Home Sweet Home

Has it seemed a little quiet around here lately?  There's a good reason for that.  We've been on vacation!  Well, not all of us - Daddy stayed home while the kids, my mom, and I flew to Texas to visit my cousin and his family.  We missed Daddy an awful lot, but he wasn't alone for long!  While we were gone, his parents arrived to help out with a BIG project around here (which they are still working on).  I'll recap the project in a later post, but for now - vacation photos!  (And these are the ones from my mom's camera - thanks, Mom!!!)

Let me start by saying that it was HOT here before we left, and Texas had a break in the heat there just as we arrived - which made the temp the same as what we'd just left.  Thankful for that little break in their weather!  And, thankful for plenty of opportunities to go swimming!

We picked up a set of 'floaties' for Miss M before we left, knowing they would help her feel a bit more at ease in the water.  No worries, there were still plenty of adults keeping an eye on the kiddos!  She was soon swimming from one end of the pool to the other!

And this guy, who has made great strides in his swimming lessons at school, also showed off a new talent.  He's floating on his back!  That's Lily checking him out.  She's a funny dog - loves to catch a ball, but she can't quite make herself drop it back off in your hand or lap.  Instead, she enlists the help of Minnie.  Lily will drop it a few feet away, then Minnie will pick it up and bring it back for you to throw again.

We took a trip to the local Hong Kong Market (So cool!  Lots of interesting fruits and veggies!) to pick up some veggies and these guys for dinner (two crab and one lobster).  Miss M was not quite convinced that these could possibly be tasty.

My cousin's home is totally kid-friendly.  You already know about the pool and the dogs, but there were also plenty of TOYS!  Miss M got to play with the doll house and Polly Pockets that you see below, and also some teeny-tiny Polly Pockets (which the three kids eventually turned into a Polly-meets-Monopoly kind of game).

 And they had a few Legos, too....

We also did some touristy stuff while we were there.

The Beer Can House

My sweet kiddos

My favorite feature of the Beer Can House

 The Children's Museum

Also (no photos yet, but hopefully soon)...

NASA (Johnson Space Center) - it rained while we were there, for the first time in several months.

Kemah Boardwalk - dinner outdoors at The Flying Dutchman, which would not have been quite so nice without the rain earlier in the day to cool things off

Whole Foods - this might seem an odd stop, but it was a new store (and I loooove grocery stores!) so it even had some draw for the "locals."  Also, we got to see an electric car out front - plugged in for a charge!  Mister J was fascinated!

As if all of this wasn't exciting enough, guess who lost a tooth while we were there?  He was quite confident that the tooth fairy could find him all the way out in Texas.  Sure enough, there was a dollar under his pillow the next morning!

Please excuse that piece of gum in his mouth.  Gum has become quite the favorite around here lately.

As for me, I had time for some reading, some swimming, lots of visiting and laughing, lots of talk about food/cooking/the amazing grocery prices (noticeably less than here), and way too much eating!  My mom cooked some of her favorite recipes, we enjoyed my cousin's grilling and juicing (a-ma-zing), and had some fantastic meals out, too.  (Pappasita's is on my must-do list for our next visit!)

I'm sure I've left some things out, and I know I have more cute photos to post (which I may get around to - or not), but I have to say that I came home so relaxed!  We had a pretty much non-schedule kind of vacation (not the kind where you come home and need a vacation to get over your vacation) and it was wonderful!  The kids really missed Daddy early on - and I was really anxious to get home to him towards the end of our trip!  But I have to say, he looked really well-rested when we got home!

What I'm Reading

While we are busy packing fun into the last days of summer, I'm also enjoying a bit of time reading. I started "Animal, Vegetable, Miracle" (by Barbara Kingsover) a few days ago and I'm already trying to figure out how much of our backyard can be reasonably turned into garden beds. Not too long ago, I mentioned wanting to try out lettuces, potatoes, garlic, and more. I'm less than 100 pages in, and I'm wondering now about fruit trees, berries, and more.

Is it to late to decide to live on a farm?

Sent from my iPhone

You Can Find Me Here...

Hi Friends! I'm posting over at Triad Moms on Main today. Head on over to learn about our experience with geocaching, and how it's great family fun where ever you are!

Sleep Tight?

Oh, how I love to snuggle with my babies (who are not really babies anymore)!  Truly, I do.  But when it comes to having my 5-year-old crawl into bed at 4am - well, I have mixed emotions

I secretly love it - but honestly,  it's not the best sleep for me :(

Miss M is OK (that is, doesn't come to my bed at night) if she and Mister J sleep in the same room.  I am probably making it hard for her to learn to soothe herself back to sleep on her own since, for most of the summer, one of the kids usually camps out on the floor of the other's room.  When I do this, she rarely comes into our room.  Otherwise, she wakes up at 4am and comes into bed with us on a pretty regular basis.

We moved her back to her own room two nights ago, and for the past two nights, she's come into our room in the wee hours of the morning.  I'm certain it has to do with the security of knowing someone else is there in the middle of the night.  Just having her nightlight and stuffies is not enough. 

As I was tucking her in tonight, she asked if she could sleep with me.  I told her that she needed to sleep in her bed, and that if she came to my room I would help her back to bed.  She was immediately weepy.  And I was sad for her - and probably for me, too.

I feel like it is my responsibility to help her grow up, even if I don't want to - whether it's because I secretly love the early morning snuggles or because I just don't want to get out of my bed at 4am.

Believe it or not, I do want my children to grow up.  But there is some innocence that I want to hold on to for as long as possible!

(sigh)

This is hard work!

Fresh from Our Garden (at least some of it!!)

In the past few weeks, our Super Sweet 100 plants have been producing like crazy.  I just put two more baking sheets full of slow-roasted cherry tomatoes in the oven.  In 6-8 hours, they will be even more delicious!  (Yes, that's possible!)  These are SO easy, you just have to be prepared to give up your oven for the rest of the day!  Also, my kids enjoyed helping me get these ready to go into the oven - making sure the tomatoes are cut side up, peeling the garlic, and snipping rosemary from the garden.

I tweaked the recipe by adding the rosemary.  It smelled SO good!  Now that we have quite a healthy bush, I am thinking of thinning it a bit and drying some rosemary for use in the winter.  

I also used some of our larger tomatoes (not sure of the variety) to make gazpacho late last night so that it would be ready to eat today.  I used this recipe from the latest Real Simple magazine.  I've already sampled it - yum!  It's the first time I've ever eaten a cold soup, much less made one.  It was SO easy, and I'm looking forward to serving it alongside some of my fresh-baked parmesan pepper bread (another first-time-I've-made-it recipe) for an early dinner.

So, now that you know a bit about what's growing in our garden, I'd like to know if you have a garden.  If so, what do you grow?

In addition to what I mentioned above, we have zucchini, green bell pepper (just got the first one this week), banana peppers, okra, lima beans and bush beans, watermelon, parsley, basil, and cilantro that has already gone to seed.  We have had varying success with these, tomatoes and rosemary being our most successful.  I would like to try growing garlic, blueberries (for these muffins!), and give cucumbers another shot (ours are always bitter).  I'd also like to try lettuce, and maybe even potatoes!  So, friends, spill the beans on your gardening successes - and failures!  What have you learned along the way?

Summer favorites

(see full image)

A BLT made with tomatoes fresh from the garden...

Sweet tea in Mason jars...

Boiled peanuts...

Watermelon with a sprinkle of salt...


What foods (or drinks) mean summer to you?

I'm linking to Ann Kroeker's Food on Fridays, even though it's Saturday!

Mommy, will you...?

This afternoon, as she was laying on the couch next to me, she asked me to rub her back. Remembering the times when I was little and would lay down with my head on my mom's lap, I invited Miss M to do the same. I pulled her pillow over and she snuggled in.

I'm enjoying these moments while I can, knowing they don't last forever. Within about 5 minutes, Mister J asked if she would help him play a wii game - and off she went!

PS - Check out that ponytail!  She decided to let her hair grow so it was long enough to make one ponytail.  Next up, long enough to have one braid, like Jessie!

Step One...

You may have missed our quiet announcement, and now I'm excited to share that today we took the first official step in our adoption process.  Although we've already spoken with our adoption coordinator, been to an information session at our agency, spoken to several adoptive families, and made several of the preliminary decisions, today is the day that we mailed our application.  It's been a long process to get to this point, so getting here is really exciting for us.

Once our eyes are opened, we can’t pretend we don’t know what to do. God, who weighs our hearts and keeps our souls, knows that we know, and holds us responsible to act. ~Proverbs 24:12

I keep coming back to this piece of scripture over and over again.  I saw it on an adoption blog about the time we finally realized that we were being led to adopt a child - and it didn't just speak to me, it practically yelled.  That was a few months ago, but the work in our hearts started long before that.  It's an amazing story I hope to share here one day.  For now, we covet your prayers as we continue this extraordinary journey.

My Day in Food

*Apologies in advance for the crazy spacing.  I just can't figure it out tonight.*

I can't remember what I are for breakfast, but it probably had something to do with those evil chocolate chunk cookies from Costco.  But maybe not, since I had an orthodontist appointment at noon. 

I do remember that I had a late lunch.  I made one of my favorite new recipes - Thai Peanut Noodles from Our Best Bites (which happens to be my favorite online source for recipes right now).  I usually add some stir-fried chicken, but I skipped the chicken today.  And Miss M, who has never eaten it when I cooked with chicken, ate a small bowlful today.  She also helped me cook it, which may have also had something to do with her choice to actually eat it. 

Not only are they mildly spicy noodles in a soy/ginger/peanut/honey/sriracha sauce, it's topped with peanuts, green onions, cilantro, and lime juice.  I was thrilled that she liked it!

Later in the day, I decided I'd give a new recipe a try - something I've been wanting to do for ages.  The kids weren't interested - they were more interested in the painting I was starting, but I was waiting for paint to dry so they found something else to do.



Can you guess what I was making?  It's butter!  (Or, soon-to-be-butter when I snapped this picture.)  The process was very simple, though it took some time and plenty of effort.  I was very pleased with the result!





After the dairy adventure, it was time to start dinner.  I did most of the prep work, and hubs did most of the cooking.  We had sliders and "Aunt LuAnn's potatoes."  Delicious!  The kids recognize the potatoes by the aroma, and always love them.  And even though the kids aren't great meat-eaters, they each finished an entire slider.  I'll call that a success any day!

Dessert?  Oh, yes.  I'm all about dessert lately (see breakfast, above) - probably because of the evil chocolate chunk cookies from Costco.  They are really good smeared with peanut butter....

Mowing Lessons

I am not a fan of yard work.  Anyone who knows me in real life knows that I don't do yard work.  My husband has seen me mow the yard a total of three times in all the years we've been married.  The third time was yesterday.  When I told him I was going out to mow, he looked at me rather like I'd grown another head.  But the yard needed work, the temperature was really nice for July, and it was overcast.  I didn't think he would be able to beat the rain that was coming, so I decided I'd give it a shot.  After all, it's just walking in a few circles around the yard, right?  How hard can that be? 

I started writing my blog post in my head about 10 minutes after I started mowing.

Really, though, it started before I even went outside.  When I told my kids to behave because I was going outside to mow the grass, my son said, "Wow, Mom, I didn't know you had mowing lessons."  Ouch.  But in honor of his observation, here is my version of mowing lessons.

1) Fuel - Be sure you have spare fuel on hand.  I was pretty disappointed to find out that we didn't have any, but I was too excited about getting started to go and get more.  I figured that if I finished the front yard, I'd just stop there.  After all, it looked like rain was coming, so I didn't have time to spare.  And also?  I could close the gate and the taller grass in the backyard wouldn't show.  Great idea, right?  Until I ran out of gas in the middle of the front yard.  Phooey!  There wasn't anyone who could run to the gas station for me (hubby was working from home, so he couldn't just jump in the car and do it for me), so off I went.  I hope he will forgive me for ever being annoyed that he asked me to go get gas for the mower while he was mowing the yard.  Now I get it.

2) Hat - Wear one.  Headsweats caps are not just for running.  I wish I had worn mine.  I didn't think I'd need it because the sun wasn't out.  Also, I honestly didn't think I'd get all that hot since the weather was cool for July.  I have never had so much sweat in my eyes.  Also - I just might wear my running clothes next time.  Wicking fabric is good.  Cotton is not.

3) Method - I've heard you should not mow your grass in the same pattern every time.  No need to worry about that!  I am quite sure I looked as amateurish as I felt.  I had to go back for missed spots, and still left a few (tiny) bits of taller grass.  And I don't think my hubby will ever mow in as patchwork a fashion as I did. 

4) Mower - Especially in the thicker parts of the grass, it would have been kinder (to my mower) to mow half-widths on each pass.  My mower let me know this by protesting at one point - and turning off.  I could not believe I was out of gas again - then I realized I wasn't.  At least I was able to restart it without getting my husband to come outside and do it (again)!  Also, our mower didn't particularly seem to like going uphill, at least at the pace I was walking.  When I'm running, I don't like hills, either, so I decided to change my method  in the middle of the backyard and go across the incline.  (Oh, yes I did - see #3.)

5) Corners - As far as push mowers go, self-propelled is your friend, but it still doesn't make turning corners any easier.  I openly confess to having not a lot of upper body strength.  I can still pick up my kids (and can still carry my youngest), which I thought was decent strength, but I felt like I was working hard to turn corners and work around obstacles (swing set, raised garden beds, mailbox, trees).

After I learned all of this with the mower, I looked at the yard and felt pretty good about what I had accomplished.  But it still looked unfinished.  So I decided I'd do the weed eating.  And I had to get my husband to start it for me (wimpy upper body strength - embarrassing).  And then he had to remind me to wear eye protection (thanks, honey!).  And then I busted the strap that was supposed to help me carry it around the yard (sorry, honey!).  But I still did the weed eating.  And I wondered how long my work would last if I scalped the edges of the yard because weed eating was not as fun as I thought it would be.  Probably because I busted the strap.  And also because my arms were already tired from pushing and maneuvering the mower.  But - the yard looked even better when I was done!

So then I decided to crank up the blower and clean off the driveway and the front walkway and around the air conditioning units.  And I had to ask my hubby to come out and crank it for me.  (Are you sensing a pattern?)  I'm chalking that up to having tired arms - you know, from maneuvering the mower and then carrying the weed eater with the busted strap around the yard.

And when I was done, I wasn't sure I'd be able to lift my arms to wash my hair.

But the yard looked nice, I was proud of the job I'd done, and I had so much more appreciation for the yard work my husband has been doing for so many years.  It wasn't perfect, but I still enjoyed the sense of accomplishment.  Don't tell anyone, but I might just mow the yard again sometime.

I found that little cord...

I finally hooked my camera up to my computer again, and found SO MANY photos that I wanted to share!  I don't have time to show them all, so I thought I'd share just a quick summary of the last month or so.

These two kiddos wrapped up another year of school! 
(For those of you paying very close attention, those are glasses frames you see on her face, but no lenses in them.  They were a favor from a friend's birthday party, and she wore them nearly every day for about two weeks.)

Compare to the same time last year....

If anyone knows the secret to make them stop growing, let me know.

Also on the last day of school, this little girl had a dance recital.

I also finally gave in to letting this little girl loose with some paints - thanks to her Daddy's encouragement.  She didn't make a mess like I feared, and really enjoyed the process.  

Also, when I wasn't looking, she turned five. We had a sweet little tea party at home with some friends, and I really enjoyed the smaller celebration.  I also loved all of the 'tea party food' that we served - and I think she enjoyed most of it, too! 

Although we had planned to picnic at a local park on the 4th of July and watch fireworks the that evening, our picnic got rained out.  We changed our plans to a back porch picnic, then a den floor picnic due to the rain, but did end up getting to see the fireworks. 

We're spending our summer days playing outside, cooking (because I'm serving a lot more meals now that I'm not packing lunches), and spending time with friends and family.  I also recently wrapped up my part-time, work-from-home job, so I'm hoping to add a few more things into our days - library visits, blueberry-picking, and other fun summer activities.

How are you spending your summer?  Can you believe how fast it flies by?

Hee hee...

This sweet girl just looked at me and whispered...
"I'm trying to keep my eyes open..."

Love her!

Guess...

Guess who we will be celebrating this weekend? More to come (I promise)!

Ending the week on a high note

Remember that time...?

... that Mister J got treated for Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever? 

You know, because his symptoms were pretty much a perfect match for RMSF.  And although it could be just your run-of-the-mill nasty virus, there's still that chance that it's RMSF.  Which you should treat no later than the fifth day of symptoms.  And since the second trip to the ped this week for the crazy fever, combined with nausea, chills, and some "who is that?!?" crankiness happened to be on the fourth day of the fever, the ped called in the prescription.

Better to err on the side of caution - but as a friend of mine put it, I just might win the 'strange illnesses my child has had' contest in the after-school pick-up line.  This from the friend whose daughter has a fever so high that the thermometer simply said, "HIGH."  (She's thankfully doing ok with some good meds for a big ol' ear infection.)  And I'd likely have to compete with a school mom friend whose son's spider bite just might be MRSA instead. They each had a visit to the emergency room.  We just rated a "can-you-be-here-in-45?" appointment with the pediatrician.  This is a contest I'd be glad to lose.

(PS - With a dose of acetominophen, this afternoon's fever, headache, and crankiness subsided.  However, the fever spikes at night, even with ibuprofen.  Hoping we see and end to this very soon.)

Pretty paint!

Enjoying some food and fun on a *warm* summer afternoon. 

By the way, guess who's nearly 5 years old?

The Bright Side

This post isn't so much about the lunch I packed this morning, but the reminder that came from from my family while I was deciding what to pack.

The story started yesterday when the kids and I got home after school.  I walked into a house filled with the aroma of freshly-baked bread.  Now that wouldn't normally have been a problem, except I'd set my bread machine so that the dough cycle would be finishing up as we walked in from school.  

I had some volunteer commitments yesterday, so I'd prepped the ingredients and set the timer on the machine.  The plan was that we'd get home, unpack backpacks, get everyone's hands washed,  and start making pizza for an early dinner.  Accounting for the time it takes for three cooks to complete such  a task, I figured the pizza would come out of the oven in time for us to eat and then get to a 6pm meeting at church.

Needless to say, I was a little deflated when I figured out that something had gone wrong.  I even posted this on my Facebook status:

Came home from school to the wonderful smell of bread baking - except that my bread machine was supposed to only be running the dough cycle.

Bread machine - 1, Person who thought she knew what she was doing when the set the dough cycle to run while she was gone - 0.

I did get some great encouragement from a friend and from my husband.  You know, fresh-baked bread isn't all that bad.  But my plan had been interrupted.  

Since the bread smelled good (and really, I thought it did), we tasted it.  Amazing - it tasted good, too!  (It would have make a great pizza crust!)  Once it cooled, I wrapped it up - thinking it was too good to waste, but wondering what to do with it. 

Fast forward to this morning.  The kids and I were in the kitchen, and asked them what they wanted to eatfor breakfast.  "Can we have some of that bread?"  Really?!?  So I gave them a taste while I asked them what they really wanted for breakfast (cereal? granola bar?).  And they liked the bread.  Hmm.  Now, I enjoy a savory breakfast as much as the next girl, but I just didn't think Pizza Dough Bread was the best way to start the day.  So we decided to pack it in their lunchboxes - with slices of pepperoni and cheese, marinara sauce for dipping, and strawberries.  They. were. thrilled.  I was dumbfounded.  But mostly, I was reminded that even when I think things are all fouled up, there's usually a way to turn it around for good.  Thankfully, I had the help of some family and friends to remind me.

On my Facebook wall today:

Making the most of yesterday's bread machine snafu.  "Breadsticks" with marinara, pepperoni and cheese, strawberries.  The kids asked for the bread for breakfast, too!

And in reply to the comments below my photo:

I'm proud of my kids for helping me make the best of the situation (and figure out a lunch plan pretty quickly!). Hubby and the kids LOVED how the bread tasted, which made my day!

From my sweet boy

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Last Friday!

(see full image)

Sent from my iPhone

Run

First run in three weeks. About a week and a half of that was rest for some heel pain, then I just let "life" take over.

Things always seem to be busier as we get closer to the end of the school year. We also spent a long weekend at the beach, and I didn't pack running gear because I was "packing light." I did swim a bit, but not enough to call it exercise, and our stroll on the beach was more for shell hunting and people watching.

I could have let life (laundry, meal planning, etc) take over this morning, but this time I decided to carve put some time for me.

I was slow this morning, and I didn't stay out for very long - but I was out there! Considering how the weather has changed during my break (it was already 75 degrees when I dropped my kids at school - and that was about the daily high three weeks ago), I was surprised that it was tired legs that got to me before the heat.

Already looking forward to my next run.

Fresh!

Took my girl along to the grocery store last week. She picked out some corn to serve with dinner, then helped me pull off the husks and silk. As you can probably imagine, she was mighty proud to get this one done!

153,000,000

We’ve heard several different estimates of the number of orphans in the world.  153,000,000 is just an average of those estimates.  It is a number that I cannot even begin to comprehend.  It is heartbreaking. 

Before we had ever heard this number, our hearts were moved to learn more about adoption.  And though we thought our family was complete, we’ll be adding to it after all.

Not quite so ho-hum lunch

We have fallen into a lunch rut around here. It's fine, as the kids are happy, eating most of what's packed, and not complaining. Today, though, M asked for popcorn. And we have blueberries. So I decided it was a great day to try a new "sandwich" too. Wraps aren't usually successful, but M has already tasted hers (she wants to eat everything in sight this morning) and declared, "Mmm!". I will consider that a success, even if she pulls it apart and brings home bits after school today.

Lighter

So many different meanings for this word - at least for me right now. 

Lighter.

Spring is turning into summer - the sun isn't setting so early.  It's still light outside when I run in the evenings.  It's still light outside when the kids go to bed.  After a cold winter with 6pm sunsets, I love this time of year.

Lighter.

I'm working on a whole-house de-cluttering and reorganization project.  Lightening the load for our home and for our spirits.  I am realizing just how much our 'stuff' weighs us down.  It's been a long process, beginning back when we were in Financial Peace University about three years ago and we took a tough look at our spending habits.  Then about a year ago, the work on the house began - slowly but surely.  I've had some great help from a friend, and just read some great inspiration from another friend today.  This isn't the only part of my life where these two women are allowing me to lean on and learn from them, either.  They are helping make life lighter for me.

Lighter.

After marriage and two babies, on whom I can no longer blame the baby weight, I'm trying to focus on myself a bit, too.  Yes, this is the literal version of 'lighter.'  I saw some nice results from the 5K training I began last fall, but I also realized that my eating habits still needed a change.  It's so hard, y'all.  I love food.  I just love all of the flavors and textures and aromas.  And I don't have very much willpower to curb those desires for more, more, more!  Sound familiar?  Yep, my house and I are both on a plan to lighten up.  Thanks again to a lovely, sweet, gentle, caring, meets-me-where-I-am friend, I am using Loseit.com to help me see the truth about how I eat.  Last weekend's results were not pretty - but that's ok.  Truth isn't always pretty.  It's how we react to it that's important.  So, I started Monday with a clean slate - and a bit of empowerment now that I can see where the calories come from every day.  I planned ahead for a dinner out one night, and stayed within my suggested calorie range - yeah!  I'm also able to track my exercise, which is a pretty big ego boost when you add that into the whole "net calories for the day" total!  I am patient but hopeful that I'll see some results - and feel the difference inside, too.

Lighter.

My Reading List

Sometimes I snap a picture with my phone, sometimes I jot down a title I read on a blog. 

Faith Journey:
Choosing to See - Mary Beth Chapman (just won this in a blog contest!)
Radical - David Platt

Reading for Pleasure:
Eats Shoots and Leaves - Lynne Truss (already have it, just need to read it)
Mennonite in a Little Black Dress - Rhoda Janzen
Eat Pray Love - Elizabeth Gilbert (loved the movie, so I'm pretty well guaranteed to love the book!)
The Help - Kathryn Stockett (just bought it - now slowly working my way through it)
Ten Habits of Happy Mothers - Meg Meeker
Blacks Heels to Tractor Wheels - Ree Drummond
(There are actually about three times more books on this section of the list - usually the cover catches my eye and I jot down the title.  But these are the ones that I am most interested in reading.  You know, when I have the time.)

Cookbooks:
Our Best Bites: Mormon Moms in the Kitchen - Sara Wells, Kate Jones
Cooking Light - pretty much any version that's for families, that's quick and easy, and that's tasty
Don't Panic, Dinner's in the Freezer - S Martinez, V Howell, B Garcia (and they also have another one, I think it's Don't Panic, More Dinner's in the Freezer)
The Good Neighbor Cookbook - Sara Quesenberry and Suzanne Schlosberg
No Whine with Dinner - Liz Weiss and Janice Newell Bissex

Books about Running:
Hot Sweaty Mamas - Kara Douglass Thom and Laurie Lethert Kocanda
Mile Markers - Kristin Armstrong
Train Like a Mother - Dimity McDowell and Sara Bowen Shea (coming soon!)
(More books about running on my list, too - but these are the ones that I consider 'musts.')

So, have you read any books lately that I should add to my list?  What's on your list - that you may or may not get to read any time soon?

Dinosaur upon request

Sorry you have to turn your head to see the dino!

On the left, M's lunch:
Salt-and-lime popcorn - we love the little bags, which we can share between two lunches with a little left over for Mom - or for second breakfast for the not-so-littles
Dino sandwich - one piece of bread + dino sandwich cutter = two nearly matching sandwich halves, onto which I put soy butter and grape jelly, as requested.
Strawberries - to add a bit of variety since I purchased 4 pounds of grapes earlier in the week
Cucumber slices - the 'veggie of the week' plus a few grapes.

I just realized that I packed forks, but forgot to pack napkins.  Oops!

One the right, J's lunch:
Turkey and cheese on a everything bagel (his current favorite) - cut in half because I believe a sandwich is better that way
Salt-and-lime popcorn - he got a bigger portion because he's pretty well eating everything in sight right now

Strawberries
Cucumbers with Italian dressing for dipping
A few grapes on top of the fork, because there was room (you know, since I forgot the napkin)
Cashew granola bar for snack time in the afternoon

Each kiddo also got a Thermos filled with water (I love that they choose water!).  Stay tuned for the makeover of Miss M's Thermos, coming soon!

Happy Birthday Daddy!

We took a little trip this weekend and had a lot of fun - including the zoo, basketball, Mickey and friends, grass stains, and birthday cake!  Happy birthday, Daddy!  (And thanks, Grandma and Grandpa!)

What I'm Reading

I'm working my may way through Hinds Feet on High Places with an every-other-week study group.  I love that I have plenty of time to get through the reading for each session.  I also love that it's the perfect time for me to be reading this particular book.  And I love that since it's an allegory, I feel kind of smart for enjoying it and understanding it.  (Just being honest there....)

image from here

We met in small groups for the first time last week, so I'm looking forward to getting to know the ladies in my group a bit more as we continue to meet and study together. 

"Custom" Snack Mix

The color really does look better on my phone, but that doesn't make it look any better here....

Today the kids had:
Soybutter and jelly sandwich - Again.  By request. (Have I mentioned how sad I am that W@l-M@rt doesn't seem to be carrying their house brand of soybutter anymore?)
Grapes - yum!
Carrot sticks with ranch dressing
"Custom" snack mix - We just toss a few things into that compartment of the lunch box as we pack.  Today's mix was Cheez-Its (and I don't care how bad they are for you, they taste so good!), Craisins, Cinnamon Cheerios, and Strawberry Yogurt Cheerios. 
Mister J also took a banana for his afternoon snack.

I haven't eaten the cinnamon Cheerios yet, but they sure smelled good.  And now I'm hungry, so I think that's what I'll have for lunch.

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Jonah's EB Auction

OK, folks - it's starting tomorrow night!  Be there or be ... Well, you know!

You don't want to miss Jonah's EB Auction! 

There are lots of awesome items up for auction (I've got several on my radar), and here are the details (shamefully lifted straight from their blog):

What: An ONLINE auction to raise money for EB research and advocacy (all proceeds go to DebRA)
When: Thursday February 24th @ 8pm until Sunday February 27th @ 8pm
Where: Right here at www.jonahsebauction.blogspot.com!  You can bid on lots of fabulous items from the comfort of your own living room!! If you want to see how bidding will work (or get a little practice bidding for your favorite item!) you can do so here.

And, as I've said before, if you haven't met Jonah, Patrice, and Matt - get thee to their blog posthaste!  When she's not getting Radical, showing off her too-stinkin-cute Jonut, and fundraising for DebRA, you can find Patrice here, too.

Packed in a hurry

Whew - the color is terrible!  But here's what's inside:
Soy butter and jelly sandwich
Tangy Carolina Barbeque chips (so good!)
Carrot sticks (no dip for Miss M, hummus for Mister J)
Sliced up mozzarella cheese stick and craisins
Mister J also got a clemetine for his afternoon snack

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

My Week - and I'm still Thankful (also Thursday Thanks Tank #25)

It's been an interesting one, for sure, but I still have a lot for which to be thankful.

We had lunch at school with the kids on Monday.  Our Valentine treat to them was bringing in Chick-Fil-A!  With the "lunch in the classroom" arrangement of their school, we aren't sitting in front of the preschool or K1 classes with our 'special' lunch - we get them from their classrooms all sit together at a special table.  We typically have some really fun family time when we do this, and Monday was no exception.  Have I mentioned this is a great treat for Mommy, too?  No lunches to pack!  And with the "free milkshake when you buy two meals" special that was running that day, Daddy got his favorite cookies-n-cream shake for dessert!  Thankful for a fun Valentine's Day (even though I forgot to get pictures)!

The interesting part of the week started when I picked the kids up from school that afternoon.  Miss M, who'd been feeling great at lunch, had a sore throat and her voice was hoarse and squeaky-sounding just a few hours later.  As a precaution, I took her to the pediatrician on Tuesday.  Turned out just to be a virus (thankfully!), but since she had laryngitis she also needed vocal rest.  Miss M on vocal rest?  That's funny.  So I kept her home on Wednesday as well - to be sure she didn't make things worse before her class field trip on Thursday.

Did I mention that I was scheduled to chaperone the field trip?  And did I mention that around midnight Wednesday night/Thursday morning Miss M vomited?  On the carpet?  And that we are scheduled for company this weekend?

Both kids woke up due to the ... event.  Which resulted in midnight bath time and early a.m. laundry.  And also carpet cleaning - as well as I could, at least, for something that really needed professional attention....  Thankful that Mister J got back to sleep pretty quickly and that the guest room was easily made ready for Miss M to relocate for the night (that's not always a guarantee, especially when clothing exchange season is on the horizon!).

Big J saved the day by working from home since Miss M could not go to school and arranging for the carpet to be cleaned approximately 12 hours after the event.  (Rock star, he is!)  Miss M woke up on time, hungry, and wanting to limbo (I'm not joking).  It wasn't a stomach bug, just a case of church supper not sitting well. Thankful on all of those counts, too!

I still chaperoned the trip, which was a good thing since two of Miss M's classmates got sick while we were there.  Then I came home and cleared out Miss M's room and the landing at the top of the stairs so the carpet could be cleaned.  I figure if it's getting cleaned, then we might as well have it cleaned to the corners!  So thankful for a local company that can come out and clean carpets on the same day you call.  They were already near our neighborhood.  Also, the cost was less than we expected - the bonus for being a repeat customer (yes, there have been other carpet cat-tastrophes - not a typo). 

With all of these surprises, I've managed to stay relatively calm - surprising even to me!  How am I maintaining my sanity?  Perhaps yesterday's walk with a friend was preventative medicine.  I'm so thankful for that spur-of-the-moment opportunity!  Now if I just had some spur-of-the-moment movers to help me get the upstairs back in order....  :)

Valentine's Day!

We did things a little differently around here for Valentine's Day 2011 - no gifts!  And we still had a lovely day!

In the past, I've gotten the kids books or music - usually something small - to celebrate.  I think I spent the most ever for Valentine's Day last year - I spent about $35 on two beanbags for the kids' rooms.  It was usually around $16 for childrens' books in previous years. 

Today, I spent about $25 - on all four of us!  I brought Chick-Fil-A lunch to school, Daddy met us there, and we all had lunch together.  It was actually a nice bit of family time, since we get to eat a table away from the activity of lunch in the classrooms.  The kids are always excited to have us come for lunch, I got a day off from packing lunches, and Daddy got a cookies-n-cream milkshake for his treat!  (CFA was running a buy-two-combos-get-a-shake special today!)

Also - the weather was gorgeous today, and the next session of 5K training began this evening.  My goal is an all-running 5K in the spring, and I ran 1.25 miles tonight - no intervals!  That's the longest distance I've ever gone without intervals - woohoo!

Of course, it wasn't all sunshine and running shoes today....  Miss M came home from school sounding very hoarse and even a bit squeaky (sad face).  Mister J has had a nagging cough, too.  So, with both kiddos sick, there was no basketball practice for Mister J tonight.  Miss M will be home with me tomorrow, and we've had to cancel our after-school doughnut date with a friend.  (sigh)

That's just life, though, you know?  Thankful that I've got these three to share it with - the ups and the downs.

Hope for Anton

My bloggy friend, Patrice, has embarked upon a mission to change the life of a little boy - and she needs your help.  

This is Anton.  He has Recessive Dystrophic Epidermolysis Bullosa.

Please go here to see how her mission began.  Here, here, and here to read a bit more.  And here to see more ways you can help. (Passionate?  Yep.  And it's infectious - in a good way!)

And, while she's doing all of this, she's also celebrating her own little boy's birthday in a spectacular way. 

If you haven't "met" Jonah, Patrice, and Matt, you really owe it to yourself to hop on over and say hello. 

I'm planning a bit of blog silence for a few days, but I'll be back to promote Jonah's EB Auction!

Mmmmm......

I'll try to rotate this if I can (grr...)

Pink box - salt and lime popcorn, applesauce, carrots, crackers with mozzerella slices (just a sliced-in-circles cheese stick) and mini turkey pepperoni, strawberry heart marshmallows

Blue box - cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese, mozzerella slices, salt and lime popcorn, apple sauce, carrots with dip, strawberry heart marshmallows

Boo on the pre-packaged applesauce - but at least the preschool classes reuse the cups, and the K-1s collect and recycle them.  I did remember to tuck a spoon under the marshmallows after I snapped the photos!

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Calling It Like She Sees It

We aren't big sports fans around here, but we do watch the Super Bowl - for the commercials. I doubt that's a new idea to you, though most folks probably watch the game, too.
A good friend of mine is blogging about the Super Bowl today, with a perspective you might never have considered. Stop by and see what's on her mind today.

Bagels and Blueberries

What an awful ,shadowy photo -  but I don't usually break out the fancy cam for lunchboxes anymore. 

On the left - Mister J's lunch.  Blueberries, carrots with dip, strawberry heart marshmallows in the flatware section, and a Costco-sized cinnamon-raisin bagel with cream cheese.  He added a container with Cheez-Its and craisins for snack time. 

On the right - Miss M's lunch.  Half of a Costco-sized wheat bagel with a slice of American cheese, blueberries, celery with dip, a few Cheez-Its, and strawberry marshmallows.

Two things pictured above I wish I could remove from our diet?  American cheese and Cheez-Its.  The one I don't think I can even part with (though I can reduce my consumption)?  The Cheez-Its.  And no, nothing else melts on a grilled cheese like American, but I can pass it up for something healthier (and tastier).

Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Adventure Girl!

Miss M was recently invited to a birthday party at a local indoor play area. She got to play video games and skee ball, go bowling, and more! The highlight for her may have been racking up 150+ tickets when we hit the jackpot on the 2nd game we tried, but I was pretty thrilled that she gave the climbing wall a shot. She pronounced herself, "probably not very good at this," when she was done, but she wasn't disappointed at all.
I love my adventure girl!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Fun Lunches

Left - Mister J's box - clockwise from top left:
Cucumbers and carrots; crackers; cheese (cheddar and provelone), turkey and mini pepperoni on picks; strawberries, ranch dip for veggies

Right - Miss M's box - also clockwise from top left:
Popcorn; crackers, pepperoni, turkey, cheese; strawberries; celery and ranch dip

Doesn't Take Much to Make Me Happy

My fruit tray is full AND I scored this free citrus peeler during my latest grocery store run!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

One of These Things is Not Like the Other Ones

Seen on a recent (non-snowy) afternoon.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Green Lunch

How much green can I get into one lunchbox? Funny thing is, he also asked to have a salad for lunch one day this week!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry

Swim Day Lunches

Mister J has swimming two mornings a week at school for the next few weeks. I'm packing extra protein in his lunch on swim days.
Turkey and cheese on picks (extra meat below the picks in Mister J's lunch), multi-grain crackers, carrots with dip, blueberries. Water to drink.
Post-school day update:  Mister J's box came home empty, Miss M didn't like the new crackers :(

Welcome, 2011!

This New Year's was the first time our kids stayed up to ring in the New Year.  A couple of days ago, Mister J asked if he and Miss M could "stay up to say Happy New Year," and we agreed.  So we planned a kid-friendly celebration - 'party food' for dinner and a cake for dessert (Miss M's request, because every party needs a cake!).  On Friday afternoon, we received an invite from our friends who were also planning a family-friendly celebration and invited us to join.  So - we packed up our six-layer dip (oops - I forgot a layer!) and chips, the cake (funfetti with chocolate funfetti frosting), a pitcher of sweet tea, and grabbed a pizza on the way over.

We had a great time!  The kids enjoyed some time to play with friends, the adults enjoyed conversation, laughs, and a round of Cranium.  Big J made me hum one of the music clues - even though he's the musically-inclined one in the family - so of course everyone at the table knew the song I was humming except him.  That's ok, we got a good laugh!  There was also the sketched clue that I drew - everyone wondered why I could possibly be drawing a hairy heart.  The answer was actually heartburn, and those were flames....

We counted down to midnight with the kiddos, said our goodbyes shortly after, and had the kids in bed around 1:15am. 

2010 really flew by for  me.  I think it's one of the "fastest" years I've ever had.  I feel like it was just October, and suddenly Christmas was here and now it's a new year.  While the days have flown by in a whirlwind, I have spent a bit of time thinking about some changes - really, just one change - that I want to make in the new year.  We are working on it already, but I really want to focus even more on our family and our relationships with others.  I want us to be more intentional about taking care of ourselves (individually and as a family) and about reaching out to others.  This really isn't something that comes easily for me - because it usually means saying, "No," to exciting opportunities - but I want a good balance in my life, and I need to regain that by coming back to the center, to what's really important.  For now, that means making our home a comfortable, uncluttered space that works for us, intentionally planning family time, making time for dates with my hubby, and (hopefully) catching up on our scrapbooks.  Those are all pretty tall orders - each of them will take work - but I'm looking forward to it.  And because they will take work, that probably means that posts here will continue to be infrequent and unpredictable.  They'll have fewer photos to no photos as all (I totally forgot to take photos of any of today's preparations or of the time we spent with our friends). 

I do hope that each of you will continue to stop by the blog and see what we are up to.  Mister J has a 3rd loose tooth.  I'm continuing 5K training in the spring (to improve speed and endurance) with an eye on even more training in the summer.  Miss M is in her 2nd year of dance, and wants to be a Daisy Scout so bad she can't stand it (but that's not until next school year).  Mister J continues to work hard for our family and recently helped us reach Baby Step 3. I'll keep blogging about all of this - and more - but probably less about lunches and other 'non-milestone' events.  All in keeping with my desire to be more intentional about time spent with my family.  I'll keep you posted on our progress in 2011!

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

Hoping that you are enjoying some time with your friends and family, celebrating in the way that is perfect for you.

• Whether a large gathering or an intimate group
• Whether loud and boisterous or calm and quiet
• Whether fancy or simple
• Whether at home or away

Enjoy, my friends, and

Merry Christmas!

You Can Find Me Here Today...

I was one of several bloggers recently interviewed by a local mommy blog about being a mommy blogger.  You can check out the post right here. 
To say I was flattered to be interviewed is a huge understatement! 

Sibling competition

Oh, my goodness!  Our two kids are provoking each other tonight.  One tells a joke and messes up the punch line, and the other - in a very sassy tone - lets the other one know, "That's not funny."  And, just a few moments ago, Miss M revived the "One, One Hundred" argument.  It's been going on for well over a week now.  Miss M will ask, "What's one plus zero plus zero?"  Mister J, interpreting her question as a math problem, will say, "One."  And then she says, "No, it's one hundred."  (Get it? 1 and 0 and 0 is 100, as she's at the leaning-to-write stage, not the arithmetic stage.  So, a one followed by two zeros is 100.)  And they argue back and forth, and eventually come to one of us to referee.  Daily.  {bangs head on desk}

Also, on the way into Best Buy this evening, Mister J was proud that he could walk and do jumping jacks at the same time.  Which he proceeded to do across the parking lot.  And this was before we ate our Krispy Kreme doughnuts for dessert.  (Actually, it was about that time that we decided to save them until tomorrow...)

Have I mentioned that Christmas Break started this afternoon?  Come January, I'm gonna need a vacation to recover from their vacation....

Winner, Winner, Cake Square Dinner

Well, with 20 cake square coupons, you could certainly fill up!  (Though probably not recommended!)

I took nine slips of paper, wrote a name on them for every comment received, folded them up, then let my kids draw the names out of a basket (sorry, no photographic evidence...), and the winners of this giveaway are:

• Amanda (I'll bring yours to church!)
• Meredith (I know where to find you...)
• Sarah (please leave a comment here with your email address - name - at - email - dot - com style and I'll contact you for your mailing address)
• Rosalind (I have your mailing address already)
• Angela (email me your mailing address)

Don't feel left out, Patrice - I'm going to send you a little something, too! 

Thanks, y'all, for entering!

Overheard #40

It's a "snow day" here, and even though we've been hanging out inside today I made my kids go upstairs for rest time.  Miss M gets rest time every day at school, and she needs it.  Mister J needs it too, since we are supposed to be at a Christmas get-together tonight - weather and road conditions permitting.  Here's my most recent rest-related exchange with my mom-napper:

Mister J:  Mom, how much longer?
Me: Please go lay back down.  I'll come get you when rest time is over.

...time passes...

Mister J: Mom, when is rest time over?
Me: In a while. (This was about the 4th interruption by a child who was supposed to be resting...)
Mister J:  How long is a while?

Oh, dear. 

NEW SHOES - Take 2...

So, as it turns out, the Sauconys were contributing to some major calf pain (think "ice and rest").  I'll skip over all of the boring details, but the amazing folks at the local running store where I shop helped me find a(nother) new pair of running shoes.  And here they are...

ASICS GT-2160 in Carbon/White/Plum

I've already taken them out for a (quick, because it was in the 30s) run, and so far - so good.  NO calf pain after the run, and my feet (my typical problem area) felt great.  Can't wait to get out for my next run, but right now there's snow on the ground (oh, and it's 11:08pm).  Hopefully tomorrow will shape up to be a good - though cool - day for an afternoon run!

PS - Don't forget to enter my cake square giveaway!  Only four days left to enter!

Stocking Stuffers

I wasn't quite on-the-ball enough this year for us to participate in Operation Christmas Child, but we did choose another giving opportunity to benefit children.  Our local Chick-Fil-As also collect Salvation Army stockings, so we chose to stuff two for children close in age to Mister J and Miss M.

Armed with our lists, I let the kids select most of the items on their own.  When we still had money left over (I'd estimated what it would cost as I planned out budget for the week), I picked up a few more items and surprised the kids with them when it was time to stuff the stockings.  Here's what we ended up with:

Miss M's items for a 3- to 5-year-old girl

Socks, mittens, hat, headbands and ponytail holders, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, a puzzle, some lacing cards, flashcards, and a travel-size m@gna-doodle

It's nearly as big as she is!

Mister J's items for a 7ish-year-old boy

Socks, mittens, hat, toothpaste, a toothbrush, a book, three Hot Wh33ls cars, flashcards, hair brush, slinky, juggling beanbags, and bend@roos (truly fun for nearly any age)

That stocking is pretty heavy!

I was so proud of my kiddos for shopping their way down the lists to fill the stockings!  We had to be mindful of finding things that would fit into the stockings, and the kids also thought about some details that they felt would be important to the kids receiving these items: they selected the characters on the toothpaste, toothbrush, books, etc., and chose between different options for the toys, socks, at other items.  Oh, how much fun we had paying for the first round of items and finding we could bless the children with even more goodies!  And then, it was time to drop them off!

The bittersweet part of all of this is teaching our children that not everyone has as much as we have - tangible or intangible.  That there are people out there with few possessions - like warm clothing.  There were tears when we had a real-life example of people without enough food to eat.  We've talked about people who can't afford medical care or who are far from home because their child is very sick.  Thankfully, we are in a position to be able to do something to help - and I hope it's a lesson that lasts a lifetime.

Local Helping Hand {giveaway!}

I enjoy keeping up with local bloggers and tweeters - it's been a great way to learn more about the city we call home (since we didn't grow up here), and a way to make some fun local connections.  Not too long ago, I got connected to our local Ronald McDonald House (web, blog, twitter, Facebook) as they were celebrating a recent expansion.  Just a few days after I started following on twitter, I got the message that they were in need of some pantry items.  As it turned out, our entire family was in Costco at the time, so we added a few things to our cart and made plans to visit the House!

So glad to be here!

Getting ready to unload our goodies!

And now, the RMH has given me some goodies to share with you! 

Yes, those are coupons for free cake squares from Dewey's!  I've got five sets of twenty coupons each, and all you have to do is leave a comment!  I'll award a coupon book to each of  five winners!


To enter:  I'd love to hear ways that you try to teach your children about giving, but any old comment will do.
Extra entries (leave me a separate comment if you do 1, 2, or 3): 
1) Follow @RMHWinstonSalem on twitter
2) Subscribe to the RMH Winston-Salem blog
3) Like the Ronald McDonald House of Winston-Salem on Facebook
4) Send a friend over to leave a comment and enter the giveaway!  If they let me know that you sent them, you will get an extra entry!
The fine print: The coupons have no expiration date (yay!), but since Dewey's is a local business, this giveaway is open to local folks (or those willing to drive here to use them...). 


If you don't know me in real or bloggy life, be sure to leave a way for me to contact you (name at email dot com).  I'll draw the winners on Thursday, December 16th (or maybe use random.org, but I think my kids would have fun drawing the names), and try to contact you by the 17th for your mailing address.  I'll post the winners here, too - so if you didn't win, you know who you need to meet at Dewey's for coffee and cake squares!


By the way, if you don't win - or if one pack just isn't enough - these coupon books are also for sale at the Ronald McDonald House through Christmas.  The booklets are $5 each (remember: 20 coupons in each booklet) and all of the proceeds go to the RMH!  I sent them to school for my son's birthday (no cupcakes allowed at school, but these were a fun substitute!), and they would also make great teacher gifts or stocking stuffers!


Best of luck, readers - I'll be waiting for the comments to start rolling in!

More, More, More!

Just a brief post tonight - it's late, and it's been a busy day! 

We recently celebrated Mister J's birthday, so I owe you a post about that.  And I wrapped up my 5K training with a run on Saturday morning.  Yes, both of those happened in the same weekend.  Also, while planning for said Very Busy Weekend, I decided that the front room (formerly the kid office, and originally intended for a dining room), needed to be painted before we put up the Christmas tree.  Does the 'birthday and then paint a room' thing sound familiar?

I'm also planning to post about some neat things we've done with the kids during this 'season of giving' - things that I hope we will continue throughout the year.  And - there's a giveaway coming really soon!  (As excited as I want everyone to be, it's limited to locals only - sorry!  But it'll be part of a really neat post I have about something we did with the kids - so please read anyway!)  (ETA neat thing #1 and neat thing #2/giveaway)

And, besides the promised blog posts, what does this week hold?  Well, tonight we had to pick up the last boxes of Boy Scout Popcorn and go to the official "end of 5K training" celebration.  Tomorrow my boys will be going to a skating party with the Cub Scouts.  I'll also be shopping around for new light fixtures tomorrow and picking up a paint roller (as in purchasing, and as in using...).  Oh, and it's dance day for my sweet girl.  Wednesday - Christmas get-together.  Thursday - I'm going to the launch party for this cool blog!  And Mister J has a school project due on Friday.  After that - rest?  I'm committed to spending the weekend with my family.  Just the four of us, nothing scheduled.  It's COLD here this week, so maybe we'll just snuggle up on the couch and watch movies/nap.  That would be nice, eh?  Note to self: find a good crock-pot recipe before your next grocery run (which comes right after you clean out the fridge...).

Have a great week, everyone!

And you can mark that off of your list...

Whee!  Yippee!  Woohoo!  Today's run was the goal race for my 5K training It was 33 degrees when I left my house this morning, and I didn't even notice the cold.  I was crazy excited!  Also, there wind that we've had the last couple of days was gone, so it just didn't seem as cold.

My goal for the training was to run a 5K in 45 minutes.  Today's run results - 43:34 (14:02 pace) - which is pretty consistent with my results from the Thanksgiving 5K. I was thrilled to find these posted just a little while ago!

And here's me - even before I knew the results - celebrating with my running buddy!

So, a few things I've learned in the last twelve weeks:
1) I love to run
2) I'm tougher than I thought
3) Running with a friend is way more fun
4) I get a little crazy when the endorphins kick in
5) Running changes everything!