furry kids

i love dogs. i always had a dog growing up so it isn't a surprise i'd own dogs in my adult life. having three dogs is like having babies... always having to keep track of them, taking them out, cleaning up after them... granted, i do get more opportunities to rest b'coz my furry kids looooove to veg out with me on the sofa. they make me smile when i'm sad and make me laugh when they do the silliest things. they are definitely a part of our family.  i love my furry kids!

torrance turkey trot

the kid and i decided wed participate in the torrance turkey trot 5k to balance out all the food well be feasting on today for thanksgiving. the run wasnt bad... flat surface the entire way... no hills, dips, etc. i lost ryna about half way after the first mile... those long giraffe legs needed to feel some speed and she booked it like a cheetah. she completed the trot in 32 minutes! im certain she could have finished under 30 minutes if she didnt spend the first 10 minutes running by my side. her best mile is 7:15... girl has speed. as for me... im actually proud of myself! considering i havent worked out in 2 months and havent ran in over 2 months, i managed to beat my 5k best time by almost 10 min. i finished in 38 minutes! woohoo! granted there were no hills... just flat surface... i think that made it much easier. i really should start running again... im itching for a 30 minutes or less 5k time!

pumpkin spice cupcakes w/honey frosting

last night I made pumpkin spice cupcakes for the first time. ryna helped me... her first time baking! and of course... just like a kid should... she licked the spatula and bowl clean. anyway... cupcakes came out GREAT. i think i'll be making these for thanksgiving this year in cake pop form. oh and... a pumpkin spice cupcake makes a great breakfast pastry and goes great with pumpkin spice latte! =)

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nascar racing experience

for love's birthday this year, i got him a nascar racing experience. 5 minutes in the driver's seat... of a real nascar race car... on a real racetrack! unfortunately, his birthday was in july... and the next available scheduled event in SoCal wasn't until october... in fontana at the auto club speedway. it was worth the wait! we woke up super early that sunday morning... 5am... to make the drive from torrance to fonatana. i'm not a morning person... i swore i would sleep in the car on the way there, but i was too excited for him!! we arrived 30min early... managed to take a nap before they let everyone in. if anyone ever does this... plan ahead and prepare food, drinks, and snacks... bring a small cooler of goodies... b'coz you'll be there for a couple hours. i've never been to the speedway... it was pretty awesome to be walking into the pit... to set foot on the same concrete real racers and pit crews set foot on.

down the drain

ef·fort  noun \ˈe-fərt, -ˌfort\ : a serious attempt : try