Give me 5....K

A couple months ago my friend Tiffany had a great idea. At least it seemed like a great idea at the time.

She wanted to run a 5K race in Peoria. And she must have caught me at a weak moment.

Because I enthusiastically agreed.

A little something you should know about me.......I am NOT a runner.

But I dusted off my running shoes and hit the gym. And I started running. Very, Very slowly.

And after a few weeks, I was running 2 or 2.5 miles every day. And I still had a month to go before my little race. Plenty of time to work up to 3.2 miles.

And THEN....we decided to put our house on the market. Aside from taking care of my little boy, that took up the majority of my time. And my running shoes went back in the closet to collect a little more dust. For nearly a month.

And the next thing I knew, it was race day. And I admit, I was a little scared!!

But I got up, put on my shoes, and met my friends at the starting line.

Me, Tiffany, and Amber, freezing outside before the race

And at 8:00 am, we were off!

And while I was out hitting the pavement, Miles decided to entertain the crowd. He marched right out into the street to get his groove on to the music.

When I got to the first mile marker I thought, "Wow! That was fast. And EASY! I can do this!"

And when I got to the second mile marker I thought, "hmmm....how did I get myself into this???"

But I just kept moving my feet, and when I came around the last corner and saw the finish line I was so relieved!!!

I finished it off with a time of 34:02, which is about an 11 minute mile. I know....I already told you I was slow. But in all honesty, I thought it would take me 45 minutes, so I was pleased with my time. And happy I didn't have to run/walk.

And my 2 favorite guys were waiting for me at the finish line.

Truthfully, it wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. And maybe next year I'll try a 10K. But only if you promise to run it with me!

Designed to Sell!

If any of you out there have ever been through the process of selling a home, I'm sure you can relate.

I, myself, have never experienced the JOY that comes from preparing a home to be listed in one of the worst real-estate markets in the country. Oh yes. To say the last few weeks have been joyful would be, well...

A right out L-I-E!

My stress level has been at an all-time high.

A long time ago, before I entered the land of mommyhood, I used to lounge leisurely on the couch feeding myself delicious treats and watching Designed to Sell on HGTV.

I would DELIGHT in the chosen couples wreck of a home. I was amused at the negative comments the real estate agent would drop like a 10 pound weight on these poor, design-less people. And I found it out-right hysterical watching the overly stressed house wife burst into tears when the wall paper she was removing didn't tear off in one big piece, but millions of itty bitty teensy weensy shards.

Perhaps I wasn't very sympathetic, I'll admit.

But I will never again watch that show with the same callousness of my unexperienced past.

The last 2 weeks I have been spending every free moment scrubbing and cleaning and dusting and washing and packing, and then doing it all over again. It took me more than two days alone just to scrub the grout and tiles in my living room and kitchen. On the plus side, I now have triceps of steel. Oh....and let's not forget. My floor looks amazing.

I have washed every wall, cleaned every baseboard, scrubbed every light switch and cabinet door, and molding, and window, and mirror, and shelf, and...

I think you get the idea.

And I am exhausted. But it's finished. And as of yesterday evening, our home is officially listed For Sale on the Arizona MLS.

{Can I get a Halleluyer, people?!}

(a la Oprah style, of course)

So....anyone wanna buy a house?

Believe me when I say, you'll be getting a STEAL!

Front of Home

Living Room

Dining Area /Eat in Kitchen

Kitchen

Master Bedroom

Master Bathroom

Bedroom #2 or Office

Computer Nook

Bedroom #3

Bathroom #2

Backyard & Patio

And now, my house is all clean, my laundry is caught up, my sewing things are all packed up, Miles is taking his daily 3 hour nap...

I guess all there's left to do is turn on Designed to Sell and hope my home sells just as quickly.

Any takers????