Are you kidding me?!

For the last 7 years, my children have attended Sangre Ridge Elementary school. Teagan will be in 1st grade next year so by the time she's finishing her 5th grade year we will have been at Sangre for 13 consecutive years.

So Stillwater is growing. Apparently growing so much that Sangre is overflowing with students compared to the other schools in town. So there have been some changes made to the boundary lines and those changes were announced today.

According to the map Sadie and Teagan will no longer be Sangre Ridge students. I don't like change. I really don't. I know this will be fine but it's change and I just don't like it.

We are less than a block from the boundary line for Sangre, but it doesn't matter. We're now in the Westwood district and the girls will travel past their old school to get to their new one.

This affects lots of kids so they'll know people at Westwood. I still don't like it though. Sangre is like home. I know all the teachers. I know the staff. I know where everything is. I'm comfortable having my kids there. I'm comfortable there. It's not about me though. Right? This is going to be fine. Right?

Marathon Highlights

Yep, slacker. That's right. I got sidetracked reading some books and working and well...just with life in general I guess and haven't had a chance to blog. Oh well, what can ya do?!

I have been meaning to update with the rest of my Vermont 1/2 marathon details. So here ya go...

On Saturday we went into one of the small towns that we were to run through where there was a small tent set up with 1 guy answering questions about the run. It was a far cry from the huge expo we attend the day before the OCK Memorial Marathon but that run has 16,000 entrants and this one was like 2,700 so that makes sense. The guy drew the course on a map and Brad and I drove it to see what was in store.

The elevation looked really good on the computer but let me tell you...Vermont is hill-y! There was only one really super steep hill but the entire course was winding and up and down quite a bit.

On Sunday, we had to be at the run by 8:00 in order to catch a bus to the start of the run. So then we get there, to the start, and we wait. And wait and wait and wait. Seriously, that was the worst. I think I just had my mind all focused and ready but we got there at about 8:30 or a little before and it didn't even start until 10:15! And there was no cell phone service in the mountains so I just had to sit there. And wait.

Brooke on my running blog recently told me about a trick from Glen-the-trainer for shin splints. So I did my regimen of applying Icy Hot to my shins and am happy to report that my shins felt great throughout the run. By mile 7 though my left knee started hurting a bit, I think from the downhill work. Then by mile 10 my hips started feeling like they might fall off. You know like a chicken that you cook and it's so tender that you just barely touch it and the leg comes off? That's what I thought would happen to my legs. Honestly.

Brad ran with me and bless his heart he pushed me as hard as he could but I honestly just finally gave up on myself. It was a hard course, he even said it before I did. Near the end we were walking and he asked if I could walk fast and I told him no but I could run slow. And seriously, my running pace at that point was his walking pace. That's how bad it was. And then there was this crazy lady named Sue from Chicago that we'd met under the tent the day before and she was loud and obnoxious and we passed her near the end and I just could NOT let her beat me and she did. (Although, according to her net time I actually did beat her so there Crazy Sue!)

The worst was the nausea. I always tend to get sick to my stomach in the last mile. Especially when I do a bit of a sprint towards the finish line. This time though, it started at about mile 6 and just got worse and worse. I was on the verge of throwing up for at least an hour after the run.

Looking at my time, it really wasn't nearly as bad as I feel it could have been considering how I felt. I am just disappointed in my results and the fact that I felt so "off" for basically the entire run. I am hoping to really get on track with cross training and building all my other muscles so that I at least FEEL decent for my next half in November!

The good news is that Vermont was beautiful and now we can say we've been there. I love traveling and seeing places we've never visited before. I took a lot of photos (or course!) that you can see in my
flickr album. Enjoy!

Wedding Shower

We had the wedding shower for Tarissa yesterday. You remember, the one that I sent out the invites for and put the
wrong day of the week on them? Yep, that one. Well, it was yesterday and it was a nice time.

I actually went on Saturday too because one of the other hostesses called me all frantic because the restaurant where it was to be held called her all frantic saying that someone had dropped off a gift for the shower that afternoon and they thought it was on Sunday. At least that's the story I got from her. I'm wondering if they were really that frantic because when I went up there they all acted like it hadn't been that big of a deal to them. Um, ok. At any rate, she was concerned that all sorts of people would show up on Saturday instead of Sunday and since that would have been my fault I offered to go sit up there for a bit to turn away anyone that came and encourage them to come again Sunday. Luckily, no one showed and it gave me a chance to get out and run some errands so it all worked out.

I still can't believe Tarissa is getting married in a couple of weeks. I remember when she couldn't drive yet and we couldn't wait for her to start so we didn't have to drive her back to her house that was so far away. Now she's not only driving but she's graduated both high school and college and is going to be tying the knot! I told her yesterday not to be having kids anytime soon because it would probably just throw me over the edge.

For the rest of the photos you can view them here.

Sadie Bug turns 8

Once again...Wow!

Sadie turned 8 today. Unbelievable. I'll have to post more about it another time because right now we're picking up the living room so the kids can sleep downstairs. We got home from dinner to find that the upstairs a/c is not working and it's currently 88 degrees!

I'll leave you with this though. A screaming 2 month old Sadie with me and my Mom hair and post-pregnancy body. A far cry from how we've both grown over the last 8 years!

Exhausted with a capital E

I just told Hubby that I thought I could sleep for the next week. He said that I got a good amount of sleep last night. Which is true. But I think the week leading up to this trip and then some late nights before the run have just hit me hard.

I'm actually sitting in Chicago Midway airport right now and having bought a new book because I finished the other one I brought, I'm getting ready to start it. We had a light breakfast at the hotel this morning and then McD's for lunch before leaving the airport in New Hamphshire. We got her a while ago and I was dying for some nachos so Hubby and I split some but they just didn't do the trick. So here I sit hungry, sore, and exhausted. I miss my bed.

Vermont was just beautiful but the run was awful. No injuries to speak of but it was really hard. The course was hard. And I was very disappointed in my attempt. I did manage to finish but not because I wanted to. If Hubby hadn't been there with me I think I would have probably just walked to the finish line. I didn't even have a final push for that sprint to the finish line once it came in to view.

I'll update again in the next couple of days with more details about the trip and Vermont. Thanks to those of you who were thinking about me on Sunday. Without your thoughts and prayers there's no telling how poorly I might have done!

Vermont or Bust!

This evening after work the family is headed out to Collinsville. We'll spend the night and then in the morning hubby and I will be hopping on a jet plane and leaving for Vermont. We'll have a couple days to relax and see the area (neither of us have been there before) and then on Sunday we'll be running in the Covered Bridges Half Marathon.

I'm gonna go ahead and be honest and admit that I really haven't trained like I should have. I planned on it. Just didn't. After my run in April I promised myself that I would do my weekly mileage and cross-train twice a week as well. I was lucky to do even 2 runs a week. I've had shoe issues, shin splint issues, and just flat out motivation issues. But oh well, at least I'm doing it right?

This will be my 3rd 1/2 and although I haven't trained like I should I'm still hoping to improve on my time. My 1st time last year was 2:58. According to last years CBHM times that would put me in at 14 from the end of the pack! I know I'm not gonna win but I'd sure like to be more towards the middle. This April my time was 2:48 (which moves me up to 35th from the end). Brad is going to run with me which is a great motivation for me because he doesn't let me quit. I'm really hoping to finish in 2:45. And the course map shows a mostly downhill elevation with the exception of one steep hill so I'm hoping that will help and not hinder my time.

Hopefully I'll be back next week to report a wonderful mini-vacation with Hubby and a great run!

ABC Tag!

Is it sad that I was reading Brooke's blog and got a little bit too excited to have been tagged? Seriously, that's no lie. I've seen people tagged before in blogs but I've never been tagged for anything myself. It's the little things really...

(Be sure to scroll down to the letter T to see if you've been tagged!)

A. Attached or Single- Attached

B. Best Friend(s)- Best friends from high school (that I sadly don't get to see that much) are Shannon, Sue Ann, and Denise. Then there is my little sister Emily, she's pretty special. I'd have to say my best friends here in town these days are probably Leah and Brooke.

C. Cake or Pie- Cherry Pie is the best!

D. Day of Choice- It'd probably be Friday now that I'm working full time!

E. Essential Item- Computer with internet. Seriously, how sad is that?!

F. Flavor of Ice Cream- I'm not a huge ice cream fan. So I'm gonna say German Chocolate concrete from Shakey's.

G. Gummy Bears or Worms- Bears, I don't think I've ever had a worm.

H. Hometown- Hmmmm... Originally from Loveland, Colorado...grew up in Tulsa, Oklahoma...have been in Stillwater, Oklahoma since 92. So I guess at this point Stillwater is probably my hometown.

I. Indulgences- Magazines. And shoes. And purses. It's kind of a sickness.


J. January or July- July, definitely July

K. Kids- Madi (13), Eli (11), Sadie (7), and Teagan (6)

L. Last movie I saw in a theater- I'm not sure I remember. I think we went to see one for Tea's birthday back in March. Yep, we did. Horton Hears a Who.

M: Musician: I don't really have a favorite because I listen to a lot of different types of music. Although I did recently get to meet Paul Wright at his concert in Ponca City and he's awesome. He even wrote a song for me that I gave to Brad for Valentine's Day.

N. Number of siblings- 1 sister, 1 step-sister, 1 brother, 2 step-brothers

O. Orange or Apples- Apples

P. Phobias or Fears- Bridges and heights

Q. Quote- Lot's of them really. I guess the one that comes to my mind first is "Whether you believe you can, or whether you believe you can't,
you're absolutely right." ~Henry Ford

R. Reasons to smile- My husband, my kids, my God...

S. Season- Spring and Fall, I always love the in between hot and cold times.

T. Tag 4- Let's see, how about Eren, Ame, Jana, and Sandi. We'll see if any of them read this!

U. Unknown fact about me- I can wiggle my ears. Without using my hands.

V. Vegetarian or oppressor of Animals- I'm a carnivore. Although there was a period of about a year back in college when I wouldn't eat beef because I fell in love with Norman the Cow from City Slickers.

W. Worst Habit- My negative attitude about things. Why can't I just make the most of things and not get so down?

X. X-rays or Ultrasounds- Huh? For what? Neither of them bother me.

Y. Your favorite Food- Anything Mexican

Tiny Dancer

Madi took tap and ballet classes when she was about 4 or 5 but only lasted a year before I realized it just wasn't her thing. Sadie is my super girly-girl and I put her in tap and ballet a couple years ago but ended up pulling her out after just a couple of months. At the time, she was just too self-conscience about messing up and not doing things the right way. But boy did she like looking at herself in the mirror!

So this year she decided she really wanted to try dance again. Only she didn't want to do tap and ballet. She wanted jazz and hip hop. So we did it. And she loved it! She may be the only child to inherit my rhythm. At least one of them did!




Last weekend was her dance recital and she just loved it. She was really nervous the week before and was worried about how many people would be watching her. I assured her that because of the lights she wouldn't be able to see much more than the first couple of rows. After her rehearsal she was so excited to tell me that I was right. Of course I was sweetie! *grin*

Nana and Grandpa came up for the special event and we all got dressed up to watch our own little Tiny Dancer. She did a great job. I picked her up backstage after her second dance was done and although everyone else was ready to head home she wanted to stay and watch the "big girls" dance a bit. She didn't last long because she was so tired but the small amount of time that we stayed she was a joy to watch. She just loved it!



Her face when we gave her flowers (from us and then Nana and Grandpa) was just amazing. It sure has paid off to have worked at a flower shop back in college. I still have my connections and Steve at Little Shop of Flowers totally came through. They were gorgeous!

In the car on the way home she told me she wanted to do more than just jazz and hip hop next year. Now she wants to add tap and ballet in too. As well as staying on the SYFA cheer squad. Wow. We're gonna be busy. She is definitely all girl!

Proofreading isn't always enough

Way back when I just had Madi and Eli and they were both under 3 years old there was this sweet little girl at church named Tarissa that watched Eli's class in the nursery. One Sunday she approached me and introduced herself and said that if we ever needed a babysitter she'd be glad to do it. She was just 11 or 12 at the time.

Now sweet Tarissa is 22 (or maybe 23?) and has graduated college and will be getting married next month. I can't believe how the time has flown! I am co-hosting her wedding shower and offered to be in charge of the invitations. I've been working on them all week. I've stayed up late each night to put them together and get them ready so that I could get them in the mail. I proofread, had Hubby proofread, and proofread again. I was certain that everything was in order.

I mailed all 100 invitations out yesterday and received a call from Tarissa this afternoon. She said her uncle received their invitation and wanted to know if the shower was on Saturday June 7th or Sunday June 8th. Yep. I put Saturday, June 8th as the date. Ugh. It's actually a Sunday. I knew it was a Sunday. I'm so frustrated with myself!

All the proofreading in the world wouldn't have caught that mistake. I need some bon-bons. Lots and lots of bon-bons.

And so it begins

Apparently the kids called hubby several times this morning to tattle on each other. He got each one of them on the phone and told them that if we needed to we would make a rule where they sat in a room by themselves all day long while we were working and they could just read a book. That seemed to get them motivated to be nicer to each other. At least for a little bit.

Right around noon Madi called to say that Eli was being really rotten. Apparently he was making himself Ramen for lunch and Sadie asked if he would make her some too. Would that be much trouble? I mean, it's just boiling extra water ya know? Well he refused too and was being a turd so Madi called me. I asked to talk to him and he gets on the phone and says he was going to have Ramen but then he decided not to because he thinks since Madi is the babysitter she should make him lunch. Are you kidding me?! I told him that he needed to help out too and he balked about how Madi was going to be getting paid so he shouldn't have to do anything so I said if he helped out as much as Madi was going to then I'd pay him too.

Then get this, in the worst-ever na-ne-na-ne-boo-boo voice he says, "Well, how
much are you going to pay me?!"

I'm not sure we're going to make it through this summer.

Is this anything?

I noticed this morning at Eli's graduation that Teagan had a bit of a rash. Just on her chest area under her chin. I've heard of several kids around school that have had fifth disease so I sort of wondered if that's what it was.

This afternoon when I got home from work Tea was passed out on the couch. Apparently she came home from school and cried and cried because she missed her teacher's so much already. Bless her heart! Anyway, she was sleeping on the couch and I noticed that her cheeks and arms were covered in a rash.

Her cheeks don't have the "slapped" look like fifth disease describes but if that's not what it is I just don't know what it could be. Then at Eli's baseball game tonight I had a couple people look at it and um, they saw nothing. No rash. Seriously? Can you not see this? I know it's not the best picture, I had trouble focusing on her back but click on it and it'll get bigger. It's all over her face, trunk, and arms. She's covered in it, I swear. Are my eyes broken?

Summertime

Yep. It's here. The start of summertime.

Today was the last day of school and I spent most of the morning at the elementary school for Eli's 5th grade graduation. He was pretty excited about it. We went yesterday and got a new hair cut for him and some new duds to wear. Poor guy, the girls always seem to be getting new clothes and he's always wearing just the same old t-shirt and jeans/shorts. Dressing guys just isn't nearly as fun!

The ceremony was nice and I love that our school gives the parents time to come take photos of the kids after an award or diploma is handed out. You'd think this would add a lot of time to the program but it really didn't, which was an added bonus. Eli received the President's Eduction Award for having a 3.5 gpa for 3 semesters. He was also the recipient of a Student of Today award presented byt the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma. The Student of Today is one who has demonstrated outstanding scholarship, leadership, citizenship and integrity. Go Eli! I can't tell you how my face must have been beaming when they announced his name.

After graduation the entire 5th grade had a big celebration with moon bounces, a caricature artist, and all sorts of other fun stuff. I was able to stay for a bit but then had to get back to work. Then Eli was invited by a girl in his class to be picked up from school in a limo and drive around for 45 minutes before going out to dinner. I can't imagine what that must have cost with the price of gas as high as it is! I figured this girl had invited a big mix of kids but found out last night that it was tons of girls and...Eli. That boy! He's definitely well liked by the girls.

I went back to work this afternoon with a bit of a heavy heart. I have been with the kids every summer until last year when I worked part time. I started my current job just a couple weeks before school started last August so I was still pretty much with them all summer. So this will be the first year that I'll be working full time since just after Madi was born. I'm having a hard time dealing with it. I want to be home with them. They can sure drive me insane but it makes me sad to think of all the things we won't be doing this summer because I'm at work all day. I have them all enrolled in some fun summer camps but it's just not going to be the same.

This morning as Tea was getting ready for school and her usual grumpy morning state I tried to encourage her by saying, "Today is the last day of school!". She started crying and said, "I wish it was your last day of work. I want you to stay home with me." Man. Way to break a Mom's heart!

May 15

How is it that when you're a child the time just creeps by but then as we get older years are gone in the blink of an eye? I'll never understand that. Today marks 15 years since my Mother passed away. Looking back through the May 15th entries here on my blog it seems as though the most common word or phrase I have when talking about how long she's been gone is just "wow". That's how I still feel. Fifteen years. Wow.

Coming back from Madi's volleyball tournament back in February, we stopped in Tulsa to eat and I decided to make a visit to the cemetary. I hadn't been there in years and my children have never been there. At least not that they can remember. I had Madi, Eli and Sadie with me and they were all so sweet. I told them some stories about the Grandma they never got to meet and how much fun they would have had with her. They asked questions both about her life and her death and it was just nice to talk with them about her in a way that we hadn't really done ever before.



I've been thinking a lot lately about the whole BRCA gene issue that I
discussed a few weeks ago. I received my copy of Jessica Queller's new book and have now finished reading it. In her book she mentions the FORCE website and I have since been there to look around. I'm still uncertain as to what steps I want to take but I plan on getting as much information as I can and making a decision soon. I just know that I want to be here for my kids and my future grandkids. I want to be with Brad as long as I can. I don't want my life ended early by something I could possibly prevent.

A good giggle

It's been quite a day. Heck, it's been quite a couple of weeks. The last days of school are always this way but I think it's been even more crazy than lately usually. I started out this morning knowing that I had a million and one things to do today and also knowing there was no way to accomplish everything. I've made it through though and just got home and have a very limited amount of time before I have to get Sadie from dance and head to Madi's volleyball banquet (while Brad is with the other two in another town at a baseball game...divide and conquer!). I sit down to check my email and I find this from my friend Terri. Man, did I need this today. I'm not sure where the email originated and it could be a spoof for all I know but it sure made me giggle. Probably for the most part because this sounds exactly like something I might actually do.

Enjoy!...



Regards,


All hair removal methods have tricked women with their promises of easy, painless removal - The Epilady, scissors, razors, Nair and now...the wax.


Read on...


My night began as any other normal weeknight. Come home, fix dinner play with the kids. I then had the thought that would ring painfully in my mind for the next few hours:


'Maybe I should pull the waxing kit out of the medicine cabinet' So I headed to the site of my demise: the bathroom. It was one of those 'cold wax' kits. No melting a clump of hot wax, you just rub the strips together in your hand, they get warm and you peel them apart and press them to your leg (or wherever else) and you pull the hair right off. No muss, no fuss. How hard can it be?


I mean, I'm not a genius, but I am mechanically inclined enough to figure this out. (YA THINK!?!) So I pull one of the thin strips out.
It's two strips facing each other stuck together. Instead of rubbing them together, my genius kicks in so I get out the hair dryer and heat it to 1000 degrees. ('Cold wax,' yeah...right!) I lay the strip across my thigh. Hold the skin around it tight and pull. It works!


OK, so it wasn't the best feeling, but it wasn't too bad. I can do this! Hair removal no longer eludes me! I am She-rah, fighter of all wayward body hair and maker of smooth skin extraordinaire. With my next wax strip I move north.


After checking on the kids, I sneak back into the bathroom, for the ultimate hair fighting championship. I drop my panties and place one foot on the toilet. Using the same procedure, I apply the wax strip across the right side of my bikini line, covering the right half of my hoo-ha and stretching down to the inside of my butt cheek (it was a long strip) I inhale deeply and brace myself....RRRRRRIIIIPPP!!!


I'm blind!!! Blinded from pain!!! OH MY GAWD!!!


Vision returning, I notice that I've only managed to pull off half the strip. CRAP!


Another deep breath and RIPP! Everything is spinning and spotted. I think I may pass out...must stay conscious...must stay conscious.


Do I hear crashing drums!?! Breathe, breathe...


OK, back to normal. I want to see my trophy - a wax-covered strip, the one that has caused me so much pain, with my hairy pelt sticking to it. I want to revel in the glory that is my triumph over body hair. I hold up the strip! There's no hair on it. Where is the hair? WHERE IS THE WAX!?!


Slowly I ease my head down, foot still perched on the toilet. I see the hair. The hair that should be on the strip...it's not! I touch. I am touching wax. I run my fingers over the most sensitive part of my body, which is now covered in cold wax and matted hair. Then I make the next BIG mistake...remember my foot is still propped upon the toilet! I know I need to do something. So I put my foot down.


Sealed shut! My butt is sealed shut. Sealed shut! I penguin walk around the bathroom trying to figure out what to do and think to myself. 'Please don't let me get the urge to poop. My head may pop off!'


What can I do to melt the wax? Hot water!! Hot water melts wax! I'll run the hottest water I can stand into the bathtub, get in, immerse the wax-covered bits and the wax should melt and I can gently wipe it off, right? *WRONG!!!*


I get in the tub - The water is slightly hotter than that used to torture prisoners of war or sterilize surgical equipment - I sit. Now, the only thing worse than having your nether regions glued together, is having them glued together and then glued to the bottom of the tub...in scalding hot water. Which, by the way, doesn't melt cold wax.


So, now I'm stuck to the bottom of the tub as though I had cemented myself to the porcelain!! God bless the man who had convinced me a few months ago to have a phone put in the bathroom!!!


I call my friend, thinking surely she has waxed before and has some secret of how to get me undone. It's a very good conversation starter 'So, my butt and hoo-ha are glued together to the bottom of the tub!'


There is a slight pause. She doesn't know any secret tricks for removal, but she does try to hide her laughter from me. She wants to know exactly where the wax is located, 'Are we talking cheeks or hole or hoo-ha?'


She's laughing out loud by now...I can hear her. I give her the rundown and she suggests I call the number on the side of the box. YEAH!!! Right! I should be the joke of someone else's night.


While we go through various solutions. I resort to trying to scrape the wax off with a razor Nothing feels better than to have your girlie goodies covered in hot wax, glued shut, stuck to the tub in super hot water and then dry-shaving the sticky wax off!


By now the brain is not working, dignity has taken a major hike and I'm pretty sure I'm going to need Post-Traumatic Stress counseling for this event. My friend is still talking with me when I finally see my saving grace ... the lotion they give you to remove the excess wax.


What do I really have to lose at this point? I rub some on and OH MY STARS!!! The scream probably woke the kids and scared the dickens out of my friend. It's sooo painful, but I really don't care. 'IT WORKS!!!


It works!' I get a hearty congratulation from my friend and she hangs up. I successfully remove the remainder of the wax and then notice to my grief and despair. THE HAIR IS STILL THERE...ALL OF IT!


So I recklessly shave it off. Heck, I'm numb by now. Nothing hurts. I could have amputated my own leg at this point.


Next week I'm going to try hair color...

And the doctor said

No more monkies jumping on the bed!

Oh wait, wrong doctor.

So I went to the doctor. He looked at my foot, examined it, pushed around, asked some questions. Then he said it could just be a really bad sprain but he was concerned that it might be a stress fracture because of the way I described it. So he took an x-ray which thankfully looked ok. Although he said he wanted his "ortho buddy" to take a look at it just to be sure because a lot of times it's hard to see stress fractures on x-rays.

He gave me a steroid pack to take, some Lortab for the pain, and told me to wear really supportive shoes. He'll call me after ortho buddy looks at the film just to let me know what he said. Then if I'm not better by Monday I have to get a bone scan. Good times.

I'm really hoping and praying that Emily is right in her comments from my last entry. I think that sounds a lot more easy to recover from. I don't have time for stress fractures.

Why is this so hard? I just want to be a runner. Why won't my body cooperate? Ugh. I think I definitely need some bon bons.

Vini Vidi Vici

Yep. That's right. I came, I saw, I conquered.

Actually I'm not sure that there was much conquering going on but I finished the run and that's what counts. Right?

So Sunday we got up at 5:00 (in the am...ugh!) and headed out to the starting post for the half marathon. As we were driving towards downtown with our windshield wipers on Hubby and I were both considering backing out. I think it's a really good thing that we were both running because we had each other as support. Seriously, it would have been really easy to just say, "Seriously, it's cold and rainy and who wants to run in that?!" Ya know?

I started getting a little bit worried about Eli too because he was going to just do the 5K and then he'd be done and just hanging by himself. I got him a fanny pack, much to his dismay. Apparently fanny packs aren't cool. Who knew! So he had Hubby's phone with him, a little cash, and his PSP. I told him to call me as soon as he finished so I would know he was safe.

Prior to the run Hubby said we needed to really take it easy since we hadn't been training like we should. He said he was going to run with me which would be great for him but um, how do I slow down and take it easy? I think actually it was a good thing that he ran with me because he really encouraged me and kept me on pace.

My time last year was 2 hours and 58 minutes. This January when we decided to run it again my goal was to make it in 2:45. Of course, you know that I didn't stick with my training at all so going into it on Sunday I really just hoped to be not too far after my time from last year.

I felt great for the first 10 miles. Seriously. It was kind of an amazing feeling because I just prayed that if I hurt it would just be normal long-distance running pain. Ya know? No IT band pain, no shin splints, etc. Just that normal soreness from running. Well, that's what happened and it was awesome. I really did feel great. The last 3 miles were tough. I was having trouble transitioning from my walking to running again. My thighs and calves were killing me. But Hubby pushed me forward and encouraged me to keep going. Knowing that poor Eli was waiting for us at the finish line and was "freezing cold" (as he told me on the phone) I knew I had to keep running to get to him. Then Hubby told me that there was a possibility I could actually make my original 2:45 goal. Wow.

I didn't quite make that goal but I did finish in 2:48:58. Almost 10 minutes better than last year! Go me! So I know that I can reach that 2:45 goal and I just pray that during our next run I can reach that goal.

So the good news is...I get to wear my new shoes. No, I didn't make my original goal of 2:45 but I figure beating my time at all from last year when I haven't been training deserved a pair of blingy shoes. Am I right?

The bad news is...something is wrong with my foot. I just had soreness all day on Sunday after the run and nothing in particular hurt. Then Monday morning I put on my new shoes and walked down the hallway and the outside of my left foot started hurting. I thought maybe it was the new shoes so I changed but it hurt in that shoe as well. It's gotten progressively worse and today I can barely put any weight on it. Not cool. I'm going to the doctor this afternoon and hopefully he can give me some insight. I've been taking Ibuprofen and icing it but it's just not helping. With just 31 days until the Vermont run I really need to get it fixed now!

By the way, if you'd like to see me running you can view pictures by clicking here. Then click on "pictures" and another window will pop up. If you'll search by BIB number you can view a few photos of Hubby and me running. My bib was kind of scrunched so you have to search Hubby's numbe which is H3874. I'm hoping that by Thursday maybe there will be a few more photos up. I may just have to order one of us crossing the finish line though. Pretty cool.

run 5, walk 2, repeat

How do you spell slacker?

M-A-R-G-O

Yep that's me, big time slacker here. The OCK Memorial Marathon is quickly approaching. Quickly as in less than a week. This Sunday. A mere 6 days away.

Have I been training? Um, no. Do I have a good excuse, or even any excuse at all? Um, no. I really don't know what's wrong with me. I just can't seem to get it together. Last January I joined Weight Watchers and committed to it and lost 20 pounds. That's also the point where we decided we'd run the half marathon and I knew I couldn't just go out and run 13.1 miles without training so I trained. I ran every Tuesday and Thursday and on Sunday's I did a long run, working my way up to 12 miles so that I would be strong and ready for the big run.

This January, after regaining those 20 pounds plus 5 extra (I'm a human yo-yo, I swear) I decided to get back on track with my Weight Watcher's program and I even mentioned how I was going to stay motivated by scheduling several runs throughout the year so I would keep training. A lot of good that's done me!

Hubby and I have both just not been training at all like we should be. We both keep saying that we'll do the run on the 27th but I'm not sure how we're going to manage just walking out there and running that distance without just dying. So on Saturday he told me he thought that we should probably do at least 8 miles this weekend just to see where we stand. If we made it through we could go ahead and do the 13.1, if it killed us we should just count that money as lost and aim for the next run in June. As nice as it would be to just back out of next weeks run though I know that I'll never get back into training if I don't just dive in. I don't want to be sitting here the week before our June run and still not have trained at all.

So yesterday, despite both of us fighting some nasty cold/allergy thing, we set off on our 8 mile run. The first 4 miles went ok. Miles 5 and 6 were exhausting. Miles 7 and 8 were absolutely awful. And those last 2 miles were uphill, which made it doubly worse. It stunk, it really did. But I did it, all 8 miles, and afterward although I felt like I wanted to die I was proud of what I'd accomplished.

So I'll be there on Sunday with bells on and I'll do my run 5 minutes/walk 2 minutes until I reach 13.1 miles and I'll get that finishers medal and t-shirt and hopefully that will be what I need to keep on running.

Rock on

Nearly 20 years ago Skid Row opened for Bon Jovi and Hubby was there to see them. So when I found out late last year that Bon Jovi would be coming to Oklahoma City I decided to get us tickets. I gave them to Hubby for Christmas and the concert was last night and it was awesome! Seriously awesome.

This was my first ever rock concert actually. My first concert ever was Conway Twitty and the Twitty Birds. Yep, you read that right. It was at the Cheyenne Frontier Days in Wyoming and my Dad and Step-Mom bribed me to go in by saying that they'd buy me this absurb flashing visor if I would be good for the rest of the show. It had already started when we got there so we went in the arena, found some seats, listened to about half a song and the concert was over. Score 1 for me and my new flashing hat!




When Hubby and I were dating and newlyweds we used to go to see George Strait in October. I think we went 3 years in a row and then just got too busy with kids and life to take a night out to go to a concert.

So I was pretty stoked to be going to my first rock concert last night and it was awesome having my best friend there with me. Chris Daughtry was opening last night but we didn't get to hear that much of him. We were running late as it was and then I tried to take my camera in but they wouldn't let me, which really ticked me off. I had my 28-75 lens on and the security guy said my lens couldn't be longer than 3 inches. So I took off the lens hood hoping he'd go for it but he wouldn't. So poor Hubby had to run all the way back to the car to put the camera away. What really ticked me off was sitting down and seeing the girl right next to me with the same exact camera as mine just shooting away! She even had a longer lens on her's! I made friends with her and wrote my email addy on a page from my Weight Watcher's journal (goodness knows I could afford to lose a page since I'm not tracking my points these days!). She said she'd email me photos and I hope she does. I really really hope she does. I did have Madi take a few shots of Hubby and me before we left the house. At least I have those. I still really really really hope that girl sends me her pics.



I think the funniest thing that happened last night was when I decided to try to call Madilee and let her hear Bon Jovi singing. I started to dial her number and then waited because I wanted to wait until a song came on that I was sure she would know. Then something came on I thought I'd recognize and I started to call her. Hubby leaned over and told me to look at the girl in front of me and there she was calling someone too. The readout on her phone showed she was calling Dad. Here I am calling my kid to let her listen and this young 20-something in front of me is calling her Dad. Man I feel old!

Sweet 13

Wow. Yep, that's right. Madi turned 13 today. I'm not sure how it's possible. Wasn't I just trying to convince her to wear clippies on her 2 little strands of hair the other day? Where'd the time go?

She had school today and was pleased to have a boy "ask her out". Basically that means that everyone knows they officially like each other. There's no actually going anywhere together. At least not for Madi.

She had practice after school and then we picked her up a bit early and took her Kyoto's where we had hibachi Japanese food. Funny that's her choice since that was always my choice as a little girl. She really is a lot like me. Scary.



I ordered a couple things for her online but they didn't all come in. Bummed about that. The other things should be here tomorrow though so that's not too bad. We did get her a charm bracelet and a #13 charm from James Avery. It's a bit extra special to me since my own Mother got one for me when I was about Madi's age. Then we also got her a pair of shoes she had wanted from Payless. Just like her momma, she loves her some shoes!

We'll have her party on Saturday with her friends and I'll be sure to share pictures after that. For tonight though I'm just trying to figure out how on earth she's now a teenager. I feel as shocked as she looks in the first photo!

Happy Birthday sweet girl. Now stop that growing!

Portrait of a strong woman

I recently went to Colorado for a spring break ski trip and had the opportunity to visit my Grandmother. It's been a few years at least since I've seen her and although I knew she was suffering from dementia I don't think anything could have prepared me for her condition. Prior to my trip, there was some question about whether or not I would be able to even visit her. In speaking with my Dad one day I told him I couldn't be that close to her (in the same state) and not go visit her. He told me, "She won't even know who you are." Maybe not, but I still had to go. And in my mind I thought that surely she would recognize me. Surely there was something I could say to her that would cause her to have some sort of memory of me.

Grandma Hein was born on February 21, 1914. She and Grandpa lived on "the farm" in Colorado and after my parents divorced I spent a lot of time at her house. Not nearly as much as my little sister Emily did since she wasn't in school but Grandma and Grandpa were local babysitters for us when we lived in Loveland with my Dad. I remember her always working hard in her garden. She grew and canned everything imaginable. Some of my favorites were her raspberries and cucumbers. String beans were plentiful too and I can remember sitting on the front porch helping her clean them.



Grandma gathered eggs and milked the cows and seemed to fear nothing. Her skin was wrinkled from her time in the sun. Her thumb scarred from cutting it in the oscilating fan one night when she was trying to cool us off. Her smile, always present as far as I can remember, was sometimes toothless if you caught her too early in the day before she had a chance to put her dentures in.

When Grandpa died (I think I was about 9 or 10 then?), Grandma continued keeping up with the farm. She still made us home made noodles and chicken soup with her delicious butterballs. Macaroni and cheese, apple butter, and cinnamon rolls I taste to this day are still compared to Grandma's home made versions. Nothing ever comes close to them either. We often went to visit my Great-Grandma, where Grandma would talk with her sister and mother in fluent German while Matt and Emily and I sat and devoured fresh cinnamon rolls.

The memories have faded some but they are still there; for me at least. Grandma is now a frail 94 year old woman. It's so difficult to look at her and know that she was once such a strong woman. At our visit she did not remember who I was. There wasn't a memory I could come up with that could make her remember my name, to show some sort of spark that helped me to know she recognized me.

Instead, she sat and watched my family while I spoke to her. She commented over and over again at what "a beautiful family" I had. She may not have known us but she was happy to have us there. And the biggest heart break came when it was time to go. Looking at my children, her Great-Grandchildren, she started crying and said, "They grow up so fast. And then they're gone." She said she wished we didn't have to leave and then she broke down and looked into my face with her kind blue eyes and asked, "Do you really have to leave?"

It was a truly heart-breaking afternoon. When I asked my father if she still spoke in German sometimes he turned and asked her if she remembered anything in her first language. She thought for just a second and then said, "Ich will nach hause gehen". I asked her what that meant and through her tears she said, "I want to go home." As hard as it will be when the Lord takes her from this world, I know she will be at peace and will truly be Home.