so i entered a contest

The Cherry Blossom Ten Miler has been on my bucket list since 2008, my senior year of college. I missed the deadline that year, I think because it closed by the time I finished class and ran back to my room. Then last year, I tried again, entering the lottery...and proving yet again that I should never gamble.

I've been wavering about entering for 2012. The thought of losing another lottery is disheartening. And with some big life changes coming soon, I wasn't even sure I wanted to commit the training time.

Until I saw an email saying that two runners would be picked as the Cherry Blossom's "Social Media Runners." Two runners get the privilege of documenting their journey, their training, their struggles, their triumphs, their fears, as they inspire and encourage fellow runners to reach the starting line. I decided: I want to run the Ten Miler. And I wanted to enter this contest.

So here's my entry. It's submitted. Now we wait.

I am a normal person trying to survive in our abnormal world--I work 4 jobs (one full-time!), I watch movies multiple nights a week (because we’re too cheap for cable!), I’m looking for just the right person to share my life with (male, smart, rich, and blonde!), and I struggle with finding Saturday night activities that will end in time for my Sunday morning run (Redbox, anyone?). I would be a great social media runner because I am so very normal--I'm not a marathoner, I've proudly completed exactly one half-marathon, and I have never finished in the top 50 in any 5k’s, even the small ones! Like most normal people, I often struggle to maintain the running habit, especially with a life full of work, volunteering, and friendships. I've always wanted to run the Cherry Blossom but I have never won the lottery; in fact, I’m so normal that I’ve never even won a raffle! 

The average Joe (and the average Jane) would relate to me because after all, we are each quite normal, despite individual quirks. We all want to be prettier, smarter, faster, stronger, and better at everything—the question is, can a normal person really overcome the abnormalities of our modern world to succeed at a dream? Can a normal person—one who struggles with witty tweets; who always aims to run more miles than she actually does; who facebooks in the wee hours of the morning; who desires but has yet to reach a meaningful outlet for writing on her blog—really fulfill her four year dream of running the Cherry Blossom? As one of the social media runners for the Cherry Blossom Ten Miler, I would relish the opportunity to inspire others to make real their wildest imaginings. 

Fall doughnuts are the best

Because they include such cool items as "Boston Scream," "Maple Frosted," "Fall Festival," and "Pumpkin."

Too bad trying them all would make me fat.

That's why we only eat them after hiking out to a beautiful fall vantage point.

To view the foliage.

Huh. I mispronounced that word today because I thought it was spelling "foilage." Seeing the proper spelling aids my understanding of why people were laughing at me for saying "foil - age."

Unpasteurized fresh apple cider definitely increases the atmosphere of fall.

And of course, a couple good books don't hurt either.

Go, copy my ideas and enjoy fall. You only have a few weeks left of good "foilage"!

Did you know I'm a little OCD?

When I like a song, I will listen to it repeatedly.





I don't mean I'll listen to it once or twice a day. That would be too normal. No, I put that song on repeat so it plays continuously for a couple of hours ('a couple of hours,' of course, referring to the entire 8 hour workday). I'm too cheap to buy the song that I love so much, so I'll find it on YouTube and constantly hit 'replay.' And then I'll do the same thing the next day.

My current song-obsession is Aaron Shust's My Hope is in You.* 

Yeah. Be warned, potential mates, friends, or housemates. I'm one of those people who really struggles to turn off the car in the middle of American Pie.

*Warning! Don't watch the official YouTube video unless you're ready to cry.

"You mean, my career?"

Lately, I've been thinking about the future. As in, what do I want to do with my future.

Suddenly, the other day, I realized, the future is NOW! As in, I'm an adult and I can do pretty much whatever I want and go wherever I please at my current stage of life.

Then I was overwhelmed by life and went to watch a movie with my housemates. Turns out, they'd decided upon Say Anything, a 1989 John Cusack movie, in which he plays Lloyd Dobler, a recent high school graduate with no specific plans for his future.

Except he knew what he didn't want to do: "I don't want to sell anything, buy anything or process anything as a career."

"Anyway, I can't figure it all out tonight, so I'm just gonna hang with your daughter."

And I'm going to go work at a local adventure camp for the afternoon.

chaos no more

At the end of my internship during my final college summer, the intern coordinator succinctly described every intern in one sentence. It was part of a motivational 'end of internship, how to apply this summer of boring office work to your future' closing day celebration. I don't remember any of the other interns except one; I don't remember much of what I did that summer; and I don't remember much of the office except the jeep in the lobby and this one sentence:

"Chrissy, you exist to bring order from chaos."

One sentence, spoken by one person, yet I smile whenever I hear it, because this man captured one of my essences: order.

Be careful what you say, as it may just stick with someone for the rest of their life.

Sunrise, Sunset

This is a sunset.

Its beauty almost convinced me to like sunsets as much as I love sunrises.