I'm a Pepper! Wouldn't you like to be a Pepper, too?

"Drink a bite to eat at 10 - 2 - 4!"

While these numbers usually represent the times of day that everyone should drink a Dr. Pepper in order to avoid the natural drops in energy that occur at 10:30am, 2:30pm, and 4:30pm (as determined by Dr. Walter Eddy from Columbia University in the 1920s), today they mean so much more to me.

10 - Days until the Firefly Run.

This will be my first 5k, ever, and based on the description, I don't think I could have chosen a more perfect first 5k. Not only is it taking place in my absolute favorite part of town (that I rarely visit considering how far away it is from everyone - including myself), but it is taking place at night (meaning, not in the sun), because Texas in June is so hot during the day. Because it is at night, and night racing can be dangerous, everyone will be decked out in LED lights and glow sticks! There will even be a costume contest (I plan on making tutus with LED lights sewn into them for my team)! To top it all off, after the race, there will be live music and a special performance from the Super Bowl 2011 dancers in their LED suits. I mean, seriously? Did they tailor make this 5k to suit my needs?

I have already resigned myself to the fact that I will not be able to run the 3.1 miles (which only makes sense considering that I wanted to chop off my legs yesterday after running a cumulative 17 minutes over a half hour time span) but I think merely finishing a 5k, even if partially walked, is a huge step for my friends and me! And who knows, maybe some race-day adrenaline will kick in and we'll get to see what we're really made of!

2 - Number of months since I last saw my former roommate Jennifer.

Jennifer, Hannah, Kirsten, and I all lived together for one glorious semester my junior year of college. Even the following fall, when Jennifer was living elsewhere, she spent a lot of time with us at our apartment, so it was still pretty great. Since then, however, she moved up north for grad school. Tonight, she will grace Texas with her presence again, and I cannot wait to see her!

Here we are at our apartment Halloween 2009. Good times.

4 - Days until I coerce my friends to help me move into my new apartment!

My lease will technically start on Saturday, but I will be at a wedding all day, so I won't be able to move in then. Instead, a number of my friends have agreed to help me move on Sunday in exchange for pizza and beer. I am so excited about this apartment. It has a patio, a window seat (which I have always wanted ever since watching the Torkelsons), and ducks that hang out by the pool (or at least, there were two there when I toured the complex). It will cut my commute to work by more than half and is located less than a mile from a my favorite restaurant, my second favorite book store, and a pub that we all tend to frequent (especially on trivia nights). Best of all, I finally will have access to all of my stuff again! Everything has been crammed in a tiny storage unit for the past 4 months, and it is very difficult climbing around in there to find my belongings (admittedly less difficult ever since I began rock climbing). Also, because I will be supplying the pizza and beer at my apartment, these same friends will be forced to hang out with me while they enjoy their well earned bounty!



Were you raised on Dr. Pepper, like me (yes, I realize that I am a non-specific diet cola girl now, but for years it was DP or nothing)? Have you run/walked a 5k before? How excited do you think my mom is going to be when I move my Dual Cardio Trainer out of her house and into my apartment?