Whoa Zumba!!

Today, after I dropped the kids off at school, I came home, put on my workout clothes and popped in my Zumba Exhilarate DVD. I can tell after today that I need to put it in more often!

Two years ago, when I really began being serious about losing weight and getting into shape (not to mention not looking like a blob in a bridesmaid's dress), I started by counting calories using My Fitness Pal  and then incorporated exercise. I actually started by doing a couple of Playstation workout games that I had and a few old DVD and VHS tapes. They were working OK, but I was starting to get bored/used to them, so I started walking on the treadmill. Then, I began to jog on the treadmill (although nothing like I do these days).

 I don't know if you remember, but Zumba was all the hype a couple of years ago and I really wanted to do it. I had two small children and a full time job at this point, so going to the gym was out of the question. The DVD set is really pricey and didn't fit into our budget. Finally, someone (I won't give names) graciously sent me a copy of the Exhilarate DVD, and my journey into  Zumba began.

When I first started, I could barely follow the steps (with the prompting) and I was always out of breath before getting halfway through. Gradually, I started picking up the steps and I could keep up pretty well. It's also a REALLY good workout. It burns more calories in a hour than an hour of running, plus you get a whole body workout.

As I started taking running a little more seriously, I gradually stopped doing Zumba altogether. I found, after a while, that I missed it. It's actually quite fun to do! However, I was starting the training program for the half and the moves just aren't conducive to cross training. In fact, I almost injured myself trying to do them both. So, running won and  Zumba was out...until today.

Since I am only going to be doing 5Ks for a while, I can incorporate different kinds of activity into my work-out plan. I find the treadmill to be SO boring and I need variety, not to mention the all-over toning and burn.

So today, I put on my clothes and popped in the DVD and went to it. After doing it for so long before, I still pretty much remembered the steps. What I didn't anticipate, however, was the amount of soreness I would experience! I guess there are a lot of muscle groups I just haven't been using since I started running. Strangely, one of my biggest sore areas was my legs! Despite my efforts, 23 minutes into it (it's 50 minutes total), I had to call it quits. Haven't had that problem in a long, long time!

I will definitely be incorporating Zumba back into my regular schedule and, hopefully, I will start to see some definition in my figure again. It's hiding under a lot of gross and it needs to resurface!

Rain Delayed

Thanks to Hurricane Isaac, my walk/swim today was rain delayed. I should have gotten on the treadmill instead, but I think I'll give my foot a break today. Plus, I'm sleepy! I stayed up last night and finished The Little Lady Agency and the Prince by Hester Browne.

It was a longer read than the other 2 books, but enjoyable. I was pleased with the way things ended up for Melissa, but the ending was rather abrupt. I suppose it didn't need to be all that detailed, all things considered.

I realize that I am quite cryptic in my book "reviews," but I don't want to spoil anything for anyone. I'll provide much more detailed reviews for stand alone books or first books in a series, but I really don't want to give too much information on a book later in a series or, in this case, the last book of a trilogy.

Source

I think my next read will be, The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. It's apparently about a circus and two rival magicians that fall in love.  It was one of the top reads of last year and I think the hype has sufficiently died down so that I can enjoy it. It seems that everyone is still on a Fifty Shades of Gray campaign.

As for the rest of this rainy day, I am going to pick the kids up from school in a little while and then head over to work for the evening.

Feels Good To Be Back

This morning was a routine that I have greatly missed. I dropped the kids off at school and headed over to one of my favorite sections of the trail for a run. I completely forgot my MP3 player, but after the half, it's really not a requirement for running anymore. I do like to have it on so that I don't have to hear myself breathing. (It really bothers me!!)

I originally planned on doing a 3 mile run, especially since I'm going to be doing a series of 5Ks over the next few months. I was also concentrating on trying to run as far as I possibly could without stopping to walk. I think I am still having issues controlling my pace because I am usually pretty good on my way out, but I start to get super tired and out of breath around one and a half miles. Also, my shoes, as I mentioned before, are pretty shot and my right heel still has not completely healed from the half.

It was a little humid outside and that did not make for a great run, but the temperature was tolerable. I didn't feel concerned with bringing water for such a short run, so I didn't. I think I will eventually invest in a hydration belt and just wear it for all runs, just in case. Like I said, I was going pretty strong for at least the first mile and it passed rather quickly. (13 minutes, to be exact). I went out a little over a mile and decided that I just didn't want to push it. It actually took me a little time to convince myself that this was a leisure run and I didn't have a set distance or time goal to meet. I was a little slower on the way back, but I still managed to run a lot of it. When I finished, I had gone just under two and a half miles.

My husband participates in SwagBucks and that is how he funds his obsession hobby of collecting movies. He's been wanting me to participate for a long time now and I just haven't seen the need. Well, I now see the need. You see, I need new shoes and I need money to buy those shoes.  So, I think I will sign up and start earning points towards Amazon gift cards.

Tomorrow, I am going to do something a little different. I am going to meet up with a friend after I drop the kids off at school and go for a hilly walk followed by a swim. I haven't really had a chance to swim all year and I actually miss it. Plus, it's a great workout! Oh, and I also managed to log and stay under my calories today on My Fitness Pal. I'm hoping I can keep it up!

Ready To Run Again

Well, the week is over and things are winding down on the healing front. My toes still hurt as does the bottom of my right foot. Sadly, I think my Asics running shoes have reached passed their usable mileage. I can't really afford to replace them right now, so I will continue to use them as long as I am able to do short runs in them without serious foot pain. The worst part is, they still look brand new!

Now that it is not immediately following the race and my body has had some time to settle down, I'd like to write a little bit more about the half marathon. I noticed that a lot of my page views have come from Google searches for reviews on it. First, I'd like to mention that this was an inaugural run for this race. It was also completely full. I follow the host, Zulu Racing, on Facebook as well as the actual race itself. My concerns about the water have been repeated by many people, so I'm sure that it won't be an issue next year. Zulu has stated on their web and FB pages that the concerns with the race will be addressed for next year. I would certainly not want one of my blog posts to put anyone off of running this, or any other, half marathon. It was a learning experience for me. I know now that even though I shouldn't have to bring water with me, it's better to be safe than sorry. That being said, I'm sure that 90% of my issues would have been non-existent had I been properly hydrated. I also was not as conditioned as I should have been. In the future, that won't be an issue. Basically, I was not so turned off from the experience that I won't do it again. In fact, I will probably do this same race next year. I would love to see how much it changes after constructive feedback is evaluated and acknowledged.

If you have looked at my races page, you will see that I have already scheduled myself for two more races. They are both 5Ks. (I seriously think I can only handle 13.1 miles of running once a year!) I am going to start running this Monday and more frequently than I have been since I have time after dropping the kids off at school. My next race will be the Spooktacular Chase 5K. It is very near to my work and it is on a Saturday morning that I have to go into work, so I'll be right there at work when I'm finished. I'm excited to get back to running. In fact, I am hoping that I will get my nutrition and exercise back on track to finally reach my goal weight! Also, I am hoping to start doing my Zumba DVDs again. I really like that they provide a full body workout. (The calorie burn is WAY more than running, too!!)

Hand Foot and Mouth Equals No Fun

I have spent this week recovering from the half marathon. I am a lot less sore, but my left small toe is still swollen and bruised. It also hurts. I think I may have actually either jammed or broken it. The week was, basically, business as usual (without the running). I dropped the kids off at school on Monday and got some things done around the house. When I got to the school to pick up the kids, however, Gabriel wasn't running around very much and he immediately ran up to me (something he rarely does). I could tell just by looking at him that he wasn't feeling well, but I was assured that he had an OK day. I like to give them time to run themselves a little ragged on the playground so that they burn off any excess energy before going home or going to activities. Gabriel just wasn't playing. In fact, we didn't stay on the playground long because he ended up laying across a picnic table. Just laying on it. I picked him up and gathered up his sister and we headed home.

When we got home, I laid him on the couch while I went in search of the thermometer. Once I got him settled down and checked his temp, it was almost 102 degrees! I covered him up and put in a DVD. I had to tell him that he was definitely NOT going to martial arts. I had to wake Shane up earlier than usual so that he could watch him because it was Evelyn's first day of dance. I got her dressed and we took off for the studio for an hour. I'll just say that I don't know that I'm cut out to be a dance mom. They aren't terribly friendly to new people and they hogged up the viewing windows the whole time. However, she had a great time and is looking forward to going back next week. When I got home, Gabriel was lying in bed and according to Shane, had been throwing up for some time. I dosed him with some meds and got him into a bath to cool him off. It seemed to help a lot, so I just sent him to bed for the night.

Gabriel was still feeling bad on Tuesday, so he didn't go to school. He stayed home with his dad while I dropped off E at school and also when I went to pick her up in the afternoon. After that, I had to go to work. When I got home, he was feeling a little better, but still not 100%. I remained hopeful that a good night's sleep would have him up and going the next morning. On Wednesday morning, I woke the kids up and checked G's temp only to find that it was still near 100. I was told on Tuesday that one of the kids in his class recently had strep, so I checked the back of his throat for spots. It looked NASTY! I still planned on dropping E off at school and going to work. The pediatrician doesn't open until 8:30am, so I was calling them on my way in the car. The soonest appointment they had was at 9:20, so I called in late to work. We went to Chick fil A for some breakfast and he was actually hungry. Of course, I had given him some Tylenol that morning, so his fever was down. It was good to see him eat. He hadn't really eaten anything since Sunday.

When we got to the doctor, they checked him out and gave him a strep test. We waited for a long time! Finally, the doctor came in and asked us questions and did an exam. She didn't seem to think it was strep, which was good. She took one look at his throat and said immediately that it was hand, foot and mouth disease. You should have seen the look on Shane's face! He didn't know how to process that! She explained to him that it's just a virus and he was almost over it. In fact, if we could keep the fever down, he could go to martial arts that day! (Shane decided against that in the end) So, I went to work and the boys continued their day. He was still in pretty good spirits when I arrived home that evening!

He finally got to go to school on Thursday and I was off from work and Shane was awake, so I came home and mowed the lawn while he went to help a friend move some furniture. Then, we met up for lunch at one of our favorite restaurants. It was almost like a date day!! Later, we picked up the kids. I told Gabriel's teacher what he had and she told me that she thought E had brought it home to him and I agreed because she had a fever last week. Apparently, there was a child in her class with hf&m LAST WEEK and the parent JUST told the school about it. They had to sanitize EVERYTHING. I truly hope that my children didn't spread the disease to anyone else, but at least the school knows what's going on. Some parents are just irresponsible! 

We have managed to go to martial arts every day for the rest of the week to make up for Monday and Wednesday. Hopefully, life will be back to normal. I was thinking earlier this week that I would have to take a second week off from running, but I feel good enough that I believe I will commence 3 mile runs starting on Monday after I drop off the kids. The great thing is, I don't have to worry about weekly long runs and I don't have to take time off between days to recover. Now that the half is out of the way, I plan on focusing on speed and also watching what I eat again. My diet became HORRIBLE when I was training. I am a stress eater and life was really hectic for a while there. I know it is going to take some time to get back to eating well and within portions, but I have done it before, I can do it again!

Sorry that I rambled on and on tonight, but I had a week's worth of life to fit in. I will leave you with a happy picture. I ordered a 13.1 sticker for my car and it arrived yesterday!! I had Shane take a picture of me putting it on the car! I know I said I was going to get a really fun and pretentious sticker, but I opted for a very gender-neutral one to be fair to Shane, who drives the car as much as I do.

OK, I might look a little too happy in this picture!

The Area 13.1 Alien Half Marathon

I'd like to start by saying, "I did it!" I finished my first half marathon. 13.1 miles on these feet of mine. Was it easy? Not even remotely. Will I do it again? Ask me in a year. Do I now want to run a full marathon? Not. On. Your. Life.

I started my day with intestinal distress. I have stress issues as it is and serious stress does ugly things to me. Atleast I don't have panic attacks anymore! Either way, I woke up and had oatmeal for breakfast and spent the morning with the kids. I took Gabriel with me to the grocery store around noon to buy groceries for the next couple of weeks. It was there that the day started getting rough. As we were walking to the car, he stopped abruptly and I didn't see him. I was wearing flip flops and I ran my little toe right into the back of his shoe!!! OMG...the pain. I swear I jammed it right there. It hurt SO bad, but it wasn't bruised or swollen. We made it home and I put up groceries and made some lunch. I wanted this meal to be something that would last for the duration of the race without causing me further distress, so I settled on a PB&J on whole wheat. I would like to mention that I don't like PB&J, but I thought it was a pretty safe bet, so I ate it. After lunch, I got everything together and got dressed for the race.

The race was in Roswell Georgia, about an hour from my house and there were 2100 people running in it, so I got there pretty early to ensure I had a close place to park. I did get a pretty good spot. I was meeting my friend and co-runner, Jessica at the race and she got there right after me. My mother also came to cheer me on. While we were waiting for the race to start, we played some games and checked out the booths of free stuff. I ended up winning a water bottle and scoring some free Muscle Milk, a fruity drink, some coconut water and a Sugar Free Red Bull. Not too shabby! About 30 minutes before it was time to head over to the starting line, we decided to stop for a potty break.

Here I am waiting for the bathroom

After that, we lined up for the start of the race. We went pretty far to the back and got a little bit behind the "Finish in 2:30" pace keeper. There were a LOT of people in front of us. So, after what seemed like an eternity, the race began. We started out at a light jog and went around all of the people going slower in front of us. We got to the first mile in no time. The first water table was supposed to be at 1.5 miles, but it was right there at the first mile marker. We had a cup of water and continued on. We were jog/walking our way through the next mile. Mile 3 was a hill, so that was no fun, but mile 4 was flat, even though it was a dirt road (full of potholes). The first water/aid station was at mile 4. I missed the water, but went for the next cup of what I thought was Gatorade. I have no idea what it was, but it wasn't Gatorade. And that was the beginning of our demise. 

The next water station was around mile 5.5, only when we got there, they were OUT OF WATER! Talk about dragging down your morale. We hadn't had water in about 4 miles because what we got at the last table wasn't water and now we had to stick it out until mile 7. I can honestly say that we slowed down considerably at this point, but we managed to make it to the 7th mile, where there was water.

I've never been so happy to have water up to this point!

So, we're off again. We were able to start jogging again and making up some time after the water. We were going at a pretty good pace. There was another water table a little past 8 miles and we had water there. After mile 8, it seemed to take FOREVER to reach the next mile marker and even see the turn around point. I had my GPS watch on, so I had a pretty good idea of how much farther we had to go. Around mile 9, it started to rain on us. Jessica was running in glasses, which got pretty wet and she was power walking at that point. My feet were really starting to hurt and I didn't want to keep slowing her down, so I just let her go ahead of me. That was the last I saw of her until the finish line. Almost to mile 10, there was supposed to be another water/aid station. It was also at the top of a hill. On my way up the hill, there was a guy going down telling everyone that they were out of water. Talk about devastating! I had just gone 2 miles since the last cup of water and now I would have to go 2 more without it. That's 4 more miles without water. My feet were killing me and I was starting to get dizzy and sore. I jogged a little bit more, trying to catch up with Jessica, but I couldn't see her anywhere. Also, they had already taken down the spotlights lighting the trail and it was pitch black dark outside. (By this point it was 9pm) I could barely make out people in front and behind me, let alone the pavement I was walking on. 

When I finally got to mile 11.5, there was a final water station. No, they were not out of water. Instead, they were out of cups! That's right. No water again. By the time I started drawing near the 13th mile, I tried to jog, only to have my calf muscles spasm and cramp SO bad that I was physically unable to run. In fact, I could barely walk. Everyone on the sidelines kept encouraging me to make a strong finish by running across the finish line, but I just couldn't do it. I ended up missing my "goal time" by 15 minutes, but I did cross the finish line within the allotted time frame, so I did get a finisher's medal. 

After the race, I had to spend some time in the first aid tent because when I crossed the finish line, my lips had turned purple. They had me sit and drink some water and I felt better after a while. After the race was over, we went to IHOP and I had some chocolate milk and a cheese steak sandwich and some fries. 

Don't get me wrong, I am extremely proud of myself for finishing a half marathon. I do think, however, if I had been properly hydrated, I would have been less fatigued and I would have made excellent time. In the future, I will have on a hydration belt and not be dependent on the race itself to provide me with water. 

This is me crossing the finish line. Do I look defeated, or what?

So, how did I finish off? Well, in my age category (30-34) I placed 198/214. Overall, I placed 1655/2100. I finished in 3:16 at a 14:59 pace. For my first half marathon, I really didn't do that poorly, I just feel a little disappointed that I didn't meet my goal and that I know I could have finished a lot stronger.

I had to go to work today after a night of restless sleep. My toes kept cramping. Also, during the race, the friction on my triceps rubbing against my shirt caused a chaffing rash that hurt like hell (still does). When I looked at my foot today, the little toe is swollen up to twice it's size, the area going up my foot is black and blue and the inside edge of my toe is purple. I spent the majority of the day with ice packs on both feet. As soon as I end this post, I am going to soak in an Epsom Salt bath of warm water. I plan on taking a week or two to recover and then I will go back to running no more than 3 miles, but that is a discussion for tomorrow!

It's Tomorrow

I can't believe it's actually here. Tomorrow. The day of my first half-marathon. I have officially given up saying that I am nervous or scared. I am now saying that I feel insecure about my ability to actually accomplish 13.1 miles on my feet in 3.5 hours.  I have given myself only ONE goal. To finish the race in less than 3 hours (even if it's 2:59.59). Short of that, my goal is to just finish!
Like I knew would happen, I finished up Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne and started The Little Lady and the Prince by the same author. I enjoy the lightness of the stories. There really isn't a complicated plot, so it makes for light, quick reading.
Well, I think that's all of the blog I have in me tonight. It's time to turn in for the night. I'm already fretting over what to eat all day tomorrow!

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Internet Down!

I have neither fallen off of the planet, nor neglected my blogging duties. Our DSL has been down since Saturday afternoon. Apparently, the good folks at AT&T are wiring up our neighborhood to go live on U-Verse soon and they just start cutting wires with no regard to which ones they are chopping. So, I have a lot to catch up on in bloggy world!

Let's see. Last Saturday was our last long run before the half. We went almost 8 miles at our best time yet! Problem is, my left shin is starting to act up again. I also ran alone on Monday for 4 miles and it did the same thing. I am hoping that by not running until this Saturday, it will be good as new. I really don't want to think about 13.1 miles with a hurt shin. I also don't want to think about causing a stress-fracture. 

On Sunday, we went to pick up our race packets in Roswell. I have to say, I LOVE the shirt!! It not only feels good, it looks great! Plus, we got really cool, glow in the dark "slap" bracelets. (You know, like the ones from middle school??) LOVE it!! We also drove the course. It doesn't look too bad. It's not as "flat" as they say it is, but it's definitely no hill of death! So, check out the swag:

My bib, the shirt and the bracelet!

Since the internet has been down, I have been passing the time reading a book. I really didn't want to start another book until the race was over, but out of sheer boredom, I did. I am reading, Little Lady, Big Apple by Hester Browne. It's the second book in a trilogy (of course) about The Little Lady Agency. It has been SO long since I read the first book that I feared not being able to follow along at first, but it was surprisingly easy to remember the main points once I settled in. I am currently about halfway finished. I probably won't finish it before Saturday, even though every time I say that, I end up finishing whatever I am reading!

I'm working tonight, all day tomorrow and Thursday and then I am "carb loading" aka, going to the local pizza buffet for the kid's spirit day for school on Friday and then going to work that evening. Don't expect too much from me until after the race is over. It's probably best that way so that you don't have to constantly read about my sudden panic and insecurities on the situation!! I can tell you that I will DEFINITELY breath a sigh of relief and relax once this race is over!

I'm Not A Morning Person and I Can't Believe It's 10 Days Away!

Like the title of this post says, "I am not a morning person." That being said, I have had to (literally) force myself to adhere to a pretty strict schedule since school has started back this week. I know it will get easier in a few weeks, but it is really kicking my ass!! I used to fall asleep around 2am and kinda get up whenever during the summer, but now I am in bed before midnight and up at 7am in order to get things going. Not to mention, I spend my evenings before going to bed prepping things like lunches and school folders/backpacks so I don't have to waste time doing that in the morning! Kindergarten has already turned out to be seriously INVOLVED for both the student and the parents. Story time has now become mandatory and there is a log sheet to fill out daily. There is weekly homework due at the end of the week. There are site words to work on daily and a log sheet for completion. My head is seriously spinning!! (There is a little part of me that secretly loves it, though!!)

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Now for my OMG moment. OMG, OMG, OMG....the half marathon is in TEN DAYS!!! I am really starting to get nervous. We're going on Sunday to pick up race packets, so that should make it THAT much more REAL. I have been getting emails from the sponsors discussing parking and when to be there and when the roads will be shut down for incoming traffic. I know I can breath a sigh of relief when it's all over and I will happily buy a T-Shirt and a bumper sticker to display my pretentiousness of having completed 13.1 miles, but right now, I am nervous and scared!!! Our last "long run" is this Saturday, then there is whatever I accomplish on Monday morning when I drop off the kids and then that's it, no more training. The big 13 point 1. Did I mention OMG???

First Day of School and a Humid Run

So stinkin cute!

Today was the first day of school for my kids! I actually woke up BEFORE they did. (That never happens). I was dressed and made their lunches and was about to head to E's room to wake her when Shane got home from work, so he went with me. We got her started on getting ready and then woke up G. He was a little resistant to wake up, even with the prospect of seeing his friends, but he did get up and demand a Nutra Grain fruit bar! I dropped them off and took pictures and such, then left to go for my run.

I had planned on running 8 miles seeing as how my training has been really non existant slack the past 6 few weeks, but that's not really how it played out. There were a ton of walkers out. I don't mean single walkers, either. I mean pairs and small groups. They were taking up the majority of the lanes on the trail. I'm generally OK with passing a single walker with my sad little jog, but passing clusters of people really hits my social phobia nerve. So, while I did manage to pass several "couple" walkers, there were these two women that I was behind for over two miles!!! No matter how much I gained on them, they never moved over and I swear they slowed down little by little as the miles passed. By the time they finally decided to turn around, my left shin was really hurting from the power walking I was doing to pass the other walkers. Still, I jogged from then on.

I went about a half a mile and then came upon one of those memorial crosses, like the ones you see on the side of the road. It was for the woman, Jennifer Ewing, who was killed on the trail (apparently in that very area) in 2006. Now, I know I've mentioned that my hubby doesn't like for me to go on the trails alone. I take mace and a heart-attack knife with me every time. However, the further I got away from that site, the more remote the area was and I wasn't passing any walkers or joggers anymore. The few bikers cyclists that did pass by were kinda creepy looking and it just seemed that the area had a bad mojo about it. Almost as if the aura had been damaged too bad. Needless to say, it gave me an uneasy feeling and I turned around at about 3.2 miles. I jogged a lot of the way back before I got behind, yet again, more clusters of walkers. I kinda gave up at that point and just resorted to power walking back to the car for the last mile and a half. I'm considering it a fail of epic proportions.

The movie, Beastly, was actually pretty good. The writers veered a little from the book in some areas, much to my dismay, but it wasn't a bad movie. If you get the chance, I recommend it, even if you haven't read the book!

Tomorrow, Shane and I are dropping the kids off at school and enjoying a "daytime date" at the movie theater. We are going to the last week of "free summer kid's movies" at the local theater. (Complete with free popcorn and $1.00, free refillable sodas). We are going to see Megamind, which I have not seen yet. Then, we'll kill some time and then pick the kids up, then it's off to work for me!

Still Goin

Hey everyone! I am still here. I haven't really had much to write about other than the mundane daily routine of work and home, so I just haven't posted anything. The half is drawing nearer. So near, in fact, I can now do a countdown...exactly 2 weeks (14 days) until the race!

Went for my usual trail run today. We went exactly 7 miles. It was super humid outside, which made it a little unpleasant. I'm starting to really notice the fact that I have been eating like a ravenous fiend and not exercising lately. I was more out of breath and tired than I usually am. I also felt really heavy. I don't know if I can properly explain that one, but trust when I say I did!

The great thing is, my kids start back to school on Monday! We are going to open house tomorrow for the meet and greet and then on Monday morning, I will drop them off and go for the runs I used to go on before summer started! The kids are super excited to be going back, especially E since she will be attending for the first time! I hope they have a great school year. So, I will drop them on Monday morning and then try to go 8 miles. I really don't think it will be an issue. The only thing I don't want to do is over-exert myself or injure myself 2 weeks before the race.

Source

Since my last post, I finished Beastly by Alex Finn and also read Beastly: Lindy's Diary, also by Alex Finn. They were good books. Very easy to read, not too involved and not overly dramatic like so much YA fiction is these days. The characters were well developed and very easy to relate to. When the books were over, I found myself yearning for more of their story! I am actually about to watch the movie adaptation of Beastly when I finish this post. Perhaps I'll mention it tomorrow! For now, I'm going to relax, drink a pouch of Arbor Mist and then take a shower and go to bed!