If I knew it'd be this way, I'd do it all again.

So quite a few really awesome things have happened since my last few posts. I don't want to be too long-winded, so I'll try to keep it short and sweet. I can't concentrate much anyway; construction right in front of my building makes it difficult to even hear the television. I included some photos and what not to try to break it up a bit.

Color Run
Went back to Michele's in Maryland and spent a night watching television, eating pizza, and drinking beer (ale, but whatever). Then got up the next morning and ran 2.5 miles. Not quite a 5k, but still impressive for me considering November was my least active month since March. It was a nice visit and I'm glad I went, though we did lose some time together due to the upcoming holiday season! Blah, retail. Either way, my shoes are still colorful—and at a recent trip to the gym, I busted through them. So I've officially worn them out, which means I get a new pair of running shoes this spring!! :)

These used to be pink!

Cowboys Game!
Despite below-freezing temperatures, a torturous windchill, and seats one row from the top of the stadium, Matt and I went to our first NFL game. And, again, despite all those factors, we had a really great time. Those tickets were easily one of the best gifts he's ever given me (ranked up there with my Kindle Fire and my Pandora bracelets). We spent $5 on hot chocolate, almost $20 on hot dogs, and $5 on a bottle of water that froze before halftime. We couldn't feel our feet or our hands and I'm pretty sure I had windburn on my cheeks. A win is a win and should always be celebrated, but a win against the Giants is definitely worth sitting in the freezing cold next to middle-aged men who lack the creativity to come up with a taunt better than "Romo is a homo." I yelled and cheered, but next time, I want to be extra obnoxious and wear my jersey and paint my face—as long as it's an early game next year instead of one in the dead of winter.

Being an ass before the game.

First Cowboys touchdown with 4:17 left in the first quarter! <3 04/17/05

NaNoWriMo
As stated in my previous post, I signed up for National Novel Writing Month toward the end of October to get my butt in gear, creatively. The goal, through the website, was to write 50,000 words in November. I didn't reach that goal (November was such a horrible month for free time!), but I got closer than expected. With Constance's encouragement and Matt's helpful feedback between the last week of October and November 29, I managed to write 40,843 words. Which is approximately 41,000 words more than I've written in years so... I'm happy with it! After the holidays, I plan to pick it back up, but I'm not going to try to kill myself to hit numbers. I got fewer hours of sleep and only managed to work out twice the entire month because I put this task first, so if I pick it back up again, I'm going to need to balance it with the rest of my life—which will be a bigger challenge than meeting any word counts. I have no real plans for this; it's just nice to be creative now and then.

Working title: Forgotten but Not Gone

Dave's Wedding
The day NaNoWriMo ended was the same day Matt and I took to the road for Dave's wedding! We rented a car, enjoyed really great weather, and actually made it to the church with plenty of time to share. It was nice to see everyone and though we didn't do as much dancing as I'd hoped we would (or any, really), we had a pretty good time. In our almost nine years together, it was the first wedding we went to as a couple and I doubt it'll be the last. Hopefully more dancing at the next one!

Love <3

The New York Times and The View
Work's been really great recently—other than an insane workload and some unforeseen sudden deadlines. The Fall 2013 season was the first of which I had books come out that I personally acquired, so I found myself watching sales figures, self-promoting (as can be seen on my Facebook) as often as possible, and bugging publicity for any and all updates. This is going to seem like a brag-fest, so my apologies ahead of time. Some highlights:

Why Do Only People Get Abducted by Aliens? was named one of Kirkus's Most Anticipated Fall Debuts.

Left had favorable reviews and was blurbed by New York Times bestselling author Caroline Leavitt.

Kitchen Things was named one of 2013's Best Books to Get You Thinking About Food by AP, appeared on the New York Times website, and was called a "coffee-table must" by the San Francisco Chronicle.

Victorian Secrets was discussed on The Today Show, and author Sarah Chrisman has been interviewed for magazines and newspapers in various countries (including Italy and Australia) and was featured in the print and online editions of the New York Times. She also appeared on a short segment of The View in early December. I was able to go to ABC's studios with her publicist and we hung out in her dressing room and backstage during the taping. Experiences include: meeting Ryan from All My Children and chatting Whoopi up in the hallway. It was a great time and I'd definitely do it again. :)

Our book is available for pre-order!

Our book!

Set for release in April 2014 (just in time for our nine-year anniversary!), you can get the book Matt and I put together (illustrated by Kerri) at Amazon, B&N, Walmart, and some place called Fish Pond. It's just a little quote book, so there's no real publicity or anything like that, but I still think you should buy a copy! We spent many of our Sundays in the park flipping through books, at B&N going through magazines, and on our couch, reviewing page after page and writing introductions. We're proud of this, and we can't wait for everyone to have a copy. :)

Book #2, for me at least

And since the kitchen book is wrapped up, I may as well report on a new development: I'll be writing The Little White Book of Wedding Planning Wisdom for publication in Spring 2015. I've never been married, but I was supposed to be in two weddings at one point! I pitched this book as a quote book to fit our series, but a few minutes later, it turned into something much more, so now in addition to quotes, lists, etc., there will be real advice and research and we'll see how it goes. I'm excited about this one, and I should learn quite a bit that will hopefully come in handy in the future...

Christmas plans
The tree's up, presents are wrapped, and it's only December 11! All that's left for me is stocking stuffers. And I'm pretty sure Matt did some shopping Monday night, so I may actually have gifts to open on Christmas day! We're heading home for a day or two, but plan to be back in the city for Christmas Eve since we both have work that day and the day after the holiday.

The next few Sunday/Monday combos are vital for us in terms of holiday preparation and just spending time together. Matt's schedule is changing after New Years, which means we're back to seeing each other maybe twelve hours a week (Monday and Tuesday nights). This is inconvenient for a variety of reasons (no more Super Bowl party, no more huge birthday celebration, significantly less time together, absolutely no time together in daylight hours... I can go on), and we're both incredibly unhappy about it. We'll see what happens. Not looking forward 2014 in that respect, but there's so much more to think about so... it'll be okay.

I commited myself to this today.

Let the games begin!

If I had a bucket list... (Or, that moment when I get all reflective after reaching a big goal)

It's that time of year again—tea time! (Or at least, it is this week. No telling when the summer weather will return... again.) I pulled our tea pot out for the first time since... since we moved in, maybe? I can't remember ever running when the whistle sounded in this apartment until tonight.

Making tea or this fake cappuccino stuff always reminds me of the ten or so months I lived alone in W-B. At that point, I actually poured the water into a ceramic tea pot and brought it out to my living room, where I'd sip on it for hours while I worked and felt... utterly lonely instead of independent and accomplished.

As I sip my "cappuccino" tonight, I don't feel lonely. I am independent and I am accomplished. As of this past Saturday, I've checked another item off my bucket list—a list that doesn't actually even exist. Something I just mentally add to from time to time when I decide there's absolutely something I have to do—something I won't settle until I do.

This Saturday, I ran my first official 5k! Paid, registered, got a bib, received an official time, and didn't walk a step (though I did have to stop dead in my tracks when a little girl toddled out in front of me...... and when I almost tossed my cookies at the end during a sprint to the finish line). I didn't do as well as I wanted to (40:37... meh. I've done 37 minutes by myself), but figuring in the trappings of a head cold, an unexpected hill, a few annoying kids on scooters on the trail, and not training to my full ability the week before (because I was psyching myself out and making myself feel sick/injured)... I did well. I finished, which was my real goal.

(Pics below.)

Huge thanks for Michele for motivating me the whole way, whether I actually comprehended what she was saying or not. Not sure if I would've stopped and walked for a bit if she hadn't been by my side the whole time. <3

And huge thanks to Matt for making me feel guilty for even considering skipping my runs from time to time and for getting up at 8 on a Saturday morning to hold our bags while we ran. <3 <3

Before April of this year, I hadn't been able to run a minute without feeling like my heart was going to explode. These days, running a mile is a "quickie" and two miles is a "short run." Though I did reach my goal of actually running and finishing this race, it definitely won't be my last! I want to continue running outside at least three times a week (minus this week, while I'm just focusing on being able to breathe through my nose... head cold...), then train in the gym when it gets too cold. I'm already registered for a Color Run with Michele in Baltimore in November, so I want to beat my last time during that race if possible. Then after that... something more? Maybe when spring rolls around, I'll try to add a few more miles to my longer runs. Michele's convinced I'll be doing half marathons with her any day now, but I'd rather take it a bit slower. No need to get ahead of myself! ;)

So yeah... another goal, checked off the list! As I was talking to Michele this weekend, I was telling her that every time I accomplish something "big" that I had set my mind to (whether I had gotten the idea years and years ago, or simply two weeks ago), I feel this overwhelming sense of satisfaction. I've done all the things (but one), that I said I wanted to do recently. I moved to the city; I got a job in publishing; I'm publishing my first book to be sold nationwide (though it's not the one I had in mind...); I'm in a healthy, committed relationship; and now, on a whim, I've trained for a 5k and then ran one. (And, in the process, I lost all the weight I put on since Matt and I moved out here!)

I'm absolutely not going to be cocky and say that I feel I can do anything I set my mind to, but I definitely feel good about it. And I know that if there's something I want bad enough, I possess the drive to go out there and do it or get it. I can't make excuses; there are no excuses. I'm not going to say that this works for everyone, but, in general, if there's something you want to do... gather your resources, get in the right frame of mind, and just do it. (Thanks, Nike!) But seriously. Most of the time (though not all of the time), the only person holding you back is you. The only person who has ever held me back from anything I've wanted to do is me—regardless of who or what may have been influencing me at that moment, I'm the one who has made the decisions to give up, put things off, or simply go for it. I've known that for some time, but every time I check something off my "list," it's proof that I can focus and achieve the goals I set.

So with that, I'm on to another one...Yeah, I want to continue to run and race. Yeah, I want to lose more weight. Yeah, I want to get married, have a family, etc. But the next thing I'd really like to do is write the novel that's in me. I have the idea (I've had it since high school), but talking it over recently with a few people has really cemented it in my mind. So, Matt and my manuscript for our quote book is due on October 15. The following week, I'll commit at least one night a week to outlining, writing, or anything related to my ultimate goal. Don't know how long it'll take to finish, and I don't know what I'll do with it when it's done, but... if I want to be a writer... I suppose I should start writing again!

Dressed up for dinner at Matt's restaurant. I need a haircut!

Pre-race. Which one of us had more energy?

Pre-race friskiness. And I'm asleep. Because I haven't seen 8:00 on a Saturday morning in months.

Post-race. Someone's still energized...

... probably because my pace resulted in her almost walking those long legs for 3.11 miles

Results from the site!

Psst, 4/17 is Matt and my anniversary...

This is a bonus in the typical "Matt presses the button and neither of us are ready" fashion. You don't want to see the others. This is not our "official" annual Cowboys photo of the year. That's still to come. Stay tuned.

The Night My Boyfriend was "Arrested"

Disclaimer: Not that I ever lie about anything I post, but I just want it to be known that this is all true. This really happened last night, and now we can laugh about it, but last night, we were understandably troubled.

—————

I don't even know where to start.

Oh ... yes.

So ... around 1:30 a.m., as I'm falling asleep after spending about an hour trying to beat the same level of Plants vs. Zombies 2, I get a phone call from Matt, who I had assumed was either still working or was on the bus home by then.

"You'll never believe what just happened to me," he says, disbelief in his voice.

"Please tell me you didn't get mugged," I reply, panic in mine. I'm already envisioning him stuck on the Lower East Side, without his wallet.

"I was just handcuffed and put in the back of a police car."

I sit straight up in bed, no longer sleepy at all, and exclaim, "What?!"

So he proceeds to tell me the following story:

He'd just gotten out of work and had stopped for two slices of pizza and a bottle of Snapple at a place near the restaurant. Then he went to the bus stop, where he ate one slice of pizza and started on the next. It was chilly, so he had his hood up, and he noticed that cop cars kept passing him, slowing down, and then driving away. He thought it was weird, but that was about it.

Then an unmarked police car comes around the corner and three cops get out and approach him. They tell him to put the pizza and the Snapple down—which he does—and then they ask where he was coming from. He tells them he works up the street and his shift just ended. They ask what he has on him. He tells them he has his phone, his wallet, and maybe a pair of headphones. (Probably mine, for the record.) They pat him down and tell him he matches the description of a guy who just got in a fight with another guy, broke the guy's arm, and then ripped off a cab driver. Matt tells them he didn't do anything wrong, but they cuff him anyway and put him in the back of the cop car.

They drive him to the guy who was attacked, who is seated on a curb (where we guess they left him?) a few blocks away, and the guy tells the cops that Matt's not the guy who broke his arm. So they uncuff him, sort of apologize, and let him walk away. Before he leaves, one cop asks, "Did you get your juice?"

So this is when Matt calls me, confused and in shock and somewhat lost because they drove him away from the only bus stop he knows in the area. He gets a cab and is home around 2:30. He comes into the bedroom, turns the lights on, and shows me his wrists, which still have cuff marks on them.

Apparently, from what we gather, a white male, about six feet tall, wearing a gray hoodie attacked this guy. And poor Matt, being a while male who is 6'1" and was wearing a dark green hoodie, was mistaken for him. Because they didn't tell him he was under arrest, and because they didn't read him his rights, he wasn't technically arrested, but I think this would count as... detained? Not quite sure.

Either way, what the f— would I have done if the victim had either identified Matt as the attacker or if he had gone to the hospital and the cops had taken Matt to the precinct instead? I know I'd be the phone call he got to make, but honestly, what could I have done? I don't know any of his coworkers' numbers, so I couldn't have called them and asked them to alibi him out. I couldn't have called the restaurant because it was closed. I couldn't have bailed him out (if it came to that) because we don't have that kind of money. He would've probably had to spend the night at the precinct.

Luckily, they just let him go (minus a piece of pizza, a Snapple, and a ride home—rude!) so we don't have to worry about that, but it got us talking about all the innocent people who are accused of committing crimes every day and who, for whatever reason, don't have alibis and are held for hours on end for having done nothing wrong. And that's kind of disturbing... To think that you could just be getting off work, enjoying a slice, and suddenly be in the back of a cop car, accused of hurting someone when you were no where near them.

I'd say "Only in NYC," but I doubt this is only a NYC thing. I'm sure it happens elsewhere, but I doubt it would've happened if we were still in W-B.

At the end of it all, I looked at him and I said, "I can't wait to tell people about this tomorrow."

And, of course, I was late for work this morning (because who can just fall asleep after that), and in my inbox was an email from my direct boss: "Why 9:30 this morning?" To this, I replied, "Oh, do I have a story for you." I went into his office, told him what happened, and he listened the whole time with his eyes wide and his jaw slack. "I've heard a lot of late excuses in my years, but this one takes the cake," he told me. I swore I didn't make it up, and he laughed it off and said he believed me. After all, who would make this up?

So yeah... Matt was "arrested" last night. Got to ride with his hands cuffed behind his back in a cop car. And got ripped off a late-night snack and beverage. I think NYPD should apologize, personally. But I suppose they have bigger things to worry about... like shooting innocent pedestrians in Times Square!

Kristen, Jeff, and Christina: If you guys read this, we've decided not to tell your parents. They worry enough about him walking around that late by himself downtown. This won't help! lol.

My Proudest Moment in Publishing Thus Far (Oh... and It's Football Season)

And here we are again... I should be reviewing a manuscript for a meeting I have with the publisher and a prospective author tomorrow, and instead I'm watching X Factor... but only because I'm too scared to hook up our new cable box. I don't want to screw up the cables, etc., so I'm just going to let it sit here until tomorrow night, when I scramble to put it together in time to watch the game.

The game... the game... the game...

FOOTBALL SEASON IS HERE. I won't bore you with the details, but I have two fantasy leagues going and though I don't think either of my teams are as strong as last year's, I'm still pretty pleased despite my last place standings in my non-work league. Best time of the year, hands down. Especially since Matt and I will be at the next Cowboys/Giants match up! Couldn't be happier about that.

I also couldn't be happier with some facets of work right now—one book in particular has me beaming with pride nearly every day. If you're my FB friend, you know exactly what I'm talking about. Ilana Garon's "Why Do Only White People Get Abducted by Aliens?": Teaching Lessons from the Bronx is exceeding all of my expectations. I mean, I knew it was a good book, otherwise I wouldn't have acquired it, but it's getting a lot of attention, and that's great. She's been featured in magazines, in the local paper, on an international website, and on a bunch of blogs and sites. And Kirkus even named the book one of the most anticipated debuts of the fall. And then Huff Post reposted it—which is, again, awesome. Though I managed to get lost in the Bronx last night on the way to her reading, it seemed like, for a second time, she had a great turnout. And there are more events to come!

Though sales of the book is important, I think my proudest moment came last night, when I saw what one of her former students posted after they attended her reading at B&N and purchased a copy of the book:

This is my dream come true—working on a book that's so good, it makes a non-reader not only want to buy it, but read it front to back... and enjoy it and want to talk about it and let people know what they think about it. It's cool that he came to the reading, it's great that he bought the book, and I love that he's reading it, but the fact that he liked it so much and is so proud of his reading that he went out of his way to share it with others online... that's what really struck me. He could've just bought a copy, got it signed, and put it on a shelf. But it sounds like he actually read it—and he wants people to know.

I enthusiastically texted Matt as soon as I saw this last night, and I took a screencap on my phone that I printed out at work today and hung in my cube. I know I'm still new to the industry, and I do hope there are more moments like this to come, but I'll remember this post for a while.

Other than work stuffs (busy, busy, busy), I'm just trying to get back into the running. The 5K is three weeks this Saturday and because I was a lazy ass (and busy bee) in August, I wasn't running as often as I should and now I'm back down to just under 2.5 miles, with a break to catch my breath after the first 1.5. I know I can get to 3.2 again, and more, but it's been rough getting back into it. I actually almost started crying two Sundays ago when I realized I needed to stop after a mile. It's just... disappointing. Because I know what I was able to do a few weeks ago. And I know what I need to be able to do a few weeks from now.

So with that thought in mind, and now that it's only 84° instead of 91° out there, I'm going to take a run down Park Ave and back up in about a half hour. Even if I can't hit the distance, at least I went tonight. Hoping for cooler weather Friday and Sunday! I'm over summer. I'm a spring/fall gal.

I shall leave you with... proof that I've been busy!

And I haven't even added a bunch of stuff coming up in late September. Sigh. At least I can't complain about being bored...

Killing Time

I've noticed this week just how much the rest of my life falls apart when I'm overworked. I picked up a few freelance projects week and, while I do absolutely appreciate the extra money, the workload really kicked my butt. Now, I'm definitely used to be overworked (and underpaid!), but last week was pretty relaxing and I actually enjoyed it... and maybe, unfortunately, I got used to  it. And that was bad.

The past few weeks, my workouts have been regular, I've been running consistently (and getting better each time), and my diet has been spot-on. And I was able to keep up on housework, for the most part. But then... this week...

I mean, not only did I have a bunch of extra work to do, but I also had my very first author event on Thursday (and it was awesome—the last time I felt that proud, I was watching my baby sister graduate college), but I also had plans last night, which meant I couldn't take part in my traditional Bride Day Snoozefest, which I've been enjoying the past few weekends. (I watch TLC and I sleep on and off from about 8 p.m. till 2 a.m. It's wonderful. And necessary, after a really long, exhausting week.) I loved the author event, and I had a really great time with friends last night, but both nights just added to the complete ass kicking my mind and body took this week.

Because of the extra work, I've been moody and not very pleasant to be around and that's probably because I haven't worked out since Tuesday and feel effing gross. And even Tuesday wasn't a great workout because I didn't have a lot of time to spend at the gym. I've been trying to be really good diet-wise, but there have definitely been a few slip-ups. And I also spent more money this week than I did in the past two weeks, because I've been running all over the place and sometimes a girl just needs a coffee... or a smoothie... or a glass of sangria...

After a week that was super freakin' exhausting, I took my time getting up this afternoon  morning and eventually had enough energy to actually be productive. Since the time I've spent at home has been completely work-related this week, our apartment was also a giant mess. I used today to tackle the kitchen, the bathroom, the laundry, the living room, and our bedroom (see also: the entire apartment). I was also able to make a tasty quinoa salad and peanut butter cups. Delicious. On both counts. I even fit in coffee with Andrew at B&N and a trip to Duane Reade. And I also finished what I hope will be the last part of one of my freelance projects (copy editing a website for a NYC private school). I hope.

I think the point of whining for five minutes here about how busy I've been was basically just to organize my thoughts and help me see that I have to find a better way to approach work after work... my second (and sometimes third) shift, if you will. Because when I let it take over my life, I lose focus on the stuff that actually matters—my health, especially. I've been doing really well with my jogging and I want to keep it up. I want to make sure I have time for it every week. I need to find a way to balance everything, and I think it comes down to... I have to stop procrastinating. I need to start my work when it's assigned and then spread it out over a few days instead of slamming it all in the night or two before its due. I need to stop wasting my tiiime.

Case in point: this entire post. I still need to put clothes away, take the Swiffer to the bedroom floor, and start a proofread for next week. But what did I just do? Yeeeahh...

Go, me!

PS: I'm twenty-five-and-a-half today. Hence the peanut butter cups. =P

"And we're running, just as fast as we can..." Or, Another Post Where I Jabber Nonstop about Exercise

Quick updates! (While I watch Tia and Tamara on Bravo... Shhh. Don't judge me. Switching to TLC's Friday Bride Day next.)

And I mean, really quick, because I don't even really know what there is to talk about other than work and my new-found hobby...

Oh, I know! The visit to Michele's was fun! The bus ride... not so much, but the visit itself—though very brief—was definitely worth the nine hours on the bus. It was great to catch up; and I love talking about friends about their career and life goals, so it was lucky that that's a lot of what our conversations were about. I swear, if this writing/editing thing fails me, maybe I'll get into guidance counseling or something. Maybe I can find a school that will at least let me help make student schedules. Because everyone knows how much I like planning!

And we made plans to run in a real 5K! My first (running the entire way, anyway) and her... who knows. At that point, fourth? Fifth? The date's October 5, and we're going to follow it with a cupcake tour through NYC and a night at Matt's restaurant. Not that I want to rush life or anything of the sort, but I can't wait!

So that was... two weekends ago. This past weekend was the Glow in the Dark 5K by Living Social, which I attended with some wonderful girls from work. It wasn't a serious run, though we did try to run as much as we could. But people kept dropping their glow sticks and bending down in the middle of the road to get them and knocking down traffic cones and cutting corners and it just wasn't something you could seriously run start to finish. But it was fun, nonetheless. We wore our glow gear, we bought over-priced drinks and snacks, and we danced with the ten thousand other racers till the event was over. I'm not much of a sober dancer, so I admit to being kind of lame at that point, but it was still fun! And I think we discussed tutus and glow-in-the-dark crowns for next year.

Let's see... Oh, more running news. Because apparently that's all I care about these days. Which might be annoying to some, but I'm really proud of my progress and don't mind letting people know that I'm not sitting on my couch, stuffing my face every night! Anymore.

Last Sunday, I finished the very last workout in my Couch to 5K app. I was really disappointed in my distance for the day (2.17 miles), because it wasn't better than the previous workouts, so Matt decided that the next day, we'd run for distance instead of time. The C25K only tracked me up to 30 minutes. So it absolutely blew my mind when, Monday night, I ran 3.2 miles and 45 minutes. (A 5K is 3.11 miles.) And I didn't die. I didn't struggle too much. There was a definite challenge, and I'm definitely one of the slowest runners on the planet, but... I did it. And that's what matters.

So, since I knew I could do it, I did it again Wednesday night, except I went a little farther at 3.3 miles. If I can somehow fit in three workouts a week, I can split my focus between pace and distance and can hopefully improve my time and follow in Michele's footsteps and train for a 10K after the 5K. But we'll see. I fear the coming winter and colder temperatures and an enclosed gym, but... again. We'll see. I would love to keep this up. Because I have found that I actually like everything about it. There's no downside.

My twelve-year-old self is slack-jawed in disbelief right now. I wish I could've down this years ago. But now is better than never.

What else, what else...

Started typing up the manuscript for our book this week! I have no doubts that we'll hit the word count, and I think it's all coming together nicely. I can't wait to post the link, but I have to wait until we have a cover. And who knows when that will be. But I'll post when I can. And then anyone who's interested can pre-order! (You better all pre-order.)

Say Yes to the Dress is distracting me. Can't think. The one bride looks like Jacob from Twilight. Which reminds me of the movie, which reminds me of the book, which makes me want to read. Think I'm going to go do some dishes, work on typing up more quotes for our book, and then maybe drink some chocolate wine! Sometimes I love these Friday nights to myself. <3