Bi-monthly Thursday Thirteen

It appears it has been a while...Better late than never, right?

1. Busyness (not to be confused with business)! - So far, 2011 has been great and it keeps getting better. In January we got married and had a wonderful time on our weddingmoon in Las Vegas, followed by our honeymoon in Kauai. We closed on our new house on Monday, we move Saturday, and that is just the first quarter of the year.
2. Moving – I’ve never met anyone who says they love moving, no matter how good the reason. It has been hectic, but we’re excited about it. I vacillate between complete calm and total panic. I am just ready to get it done.
3. Training – I’ve been keeping fit and working out 5-6 days/week, running at least 3 times/week, weight training at least twice, but I don’t know that you can call what I’ve been doing "training" per se. I think that’s because I haven’t really been following a plan of any kind.
4. ShamWOW- I am signed up for the Shamrock Marathon but for a variety of reasons, I won’t be running the full marathon. The Knight and I decided to head down and run the first 13.1 miles of the race. The half marathon is full so we’re not allowed to transfer.
5. Medal - I really hope that despite the above, I will still be allowed to receive a medal. I admit that when I saw pictures of last year’s medals I put this race on my to-do list. I will understand if they deny me, since I’m not doing what I signed up for, but I do hope that it goes my way. *I need my bling!*
6. Race Calendar – See #3. While 2011 has been a great year so far, there have been a few little complications. I have signed up for the Musselman sprint, but I don’t plan to do the micro (tricycle) race again. I think I’m really scared of what Es is going to do to me to pay me back for last year.
7. Medical – So, without going into any detail, I’ll just say that there’s a little medical issue that I need to address. I found out yesterday that I need to have surgery to get things (you know, female things) in good working order. Soooo…. I'll get it overwith and then I get to hang around my beautiful new house for a week and watch all of the TV I can stand. (Hey Es, that meal that you promised me…do you deliver?)
8. Recovery – Is it bad that one of my chief concerns with the procedure referenced above is that I won’t be able to work out for nearly a month? So not happy about that, but I’m just really grateful that a) it is nothing life threatening; b) I have the resources (medical insurance, support, income) to tackle this.
9. Tree House – We are so excited for our new house, which we are affectionately calling the tree house. It is a raised rambler, which means the main living area is on the second floor. There are a ton of windows and the house is surrounded by trees.
10. Birthday – Next week is my birthday. I love my birthday – and all birthdays. (In case you’re wondering, I’ll be 36.) Unfortunately, it looks like some of the usual fun is being usurped by the house purchase and moving. :( And that pesky half marathon the following weekend. Oh well.  A new house is a damn good present.
11. Parade – Fortunately, one birthday tradition will not be affected by our change of residence is my annual parade. You see, I was born on St. Patrick’s Day. When I was a wee one, I was convinced that annual Macy’s St. Patrick’s Day parade was for my birthday. Explains a lot, doesn't it? It's all about me, me, me :)
12. Green – Yes, I like having a holiday birthday, but there are some downsides. I’m kind of over getting green cookies, bagels, flowers, etc. for my birthday. However, green cupcakes (and all cupcakes) are perfectly acceptable gifts, thank you very much. Money is also always welcome.
13. Online Shopping – I really don’t know what I’d do without online shopping and my Amazon Prime account. My most recent purchase was a medicine cabinet for my new master bathroom (yay, I get to say master bathroom now that we have more than one bathroom!). I ordered it from Amazon for $100 less than I saw it elsewhere and it arrived in 2 days (and shipping was free).

I think that’s enough randomness to last us a while, isn’t it?