October 18th, 19th, 20th- Fall is starting

I can finally wear more layers!

October 18th-
Black Dress
Leggings
Polka Dot Rain Books
Vintage Bird Pendant
Rain Hat

October 19th-
Black Dress
Blue Jean Jacket
Paisley Scarf
Black Headband
Blue Sandals

October 20th-
Black Dress
Charcoal Sweater
Cream Flower Pin
Yellow Flats

Thoughts on the dress- 

There is a hole in my dress. Have I told you that? It is in the center at the bottom, but I totally ripped a hole in it last week. Oh well! Thankfully it is not the grease spots I had last year! Now that the weather has turned colder, I am enjoying styling it again. There are so many more options now that we are not in the 80's. I have way too many cold weather clothes for a Florida girl. Seriously. I own five pea coats. Not joking. Who needs those when the median temp is 79 degrees? I love them and can't part with them, though, just in case we move up north in the next couple of years. Also, two of them are vintage, one is from Germany and another is just plain unique. None of them are leaving! Doing the ODP has helped remind me that I do not need as many clothes as I think I do. Several staple, quality pieces and fun accessories are all I really need to make a stylish and versatile wardrobe. What a great lesson to re-learn!

Half Marathon for Practice

Tuesday night I did something I never thought I would do. Ever. I mean, never, ever, ever. Not in a million, trillion years. Not even if I was forced a gun point. O.K. Maybe then. Running 13.1 miles was just a practice run for me. It's crazy that I even typed that. Seriously, unbelievably crazy. I am in shock this morning. Shock and a little bit of soreness. Let me tell you how it went.

Taken after I finished my run. Don't you love how I match?

I agreed to do a marathon and you can read all about the why here.

Yesterday was the only day I could fit in my running such a distance because I am super busy. This weekend when I should have run, I had eight different photo shoots to do, and being sore could not be a part of my work. Monday and Wednesday night, I Zumba, and I didn't want to give that up. Thursday and Friday I have rehearsal, so Tuesday was the only night to run.

To say I was nervous would be an understatement. I was terrified to embark on this adventure just for a practice run. I wasn't running in a race and there would be no cheering section at the end when I received my metal. I was alone. Just me and the pavement. And the rain. Did I mention it was raining? Yep. All 13.1 miles it was sprinkling, pouring or somewhere in the middle. I was drrrrrrenched when I got home!

I wrapped my watch that I use for my interval training in a plastic bag to protect if from the rain.

Let me back track and start from the beginning. I had to make a decision: Run in the rain or Run at the YMCA. I called the YMCA, which we have a membership to, and asked if they would make an exception to allow me to run longer then the 30 minute limit. They said they would, which was wonderfully sweet of them, but running on a treadmill for three hours did not appeal to me on any level. So, I met Craig at Lake Hollingsworth with the kids fast asleep and began to run.

I really enjoyed my run! There were only a handful of people in the 2+ hours I ran around the lake and that was just fine with me. I sang out loud with my Ipod. I played the air guitar a couple of times and did a couple of Zumba dance moves as I ran. It was a blast and I am sure it was very entertaining to see me for all of the cars that passed by at five o'clock!

I also wrapped my Ipod and Nike+ to make sure everything would stay dry.

I started to ache around mile 9, and the last 100 meters was pretty hard. But I did it! Totally soaked, but with a smile on my face because I accomplished something I never thought possible. What a feeling! No wonder people enjoy long distance running! I am still not so sure about running an entire marathon, but I will get there one practice run at a time.

This is what I wear after my run, to keep my muscles warm as I recover.

Duelin' Divas 2011

For the last three years I have been asked to perform in Theatre Winter Haven's Duelin' Divas FUNraiser. The purpose is to raise money for the theatre by having past actresses come and sing two songs of their choice in a competition to see who can raise the most money. Whoever raises the most money is crowned Diva for the year and can gloat and wear her tiara for days without any questions asked.

Until this year, I have declined participating. Even though I am a singer, I do not love to sing for the sake of performance. I have done events like this in the past for other theatres, but really never enjoyed the experience. For me, theatre is all about the craft, the storytelling, the chance to learn about the another world. None of those things can be found in a concert style show. So, for some odd reason I put aside my feelings and said yes, when I was asked this year. Even though it was stressful, I was a nervous wreck and I felt under-prepared, I performed. Oh, and I did I mention when had to do a choreographed number with singing, dancing and boas?

I sang a song from one of my favorite shows, "Into the Woods." I played the Baker's Wife over 6 years ago and thought re-singing "Moments in the Woods" would be a perfect song to act and sing. It was tremendously fun, even though I did mess up the lyrics and have to improvise.

The other song I sang just for me. I've always loved "Far From the Home I Love" from "Fiddler on the Roof," but I have outgrown that role. I chose to sing it just so I could say I did. I should have known my lyrics better then I did, but I promise to never do something like this again!

There were three wonderful parts of the evening.

1. When I was finished singing!
2. When Eric and Mark (2 men I have played opposite) sang a love song to Larry (pictured above).
3. When Katrina Ploof won title of Diva for the year! She is an extremely talented lady in many capacities, and I was elated that the audience recognized her extraordinary gifts.

 The best part of the evening was when the entire thing was over! Four friends from outside of the theatre came to watch and it was great to just sit in the theatre, eating dessert and chatting away. After I collected all of my things, some of the actors from Lakeland all headed to Applebees in Lakeland to sit and relax. It was the best conversation I have had with this crowd and singing and the stress would all be worth it just for that conversation.

Costume Sale Purchases

My husband and I went to a Costume Sale this past Saturday at TWH. We had a blast! I went looking for costumes and vintage finds, while Craig went for costumes for his classroom. He has the most amazing job and almost everyday he is excited about what he does. This puts a big ol' smile on my face to know that he loves what he does for a living. It makes for a happy husband and a happy life.   {Smile}  He teaches instructional television to middle school students. Every day they air a news show for the school with news anchors, a theme, packages and goofy clips. Craig is always looking for fun props, costumes and wigs to help with creative inspiration for his students.

Well, we hit the jackpot when we went to the sale! Craig bought $30 worth of wigs, a couple of hats and a news caster get up. I found a couple of dresses that will work for Halloween costumes or other costume type events that come up, which happens more often then you would think. After the kids were in bed, we had a fashion show and tried on all of the goofy stuff we bought. It was a blast to be silly and take pictures just for the sake of fun.

Here we are in all of the costumes, wigs, hats and all of our silliness. Enjoy!

October 14th, 15th, 16th- Weekend Recap

Pictures from the weekend!

October 14th-
Black Dress
Green/Blue scarf
White Snake Skin Belt
Blue/Tan Boat Shoes

October 15th-
Black Dress
Blue T-shirt
Vintage Hat
Black Necklace
Black Flats

October 16th-
Black Dress
Burgundy Sweater
Blue/White Tie with Tan flower
Brown/Turquoise Earings
Brown Flats

Thoughts for this Week

I am going to confess that I am over the project. I feel creatively zapped and I do not have the mental energy to invest in thinking up adorable outfits. That is where I am. My mind is on the 2 weddings and 8 holiday mini-shoots I need to edit, the new show I am in and the memorization that goes with that, and making freezer meals for my family during this busy time. Oh yeah! And training for my marathon! I am running 13 miles tonight. Yikes! So, the dress and trying to make it cute are on the bottom of my list. I didn't even put it on yesterday! I stayed in my pj's until I went to work out and then came home and did piles of dishes from making freezer meals. If I had the mental energy right now, I know I would love it, but I am not there and haven't been for the last couple of days. Don't worry, I am going to wear the dress today and will post a picture later.