Good news, I was tagged twice

It has been a few days since my last post. I have been running every day trying to increase my miles. Thank God for Yaktrax! My pacing seems to be consistant at 8.5 to 9.1 minute miles. I am pretty happy with that considering all of the extra layers of running gear I need to put on and the less than stellar running conditions of my paths and roads. Today I ran seven miles on the treadmill and it went fine. I didn't go all gang busters, I just ran 9 minute miles. I am very happy that my hip didn't flare-up:) I have also been getting caught up on reading my running magazines and started to read RUN FAST How to Beat Your Best Time Every Time by Hal Higdon. So far I am liking it:)

My husband gave me flowers for my birthday and they are starting to wilt just a little bit. I wanted to get a picture of them. My little guy saw that I had the camera and jumped on the counter:) He never passes down a photo opportunity.

Now on to the good news, I was tagged not once but twice!! I have never been tagged before so this is pretty exciting. I was first tagged by Katie at Fit to Wed ....she asked me to name seven fun facts about myself and then to tag some other blogger friends! So here goes...seven fun facts about Julie.

1) I am a twin. I have a brother who was born about three minutes after me. When there are twins one usually takes on the leader role and the other the follower. I was the leader...and I made him do some pretty crazy things!

2) I am a country girl who grew up on a farm. Growing up I had a pet steer named Henry. I loved Henry and he let me ride him around the barn yard:) I was a total tom boy and played sports with my brothers and neighbor boys.

3) When I was in high school I had an independent study class where I would spend most of the time in the library. I attempted to leave the school early to run into Cold Spring to get a can of soda. Just as I was walking to the parking lot to get to my car, my principal, Mr. Peterson caught me. He said, "Julie, where do you think you are going? Don't you know that school doesn't end for another hour?" I looked at him smiling and said, "Oh crap, I guess this means I am busted!" He smiled back and said, "Yes Julie, you are busted." I told him that I just needed a soda and that I was planning on coming back. He put his arm around my shoulder and slowly escorted me back into the school. The entire time we were walking back into the school I was wondering how pissed off my dad was going to be after he found out that his daughter was caught ditching school early. Mr. Peterson walked me back to the teachers lounge and I was puzzled. He asked me what kind of soda I wanted. He then took some change out of his pocket, inserted it into the soda machine and handed me a Diet Coke!! He then smiled and told me to get back to the library where I belonged:)

4) My first degree was broadcast journalism and I worked as a radio announcer for five years. I worked for an easy listening, country and rock radio stations. My favorite part of my job was making the voice overs for commercials. My least favorite part of the job was getting the couple boxes of crazy people calling in and asking me what I looked like.

5) My second career was in the airline industry. I worked as a flight attendant for a charter and a major Minneapolis based Airline. The best part of the job was the traveling to different cities and countries. My least favorite part of the job was never getting enough sleep! The trip that will forever rank as the my best trip was a trip to L.A. My flight crew consisted of myself and three St. Louis based guys. It was by far, hands down, the funnest trip ever. The boys were a riot to work with! There are to many stories that go along with this...will possibly save for another post:)

6) I am a bit of a pack rat....not with clothing or big things that physically take up space. I am a sucker for things that are sentimental. That being said, I have saved all of the letters that I was given in both Jr. and Sr. High school. A few weeks ago I took a trip down memory lane and found a letter that was given to me by my first boy friend. In the letter he told me that going out with me was like dating a nun! The reason he felt compelled to say this is because I denied him opportunity to visit second base:) Very funny!

7) My parents didn't have a lot of money and therefore couldn't afford to send any of their four children to college. I put myself through college and paid for every red cent. I moved to St. Paul paid my own rent and everything else that goes along with being an adult. I have never borrowed money from anyone!! When I was going to college I had a full load of credits, worked full time and had an intership. I basically lived on three hours of sleep a night! There is no way in hell that I could do that now:) Now I will go ahead and tag....

Heather at Junk Miles

Beth at Running My Own Race

Tag number two came from Kathy at Running, Life, Learning and Growing. She asked me to name 10 things that make me happy! So here goes....

1) I am a sucker for handbags:) Show me a cute or funky handbag and I melt.

2) A new pair of Asics or a cute running outfit makes me happy.

3) Watching my children's sporting events!

4) When my husband tells me that I was right!

5) I experience joy by making other people happy!

6) When my little guy gives me a hug and tells me that he loves me:)

7) I am always happy if I can make it to a new destination with out getting lost.

8) I love it when I have a great run and I feel like I could run several more miles:)

9) I love reading good books, articles and blogs. If there is something that speaks to me or makes a positive impression, I am thrilled!

10) My favorite flower is the lilac. I am happy when my children bring me lilacs in the spring.

So there you have it....ten things that make me happy! I am now going to tag.....

Lisa at Early Morning Run

Jenn at Running Sane

Well that is all that I have for tonight!