Malaya Does Life.

So, Wednesday evening, Ben Davis and the Do Life Movement made their way to Kansas City. I hadn't originally planned on participating in their 5k event, but when I realized I would be downtown anyways... I couldn't not go.


Turn Left, Do Life.

I recruited Julia from the Bosky Blog, and her adooooorable furry running buddy Goliath, to meet with me, and DO LIFE!

Aren't they cute?!

I arrived at Liberty Memorial with buzzards butterflies in my stomach. I had never walked a 5k... A 5k is 3.1 miles. The most I've done (in one consecutive session) was 2.5 miles... And that was mostly walking. What had I gotten myself into?

I met with Julia and G about 30 seconds after I arrived... She parked right behind me! What are the odds?! Anyhoo... She (and Goliath) were super awesome and friendly. She's pretty much exactly the same in person as she is on her blog. And Goliath is just as cute and furry and energetic. He was ready to RUN!

As soon as we walked toward the sign-in table, we were greeted by Ben, of the Ben Does Life blog. He was really warm and friendly, and it was like we were the best of friends from way back in the day. There were brief introductions, and a funny story about a breakup gone wrong. He is genuinely friendly, and is also pretty much the same in person as he is on his blog. I had a brief *starstruck* moment... HE'S LIKE A CELEBRITY! ZOMG!

Oh, and the news was there. Because the Do Life movement is big, people. You'll see me for like, 2 seconds at the end jogging. Yeah!




So there was signing in and introductions and chit-chattery... And then it was time for a group photo!



DO YOU SEE ME?! I'M NEXT TO BEN!

 Immediately after this picture was taken, I dropped my super-awesome "unbreakable" pink water bottle, and the bottom broke. Bye-bye, Gatorade. And RIP most favorite bottle ever. I was a little panicked, because the Gatorade is like, the only thing that gets me through cardio. Probably totally mental, but it was like someone stole my running shoes. Could I do this without my Elixer of Life?!

The answer: Yes. But more about that in a minute. First, we start running!

See me? Goofy form, big cheesy grin... WHO AM I?!

I started towards the back of the pack, since I was well aware that I am ridiculously slow. I was slightly paranoid that I'd be the only walker, but that was not the case. After all, the Do Life movement isn't about how far or how fast. It's about making a step in the right direction, and making it to the finish line.

So in that picture up there, you'll also see that lady in the middle in the black shirt... That's Ben's mom. And I had the pleasure of walking with her for a portion of the course, and she is a super nice lady. She is equally in-awe of Ben's story, his blog, and the movement. She sounded like just another fan when she was talking about the blog. "It's just so dang funny!" Her Arkansas accent was also awesomesauce. I talked with her and a couple other ladies, about losing weight and getting active. My pace slowed considerably while we were chatting, but it was so good to talk to someone else about my weight loss journey. Sometimes, you just need to hear the words coming out of your own mouth. It was like free therapy. Good stuff.

I walked, jogged, and talked my way through the rest of the 3 mile course. Coming in on the home stretch, I knew I wanted to finish strong. I knew I couldn't just mosey across the finish line like it was NBD. I didn't walk the last 2+ miles to finish on a low note. I apologized to my walking buddy, and told her I was off to jog the rest of the way. I jogged a stretch, stopped to walk briefly, and then picked up the pace for the final steps of my first 5k.

As I approached the finish line, all the other people who finished before me were cheering... And clapping... And hollering out words of encouragement. I don't know what the definition of a "runner's high" is, but that was a pretty amazing feeling for me. I got a high-five from a random guy, and one from Ben. And that was pretty cool.

Seconds away from a high-five from Ben! AHH!

I may have been almost last, but I did it. I finished my first 5k, and I'm not even ashamed to say that I walked most of it. I didn't think I would make it through two laps... Let alone the third. And a couple months ago, I wouldn't have peeled myself off the couch to walk 5 feet, let alone 5k. Julia and Goliath were waiting for me, too, taking pictures of my "Finish Line Moment", and giving me happy puppydog slobbers. It was pretty awesome.

(I'll be stealing those pics from her blog as soon as she posts them... So keep your eyes out for more awesome sweaty pics!)
 

Ben Davis, Julia, Me, and Goliath

Usually, after these Do Life events, everyone goes out to dinner for camraderie and whatnot... But I was feeling tired and hadn't seen Skip since 5am... And I had two missed calls and a text from my mom waiting on my phone. Mom usually doesn't call me, so I knew two missed calls was probably semi-serious. I called her from the parking lot before I left, and decided to skip the post-5k meal. I was pretty bummed to miss it, but when momma calls, you can't just ignore it. It turned out to be nothing too major, and it gave me the opportunity to tell mom what I had just done. She seemed so proud, and joked that she was, "exhausted just hearing about it." Hah. Love ya, mommadukes.

Skipper was equally proud of me, and I think had a hard time believing that I walked a 5k, let alone did some running... Hah. Silly boy. I did get him to help me put my first sticker on the Jeep when I got home...

Me: "OMG MAKE SURE IT'S NOT CROOKED!"

I'm usually against stickers on cars (especially ones people just slap on all crooked an' junk), but I felt like this one was necessary. And it's on the driver's side, so every time I get in the Jeep, I'm reminded to Do Life. And maybe to drive to the park and run, instead of going to Starbucks for an iced caramel macchiato. Hah.


She even has a sweet ponytail! Yeah!

And so concludes the story of my first 5k, and the Do Life Movement experience in Kansas City. I really feel like this was just the kick in the pants I needed to get back to exercising, and watching what I eat. I felt so inspired, that I got up yesterday morning and hit the trail hardcore.

Well, as hardcore as someone like me can hit the trail. Hah.

I did one mile (2 laps around the park), and logged my best-ever mile time... 20 minutes, 34 seconds. Which really isn't so great, but it's pretty awesome for me. I ran... A lot. Definitely a lot more than I usually run. It hurt and it was hard, but I just kept going. There were a few times when I told myself, "Just run to that tree," and that tree turned into "That next tree"... So I was exceeding my goals, not just meeting them.

WHO IS THIS PERSON?!

This is a person who is tired of being overweight. This is a person who is getting married in under 3 months, and does not want to look like she's wearing a big white tent. This is a person who wants babies someday, and wants to be a healthy pregnant lady. This is a person who also wants to be a healthy momma someday. This is a person who is tired of the "somedays" and "tomorrows"... It's time for "today" and "now."

I've got a run scheduled for tonight after work.

Doing Life,

--Malaya

Finding Purpose

Since I first started this blog, I have struggled to find its purpose. Is it a diary, a food blog, a photography blog? Maybe a wedding blog? A travel blog? A blog I neglect because I'm too lazy to remember to update it?

Sadly, the latter is most true.

Anyhoo... I've really been wanting to get back into the swing of blogging, so I've been trying to figure out what it is I want to do with this blog. My life is going through so many changes right now, that it's hard to find just one single purpose. I can't just blog about food or photos or my wedding. I can't just blog about my weight loss journey, or all the places we've traveled to. I can't just blog about nothing.

So, dear readers (yes, plural, as I'm hoping there are at least two of you), I ask you to bear with me, as I try to find my blogging niche. I can't promise that my entries will always be interesting, but I'm hoping that there will be more of them. It's quantity over quality, right? Right?!

This post needs a picture. Of food.

Wow, this picture is blurrier than I thought it would be... But, through the fuzz, you'll see that these are mushrooms. Happy, delicious little mushrooms, sauteing in marsala wine. Because this photo is from a series of photos I took the other night while cooking Skip his favorite meal, Chicken Marsala.

I really hate making him this dish. Really. This is is favorite dish that I make, and it's hard to make it the same way every single time. I always feel like it's never as good as the first time I made it for him. It's a lot of pressure, for a simple meal. My palms get sweaty, the veins in my forehead start to pop out... It's just stressful.

For whatever reason, I thought this most-stressful-meal-ever would be a good candidate for an attempt at food blogging. Which was a really stupid idea, because I don't use a recipe for this. I just kind of wing it. But I thought, for some stupid reason, that I would be able to blog about it. And then, I kind of forgot to take some vital pictures. So I don't even have all the steps. I'm a food blogging failure.

BUT. I'm not a funny failure, so here are the steps, as recorded by my camera.

Step One: Arrange the ingredients, so that no one can actually tell what most of them are. Take this photo with a "cool" and "artistic" angle, to highlight the green onions... That you didn't actually use, because you forgot them.

Step Two: Take a picture of the ziploc containing the chicken breasts... Because you're funny, and labeled them "chicken boobs." Heh heh. Boobs.

Step Three: Take a cool overhead shot of the chopped green onions. Yes, yes, the same ones you forgot to use in this recipe. People will think it's artsy.

Step Four: Start seasoning the chicken. Then, halfway through, remember that you should be taking pictures. Wash one hand, and pick up the camera. Then, snap this photo of your other hand fondling the chicken boobs.

Step Five: Illustrate that you should not leave chicken unattended on the counter. Put it in the fridge, and then take a picture of it in the fridge to show the world that you're thinking about food safety, and you have a lot of crap in your fridge.

Step Six: See the container of sliced strawberries on top of the giant tub of butter, and decide it's time for a healthy snack. Cover the sliced strawberries with Hershey's syrup. Consume them in no more than three bites, using only your hands. Spoons are for losers.

Step Seven: Take a blurry/artistic picture of the canned green beans simmering on the stove. Put that candle in the background, because it looks cool.

Step Eight: Take a photo of the boiling potatoes from an interesting angle... And then realize that boiling potatoes are not, in fact, interesting... From any angle.

Step Nine: Take an overhead shot of the mushrooms cooking... Screw the chicken you just cooked in this same pan. Nobody needs to know that you actually cook the chicken in this recipe. The mushrooms are the star. And nobody needs to know that you put the wine in the pan too... You can't give away ALL your cooking secrets!

Step Ten: Show a semi-blurred picture of the chicken on a plate. Because this looks incredibly appetizing. Oh, and sneak in that little blue bowl of onions to the left... Because YOU FORGOT THEM, YOU MORON.

Step Eleven: Use this picture of the meal your significant other cooked the next night... Because it looks far more appetizing than the chicken marsala you made. Oh, and he used cool little sauce swooshes, and you can't do that with marsala.

THE END.



Here, birdie birdie birdie...

My spiffy new bird feeder has been up for 2 whole days... And not a single bird has visited it. There are birds near it, in the tree... And some under it, since I scattered some seeds around... But not one single bird has perched upon the feeder to get seeds. What gives??

A Google search of "how to attract birds to bird feeder" really didn't bring any useful results. The only advice I found that may apply would be to install a bird bath... Or some other source of fresh water. But... I'm really pushing my luck by getting the feeder, so I'm not sure how Skip would react to a fancy bird bath showing up at the apartment. Heh. But perhaps I'll try a shallow dish of water?

I'm also trying to pick out a new blog theme, since the one I'm currently using bores me to tears. But sifting through these "free theme" sites is really not my idea of a good time. None of the ones I have found seem to fit my blog. They're either too cutesy or too professional, and some just don't make sense. (Aliens? Ninjas?) I typically have zero patience for this kind of thing, so this is really killing me. Would any of my faithful readers (all four of you!) like to redesign my blog for me? Pretty please??

...I won't hold my breath.

In other news... The scrapbook is coming along quite nicely. I did several pages yesterday, and I'm relatively pleased with them. Well, except for the page on zebras, because I really had no decent pictures to use. Zebras are hard to photograph. The entire living room floor is covered in paper and pictures and other little embellishments... Which is fine, because we don't actually have living room furniture. It's nice to see something other than just empty space. I think I tell Skip at least twice a day that I can't wait for the day when we don't have to move, and we can have a house or apartment full of furniture and belongings... Rather than furniture made of stacked plastic totes and bare walls.

On that note... I really need to get something accomplished today.

--Malaya