What a difference a year makes.

     I ran about three miles today. I didn't run that fast. Last year I would have felt like the biggest slacker in the world for only running 3 miles. But this year running three miles is good. I am really proud of myself for running those three miles. 

It just seems crazy for me to think about last year. Running was a huge part of my life then. My mood was dictated by my running. My day was dictated by my running.

Now I run when I want to and don't run when I don't want to. When I run I don't worry about the pace. I don't start my watch. When I get tired I take a break. Sometimes I walk a little bit. Running 3 miles is fine now and seems like a reasonable amount to run. 

I still do run quite a bit. I mean I don't make a lot of money and can't afford to buy new clothes if I can no longer fit into them. It just is different. Running now is not even close to how running was before. Sometimes I miss how it was before. I miss pushing myself as hard as possible. I miss the feeling after a really hard run.

But sometimes when I am tired and want to stay in and read a book in my bed or when its raining I don't miss it so much. And sometimes when I am running and am doing it because it's something I love and not because someone is standing near by with a stop watch making me, I really like the type of running I do now.

This picture was last year at regionals. If I raced the person in this picture today my butt would get seriously kicked. 

~XAVIER~

This past weekend I went to cincinnati!

On Saturday Ken and I drove to Detroit to watch Xavier run at Regionals. This is what I saw for a good portion of Saturday....

I got to have a great Mags reunion (I also have a picture of me with Karen, but I am not putting it up here because I look bad in it)

On Saturday night I had a wonderful time at the mandatory Xavier Cross Country Team Meeting....

And got to admire this wonderful girl and her ring. I love Katie and Joe and am so happy for them!

Fall Retreat

              Last week our community went on a retreat to in West Virginia. The woods were beautiful and we really enjoyed the scenery. We stayed in a cabin and did a lot of hiking, roasted marshmallows, saw a lot of deer, ate a lot of junk food, and of course did a lot of retreat type sessions. It was a great time to get away as a group and to refresh ourselves and our outlook on the year. After the retreat we were all able to go back to work with a new perspectives on our jobs, our community, and the world in general.

The girls

 I love deer

 I wish I was in this picture but I was taking it

 Caitlin, Faith, and I bonded in the back of the mini (that is until I got a little carsick on the way home and had to switch with Rebecca)

 Powerful hikers

 Strong women

I really should post...

We went on a wonderful retreat this week. And had wonderful fall food this weekend. I have pictures to prove it and witty comments to make. I should put these things on my blog. But I also should fold my laundry because it just came out of the dryer and if i don't fold it now its going to be wrinkled. I also should pack because I am going to Cincinnati this weekend. But really. My blog can wait. Who am I kidding? I am not the New York Times here. No one will get angry if I don't post these pictures now. And my laundry, thats what they invented wrinkle release spray for. And I really do have time to pack tomorrow. What I really want to do is get into my bed and go to sleep so that tomorrow I am ready for another day at the crazy, loud, chaotic, and amazing school that I go to each day. 

Because it's raining...

Because it is raining

And kind of cold

It is necessary to sit on the couch

And play a game of scrabble

I won

But don't mention this to Faith 

She is bitter

Than we watched Jeopardy
And Wheel of Fortune
We are really cool

Cheaters never win

I have been told that Dani and Ken have cheated in the poll. They have both voted more than once and may have coerced others into voting for them.

I am ashamed of these two.

Not only did Linda win, she won without cheating.

On second thought don't I want a partner who will do anything (even cheat) to win?

But they didn't win....

Now I have a lot of thinking to do. 

We live in Baltimore...not Utah

On Sunday Faith and I decided we were extremely hungry. So we decided to go to Lexington Market to get something to eat. When we arrived we found that it was closed. WHAT?!? This is a huge market. People grocery shop on Sunday. How can they be closed?

Even though we were very upset, we were still extremely hungry. So we set off to find other options. EVERYTHING WAS CLOSED. EVERYTHING!!! Rite Aid was closed. What? Do Rite Aids even close. We literally walked around for an hour and a half and could not find anything. 

Seriously. This is Baltimore. It is not a town that is against working on Sunday. We do not live in the Bible Belt. It is also not 1845.

Now I know being a good Catholic girl I should be writing about how wonderful it is to live in a city that values the Sabath. However, I would have probably valued the Sabbath more if I had also been able to enjoy a delicious hot sandwich from Lexington Market on it. 

Here is Faith and I looking extremely dejected after our extremely unsuccessful food run: