I Figured Out Why Running Pants Are So Tight

Visible camel toe is an EXCELLENT motivator to run so fast your neighbors don't have time to notice it.

New Job... Again

I have some awesome, fantastic, and entirely amazing news. I have a new job! Started last Monday, actually. Where am I working now? Here's a not-so-subtle hint:

Yes, ladies (and gentlemen?) I am working for Red Hat. Which is a software company, and I am no software expert. Not even close. So what am I doing for them? Here's a diagram:

I just love diagrams. In a nutshell I will be providing wall graphics for our office spaces so that they are on brand (meaning they reflect the ideals and culture of the company) but also represent the local and regional culture of the office. Remember, Red Hat has offices all over the world so it's important to honor the local atmosphere.

How did I get such an awesome and perfect-for-me job? That is all thanks to my good friend Libby. She works for the Brand Communications team and when she heard about the job opening she emailed me and asked if I would be interested in a job that is a little bit architecture, a little bit interior design and a little bit graphic design. Yes, yes, and yes. This job seems to be perfect for me in every single way, so of course I had to get her a kick-ass thank you card to express my gratitude.

card by Fancy Seeing You Here

I'm a total nester so I wasted no time in personalizing my nook of the office. Home is where the art is.

I hate desk clutter. When I saw this little appetizer plate at Target for only $1.50 I knew it needed to come live on my desk and keep my glasses, phone, keys, etc in one place. I was right - it's perfect. I also snagged a red one for my nightstand for my glasses, watch, and earrings at the end of the day.

So, this also means I had to say goodbye to Home Depot. I felt bad leaving after only 3 months or so but, come on, the retail hours were killing me. Early mornings, late nights, weekends - not fun. It was wearing on the hubby too. He said that whenever I worked on the weekends it didn't feel like a weekend at all for him because he had to be 100% in charge of Luke making it hard to be relaxed or productive. Then when I was home during the week I had the same problem. To say I am looking forward to having a regular schedule and spending quality time with my family again is an understatement.

I'll be sure to keep you posted if I do anything awesome.

Running Is Harder Than It Looks

When you were a kid did you ever jump off of something - anything from a bed to a barn - thinking you could fly? In those first few seconds you believe you've pulled it off and then gravity inevitably kicks in. Of course you did. We all did.

Well, that's what running is like for me.

I start out of my driveway, and in that first minute I feel unstoppable. I have on my unnecessarily cute running clothes, my work-out playlist is cranked up, I'm taking in the view and - most importantly - someone else is watching my kid for a bit. Then my lungs speak up to remind me I have asthma and that this free-as-a-bird feeling is about to come to an end.

So despite the almost-instant letdown I keep telling myself that I love running and I am determined to make it love me back. In an effort to facilitate that romance I downloaded one of the many "Couch to 5K" apps to help whip my butt into shape. Even though the running app requires my phone I've been trolling craigslist for a cheap ipod shuffle because I hate having to hold my phone while I run. First world problem, I know.

Bunting Storage

Hey! Do you remember the bunting my gal pals and I made for my baby shower? Of course you do. Well it stayed hung up in my living room for quite some time but I finally took it down when I got all snazzy with my mantle over New Year's. For those of you keeping track that's about 18 months. Real classy.

Anyhoo, once the bunting was down I wanted to keep it for future use but didn't fold to crease it. So I wrapped it around a rinsed-out soda bottle and held it in place with thumb tacks. Genius, right?

OK, maybe not genius, but it is a cheap and clever solution.

Bedroom

I recently had a little money fall into my lap and we're juuust financially stable enough that my hubs reluctantly agreed to let me spend most of it on spiffing up our bedroom. You never have and never will see the 'before' of my bedroom because it was beyond embarrassing. The new-ish bed we still like, but everything else was terrible. I still like the vintage vanity but it doesn't really fit in the room - plus the hubby never really liked it - so it's finally on its way out. Our other 2 pieces of furniture I've never pretended to like - my childhood dresser (light wood, country chic) and his childhood dresser (dark wood, super traditional) don't match our aesthetic, the bed, or each other so they both have to go. I also learned the hard way that I don't like white bedding. Between the cat hair and body oils (gross!) it never looks clean enough so I'm replacing it, too. Throw in some new artwork and a pillow or two and I had made some major progress.

I was too busy/lazy to document the process as I went along so I'll do one big post once everything is in place. In the mean time I will tease you with this snapshot of the mini-gallery wall I put together over the (new) dresser. I'm in love.

My New Old Shoes

As daughters often do, I helped my mom clean out her closet last week. I want her to walk the fine line between old lady and trying too hard to look young. My main complaint with her wardrobe - which I have told her time and again - is her tendency to wear outfits that are too matchy. In my humble opinion, wearing matchy outfits is a tired trend and makes the wearer look old and frumpy. And my mother is NOT old and frumpy.

The upside to doing all that hard, tiring closet work is that occasionally I find some gems for myself. Take these vintage huarache sandals I found:

I was able to steal these away from my mom with the logic of "if you were cool enough to wear them the last time they were in style, you're too old to wear them this time around." I remember her wearing them in the 80's when I was a kid and I am beyond thrilled to be wearing them now. They are comfortable and they go with almost everything.

What do you think?

Bonus: every time I wear them I think of the episode of Friends when Chandler got his toe cut off and Jack says "What did you expect, his shoes were made of wicker?" and being reminded of Friends is never a bad thing.

I'm Ba-ack!

I just wanted to pop in to say I was on vacation, but now I'm back! I didn't say anything before I left - my hubby is wary of telling the internet our house would be nice and empty for 11 days - but fortunately for you I had some posts lined up so you were none the wiser.

I'll have a nice wordy post for you once I get all my pictures uploaded, but for now just know that I went somewhere where the sand was white, the water was clear and the relaxation was (more or less) endless. The more or less part is a story for another day. Jealous yet?