13.1 miles...finished

Well, we did it! 13.1 miles yesterday. Everything went great - no need to walk, the knees held out, weather was fine - all in all, a great day. We ended up getting to the race pretty late. It's weird enough to drive somewhere just to run for 13 miles, but to get stuck in traffic for 45 minutes and watching people walk by while your stuck is even stranger. Well, we finally got to the start line and I tried to mosey my way over to the fancy port-a-potties, but no one would let me through! Needless to say, I had to start the race with a full bladder and after one mile, I stopped and waited in line for at least 20 minutes to use the potty. Horrible. I was so antsy! I just wanted to RUN! I watched the last of the last runners and walkers go by by the time my turn was up. It took me the rest of the run to catch up to anyone that was running my pace. I finished in 2:16, but next time I plan on beating 2hrs. Use the bathroom before the start is my new rule.

I'm pretty sore today, but happy :).

Have a happy Cyber Monday and don't forget to SHOP!

A treasury!

So, those of you who aren't regular Etsians, well, you should be, but anyway, the Treasury is an ever-changing, member-curated shopping gallery of handpicked items. Members can feature their favorite items, items selected on a theme or just whatever they like. If "popular" enough, your treasury can be featured on Etsy's home page. And, I made my first one today! It was pretty fun and I can see that it could get addicting pretty easily. Anyway, here's mine. Leave me a comment and click around on the images...it helps get it "hotter" (more popular)....

Thanksgiving and Sale

I don't know about all of you, but I'm recovering from yesterday's overload of food, but still feeling very thankful. Just 2 more days until we run our half marathon and then my thankfulness will really be over the top :).

I wanted to give you some promotional codes for your holiday shopping with Erin Jane Designs. Here's how it's going to work:

25% off your ENTIRE order on http://www.erinjanedesigns.com from now until December 19th! Type the code "HOLFACE09" in the "promo code" box on the homepage to receive your discount.

__________________________

Buy One, Get One half off in my Etsy shop from now until December 19th! - http://www.erinjanedesigns.etsy.com. Type "Facebook Holiday" in the "notes to seller" when you check out and you will receive your refund via Paypal.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and here are just a few more designs you'll find in my Etsy shop all ready for the shopping season!

Holiday FREE shipping

A pre Black Friday and Cyber Monday heads up for you all! I'll be offering free domestic shipping and $2 international shipping through December 31st in my Etsy shop and my Erin Jane Designs website. It starts today, so go get your goodies now!

Noooo...you can't eat these.

I just got LOADS of new insanely gorgeous stones! I honestly can hardly contain my excitement. Don't they just look edible and incredibly tasty? You are looking at Smoky Quartz, Obsidian, Sunstone, Chalcedony, Crystal Quartz, Labradorite, Tourmalated Quartz, Rutilated Quartz, Amazonite, Star Quartz, Pyrite Quartz, Manifest Quartz, Amethyst, Moonstone, Charoite, Rhodonite, Aquamarine...the list goes on! Well, I will update you with my new creations soon. In the meantime, enjoy the pretty colors.

The Holidays....are here!

I can hardly believe it! The holidays are here! I think they come earlier each year...

Today I saw a super cute idea that you must check out by Jordan Ferney for an advent calendar. December 1st is rapidly approaching and I want one too! I have a rough list of some things for Hubby and I to do. Most of my ideas have to do with eating and drinking so far...hmmm, oh well. Here's a little sample:

1. Make a GOOD spiced wine and drink it by the fire

2. Make massive amounts of my now famous peppermint bark

3. Find (or make!) a new ornament for the tree that will forever remind us of this past year.

Lots more to go and I won't bore you with all of them.

One another note, here are a few new items that I just put in my Etsy shop. Can you say holiday party PERFECT?!!

Half marathon ready?

In 2 weeks I'll be running my first half marathon! Hubby and I signed up several months ago and now it's right around the corner. I'm a pretty regular runner and have been for quite a while. However, once it came time to start training a month or so ago I, of course, hurt myself. I never really figured out what is wrong, but I think I just have "runners' knee". After running downhill I get this crazy pain in my knee - like its going to buckle underneath me - and I just have to stop running. Insanely frustrating. So, I haven't really been talking about the marathon since I wasn't even sure if I would be able to run it. For the last few weeks I've been running only on the treadmill and on flat courses trying to heal my knee. But...today was SUCCESS! It was the first 10 mile run I've done in months and although I'm a bit sore, I didn't have to stop and my fears of not being able to finish the half marathon are just about gone. It felt great! It was pouring rain (just like it probably will be in a couple weeks) and pretty fricking cold.

I got some new gear from Lululemon the other day to prepare for running in the rain and since I agreed to do some product testing for them - I got this fantastic jacket for free! What?! That kind of stuff never, ever, ever happens to me. I am so excited.

I love it. It's super comfy, keeps me totally dry and is just warm enough. And, I have to say, its way cuter in person.

Anyway, wish me luck with my further training and knee health :)

Front Page of Etsy!

My Crystal Quartz Ring made it to the front page of Etsy today! It's a first for me...I'm so excited!

Oh! And new items to share...

Here are a few new things going up in my Etsy shop. I hope to get them all posted tonight. I really want a packed shop in anticipation for the holidays coming up. I will also post my holiday code for discounts and let you know the scoop on that in the coming days...

Vitamin D in Sedona

Hubby and I decided to take a quick weekend getaway to Sedona for some much needed Vitamin D before the Pacific Northwest winter really takes over. We got back last night and our trip was fantastic. The SUN was fantastic. Indescribably beautiful in Sedona. Pictures just don't suffice, but I will share some anyway :). Even though the airline lost our luggage for a full day (we were only there 2...) we had a great time. Our room at L'auberge was crazy! A little cottage with an outdoor shower and sunny deck. We got a great deal on the room since they are doing renovations, but we didn't even notice. For just being there a couple days, we did and saw it all!

Our absolute favorite thing was our trail run up Broken Arrow trail to Submarine Rock. I was a little worried about the altitude, but trail running is so fun and it was so gorgeous, I didn't even notice if I was tired or not. Of course I didn't have my camera with me since we were running, but I don't think I'll ever forget the views.

I have to say I am happy to be home. Normally, I want to stay wherever we vacation for...well, ever. I missed good food though!! Southwest cuisine is not my thing. Burgers everywhere! Fried this, fried that, green peppers and onions on everything. Every place we went had an identical menu. I finally found fresh halibut from Alaska the last night and was pretty happy. What a food snob I am. Now it's time to detox all the grease out of me...

Enjoy the photos!