These Things Take Time

Chey is in the early stages of potty-training. She's really good about going to the bathroom first thing, when she wakes up, but I've noticed she loses interest as the day goes on. I'll ask her, "Cheyenne, do you need to go potty?" and she will respond, "NO!" But then again her response to just about everything is no.

Cheyenne Loves Storytime

Sunday Morning Long Run

Distance: 14 miles
Duration: 02:12:51
Average Pace Per Mile: 09:29
Max Pace: 07:14
Weather: 68 degrees and cloudy


Saturday morning, my alarm went off, I rolled out of bed, looked outside, and witnessed a massive light show...and just like that -- I crawled into bed and listened to the rain, and went back to sleep. For the most part, I'll run in rain, but I won't run during a thunder storm. Besides, it gave me a good excuse to catch up on sleep.

<---This picture was snapped early SUNDAY morning, still gloomy and dreary, but no rain.


Sunday morning, I tackled my long run because mentally, I couldn't go two weeks without logging some big numbers. Despite the morning gloom, it was a fantastic run. I didn't have any stomach issues and when I completed my run, I wasn't starving, like I usually am when I complete anything over 12 miles. During this run, I had an energy gel, that I sucked at mile 7. I chased it with some water and it was so good! I think I took it at the right time because I was starting to feel sluggish.

This view was the highlight of my run. It was so lovely, I had to pause for a moment to appreciate it. I can still hear the water...

Here is a short clip. I'm telling you it's a short one.

Here is the new gel I tried. Vanilla Bean. Also, pictured are my two water bottles. I took the Nike bottle with me and the other bottle I left on the sidewalk, so I could refuel, mid-run. Yes, I have a fine-tune system. It works. Well, it works, when I stay close to home, otherwise it's water fountains and/or the hydration belt. 

It's a Good Day to Be a Cowboys Fan

I'm so glad the Cowboys finally pulled off a win. Whew! I'm catching up on my laundry and chores today, but for the most part it's been a quiet afternoon.

Early this morning, Cheyenne and I went for a seven mile run. It's been a few weeks since we went running together, but we finally have fall-like weather. I couldn't resist, it was too beautiful. 57 degrees! My pace was slow, since I was pushing Cheyenne, but it was nice to have her join me. This week I will accumulate a total of forty miles. I better get my rest now, tomorrow I have another seven miler scheduled.

During the run, she stayed occupied by watching about three episodes of Dora the Explorer.

Reading a Book to Daddy

Jungle Garden

I've put off writing this post for a long time. Why? Because I kept thinking, oh my garden just needs time to flourish. Well, I've given it PLENTY of time and let me say, my first garden attempt was terrible.

Here's what I did wrong: 

1. In my opinion, I planted the seed about 2-3 weeks late. Next time, I won't start from seed, at least not the tomato plants. 

2. I planted the seed entirely too close! Now, I have giant tomato plants toppling over each other with no tomatoes! Wait, I take that back, (see image below) I have tons of green pumpkin like tomatoes, that never fully produced. Also, out of that hard work, time, and effort I have a total of two tomatoes to show for it. TWO. Yes, I can feed an army of none. 

3. Towards, the end I threw my hands up and said, "the hell with it, I'm not watering this!" 

I haven't given up entirely on gardening. Next time, I will only grow a few things from seed and I will start early, water often, and run less. Next spring, I plan of focusing on speed running. More 5K and 10K races...that type of thing. That way, I can focus on other interests of mine, like trying to grow a garden. I believe, if I put the same amount of energy into my gardening, as I do running, I will have the best garden in the world or at least the block. We will see.

Another thing I've learned from this first time gardening experience - Herbs are so easy to grow. Maybe next season, I should focus on an herb garden. Lots to think about, but at least I have time. Now, all I have to do is clean up this jungle in my backyard. Trey?!?!

Here is everything that did not produce, tomatoes, squash, strawberries, and jalapenos. However, the cilantro, rosemary, mint, onions/chives, and basil flourished nicely.

Here are my precious tomatoes and no I won't be sharing, so don't even ask me! :)

If I'm Not Running, You Can Find Me in the Kitchen

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen...

Here is a recent dish I made, baked ziti (spinach on my side).

What are some of your favorite dishes? It must be the change of season or something, but I'm getting an itch to make a new recipe. It's a challenge trying to find something Trey will agree to eat, that's okay, I still love him. Now, Cheyenne is a great eater. It seems like she's always in the mood to snack. Check out this video of her begging for a cheese stick.

Play Date at the Park

Earlier this week, Cheyenne and I met Krista and Makena at the park. We spent most of our time swinging, go around the merry-go-round, and sliding down the wet slide.

Did you know today is the first day of fall? It doesn't feel or look like fall (in Texas), but I'm ready for fall-like weather, NOW. Wow, Halloween and Thanksgiving will be here before you know it.

Morning Face Running Playlist

It's been a while, but here is my new playlist. This should entertain me for at least two weeks. Am I missing any songs? Let me know. Lately, I've had this song stuck in my head...talk about an awesome song to run to. Another thing, I'm really loving the Mumford and Sons, Sigh No More, album. It's not exactly running music, but I threw one song in the mix.

Even though Trey was out and about this weekend at the Kiss concert and Dallas Cowboys game, he has been fighting a terrible sinus infection. So, Saturday and Sunday I stayed close to home, so he could sleep in. Needless to say, I didn't get a chance to run my 10 miler.  However, I did run 3 miles Saturday morning and Sunday I did some P90X: YogaX. On that note, I think Cheyenne is going to be a little yogi. She woke up, while I was working out, so I gave her a yoga mat and she tried to copy me as I was doing all the yoga positions. She got frustrated during the balancing poses, but she can do downward dog like a champ...that's my girl. Oh, you know what would be cute? If I could find her little workout clothes! Adorable.

First Dentist Appointment

Today, Cheyenne went to her first dentist appointment. The dentist gave her this super duper toothbrush. The dentist said her teeth look good. No cavities. No problems.  The next time he'll see her will be when she's three.

She was getting into it! 

Don't forget to brush your tongue.

Get it. Get it. 

Daddy interrupted and stole a kiss.

Back to brushing, oh wait, that' the wrong brush. 

A Delicious Mess

My child has been calling crackers -- cookies. Trey felt sorry for her, "Poor child doesn't even know what a cookie is." I thought I would educate her, so this weekend we made a batch of chocolate chip cookies. I pulled up a bar stool for her and she helped me make a delicious mess. 

We've been spending a lot of girl time together. It's been nice. I've had her all to myself because Saturday, Trey and Bubba went to a Kiss concert and then today they went to the Dallas Cowboys game. By the way, Trey is officially banned from Cowboys games. Every time he goes, they lose. We can't take that kind of risk.


Look what Trey brought home. A whole bunch of 2010 Cowboys Stadium cups.

The Reason Why People Have Kids...

is so they can do things for you, like put your shoes on your feet. Now, if I can just get her to give me a back massage...

She's really adorable. I can tell she is going to be a great helper. She is always willing to contribute and help with chores. Anytime she sees me with the broom she'll run over and take it from me. Yesterday, I was in the kitchen, cleaning and she wanted to help so I handed her a wet cloth and told her to wipe down the chairs. She was all about it! I gave her something to do and she loved it!

Trey's Home!

After a week working out of state, Trey is finally home. We've missed him.

Have a great weekend everyone! 

Dallas White Rock Marathon Training Ramble

I've been running for years and this is the first time, I'm consistently feeling sore during and after workouts. On Friday, I'm usually scheduled for a three miler, but the last two weeks--- I've opted to rest. I'll thank myself tomorrow for that. Sometimes, I want to be all hardcore, like get your lazy butt up and run the three miles, but at the same time, my body needs to recover.

Gosh, I could really use a full body massage! Over the next two weeks, training will continue to ramp up. 14, 16, 18, 20!!! milers in my future.

I've always heard running a marathon is not as difficult as the training. When training for my first half marathon, I didn't use a "training schedule," I made my own schedule:

4 Miles 3x's during the work week and then Saturday I would run my endurance run, which usually meant an 8 miler. Also I would do cross training on at least one day off. This worked for me and I completed two half marathons injury free. 

I think the next time I run a full marathon (if I have the courage to do another one) I will most definitely draft my own training schedule. Another thing I should be doing at least twice a week is cross training...I know better. Sigh.

Oh and since I'm kind of rambling, venting, semi-complaining I might as well add that I think it's time for a new pair of shoes. I think I have over 300 miles on my Merrell's. I give them one more month tops.

Letting off Some Steam

She pauses to laugh.

Where are you going baby girl?

Hello!

Already Playing with Barbie Dolls

This picture was taken at Amy's house, the last time we were in Abilene.

School:
Cheyenne was in a funk last week. She was clingy and sensitive. But this week is looking up. I think she just needed a week under her belt. Now, I hear she is loving school.

Hair:
In other news, I had my hair trimmed...a whopping two inches. There for a while I was starting to look like Rapunzel. On my next hair cut, I may do something drastic. Who am I kidding? Trey also got a trim. He requested the George Clooney trim <------ that's just funny.

Training for a Marathon is Like This...

1. brutal
2. nagging
3. a serious commitment and I didn't even get a ring!
4. makes me want to eat everything in sight
5. feels justified to eat everything in sight
6. it is all consuming
7. makes me want to take a nap
8. makes me want to curl up in a ball and cry

On the flip side, training has its perks:
1. Hello skinny jeans!
2. "Yes, I know this is my third serving, I'm training for a marathon, so get over it!"
3. if I ever need to outrun a zombie, I could
4. these days I sleep like a rock
5. hard leg muscles
6. bragging rights

At some point the training becomes habit forming. I no longer wonder...what will I be doing Saturday morning? It's a given...I will be running a minimum of 10 miles. No questions. No excuses. It doesn't matter what I ate or did the night before.

I remember the days, when running 3 miles was a big deal. The good news, I'm only running ten miles Saturday and I'm ecstatic about the decrease in mileage. Happy dance!

18 Mile Run

Distance: 18 miles
Duration: 3:02:00
Average Pace Per Mile: 10:06
Weather: Felt Great. Overcast with a breeze. Perfect.
Notes: Ended my run soaking wet. I didn't know I could sweat that much and it wasn't even hot outside. I left the house wearing a navy blue sports bra and came home with a black one.

This run was mentally challenging. I had to break it down.
Run 6 miles. Okay. Only 12 more to go...that's less than a half marathon. You can do this. 


At mile four I had to stop. Bathroom. I'm not sure if I should allow my stopwatch to go or if I should stop it. Thoughts? The full marathon is 26.2 miles, most likely it will take me 4 hours to complete this distance. I really don't want to stop and use the bathroom during the race. Trey says if I need to pee I should just let it go. Haha! No way!

Other than the bathroom thing, I've been thinking a lot about training. I read something that said during training, running more than three hours for a long run may not be necessary, (when training for a marathon). Now, I'm debating if I should run 22 miles, for my longest run. Stumped.

Bella & Cheyenne

Short Trip to Abilene

Erin needed to drive thru Abilene and offered to take Cheyenne and drop her off with family. So, Chey's been visiting family since yesterday and she should be back home this evening.

Here is a picture of Mary Kate and Cheyenne watching Little Einsteins in the back of Erin's car. 

Everything in its Right Place

This lunch box is the best $4.99 investment. Talk about convenient! This would be a good gift. Maybe Christmas....What do you think? I know a few people who could really use something like this.

Angelica's Birthday Party

Last weekend, we went to Abilene and celebrated Angelica's birthday.

Cheyenne got some cool party favors....sunglasses and jewelry.

Angelica and Chey 

Amy rented an air castle for the kids. While the kids were bouncing, someone accidently unplugged the pump and the castle deflated.  You can see one girl desperately trying to hold it up. Haha!

It only took a minute and the air castle was back in business..... Same girl holding it up and Amy pointing at somebody. 

This reminded me of an episode of Modern Family. The air castle scene is towards the middle of the clip.

Perhaps, it's Time for a New Robe

This photo was taken in January. That's when she first discovered her belly button.

How does this thing work?

Ladies, according to Cheyenne, this is the fall look.

Oh, so stylish!

I was chasing her, demanding a hug.

First Day of School. Mother's Day Out Preschool.

Did everyone have a good Labor Day? Cheyenne spent the day sick. All she wanted to do was cuddle with Daddy. She didn't want anything to do with me, so I got a lot of things done around the house, while Trey took care of her.

She continued to have a fever, until this morning. Originally, I was going to stay at home with her, but since her fever dropped and she was eating again, I decided to send her off to school. No, playing hookie on the first day! Seriously, though - she was fine. Her first day of school and the weather was a mess. RAIN. That explains the frizz. Baby girl, if I had a magic trick to take the frizz away I would. Oh wait I do, it's called hairspray. 

Well, I'm really excited for her. I think she is going to have a lot of fun learning, playing, and making new friends. In this picture, she's eating a granola bar. I had to modify the recipe, since her school is a no peanut school. I used pine nuts, walnuts, and pecans, in lieu
 of peanuts.

For lunch, I packed her chicken and cheese quesadillas on a whole grain tortilla, with tomatoes slices, celery sticks, strawberries, and red grapes. Sounds like a lot, but it's all about portion. I packed the same for my lunch, but bigger portions. Currently, I'm obsessed with bento lunch boxes. Have you heard about these? Ashleigh, my co-worker introduced me to a site, Weelicious™. This site has given me some great lunch ideas not only for Chey, but for myself. More about bento, I've tried looking locally for these lunch boxes, but the closest thing I have found has been at The Container Store.

The container on the left side is the one I got for Chey. It's not exactly bento, but it works. The box on the right is what I got for myself. Today, I used it and loved it. The main reason I like it so much is because I don't have to waste three to four ziplock baggies. Also, when I have to rush out the door, I just have to grab one container, not several, plus baggies, like I was doing before.

12 Miler & One Confusing Route in Abilene

Distance: 12.65 miles
Duration: 01:56
Average Pace per Mile: 9:09
Temperature: 56 degrees
Notes: We spent Labor Day weekend in Abilene visiting with family, but traveling doesn't mean I get a break from marathon training.

Saturday morning, I went for a run in Abilene. I had planned on running with Sherri Jo, but she decided to sit this one out since she has been over-training. Smart girl, but I missed her company. We met up that evening at Red Robin for burgers and fries. So, much for burning all those calories :).

So, Saturday morning it was just me and the road. I ran through several neighborhoods and it was such a busy route...I had over 30 turns! Left on this street, right on that street, circle around, take a slight left here...It's no wonder I got side-tracked and ended up running .65 miles more than I had planned. It's hard to complain since the weather was so nice. FALL! Love it!

Down. Set. Hut.

Cheyenne is in a copy cat phase.

They were watching football. Nice face, Trey.

Crash & Burn on the Slip-N-Slide

Cheyenne playing at Amy's on the Slip-N-Slide.

You Know How to Make a Girl Feel Special

Two years ago, I lost an earring and ever since then, I’ve been craving a new pair. Every holiday, birthday, special occasion, I would remind Trey, “hey sweetie, you know what would be nice?”

Well, about two weeks ago, Trey took me to the Diamond Doctor in Dallas. Have you heard of this place? This place is quite the experience. When you walk in the hallway you are greeted by a security guard, you wait at the entrance and then someone from the other side buzzes you in. Then you wait in a waiting room, which feels like a doctors office. Once a salesperson is available, they call you into the showroom. When you walk-in, you get that feeling that people don’t browse, they walk-in with the intent to purchase.

I had hoop earrings before and this time I thought I wanted round brilliant with princess cut, but once I saw the princess cut stud earrings I fell in love.  1.08 karats in love.  Trey was immediately sold and ready to purchase, but I was on the fence because of the price. The manager overheard me and took a few hundred dollars off the sales price. What? News flash to me: buying diamonds is like buying a car.

Love the clarity. SI1. Now I'm a diamond expert and I know all the lingo. :) I’m so glad I got the studs because whether I'm wearing a dress or a t-shirt they look good.

Thanks Trey for the sparkly earrings! You know how to make a girl feel special. 

Gingerbread Kids: Practice Draft

Trey and I are on a FleaFlicker fanatsy football team. This will be our second year to play. However, last year I did not manage my team...Trey did, which actually worked in his favor. Cough/CHEATER! Several of my co-workers participate in this league too.

Since the BIG yahoo draft is coming up on Saturday, (this is the league with family members), I decided to do a practice draft with my FleaFlicker account.

Yesterday evening, Trey and I logged into our seperate FleaFlicker accounts and we were ready to draft. We had a bad thunderstorm roll through and seconds before the draft started our electricity went out. The outage killed the wi-fi signal and Trey was freaking out! "this better not mess up my first round picks." Luckily, the electricity came back on, within a minute or two and we were able to log back in. No problem.

At the moment, this is what my team looks like. I have two awesome quarter backs. Trey said he wasn't going to help me, but he was nice and gave me some guidance.

My team name is Gingerbread Kids!