Kendra Babbles

Last night I tried my first yoga class.  Well, first except for the one Bikram class I took earlier this year where I about died.  That type of yoga is more aerobic and less relaxing.  I was tied up in knots for days after that, which is pretty much the opposite of what I was looking for.

 Anyway back to my yoga class last night.  I found a studio very close to our house that offered a few beginner classes and after emailing with the owner, I decided it was a good place to start.  I actually ran into the instructor, Zed,  in the lobby of the building and was able to introduce myself and get a feel for how she taught the class.  She was very helpful in getting me setup in the space and showing me where everything was.  She talked to the students about anything that may be bothering them that they would like to work on and then began the class.  There was a lot of terminology I didn’t know, but it was very easy to follow along and she broke down quite a few things to help me get the hang of it.  Fortunately my years of ballet helped me to understand her corrections and attempt to alter my body to obtain the proper alignment.  In some cases it was just not possible!  However by the end of class I really felt like my muscles were well stretched and could see an improvement in my flexibility already.  I know yoga has lots of other benefits, but for now just loosening up the hips and hamstrings was a huge deal and I think it will really help me with my running down the road.

*Frankie Goes to Hollywood

I think most everyone has seen it now, so its probably safe to post this now.

I have left behind my 29 years as a blonde. 

I am now a brunette with red highlights, and it kicks ass.  My hair is shorter, more feisty, and makes me feel like the subject of the Cake song Short Skirt/Long Jacket (if you have not heard this song, we may not be able to be friends anymore).

The story:  In late February the D Magazine blog for all things Dallas and fashionable, ShopTalk, posted a blog asking for entires for their annual D Beauty hair issue.  3 people would be selected and sent to different salons for a hair makeover.  I have been disenchanted with my hair lately and hadn’t had it cut since October.  I pondered entering, but was secretly worried they would want to give me a pixie cut or even worse, give me some lame blonde highlights and send me on my way.  I really wanted a significant change, but I still wanted it to look good!  So after debating over it for a few weeks, I finally took some extremely candid photos and submitted my entry.  No, I will not be posting those photos for your viewing pleasure.  They are frightening.

Fast-forward to late March and I’m thinking I didn’t get picked.  I hadn’t heard anything and the original post said they were picking in mid-March.  I am not heartbroken, but again am frustrated with my hair’s lack of well, oomph.  A week later they emailed and said I was picked!!  I immediately got excited, followed by a bit nervous, then excited again.  I went to the salon 3 weeks later for my hair makeover.

Here is what I looked like a few weeks before the appointment:

 And here is what I look like after 5 hours with Daniel Lewis at The Green Peridot in Frisco.

 Feisty, yes?

I love it.  It’s very easy to style and except for after a workout, always looks pretty good.  Daniel did a great job.  In the beginning I could tell he was trying to get a feel for how far I was willing to go.  He just kept playing with my hair and asking random questions.  Finally I just put it all out there - leave it long enough I can make a ponytail (even a little nub-tail is fine) and just go for it.  So then he got more excited and wanted to talk about color and he again was trying to figure out what I wanted.  I didn’t want to tell him too much, because I figured he is the pro and should know what would be best, right?  But I did say I really wanted to go darker.  Then he got super excited and said “Is red okay?” and I said fine and he was off mixing color before I knew what happened.  The actual process took awhile, but once the color and cut were all finished and they let me see it, I was so happy!  I think it looks fantastic and I love to see people’s reactions to it.  :-)  So far everyone likes it, or they are covering very well. 

It should be in the summer hair issue of D Beauty, if anyone wants to see the professional photos and styling. 

*Cake

When Blake and I got engaged, we did the customary wedding registry that most couples do.  Part of our registry was bedding for the giant new king bed we hoped to acquire before moving into our house.  We did a lot of hunting around and finally picked out the bedding below.

And while I still love it, I’m out of my red/burgundy phase and looking for something new.  Then Crate and Barrel sent me a catalog full of fabulous things.  Browsing through, Blake and I discovered we actually really liked the same bedding!  So he left town one weekend and since I had so much time on my hands, I ordered the new bedding.  Tucker enjoyed changing the linens since it meant he got to sit on top of the old ones like a king.

Here is the end result!  I like it so much better and I’ve noticed we are sleeping a bit better too.

*R.E.M. - Automatic for the People

Rock to Victory Half Marathon - March 15, 2009

Same course as the White Rock Half Marathon from December.  I finished 58 seconds faster.  I had to really fight for those 58 seconds, but when you are 2 miles out and you do the math, for some reason 1 minute faster than your last time is like winning a million dollars and you start racing toward the finish.  Of course after I finished and grabbed my medal, I couldn’t even walk.  I was in much better shape for the December race, but I’m glad I finished and have a new PR.  And a fancy medal that will probably get donated to charity.  I’m not much on clutter.

No new goals for right now.  I think I want to really work at feeling better at the 7-9 mile range, instead of killing myself for the 13.1  And summer is coming and who wants to run 11 miles in 100 degree heat?

*Britney Spears

I’m lacking in blog material.  Here is a list of 25 things I like.

1. Folding laundry when its cold outside.  Nothing like hot laundry to warm you up!
2. Hugh Jackman
3. Paranormal State
4. New nerdy technology.  Unless its related to application development.  Then I don’t care.
5. I like running.  But for at least 1-2 miles of every run, I really hate running. 
6. I love teen dance drama movies.  Like Centerstage, Centerstage 2, Save the Last Dance, etc.  I also love So You Think You Can Dance.  I even saw the tour last year.
7. Tulips and daffodils. 
8. Floating in the pool with a nice adult beverage.
9. Cookies.  I like cookies a lot.
10. Puppies!  Especially mine, but most any puppy will do.
11. The Twilight books.  But not the movie.  It was awful.
12. I like it when other people make dinner for me.
13. Vacations on the beach.  The beach of an ocean though, not a lake.
14. Matt the Electrician
15. Pretty much anything Google. 
16. Warm, sunny days.
17. Elfa shelving from the Container Store.
18. The new Camaro.
19. Tiki torches.
20. 3-day weekends.
21. Acupuncture.
22. My Garmin Forerunner 405.
23. Anything with rum in it.
24. Facebook.
25. Blake.

*The Sound of Music

Everyone knows I love puppies.  Big or little, I want to bring all of them home and love them.  (Except maybe a few that were mean to my sweet Tucker).  Last year I set out to do more for the puppies by volunteering for Paws in the City and by also donating to the PITC general fund.  I did pretty well on both accounts, until about September when half marathon training sort of took over my life.

But an email I got last week reminded me that I need to get it together.  You see, when the economy heads south, everyone is affected, including dogs and cats.  Many owners surrender their animals to shelters because they can’t afford to feed or vaccinate them.  I’m so thankful every time an owner chooses to surrender a dog instead of just releasing it onto the streets or abandoning it in a parking lot.  But at the same time, each surrendered dog is another dog that needs a new home.  Another dog who will suffer depression or develop separation anxiety for fear of being left again.  Another dog that an organization will have to find the money needed to feed and house the dog.

So last week Paws in the City sent out a request for donations/volunteers/new foster parents.  Although I can’t be a foster parent because my two spoiled schipperkes will never forgive me, I can donate and I can volunteer.  So I’m trying to get it back together, starting today.  I signed up for a monthly recurring donation of $25, and I’ve emailed the transport coordinator to see if they need help getting dogs home from the adoption on Saturday.

So if you are fortunate enough to be making ends meet right now, consider helping out a cause in your community.  Maybe you love puppies too!  Then consider donating to a no-kill animal shelter.  Puppies aren’t your thing?  Food banks are in serious need of donations of goods and dollars.  Don’t have any spare cash?  Many organizations need volunteers right now, so check around in your church or community for opportunities to help out that won’t cost you a dime.

I promise the rewards for volunteering and donating are 10 times better than you can imagine.

*Dora the Explorer episode title.  Dora loves puppies too.

I ran the 2 miles test in 17 minutes and 57 seconds.  That’s an improvement over the Jan 7th test where I did it in 20:36. 

I ROCK!!!!

That is my best explanation for why I haven’t blogged for over a month, again.  I have been in a Supermassive Black Hole.  Not true, you say?  Well, no.  But I like the song and it sounded like a good title for today.

Saturday morning I ran my first loop of the lake for 2009.  It’s about 9 miles depending on the route you take.  It’s the farthest I’ve run since my awesome finish at the White Rock Half Marathon.    My time was pretty awesome too, averaging just under an 11 minute mile.  Of course I did not count the 2 Gu stops in that time total, so that probably helps.  :-)  While I was running I realized something.  I’m a slow runner.  An 11 minute mile is not speedy.  People finish full marathons in the time it takes me to run a half.  But I’m totally fine with running slow - I’m still shocked that I’m even out there running in the first place!  Of course I want to eventually be faster and have a consistent pace each week, but I’m not aiming too high.  I’m just so happy with being able to keep moving for 9 miles.

But what I don’t like is being the slowest in a group where they won’t just leave you behind.  It would be fine if they would just listen to me and keep going, but someone always wants to stop and wait for you or make sure a coach stays with you.  There is nothing as awful as being the last one to a water stop - especially when everyone has been there for at least 5 minutes.  I’m totally fine with being in the back, just turn around every now and then and make sure I give you a little wave or that I’m at least still standing.  :-)  Just please stop sending the coach back for me!

* Muse

Yes, I haven’t blogged in a month.  There are a million reasons why, but most of them don’t really matter.  Except for this one.

I asked for this book for Christmas.  I had seen all the hype around it, with girls screaming after the guy who starred in the movie, etc.  Figuring it was aimed for teenagers, I didn’t expect to have the same sort of reaction, but was curious to see what the excitement was about.  Since I was in the middle of a few other books and work was busy, I set it to the side.  I finally picked it up on January 6th and read a few pages while I was waiting out my time in Jury Duty.  I found it interesting, but not nearly as much as other people seemed to think.  After I was dismissed from duty, I went out and ran errands, etc.  I finally sat back down to read some more around 3:00.

I finished the book at 11:00 that night.

And so I’ve joined the Twilight fanatics.  The book really is good!  For me, I really appreciated the character development in the book.  Instead of just throwing around some names and hair/eye colors, the author really develops all the quirks and personalities of each character (even the characters that don’t have a main role in the plot).  You can really form your own scene in your head and watch it play out as you read.  And if you were ever a teenage girl, you will probably relate to some of the scenes in the first half of the book, where Bella’s school day pretty much revolves around whether or not she will see Edward during lunch or in the class they shared.

A few days later, Amanda and I went to see the movie.  Which essentially is not as good as the book, but it was a noble effort considering the obviously limited budget.  I’m sure the movie for the 2nd book, New Moon, will have a much larger budget to create some special effects with.

And last Friday I was not in the mood to work.  So at 9 that morning I decided to just read a few pages of the 2nd book.  I finished the 2nd book at 4:00 that day.  It was good too. 

But this week I’ve not read any of the 3rd or 4th books.  Mostly because my shipment from Amazon won’t arrive until tomorrow, but also because work has been busy and I’ve had to concentrate on something besides “teenage vampire lit”, as my friend Lou would say. 

Happy reading everyone!

*Alice in Chains

P.S.  I also bought the Twilight movie soundtrack.  Yes, I’m nuts.  But I discovered I like the band Muse, and they have interesting song titles for me to snag for some upcoming posts. 

Yesterday I ran the Dallas White Rock Half Marathon.  This is the biggest race I’ve ever been in - something around 17,000 people ran either the half, the marathon, or the marathon relay.  The course for this race was easier than the DRC Half that I did last month.  Fewer hills and they were spread farther apart as well.  Plus the last 3 miles were a gradual downhill on the Katy Trail, which was really nice considering the last 3 miles can be the toughest.

I had a better plan for this race.  It involved sticking with my pace leader.  I have a tendancy to get too excited and take off too fast, then burn out and be in pain for the last 6 miles or so.  But I was determined to have a good finish time this race, and my goal was a 2:30 finish.  So I stuck with my pace leaders, who were amazing.  They continually encouraged us and got the crowds to cheer for us as we ran by.  We also spent some time playing the alphabet game and telling jokes and stories - anything to keep you from realizing how many miles were left.  :-)  Just past mile 11 I was feeling really good, and made the decision to go ahead of the pace team and finish those last couple of miles strong - I wanted to guarantee that 2:30 finish.  Well, in my opinion, I crushed my goal!  Offical time of 2:27:41!  My last two splits were under the 11 min/mile pace and I felt so strong and pushed that last 200 yards or so.  It was great!!!  YIPPEEE FOR ME!!!!! 

Sorry, I’m just so happy that I was able to complete this goal.  I’m so stinking proud of myself and I’m sharing it on my blog so that I will stop talking about it and boring all of my family and friends. 

*Adapted from the Best Week Ever TV show on VH1.