Another marathon memento to put around my neck

The other day I saw a website that made necklaces for athletes.

I decided I HAD to HAVE a necklace in honor of the marathon I ran...2 years ago.

Isn't it spiffy?  You get to customize the charm piece with a map of the town you ran the race in.

My only question is.... Do I need 13 of them for each half marathon I've run?????

Check out thesilvermaple.com for more ideas.

Don't judge a book by its cover

A few weeks ago I went for a run in the morning before work (which I hadn't done for a while - even to say it hasn't been a while would be an exaggeration).  I noticed an older boat of a car parked in an odd spot (kind of the middle of nowhere). A man was standing outside of it with the trunk open and passenger door open. He was Windexing the passenger window - it was 5:45 in the morning.

The scene was definitely weird to me and my mind started to come up with random scenarios.

The one it settled on was that he was a kidnapper. I don't know why - the man was not threatening in any way - but it was the combo of the car (with the trunk open) and him windexing the freaking window at 5:45 AM.

I noticed there was a lady behind me walking her dogs. I kept running and let my mind wonder at the possibilities. "Does he use the people he kidnaps skin to make a skin outfit for himself - no wait - that's silence of the lambs".   "Does he like tall women, chubby women, redheads, etc."

{Side note - for those of you who think I am a freak - tell me what else my mind should be thinking about when I run. It has to drift off somewhere, doesn't it?}

I decided to change my route home - I was just too freaked out to go by the car again.  In my heart of hearts I new there was no harm or immediate threat to myself, but I secretly decided to watch the news that night to see if he made the crime report. 

I then wondered about the lady I saw behind me walking the dogs and wondered if he kidnapped her. (Can we say wild imagination?)

Luckily, I saw her down the road so I ran past her, and against all my better judgement - I decided to ask her if she was as creeped out by the guy windexing his windows with the trunk open.  She said no -he is there all the time. He's a runner and usually is stretching or something.

Boy did I feel like a ding bat (or rather I decided my imagination was a ding bat - I was just looking out for it - ha ha).

Fast forward to this week. I went running in the morning again (woo hoo - twice in one summer - wow).  On the return loop I ran past the street I had seen the man before and low and behold he was there running in my direction.  He make the corner before I got there. I figured, in my young age, I would eventually pass him (I estimate his age at 65+).  He was slightly ahead of me and I COULD NOT FOR THE LIFE OF ME CATCH UP WITH HIM. He is freaking fast!   I was shocked and appalled. I know I'm no speed demon - but come on - there's gotta be a 30 year age gap!  Nope - not a chance - the dude was gone!

So - the moral of the story is to never judge a book by its cover...

(or if you Windex your car windows in the wee early hours of the morning... with the trunk open... you'll run faster).

Loving my Lisa Leonard necklace

I finally ordered the pinwheel necklace from Lisa Leonard Design that I've had my eye on for a while and I love it. I'm pumped that I got to customize the saying. Instead of "play every day" I had it say "play laugh love". 

The photo doesn't do it justice.

(Sweet bonus I can even reuse the cute box and tissue paper.)

She also has a molded heart bracelet that I have my eye on, but I don't wear bracelets much so I'm thinking about it in necklace format.

Anyway - if you are ever interested check out her website: lisaleonardonline.com.

All you need is LOVE

In life...all you need is

Here is a short list about what I loved about this weekend:

A great camping trip filled with amazing weather, plentiful friends, a long float on the river, and kids exploring the great outdoors.

I love (although might regret) that now when my son sees my friends he claps and shouts "Yea! The margarita moms".

Getting immersed in a good book.

S'mores made with Andes mints - very refreshing.

Kids catching crawdads.

Bacon & beer pancakes for breakfast.

Dogs having a fun play date.

Seeing my son doing an amazing job riding his bike without training wheels.

Thinking about friends and family all across the world.

Kids faces with ice cream mustaches, sticky marshmallow lips, and/or streaks of dirt.

How a shower feels after a long weekend away.

Getting to hold a newborn baby for the first time and remembering when my kids were that little. 

Sharing a fun moment with two great friends and their baby.  Getting to see how their hearts swell with the love of their newest addition.

What did you love about your weekend????

Traditions

I started a tradition of taking the kids out for ice cream after their first & last day of school. This year I started another great tradition that I will look forward to for many years to come - Margaritas for Mommies after the first day of school. Five of us gathered to celebrate - and gave the kids an opportunity to play and talk about how fun school is. After all - it's all about the kids, right? It was great fun for everyone!!!  I contemplated Mimosas for Mommies after we drop them off, but then I figured that would just lead to a very unproductive day.

They say every day isn't great....

Every day isn't great - but there is something great in every day.  This weekend was living proof of that.  To me, weekends start on Friday afternoon, and this week my Friday afternoon was ROUGH.  Despite it being the birthday of 2 wonderful people {Michael and Eleanor} it was also the day of the memorial service for my children's principal {Mr. C} and the day I found out about some complications that happened to my friend and her child during the babies delivery.  To say the least, that part of the weekend was not great. I sobbed the entire memorial service. I honestly couldn't control myself and walked away with a wal-mart bag full of used kleenex (I'm a smart thinker and brought in my own box of tissues). My mind was then busy praying for my friend and her baby. 

To help me snap out of my funk I decided to share the great things that did happen this weekend. Things I am very grateful for:

* My youngest decided that once the baby (mentioned above) was born - he would no longer use training wheels while bike riding.  By golly he stayed true to his word and on Friday he was riding without training wheels. The most amazing part is that I didn't have to help him AT ALL ~ he just took off riding and did it! (I did find out later that he had been practicing at day care.)

* I got to go shopping while camping. A girl's dream come true!  The hubby and kids when on a scheduled hike with a group of other people and I wanted to dash up to the hospital to check on friend/baby.  After finding out that they were improving wonderfully I had time to run to a few stores and stop at a few garage sales (that just happened to be en route to the stores). I got some screaming deals at the Real Deals store (that is only open two days a week), picked up some great sale items at JoAnn Fabric, and found some stuff for camping at the garage sales.  The hike was a success for the rest of my family and my outing was a success for me!

* During the camping trip I got to spend some quality times with the kids in the great outdoors. No bill paying, tv watching, house cleaning, or laundry washing to distract us.  (We also enjoyed more reeses peanut butter cup smores - YUM.)

* One day/night I got to read the first numbered book in the Janet Evanovich series about Stephanie Plum. I'd been wanting to find a good book that was an easy entertaining read and I got that with this book. I was actually bummed that I didn't have #2 with me so I could start reading it too.

* I got to enjoy a fun four wheeler ride with Jennifer (a different one) and our kids.  We first went on a nice mommies only ride and then picked up the youngsters. With them we stopped to take pictures by a waterfall and even let the kids pick out a rock to keep as a souvenir (because you know a kid can never have to many rocks).  I haven't been on a four wheeler for probably 7 years so it was nice to go on a relaxing ride with a friend and share it with a child too.

* After coming back home (and taking necessary showers) we headed back to town and enjoyed a dinner out at our favorite burrito restaurant and then peeked in on friend/baby to discover they were both doing AWESOME!!! Baby was making huge improvements and Mommy was recovering really well.  Talk about putting a smile on my face and warmth in my heart!

Here are a few other photos from the weekend.

All the kids and teachers were invited up on stage during the memorial service to sing the school motto in memory of their principal. Then everybody got together (arms linked) and sang 'take me out to the ball game' in his memory because he loved baseball. It was a really special moment where we were all able to come together in Mr C's honor.

The ONLY way to eat a smore from here on out!! How did I not think of this sooner?

I love how I'm not the only one who can just stare at a campfire. I'm not sure why it is so mesmerizing and requires people to stare at it for hours.

Sample of above mentioned fire.

There were a few minor injuries while camping.  Two bike wrecks and a woman (me) who thought she could chop wood - while wood decided it should fly off at warp speed and hit me in my shin.

Getting ready for the first day of school

This year I've planned ahead and have big ideas for the first day of school. Although it is normal for me to take a (few) first day photos - I wanted to step it up a notch this year and make something that will make the photos more unique - and help me remember crucial information years from now.

Here is a sample of the poster I'm going to have each child hold for their morning picture.

It's just a simple PowerPoint that I plan on customizing with the teacher's name, school, date school starts, and the kids age (i.e. the crucial information that will help with memory loss years from now).  I printed it on card stock and am going to glue it to a piece of scrap booking paper (in their favorite color).  I'm definitely still going to take photos in front of the school, with the teacher, by the classroom, etc. but at least this one will be a little more unique.

I also want to take the time to do a first day of school survey (can't call it a quiz - don't want the kids to freak). It falls along the lines of information you used to fill out in their baby book when they said their first word, what their favorite food was, favorite stuffed animal, etc. I combined ideas off of a few different posts on pinterest and made my own.  My favorite part is having them write their name. I'm excited to see how their handwriting progresses over the years.

Here's my survey (that I printed on card stock so it will last longer):

2011 First Day of School Survey

Write Your Name: ___________________________________

Grade: ___________________                  Age: ____________________

Favorite Food: ______________________________________________

Favorite Drink: _____________________________________________

Favorite TV Show: ___________________________________________

Favorite Activity: ___________________________________________

Favorite Game to Play: ________________________________________

Favorite Movie: _____________________________________________

Favorite Song to Sing: ________________________________________

Favorite Candy/Snack/Dessert: _________________________________

Favorite Color: _____________________________________________

Favorite Toy: _______________________________________________

Favorite Animal: ____________________________________________

Favorite Book: ______________________________________________

Best Friend: _______________________________________________

What makes you happy? _______________________________________

What makes you sad? ________________________________________

What do you want to be when you grown up? ________________________

The last idea I have (also from pinterest) is to trace their hand onto thick paper (card stock, scrap booking, or cardboard).  Cut them out and then put them on a little ring. After doing this year after year I'll have a nice visual of how much they've grown. I'm a sucker for hand prints!



What are you planning on doing? Please share other ideas (before it is to late and they are graduating high school).

Accessorizing on the wild side

My sister-in-law {Gail} can wear all types of jewelry and make it look not only gorgeous but also natural. I really admire her sense of style and how she just knows what will look good together.  I decided to take my admiration a step further and try to spice up my jewelry collection and step out side the box of what I normally wear (wedding band and boring silver post earrings).  So today I took a step on the wild side and wore a beautiful new necklace I just purchased from Allora Handmade. I originally saw it on Lisa Leonard Online where she mentioned that several people stopped her to ask about the necklace. Flip through some of her other 'what I wore Wednesday' posts and you'll see it matched with several other outfits. My closet consists of navy, brown, and black. Nothing in moss green yet that is the color I feel in love with - and am SO glad I did!

I contemplated getting the mini version but that would be skimping on stepping outside the box. I'm so glad I didn't skimp and got the wilder (for me) full size version.  Super duper cute. I'm now coveting another color {mustard} (another color not currently found in my closet) but she is all sold out so I have to wait [patiently]. (P.S. Sign up on-line for her newsletter and get a code for 15% off your first order.)

Today I also sported a new ring that was also inspired by {Gail}.

I got it at Dillards on a recent shopping trip.
I originally wanted it on my pointer finger

but quickly realized my finger is a little plumper than I thought so I had to switch it to my ring finger.

The switch wasn't a big deal - I just thought it was more outgoing of me to wear it on the pointer finger.

His, Hers, Theirs

I'm not really artsy fartsy (well...maybe...ha ha) but today I decided to step outside the box and embrace my creative side.  Typically what happens is I have wonderful visions in my head, but then I put pen to paper and the final result looks nothing like my original vision so I tend to not utilize my artistic side. 

Today was a slight exception. Perhaps because there was no painting or drawing - only paper, scissors, and glue. Drum roll please.....here is my creation......

Heart cut outs of the town where my husband was born, I was born, and where our children were born.  Glue em to card stock paper and you're done. 
Finishing that projected motivated me to reorganized a bookshelf where I can display it. 

Before:

After:

I bought the word FAMILY from Ross for $7 and the star from Joanns for half price.  The one of a kind bird artwork is compliments of my son.   My only problem is that there is a lot going on in a little space, so I will probably reorganize some more, but it will work for today!

The hole in my heart

There is a hole in my heart today, a hole in my boy's school, and a hole in our community.  I try to keep my blog posts whimsical and uplifting - unfortunately this post will not be like that. This post in in honor of my boy's principal who passed away this weekend (I think due to complications from a heart attack).  To respect his family, who doesn't know me from Eve, I will just call him Mr. C. 

Ever since Mr. C found my son standing by the side of the road waiting for his daycare to pick him up after school (they left without him)- and sent him back inside to the warmth and safety of the secretaries office so she could call me to come and get him - Mr. C has been a saint in my book.  He is the principal that knew every kids name and was constantly seen walking the halls/perimeter of the school interacting with the students/parents/teachers.  He was a very hands on principal who held little competitions over the school intercom and kept kids active.  To put it simply - he was a great man.

I had a family tragedy of my own a few years ago so I am all to familiar to the damn grief cycle and right now I am MAD. Real MAD. Not at Mr. C - heck no - I could never be mad at him - I am mad that such a wonderful man who touched so many lives and affected the future of our children was taken away at such a young age.  He was only 53.   I'm mad at myself for never thinking about the fact that he also had a family of his own - because to me that school was his family.  I am mad that despite him living a healthy life and being a runner - that it wasn't enough.  I am mad for many other selfish reasons.  I am also sad - so very sad because I know he still had a long fulfilling life ahead of him and it was taken away from him to soon. 

I hope this blog post helps me find some peace because damn it - I don't want to put on my big girl panties and deal with the reality that this is life - that it happens every day to loved one. I know that first hand from my own tragedy and it just reminds me that I don't deal well with death.  Friends I know have lost parents, siblings, and even spouses and I haven't dealt well with those losses either. I have a hard time comforting them properly perhaps because I know first hand the pain they are feeling - and it adds and extra hole to my heart to know I can't help them - I can't take away their pain - I can't change the outcome - and that quite possibly the only way the pain softens a little is with time and the only way they will know that is with time.  There is no use telling them that 'time heals' because it takes a long - long time.  You will never fully get over the heartache, but the ache will eventually soften.

I am currently reading a book called Miler Markers by Kristin Armstrong and just yesterday I read a paragraph that seems truer today than yesterday. "When people are hurting we want to reach out, help, solve, assist, support, love and comfort.  Yet our desires are often thwarted by futility. We can't cure cancer. We can't heal a child.  For as much as we wish we could, we can't always make things okay." I think that sums up pretty well how helpless and mad I currently feel.

I hate the saying 'everything happens for a reason', because I see no reason for the loss of my loved one, my friend's brother, my friend's husband, or Mr. C.  They were all good people - and instead bad people still get to live on this earth. 

Right now I think the best thing I can do is to continue to remind my children that they need to properly honor Mr. C by doing what I can only assume he would have wanted them to do - and that is to live their life to the fullest, always try their hardest and do their best, never take life for granted, and to always be respectful, responsible, and ready to learn. 

I'll end this post in tears and by trying to remind all of us to practice some of the words in the country song "live like you were dying".  Hug your kids longer tonight, give them extra kisses, and hope that the hundreds of kids that had Mr. C as a principal are dealing with this better than I am.

The 26.2 most important reasons why women run - part 1

I just got this book from the library (yea library) and am already hooked and I am only on page 4! 

"I am not a good runner because I am me, I am a good me because I am a runner....Running is connected to my family, my parenting, my spiritual life, my fitness, my friendships, my health, my sanity, my peace. I can clear my head and solve problems when I run, or make peace with not knowing. I can find beauty, or at least redemption, no matter what."

I can only hope the next 272 pages are as good as the first 4. I will keep you posted!

(The book is called Mile Markers and it is written by Kristin Armstrong.)

Sweet Summertime

I love summer. I mean really LOVE summer. I grew up in the south where we had 9 months of summer and now I live in the northwest where we have 9 months of winter. I hate snow - therefore I hate winter. I mean HATE winter.  When summer finally arrives here - its days are always numbered.  Only a few short weeks left and then poof - it will be gone.  Gone will be the days of capris and no coat.  Gone will be sandals and sunscreen. Boo hoo. I had a panic last weekend when I saw this:

Hay bales in a field. You may ask why hay bales would make me panic.  Hay bales = fall (which is not summer). I like fall, it's enjoyable....it reminds me of pumpkin pie and chili.  But it also brings snow - evil, horrible, cold snow. Bleh...I feel sick already. 
The only good thing that came out of this photo above is that it made me want to do a photo homage to summer.


Summer,

I love your... fresh fruit,

vegetable gardens,

campfires that roast marshmallows and make smores,

flowers,

farm fun,

green grass,

Family hikes,

bike rides, camping trips, swimming, runs without layers, nights that stay light past 5 pm, and hot days that provide a fabulous excuse for ice cream.  I will miss you when fall comes - hurry back!!!





School supply shopping - a mother/child bonding moment

I am so excited. I just discovered that at least one of my kids has a similar interest as me -back to school shopping!!! He actually wanted to go along and enjoyed every last minute of it.

(At least that's the memory I will hold on to forever.) 

I remember when I was younger I loved to get new school supplies. I swear that even the smell was alluring (pencils? erasers?).  A brand new trapper keeper, lunch box, and spiral notebooks with unicorns - what more could a girl want???

Driving home the unthinkable happened. My son said he wished school would start tomorrow. I asked why and his answer was "so I can start using my new supplies".  My heart swooned.

I was quickly brought back to reality when my youngest (who didn't want to shop with us) was severely disappointed at his lack of a new sharpie marker for kindergarten.   He couldn't understand why kindergartners don't get sharpie markers.  I'll let you ponder the top 100 reasons yourself.

Three things I can't run without

This one is for my runner friends.

If you've ever seen some of my running photos, you will probably notice 3 things that show up in every photos because they are 3 things that you will not see me run a race without...

1) A Sweatvac visor.   I love these things and own several colors. I have a large head (gotta put the brains somewhere) and what's nice about the visor is that it has an elastic stretch thing in the back to expand. That way I can adjust it if I need to add ear warmers in the winter time. I find that the backing of a normal hat/visor doesn't adjust large enough sometimes and gives me a headache.  My only complaint is that I've run out of colors to purchase - and I wish there were more design options for the front. Other than that - they rock (and they are machine washable). My hubby wears the hat version and loves it too.

As if on cue - I got an email from with with a promotional offer - woo hoo!! Like em on Facebook and get 25% off.

2) My Ultimate Direction water bottle. I can't quite put in to words how much I love this H2O bottle. I love the soft piece that you suck out of, I love the hand holder with pocket to put things in, and I love how versatile it is - at a race they were offering beer at the end and ran out of cups so I used my bottle to fill er up.  I know there are lots of other great water bottles out there - for instance my husband prefers his Nathan - but I will stick with my ultimate direction!!  I find the ones with hard plastic pieces that you have to bite down on to open too painful/cumbersome for my liking.  I bought my original one at a local running store, but they stopped carrying them so I recently found them at REI.

3) I saved the best for last - my balega socks! O-M-G these rock. I got them at my local running store and have since then highly recommended them to all other runners. They may be pricey (approx $10 a pair) but they are so worth it. Your feet will thank you, your shoes will thank you, and the little piggy that went wee wee wee all the way home will thank you.  I will still occasionally get a random blister, but other than that they've been wonderful. My husband prefers the more cushioned version, but I rock the ones with the small band on top - mainly so we can tell who they belong to when they come out of the drier.

Look - even the dog is drooling over them.

Things that make me go hmmmm...part 1

Have you ever wondered what the people at iTunes must think when they look at your recent purchases?

For instance, let's just say a certain somebody recently purchased:
Justin Bieber - Baby
Miley Cyrus - The Climb
Phineas and Ferb - Bouncin' Around the World
Rodney Atkins - Farmer's Daughter
Lil Wayne - How to Love
Nicki Minaj - Super Bass
A Block of Yellow - Are You Sure?

Do they think I (err...I mean a random somebody) am:
1) 16
2) a boy or a girl
3) a hip loving mother/wife with impeccable taste in music

OBVIOUSLY the first 3 songs are for my children, and the country song is for my husband, but I stake claim to the last 3. Ever since Michael Phelps mentioned that he listened to Lil Wayne's I am me before the Olympics I've enjoyed his music.  As for the song by A Block of Yellow - it's a random song I found that is totally out of my genre but I really like it.