Ever been bitten by a brown recluse?? Well I have and it is not that fun.  Bitten twice actually and spent an evening in urgent care.  Really not fun!!  I have been bitten by spiders many times but never to this extent.  Whole arm was swollen and feverish so, thats why I've been MIA on the blog lately.  

Anyway, Marathon is done- Im doing a half in two weeks and will decide from there what direction I want to go.  I'm thinking MMA fighter but we will see.

         We had an event at the Temple that I ended up making 40 latkes for, I love latkes.  AND I love even more to cook with grease in somewhere that is not my house.  Much easier clean up that way. I'm now making cinnamon rolls from scratch and some matzo balls.  If the cinnamon rolls turn out well I will post recipe tomorrow.

Oh, I almost forgot we(meaning Larry) are making end tables for the bedroom out of pallets.

These pallets have the strongest nails I have ever seen!!! Also will let you know how they turn out!!:)

The Day Before!

Well, Here we are- the day before the Route 66 Marathon and I wanted to take it easy!  So-- I ran a 5k

Ha-  I look very serious, which is funny, because in all reality I'm totally not.  I had a decent run-finished in 32 minutes.  To continue on with my relaxing, I then went grocery shopping. Wal Mart on a Saturday before Thanksgiving day is not a pretty sight.   After the grocery store, I cooked a whole chicken and then divided into 3 meals, chicken salad for Larry's lunch next week, Matzo balls because I love them and I make delicious ones, and a chicken pot pie because I need something more substantial then matzo balls if I gonna run 26.5 miles( yep .5  doing the center of the universe tour) tomorrow!wow that was one heck of a run on sentence!! I also made 6 pie crusts for Thanksgiving and pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies for the hell of it.

These cookies are AWESOME--  just  a regular snickerdoodle recipe but add a cup of pumpkin puree.(I told you last week how to make your own puree)  also (ignore the junk food cereal box in the background).  THEN I went to a reveal party, I know--what the heck is a reveal party- well my BFF who is pregnant did not know what sex the baby is but her hubby did.  So, they threw a party and bought a cake and "revealed" what they are having!! AND ITS A 

GIRL!!CONGRATULATIONS NATALIE, MARCUS, AND STERLING!!

Very Exciting.  Anyway,  now I am really trying to get some rest so I'm gonna head to a bday party.  Sounds smart right! ugh!!!  Completely unrelated--

This is what our poor dog looks like when his dad has to leave for a side job after he's been gone all day.  Is it not the saddest thing you have ever seen.

Marathon tomorrow--Ill let you know-

Arkansas

So, If you are from Oklahoma, like me and you have not done the Talamena drive. You simply have to do it.  It is a scenic byway from Talihina Oklahoma to Mena Arkansas and it is absolutely gorgeous.  Larry and I went to the wedding of our good friends Emma and Zane this weekend.  We took a round about way and took this byway.  It was well worth the extra 7 hours in the car.  I won't bore with all the details of the weekend but we saw a lot of leaves, celebrated a wonderful marriage between two awesome folks, and generally had a great time.

And now on to real business.  One week to the marathon and I am pumped!! carb loading and tapering make for a very pleasant week.  Ended with and extra day off to recover what could possible go wrong!!

Chasing Lori: Time Change!!

Chasing Lori: Time Change!!: I don't know about anyone else, but the time change has me all screwed up.  I'm exhausted at 8 p.m. and up at 5 a.m. everyday.  It is becomi...

Time Change!!

I don't know about anyone else, but the time change has me all screwed up.  I'm exhausted at 8 p.m. and up at 5 a.m. everyday.  It is becoming quite an issue, mainly because of my crappy attitude in the evening hours due to extreme sleepiness.   Which, is why I have also been ignoring the blog, my running, cleaning the house etc.   Oh well, I guess it will all work out.  

       Yesterday I took Michael to the grocery store.  It was quite an experience.  As we are walking in he tells me: " Now we can go to shopping together just like we have always wanted".  I was completely unaware that we have always wanted to go to the shopping together, but glad that I could make him happy.   Everyone in the store knows him, which is really strange because he has only been there a few times.  I feel like a celebrity when I hang out with Michael-or a adult babysitter.  I'm now sure which one.

    I was exhausted last night so I skipped my run, which is fine since I am in tapering mode(my favorite week of training)  and I only have to get in 17 miles this whole week!!  So, Larry and I went to the Chinese buffet near the house.  He does not want me to show this picture , so I'm going to make it extra large!

This is is plate after he finished.  Notice the carnage of crawdads.  This is because I do not allow shellfish ( among other non-kosher) items in the house.  When we go out is his only opportunity to eat and tends to go a bit over board!.    

     Trying to plan a little weekend trip to my friend Emma's wedding in Fort Smith.   Thinking of doing the Talahina Drive and staying one night somewhere around the end of it.  Anyone been there??

20 miles

Wow- What a great and relaxing weekend.  Except of course for the 21 mile run I had on Saturday morning! Was completely planning on heading to the Lieberman Bar Mitzvah but instead was out running all over Tulsa for FIVE hours.  I love to run with a group but I hate the fact that every 5 miles 10 people have to use the restroom and it takes 10 minutes everytime!! oh well-It was still a great run.  I am participating in a blog contest called "Pile on the Miles". The goal is to run/walk as many miles as possible in November-so instead of adding pounds- you are adding miles.  With the one run I had in the first four days of November I'm already close to my goal.  google Pile on the Miles and check it out.
    So, the run pretty much wiped me out for Saturday and all I did was lay around and eat.  Brandon had given a deer leg and some backstrap and we have been eating deer all week.  A both lean and delicious choice of meat. Which leads me to my cooking this weekend- I made homemade English Muffins AND

   Today, I made pumpkin puree for Thanksgiving.

It's really easy--get a pumpkin,quarter and gut it.  Roast it for a couple of hours in the oven and scrape the skin off.  I like to add brown super and pumpkin spice when the pumpkin is this big.  The bigger the pumpkin the less sweet it is.  Then I freeze it for pumpkin pie, ice cream etc....  It is way cheaper and always fun to make you own stuff.

This is my cat--Can't every remember her name- we just call her cat.  She is not supposed to be inside because she likes to poop on our bed.  Somehow she always seems to be inside though.  That is her laying on my channukah throw that is on the couch. The dog has been crying all night because he can see the cat inside and is jealous.   I finally let him in and if I had audio you could hear him snoring.

2 Weeks until the Route 66 marathon and I can't wait!!

These are habanero peppers from our garden  Aren't the gorgeous!!!  Not only are the beautiful, they are probably the hottest peppers I have ever eaten in my life- and I LOVE hot food.  I can't even maybe handle these babies.  Larry put half of one in our pasta curry tonight and I was sweating like a whore in church-yes, I know very crude but very true.

These are snickers bars that I made from scratch--yes I know they look fantastic and believe me --- they are.    They are also very time consuming --So... if you get them for Chanukah or Christmas know that I love you more then life itself because if takes that long to make them.  

        I know that a lot of the east coast is experiencing awful storms but here in Oklahoma, it is gorgeous.  I mean gorgeous.  

Check out this fire we built in the back yard last night.  How can you not sit around this and think that life is fantastic and awesome!

       All right-enough of all that good stuff-Ran four miles today, even though I was exhausted because I couldn't sleep last night because the dog was snoring so loud, but I have to prepare  for my 20 miles on Saturday. Right now it's all I can think about.  As much as I love to get up in the morning and look at myself in the mirror and see a long distance runner----I HATE being a long distance runner.  It is painful--very very painful, and very time consuming.    On a side note- no matter how often I eat yogurt for breakfast it never ever fills me up.  If someone has any suggestions for a good breakfast that does not make me sick or starving please let me know.   By The Way  Michael told me today "if I was to ever get married,  I'd marry Lori because she is such a good cook". Thanks Michael--I think-- Please don't marry me.   THAT IS ALL

Tulsa Run and Castle of Muskogee

What an awesome day!! One of those days where the sun is shining and sky is blue and you are happy to be alive!  

This morning we ran the Tulsa Run 15k!!   This is Larry and I before and I realize we look like insane people.  Right before this picture Larry had a full mask on, and he was thinking he was very funny and clever. With that being said, the beginning of the race was freezing but after that the weather was beautiful and we both had a great run, he beat me by 14 minutes-but I'm  ok with that.  Like I always say,-he may be able to run faster but I sure can run further.

   This evening we took Logan to the Castle of Muskogee, tried to get Brad to go but apparently we are not cool enough.  Anyway,  if you have not been to the Castle for Halloween you must go.  It is really fun,  we took a haunted hay ride and went through a maze.  Both were fun and family friendly,  the costumes were fantastic and everyone there looked like they were having a really good time.  

And there was a hawk-- and you can't beat that!

I'm not going to talk about my eating habits today because they were awful,  I also missed my run because Bradley was having car issues-However, I have many other entertaining things to talk about AND I'm doing the Tulsa Run on Saturday and will make up for lost running on that day. So, not worried about that, planning on finishing in an 1:40.  I'll let you know.

    Larry and I have been scaring each other with a fake rubber snake that I bought for Bradley about 13 years ago( he was and still is obsessed with snakes and reptiles).  It's funny how these kind of thing magically re-appear after years of not being seen.  So, I walk in the house the other day and there is a huge rubber snake laying across the doorway and needless to say, it startled me, but only slightly.  Since then,  the game is on!!!  The snake has been everywhere--wrapped around the toilet, on the top of doorways, underneath laundry etc.   Let me show you where is was this morning

Yep!! That's my shower curtain!! very very clever--This game is and will never be over!! BaHaHaHa

So- I've decided to go a different route with my blog.  At this point in life I am trying to balance marathon training, eating right, keeping a clean house and living a fun life, and oh yea--work and family. So I'm going to use this to chronicle my journey and keep myself on track.  Some of it may seem boring and some may seem really entertaining and I will let you decide which is which.  Today, I start this journey, so let me tell you about my day.

        I had yogourt with granola for breakfast and it was awesome.  Unfortunately, I was starving  2 hours later and stuffed myself with a chicken sandwich and bean dip, queso, and chips.  oops!!   On top of that I did not run because I used this time to clean the house, which was filthy, and get ready for the week and weekend.  My goal is to have all house work done by Saturday so I don't have to spend the day cleaning. I can do my long run and move on with the day.  After 3 hours of cleaning, Larry is making chicken curry for dinner and I am very very excited.  I LOVE curry.

   My plan is to get up tomorrow and run 10 miles before work- we will see how that goes and I will let you know.  That is all for today, except that I hate the smell of pine sol--yuck!! Does that make me crazy??

Visit to Woolaroc

If you are from Northeastern Oklahoma you have been to Woolaroc, not just once but many many times.  I love it there, it reminds me of childhood, and my son's childhood and OK Mozart, and KidsFest, and Buffalo Burgers, and the trash eating Buffalo etc.   So, this last weekend Larry and I met my Dad there with my son, Larry's two kids, and my 2 nieces and nephew. These are there heads afterwards!!!

Nah just kidding.. The thing about Woolaroc is that it is timeless, Timeless meaning that they have the exact same exhibits as they did when I was a kid, and the same dust!  Truly Amazing!  We had a great time and went to my parents house for dinner afterwards.  This is what occurred there....

It may be difficult to see, but that is three teenagers, sitting in a room all on their respective phones. Need I say anything else.

Enough about Woolroc.  Yesterday, I had a visit from the ABLE commission at work.  When Michael comes to get me he says "Lori, the FBI is up front to see you".   I exclaim " The FBI!! that's weird"  as he follows me to the front I hear him mumble "I hope they are not here for me"!  At this point, I lough hysterically and wonder why in the heck the FBI would be looking for Michael!!   

Last but not least- The restaurant cooled down to a comfortable 90 degrees!!! That is all.. oh and I think I have an addiction to using the comma

Hot and Bothered

This last week puts a new meaning to the phrase "Hot and Bothered".  When the low is 82 degrees and the high is 111degrees no one and I mean NO ONE is happy.  This affects me in two ways- the first being that I have to get up at the crack of dawn to get my miles in.  This February, when it was nice and cool out, I made a split decision to enter the Chicago Marathon.  I obviously did not take into consideration that I would be doing most of my training during the hottest part of the summer. I feel like I am in a constant state of slight dehydration, which leads to headaches and high irritability.  Which brings me to my real problem.
THE RESTAURANT

The air conditioner at work can simply not keep up with the temperatures outside, so it is a swarmy 80 degrees at all times, except in my office, its  a brutal 92!!!  It is HOT and EVERYONE is bothered, never in my life have a heard so much complaining, complaining and more complaining.  It doesn't help that I want to tell the all the shut it-- oh well- I guess that is what happens when the low temperature is 82 degrees.
                          It is So Hot >>>

This dog ate his own leash!!  What a dummy- now he can't go for a walk>>

oh yea- he doesn't want to--

IT'S TOO FREAKING HOT

Thank you for letting my complain