my neighbor

One of my friends describes people she just loves as her ‘neighbor’, as in…she’d love them to live next door to her so she could get a dose of their goodness on a daily basis. This applies to celebrities, bloggers, speakers, authors…anyone who reveals enough of their character that makes you want to be with them.

I have a new ‘neighbor’. Kristin Armstrong.

It’s not because she has a famous ‘wasbund’ (but I do love that she uses that term). It’s not because she runs faster than I ever will. It’s not because she is a great author or blogger.

It’s because through her writing I see myself. I realize things about myself and my life. Through her stories I see what I want to be. What I can be. What I thought I wanted but realize I don’t.

Today, she blogged about her ‘sweat sister’ and disappointment and failure.

It hit a major nerve with me.

I’m five days past a really big disappointment. Not one that is life threatening. Not one that affects who I am to the core…but a disappointment none the less.

Her post today brought a lump to my throat and tears to my eyes.

This is why I want her to be my ‘neighbor’.

I told a friend the other day that my best hope will be to stalk her at a book signing. Or if the stars align, maybe we’ll be in Santa Barbara at the same time this summer. I know she goes there. And so do we. Coincidence?

All kidding aside, I thank God for providing me with moments where He is speaking to me through other people. And for me, Kristin Armstrong, you did that today. Thank you.

Kristen

p.s. I’m slowly reading through Kristin’s new book: Mile Markers: 26.2 Important Reasons why Women Run:. I’m LOVING it. A must read for runners out there (probably more deeply understood by runners of the female persuasion). I say slowly, because I’m forcing myself not to devour it so that it doesn’t end so quickly.

p.p.s. I’ll be back with my “march by the numbers” and some april kit goodness…

abc’s of me

I’ve been watching this abc post float around the blogs and thought I’d jump in too. I’ve seen it here and here and here. I know I need to share some real stuff…but today this is what you get.

(A) Age:39, baby, and loving it. Really. I turn 40 in just over 3 months…bring it on!

(B) Bed Size: California King. We switched about 8-9 years ago and we had a tiny room…it took up the whole room, but we didn’t care. It’s time for a new bed but I know it will be a Cal King again.

(C) Chore You Hate: Um, can it be a list? I guess folding laundry and bathroom cleaning are at the top of the list.

(D) Dogs? 1 gorgeous lab. He is a really good looking dog. But he’s a hunting dog…which means he is very high energy. I do love him, but he’s hubby’s dog through and through.

(E) Essential Start Your Day: Brushing my teeth, checking my phone, throwing on the workout wear so I’m forced to get it done sometime during the day.

(F) Favorite Color: Overall blue…turqoise, navy, light blue, dark blue. I like blue. But Pink sneaks in a lot…

(G) Gold or Silver? Silver. I didn’t really discover this until after we were married. I wish I had gone the platinum route with my wedding ring.

(H) Height: 5’6" 1/2”…which is dumb…so I need to start embracing 5’7”.

(I) Instruments You Play: I did take piano lessons growing up…but I haven’t tried to play in decades…so no.

(J) Job Title: Wife, Mom…crazy train driver.

(K) Kids: Boy Mom in the house…9, 6, 4…woot woot!

(L) Live: Northern California…just about 30 minutes outside of Sacramento, CA…although our town feels worlds away from the hustle and bustle and other interesting things about the city. I love our sleepy little suburb.

(M) Mom's Name: Pamela…which, interestingly enough is my mother in law’s name too. Go figure.

(N) Nicknames: Kris, Missy Krissy (my grandpa has called me that since I was a little girl), wordo (which is a take on my last name and was actually my husband’s nickname forever…a friend attached it to me recently)

(O) Overnight Hospital Stays? 3 babies…that’s it!

(P) Pet Peeve: People who think the rules don’t apply to them.

(Q) Quote from a Movie: Oh gosh, I’m bad at this. First to come to mind is:

“How do you like them apples?” from Good Will Hunting

“I’ve loved the very idea of you, before I even met you” or something like that from The Firm

I know as soon as I hit publish, I’ll think of a million others that I love. I’m not quick that way.

(R) Right or Left Handed? Right.

(S) Siblings: younger brother…but thanks to marriage I have another younger brother and now two great sisters in law too.

(T) Time You Wake Up? 7…just in the nick of time. I like having boys, no muss, no fuss. I should get up earlier, but I don’t.

(U) Underwear: What about it? Yes, I wear it. I’ll leave it at that.

(V) Vegetable You Dislike: Gosh, I’m not a big veggie fan, but my husband is amazing in the kitchen and can usually figure out a way to prepare it so I’ll eat it. Raw tomatoes (aren’t those really fruits, though?) and mushrooms are ones I can’t get over, though.

(W) What Makes You Run Late: Um, I have three kids. I once read that you should add 15 minutes for each kid. I rarely am THAT late…but I’m rarely right on time either. It’s annoying to me since I was always early or right on time before I had kids. Sigh.

(X) X-Rays You've Had Done: teeth only until late last year…my first official non dental x-ray was of my knee.

(Y) Yummy Food You Make: I love to bake. I also make a pretty mean meatball.

(Z) Zoo, Favorite Animal: Hmmm…not a huge fan of the zoo. I go because the kids like it. I suppose the giraffes always catch my eye.

 

There you have it. I’ll be back soon with some run updates and some March kit layouts.

 

Kristen

on a roll

Oh My GOSH!

I am feeling so very lucky this week. Well, I’m lucky every day of my life to be healthy and living the life that God has given me…but recently, I feel especially lucky as in ‘I win stuff’ lucky!

First, I won a package of Nikki Silvis stuff from Write.Click.Scrapbook. I haven’t played with her stuff yet, so I’m eagerly waiting for it to arrive!

Then today I see that I won a Polar Activity Monitor from Kara at Mama Sweat! Yay me! I’ve been eyeing different activity monitors lately so I’m so very eager to strap this one on and get a more accurate gauge of my daily activity.

And throw in a little Kit of the Week surprise from Green Tangerines and I’m walking on air! When I design layouts for the store they are used however Kelly and the Creative Crew needs them. This time around they used it as the KOW. I love those kinds of surprises! You can click the link to see the details…here’s the layout that the kit is based on.

I’ll be sure to share my thoughts on my winnings above…can’t wait to try them out!

Have a great weekend…looking forward to my 7 miler (although it may end up on the treadmill…boo) and a ski date with my man (4+ feet in Tahoe, baby…skiing some freshies!)

Kristen

this made me laugh

I just saw this here. It’s the first time I’d seen it and I loved it immediately. In a world where tiny little bodies are put on pedestals…I prefer bodies with some meat on them. How about you?

(Of course, that’s not to say that I wouldn’t prefer a little less meat on mine. But I prefer healthy looking, athletic bodies…just saying).

Kristen

monday musings

So I know I’ve been hit or miss with the ole bloggy lately. Sorry. I really have no excuses. I only mention it because I want you to know that I know that you know…

And what is on my mind this lovely fall day? Nothing too earth shattering…

I’ve been running on the treadmill lately…yay me! I’ve been keeping a training log at dailymile. My profile name is KristenW if you want to friend me there. I’m nearly up to 20 miles…no great mileage but pretty cool after being off for a month and not having put in great miles for over a month prior to that. Debating a 5k with the hubby for Thanksgiving morning. Looking forward to ramping up the training starting in December for my first Half Marathon in March. And thinking hard about taking a running getaway for my birthday weekend in June (it will be my big 4-0 so I want to make it something extra memorable!).

I’ve GOT to spend some time editing some pictures and planning some layouts. There are some fun things happening out there in scrapbook land and I am just watching from the outside…sigh.

Wondering when I’ll get the fire lit under my behind to start my Christmas shopping. First up would be providing the grandparent units with some lists. My boys have extremely generous grandparents on all sides…so grateful for that. But the level of “I want” this time of year in my house is driving me nuts. We are working on being grateful for what we have and finding ways to cut back on the level of STUFF in the house.

 

I just started reading this book. I have high hopes for improvement of my running form so that I can simultaneously make running even more enjoyable and avoid further injury breaks. Coming back to running after an injury is great…but I’m planning the mental game of not wanting to hurt myself again. I’ve heard great things about this book…and the first chapter has me very intrigued!

 

 

I’m also reading this book. It’s a daily devotional with great writings from the author coupled with related passages from the bible. It’s wonderfully organized for someone who thinks their day is ‘too busy’ to spend time with God. I actually have a copy of the book upstairs and downstairs

 

 

 

as well as the app on my iPhone, so there are no excuses. I highly recommend it…both the book and/or the app.

 

 

 

 

So those are my Monday afternoon musings…what are yours?

Kristen

i play dress up too

and to prove it…

When I was a teacher, we used to dress up each year. As a mom, I don’t do it that often.

One year, I was working in Jacob’s class so I pulled out one of my old costumes. He LOVED it. So I wore it trick or treating that year too.

Sorry, best picture I could come up with for 2007…Alice in Wonderland with my three little spidermen…

 

This year they asked again…so I told them I could be Alice in Wonderland or I had a Snow White costume in my closet too. The vote was Snow White.

(Side note…when I taught I was in Room 7. My school decided to have a themed Halloween…dress up the whole class as your favorite literary characters. My students chose to be Dwarfs…as in Snow White and the Dwarfs. I had a few talented moms help to sew boot covers and felt hats, we made cotton ball beards. It was so cute. As a surprise, I changed into my Snow White at lunch and went to pick up the kids after recess. It actually took them a minute to realize that I was their teacher!! We rocked the Halloween parade as “Snow Worden and the Room 7 Dwarves” Get it?)

This takes more effort since I have to actually put makeup on or I look like a freak with the black wig on!

And here we all are at the same house…three years later!

Sam doesn’t have to be carried anymore (although he begs for it…he’s such the baby of the family!! And by that I don’t mean that he is a baby…but that he likes to milk it!!), he actually says Trick or Treat and thank you (along with a long diatribe about who he and his brothers are dressed up as). My boys are growing up!

We started a new tradition this year. The “Switch Witch”. I know a lot of you already do it or something like it, but for some reason I hadn’t tried it. It worked like a charm…and my kids are already talking about it for next year.

Here’s the deal. I let them each pick out 20 of their favorite candies and pour the rest into a big bag. They got to pick out one more to eat that night. (Yes, they are totally satisfied with that one…didn’t even bat an eye or scream for more). The 20 favorites go in a ziplock with their name on it for after school treats over the next few weeks. The big bag of others are for the Switch Witch. I told them that after they were in bed and all the trick or treaters were done, we would put the bag on the porch. The Switch Witch comes and night and collects the candy and leaves them a present. My boys said “just like the Tooth Fairy and Santa Claus”…exactly!

In reality Daddy took the bag to work so that Mommy and Daddy didn’t eat it while sitting on the couch at night. And so the kids can’t beg and beg for weeks and weeks for just one more piece of candy!

Of course, I had planned ahead and purchased $10 items that I knew they would love. J-boy (aka Harry Potter) got a Harry Potter Lego, T-man (aka Red Power Ranger) got a jumbo set of skinny markers and S-bam (aka Woody) got a Toy Story 3 Lego set. Nothing over $10. Now, I’m aware this just cost me more money…but it’s saving me on the sugar high and crappy feelings after inhaling it all.

I took their trick or treat bags and put the gifts in there and then hung them from the banister. When they woke up this morning and came downstairs, the big bag of candy was gone (in Dad’s car) and the gifts were there. They were over the top excited.

Totally doing that again next year!!

Kristen

once in a lifetime, part 2

So yesterday I shared about our Once in Lifetime World Series experience…

Forgot to share this one (also from the iphone) yesterday. Hubby kept neutral with a black shirt and a Long Beach Dirtbags hat…

Except it was our SECOND time going to the World Series. Yep, crazy!

Layout from 2002…probably a BH sketch…

In 2002 we were still living in the LA area. Hubby came home with tickets to Game 2 of the series. (He wasn’t the big boss back then and so it was a nice surprise when the CEO gave him tickets).

Our oldest was only 14 months at the time. All of the grandparents were out of town that day…what?!? So we decided it was something we would risk and brought him with us.

How many people can say they’ve been to the World Series? J-boy can say he has!

I told you how we were both raised huge Dodger fans. In 2002 it was the Angels. The ‘other’ team in LA. (Don’t be freaking out if you are an Angel fan…my family actually split their allegiance and went to both games…it wasn’t until I married that Dodger blue seemed to rule out).

Making Memories Rub ons and metal piece

Of course, we had to dress the part back then too.

And Angel’s stadium is pretty killer too.  But they lost that night and we had a 14 month old with us…so our memory of the energy that night isn’t as electric as the Giants game the other night. It still was pretty exciting!!

Rusty Pickle Rub Ons…1 2 3, Making Memories rub ons

The visiting team that night?

The San Francisco Giants! How crazy is that?!? Now I’m starting to think maybe we were destined to be Giants fans.

(ducking the rotten tomatoes being thrown my way from LA!)

Kristen

once in a lifetime

…and I’m still high from it!

Last week the hubs called and said he got tickets…TICKETS, people! That’s World Series Tickets, my friends.

all pictures are from my iphone…didn’t want to lug my big camera 

 

He had been getting tickets to the playoffs through work, but being the good boss that he is, he was giving them ALL to employees. He promised me National League Pennant tickets…but then he was away for work for all the games in San Francisco. So when the Giants made it to the big show I just gave him the look.

Monday morning he wasn’t quite sure if they would even get Series tickets. (He works for a sporting goods store and the tickets come from vendors, etc).

Then Monday afternoon I got a call… “Let’s Go Giants!” Oh yeah.

After making sure that grandma and grandpa could help out with the boys and juggling the day…we were set for a Thursday evening in the city! (I’ll spare you the crazy details of the morning, but it included an early morning accident for Jacob that ended in derma-glue…thank goodness no stitches…suffice it to say, it just added to the excitement of the day!)

We drove about 1 1/2 hours to the BART station in the East Bay and hopped on. Seriously, best decision ever. Driving in the city can be a nightmare…and on a night like that, it would have been a big old headache. I found a GREAT app…iBART…and it worked like a charm in planning out the trip while we were still driving.

(I’ll leave out the details of forgetting my phone charger and realizing that I had 1/4 battery left…not good. Thankfully we needed to make a potty stop so I ran in and bought a new charger!)

Off at Embarcadero and they were so organized with a Muni table all set up to pay for round trip Muni train tickets to the stadium. It literally left us off right across the street from AT&T Park. LOVED it! (Side note…as we pulled up to the stop, there was a HUGE crowd…and we caught a glimpse why. Hello, Joe Montana…gotta love SF!)

We sadly missed the National Anthem (I found out later it was sung by Lady Antebellum…love them…so sad I missed it) and the jet flyover because we were in line at willcall. It was crazy to see people in line trying in vain to purchase tickets (even though the signs all said sold out…duh!). And then to hear the heartbreaking stories of people who had bought tickets off Craigslist only to find out they were bogus! Ugh.

Finally we got to our seats…Club Level. Woot Woot!

Yep, that’s me in Orange! My friends down south will all gag…my brother in law may disown me, but I wore a Giants shirt! When in Rome…

(If you’re confused, let me tell you…we were born and raised in the LA area…Dodger Town. My parents are diehard Dodger fans. Hubby’s brother and grandma bleed Dodger blue. Until now, we had never been to a baseball game that wasn’t a Dodger or Angel game. The Dodgers and Giants are big time rivals. Dodger fans are not supposed to be wearing orange and cheering on the Giants. Oh well…)

This was probably one of the best date nights of my life. The energy in the stadium was electric! AT&T Park ROCKS…it’s on the smaller side (in relation to what we were used to at Dodger Stadium and the big A in Anaheim) but that made it so intimate. The crowd was beyond amped and it wasn’t hard at all to get into the groove of cheering for Orange and Black!

At one point the Journey song “Lights” came on…when the lights go down in the city, and the moon shines on the bay…the whole crowd was singing…all of the sudden you look at the jumbo tron and Steve Perry was leading the crowd. He was sitting not too far away (albeit in a box). Such a cool feeling to be a part of that.

It only added to the night that the Giants ROCKED the house with incredible pitching and bats that were ON FIRE. The Eighth inning will go down in my memory as one of the most exciting innings I have ever witnessed.

Hard to tell with my iphone pic…but that’s Brian Wilson warming up…the Beard guy if you aren’t a big fan…you know, Fear the Beard. If you have no idea what I’m talking about, google it. LOL

We came home with Rally towels and cups for our kids (yes, we scrounged around for someone to leave theirs…we couldn’t come home with only 2…we even found a fourth to bring home to a big Giants fan I knew would love it. She did!)

And memories of a Once in a Lifetime Experience…or was it? Stay tuned tomorrow…

Kristen

 

p.s. Go Giants…they can WIN the World Series tonight! I’m a bandwagon fan and LOVING it.

stating the obvious

I’m that kind of girl…I state the obvious so you know that I know something is amiss. 

I do it when there is a stain on my shirt (“Oh, don’t you love the lovely chocolate smear on my shirt? My kid grabbed my shirt after I gifted him with a mid-morning chocolate bar.”)

I do it when something doesn’t fit right (“By the way, did you notice how my skirt is pulling in places it shouldn’t…I guess I should lay off the cookie dough.”)

I do it when my kid is obviously being a brat misbehaving so you know that I know he’s a brat misbehaving. (“Yes, I know my son is being a brat misbehaving. I taught him to act that way in public.”)

So today I’m stating the obvious. I have neglected my blog. NE.GLEC.TED. Sorry. It happens.

The reasons are many: bored with reading my own words, not feeling like I have anything witty to say, feeling guilty for not having any scrappiness lately, wondering if any one reads, wanting to spend time with my kids, not wanting to turn on the computer, reading others’ blogs, yada yada yada.

But the reality is…I think about you and the blog a lot. And now that school has started up again and then we are back into somewhat of a schedule, I might actually decide to update here more than once every 3 weeks!

So how have you been?

I’m still not in my scrappy grove. It’ll come though. I still have a stack of scrappy goodness I’ve been wanting to use…AND…my FAVORITE STORE EVER is opening again VERY SOON. So very happy to have Kelly and the Green Tangerines gang back in town. I’ve heard we’re talking WEEKS until the grand re-opening! Woot Woot!

I’m still on the road to running my first ever Half Marathon in October. I ran a 12 miler on the 15th of this month and felt pretty good (I did walk the last mile…I started too late in the morning and it got hot out there…me and running in the heat are not friends). I had a 14 miler on tap for this weekend and ended up quitting at mile 4 and walking home. My knee tweaked out on me. I’m evaluating with several friends who are professionals (a Physical Therapist and Athletic Trainer) and trying to do the best thing for me. I’ll be taking this week off of my feet and spend my time cross training (spin class anyone?). Next weekend I’ll try again…starting out slow. Send me positive thoughts that rest will be the solution. I would really hate to not meet my goal in October! I’ve put in lots of time and I have the miles in to finish as long as I maintain my current fitness level. But I am not stupid and I will not do anything that jeopardizes my health or my future running career (hahahahaha…stating the obvious that I know I don’t have a running CAREER in my future…).

It’s just another reminder of the person I have become over the last 8 months. I am a runner. The first reminder was during the run when I felt the achiness I was mentally gearing myself up to work through it. When I evaluated what was really going on, I thought of the big picture…my future running and such. When I came home, everything I did was so that I could preserve my running. In the last few days every time I talk about running or read about it I  ITCH to get out there again. I am a runner. How did that happen?

I’ll leave you with a pic of how we ended our summer…and where I kind of wish we still were. Beach time with my boys…nothing better.  Happy End of August/beginning of September…what?!?!

“Running creates a sense of balance in my life. It's a great feeling to just get out and lose myself in a run.” Dr. Jill Biden

 

Kristen

June is gone? Say what?

How did that happen? June is over!!!

Six months of the year 2010 is over. I’m so floored by this.

Here’s what has happened in our world in June:

The last day of Kindergarten for T-man…

The last day of second grade for the J-boy

A week long visit from grandma…with overnight adventures for each big boy in San Francisco and a day trip for the little one in SacTown.

A 6th birthday…fun at Fairy Tale Town with cousins…party fun to happen in July since Mommy flaked out on sending invites for a June party…oopsie…

Three weeks of summer school down…one to go…J-boy did a great job this year but I’m seriously considering not having him go next year. He’s earned a year off after 4 straight years of  summer school, don’t you think? (p.s. He LOVES the schedule and seeing his friends…but he gets annoyed at waking up early each day…and so do I :)

Breakaway at Bayside…I can’t say enough about it. The little boys and I went each morning (I led a group of first graders, including T-man) and then J-boy went each night (probably what was contributing to his annoyance at waking up each morning).

Father’s Day celebrated with a BBQ at our house. It’s so cool having family close by again to celebrate these days!

My birthday…and the countdown begins to the big 4-0! My friend had an extra Project Life to sell me so I didn’t have to wait to order it from Amazon. Yay! (thanks, deb!) Of course, I was so excited that I stayed up til 2 in the morning last Sunday to open it up and put it all away.

I  lost 3 pounds…5 if I catch it on a good day. This doesn’t seem like a lot, but the thing is I’ve been really concentrating on my running and not on the weight loss, so it’s kind of a great side effect! Also, I’ve lost a total of 6.5” inches. That’s the number that’s causing me to throw clothing in the donate pile…things are starting to get too big. Woot Woot!

I only ran 45.91 miles this month and at a bit slower pace than last month. I was looking at that and trying to figure out why. Then I realized that I really stuck to my training schedule in June (rather than in May I let my over-excitement take over and wasn’t being purposeful in how my miles were adding up). I’m looking forward to longer runs in July as I build up my miles. And I think my mid-week miles need to up’d just a bit. This mornings run was great…at my 5k pace with the first part of the run up hill. I felt great! If that’s any indicator to my July, I’m very happy!

In June, I finished Marathon: The Ultimate Training Guide by Hal Higdon, an oldie but goodie. It helped me solidify some thoughts on my training…being a newbie it’s easy to get caught up in all the experienced runner’s stuff. I feel more confident in how I approaching my training now. And, no, I’m not looking to train for a marathon anytime soon…but I don’t say never these days.

Now I’m reading I Run Therefore I am NUTS by Bob Schwartz…very tongue in cheek and quite funny. (Thanks Mandy!) I also picked up The Short Second Life of Bree Tanner by Stephenie Meyer at Costco. I LOVED the Twilight books and it is fun to slip back into that world just a bit. I’ve got a girlfriends date to see Eclipse this upcoming week…woot woot!

On another vampire note, hubby and I started watching True Blood on HBO. Hmmmm…the jury’s still out. Not sure if I like it. At first I was intrigued. Then it’s nothing like the Twilight series, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. But it’s odd. And a bit too dark. And while I’m starting to get into the vampire story line, I have to say that the Maryann story line is totally turning me OFF. We didn’t watch the first two seasons…but we did watch the ‘catch me up’ at the beginning of this season. So tell me, True Blood fans…do I need to watch the other seasons to appreciate the Maryann stuff? Because if that will help, I’ll think about it. Otherwise I’m thinking this show isn’t going on my must watch lists.

Alrighty…that’s my random rambling for today. Happy July 1st. I can’t wait for Sunday…my first 10k AND my favorite holiday of the year!! I’ll tell you more about that later…

Kristen

40th year/365

  birthday flowers from my sister-in-law…gorgeous, huh?

 Project Life or 365 has always enticed me. I tried it once and didn’t follow through. But I still love the idea of it. And I love Becky Higgin’s kit too.

After my week in the life project this year it came to mind again. Only this time it’s coming with a very selfish bent. It’s all about me after all, right? :)

For the last several years I’ve been telling myself (and others) that I’m coming up on 40. Anyone that knows me has heard me say that often. Some people even laugh at me. But really, I keep saying it because I’m hoping when the day comes, it will be no big deal because mentally I’m prepared for it.

So…I’m ready to ramp up my mental training! I’m going to order Becky’s Project Life as a gift to myself for my 39th birthday. My birthday was yesterday…but the kit is still waiting to be re-stocked at Amazon so I’m going to start with the photos and order it as soon as it’s in. I’m going to document the last year of my thirties from my point of view. It’s all about me and my life right now.

At this stage in her life, my mom was in her career, having graduated from college later in life (post-children). I was a senior in high school, my brother a freshman. She was facing an empty nest after being married for twenty years.

Her mother (my maternal grandmother) had just married off her oldest daughter (my mom), faced the death of her middle daughter and was dealing with the end of high school angst of her youngest. She had been married 22 years already.

My paternal grandmother had already been married for 24 years. She married off her oldest (my father) and was celebrating the graduation of both her middle and youngest boys. She would become a grandmother the next year (I was born before her 41st birthday).

Totally different life stages. I wonder how they felt about this milestone year? In my 40th year I’ll have a 9 year old, a 6 year old and a 4 year old.  We’ll celebrate our 14th wedding anniversary. I had an 8 year teaching career before quitting to stay home with our (then 1, now 3) boys. I will most likely go back to it eventually…but for now I’m staying at home and enjoying helping them grow into Godly young men.

I want to document all of that. I want to be able to hand this album to my daughters in law and granddaughters as they approach their 40th year. (My sons can look at it if they want to…but I have a feeling it will have more meaning to the women in their lives).

I want to be reminded that life is good. No, great!

I’ve never felt better than I do right now…approaching 40. And I want to remember that.

So…I’m commencing Project Life…365 days of me. Selfish, huh?

Kristen

it’s monday…

I do now know where the time goes. Seriously…it’s another Monday…and June is more than half way over…hello?

Today is an exciting day in our house. Our church does this amazing summer program….think VBS on serious steroids…called Breakaway. They had one session last week and two this week. Two of my boys and I headed out early this morning to participate and my oldest goes this evening.

I’m so tired I can barely type this. The boys on the other hand have the soundtrack (yes, the camp has their own soundtrack, I’m telling you…) blaring in the living room and are dancing around to all the songs.

So if you don’t hear from me much this week…that’s why. :)

Kristen

questions answered

I know you have been holding your breath, waiting for the answers to the questions I posted on Monday. Sorry about that…three kids and a mother in law in town messes with my blog groove. LOL

So without further adieu and with a few pictures, too (I rhymed!)

1. What is the first thing you see in the morning?

My fancy (not) alarm clock. Seriously, I think I paid $10 for it at Target about 10 years ago and I have yet to replace the battery! I am a sound sleeper and just need a really annoying alarm to get me up. This picture was from yesterday when I hopped out of bed for an early morning run. By the way…not only am I a SOUND sleeper…I also really, really, really enjoy sleeping. This running thing has gotten me out of bed early. Some days I am baffled at who I am becoming…but I like it!

2. The biggest thing to happen to you recently/soon?

Um…duh. I’m sure you are tired of hearing it…but the biggest thing that has been happening to me lately is the fact that I’m accomplishing something I never though possible. And I’m really enjoying it.

3. Your best mirror shot

I could have done a photo of my favorite outfit, a good hair day or a funny face or something…but this morning as I was dressing I noticed something. A side effect of my recent obsession. I’ve lost 6 pounds and 2 inches in my belly my friends. New jeans are on my to do list soon…

4. The person that you see the most in a week

  I’d love to say that I see my husband the most…or even dear friends. But honestly, most of my days are spent with this sweet face. S man is heading to preschool two days a week in August…that’s going to be weird for me. He’s my shopping buddy, my cleaning buddy, my gym buddy and recently my running buddy (he’s good for about an hour in the jogger but that’s his limit).

5. Your favorite shoes

 Um, I can’t answer that question. That would be like choosing your favorite child. Come on now. I LOVE shoes my friends. It’s an illness. One that I never want to recover from. (and, yes, I love my label maker).

But if I had to choose…it might include some animal prints…then again…

Lately, these scream my name more often than not. And I am a huge ASICS fan for running. I’ve fiddled around with others and the ones that fit my foot and body type the best are Asics. Hands down. Or should that be feet down?

6. Your favorite meal

Well, it shouldn’t be…but if I’m being honest it’s pizza. Plain old pepperoni please. I love it, my kids love it. My parents love it. My husband could do without it. I married him anyway. It’s a Saturday night tradition in our house…it’s been that way in my family for 3 generations! Hubby goes with it because he kind of likes us all.

 

But lately, Braeburn or Fuji apples with almond butter have become my go to snack. If I want it for lunch, I also make a bowl of tuna with walnuts. Yum.

And wouldn’t you know it…I went to have this snack and take a picture of it and my three year old had eaten the last apple. Grrrr…he has a habit of going in the refrigerator and taking fruit. Not a bad habit unless you are a hungry mommy. :)

7. The color of your eyes

 Blue. And this is them sans makeup, straight from the shower following a 3.7 mile run. That would explain the rosy complexion. They (my eyes) change color with what I am wearing…turquoise makes them bright blue and darker colors make them deeper. Bright sunshine can make them lighter. My middle and little guys got my eyes and coloring. I find that weird…I am a big recessive gene in my family and of my three kids, two of them are too!

8. Your favorite place to be on a Friday night

 

Would it be boring if I said laying on my couch watching tv with my hubby? That’s what I’m usually doing…and I like it. We chit chat about our weeks and the upcoming weekend, we watch mindless television and just chill. When Green Tangerines re-opens I’ll be glad to get back to my once a month crop with the girls on Friday nights. And yes, I enjoy date nights, girls’ nights out and late night shopping trips. But mostly we are home enjoying each other’s company and I like that. Plus, my spot on the couch is super comfy.

(by the way…do you see my recent reads? Marathon by Hal Higdon and the newest issue of Runner’s World and Self. I’m obesssed I tell ya! I read during commercial breaks or if hubby is watching something I don’t care for. We’re in the same room so it still counts as together time…hee hee)

 

What about you? How did you answer the questions?

And did you guess my answers right?

Look for a layout using these pictures and answers soon…gotta document this time in my life so years…

Kristen

running wednesday…#2

The benefits of running…

Of course there are many documented benefits to running. (I won’t talk about the possible detriments today…but I know they are there too. I’m spending lots of free time reading and investigating, stretching and foam rolling…trying to go about this as pain and injury free as I possibly can)

* 100 calories burned per mile…this happens no matter how fast you are going…so walking burns the same per mile. It’s just that with running, you can do it quicker. In a quick 30 minute run you can burn 300 calories…hello! (That’s assuming you run at a 10 minute pace…I’m usually closer to 11 minutes per mile, still a good burn)

* All those burned calories can translate into serious weight loss…of course, you need to be eating well too…grabbing a big burger and fries following a long run really doesn’t contribute to weight loss.

* Getting your heart pumping

But I’m here to tell you the benefits I get from running…which go far beyond the health benefits for me.

 taken by my neighbor at our Memorial Day 5k…me coming up on the finish line!

1. Time to myself. Let’s get real. I’m the mom of three young boys. Time to myself is rare. Sure, I get time to myself when they are asleep…but come on, that’s not enough. I love my boys incredibly, but I need some me time. With an early morning run I’m not taking time away from them.

2. Mixing up the workout routine. I have been using the gym regularly for many years now. Sometimes you just have to mix it up. I love my yoga, spin class and strength training classes…but throwing running in the mix has really re-invigorated my desire for fitness. Now those classes are supportive players to my running. Yoga helps to stretch out my muscles and relax me. Spin class offers a way to cross-train and continue to build cardio-vascular and leg strength without additional stress on my joints. Strength training…well, it makes me stronger. :) Stronger muscles make for faster runners and runners who can run longer. More muscle also burns more calories…bring it on.

3. Feeling a sense of serious accomplishment. I have never, ever considered myself an athlete before now. I was a dancer/cheerleader in high school. I am not coordinated in sports…and quite honestly, I never had the desire to try much. But for the first time, I feel strong and amazed at how I can push my body towards a goal…and it responds. I’ve said it before: I could NOT run more than 5 minutes on the treadmill before this year. And I considered myself fairly fit. I could bike forever, but the running thing mystified me. Once I put my mind to it and investigated how to do it and how to build myself up…I was so proud of my accomplishments. 3 miles is a regular run for me. I’m building up to where 5 miles is a long run…soon to be 6 miles. That is something tangible for me to be proud of. And I am!

4. Body changes. I started this journey as a side note to my desire to feel different about my body. But I didn’t really expect to see changes this quickly. I believe (and have read often) that 80% of the battle with your body is what you eat. So only 20% of the efforts at the gym are making a difference. But I have to say that this current regimen, which is heavy on the running, is making the most difference ever. And I’m not necessarily talking about the evidence on the scale. The proof is in what I look like in my clothes. I still have a ways to go…but I’m liking the direction we are heading, my body and I.

5. Getting outside more often. Who doesn’t like to enjoy the gift the God has given us outside? Yes, it’s starting to heat up…which means earlier runs are necessary, but there is something about communing with nature in this very real way. I’m lucky enough to live right by a lot of fun multi-use trails…so I can easily pop over to a trail in the middle of a nature preserve or along side a river. It’s great!

7. Social Time! This is probably the best benefit ever. Some of my closest friends are already runners (hence my original peer pressure reason to run…they didn’t pressure me…but I felt left out!), other good friends are embarking on this journey with me. That camaraderie is great. As moms of young children we don’t get a lot of girl time without our kidlets in tow. Now…I’m actually dragging myself out of bed in the morning (I’m NOT a morning person, believe me) to spend uninterrupted chat time with my ‘sole sisters’. Once I realized how those early morning runs gave me guilt free girlfriend time…I was sold!

also from our Memorial Day run…and no, we didn’t plan the matching colors…but neither one of us was willing to change that morning…thank goodness he’s a bit faster than me and we don’t run side by side in our matching shirts…LOL!

8.  Hubby time! Yep, I’m getting girlfriend time in…but I’m getting some hubby time too. Granted, we don’t run with each other on a regular basis. But we now have a new thing to chat about together. And like I’ve said before, he’s in sporting goods…so the idea that I’m being sporty really speaks to him. The time that has been really special is picking out a new goal together (like the first two 5ks we did and our 10k coming in September) and then having my amazing parents watch our boys overnight so we can run together. We get a date night, a kid less house for the night, a morning run (together more or less) and then the afternoon together reveling in our accomplishment. It’s been really cool.

So….why do you run?

Kristen

Woot Woot!

I’m in the Ella E-Zine this month! Yay me!

Remember my “40 Reasons to Love Dadddy” page that I did for my hubby’s 40th birthday last fall? Well, I submitted it to Ella Publishing for their June E-Zine and they asked to use it.

My good friend, Brenda has a layout in there too. Yay us!

Go check it out here: Ella Publishing E-Zine for June.

I have some cards to share using the April/May kit, too…hopefully I can upload those and get there here later today or tomorrow…

Kristen

random thoughts

Hi there stranger! Yep, I’ve been a bit MIA in blog-land lately. We had a houseguest this weekend+ and I’ve been trying to recover mentally (LOL) and house duty wise. The bedding has been washed and put away, the 6th load of laundry is in the wash and I have 5 full baskets of clean clothes waiting to be folded. Sigh.

Did you have a good Mother’s Day? I enjoyed spending time with family…we hosted my parents, grandfather, mother in law, brother in law and his family for dinner. Always a good time with that many people in our house. The five cousins get along great…even if it is quite LOUD while everyone is here.

Another monochromatic card…love how you can sand and distress edges of the coredinations cardstock…

Easy peasy yellow card…October Afternoon and Scenic Route, I believe. I did another one that was similar and way cuter, but I forgot to photograph it so you’ll have to take my word for it.

My mom and dad gave me this adorable bag. I love this new patterned by Vera Bradley. I had been eyeing it and my mom did so good picking out the style all by herself! (It’s the angle tote, btw, you can see it by clicking on the picture). I LOVE IT! And I just love my mom…when she handed me the box, my hubby teased her and said ‘she’s not your mom…why are you giving her a gift?’ My mom, not missing a beat said…’I want to honor my daughter for being a great mother. She works hard and deserves a treat on mother’s day’. My sister in law and I just sighed. I love my mom. (BTW…hubby and the boys got me a new workout outfit…it’s bright yellow…like Lance Armstrong yellow…and black…so be on the lookout for me running your way soon…LOL)

I think that’s all of my random thoughts for Tuesday…

Except…I RAN 4.25 miles on Saturday. I was so jazzed! Don’t forget…I couldn’t run more than 5 minutes straight in January. My little Saturday morning run took me just under 48 minutes. I ran the whole way, only jogging in place when I had to wait for traffic lights to change. Whohoo! Hubby and I are signed up to run another 5k in May and then we’re eyeing a 10k in July. I’m starting to understand a little bit of that ‘runner’s high’.

Kristen

how I became a "runner"

Hmmmm…I guess I can no longer say “Oh, I’m not a RUNNER”. I’ve completed my first 5k and I have to say…I’m so proud of myself.



Now, do I identify with those people who have completed countless marathons and crave running daily. Nope.

Do I itch to get out and run…to obtain that runner’s high? Nope.

Do I still wonder what the heck I am thinking during those first minutes and even the first mile? Heck yeah.

But…I’m a runner. I’ve proven to myself that I can put my mind to a goal and get there…pushing my body until what seemed impossible isn’t impossible. Our bodies are amazing… God’s good that way in designing us for things we never knew possible (this was proven to me through pregnancy and childbirth but it’s a great reminder).

So…how did I get here?

Last year some time I was feeling a bit left out of the ‘in’ crowd. It seemed that everyone was running. And signing up for races. Huh? I have very good friends who are RUNNERS (Hi Amy and Anita!)…and then another good friend became one last year too (Hi Ang!). And then all of the sudden it seemed every where.

Step one to becoming a runner for me: cave in to the peer pressure. LOL


Then the whole “I’m turning 40 soon” feeling was hitting me. Mind you, I still have over a year until that big number…but it’s coming fast. And I started thinking…gosh, I really should run a marathon before I’m 40. Say what?! Don’t ask me why that thought was in my head, but it was. So I looked toward the Nike Women’s Marathon in San Francisco in October as something I might want to do.

Then I got on the treadmill at the gym. Um, hello? I could barely maintain a jog for 5 minutes, much less a mile…and 26.2? That seemed like a joke. So, was this really what I wanted?

Step two for me becoming a runner…figure out what exactly it was I wanted. For me it was first a desire to mix up my workout routine a bit. Then it was a sense of accomplishment and in running it seemed logical that completing a race was accomplishment.

So why did it have to be a marathon?

After talking to running friends, both serious and casual I realized that while a marathon is great for some people…it didn’t have to be my goal. So I decided to set my goal at a 5k.
3.1 miles seemed more reasonable.

And then I messed around and skipped days on the treadmill, ignored the fact that I had this goal set and wondered again if this was what I wanted.


It was. When the first of the year rolled around I got serious. But it wasn’t until I downloaded a Couch to 5k app for my iPhone that I really thought I could do it. It gradually built up my endurance with a typical training program. It gave me a way to plan instead of just randomly getting on the treadmill and trying to run until I passed out.

And about half way through the 9 week training program I realized that I could do it. And…I could do more.



So we (hubby is running with me) signed up for the 5k and kept running. I’ve had my days of disappointment and wondering what the heck I am doing…but on my good days I have thoughts of bigger and better races.



Finishing that 5k was hard. But oh, so amazing! I am humbled and motivated.

We’re planning on doing another in May just to better our time. Then we’ll look for a 10k this summer.

And that Nike Women’s race in October? Well, a group of friends and I did sign up for the lottery…for the half marathon. It hit me that 13.1 miles sounded a whole lot more do-able than 26.2. Right? We didn't get in...this year. But we're looking at a local half marathon at the beginning of October so we’ll see…
Kristen
p.s. I’m also inspired by other stories of fitness and accomplishment. One of my favorite fitness blogs is called Badass Fitness. (Excuse the language…) She is super motivational for me and shares lots of real life examples of people meeting their goals as well as workout routines and fitness tips. Check her out…I bet you are inspired too!