Real Models from Title Nine

I came across a great catalog today which sales outdoor/athletic clothing for women called Title Nine (just now got the reference to women's collegiate sports). Of course I loved the merchandise in their catalog, but what I loved more were the models that they featured. They are all real women and the catalog features each one by identifying their name and a few fun facts.

What I also loved was the Founder's note on the inside front cover. I felt that this statement really defined me well Obviously, I am their target audience. Here is what it says:

"An athlete is...
A Mom squeezing in her workout before the kids wake up.
Candace Parker squeezing in one more rep as she prepares her post-partum body for another season of pro hoops.
A woman who juggles work commitments but never forgets her commitments to herself.
That woman on the elliptical breaking bad habits as she builds a better body.
Dana Torres (who by the way is my hero) breaking barriers even if she's not breaking records.
A girl discovering the competent machine that is her body.
A woman discovering the same thing.
What is an athlete? An athlete is you." -- Missy Park, Founder

If you have an opportunity, check out their site which also features these "real" models

Share the Road

By the time I have almost completed my morning five mile run, most people in town are just staring to wake up and grab the morning paper. As some jump in their cars to head to the local convenience store or to work, I am reminded that they may not have had their morning cup of joe and are not completely awake. This must have been the case this morning during my pre-dawn run as I had to leap up to the curb in order to avoid an oncoming car. Actually at the time it was pretty light outside so I am still not quite sure why that black mustang did not see me.

I bring this up because every morning I pass runners, cyclists and dog walkers on the street. When I am in the driver’s seat of a vehicle, I make sure to give these folks plenty of space in their lane. If the inside lane of traffic is open, I get over. However, I don’t believe that this is the case for most inhabitants of my community.

Case in point: this morning as me and two girlfriends were running (I was in front and the other two were side-by-side maybe 10 feet behind me), two cars honked their horns at us. This was not a friendly “hey, you runner chicks are hot,” kind of honk. It was more like a “get the h-e-double hockey sticks out of the street” sort of honk. Now that is just not nice and it is especially rude to the people who live nearby and may be awakened by these rude honkers.

This also happens frequently when we are out cycling. In fact on Saturday the same group plus a few others were out and the exact thing happened – a big nasty honk and there may have been some choice words yelled. Thankfully there was plenty of wind to battle, so sounds were sort of muffled. Crazy thing is that when the person honked, they happened to honk right in front of a caution sign that reads, “share the road,” and has a photo of a bicycle. The irony.

What I like to tell these drivers out there is that we (runners and cyclists) also share the road. Cyclists are not expected to ride on uneven sidewalks at speeds that can range from 15-20 mph. Sidewalks also do not always exist on stretches of road for runners to use. So the next time you go out in your car and you see runners and cyclists, please do us a favor and share the road. If you choose to honk, just know that I may shoot you the bird.

Can women really have it all?

As I write this post, I am being as productive as one possibly can on one's lunch hour. While I am eating at my desk (a lunch that I prepared myself), I often take small breaks to type this post while chewing and while also attempting to read a certification manual.

I mention this because this a real example of how working moms and even non work outside of the home moms operate. I believe that women, not just moms, are truly gifted in the art of multi-tasking and that our kids, families and lives would suffer if God had not bestowed this gift upon us. Does anyone find it strange that gift somehow is a rare find in those of the opposite sex? Sorry, guys -- that is just how it is.

But the real question is, did nature just make us this way or did we simply evolve after women's lib? While my gut tells me this may have something to do with nature, I cannot escape the thought that it may be our own mothers and grandmothers who paved the road for their daughters to have this "liberation" or what they consider "freedom."

Tell me again, what is so free about working full-time to help provide food and shelter for your family, all the while juggling many different roles as employee, wife, mother, and friend?

Did these ladies get it wrong when they asked to have it all --you know, equal rights with men? Are we really equal? I guarantee that most women work as hard, if not twice as hard as their male counterparts and are still not paid an equal wage. We work harder because some work is simply non considered a "man's job." Are these gender roles fair?

So I pose this final question to you: If one could reverse women's lib and take back women's traditional role as homemakers, would you choose that option?

Not sure I would. What I do know is that we as women need to do a better job of trying to blur these traditional gender roles. Ladies complaining about our husbands gets us know where. We have to act and it is time to hand over the apron.

Cooking Girl

For those of you in the Oklahoma City area, I have a real treat for you. Looking for a reason to gather up your gal pals a veg or want to learn how to whip up a causal dinner party? If you answered yes, then I would recommend you check out the Cooking Girl

I had the gal pals over for a casual dinner and beer pairing party last month and we hired the Cooking Girl to provide the food and demonstration. Here's a little breakdown of the menu and my thoughts on each course.

Beet Salad paired with Hoegaarden White

Not a fan of beets would be putting it mildly in my case. Rather, beets can never fully escape that dirt flavor in which the root is earthed in my opinion. But being the "go with" person that I am, I decided to give it a shot. The fact that goat cheese was involved sweetened the deal enough for me to try. I will say that roasting the beets gave them a much milder flavor than I remember, so it wasn't that bad. I really picked up the citrus (without eating the fruit), which I have found out came from orange juice and orange zest used in the dressing. The salad was also dressed with candied pecans, which offered a nice sweet compliment to the tartness of the citrus and the earthy flavor of the beets.

This course was paired with the Hoegaarden, which is a wheat (unfiltered) beer. While this may sound especially heavy, it was actually fairly light. Of all the beers paired, this was by far my favorite. I am not too much of a beer drinker, so don't take my word for it.

The next course was the best of the evening in my opinion. Cooking Girl's Shrimp Coctel Pilsner was too die for. In fact, rather than having his as an appetizer, I would prefer to eat this as its own meal with the salad as a start. Similar to ceviche, although the shrimp is actually cooked rather than cured, this dish, served in pilsner, reminded me of being on the beach in Mexico. I guess it was all the fruit mixed in such as pineapple, papaya, watermelon along with cilantro and other wonderful ingredients which made me feel so tropical. I enjoyed this dish so much that I completely forgot about the beer. Sorry guys, I cannot remember what was paired with this one.

Course 3 was Cochinita Pork Sandwich with Pineapple Coleslaw and Baked Beans. If I wasn't so full from scarfing down the last course, then I would have enjoyed this part of the meal much more. This is why I could not be a food critic -- I don't have the willpower to take small samples if it is something that I love.

The best part of the especially tender pork sandwich was the slaw which offered a bit of Asian flare to a very Mexican style pork. The cuisines complimented each other nicely and I would have never tried putting these two types of things together on my own until Cooking Girl came along. I chose not to eat the bun because my stomach was at the point of explosion; however, that did not stop me from enjoying the cheese course which followed. The cheeses offered were paired with beer as was the main course and I cannot remember anything about these beers or even what they were named. I do remember that there were many cheddars on the plate and that all I really wanted at this point was a siesta and maybe a bit more of that shrimp coctel pilsner.

Dessert was a Chocolate Cakethat the Cooking Girl said was a standard cake. I think that she may have found the recipe on the back of the Hershey's Cocoa can. However, chocolate is its own food group in my mind and regardless of its standardness, it was delish. I do remember that whatever beer was paired with this course that it complimented the chocolate well and almost tasted like chocolate. I remember liking it, but not to the point of remembering the name.

Overall the food was delicious, a bit filling, which most people in these parts prefer and moderately priced. If you need info on booking the Cooking Girl for your next gathering, let me know. I have linked her website above and be sure to check her out on facebook.

Best Ads on TV

So I was having a really bad day so I went to watch these amazing ads from Carl's Jr. Enjoy your b-holes.

Video of HJ's final ISR lesson

Infant Swimming Resource

I am sure that many of you have seen the Infant Swimming Resource (ISR) videos on the web or you have seen the e-mails. Yes, it is quite amazing.

Last week, I enrolled my almost 2 year old son in lessons and he is doing remarkably well. We are in week two and I started seeing improvement on the third day.

It is amazing to watch these babies use their natural instincts coupled with lessons which teach them to swim and/or float as a rescue mechanism. If you have not seen the videos, I encourage you to check out the ISR site. Also, CNN And Fox have posted stories to their sites today.

I recommend these lessons to everyone with an infant/toddler. I attempted to get a group together so the lessons could be offered in my home town, but being that it is quite a commitment of time and money, I don't think that it was feasible for most people so I make an hour and a half commute to pick up my son and take him to lessons. Honestly though, it is worth the time and every penny. Let's just hope that my son never encounters an opportunity where he will use these skills unsupervised. (I heard today that a toddler drowned over the weekend in a neighboring community after slipping into a pool. If only the child had the same training, he could have been saved).