Half Marathon

A bunch of women from my church and I ran a half marathon yesterday in Alameda. I was so impressed with these women. Amongst them we had a woman who finished within the first 100 people (out of 2,000), one woman who had a baby 4 months ago and ran a 1:30:00 race, a mama who has a 2-month-old who ran a 2:04:00 race, and then other mamas of toddlers who also killed it. There was a trainer amongst us who ran like the wind, a long-term marathoner who kicked butt, and then there was me.

For me this was a couch-to-half-marathon type of thing. Before this I had never run more than 4 miles and that was only once before in my life and it was not a pleasant experience. I believe there were tears. So this was pretty huge for me. A friend of mine sent out an email trying to rally people to sign up to run it together. I decided on a whim to do it and once I paid the $75 race fee, I was committed.

I had trained to run a 10 minute mile, but wasn't used to running in the heat (SF is always chilly) so I slowed down a bit for the race. Miles 10-13 were particularly brutal and hot. I was really happy with how I did and insanely impressed with my friends who ran the race as well. I do think this was my first and last half marathon, though I think I'll keep up running and sign up for some 10ks.

Here's my time - I ran a 2:25:48 race.

 

This was me breathing properly for the first time in more than 2 hours.

 

Now, one day afterward I still feel pretty good. The thing that hurts the worst are my sunburnt shoulders. Dang that sun and heat.

Pining...

...for Big Sur. We went this weekend and went camping and it was wonderful and beautiful and I fell slightly in love with the place.

Enough in love that I wished we had camped there 3 nights instead of 2. That is saying something since I am not really a fan of sleeping bags.

And then we saw elephant seals!! Cherry on top!

And then we went to LA. And I was less impressed. I've never been a huge fan of the LA area but I always think that I am missing something because so many people loooooooove LA. And then I go again and... meh. Especially when compared to Big Sur. Though some parts are kind of nice.

It was such a nice weekend.

Stanley's Words of Wisdom

When life gets hard and you're feeling trapped, sleep it off. And if you happen to roll over in your sleep and fall off your crate ...err... bed, just look around accusingly, stretch it out, hop back on, and continue sleeping. Sleep solves everything. I recommend a good 15 hours a day. It works for me.

Just a few things...

1. I hate day light savings time. I haven't done my hair or make up once this week. I look like a hot mess at work. I feel like I have jet lag all the time. Annnnnnnd I wore my shirt inside out today until about 10am when my coworker noticed. Not cool, US government. Not cool.

2. Well, maybe I shouldn't blame it all on DLS because last week I accidentally wore my tennis shoes to work. My hot pink tennis shoes with my bright red pants. Then the next day I left my lap top at home and had to run back and get it-1.5 hours later I was back at work and ready to roll. Then the following day I left my delicious lunch on my kitchen counter. So maybe it's me.

3. Kids. Been on my mind lately because a lot of my friends are either preggers, just had their first, or second (what?!?!) child. And can I just say that while I love mommy blogs and read them on the daily, it is like the best form of birth control. Having a todler looks ROUGH. That is all I can say.

4.Andrew and I just booked tickets to Belize! I am thrilled to go scuba diving, visit Mayan ruins, and was extra excited when I discovered we would be back only 3 days before my close friend's wedding. That means I will be tan in the photos! Shallow, I know, but I live in San Francisco where it is sweater season 12 months of the year.

5. Stanley has a new BFF and her name is Harper. The cuteness of it all is overwhelming.

Super Bowl Weekend

I know nothing about pro-football, but I love a good party. At work we got in the Super Bowl spirit with a little pre-game celebration. I was asked to be in charge of the game portion of the party. I decided we would do a trivia contest.

Since I literally know nothing about the 49ers or the Ravens, I spent a lot of time googling and came up with a pretty great Super Bowl/49ers/pop culture trivia game. PR people can get pretty competitive, especially when the prize is packs of gum.

I thought I would share the questions with you, just for fun. Grab your husband/boyfriend/roommate/co-worker and see who wins. Let me know how you do! (Answers are below, underneath the photo of us with our 49ers eye patch thingies.)

1.       When was Janet Jackson's infamous super bowl "wardrobe malfunction"?

2.       How many times have the 49ers been to the Super Bowl? 3, 4, 5, or 6?

3.       How many BILLION chicken wings will Americans consume during the Super Bowl this year? 1, 2, or 3 Billion?

4.       What American singer, songwriter, dancer and actress will perform at halftime show this year

5.       How many tweets, on average, were sent per second during the final three minutes of last year’s in Super Bowl? 5,000, 10,000, or 15,000?

6.       What is the name of the 49ers mascot? Sourdough Sam, Prospector Pete, or Golden Gary

7.       What is the name of the Raven’s mascot? Moe, Joe, or Poe?

8.       Which popular singing group performed LIVE at the 2011 super bowl and got slammed by critics?

9.       Approximately how much will a 30-second commercial cost this year? 3.8 mill, 4.8 mill, or 5.8 mill?

10.   When was the last time the 49ers went to the Super Bowl?

11.   How many Super Bowls have the Raven played in? 1, 2, or 3?

12.   Who is the 49ers starting quarterback this year?

13.   What team does Manti T’eo play for?

14.   What is the name of Baltimore’s professional baseball team?

15.   How many Super Bowls have been held in New Orleans? 5, 8, or 10?

16.   BONUS QUESTION (in case of a tie): After a 4 year hiatus, what song will Justin Timberlake perform at a pre-game concert Saturday night?

 

A1. 2004 Super Bowl

A2. 5

A3. 1.23 billion chicken wings

A4. Beyoncé

A5. 10,000 tweets

A6. Sourdough Sam

A7. Poe

A8. Black Eyed Peas

A9. $3,800,000

A10. 1994

A11. 1

A12. Colin Kaepernick

A13. Notre Dame

A14. Baltimore Orioles

A15. 10

A16. Suit and Tie

 

Ok, how'd you do?

Our 5 Things

I got tagged on Instagram for the 5 Things You Don't Know About Me (thanks Lauren!) but then I saw that my friend Tara posted hers on her blog. Genius!

And she did hers and her husbands so of course I had to jump on that! But, sorry Tara, I am one upping you because I am including 5 things you don't know about Stanley too!

1. I know this infuriates real mothers, but I think having a dog is totally comparable to having kids. I'll let you know if I change my mind when I have babies, but I'm pretty sure Stanley will always be my first born


2. I am horrible at small talk and avoid it at all costs (including hiding in supermarket isles)


3. I am an anti-hoarder and often throw things away without remembering doing it. Bills, money, and clothes have all been fished out of the trash


4. I'm allergic to walnuts and pecans but no other nut (that I'm aware of)


5. I was named Darby (my middle name) after the movie Darby O'Gill and the Little People

1. His least favorite thing is clipping his nails. He HATES how it feels. To him it's like nails on a chalkboard

2. Andrew had two bagels for lunch every day during his last 2 years of college

3. No one but me will ever know this, but Andrew could be a butt model. Seriously.

4. He's so allergic to tree nuts that we keep an epipen shot in the house. I, however, have no idea where it is located at the moment and will be super helpful in an emergency situation

 5. He owns approximately 10 shirts, including his work shirts


 

1. Stanley is a very proper and deliberate eater. If I give him olives with a pit, he will eat all the meat off the olive, suck it clean, and leave the pit on the floor

2. He doesn't like bread. If you give him a piece he'll leave it untouched

3. His favorite thing is licking my legs right after I put on lotion

4. He puts his ears flat against his head and prances around when he's excited to see you which is every time you leave for more than 5 seconds and come back

5. He is terrified of joggers

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

I am not exactly sure how to write a food blog. I guess it is a little late for that since this blog is 2 years old and pretty much 90% dedicated to food posts. But, moral of the story-I don't know how talk about these cookies.

I could tell you they are the prefect texture-- not cakey, yet moist, light and airy yet very substantial. And I could tell you that the See's mints in these cookies push them right on to my regular cookie cooking rotation list. (I know you have one too.) I could tell you all those things but that is kind of boring.

So instead of talking about that let me tell you about my weekend. I made cookies Saturday morning and took them to a baby shower where they were consumed.

Whew. Not boring at all. Glad I switched tactics.

But seriously, you need them in your life. Well, I do. I won't project my obsessions on to you.

Double Chocolate Mint Cookies

Recipe adapted from How Sweet Eats.

Ingredients:

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces bittersweet (mine was 90% but I didn't use dark chocolate cocoa powder {see below}) chocolate, chopped
• 2 cups chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup dark chocolate mint patties, chopped (mine was See's)
• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder (preferably dark chocolate cocoa powder)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Directions:

1. In a large bowl, melt butter, bittersweet chocolate and 1 cup of chocolate chips. I do this in the microwave, beginning with 30 second increments and stirring until totally melted. Set aside and let cool completely.
2. In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder. Set aside.
3. In the bowl of your electric mixer, add sugar and eggs, beating on high until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add in vanilla extract and melted chocolate/butter, beating for another 1-2 minutes until combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and the whisk or beater attachment, then remove it and stir in the dry ingredients with a large spatula until thoroughly dispersed by just combined. Fold in remaining chocolate chips and mint pieces. Cover the cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge overnight.
4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place parchment paper or a silpat on an ungreased baking sheet. Wet your hands with water then begin to roll the dough into 1-inch balls, placing them about 2 inches apart. Do this quickly and if you are doing the cookies in batches, refrigerate the dough in between rounds. Bake for 9-10 minutes. Remove and let cool for at least 10 minutes on the baking sheet. Remove and place on a cookie rack to cool completely.