Run, Kelly, Run

I seem to have convinced myself that I think I should train for the Des Moines Marathon. But the half marathon part - running/jogging/walking 13.1 miles is enough to make me hyperventilate; let's not be silly. I think part of it has to do with the fact that Sparky has done two marathons and trained for the HyVee Triathlon this year. Sadly, severe weather made officials shorten the course so he while he trained for full swim, bike, run madness; he only got to do sprint lengths.

Oh, yes; I am one lucky lady!

So my hot hubs has inspired me, kind of. I'm already a day behind on the IMT Des Moines Marathon four month training schedule (two if you count the rest day on Tuesday - when I should actually be crosstraining). I should have run 3 miles on Monday. Oops. 

Aaaand, have I mentioned before that I am not a runner. Or athlete of any sort for that matter. So, this is going to be interesting. If I ever get started.

AWhole Lotta Nerve

Let's just get it out there...some people in this world need to be punched. Not in a fight or a mugging but by random strangers when they are doing things like this:

Apparently having a BMW Z3 roadster makes you more important than anyone else on Earth. Did you know that? I didn't; otherwise I would have invested in one long ago(sidenote: yes I know you cannot INVEST in cars). If owning a luxury vehicle gives you the right to block wheelchair cutouts with your car then I'm sure you get to go to the head of the line, cut people off in traffic, take candy from babies, etc. That totally makes it worth the cost. Right? I mean, all of the front parking spots were filled, what else was the guy supposed to do?
What a jerk. Seriously, someone needs to punch him.

Life After LOST

As I began to write this, I did a quick Google search for "lost." The series finale extravaganza begins in about an hour and that little word is currently the fourth most popular search in the last hour."Lost quotes" is number 12. Included in the search results is the Lostpedia; a "Lost-related wiki with over 6000 articles, 25000 registered users, and 150 million page views." Wow. The site is currently on partial lockdown until the finale airs due to "extensive spoiler vandalism."
I like Lost. I enjoy watching it. But I don't have a freakin' clue what it's actually about. But there are many people (besides the 25,000 registered users on the Lostpedia site) who invest time in figuring it out. My husband is one of them. I'll admit, I tried. Early in the show's history they ran special commercials with hotline numbers that supposedly gave clues to the mysteries. Yeah, I gave up.
Allegedly, all of the questions about the show's space-time-continuum-good-vs-evil-nuclear-astro-whatever-physics-fate-destiny-numbers-Kate-Jack-and-Sawyer-love-triangle plot will be answered. But the question I have is - What are all of these people going to do when Lost is over? Sparky included.
They have Lost lingo, people. Sparky has used it on me - Tailies, Red shirts, MIB - I'm sure I don't know the half of it. There are podcasts and websites that are dedicated to the show. There has even been a convention. I know Lost isn't the first show to create this phenomenon. And it is interesting and accessible. At least fans don't have to learn Klingon and invest in costumes to participate. Plus, the networks have not been able to replicate the same intrigue with other shows, despite attempts (has anyone tried to watch Flash Forward - finally on the chopping block).

What Can I Say?

Let's clear the air - it's been far too long. Over one month since my last post. I'm a poor excuse for a blogger. There's really no excuse. Just a few things at work and at home that sucked me into a black hole that did not allow me the time or energy to mess with anything beyond them. Well, maybe that was the case for a couple weeks. Then, it just got a little intimidating. But...I'll give you a quick re-cap of what's been going on. Think "Twelve Days of Christmas" but with less numbers and repetitions.

For the past month or so this is what I've been doing...

Lots of cricut cutting...

And invitation making...

Seeing eight sorority sisters...

Planning three Regional Meetings...

And one Kentucky Derby Party...

OK - not really like the song and I probably haven't been too busy to blog. Just too lazy mentally exhausted. But I'll do better. Well, I'll try to do better!

Dressed for Stress

I love clothes and fashion but hate figuring out what to wear. It's honestly a struggle for me most mornings and special occassions usually involve a lot of hand wringing and cold sores (hey - on my lips, I get them when I'm stressed).

So my anxiety level went through the roof when I had to figure out what to wear to my friend and sorority sister, Krystal's upcoming wedding. How's this for a wedding attire puzzle:

2:00 PM wedding ceremony in a Catholic church
5:00 PM (in the evening was on the invite) reception

Formal attire

PLUS:

I'm a personal attendant

I haven't seen some of the other DZ friends who are attending in almost seven years.

So I have some serious strategizing to do and some obstacles to overcome.
1. I have to look HOT! and chic. Let's face it ladies, we all dress for each other and no one is worse about this than sorority girls. Don't get me wrong, the other DZs attending are fantastic and I probably would have seen them more recently if I was any good at keeping in touch with people. But, I still want them to think I look outstanding.

2. Catholic church. This may be in direct opposition to looking HOT! I believe proper church attire calls for you to cover your shoulders (especially in the Catholic church; pretty sure you can rock the bare shoulder in a Methodist church and probably still make it to heaven). So...a wrap or jacket will be needed unless I can find a sexy Mormon prom dress.

3. Afternoon ceremony. Evening reception. Formal attire. So cocktail or long dress? Is a fancy cocktail dress OK? Probably, since it's in Omaha (Krystal's a midwest native who lives in LA now) and O-town can be laid-back. But Krystal's fiancee is a California guy who went to USC - I get the impression his family has probably been to some fancy weddings. I broke down and bothered the bride about it. Really. I asked what she was picturing for her guests, long dresses, cocktail dresses, etc. She said she was hoping people would wear long dresses, but would probably be mostly cocktail style.

So - I spend several hundred hours some time stalking the super sale sections of the Neiman Marcus, Saks and Bloomingdales websites. I also join and check my sale sites daily. These include, but are not limited to Shop It to Me, Gilt, HauteLook and Ideeli. Whenever something seemed appropriate and within my grasp, I start to doubt it hotness and/or price and end up losing out.

Then Rent the Runway came to my rescue! If you don't know what RTR is - it's only the most amazing concept ever. In short, according to their website:

"We buy pieces directly from top designers and then offer rentals at just 10% of retail prices. It couldn’t be simpler: just browse our pages until you find something you love. Put it in your basket, tell us when you’d like it delivered, and it’ll appear on your doorstep—in two different sizes, just to be safe." 

I had checked the site but nothing fit what I needed - long but not too fancy, not black and preferably not strapless. Then, the new arrivals came in. I crossed my fingers and logged on. Despite my usual lack of luck, I spotted the perfect dress. A fab Badgley Mischka number that I snapped up.

Badgley Mischka Heavenly Halter Gown

UPS will be delivering it to my front door on Thursday. Also arriving Thursday are the shoes I hope to be wearing - Jessica Bennett's Kael slingback from Endless.com. The bride is a big fan of hoop earrings so in her honor; I'm planning to wear a pair similar to the ones below.

Nothing like waiting until the last minute to make sure everything looks good, right? Looks like Thursday will either end in tears and a mad dash to a dress rack or a sigh of relief and the hope that I don't screw up my hair and make-up too much on the big day. Oh - and let's hope I don't look like a tool being the only person in a long dress.