Girls Who Run

Last Sunday morning I had the opportunity to feel amazing. I highly recommend taking any opportunity you can to feel amazing. It is fun. I ran my first 15k in the Hot Chocolate Run in downtown Chicago, which translates to about 9.3 miles! In July, just after I had decided to live with her, Kristin sent me an e-mail saying, "Hey Anna! Wanna run this with me in November?" At that point, I was like, pssshhhh, November? That's like eight million years away. Sure thing I'll sign up!" Then it was October and I was like, "AHHHH CRAP." But it actually turned out to be wonderful! I trained enough to keep up with Kristin the whole time and we kept a pace of about 9:35 per mile. The atmosphere was so positive and so inspirational, not to mention the delicious chocolate we got after crossing the finish line. I felt SO STINKING GOOD about accomplishing my goal and am now currently looking for a half marathon to do in the spring next year.

One fun element about Sunday was the people-watching I got to do for the hour and a half we were running. I don't run with headphones, so I did some hilarious eavesdropping on different types of people, particularly female runners. I've noticed that girls like to talk while they run (or maybe we all just like to talk). I decided that there are a few types of girls who run.

Kristin and I after the race, waiting for our train back to the apartment. 

1. The Divorcees. Don't mess with these ladies. They ran the entire 9.3 miles while bitching talking about their situations and never ran out of breath somehow. The rage that fueled their hatred for their ex-husbands must have spilled over to keep those lungs pumping as well. From mile 5-6 I learned about one who had to deal with quite the loser of an ex-husband who wouldn't show up to court dates. C'mon dude! Show up to the court dates...then I won't have to hear about it during a fun 15k!

2. The Hardcore 6-packers. These girls have chinese letters tattooed on their ribs and are running in tank tops in November. They were talking about things like cross-training and protein supplements. The triceps on these broads would probably not make it through airport security. I was terrified.

3. The Get-back-in-the-game-new-moms. I love this type of girl who runs. They are happy, working hard, and really proud of themselves. Many of their families were cheering them on with signs that said things like KEEP IT UP MOM! WE LOVE YOU! It was adorable and wonderful. You go girls!

4. The Type-A Workaholics. These girls were simply crossing this 15k off of their list of 6,782 things to do that Sunday. One of them had her bluetooth in her ear and was talking on that as she went, and another explained to her running partner about how her promotion offers her a greater opportunity to steer the company the way she'd like it to go. Meanwhile, I'm still learning what HMO means. #freshcollegegraduateproblems

5. The Encouraging-best-friends. I almost laughed out loud at this one pair of girls. They basically were talking themselves into believing that they were rocking the race as they were walking along the side of the path as everyone else ran past. An actual quote: "Okay, I feel great right now, and I'm totally not quitting, but I need to slow down." To which the other says, "Oh I totally know. The last three miles are all your spirit." Ha.

6. The Sorority Girls. There has yet to be a social group that fascinates me more than the sorority girl. They are some of the nicest, highly motivated, energetic people I've met. These were the BESTIES who were dressed like TWINSIES to run; they were playing the new T-Swift album from their phone as they both sang along and zoomed past us, all lululemoned out, ponytails swinging simultaneously in sync with the girly beat. Here's to you, Zeta Phi Gamma Deltas.

7. The Freshly-post-college-girls. Kristin and I obviously fell into this category. There just seemed to be tons of young twenty-somethings out there who needed a pick-me-up in November to keep the joy, fitness, and inspiration going. The race definitely did all of those three things for me. I think I'm hooked. 13.1 miles, you're next. 

(And then you have guys who run. They're not chatting, singing Taylor Swift, or talking about their exes. They're just running. What a novel idea.)

Compact Car

Today, Jen (one of the roommates) and I decided to go on a small adventure out to suburbs for an IKEA run. There comes a time in every girl's life when, dang it, she just needs to purchase some place mats with a weird Swedish name! We did some damage and the apartment looks all the better for it. We got bath mats, throw pillows, candles, trays, cake pans, paring knives, a butcher's block. picture frames, and a cute lamp. We split it up, paid, and loaded the stuff into the car. This is where that sneaky store got us good.

We went back into IKEA after loading up the car and got lunch in their restaurant/dining area upstairs. After a plate full of delicious Swedish meatballs, we were ready to head back to the city and introduce our apartment to all of its new goodies. The problem, however, lies in the fact that in order to head back to the city we had to head back to our car. And in order to head back to our car we had to go out of the door and into the parking lot. And in order to go out the door and into the parking lot, IKEA forces you back through the labyrinth of home goods, storage, and linens before letting you outside. This, of course, led Jen and I to make just one more tiny purchase. Except it wasn't a tiny little purchase, it was a big fat huge purchase. On the second walkthrough we bought a picture of Paris to hang over our dining room table that is the size of an Olympic swimming pool. I, of course, convinced Jen that it totally would fit in the backseat of her car, no problem. Then we got to the car and found that it did not, in fact, fit in the back of the car with no problem. After 20 minutes of inching it back and forth, we pushed the driver and passenger seats as far forward as possible and miraculously fit our beautiful print in the back of the car. Now, Jen and I are two tall ladies. She's 5'11 and I'm 5'9. The driver's seat was so close to the dash that Jen couldn't move her leg to hit the gas pedal since her legs were too long. I had to take over the driving duties thanks to my more averagely-lengthed femurs and inched us home to unpack. As you can see below, we did succeed in getting the print back out of the backseat and up on the wall. It was a Swedish success. 

Squished up in front, with our beloved Paris in the backseat.

#legsaretoolong #tallgirlproblems

Okay we don't keep pillows on our table, but I wanted to show off my
favorite pillow that we bought. Paris is rockin' on that wall. 

Good Housekeeping

I lucked out with these roommates. Well, again, I know it's never luck, but somehow I ended up with two fabulous girls with whom to live. Kristin and Jen are nurses in Lawndale, so we all are working in the same kinds of communities. They are low-key, happy, smart, and fun. Sometimes when I get down on my life situation, I remember how I love my apartment, love my neighborhood, love this city, and love my roommates. Oh, and I love their cooking too.

We've been trying to have semi-regular meals together and each take turns making the meal. My turn is this week and I am going to make one of my mom's meals in the crock pot, but I'm kind of nervous that it won't measure up. Since Kathy is a culinary genius herself, I think I'm safe on that front. Do you ever have that self-consciousness? I do all the time. I get nervous to run with good runners, discuss politics with political science majors, talk theology with seminary students, shop with really good dressers, and cook for perfectionists in the kitchen. While in theory I should want to do all these things with the "experts" in their respective fields, I just get intimidated instead. Maybe I should just hang out with incompetent people more often to feel better about myself? I would but then I wouldn't get to eat Jen's apple crisp. So I'll stick with what I've got going on right now.

The apple crisp. It was so cinnamony and delicious

 

Getting Our Twords Wisted.

Remember my roommates? We love each other, but we have an interesting approach to showing it. Some might say being considerate, patient, and cutting each other slack is a way to show that you love someone. (Read my previous post for other ways to show it.) But oh no. Not in Melvina (our house). We think that making fun of each other and SHOWING NO MERCY translates to, "I love you and you are my friend." Sarcasm and zingers reign. The best, of course, is when someone messes up their words. We do NOT let those go. We all repeat it loudly, laugh obnoxiously, and belittle the mistaker relentlessly. If you can't take the heat, get out of the kitchen, right? Here are a few of my favorite instances of these mess-ups. I am dying as I even type it. Being the good college student that I am, I've cited my sources. No plagiarism here, just pure primary source material.

The six of us: Karyn, Mel, Karley, Susan, Lauren, and yours truly. 

While at Buffalo Wild Wings, contemplating our decision for what to order, Lauren asked, "How many guys you gonna get?"

"I need a ret wag." - Mel

"It's not an NBD!" - Karley

Mel's mom called and said, "Hey Mel!" on the phone. She replied, "Hi good!" 

This is one of my most famous repeat offenders. I must really like my transition words and say, "Furthermore, actually," in succession. Lauren had the same issue, except with adverbs: "Quickly, luckily."

"We could play splin the bottle!" - Anna 

"There's mulchable angles to this situation." - Lauren

"I don't want her to feel out left!" - Lauren

"It's been a yough rear for that." - Karley

"I have a Matt with class." - Karley

"Do you like this wed rine?" - Susan

"There was a blood of pool." - Karley

"I'm going to call your blunt." - Lauren (via our friend Neil)

"They have really good barcuebe pork sandwiches." - Karley

And my all time favorite - another Karley/barbecue quote. This one stems back to Junior year while out to eat and she said to the whole table: "You gotta get the barbecue on your sauce or else you'll get your thumbs on your face." I'm not sure what it means. I'm not sure Karley knows what it means. But I like it. 

Obviously I am going to continue to keep track of these . I've noticed that Karyn hasn't made the list yet so I'll keep close watch on that one and keep you posted. These little daily things are what I love about my house/roommates and hopefully you've been inspired to catch your friends doing the same. Yet another way to let someone know you care. 

Snowy Days and Fridays

You know how the old Carpenter's song goes, right? Well, it wasn't raining, it was snowing. And it wasn't Monday, it's Friday. So I had to improvise.

And boy did it SNOW. The Facebook stati (statuses? statodes?) on the topic of snow were in full force today. They ranged from "OMGOSH I luvvv snow!!! xxoxoxoxoo" to "What is this white stuff?! I hate it I'm moving!" While I appreciate the gravity of the impact that a foot of snow can have on your day, let me let you in on a little secret: It's January and it snows in Chicago. Additionally: It ALSO snows in Wisconsin. Basically, let me just say:


You live in the midwest and it's winter. Snow is pretty, but it's not a huge surprise. And it's also not a tragedy. Stop tailgating everyone like a loser and drive safely. Now go build a snowman. 


I had plans with some of my roommates to hit up a Mexican restaurant about 30 minutes from here for delicious tacos and killer margaritas. Well, the weather interfered but also created a fabulous night anyway. We braved the block and a half to the nearest grocery store to purchase ingredients to make our own tacos and margaritas. (And let's not forget some place-and-bake cookies!). All of my roommates and our friend Ali stayed in and ate dinnner, watched movies, and laughed all night. It was fabulous. Obviously to enjoy these selections you need to be able to look past the usual Hollywood trash that can infiltrate most movies, but they were funnier than most romantic comedies.

Hilarious moment where her hair extension
starts on fire

We watched "What's Your Number" with Anna Faris and Chris Evans first. It was pretty entertaining with the classic Anna-Faris--wide-eyed-ditzy style of humor. Then we watched, what else, Bridesmaids, for our weekly fix of Kristen Wiig. "Oh you live in Milwaukee? Oh I'm sorry!"  

This weather produced a fun night. Along with this, however, is a lack of cuteness for my ensembles. I can't be donning dainty flats in 12 inches of freezing white powder. Why do that to your toes? These are what my winter outfits are turning out to be these days:

For the record, my shirt is from a thrift store somewhere, is paper thin, and features a cross legged moose saying "Yuh not from 'round here, are yuh?" Classy. Hopefully I can step up the outfit situation in the next few weeks to provide you with some confidence in my maturity once again. It's getting there, I promise.

Tomorrow I set out on quite the little road trip. I head to Washington D.C. with a pro-life group to march in protest against the ruling of Roe v. Wade (its anniversary is this time of year). I am really excited to tell you about it, but please also know that if your opinions differ, I'm really interested to hear those too! My blog is not about slamming you over the head with my thoughts when it comes to politics. But it is about my experiences, and part of that includes offering what I believe to be true, right, and important. I love people who don't agree with me, and also those who do. So have no fear. Stay tuned and wish Karyn Koopmans luck. She has to spend many hours on a bus next to me and I am afraid for her sanity - pray that she still wants to be my friend when we return early on Tuesday morning. It might be cutting it close.

Laugh it Off

Mel, Karley, and Lauren

On Friday night, my roommates and I took some time out of the craziness before finals week to do a little gift exchange. We are rarely all in one place with our crazy sched situation, so these little moments of togetherness are sweet. With any stress of end-of-year stuff going on, a little present unwrapping and laughing can do a college girl good.  

Our first Christmas presents this year

We went to Starbucks for our exchange and opened presents over a little hot chocolate and other deliciously overpriced cups of cheer. We didn't go overboard with the spending, but did just enough to make it special. I picked Mel's name and gave her a stripey Forever 21 cardigan (I almost kept it for myself but decided not to go Grinch this year) and a giftcard to Starbucks. Lauren had my name and did a fabulous job with my present: adorable mittens, a feather necklace, and a cool silver ring. I'm so excited to wear all of them. It was a successful gift exchange. But our little outing reminded me of why I love these girls. I have the best roommates. 

Susan and Mel

We have been through a LOT together. And we didn't need to buy each other gifts...they give me so much every day anyway, mostly through how they make me laugh. Let me break this down a little. 

Karyn

Let's start with Susan. She's my partner in crime on JV soccer, but beyond that she gives me happiness daily through help with excitement over the little stuff (like dinner on Taco Tuesdays!). Mel gives me so many laughs with her sassy sense of humor, hilarious facebook observations, and youtube video sessions. Karyn gives me a shared love of stupid chick flicks, talking sense into a world of nonsense, and joking during sessions of couch-potato-dom. Lauren is probably the funniest person I've ever met, from her weird internet finds to taste in music to her affinity for a good pun. (She might be moving to Seoul. She thinks it would be a great Korea move.) Karley is just plain goofy, and we can probably sit and make fun of each other for an hour straight. Not to mention the random dance sessions that she spontaneously stages. 

My present from Lauren

So while I loved my present, I love my roommates more. If you can find people who make you laugh, hang on to them. Life will be a lot funnier. (Or in Lauren's case, a lot punnier.)