Texas High School Football, oh my!

Last weekend Paul's brother Matt came to visit with his buddy Pete. They had a conference in town and stayed with us for a few days. We took them out during their first night here for some cajun food at Doodie's -- (One of Paul's favorites) and discussed what they wanted to see and do while they were here. One of the first things they said was "see a high school football game -Is it like Friday Night Lights" they asked? I was like umm.. well... I don't know? We have lived here for over four years and have never been. So, I figured it was about time and having the boys in town was the perfect excuse!

The next day I got to work and starting asking around. I found out that Allen was playing Plano at Clark Stadium that night -- two big high schools in town --and that would be a good game to see. So, after some investigating online I decided I would swing by Clark Stadium to get tickets around lunch. I contemplated waiting to get them at the gate...but I knew these were two big teams and wanted to secure tix since we had company in town to entertain. Good thing I did because Clark Stadium ticket office had about 40 people in line for tickets at 1pm on Friday afternoon! The chatter in line was that Allen High School was sold out and Plano was close...craziness! So, I stood in line and got our "assigned seat" tickets for that night.

We arrived to the Spring Creek exit and hit bumper to bumper to traffic -- are we at the cowboys stadium? We decided to park at the bank on the corner and walk the 2 miles to the stadium. The place was packed and our 5 assigned seats looked more like three... ugh! We squeezed in and enjoyed some crazy dad's screaming about plays, mom's chanting old cheers (I'm assuming) and little kids dressed in small uniforms and cheer outfits with their faces painted. I'm pretty sure we were the only people not wearing school colors - seriously. When the teams took the field there was giant inflatables, fog machines, balloons, banners (not paper ones!) and this wasn't homecoming! It was pretty nuts...oh, and the band had 500 people! They took up the entire field during half time... and let's not even get into drill team (dancers!)and cheer team! Let's just say it's a sight to see and the texan's take this game of football pretty seriously. I guess I better get on board if I'm going to live here ;-)

Allen HS is ranked #1 5A team in Texas --- they beat Plano 42- 7.

Freedom Run 2011

A few weeks ago Paul and I ran the Freedom 5K in honor of all those who were lost in the events on 9/11. We've done this race the past 3 years since the DAYL puts it on and Paul is very involved with the Young Lawyers Association. However, it was particularly special this year being the 10th anniversary of the attack. The race directors did a fabulous job recognizing those who were lost and making the event extremely special for everyone who came out to support. All the proceeds went to local enforcement in Dallas County and officials surrounded City Hall. (We felt very safe! lol) In addition, it was a great night for a run -- the weather was cooler and no rain this year! Paul and I ran it together in just under 30minutes. The highlight (or lowlight?) of the race was being passed by this supermom with a TRIPLE baby stroller! How embarassing! But, we did have a great time together and enjoyed drinks, food and music with his attorney friends after the race. It was a great way to kick off the weekend!

Jules & Paul getting ready for the race!

aww, love to see the finish!

Kori & Jeff's Wedding Weekend in Mackinac

After 10 years, yes TEN YEARS! (And you thought you dated your guy or gal a long time before tying the knot! lol) Jeff and Kori are officially married!

It all took place at Mackinac Island last weekend at the Harbour View Inn. It was a small intimate ceremony with just friends and family present. Kori was breathtaking and Jeff was awfully handsome in his tux! They both looked so happy, excited and cheerful as they said their vows and exchanged rings. We all couldn't be happier and tried to keep our "about time!" comments to ourselves and take joy in the beautiful day. It was sunny, 70's and awesome!

"What a fabulous place to get married?" I kept saying all weekend to my sister. Mackinac was one of the most beautiful places I've been. So quaint, laid back and peaceful. Everyone enjoyed the weekend biking, being outside, taking in the lake views, and enjoying some fudge of course!

We kicked off the weekend by hosting a ladies luncheon for Kori at Mary's Bistro where she received a few gifts. Then we went to Astors Salon at the Grand for mani/pedi's and cocktails on the deck over looking the lawn. It was such a wonderful afternoon with all the girls! Kori was just glowing all day ;-)

That night my parents hosted the rehearsal dinner at The Gatehouse. However, the highlight of the night was when my brother bet Colin $100 he couldn't stay quiet for 2 hours. Well, Colin took that bet pretty seriously and stayed SILENT for 45mins -- and Jeff finally negotiated at $40 because he felt bad! Poor kid wouldn't say a word!

Then Saturday was Wedding day!!! That morning Jenn, Chad, Connor & Colin took a bike ride around the island with Paul and I. It was about 8miles around so it was a pretty long ride for the boys and they did great -- especially Connor who had two broken arms, still! We took it slow, stopping to take plenty of pictures and take in the views. So pretty!

The wedding was at 4pm in the garden area at Harbour View Inn. Everyone was so excited to see Kori in her dress -- no one had seen it. She was a lovely bride and Jeff is sooooo lucky to call her his wife. And we are so happy to have Kor as part of our family!!! The reception was also at Harbour view with cocktail hour and dinner immediately following. Jeff made a lovely speech thanking us all for our travels and impact on their lives as a couple - touching for Jeff ;-) And after things started to wind down at the wedding we ALL (parents included) went to the bar to finish the night strong. I love weddings!

Hottest Half 2011

Sunday I competed in the Hottest Half at White Rock Lake. This is notorious for being a horribly hot, difficult, dreadful race here in Dallas...hence the name. So, only the serious (or stupid) runners come out to compete. The runners that are dying for competition in an endurance race, something over a 5k (that seems to be all that's available anytime after June 1st around here!)

So, Coach Jason Soria suggested I did it this race this year in preparation for my Chicago Marathon. The heat training would be good for me, yadda yadda and no matter how how Chicago might be hot it will be nothing compared to what I'll be racing in here in Dallas. So, here I am -- signed up for the Hottest Half with all the crazies.

So, Sunday morning at 7am I find myself at the start with other nutty peeps getting prepared to run 13.1 miles in 92 degree heat and awful humidity. Luckily the course is flat as a pancake and I try to mentally prepare but I can't ... I just keep dreading what's ahead. I know that's a horrible way to start a race but I can't stop. Before I can size up the competition or look around we're off! Everyone is flying! Whoa! Some fast starters in this group...but then I think back to what Jason told me, "Everyone is going to go out too fast because the course is flat...hold back and CONSERVE...come up from behind on the back end when everyone else is blowing up and you'll kill this race..." So, that's my plan. And let's just say that it worked -- PERFECTLY! I ran quick, but not fast for the first 6miles letting people pass me and move along...I could hear their breathing and just knew they couldn't keep this up. The sun was coming up high in the sky and the heat was climbing. I felt good and knew I was in a good position to finish strong. So, about half way through I began to pass everyone and kept a STEADY pace the entire race. That steady pace brought me into the finish with a final time of 1:43:10. I knew it was good for me (my PR is 1:41) but didn't realize it put me at the top. Paul and I didn't stick around for the awards. I really needed to get out of the heat. I was extremely dizzy after finishing and couldn't get the liquids in fast enough. I was too nausea to eat but needed the fuel -- it was rough. I felt a little better after part of a bagel but knew we needed to leave. When we got home I went downhill further...I just couldn't get the nutrition in fast enough! It wasn't until 3pm when I was finally feeling like myself and my salt/electrolyte balance was back. ugh...

But then the results were posted online that really lifted my mood and I was feeling MUCH better then! Results revealed I was THIRD in my age group, whoa! That is such a big accomplishment for me. I was suddenly super bummed that we didn't stick around for the awards! Also, I was the 8th female finisher overall. What a great day! Makes all that training, early mornings, and for-going booze suddenly worth it!

1st Annual 29th Birthday

I have an amazing husband. Paul had planned such a fantastic birthday/anniversary weekend for me! We kicked off everything Thursday evening by celebrating four beautiful years together -- we had dinner at Isabella's Italian Restaurant & wine bar. Its a quaint restaurant in Frisco with an array of sophisticated wine and delicious Italian food. It was the perfect place to enjoy a quiet, romantic dinner and to cheers many more years together!

On Friday, Paul organized a happy hour birthday celebration for me with our friends at TruFire Pizza Kitchen. I was overwhelmed with all the amazing friends who came out to share "29" with me! I am so thankful for each and every one of them for so many different reasons -- At times like this I am reminded how blessed I am with great friends! We had cocktails, apps, pizzas and laughed the night away together!

Saturday Paul and I stopped at our friends - Liz and Oscar's housewarming party and then headed to NYLO hotel to have a bday/anniversary evening together. Paul had prepped the room with all my gifts, champagne & strawberries, and all of my overnight things. We had cocktails at the hotel and stayed over. I was so happy to be swept off my feet a little! So sweet!

Sunday I took the day off. No running -- Paul and I just spent the entire day together. We went to the movies, out for lunch and relaxed by the pool with friends. It was the perfect end to a perfect weekend!

4 Year Anniversay

4 years ago today I married my best friend. that day was the best day of my life...but now, each day with him just keeps getting better and better!

I love you Paul.

Training update!

Well, with less than 2 months before I find myself at the start of the Chicago marathon I must admit I'm a little nervous. I feel like I'm running soooo slow! The heat is suffocating and makes my legs like lead! In case you haven't heard, the weather in Texas is hitting RECORD highs. For instance this week we've had a few days of 110 degrees and we've had 33 strait days of 100 degree temps -- about to break the record of 40 days set in 1980.

So, it's making endurance training a bit difficult! But, I'm still about on target for my training schedule. I'm up to 14 mile long runs and nailing my tempo and speed work during the week. I only do the treadmill when absolutely necessary and I really do feel my body is acclimating to the heat with each workout outside. My heart rate isn't shooting up as high or as fast and I don't fatigue as quickly. Hopefully, this heat training is working to my advantage and when I get to the cool crisp Chicago weather I feel like I am breaking free and bust out a PR!

I'm also trying new shoes. I've always worn NIKE Frees around the gym to train clients, etc. But I've been wearing them on my shorter runs and have felt REALLY good in them. Even though they are a minimalist shoe with little support I felt lighter, smoother and faster in them -- and without any knee/ankle pain. So, I've transitioned wearing NIKE Frees to my longer runs and am LOVING it. Later Asics... this is a bold move for me since I've worn Asics FOREVER but I think it's really going to workout for me. I'm on my second pair right now -- now, my husband says they're tacky but I say they're racing shoes baby!

Don't worry -- I'm not going to become one of those people running marathons in those "toe shoes" -- aka Vibram 5 Fingers. But I do think there is something to wearing a minimalist shoe and letting your feet, ankles, calves get stronger that truly DOES improve your stride and run. Ever read that book "Born to Run"?

National Tequila Day 2011

If you know Paul Simon you know that his favorite alcoholic beverage is...Tequila! Some might gag at the thought of enjoying Tequila over ice but Paul loves it! So, it was only appropriate for the Simon's to host a party in honor of National Tequila Day - July, 24th! (We actually celebrated Saturday, July 23...but who really cares, right?)
We had several friends over to take part in Jose, Cabo Wabo, and Patron -- all the favorites! We mixed pitchers and pitchers of margaritas to enjoy by the pool. It was a lovely day -- the sun was shining bright, the burgers were bbqing on the grill and the pool floaties were all in use! Let me also mention that the party turned into a true Fiesta when Dustin brought over a Pinata... Imagine 30-year-olds, Tequila, and a Pinata... oh boy!
We finished off the night with some good ole' fashion Midwest Euchre! I'm getting better and better at this game and I think I might even be able to play with the big kids at Christmas this year ;-)

Painting with a TWIST

Last Wednesday we had a girls night at Painting with a TWIST in Frisco....and the Twist is that it's BYOB ;-) Now, that's my kind of painting party! Wine, snacks, girl time and a little painting too! We all learned to paint a dress portrait on a large canvas using reds and greens for background. The entire process took a lot more time than I anticipated...probably had to do with teaching all the non-artists in the room and partially because our attention span lowered with the more wine we drank! We all did the same portrait but everyone's turned out so different. It was fun to see all the girls personalities revealed through the project. Some people are so carefree and relaxed about the painting and others (myself) want every paint stroke to be absolutely perfect! What a great time with friends!

Here's part of our group!

Here's my (almost) finished masterpiece!

Oregon...

Over the fourth of July weekend Paul and I met his mom/dad and brother/sister-in-law out in Oregon to spend the holiday with his extended family = Grandmother, Aunts, Uncles, ect. As you can imagine the weekend was filled with laughter, angst, chaos, and love. Highlights include: Portland Zoo, Pacific Coast Beach House, Tillamonk Cheese Factory, Whale Watching Center, and some delicious seafood all weekend!
A big thanks to the Simon's for a lovely trip - we had a wonderful time seeing everyone and the 75 degree temps in Portland were a nice break from the heat! They say Portland had the best weather they've seen all spring/summer -- must of known I was coming?! I need my sunshine! ;-)

The whole family!

Grace (Grandmother) with Matt and Paul on the Beach -- her request ;-)

Paul and me at the Tillamonk Cheese Factory -- his favorite cheese. It was like visiting his Mecca ;-)

Two "Jules" -- at the Beach House

Matt and Julie -- getting ready for our campfire on the beach!

Campfire on the beach -- it was a little chilly! Can you tell?

What's up July?

Hard to believe summer is half over already? We're feeling some serious heat down in Texas. For example, its 90 at 9am - no joke! We're on a triple digit streak with what looks like no end in sight...heat advisory in affect! But the sun is shining and people are beating the heat with cool drinks and pool time. And that's exactly what we've been doing the last few weeks. Here's a preview of July thus far....

My girlfriend Lesley and I hosted a baby shower for our friend Kerri who is expecting August 18th. This is Kerri's first little one and she couldn't be more excited. I always love to throw a good party but baby showers are a tad different....for one thing, there is not as much alcohol needed to host! And second, I really don't know what all the gifts are....You should of seen me in babies r us... I looked like a lost idiot! I'm going to need some serious help when we have kids, whoa! But the party went great and there was yummy cake from Celebrity Bakery!In other news...our little Milo baby turned 4 years old on June 30th! He really is the happiest little dogger and brings me joy each and every day. I'm so glad I talked Paul into going to "just look" at the puppies labor day weekend 2007...Also, we celebrated my girlfriend, Haley's birthday at One2One on Friday with 8 couples. It was a lovely dinner filled with laughter, jokes, yummy food and CAKE. Yes, you gotta check out this amazing LV cake that we had made for her. If you know Haley you would understand that this cake is a perfect fit for our girlie fashionista birthday girl!

On Saturday Haley hosted a Ladies Luncheon at Stonebriar CC for her birthday. Again it was great girl time followed up with yummy treats and eats. However, I just wish I was feeling better...My 12 mile run that morning had left me feeling icky, dehydrated and nauseas. So, I'm convinced now that my two favorite things no longer go well together (especially in this heat) wine and running must part ways... and running wins (for now)
So many fun things yet to come this summer ...August is going to be great!

Komen 5k 2011

Saturday, June 11th was the Susan G. Komen 5k in Plano. I usually run this race with the Junior League gals for fun and might even walk some due to the insane amount of people that come out for it -- 14,000 runners! However, this year my running coach wanted me to RACE it! And I'm not one to let anyone down so I did what I was told. My loving husband and a few of our dear friends headed for the start line at 7:30. It was probably 80 degrees with the sun beating down at the 7:45 start but it didn't hold me back much -- I ran 22:14 and finished in the top 10 for my age group. Which made me feel good since I was racing against thousands of runners! However, I ran un-timed and my results didn't count. My decision to race without a chip came from my experience last year with the crowds limiting my chances at a good race. oh well!
Now, the real story of the day was Paul's SLOWEST time ever for a 5k, 1:03;00! Yes, it took him over an hour to complete 3.1 miles! Paul and his buddy, Dustin walked and talked and stopped at every water station taking as much time as possible to complete the race.... so sad! But funny!
We all finished the day with brunch at La Madelines before hitting the pool ;-)

Simons ready to race

Catrina and I heading for the start

Dustin and Paul getting ready for their LONG hot walk

Finish line

FORE!

A few weeks ago Paul and I went with a bunch of friends to check out the new Top Golf facility in Allen. Top Golf is a really cool outdoor 4 level driving range. But what makes it different is the balls have microchips inside that let you know how far you hit the ball. The range also has several targets so you can play different games for points trying to hit varying targets. You can rent clubs or bring your own and even if you suck its okay because some targets are really close! We ordered a couple buckets of beer, some food and had fun hitting balls for hours! Did I mention that I won both games? One game against most of the guys (hell yeah!) and then one game against all the chicas! I was kicking some golf butt!Paul and I snacking on some nachos between swings

Look at that form?!

Lesley and me...yes, we coordinated our outfits!

All the girlies getting ready to play!

Memorial Weekend 2011

Memorial Weekend has come and gone which means...it's OFFICIALLY sum, sum, summer time! It's already in the 90's, humid and HOT here in Dallas which definitely feels like summer is upon us. I know many Texans dread the long hot summer months but I love it, I guess it's the Michigander in me still ;-) Here's to the HEAT!

We kicked off the holiday weekend by going to the Byron Nelson golf tournament at the Four Seasons. We went with our neighbors and spent all Friday watching a little golf, drinking a lot of beer and enjoying some serious people watching! The Byron is a fun big event in Dallas and I was excited to go this year and check out all the hype ;-)

I had to sneak this picture at the Byron...no phones or cameras allowed!

Saturday we went to my friend Tina's for a Memorial bbq. We enjoyed pool time, kabobs and sweet tea vodka concoctions ;-) Milo even came along and swam a little bit. Of course he was filthy when we left because he rolled in dirt immediately after getting out of the pool...dogger!
Sunday we tried for a date night -- we splurged for the Gold Class Cinemas movie theater to see Hangover 2. It was indeed hilarious --- maybe not as good as #1? However the theater was amazing! Gold Class never disappoints with it's reclining chairs, attentive wait staff and sophisticated food and wine list. You have to remind yourself you're at the movies, L-O-V-E it!
Monday we enjoyed yet some more bbq food and drinks at our friend Mitch's where I soaked up too much sun (go figure!) and ate way too much! I'll be working that off all week! But what a great way to end a fabulous & restful weekend! And most of all, I loved spending some quality time with my hubby -- we just don't see each other enough during the week!
Let's see what FUN summer 2011 holds for us!?

Jimmy Buffett 2011

Jules, Cindy, Tina & Julie

Paul and Jules - at the tiki bar with his clients tailgate

Jules, Tina & Cindy - just getting started!

jules and paul...getting our outfits ready!

Paul, Tina, Dustin, Peter & Cindy... watching the crazies!

Well, this year Paul was still standing at the end of our Buffett adventure -- so I would say it was a successful day of partying ;-)
RV's of Parrottheads arrived Thursday and Friday to stake their spots for days of tailgating. And music exploded from Pizza Hut park Saturday night making us feel like we were somewhere in the Bahamas. It was an awesome weekend!
Paul and a few buddies got up early Saturday morning and snagged (what were probably the LAST two spots) to tailgate in the furthest lot. But we had a place to call our own and we set up camp for over 12 hours! We grilled burgers, kabobs, chicken and snacked on pico, chips, margarita balls, and my jello shots! We played jimmy's greatest hits, visited with friends, played "bags" and walked through the madness to get ideas for next year. The check list includes: golf cart, beach sand and tiki bar ;-) In 2012 we go BIG!