It’s time for the annual survey….geez, it seems like yesterday I was writing last year’s!!

I’m ready for 2012, even if it IS supposed to be the apocalypse.  But for different reasons.  Last year I was ready for 2011 because 2010 was such a hard year.  I was ready to start a new year in our new home. 

This time I’m ready for a new year because 2011 was so kickass that I can’t wait to see what 2012 brings!

What did you do in 2011 that you’d never done before?
We bought a house in Houston in March, I started a new job in April, I attended BiSC in May, I ran my first marathon with TNT in June, I co-hosted a rehearsal dinner for my gorgeous sister-in-law, I started triathlon (finishing the season off with a half ironman), enjoyed a Thanksgiving with both my parents and my husband’s here in Houston.

Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
My 2011 resolutions were to pay off my credit cards (CHECK), lose the remaining 7lbs I had left (CHECK), take a big trip and some small ones (CHECK) find a job I enjoy (CHECK), buy a new computer (FAIL), and to not have any babies (TRIPLE CHECK).

What are your new year’s resolutions for 2012?
I’m following Nicole’s guide to goal-setting and outlining a sort of life plan for the next year.  That being said, I do have a couple of big goals….firstly, buy a decent bike (ah, how my priorities have shifted) and finish my first Ironman – Ironman Texas on May 19th (I’ll have to miss BiSC this year…major bummer).  Next, take my sister on a post-college-graduation trip.  She wants to go to Paris….um, OKAY!  I’d also like to travel some with Shane…go to NY to visit his parents, maybe go somewhere we’ve never been together before….we might go to the beach with my parents.  I hate to be vague with resolutions but another of mine is to stop making people  priorities when they obviously don’t make me one – I will not stand for flakiness, I’m far too busy.  On the work front, I’d like to get a couple of different projects going here at the office.  No details, sorry…I work in HR!  But stuff that will show my value to the company.  Oh, and no babies still.

 Did anyone close to you give birth?
YES!  My good friend (and bridesmaid in our wedding) Merritt had baby Mason, the first of my close circle to give birth.  It’s so funny because it feels like yesterday we were zipping around in her red Mustang in high school.  Well, Merr was zipping, I was willing us to not die.  ;o) 

Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness.

What places did you visit?
Besides the random trips to Dallas and Austin, I went to San Diego for the marathon with TNT, and also to DC for The Nation’s Triathlon.  Shane and I took a 2-year-anniversary trip to San Francisco and Napa. 

What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2011?
Well, as long as we’re being materialistic, I’ll say a nice tri bike and a sweet Mac computer.  I said last year that I also wanted a filter on my mouth – to not be snarky.  Well, I’m retracting that for 2012.  I don’t want a filter.  From now on, if people are being shitty, I’m going to let them know.  That being said, I’ve gotten a lot better at holding my tongue and making smartass remarks when the only result will be hurting someone’s feelings.  I don’t want to hurt people for the sake of honesty or my opinion.  BUT I’m going to be up front with people about my feelings.  I have a lot of friends…I don’t need any fake ones.

What dates from 2010 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?
October 24th was our 2-year wedding anniversary, of course.  On June 5th I ran my first marathon.  On June 12th my sis-in-law got married! 

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Honestly, all the fundraising I was able to do for TNT.  I have raised almost $8,000 so far and it’s one of my life goals to raise $30K.  And it would be a lie to say it’s selfless fundraising – it makes me feel awesome to participate in these events with such awesome people, and raise money for blood cancer research.  TNT means a LOT to me.

What was your biggest failure?
This is a really assholic thing to say, but I feel like 2011 was a major WIN.  It rocked.  I guess I would say my one failure is time management.  I need to spend more time on our house and carve out specific “family time” instead of running around all the time, literally and figuratively.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Hurt my ankle 3 weeks before the San Diego Marathon.  Oy.  And….major sunburns.  Sunscreen is a top priority from now on.

What was the best thing you bought?
A bike.  I was really nervous about starting triathlon because I was NOT OK on a bike.  I could barely ride at all.  It is definitely still the weakest leg for me, but the good news is I’m not scared.  I also didn’t want to spend a lot of money on something I wasn’t even sure I’d like.  Well, I fell in love with triathlon and there’s no going back now!

Whose behavior merited celebration?
I’ve always thought this is a weird question.  But – probably all of my awesome family and friends who supported my endurance and fundraising efforts…coming out to numerous pub crawls, happy hours, St. Arnold’s nights, date auctions, etc.  You guys…there are no words.  You rock my world.

Where did most of your money go?
Besides the boring stuff, it went to sports and travel and fundraising!

 What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Not as exciting as last year’s MOVE TO TEXAS, but I was excited of course about all the races and spending a big Thanksgiving together AND all my friends getting married, having babies, etc.

What song will always remind you of 2011?
“Ours” by Taylor Swift.

Thanks for a wonderful year….family, friends, TNT, and Houston.

I really appreciate everyone’s kind comments on my last post.  It’s inspiring to know that there are people out there fighting for this cause every day.  I’m not a stellar athlete: I do this for a reason.  Do I get enjoyment out of it?  Sure.  But my motivation comes from somewhere else, too.  TNT is rapidly becoming a defining chapter in my life – I’ve made new friends, gotten back in shape, and raised more money than I thought would be possible for this cause….with no intent to stop.

I can’t express my gratitude enough to those of you who have been inspired to donate to this worthy cause – the money you donate WILL help find a cure.

I’m ready to get back into “marathon shape,” (remember the part where I didn’t really train all summer?  IT WAS HOT OUTSIDE) but first… my final triathlon this season is rapidly approaching – Oilman.  Shoutout to my buddy Alex for encouraging me to go for it!
It is not an official Ironman branded race, but it is a half iron distance (70.3 miles: 1.2 mile swim, 56 mile bike, 13.1 mile run).  I’m excited!  The swim is actually not that much further than an Olympic distance, but the bike and run are a little over double.

Do you hate triathlon?  So does this guy. Like, a lot.  SkinnyRunner posted this on her site and he’s gotten tons of new comments.  Mazels.

Make no bones about it – I’m a smug, rich asshole but that has nothing to do with sports.  I kid, I kid.  I totally have the Hyundai of bikes.  But I get what he’s saying.  It’s hilarious to pass these out-of-shape guys who think they’re the shit on their $3k bikes.  I might actually LOL if they’re wearing one of these bad boys:

YES, I KNOW THAT’S PHOTOSHOPPED.

Anyway.  Shane cooked dinner tonight and cleaned up afterward – he’s the best.  He just got back in from 10 days in Austin, New York/New Jersey, and Memphis – oy.  I did all the laundry while he was gone, but that was the extent of my housewifeliness (it’s a word).  I’m just so busy.

Here’s a dumb pic of me doing Shane’s laundry when he lived in Beaumont and we were just crazy kids – boyfriend and girlfriend, wooooooo.  He probably thought he had hit the jackpot and that I’d wait on him hand and foot.  He was sure in for a rude awakening.  To be clear – if we can afford it, I’ll stay home when we have kids.  I negotiated that shit up front.

Between a demanding full-time job, training, Junior League obligations, web design projects, responsibilities around the house, plus trying to scrap together a social life, I feel like I’m burning the candle at both ends.  I’m ready for a BREAK.  Know what I mean?

I have to learn to say NO to people.  Just a simple, “No, I can’t make it.”  Followed by vegging on the couch with the dogs!  A Shiner Oktoberfest never hurts either.

What do you do when YOU need a break?

Agh!  Ashley hit me with a Blissful Blogger award!

The rule: Write 9 things that most people don’t know about you.

1) My childhood nickname was Sweetie Doll.  The woman who took care of me every day til first grade said I was sweet and was as tiny as a doll.  She was my “adopted grandmother” and I knew when she died in 2006 that the nickname would likely die with her.  I was, for the most part, right.

2) I live with (hate the term “suffer from”) chronic depression and (perhaps consequently) trichotillomania.  I’m very self conscious about my hair.

3) I use humor as a defense mechanism.  I try not to let anyone too close. Actually, everyone probably knows that.

4) I won the district spelling bee in 5th grade and went on to take runner-up out of all the 5th-8th graders (…bitch).  I respect people less if they use poor grammar and/or spelling.  Not kidding.

5) I have a scar on the inside of my right wrist from when a family friend pushed me in the pool.  I hit it way too hard on the tile that separates the pool from the hot tub – I think that was about 12 years ago.

6)  My hand-eye coordination SUCKS.  I can dance something fierce and am fairly athletic but give me a sport that involves balls (no jokes, please), and it’s over.  Basketball is hopeless, volleyball hurts, and softball is just downright depressing.  Bat AND ball?  Trouble.  I’m glad nobody at work has invited me to play ping-pong in the break room (I work in HR, they all hate me).

7)  I am fiercely loyal.  Talk shit about me all day long if you want to, but don’t talk shit about my family or friends – I’ll rip your throat out.  Treat them badly and you’ll have to answer to me (and Best Friend J, who aids and abets in all sabotage).

8 ) I was painfully shy until about 12 years old – I wouldn’t talk to people I didn’t know, I was easily embarrassed, and didn’t have a whole lot of friends.  That all changed when I went to performing arts camp in New York and they MADE me come out of my shell.  New Yorkers are like that, yknow.

9)  My life is just not where I thought it would be at 26.  In certain aspects, at least.  I always thought I’d get married in my 30s, if at all, and have some sort of satisfying career, maybe be in the Peace Corps or work for a non-profit, I dunno.  Instead I’m the girl that married early (hey, no complaints on finding my life partner at the ripe age of 19!) and has no clue what to do.  WHAT SHOULD I DO?

Who to tag?

Kelly

Katherine

Terra

Phil

I don’t know why I was suddenly inspired to create a 30 before 30.  Maybe it was seeing everyone with their goals lined out in front of them (the Myers-Briggs test told me I’m an INTJ so is it part of my personality?).  Maybe it’s because my sister-in-law is having her big 3-0 in 19 days now! Not sure.  Either way.  Here it is, in the order I wrote them down off the top of my head.  In the future if you want to see the list, go to the new tab I’m creating for it!

I found a lot of adorable “30 before 30″ images, but went with this one – I grew up in Dallas.  So…appropriate.

1.  Pay off all debt (credit card AND student loan)
2.  Complete a full Ironman – gulp.
3.  Figure out what I want to do for a living – and start doing it!
4.  Finally replace my ‘03 Dell  – maybe with a MacBook Pro (also, learn Photoshop while I’m at it)?
5.  Raise $30,000 for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (currently at over $6k).
6.  Spend all day writing at a coffee shop.
7.  Shave my head – because as much as I want my long locks back, I AM NOT MY HAIR.
8.  Travel to Greece and Israel with my husband.
9.  Cultivate an interest in fashion (I really really hate picking out clothes and am horrible at it).
10.  Work on a presidential campaign.
11.  Start a community blogging project.
12.  Go one month without alcohol (and can’t be because of pregnancy, that’s cheating).
13.  Get my wedding dress cleaned and sealed (it’s been almost 2 years).
14.  Take my sister on a college graduation trip.
15.  Get a Brazilian wax (never have before and well why not?!  TMI?).
16.  Go skydiving.
17.  Learn to like scotch (obviously cannot be during a pregnancy either).
18.  Move from Texas again, possibly abroad – but always come back!
19.  Write 100 Yelp reviews – not all of them bad.
20.  Go on a retreat by myself.
21.  Inspire my parents – I don’t know how or what I want to inspire them to do, but…
22.  Take time to organize and settle into our house (cultivate an interest in decorating??)
23.  Swear off meat for good – fish too.  Damn you birds, you’re just so delicious I keep coming back.
24.  Take a Great American Road Trip – Grand Canyon, Mt. Rushmore, Niagara Falls, etc.
25.  Open an etsy shop selling something creative.
26.  Take a cooking class.
27.  Learn how to quilt – more specifically, learn from my grandmother.
28.  Learn another foreign language – French?  Italian?  GREEK?
29.  Invent a “signature dish” – my mom always makes rigatoni – I need my own!
30.  Sponsor a child from Save the Children in the Appalachians.

I’m also working on a life list.  Some of the goals are the same because I feel like some are big enough to qualify as LIFE goals.  That one is still a work in progress!

Totally unoriginal Katy Perry song title for blog title.

OR – The Blogger’s Guide to Having a Seriously Stellar Time

If you have the opportunity to go to Bloggers in Sin City, by all means GO.  I’m not the type to just fly across the country to a place I’ve never been with people I’ve never met in person to just hang out.  But after wussing out last year, I knew I had to go.  It was just something I had to do.  I’m so glad I did.

I met so many amazing people, all so different and yet somehow already connected.

Anyway…without further ado, The Blogger’s Guide to Having a Seriously Stellar Time (in Vegas and in Life):

• Go to BiSC, organized by the a-mazing Nicole
  
• Stay at Flamingo so you can be engulfed by a feather bed and also so you can watch Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man’s Chest while you poo.  Or for the ladies, while you put your makeup on (everyone knows girls don’t poo).
  
  
• Get incredible swag in yo bag, from cool sponsors…. like Dragonfruit infused liquor from Skyy Vodka, salt ‘n pepa popchips, Babeland toys if you’re lucky, Sir Richard’s condoms for all, awesome “I’m blogging this” panties from ThinkGeek, and many more that I can’t think of off the top of my head but will be sure to tell you about.
• Walk the strip with some fun gals like Ashley and Katherine – and make strangers take your picture.
  
  
• Go running with Tara and Mikael – if strangers try to run with you or catcall, no matter.  They can’t keep up.
• Go to Sugar Factory and guzzle one of their red velvet martinis, complete with cream cheese frosting rim:
  
• See Absinthe…for the love of God, see Absinthe!! And not just to see Angel Porrino in pasties, either.  The Skating Aratas and The Esteemed Gentlemen of the High Wire blew my mind.
  
  
• Check out The Bank at the Bellagio and perhaps dance with some British dudes and befriend a sweaty Dutch dude.  Maybe…just maybe…leave early and grandma it up in compression socks while watching Seinfeld.  For example.
• Casino royale (I’m using it as a verb) bigtime with Nico and TJ – maybe get a little lost while you’re at it.  Lose impressively at roulette.
• Look at the birdies while you’re pooling, and hang out with the too cool fo school Terra – but don’t forget your sunglasses.
  
  
• Go to dinner with phenomenal bloggers – too many to list – at Mon Ami Gabi at Paris.  YUM.
• Go window shopping with Germana.  Discover later that you probably could have cursed a LOT more in front of her.  Next time.
• Eat breakfast goodies, tons of them, with Jayme at Planet Dailies.  Challah french toast, holla! Don’t eat anything healthy.  Ever.
• Um.  Be VIP.  All the way.  All the time.
  
  
• Skip the line at Pure, thanks to said VIP badges.  Throw a bachelorette party for Kaci at said club.  Dance your ass off and pay exorbitant drink prices – I mean, I hear Will.I.Am is DJing, so let’s pop bottles.
• Go to Burger Joint late-nite with Maxie and Bob.  Inexplicably eat your weight in fried goodness.
• Double-check what time your flight leaves…I was about five hours off in my guess.

Honestly…this post just doesn’t even do the trip justice.   You could have done just about anything at BiSC and have had the BEST time.  I was reading Amber’s post earlier today, and she really struck a note – this trip taught me a lot about who I want to be.  Just mustering the courage to go on this trip made me feel pretty damn good.  And it was so inspiring – being around other people who are just trying to live their lives and express themselves through this particular medium and maybe figure out a thing or two along the way.  Thank you all so, so much.  Let’s keep in touch…are yall on Twitter?…..

Note: I think the left side of the picture missed the memo on the RAWR kitteh face.

Photos by me and Absinthe Vegas and Rebecca Freeman. The good ones are by her.

Coolest video by Apocalypstick:

Bloggers in Sin City from Almie Rose on Vimeo.

I have a blog about running drafted.  I have a blog about poor little baby doggies in Memphis (YesBiscuit).  Actually, it’s hard for me to look at that site anymore today.  Ok, mistake.  I just looked at it again and now have huge fat tears on my cheeks.  I was bawling, BAWLING at work.  Anyway – more on that to come.

Ok.  I’m ok now.

For now, I want to focus on tomorrow’s happenings – something happy!

It’s finally here – BiSC !!  YES!

I can’t wait to see everyone!

I think Nicole’s photo on the Shatterboxx blog says it best:

And at this time, Ke$ha lyrics are appropriate.  Something along the lines of  “go insane, go insane, throw some glitter, make it rain on ‘em.”

Let’s overlook the fact that I’m practically a grandma and the only glitter being thrown…wait, I don’t think any glitter will be thrown.  I’ll be happy with being able to hang.  And I’m running on Friday!  Well, I’m going to try – my ankle was hurting today.

Be sure to check out our itinerary on the “event details” tab, cause it’s balla.

And hey – if you’re reading this, I might be in Vegas but my husband and dogs are not SO DON’T TRY TO ROB US, your efforts will be thwarted.  Hmph.

Hah. In response to my BiSC roommate Katherine’s post.

I honestly don’t understand how people have time to post every day.  Multiple times a day.  Don’t get me wrong.  I wish I could, I WISH I could.  I would be so much more interesting if I could.

But I can’t anymore.  Between work (all day, on my feet, running around, meetings, talking to employees, lunches, meetings, research, answering emails, meetings, did I mention the meetings???), running OH THE RUNNING, maintaining a marriage, parenting two canines, I. JUST. CAN’T.  There’s like….moments for TV, oh sweet TV.  And also, my life feels like a never-ending cycle of laundry, so that’s awesome.

Let’s talk about the things getting me through.  Well actually, the things I get through for.  We threw my sister-in-law Aimee her bachelorette party in Austin last weekend, and it was a blast and a half!

Can we help it that we’re hot?  No, we cannot.

The bride and her hostesses!

Mollie and I got voted into the trunk – and I’m pretty sure we were the only ones in dresses, wtf??

We took a burlesque class, and it was the best experience ever.

If you didn’t want to be featured in my blog and you’re in this picture well then – sucks to be you.

Basically,  a great time was had.

And in about a month, Shane’s sis will no longer be a Ginsburg.  Sadsies. Except for on the inside.  And we’re all ready for the BIG DAY!  So happy for you, Aims.

Now that we’ve established I’m not dead – stay tuned for my next post….about…running.

This oughta do the trick.

Sorry guys.

This song is catchy as hell!!  For the longest time I thought Rebecca Black was a contestant on American Idol who released a single – well…this was before I heard the song.  Why can’t I go viral with my autotuned video??

And business.

This past week and a half has been so crazy.  First, we moved into the house.  Hooray!  Boxes EVERYWHERE. It’s just now starting to be cleared out.  A little.

This past weekend, Lori and I went to Shreveport with my mom and Aunt Becky.  This is not a leisurely ladies’ trip.  They mean business. Busy-ness.  Intense gambling and drinking.  Lori and I were obviously IN.  Unfortunately, I used up all of my luck on the 4-hour drive there.  Got pulled over.  Oh, OOPS.

Officer:  Hi ladies, any reason for your speed?  I clocked you doing 73 in a 60.
Me:  Er, hmm…no sir, I just thought I was going with the flow of traffic.  (I’m on an empty state road in Lufkin, Texas).
Officer:  Where are you headed?
Me:  Shreveport, we’re meeting my mom and aunt.  (Translation: I’m a gambler and a drunk, and so is the rest of my family).
Officer:  Can I have your license and insurance please?
Me: *hands over TX insurance to go with NC license* (….nice.)

Lori was near tears…I was calm, I was just thinking that I would need to win enough money to cover this darned speeding ticket.  I reapplied my lipstick.  The officer started walking back towards my car, and I saw in my mirror that he was doing so SANS TICKET-WRITING NOTEBOOK.  I whispered excitedly to Lori, “I think he’s gonna let me off!”

Officer:  Alright, well you need to slow down.  I’m gonna let you go with a warning.
Lori: Oh thank you so much, officer!  That woulda really put a damper on our girls’ weekend!

She reached over to shake his hand, made totally akward by the fact that I TRUST NO ONE and had barely inched the window open.  I follow suit. 

Then, I open my mouth.

Me:  Oh, I totally forgot it’s Round Up Weekend!
Officer:  What do you mean?
Me:  Yknow…where the police forces in Texas are rounding up everyone with outstanding warrants for Class C misdemeanors…

At this point, he’s giving me a really weird look.

Officer:  Where did you hear that? 
Me:  I read it.  In the news.   (Translation: I like to keep abreast of when you’ll be apprehending criminals)

It looked like he was starting to regret his decision, so I wished him good day and off we went.  At the speed limit, this time.

THEN when we arrived at the hotel (Boomtown), my car was starting to overheat.  HUH?  Never done that before.  Thank God Lori had AAA (not AA, that cult).  They determined my thermostat was sticking – whatever that means – and put more anti-freeze in it. 

Cue 8 straight hours of gambling and rum-and-diets.  My liver was absolutely pickled.  I lost $50 but Lori brought back $100.  Hey, at least I lost less than what that ticket would cost, right?  Hah.

The nice thing about hanging out with Lori (one of them…there are many!) is that I NEVER have to remember to bring my camera.  Hers is permanently attached to her hand and she even got some stealth ones of us playing slots!  I’ll post once she gets em on her Picasa page.

The weekend was a blast but took a LOT out of me.  I am STILL recovering.  I’ll just have to rally for pub crawl this weekend!

Ok, yall – here’s the info on the pub crawl on Saturday, March 12th – I NEED TO KNOW BY FRIDAY, MARCH 4th IF YOU’RE COMING.  Well, if you want a t-shirt that is.  MAJOR SHOUT-OUT TO HOUSTON SCREEN PRINT for giving us discounted shirts in exchange for putting their logo on the back!

Hey everyone!

I’m running with Team in Training in the San Diego Rock ‘n Roll Marathon to benefit the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Instead of blatantly asking friends for money, I thought I’d organize an activity for everyone to join while suppporting the cause.

So here’s the deal: the Purple Shirt Pub Crawl! TNT (Team in Training) is easily recognized by signature purple so what else would we wear?!
We’ll be organized in teams of no fewer than 2 and no more than 4 – if you don’t know other people coming, no problem!  I’ll assign you to some other friendly people!  From there we will embark on a bar scavenger hunt/game at many Washington Ave bars. I am going to work with the bars to get us drink specials, maybe free pitchers, etc.  More news to come!

Prizes will also be given out for various categories, such as Best Team Name (yes, you’ll need a team name!), Most Spirited, Best Boozer (please don’t hurt yourself though).  Plus, I know yall’s true weakness – FREE T-SHIRTS. Duh.

Bars we’ll be frequenting (read: storming full-force):
1) Max’s Wine Dive (starting off the evening classy-like – special to be announced soon)
2) Bronx Bar (special to be announced soon)
3) Pearl Bar (special to be announced soon)
4) The Lot (1 free Lot Shot per person and the bar will make a 10% donation of any proceeds made from other drinks we buy)
5) The Dubliner ($3 drafts Miller Lite, $4.50 drafts Harp & Guinness, $4 wells)
6) Wash Ave Drinkery ($10 buckets, $4 drafts, $3 wells, $5 martinis, 20% off food)
7) Buffalo Wild Wings (ending the night with dinner and final specials)

(thanks to Aimee for recommendations!)
Yall stay tuned for the other specials!

How to play: signing up for the Purple Shirt Pub Crawl is easy!  Just RSVP to the evite, then go to my TNT fundraising site and make a minimum $25.00 donation to participate (this is all for TNT, after all!) Here’s the link:
Christa’s TNT Fundraising Page

Please forward this evite to anyone you think might like to join! The more people we have the more specials we are likely to get, and the more money raised for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society!

Hope yall can join!