Dear Mother...

...Or Why You Should Never Let Your Mother Do Your Chores After You're 24.

"Dear Mother" could be followed up with "...of pearl." or "of Christ." or another word that isn't appropriate to type. All of those cliches come to mind when trying to do the simple task of laundry with my mother. You see, I'm leaving tomorrow for Washington State...YAAAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYY! and my mom made the nice gesture of offering to wash some clothes for me to help me pack. HOWEVER, I returned home expecting most of it to be done, however, she had only washed my work clothes. Which I have no intention of wearing while in Washington. She then wants me to sort through my clothes and tell her which to wash so that I can take on my trip. Let's be honest, I don't really sort anymore. I wash everything in cold. Dry my t-shirts and line dry the rest. That's it. I wash my bras with my work clothes, my reds with my blues, and my greys with my whites. Yes, I know it's risky, but I've been doing it for six years and somehow I still manage to have wearable clothes after everytime I do laundry. My mother, however, doesn't see it that. She acts like I have NEVER done laundry before in my life. In fact, we almost got into an argument about whether or not my bra could do in the wash with some work shirts. She tells me that it's going to ruin it as she turns one of the cups inside out, to which, I then flip out...because YOU'RE NOT SUPPOSED TO DO THAT! Obviously, we have different opinions when it comes to clothes...

The same as loading the dishwasher now that I think of it. My mom must have an instruction manual somewhere in which it indicates there is only one proper way to load the dishwasher...and that is her way. I guess it must have gotten misplaced over the years because I sure haven't seen it around.

Dear friends, if you love your mother, don't do the dishes with her or laundry. It'll just end badly.

Random Thoughts of the Day

...Or How Amanda can't Focus Long Enough to Write an Entire Post.

• I finished a 4.5 mile run. Longest run ever, seriously. It's exciting. And scary. Next week is  5 miles and then every week afterward, my Saturday mileage goes up 1 mile. I feel like now is the turning point. There's no turning back now. I can either maintain my mileage or push ahead and go for this half marathon. So I'm going for the half marathon, hopefully there's not too many shin splints or puking along the way. :)
• I've gotten the chance to have some really cool opportunities recently. Last night, I got to run a comedy show with Scott Kennedy. This guy has had a Comedy Central special and has been Craig Ferguson's show. He threw me a shout out during the show and him and his opening act wanted to take pictures with me when it was over. How crazy is that?! 
• So there's this guy in my life, we'll call him "Joey" for purposes of this blog. Last night, Joey and I met up after the comedy show and after he got done with work. I was super exhausted but stayed out later than usual because I hadn't gotten a chance to see him this week and truth be told, I just REALLY enjoy his company. We talked until 2am, he walked me to my car, we talked for another hour, which is generally what happens. Then we maybe ended our evening with a little kissy face time. :) It's gonna sound real cheesy and girly and probably too romantic movie stuff, but I love the way my face feels after we kiss. It's a little tingly from the scruff of his 5 o'clock shadow. It doesn't last long, but it's a nice reminder on the drive home of what just happens. It usually manages to keep me smiling until I get in bed. Any other ladies experience this or am I the only one?
• I still owe a post about the launch party and my trip to my dad's. I'll try to make it happen tomorrow. :)

Dear Life: An Open Letter to the Universe

...Or How Amanda Needs a Break from the Drama.

Dear Life:
I need a break. A break from drama. A break from stress. A break from worrying. This has just been TOO much. Every time I think that nothing else could possibly go wrong, you throw another curve ball at me. This past year has had some really amazing highs, but there's all been some really low lows. The past 60 hours included. It's been utter ridiculousness. I'm at my breaking point...again. For the second time in six weeks. I really don't want to be [and can't be] sick for another two weeks. I just can't handle it.

I know that you don't throw more at me than I can handle, but hoo boy, are you building my strength or what? It's truly amazing how quickly the balance of life can shift. One minute, everything is perfect, truly perfect. The next minute, you're wondering if you're gonna have a place to live next month OR if you're gonna have to call the cops on one of your good friends. [Both true stories in the past 60 hours.]

I don't know what to do. I feel like I'm truly a victim in both of the recent scenarios. That I can't control my own destiny. I know there's a plan, but it's real hard right now to see how those things fit into it. So tonight, I'm gonna trust [and get some sleep] and pray for a brighter tomorrow. Because right now, that's all I feel that I can do.

So much to write...

but I think my brain might be overwhelmed. I promise to write later this week.

Topics may (or may not) include:
Running
My fantastically awesome Art979 launch party
Lying
My surprise trip to see my Dad this weekend.

Stay tuned, I'll promise I'll write about one of those topics!

First Long Run Done...

...Or How Amanda Really is Doing This Whole Half-Marathon Thing.

It really happened...I woke up at 5:15am to meet a group of runners at 6:00am to go run 4 miles. Am I crazy? Yes. Am I determined to run this half-marathon? Yes.

I was a little nervous when I got there. Everyone was DEFINITELY a runner, and I, clearly, am not. They were all talking about 11:00 min/mile pace, 10:00 min/mile pace, NINE MINUTE MILE PACE?!...not me. I was just hoping someone would be run/walking because that is where I am at right now. Luckily, there was some girl there and she said she was doing it, but she was going four miles. Not the original 3, I had planned on. But whatever, I figured, at least I would have someone beside me who wouldn't let me quit. We started out pretty well, in fact, I even got ahead of her sometimes. My stride was quite larger than hers. We started on Texas Avenue, ran down to University,  turned onto Tarrow/Lincoln and back on to University. What I DIDN'T realize was how freaky hilly University Drive is...you know what sucks more than being at the bottom of a hill? Having run two and half miles already and knowing you've got to go up it! I realized my hill endurance is not where it needs to be. But I've got 15 weeks to work on it! I was slightly bummed on Saturday because my GPS was telling me that we ran FIVE miles and my pace was 11-12 minutes and I was super pumped. However, I realized that my GPS was totally wrong. The route was right, but it calculated the mileage wrong somehow. BUT I've got four miles under my belt and here we go...I'm really doing this half-marathon thing. I've got two friends who are doing it with me so I've got the support system in place, now I've just got to get up and run. :)

Amanda L. Reynolds: The Socialite

...Or How She Feels Like She Knows Everyone in B/CS.

Tonight I was leaving work, around 8:00ish, I saw a well known restaurant owner who happened to be parked outside of my building. He was talking to another local business establishment and invited me to see his new food truck (can you say I was giddy with excitement getting a sneak peak!!). As I got in the car, it's time like those that I'm surprised by my life. I don't often relish in the fact of the people and connections that I have, but it's times like that, when I kind of have to pinch myself. Right now, I'm currently working on a magazine that has insite to some of the coolest things happening in Bryan/College Station, working with some "big names" in town. In the past year of returning back to Bryan, I've gotten to do a lot of cool stuff, which has lead to meeting a lot of cool people. The last time I was out, someone walked in about every 20-30 minutes that I knew and they came by to say hi.

But at the same time, it almost feels as though it's not me. I've never been one for names or being in the "in" crowd. So it's awesome, yet weird at the same time, to be hobnobbing with these people. You're probably wondering where I'm going with this and the answer is I really don't know. I think this probably has to do with a big-ish decision I'll be making in my life soon. One that would lead me down the road of being with the "in" crowd. I would become someone that everyone knows (hopefully, if I do my job right). I guess I'm just too nervous and overthinking it per the usual. So say a little prayer, I'd be happy to elaborate with you guys, just not on the internet where it's permanent record. ;)

Back in the Saddle Again.

...Or How Amanda is Attempting to Run for the 457th Time in Her Life.

Today, something just clicked in me. Maybe it was my best friend who made his 47th Facebook status update about going to work out. Or maybe it was all the pictures circulating around from drum corps (both marching and teaching) where I look incredibly skinny and tan. Or maybe it was the fact that I cleaned out my closet (which possibly hadn't been done since 2001) and had to give away about 20 pairs of pants. Mostly because they no longer fit, some, however did fall into the no longer fashionable (who would have thought bleached jeans and/or fringed khakis would go out of style?).  Or maybe it was last week when I couldn't do my favorite crunch exercise with the band kids. Whatever the reason was, I decided TODAY is the day I start working out again. You see, I have a free entry to a half marathon in December and I REALLY want to do it. However, I've been procrastinating on the running, so I decided I needed to buck up and start couch to 5k...again.

I was all prepped and ready to go and my good friend, Marie, and I had been texting and I told her I was going to go "run." She said that I should go over to her house and we would go together. I was hesitant at first, one, because I'm a sucky runner and I didn't want her to see that, two, I wanted to be able to go my own pace. But after the sermon this morning at church (I'll relay that another time), I decided that I should go with her. I went over and we walked for about a mile and then I decided I was gonna stay beside her, but jog to get my heart rate going a little more. I did the first time beside her, after my minute was over, she said, "That's all?" So the next time, she ran with me. We did the entire W1D1 set of C25k today. We ended up running over three miles. It felt SOOO good to get cardio happening, my lungs fresh and clear and know that I'm exercising again. AND we're planning to do it again on Tuesday. I think it will be SUPER good for me to have a running partner and hopefully I'll be able to make it through the half marathon in December. Wish me luck. Root for me. And above all, make sure to ask me how I'm doing so I don't quit. :)