Sparkly Sparkle

How about that for a super girly title... one thing I'm totally not is girly.  Yes, I like pink, but that's the extent of my girly-ness.  I'd pick flats over heels and jeans over skirts any day.   But... there are some things every now and then that are totally girly that I love.

**GUYS... DON'T LEAVE JUST YET.  I HAVE A GIVEAWAY AT THE END OF THIS AND IF YOU ENTER AND WIN, YOU WILL HAVE A FREE VALENTINE'S DAY GIFT THAT YOUR WIFE-GIRLFRIEND-MOM-SISTER-WHOEVER WILL LOVE!  I'M LITERALLY DOING THE SHOPPING FOR YOU.  YOU ARE WELCOME!  :)**

Okay, thanks for continuing to read. :)

So my new obsession are the no slip headbands from Sparkly Soul.  When I got my hair cut back in August way too long ago, the stylist talked me into bangs.  They are totally in I guess (uh, yeah.  I have no fashion sense at all so I wouldn't know this).  I believed her and she chopped away, promising me that they wouldn't be so short that I couldn't put them back in the ponytail that I wear on a daily basis.

She lied.

So I find that I need to wear a headband when I do anything to keep said bangs from plopping themselves in my eyes.  Finding one that doesn't make my head feel like it's in a vice was my first problem.  The second came when I finally found some that wrapped around and they slipped.  Ugh

Sparkly Soul headbands are GREAT.  They come in a thick and thin width and have a velvet back so they don't move.  And I'm telling you, these bad boys stay in place.  I wear them... well all the time.  I have a pink one (because see, I do dabble in the girl stuff) and silver.  They are awesome.

 

 

 

Lola (the fabulous Jen's adorable daughter) would be so proud.  Check out this video when she reminds you all to stay pretty and fix your headband like her.

So you want to join the cool club and get a headband or two?  PERFECT

Sparkly Soul has graciously offered to let me give one of my blog readers two headbands (a thick and a thin) in the color of their choice. Here's how you can enter (please leave a separate comment for each)

1. Become a follower of Irondiva (If someone becomes a follower and tells me that you sent them, I'll give you an extra entry)
2. Follow me on "The Twitter" (@cbkingery)
3. Head over to www.sparlysoul.com and tell me what you love
4. Leave me a comment telling me how good I look considering I'm turning a year older on Sunday :)
5. Link to this giveaway on your blog

And guys, I said that you should enter so that you can give them to your favorite women, which is great.  But maybe you'll love them and you don't have to tell us that you secretly wear them. :)

Winner will be chosen at random on Monday February 6th.  I was given these products at no cost from Sparkly Soul and the opinions expressed about the products are truly my opinions. :)

Home is where my heart is...

And as of February 27th, we'll have a new house to call home! :)

I couldn't have been more excited then on Thursday, 4.5 hours into my drive to Atlanta, when our realtors called and said that the bank had accepted our offer on the house we really wanted.  We had totally planned our future in this house so I'm glad that I didn't have to go through any heartache!  It's been a long journey to get there (I know, I know.. it's only been like 2.5 months and that I'm such a baby, but this is my blog and my life and I can honestly say that it felt like an eternity), but we are happy to know we won't be homeless in a month.

I'm excited to make this house our home.  For those of you that have been to our Delaware house, you'll know that we took a run down 1905 house and completely revamped it to be "us".  Anyone that came in always said "this house is so Tom and Colleen".  And we have big plans to make the new house truly "ours".

If home is where the heart is, I'm in luck... I LOVE this house!!!

11 things tag

This is going around! :)  And Marcia at The Studly Runner tagged me so here we go:

1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. No stuff in the tagging section about you are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!

The 11 things about me:
1. I've totally furnished a guest room of a house that I don't have yet! :)
2. I went shopping today and spent $93, but saved $684!
3. My birthday is in two weeks and I'm celebrating by watching the Super Bowl.
4. I'm addicted to the Bachelor this season and I can't stand him... or the girls.
5. I love J-Lo and Steven Tyler on American Idol.
6. I learned the hard way that the gym at 3:30 in the afternoon is the highschool hangout (like, O.M.G) 

7. My sister, who teaches high school, should be sainted. 

8. I hate the snow, but was so excited to see it come down on Friday.  It can leave any day now.
9. I'm so glad that bathingsuit season never really hits me.
10. Although if I had the chance, I'd don one right now so that I could be at a beach!

11. My hubby is the best! (Let's see if he reads this... um... I don't think so!)

 

Answers to Marcia's Questions

1. Do you have any pets? - Yep, two dogs, Buddy and Charlie
2. Most embarrassing moment? - Hum... I don't know.  It's funny because I honestly can't remember something that totally sticks out to me.  I guess I've done so many dumb things in life! :)
3. Favorite brand of running gear? Brooks or C9 from Target!
4. Dream vacation? I'd love to go back to the French Polynesian and stay in a hotel with the huts on the water.
5. Dream race? Any in which I can put my toes in the sand with an umbrella drink the next day! :)
6. Favorite GU flavor? Not a gu fan, but I love Watermelon Gu Chomps!
7. Snow ski or water ski? Snow skiing
8. Do you get a flu shot? Yep
9. Gold, sterling silver or platinum? Ha... on my budget, sterling silver
10. What grade in school did you enjoy most? Least? Hum... I was a total dork and liked school, but probably 5th grade best because I was in a gifted program where I got to leave the school a few days a week and take special classes where we just did all kinds of projects.  Least - hum... maybe 2nd grade when I moved in the middle of the school year.
11. How often do you get a haircut? Not nearly often enough - maybe every 4-5 months.

Questions for the people I tagged:

1. Where is one place in the world you'd love to travel?

2. What one food could you eat for every meal?

3. If you were a super hero, what power would you possess?

4. If you won the lottery, would you still work?

5. You are stranded on a deserted island... what three things do you have with you?

6. If you could bring one person to the island, who would it be?

7. What's your favorite holiday?

8. What movie could you watch over and over and over?

9. How many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop?

10. Would you rather be really hot or really cold?

11.  If you could change just one thing about yourself, what would it be?
 
And finally here's who I tagged:

Kim

BDD

Molly

Laura

Christi

Jen

Wes

Carole

Karen

Matty-O

Matt

There... now you can't say that you don't have anything to blog about! :)  Check back this week for a giveaway! :)

I'll wait

Patience is something that I'm learning I lack, but generally need in this whole moving process.  A lot of people had asked what's going on with our transition to Atlanta and well, I wish I had more to give you.  Last Friday, we closed on the house here in Delaware.  As of midnight, we were officially renters of our home.  Super exciting news in this economy is that we sold our house in less than 60 days and were able to get 98% of our asking price for the house.  That was a huge relief.

The not so exciting news is that we have been through the ringer with Atlanta houses.  We've put seven (SEVEN PEOPLE) offers in on houses and all have fallen through for reasons that were out of our control.  Literally one seller took $15,000 less than we were offering so that she could close 17 days sooner. It's to the point where our realtors actually call and say "we are so sorry that this is happening to you again and again".  Awesomesauce!

I know that I need to be patient, but this saying couldn't be more true!

We find things we like.  We just find things that other people like faster.

We have an offer in on a house right now and have been countering with a bank for over a week.  They aren't so quick to respond - they own it and obviously aren't that concerned with getting rid of it.  I don't know how long I have it in me before I walk away and start the process of searching again.  I don't know how much energy I have left in me to continue this process though. We have until the end of February to rent our house in Ohio.  Then we have to move.

We really want this house.  And I'll continue to wait...

My New Naked

You all know me as Irondiva.  Or maybe the girl that started the naked racing craze (ha... right, I totally wish that I could take credit for it but I really just left my watch at home and my bike computer was broke.  I'm sure tons of people run without electronics, but let me have my moment).  I learned to love racing naked last year - it took some time to get used to.  I mean, I didn't have all the data telling me when I was dying and how short or long the course was (it's Ohio people... the courses are NEVER accurate).  But I loved learning about my body and what "pushing it" felt like.  I went as fast as my legs and arms took me.  Most of my races, that was fast enough for a PR or a podium spot in my age group (again, people, it's Ohio... and central Ohio at that, I'm not claiming to be really good here).

But then came training.  I literally want to know every detail.  How far did I run?  How fast did I run?  When I ran that same course 3 days ago, and the sun was shining a shade brighter and it was 3:17pm versus 5:46 pm, was I faster or slower (and if I slower this time around, I must surely be getting worse and maybe I should retire from the sport).  I logged into MapMyRun religiously after every run.  My bike computer was reset before each ride.  I counted every lap in the pool (my pool is 19 meters and I've perfected counting up to 200 laps).  I had excel charts and graphs in pretty colors and summaries of each discipline, each month, each year.

I was neurotic about it to be quite honest.  And honestly, it didn't mean anything to me.  I used it to critic myself when in fact, I knew nothing about the data that I was getting from it.

So when I started training with Coach Sharpie and we started this HR stuff (yes! another piece of data that I can meticulously dissect), I was a bit surprised when she told me to try to just wear the HR monitor and not focus on distance or pace. 

Say what crazy lady?  How am I supposed to fill in my excel chart without the time, distance, and pace of every workout?

But I've been doing it and you know what?  It's freeing...  I actually have that freeing feeling again.  I run for time (and drills).  I bike for time (and drills).  I swim for time (and drills).  And when the workout is done, I know two things - how many minutes I worked out and what my average HR was.  And that's it.  I don't obsess with how many laps I ran at the gym (remember, that track is 9 laps to a mile and I've counted up to 15 miles so you can imagine how freeing just that aspect of it could be), how many up and backs I did in the pool, or how far I didn't really go on the bike since it's stationary.  It doesn't matter right now. 

Maybe that's why I don't mind this HR training.  It may be slower than I'm used to running and biking, but my mind can just go blank.  I'm not thinking about the last workout I did and comparing it. I'm really enjoying every session. 

My new naked is just me and my HR monitor.  Not really naked in most people's eyes, but extremely naked for a girl who's been obsessed with numbers that really had very little meaning for last few years.

I believe...

On Tuesday I did my first training test for Coach Sharpie... my HR test.   After what seemed like a plethora of mishaps leading up to it (I won't tell you about all the things that should have pointed me in the direction of doing it another day), I found myself at the track doing my prescribed workout.  In the pouring down rain.

But it went well, despite some technological mishaps (I'm telling you, someone must have been doing voodoo on me somewhere in the world...) but I was able to get the numbers that Sharpie wanted.  Success. 

After giving her my data, Sharpie very calmly explained (in a great way that incorporated pizza... I knew she was the perfect coach) that I've been cooking the edges of my crust and not letting my insides cook properly.  It made sense... that's what I've always done.  She said "heart rate training is hard.  You are going to be running and biking slow.  You will get frustrated.  You will question what I'm doing.  Believe in the process".  Fitting that she says this... if you remember this post, I got an Endorphin Warrior Training Bracelet recently with my chosen word and new motto for 2012... BELIEVE.

And I do believe in the process.  Even after getting my HR zones and being told where I will be training for the next few weeks, I didn't freak out (okay, I kind of freaked out a little, but it wasn't bad).  I believe that Sharpie knows her stuff.  I believe that she's going to make me a better athlete.  I believe that she will teach me a million things in the process.

And after talking to Tom about it all over lunch, today's "aha" moment came (I think I'm going to have a lot of these working with Sharpie).  So for the last three or four years, I've done no heart rate training.  None.  I have a great watch with all the functions of HR training, but I don't use it.  Our training has always been together, with me going hard in hopes of "getting better" and Tom along side of me, never seeming to put out as much effort.  I always said to him "you are holding back to train with me and you'd be so much better if you just went at your pace", but he never left my side.  Come race day, I've not had the ability to go hard without dying.  Tom gets faster with what seems like little effort in training.  It baffled my mind for so long.  And yet, after one conversation with Carole and it all makes sense. You see, he's been cooking his crust at a slow, even pace.  He's building his aerobic engine every time we train together.

And now it's my turn to make my crust better.  I haven't even really full on started training with my coach (that "officially starts" on Monday), but I already see what I've been missing.  It's going to be a great year.

I do believe.

And yes Sharpie, game on!

Seven Atlanta "things"

Kevin at Ironman by Thirty knows that I've been kind of in a blogging funk lately (aka, I don't do anything but ramble when I do actually post and my brain just can't think of anything exciting to write about).  So he tagged me in a post in which I have to list 7 things that I'm looking forward to in Atlanta.  This should be easy!!!

1.)  Roads with undulations.  I love the fact that I live in the country and can get to an empty road in 3 miles, but... there aren't any hills.  This is a typical road in Delaware and while pretty, just doesn't do anything for making me a better biker!

2.) The sports teams... just think of all the new things Tom and I can do on "date" night.  As a matter of fact, we're going to see the Atlanta Hawks play the Chicago Bulls when we are there in two weeks!  YAY for professional sports teams!

 3.) Chick-fil-a on every corner.  I love me some Chick-fil-a.   I love the way the company is run.  I love the people that work there.  I love their chicken sandwiches and their waffle fries.  I probably won't love the amount of weight I will gain from having one on every corner though. 

4.) The history.  The south has so much rich history and I'm excited to learn more about it.  Tom and I love that Delaware is an old town... by that I mean the main street has most of the original buildings, many of which just by looking at, you can imagine what is looked like in the 1800's.  There's something really cool about what makes a city and I know that Atlanta has an amazingly extensive history that we get to explore.

5.) Learning all of the Peachtree streets and whatnot.  hehehe... I swear, every road you turn on is a Peachtree, or every shopping center is a Peachtree.  Should make things fun when giving directions - "turn left on Peachtree and then pass the Peachtree mall and then make a slight right on Peachtree, past Peachtree Church." 

6.) The close proximity to other cities - In Delaware, we are 2 hours from Cincinnati and 2 hours from Cleveland.  And while those two cities are fun, after 31 years, there isn't a whole lot new to see.  Within just  a few hours drive from Atlanta, I can go to Athens, Chattanooga, Augusta, Huntsville, Birmingham, Montgomery, Knoxville, Nashville, Charlotte and Savannah.  Hello lots of things to do!!!

7.) People want to come visit.  I've lived for 10 years in Delaware and although it's a lovely town, people aren't really quick to say "hey, I'd love to come visit".  When we tell people that we are moving to Atlanta, most of them say "I can't wait to come visit".  I am so excited to have people come here, be it to actually visit me or as a stop over on another trip, to come train with us or to escape the cold.  It will be fun to show all of my friends and family our new town!

Sometimes I get sad about leaving (for instance, yesterday, when I burst into tears at my family Christmas), but I realize that there are so many great things that lie ahead of me in Atlanta.  The possibilities are endless.  The adventures will be fun!

And luckily plane tickets are easy to buy if I miss my small town!