fashion and fun

ok....OK....I lied.  Here I am blogging after I said I wasn't going to this week.  That really was my intent, but here I sit on the computer.  I have, however, made great progress in my house overhaul project.  So I've earned this.  Once I post this I promise, scouts honor *holding up my two fingers here*, to go completely clean both downstairs bathrooms and fold the mountain of laundry sitting on my bed.

I have actually been wanting to post about this for MONTHS!  Just never found the right day & time to work it in or to take pictures to show you what I was talking about.  Finally, today I accomplished both.

Late last summer I started to make the switch to wearing running skirts.  I don't know if there was a specific source of persuasion, but I was seeing it more and more often.  After coming to the humbling realization that I am not looking any younger in my workout clothes/racing gear and a few other incidents of uh....leakage *blush*, I knew something had to change.  I found one on ebay and took the plunge.  I was hooked from second I put it on.  Now I still wear the same black shorts that I had always worn, I just now had something nice & flowing to give me more coverage.  Although I had not intended this, it actually makes me feel all feminine and oh la la ish.  Even when I'm all nasty sweaty and gross, which is just about every time I run thanks to my excessive sweating. Yeah, I never look pretty after a run.

My skirt wearing has been scarce since winter running has me covered head to toe in several layers.  I don't feel the need to wear a skirt on top of full tights.  I only wear them with shorts or capris.  Today the weather broke and we hit a record high of 73 degrees.  Knowing the weather was suppose to turn nice I put off my early morning run until this afternoon.  The dark, cold mornings are wearing me thin and I'm not looking forward so much to the run.  So I geared up and set out to run.  I planned this run to start at the high school (left the van so oldest could get home) and to end at my boy's elementary school (I love meeting up with them & walking them home).  Before I set out I knew that despite the warm temps it was also very windy.  Well, very is an understatement....EXTREMELY is more like it.  I didn't want to fall into the trap of under dressing then getting out there & being miserable.  In my opinion, better to slightly overdress and take off layers.  So I pulled on a pair of knee high socks.

My love for not only knee high socks, but wild and crazy socks goes waaaaay back to my teen years.  I loved wearing them for as long as I can remember.  (I could dig out pictures and show you, but don't want to take the time).  As I grew into adulthood that never stopped, but I didn't show them off as much.  My drawer has always been full of colorful & patterned attire.  You just didn't see it too often.  I don't know, I guess I felt I had to be all adultish and proper.  And I certainly agree there is a time and a place for them (not saying I'm gonna make all sorts of fashion statements with crazy attire everywhere I go), but really my running is something that I love and IS fun (for me, at least, I'm sure many of you will not agree).  I've also been working on just not caring (within great reason) what people think about what I'm wearing.  Probably the number one reason why I never showcased my fun & style for such a long time.  Anything I wear IS modest and appropriate....who cares if it's colorful, loud, wild, crazy, etc, etc.

So I set out today and looked like this:

Except I had my arms warmers on too.

You can imagine the looks I got when I rolled up to the school after my run.  I'm really working on not caring, but that doesn't mean the process is easy.  I mean I get weird looks anytime I run up to the school all sweating after a run.  If this outfit does say LOOK AT ME then I don't know what does.  But that is not my intent, to draw attention.  At least not THAT kind of attention.  If it causes people to say/think "oh look at that, she really looks like she's having fun. who knew running could be fun, etc." then great, bring it on.

As the weather gets nicer you will see me out more in my skirts.  I have several of them now.  Bought them all off of ebay & never paid more than $15 for any of them.  The one in the picture is one of my shorter ones, I actually prefer them a little bit longer.  I may not always have wild & crazy socks on.  I don't think I will like wearing the knee highs in the hot summer temps.  So knee highs optional, skirt mandatory.

Here is a close up of my socks.  I think they are totally awesome, even if I'm only wearing them with a pair of jeans and you don't seem them as much.  Who could not love socks that look like that?!?!?  Not to mention....yeah, I'm pretty hot stuff.  If you find any socks that you would like to see me rock, send them my way.  I'm all for gifts and free stuff : )

After we got home I had taken a picture to post on facebook.  My boys wanted to join in the fun.  Since we had run home from school (great little extra post run run) they deserved to share in my awesomeness.  Afterall, they are pretty awesome too!