Luke was here this weekend, so my celebration, if you want to call it that, was delayed until Friday.

So, good work husband. Body oil and foot creme were basically the perfect gift for a girl about to run another half marathon.

Which I did, yesterday morning. I ran the whole thing this time, aside from hydration stops, and I’m not too sore today, and it was altogether a much better experience than the last one. But that may also have something to do with the fact that I did things for the rest of the day instead of lying in bed feeling sorry for myself.

I really enjoyed this race, aside from the last mile or so which were pretty much just a mental battle. Around the 5 mile mark, at which I normally start to drag a bit, I ran past an older man spectating in a Texas A&M button down shirt. He had a portable stereo which was blasting the Aggie Band playing The Strategic Air Command. Basically, this was the most motivating thing ever. Unfortunately I had to stop for a bathroom break which raised my time a bit, but, whatever. I don’t claim to be that fast anyway.

So, half marathon number two done. I’m planning on at least one more this year and a full marathon either in December in Dallas or January, in Houston again.

J. Crew skirt
Maiya top
Vera Wang Lavendar flats
beaded necklace from…somewhere, Dillard’s maybe?

Seychelles wedges, J. Crew shirt, Vince shirt, French Connection dress, BCBG dress, MinkPink dress

Several Houston residents of my acquaintance don’t really love the Galleria. They run in if necessary, as briefly as possible, for specific things but don’t really shop there. I know, this blows my mind too. I had wondered if perhaps once I moved here and had open access to such a wonderland, I would also come to dislike it.

Well, in case you are also curious, the answer is no. In fact, I could probably just move in. I could eat La Madeleine and Rainforest Cafe, and wear nice things from Neiman Marcus, and sleep on the furniture displays. It would be a glorious existence, at least for a couple days.

So, somehow (no time to shop + a rather generous husband), I ended up with a decent little sum of money with which to make some additions to my wardrobe. Things, believe it or not, had actually started getting a little sparse (this being a relative term).

So basically I loaded up on dresses and striped shirts. And also a pair of open-toe oxford wedges, of which the aforementioned husband is highly skeptical. I, however, am in love.

Aren't they cute?

We were driving around Houston sometime a few weeks ago and I said that I wanted to make Valentine’s Day cookies with royal icing for our friends. I used royal icing for the first time about a year ago, to make these lovely shamrock cookies.

Now let’s be honest. I don’t really care much for Valentine’s Day. It’s pretty superficial and commercialized. However, one of my new resolutions is to stop being quite so devastatingly practical, so Valentine’s Day and I are trying to make friends this year.

Kimberly was amenable to cookie-making, so we set out to Michael’s around noon today to get the goods for cookies and icing and a pretty intense craft project made by her for her boyfriend.

Once again, I used the directions here, from Brown Eyed Baker. Our didn’t turn out quite so beautifully professional looking, but they are kind of adorable and very delicious.

This is all the cookies. I love them.

This is Dakota's special cookie. Probably, just don't ask.

And these are mostly for Kyle, who I must say has a pretty amazing girlfriend.

But you, cold? You can leave. Right now. I live in Texas for a reason, and that reason does not include temperatures in the 20′s. I’m just saying. I woke up this morning and it was 45°. Now it’s 29°. I don’t even know how to dress for this, but I made a solid attempt. It’s a step up from leggings + sweater + Uggs, at least. And another new dress! Yay! From my Weekend of Shopping, which I still need to tell you about.

French Connection dress
grey long sleeve T from Nordstrom a while back
layered leggings and grey tights
Steve Madden boots

(also, Banana Republic trench (but don’t worry, I switched to a wool coat when I got home and it was really cold))

Okay. So. I was going to write you a really nice post, complete with pictures, to document the “snow day” that was meant to have taken place on Friday.

Want to know what a snow day looks like in Houston, Texas?

That’s right. Just like this.

Alright, so I might be exaggerating. A little. We don’t have beaches like that in Houston, and that is in fact in Mexico, where I wish I were right now, drinking margaritas and surfing.

The salient point, however, is that there IS no snow.

SO, I was supposed to give a full physical, for a grade on Friday. It was pushed back to Monday (yesterday), and it was kind of terrifying. You go into the exam room with a standardized patient and the whole encounter is taped. The video, in conjunction with the SP report, is used to determine the grade. Really, really scary. And I basically never want to watch myself on that tape. Ever.

However, the delay gave me time for a pretty epic weekend of shopping (more to come on that), so I was wearing a pretty fabulous new dress. I hope it worked.

BCBG sheath dress
trusty Payless oxfords

I also went to a pasta party. It was hosted by Kimberly, and it was delightful. Although, I may never look at her kitchen table the same way again after using it as a practice bench for giving physicals. But anyway.

William Rast for Target tank, Taverniti jeans, Steve Madden pumps, Target necklace

I went to a pasta party because I had a half marathon to run.

Have you ever decided that you really hate yourself and want to be as miserable as possible? No? Well, then.

Body Glide, not deodorant

Probably, don’t sign up to run a half marathon and then drop to some very sporadic training in the approximately two months preceding the race (because, let’s be real – school is tough regardless). Especially, don’t run 13.1 miles in the rain, because your shoes and socks get all wet and turn your feet into blister-covered prunes. Definitely, be sure to eat enough the night before and the morning of. Really, definitely eat enough.

Lessons learned, I guess.

And I’m doing this again in 2.5 weeks?

Actually.

Yes.

To be serious though (what?), I had such a great time and I think I’m kind of addicted. Clearly I have been gifted with selective amnesia, of the sort that tends to affect women after they give birth, because I know for a fact that I pretty much wanted to die for a solid half hour but I can’t really recall any of the pain.

I knew it was going to be a rough day when I got to mile 6 (I do a couple 6 milers a week, usually, and they are easy runs) and I was already flagging. The Shot Bloks that I decided to carry on a whim were a freaking godsend.

about .25 miles out

I didn’t run as fast as I’d have liked (due to the aforementioned rain and food and training issues) (horrifyingly, I actually had to stop and walk a couple times). But. It was a great, well organized race. I so appreciate the volunteers who helped run things and, especially, all the spectators. It’s hard to describe how amazing it is to have complete strangers cheering for you and believing in you when you really don’t have a whole lot of faith in yourself anymore.

I doubt any of you will ever read this, but if you were out there waving signs and yelling and supporting us, I seriously love you.

And, well, that’s what I did this weekend.

good work, Clairence

Everyone loves bread right? All kinds of bread. Sourdough, baguette, multigrain, rye, etc.

So do I. In fact, I could probably eat my weight in bread every week. Or, you know, maybe not. Because I just did some quick math. And that’s almost 20 pounds of bread a day. I might not be able to handle that, unless donuts count as bread, in which case all bets are off. Because, honestly? I can put away some donuts.

Last week I tried out a new plain white sandwich bread recipe which turned out fairly deliciously. You should probably look into it. Immediately. I’ll help you out by posting the recipe.

American Sandwich Bread

3.75 c. all-purpose flour
2 tsp. salt
1 c. warm whole milk (about 110°)
1/3 c. warm water (about 110°)
2 tsp. unsalted butter, melted
3 Tbsp. honey
1 envelope/2.25 tsp. dry active yeast

Mix 3.5 c.  flour and the salt in a large bowl. Mix the milk, water, butter, honey, and yeast in a liquid measuring cup. Add the milk mixture to the flour mixture and stir until it comes together. Knead it by hand in the bowl until the flour has all been incorporated, and then dump it out onto a flat surface like your counter and continue kneading. If the dough is too sticky (mine wasn’t) add remaining flour a tablespoon at a time until the dough is smooth and no longer tacky. Knead by hand for about 10 to maybe 12 minutes. I went until it was almost at the windowpane stage.

Oil a bowl and place the dough to rise at room temperature (on top of the fridge is a good, slightly warm place) for about 2 hours, until it has almost doubled. Then, press it into a rectangle about the width of your bread pan and roll it up, pressing to make sure it sticks to itself as you roll. Pinch the seam closed. Place it in an oiled loaf pan and press it until it reaches all the sides, cover it, and let it rise again for about an hour to an hour and a half. It should almost double again.

Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350° with an empty pan on a bottom rack. When the dough is ready to go, boil 2 cups of water, pour it into the empty pan, and immediately put the bread in. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes. Remove the cooked bread from the pan, let it cool on a wire rack, slice, and serve. Preferably with lots of butter and honey.

Source: Baking Illustrated

You know.

Quite a bit of this.

And some of this.

And a whole lot of this.

Exams are brutal, guys.

As of yesterday though, I was officially bored with the leggings, so I dressed up (dressing for success in neuro, if you will) in…..STRIPES. And combat boots. It’s a winning combination. And please pardon the mirror pictures. It’s quick and easy and that’s what rules my life just at the moment; I didn’t even run them through iPhoto.

However, there is also an embarrassing story involved. In which I try on the dress because I am unsure that I want to wear it. So I don’t remove the tag. And then I forget that the tag is still attached, put on my jacket, and go. Unfortunately it was almost stiflingly warm in the lecture hall, so I proceeded to remove the jacket for a few minutes. It was quickly replaced, but I didn’t realize until I got home that the tag was just hanging there the whole time. What a mortifying revelation.

And oh yeah.

Old Navy jacket
dress from Dillard’s a few states over, on super sale
Dolce Vita for Target boots