livestrong half marathon recap

So yesterday I shed (metaphorical) blood, (real) sweat, and (copious) tears as I finished my very first half marathon.

13.1 miles later, I am still alive, really sore, and really proud.

At 6:15am, I headed to Austin’s Capitol building to meet up with my teammates from Team Asha and took some touristy pictures. Here’s my #1 cheerleader from the course… Rahul!

He came to town to visit, cheer for me, and to make me look even paler than I already am.

He took off at 6:45am to start on some mimosas with my other cheerleaders and I nervously made my way to the start line, pairing myself with some people from the Austin Fit pace group I’ve been doing long runs with. The race started at 7am and since 15,000 crazy people had to cross the start with me, it took me until about 7:15am to even run.

The first few miles were great, I was feeling strong and even saw Rahul and my friends Mary and Cliff cheering for me around mile 2.5. It was a huge boost as I saw the steady 3 mile climb up South Congress from there! The turn around to the 3 mile downhill was wonderful, as I saw another few teammates, smelled bacon from a local restaurant, and saw how I was rocking my pace nearly 30 seconds under my usual. I was cautious not to go out too hard, but I was doing okay except some nerves affecting my stomach.

I saw my cheerleading squad around mile 7 for the last time and took off the rest of the way on my own. I had only run up to 10 miles prior to the race, since I missed the 12 mile run with my group. I got to mile 10 and hit a wall, realizing I had never taken in more fuel (Shot Blocks) at mile 8 like planned, and I felt it. With a short break to chew I got reenergized and tackled some rolling hills.

Then I got to mile 11.8 and wanted to cry. I suppose this is the race organizer’s fun little way to torture us all? It was awful. You saw it coming and dreaded it the whole way and climbed something like 8 stories in .15 of a mile. I walked up part of it and felt really out of breath at the end of it. I tried to pull it together but ended up having to walk up another short hill at 12.6… so close to the end!

I finally did manage to pull it together and rounded the corner towards the finish line. I was slightly ahead of pace so I wasn’t expecting friends to be there and I just gave it my last bit of energy. I cried and threw my arms up as I ran the last .05 miles to the finish. I have been dreaming about doing a half for 3 years and had finally completed it!

I felt momentarily like I couldn’t catch my breath but after chugging some water and getting my medal, things got better. I found Rahul, who is the most amazing person I could ever ask to be with, and he was so proud of me that it made me even prouder of what I had accomplished. We reunited with friends, had a mimosa, and then I stuffed my face with bacon and eggs and all was right with the world.

So there it is. My first 13.1 in 2:26:41. I couldn’t be happier. Well, maybe I would be happier if I wasn’t hobbling like an old lady right now.

happy Veteran’s Day!

Happy Veteran’s Day to all those who have served and are currently serving our country! 

Today is particularly bittersweet to me as my own brother, Hunter, is a soldier! He’s deploying to Afghanistan in a matter of weeks so I am taking a quick trip home to Virginia this weekend to send him off right! We’re doing this the Southern way: too much food, beer, and crazy relatives.

Fun fact: this picture was taken in May 2010…. which was also the last time I saw him! I cannot believe I’ve gone a year and a half without seeing him! 

Have a great weekend!

blog hiatus

Hey y’all! Greetings from Austin, TX where the high has been 104* for the past week.

So I’ve been pretty lame lately (don’t argue otherwise, you know it is true). I am working 2 summer jobs and have a busy chunk of summer still ahead of me, including a tearful Father’s Day remembering my Dad, my 23rd birthday, a mystery vacation with the boyfriend, making money, studying for my master’s exam, and other big changes. I am not able to dedicate the time I’d like to towards the blog, so I’m taking a brief summer hiatus.

Please don’t forget about me! I promise I’ll be back sporadically throughout the summer and by the time school starts and I get back to a regular schedule, I’ll be able to blow your minds with food, humor, stories, and other happenings.

Check back periodically to see if I’ve updated, or just subscribe to my blog in your reader or through WordPress to get updates when I write a post!

In the words of Schwarzenegger, I have an illegitimate son…. I’ll be back!

my Mama knows best

I’ve spent a lot of time talking about my Mama here on the blog. I’ve talked about our drive from Virginia to Texas when I moved. I talked about our trip to San Antonio in March for my Spring Break. I’ve made her meatloaf, her mac n cheese, and a host of other dishes that I grew up eating.

I usually call her “Mama” but when I’m trying to get something out of her or I’m in need of a hug, I call her “Mommy”. And sometimes I call her just plain “Mom” but not often. And I only call her “Mother” when I’m annoyed or trying to get her attention when she isn’t listening to me.

I don’t look much like her, but I share some of her strongest character traits, such as never being afraid to speak my mind, compassion for others, and crying too easily. She’s short. All the best advice I’ve ever received has come from her. She taught me about the wonders of washing my face with Noxema. She still lets me sit in her lap. She has an affinity for horrible reality television. She knows every word to Les Mis and taught them to me by age 10. She held my hand at my dad’s funeral. She’s loved me unconditionally since all screaming 7 lbs of me entered the world 22 years ago. She even put up with me during my horrible teenage years when I told her that she loved Hunter more and I rolled my eyes at her more than I did anything else.

Last year on Mother’s Day, I graduated college and made her cry. This year on Mother’s Day, she has one of her kids at home (my brother got home Friday after being deployed overseas for a year!), but I can’t be there with her. I don’t know if we’ve ever spent a Mother’s Day apart. She’s probably crying again this year. This year, she’s still putting Hunter and I first and being the incredible mother she always has been. If there’s one thing I know, it is that Mama knows best. 

I love you, Mama. Happy Mother’s Day!

honored

Today I’m honored to have my recipe for Plain Bagels featured on The Pioneer Woman’s Tasty Kitchen Blog!!

I am so flattered that my recipe was chosen and I’m also flattered to have so many new readers today! I’ll be back Monday with more food fun, but for now, go make some bagels y’all!

an excuse for candy

Happy Valentine’s Day!

My valentine this year is a repeat. We have a long, very serious history and deep-rooted love.

The name? Twizzlers.

Because if you don’t buy it for yourself, who else will?

my ultimate comfort food

Today is my dad’s birthday. He would have been 48 today. Since his death 2 years ago, February 10th has been a weird day for me. I literally cry every day, but today is a bit worse for obvious reasons. This year I decided to not purposely take the day off from life and I decided to keep going about business as usual… Classes, babysitting, homework, and making models of sea monsters with crescent rolls.

Instead, the copious tears and time alone happened last night (as did the sea monster, actually).

I was in need of serious comfort food. And then it hit me: I needed to make one of my dad’s favorite foods, which also happens to be one of my favorite foods. This was one of the dishes I remember him absolutely loving and I have very fond memories of him hiding the leftovers in the fridge so that he could eat them for breakfast lunch the next day.

So last night I whipped out a Chicken Broccoli Braid, a recipe so engrained in my memory that I don’t even have directions written down. I just know it. When I took the first bite, I felt myself sitting back at the kitchen table with my mom, dad, and brother and eating this same dish. I cried the whole time I ate it, but that is okay.

This is true comfort food for me.

Chicken Broccoli Braid (serves 4)
1 cup cooked chicken, shredded
1 cup broccoli, chopped
1 medium green pepper, chopped
1 clove garlic, pressed or minced
1/3 cup mayonnaise
heaping 1/2 cup shredded cheddar
1 tube crescent rolls (containing dough for 8 rolls)
salt & pepper to taste
In a mixing bowl, combine chicken, broccoli, green pepper, garlic, mayonnaise, cheese, and salt and pepper to taste. Mix thoroughly. On a cookie sheet, arrange crescent roll dough so that the long tips of the triangles are pointing away from the center and the thicker parts are overlapping. Place the filling in the center of the dough arrangement and begin to wrap the rolls around the filling (using any kind of design or arrangement as you wish). Sprinkle a pinch of salt on top if desired and bake at 375* for 20-25 minutes. Slice and serve hot!

birthday cake

Happy birthday, An Epic Change! Today was the 1st birthday of my blog and I had some fun things planned to celebrate.

No birthday is complete without a birthday cake, and in my family that means one thing: German Chocolate Cake. This recipe is as old as sin and I’ve eaten this cake so many times in my life. Help yourself to a little cake and I hope y’all will stick around for whatever the next year of An Epic Change will bring.

Rereading what I wrote one year ago is so interesting to me — so much has changed since then, the name of the blog included! Who knew a year ago where this would have taken me? I had no idea, I just had things to say.

I’ve grown as a person, a writer, and a chef and I feel incredible for it. Having my readers means so much to me. I cannot express how much I truly love each and every one of y’all for the simple fact that you’re willing to spend a little time with me each week and read what I have to say. I get so emotional when I think of the people I’ve come to know, the opportunities I’ve gotten, and the mere fact that people care about what I have to say. Thank you, thank you, thank you for sticking with me!

Now let’s eat some cake.

There’s a new sheriff in town. I just bought this mixer with some of the money from winning a prize from my sponsor, Foodbuzz, and Wendy’s, for writing this post. I just found out on Monday and thought my blog deserved a birthday present. Again, I cannot believe where this blog has taken me!

German Chocolate Cake Icing
1 German chocolate cake, prepared as directed (I used boxed)
1 cup evaporated milk
1 stick butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups shredded coconut
Prepare German chocolate cake as directed on box, either in a 13×9 or 2 9 inch cake rounds. Set aside and allow to cool. In a sauce pan over medium heat, mix evaporated milk, butter, sugar, egg yolks, and vanilla until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring constantly to prevent scalding. Stir in coconut and pecans and remove from heat. Allow to cool to room temperature and thicken more, about 2 hours. Spread over cake and enjoy!

in retrospect

2010 has been a big year for me, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I started the year by graduating from the University of Richmond (diploma says December 2009, received it May 2010) and moving in with my best friends’ parents and working for them. I also ran my first races and achieved some pretty good times (for me!). This summer, I traveled to France (read here, here, here, and here) to stay with my family on their vineyard in the Champagne region. I then kissed Virginia goodbye and headed west. I moved to Austin, TX where an apartment and graduate school were waiting for me. I revoked my short-lived vegetarian ways to welcome meat back into my life joyously. I fell in love with Texas. I ended the year hosting a FoodBuzz sponsored Thanksgiving feast from some Virginians down in Austin and finally a trip back east where I am currently spending hours sitting on my butt and catching up with my Mama. Throughout the year, I’ve discovered a passion for cooking and real food and I’ve started figuring out who I really am and what I really want out of life.

It has certainly been the year of greatest change in my life, but I look forward to the changes that 2011 will bring.

May your life bring you moments of happiness, delicious food, and epic changes. Happy New Year!

scenes from the Farm

I arrived safely in Virginia and into my own little hideaway… Liberty Farms (built in 1795), aka the home of my Aunt Josette and Uncle Chuck.

While on the Farm, I did a little of everything including but not limited to: wrestling with duck fat, chopping down a Christmas tree,  falling for some puppy eyes, cooking with my aunt, driving a tractor, and being reunited with my mama!

After a lovely holiday dinner with everyone (Aunt Josette, Uncle Chuck, Josette’s mother, my stepdad, my mama, 3 dogs, 3 cats, and a partridge in a pear tree), we shipped out and I was whisked away to the mountains to hang out around my mom’s house for the next couple of weeks. It is so good to be home for the holidays.