Sharing My Childhood Bear with My Daughter

When I was a child, I recall purchasing this bear with my piggy bank money. It meant a lot to me because it was something that I bought. A year or two ago, my mom was going through my old toys and this was the only thing I wanted to keep. Now, I'm loaning it to Cheyenne. I'm pretty sure her love language is touch. She is a cuddle bear herself and she is attached to stuffed animals and blankets. She refers to this bear as MY BEAR! Then again she refers to everything as MINE! and MY!

Lake ___ Half Marathon

Distance: 13.1 miles
Duration: 01:56:49
Average Pace Per Mile: 8:55
Weather: At 7:33 am it was 42 degrees. South wind at 6 mph. At 11 am it was 69 degrees and Sunny!!!! Can you say HA-HA-HOT?!

This was my third year to run this race. 2009, I ran the 5K. I was two months post-pregnancy. 2010, I picked this as my first half marathon race. My finish time last year was 02:02:10. So, I'm pleased I managed to shave several minutes off, this time around. PR!

This race is a small one, but I love it. You don't get all the goodies, that maybe you'd get in a bigger race, but there is something about running lakeside, being close to home, running a familiar route, that makes me want to run this race every year.

I've been tracking my fitness progress online on a site called DailyMile. It's basically Facebook for athletes. Right before the race, I met-up with some fellow DailyMilers, Jennifer and Travis. They are a married couple from the Abilene area.



















Jennifer is more along my fitness level and Travis is a Boston Marathoner.



I started the race way too fast. I looked down to check my time right after the first mile and it was somewhere in the high 7 minutes (7:50 ish). I'm not that kind of runner. I'm a 9 minute a mile kind of runner. By mile three, I started to find my rhythm and around that same time, I ran into Jennifer and Travis. They were about to pass me, but I figured I'd piggy back on their pace. It worked for me and made for a fun race! Travis would call out our splits and do most of the talking. I was actually surprised that I could carry on a conversation while racing. Who knew?

Somewhere around mile 10 Travis and Jennifer stopped for a bathroom break. But the last mile Travis caught back up with me and helped paced me to the finish line. He was cheering me on and at one point possibly running backwards. Showoff! (haha)

In my finish photo you may notice I'm missing a layer. Well, actually I tied my shirt to my waist. I was burning up and I just about lost it, so my under shirt had to GO. I felt so much better, once I shed that shirt. 10 pounds lighter. At the end, I really wanted to slow down, actually I did quite a bit around mile 11 and 12. So, in a way I'm glad that I did start strong, but then again it makes me wonder if I would've paced myself better, from the get go, I may not have hit the wall so bad. It's a fine line. Even with that being said, it was an awesome race! I loved every minute of it, even the humongous hill.

And special thanks to Lululemon for all their support! I ran in my lulu gear and I can tell that all that speed work is paying off!

In This Case, Sharing is Not Caring

Guess who has the stomach bug now? Trey.

It started yesterday evening and pretty much knocked him off his feet. He was in bed by 7:30 pm and after I put Chey down for the night, I followed his lead. I thought it would be smart to get a solid eight hours of sleep before the half marathon. Well, right as I was dozing off to bed, is when his sickness got ugly and I mean U-G-L-Y.

Both him and Cheyenne missed my half marathon this morning. That makes it two years in a row that they've missed this particular race. I had a great race and I even set a personal record. Yay! I'm looking forward to writing a full race re-cap of that. I would do it now, but I just got back from the Dallas Mavericks game and I'm toast! Half mararthon + setting a PR + taking care of sick Daddy + Mavericks game = tired momma. Goodnight and sleep tight.

P.S. Trey, get well soon.

Baby Shower for Ashleigh!

Yesterday, I co-hosted a baby shower for a my co-worker and friend, Ashleigh. Here are an array of photos from the event.

Look at that pregnant glow.

So, I work with some talented people. One of the ladies I work with makes amazing cupcakes. My stomach was too upset to enjoy this batch, but I've had them before, trust me, they are yummy.


Oh and thanks to Serena, for letting me know these cupcake stands were on sale for $5 DOLLARS each! Along with the cupcakes, the stands were a big hit!

So the box that these things came in said to thaw an hour before serving. Yeah, note to self, thaw the night before! I had to defrost them in the microwave on HIGH with only a few minutes to spare.

Ashleigh is expecting a baby boy.

Cheyenne is in this phase: Mamma I go, now clean me.

Gifts and Cards

Group Gift: breast pump and rocking chair (rocking chair, not pictured)

Rough Housing

Just another day in the our home...

Erin is a hair stylist and on several occasions, I've picked Chey up and her hair looks all cute with braids or curls and on this day straight hair. Cute! 

Why Dad is Cooler Than Mom

Trey took Chey to get donuts, something I've never done and don't anticipate doing anytime soon. 

Well, it seems that the stomach bug has hit us pretty hard. First, Cheyenne, then Erin, and now my stomach is doing a number...Erin is so sick she couldn't watch Chey today, so Trey and I had to make a game plan.

I had a Lululemon design meeting this morning, more on that in another post, so Trey was late to work and took Chey to school. But before heading to school, they HAD to get donuts.

After the Lulu meeting, I rushed off to work. I tried to focus for a few hours, but then I had to rush off to co-host a baby shower for a co-worker. The baby shower was on campus, so that was nice. While I was decorating, my stomach did a woozy. I felt terrible! But I tried to put on a happy face and got through the party (puke-free). As soon as the party was over, I went to get Chey from school, which btw was my first time to ever do that. That school has high level security, it's kind of awesome! After the lady at the front desk scanned my photo id, I got Chey and we went home.

I hope my tummy feels better. :(

Stay at Home Dad with Sick Toddler

In the wee hours of the morning Chey walked to our bedroom, cuddled on Trey's side of the bed and then threw up. So much for sleeping. I woke up and did laundry, while Trey cleaned Cheyenne up. We put her back to bed and we went to the guest bedroom, to sleep a few hours before our alarms went off.

I always stay home with Chey, when she is sick, but this time Trey wanted to, so off I went to work, while he stayed behind. Here is a picture of Chey during lunch time. Trey said staying at home with her was a piece of cake, all they did was watch Nick Jr. and Toy Story. He got a taste of staying at home and I think he's jealous of my Monday's. He even did several loads of laundry! Somebody get this man a mini-van. No, please don't.

MELTDOWNS!

Okay, the pictures you see of Cheyenne posted on this blog are all cute and angelic, but what you don't see are the moments when she throws hysterical fits. Yeah, fits -- plural.

Over the last month, I've come to expect at least one meltdown in the grocery store (per visit). My child does not want to sit in the cart. "I want downnnnnnnn!" 

It may be too soon to tell, but I think I found a middle ground for both of us. I let her walk the grocery store, but the deal is, she has to hold the front of the cart. She can also grab items that are within her reach and then throw them in the basket. She feels like she's helping and she's happy, which makes me happy.

I even let her carry the list...She's doing important work. 

The Park is Another Story:

After Chey took an afternoon nap, I took her to park. I ran a one mile recovery run with her and then I let her play. I can't tell you how many times she went down the slide. When it was time to go, she had a terrible meltdown. Arms and legs were going and she was screaming NOOOoOO. I don't know if we'll ever come to a middle ground when it comes to leaving the park. The park is just too much fun and who wants to leave fun?

10 Mile Long Run

Distance: 10 Miles
Duration: 01:31:21
Average Pace Per Mile: 9:08
Weather: 42 degrees. Felt like 36 degrees. SSE wind at 12 mph.

Splits:

1.   9:35

2.   9:21

3.   9:06

4.   9:23

5.   9:07

6.   8:59

7.   9:03

8.   9:10

9.   9:01

10. 8:33







This morning I stayed close to home, just circling my neighborhood. I did this so I didn't have to worry about carrying my water bottle. It was nice having my own water station every time I circled a mile radius. Looking at my split times makes me wonder....I don't know why I felt the need to push myself this morning, but I did. It may have been because I ran 20 miles last week and 10 miles felt like it should be faster. During the run I felt fine, but after a few hours and even now, my left hip is TIGHT. The rest of the week, I'm going to do my best to bring my intensity down and save my energy for Saturday morning. I'm thinking I need to hang out in the 9:50 pace range.

Sooo Goood

Shoes. Dress Shoes. Running Shoes. I Need Shoes.

Didn't I just purchase running shoes not too long ago? (Flashback to October) Since my October purchase, I have covered over 400 miles in my Nike LunarGlide's.

I really want to avoid waiting until the last minute, like I always do. It seems like I wait until my legs and feet are in so much pain, before I actually purchase a new pair. My shoes typically start to die around the 450-500 mark. So, I'm actually surprised I'm not feeling any pain yet. 

I've been really pleased with the quality of my shoes, considering they are a little more affordable than shoes I've purchased in the past. Actually, I like them so much, I'm thinking about buying another pair. Maybe a different color....

It bothers me that I spend all this effort - researching and thinking about running shoes and I seem to neglect my everyday dress shoes. My dress shoes, the pair I wear to work, look old and it's time to replace them too. I may need to start a shoe fund.

Hey, I have a half marathon next week. I'm really looking forward to it and I'm not sure how I should race for it. Go all out? Or conserve my energy for the rest of my ultra marathon training? I have a feeling, I'm going to give the half my all. I'm praying for pleasant weather!

Oh and I don't want to forget to mention that Trey has started running. He ran five miles this week and he's also been lifting weights and swimming! Impressive! He's been running pretty fast too, considering he hates to run and has not done it EVER in a very long time. As much as I want to run with him, he prefers to run by himself. Maybe, I can persuade him to join me for a recovery run. Weekend Mission! 

30 Things About Me

A while back, Linda tagged me in a FB note. It was a list of 30 random things all about her. Some of the things I already knew, (10 plus years of friendship, it’s no wonder). For example, She’s been married to Steve for 5 ½ years. I should know this because not only was I in her wedding, but I also videotaped the event.  From her note, I did learn some new things and it got me wanting to share 30 Random things about myself. Now, I like to consider myself an open book: HELLO WORLD, I’ve been blogging for a few years now, but maybe I can share new things, so here we go….

I hope you have time to read this: It took me a while to put it together.

1.    1.  I’m a morning person, 100%. To me, sleeping in means waking up at 7:30 am. Even on the weekends. Seriously.

2.     2. Sleeping with socks on is a must. If I doze off to sleep without socks on, I will wake up and find socks to put on. Don’t ask me why.

3.     3. When I was in high school I was in a program called Upward Bound. It’s probably one of the main reasons I went to college. It exposed me to traveling, college studies, college life, and cultural events. Thank you government program, especially for the partially paid trips to places like New York University, Columbia University, Northwestern, Michigan State, and Disney World! Also all the exposure to classical music shows, theatre, and art exhibits.

4.     4. If you’ve met me you may know this about me: I’m OCD about drinking water. I always have a bottle with me. If I go somewhere and I accidently forget to take it along, I get anxious. Most nights I wake up and take sips of water. I hate the feeling of having a dry mouth.

5.     5. I think I’m an average photographer. When people praise my photography skills, I think REALLY?!? Truth be told, I have no idea what I’m doing :) 

6.     6. About 90% of my work apparel comes from EXPRESS. I love how their pants look on me.

7.     7. Trey and I had been married less than 2 years and I moved to Los Angeles for several months and attend Los Angeles Film Studies Center, while he stayed behind in Texas.

8.     8. After moving there made me realize how much I love Texas. I will never move to another state ever again. That’s how I feel, at least since I came back.

9.     9. I shave my legs everyday (practically). What can I say? I like smooth legs.

10  10. Before I married, I never owned any type of diamonds and my birthstone is a diamond. Now, Trey has created a monster. I love the sparkly stuff.

11  11. When I was a child maybe I was six years old, I recall a vivid moment playing with my dolls and dreaming about being a mommy. I thought, I’m going to be the best mommy ever! I’m going to take my kids to the park and to the library all the time.

12  12. During my high school years I convinced myself I could sing. If you knew me during those years, why didn’t you tell me I sucked?!? WHY?!? It would’ve saved me some embarrassing public singing sessions. Oy.

13  13. In middle school I ran on the cross country team and hated it. To push thru the pain I would yell profanities. Not out loud, but in my head. I was also on the track team. Sports and stuff like that did not interest me, once I was in high school.

14  14. I’ve never been to a movie theatre by myself. One day I will do this.

15  15. Probably one of the best vacations I ever took was last year when I went to Las Vegas by myself. I say vacation, but it was a work related trip. Still. I ran the LV strip several times and ate at some of the best restaurants and did whatever I wanted to do, when I wanted to do it, whenever I was not attending class. It was glorious.

16  16. The living quarters in my home and guest bathroom are always tidy. An unexpected guest on the way over? No problem. Come on by.

17  17. I’m a terrible speller and sometimes I think I may be dyslexic. I’ll type a sentence then read it over and over again, come back to that same sentence an hour later and notice the words are all jumbled around. It’s very frustrating. So, if you are a regular reader of this blog, thank you for your patience.

18  18. If I could change a few things about my wedding it would be the location. I would’ve picked the chapel versus the main sanctuary. Also, I would’ve spent maybe $100 dollars on my dress versus $700.

19  19. Speaking of weddings, my wedding night (Wait, it’s not what you think. Keep reading) my feet cramped, like charlie horse cramps from wearing high heels all day long.

20  20. If I changed professions I think I would look into being a personal trainer, a nutritionist, or a yoga instructor.

21  21. Probably one of my favorite video projects I’ve ever worked on, involved a video I shot for the Abilene Philharmonic. I taped a skit involving a 70 year-old couple riding around Abilene on a motorcycle.

22  22. I like when friends call me Dom. My co-workers call me Doma (dome-A), that’s cool too.

23  23. If I could afford to buy all organic I would. I’ve learned to pick and choose.

24  24. Growing up, I hated milk. Now we are friends.

25  25. I count on routine and order in my life.

26  26. My all time favorite childhood Christmas present moment was the year I got a Game Boy.

27  27. In my teens I developed asthma. I use to have to use an inhaler when exercising. Praise God for healing me. It’s been years, since I’ve used an inhaler.

28  28. I visit the Lululemon website everyday.

29  29. I almost didn’t go to college I wanted to go to technical school, but an ACU professor pulled me aside and told me I was better than that. I was furious with him. Later, I cried and thought, how dare he! I needed someone in his position to tell me that. Later, in my college career he was one of my instructors and he was my biggest cheerleader. He also helped me apply for numerous scholarships.

30  30. I’ve never had my eyebrows professionally waxed/plucked. I hope you can’t tell. 

No Matter How Busy You Are, Make Time to Play

CrAzY HAiR!

Sunday Morning

With holidays and having family in town, the last few weeks, it has been hard to make it to church. I think we missed a whole month (embarrassing)....Well, this morning we made it a priority.

We got up extra early, I made breakfast, Trey helped out with Cheyenne, and we made it out the door in time.

20 Mile Long Run

Distance: 20.01 Miles
Duration: 03:11:58
Average Pace Per Mile: 9:35
Weather: 42 degrees. Wind = S at 2 mph. Overcast and foggy.

Last night, I didn't sleep well. Cheyenne woke up crying at 4 am and walked from her bedroom to ours. "Daddy! Daddy!" That's all she wanted. After that, I tried going back to bed, but I just tossed and turned. I knew I had 20 miles to run and I was a bit nervous about the distance. Sure, I've ran this distance before, but I knew I would be running for over three hours and it was enough to make me restless.

The run went better than I expected. I made it a point to start off running right under a 10 minute mile pace. I didn't want to crash and burn. I needed to pace myself for the long road. Sometimes it helps to mentally break down the distance. Today, I broke it up into two 7 mile runs and then one 6 miler. My Abilene running  buddy, Sherri, also had a 20 mile long run, this morning. I was at mile 6 and got this encouraging message:

I needed to hear words of encouragement because I was debating cutting my run short. 18 miles, instead of 20, but after receiving this text, I made up my mind to run 20. Sherri is also training for Cowtown. She will be running her first marathon.

Once I got home I made a GNC whey protein shake, which by the way, I'm almost out of :( I really don't want to buy another one, simply because it's so expensive. But I love it. I've been rationing the last bit, but soon I will be completely out. I also need to order a replacement part for my small blender. It's leaking big time.

Our First Home in Abilene

When Trey and I got married we moved into a small one bedroom apartment. I was a sophomore in college and Trey was working in the HVAC field. We lived in the apartment maybe a year. We were comfortable and happy. One evening Trey's sister saw a home that was on the market. She raved about it so much that it got our attention. Trey and I scheduled an appointment and checked it out. No kidding, it was love at first sight. Definitely a home with character and charm. Looking at homes was and still is a hobby of ours. We like to go to open houses and we had been looking at houses and knew what was on the market. When we saw this place and the price and we knew we were at the right place at the right time.

Formal Living Area

Master Bedroom. There are two more windows to my right that you can't see. I loved that room. Soooo spacious. 

Master Bathroom. When we first moved there, the two bathrooms were covered in floral wallpaper. It was a nightmare to take that crap down. We lived with it as long as we could, but when we got serious about putting the home on the market we decided the floral print had to go!

Cozy Kitchen

Guest Bedroom. The bed was on the other side.

Guest Bathroom. This bathroom is what really dated this home to the 1920's. It only had a bathtub, no shower. 

The Den. You could tell this was a add-on room. We spent most of our time lounging and watching TV in this space.

Outdoor Shed

Where our dogs slept, when they weren't indoors. 

Our antique rose bush. This thing was kind of overwhelming. I didn't know what to do with it. I didn't really ever touch it. In the spring it had the most wonderful scent. 

Living on the Edge

Grapes & Books

Grapes, gotta love how you can grab a handful and eat them on the go.


In other news, I recently joined GoodReads.com. I read frequently in high school and college, mainly classic literature, but now I find it difficult to lose myself in a good book. So, I've made a goal to read 15 books this year. Some of you read 15 books in one month. Oh, well...I probably run more than you, so there.

Recently, I finished one book (born to run), so now I'm on to the next one. Hopefully, all this reading will increase my IQ or at least give me more interesting things to talk about other than reality TV. We can only hope. I'll update you on my progress and some of my reads along the way. If you are on GoodReads.com look me up!