Yesterday I...

Yesterday I broke my daily routine and...

    1. Visited some people that I really like. A lot.
    2. Skipped doing the dishes.
    3. Ate some of my favorite chocolates. And by some, I mean four serving sizes. More than a full day's
        worth of calories. Just in chocolates.
    4. Made breakfast for dinner. Cheesy scrambled eggs and whole wheat blueberry pancakes. With bacon.
        Two pounds of bacon.
    5. Skipped running. And weight-lifting. And core work. And anything else exercise related.
        Except for bathing Little Dog.

Today I...

    1. Did not weigh myself.

Race day is 2 days, 10 hours, and 13 minutes away.

And I am still in a funk. This can't possibly be any fun for you. So I decided to share a picture.

When I'm not in a funk it makes me smile. 

Okay, so when I AM in a funk it makes me smile, too.
:-)

Some Run For... FUN?

Here are some

who like to run. 

They run for fun 

in the hot, hot sun.

I think I should have contests and give out special prizes. If I did I would have a "name that book" contest and give a really awesome and meaningful prize to the first one to tell me where this verse came from. 

(And by "awesome and meaningful" I mean "delicious and fattening".)

It's race week at our house and this little verse has been pounding through my head.

Partly because I woke up to this:

Call me whiny, but it hardly seems fair that some really do get to run for fun in the hot, hot sun 

while I still have to endure this...at the end of March.

But that's not all. I'm having another issue here. See that word, "fun"? That's my problem. I usually love to run and really do run for fun. But lately I feel like I have been training for a long time, and am here to boldly admit that I am a little tired of it. Especially since I got back from SoCal.

I just feel fresh outta fun.

I'd like to think that it has mostly to do with the weather. Too many days of no hot, hot sun. In fact, months on end of no sun at all.

Maybe even years.

But it just might be more than that. For all you runners out there (and if you can walk to the fridge and back that counts), here is a small list of my immediate running grievances.

1. No sun. Really. This is a super big one for me. The lack of sunshine leaves me lethargic and stubbornly interferes with my motivation.

2. No sun + cold. I do not enjoy running in the cold. It leaves my muscles stiff and tired. It's hard to get out the door and I come home chilled.

3. No sun + cold + sun & warmth for a day + no sun + cold again. Honestly, I did okay with the cold and gray running for awhile. But after one unseasonably warm day in February there was no going back. And I've hardly been able to get my foot out the door since. As for the treadmill? Well, I've pushed myself to do it, but I haven't liked it. At all.

4. My last long training run was hard...and slow...and miserable. And discouraging.

So, now what? On Saturday I have a half marathon that I don't want to run. I have even trained for a goal time, and it's the best course I'll race this year to reach that goal.

But I have No. Desire. To. Run.
None.
Nada.
Zip.
This is entirely new territory for me!

Clearly, I am in a rut. A big, fat, sloppy, cold rut.

And now I am not only looking for, but actually soliciting advice. I can hear The Man gasp about this from 20 miles away.

So, even if you don't run I know there are different things in your life that you do for fun. But sometimes you still get in a rut about them, right? (Please say I'm right.)

So the question is this:
How do you get yourself back to that fun thing being fun again, especially when you need it to be the most?

Please, share this around as much as you can. Because I need HELP!

And I only have 4 days, 10 hours, 15 minutes, and 32 seconds to figure it out...

Finding True Love

Warning: Completely Frivolous Post Below.
(Unless you are anything like me. Then you know how truly serious this is.)

In SoCal I found True Love.  Honest.

It looks like this...

And this:

LOVE!

LOVE!!

LOVE!!!

I like to think in my head that True Love is on my feet. (Cue dreamy music...)

And I am wearing a creamy evening gown. With very tasteful and carefully placed embellishments.

My hair in a lovely chignon.

Long drop earrings from some really expensive jewelry place that I actually know the name of. 

(This does not include the WalMart.)

No neck bling...

But a pedicure on my toes, toes!

And perfect make-up. Like Carrie Underwood.

In True Love and a creamy evening gown with very tasteful and carefully placed embellishments 

I am ever so gracefully...

.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................
.............................................................................................................

  

Doing the dishes!

(Or driving The Little Man to soccer.

                Or Little Dog to the vet. Or home from the groomer.
                                                                                  
                                           And scrubbing toilets.

                                                                      And wondering, "Do these shoes really go with this gown?")

Here is where True Love has officially met True Life. Oy.

True Love comes at a price. The price is $1850. Pretty sure there is a misplaced decimal. It's really $18.50.

In my head.

SoCal - 13 Steps to Awesome!

And by awesome, I mean...

awe-some
[aw-suh m] - adj.
    1. inspiring awe
    2. showing or characterized by awe

One day my best traveling Gal Pal and I took a day trip to Torrey Pines State Park.

 To get a lesson in awe-some. 

If you've never been there, you should go. 

It's quiet, and clean, and a stunning mix of ocean, beach and sky. 

And hilly land.

I took pictures. They don't do it justice. Not even close. 

But I tried. So that you could have a lesson in awe-some, too. 

13 Steps to Awe-some

1. Park really far away from where this picture was taken. Walk along the beach toward the mountainside. Remember that the term "mountain" is very relative.

2. Walk up the hill and find the trailhead of your choosing. 

There are many choices. And all of them are good! 

What could be better than a place with all good choices? 

Awe-some already!

 3. Admire the interesting landscape and fun flora.

I like flora.

And Flora. 

(Flora is a friend of mine. She does not look anything like these pics. But I like her.)

4. Breathe in the spectacular and awe-some panoramic views! 

5. Notice the cloud cover coming in. And be glad you brought a sweater.

6. Venture down to the beach and snap some cool shots.  

(Look at the couple in the left of that photo. Aren't they just about awe-some?)

7. Play in the soft and yummy sand.

(not my feet)

8. People watch.

  

9. Wait for the clouds to break and wish for a sunset.

10. Look more closely and see...


...DOLPHINS!!!

(Seriously. Look back. It was there already. A little tiny fin. Now big.
Not the same fin.)

Ok. So these aren't great pics of dolphins, but still....

 ...DOLPHINS!!

I didn't even know I should wish for dolphins!

Look below! Two in one pic!!

If you count fins. I count fins.

This is all kinds of AWE-SOME!

Okay, I know. Enough dolphin pictures, already. 

But I was just so excited about them!

(I'm a Midwestern girl. I don't get out much.)

11. Look to the left...

to the right...

and straight ahead.

12. And wait a little longer.

(waiting)

(still waiting)

(and waiting)

For this...

and this...

and this.

So Awe-Some!


13. Be sure not to miss one last chance to look back before leaving.

And that my friends, is exactly how you do awe-some.

End of lesson.

Dear SoCal... Love Always, Me

Dear SoCal,

I love running on your beaches and piers. Your air is humid and salty. And I adore humid and salty! Your ocean makes that ocean noise. The one that only oceans make. The one that makes my soul all melty and soft inside, and stirs up longings for a breezy waterside hut.

Your beach people are so interesting! And tan. I write letters to them in my head. The letters go like this:

    Dear Very Old Wrinkly Running Woman,

    I think you might be 85. It's hard to tell from all the sun damage. But you are still running! 

It inspires me and gives me hope for my running future.

I want to know your secret...

Just exactly where DO you get the confidence to run in a jog bra???

    Fascinated By This Whole Concept,

    Me

And...

    Dear Beautiful Bronze Buff Boy on a Bike,

    By boy, I mean man. You are beautiful. And Bronze. And Buff. And much younger than I. 

So thank you for waving and smiling at me. 

It made my day! 

(If The Man saw you, he would understand. Promise.)

    Heavy Girlish Sigh,

    Me

And...

    Dear Older Barefoot Shirtless Running Man Wearing Khaki Shorts and a Backpack,

    You are so cute in your backpack! 

    But you should probably wear a shirt. I'm just sayin'...

    Some Things You Can't Unsee,

    Me

And last, but certainly not least...

    Dear Darling Children Playing in the Waves by the Pier,

    I love to hear you squeal and giggle as you run back and forth along the water's edge! 

Your light-hearted laughter is infectious 

and reminds me that I should look a little more for the child inside of me. 

Thanks for giving me a "moment". 

    

    And a photo. 

    Now Wash Your Feet...That Water is Dirty!

    Me

So, I thank you SoCal , for giving me such good stuff in my head.
And my heart.
And my soul.

Love Always,
Me

SoCal Rocks My World!

I know, I know. I didn't blog even one day last week. And that means I didn't even make it to day 13 with blog-free weekends!! It's embarrassing, really. I had every intention. Every. One. But then I went to SoCal and every intention for all-things-ambitious fled. Swiftly. And with reckless abandon.

I am blaming this on the ocean air. It intoxicates me. I can't help it.

So I surrendered and packed away my computer (and blogging!) in exchange for sunny skies, crashing waves, and time with my best traveling Gal Pal. And See's Candies. Lots of See's Candies.

You should know that SoCal rocks my world! And so I am going to blog about it. Because I'm sure you're dying to know... :-)

We'll start simple. A picture and a story.

Here is a picture of me at the beach.

I am not actually IN the picture of me at the beach. But I am taking the picture...at the beach.


And here is a story. I will call it "Unfortunate Cookies".

Unfortunate Cookies

I like Chinese food and find fortune cookies to be an especially fortunate little treat. They are just the right amount sweet and crunchy, making them the perfect postlude to a deliciously fried and saucy Chinese concoction. And it gets even better because they have those fun little papers inside that tell you how beautiful you are, or how great your life is, or how prosperous you are about to be, and what super-de-duper fun adventures lie ahead for you. What could be more exciting, right?

Well, lately I've had a streak of Unfortunate Cookies. I call them this because there is nothing fortunate about them. And frankly, they are disappointing. Very disappointing. On all kinds of levels. Lately my fortunate cookies have said things like...

"Ask Your Mom"

Really. Does that have anything to do with anything?

And...

"Accept The Next Proposition That Comes Your Way".

I don't get it. What does that even mean? And why? But believe me, The Little Man understood it perfectly and jumped all over it! It went like this:

"Hey, Mom! I have a proposition for you. Tonight I will give you $20 and in the morning you can give me $125!"

(Is that really the best he could come up with?)

I have three thoughts here:

1. The Little Man is quick...but seriously. He needs to set his sights a little higher.
2. Whoever wrote that fortune (and I am using the term loosely here...) doesn't live with a teenager.
3. Or maybe, whoever wrote that fortune IS a teenager!

So next comes one of the most absurd EVER...

"Learn To Set Reasonable Expectations"

I am not making this up. Isn't the whole point of fortune cookies to encourage us to set wildly UN-reasonable expectations? This whole fortune did nothing but confuse me.

Still confused. Months later.

So you would think I would be able to escape this Unfortunate Cookie streak in SoCal, right? Not so much. My first meal there, Lettuce Wraps. Yummy! And an exciting little crispy cookie filled with potential. I chose mine carefully, certain that the winds of change were headed my way. And what did I get? Nothing about how beautiful I am. Nothing about how great my life is, or how prosperous I'm about to be. Nothing about what super-de-duper fun adventures lie ahead. Nope. I got this...

"Time Heals All Wounds. Keep Your Chin Up. It's Getting Better"

Picture my mind swimming. In a very big body of water. I really had no idea if this one was good or bad. No matter how hard I tried.

But you know what? I didn't even care! Not even a teeny, tiny bit. I am blaming this on the ocean air.

Here are more pictures of me at the beach. Oh, and I'm still not actually IN them...

:-)

Moments

This morning was trash morning in our neighborhood. When I walked outside with one last bag of trash I was surprised to see that it was sunny and cheerful out.
    And all things were as they should be on an early spring day in the Midwest.

This wouldn't ordinarily surprise me. But halfway across the world, there was an island reeling from the devastation of a record-setting earthquake and subsequent tsunami.
     For them, all things were not as they should be.

And the contrast between what I had witnessed on the morning news and what I had experienced right outside my front door was stark.
    Surreal.
        Unimaginable.

Already on my mind was another surreal moment, from yesterday's run. I had just powered up a long and difficult hill on some lovely scenic trails behind a golf course near my home. Hitting the down side was exhilarating after weeks of treadmill running, and as I neared the bottom of the hill a beautiful white-tail deer darted across the path just yards in front of me. After it crossed I could sense rustling to my side so I stopped dead in my tracks. And there they were. A beautiful and majestic herd of deer, seven strong, each with bodies stone still, ears cocked, and white tails erect. I just stood there, as motionless as possible, and stared.  It was astounding!
    And for a just a few moments time stood still.

As I walked, and then ran on,  I noticed a runner just in front of me. He had passed while I was admiring the deer. And he had not even taken time to notice them. All I could think was, "He missed it! He missed a really beautiful moment!" I wondered what would make his run so important that he could not take even a few seconds to appreciate such an amazing sight.
    And I contemplated the busyness of our lives.

How often do we miss the little moments; the smiles, the giggles, the glances, and the hugs; the beauty of a sunset or perfectly shaped rose bud; the silly stories rattled off by our children; a cry for help, or attention, or love?
    How often do we just miss "it" because of our self-absorbed determination?
        Or the distractions of daily living?

What I do know is that these moments don't keep. And they don't return. They come once...and are gone as quickly as they came.
    We don't get a second shot.

And now, as this day draws to a close, my thoughts are driven back to the tens of thousands who will spend the approaching days and weeks
    displaced,
        and mourning the loss of loved ones.

I wonder, how many of them wish for just one more "moment", a moment that they wouldn't pass by if given a second chance?

And I wonder, what did I miss today?
    And what will I refuse to miss tomorrow?

My Kicks

Here is a picture of my favorite kicks. I wear them almost every day.

They are so cute! :-)

I had a dream. In my dream I was swimming to Catalina Island wearing my kicks. They kept trying to squirm off my feet and I was fighting frantically not to let them! It was a relief to get to Catalina Island with both shoes present.

Phew! 'Cause, look. They're even cute from the backside. :-)

Oh, and on Catalina Island my kicks and I were greeted by purple hippos.

I'm blaming that part on the decongestant.

If It Makes You Feel Any Better

You should know that this is what really makes me feel better...

Jelly Belly Sours. 
Because my DNA dictates that I be addicted to sugar.

Here is a true story I've been dying to share!

Just after Kid Two had her own Kid One, The Man and I were hungry. So we went from the hospital to the local soup and sandwich shop to get soup and sandwiches. The Man ordered steak soup with cornbread on top. Because it's a manly soup. But when we got back to the hospital he found there was no cornbread on top. And not one piece of steak in his entire cup of soup. This was really disappointing. Because The Man needs his steak.

Well, on day two after Kid Two had her own Kid One we went back to the same soup and sandwich shop and tried again. (We didn't really go there to try again. We went there because Kid Two really wanted it instead of hospital food. And what new moms want, new moms should get, right?) Anyway, day two at the soup and sandwich shop went something like this:

The Man walks to the counter and says, "You know, I'm not quite sure what to get. Yesterday I ordered the steak soup and it didn't have even one piece of steak in it."

Counter Girl says, "It didn't? Well, if it makes you feel any better the first time I tasted that soup it was so hot it burned my tongue."

The Man and I look at her. Then at each other. Then at her. Then back at each other. All I could squeak out was a very weak, "Oh..... " (Long pause.) "Well, it didn't have any cornbread on it either." The counter girl says nothing.

So The Man tries again (he wants something), "Well, I was just wondering if there is anything you can do for me because of that. I mean, it was a really disappointing experience yesterday." (He was being truthful. It was.)

Counter Girl, "No. There really isn't."

The Man, "Well, do you have a manager or someone here who can?"

Counter Girl, "No. But if it makes you feel any better someone else prepares the food. I just take the orders."

Again, The Man looks at me. I look at The Man. We both look at Counter Girl. Completely speechless. (If you know The Man, you know this is doesn't happen often.)

The Man breathes in deeply and tries one more time, "So, you can't even throw in a cookie or anything?"

Counter Girl, "Nope. But if it makes you feel any better my manager made me come to work on New Year's Eve when I was sick and my cat died and all I wanted to do was go home and sleep."

What?!?!

You cannot even imagine the looks that were exchanged between The Man and me and Counter Girl at this point!! I am absolutely positive that the words "confused", "dumbfounded", "What the heck?", and "Did she really just say that?", were written plainly across every inch of our furrowed foreheads.

And we didn't say a word. Nothing. We just stared at Counter Girl. Incredulously.

As we walked off, The Man muttered, "Idiot." I muttered, "Um...pretty sure that didn't make me feel any better."

But by the time I got to the car I was giggling uncontrollably. The whole exchange had been so absurd! All I could think was, "If it makes you feel any better I had to work on New Year's Eve when my cat died..."

I giggled all the way back to the hospital. Then I laughed when I told the story to Kid Two. She laughed, too.

And now we have a new phrase when someone in our house is whining... "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I had to work on New Year's Eve..."

(We never really leave the cat part off, 'cause it's the BEST!)

And then we giggle.

Turns out that in the end it really did make me feel better. :-)

Just Push Play...and Replay

I almost never wake up to my alarm. Because I almost never set it. Currently my alarm is the intro to a song I really like. A lot. When it goes off I wake up wanting to sing. And play the piano. At the same time. In my pajamas. The Man has a rooster crow for his alarm. When it goes off I wake up wanting to throw bricks.

Well, today I woke up to my alarm. This was really cool and made we want to...yup...sing. And play the piano. But then the song got stuck. Really stuck. And I couldn't budge it out of my head. I know you know how this goes. There is no controlling it. And the harder you try to the more you can't. So I had to listen to the whole song. Twice. And then the entire CD. Before 8am. I had to. I took this as a sign. A sign that it's time to attend to the "Just Push Play" tab at the top of my blog.

Here's what it's about. I love music! If you know me you know this about me. And I often get asked what kind of music I listen to. I don't usually give a real answer to this because it's kind of complicated. And it's a little like the question, "How are you?" If you've ever asked that and gotten the complicated answer when you really, really needed to use the restroom, you know what I'm saying here. So "Just Push Play" is a page for me to tell what music my iPod played that day. But wait. It gets better! (Shocking, I know.) I will also tell what songs it just had to replay. 'Cause that's the good stuff. So check it out every once in awhile. I'll try to update each night...or morning. And if you have any great music suggestions, bring 'em on! I'm all ears. :-)

Here is a picture. I took it at Yellowstone Park in the summer. Sweet, sweet summer. I'm using it because today is March 8. And it's cold. And rainy. Still.

Amazing Things

Okay, I just have to start off by admitting that I was a little too optimistic to think I could blog for 13 days straight. I know. I only made it 6. And as guilt receptor, I feel really bad about it! Somewhere in my head I'm pretty certain there was 1 person who was really, really disappointed in me. And somewhere else in my head there was 1 person wondering if everything was okay. The other 1 was doing the happy, "I knew she couldn't do it!", dance. (Yup, that covers all three of you.) It's a lot of pressure. Really. But I traded in Blog Day 7 for a Sunday nap. A very LONG Sunday nap.

This whole thing feels a little like starting a diet where you're going to lose 10 pounds in one week because that's a completely reasonable goal, right? It's all water weight anyway. You start on Monday and eat melba toast. Tuesday is celery. Wednesday morning is grapefruit juice. But Wednesday afternoon is Oreos (with skim milk). Then cheesecake. Then muffins. Then Lay's Original potato chips with french onion dip. And peanut M&Ms (with whole milk). And pizza. Meat Lover's pizza. It's pretty indulgent. And you feel guilty. And start again on the next Monday (since you've already totally blown it for this week) with a more realistic goal....to lose only 8 pounds in one week.

So, it's my next Monday and I have a more realistic goal. I will only blog each weekday. For the next 5 days.

Whew! Now that I got that out I can get on to my real entry!

(Here's a hint.)

Two months ago today I became a grandmother. I have to admit I wasn't too excited about this idea at first. I'm only 29. But as soon as I held that sweet baby boy in my arms I fell in love! There really is nothing in the world like snuggling your own grandchild.

I got to be there for my daughter's very long labor, the delivery, and for a full week after he was born. One late night, when he was about 4 days old, I wrote this short and simple list of:

Amazing Things
(I should call it, So Amazing Things, just to emphasize how amazing these things are.)

1. Labor and delivery from the non-laborer/non-videotaper/just intense observer and supporter side. Wow!

2. Hospitals, doctors, modern medicine, and intervention - both good and bad.

3. How easy and refreshing it is to be the grandparent, and not the parent. :-)

4. The smell of a newborn baby. (I'd forgotten!)

5. How little sleep you get with a newborn around. (I'd forgotten!)

6. Experiencing the strength and guts of your own daughter as she becomes a mother.

7. The flawless masterpiece that is new life.

8. Family dynamics. More specifically, how much I love being a mom and don't so much love being a mom-in-law. (I'm not very good at it.)

9. How time warps with a little one around.

10. The feeling of holding your grandchild. For some reason when I thought up my life I never really thought up this part. Besides being amazing, it gives this interesting feeling of perspective and connectedness that I don't often feel.

I cannot believe how quickly two months has gone! Now my grandson is a giggly piece of delightful chubbiness. And I couldn't be happier to be a grandmother. It is truly So Amazing! :-)