of gives it a little extra 'badass-ness'.

 

AND, they were super nice and I got to chat with them after the show. They all signed a dollar bill which is framed in my condo. I told them I was saving it since they were going to be huge. And if you've ever heard the song 'It's Time' - well you know what I'm talking about.

 

 

April 30, 2012: Green River Ordinance

I saw GRO the minute I got back into town from Nashville. I literally drove from KC right to Woolys- my favorite music venue in Des Moines. I think this might have been our first show there.

 

I've seen GRO before, but this time around they were a bit more polished.

And they came down in the crowd and played which was just awesome!

PLUS, they sang my favorite song of theirs, Endlessly.

 

May 12, 2012: Margot & the Nuclear So & So's

We went to this show with Todd's son, Cory. I wasn't that familiar with them, but I really enjoyed the show. 'Skeleton Key' is an awesome song.

 



 

 

 

May 16, 2012: Grouplove

This show was also at Woolys, the night before my birthday. It was SO FUN. All of my pictures from that show are crazy angles because it was packed, hot and lotta dancing!!

 

It was such a fun show- lot of energy! Plus- we got to hang out with Sean Gadd afterwards! He has a crazy British accent and a hair/beard that's all grown together...

 

Probably the creepiest picture ever. HA

But it was a super fun way to kick off my birthday celebration!

 

 July 6 & 7, 2012: 80/35 Music Festival

This was the HOTTEST weekend all summer. I probably lost 10 pounds in sweat at this concert but it was totally worth it. 80/35 is an annual music festival put on by the DMMC. It's always a mix of local bands, up and coming bands and a couple of big name headliners. It spans 2 days with a big show each night. The music ranges in genres and the line up this year was pretty impressive.

 

Thursday- stages being set up just by our house

Friday night I signed the art wall!

Funny enough- I totally wrote a novel this year

The show takes place in the heart of downtown, just outside the library

Friday night's headliner- The Avett Brothers. They were awesome!

It's a family affair. Coolest dad of the year award.

My city at night is the coolest

 



One of my favorite 'never heard of before bands'- Delta Rae

Every year there are a few street artists, these are my favorite. Gold mimes.

I love the little kids rocking out! I think that's awesome.

Final Headliner- Death Cab for Cutie.

As expected, they were fantastic.

 

Codes and Keys...get it?? :)

The heat wave broke a little so we watched on the grass from the back.

T and I had an amazing time that weekend. <3

 

If you are not a local and want to see the best of Des Moines, 80/35 is the time to visit. It's right around 4th of July weekend so there is a lot going on and always amazing music. DMMC will start giving 'clues' to the 2013 line-up in the spring- so check their website often!

 

July 12, 2012: Greg Laswell & Ingrid Michaelson

I LOVE Greg Laswell. Both T and I have some Greg lyrics tattooed on our bodies.

 

I put on my best summer midwestern outfit to give Greg an Iowa welcome!

Epitome of summer show- it was at Simon Estes Amphitheater, part of their Nitefall on the River Concert Series

There he is!!

And there is his lovely wife, Ingrid. I'm embarassed to say I was not that familiar with her stuff until right before this show (I did my music homework!). She is just as awesome as he is, their music style very similar. He's a little darker, but I love it.

My favorite instagram of the night- them singing an unreleased song together. <3

 

July 19, 2012: Papa Roach

So...this was sort of random. The concert was at Woolys and honestly- much better than I thought it would be. It was SUPER hot though and the opening band was a bit bizarre, but it was fun to sing along: 'Cut my life into pieces, this is my last resort...'

 

They came out in the audience and that was pretty cool- I thought this picture turned out awesome.

 

July 28, 2012: Star 102.5 All-Star Summer Concert

This was the first of it's kind for one of our local radio station. It took place at Water Works Park in a big open field. We walked, thinking it wouldn't be far from downtown, not realizing it was in the back of the park- so we got in a 4 mile walk that day...

Anyway, the line-up was interesting and Todd's daughter and friends were going so we decided to tag along. We really wanted to see GRO, Mat Kearney, Neon Trees and Adam Lambert.

Since our walk was a little longer than expected we missed GRO but were just in time for Mat Kearney. At that point, I wasn't close enough to get any pictures of him. He came out in the crowd though, which was pretty awesome! There were a lot of people, mostly sitting in chairs so this is the best picture I took of him.

 

 



He's in there somewhere...

Neon Trees was my absolute favorite- I love Tyler

He just gets down and he's so rad

We got up close for that one- great show!

Then, of course Adam. Fab-u-lous

He brought his ladies with him, it was all kinds of glam up there

The closing band was Train. Someone in their band actually got ordained so they could marry a couple on stage! It was crazy. Then, of course, they sang 'Marry Me.' Great song.

I thought it was a great show, I  hope they bring it back this year!

 

 

August 1, 2012: The Black Keys

For my friend Chad's birthday, we drove to Council-tuckey to see The Black Keys- one of his favorite bands.

I didn't really know what to expect- I hadn't seen them play before and didn't know much about them as musicians. I was familiar with their most recent albums, but not a die-hard fan.

 

I was pretty blown away.

The show was amazing.

They are so talented and their performance was top notch. I took a TON of pictures. here are some of my favorites.

We had amazing seats, so close!

They had this giant screen behind them that put up their images during the show, it was really cool.

Patrick tearing it up on the drums- he was so amazing

 

Dan on guitar

 

The giant disco ball for the end of the show was awesome

Definitely a show I'd recommend. Great music. Great performance.

 

 

September 18, 2012: Mute Math and Silversun Pickups

Two bands we really wanted to see were playing the same night at different venues. Luckily, one was sort of early and one later, so we did both!

 

Mute Math was first, they played at Woolys

 



I loved this show. It is my favorite show at Woolys ever (so far). I was even able to video them playing 'You Are Mine'- my favorite song of theirs!

 

 

We actually had to leave the show a little early to head to see Silversun Pickups at the Hoyt Sherman.

Todd really likes Silversun and the show was good. It was a lot less high energy than Mute Math, but I really liked it.

 



 

 

So there you have it- a BUSY summer for music.

I used to keep count of all the shows we went to every year, but we spontaneously see local live music that I can barely keep track anymore- HA. We saw some big name shows this year which was a ton of fun. I love that our city has such a vibrant music scene.

 

What was your favorite concert of the year?

I think Imagine Dragons or Mute Math was mine...so hard to choose! And don't even get me started on favorite albums- we'll save that for another post!