The Google Apocalypse

So Google is making changes to blogger.  No more Google Friends connect.  So now what.
I saw some of you have added other ways to let people follow your blog: email, RSS feed and Linky are some I have seen.  Some have even make the jump to World Press.   This whole thing is just a pain.  I am not a lazy person but for this I kind of am.   I do want to make sure that I will keep following your blogs.   Are we loosing all our followers with this change?  Do we have to RE-follow everyone using a different way?  If you are all on my Google Reader list, I am good right?

I added the email and RSS follow me sections to my sidebar.
If you have any advices with this please share!

I have a race this weekend: A 5K. 
My last one was the Turkey Trot and now I have 2 lined up for March.  I used to be scared of running a half marathon now it is how I feel about a 5K!  I am no sprinter.  I have a tendency to puke at the end of a race, I even have picture of this now..., and that usually comes with sprinting.  Fun times ahead!!!  I am optimistic about beating my Turkey Trot time though.  My chances for PR are better this weekend than at the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure where  there's a lot of walkers. 

The kids are also running Saturday, this will be fun.  We are a little overbooked that day:

• Race for me at 8 am
• Race for the kids at 9 am
• Will's Basketball game at 10 am
• Jonathan's Soccer game at noon
• Will soccer game : don't know the time yet

Are you one of those?

A couple people mentioned to me that I met the criteria for this

1. 2 Half Marathons within a 16 day time frame.

2. 3 Half Marathons within a 90 day time frame.

I do see people with  these shirts at all the races.  I went on their website just to see what it was all about.  I am not sure I get it.  I mean I get the part of having crazy goals and reaching them.  That is clear.  The part that is not clear is what do you get for the $ you pay to join this group?

Membership cost - $35.00
Membership with shirt $65.00
Yearly dues - $10.00

So last night we had a winter here in Southern California...lasted about 7 seconds but it was as close to a real winter as we can get here.

I miss winter.  WHITE winter.

Gait analyse

Before I talked about my gait analyse I wand to thank you ALL for your comments on my last post.  Your support and kindness amaze me.  I am lucky to have you as my friends.  I don't know who this anonymous person is...do they know me personally...I don't know..I hope not :).  I know that if I was this person I would stay clear of my buddy Jim-the-running-machine.  This is what he said: 

Dear Anonymous:
Please leave my friend Caroline alone - she is one of the most amazing bloggers and runners out there. And on a personal note, if you want to compare times or running stats or mileage or anything with someone ... why don't you square off with me??? You couldn't hold my dic-!!! And also, sign your name next time pus--!!! Stop wasting everyone's time - you are insignificant. Picking on poor ol' Caroline ... really???
I got your back C!

Thank you Jim.  Please visit him here if you don't already know him and also his really awesome (her favorite word) wife Michael who is a brand new marathoner.

 

 

So OK now on to gait and shoes.

I have been wearing Mizunos Wave Inspire 7 shoes for a while.  Those are Stability shoes. They were OK but I would not say that I felt "perfect" in them.  I don't have a lot of knowledge as far as running shoes go and it can be overwhelming to look for shoes as you know.  I have a problem with spending money on shoes that end up being wrong for me.  It makes me feel really guilty. 

Not so long ago I started having problems with plantar fasciitis.  I would say it is mild.  It comes and goes and I only had one day that it was really bad. 

Jill, who blogs HERE, was great to me and she took the time to send me emails with great advices on how to deal with PF.  I followed her advices and I am happy to report that my problem is under control as of now.

I also changed my shoes and bought a pair of Brooks Ravenna 2.   Those shoes are Guidance shoes in the Brooks line, a bridge between neutral and stability for runners with mild pronation.

I have been wearing them for 3 weeks now and I like those better than my Mizunos.  I have no pain so far and I feel lighter when I run.  They have more cushion than my other shoes and they are less bulky also.  They are the same size as my other pair of shoes but they feel smaller...that is the only thing I don't like for now but that could be fixed with getting 1/2 size bigger next time.

I wanted to go to the running store and have my gait checked to make sure I am wearing the shoes I need.

The gal at the store was great, super patient, very well informed and she is a runner of course.  She said that I overpronate very mildly and just on the left side and that I have a midfoot strike.  She said that Ravenna are good for me and also that I could even wear neutral shoes but that I don't need the full stability shoes.  I asked about the new line Brooks has called Pure Project and she said I could try the Pure Cadence or the Pure Flow but that I should make sure my PF problem taken care of  first.

She also said that it is a good idea to have 2 pairs of shoes in rotation and that they don't have to be different kind.  She said this is good for people like me who run 5-6 days a week because it allows the shoes to "rest" between runs.  She said it takes 24 to 48 hours for the shoe to go back to their original form. 
This makes sense to me, I just have to decide if I get another pair of Ravenna, they have the Ravenna 3 out now, or one of these:

pure cadence

pure flow

E book winners, worst race picture ever and Justin Bieber

The winners of the 2 e-books The Ultimate Beginner's Running Guide: The Key to Running Inspired are Annet and Boston Bound Brunette!  Congrats! Please email me to get your books. 

Now, I must warn you that I posted a terrible picture below so I forgive you for skipping the rest.

Thank you for your comments on my race recap on my last post.  I appreciate you taking the time to write them, always mean a lot to me.  I did get one email that was not so nice and of course it came from anonymous...I know I should not let it bug me but well I am human..so this person emails me a comment : "on your pictures you don't look like someone who was experiencing any distress..maybe you should stop using this as an excuse to explain your slow time."  Why take the time to send this, I don't know.  Why would I lie about making a fool of myself at the finish line?   I wish I had a picture of me jumping for joy over the finish line! Not long after getting that email I got to see the official pictures from the race.  Some are OK like this one:

And there is one that is really bad..very sorry...

So there you go stupid anonymous person....there I am "faking" dry heaving.  Happy?
Hands down worst racing picture EVER.

So about nutrition.

This time I ate nothing during the race.  I had Honey Stinger with me but I decided to not eat it because I did not want my stomach to rebel.  That worked out really well... I drank only water.  None from the aid stations.  I saw a few stations where they were using water from the fire hydrant and people who were not wearing gloves...so no thanks. 

Colleen asked if I have these problems during training.  I never do.  I think part of it is because during training, I do stop because of traffic lights.  I also go slower and the anticipation of the finish line getting closer sends me in panic mode usually.

Even though I had a terrible ending, I feel like I made progress.  Not just because I got a PR.  I did not get a perfect race obviously...but it was better.  I will get there.

My best 2 half marathons were on the 2 hilliest courses I have ran.  Now I am thinking I should run San Francisco!   Working on convincing Bill that this is a good idea.....

I am thinking of trying adding salt to my water now.  I need to prepare for the heat.  Today it got to 85 degrees. Seriously in FEBRUARY?!  I need to move to Alaska.

And I leave you with something I think is funny  from Jonathan who is 6.

I picked him up from school today, he gets in the car and I asked how was his day. 

"Terrible!"
What? Why?
"Well because I cannot marry Mia anymore!"
Why not?
"She showed up at school with a JUSTIN BIEBER shirt!!!!"

Rock n Roll Pasadena Half Marathon Race Recap

Yesterday I ran the inaugural Rock n Roll Pasadena Half Marathon.
I wanted to redeem myself after Surf City.  I was very disappointed with how I did there.  I signed up for Pasadena just a week ago, a last minute decision.

This was my first Rock n Roll event.  I was not too sure about how I would like it after reading so many posts on the disaster that was the Las Vegas race.

But I needed to get Surf City out of my head and Pasadena is near where I live and I love that town so I took a chance.

Saturday we went to the Expo.  I thought it was great.  Super easy packet pick up.  People were very nice.  It was not crowded..place was big and it was easy to go around and see all the booths.  Brooks was a sponsor and they had a nice boutique will lots of great stuff.
I got 2 t-shirts: one Brooks tech shirt, the race shirt and another t-shirt for the inaugural race that we could get if we signed up for another RnR race.

I signed up for this:

Halloween race on October 28.  They offered a $15 discount so I had to go for it!  Those are the shirts:

After the Expo I was feeling pretty good about this race.  Usually we drive the course but we did not have time so I just saw part of it. 

Saturday, I drank a lot of water and I tried to eat more than I usually do..not an easy thing to do for me.  I slept better than I did before Surf City also, being at home helps a lot.

Race Day

The weather was PERFECT.  I have zero complain.  It was cool...was not even 50 when we got to the race.  Bill was able to drop me at the start, at the ROSE BOWL, even though we had been told this would not be possible so that was great for me.  They had plenty of porta potty.  I have done several races at the Rose Bowl and it is a great place for pre and post race activities.  The start went perfect.  They had the corrals set up so that the first number on our bib was the corral number where we should line up.  Of course some people went in the wrong corrals...I don't really get that.  They had 10 corrals I was in the 6th.  They started on time and everything went really smootly.

I will not bore you with a mile by mile description of my race.

I was really surprised by how HILLY the course was.  I was not expecting this at all and after reading the comments on the Facebook page, I see that the majority of the runners were surprised as well.  This from my GARMIN:

I was feeling really  good for the first 8 miles, I knew the 2:15 pacer was behind me and I was a little worried about that because that is too fast for me, my PR was 2:24:05.  I kept telling myself  "don't panic..take it easy, ignore him, maybe he is confused and he is going to SLOW"

Crowd on the course was great, bands and cheerleaders and of course the supporters.  Before mile 5, I saw the winner flying by, on the opposite side of the road...I cheered for him, I am always so impressed to see the leaders and how fast they are.  Right after mile 5 I saw my family!  Elvis had passed right before me.



After that we went up hill....I felt it but I did not stop..I just looked down instead of up so the hill would not mess with my head!! :)

I did not think I would see my family again but they surprised me at mile 7 on a hard hilly part and I was so happy to see them, gave me a major boost.

Not long after that was a brutal section at the Colorado Bridge that locals calls The Suicide Bridge.  My pace dropped there and the 2:15 pacer passed me.  I told myself "It is OK he is not your goal."

I had a rough couple miles there but I was able to pick up the pace at mile 10 and I started feeling hopeful about getting a PR.  I knew I still had a difficult section ahead of me and I did not want to fall apart like I always do.  Mile 11-12.5 was no joke...wow...that killed me.  After that my stomach who had been behaving pretty good decided it was DONE.  I was cussing and crying as I kept going... "Not that CRAP again, not today, you have got to be kidding me"  But the dry heaves came...it was pretty bad.  I had to stop and walk many times.  My family was there at the finish but I never saw them.  Bill saw me walk,  I HATE that.  Here on these pictures I can see the finish line..one more turn and it is there and you can see on the other picture that I am in pain..look at the fist on my right hand..and well my face says it all.

Here, getting to the finish I was in full dry heaves mode...it is embarrassing to do that in front of all the people lined up.  I was worried about throwing up...but I kept going the finish line was right there...

And then it happened.
I arrived on the mat.
In front of the pro photographer that is sitting on the chair.
And I puked.
Twice.  ON THE MAT.
It was not pretty.
I almost passed out.

It took everything I had to make it to the mat.

It was a shaky finish, not raising the arm up in the air.

I am sure I looked like a drunk person.

2 medics came to get me right away "Are you all right?"

hmmm really?? "NO!"

Thank God, Bill and the kids did not see me get sick...after Bill snapped those last pictures they headed to the end of the chute to meet me.

I went to the medic tent to get water and I was OK to walk on my own so I did not stay long, I did not want Bill to get worried and I was OK.

I felt better because I got sick I think.  All the other times that I got dry heaves I never got sick...I just had the painful cramping.

But I am forgetting the most important, it is that this time that pain was all WORTH it:

2:21:17

Brand new PR for me and I am so happy.  2 min and 48 sec better than my old one. 

I walked back to go meet my family.

(Wearing my Italian T-shirt )

Those are my splits

There were celebrities at the race:

Justin Chamber, Chandra Wilson and Kim Raver from Grey's Anatomy and New Kid on the Block Joey McIntyre.  First 2 went over 3:30.  Kim Raver was just over 2 hours and Joey M.  ran under 2 hours.

The band Sugar Ray was doing the entertainement after the race

I loved that race.  The course was much harder than I expected but it was a beautiful course, I really liked it.  My best 2 half marathons were on hilly courses and both on days that were cooler.   Yesterday I did not eat anything during the race.  I had honey stinger in my belt but decided to skip it to keep my stomach quiet, that worked for 11 miles.  I drank water only..not a lot, maybe that was a mistake..I am not sure.  I took one salt tablet.  I ran with my Brooks Ravenna, first race with those shoes. 

I am happy with how I did and now I get put SC behind me and move on.

I am very embarrassed by how it ended..the poor people who were around me, I appologize to all of you.

I will be back next year to do this race. I have zero complain about it.  They organized a GREAT event!!!



Review and Giveaway

I was asked by the author to review this brand new running book.   I LOVE books, all kinds of books.  I have read several running books...in each I found helpful tips and learned new things about running.  Some books are better for me than others and I think it all comes down to personal tastes.  What speaks to you.  See for example..I am a fan of Kara Goucher the runner but her book not so much.   Some people like Hal Higdon, others prefer Jeff Galloway..for me it is a mix of both I guess. 

I read The Ultimate Beginner's Running Guide: The Key to Running Inspired.  I received the kindle edition copy (which can be viewed on your PC, iPhone, or Kindle).  This was an easy quick read.   This book is targeting beginners runners but I think any runner can get something out of it.  After 32 races and 7 half marathons I think that I am leaving the beginner status and moving more towards the intermediate phase of my running life.  I wish I had that book when I signed up for my very first race and I had no clue what I was doing and most running books I read then were just too much with the exception of Run like a Mother the book that did save my running life or I should say gave me one.

The Ultimate Beginner's Running Guide: The Key to Running Inspired is written by Ryan Roberts.  From Amazon website: "Ryan Robert, MA, writes, runs, and edits in Alaska where his main claim to fame is being able to do all three at once. As a teacher and coach for a decade, and then a firefighter and trainer for firefighters for the Forest Service, he has learned what works with athletes, and what doesn't."

The book talks about just about everything related to running without necessarily going in great details.  It talks about form, motivation, injury, nutrition, training, what to wear.  One of my favorite part talks about getting past embarrassment and being self-conscious about running.   For a new runner it can be a deal breaker.   The book discusses not only how to get started but also how to keep going.

In the book there are a few training plans all for different kind of new runners.  Those would not be for me because they are made using time instead of distance.  I prefer training in miles not in minutes that is why I like Uncle Hal's plans!!

It is more like a discussion book than a technical book and I did like that about the book.  It offers good tips like having a running journal and also using visualizations.  That part is good for any runner at any level I think.

I love the section that talks about running in different weather conditions, lots of good tips for all runners.

One thing that is missing in the book are pictures and or illustrations.  In the injury and stretching sections that would be best to have some for the exercises that are suggested and also to show where are the IT band, shins, etc...for some people a visual is needed.  There are no mention of foam roller, I would have liked to see that in the book also.

Overall I think this is a great first book for runners.  It is a quick read, you can learn a lot without investing too much of your time, it is not overwhelming.

So would you like to read it?

All you need is a computer and you are good to go.

2 readers will win a copy!

All you have to do is be a follower and tell me you would like to read the book.

Winners will be announced on 02-22.

Lost of a Childhood Idol.

I was in the middle of writing another post when I saw the news that Gary Carter passed away today.  When I was a kid I had a few idols; Wayne Gretzky, Terry Fox, Alex Baumann (Greatest Canadian Swimmer, superstar of 1984 LA Games), Larry Bird and Gary Carter.

 He was only 57 years old.

He did not win his war against brain CANCER.

Breaks my heart that he is gone, so sad.
He was a baseball LEGEND.
As you know I am from Quebec, Canada.  Baseball was never the number 1 sport there, nothing can take the place of Hockey, but we did have a team called The Montreal Expos until 2004.
From 1974 to 1984 Gary Carter WAS The Expos. 
Number 8.
The Kid.

With Andre Dawson and Tim Raines

He played 19 years in the MLB, 10 of them were in Montreal and 5 great ones were with the METS...with them, he won the World Series in 1986.

I was not a huge baseball fan..not like I am a fan a Duke basketball or a hockey fan but...I was a huge fan of Gary Carter.  He had this bigger than life personality and he was fun to watch.    You could tell he LOVED to play..not just for the $$.   I remember when I was a kid, he made me want to go see games at the Olympic Stadium in Montreal and made me want to watch baseball on TV. 

Goodbye THE KID

Foam Roller and Valentine's Day Winner!

Taper week.., again....I feel like I am always back to Taper lately.  The only thing I am changing from last week is adding a day of rest.   I am hoping for COOL weather for Sunday.  I am now 100% convinced that it is required for me to do well.
Went for 4 miles TEMPO this morning.   I am still in my Brooks.  I will only use those shoes until the RnR Pasadena Half Marathon Sunday. 

I bought one of these:

Of course I have no clue what to do with it.  I mean not REALLY.  I need to do some research.  If  you know good website for this let me know please.  I will start with Runner's World.  Do you have one of these? How many times a week do you use it?

If you are a regular reader you know that my family LOVES this guy:

It's because of my kids that I know who Keith Urban is really.  He is great and in concerts he is fantastic, the best I have seen I think, but on April 27 I will have to cheat on Keith because before Keith, there was this guy:

The Boss himself!  I have been dying to see him in concert since I am in High School..I mean it, I wanted to be Courtney Cox in the video Dancing in the Dark.  I have all his albums, I have some in Vynil records, cassette tapes and Cds of course.   I cannot wait to see him in concert.  Bill is not sharing my love of Springsteen but he has agreed to come with me. 

OK now the winner of my Milestone Jewelry Valentine Giveaway

and that is

Erica!
Congratulations!!!
Email me your info please!

Happy Valentine's Day to everyone!

Running for a cause.

Yesterday thousands of runners went out and hit the pavement for Sherry Arnold.  This was a massive success of people coming together for a good cause.  There is HOPE for all us I think...you know the good guys.

Running for a cause.
Do ever you do that?
I do.   
That is how I started running actually.
The cause was breast cancer.  My friend Shana had breast cancer.  This picture was in 2010.  She still had no hair.  She kicked the cancer's butt and sent it packing.  After 2 mastectomies, Chemo and Radiation treatments, she had reconstruction surgery and she won the war.  She is now cancer free.

 I am a giant

I have ran the Susan G Komen Race for the Cure in 2010 and 2011 both for Shana.  I am running it again this year.  Now I know they have been in the news lately but this is not a blog about politics and I don't want to discuss it here.  All I care about is that one day they find a cure.  That is what I care about.  That,  because of research, Shana WILL see her 2 beautiful kids grow up.

This last Wednesday I got a call nobody wants to get.

It was Jane.  She is the wife of one of my husband's best friends.  There's 4 of them. They have known each other since they were 9 years old.  They never lived more than 1 mile away from each other.  Jane is from Brazil and like me, she left everything behind and moved here.  We got married the same year, them just 3 months after us.  She is the sweetest person you could ever meet.  Almost too sweet.  She is tiny and there not a mean bone in her body.  Wednesday night,  she called to tell me that she has breast cancer.  This sweet gal has that crap inside her body:

I am so MAD. Life is a bitch sometimes...yes a bad word on my blog..sorry.  I don't have a nice one for this.  She is scared.  She has 2 girls, they are the same age as my sons.  She is about to go to war with cancer.  She is 41 year old.  This SUCKS big time.  So this year my Race for the Cure is for Jane.  I hope that next year it will only be for survivors.

If you live in Southern California and you want to join me March 24 at Dodger Stadium, you can join my team HERE.

In May I will run for another important cause: Pediatric Cancer Research Foundation.
Just the cause is enough to make you want to do something. 
But also look at this face:

Come on now!
Who is this? Well many of you know her already.  That is Gabby.  She has Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.  Her super brave mom is Heather and you can find her here and read more about Gabby's story.  Gabby is on her way to kick cancer in the butt just like Shana did.  She will win her war, I know it. 
On May 6, I am going to run a 10k for Gabby at the 2012 Cinco de Mayo Half Marathon event.  You can run a 5K, 10K or a Half Marathon.  If you live in Southern California and that day is free on your calendar come join us! Join Team Gab HERE.

Run for a cause! It can save lives!
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I signed up for this

That is next Sunday.  If you read my blog, you know I just did Surf City last week.  I feel good and I want to do better.  NOW.  So I am doing this.  It will be my first RnR race.  Pasadena is close to where I live and I like that town.  It will be fun I think.  So today I went for 10 miles and it went great.  I ran with my Brooks all week, including today, and I think I am taking them for their first race next week!
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I am in my 40s and Whitney Houston's music was a big part of my youth.  Such a tragedy that she is gone at 48 years old.  Such a shame that the pretty girl in the white outfit with the big voice who sang that perfect national anthem in 1991 has been gone for a long long time.
Let's hope she is in peace now and that she is singing with the angels.

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Don't forget to enter my great giveaway go HERE.
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5K in the Rain for you Sherry Arnold

Like many of you reading this, this morning I went running in honor of Sherry Arnold.  We did not have to brave snow or cold as you can see on the picture.  We ran 5K in the rain.  My 2 running buddies; Rebekah who is 5 mos pregnant and her dad Benjamin who ran a sub 2hrs half marathon at the 13.1 Los Angeles Race came to join me and Denise, one of my followers who I met today. Thank you for coming with me!  Denise it was really nice to meet you. 

It is fantastic to see all the pictures on Facebook from the many virtual races that took place today.

I like what Beth wrote on Facebook today after her run:

We did it. Bad, mean people can suck it.

I am proud to be part of that We.

Rest in Peace Sherry, I will never forget you.
I hope you felt all the steps that were taken in your memory today.

This was in Sidney, Montana today.

Best school Day and To RNR or to not RNR

Did you enter my giveaway yet? No? Go HERE!

This week was post race week. 
Monday I went to the Dr and it took forever...don't you hate waiting for the Dr? I do.  I show up on time.  I expect them to do the same! I had the FIRST appt of the day.  No excuses!  Anyway, I got my lab results, once again not good.  So my thyroid meds were increased.   

Tuesday I went for 4 miles and I felt good.  I ran in my Brooks and I am liking them more each time I use them.  I like that they have a bit of cushion.

Wednesday: Dentist.  Yikes.  It was HELL.  I had a Deep Cleaning and laser treatment and it is not fun.  Aouchy.  I had planned to go to the gym after my appt and let me tell you that I did not make it.  I was feeling a bit drowsy after that, so much that I forgot we were Wednesday and that this is a modified day at our school and that means early dismissal.  I was supposed to pick Will up at 1:30 pm.   At 2:00 pm I realized that I forgot my kid.  MOM OF THE YEAR.

Thursday: I went for 5 miles tempo with my Brooks again.  It went great.  I was happy and mad at the same time.  I wished I had ran like that for Surf City!  I came home and was looking at the upcoming races and saw that next weekend is the Pasadena Rock N Roll Half Marathon and it is not sold out.
So now I want to do it.  Registration is open until Sunday.
Is that crazy?
2 half marathons, 2 weeks apart.
It is the inaugural race for Pasadena.  It looks like it will be a good one.  I am close to Pasadena so I would sleep at home and no "long" commute.
Do you like the RNR races?  I have never done one.  I read all the horror stories about Las Vegas so I know about that...but what about the other cities? 
I am disappointed with my time in Surf City and I want to erase that from my head and get another chance at 13.1 right now.
Bill says do it.

Today I did just 3 miles because we had the annual Jog-A-Thon at our school and I wanted to help out.  Tomorrow I am doing another 3-4 miles for Sherry Arnold and Sunday I think I will go for 10 miles if I go ahead with Pasadena RNR.  That will put me at 26 miles.

Jog A Thon was great! I love that this is one of the fundraisers we have for the school.  It raises money for our PTA and makes the kids move instead of just selling a bunch of crap.  It was really hot for a winter day....

Kindergarten- Jonathan:

2nd Grade: Will

This one cracks me up...Jonathan splashing Will as he passes by...and the look on his face after he got him!!!

Milestone Jewelry GIVEAWAY for Valentine's Day!

Will you be my Valentine?

Melody at Milestone Jewelry has offered me to host a giveaway for you my dear followers!

Milestone Jewelry is the new official Jeweler for Iron Girl.

They have this brand new item at their online store here

RUN Heart Pandora Style Bead

Another MILESTONES EXCLUSIVE, This Solid Sterling Silver RUN Heart Bead is available only from Milestones Jewelry.

It is beautiful and someone needs to tell Bill that I want one! It can be worn on a chain, leather or a cord bracelet or a necklace and the lucky winner will also be able to choose a leather or silver European Style bracelet or a chain, cord, or leather.  How about that!  I want to enter my own Giveaway!!!!

Thank you Melody!!!!

What do you have to do to win this?
Well this is a really really nice price, I think you should have to come clean my house or be my coach or something.  Too much? OK....

I will keep this simple.

What you must do.  1-2- to be entered. 

1. Send me a Valentine...no no I kid: BE A FOLLOWER of this blog and leave a comment to say you are.  Now do you see I added 2 new ways to follow me? Via email or with RSS feed because Google is giving us all a headache and is taking Friend Connect away.  (Does that mean we will loose all our followers? Do we have to re follow everyone a different way? If you can explain, bonus entry for first one who does that clearly).

2. You have to LIKE Milestone Jewelry on Facebook HERE.  Leave a comment on their wall and say I sent you and what item you like from their store. Leave a comment here that you did this.  I will go back to the FB wall to look for it.



BONUS entry:

1. Follow Milestone Jewelry on Twitter HERE. Leave a comment here that you did this.
2. Get me tickets for a Duke game.
3. If you left a comment on this post and you wished Jonathan a Happy Birthday you get a bonus entry as a Thank you!
4. Follow Milestone Jewelry's blog HERE and leave me a comment to let me know you did.
5. Share on your blog OR on Twitter and link to my blog.  For twitter make sure to add @carotabi to your tweet. leave a comment to let me know.
6. Guess who I will go see in concert in April.  No, it is not Keith.

All right so you have a max of  8 chances.

Good luck to everyone!

I will announce the winner on Valentine's Day of course!