Romp Romp Romp

If this were a dress, it would be so cute

So.  Rompers.  I think I've been promising a post about rompers for several months.  Every time I try on a romper, I think, I need to post about this.  Because here's the thing.  The general point of a romper seems to be that it is not a dress, so the hemline can be shorter.  For me, this is not such a good thing.  I firmly believe no one needs to see that part of my upper thighs in public.  Maybe for these teenage girls who mill about in what is essentially denim underpants, maybe for them, this is okay.  For me?  Y'all, I am 2 short years away from thirty.  I do not need hemlines that short.  

But really.  The big thing I have against rompers is this.  Say you are wearing a romper.  And you are somewhere in public.  And you realize you have to go to the bathroom.  In order to relieve yourself, you will have to disrobe completely in the stall.  Please allow that to sink in for a moment.  You will be sitting there in nothing but your bra.  And maybe not even that if you can get away with such things.  Just sitting there.  And in my head, at any moment, someone could come in and kick the door open and there I'd be, all hanging out in my birthday suit.  No thank you.

Exhibit A: Saggy Diaper Butt

Something that April from So Yeah...So & I do when we hang out is called You Should Try That On.  You've witnessed this before and it's a lot of fun.  I am always game to try new things on.  So weeks & weeks ago when April & I were shopping with her daughter for back-to-school clothes, I pulled a garment off the sale rack at Urban Outfitters, exclaiming over the cute neckline and the pattern.  April & I also have another (potential drinking) game called Is it a Dress or Is it a Romper?  Take a shot.  It was a romper.  I took it into the dressing room anyway to illustrate some of my other non-public-nudity issues with rompers.

For one thing, they tend to give me Saggy Diaper Butt.  I don't have much of a butt to begin with.  It's not terribly wide & it's not terribly round.  It's just sort of there and mostly flat.  I have come to turns with my lack of derriere, but I find that rompers exasperate the situation.  Especially when they have some sort of elastic bit around the midsection.  It creates a blousing over my bum and then there's a gathering for the shorts part and it all comes together to form Saggy Diaper Butt.

And the other thing is really this.  I don't like shorts.  All summer long, I have tried on pair after pair after pair of shorts and I have yet to find a single pair that I thought were flattering.  I'm sure someone else might look at them and say, "Oh, Sarah, stop being hyper critical" but if I don't think they are flattering, I'm not going to be comfortable and I'm not going to wear them.  So at the end of the day, shorts are out.  Which means that rompers are out.  And I'm okay with that.

Hot Mess

So first of all, I'm guest posting over at So Yeah...So today, talking about packing a suitcase.  Because I do that a lot.

Second of all, I figured I would combine an actual entry WITH my 30 Day Photo Challenge.  This is less style-centric that my normal posts and more of a race re-cap, but it's cool.

Yesterday I ran my second ever 5k race event.  I ran the same Torchlight 5k last year and finished with a time of 31:10, which I thought was pretty respectable for a first-timer.  I'd been hoping to finish in under half an hour, but at that time, I'd only been running for about 5 months.

Torchlight 5k 2010

So this year, I've been running for a year & a half now and I REALLY wanted to finish in under half an hour.  I knew I could physically do it, but the real question was if I could mentally do it.  I fight my brain a LOT when I'm running.  Around 4pm yesterday, my brain realized I was running my race in about 4 hours and my stomach started doing loop-de-loops.  I started imagining not going to the race at all, just sitting on my butt watching yet another episode of Numb3rs (I have a huuuuuge crush on David Krumholtz).  But I finally got up & got changed into my Race Day Outfit!

Please note the EMPTY garment rack behind me

I was originally planning to wear my purple running skirt for the event.  But I started thinking about it and I feel like the shorts underneath the skirt always ride up and then I'm super conscious of them and it bugs me.  So, since I was going for performance this year, I decided to wear my trusted capri tights.  Once those babies are on, I don't have to think about my upper thighs at all!

I walked to the event start, which was almost 2 miles from my house, so that was a good warm-up.  I started to get excited when I saw other people in their race gear, with their bibs already pinned to their shirts.  I waited to pin mine until I got there, since I had to walk through downtown (on the flip side, I totally FORGOT I was still wearing my bib on the walk home).  I stood around nervously & awkwardly for a while (because that is my standard M.O.) and snapped a picture for my 30 Day Challenge.

Sunset

And then the race started!  There were huuuge pyrotechnic torches that exploded flames into the air, but I'd already put my camera away for the race, so I missed out on the opportunity to snap a pic of those.  I put my headphones in and as soon as I crossed the start line, I started my Nike+ app on my iPod and I was off.  The road we started on was really uneven, due to some roadwork.  So I was focusing really hard on not tripping and also not running over/being run over by other runners.  It took a while for the congestion to ease up and I was pushing myself pretty hard.  The only mile marker I remember seeing was one for the first half mile.  After that, either I was oblivious or there weren't any.  So I wasn't really sure how I was doing and I didn't want to look at my Nike+ app because I wanted to conquer my lazy mentality.  

I definitely started slacking in the middle, but then suddenly I was to the Stone Arch Bridge and I knew all I had left to do was cross the bridge and make the final sprint to the finish line.  So I gave it EVERYTHING I had and pushed myself so hard.  I was passing people left & right.  I was breathing really hard & pumping my arms and legs.  

And then there was the finish line!  And there was a big laser light show going on around it!  And I really dug in and sprinted to the finish!  And I crossed it!  And turned off my Nike+ app!  And promptly felt like puking!  I did not, in fact, vomit.  But I took that as a sign that I had pushed myself to my limit.  I've never felt so physically ill after running a race before. But then the runner's high kicked in and I pretty much floated down to the water buckets & the food line.  And then I remembered to grab another photo for my 30 Day Challenge.

A Smile

Torchlight 5k 2011

And guess what y'all.  I finished in 28 minutes, 54 seconds!  That's a solid minute & 6 seconds UNDER my goal and a good 2 minutes, 16 seconds under my previous best.  I felt amazing!  I pushed myself and I did it!  It was a great feeling!  I wandered over to the afterparty where I got my beer wristband and choked down enjoyed 2 cups of MGD 64 before wandering back home to shower.

I was a hot & sweaty mess, but I was incredibly proud of myself.  The next race on my agenda is going to be a half marathon in October.  I haven't made any goals for that aside from actually finishing, but next summer I plan to beat this year's time on my 5k!

Face in Protest

I'm still working on packing up all my worldly possessions.  I am rather impressed that ALL of my remaining clothes fit into one giant suitcase.  And I can actually lift said suitcase.  Which is good, because I will have to haul it up a flight of stairs to my new place NEXT WEEK!  Y'all, I cannot WAIT to move.  Today & tomorrow are my last days off before my parents fly up from Tennessee and the Moving Extravaganza begins.  I have to be out of my current place by noon on the 31st, so the plan is to get everything out on the 30th, so all we have to do on the 31st is a bit of cleaning.  Plus, I'm going to set my Momma to cleaning on the 30th because she is a Clean Person who is good at cleaning.  And I am not.  I've been pre-cleaning today and I've swept up enough cat hair to build another Stella.  It's been hiding under the bed & in corners & behind my vanity and collecting together into Ginormous Dust Bunnies.  I'm mildly allergic to dust, so I've been sneezing & my eyes have been watering and it sucks.  My face is in protest of this moving business.

I still haven't been putting together any sort of outfits before leaving the house, but I HAVE been puttering along at my 30 Day Photo Challenge.

Pretty Pattern

This is the pattern on my Liberty of London for Target dress that I bought at Fake Target for $10.  Fake Target is a part of a Salvation Army here in Minneapolis that sells Target deadstock & samples. This dress is a sample, so it doesn't have any tags, but it fits like a glove.  I cannot wait to find an excuse to wear it.

Trees

This is the view from the revolving bar in a Doubletree hotel in Washington D.C.  I was there on a layover and my crew & I decided to go up for a drink during happy hour.  It cost me $4 for a Yuengling, but the view was worth it!

Yesterday's photo eluded me, because I was way to tired to wander out around sunset time.  Waking up at 3:30 am for 3 days in a row will do that to a girl.  I slept in today until 8:30 just because I could.  For now, the rest of my day looks to be full of packing & dusting & sneezing.  Tomorrow evening is the make-up date for my 5k that was cancelled in July.  I'll probably post some pics of my awesome Race Day Outfit because I can't look like a slob when I run.  I coordinate.

Holy Hannah

Y'all, I am finally ALL CAUGHT UP on this 30-Day Photo Challenge.  Phew.  I'm glad I only have 10 days left of it.  I'm going to try very hard to actually just take each photo on its assigned day, instead of taking them out of order or all at once, which I've been doing.  In a few months, I may even give this another go.  But for now, I'm just going to enjoy being caught up!

Flowers

For whatever reason, taking a simple shot of some flowers proved to be my most annoying assignment.  I think part of the problem was that I didn't have my camera with me on my run the other day when I came across some gorgeous blooms and when I had my camera with me, the only flowers I came across were a bit on the boring side.  At least the color is vibrant!

My Shoes

2011 will forever be known as The Year of the Purge for me.  I've been tossing stuff left & right.  I've donated around 300 items to friends & charity and at least 20 pairs of shoes.  I've pared my wardrobe down to about 75 items and I've got about 20 pairs of shoes remaining.  I posted a picture of the surviving shoes on Facebook and in doing so, noticed that I had absolutely NO colorful shoes, aside from my running shoes.  I decided to fix that.  The leopard wedges are from Marshall's and the turquoise flats/wedges are from Target.  So far I love them both very, very much.

What I Ate

Chipotle, glorious Chipotle.

On the Shelf

I've already packed up my books, so I shot this on a trip down to Barnes & Noble this afternoon.  I do love a good cookbook.

In my Bag

I felt like Ally Sheedy's character in The Breakfast Club as I was setting this all out.  In no particular order, my bag contained the following:  wallet, day planner, book (Ape House by Sara Gruen), my passport, a coupon for a free drink at Starbucks, my Metro Transit pass, 4 ink pens, a tube of hand lotion, a tube of blister preventing something-or-other, a tiny mini package of gummy bears that was a gift from a child on one of my flights, blotting papers, tissues, my camera case, 4 lipsticks & a lip balm, 2 Georgia State Lottery tickets redeemable for 2 free tickets, my cell phone, an eye mask, a package of bandaids, a travel brush, toothbrush & toothpaste and finally, my iPod.  Holy crap.  That seems like just way too much stuff.

Where I Slept

I love my bed.

What I Read

Although, "read" is being kind.  I really just flipped through & looked at the pictures.  I have a subscription to Marie Claire, but I don't think I'll be renewing it anymore.  It's become rather disappointing.  I used to always be able to count on Marie Claire to let me feel at least a little intelligent for a fashion magazine.  But now it just irritates me more than entertains me.

Aaaaaand we're done.  I'm off on a 3-day trip tomorrow, but I'll try to update from the road with the Pic o' the Day!

Working Girl

I've been flying the last three days, so I've been a bit busy.  But last night I happened to get a long, lovely Madison layover and my boyfriend's sister was kind enough to come out with me & my crew!  We had a lovely time at a place called The Old Fashioned where I had the exact kind of cheeseburger I've been craving for months, tasty tasty French fries, some fantastic dark beer and some amazing cheese curds!  My stomach wasn't terribly pleased w/ all the grease this morning, but I still managed to get in a 5 mile run AND a Starbucks run!  I'm still working on catching up on my 30 Day Photo Challenge, but I am still not giving up, so good for me!  I've also got a post about rompers in the mix for you.  For now, here are days 12 & 13!

Close Up

This is the latch on one of my beverage carts.  Sometimes I try to be a bit artsy-like.

From a Distance

It's kind of hard to tell in the small-size photo, but that is Air Force One.  President Obama happened to be in Minneapolis the other day and I happened to be hanging out at a gate with a good view of it.  This is actually the 4th time I've seen Air Force One since Obama became president.  I joke that he's stalking me.  Really, Barack, it's just getting sad now.

Perseverance!

I am not giving up!  I just keep getting behind.  The idea was obviously to update every day with a new photo, but clearly that's not been happening.  Some of them have been done out of order, but that's okay.  The only rule in this for me is to complete each prompt!  And I'm doing that!

Technology!

I've been busy busy busy packing up my apartment for my impending move.  I discovered these gems in a box.  Two of the floppies bear the title "Sarah's Bday Pics '97" so that gives you an approximate time stamp.  I'm considering searching out an A-drive just to find out what's on my super secret private disk!

Faceless Self Portrait

I worked on this one in my hotel room in Anchorage, Alaska last week.

Something I Made

Another moving find.  This was a copy of a drawing, but I was still very proud of myself for actually getting the shading right and for making it look like a foot.  And yes, I was proud of it enough to put it in a frame.  It used to hang in my old bathroom.

Something Fun

Dance party in my living room, in my mess of things to be packed and things to be donated.  See that stack of books?  Those are all to be donated.  I cannot believe I"m giving up so many books.  I usually cling to them.  But for the most part, those are all books I've picked up on airplanes or in inflight or they've been passed on to me by other flight attendants.  Most of them are pretty trashy reads, nothing I plan to re-read.  So it's time they find new homes! 

Today's photo prompt is "close-up" so we'll see what I can rustle up for that.  In the meantime, it's time to refill my iced coffee and get to packing up the remaining books, then clean my bathroom and sort through my entryway cupboard.  I've been super productive which means I generally means I haven't been getting dressed.  Yesterday I never even put on a bra.  The only reason I'm wearing a bra & pants today is because I took out all of yesterday's trash.

Also, you should watch this video because I've been listening to this song on repeat for the last week.  The video is kind of sick & twisted, but I love Love LOVE the song.

Headed up North...WAY up North!

I'm still playing catch-up with this 30 Day Photo Challenge.  It's been harder than I thought it would be, and I keep getting frustrated with myself.  This whole thing was supposed to be an exercise in creativity for me but it just keeps throwing in my face how uncreative I am.  I don't feel like I have an "eye" for these sorts of things.  I look at my photos and I feel so underwhelmed.  It's the same feeling I've had any time I attempt something creative.  I'm very, very tempted to just give up.  But I'm going to persevere & keep throwing up these photos until I start liking what I see.  Or until the end of the month.

Favorite color:

This is my vanity, which I painted a glossy bright pink.  I've been getting frustrated with my camera during this project too, because it doesn't do a very good job of capturing colors accurately and all my images just look flat.

Someone I love:

This is Stella, my baby cat.  She has improved the quality of my life beyond words.

Childhood memory:

This is my big teddy bear.  I got him on my 5th birthday and he's been a cherished companion ever since.  He sits at the end of my bed.

Something new:

This one doubles as an outfit post!  I took this on my walk to a friend's BBQ.  I had that look on my face because I can never seem to get the bus situation right to get to her house.  I'd missed one bus, walked to the next, then got on the wrong bus and got off and had to walk like 8 blocks out of my way.  Luckily I was wearing my GUESS wedges which are ridiculously comfortable, despite adding a good three or four inches to my height.  I was toting a dozen cupcakes in the red bag and a batch of Margarita ice cream in the black lunchbag.  Both desserts contained liberal amounts of tequila, which is ALWAYS a good thing, in my book.  The new item in this picture is the tank top, by the way.

Bonus picture of boozy cupcakes:

I didn't take this picture though.

And now that I've got this post up and out of the way, I can finish getting ready for my trip.  I'm headed up to Anchorage, Alaska tonight!  I don't know any of the other people on my crew, but I'm sure it'll be fun.  I'm committing myself to working out on this trip, as I really need to get back on the horse if I'm still going to run that half-marathon in October.  And I really want to do that!

Ketchup

Days 1-3 of the 30 Day Photo Challenge

All taken on my walk yesterday!

Stay tuned later for today's entry for the 30 Day Photo Challenge!

Memory like a Goldfish

So.  You may have noticed that it is August 3rd.  And my 30 Day Photo Challenge was supposed to start August 1st.  And there are still no photos up.  Yep.  Life (or rather my job) got in the way and I forgot.  Plain as that.  But!  I'm not giving up.  I took my camera on an outing today to catch up.  And realized I'd left the memory card in my computer.  No biggie, I thought, I'll just save the photos to the internal memory and transfer them to the card later.  I could do that with my old camera.  Apparently not with this one.  I need a cord.  And out of the zillion cords I already own, I don't have the correct one.  Sometimes I love technology.  This is not one of those times.  But no worries.  I am still not giving up.  I'll get a cord tomorrow and upload the three photos I took today and the photo I'll take tomorrow.

In the meantime, I'm going to make this margarita ice cream for a cookout tomorrow!  I'll let you know how that goes too!