Hello My Old Friend

I have this thing that I call a 'window'

It's that small amount of time every day after work that I have where I actually want to workout.  Sadly, the 'window' is small and doesn't last long and as soon as I am out of it...I am out of it.

Well tonight, while I was in my 'window', I rushed home from work and joined the gym, which is right below my apartment.  (my apartment has a gym - but the equipment isn't great, its small and I feel like I am bottoming out the treadmill, which is really bad for my self-esteem)  As soon as I paid for my 3-month membership, I wasn't in my 'window' any longer.

So....I went home, sat on the couch, ate some combos pretzels and checked all of my social media sites.  I called my sister to see if she wanted to move our dinner date a little sooner.  because I was friggin' starving. She had to work and couldn't change her plans - so I had to wait. That's when I decided that I might as well go to the gym. I broke the 'window'.

This NEVER happens. Never.
I walked to the gym and made it 45 minutes on the treadmill and felt great.

I guess my 'window' is a bunch of BS.

Shit.

Hello my old friend.  It has been since February since I have ran on a treadmill and I didn't miss it one bit.  It is so monotonous.  With the days getting shorter and living in the city, I'm scared to run alone after dark...it is my only option on weeknights.  (plus, its really cold in Omaha  and I am a wimp)

45 minutes of pounding and shaking the screen - I was a sweaty mess and feel like I got in a quality workout.  It is time to let go of nature for a few months and start enjoying inside running again.  It makes my weekend outside runs so much more enjoyable.

Which brings me to my next topic - Walmart workout clothes.

It's been a while since I've posted a dirty bathroom mirror selfie - so enjoy!  (Man, I really need to clean that mirror.  eek.)

While living in KY - my local shopping options were pretty limited.  So I spent most of my time sampling bourbon.  There was a local Walmart in town and I picked up a few workout pieces while living there.  Everything I have on in this picture is from Walmart  with the exception of the sports bra and the massive amounts of 'Glide' that I have to put on to prevent chaffe.   
The top and shorts are the brand Danskin and very reasonably priced.  The shorts are great, a little short for my chunky thighs, but overall really good for running.  They are super light weight and feel like you are running naked.  (not really, but close) The top is great too, I love the dark blue color - but doesn't breathe too well when sweating like a beast.  It would be better for weight lifting or non-cardio exercising, but still very functional.  Sorry Walmart, my boobs are too big (or I am far too bouncy) for your little and cute sports bras. 

I wear the brand Moving Comfort - pretty spendy, but I highly recommend their products, check em out next time you are looking for a new sports bra. 

I guess my point is...you don't always have to drop a buttload of cash at running stores for running shorts and shirts....pass through your local wally-world and see what they have to offer at lower prices.

Thanks for reading!  Cheers to making the Most of it and my 'window' theory being a bunch of crap.

My Last Hot Brown......

.....well, maybe not forever.

My awesome co-workers had a going away lunch for me and served up my favorite!  It was a really nice send-off!  I have worked 'on the road' for several years and it is so nice to have a home away from home and be able to work with such a fantastic group of people from all over the U.S.

Enough of all that - back th the Hot Brown.
If you were wondering - here are all of the healthy ingredients:

6 tablespoons butter
6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 cups milk
1/2 cup freshly-grated Parmesan Cheese (Parmigiano-Reggiano)
1 egg, room temperature and beaten
Salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup prepared whipped cream
8 slices toasted white bread, crust trimmed off
1 pound cooked turkey breast, thinly sliced
Grated Parmesan cheese for topping
1 (2-ounce) jar diced pimientos, drained
8 bacon slices, fried crisp

Yum.  It is so good and SO BAD.  I dream about it.  I haven't even logged it into my calorie counter app - It is so good, I could give a shizz about the calories.  Thank you to the good people of the Commonwealth of Kentucky for this fine culinary invention.

The reason I am paying my respects to the Hot Brown is because I spent my last week in the 'Tucky and am going to miss it.  Other than the fact that I was a timezone or 2 away from all of my favorite people and my commute to Montana was really long, I had a great 15 months in the state and am sort of sad to leave it in my rear-view. 

My family came to visit me on my last weekend and I wanted to share some of Kentucky's finest with you from their visit.  We had a great time and I am happy to have such a great family who is willing to travel across the country to visit me.  Thanks Auntie Val, Dib and Johnna.  Love you guys!

On our first day we ventured to Chruchhill Downs and the Kentucky Derby Museum.  I had been to Churchhill Downs before for the Derby - it was AHH-Mazeing and so fun!  This time, things were a little calmed down (there weren't 100k people there) so we actually got to see the track!  It was really neat and such an old and classic facility. 

Fun fact:  Did you know that people sneak in at night and spread the ashes of their loved ones on the track? 

After our visit to the Kentucky Derby Museum and Churchill Downs, we took a river boat tour on the Ohio River in Louisville.  We caught it right at sunset and it was really beautiful!  To the left you see Louisville, KY and to the right is Jeffersonville, IN.

The next day we made it to the highest point in Carroll County and over-looked the Ohio River Valley and my cute little town of Carrollton.  General Butler State Park is nestled right in the middle of town and it was my favorite place to go while I was living there.  

This is General Butler State Park in the fall.  Such beautiful colors!  It was really nice to jog there because I got a lot of rest (I stopped to take pictures every 5 minutes - I love excuses to rest)  ;)

This kind of looks like an engagement photo, doesn't it?  If you were wondering, I play the role of the big burley woman who should re-think horizontal stripes. 

Next stop was the Kentucky Horse Park.  While Val was reading every single display word for word in the horse museum, we set out to see the exhibits.  My favorite was the Horses of the World Exhibit.  There were horses from every single country in there.  This little guy was from Norway and was a Viking pack horse.  I especially liked how he styled his mane.  (and that he was a blonde)

The next day we checked out a Tobacco Barn.  This thing was jam-packed with tobacco and smelled just like a cigar.

The picture above was taken a month or so ago - right in the middle of harvest.  This is what tobacco looks like in the field.  I would estimate it at about 6' tall with really big palm-like leaves.  The plant on the right has just been chopped down.  The harvest happens all by hand and looks really labor intensive.  The plant is chopped and left in the field to dry for a day or so and then hauled to large tobacco barns all over the country.  (like the one above)

We took a nice drive through horse-country.  The horse farms are massive and picturesque.  Not a blade of grass out of place.  I am sure they are not expensive at all!  I think the barns are nicer than most houses.

 We made our way to the Woodford Reserve Distillery.  It is a smaller distillery, owned by Jack Daniels (in TN).  We got to see the whole bourbon process from fermenting to barrelling (then tasting!)

Bourbon is intended to be sipped slowly and enjoyed.  Although I still haven't acquired a taste for it - it was nice to share the Kentucky experience with my family!  (Val shot it back really fast and asked for more, haha)

Goodbye Kentucky - thank you for all of your hospitality, I've enjoyed every.single.day!  Thank you to my wonderful family for coming to visit me! 

Cheers to making the most if it, great experiences and moving forward in life! *clink*

Goals...

Goals…

I’m not sure if it was exactly a ‘goal’, but since I started tracking my runs on the Nike Running App – I’ve been very excited to get to 100 Miles.

Well, yesterday, I did it.  I made it 100.1 miles since I started tracking August 1^st.  That’s a long friggn’ way.  To put it in perspective for my small mind – I ran from Grass Range to Billings, MT…it only took me 2 months!  (it takes 1.5 hours to drive) ;)  Ultra Marathoners run that distance all at once and in under 24 hours.  …Crazy ass beotches….  I have no plans of ever doing it all at once, but still feel like it’s a milestone and calls for a pedicure and some champagne!

½ Marathon training is going well.  I am hitting my pace on the shorter distances, and a little slower on the longer distances.  I ran 9 miles on my long run last weekend, I was happy that my roommate went with me.  She’s always up for a long run (crazy lady).  We walked a little and did a little Kentucky exploring along the way – I wasn’t overly impressed with my pace – but I made it and afterward re-fueled with some Southern Cooking.  (Yumm by the way)  There was also a ‘Tobacco Festival’ in Carrollton – it rained almost the entire day, but we braved it and made our way down to the square for some Tobacco Judging.  ;) 

Priorities people, priorities.

Next week’s training calls for a 10K race.  I haven’t signed up for a 10K, so I am planning on hauling ass through 6 miles and pretending that I am racing.  We’ll see how it goes. 

THEN – the following week’s long run is 10 miles.  Ugh. 

CHEERS TO MAKING THE MOST OF IT and 100 More Miles!

Kitchen Table

This is what my kitchen table looks like at this very moment.

My ideal 'kitchen table' is completely clear with absolutely no clutter - possibly with a pretty boquet or nice tasteful center piece. 

The above picture is what my mind feels like right about now as well.  Eek

My ideal 'mind' is clear and concise and organized and knows all of the right answers or where to try to find them - and has a really nice blonde highlights that cover up all the gray.  Oh yes, its a beautiful natural blonde mind when functioning properly.  When its off - it is off the deep-end laying on the couch watching Bridget Jones eating chocolate and crying off!

My table consists of all of my 'to-dos' and reminders that I need to get done this week.  Pay bills - change my address - eat healthy for the week (Big K, this means...get groceries and keep your hungry ass away from Sonic, mmm-kay?) read all of my Fitness magazines that I am behind on, maybe do a few squats, drink coffee, write some thank you notes...read the paper, get my oil changed, finish some stuff from work, and so it goes. 

I am in the process of getting my shiznit together so I can move from the Tucky to Nebraska.  Most of what I own is in storage in Texas and I have mainly kitchen supplies, linens, a buttload of beauty products (halfway used), clothing and more shoes than I know what to do with here. So I have to figure out what to move and what to send to TX to store.  Hopefully I won't get too scattered.  (Thanks to my sweet cousin for letting me ship some stuff to her place in Fort Worth until I can move it to storage, you are way too good to me!)  My furniture is all rented, so I don't have to move anything major.  Just stuff.  So - I have made a list and gotten side tracked several times.  (I'm side-tracked right now as a matter of fact) Will I ever get organized?  Maybe I should just throw everything away and start over?  Maybe I should get another book about organization that I can display on my desk and never read.
Good Plan, but I think I'll get my oil changed first and check out if there are any sales going on at my favorite stores.

Enjoy your Saturday y'all.
Cheers to clearing your Kitchen Table! (or trying to)

It all started when...

The last 2 weeks have been fairly busy, full of carbs and quite eventful.  don't worry - I took a bunch of selfies for you.  I have been all over Kentucky - Ohio - and Nebraska and now Montana.  Needless to say, my diet and exercise have taken a strong turn for the worst.  SO...I decided to write about it and make it all better and make a plan forward to hold myself a little more accountable while I am on the road the next couple of weeks.
Good Plan.

Well, last week was my birthday and I spent it in Omaha with my sister and some great friends.  Thanks ladies for treating me to such a fun night - you are all so special to me! 

We went to a great wine bar in Omaha called 'Nosh'.  It is one of my favorite places there!  You definitely need to check it out if you ever find yourself in the Omaha Old Market area.  We had champagne, dinner, and some cake to top off the evening.

My bday is 9/11 which is already an odd day to celebrate on, so I am happy to stay in and shop online to celebrate.  BUT - I'd take spending time with people that I love over Amazon and Zappos any day. 

BUT...thats not where it all started.  Rewind one week prior....

My sweet co-workers knew I was going to be gone for my b-day and gave me an early surprise with an office FULL of balloons (about 3-400 to be exact) and homemade German Chocolate Cake!  I die!  It's my fave!  It was so good and so nice of them to think of me!  I'm thankful to work with such great people!  It makes living and working 'on the road' so much easier!  My office was really difficult to work in the rest of the day!  It was far too festive in there for a construction site!  (I'm still popping balloons!  Great stress relief!)

The rest of the week looked like this:

Yes - that's a White Russian.  I wish I could drink about 10 of those bad-boys every.single.day.  Hells to the yah.  (I did ask for skim milk to cancel everything else out)  I feel the the 'Dude' when I drink them.  So much cooler than normal.

My Hunney send me the prettiest boquet of flowers, they were absolutely beautiful!  It is hard to see, but the tiny pink roses were so unique.  They weren't just pink, but swirled with a lighter pink.  Gorrrgggg!

To: Krystal - thanks for being so great.  Happy 25th Birthday (again)!  With Love From: Krystal

I picked up the SUPER CUTE top from the gift shop at the casino!  Its great when you find treasures where you least expect it!  The top reminds me of a mullet - hence the reason why I like it so much!  Side note:  I didn't find any treasures while gambling though and lost a cool hundy in the slot machines in about 5 min flat. 

Well - today it starts again.  Back to normal healthy habits.  I am not going to let 2 foolish weeks get me down....I have to admit - the tightness of my jeans gets me down a little though.  ;)  Enjoy your weekend and make the most of every single thing you do!

I'm spending my day today with my Grandpa Phil on the ranch and even have my running clothes on already.  Hopeful that I will get a run in God's Country today.  I'm up to 7 miles on my half-marathon training.  Only a couple of months to go! 

This is my favorite place on earth!

That's Gramps - he is in his mid-80's and is still going strong and is such a great person to look up to.  I am sure he can out work me anyday of the week.  I am a lucky girl to have such a great man in my life!

Cheers to starting new and not looking back! 

Casual Friday - from across the pond

Happy Friday Everyone!  As you know, here at www.sagebrushandpurses.com we take casual Friday VERY SERIOUSLY.  Today is no exception.  As promised - I am going to mix it up a little. Featured today is a very stylish friend of mine from the UK - who also takes casual friday very seriously and actually wears a little more than jeans and a t-shirt.  I asked her only yesterday if she wanted to be featured today - her response was an enthusiastic "yes" and she already knew exactly what she was going to wear! 

Thank you for being so supportive of casual Friday!

In order to maintain confidentialitity and not blast her good name and knicker-type all over the www, lets call her Bridget Jones.  Side Note: I love Bridget Jones and only started hanging out with the above-mentioned Bridget Jones in hopes that her cool British accent would wear off on me - it never did and I was stuck with her and her odd tea drinking ways.  Since then we have strengthened our bond over our love of shopping, wine, beef and Mexican food and have become great friends.

As I mentioned earlier Bridget Jones is very fashionable.  (as I think most Brits are - not 100% sure, but they seem like it on TV...duh Madonna is British, right?) 

Bridget is no exception, her look is very classic and timeless.....and my hard-hat, jeans, steel-toed-work-boot-wearing-self is always envious. (Bitch)

Her day usually starts (or ends) like this:

Daniel Cleaver: Now these are very silly little boots, Jones. And this is a very silly little dress. And, um, these are, fuck me, absolutely enormous panties.
Bridget: Jesus. Fuck.
Daniel Cleaver: No, no. Don't apologize. I like them. Hello, Mummy

Only kidding, here she is:

-          Top by The Limited – small lashings of lace around the neck add an element of the sassy to a somewhat classic top. Peplum around the waist hides a multitude of sins and lumps and bumps

-          Underneath my top I am wearing a white satin vest from WHBM – it creates a smooth area around my bumpy stomach.

-          My jeans are Ann Taylor with a front crease/seam. It’s a classic dark jean with a classic white top. Classic, timeless look. That’s me. 

-          Under my jeans there was no need to wear scary stomach holding in Granny knickers today. My peplum top hides my bad areas. So I’m wearing my obligatory Hanky Pankys in leopard print. Conservative on the outside…totally racy underneath. That sums me and Bridget Jones up. My BF calls them my "go go faster cheetah panties."

Bridget: This is an occasion for genuinely tiny knickers.

-          Paired with my little bit of lace are my two pearl bracelets from NY&Co. Totally fake but look authentic. Who doesn’t love lace and pearls?

-          My earrings are the real thing baby. They are a gift from my ex-mother in law and are high-dollar Mikimotos from Neiman Marcus with pearl and diamonds (for real). I wear them when I want to feel preppy. They make me think of my ex mother in law and how generous she was but also a real nutso at the same time.

-          My shoes are always tan. Today’s classic heel is a Nine West special. Tan and dark jeans are my favorite look. The point on the front of the heel elongates the length of my leg.

-          My nails are tan done using an at home shellac system that cost me $39 at walgreens – Sensationail.  Best investment I ever made.

-          My eye makeup is Urban Decay’s Naked Eyes pallete, my lip stick is Mac “myth” which is a tan/light color, my foundation is Estee Lauder and my bronzer and eyeliner are Rimmel London. My mascara is Maybelline (the pink and green bottle)

-          My watch was a birthday gift from my bf and is a Fossil tan strap. My grandmother’s watch she gave me when I was 18 died recently and you can only buy the battery in England. I was so sad I have to wait till Christmas to get a new battery that my bf got me a cute watch for my birthday.

There you have it - a classic Casual Friday look that can be worn from the office right over to a quaint British Pub for a night of fun with her people!  Thanks for playing, Bridge!

Bridget Jones: At least, now that I'm in my thirties, I can hold my drink


Well - having said all that, oh.holy.shit, it looks like I need to step up my casual friday game! This hoodie and pony-tail hair arent going to cut it!

Thanks for stopping by and have a great weekend!

Bridget: Resolution #1: Uggg - will obviously lose 20 lbs. #2: Always put last night's panties in the laundry basket.



Selfie Sunday - on the run

Happy Selfie Sunday Everyone!  Sunday is the best day of the week, especially when you get to wear a cute pair of blue bermuda shorts that ya got at NYC&Co. (outlet) for $11 bucks!  I love Sundays and getting all dressed up!  Being the good little Montana-transplanted Southern Belle that I am - I walked the 3 blocks to church in those cute shorts (which were very comfy) and those cute shoes (that I have had for months!!!)...and now have a couple of shiny new blisters!  Why do I let that keep happening to me!!!????

Shoes are DSW, blouse is Ann Taylor (last season), belt and bracelet are White House Black Market (2 seasons ago), shorts are NYC&Co. Outlet mall!  Yay! 

Labor Day weekend was a great weekend for me, filled with some outlet mall shopping, root touch-up (goodbye gray!), relaxing, church, a couple of runs and dinner with good friends.

I finished Week #1 of Half-Marathon Training this Holiday Weekend and eeked out a 5 miler yesterday.  I feel great and am going to try for 3 more today, when it cools off a little.

Based on my 5 miles yesterday and upcoming long runs....today I am going to talk about a subject that is near and dear to me - chaffing!  OUCH.

Since I have started running, this stuff has been my friend and has never drifted too far from my gym bag.  If I run any distance over 3 miles - this stuff is necessary.  My problem area is under the elastic on my sports bra, around my rib cage. 

One good dose usually helps tremendously.  (Although - the humidity and heat and my excess sweating make it tough for this stuff to stay on)

When the heat and humidity (and sweat) is too much for the Glide to handle, and I still end up with some painful chapping - 'Bag Balm' is my go-to treatment.  This stuff is great!  I get a laugh about it every time I use it.  Its original use was for relieving chapped dairy cow tits.  It is nice to know that I am able to use it on my milkers as well.  (It also works really well for chapped lips and healing cuts & scratches).  Good stuff, give it a try.

I recently read 2 interesting articles in Women's Health magazine.  The first was an online article called '11 Interesting Facts About Your Boobs'.  Here is the link, it is pretty interesting:

http://www.womenshealthmag.com/health/facts-about-boobs?cm_mmc=Facebook-_-womenshealth-_-content-health-_-BoobFacts

If you don't subscribe to Women's Health on Facebook - I highly recommend it.  They have great daily posts ranging from exercise tips to boob facts...etc. 

In the boob article, I found this key point the most interesting and it led me to today's selfie post:

"So get this: When you run, the twins do, too—in a sort of figure-eight shape. And they can travel up to eight inches, according to research out of the U.K. All the more reason to wear a supportive sports bra!"

8 INCHES???!!!!  Wow.  Bring on the Glide and the Bag Balm!

Secondly - page 160 of the latest issue of the magazine:
"How to Take an Amazing Selfie"
Did you know that the average woman takes at least 3 to 4 selfies before she gets one she likes? AND you're not supposed to post more than 2 selfies a day...?  What the?  ;)

I hope you enjoyed your holiday weekend as much as I did.  I am blessed to have had 2 Mondays off in a row - both making Sunday that much more enjoyable!  Have a great week!