Back Where I Come From....Ten Years Later!

My ten year reunion just came and went! It is hard to believe that ten years ago I graduated from high school!  So much has happened within those ten years!  Went to college, figured out my way, moved to Florida, was in a car accident, moved back to Tennessee, taught at my high school for a year, started teaching middle school, met an amazing guy, found amazing friends, and am living the life I always wanted!  

Me, Heather Taylor White, Tara Graves, and Annie Calloway right before 9th grade.

I've spent some time trying to remember what it was like to be in high school. Some days it seems like it was a time far, far away and some days it seems like it can't be possible for ten years to have passed!  My days in high school are really not so different from today! I'm still at school all day and I'm still doing cheerleading and coaching tumbling after school!  Funny how that works!  

Annie and me cheering our senior year!

My favorite memories include watching Dawson's Creek religiously, Buffy the Vampire Slayer, sleepovers at Annie's, the Midtown Drive-In, the Gravel Pits, and 58 Landing, swim team in the summer, parties in my basement that mom and dad let me decorate myself, along with some help from friends!

Sleepover Sophomore year, we stayed up all night decorating the basement!

Growing up in a small town was really nice, although I think at the time you could not of convinced me of that!  I had a great four years in high school! I couldn't be prouder to say that I am from Kingston and than I went to Roane County High School! I watch Friday Night Lights every Friday and I think I do it because for one hour a week it let's me act like I'm still in high school!  Friday Night Lights is what high school was like for me, for all of us growing up in Kingston!

While much of life has stayed the same and all the things that needed to change have, some things have changed that I wish hadn't.  I miss my best friend more than anything.  Not because she's not around, she is, she lives in Kingston, but because I never thought I would see the day we wouldn't share.  It's okay and I know one day we may be as close as ever! There was a time when you didn't say NoelleandAnnie unless you said it as one word!

Annie and me graduation night!

I miss other friends too, but I guess that's part of growing up and changing.  There was a group of us that were inseparable and now, last Saturday was the first time we had seen each other since graduation!  Maybe part of celebrating your ten year reunion is realizing some of the great friends you need to reconnect with!

Much of The Crew back together again!

Saturday night was one of the best nights in I've had in the last ten years! I haven't laughed as much or as hard or enjoyed the company I was in, in a long time!  I look forward to the next time we all get together again!  The funny thing is, not much of us had changed all that much!  JB had made a comment about my watch band from high school (I always wore a Fat Eddy's watch band) and today, I still have the same watch band!  I guess it's true, you are who you are and there's not a lot in life that changes that!  

I'll post more pictures and recap of the night in my next post!  It's a night I will remember forever!

Sweaty Sunday!

This is how I spent Sweaty Sunday!





That's right, by the pool! Still counts, right? It was super hot and I did sweat!  I did come home and run 3 miles to make up for the lazy Sweaty Sunday!  My best friend Heather White called me up to go lay out by the pool with her and Pais at her friend's, Beth Moore, house!  Since it is my last Sunday of summer, I decided that it was okay to spend Sweaty Sunday by the pool! Plus, it was really great to hang out and catch up with Heather....it has been way too long!  We've been best friends since high school and kinda missed out on each other through college, but reconnected once we had both graduated and had moved back into the area!  One of the sweetest girls I know! And her little two year old is super cute and fun to be around!  So, again, I will try to do a better Sweaty Sunday next Sunday! I did run 8 miles yesterday, so...good enough!  I will leave you with a picture of me, Heather, and Pais from last summer....love those girls!

How did you spend your Sweaty Sunday?

And So It Begins!

Lots to update, but school has started back....nuff said!  Will post when I figure out what in the world I am doing!!!!!  Sweaty Sunday turned into Sweaty Sunday on Monday morning...just did 5!  Not so sweaty!  Will do better next Sunday! Things to look forward to:
1. Reason #56 why David Carter is the sweetest thing in the world
2. Recap of a full Sunday
3. Cheerios on Parade
More later! Have a great week!

Mine and Carter's true feelings about starting school!  Oh summer! Why did you have to end?

Sweaty Sunday!

Today marks the first Sweaty Sunday in the Money Talks world! Since I am listening to my doctor, and only doing short runs through out the week and saving my long runs for Saturday and/or Sunday, I decided to deem one of those days as the sweaty one! Sunday was picked because I don't normally run before church therefore, the running happens once the sun is beating down!  Saturdays I try to run early!  So...what did I do on the first Sweaty Sunday?  Well, sweat of course!  

Please notice the color difference of my pink tank! Yuck!

This is after a 7 mile run and a 3 mile walk!  All the while that bright, orange, hot thing up in the air was beating down on me!  I have beautiful tan lines from my knee brace too!  Just a perk from Sweaty Sunday!!!!  I did not run all 7 at once, it's been awhile since I've been healthy enough to run even 5 at once! I ran the first 5 and then took a gatorade break.  I have this huge fear of running in the heat and just passing out, so I take great care to stay hydrated! After 5, I walked 1, ran 1, walked 2, and ran the last 1.  Felt great! Of course this was followed by a nice icing session, calves, knees, and right hip, a cool shower, a little lunch and..... a 2 hour nap!  Pooped! Plus, I think part of Sweaty Sunday should be a little nappy poo!  

Enjoying the effects of Sweaty Sunday!

What did you do to part take in Sweaty Sunday? Carter played golf! I promise he returned sweaty and smelly!!!!!! Until the next Sweaty Sunday!

Back in the Saddle....Again...Again!

Well, the last couple of weeks have been rough(er) on my poor little legs! For the past two months I've had pain in my left calf.  It would be sore when I started running, but then work itself out and as long as no one touched it, pressed on it, stood on it (that would be you Ging!) I was okay.  Dr. Andy first thought it was strained and we did therapy on it, but this was after a month of pain.  I like to think that if I just keep going the pain will go away.  I am now changing that train of thought!  But, after about a month of therapy Dr. Andy said the calf was torn...not good.  I was instructed to take a week off...not something I can do easily, but I did a lot of biking (the $700 one!) and a lot of swimming.  Then, I was okayed to run again, but the plan was three miles Monday thru Friday and then my long runs on Saturday and Sunday.  No more random long runs during the week.  No more 8 miles on Monday, 10 on Tuesday, 5 on Wednesday, so on and so on.  I tend to forget that I am not exactly 100% healthy when it comes to my ability to run!  So, I did the three a day Monday thru Friday and then rested Saturday and ran 6 on Sunday.  Felt great! Calf wasn't in pain anymore!!!!  Sunday was really, really humid and hot and I really, really sweated a lot! So, I decided to febreeze my knee brace in the kitchen.  I didn't want it to smell (and Carter instructed me to not let it) like my last knee brace. Well, let this be a lesson to all of us...to febreeze in the kitchen is a big no-no!  I febreezed, I turned, I slipped, I fell, I ran into the wall!!!!  Not just into the wall, but the point where two walls meet! And not just me into the wall, but more specifically my left knee cap!!!!!! (At least it was my good knee?)  PAIN!!!! I cannot even tell you how painful it was and I have a very high tolerance for pain!!!  I didn't sleep Sunday night, could hardly walk, sit, bend, move Monday. Went to Dr. Andy on Tuesday and low and behold...I have a bone spur?  A bone spur in and of itself isn't too big of a deal.  A lot of times you have one and don't know it, but I have one on my knee (most likely from the car wreck) and when I ran into the wall, I hit it, which made it hit something else, which made that hit something else, thus the pain I was in!!!!  And again....no running!!!! AGH!!!!!  But, after therapy, ice, and rest I got to run tonight!!!!!!  And it felt great! I only did two...I can't even remember the last time I only did two, but I am trying to take care of me!  I iced, knees, calves, hips, everything afterwards!  Just trying to keep all those parts working properly!!!  Tomorrow, I will run more!  One might think that all of these would be seen as signs..not this little runner... just obstacles to overcome!!!! I heart running!!!!!

Right before Country Music Marathon!!!!

Attempt #532!

I don't even know why I act like I'm going  to really try my hand at blogging?!?!?!  As soon as I say I am going to....I don't! But, as the title says..here's attempt #532!  Here's my frustration with it:I can't figure out how to have cute headers and a cool blog! Is it because I have a mac?!?!  Which I did find that I have iweb...really cool...except you have to pay to have it published. Clearly, not what I need!  I can't keep up with a free one...no way I'm going to pay for something that I can't keep up with!


Here it goes! Lots has happened since my last post.  Last time I posted, I had just finished the Panther Prowl 5k...since then I've run three more, completed three triathlon sprints, gone to the beach, done two cheerleading camps, bought a $700 rode bike, and started summer tutoring five days a week for the rest of the summer!  Whew! What a summer!  


All my pictures aren't on my computer yet, let's just call me very lazy!  I will leave you with some pictures from the beach and a brief recap. Carter and I went the second week of June to Destin for five days! THE BEST VACAY EVER!!!!!  We had a blast!  It was so much fun and so relaxing!  We stayed at Seascape Resort...thank you Brad and Heather White....and loved it!  I ran each morning before Carter woke up and then we would pack up and head to the beach for the day!  Each night we would go out to eat: Pompano Joes, the Back Porch, AJs, The Crab Trap...yum, yum...cannot wait to go back!  And for the record...no oil!

Headed out to eat each night! My favorite restaurant was probably AJ's!  I did the whole fish sandwich every night thing again and loved it!  And yes, below that is a golf course and yes, I did play...not very well, but I did play a round of golf! So sore after though!!!!!

Until next post!  Which might be tomorrow or might be a month from now! Who knows?  

Panther Prowl

Got up bright and early on my first unofficial day of summer (doesn't officially start until Thursday morning, but three days without kids counts as the beginning!) to run in the Lenoir City Panther Prowl.  This is just a 5k and is put on by the LCHS Cross Country Team.

Me and my coffee at 7.30 a.m.  Great pre-race tradition!  I ate my powerbar on the way to the race and finished off the coffee in the car!  The race was supposed to start at 8.30 a.m., but that turned into 9 a.m.  I got there around 8.20 a.m. and was a little annoyed that I had to wait for so long! I hate waiting for races to start! I like to get there, check in and take off! But, oh well! They also had a kid's mile race, so we couldn't start until that was over!  It was really cute! There was one little girl who is only 4 years old and she ran the whole thing!  


All in all it was a good little 5k.  It was a double loop with a slight hill after mile one and right before the end of mile one, so that happens again after mile two and right before the end of the race. Nothing major, but a hill nonetheless!!!!  I ended up finishing second in my age division.  It wasn't my best time.  For a 5k my best is 27 minutes, but what can you do? The overall male winner ran it in 17 something! What? That'll be the day!  Off to a 7th grade pool party! Because that's how I roll on Saturdays!!!!!