Hey! Remember this?
We didn't run the race last year because we weren't in town, but as I am all about stroller-friendly races, Adam and I ran the Junior League's annual 5K/10K race last weekend.
(Chris saw supposed to run, too, with the dog, but he was sick for the second time in one week, so he stayed in bed, with the dog.)
I opted to run the 10K this year since I am training for the ING Atlanta Half-Marathon this Sunday. I finished the 10K in 1:10:43, which is pretty good for me, especialy when you factor in that I was pushing a 34-pound toddler in a 17-pound stroller and the course had a couple of very steep hills. Chris and Adam will be cheering me on this Sunday morning. My goal is to finish in under 3:40, which is, I think, realistic. We'll see...
(Photo by Hannah)
Let's talk about my feet.
My feet are long. I hesitate to say that they're "big" because to me, "big" implies that they should be shopping in the basement at Macy's, or something. They're not wide, at all, and I don't think that anyone has ever said, unsolicited, "Wow, Teri, you sure do have some big feet!"
But who am I kidding? Before I got pregnant, my feet were a size 9.5 or 10, depending on the shoe manufacturer. Because my feet are narrow, I would usually go with the 9.5 just to keep the shoe from flopping off of my heel, but technically, I was a 10. And while I'm not a shoe-hound, I had some pretty cute shoes and boots, especially for fall.
I am sorry to report that none of those cute fall shoes fit me anymore (I suspect - I haven't even tried on any of my boots yet because they all have pretty high heels and I just can't go there right now). This summer, I lived in my Clarks slide-on sandals and my flip-flops (and my pink Dr. Scholl's sandals, RIP). Now that we're past Labor Day (and I'm four weeks overdue for a pedicure), and since I've even outgrown my loafers, I wear pretty much the same pair of shoes every day. They are pictured above, and they are my Pregnant Lady Velcro Shoes, SIZE 11. My feet, you see, have grown.
I need to give a shout-out to the fine people at Nike/Cole-Haan for making these shoes. They are comfortable, supportive, and I don't need to tie them, making the process of getting dressed in the mornings a whole lot easier. I must also reprimand Bloomingdale's, Rich's, and Nordstrom for not carrying these shoes in a size 11. Shame on them. I finally found a pair of these shoes in black and in my size at a Cole-Haan store in New York City. Shoe stores of the South, I know you can do better than that, and you should.
There's nothing I can say beyond, "I LOVE THESE SHOES!" Seriously - they are stylish, they have velcro, and they are so important to me right now that last night, I actually had a nightmare in which someone stole my Pregnant Lady Velcro Shoes, Size 11, and replaced them with the same shoes in a size 9.5. In this dream, I was frantic. The 9.5's taunted me, I was barefoot, and I went around to everyone I knew asking them what they did to my shoes, and wanting to know who had played this sick, sad joke on a poor pregnant woman who wanted nothing more than the small comfort that comes from having a pair of shoes that fit.
Or maybe that's 25 pounds. Anyway. If anyone's been wondering why this site has been neglected, it's because I've been working on the biggest project of my life (WORK project, that is. I'm currently gestating the biggest non-work project of my life, if anyone is worried that my priorities aren't in order). I have plenty of photos to upload of my belly and the nursery, and I PROMISE I'll get them up this week...
In Pumpkin Patch news, we have a busy week ahead of us. I have one more press conference to stage (in Macon, GA - those of you who are fans of The Simpson's will know what I mean when I say that "This never would have happened if we'd gone to Macon, Georgia!) and this weekend, family from NoVA, New Orleans, Starkville, Pensacola, and Wyoming will be here for my baby shower.
And in other news, my travel ban commences next Wednesday, October 20, so Macon and Augusta, if you want any more of me, you'll just have to wait it out.
Chris and I (and the Pumpkin Patch) headed to Texas this past weekend for my 10th high school reunion. We stayed at Uncle Bobby and Julia's gorgeous apartment, which was the perfect location for getting to Spring and to the reunion downtown. We also ate. I went to Texas with a list of things that I needed to eat, including chicken fried steak, brisket, and a Whataburger with cheese and no onions.
For the chicken fried steak, we headed to Goodson's in Tomball. I ordered the small, but as the large only cost one dollar more, Chris figured he'd go for broke. The large was indeed large, as you can see from the photo. 
For brisket, we were originally planning to go to Goode Company, but after reading a review of the Houston Barbecue Company in the Houston Press, we decided to eat there, as it is less than a mile from where Uncle Bobby and Julia live. Let me say now that Chris and I both highly recommend the Houston Barbecue Company - the brisket was fantastic and so were the sides. Don't let the strip mall location fool you.
Finally, Whataburger. Oh, Whataburger, with your toasted buns and your perfectly charred beef, your omission of nasty mayonaisse, and your extra mustard, you make a great burger. I think that Chris was slightly underwhelmed by Whataburger, but that's probably because he'd been hearing about Whataburger nonstop for the past two weeks. I ate my Whaturger (I ordered a Junior because I was starting to feel like a pig and we'd eaten brisket just three hours prior to our trek through the drive-thru) and I loved every cheesy, charred, mustardy bite.
I'm going to put up a photo album that includes both our before-and-after chicken fried steak photos, reunion photos, and the photos I took while stalking (and I mean stalking) our old house in Spring - in the meantime, if you can, go eat a Whataburger for me.
