MIA girl....

I've been MIA for a while, haven't I?

Big things are a'brewin in Amanda land....

Quit my job

Going to live in Utah for a month

Working on the coaching business...

Feeling better about life -- even though life is much more up in the air...

Here's a fun exercise...

1) What did you do in 2007 that you'd never done before?
a half marathon

2) Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
Yup - I wanted to lose weight and get in better shape and I did...more to go but better than this time last year

3) Did anyone close to you give birth?
Yup -- Camilla gave birth to lil Rowan

4) Did anyone close to you die?
No, thank goodness

5) What countries did you visit?
Canada

6) What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?
peace

7) What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

September 16 - the day of the half marathon-I accomplished something I never thought I would

8) What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Quitting my job...taking a big, ballsy step

9) What was your biggest failure?
Not losing all of the weight I wanted to

10) Did you suffer illness or injury?
Yes -- my back and my foot

11) What was the best thing you bought?
my car

12) Whose behaviour merited celebration?
Andy - for every struggle and every fear, he meets the challenge and excels

13) Whose behaviour made you appalled and depressed?
There are a few but I'd rather not point them out publically

14) Where did most of your money go?
bills

15) What did you get really, really, really excited about?
Going to Utah

16) What song will always remind you of 2007?
Girlfriend by Avril Lavigne

17) Compared to this time last year, are you:
- happier or sadder? happier about some things, sadder about others
- thinner or fatter? 30 lbs thinner
- richer or poorer? richer but soon to be poorer

18) What do you wish you'd done more of?
spent more time with friends

19) What do you wish you'd done less of?
worried

20) How will you be spending New Year?
at a party with Andy and his neighbours

21) Did you fall in love in 2007?
yes

22) How many one-night stands?
nopers

23) What was your favorite TV program?
The Office

24) Do you hate anyone now that you didn't hate this time last year?
yes

25) What was the best book you read?
Middlesex

26) What was your greatest musical discovery?
Death Cab For Cutie - started discovering them in 2006 but this year was the year of them for me

27) What did you want and get?
a new car

28) What did you want and not get?
answers

29) What was your favorite film of this year?
The Holiday

30) What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?
I turned 34 this year and had one of the worst days of my life...35 will be MUCH better

31) What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
peace

32) How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?
cute, preppy, comfy

33) What kept you sane?
Andy, Mer and Jon - my dearest friends

34) Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?
Steve Carrel

35) What political issue stirred you the most?
the war

36) Who did you miss?
Jon - i didn't see him enough this year

37) Who was the best new person you met?
Maria

38) Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007:
sometimes when you feel like you're going to jump off a cliff, you're just stepping off the sidewalk

39) Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:
"And in the end, the love you take is equal to the love you make"

who do you think i am?

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed. Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections. Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down. You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine. In love, you are very protective and supporting. However, you do need to "feel special" - and it's quite easy for you to get jealous. At work, you are a natural leader. You can help people discover their greatest potential. You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist. How you see yourself: Trusting, idealistic, and expressive When other people don't get you, they see you as: Bossy, inappropriate, and loud

What's Your Personality Type?

Next time she says "Do you want to do a 1/2 marathon with me?..."

i'm making sure she signs up first!

that's what i said to meredith after i finished yesterday...and i finished. when mer came to me and asked if i wanted to do this - at first i thought no way and then i thought what the heck so i signed up...she never did though!

17230 Amanda Lipnack Malvern PA 34 F 3:35:44
only 5:44 off my goal -- and that included 2 potty breaks and a killer toe cramp.

less than a mile to go, meredith called me and asked if i wanted her to walk with me -- i've never been so happy to see her and tai in my life -- they totally kept me sane for the finish and i ran in through the corral and picked up my shiny pretty medal. at the end of the race, waiting for me were 7 of the most important people in my life - they braved traffic and crowds and a very messy eakins oval and cheered me on when there was next to no one left waiting for us walkers.

today has been full of pain -- i think i've discovered i have this nerve problem in my left foot which would explain the pain and my glutes and my right hamstring are KILLING me today but yesterday i won. i won a medal and i accomplished something i never thought i'd be able to do.

now if i could just get over the running hump so i can RUN one of these buggers!

only half?

holy.
shit.

i'm doing a half marathon tomorrow.

i've got to put this into perspective because right now i am panicking.

yes, there are people who will finish this in 1 hour

i will finish it in about 3:30 and that is fine because this is something that is entirely about me. a year ago i couldn't have dreamed of doing a half marathon but tomorrow - 6 months to the day before my 35th birthday, i'll walk/run 13.1 miles

i will wake up at 5:30, jump in the shower and be on the road by 6:10. I will get to the city around 7 and park my car and then i will walk to the start and find my corral -- which is all the way in the back...and that's ok. at 7:45 i'll start moving and i'll move for 13.1 miles - 69168 feet. Doesn't sound so bad when you put it in feet...right? RIGHT?

It will take me a while to cross the starting line because I'll be all the way at the back...but once I do...it's all about me. I have my music, I'll have my water, I have my race number...17230

and when I'm done I'll buy the required "finishers" tshirt because tomorrow morning I'll have finished a half marathon....

right?

30 in 90?

this year i've lost 30 pounds - when i tell people how much they insist that it must actually be more than that because it looks like more which i attribute to the exercise i have been logging but i have another 30 that i want to lose -- actually, i probably have 50 that i want to lose but let's see what 30 looks like...30 made me lose 3 pants sizes...if another 30 did that then i'd be where i want to be.

so tomorrow begins the plan...

i'm going to spinning in the morning...

i packed my lunch tonight and it includes a big salad and some grilled chicken that andy thankfully grilled for me tonight

i am committing to drinking my water - water is needed and will make a big difference...

let's see where this plan lands me one week from tomorrow.

You spin me right round baby right round...

So tonight was my first spinning class and I really liked it! Now, don't get me wrong, my butt is now KILLING me...a gel seat or padded bike shorts will be very important if I keep doing it but I did really like it. It was exactly what I wanted -- it was a good work out, fun music and it didn't feel like it was an hour of work. I'm definitely doing it again...

Today was a very important day as Camilla and Tom welcomed their second son, Rowan Clemente into the world this morning - I shall go meet Rowan tomorrow night and get me lots of new baby smell. It is so interesting how one group of friends has almost exclusively boys and another has almost exclusively girls...

This past weekend was in some ways incredibly magical and in some ways a toughy...but all in all a very good weekend. Friday night I got to catch up with BJ which is always a pure joy...Saturday Andy the kids and I went to the pool and then to one of his neighbour's daughter's birthday party and it was the most fun I've had in a while and in fact it was a magical night. It's strange to have some out of body experiences where you just look around you and realize how blessed you are to be exactly in that place and in that time with the people you are with. Moments like that are pure magic and they are moments I wish I had all of the time.

Sunday was spent watching kids run wild in an amusement park and haveing a blast and Monday was spent doing a 5K, running some errands and then having a bbq at one of my favourite hang outs.

I need to focus on the moments when I have the magic in my life because the magic makes it all worth it.

on the way to cape may....

That song always makes me think of Lawrence Welk -- not sure why, just does.

Spent a lovely weekend in Cape May with some of my nearest and dearest life long friends. It's amazing to me to spend a weekend with people I have known for 20 years and they are no parents with their own kids.

From a conversation I had with C & W's son Jacob:

me: Does your brother like to swim in a swimming pool? (we were talking about how his brother did not like to swim in the ocean)
J: yes
me: Does he swim in Mimi's and Grandpa's pool a lot?
J: yes, he loves that
me: me too, I loved swimming in your Mimi's and Grandpa's pool.
J: you've been there? I don't remember that

Of course you don't Jacob -- I think the last time I swam there was the day your mother found out she was pregnant with you!

It's just nice to have people who have known you forever, who accept you for exactly who you are and that being with feels like old home week!