Everything Besides Running

So with all this downtime after Boston I actually have been trying to keep myself busy. Here's a short list as well as some slide shows of what has been going on since Boston.

The weekend I got back Solar and I were signed up to make rain barrels! Basically rain barrels capture runoff from your roof which you can then use to water your garden and lawn instead of using tap water. Better for your plants, better for your pocket book, and better for the environment. I just need to get a better overflow system hooked up to mine and paint it with some flowers and stuff and it will be set to collect rain water for my garden. Too bad it will probably stop raining as soon as I hook it up!



On an another environmentally friendly note I started taking the bus to work. So far it has worked out great. Only had to run to catch it once and haven't had to stand for more than a few minutes once on. Although it does look like this is becoming a very popular alternative to driving! Think the gas prices may have something to do with it? ;) I did the math and it works out to save me a little money but mostly it just saves me the hassle of driving. As a bonus I get to read on my way to work, I have already zoomed through the Phillip Pullman trilogy and need to get my butt to the library and pick out something else (any suggestions?) for now I am catching up on my running times and runners world magazines. Once the weather breaks I will alternate between cycling and taking the bus in.

On another driving note the man who I rear ended oh about 3 years ago finally settled the lawsuit against me. WooHoo! No bankruptcy or court for me. What a load off. I swear about 50 trees were killed in the process of that whole lawsuit, I have never seen so much paperwork in my life!

I got a new (pink!) camera just before Boston so I have been trying to use it as much as possible :) It's small so I expect some photos on the trails will happen soon. For now I have just in general been driving my hubby nuts with it and taking tons of photos and video at our cousins birthday parties. The kids parties are always a nice way to catch up with the family. Oh and a nice excuse to sugarfy myself with cake and ice cream.

Although it didn't involve me running I did go to the Captains 5K and volunteer. I got to do race day registration and be the 2 mile timer. Fun times in the rain. As a bonus we got two free tickets to a captains game!

I have been working on getting the house de-cluttered so that our distressed feline will stop peeing on everything in site. This involved going through a lot of paper and shredding as well as some home repairs. I even scoured the bathroom (and almost lost my dinner, drains are freaking disgusting!).

For Cinco De Mayo we actually went out for drinks with the coworkers. As a bonus we scored free tacos! I had more than my fair share and took part in the free tequila shot, gross!

Despite my efforts to clean the house the couches ended up being a lost cause. Not enough natures miracle in the world for that job (I have completely doused those things in natures miracle more times than I care to tell in the past few years). We found while we were hauling it out that he actually had not just peed on the cushions but had managed to spray (like a dog) the entire side of the sofa (how is that even possible?). So we are now seat less. Any ideas for alternative seating that a cat would not find an attractive place to be or pee on but is still comfortable for us? We miss watching movies!

In my attempt to finally get my garden going we drove over to the Shaker Lakes nature center's plant sale. Unfortunately they were sold out of all the native plants when we got there and none of the other plants fit what I was looking for. So we settled for a hike around the trails and I made David take lots of goofy photos. Is this man a keeper or what? I often wonder who Dirt Diva gets to take all of her fun trail photos for her. I know my man has a limit for how many posed shots he is willing to take or be a part of on any given outing :)

So without further ado enjoy the photos. I think that pretty much catches me up here. We will return to our regularly scheduled running program next post.