scary enough

The biggest conflict in our marriage is not money, kids, communication styles or differing hobbies. It's Halloween. I hate it, he loves it.

So because I am a fabulous and accommodating wife, tonight has been deemed scary movie night. My idea of a scary movie is something like Kiss the Girls because getting stolen out of your bed in the middle of the night by a serial killer is as about as scary as I can imagine. Or Bone Collector - I've never been able to look at the locks on cabs the same again.

Shea's idea of a scary movie seems to be body parts getting hacked/sawed/bitten/burned off. If it's not torture, it's ghosts or zombies - both of which I don't believe in and find generally annoying.

I can sit through The Shining, Silence of the Lambs, Mothman Prophecies, The Ring and Seven. I even watched the first Saw movie in the theater without puking. I might have had my coat wrapped around my face and plugged my ears the whole time, but I sat there - HATING MY LIFE.

I don't do torture, sharks, stabbing, anything involving a screwdriver as a weapon, chainsaws, the removal of body parts, incidents occurring in deep water and movies about crimes happening in the city I live in (this includes BTK because throughout my senior year in college I was convinced on more than one occasion he was in my closet).

The real world is scary enough for me.

finally picture perfect

When we got our wedding proofs, our photographer friend told us most couples have their pictures for a year before they order. I scoffed.

Now 423 days later, we finally have our photos picked, ordered, paid for, in frames and on a wall. And I love them.

Though Shea refused to use my pica pole (engraved with my name of course) to measure the distance between all these frames, he did spend a good hour and a half making sure they were straight. And took full credit.

"Tell me I'm the man. Tell me!"

all for a tube of toothpaste

Yesterday after work I went to Walgreens to restock our toothpaste supply. Our neighborhood Walgreens makes itself famous by getting robbed at gunpoint pretty much every month. How this happens with a regular cop on duty and security cameras with attached strobe lights (so you know you're being watched) is beyond me.

I get my toothpaste and sigh as I get in line behind six people. The man that steps in behind me apparently had just completed his beer shower. To top it off, he has no sense of personal space and is reading my texts, which was going to be "OMG. The guy behind me SMELLS" but instead turned into "omg, story!"

At this point I am third in line. The guy paying is scruffly looking, possibly high, and has filled his mini-cart with grocery type items. As the cashier is scanning his purchases, he's carefully examining each key on his key ring - in slow motion. Now it's time to pay. The man continues to stare at his keys - one. by. one.

Cashier: "Honey, it's time to pay."

Scruffles: "I know. Can you do it for me?" (hands her key ring)

Cashier: "You don't have a card on here. I need your debit card."

Scruffles: "I know. Can you do it for me?" (hands her key ring again)

Cashier: "You have to pay. I need a debit card."

Scruffles. "Oh. Where is my wallet?"

Scruffles then proceeds to dig through the bags the cashier has just filled with his groceries, freaking out. 

Cashier: "Maybe it's in your shoulder bag?"

Light bulb! Scruffles hands the wallet to the cashier. She removes his debit card and starts scanning it at her computer. At the same time, Scruffles has found his Walgreens Rewards card and is scanning it repeatedly at the customer card reader - simultaneous actions the computer system is not meant to handle. 

Meanwhile, beer shower man screams out, "Look buddy. That card doesn't f***ing pay for things." Chaos. 

Finally, the very patient cashier takes over and grabs both the debit card and rewards card. Poor Scruffles gets his groceries and goes on his way. I wasn't sure whether he needed a hug or a ticket to rehab.

Twenty minutes later, I paid for my toothpaste.

the in betweens

I write a lot of blog posts you never read. 

Sometimes I send them to Shea or a few close girlfriends who faithfully pretend they think I'm hilarious. Sometimes I just write them, read and delete. Sometimes I just compose them in my head while running.

Blogs about what I wish I could say to our renters. The crazy people I encounter. The times when I'm crazy in a less than adorable way. The real plans for our life. Our real financial situation. Anything involving my work or Shea's work. What Shea's sneezes smell like. When we're going to have a baby. When we're testing a Haitian child for cholera so we can adopt him/her.

I love telling our stories. I also love having stories nobody knows except Shea and I.

Plus there are consequences for telling everything. But I just want you to know that if I could write about everything, this blog would be AWESOME.

where to go from here

Not running this week due to the fact I have contracted the plague (or a common cold) has given me time to decide what the fall and winter hold for my running routine.

I've decided that training for a full right away doesn't make sense. I won't be ready for an early December marathon and the January ones, though awesome, involve expensive entry fees, travel and hotels. Plus boosting my winter running wardrobe to accommodate that much running is a pricey endeavor in itself. 

But I am not good at just running for the heck of it so I created some goals.

Race goals

The Great Santa 5k Run  - 12/5/10

St. Patrick's Day 4-mile Run - 3/2011

Rock the Parkway Half Marathon - 4/2/2011

Fitness goals

Strength training focusing on core (ugh, abs) and hips
Maintain three-day a week running routine with long runs every other weekend
Get faster (ugh, speed training)
Cross training on bike or elliptical

I slightly have my eye on the Twin Cities Marathon in October 2011. Slightly because a lot of life could happen between now and then. You just never know.

all my snot

I am super anxious to run again but this plague of a cold I'm fighting has prevented me from doing anything but moan and leave wads for Kleenexes around the house - something the hubby appreciates. "Ugh, I just realized I slept with two of your Kleenexes on my pillow." 

Even though I make him sleep with my snot (yay, marriage!), he never gets sick. Ever. I'm the one taking a regiment of vitamins, running often and avoiding junk food. However, it appears a diet of peanuts and candy corn are what really keeps the doctor away. Screw the apples.

Regular, moderate running does boost your immune system but running more than 90-minutes at a time leaves the immune system flailing about. Not fair!

the little things

 I *heart* you! Have a wonderful and healthy day my beautiful wife.