I didn't wanna watch anyway. So there!

Monday was Labor Day and the kids were off school on Tuesday for a "professional" day. Not sure what that means other than the kids would be home and I wouldn't be. Madi had a volleyball game in Broken Arrow (about an hour and a half away) and had to load the bus at 1:30. (It was actually 1:15 but I thought it was 1:30 and I had some major pms-teen-drama in my front seat trying to get to the junior high before the bus left. Good times.)

So since I was leaving work early to go to the game and since I had a stomach ache I just opted out of work that day. I loaded up the other 3 kiddos and we headed to Broken Arrow. The game was to start at 4:00 but Madi plays on the "A" team and up until that day, the "B" team always played before her. So I figured I had a little bit of time before they started. I'm looking around this store that I just ran into really quick and my cellie rings and it's Madi saying, "We play in 15 minutes". It's currently 3:45.

Apparently there are two gyms at this place so I hustle over to watch her play thinking I'll just zoom across town and then I remember I'm not in Stillwater anymore. Stupid traffic. It takes a while to get to where I'm going and then I find the gym but her team isn't playing there. I ask the man at the door taking money where she is and he says, "Go through there, out the doors, and then it's one of the big square buildings outside." Um, ok. Except that there are several big square buildings. Thanks for your help there mister.

I finally do find her gym at about 4:15. I go in and pay $5 for myself and $3 each for the kiddos. Not that they are going to actually watch the games. They still make me pay though. That's fine. It's not there fault that I have a big family. I don't mind being responsible for them. You know what I do mind though? I mind finding out that they already won a game and we're halfway through game 2 and kickin' hiney which means I just payed $14 for about 10 minutes! Seriously?!

On the advice of my fellow parents I marched right over to the lady who took my $14 check and asked if I could have it back and just wait outside. So we did. Wait outside. And a few short minutes later the 'neers beat the Bulldogs and we got to go home.



So my goal of taking pictures of every game and tournament hasn't been broken. Cause look. I did get a photo! A crappy one...but hey! It's a photo!

Madi's photoshoot

So there's this little field near my house and every time I drive by there I think about how I'd like to take pictures there. Actually, I think about how I'd like to drag a barstool and/or my Grandmother's chair there and take pictures of Madi. I mentioned this not long ago and Madi was all for it so this weekend we finally made the trek over and "got 'er done".

The original area where I wanted to shoot turned out not to be so great. It was a lot more overgrown then I realized and a little bit creepy. At one point I was squatting down to take a picture and noticed there was a little frog right in front of me. I wonder how many snakes and bugs were out there with us. *shudder*



The light in that area wasn't as nice as I'd hoped it would be either so we wandered over to where I could see better light and I hit the jackpot. I knew this pond was there but I didn't know there was a little area at the back of the pond that was perfect for taking pictures. Score! This property was sold recently and I'm not sure what the new owner will end up doing with it or when they'll do it. So until then I'm just going to keep trespassing and hoping I don't get caught!



Madi was a good sport and did everything I asked. She was only distracted by her cell phone, which I had to take away when I convinced her to change into a skirt and she didn't have a pocket for it. Man, that thing rings nonstop! She also got a bit distracted when her friend Kiley and dog Sadie showed up from around the corner. Sadie got to have her picture taken too but I couldn't convince Kiley to let me take any shots of her. There's always next time though!



I had a lot of fun editing these photos using some new Photoshop actions I found. It's amazing how different you can make the photos look in post processing! Feel free to mosey on over to flickr to check them out here. Enjoy!

Keepin' busy

So lots and lots and lots of stuff going on. So much stuff that I'm starting to have a bit of an issue with keeping it all straight. Yeah. That much stuff.

School has started again. Piano has started. Volleyball. Fusion. Cheerleading. Gymnastics. Dance. Yep, full swing. Serious full swingage.


Last weekend Madilee had her first volleyball tournament with her 8th grade school team. They won every single match in just two games and ended up getting first place in the gold bracket. Super fun to watch them win after not always winning during the club volleyball season. They've had 2 games since then and I'm pleased to say that they are still undefeated. Go Pioneers!

I didn't get to watch the bracket play on Saturday because my sister Emily came back to Oklahoma and she and our sister Amy and I had our 3rd Annual Sister Sleepover. Lots of fun staying up late gabbing and eating cookie dough. Pictures to follow soon. I promise!



On Monday Eli went in to the orthodontist to get braces. He was not a happy camper Monday night. Or Tuesday for that matter. Thank goodness God made him a boy. He never would have survived life as a girl with monthly pain and then labor. Seriously.

I'm looking forward to the long weekend. Except that I'm doing a 5K tomorrow in Norman which means I have to wake up early early to get there and I don't wanna. I don't wanna. I don't wanna!

There. Now I'm done.

Enjoy the long weekend!

Chiwobble

Poor poor little Liza Jayne!



Liza is our Chihuahua/Poodle mix and she is awfully wobbly these days. I was in the shower yesterday morning after my run and Hubby came in and said, "There's something wrong with Liza". I looked out to see her just laying on her left side, looking all limp. We'd try to stand her on her legs and she'd do the wet noodle thing and just fall over onto her left side. Hubby felt around on her legs and she didn't whimper or yelp like she was in pain.

So I finished getting ready and headed to the vet with her. Of course, by the time we got there she was 10 times better. Just like the kids. Sicker than a dog (pun intended!) at home and then you take them to the doctor and they are miraculously healed. So frustrating!




I didn't have an appointment so I was prepared to wait but they got me right in and examined her. The vet decided that she had an inner ear infection and she basically had vertigo. Bless her heart! They had to keep her there for the day to do an ear flush. Then they tested the goop they got out to see what sort of bacteria it was so they knew what medications to prescribe. These meds are pretty cute with the little paw print on top. I guess that's so I don't accidentally try to feed them to the kids?

They said that the first 24-48 hours she may actually be worse and she really is. It's pretty pitiful. She prefers laying in her comfy bed in her crate. I did get her out last night before bed so she could take her medicine. Hubby would say her name and she'd look towards him and her little head just wobbles all around. I'm hoping that she'll feel better by tomorrow. It's hard to see her so puny when she's usually such a happy peppy little thing!

Yo Candice!

Where's your blog? I just realized I never added you to my friends area so I clicked on your name from my comment but I don't see a blog. Do you no longer have it? Is it private? Come on girl, let me link up wit choo! (Like my Ebonics?)

Made it through the first day

Look! I'm back already. With pictures! Everyone survived the first day of school for the most part. Here's a rundown...


Madi loves her new math teacher. She doesn't struggle in math like I did when I was younger but I think having a math teacher that you really enjoy is always a bonus. She's taking Spanish this year and said that her teacher wouldn't speak in English. So Madi turned around to ask her friend sitting behind her if she understood and then the teacher started getting onto her for talking in class. Except that she was getting onto her in Spanish, which of course Madi didn't understand. She actually really does know quite a bit of the language, seeing as how El Vaquero is her second home. She really didn't have a lot to report other than that.


Eli called me as soon as he got home from school with a report of a great first day at the middle school. He said he thought that the day would go by slower but it went really quickly. He liked all of his classes and all of his teachers. When we picked up his schedule last week we realized he wasn't placed in the Extended Studies class and so he requested that it be added. It is a semester long course so he knew he would lose one of his electives and was hoping it wouldn't be Spanish. He was thrilled to find out that he'd been added to Extended Studies during the second semester and that this semester he got art and Spanish. Yeah!


Little Miss Sheradyn had a fantastic day. She said she made 2 new friends on the bus. She loves her new teacher and got to go to music class yesterday which was fun. She also says the new playground is "soooooo much fun!". Can't beat that, right? I asked her if everyone called her Sheradyn and she said, "Yes, but some of my close friends kept forgetting and called me Sadie". Well, of course they did!


Then there's my little Teagers. The two little girls that I sat her with when they were lined up in the gym ended up being nice. Thank goodness! She said she made friends with those two girls and then one other girl that was sitting at her table. She couldn't remember any of their names though. So Brad's instructions to her before he left this morning were to find out her new friends names. She called me after school when she got off the bus and I asked her how her first day was. She said, "It was good. But the bus wasn't." I asked her what happened on the bus and she started crying and said she didn't want to say it because it was embarassing. It really wasn't that big of a deal. But the fact that my little baby came home from her first day of school crying and was so upset about it just broke my heart! Apparently, she sat near the back of the bus. Big mistake, cause everyone knows the bad kids sit in the back. I obviously need to teach my 6 year old where the good kids sit! So, her panties were showing above the waistband of her jeans in the back and I guess a group of older boys all counted to three and then yelled something like "Your pants are falling down!" at her. And then of course they all giggled and laughed and pointed. Bless her heart. I can't tell you how much I wanted to beat up some little 3rd grade boys when she was trying to tell me this story through her little sobs. Mean kids. They really suck.

So there ya go. The whole rundown of the first day of school for my kiddos. Hopefully today was better for little Teagan. And if it wasn't then I'm beating up some little boys. Oh, I've got more photos too if you'd like to see them. Cause you know how I love to take me some photos! You can find them
here. Enjoy!

And they're off...

Today is the first day. I don't like it. I think I don't like the first day because it means that they are a year older and that much closer to being grown and gone. I have some serious issues with the kids getting older.

Madi's in 8th grade. She made the Volleyball "A" team. She's at the junior high. JUNIOR HIGH! How the heck did that happen?

Eli's in middle school. I told him to impress the teachers and not to kiss girls in the hallway. His girlfriend of over a year (yep, that's what I said) is finally at his school. I think their relationship has lasted this long because they didn't go to the same school and rarely saw each other. Now they'll see each other every day. I give 'em two months TOPS before they go their seperate ways.

The little girls are at a new elementary school because our districts were rezoned. The building is new. The classmates are new. The teachers are all new. Sadie actually has a few people in her class that she knows and one girl is one of her best little friends. I put her full name on all her paperwork so the teacher was expecting Sheradyn. Monday night at the meet-your-teacher night Sadie said, "I want to be Sheradyn this year!" so Sheradyn it is. We'll see how long it lasts.

I'm most worried about Teagan. There was only one little boy in her class that she new from her old school and he is a little trouble maker! She was really sad that she didn't know anyone in her class. So this morning when I took her everyone was in the gym lined up by class. I found her class, then found the cutest little girl I could find and introduced her to Teagan and plopped her down. There were actually 2 little girls there together and I think they may have known each other already. Then I followed them to class and Teagan sat at a table with those 2 girls and another 2 girls that looked nice. I also met another Mom who was worried about her daughter not knowing anyone. Her daughter's name is Kennedy and she was a little cutie with dark hair cut the same way Teagan's is cut. After sitting at their little desks for a few minutes, the teacher had them all get a book to sit and read and Teagan came back to her desk with The Runaway Bunny.

It was at that point that I started tearing up. I don't remember a lot from my very early childhood but one thing I remember is my Mom reading me The Runaway Bunny and Goodnight Moon. It just sort of hit me then how old I am and how my kids are growing up so quickly and making their own memories. I don't know why it's so hard for me. I know there are many many wonderful days and experiences ahead for us. I just miss them being small and home with me all the time. I guess that's a good thing. I know there are a lot of parents who can't wait for school to start back up. I'm just not one of them.

I took pictures but only had time to upload the ones of Madi. I'll post a link soon with all of their photos. Promise.

Double Tag

It's no secret that I haven't been blogging like a good blogger should. Oh well. Right? However, I was just catching up on Brooke's blog and see that she tagged me. Twice. Oops.

So here ya go. Tag 1...or everything-you-probably-already-know-or-don't-want-to-know-about-Margo:

Name: Margo Elizabeth Stewart
Maiden name: Hein
Eye Color: Butterscotch (that's basically brown, but my mom always said Butterscotch)
Hair Color: Naturally? It's a really dark muddy looking blonde.
Height: 5'9"ish, I think I've shrunk down to about 5'8" actually but I still say 5'9"
How would you describe yourself? First thing that popped in my mind...loud
Either/Or Shy or Outgoing? Outgoing
Spender or Saver? Um...spender. *blush*
Truth or Dare? Dare. The truth can be kinda scary sometimes.
Books or Movies? Books
Romantic Comedy or Action/Adventure? Romantic Comedy
Cats or Dogs? Hmmmm, neither really. I love our Liza and my Inu was awesome. Hmmmm, guess I'd say dogs.
Mountain or Beach? Are there cabana boys at the mountain? Beach!
Sweet or Salty? Sweet
Do you...Get Annoyed Easily? Seriously? What kind of question is that! (Does that give you the answer?
Like to Travel? LOVE to travel
Like to drive fast? Yes, because I'm usually in a hurry
Sing Well? I like to think I'm a fairly good singer
Have a Talent? I can wiggle my ears
Watch Scary Movies? Yep
Shave your legs everyday? Nope
Floss regularly? ROFL
Get Motion Sickness? Yep
Have you ever...Performed on Stage? Yep
Been out of the country? Where? Yep...Japan, London, Mexico, Jamaica, Grand Cayman
Had any body hair waxed? Yep
Lied about your age? Yep
Used a fake ID? I tried to use Denise's just so I could get into a club when I was 17Gotten a Speeding ticket? Yep
What is...The last CD you bought? Paul Wright
The last movie you saw in the Theater? Wall.E
The last Movie you rented? Vantage Point
Your Greatest Fear? Losing my children or Brad
Your Greatest Strength? I don't know. ???
Your Greatest Weakness? I an think of many more weaknesses than strengths.
Your Happiest Memory? I have lots of them. Anything involving my mom. My wedding day. The days my kids were born.
Your Favorite...Movie: Princess Bride
TV Show: Hmmm, right now I'm enjoying Swingtown.
Actor: Can't think of just one.
Actress: Hmmm, I just don't know
Food: Anything
Drink: Diet Pepsi
Color: green
Scent: lilac
Season and WHY: Fall, the trees change and the air gets cool and it just feels like everything is starting over
Day of the Week and WHY: Friday, the weekend is here!
Favorite Stores: Bookstores, I can get lost in them forever. I also really love New York and Company but I rarely get to go there.
Quote: "Whether you believe you can or you believe you can't, you're absolutely right"
What do you Think About....
Miracles: They happen
Astrology: Don't follow it but I know I'm a Leo.
War: It'll always happen
Ghosts: I don't know
Reincarnation: Not a believer
Karma: What goes around comes around.
Luck: I think some people do seem to have a lot of luck but I'm sure it's more than that.
Aliens: Who knows
Tell us one of your most embarrassing moments: Doing a summer sault at Brooke Martin's birthday party in the 7th grade and farting. Her mom and brother came in from the other room it was so loud. I played it off and laughed with everyone but I was pretty embarassed.


Tag 2: How Quirky are you?

The RULES
1. Link the person who tagged you... Brooke
2. Post these rules.
3. Tell about 6 unspectacular quirks of yours.
4. Tag 6 fellow bloggers by linking them

Okay, you asked for them...

1. I have this thing where I have to sit with something solid on my left side. Like on the airplane, I need to be on the left side of the plane by the window. In a booth at a restaurant, I need to be on the left side of the booth. Preferably by the way unless the kids are with us then I get the aisle. At church, I need Brad on my left side. I feel completely off balance if I'm sorry else.

2. For as long as I can remember I have twirled my hair. I like to sift through the top layers to the really soft stuff underneath that doesn't have hair spray on it. Then I run it through my thumb and first two fingers until I eventually wrap it around my index finger to make a loop. Then I sit and rub the loop for a minute before I finally put it between my nail and the tip of my finger. Then I start the process all over again.

3. I don't do this as much anymore because I'm getting old and my bones hurt. But there was a time when I always had my left leg propped up. If I was sitting in a chair it was tucked up under me. Standing in the bathroom drying my hair I would have it up on the counter. Driving down the street, it's bent at the knee and my left foot is on the seat with my knee touching the window. I do still do this sometimes but I rarely sit with it under me because my knees hurt. :(

4. I have to brush my teeth first thing in the morning. The very first thing I do when I wake up is pee and then I brush my teeth. I sometimes have to stray from that but there is pretty much never a time that I go more than about 15 minutes of being awake without brushing my teeth. I can't stand that morning breath taste. Ugh.

5. I'm a really slow eater and I want to enjoy it. Especially my dinner. If I have something to do in the evening, like take a kid somewhere then I prefer to do that first and then eat. Otherwise I feel rushed and I don't enjoy my meal. I want to be able to sit down, relax, and eat and be done with the day.

6. I take a really long time to tell a story. Brad hates this. (Actually, there are a lot of these quirks that really drive him crazy.) When I tell a story I want to paint the picture for you. Like when I told Brad that I was at Goody's and my phone rang and it was a girl I used to work with. Which was weird because I haven't talked to her in ages but there she was calling me. So I answered it and she said, "Hey Margo, it's Kimberly. Do you have rental property?" I told her yes I did and she said she was out looking for a duplex to rent and saw the sign in the yard of one of ours and plugged the number into her phone to call and it started dailing me which she thought was really really weird. Then Brad asked if she wanted to rent it and I said no. He would have been happy with me just saying, "Someone called about the duplex but it didn't work out for them." But that wouldn't have been nearly the story that mine ended up being. Right?


Ok, I'm too lazy to tag anyone else. If you read this and you have a blog then...TAG you're it!

There, how's that?

Mother Nature

One day this spring after Eli's baseball game, as the boys sat in a team huddle hearing about all the mistakes they made during that nights game, Brad leaned over to me and whispered, "Why does that tree have girl parts?" (He actually used the correct anatomical word for it but I have issues with that word and prefer "girl parts".)

Being the friend that I am, I promptly told Brook about the tree. Then, while on vacation in Mexico earlier this summer she happened to find the
perfect match for our Stillwater tree.

So Father Nature lives in Mexico, huh? Who knew!

Home

We're home. Good times in Arizona. I uploaded one good picture to share. Hopefully I'll have a chance tomorrow to share. Not about our trip, but something funny. Something to look forward to. Yippee!

Crispy

That's how my chest looks today. A bit crispy and red. Gotta love the hot Arizona sun.

Yesterday we had a big huge breakfast and then spent some time out at the pool. Afterwards we were planning on going to Oregano's for lunch but my stomach hurt from too much for breakfast. I was looking forward to the big huge cookie dessert and knew that I couldn't go there if I wasn't able to have a good full meal. *wink*

So we hit the Kierland shopping area and visited the Victoria's Secret, the Lucy store, and a couple other places just for window shipping before we hopped in the car to head back to the hotel.

After spending more time at the pool we retired to our room and played a couple games before heading to bed.

Today we pretty much did the same thing. Breakfast, pool, shopping at a nearby mall...OREGANO'S for lunch YUM!, more pool. Now we're chillin' in the room before bed.

We leave late tomorrow night. I'm not looking forward to work on Monday. This seems like the last hoorah of summer. And summer seems to have just started. I don't know where the time goes these days!

It's HOT!

So I've been scarce. I went to Branson with the Jr. High group at church and followed it up with a short week at work, getting out on Friday for the 4th of July celebrations. Then we had a 3 day weekend followed by another short week as I finished up an order I had to do, cleaned, did laundry, and worked. (Have I mentioned lately how inconvenient this J.O.B. is?) I was up until 2:00 in the morning getting us all packed so that we could head out for our summer family vacation today.

We left Oklahoma City at around 12:00 and arrived in Phoenix at 12:15. Short flight?! Nope, time change. *wink*

We had free tickets (courtesy of our mega-spending on our Southwest Visa), got a great rate at an Embassy Suites (government jobs rock!) and we're having a blast in Phoenix! It's HOT here. And actually, it's COOL! Apparently it's monsoon season so it's rainy but we didn't have any until tonight after we were done at the pool. Unfortunately, that means the "dry heat" isn't really all that dry. I think perhaps we brought some of the humidity with us from Oklahoma. We just can't seem to escape it!

So we're just chillin'. Relaxing. And when we get home in a few days I'll hopefully have an album full of pictures to share. Until then, I'll just update with fun stories of our days in this fun HOT place they call Arizona!

Just stuff

Summer has hit us full force and we are in the midst of the craziness that it brings. I thought I'd just do a quick update post for the very few people who regularly check my blog and are probably currently wondering if I'm still alive. I am alive but I sure am tired!

~Madi and Eli went to Camp Cyokamo a couple weeks ago for a week with the Jr. High group at church. They had an absolute blast and came home with a renewed desire to learn about Christ which is, of course, always awesome! Madi met a boy named Luke from Missouri who she quickly hit if off with. While they were "going out" at camp they have since decided that they should probably just be friends since they live so far away.

~The next week all 4 kiddos headed to Collinsville for Nana and Grandpa camp. Although they were bummed that their cousins were only there with them for a couple of days, they still all had a terrific time. Madi even talked Rachel into driving her to Tulsa on Tuesday to meet up with Luke who was in town visiting friends. Everyone but the two little girls went and had lunch with him and then they all went roller skating. Sounds like they had a fun time. However, on Thursday Madi learned that Luke's mother had passed away after a long battle with cancer the night before. Say a prayer for him and his family if you have a chance. I know how difficult it is to lose your mother.

~I picked the kids up in Collinsville on Saturday and then we hit Target and Kohl's in Owasso for some retail therapy. While at Target I ran into Krista, who I haven't seen in 5 years! She actually saw Eli and Sadie while they were looking in the book section and even though it had been years since seeing them she knew exactly who they were. They were initially a little freaked out that some stranger knew so much about them (especially when Krista told Sadie that she helped name her!) but then Eli recognized the name Krista and told her where to find me in the store. We visited for a bit there in the clothing department and exchanged cell phone numbers so we could at least text and keep up with each other a bit better. And of course Madi got Hagen's number and they've already become texting friends with each other.

~This past weekend I went with Madi and Eli to Branson with the jr. high group from church. Sunday night we watched The Promise which was an amazing show about the life of Christ. We spent all day Monday at Silver Dollar City and followed it up with a huge meal from Lamberts where the kids all enjoyed having rolls thrown at them. Then after a stop at the flagship Bass Pro Shop in Springfield yesterday morning we headed home. Man did it feel good to sleep in my own bed last night!

~Brad has been superman lately finishing up 2 homes that both close this week. He works all day at his "real" job and then heads over to the lots to make sure everything is running smoothly and on schedule. That boy deserves a break!

~It's now been a full month since I've run and I feel like a slug. Seriously, just like a big slug needing some salt poured on it's back! I just can't get in the groove. With all the craziness in our schedule it's so hard for me to find a consistent time to do it. I hate getting up early but I think that's what I'm going to have to just break down and do because it's just too steamy to do it in the afternoon after work. I've got to get back on track before I blow up like a balloon!

~Although I didn't get to take pictures with my camera in Branson (because stupid me left the battery at home!) I have been taking quite a bit lately. My desire to do photography continues to grow but I still worry about whether or not I'm capable of it. I guess I'll just keep on keeping on and see where it takes me.

So, I guess that's about it. Work has been mad crazy so I'm not able to really get on as much. Hopefully soon I'll have some fun pictures and posts to share with you. Until then, enjoy the summer!

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