So I'm ramping up my miles and training, and feeling like I'm getting back into the groove.....and BAM!  I've got a self-diagnosed case of the Plantar Fasciitis.  Luckily I work at the right place to get some advice (because even though I tell customers how to deal with it everyday, it's different when it's you), and I've got some great tools at home to stretch and massage my apparently very tight muscles.  Hopefully this doesn't keep me down too long!

I love sharing my favorite places with my friends and family.  We started the day off right with a quick two mile run and coffee, and then headed to my favorite cafe/bakery which is conveniently close.  It's quaint, warm, friendly, urban...and irresistibly delicious.  Their chicken pot pie soup and gooey butter cake is to die for.  The Wednesday urban adventure tradition is quickly becoming my favorite part of the week.  It's such a fun way to explore new places (and share old favorites), catch up with a great friend, and practice taking some fun pictures!

To be honest, my running has been pretty sporadic...even with my next marathon a mere two months away.  I could blame it on the balls of my feet hurting every time I ran, but that's only part of it.  It's still hard to get back into the training routine.  But today everything came together.  I got an awesome new pair of shoes that feel and look great, ran a new somewhat exciting route, and ended pain-free!  On my way to work, I thought to myself about how wonderful and energetic I felt...maybe this is the kick start I need.  I'm grateful for the little things that give us the push we need...and neon yellow laces.

Oh, and the day ended with a girls' night consisting of Lindsey and me.  Cheers!

I drive the same streets and highways to work every day, and take most of the sights for granted.  But how many people get a view of the arch and the beautiful nighttime colors of the Science Center almost everyday?  Tonight I was really mesmerized by its vivid purple color and just had to turn down a side road to get some pictures.  While I was trying to prop my camera up on my car's hood (not an easy task with the Element), I saw it turn every color of the rainbow.  That beautiful sight was the highlight of my drive home.

No, I was not doing Tequila shots on a Sunday night by myself.  But seeing the Tequila bottle out and empty shot glasses and beer bottles reminded me of the good times with friends the night before.  I love letting loose with a fun group of friends especially when there's live music and lots of laughs involved.  So I'm grateful for new memories and jokes...but next time can we skip the Tequila?

Everyone knows that I love skulls.  So I was super excited to see all the skull decor in this Mexican restaurant that I met a couple friends at Saturday night.  To me, skulls are a beautiful, melancholy depiction of life.  I was a little nervous about meeting up for dinner because I was meeting a couple people that I don't know that well and that's a little out of my comfort zone.  But I felt right at home and had a great time.  So today I'm grateful for strengthening and forming new connections.

Sometimes you just have one of the days where you are just happy to be at home, shoes off, siting on the couch with a happy chihuahua on your lap, laughing out loud to yourself while having hilarious online conversations.  I'm grateful that I took the time yesterday to clean up my apartment so I can enjoy a Friday night in stress-free.  

A night of dark beers at my favorite brewery...need I say more?  It was a good time to just relax, enjoy some special beers, and talk about beer nerdiness.  So here's to friends that you can just be with, talking about anything and everything.  And like the light highlights all the dirty imperfections in the glasses, friends see your imperfections and love you anyway.

"I'll pick you up at 12:30 for our expedition", she said.

"Cool, do I get to know where or is it a surprise?"

"Surprise. :-)"

I love surprises.  And I'm really hard to surprise because I'm good at figuring things out.  And I did figure out where we where going on the way there because Lindsey gave me a hint.  But it was a surprise, nonetheless, and a great one because I've been meaning to check out Crown Candy Kitchen ever since I saw Man vs. Food take on the Crown Candy challenge.  Neither of us attempted that....based on how full we were after each consuming a whole shake and rueben it makes me a little queasy to think about.  It was a cute little restaurant/candy shop tucked in a slightly (very) ghetto neighborhood surrounded by abandoned storefronts and projects.  But we're not scared to go out of the way for an adventure.  Who knows where we go next week....hopefully not East St. Louis.  So today I'm grateful for fun surprises and lots of deep belly, and ab-renching laughs.

Finally sunny skies and warm temperatures!  This is my view of that shining sun through the blinds at work.  I love how the sun's rays look through the filter of the blinds, shining around the edge of the clouds and touching everything in it's path.  Blinds are great for the sun, but don't we use them in other ways too?  There are unseen blinds that we pull down to keep harsh and scary realities out, which can be good...but can you really experience life's highs without being vulnerable and experiencing its lows also?  So I'm grateful for being able to see beauty and wonder though life's blinds, and resolve to let my unseen ones up just a little.

Celebrating my half birthday is a ridiculous idea to most people.  But why not have an extra day during the year to celebrate your life and how far you've come?  I always make sure to do a little something extra on my half birthday and this year was no exception.  :-)

A great friend is one that you can meet up with after ten months of not seeing each other and get caught up with each other in an hour, right where you left off.  Too icy to run?  No problem...lattes in the car it is.  A lot has happened in our lives within the last ten months...but that hasn't changed our friendship.  And for that I'm grateful...for true friends don't give up on each other.

Sometimes living by yourself is a little lonely...especially when a lot of your friends live over thirty minutes away.  So it's nice to have someone that lives two minutes away, that you can text at the last minute for a fun night in.  Because you can't play board games by yourself, and sometimes you just need someone around to laugh at your funny jokes.

And by the way, I'm the blue guys.  SORRY!!!

I pretty much despise Valentines Day.  And it's not just because that I'm 100% single for the first Valentines Day in twelve years.  And it's not because I hate pink, flowers, and candy hearts.  I hate the expectation that on this day, more than any other day, we must show our honey boo boo that we love them more than anything in the whole world.  If you're single, this day makes you painfully aware of it.  If you're in a relationship, it makes you evaluate the state of your union (do I get a present?  how much should I spend?  should we go out to a fancy dinner?  but we've only been dating for a few weeks?).  If you're married, you try to figure out how to make every Valentines Day a little bit different from the rest to keep things from being stale and boring.  I've been on every side of it so I'm not sure what's worse.  I suspect there are just as many breakups around Valentines Day as there are marriage proposals.

I don't hate romance.  I love getting flowers and candy and thoughtful gifts.  I would just rather get them because the person truly cares about me, not because they feel like they have to.  And that's whether it is February 14 or May 7 or July 29.

I'm not gonna lie...it kinda sucks to see all the pictures and posts on Facebook with everyone proclaiming their love today.  But I refuse to be bitter.  I've got some awesome people around me and that's what matters.  And I've got a date to Qdoba with a great friend tonight so no sitting around and feeling sorry for myself here.

But if any secret admirers want to send me flowers and chocolates today...I'm not entirely opposed.  :-)

It's all about the little thoughts and gestures...sometimes the simplest and unexpected things can make our day.  A car accident on the highway caused me to be late to work...but a good friend that I haven't seen for a loooong time was a few cars back...she saw me, texted me, and as a result, we have plans to run this weekend!  At work I received a sweet little note from my manager along with a surprise beverage.  It was so simple and thoughtful and made me feel so appreciated.  I'm grateful for the little things that make our day less mundane!

I am discovering that there are so many interesting, eclectic, cool places here in the many neighborhoods of St. Louis.  And what better way to discover them than with my camera and great friends?  This is the second edition of the weekly urban adventures of Lindsey and Katrina...where we eat and buy our way through St. Louis.  This week we discovered Maplewood, home of Schlafly Bottleworks, coffee shops, yummy donuts, homemade pies, and cool local shops.

I'm a creature of habit.  When I run, I like running the same route where I cross the street in the same places, and I know exactly where the mile markers are.  To some this may be boring, but it brings a certain amount of comfort to me knowing what to expect.  Today, I decided to get crazy and varied my route slightly in Tower Grove Park so that I ran down a different road than I normally do.  I'm so glad I did, because I never expected to see the fountain still running with these huge ice crystals surrounding it.  I've never seen anything like it.  It makes me realize that maybe we need to step out of our comfort zone, because who knows what lies just beyond it.  So today I'm grateful for unexpected surprises.

Huge icicles, steam in the sky...yep, it's still really cold!  It's sunny but there's still a bite in the air, and I'd like to think that this picture captures it.  The icicles keep getting bigger and bigger.  The snow hasn't melted yet.  My phone said it was -1 when I woke up this morning.  I'm ready for some warmer weather...and I'm grateful that the sun was out today reminding us that it's on the way.

I had an extra two hours today before work, and I used them for a little extra sleeping and a little cleaning.  While I was washing dishes in the kitchen, I couldn't help but notice how pretty the bottles and vases on my kitchen shelf looked with the sun shining.  I love bright colors and interesting containers, and it gave me some ideas for re-decorating some of my shelves.  I'm grateful to find inspiration in everyday things.

Brr...I'm really getting tired of the cold and snow, especially now that I've got to ramp up my marathon training.  But at least I've got some awesome icicles hanging on my porch.  I never get tired of looking at those.  I'm grateful that I can see the beauty of nature even in horrendous conditions.

What's better than a nap after a long run?  A lunch date at a cool, eclectic restaurant known for waffles. As in all they make are waffles.  Blueberry waffles, peanut butter and chocolate waffles, BBQ pork waffles, mac and cheese waffles...you get the picture.  I love exploring the city and finding new places in up and coming neighborhoods (ahem, ghetto neighborhoods).  And even more, I love capturing these memories with photos and a good friend.  I'm grateful that I'm gaining the confidence in taking pictures and not being totally embarrassed by being a photography nerd.  

Everyone that matters is in my life for a reason.  What I have really come to learn is the people that care, the people that are supposed to be in our lives, will find a way to stay in our lives...whether it's how we originally thought or totally different.  Sometimes things don't turn out as expected.  And that's all part of figuring out who we are and what we want in life.  Tonight I'm grateful for an evening with a friend that has been a wonderful supporter and has given me great insight on myself and life.  And on that note, I'm grateful for everyone that has come in to my life and stayed in my life, whether it's through daily texts, weekly get togethers, or the once in a great while message to give me support and inspiration.  Nothing makes me smile more than to hear someone telling me that they look forward to my posts and check my blog every day for a new picture.