Stone Fruit

I'm a big fan of stone fruit; particularly peaches.

And, is it me, or do they taste better the thinner you cut the slices?

These are the things I ponder. I ponder while eating peaches.

xo,

Will Run... for Coffee

Oh yes, you heard right!

This morning 730 am on a Sunday morning I participated in the Java to Java 5k with Sarah & Rachel.

Got up at 6 to be out the door at 615 when Sarah arrived at my apt. We carpooled to the event. On the way there milestones were made:

1. I ate the breakfast of champions: kettle corn & pork jerky. I hadn't prepared & had a protein/banana from home. So I figured the kettle corn as my carb & sugar & jerky as protein. Like I said, bfast of champs.

2. Almost cracked a tooth + got busted: as I drove & ate, stuffing my face with carnival snacks, all while listening to SheDaisy <---- wow. I didn't know myspace still existed, I rolled my jaw whilst bitting down on the popcorn. Here's the got busted moment.

• K: oh my gosh - this popcorn is amazing!
• S: wow - i'm pretty impressed that you're eating that
• K: rolled jaw
• K: rolled down window, spit, spit, spit.
• S: what are you doing?
• K: I'm eating the breakfasts of champions! don't ruin my momentous victory over pre-racing food!
• S: wow, sorry. I didn't mean to call you out on your ish. LOLOL
• K: I rolled my jaw on the popcorn - don't notice the failure.
• S: Didn't know you were trying to be stealth.
• K: covers mouth, spit, spit, spit <---- that's me being stealth LOLOL

this is a true (in order of events) yet semi fictional 

(exact wording) story. i'm horrible at retelling stories - so take what you want from it. 

3. Drove to Del Oro park, by way of Clearwater & Dunedin. We drove 18 minutes out of the way of the race event location

4. Completed registration just when the blow horn blew. 

5. Had EIA attack @ Mile 2 = way better than last race. :( that I had an EIA attack

6. Shaved 10 minutes off my completion time :D

7. Had, what would equal to, 6 cups of coffee as a victory drink! (don't yell at me for drinking a dehydrant)

 .attempt #1 at running & taking pics.

 .attempt numero dos.

.sarah vb, me, & rachel s. = standing still

Completed in 47.43. 

Oh, and milestone #8: I am now a self-proclaimed Happiness Coach. You can pay me in coffee or actual money. 

xo, 

                                 

And who doesn't like carrots & cake?

I'm a blog stalker. And I'm also one of those rare jems that clicks 95% of all links from the people I follow on Twitter.

So, here's my mini review of the fun, interesting, weird, thought-provoking things I discovered on the internets this past week:

Nerd Fitness // Post: Get the **** Over It

http://www.nerdfitness.com/blog/2012/08/16/get-over-it/

How many times have I guilt tripped myself over eating a piece of candy or the whole dang bag! Get the **** Over It! I'm digging this new trend that Nerd Fitness so lovingly pointed out.

Carrots N Cake // New Blog&Twitter Discovery

http://carrotsncake.com/

@carrotsncake

A blog about healthy living & the like. I like her humor. The author is down to earth. She took her health by the horns & I can relate on a lot of levels. And who doesn't like carrots or cake?

Bit.ly // A [Late] Discovery

https://bitly.com/u/o_7beasrojf6

My mother always complained about my style when I was growing up. I remember shopping for new school clothes & she'd point things out for me to try... "It's in fashion this year" ... "You'll look cute in that"... I never liked what was in style. I guess a mother with a fahsion background would be perplexed with a daughter who didnt want to keep up with the times. I'd always like the sturrup strap leggings 2 years later, the scrunchies the spring after their debut. I guess it goes the same with common websites.

Well, off to the weekend :)

xo,

The Fruit of Perserverence

So the past 33 days - I spent my prayer time preparing for a Consecration to Jesus, through Mary.

It's a devotion to Jesus: learning more about Him, coming closer to Him, and giving more love & devotion to Him - all through His Mother. They call it a consecration because you make an oath you know, the God swearing kind. In the old testament - when you broke an oath, you died. Hard core - not a promise I say I'm going to do something, but I'm not binding myself to it. Not hard core.

I used an app on my phone. You know me & apps. It's called iPieta. The best $2.99 you'll spend as a Catholic with a smart phone.

Large side note: It has devotions, prayers, the Bible, all the encyclicals by all Popes, Catechism, Bible commentary, writing of the most well known saints, novenas, and a hell of a lot more. To find the Consecration online click here.

Back to my story.... so I spent the last 33 days doing these prayers. Most days, I didnt understand the commentary. Most days, it didn't register in my heart, what my meditations were trying to tell me. See, I'm a convert to Catholicism. I wasnt rasied with Mary though most Catholics dont really understand Mary anyways. I can explain Her, Her roles, Her virtues, Her everything because my brain gets it. But my heart didn't. And finally - on day 33 - we approached the explaination of the Tree of Life.

And then it clicked. see what perserverence gets you?!  I'll go into the Tree of Life at a later post. And if you're already in the know, then you know already :)

Today I made my Consecration prayers. I plan on getting a chain this upcoming week.

Dont think I'm pius. It only took me 8 years & 5 attempts to complete this devotional.
xo,

My Workout "Tunes"

Today I was scheduled for a 30 minute bike ride. I got in 4 miles if you were wondering ;-)

After pulling my bike from the back of my Jeep (Emily is her name - and no, I don't have a bike rack yet sigh) I readied my iPhone to monitor my time & GPS.

As with any workout, we all like to listen to music. Today was no different - I wanted tunes but couldn't decide what to listen to. And, after 30 more seconds of thought, I realized I hadn't gotten today's prayers in yet.

Last race (St. Pete Beach 5K - July 23) I ran with my friend Amy - we said the Rosary aloud. I used it as a pace setter. And it worked great too; until my EIA kicked in.

But.... no rosary today. I'm biking. So I turned on the good ol' Catholic radio app to see what they had playing.

CATHOLIC APOLOGETICS. ding ding ding!! I was all over that! Being a convert & a sociology major emphasis in religion,  I love learning about my faith, growing stronger in it, and to remark on the college degree - I love learning about why people believe what they do. World religion + conversion is my fav. I could listen to people all day long. As I hustled up the hills on the trail - Catholic Answers Live came on. The 1 hour series is hosted by an assortment of people. Lay persons (not of religious community), priests, sisters, scientists, scholars, professors, etc. The show is remarkable! It's premise is that a caller can chime in about any question they have about Catholicism - either with intrigue about their own faith or in attempts to argue their beliefs against the Church. Aaannnddd - the most remarkable - they really mean open forum. You'd think that if they were trying to be bias, they'd only talk the calls from people who agree with the Church, host, etc. Oh no... they take the bashers too.

Here's a link to my favorite app: iCatholic Radio. Cleverly named Station of the Cross.

http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/icatholicradio-1-mobile-catholic/id370685543?mt=8 

Note:: It's not just apologetics & call in radio. This app features EWTN Radio & Ave Maria Radio. During the day, they have prayers, bible study, apologetics, and other series.

Enjoy!

xo,

My Week

So, this past week has been down, up, fun, ironic, & educational. <----- as life is defined.

.I'm back in high school - but with way better glasses.

Down: I was given an inhaler by my doctor for my EIA. oh yea - exercise induced asthma. It's a pain in the butt - but the labels to make you feel better by stating that "Professional Athletes at Olympic level train & compete with EIA". Awesome! So EIA Inhaler = Olympic Athlete?

.the bull.

Up & Fun: Girls night at the Bull. Sarah & I got together about a month ago over a cup of joe, as she reviewed Alba Coffee for her column. We talked about what all girls talk about - How awesome Goyte's new song is & how stupidly addicting Call Me, Maybe? is. Seriously- that song is stupid but I cant turn the station. In the midst of .....it's hard to look right, at you baby.... line dancing came up. We discovered that both of us liked to line dance but hadnt gone in years. This would be a good turning point for a date. Last Friday we went, along with my friend Ashley to the Dallas Bull. Here are the highlights:

• Stayed up til 130am - it doesnt seem late for a bar, but I had to wake up at 6 the next morning.
• I have the same rythmn I had in 1st grade tap class = NONE.
• Men using Under Armor as t-shirts is grostesque. I'm glad I'm not in the dating ring anymore. I love you Husband xo.
• I can eat a burger in 2.5 minutes - if my life depended on it or if I'm hangry.

.devouring that burger like my life depended on it. photo courtesy of Sarah VB

Ironic & Educational: I attended a health conference on THE FEMALE ATHLETE. The reason I had to wake up at 6 am. The program said breakfast & lunch provided. I think that I could add an extra couple of lines to Alanis Morissette's song:

The girls arrived at quarter to 8,

Breakfast included a danish she ate.

The talks on nutrition for the training athlete

Lunch included a full size Snickers bar to make it complete.

Isn't it ironic, don't you think

 .irony at it's finest.

Breakfast: Bagels, danishes, muffins. I had to actually go to the front desk & begged the consierge for an apple. Here's proof from my time stamped Twitter feed because I know you're thinking I'm not that health conscientious: 

Kristina Markford ‏@knmarkford

Left the conference food servers to grab the apple I saw at the front desk. #irony : serving cakes at a athlete conference. 7:58 AM - 4 Aug 12

And then lunch was worse.....

Kristina Markford ‏@knmarkford For lunch at a health seminar: white bread sandwiches, potato chips & soda. #irony 12:45 PM - 4 Aug 12

For a health conference - I'd figure salad, or juice, or something. I guess the planning committee didnt plan food.

.the paperwork from a 7 hour seminar - that's a 2 inch binder people.

It was a great conference. I learned a lot & I felt like I was back in college - which I enjoyed. I actually liked research & writing.

Oh, and I forgot AWESOME:

.what's the world coming to?.



Priests have Twitter too. I LOVE IT! Fr. Malley is a local Tampa priest ( and previously Husband's physical education instructor & teacher). Well I'm off... the FL Advisory Weather Board for Hillsborough County just informed me: "Don't Drown". I gotta go work on that.

xo,

The Most Awesome Picture of Mary... Ever

. love it .

xo,