Harris Teeter savings

This is a little Harris Teeter action from today. Some of the post below is also part of this week's shopping. Since that was from super doubles and all, it deserves its own post. ;) Without further ado: I spent 30.89 and saved 33.97. The percent saved is around 47%. The items purchased were: 1 pk of diapers, 6 pks of cheese, gallons of milk, 1 loaf of bread, 1 pk pre-cooked chicken, 1 tub of sour cream, 2-1/2 dozen eggs, 3 rice cups and 1 box of cereal. God provides mightily!

Super doubles savings

Total spent: 87.53 Total saved: 95.95 Percent saved: Around 47% Final list from Harris Teeter and Lowes Foods 1/2 gallon of almond/coconut milk, 2 bottles of barbeque sauce, 1 bottle of jelly, 3 jugs of Gain, 8 cartons of strawberries, 3 packs of diapers for the nephew-to-be, 1 pack of waffle fries, 1 pack of sweet potato fries, 2 smoothie shakers (individual smoothies), 1 skillet meal in a bag, 1 bag of oranges, 2 twin packs of air fresheners, 3 boxes of cereal, 2 cups of yogurt with granola and fruit, 2 tubs of margarine, 2 boxes of herbal tea, 1 bottle of conditioner, ...and a few other things.

Reindeer Dash for Cash

A few weeks before Christmas, I competed in a local 10-miler. For the first time EVER, it was actually warm. Normally, the Dash for Cash is a cold, windy day. This year, I wore a Santa hat and knee high striped socks with white fur at the top. I wasn't the only funny-looking one out there ;). Like last year, I competed with a team of Greenville Organization of Runners members. My knee, which took a beating from running in the marathon, held up well. I didn't improve my time, but the race still went really well. That was my last race of the year. After this, I took a brake for several weeks, which did the trick. My feels fine these days.

Christmas 2011

Brittany and Matt at my parent's house on Christmas Day.

My cousin, Eli, at the Hauser family Christmas gathering.

A few of the youth at the Harris' on boxing day.

My family at the Hauser family Christmas gathering.

New Year's Eve Party at the Pope's.

I've got a lot of catching up to do with this blog. Let's see what I can remember from Christmas. ;) We celebrated Christmas with my dad's family at my Cousin Paul's. This year, there was a new baby, my cousin Eli. We were missing some people, but there we still had a full house. I don't see these people often, so it's always good to see them at Christmas.

Christmas at our house was more like a baby shower. After church and lunch, my immediate family opened presents. With Anderson on the way, Brittany and Matt got lots of presents for him. I'm guilty...I gave him presents, too. The rest of us also got some fun things.

Normally, we celebrate Christmas day at my grandmother's house. This year, with Emily living in Florida, we waited until New Year's to celebrate. As a side note, we went to the Pope's for New Year's Eve and to the Harris' for boxing day. In either case, lots of food and great friends. We always go over there for New Year's; it just included presents this year. And....more presents for the little man...Anderson! My aunt always makes a stocking for each of us ''kids.'' Us kids, by the way, range from 22-29. My grandmother always makes a huge meal and there are plenty of leftovers. It was a great Christmas. We are already looking forward to next year...toys and a little one crawling around. :)

Ridgewood Turkey Trot 8k

As planned, I ran the Ridgewood Turkey Trot 8k on Thanksgiving morning. My time was not as good as last year, but wasn't far from PR'ing. I ran the whole time, in spite of my annoying knee. I saw several people I knew. I was thankful that it wasn't as cold as last year's race. They offered packet pick-up the day before, so I didn't have to bother with it that morning. They told us not to park at the shopping center (right by the starting line), so I parked farther out than last year. It was nice not to have to go back to the car to put up my stuff. This was my second time running this race. It's nice to burn off your turkey, or ham or mac and cheese...before you eat it! :)

My OBX Marathon Story

I ran my first marathon on Sunday, November 13. It was at the Outer Banks and went from Kitty Hawk to Kill Devil Hills to Nags Head to Manteo. The weather was on the warm side, but absolutely gorgeous. I've enjoyed great weather during each of my races there. I tried to distance myself mentally to keep from being nervous. It worked. My plan, which I stuck to, involved using a beeping timer. I alternated one minute walking to one minute running. This method did a great job of conserving my energy level. I saw Jockey's Ridge, Kitty Hawk and Nags Head Woods and the Wright Brothers memorial. My knee started hurting pretty early, but I kept pushing on. I am now dealing with a slighly swollen knee, but it was worth it. Go ahead, think that I'm crazy. All runners are. I did stop at several medic tents. I dealt with it for a little while before getting it taken care of. I got it wrapped and used Biofreeze gel several times. Although the one/one pattern of running and walking wasn't fast, it worked wonderfully. In the future, I can increase the number of minutes spent running. I was surprised at how fast the race seemed to go. All of the supporters, friends and strangers, were a welcome sight. There was a person in a shark suit. Last year, I hugged whomever that was. One of the most welcome sights was a fellow runner from Oakmont Runners for Bo. I saw Craig not long before mile 26. He hung with me until the last mile marker. When I saw the finishing arch, I booked it. My knee just didn't matter anymore. Right before I saw Craig, I chatted a bit with a lady from Raleigh. I mentioned that I just wanted to say some really bad things...long races and knee pain, well, I had some choice language in mind. I definitely plan on running another one. Right now, I want to run the OBX marathon next year. If you think that you could never do it, think again. Before I considered running, I would've never imagined conquering the things that I have. Here's a touch of irony...maybe that's the right word. Yesterday, I saw a number of people running on the way home. I thought, darn it, I would love to be one of them right now. Then I saw a movie; two of the characters ran in a 5k. I've never said that I love running, but knowing that I can't just makes me want to. Ready or not, I'm competing in an 8k on Thanksgiving...try and stop me. ;) On December 4, I am running in a local 10-miler. Other than that, I'm going to take it easy on the running and exercise. I plan to do some swimming and pool running to keep my endurance up.

A Week in the Life of Valerie

Valerie had a big week and I thought that she deserved her own post. Without getting into the yucky details, my little kitty has a bladder infection. She is currently on an antibiotic. Two trips (three if you count picking up the meds), she is on the way to recovery. Here are some pictures from her week.


Valerie's half-bald tummy, courtesy of her ultrasound

Valerie didn't seem to notice it, but I was trying to steer cleer of
the puppy.


Why am I back here? This is NOT my house.


Posing with a sick little one.