Hi!

Hope you are enjoying your weekend! I’m currently recovering from 3 days straight of photography work. Thursday morning I went to take head shots for a company I used to work at a bazillion almost 20 years ago. I spent 3 hours there and shot about 50 or so people and was exhausted when I left. I gave my legs quite the workout with the step stool I used to help get me at the right height for my subjects. Next time I’ll tell them to come in size order! HA!. I’m guessing that this is why my legs didn’t want to work when I went for my run later two hours later.

Adobe Lightroom

processing the head shots

I had a 5 mile tempo on the schedule. I knew from the first block I wasn’t going to be able to run at tempo pace. My legs were SO HEAVY they just didn’t want to move at all. I finally bailed and returned home only covering off on 4 miles. C’est la vie.

craptastic run and don't I look like Medusa here? =)

craptastic run and don’t I look like Medusa here? =)

Yesterday afternoon I took the doodle for a walk. With him being sick and then me returning to work since the holiday break, we haven’t had a good outing in a while. He loved it! I loved it too until we spotted 3 deer. Well they spotted us first and started running away. Duncan started to chase them but he’s too chicken so he eventually returned back to me.

labradoodle

beer deer chaser

labradoodle nose

selfie!

labradoodle

Happy Dog!

frozen stream

frozen stream

Last night I was on my feet for 5 hours straight while taking pictures at an engagement party.

Nikon D300

This camera/lens is HEAVY!

the room looked beautiful

the room looked beautiful

forget us nots

This was very sweet

They were fun and polite people but very demanding as far as how many posed shots they wanted. I wasn’t prepared with a wide angle lens but they insisted on having a group shot of the entire side of the family. We’re talking 50+ people. I stood on a balcony and they all stood on a spiral staircase below and I did the best I could. I was standing on an armchair and freaking out because my balance is terrible. But they tipped me well so I’m over it =) Oh, and of course the best part about shooting events is scoring some sweets at the dessert table. That chocolate covered cream puff was so DELISH I should have taken a few more.

Sweets!

Sweets!

This morning I took photos for some real estate properties and then came home to finally RELAX! I’m just trying to do some foam rolling but I’m so exhausted and the dog doesn’t give me much motivation…

eventually i'll actually use the foam roller. Just 5 more minutes...

eventually i’ll actually use the foam roller. Just 5 more minutes…

I’ve already had some ibuprofen to ease my aching back. And last night when I got home from the engagement party I had a glass of wine to unwind.

my nightcap a.k.a. muscle relaxer

my nightcap a.k.a. muscle relaxer

Meanwhile my Garmin (I have the Forerunner 210 that I bought in 2011) just won’t seem to work. I’ve tried hard re-sets, soft resets, software re-installs. It just won’t track the activity distance and pace or save the activity.

Garmin 210 not working

Running for 43 minutes and I covered ZERO miles? Yeah…not exactly accurate.

The time will elapse though. So basically it’s just a watch now. I’ve spent a little time Googling the issue and on the Forerunner 220 it was a corrupt thingy and the solve was to power off and on. Well, no bueno on my model. I’m going to reach out to Garmin to see if there’s a way to resurrect my poor watch before giving it a proper funeral. But if it’s really done then I’m thinking about just going with the cheapest and simplest Garmin 10. Any advice, thoughts, suggestions?

I’m not big on football but I know tomorrow there’s a conference championship game on. We’re getting close to the Superbowl! Duncan’s ready! I’m ready for the snacks and commercials!

Superbowl ready!

Superbowl ready!

Well, I’m off to tend to some mundane stuff now. Laundry and dishes await. Have a great weekend!

Are you a big football fan? Favorite team? Do you do anything exciting for the Superbowl?

And if you have any Garmin advice please let me know.

 

OK,

I realized there’s no point in going down into that pit until I actually know what I’m dealing with. So today on my lunch break I decided to be proactive and search for articles that pertain to injuries and grief. God I love the Internet! Look at this great article.

And tonight I was reminded that other things make me just as happy as running:

We all know I experienced some major grief after my husband died (and frankly I think it sort of complicates all losses in my life hence me being a drama queen over this foot ailment), so if I could get through that, surely I could get through a few missed races.

So I thought I’d take a positive spin on this all and present to you a list:

10 things I love to do other than running

1. Hang with my dog

good morning

good morning

2. Eat sweets

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3. Enjoy a sunset

Sunset and a doodle

Sunset and a doodle

4. Take pictures

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5. Wear a Tiara

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6. Laugh so hard that I cry

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7. Drink wine

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8. Stop and smell the roses carnations

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9. Drink Coffee

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10. Hug a friend

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Question:Tell me what 10 things you would still enjoy doing if you couldn’t run.

 

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I was taking photos at a top secret photo shoot.

It was for a friend of mine and her husband, the cutest most adorable couple I’ve ever really met. It all started a few years ago when they asked me to take their engagement photos and I’ve been their go to “photog” ever since. Well this year they asked if we could do a little shoot for their holiday card. I’m excited I can finally share some of those photos.

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the most beautiful sunset left beautiful pink light.

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More »

I spent 2 hours walking through the park on Thursday scoping out a perfect spot for a Christmas family photo shoot I’ll be doing today. It should have been a perfect day. The weather was crisp and sunny. I brought Duncan and my camera.

I found a small area of picket fence by the lake. Tried to get a test shot with the dog. He wasn’t enthused. I was late getting the memo that there was a National Squirrel Convention being held at the park.

not enthusiastic about the taking photos bit

not enthusiastic about the taking photos bit. 

Seriously! Duncan was in his glory chasing squirrels. But that left me one cranky pants. Dogs must be leashed after 9am meaning every time he chased a squirrel, I got dragged with him (and so did my camera). I also hadn’t eaten anything so now add “hangry” (hungry and angry) to the list. Then there was my nose that wouldn’t stop running. I had no tissues. It wasn’t pretty.

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It actually was more than pretty. It was magnificent!

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There are 3 squirrels right in that tree behind me…take the photo already lady!

It felt good to be on my feet for 2 solid hours and not have any pain. It’s the most “exercise” I’ve done since completing my half last Saturday. Tomorrow I’m going to take a li’l hike with the hound because I want to abide by #7 from this post and then next week I’ll figure out what’s what. Maybe some elliptical or rowing machine or just some walking. I don’t think I’m ready to run yet.

I hope you are all having a swell weekend (did I just say swell?).

Question: What is your perfect day gone wrong story?