WARNING!  This post contains no pictures!  I can’t take photos and run my tuchus off at the same time.

I’m just going to lay it all out there. I’ve never been an athlete. I grew up in a family of four girls, all of which were wildly more athletic than I ever was. Cori loves fishing, kayaking, skiing, snowboarding, etc. Chris has ran two marathons and is contemplating her third. And Candice, well, Candice was a star on the field hockey field, has ran a half marathon herself, learned to ski in a matter of hours, rides horses, etc. Then there is me!

Art kid to the core.

Seriously, I won’t deny that I can photograph, draw, paint, heck, fold origami circles around my three sisters. But, put us in a head to head American Gladiator type competition and I will most certainly be the first to bow out gracefully, or more likely, clumsily and ungracefully.

So, the decision to run this marathon was a big one for me! I knew I’d be starting from scratch with my lack of athleticism and ability. But if I am nothing else in life, I.  Am.  Determined.  If I set my sites on something, say a goal, I stop at nothing to accomplish it.

And with that, I jumped on the treadmill Kyle and I purchased shortly after Christmas. And I started to run.  Because my good friend Gretchen asked me to run and train for a half marathon with her in June.  I thought to myself “Heck, why not?!  You can do it!”  And the day I ran a mile without stopping, I jumped off the treadmill and ran around the house like Rocky. Hands over my head, fists pumping. And then I realized rather quickly that I would have to do that 12 more times in order to finish the half marathon. Ummmmmmmmm, what?! Really, what did I get myself into? What did I sign up for? I think I should just keel over now.

But I got back on the treadmill again. And again. I’ve pushed myself to the points of nausea, pain, suffocation, boredom and more, quite a few times, over the last few weeks. But something started to happen in between all my bitching and complaining. I started to run for longer and longer clips. One mile turned into two, which turned into five.

And this past Sunday, Candice and I headed out together for a “long run.” She was going to run ten miles. Me? EIGHT! Yes, 1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8!!! I was really, really nervous. I honestly didn’t think I would be able to do it. I thought I’d get about half way through and be stranded on the trail that we were running on. That I would have to walk back to civilization from the depths of the Bethpage State Park. I packed two Nutri-Grain bars in the back pocket of my windbreaker because I was convinced I’d need HOURS to get back home, and heck, I needed sustenance! But I started out on this long ass run. And after I was quickly passed by my sister, I just hunkered down and ran. One foot in front of the other. My music on extra loud, pushing me through those random pains that popped up here and there, I actually kind of enjoyed myself.

I now understand why runners call the treadmill the “dreadmill.” Running outside, in nice weather is far superior than staring at a fixed point, or at a television, or if you work out at a gym, at the sweaty gross dude in front of you.

So, the run was great. And I did it! I ran 8 miles! The longest I have ever run in my life, and I lived to tell the tale! At least until I run my next long run and we add that 9th mile to the mix. Ooof, let’s just wish me luck. And hope I stop hyperextending!

WHEW!! I’ve been back from Las Vegas for a little over two weeks now and I am only now starting to get caught up on blogging about all the fun things that have been going on. Simply put, WPPI was awesome. I met lots of new friends, learned a lot, and hey, the parties were pretty fun too! Needless to say, once everyone else left Vegas, I got started on part 2 of my Las Vegas adventure! I had some of my besties come into town and we played, ate, went to the spa, and did all things Vegas for my 30th birthday! I was really worried about turning 30, and some would say I was dreading the ticking of the clock to my 30th. But once it arrived, I embraced my bday and had tons of fun. Waking up the next day felt like any other day too.
So, I didn’t take tons of photos while I was there. I was way too busy! But here is one photo from my actual little birthday party. We ended up at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel. We sat down for a few drinks when all of a sudden a band started to play. I asked the waitress “Is this a Guns n Roses cover band?” She replied “No, it’s Steven Adler’s new band called Adler’s Appetite.” Turns out we landed at the club in time to see Steven Adler fresh off his stint on “Celebrity Rehab” perform some fun GnR songs with some new bandmates! It definitely made for a fun night!

One of the major things I wanted to do while I was at the conference was to hit up the trade show and check out the Cypress Albums booth! I did, and I was so very impressed with everything I saw there. When I got home from Vegas, I got online and ordered a few little goodies from Cypress and can’t WAIT to offer more and more of their products.
But here are a few images of this nifty little folio I will be offering to clients. It makes a pretty way to decorate your desk at work, or as a present for a loved one.

Before January comes and goes and before this post gets away from me, I’ve decided to share one of my goals for 2009. I don’t make resolutions, because that seems way to finite, and in general I find it hard to resolve to do things. Instead, I love working towards goals. Something about reaching a goal is far more satisfying than sticking to my resolve. Am I right, or am I right?

2008 was pretty swell and I was able to wail on my list of goals. I made tons of advances and improvements and investments in this here business including renovating my office, setting up a more streamlined accounting and back end financial system, invested in more camera gear and computers, and so on. Not to mention getting to do some pretty cool personal goals! We traveled to Nova Scotia, held a couple parties, celebrated our second anniversary, Kyle turned 30, we started saving for our major home improvements, I was published in Artful Blogging magazine, and I spent a ton more of my free time reading. All of which were goals I set out to accomplish.

2009 is now here and I have a fresh new list! And the goal I am most excited and most scared about is….drumroll please! I am running a half marathon in June! Yup, 13 miles without stopping. OH BOY! I am so excited and so scared! But I’ve decided 2009 is the year I get super fit and I hope that sharing this goal on the blog will hold me accountable. I was thinking whenever I hit a milestone run, I could share it on here. And if anyone else is trying to get fit, please feel free to share your accomplishments with me. I need all the positivity I can get!! Oh, and if there are any experienced runners out there, I’d love to hear some running tips and techniques.

So, if you see me around, please ask me about my progress. I want to have some accountability with this, and if my friends and family periodically tap me on the shoulder and ask “how goes it?” I think I just might stick this thing out until the end!

This year for Christmas, I bought my husband a Gibson ES335 and I couldn’t have planned the delivery any better than I did. About a week before the holiday, I racked my brain trying to come up with some fun way to give it to him because honestly, how in the world do you wrap a guitar without giving it all away? So, I set a series of clues to the poem Twas the Night Before Christmas. It was so much fun watching Kyle read all the clues and have to find the next one and the next one and the next one after that. He finally made it to the end of the trail and I gave him the guitar. And once he opened the case and pulled back the hot pink cover, he quite literally convulsed with happiness. That moment made my whole Christmas.
And since then, Kyle has played and played his heart out on that guitar. He’s quite emphatically proclaimed it his favorite. You see, he has 4 other guitars as well. But this one, this baby, is his instant favorite.
Now that 2008 has come and gone, I thought it would be fun to share some of my favorite images from last year. Unlike my husband, it’s so hard for me to pick a favorite anything. So, here are a couple of those images that made my year that much brighter. And thank you to all my couples that made this year so incredibly special for me.

Thank you all SO much for making 2008 so memorable. As you can see, I’ve had so many favorite moments.

Last night Kyle and I decorated our tree! I set up my camera on interval mode and took one photo every minute. I’ve finally been infused with a little holiday spirit at long last, and can’t wait to welcome in the new year! I don’t think I will be posting much before the holidays, but stay tuned shortly after for a fun boudoir session and a mock bridal session.

In the meantime, here’s a video of our tree decorating! We were not listening to Christmas music while we decorated because honestly, we don’t own any! And when one of Kyle’s favorite bands came on (called Every Time I Die), I had to exercise the power of the veto. But for the video, I decided to set our evening to one of my favorite holiday tunes “Linus and Lucy.”

Happy Holidays everyone and Happy New Year!

Kim and Kyle Decorate to Linus and Lucy

Christmas Tree Decorating from Kimberly Hurst on Vimeo.