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Truly Thankful Thursday

Movin' it with Michelle

This post may be all over the place, so bear with me in advance.   

I am thankful for my life, with its ups and downs, crazy turns, and all the stops and starts that have happened over the years.  Often times we think life has gotten the best of us, yet a kind word, a shoulder of support, or simply someone saying “How are YOU today” can go so far.  I have an awesome support system despite some twists and turns, and I see that daily as certain events happen.

I wasn’t going to post this…but I need to get it off my chest so it will possibly seem less scary.  Last weekend, I found a dreaded “lump” in my right breast.  I haven’t told hardly anyone, but it became real today when I got an appointment with one of our best breast surgeons at Edward Hospital.  I was scared, more so terrified to even ask for help getting an appointment, but when I went to one of our head Pathologists today-he made the call immediately and showed me true concern.  My appointment is on Tuesday, and I would SO appreciate your thoughts and prayers.  Back up nearly 20 years, and know that I have had 2 lumps removed in the past.  One was found when I was 21 and one when I was 27.  Both were benign, thank goodness, but with a Grandmother who passed due to breast cancer I am forever diligent in my monthly self-exams.  I see women of all ages DAILY get diagnosed with breast cancer, and have lost a couple dear friends to the same disease at ages younger than myself.  (I implore ALL women to do their monthly checks…please!).  The lump is small, pea sized in fact, but it is firm-and it’s apparent, so I will see what the doctor says next week. 

So, with that being said, today I am thankful for my health and pray this again is a “nothing.”

I ran today…I wanted to try and squeeze in my long run, and managed an amazing QUICK 8.34 miles.  My garmin is pissing me off, so I used my runtastic app, and held strong the entire run.  I stopped every 3 miles to drink and fuel, and took salt caps at mile 5.  I even managed a 10K PR of 59:50ish.  YAHOO!!!!  I mentally needed this run, and felt with each step myself getting stronger.  I went to my favorite place to run on the Fox River, and just let the path lead me…I was going for 6 miles just in case my sinus’s acted up or my knee got wonky, but the farther I ran, the better I felt.  I almost shot for 10 miles, but lost sunlight so called it at 8.34 miles. 
My favorite place to run!  Right along the Fox River

 
New Kicks, breaking in for my upcoming races
 

Back tracking just a touch, I am also thankful for my job, my home, and the food that is always on my table.  As I ran, I turned the corner and say the food pantry in Batavia lined up with dozens of people.  I tried to smile at them as they watched me run past the line, but they heartache in their eyes hurt me to the core.  May I never complain about traffic, a busy day at work, or burnt chicken on the stove.  It’s just not worth it…I am truly blessed. 
❤ Chelle
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Monday without miles

Movin' it with Michelle

I haven’t ran in 6 days…first off, I am battling a terrible sinus infection that just seems to want to hang on with every ounce of literal crap it can…bah.  My knee was bugging me quite badly until today, so I am hoping the rest was all I needed!

But I was blessed this weekend to get a TON done, and be able to spend time with family and friends. 
Yesterday was mad cleaning, and crazy grocery shopping to prepare for our reaffirmation of a healthy lifestyle.  We spent a pretty penny, but stocked up on organic meats, fresh veggies and fruit, and already had a HUGE bag of brown rice in the pantry.  I know they say weight gain during training is normal, but I am NOT a fan of having tight fitting clothes, and refuse to buy new stuff.  As my close friends know, I am very frugal with my money and normally only shop consignment.  Wasting money on new clothes isn’t an option. 

So today was a nice LAZY day.  Other than washing bed clothes, I didn’t do a darn thing.  I even spoiled myself by watching a movie on the couch…”Lucky one” was a must see!

Then it was time to cook…My FAVORITE thing in the world to do besides spending time with family and friends, and running of course. 

On the menu was baked salmon with my Asian inspired sauce, fresh chopped salad with peach vinaigrette dressing, and basil infused brown rice.  YUM. 

My Asian inspired sauce consisted of a plethora of ingredients, of which I can’t totally recall but I’ll try. 
In a bowl I put in a 1/4 stick of butter, crushed red pepper flakes, celery salt, kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, Chinese allspice, garlic, hoisin sauce, and lemon zest. I melted this in the microwave, and applied liberally to two large salmon fillets.  I baked the salmon at 350 for about 25 minutes until it flaked off of a fork. 

While the salmon baked, I started up my rice cooker with brown rice.  I add just a pat of unsalted butter, dry basil, and kosher salt and pepper.  Set it, and forget it…I only stir once, maybe twice during the cooking process. 

Finished rice!  Was delicious!

I then prepared the vinaigrette dressing, by chopping up a fresh peach, adding white wine vinegar, extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper, lemon juice and zest, and just a touch of the hoisin sauce.  I put it all in the food processor and let it rip until finely pureed. 

first stages of puree
 

Once it is completely pureed, it is time to strain…sometimes you have to work it through the strainer by using a spoon or whisk, but just be patient.  It is well worth it!

Add a touch of salt and pepper to taste, and VOILA, you have a fresh peach vinaigrette.  It was a hit by my hubby, so I was pleased.  While the dressing was straining, I prepared my salad.  Add whatever you like, but I used fresh romaine, peppers, red onion, cucumber, radishes, and cherry tomatoes that I halved.  Sprinkle with a touch of freshly grated Parmesan cheese, and you have an awesome salad.  Don’t forget to sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper!  It gives that added YUM factor. 

Take out the salmon, and I always let it rest a few minutes…

This was melt in your mouth, with a touch of heat GOODNESS.  The whole family enjoyed this meal…

So although I wasn’t able to run, I know maybe this was God’s sign that I needed a little break from training.  I’ll get out there and run tomorrow, snot rolling down my face and all…I have a 5K this weekend that I am pretty excited about…My first small race, and it’s called “Dash in the dark” in downtown St. Charles. 

I hope you all had a blessed holiday weekend, and hope as well for strong runs, healthy friends and family, and many blessings to you all! 

<3Chelle

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20 Mile Madness…COMPLETE!!!

Movin' it with Michelle

As most of you know I have been struggling all week with a sinus infection, therefore unable to run any of my short runs.  But this morning I KNEW I needed to get my 20 miles in, mentally, and physically.

I attempted to go to bed at 9 last night, and tossed and turned for 2 hours.  I wasn’t feeling well, and was nervous to say the least.  But my clothes were set out, and my alarm was set.  Nothing was going to stop me from finishing this milestone with my running group. 

I arrived at Dick Pond promptly at 6:15 a.m. and was greeted by other runners.  I met up with my new running buddy and friend, Kyla, and we decided to head into the store to browse for a few minutes.  She forgot her compression sleeves, so she bought a set and let me use the extra one for my right leg.  I am not sure if it made a difference or not, but we looked pretty darn cool with matching sleeves. J
Kyla and I at the start!
 

We started out strong with the 11 minute mile pace group and held strong until about the ten mile mark when we stopped for a pottie stop.  After refueling with my second shot blok and salt and suddenly felt like I was going to lose it.  Yes, lose it as in throw up…so we slowed down, walked some, and I regained my composure. 

Most of our runs have been filled with laughter, singing, and just all around fun.  But this run was different.  We were both focused, and hurting (me so more than her) and by mile 18 I wanted to give up.  Mentally I was screwed, and physically I was just wanted to crawl on a park bench and cry.  But Kyla cheered me on through my near tears, and although we had to walk the last ¼ mile, we finished.  20:05 miles in 4 hours and 3 minutes. 

WE DID IT!!!  Am I mentally ready for 26.2?  Gosh, don’t ask me that today…I wish I could say YES…but I know once I feel better I will regain my confidence. 
Us, at the finish, 92 degrees and HOT!
 

Lastly,

The race coordinators of the Fox Valley marathon and all of these training runs have completely changed my life.  They’ve renewed my love for running more than I ever thought imaginable, and they’ve given me the support I needed to get this far in my training. 
The best group of runners I know!!!!!
 

Thanks to you ALL who continually support and cheer me on through this crazy journey…I love you all dearly!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Sunday FUN-day!

Movin' it with Michelle

I went to bed early last night in preparation for today’s long run…well, early for me at least as it was before 11 p.m.  I was lucky enough to spend a fun day with my family, spread out between shopping with my eldest for school and watching a movie at night with the family.  We watched Hunger games (my youngest only watched before the ‘fighting’) and ate popcorn…couldn’t get better.  I ended the night with some conversation with my husband, trying to squeeze in that last bit of time before he leaves for the week due to work. 

The kids are ready for school which starts this week…wow, I have a 1stand 7th grader…where has the time gone?  Sigh…

I had an amazing run today with Kyla…we met in downtown St. Charles at 7 a.m., and I was able to meet her friend, Christine as well.  Sadly Christine had to bow out around the 2ndmile due to IT band issues, but Kyla and I pressed on.  We had 12 miles on deck, and we wanted to finish strong.  We hit the trails running, and had a great plan.  Every 4 miles we’d fuel up, stretch, and move forward. 

My splits were as follows…10:51, 10:47, 10:43, 10:18, 10:29, 10:25, 10:38, 10:17, 10:24, 10:10 (!!!), 10:33, 10:10.  We could’ve ran 13 miles, but we were tight, and decided we’d walk the last mile to stretch things out.  We had a blast, truly…and were blessed with seeing Carolyn twice and getting sweaty hugs, LOL!  The running community truly is amazing…

We were welcomed with chipmunks, birds, and the beauty of the Fox River along the way, as well as great conversation and wondering why the heck people don’t say hi when you say good morning.  REALLY?  If you are going to be out there in the beauty of these trails, by gosh ENJOY IT!  We had to laugh…

Around mile 10 I broke into song singing Sugarland, and got the goofy stares from people…LOL! 

I came home afterwards, showered, and made myself 2 eggs for breakfast…look what I found! 

I tried to settle in and take a short nap, but after nearly 2 hours of tossing and turning I wondered if I’d be able to sleep.  Thankfully I was able to drift off, and my awesome husband did laundry and took care of the kids.  I woke up feeling NOT sore.  YAY! 

Side note, my sis and I decided to be “matchy matchy” for our next two races.  Check out our outfits!  LOVE!

We will be wearing this skirt, with the orange top, my favorite color, YAY!!! 

Bring on the week and my 20 miler on Saturday!!
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Monday Musings and such

Movin' it with Michelle

I got home Saturday night from our wonderful Disney trip.  It was hectic, chaotic, but most of all MUCH needed time with my family.  We didn’t get home until nearly 8 p.m. but after feeding the kids and starting laundry I knew what I needed to do.  I set my running clothes out for my long run Sunday.  Could I really accomplish running 18 miles after only walking for a week?  I had hoped so…because thankfully I tracked my miles, and we literally walked our tails off in all of the parks. 

Let me back track just a tad, although I won’t overwhelm you all with pics of my trip.  Feel free to check out my Facebook page, it is loaded with pictures. 
My FB link

Let’s just say there is nothing better than seeing your kid’s faces light up when they meet their favorite characters, or go on their favorite ride.  It truly was worth every penny we spent.  I got teary several times during the week; admittedly…I’ve learned throughout the years that my family and close friends truly are my constant in life.  And I do my best to cherish them all the very best I can.  But even I, well, make mistakes.  Lose my temper.  Raise my voice.  Bah…I constantly work on being a better mother and friend…but more times than not, I fail.   

With that, I also learned today that you should always have hope in life.  But sometimes your hopes can get shattered.  We can’t always be the best at our jobs, be it career outside the home, or life inside the home.  But with each shattered hope comes a new found drive to be BETTER, to DO BETTER. 

So back to my long run…

My clothes were set out, Garmin charged and playlist updated before I went to be on Saturday night.  My husband doubted I would get up after our week’s travels…But I got up, dressed, and drove to the meeting spot for the Fox Valley Marathon running group’s spot. 

I was nervous, but excited to hit the road.  Funny how we long for that run in order to clear our minds, bodies, and souls of the stress that gets built up without that ‘release.’

Mile one I was trying to find my groove, and around mile 2 I met a wonderful fellow runner named Kyla.  Her running partner had to bail, and she asked if we could run together.  I warned her I wasn’t the best running partner as I am so used to running alone but she was happy as long as we stayed on pace.  By mile 4 we were laughing and joking and the miles seemed to effortlessly fly by.  We hit our water stop at mile 6ish, and took our fuel and she gave me some salt tablets which helped tremendously.  At around mile 9 we hit our turn around and we were excited we were halfway done.  Mile 10 came and went, and I started to struggle around mile 12.  My right front ankle has been very tight, I assume to do my Achilles tendons being VERY tight, so I stopped to stretch a couple times.  I truly didn’t want to walk…but after mile 14 and some treacherous hills, I knew I needed to walk just a bit.  We hit mile 16 knowing we only had TWO miles to go, and by mile 17 we were giddy…singing songs, being silly, and just excited for our distance PR.  Once we turned the bend to where our group tent was set up, we picked up the pace and finished strong.  18.23 miles, COMPLETE.  To say I felt good today would be a lie and more so I look like an old woman that lost her walker.  But tomorrow will be better, and I will get back out there and run. 
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Friday. Yeah. :-)

Movin' it with Michelle

1.       I am going on vacation with my family.  TOMORROW.  To Disneyworld.  I am so excited I can’t sleep.

2.      I have packed, cleaned, and even thrown in some running clothes just in case I get some extra time. 

3.      My youngest baby turns 6 on Sunday.  My heart breaks, and is filled with joy at the same time because she has a heart of gold. 

4.      Each day is something new…this week I feel like things have finally started to fall in place after nearly a year at my new job.

5.      Did I mention I can’t sleep?

6.      Spent the night in front of a lovely fire with drinks and good conversation with my hubby and my good friend, Anna.  I truly am blessed. 

7.      My long run didn’t happen tonight.  My knee kept me up most of last night, and I figure I will get miles of walking this week.

8.      Ultimately I am blessed.  Time to go water my flowers. 
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Seven things SUNDAY!

Movin' it with Michelle

Seven things, Sunday…

1.       I won my chopped challenge given to me by my husband and daughters tonight.  Check out my FB page to see pics.  (Sausage, Daikon, Dragon fruit, and queso fresco cheese were my ingredients).   

2.      I started staining my base boards and all the wood accents in my house.  Sadly the house is nearly 30 years old and needs some love.  And yes, I love my home. 

3.      I LOVE the Olympics…how can you not? 

4.      Looking forward yet nervous about this week at work.  We have a big inspection coming up and I’ve been doing everything I can to get our lab ready!  Praying it goes well!

5.      I.  Am.  Sore.  Holy crap 16 miles sure takes its toll on a body.  I wanted to ride my bike tonight, but my body told me otherwise.  OWE!!!

6.      My Husband’s birthday is tomorrow.  FINALLY he will be 39 just like me, LOL.  God blessed me with a wonderful, (yet grumpy) husband.  hehe

7.      Lastly, I’ve realized that no matter what you do in life, someone will always discredit you, put you down, or not support you…those ‘someone’s’ suck…so leave em in your dust.  I’d rather not have support, than have half assed fake support.  You all know what I mean…

I did 23 miles last week, so am pleased.  Bring on this WEEK of training.  Gotta get ready for Disney so hope to get my long run in on Friday night after work…
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Sixteen miler on Saturday!

Movin' it with Michelle

My last post, well, was a downer, and for that I apologize.  Darn funks suck…LOL 

So last night I committed to running with the Fox Valley marathon running group this morning.   I told myself, YOU WILL, and YOU CAN do this…so I set out all of my clothes, gear, and items needed for an early morning run.  I had doubts I could finish 16 miles, but told myself I would run smart and go with the 10:30 pace group vs. the 10:00 pacer in order to give myself some slack…

I set my alarm for 5:15, knowing I was set and ready to run.  I snoozed twice, and nearly jumped out of bed because I didn’t want to be late.  Got dressed, ready, and had my protein bar on the way to the trail.  Although I am not a morning person I will admit watching the sun rise of the Fox River was truly breathtaking. 

I started strong, keeping at the head of the pack with the pacer.  Thanks goodness for my newfound friend, Jim who was leading the group.  We hit the trails promptly at 6:30.   I had drank too much water so needed a bio break around the 2 mile mark.  I still felt good, although the nagging knee pain and Achilles tendons pulling caused me to slow down around mile 10.  I tried keeping with the group, but decided I needed to stop and stretch things out.  I tried keeping the group in my sites, but by mile 12 I had lost them from my consequent walk breaks.  But I was still in it…

I met up with a couple girls near the water stop and was blessed a girl named Carla wanted to stick with me.  We pushed through to mile 14 and stopped for a quick bio break.   I took a cliff shot block around mile 8, and another at mile 12.  I NEEDED to finish this run. 

We came around the bend at mile 15, and I knew I could finish!  My feet hurt, my knee was screaming, and my breathing wavered…but I finished…

16.05 miles, in 2:55…not my best run by far.  But a success because I completed it none the less…I wasn’t excited about the 10:54 pace, but still thankful I completed my mileage.  Now with aching feet, a blister the size of Texas on my “abnormally long second toe” as my sister’s friend commented, I will settle down with a cocktail.  J

Can I really do TEN more miles?  Ack!

I got home around 10:30, and noticed I had the chills pretty bad so took a warm Epsom salt bath to warm up, and relax.  After which I iced my knee for a good hour, and slept peacefully on my recliner. 

The day then transformed in to going to my sister’s kids birthday party.  What a blast to hang out with family and friends. 

Life.  Is.  Good.
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Mini-vaca and Empanadas…

Movin' it with Michelle

 So let’s start by saying my training last week, well, sucked to say the least.  But I managed 2 runs, 2 LONG walks, and 2 swims so I guess that is better than nothing.  My mileage spoke otherwise, but this is a new week, RIGHT! 

I spent 4 days in Minnesota, and had a complete blast seeing my family.  We got to MN late afternoon on Thursday, and just HAD to hit the Mall of America.  The kids loved it!  We had dinner at Bubba Gump Shrimp (great atmosphere for fun, but food was overpriced for the quality) and rode rides and walked the mall. It was a wonderful evening. 

Friday we of course went BACK to the mall for a few hours, and my husband surprised me by getting me my DREAM ring.  We got quite the deal for shopping at Ben Bridge jewelers, as this is where we bought our original set 8 years ago.  They gave us full value for my original engagement ring, and although I hated to give it up, I know my band is the original band and that my husband helped pick this beautiful piece out for me!

After shopping we went to my Uncle Ron/Aunt Barb’s house for dinner and a boat ride.  It was just awesome to be able to see both sides of my gi-normous family, and the kids had fun playing with their cousins. 

Saturday was the reunion, and I saw people I hadn’t seen in nearly 10 years, if not more.  I am blessed and reminded that my family is my constant whether or not we live near each other. 

We got home late Sunday, and after over 1000 miles in the car over 4 days, my legs and knees were aching.  So I took a nice long hot Epsom salt bath which helped tremendously, and settled in to getting the house cleaned and laundry done…well, started anyway, LOL…

Today I took the day off knowing we’d get home late and a ton of housework needed to be done.  I kept Sophia home instead of taking her to day care and was woken up with her cooking me breakfast on her play kitchen.  TOO CUTE!!!

We cleaned, painted toe nails, and then my cooking escapade ensued.  I made homemade chicken empanadas, fresh out of my neighbors garden roasted squash with garlic and shallots, and re fried beans from a can-dressed up! 

Here you can see step by step what I did…

Cube 4 chicken breasts rather small and add salt, pepper, lime juice, chili powder, adobo seasoning and fajita seasoning.  Let this sit while you prepare the diced red onion, garlic, capers, and olives.

Mix these four ingredients into a bowl, and then saute’ over medium heat until slightly translucent.  Next, add your chicken that has been marinating. 

Once cooked, take off the heat and let cool completely. 

The dough was rather easy, and I DON’T do well with baking…Simply at 3 cups of flour to 1 teaspoon of salt in a bowl.  In a second bowl, whisk 1 egg, and 1 egg white with a teaspoon of vinegar. 

Cut in 3 teaspoons of shortening, and then mix the wet and dry mixture together, being careful to not over knead.  Once a nice ball is formed, wrap in plastic and place in the fridge for an hour.  While this was chilling and my meat was cooling, I made my famous dipping sauce that my whole family loves. 
Three spoonfulls of mayo, 2 spoonfulls of sour cream, 2 cloves of garlic grated on a micro-grater, kosher salt, pepper, smoked paprika and cayenne pepper and 2 green onions finely chopped make this sauce a WIN!

Next I prepared my squash by simply peeling, cubing, and adding salt, pepper and a touch of cayenne as well as minced garlic and shallots.  I roasted the squash for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees.  At 25 minutes, I added half a can of diced tomatoes as well as chopped green onion and cooked the remaining 10 minutes.  YUM!

Now it was time to roll out the dough and start assembling my empanadas!

(I used a martini glass to cut these out, worked perfectly!!)

Make sure not to overstuff, and crimp with a fork to keep your stuff from pouring out!

Brush with an egg wash, and sprinkle with chili powder and ciliantro for color!  I baked for about 35 minutes at 350 degrees!

Here is the complete meal (apologies for the paper plates, after 2 hours of cooking I didn’t feel like doing more dishes, LOL), with doctored up refried beans…added some smoked paprika, garlic, salt, pepper and cilantro for awesome flavor!!!

Thanks for hanging in there for this long post!!!  Hope you all have a wonderful week!!!

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Mid Week musings…

Movin' it with Michelle

Life has a funny way of working itself out, even when we aren’t sure of the path that’s been chosen for us…yet often times I find myself questioning this path, I have to be confident I am exactly where I am meant to be. 

I am still struggling with ‘things’ and I have found myself a little out of sorts lately trying to find my way.  Yet I try to use my commute to and from work to think, reflect, and plan for my future-even if it’s just that particular day.  Yesterday I thought I’d try a new “quicker” way to work, which led me to hit every red light, construction, and traffic up the wazoo…and that was the start of my ‘clears throat’ wonderful day. 

So today I knew I needed to take my comfortable route, and one that gives me beautiful scenery and time to think…My only stretch of interstate is highway 88 for about 8 miles, and as I made it through about my 6th mile on the interstate I got a text from my husband…”Look to your left…”  I was confused, and looked over to see him driving along side of me…CRAZY coincidence as we take a very different route to work minus that stretch of highway.  I smiled, waved, and prayed my day would be better for having been able to see his smile. 

I’ve been emotional lately…maybe just me being confused in my role at work, or maybe the specific instances that tend to happen too often.  So driving home today I was listening to “Red Rag top” by Tim McGraw and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t choked up…yet there on the corner of Rt. 31 and 3rd street in Geneva I just happened to look to my left, and there was my husband smiling, AGAIN.  WOW…Yup, although times may be hard, I am where I meant to be…

Yesterday I needed to get my run in as I know I’ll be out of town this week for our family reunion.  Did I want to remain on the recliner and just close my eyes?  Heck yeah…I waited an hour and no relief in the temperature so at 7:30 I hit the trails near my house.  I don’t like these trails, but they get the job done…

I have a new found love affair with ‘Nathan’…who is Nathan you ask after I’ve just gushed about my husband?  Nathan is my water bottle that I loath to carry with me on runs, but who keeps me hydrated at the same time.  I brought him with me, and he gave me the extra fuel I needed to get my 4.25 miles done, and with an 8:44 mile to wrap up my run.  Average 9:10 pace.  I love pushing myself on these short runs, and it’s improved my long runs tremendously.   HELL YEAH.  I’ve logged almost 500 miles since starting my training, so I am pretty proud of that!

I’ve now packed and gotten ready for our trip to Minnesota tomorrow, and even packed my running gear.  I hope to get at least one run in at the hotel.  I have 12 miles due on Sunday, and hope I am able to get it done after a 7 hour drive. 

Most of all, I can’t wait to see some family members I haven’t seen in years.  Nothing better than family in my book!

Happy Hump Day!