Kickin' Asphalt Momma

Christmas in the Heartland

2011-01-10T08:32:00.000-08:00

Finley in her snowsuit

All tuckered out

Eli's house lasted about 2 weeks. Asher and Brandt's houses lasted about 2 hours.

Right before the present opening on the Eve

Eli made me the lovely, soft bracelet at school and gave it to me for Christmas.

She looks so cute, but too old in this one, I think.

New hats!

Patiently waiting to go up and see what Santa left

Putting on my new claws (thanks Seb!) before my Christmas day run!

My new Christmas get-up.

Several things I've thought of blogging about but haven't

2010-12-18T19:23:00.000-08:00

We live in the lower half of this and are very grateful for it.

"Okay guys, I'm ready to play in the snow!"


Me going for a run in the blizzard last weekend. I think I went about 3 miles and it took 35 minutes. It was SLOW going. And painfully windy.

Brandt the cutie pie bundled up for the elements.

Me after my run.

Here we are in the land of cold, Sioux City, Iowa. It is also the land of some of the most friendly, genuinely kind and helpful people I have every been around. We have felt very warmly welcomed by new friends, new neighbors, and total strangers. We are in temporary housing awaiting the sell of our home in Alabama, and though we miss having more room, we are very happy to be together, especially during the Christmas Season.

Interesting things we've discovered so far in Sioux City:

We travel out of state almost daily. Several families at church live in South Dakota (to avoid income tax). South Sioux City, Nebraska, is about 10 minutes away and is where we go for one of the library storytimes I take Asher to and the YMCA.
LOTS of deer and wild turkey roam the neighborhoods. One house we have looked at and like had 3 big wild turkey in the backyard when we took the boys to see it. We hoped they were a good omen that we would be able to get that house.
Sioux City is home to Palmer Candy Company, creators of the Twin Bing. If you don't know what this is, you are missing out. They are delicious, and the Palmer store is a confectionery wonderland.
They don't have a TJ Maxx. Or a Marshall's. Or a Ross. This discovery kinda burst my bubble. I guess I'll live.
When I run at 5:30 am in 5 degree temps on snowy streets, I do see other runners. Almost as many runners as deer. I'm not the only crazy here.
On a more personal note, I've discovered that my skin responds well to the cold weather--the skin on my face, anyway. I've been moisturizing regularly and don't look all sweaty at the end of the day, like I did in AL.
A recent discovery that has nothing to do with Iowa: Biotin (the dietary supplement) WORKS for keeping your hair from falling out. I started taking it just before we moved b/c I was losing so much hair since Finley's birth. Now my brush and the shower drain are much cleaner, and new little hairs are coming in. And my eyebrows are filling in nicely, too. I'll probably take it the rest of my life!

So much

2010-10-26T06:47:00.001-07:00

Many changes happening here:
Eric accepted a new job in Sioux City, Iowa. He will be leaving soon to start work there and I will be here waiting on our house to sell. Hopefully the wait will be short. Prayers are appreciated.

Finley is growing and becoming quite a little social baby. She loves to talk and look from person to person smiling and making eye-contact. She still wakes up about once a night, which I hope to break her of soon since I'll be a semi-single mom.

Asher is still Asher. When he is good, he is very, very good, and when he is bad...well you know the rhyme. He tells everyone he meets about moving to Iowa. I wonder how he will adjust when we actually do move.

Brandt broke his arm in a bike wreck. He had a terrific soccer season, and scored his first goal in a game the morning before the bike wreck. I wish I had been able to record his excitement when he scored. He jumped up and down with hands in the air and a huge grin across his face. Definitely a scene I will always remember.

Eli's football season is still underway. His team just made the play-offs, which will occur next Thursday. If they win their game then, they'll play Saturday in the Championship. Thankfully, Eric will still be here for all of that. Eli has improved alot since last year, and his understanding of the game has increased immensely. He is also doing really well in school. He made straight A's on his first report card of the year. Brandt is also making good grades and loving school. One of Eric's tasks while in Sioux City without us is to check out the schools. There seem to be many good elementary schools, but the scores drop off dramatically for middle and high schools. Hopefully we can feel as good about our children's education there as we do here.

We feel very thankful for Eric's new job. It is just what he was hoping for professionally and is what we needed financially. We weren't aiming anywhere near Sioux City in our search, but it is a good-sized city (about 90,000 people), with a low cost of living and an airport. So much of what was on our minds for the past year can be put to rest, but now a new chapter of selling our home and buying a new one. SO MANY unknowns that we really have very little power over.

A typical day for Asher

2010-09-13T18:27:00.000-07:00

Today he...

Lit a stick on fire in our garage
Decided to take the plunge and do a #2 in the backyard--just peeing has become too commonplace, I suppose
Announced, while holding a kitchen knife, "I'm not a kid anymore!"
Peed in the middle of the field during Eli's football practice

But he also...

Took turns nicely with Mommy during a game of Animal Bingo
Worked steadily and put every wooden bead on two shoestrings, then successfully tied the two strings together to make a long, beaded masterpiece
Didn't overflow the kitchen sink, barely.
Didn't pour the ENTIRE bottle of dishsoap into the afore mentioned sink
Threw away one of Finley's dirty diapers for Mommy
Saved Mommy the trouble of putting the soap in the dishwasher the next time it's ready to be run
Slept in until 8:30am
Complemented his brother on his Lego creation, "That's really cool, Brandt."

Getting there...

2010-09-13T08:02:00.000-07:00

A little workout update--
I've been running 50 min to an hour Monday, Wed, and Friday, then doing a longer (60-80 min) run on Saturdays. I ride the stationary bike Tuesday and Thursday for 50-60 minutes and do weights. I have been recording my workouts--but just on a piece of cardstock. Maybe I'll scan it so I have a digital record.
Today I had a little personal victory. I didn't get speedwork in last week (Jessica, my running partner, and I have been doing it on Fridays, but we did a killer hill workout instead), and this morning I got started a little later and was alone AND the temperature was perfect--I think about 55 degrees--so I decided to do a tempo run. I jogged a 10 minute warm up, then I pushed the pace for 24:40. I wanted to end at an exact spot (hence the reason I ended 20 seconds shy of 25:00) so I could map it afterward, because I didn't wear my Garmin. I went 3.48 miles in that amount of time--a 7:05 pace. I'm planning to run in the Vulcan 10k in November. Training runs like this one give me hope of a good performance at that!

Growing Finley

2010-08-12T16:23:00.000-07:00

She had her one month check-up yesterday and has gained 2 lbs since birth. She is now 9 lb 9 oz and 21 inches long. Still a tiny woman, though.

Sweat Ride

2010-08-06T11:41:00.001-07:00

If you step outside right now in Alabama, you drip sweat. If you are moving while outside, you gush sweat. Such was the story of our outing this morning to the sports complex to ride bikes. I pushed Finley in the stroller for a while, just walking. Thankfully, I already ran this morning. But my shirt was still very wet just from a leisurely stroll in this humidity. Finley's hair was in cute little wet curls, and the boys were drenched. They biked for an hour.
I fed Finley under a pavilion while they were riding, and I loved watching them ride. Eli likes to try out all the little places he can jump and go down something steep. Brandt just consistently cruises around. He still has training wheels on his bike, but doesn't need them. They are so bent upward, that the only time they touch is when he takes a sharp turn. Asher thinks he is on some big, full-suspension bmx or something, and I have to remind him to brake and not try out the same things Eli does. Look at his little facial expression in the pictures; this is how he looks when he is flying down a slope or between bleachers--cute and kinda unnerving to a momma.

Karate Baby

2010-08-05T08:02:00.000-07:00

Eric thought Finley looked like a little baby black belt when he came home to find her looking like this, so he took pictures. Her little hair band's bow had moved to the back of her head, which added to her 80's aerobics-instructor look.

Life Cereal Energy Bars

2010-08-05T07:47:00.001-07:00

Mix these together in a large bowl:
3 cups Life Cereal (Publix now has an a generic for Life)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup unsweetened coconut
1 cup raisins
2 cups chopped peanuts

On the stove in a medium saucepan, heat the following on medium, stirring until smooth:

3/4 cup peanut butter
3/4 cup Agave Nectar (or light corn syrup)
1/2 cup brown sugar

Remove from heat. Add 1 tsp. vanilla. Pour over dry mixture and stir until evenly coated. Press firmly into 9x13 dish and let cool 1 hour. Cut into bars and wrap tightly with plastic wrap to store.

Internet TV!!

2010-08-04T16:33:00.000-07:00

So, a few weeks ago we cancelled our dish service. Eric hooked a computer up to the tv we watch most in the house and put a bunch of our kids' movies on the hard drive (he used a shrinking software called Handbrake, if you're interested). It's SO nice to just open a folder and choose a movie for the kids instead of taking dvd's in and out of a player. But, the only "tv" we have to watch now is what is available on the internet. Though I miss a few things about satellite, I have found some new shows, thanks to Hulu, that I like enough to recommend.

Burn Notice--Freelance spies who don't have the government's blessing, but can't say no to someone in trouble or to the chance to use a trunkfull of C-4 to scare away bad guys. And as viewers we learn a few tricks we can store away for our futures in covert ops.

Lie to Me--British wit (think House minus cynicism and drugs) + the brilliant ability to "read" a person's intentions based on facial expression and body language. All of this is, of course, used to solve or prevent crimes.

White Collar--I have only watched 3 episodes of this one, but can't wait for more. Team one of the best con-men around (who is still on probation, complete with an ankle-band tracker) with the FBI agent who caught him to track and stop white collar heists. The con-man, Neal Caffrey (played by Matt Bomer) is easy on the eyes, which is a bonus in this already smart, original storyline.

I've watched my fair share of Matlock, CSI, and Law & Order-type shows. They are all entertaining, but none is really original. They start with a crime (usually murder), and the balance of the show is spent solving the crime. With these three shows, each episode has a new fresh order to how the plot unfolds. The only real uniformity is that they are solving a problem each time--but without that element, who would watch? And every one of these shows is laugh-out-loud funny. I love "24" as much as anyone, but it lacks the humor element, for sure. These shows don't. So pop some corn, fire up the 'puter, and enjoy!

Workout log for last two weeks

2010-07-30T06:45:00.000-07:00

Last week I ran Monday (30 min), Tues (32 min), Thurs (35 min ) and Fri (41 min). This week I ran Mon (45 min) and Wed (43 min). I biked Tuesday and today (46 min each time) and did upper-body weights. My run on Monday felt pretty good, but my run Wed. felt terrible, although the weather was much more pleasant than the usual thick humidity. I was just tired all day, so I took Thursday off (and subsequently ate too much--weird how exercise suppresses my appetite). Tomorrow a morning run is on the agenda.

Exercising Postpartum

2010-07-19T11:48:00.000-07:00

I've been itchin' for a switchin' and now I'll probably be hurtin' for certain.

I tried running last Thursday. It didn't go so well. I went about 1.5 minutes on the treadmill and had to stop because my lower abs hurt so badly. I got on the bike and felt pretty good riding, though I sweated like a hog--even more like a hog than usual, if you can believe that. I went less than 20 minutes total. I've been sneaking in stomach crunches and push-ups, and though I'm weak, it feels SO good to work my muscles some. I've had to mentally coach myself into why resting after giving birth is so important. I worked out hard for my entire pregnancy, had less than 2 hours of labor, gave birth (ouch!), and after a day or two mentally felt like I should be right back out there hitting the pavement. But what I have had to come to grips with is the fact that I'm not just recovering from the day I gave birth; I'm recovering from 9 months of major change in my body. Everything has to get put back together, so to speak. And it doesn't happen over-night.

Today, I tried running again. I loaded up Eli, Asher, and Finley in the van (Brandt is at the farm with my parents) along with the jogging stroller and Asher and Eli's bikes and drove to a big parking lot in the sports complex. While the boys rode around, I pushed Finley in the stroller. She was perfectly content as long as I was moving. I ran 30 minutes total and felt very good. We'll see how I feel tomorrow...

Finley's Photo Shoot

2010-07-13T06:21:00.000-07:00

Grethel Van Epps (http://www.gvephotography.com/) and Ashley Warren's (http://www.ashleywarrenstudios.com/) photo shoot yesterday with Finley was amazing. They were so patient and gentle working with such a fragile--and somewhat temperamental-- subject. And it was a MUGGY day. But they didn't rush things to get to the comforts of air-conditioning. And their work paid off with some incredible shots.

Pictures of Finley Coming

2010-07-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

I haven't yet posted pics of our new little sweetness because I am waiting to post the ones taken by my friend, Grethel Van Epps. She kindly offered to photograph Finley as part of a photography workshop she is teaming up with another Birmingham photographer to do. Finley's first modelling job!! (and her dad says her last :)--already so protective))

I first met Grethel about 5 yrs ago. I came to swim at her pool with someone I had met who was a mutual friend. At the time, Grethel hadn't started her photography career. She also only had one child. Now she has 3 beautiful children who are probably the most photographed kids on earth--and every picture is a masterpiece! She is seriously an INCREDIBLE artist who is constantly improving.
And being a marketing consultant myself, I have been impressed at Grethel's marketing skills. She fully utilizes all the marketing media to advertise and promote her business in a way that draws her target audience in (Advertising 101: Babies sell.), and in ways that are, I'm sure, cost-effective (facebook, blogs, charities).
I had the opportunity to see some of her very first sessions a few years ago. They were impressive. I would have recommended her to a friend back then. However, she has improved 10-fold since then. Now I would insist that anyone looking for a lifestyle photographer for their family use Grethel--she is just THAT good. See for yourself :
Her website: www.gvephotography.com
Her blog: www.gvephotography.com/blog
Enjoy! And look for little Finley pics to come soon!!

What you get when you cross an Artist and an Engineer

2010-07-10T09:11:00.001-07:00

Uncle Winston

2010-07-10T08:59:00.000-07:00

We visited Uncle Winston and Aunt Dorothy a few weeks ago to surprise Uncle Winston on his 94th birthday. Eli and I were the only ones who came from our family (we came with my parents and Melyssa and her girls), and Eli and Uncle Winston really had a nice time chatting. Eli favors (for you Northerners and Westerners, that means he looks like) Uncle Winston, and it was fun to see the two of them spending time chatting. He told Eli stories about when he swam across the Mississippi River, about being a golden-gloves boxer, and about being in the war. Eli had heard that Uncle Winston was a welder, so he soldered a creation for him for his birthday present.

Preggo me

2010-07-10T08:49:00.000-07:00

I know I'm late in posting a picture of me pregnant, but better late than never. This was a week or so before Finley's birth.

Eli on Tacky Day

2010-05-08T18:48:00.000-07:00

I'M BA-ACK!!!

2010-05-03T06:38:00.001-07:00

(That title sounds a bit like what some horror movie character would say in a demented sing-song voice in a sequel performance. heehee)

So here is a quick recap of what's been going on since I last posted many months ago:
I'm pregnant--30 weeks today.
It's a GIRL!!
Eli and Brandt played basketball in the winter and all three boys just finished up track season.
Track was ALOT of work this year--we had 100 kids register. But thanks to excellent support, it turned out to be a great season.
Eric is running more and ALOT faster than me. And he does it early in the morning--go Eric!
I am still running, though. Not sure at what point I'll stop. I've never run this far into a pregnancy--but I still feel good. I usually go 3-4 days a week for 5-6 miles.
It's a GIRL!
I've had quite a bit of marketing work to do, which has kept me busy at the computer and is my excuse for not blogging. We have felt blessed to have another source of income. Though not a huge amount, with the economy negatively impacting the construction industry so much and Eric's job being so closely tied to construction, we have been grateful for every little bit extra.

Here are some notable pics from the last few months:

Eli showing off some of his race bling

Brandt getting some air in the long jumpBrandt tearing up the track

Eric and Eli at a scout campout at The Farm

Asher feeling baby girl kicks

Asher the shot-putter

Asher asleep--I found several similar pictures of him dozing in this position but decided to just post one.

Eli's first 5k

2009-11-04T06:03:00.001-08:00

It was a cold, rainy morning. Eli and Brandt had been running regularly for about 6 months. Brandt had run as much as 2.5 miles at once and Eli had run over 4 on multiple occasions. Both were dual-athletes this fall, participating in flag football and cross country in the same season. So they were prepared, and they did not fear. Eli finished his first 5k (official time was 34:07). Brandt finished the mile run in 11:12. Way to go!! (I'll post more pics when we get them from Mom and Dad).

Quotable quotes

2009-09-03T09:38:00.000-07:00

Eli: "Dad, do you know why the moon looks like it has bumps all over it?"
Eric: "Because it's made of cheese."
Eli: "C'mon, Dad. I'm talking SCIENCE here."

Asher to Eric: "Dad, what're you eating under there?"
Eric: "Under where?"
Asher: "UNDERWEAR?!?!"

Brandt to me: "When I grow up, when I wake up in the morning I'll be a normal human; BUT, in the nighttime, I'll be a NINJA!!''

Eeeeeeeeek!!!

2009-08-19T06:12:00.000-07:00

This morning I began my run on the trails. It rained alot yesterday and during the night, so I hoped the moisture had thwarted the arachnid acrobatics during the night, leaving a web-free path for my workout. There were fewer spiderwebs than usual, but I still ran into THE ONE. It completely covered my head and face. I must have blinked just when I hit it, and when I realized I had, the web was so sticky to my face and eyes, I couldn't open my eyes. I was frantically trying to wipe the webbing from my eyes so I could see clearly. My right eye was to first to be clear, and when I focused it, I spotted a bee--still alive-- stuck to my shirt. With my one working eye, I used the side of my pepperspray I was holding to wipe the bee off, afraid that my bare hand might catch the bee's stinger. Bees' little legs can hold on very tight to synthetic fabric. I think the legs are still on my shirt, and just the body was laid to rest along the trail. My left eye took lots of forceful opening and closing to finally become clear of the strong web. Luckily, I didn't see the web architect at all. I might have injured myself in the frantic dance that would have ensued. I am home now, showered and safe-- thanks for asking.

Eli's Baptism

2009-08-07T20:17:00.000-07:00

Eli was baptized on his eighth birthday, August 2, 2009. Eric baptized him and confirmed him a member of the Church. Eli was very thoughtful and attentive during the service. I asked him afterward how he felt, and he said when he came up out of the water, he felt a warmness in his body. I feel so blessed and humbled to have such a valiant, good boy for a son.

No time for losers, 'cause we are the champions.....

2009-08-07T19:53:00.000-07:00

Eli and Brandt participated in the Birmingham city championship swim meet last Saturday. They did SO well! Brandt swam the freestyle, breast stroke, and backstroke, and completed them and was competitive in each event. Eli swam the freestyle, backstroke, and butterfly and won the freestyle and backstroke. Their team won the whole meet (I think there were about 10 teams there), and Eli received a trophy for scoring the most individual points in his age group at the meet.
Having Eli swim each summer for the last 3 years has taught me something. Eli began swimming barely able to get across the pool (he had to wear a chest float for the first few weeks of practice). He didn't win a single race his first year. And although he doesn't swim year-round, he continues to improve each year. This experience makes me feel much less concerned when my boys aren't the best on the court, field, track, etc, when they first start a sport. No sport I have ever participated in has come easily to me, and maybe my boys will be the same.
I have also decided I want to encourage my kids to have a different sport for each season. I'm not a fan of "specializing" kids in sports. The purpose of their playing sports is to develop high self-esteem, become more physically fit, and to learn good sportsmanship--not to become professionals or get scholarships. I want them to always enjoy whatever they are doing. Eli and Brandt loved doing swim team this summer, but when I asked them if they wanted to do it in the fall, they said they'd rather do flag-football, and I said, "Okay!"

Jedi Training

2009-08-07T18:59:00.001-07:00

Eli and Brandt each invited 4 padawans to their Jedi Training birthday party. They were greeted as they arrived by Princess Leia, who helped them dress in thier Jedi robe and explained the rules of the training.

We began with the "Physical Training Obstacle Course" in the basement. The Padawans had to go through the course once, then go through again and better their first time to move on to the next stage of training. They all passed with flying colors (brown, sandy Jedi-type colors, that is).

They then went upstairs to build their light sabers. This moved rapidly into light-saber training, done mostly out on our still work-in-progress sport court. They had a visit from Darth Vader and each took a turn battling him one-on-one to complete their training and become official Jedi Knights.
We completed the party with Yoda Pizza, Yoda Soda (Fresca with lime sherbet), and Galactic Cupcakes.

North by Northwest

2009-07-15T16:27:00.000-07:00

We had a 10 day trip to Washington, and I think it was one of my favorite trips to the Pacific Northwest. I've tried to determine what made this trip better than the rest and have compiled a list, if you will:

We spent very little time traveling, and when we did travel it was in a comfortable car. In the past we had to drive from Portland down to Eugene, back up to Olympia and then up to Seattle and back to Portland to fly home. On some of our trips, I was pregnant or nursing (which could be their own bullet points--the fact that I'm not, that is), which only added to the car-sick feeling I couldn't ever shake. Now his parents live in Olympia near his sister and everyone comes to us. And the rented van with air conditioning was a big bonus. Basically, I like to feel that the world is revolving around us. ;)
The weather was typical PNW weather for most of the trip--a welcome change from the 90+ temps+humidity we have here. I'd rather just have rain than 90 percent humidity any day. I enjoyed running in rain and with long-sleeves.
We spent alot of time outdoors. When family gets together, it is important to talk. This time there was a good amount of sitting and talking, but almost enough hiking and playing to balance out the equation.
Camp Muir Hike. Pictures will say it all.
I'm becoming more comfortable around Eric's family. They are very warm, kind, and friendly, but since we don't see them very often, and since they aren't "my" family, I have never felt as comfortable around them as I do my own family (which is normal, I know). However, after 9 years of marriage, I think I'm starting to feel less nervous about what they think of me.
We got to help out some. We have helped with projects on trips in the past, and with all the hospitality shown to us, it feels good to do what we can to give back. Eric helped his brother and brother-in-law each finish some building projects they had, I pitched in with the cooking, and we all helped with picking cherries that needed a'pickin'.
I wasn't pregnant or nursing. Did I already mention this? Well, it deserves repeating. Traveling with a kid in your lap (whether in or out of the womb) is less fun. I love babies, but don't love traveling with'em.
The boys were exceptionally good on the airplane (about 7 hours total each way). No, we didn't have a dvd player. Just toys and books. And having Asher strapped into his car-seat was a bonus.

HOT!!!

2009-06-21T15:06:00.000-07:00

"Illegally" eating our sandwiches from home instead of the $10 chicken fingers at the zoo.

The boys enjoying the splash park

Asher finishes up 1 1/2 pb&j sandwiches.

Cool customer Brandt rubbing in his sunscreen.The motherlode

The high for Friday and Saturday was 98 degrees Fahrenheit. Right now it is 92 with a heat index of 105. Wrong, I know.
Thankfully, we aren't in drought, and we have some generous friends who have opened their pools to us many times already this summer. Both Eli and Brandt are on the city swim team, and Asher is rapidly becoming a little fish (a bit of scary, wild, will-jump-in-the-deep-end-backwards-without-floaties-or-me-crazy fish, but a fish). I'm hoping to get him in lessons by the end of the summer.
Yesterday we decided to go to the zoo since Eric was off work. It was somewhat miserable, but we got to see the flamingos fighting (the only animals moving in the whole place), and the kids had fun in the splash park. Oh, and the llama spit on a lady--another highlight.
When we came home a big flatbed truck was parked in our driveway, and two men were unloading the 800+ pavers Eric ordered by hand onto the grass at the end of our driveway. They were almost done with the last pallet when we arrived, and Eric helped them finish. Eric has a BIG, HOT job ahead of him. He started moving a few after the boys went to bed last night, but the pile looked pretty much the same this morning. We may have to invite several strong backs over for a cookout soon. :)

BOO!!

2009-06-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

I have a dear friend named Jan who loves art and is both talented and generous in sharing her joy and skill with others. She came by this week and helped the boys make paper-mache masks. They did the forming part on Tuesday and then painted the masks on Friday morning. We all really enjoyed it. I helped Asher a little with his design (though he did paint the majority of the surface area himself), but Brandt and Eli were the creative geniuses behind their masterpieces. Jan hasn't seen the final works yet--I can't wait to show her!

Livestrong

2009-06-15T05:50:00.001-07:00

From now on I am going to log my workouts and nutrition on livestrong.com. Here is a link to my page: http://www.livestrong.com/thedailyplate/diary/who/kellyefleming/

I'll put it on the side bar as a permanent link. I'll still write about some of my workouts and excursions, but my "log" will be on livestrong.

Stacy, Hannah, and Derek visit

2009-06-13T13:47:00.000-07:00

Oak Mountain Camping Trip

2009-06-13T13:17:00.001-07:00

Last weekend we camped with several other families at Oak Mountain Park. The weather was unusually pleasant, our bug repellent repelled, the hot dogs and marshmallows were delish, and we came home dirty and tired.

Workouts 6-1 through 6-11

2009-06-11T09:55:00.000-07:00

It has been a while since I logged my workouts, so I may be off, but you'll never know!!

Monday 6-1: I ran the trails and around Sherman Oaks and back home. Total of about an hour. I also jogged 2 miles with Eli and Brandt at the Trak Shak.
Tuesday 6-2: I biked 53 minutes and did upper body weights
Wednesday 6-3: I ran about 10 minutes to warm-up then picked up the pace to about a 7:30-7:45 pace for 30 minutes then cooled down at about an 8:30 pace for 10 minutes.
Thursday 6-4: I biked 53 minutes and did upper-body weights.
Friday 6-5: I ran 5.8 miles with Ashley through the sports complex out to hwy 11 and back. Averaged 8:15 pace.
Saturday 6-6: We were camping in Oak Mountain with several friends. I will post pics soon. I ran about an hour there. I spent first 20 minutes mostly on trails then went out to the main road and ran the rest. Nice long rolling hills. I felt great.
Sunday: rest
Monday: 6-8: I ran the trails in the morning and jogged with the boys in the evening. Total of about 8 miles for the day
Tuesday 6-9: I biked 53 minutes and did upper-body weights.
Wednesday 6-10: I ran about 8 miles--down to the end of Cahaba Springs trail and back. I started kinda slow but ran about an 8:15 pace for the middle and end.
Thursday 6-11: I ran on the treadmill: 12 minute warm-up then twenty 40 second speed intervals with 20 second rests between. Began at about 8.6 mph and gradually got faster--I did the last 10 at 10mph. I cooled down for 10 minutes at 7mph. Then I did upper-body weights.

Zoo!!!

2009-05-31T16:05:00.000-07:00

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER!! (da-da-dum, da-da-dum) SCHOOL'S OUT FOR-EVAH!!

Okay, so not forever, but I am actually very excited to have the boys home from school this summer! Eli and Brandt start swim lessons tomorrow, we hope to do alot of pool-hopping at friends homes, and we have a ZOO PASS!!
I became burned out on going to the zoo a couple of years ago after I lost Brandt there (the 4 gray hairs I have all came from his escape escapades--and if I get heart disease at an early age I'll blame him for that, too!). But, after taking Brandt there on his field trip (in which he was excellently behaved), I decided it was time to get another zoo pass. Asher is at the perfect age to really enjoy seeing the animals, and Eli and Brandt are old enough to stay close to me and be helpful with Asher.
Our zoo has a splash park, so it will be a fun place to go even on the hottest days of summer. We don't have a huge zoo, but it has improved ALOT since we last had a pass. It's so fun to go often because one day the lion will be asleep, but the next time he may be up running around and growling. When we went on Friday, we got to see two kangaroos boxing, feed the giraffes, and the lion went and posed on "Pride Rock," just like on Lion king. AND Brand inadvertantly gave a butterfly a ride out of the "Butterfly Experience" enclosure.

Workouts this week:
Monday I ran 1 hour 7 minutes. I did three laps around Sherman Oaks (yes, I rock. That hill is a monster.) We also went hiking with the kids and family at Lake Guntersville State Park for Memorial Day.
Tuesday I biked 58 minutes downstairs.
Wednesday I did speedwork at the track: 1 mile easy warm-up. 10x300m with 100m jog between each one. Then about a mile cool-down.
Thursday: I got some stomach bug (so did Eric) and was a sicky. It didn't last, thank goodness.
Friday: I ran the Deerfoot loop. It is about 7.4 miles. I didn't go very fast, but it is hilly. Averaged 8:40 pace--pretty sluggish, maybe I was still recovering some from that virus.
Saturday: I biked downstairs. Live Free or Die Hard was on. It kept me goin for 1 hr 20 minutes. I did upper body weights also.

Workouts 5/18-5/23

2009-05-24T18:11:00.000-07:00

Monday 5/18: I ran 53 minutes in the morning, then did P90x with the group at Jolene's (we did arms and shoulders and some plyometrics (LEGS!). That night we did the TrakShak run and the boys and I jogged 2 miles.
Tuesday 5/19: I biked 52 minutes and did chest and back exercises.
Wednesday 5/20: I ran intervals on the treadmill: Ten min. warmup, 20 minutes of 40sec hard-20 seconds easy on the treadmill, then I did a 10 minute cooldown.
Thursday 5/21: I biked downstairs 50 minutes and did P90x chest and back (30 min)+ plyometrics (30 min)+ abs (10 min).
Friday 5/22: I ran about 50 minutes, pushing the pace on the trails.
Saturday 5/23: Did close to a 17mile bike ride with Sarah. It rained on us a good bit, but still a nice ride.

Team

2009-05-19T17:19:00.000-07:00

Track season is over for me, and I really haven't posted many pics this year on this blog. But here is one of all but about 5 of the team. They were such a great group of kids. Truly a joy to work with. It was a big j0b, but I am already looking forward to next year!

Workouts 5/11-5/16

2009-05-17T14:06:00.000-07:00

Monday I ran 1hour then went to Jolene's for P90X. DANG. That was a tough workout (LOTS of pushups, plus some other back and chest stuff totaling an hour). Monday night I jogged 2 with the Eli and Brandt at the TrakShak run.
Tuesday I biked 52 min then did 30 minutes of P90X legs (also DANG hard). Felt sore from all the push-ups, but felt good otherwise.
Wednesday I ran intervals. Ten minute warmup, 18 minutes of 40 sec hard, 20 easy, then ended with a 2 minute hard interval. Ran about a mile cool-down. I did a bunch of push-ups and lat-pulls to try to build on what I did Monday.
Thursday I biked 50 minutes and . Also did some squats and lunges.
Friday I ran 7.2 miles with Ashley at a pretty comfortable pace--although there is nothing comfortable about the l o n g hill at the end.
Saturday I ran pushing Asher in the stroller for 54 minutes. It was rainy, but felt pretty good.

Construction Time!!

2009-05-10T11:10:00.001-07:00

Dirty Eric

Eli helping Dad.

Between Asher flooding the upstairs bathroom and main floor ceiling and Eric moving forward on the sport-court, we have alot of work behind and ahead of us!

Workout Log:
Tuesday I biked downstairs 48 minutes. I took a while to get started because this was the morning I woke up to a wet, sagging ceiling in my living room. I finally realized I couldn't do anything about it at 6am, so I watched some Fresh Prince and got in a decent workout.
Wednesday: Had a GREAT run. I've been feeling pretty sluggish on most of my training runs for several weeks--nothing serious, but just kinda felt like I was in a slump. On this run I felt so good. I ran to the sports complex, through some trails to Sherman Oaks, then a few more trails, then I kicked it home-- 1:03 total time.
Thursday: I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday: I ran 5.8 miles in 48 minutes. Felt pretty good on this run, but it was MUGGY! My clothes were soaked.
Saturday: I ran, taking it pretty easy at the start, through trails and over to Trussville Springs and back--a total of 1:14. I felt pretty good. I went to the Hershey District track meet to cheer on several on my track team. They did a great job. Brandt ran in the meet and did the best I have ever seen from him. He "won" the 5oyd and the 100m, but he was the only boy in his age group! Then I came home cleaned the messy house, cooked dinner, and mowed the grass. Today (Sun) has been a nice, relaxing Mother's Day. I felt like I had earned it after yesterday!! (of course, Eric was probably every bit as tired as me from all of his work on the sport court! )

Workouts this week

2009-05-04T11:27:00.000-07:00

Monday 4-27: I ran in the morning about 6 miles, then I jogged 2 easy miles with Eli in the afternoon at the TrakShak group run. We are going to try to do this as a family for a while. Eric ran 4 miles pushing Brandt and Asher in the double jogger.
Tuesday 4-28: I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Wednesday 4-29: I did speed work--ran over to one of the soccer fields at the sports complex and did 6 2-lap intervals with a 1/2 lap walk inbetween each one. I then did 5 1 lap intervals. I kept about a 6:30 pace. Then I jogged home. Total mileage was about 6.
Thursday 4-30: I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday 5-1: I ran 7.2 miles with Ashley at about a 8:15 pace.
Saturday 5-2: I ran 52 minutes on the trails. Then we had our final home meet,which always wears me out (But it went GREAT--even with a delayed start and a few showers during!). Somehow I still had energy to help Eric shovel and spread gravel on our soon-to-be sports-court for a couple of hours. My forearms were a bit sore on Sunday.
Sunday: rest
Monday 5-4: I ran pushing Asher in the stroller in light rain for 1 hour. Felt great! Hopefully we'll get to do the TrakShak run tonight.

M.C. Escher

2009-04-27T19:00:00.000-07:00

Eli was part of a "Living Museum" in his class last week. Each child chose someone noteworthy to research and then made posters about their person. On Wednesday they dressed up and told their life story for about 8 groups who toured their class throughout the day.
Eli (on is own) chose the artist M.C. Escher. I have a big coffee-table book of his works I purchased back in high school that Eli has enjoyed looking at lately. He did a great job telling about his life and, in all humility, his was the best looking poster in the class. :)

Brandt:

2009-04-24T13:41:00.000-07:00

I just walked into our tv room to see what the boys were watching. It sounded pretty intense for a Nickelodeon cartoon.
Me: "Hey guys, watcha watchin'?"
Eli and Brandt: "Avatar"
Me: "It looks a little scary."
Brandt: "No, it's not scary. It's FICTION."

Workouts this week

2009-04-24T13:26:00.000-07:00

I've taken a break from posting my workouts, but it does help motivate me to do it, so I'm starting back up:
Last week (beginning the 13th) I mostly biked all week. I ran on Monday, but my left shin was giving me lots of trouble. I think it got strained from the grade on the Talladega track. This week I started back to running.
Monday I ran41 minutes at an easy pace (but did the hills of Sherman Oaks). I did a full-body weight workout, too.
Tuesday I ran 52 minutes--out to the historic area, around and back. I was in a bit of daze all day from the Dave Matthews concert the night before. To just call the performance awesome would be an understatement. Truly amazing skillful, artful, entertainment. We had so much fun hearing and watching them play a lot of old and new stuff.
Wednesday I biked 50 minutes.
Thursday I ran intervals on the treadmills. I started around 9mph and moved up to close to 10 by the end. I did a total of about 3 miles of intervals, plus a mile warmup and cooldown. I also did weights.
Today (Friday) I ran with Ashley. I think it is about a 5.8 mile route and we did it in about 48 minutes.

5 days and counting down...

2009-04-15T18:14:00.000-07:00

Can't wait!!!

Easter

2009-04-13T13:46:00.000-07:00

Conference Craftlies

2009-04-13T13:03:00.000-07:00

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This post is a bit delayed, but I wanted to share it anyway. We had our church's bi-annual General Conference last weekend. This is a weekend in which members all over the world listen to and watch the prophet, apostles and other church leaders speak to us. We can watch it on BYU-TV via satellite. This is a wondrous privilege, but since it is two 2-hour sessions Saturday and Sunday, it helps for the boys to have something to keep their hands busy. Eli got this great book of crafts, and we made many fun creations over conference weekend.

TALLADEGA!!!!

2009-04-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

The race was super--perfect weather, awesome course, well managed, and I was happy with my run. I figured a couple of things out, too. One, drinking Gatorade at almost every aid station is not a good enough way to keep away the painful symptoms of dehydration that I'm so prone to (Pepto-Bismol became my best friend--that and the closest toilet). Secondly, I have no desire to run a full-marathon. I was sufficiently beat after a half. Stomach cramps started to plague me at about 10 miles, and my calves were cramping for the last mile. I was glad it was over when it was. I ended up finishing in 1:46:55.

Long week...

2009-04-05T19:00:00.000-07:00

This week was one of the longer ones I've had in a while. It was a good week, but I think the anticipation of our first track meet, which was originally re-scheduled for Thursday but because of a tornado watch and rain we moved to Friday, made it kind of drag. I also had some marketing work to do, which made my time fuller, as well as my laundry baskets.

Workouts:
Tuesday I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Wednesday I ran 52 minutes at an easy pace.
Thursday I did speed work on the treadmill: 1 mile warm-up, Three 1 mile intervals plus a couple of 1-2 minute speed bursts. I ran the miles at about 8.4 mph. I ran a total of 6 miles. I needed to do some longer speed training before the half marathon, so hopefully this will help my pace some. My pace for my long training runs has been okay, but not great (about 8:20), so I'm not sure how fast this race will be for me...
Friday I ran with Ashley for 6 miles (50 minutes). That night was the track meet. It was 90 kids, 4.5 hours of races and field events. I started about 54 races, having to yell "On your mark, Get set, Go" since I didn't have a megaphone. See my club's blog for the things I learned from this first meet. I came home feeling similarly to how I feel after a 18+ mile run, but I recovered much more quickly.
Saturday we watched General Conference. I biked downstairs while watching the second session. It was actually very nice. I probably paid better attention during that session than any of them. I biked 20 miles in 59 minutes and did upper-body weights. I'm laying off the leg weights until after the half this Saturday.

Workouts 3.24-3.30 and ULTIMA

2009-03-30T17:50:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday I biked 50 minutes and did weights. Wednesday I ran 55 minutes at an easy pace.

Thursday I ran 11.25 miles in the heat of the day. I tried out a new sugar-free high-electrolyte drink, hoping to alleviate my intestinal issues that come with harder runs. It is called "Ultima." I tried three different flavors. The strawberry banana flavor was delicious--it tasted like a banana Powerbar. The lemon-lime flavor was yummy, too--not the overly strong flavor a lot of lemon sports drinks have. The kiwi strawberry was yuckity-yuck. The good news: NO unwanted trips to the bathroom!! YEA!! (I know you're all relieved.)

Friday I rested. Saturday I biked 1 hr and did weights. Today (Monday) I ran 1 hr 2 minutes at an easy pace.

Tortillas!!

2009-03-29T19:27:00.000-07:00

We are tortilla eaters. We eat them as wraps, tacos, chips, and even pizza crust. I had learned to make them as a teen from my friend Cassandra's mom, but her recipe called for Crisco, which we now know is the very unhealthy hydrogenated oil (not that we thought it was manna before). So I searched the internet for a tortilla recipe that used some other healthier oil. Sure enough, I found a canola-oil based one. I have been making tortillas about once a week with lots of help from the boys. It was a very time consuming process, so I ordered a couple of tortilla presses. This SIGNIFICANTLY sped up the process. Here is the basic recipe along with an altered one we have enjoyed:

Basic Canola Oil Tortillas
3 cups flour
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 cup warm water

Mix the flour, salt and oil together until it resembles course meal. Slowly add the warm water--you may need a little more or less than a cup--until the dough is evenly mixed and moistened but not sticky. If it gets sticky, add a little flour. Form walnut to golf-ball sized balls and roll out or press with a tortilla press. Cook on a hot griddle, turning after it starts to bubble then letting it cook just minute or less more. Store in air-tight container to keep pliable.

Fiber-rich Canola Oil Tortillas
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup hard white wheat flour
1 cup great northern bean flour

(the rest is the same as above, minus the 3 cups of flour) These were more flavorful, more filling, and more pliable.

Talladega, here I come...

2009-03-26T10:06:00.000-07:00

So I'm off to do another long run. Before leaving, I decided to check out the route on the Talladega Half. Here it is:

I was under the impression the finish would be on the track. Apparently, 3/4 of the race is on the track!! CRAZY!!

BEACH!!!

2009-03-23T19:38:00.000-07:00

So we went to the beach for Spring Break last week. It was a WONDERFUL trip. I had never gone in the spring and was worried it would be too cold. The water was a bit chilly (not enough to keep our boys from riding the waves), but it was a beautiful, serene, relaxing break from everyday life. We went with Eric's parents, so we all enjoyed being able to spend time with them--it had been close to a year since we last saw them.
We came home on Saturday, then on Sunday attended a concert of The Saints United Voices, directed by Gladys Knight. It was an amazing, inspiring and uplifting performance.
Today real life came back around. I received word that about 6 of our track practices in the next month were conflicting with soccer games being held at the stadium. Much of my day was spent working on and worrying about that issue. We had to move our practice time up, which will hopefully solve the problem.
While at the beach I was able to do some running. Last Monday (we were still here in town) I ran about 52 minutes. On Tuesday I biked 50 minutes and did weights. Wednesday I skipped and we drove to Pensacola Beach. Thursday I ran 12.35 miles in 1:43. This will serve as my main long run for the half-marathon coming up April 11. I felt okay, but had some intestinal issues I won't go into, and sincerely hope they don't afflict me during the race. Friday I skipped running (my legs needed a rest), and Saturday I ran 52 minutes at a tempo pace and felt great. Today I ran 53 minutes, taking it easy on the trails.

Workouts this week

2009-03-15T18:57:00.000-07:00

Monday 3/9/09: Biked 50 minutes on the stationary and did weights.
Tuesday 3/10/09: Ran pushing Asher in the stroller 48 minutes.
Wednesday 3/11/09: Ran with Ashley to Trussville Springs and back. Daylight savings made it much darker than usual. We ran 7.5 miles, 8:20-8:30 pace.
Thursday 3/12/09: Biked 50 minutes and did full-body weights.
Friday 3/13/09: Speedwork at the track: 1 mile warm-up. 8x400 at 9-10mph with 100 walk/jog between each one, then a 2 mile cooldown. Felt this one that night and the next day.
Saturday 3/14/09: Biked 20 miles on the stationary in 1:03 then changed my shirt for a rain jacket and ran in the rain for 42 minutes. Felt great!

I signed up for the Talladega 2100 Half-Marathon. It happens April 11, and the finish is on the SuperSpeedway!! Yeah, I'm racing at Talladega--so now I'm OFFICIALLY an Alabamian.

Flying

2009-03-07T17:44:00.000-08:00

I sometimes dream I'm flying. Not flap-my-arms-like-wings flying. And not Superman-style either. More like Michael Jordan, where my legs push off the ground with such force that soon gravity no longer has much hold on me. They are nice, but kind of exhausting dreams. My week has been a bit like one of those dreams. It has been very productive, but VERY busy.

We had our first week of track practice, which by and large went very well. On Tuesday at our first practice, the only big hang-up was that the bathrooms were locked. This is NOT good with 70 kids plus parents and siblings there. Luckily they were opened toward the end of practice b/c of a soccer game, but I knew I needed to take action. The next day I made phone calls, left messages and sent emails to coaches, city personnel and the high school athletic director to find out how to get a key. Thursday I received an answer and it involved purchasing insurance for the team, filling out usage forms with the school system and coordinating our schedule with them. Finally I had to find a willing parent who was also a school employee to be the key-keeper. Luckily this last one wasn't hard.

On Monday night my dad brought over some info on a pamphlet he wanted me to make for his business. I was grateful for the work, but had to have it finished and printed out by Wednesday so he could take it with him to New York on Thursday. I haven't had a deadline-driven marketing project for literally YEARS, so this was a bit of pressure. But I completed it and I think it went over well in his meetings.

Also this week I went to a recipe club, watched Eli's class, had Brandt home from school with an ear-infection for 2 days and took him to the doctor. Thankfully I managed to get my workouts in everyday, which is probably why I was able to stay sane.

Workouts this week:
Monday 3/2/09: Rode the bike downstairs for 47 minutes--barely fit it in during Asher's shrinking nap.
Tuesday 3/3/09: Ran the trails for 52 minutes. It was COLD outside. I think the windchill was around 17. The ground was very hard--places that were usually soft didn't give at all. I fell once, which I haven't done in months. I did a few weights downstairs, but not a full workout.
Wednesday 3/4/09: I ran with Ashley for 5.8 miles in just under 48 minutes. We pushed the pace pretty well.
Thursday 3/5/09: I biked downstairs 50 minutes and did some upper body weights. I did a bit of running at practice, too. I had the 9-12 yr. old boys, a really fun group.
Friday 3/6/09: I did a hill workout: ran 2 miles to warm-up then did 10 hill repeats Each one was just under 1/10 of a mile. I ran as fast as I could up the hills, averaging 8.5-9mph going up, then I jogged down. I ran just under a mile cool-down for a total of 4.43 miles. That night I went out and swung from a vine Eric had loosened and tried to take off a tree down by our sport-court. When he realized it would hold his weight, he dug out a little track and he, Brandt, and Eli took turns swinging from it. I came out later with the camera, but Brandt was done and had gone inside. Somehow most of the pictures that turned out clear were ones Eric took of me (I wouldn't have put so many of me up except that you can see the little area pretty well in a couple of them.) Eli and I had a blast taking turns swinging. It was a HARD arm and stomach workout holding yourself up on that vine!
Saturday 3/7/09: I ran 1:20, mostly on the trails. I was able to turn my speed up quite a bit at the end thanks to the following line up of songs on my iPod Shuffle: "Hit me baby one more time"(Brittney Spears) "It's gonna be me" (InSync), "Take California" (Propellerheads), "Dead Man's Party (Oingo-Boingo). I love when I'm surprised by several awesome songs to run fast to in a row (and I have the energy)."

Rain, Snow and Daisies

2009-03-01T18:23:00.000-08:00

We've had some wild and crazy weather this week, but it has resulted in some fun, memorable time for our family. On Friday, Eric had scheduled a camp-out with the Scouts. He decided to cancel it because of the threat of heavy rain. Well, heavy rain we got. I ran the trail at Trussville Springs, which skirts the Cahaba River for about a mile on Saturday morning. The river was about as high as I've ever seen it. It flooded two areas of the trail--one area may be pretty pricey to repair. On Saturday afternoon we walked down to the river at the end of our street. If I was a kayaker, I'm sure it would have excited me--but I'm not, and I struggled fully enjoying it because Brandt kept trying to walk as close to the edge of the banks as possible. It was running so quickly, if he had slipped in, he would have been gone. Other than my constant fear of Brandt falling in, we all had a great time.

Then, on Saturday night a cold front moved in. This morning we woke up to about an inch of snow, and by 10 am, it was about 4 inches. By 3 pm, it was gone. "Seize the day" should be taken literally here when it snows. The boys had a great time--especially Eli--playing out in the snow. Brandt made a snow angel and a threw a few snowballs, then he said he was cold and hungry and went inside. Eli, however, stayed out, and he and Eric built a snowman on the deck. Asher was asleep for most of the fun. The pic of him was taken in the afternoon, after the melt, wearing Eli's vest.

I finished up a painting order last weekend and thought I would post pics of it on here. A friend of mine is having her first girl, after 3 boys. She commissioned paintings to go along with the bedding she is getting for her baby's room. I had a great time painting this set--especially thinking about a sweet little baby girl enjoying it in her room for years to come.

Work out log for the week:
Monday: I took the day off. My cold seemed to flare up again, so I decided to try resting.
Tuesday: I biked 52 minutes and did full body weights. I did a couple sets of 40 push-ups and my ribs hurt a bit, but I just tried to ignore it--big mistake.
Wednesday: I ran 7.5 miles with Ashley. My ribs ached the whole time. It didn't get worse as I went, it just ached, especially the more I swung my arms.
Thursday: I biked 1 hour and did weights. Skipped the push-ups and leg exercises because planning to do speed Friday.
Friday: Ran intervals. I ran about a mile into the sports complex then did 20 minutes of 1 minute fast, 30 seconds slow. I didn't wear my Garmin, but I tried to push about a 2 mile-5k race-pace for the intervals. Then I jogged about a mile home. The intervals included some hills, so it was a really good workout.
Saturday: Ran 7.5 miles--down to the flooded river area and back. My legs felt a bit tired, and my ribs were more sore than yesterday. I think the interval workout probably caused that.

Workouts 2/16-2/21

2009-02-22T18:19:00.000-08:00

Monday 2/16: Ran on the trails for 52 minutes.
Tuesday 2/17: Biked 1 hour and did full-body weights
Wednesday 2/18: Ran 1 hour 8 minutes, mostly around the center of town. I hadn't been able to find my Garmin for a few days. I was desperately looking for it on Tues. night to use on my run Wed. morning. I looked in and all around the desk shelf where I keep it. We have a trash can by the desk. I looked in there, but realized I had emptied it earlier in the day. After searching for several more minutes, I decided to go get the bag of trash out of the trash bin outside. I did, and sure enough, there was my Garmin watch! I said many prayers of thanks that it didn't get taken to the dump Wed. morning when the garbage truck came by.
Thursday 2/19: Biked 40 minutes and did full-body weight workout.
Friday 2/20: Took the day off, hoping to give my body a chance to heal some. I have pulled a muscle or something in my rib-cage area from coughing so badly, and every-time I cough, blow my nose, or bend certain ways, it hurts terribly.
Saturday 2/21: Ran 10.75 miles. Averaged about 8:12 pace. The first half was mostly at a sub 8 pace, but I slowed toward the end, especially on the hills.

Hair Dudes

2009-02-15T18:21:00.000-08:00

Who says only girls primp and preen? Here are some pics of the results of Eli and Brandt's hairbrush adventures this evening... (Brandt has more to work with, but Eli definitely made the most of what he has!)

Workouts 2/9- 2/14

2009-02-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Monday 2/9: Ran 51 minutes at an easy pace.
Tuesday 2/10: Biked 50 minutes and did 90 pushups (1 set 40, 1 set 50)
Wednesday 2/11: Ran 48 minutes with Ashley.
Thursday 2/12: Ran 45 minutes pushing Asher in the stroller. Did full-body weight workout
Friday 2/13: Biked 52 minutes--16 miles--downstairs on the stationary.
Saturday 2/14: Woke up at 3:45 am and did speed work on the treadmill: 14 minute warm-up jog, 1 and 2 minute intervals with 1 minute rests at 9-10mph pace for 25 minutes. 5 minute cool-down jog. Did about 70 push-ups. I had to leave at 5:30 for Memphis to go to a funeral. I slept like a baby Saturday night. Still have this nasty cough. I think I'm going to go to the Dr. on Monday. 3 weeks and I'm only feeling worse.

Yowzers!!

2009-02-08T19:46:00.001-08:00

So I show up to registration at the Trak Shak about 5 minutes before it is supposed to start. There are already several parents and kids standing in the store. "This is scary," I tell Melyssa, who came to help me sign kids up. It was absolute pandemonium!! Jeff, the Trak Shak owner, had to get out a second table, and had to print out more registration sheets when the 50 I had brought were gone!! I was feeling a mixture of excitement and fear. Similar to when I first went downhill skiing. I loved the initial thrill of success, but I feared what would come as I continued to gain velocity and realized I didn't know how to stop.

We had originally planned (and advertized) a late registration date, but had to cancel that. We had 67 register. YIKES!! I had 15 regulars last year. Don't even tell me the percent increase on that--I know it's insane.

If it wasn't for the narcotic for my cold, I wouldn't have slept that night, I'm sure. I woke up at 3 am feeling quite alert. I laid in bed and thought about what I had gotten myself into, and how to manage it. I considered all the successful big groups I had seen managed well. One was Eli's swim team. Kids ages 5 to 18 all under one coach. She broke them up into smaller groups and had assistant coaches working with each group, though she still designed the workouts and schedule. Another successful big-group management I experienced was BYU's cross-country camp. I went when I was 17. There were about 60 kids, and we were divided into 4 groups according to our speed.
So determined I needed to divide the team into smaller groups. After looking over the numbers and ages of the kids who registered, I decided to break them into 4 groups, according to age: 4-6 year-olds, 7-8 year-olds, 9-12 year old girls, and 9-12 year old boys. My mom, Melyssa,and room-mom-in-crime, Kanita have all agreed to be permanent assistant coaches. I've also had several parents offer to help, which I'm sure I will utilize.
I have decided to assign a color to each group and get flags of those colors. At each practice, we will place the flags at the area of the track where the kids will be beginning practice (shot-put, long-jump, 200m start, etc.). Hopefully that will help keep some order.
We'll also call roll and require the kids to check in if they are late and check out when they leave. They will have to tell their coach when they go to the restroom and will have to take a friend along. 67 kids is ALOT to keep up with.
Anyone with experience managing this kind of thing--please pass along your advive. Heaven knows I need it!
I just hope I can learn the kids names and get to know them. Last year I felt like I really knew my team well. This is SO many more, but I still want them to feel individually important.

Workout log 2.02.09 - 2.07-09

2009-02-06T18:15:00.000-08:00

Monday 2/2: Ran around 5 miles--did the Sherman Oaks hill loop. I had trouble with having to stop to cough a lot during this run. My body felt tired.

Tuesday 2/3: Biked 55 minutes downstairs and did full- body weights.

Wednesday 2/4: This was a super-cold morning. The windchill was like 10, so I chose not to run outside. I did speedwork on the treadmill: 14 minute warmup jog, 2 minutes hard, 1 minute easy for about 25 minutes. My speed bursts began at 9mph, and the last 4 or so were at 10mph. The last couple of burst were one minute. Jogged a 8 minute cool-down.

Thursday 2/5: Biked 50 minutes and did full-body weights.

Friday 2/6: Ran with Ashley. WE went 7.4 miles. Our first half was faster (I think we averaged under 8 minute miles for about 5 miles, but the ginormous hill leading back to her neighborhood slowed us down quite a bit, so we averaged about an 8: 23 pace.

Saturday 2/7: Ran 1 hour, mostly on the trails. Felt okay, but still having trouble with coughing.

Workout log 1.24.09-1.31.09

2009-01-31T08:46:00.000-08:00

Sat. 1.24: Ran around 5:30 pm and felt GREAT! Went about 9 miles. I always feel so much more fresh when I run in the eve.

Monday 1.26: My leg started hurting on Sunday. It felt like a strain on the inside of my left leg, just over my ankle. I biked 55 minutes and bought new running shoes. I got some that are more of a stability shoe, hoping it will help prevent the pain from coming back once it's gone. The model is the Nike Air Structure Triax 11. Mine are red.

Tuesday 1.27: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.

Wednesday 1.28: Biked 55 minutes.

Thursday 1.29: Biked 59 minutes--went a total of 20 miles according to the stationary computer. I pushed the pace HARD on this ride.

Friday 1.30: I did 70 push-ups, but did nothing else. I've developed a nasty cough and was up for a couple of hours during the night coughing.

Saturday 1.31: Mom brought over some sort of narcotic that she was prescribed to help her coughing during the night a few weeks ago when she was sick. IT WORKED. I had a great night sleep. My leg hasn't hurt since Wed., so I ran 10 miles--and was able to cough and farmer blow to my hearts content. It took me 1:25. Loved the new shoes.

Perks of Parenthood

2009-01-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

Eli: "Mom, you know how I'm playing basketball now, and I do lots of different sports, too?"
Me: "Yes."
Eli: "Well, will I ever, ya know, like, get cheerleaders in my sports?"
Me: "Not while you are this age. Cheerleaders probably won't start cheering at games until you are at least Aunt Lia's age (12)."
Eli: "Well, when cheerleaders do come, will I get to, ya know, talk to them and know them and stuff?"
Me: "Yes."
Eli: "Okay. I was just wondering."

_________

Brandt: "Hey Mom! Did you know that Sonic doesn't wear any clothes and he just runs around naked all the time?"

________

Brandt: "Dad, if I were to eat a really tiny guy and I didn't crunch, could he just be alive inside my belly?"
Dad: "Well, I guess so." :)

Delicious Deception

2009-01-23T12:14:00.000-08:00

This week has been food week in our bouse. I love to bake and create in the kitchen, but I'm ready for a short break. Tuesday morning Melyssa called me to see if I'd be up for a trip to the farmer's market downtown. She had recently gotten the book "Deceptively Delicious" by Jessica Seinfeld (yes, Jerry's wife). The basis of this book is how to sneak veggies, beans and fruits into your family's foods to make them eat more healthily without their knowledge. Well, I don't know if in the long run this is the best method for raising healthy children, but it can't hurt, either. I didn't have the book when we made the trip to the market, but I have since purchased it (6.99, TJ Maxx! ).
We got some smokin' good deals on food. For less than $90, we bought 50 lbs of carrots, 50 lbs of apples, about 80 bananas, about 15 bunches of broccoli, and large boxes of sweet potatoes and red bell peppers. Jessica Seinfeld suggests you puree and freeze your veggies and fruits ahead of time so they are ready to use. Sounds easy enough, but takes FOREVER. I still have several carrots, two big bags of peppers, and a bag of broccoli to puree in my fridge.

We also bit the bullet and purchased a wheat/grain grinder this week. I've been using my mom's since we moved here, so it will be awesome to have my own.

And last night we were given a HUGE chest freezer, so now I can store all my extra little puree pouches in the basement and still have room for chicken nuggets, fish sticks, and other less-healthy offerings in the kitchen fridge's freezer.

I made this carrot bundt cake for the family that gave us the freezer. I 1 1/2x'ed the recipe and made a loaf for our family. It was DELICIOUS. And I was able to make a tiny dent in my carrot supply:

Carrot Bundt Cake

Ingredients:
3 cups whole-wheat flour
1 1/2 cups sugar + 1 cup sugar substitute
1 tablespoon baking soda
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
4 large eggs
1 1/2 cup salad oil
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 cups packed shredded carrots
1 cup applesauce
1 1/4 cup confectioners sugar
Directions:Begin about 4 hours before serving or early in the day: Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease and flour 10-inch Bundt pan.

In large bowl, with spoon, mix flour, sugar, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt. In small bowl, with fork, beat eggs slightly; stir in oil and vanilla. Stir egg mixture, shredded carrots, walnuts, and applesauce into flour mixture just until flour is moistened.

Spoon batter into pan, spreading evenly. Bake 1 hour and 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Cool cake in pan on wire rack to cool completely.

Prepare confectioners sugar icing: In bowl, with spoon, mix confectioners sugar and 5 teaspoons water until smooth and an easy spreading consistency. Place cake on platter. With spatula, spread confectioners sugar icing on cake.

Workouts this week :
Tuesday: Biked 18 miles on the stationary and did full-body weights
Wednesday: Ran 7.5 miles in the COLD morning air. I think it was 18 degrees.
Thursday: Biked 16 miles on the stationary while watching Fresh Prince.
Friday: Ran 5 miles. Middle 3 were at a 7:15-7:40 pace. The temp was about 49 this morning--felt GREAT. I plan to squeeze some weights in tonight.

Workout log 1.14.09-1.19.09

2009-01-19T17:51:00.000-08:00

Wed. 1/14: Ran with Ashley in COLD morning air (I think it was around 20). 5.8 miles in 48 minutes.
Thurs. 1/15: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday 1/16: Did speed work on treadmill: 13 minute warm-up. 1 mile at 9mph, 2 minute jogging, 1/2 mile 9.5mph, 2 minutes jogging, 1/2 mile 10 mph. 7 minute cool-down jog. Total of about 4 miles. This had to be a quick workout b/c we left for TN around 9 that morning.
Saturday 1/17: In Luttrell, TN, it was BITTER cold. I think around 6 degrees, so I ran on the treadmill and finished "Uglies." Excellent book. Have never been able to read while running before, but I had no other form of entertainment available, and couldn't bear to run on the treadmill with just my thoughts, so I somehow managed to read and run!
Sunday 1/18: This is typically my day off, but we went on a hike with Connie and Winston "just over the ridge to the creek" that was really quite the climb. I think we were gone about 2 hrs.
Monday 1/19: Traveled home and didn't workout. Should feel awesome tomorrrow after all this rest.

Goals

2009-01-13T18:27:00.000-08:00

Tonight we had our family home evening, and Eric was in charge of giving the lesson. Last week I had the lesson and we talked briefly about goals, then the plan was for Eric to take each boy individually (except Asher), and talk about and write down some goals for the year. He took Brandt first, and then we ran out of time and had to put off Eli's one-on-one time until this week.
So Eric continued the goal-theme for tonight's family night. I had asked Eric how it went last week with Brandt, and he had said, "Fine," with a roll of his eyes. I wasn't sure WHAT that meant, but didn't pursue it further.
Well, tonight I found out. Eric began by re-explaining why we set goals. Then he said that once we decide what our goals are, we need to come up with a plan of how to achieve them. He then turned to Brandt and said, "For instance, Brandt, your goal for this year was to be a Power Ranger. What kinds of things do you need to do to achieve that?" Brandt then responded that he needed to work on his moves and stay up at night. Then, he gave us a demonstration of several moves.

Eli has been learning about goals of another sort. He has been playing basketball this year, and he had his first real game on Saturday. He is still figuring out what is going on most of the time, and when he does know what to do, he hasn't mustered up the killer-instinct to quite get it done, YET. He has improved remarkably since the start of practice. He can run and dribble at the same time, and can even look ahead while doing that some of the time. And he has pretty accurate shooting. He actually made a point for his team (via a free-throw).

Asher has been a real drama king lately. Once he can talk, I should seriously think about getting him into acting. He can rejoice, complain, disapprove, ask a question, and answer a question all using the phrase, "Hun, duh, duh," said with different voice intonations and facial expressions. And even STRANGERS can tell what he's communicating. It's amazing, really.

I've been busily putting together track for this spring. I am advertising through the schools, newspaper, Parks and Rec's website, and Trak Shak's website this year, so I may have a much bigger team. I've been mentally prepping myself for that. Last year the most successful practices, as far as running smoothly and efficiently, were the ones where we had the most kids show up. That "group-think" thing gets them working together instead of complaining. I try my best to make practices fun, and I think they are mostly fun, but with running, there are inevitably times when the kids just don't want to do it. During those times. its nice for them if they know 10 other kids are enduring it, too. Misery loves comopany.

Workout log:
Friday 1/9/09: I ran through the trails in the sports complex and then to Trussville Springs to the trail there. I ran a bit on it and met Eric and Asher there. Eric got to have all of Friday off b/c he had worked so dang much earlier in the week. It was so nice. I ran a total of about 6 miles and walked 2 with Eric and Asher.
Saturday 1/10/09: I ran through the sports complex and over to the historic district and back. I was gone about 54 minutes. I pushed the pace for a good portion of it, but I didn't wear my Garmin (I hadn't charged it from the day before) so I'm not sure how fast I went.
Monday 1/11/09: I biked 50 minutes downstairs whilst watching "The Sting" with Robert Redford and Paul Newman. I didn't finish it, but I'd like to. Robert Redford *was* so hot.
Tuesday 1/12/09: I ran pushing Asher in the stroller on the trail in Trussville Springs. I ran the 1 mile length 6 times, plus to and from the parking lot at the office there for a total of about 6.8 miles. It took me about an hour. Then I came home and did weights. Asher is amazingly good for my weight workouts. Sometimes I use him as my weight on squats, which may as well be a rollercoaster as far as he's concerned.

Workout log 1.02.09-1.07.09

2009-01-08T09:23:00.000-08:00

Friday 1/2/09: Speed work on the treadmill. Started with a 15 minute warm-up. Then about six 40 sec. hill reps with about 40 seconds rest between. Then I did some flat 1 minute speed bursts. Then two 3 minute reps at 9.2mph. Ended with a 10 minute cool-down.
Saturday 1/3/09: I was in Nashville for Grandmom's funeral, but did a 50 minute run with sisters and Uncle Pat around Aunt Sharon's neighborhood. I picked it up for the last 20 minutes or so.
Monday 1/5/09: Biked 20 miles on the stationary in 61 minutes. Did a full-body weight workout.
Tuesday 1/6/09: Ran to Food World and back (needed batteries for our new SWEET soap dispenser--thanks Kate and Chad!!). Took about 50 minutes. Did ab work.
Wed. 1/7/09: VERY sore in my lower back from ad workout yesterday. It was from Runners World Feb issue. Maybe I'll have a six-pack yet. Ran in cold rain with Ashley-7.2 miles. Did same ab workout again.
Thurs. 1/8/09: I was up late waiting for Eric to get home from a LONG day at work (he finally came in at 12:15--I had been asleep for about an hour), so I didn't wake up early to workout. During Asher's nap I rode the bike for 50 minutes, putting several hill simulations into the ride and then did full body weight workout--all whilst watching Jurassic Park.

Grandmom

2009-01-01T14:13:00.001-08:00

This morning my grandmother, Ruth Conquest, or "Grandmom," as her grandchildren call her, passed away. We have known she would be leaving this life soon for about a week. I am glad she can be free of this world and her body that was old and painful for her.

Unlike some of my younger siblings, I was able to know Grandmom when she was still full of energy. I want them to know, she was a "cool" grandma. I always looked forward to going to her house to visit. I knew she would have Ruffles potato chips and white powdered doughnuts to eat. For breakfast she always had Fruit Loops, which I looked forward to eating in her little China bowls.

Grandmom was one of the most selfless people I have known. Her life was dedicated to helping others, and it came naturally to her. I don't think seh ever thought twice about helping someone in need--even if it meant sacrificing her own comfort. She became a nurse after her husband died, and when she wasn't working, she was taking care of her 8 children. She continued to be there for them to the end. She didn't like to be in the spotlight, and eschewed being videoed or having her picture taken. But she wanted to make everyone else feel special.

Even with her numerous children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, she always had individual gifts for us at Christmas for as long as she had the health to shop. I knew she cared about me as an individual, not just as one of her grandkids.

My senior year of high school, my parents and family moved to Nebraska, but I chose to stay in TN to graduate with my class. Since my parents weren't there, Grandmom drove to Cookeville from Nashville to attend my senior awards banquet with me. I remember that night I followed her back to Nashville, driving the big, old Suburban my parents had left for me. Being an inexperienced driver, I didn't realize until we had arrived in Nashville that I had had my brights on during the entire 90 minute trip down 1-40--and I had followed behind Grandmom CLOSELY. When I mentioned to her my mistake, rather than say anything negative about how annoying and distracting I'm sure it was to have high-beams shining into her car that drive, Grandmom just smiled and said, "Well, I knew you were right there behind me the whole time!" That weekend Grandmom took me to dinner, and we shopped for clothes for me to take to BYU in the fall. This was one of my fondest memories of time spent individually with Grandmom. Only a year later she suffered a stroke, which changed her life so much.

Grandmom kept her spunk, despite her aging body. We visited at Thanksgiving a few weeks ago, and during a conversation when someone commented about feeling old because of the quickly growing children, someone asked Grandmom who old she felt. Immediately, she said, with a low "hmphh, Ancient!"

I will miss Grandmom. I feel blessed to have had such a wonderful example in my life. Though she wont be with us physically, her joyful, selfless legacy will be here for us to pass on to generations to come.

Workout log

2009-01-01T13:56:00.000-08:00

Sat. Dec.27: Ran 9 miles in 1:16. Did the Deerfoot loop--a favorite, though hilly, course.
Mon. Dec.29: Ran 1:09--I didn't wear my Garmin watch, but I think I went about 8 miles.
Tuesday Dec.30: Biked 43 minutes on the stationary and did full-body weights.
Wednesday Dec. 31: Ran 5.6 miles in 48 minutes. I felt pretty beat on this run. It was cold and I had a nasty headwind for a good bit of it. We took the boys and met my Dad and Rick at the new running pathway in town. It is 1 mile long, and we walked it at a casual pace, stopping to throw rocks and walnuts in the water intermittently.
Thursday Jan 1, 2009: Biked 1 hour on the stationary (while watching "Miss Congeniality"--for only the second time. Good flick). Did full-body weights.

Festivities

2008-12-26T19:47:00.000-08:00

"With the kids jingle-belling and everyone telling you be of good cheeeeeer! It's the most wonderful time of the year!"

__________________
(workout log)
Tuesday: biked 50 minutes, full body weights
Wed: Ran 7.5 miles and did 3 hill repeats
Thursday: Ran 5 miles, 3 at tempo (7:30) pace
Friday: Full body weights

Frisbee Goof

2008-12-23T18:07:00.000-08:00

So I consider myself an athlete. Not a pro, but a decently conditioned, somewhat coordinated sportster. At least I did.

A few days ago my parents had "Grandma Day" which involves all the grandkids having a Christmas party with my mom and dad. (not sure why my dad didn't get credit for his involvement in the title of this momentous occasion, but he didn't). So as has become tradition, all the non-children (teens on-up) go play Frisbee golf during this time. This was my second time to play--but I played like I was not only new to this sport, but new to the Frisbee. In highschool I used to throw frisbee with friends between classes. I was pretty good at it. I even kept one in my backpack. Apparently, for me, frisbee throwing is NOT like riding a bike. My throws went every way except where they should have. One time it took me three throws to move about 10 feet from the start of the course. Really. Sad.
So, I guess I need to practice more frisbee throwing between now and next Grandma day to redeem my reputation among my siblings. They can laugh at me behind, beside and in front of me for a year. I make no promises, though. I'm the only of 8 who can't carry a tune. Maybe the frisbee golf gene passed on by me, too.

workout log

2008-12-22T09:54:00.000-08:00

Monday: Ran 1:06 at an easy pace.
Tuesday: Biked 50 minutes. Eric repaired the bike downstairs, wonderful man. Weights.
Wed: Ran 1:03 with Ashley. It was about 65 or 70 degrees. Monday and Wednesdayt I went to a new path in town that goes for about a mile by the river. It has a fine gravel surface, is flat, and is about 3 feet wide. I LOVE it, but wish it was longer.
Thursday: Biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday: Ran 1:03. Went about 5 miles with Sarah, then went 2 more miles at a tempo pace (7:25/mi.).
Saturday: Biked 24 miles on the stationary in 1:14.
Sunday: rest
Monday: Ran 55 minutes on the trails. It was 17 degrees with a windchill of 6.

Christmas Around the World

2008-12-16T12:08:00.000-08:00

I'm one of the room moms for Eli's second-grade class. He has an excellent, kind teacher. She keeps the kids engaged with academics, but really makes it fun along the way. For their Christmas party, rather than do the traditional cupcake and candy cane party, she wanted the kids to learn something, too. She had them work on researching 8 different countries' holiday traditions, and for the party we had food from those countries for them to try. Not all foods were authentic, but I think we had a pretty good spread:

South Africa/Ghana: Chicken Nuggets (they traditionally have chicken at Christmas)
Israel: Latkes (these are potato-cakes that I learned to make just for this. They were a hit!). We served them-according to tradition-with sour cream, applesauce, or fruit preserves.
Russia: Star-shaped biscuits
England: "Plum Pudding" (in quotes because we served Yoplait's prune yogurt.)
France: Yule Logs (Little Debbie Swiss Cake Rolls)
Switzerland: Swiss Panetone Cake (available, truly imported from Switzerland, at Sam's Club)
Austrailia: Ice cream (it's summertime there in Dec.)
Mexico: Mexican Wedding Cookies ( We had neighbors from Mexico in AZ who brought us some of these at Christmas, so I know these are truly a traditional treat!)

The kids also got to decorate gingerbread houses, and we were able to use our budget to get each child a beanie with "Huskies"(the school system mascot) embroidered on it. We made a photobook for the teacher with pictures of the class and little notes written by the students to the teacher as the text for the book. It was so fun to see the kids so excited for their teacher to see the gift they had a part in making!
This party was DEFINITELY more work than a typical grade-school Christmas party, but having an excited child come up to me to say " I researched that country! That's what they eat at Christmas," made it really worthwhile.

Mi Amore

2008-12-14T18:35:00.000-08:00

I have never much cared for the term "hubby" to describe one's husband. I didn't like it as a child and made a personal pact with myself not to use it. Now that I have a husband, I feel every bit as strongly that "hubby" does not describe Eric. Plus, if it is supposed to be a shortened version of "HUSband" wouldn't "hussy" be more appropriate? I have called Eric "HUBsand" on occasion, and he doesn't seem to mind. Heehee.

Whatever a "hubby" is (other than a sorry name for husband), I think Asher looks much more like one in the picture above than Eric does. :)

Workout log:
Monday: I ran 1:02 at an easy pace.
Tuesday: I biked 45 minutes.
Wednesday: I did weights in the morning and then pushed the stroller for 54 minutes. I think I went about 6 miles.
Thursday: I did speed work on the treadmill. 10 minute warm-up then several 1 and2 mi. intervals (at 9.5-10mph) and one 6.5 minute interval (at 8.8 mph). It wore me out.
Friday: I biked for about 35 minutes but had to stop when the stationary bike started a grinding noise. I think it may have bit the dust. I finished with a weight workout.
Saturday: I met a couple of guys at Trak Shak for a run. I warmed up for just over a mile before meeting them, then we ran about 7.3 miles. A good portion of the run was at about 7:10-7:20 pace. It was a HARD run for me. But good. I ended up running 8.4 miles in 1:05.

These are a few of my favorite things....

2008-12-06T18:10:00.000-08:00

Yes, you should sing the title. Especially since it is a Christmas song (which I have always considered a bit of a stretch.)

Since my degree is in marketing, I thought I would put it to good use by promoting a few of my personal faves right here on my bloggle.

Snapfish photobooks. Thanks to a friend who watches Oprah for putting me on to these. Oprah did a segment a few weeks ago where she gave all her viewers (and in my case, their friends) a free photobook from Snapfish. I took advantage of the deal, and was VERY impressed. So much so that I have ordered two more. One was actually from Sam's Club, but I wasn't as pleased with their website useablility. These are real, substantial, hard-bound books that you can put pictures and words into. I just finished one yesterday that is going to be the Christmas gift to Eli's teacher from his class. It has about 70 pictures of the kids along with short writings by them of things they love about their teacher. And they are reasonably priced. Go to www.snapfish.com to make your own!

Hulu. This is truly a beautiful thing. I'm not a huge tv watcher, but I do enjoy a few shows. One being 24. Another being Heroes. These, and many more movies and shows are on this fabulous site, free of charge and almost free of commercials. A 40 minute show has about 1 minute of commercials (versus the 15-20 minutes when you watch it on TV.) Burn Notice, the Simpsons, SNL, The Office, and many old classics like Leave it to Beaver, and The A Team are also on there!

My WIGWAM socks. I like my feet to be warm and toasty. And I like alot of cushion in my socks. And my feet tend to get sore when I go bare-footed around the house. And they get sore from exercise. If you share these preferences and tendencies, do I have the sock for you! The Wigwam Gyro Dry-release sock. It is cushiony, warm, and wicks away moisture so your feet don't sweat. Ahhh, the simple pleasures of life. (My pairs are the grey version of the picture I found.)

The Carpenters Christmas Album. Karen Carpenter has one of the few voices in this world that I never tire of. Her singing is so rich and never sounds strained. Even some of the so-called great divas often sound like they are really working to hit high notes or hold out a long ending, but Karen never does. (yes, I'd like to think if I could know her today we'd be on a first-name basis). I have to confess I like her not-Christmas music, too.

ModPodge. This is one of those crafty things I have known about for a while, but never personally used until recently. It is a great adhesive, and also a way to "decopage," which is where you put several layers of a clear sealant over something to make a kind of plastic shell. I love the stuff. It was what I used to make that funky lamp I took pics of a few weeks ago. The boys and I made their cousin, Madylin, a collage of hundreds of M's on a wooden board for her birthday. It was a simple, inexpensive gift, and it turned out looking pretty dang cool.

Well, I'll stop here. I know when I'm laying in bed in a few minutes, about 12 more favorite things will pop into my head, but I will save those for later.

Here is my workout log for the week:
Monday: I ran from Melyssa's house. She has one hilly subdivision. I went a total of 5.5 miles. The first half was in the hills, and the last half I found a long flat stretch and ran back and forth on it to avoid steepness. I ran for 47 minutes.
Tuesday: I biked 40 minutes.
Wednesday: I ran 1:03 at a comfortable pace. I also did pushups, dips, abs, and squats.
Thursday: I biked 50 minutes and did weights.
Friday: I did speedwork on the treadmill: 12 minute warm-up jog then 28 minutes of 2, 1.5, and 1 minute speed intervals with 1 minute and 30 second rests between. I ran the speed intervals at 9.5-10 mph.
Saturday: I ran 1:12. I wore my GPS, but I still dont keep a signal in the woods, so I'm not sure exactly how far I ran. I kept under an 8 min pace when I was on flat road, but on the hillls and on the trails I slowed some.

Simplicity and Thanks

2008-11-28T18:13:00.000-08:00

We had nice Thanksgiving. We spent time with family and ate yummy food.
In many ways, Thanksgiving is like Christmas without the shopping and commercialism--which kinda makes me enjoy it more. Most Christmas seasons I don't really enjoy shopping, I worry about it--which is a shame. This year I have been trying to simplify things so I don't have as much to worry about. I can't completely eliminate the need to shop, but I can cut out some non-necessities. For instance, I think we may be sending an email Christmas card this year. I have always frowned on doing this in the past (when Eric has suggested it) , but it will save me a lot of time and money--both of which are in shorter supply during the holidays. A few non-emailing relatives will get "real" cards, but everyone else will get a virtual greeting. Today as we decorated our house for Christmas, I tried to think about what we really enjoy seeing, and left the rest in storage. With a busy toddler, I'd be a glutton for punishment to have some things out. If anyone has suggestions for simplifying the holidays, I'd love to hear them.
Taking my sister Sarah's lead (she did this on her blog) , I'd like to list a few of my blessings for which I am most thankful right now:

My knowledge of my Savior Jesus Christ and of His plan of happiness for God's children.
My dear husband Eric who works hard as a provider, a spouse (I keep his nose to the grind!), and a father. All of our boys are "daddy's boys."
Eric's job. We aren't the most wealthy people on earth, but we have sufficient for our needs and for many of our wants.
This free land I call home. I have mentioned this previously, but in reading about Germany during and after WWII, I have felt increasingly grateful for the U.S. Constitution and feel a strong need to elect leaders who will protect this inspired document.
My home. I hope we never have to move. It is a work-in-progress and probably always will be, but we have room to spare and are surrounded by beauty.
Friends. I haven't had as active a social life this last year because of spending so much time up at school volunteering and with my kids' sports, but I still love talking to dear friends in person, on the phone, or on Facebook.
My mom, dad, 6 sisters and 1 brother. I love my big family. We grow closer as time goes by. I can say or do anything and know they will still love and accept me.
My health. I feel an obligation to use my health to bless others. I believe good health is like a talent that God doesn't want us to bury or waste. And we never know when it could be taken from us, so we should seize the day!
And last, but far from least, my children. Though they each frustrate us daily, they also bring so much joy and focus to our lives. I'll share one little jewel about Brandt: He had some intestinal issues for a couple of days and his bottom became broken out. He would barely walk because of the pain. I had to put some Desitin on his little buns.This morning when he first woke up, he came down to our bed wearing a big grin. Then he annonced, "Mom, that medicine you gave me made my bottom happy!!"

This is the GIANT card that was on the table on the morning of my birthday.

Workouts this week:
Monday: I ran 5.85 miles in 49 minutes. I kept a really good pace on the flats, but I started pretty slow and slowed some on the hills.
Tuesday: I biked 52 minutes and did weights.
Wednesday: I did speedwork on the treadmill: 13 minute jog warmup. 20 minutes of 40 seconds at 10mph, followed by 20seconds of rest. Then I jogged to cool down for about 10 minutes. This was a tough workout for me. That afternoon Melyssa and I took the kids on a hike in the Sports Complex. I was thankful for the chance to get some of the lactic acid out of my legs.
Thursday:I ran 1 hour 2 minutes on the trails. I'm not sure of the distance--I think close to 7 miles. I love having trails so close--something else I'm very grateful for.
Today: I biked 46 minutes--15 miles and did weights. I stayed up too late last night, and I could feel it during my weights. They were much harder to get through than usual. Maybe some of that triptophan from the turkey, too.

Time

2008-11-23T16:04:00.000-08:00

This has been a weekend to remember--for many reasons. Friday Eric and I went out on a date--which is rare enough these days to be a noteworthy event. We went to our favorite Chinese place and then to see Twilight. We both really enjoyed it. I wonder about the "repeat watchability," but it had good acting and definitely followed the book. It was mostly just nice to go out sans kids.
Saturday evening Mom, Jill, Hannah, Lia, and I went to Atlanta for a quick night on the town! We went to Ikea (which none of them had experienced before), and then to my friend Emily Christianson's dance performance. It was really exciting to see a friend from high school who has become such talented dancer and coreographer. It was a modern dance all set to James Bond movie music--very cool.

Today I turned 30--old, I know.

I just heard that a dear friend passed away today after a drawn-out battle with cancer. Gail was the mom of one of my best childhood friends. During the years my family lived in Hermitage, TN, we spent more time with Gail and her kids than any other family. She was a FUN mom. She encouraged the hair-brained ideas that we would come up with--when most parents would probably stifle. We dressed up, performed, danced, cooked, created, and went crazy with her approval. I loved going to her house. She was the rare parent that every kid felt comfortable around. She just exuded love. All who have had the privilege to know her in this life can count themselves blessed.

Workout log:
Monday:I ran 52 minutes on the trails and did weights.
Tues: I biked 45 minutes.
Wed:I ran 52 minutes with Ashley. It was COLD!!
Thurs.: I did weights only.
Friday: I biked 20 miles
Sat.: I ran 1:09. COLD again.

Power Ranger Turkey

2008-11-16T19:06:00.001-08:00

Brandt's "Dress Your Turkey" project.

Asher looking especially cute this morning. AND he stayed in Nursery the whole time.

1,000 words

2008-11-15T18:51:00.000-08:00

My last post was pretty lengthy, so I'll let the pictures speak (mostly) for themselves this time.

In his element

How Real Men blow leaves.

The second-grader.

The kindergartner.

The busy-body.

These last two are of my latest art project (and Eli "humanizing" the picture).

Workout log: Monday: I didn't get much of an aerobic workout in b/c Asher was sick and I had to take him to the Dr. I ran 1.4 miles on the treadmill and did full-body weights.
Tuesday: I biked 20 miles in 1:03.
Wednesday: I ran 42 minutes with Ashley at a pretty good clip.
Thursday: I ran intervals on the treadmill: 13 min warmup, 9 400's at 10mph with 1 minute of rest between each one, then a cooldown jog. I also did weights.
Friday: I biked 40 minutes. I pushed the pace since I knew I wouldn't have alot of time (I woke up late) and did 13.5 miles.
Saturday: I ran 9.65 miles in1:22. I did a loop I haven't done in a while. It's hilly.

Deep (and Shallow) Thoughts

2008-11-09T14:19:00.000-08:00

Obedience
I few years ago I heard a speaker at a youth conference I attended (as a leader), who posed the question: "Why should we obey God?" One of the speakers in church today spoke about obedience as well, and it made me reflect on what I learned at that youth conference. Several of the youth rattled off answers including: Because it's our duty to obey God; Because we fear being punished; Because we want to be blessed; Because we have a testimony of Jesus Christ. I don't remember exactly how each of these reasons was responded to, but none were exactly right. These are not bad reasons to obey, but they are not the best reason. I remember being surprised that the last reason given--our testimony of Jesus Christ--wasn't the right one.
In 1 John 2:3, we learn that the we gain(or strengthen) our testimony of Christ by obeying, not the other way around. Titus 1:16 reminds us that just because someone claims a knowledge or testimony of Jesus Christ, doesn't mean they will be obedient. The answer lies in one of the most quoted scriptures in Christendom, John 14:15, "If ye love me, keep my commandments." We should be obedient because we love God.

The Economy
This article, written before the "stimulus" package was approved, and before the election was decided, pretty much sums up my feelings about the state of our county's (and our personal) finances.
I think it is a BAD idea to bail out these automakers because they are in a slump. I was taught in Econ 110--if a business fails in a free market, this is because consumers are not choosing to consume there. Bailing out Ford or GM will not suddenly make consumers start buying more cars from them. It will just postpone the inevitable. Sure, some jobs may be lost, but thanks to the Invisible Hand, the consumption that used to be with Ford is now somewhere else, perhaps with Honda or Toyota, and autoworkers can try to get a job there--since demand will be up and they will need to match with their supply. Artificially creating jobs in an industry just to help a company,even--no ESPECIALLY--a big company has been done before. In socialist states such as East Germany and Russia.
And I can't understand why powerful people--be they Repulican or Democrat--can't seem to apply to the government what we try to apply to our family budget when we accrue a little debt--CUT SPENDING. Wow. We don't go get another credit card to pay off the one we've maxed out. I don't know what the equivalent to raising taxes in a household would be--but we don't do that either. We just hold off on eating out, going to movies, or taking trips for a while until we can get back on top. Why can't our gov't do that??!?!

Mean Dog
I've had a certain Mean Dog chasing me on at least one run a week since we moved here almost 5 years ago. I've trained him now to turn and walk away when I point my pepper spray at him, but this progress only came after he once bit me on the heel. It didn't break through my shoe, but scared me nonetheless. I had the thought on Saturday as he started after me, and I turned to cock my wrist at him, "Dogs are so much braver than people. Can you imagine biting a person's heel while they are running?" This kind of courage/stupidity, thankfully, is not a part of the human genetic makeup (except for, maybe, Mike Tyson.)

Yogurt
I have started eating yogurt regularly. Without going into details no one would care to hear, I believe it has helped prevent some minor health issues I had been dealing with for a while from recurring. Anyway--so since I now eat it almost daily I have tried several new kinds (and if you don't eat yogurt often, stop and look at the VAST variety out there these days--you could probably eat a different flavor every day for 6 months). I now have, not just a favorite yogurt, but probably a new favorite food. Yo-Plus Blackberry Pomegranate. It is heavenly. And all natural.

Workout Log:
Monday: I ran pushing the jogging stroller 7.5 miles with Asher.
Tuesday: Biked 55 minutes downstairs. Did full-body weights
Wednesday: Ran with Ashley 6.2 miles, averaged an 8:01 minute/mile pace.
Thursday: Biked 45 minutes. Did full-body weights.
Friday: Ran on the trails 52 minutes. I love that it is now light enough outside at 6am to run the trails. It's pretty much impossible to run really fast on the trails, which is kinda nice.
Saturday: Ran 9.5 miles. My legs were a bit tired, but I managed to keep about a 8 minute pace for most of the run.

Gentle Torture

2008-11-01T17:48:00.000-07:00

One fun thing about parenting is enjoying--and at time taking advantage of--your children's innocence. After looking at the pics we took of our boys in-costume for "Nursery Rhyme Dress-up Day" at their school, I think I may have taken a little advantage. The school won't formally acknowledge Halloween, so they get around it with this dress-up day. So Brandt went as a cute little mouse and practiced quoting "Hickory Dickory Dock" all week. Eric initially thought the headband looked a little too girlish, but when he saw how much Brandt liked it, he relented.
Eli was Jack from "Jack and Jill." I had him roll up his jeans and put a couple of band-aids on his head (for the "broken crown"), and he carried a pail. I think the idea sounded better than it ended up looking. I have decided, however, not to regret that I sent my boys to school looking somewhat ridiculous, but to enjoy the fact that I could send them that way and have their full cooperation! These days will pass before I know it.

Asher got ahold of the camera one day this week. Here is one of his self-portraits.

Workouts for this week:
Monday- I ran over to Sherman Oaks and did two laps around that heinously hilly subdivision at an easy pace. I was gone about 54 minutes. Tuesday: I biked on the stationary for 50 minutes and did full-body weights while watching the 1963 movie, Cleopatra, in which I learned that a G-rated movie from back then may still have a topless dancer (seriously.).
Wednesday : Ran at a pretty good pace with Ashley. We went 5.96 miles in 47.45.
Thursday: Biked 50 minutes and did full body weights while watching the 1969 movie, Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, in which I learned that Robert Redford used to be pretty attractive, and mixing in an artsy black and white montage accompanied by "Raindrops Keep Fallin' on My Head" doesn't really work in a shoot'em up Western film about glorified outlaws. It was entertaining, nonetheless.
Friday: Intervals on the treadmill. after a 13 minute warmup, I did about 20 minutes of 1 minute intervals. The first 3 or 4 I ran at 9-9. 5 mph, and gave myself 30 seconds of rest (jogging slowly). The last 7 I did at 10mph and rested 1 minute between each one. I jogged for my cool down about 5 minutes.
Today: I biked 16.9 miles on a very hilly route. It took 1:04. I pushed it pretty hard. I somehow missed the turnoff I had planed to take and ended up going down one of the steepest hills I have on the road. Since I hadn't ridden it before, I didn't try to go as fast as I could, but gravity got me going pretty darn fast. Here is a topo of the ride ( notice the steep drop in the second half).

Why we have only boys so far

2008-10-28T18:05:00.000-07:00

Part of Eli's homework each night is to read a book and write about it. Last night he read the book, "Kick, Pass, and Run. " Eric saw the book lying on the counter when he got home from work. With a smirk on his face, he brought it to me and covered one of the letters in the title, then chuckled like the eighth-grader he will forever be.

Two roads diverged...

2008-10-26T18:05:00.000-07:00

A few years ago I had a kind of personal epiphany that helped me to understand the importance of the choices I have made and will make in life. My great Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Winston had come to visit us in Arizona. This aunt and uncle have been like grandparents to me and my siblings ever since my Grandmother Fleming died, so I was thrilled to have them travel all the way from Memphis, TN, to our home in Arizona to visit. Aunt Dorothy and Uncle Winston have one wonderful son and daughter-in-law and one terrific grandson, Martin. Aunt Dorothy had a nephew who also lived in AZ, so when they were there, we all met together at her nephew and his wife's home for dinner. At this dinner, I was struck by how much my dear great aunt and uncle talked about me and my brother and sisters and our families, along with their son and his family. They had little "brag-book" pocket picture albums they pulled out with pictures of me and all of my family members, and they went on and on about what was going on with our lives. We (along with Martin) were just about all they talked about. Sometime in that evening I realized that this is what life is all about. If this aunt and uncle had never had children and had never spent time fostering and growing their relationships with us during holidays and family gatherings, now that they are elderly and retired, what would they have to bring joy to their lives? As I write this, I'm reminded of the play "You Can't Take It With You," the story of an eccentric family that are unusual but happy and supportive of each other, and when contrasted with a more ordinary family whose priorities center on the materialistic, teach the audience that it's the relationships we build, not the awards we get, the money we make, or the things we aquire, that are really lasting.
This weekend my dad's family met up in TN for a family reunion. Just Brandt and I were able to go from my little family because of sickness, but while there I again just felt so grateful for family. Everyone loves and supports each other regardless of the differences in our lives, simply because we are family and that's what families do. I could have worked for several years before we had children, and we would probably have had a bigger house and newer cars, but that isn't the path we chose, and I'm glad. Nothing brings me more joy than my husband and children. They bring challenges, headaches, and heartaches, but the joy always outweighs the trials. ( I know---we haven't reached teen-hood yet..)

I have had a great week of working out. Monday I ran pushing the jogging stroller for 52 minutes and went 5.8 miles. My legs were pretty tired from my race last weekend, so I took it easy.
Tuesday I biked 45 minutes and did full-body weights.
Wednesday I ran with Ashley for 6.5 miles. I'm not sure how long it took because I forgot to re-start my watch at one of the traffic lights.
Thursday I biked 50 minutes and did full-body weights.
Friday I ran 8.6 miles in about 1:11. I felt GREAT on this run. I started pretty slow, but ran a sub-8 minute pace for about 7 miles of it.
Saturday I got up at about 4:15 a.m. to workout before we left for the family reunion up in TN. I did speedwork on the treadmill: 12 minute warm-up, then seventeen 40 second speed bursts at a 6 minute-mile pace with 20 seconds of rest between each one. I then jogged to cool-down for 10 minutes. I did some push-ups and ab-work afterward.

Racing, Rashes, Rodents, and Revelry

2008-10-19T18:02:00.000-07:00

I think I mentioned how nervous I was for the 5k I entered this weekend. Well, the nervousness built all week and finally subsided at around 8:21 on Saturday morning. I didn't reach my goal of running a sub-21 minute 5k, but I came closer than I have in a couple of years--21:29. I had planned to use my watch to pace myself, but when it came right down to it--I just ran as fast as I could. I looked down at my watch a few times--I started at around a 6:20 pace, slowed to a 7:20 on both the hills, and maintained around a 6:45-50 the rest of the time. I really just need to race more. The fast start about killed me.
Eli and Brandt ran in their first road race on Saturday; both completed the 1 mile fun run. Both ran the whole distance. Eli finished in 11 minutes and Brandt in 11:20!
After the race, Eli spotted a young chipmunk running around a tree-less field. It wasn't a baby, but wasn't as quick as an adult. Eli and Brandt probably ran another mile around the field just chasing the little guy. I think they would have been entertained all day at this if we had allowed it. I caught him with a Styrofoam cup, and we took him to a nearby tree. Hopefully he found his home...
Saturday night my mom had a Halloween party for her grandkids. They each could invite one friend--which was a GREAT idea. We almost didn't need to have any activities for them to do because they entertained each other just playing in the yard together so well. One of the funniest parts of the party was the "haunted house" in which the children felt of eyeballs (peeled grapes), brains (cooked ramen noodles) and guts (red Jello). The ramen noodles had kind of congealed, and as a clump really felt how I would imagine a brain would feel.
Eli decided to be Indiana Jones this year, and Brandt, after vacillating between the pirate "Jack the Sparrow" (as he calls him), and the Red Power Ranger, finally decided on the latter when he saw his beloved little costume jumpsuit from last year. I sweetened the deal with a new sword from the Dollar Tree. Asher was an extremely precious Woody the cowboy (from Toy Story).
This week we have been dealing with a BAD case of poison ivy with Eli. He got into it at a Boy Scout service project he went to with Eric last weekend. It started on his hands and has spread like wildfire over his body. He has been making regular visits to the school nurse for re-application of calamine lotion. I think it's on the mend, now, but know that the wounds you see in the posted pictures aren't makeup to toughen up his "Indy" look--they're the real thing!
I took it pretty easy this week in anticipation of the race: Monday I ran 49 minutes. Tuesday I just did upper-body weights. Wednesday I ran 5.85 miles in 48:35 with Ashley. Thursday I biked 40 minutes in the morning and ran with the boys (we did about six 100's at a pretty fast pace) at practice. I also stretched a ton. I took Friday off. Saturday I warmed up for about a mile, ran the 5k, the mile with the boys, then cooled down for about a mile and a half.

Nature vs. Nurture

2008-10-12T19:24:00.000-07:00

It never ceases to amaze me how we are all born as true individuals. I know this isn't some incredible new discovery, but to me the very truth that two people brought up in almost identical conditions can have such vastly different personalities attests to the eternal nature of the soul. Scientific reasoning would lead one to say that two of any entity placed in equal circumstances would yield equal results. My boys prove this wrong every day. I guess it's the whole nature versus nurture argument. I am a big fan of nurturing, but we definitely all come with our own natures.
Case in point: my boys.
Last weekend we were all in our bedroom listening to our church's bi-annual worldwide conference on the computer. At one point I moved from sitting at the desk to laying, stomach down, on the bed. Brandt pretty much didn't seem to notice and continued playing with toys on the floor. Eli asked if I wanted a massage--which I took him up on. And Asher became very excited and tried to sit, stand, and jump on me over and over again. You may say this is just their age. But Brandt has ALWAYS been one to do his own thing, regardless of what others are doing or may think. Eli has always been empathetic. When he was in nursery at church (18mo.-3yr olds), his teachers said he always tried to comfort the sad kids who had toys taken away by other children by finding them a new toy to play with. Asher, so far, has a very fun, but quite emotional, personality. We always know exactly how he's feeling, even though he can't tell us in words yet. He also has a very weird phobia: flowers and some plants. He cringes in fear, and sometimes all-out panic if he is get too close to certain flowers or plants--particularly ones with a lot of texture (i.e.: elephant ear leaves=good; sunflowers=bad). He has been doing this for months now--something we guess he was just born with. My mom has found it's easy to childproof her house when she babysits him--she just puts a plant in front of any places she doesn't want him to go!
Some aspects of our boys are the product of nurture, though. Both Eli and Brandt LOVE working with Eric outside and in the garage. Eli is more at-task, which is partially his age, and probably partially just him. We recently had a family project of using the left-over wood from the treehouse that was smashed to build a second "kids deck" in the backyard. Eli helped Eric pour the concrete footings and we all helped some with the construction. Thanks to a hardworking, skilled father, our boys are learning to use all sorts of tools at an early age. They are also learning the importance of the old addage: "Use it up, wear it out. Make it do, or do without."

Workout log: Thursday I did a 1.5 mile warm up, 9 400's at 10mph with 1:30 rests inbetween and a 1 mile cooldown on the treadmill.
Friday I biked 45 min. and did weights.
Saturday I ran 8.4 miles in 1:11. I put in a couple of giant hills at the end for Callie (who had asked me to check the elevation gain for her with my watch--while trudging I realized I could have just driven up the hills with my wrist out the window :)) Afterward I ran with Brandt at practice. We ran 12 150's and jogged a 150 between each one.

Blahblahrunblahrunblahbikeblahblahrun

2008-10-08T14:13:00.000-07:00

I need to get my workouts down before I lose track....
Last Friday: I biked inside for 1 hr 10 minutes. I kept a good, steady pace, but didn't simulate many hills so my legs would be rested for Saturday's run.
Saturday: I ran 8.7 miles in 1:11. I felt great on this run. After, I went to practice with the boys and did about seven 150's with Brandt and two 200's with Eli.
Monday: I ran 1 hr and an easy pace. I went around Sherman Oaks and through the trails in the sports complex. In the afternoon I jogged a mile with Brandt at practice, in jeans and Earth shoes.
Tuesday: I biked 45 minutes and did full body weights.
Today: I ran 5.8 miles in 47:30. It was muggier than it has been, but a few light showers at the beginning and an all out downpour at the end of this run made it a really nice one.

I signed up to do the Maple Leaf Run, a 5k here in town the weekend after this one. I have been kinda nervous about it. I haven't raced much this year, but because I workout so hard, I have high expectations for myself. I haven't been happy with a 5k race time for a few years, so hopefully I will be able to perform well and not disappoint myself. My sis, Sarah, has suggested that I just run to enjoy it, but I enjoy the feeling of a good finishing time so much, I am willing to endure 20 or so minutes of the gut-wrenching pushing of my body that achieving a good time will take. I know this is odd to many of you, but it's just the way I am.

Farewell Summer Smorgasbord

2008-10-02T10:01:00.000-07:00

This has been such a great summer for our family. We traveled to opposite corners of the nation, we swam, swam and swam some more, and we ate tons of delicious fresh produce. As fun as it has been, I am ready for autumn weather, and I'm enjoying the quieter school days. The one thing I was really sad to seen end was the local farmers market. I went on Tuesday for the last time this year. I have enjoyed weekly supplies of locally grown squash, zuchinni, tomatoes, eggplant, green and red bell peppers and delicious clover honey. The farmers market has also given me a chance to introduce new foods to my family. I brought home freshly picked figs and even made homemade fig bars--which were a big hit. We all got to try muscadines for the first time--I only bought them once (Asher was the only one who really LOVED them, he would eat the whole grape, seeds and all). Probably the prettiest vegetable I've ever purchased I got this summer--Scallopini Squash. It was delicious to eat, too! I made some ratatouille with it, which Brandt was even excited to eat (thanks to Pixar Animation). I also bought some green tomatoes and "oven fried" them (you bread them and spray with PAM and bake, delicious!!). And this last time I brought home black peanuts. After looking for a picture of them on Google Images, I found that they are typically an Asian variety of peanut. They are smaller and skinnier than red peanuts, but have a delicious, sweet flavor.

Workout log: Saturday I ran 8.5 miles in 1:09. It was a GREAT run. I kept a sub 8 minute pace for about 7 miles of it. I finished at the boys practice. I ran 12 100's with Brandt and 2 200's with Eli. I also got some new shoes. They're Brooks Defyance--pretty comfy so far.
Monday: I ran 58 minutes, around Sherman Oaks and through the trails.
Tuesday: I biked 45 minutes and did weights.
Wed.: I did a 1.5 mile warmup, then ran 3.1 miles in 21:14. I cooled down for about 1.5 miles. This workout kicked my bootay.
Today: I did weights and then ran pushing the stroller for 52 minutes. It was perfect weather-- sunny, about 57 degrees with a light breeze.

Cocosellas

2008-09-26T15:16:00.000-07:00

I have a new favorite cookie, "Cocosellas." They have a slightly crispy, sugary outside with a soft, moist middle. AND they have toasted coconut. The only thing they are missing is chocolate--but a friend suggested I experiment on that--which I plan to do--so hold on to your hats for the "Cocoa Cocosellas" in a post to come!

Cookies:
2 cups flaked coconut
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup Splenda
2 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla

Glaze:
3 cups powdered sugar
1/2 cup hot water

1. Heat oven to 375.
2. Spread coconut on baking sheet. Bake 5 minutes, then stir every minute until toasted evenly. Cool. Mix flours, salt, and baking soda. Beat butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla in a large bowl until fluffy. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in coconut by hand.
3. To make glaze, stir powdered sugar and water till smooth and pourable (may need to add sugar/water)
4. Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls onto baking sheets. Bake 11 minutes. Cool on baking sheets one minute.
5. To glaze cookies, dip hot cookies into glaze, top side down. Then turn and lightly dip bottom side. Use the side of a fork or the back of a table knife to skim off excess glaze from bottom. Set cookies on foil to finish cooling.

I modified the original recipe to attempt to make these lower-sugar and higher fiber, so I could eat some without guilt. Nevertheless, I've had to workout hard this week to justify my indulgence!
Monday I ran 7.2 miles in 1:01. I started out early and slow in the dark at the track, but by the end I was going a sub-8 pace--just took me a few miles to get there.
Tuesday I biked 50 minutes and did whole-body weights.
Wednesday I ran with Ashley. We went 6.54 miles in 53:43. I felt good, even on the huge hill going up to her house.
Thursday I did intervals on the treadmill. After about a 15 minute warmup, I did 10 400's at a 6 minute/mile pace with 1:30 rests in between. Then I cooled down for 10 minutes.
Today I biked 50 minutes and did weights with Christian Bale. It was awesome.

Poor, deprived piggy

2008-09-20T17:25:00.000-07:00

Eric is gone tonight to a youth dance, and I've been practicing my patience with the boys. They have really been pretty good, but I pulled a muscle in my second smallest toe (I know how lame that sounds--no pun intended), and every step I take sends a shooting pain--not excruciating, but annoying, nonetheless--up my foot. So I would have liked to have had the night off. I've just been counting my blessings that it's not any worse and saying little prayers that it will heal soon.

Here are my workouts for the rest of the week:
Wed: I ran with Ashley. We went 5.8 miles in 46:14.
Thursday: I did nine 400 repeats at a 10mph pace on the treadmill with 1:30 rests (jogging) in between. I also did full body weights and somehow strained my "little piggy that had none."
Friday: I biked 45 minutes on the stationery. I went about 15 miles. Biking doesn't hurt my toe at all :)
Today: I biked 33.5 miles. It took me just over 2 hrs. I changed my route up a bit today and rode down Happy Hollow to Advent Circle. I'd heard that was hilly--and it lived up to its reputation. Here is a graph of the elevation for my ride (Advent Circle was in the first 1/3 of the route) :

Gratitude

2008-09-16T18:58:00.000-07:00

I've been reading a historical fiction book series entitled "Children of the Promise" by Dean Hughes. It takes place during World War II. In reading this series, I have realized (1) how little I really knew about WWII, and (2) how easy I have it. My generation--and my parents' for that matter--have not really had to live without any necessities, or even conveniences. I have a greater appreciation for all the men and women in the armed forces. And I am trying to be more frugal. Our economy is weak right now. Our country is at war. But most people buy what they want when they want it. I know in some ways that helps the economy, but I believe consumer debt is a modern-day plague.
This series has also reminded me that the truest strength we can receive is from God. People can have conviction about many things in this world--hobbies, careers, money, even national pride. But when the human spirit is truly tested, the most powerful force that will pull a person through is faith in and love of God.

Here's my workouts for the last few days: (speaking of conviction for a hobby :))
Friday: I woke up early and started my run in the dark at the track. Then I ran around the historic area. I went a total of 8.65 miles in 1:13.
Saturday: I biked 28.9 miles in 1:46. Then I took the boys to CC practice. I jogged twelve 100's with Brandt, one 150 and one 200 with Eli (he did twelve 150's and one 200).
Monday: I pushed the stroller with Asher for 53 minutes. I had planned to do speedwork, but Asher didn't nap well, so I had to do the stroller. My legs were tired, so it was just as well.
I took the boys to practice in the afternoon. I ran 1 mile with Brandt and 1/2 mile with Eli (who did 1.5 miles total). I was so pleased they ran so much without stopping!
Today: I biked downstairs for 50 minutes and did weights.

Go, Go Power Rangers!!!

2008-09-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

I had a little victory this week as a mom. I've found that most of the challenges that come my way with parenting kind of blindside me. One I've been struggling with for a while is Brandt's fine-motor skills. Writing and coloring haven't been one of his strengths, and I have been working with him much more than I ever had to with Eli to get him ready for kindergarten. He would switch between his right and left hand, neither one becoming any better, and keeping him interested in writing and coloring for more than 3 or 4 minutes was next to impossible. I purchased two fun handwriting wipe-off books, and we filled a couple of incentive charts with stickers to get him to practice with me some each day. He didn't write his name on his own until after school began this year--and his handwriting still kind of looks like he is a arthritic old lady. His coloring has been just a step above Ashers. He would color on the picture, but didn't pay attention to lines, and I would sometimes find him gazing around the room while his hand was still moving the crayon around on the page.
Well, on Sunday Brandt woke up with a bad cough so I stayed home from church with him. I wanted to use some of our time to work some more with him on his fine-motor skills. I decided to get a coloring book out for us to color in together. Kate gave the boys some Power Rangers coloring books that they hadn't really done much in, so I got one of those. Then, as we colored, I told Brandt he needed to pay close attention to staying in the lines so we could cut out his guys he colored and make them into toys. This really got him excited. I realized he didn't really lack much skill, he just lacked a good reason. We cut out all the pictures he colored and mounted them on cardboard. When Eli got home, he joined in and colored several for himself. We colored and mounted some more after school one day this week, and I bought some clear contact paper and laminated them. They have LOVED these. And as you can see from the pictures, Brandt's turned out very neatly colored.

Workout log- Monday: After just over a mile warm-up, I ran ten 400 meter intervals with 1 minute of rest between each and a 1 mile cool-down. I tried to keep my pace about 6:30/mi. for the intervals--but my fastest was at a 6:11 pace ( had a significant down-hill), and my slowest I averaged 7:23 (It was mostly a long, steep hill). My mean speed for all the intervals was 6:42.
Tuesday: I biked dowstairs 45 minutes and did whole-body weights.
Wenesday: I ran with Ashley 6.3 miles in 52:44. My legs were tired, but the run seemed to work out some of the lactic acid buildup.
Today: I biked downstairs 48 minutes (and watched High School Musical 2--my BOYS chose that from the library. The dancing is pretty fun to watch, though!) . I ran out of time to get all my weights in, so I just did squats, pushups, and bicep curls. This afternoon the boys had practice. Brandt has been kind of whiny at the last couple of practices, so I asked him if my running with him would help him. He said yes, so I put running clothes on and pushed Asher. Brandt and I ran eight 100's and two 1 50's. He kept saying, "I'm Sonic! No one can catch me !!" before zooming off. Thank goodness for wholesome television icons. Eli ran THIRTEEN 1 50's. I ran the last 5 with him to help him keep his pace. Their coach has them do these intervals at a target pace so they can gradually work up to running further and further. Several kids are now running 300, 400, and 600m intervals.

tired

2008-09-06T10:10:00.000-07:00

My legs are tired. I don't say "TGIF," but "TGIS", meaning Sunday, since it is the Sabbath, and as a Latter-day Saint, I try to rest from "wordly" labors. Sometimes because of my calling in the Primary (the children's Sunday school) , it isn't all that restful at church, but the balance of the day is my day off from exercise, shopping, running kids around, and heavy house work. I also typically eat an extra cookie or 3 on Sunday. Today is Saturday, though, and I want to act like its Sunday. My legs are exhausted from my workouts this week.
Wednesday I ran with Ashley. We ran around 6 miles in 46 minutes. It was a tough run for me. The muggy air and my heavy, squat-fatigued legs felt pretty spent on the last couple of hills in the sports complex.
Thursday I biked 40 minutes and had a really good weight workout. I got 3 sets in of almost everything I do.
Friday I ran 8.5 miles. It took me 1:11. I got up at 5 that morning and went to the track since it's still dark. The first mile I was pretty stiff, but I felt pretty good after a while. My average pace was 8:21/mi. overall, but I know my last few miles were significantly faster than my first couple.
Today I got out before light again and biked 27.9 miles in 1:42. That is about 16.5 mph average. When I came home it was time for the boys to go to cross country practice. Eric took them today, and Asher was very sad to be left out, so I took him for a little run in the stroller--which he loves to do. My legs were VERY tired, and the clouds looked rather ominous, so I stuck around our neighborhood and ran 1 mile, then walked about a third of a mile.

Splendid!

2008-09-02T19:44:00.000-07:00

I thought my blog needed a few pics, so here are some from the Labor Day weekend. We took the boys on a hike in the sports complex. I had discovered several new trails there while running that morning (I went 52 minutes at an easy pace). We hiked about 2 miles, then went over to a field and passed and kicked the football and soccer ball. The boys LOVED seeing Eric kick the ball. He is actually pretty good (He was the kicker on his jr. high team one year, I think). His aim isn't right-on, but he probably kicked it 50 yrds. a few times. The boys liked the ones that went super-high. I think Brandt was seriously hoping it would get stuck in the clouds. He kept asking Eric to try to get it up there.
Brandt has been saying all kinds of cute things lately. Some of the most precious verbal jewels we get from him are when we are spying on him and Eli as they play. Over the weekend they were pretending with their toys, and we heard Brandt say, very animatedly, "That is a splendid idea, Eli. That is a splendid idea!"

The first pic is Eli reading to Asher. That's one of those visions you have of your kids that is even better when it really happens.
The second is of the boys chillin'. Asher isn't much for t.v. yet, but he likes to be where his brothers are, so he often just sits next to them when they are watching a show.
The third is Asher lookin' handsome on Sunday for church. He is looking more and more like a Smith.
The fourth is a painting I finished this week. I tried painting on some scrap wood and really liked the results. I may take a break from canvases for a while.
The fifth is on our hike.

This morning I biked for 51 minutes while reading the second "Children of the Promise" series. I am really enjoying those books. I'm realizing more and more how my generation really doesn't know sacrifice. If we are forced to give up much of our comfortable lifestyles due to the state of the nation/world in the future, it will really be a struggle for most Americans.
I also did full-body weights.

Road kill

2008-08-31T16:57:00.000-07:00

I need to write down my workouts this week so I don't forget what I did:
Wednesday I ran with Ashley. We went 6.32 miles in 51:57. Ashley is good a pushing me up the hills. I usually kind of slow a bit then increase my speed on the down hill. It always seemed to me that she just stayed the same pace regardless of going up or down hill. Well, now I have proof for that theory:
Here is a chart of our run on Wed.

Here is a chart of my run on Friday ( I went 8.1 miles in 1:09). Notice how much more variance there is in my speed. The route I ran had more rolling hills, which contributed to my speed changes , I'm sure.I also biked a good bit this week. Thursday I rode on the stationary bike for 45 minutes, but went pretty hard. I also did full-body weights. That afternoon I went to CC practice with the boys and ran about ten 150's with Eli, while pushing Asher and Brandt in the stroller (Brandt got the day off due to sore legs from his 5-yr. immunizations). I slept good that night.

Saturday morning I biked 32 miles. It took me almost 2 hrs. My average pace was 16.1 mph, but that was skewed down a bit by stoplights, intersections, etc. I looked down at my watch and was keeping around19 mph on the flats, but got down to 10 and 12mph on some of the hills. It felt pretty good to go that far. And my legs were SO much less spent than after a run lasting that length of time.
I amused myself by taking account of all the different roadkill Alabama has to offer. On that one ride I saw on the side of the road: a racoon, a deer, a frog, a snake, several squirrels, 2 armadillos, a possum (we don't call them "opossums" 'round here), and a live rabbit. yum.

Cross country's in the air

2008-08-26T10:09:00.000-07:00

When the weather starts cooling just slightly at this time of year, and the smells of autumn start to emerge (which a dear friend, Daniel, pointed out to me years ago is, in fact, the smell of rot), I feel like it's time to line up in a field and run a 5k.

Eli wasn't able to do flag football this year thanks to me missing the deadline to sign up for it. While I should have been more proactive about getting him registered for it, in my defense, this is the first year they haven't sent a flier home about it the during the first week of school. I was looking for the flier to come home, and when it didn't, I called Parks and Rec. They then informed me it was too late--registration closed 2 weeks ago. DANG!

But...all is well. Eli and Brandt have joined a youth cross country team. They went to their first practice on Saturday and LOVED it. It was an interval workout. Eli ran 13 100's and Brandt ran 9 100's , both jogging a 100 between each one. This team has kids from 5-18 on it. There were 35 or so there on Saturday, and several were missing-- so its a pretty big group. My heart just pitter-patters with joy at seeing all these kids working out hard, having fun, and hopefully starting a lifelong habit of exercise.
I ran a couple of the intervals with the kids. I would like to have done the whole workout, but I was needed to time the intervals. There's nothing like Cross Country!

For my workout on Friday, I ran a total of 7.1 miles, but it was broken into two segments. I woke up late and so I just ran 3.3 miles before I had to be back to see Eric and the boys off to work and school. Then I loaded up Asher and the stroller and ran pushing the stroller around the "mall" for another 3.8 miles. I accidentally cleared my second leg on my watch, but I think I kept about a 8:40 pace.
Saturday I had planned to bike outside, but I woke up to rain (which hasn't really stopped thanks to Faye (tropical storm/depression). So I biked downstairs. I went 34 miles in 1:45.
Monday I ran outside for 59 minutes. I didn't wear my Garmin, so I would be sure to take it easy. I wish I had worn it now, though. I also did leg weights.
Today I biked downstairs for 43 minutes with Jack Bauer, Ricky Shroeder, and Chloe O'Brien.
I also did push-ups and planks.

loved this...

2008-08-22T19:12:00.000-07:00

Michael Phelps Returns To His Tank At Sea World

Asher The.....Dasher, Thrasher, Masher, Gasher, Basher, Hasher, Lasher, Smasher

2008-08-21T18:32:00.000-07:00

Yes, our youngest son will have many choices when picking his "ring name" for WWF. And as you can see, he has already started conditioning for his future career!

Just look at those bulging muscles.

His (rather frightening) KISS impersonation.

Watch out, he grabbed his mallet!

My conditioning this week: Monday I biked downstairs for 50 minutes and did full-body weights (including, ugh, squats), Tuesday I ran, mostly on the trails, for 50 minutes, at an easy pace. Wednesday I ran with Ashley for close to 6 miles. I was SO happy that my foot didn't hurt on my runs! Today I biked downstairs for 48 minutes and did weights.

First day of school!!

2008-08-16T16:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the Brandt-man started kindergarten, and Eli started second-grade this week! They were both up and at-'em--completely dressed and wearing their back-packs-- at 6:30am on Thursday. They both really like their teachers and classmates. And so far, so good for both of them with behavior....

Because of my foot hurting over the weekend,I decided to take it easy this week with the running. I biked a very hilly course on Monday, going a total of 16.1 miles in 1:03. Tuesday I biked inside for 50 minutes and did upper and lower body weights. I haven't been doing leg weights for a while, so doing squats and leg extensions made for heavy legs the rest of the week (I did whole-body weights on Thursday, too). Wednesday I tried running. I ran 6.1 miles in 54 minutes. I started really slow b/c of my heavy legs. The middle I was able to pick up the pace, but then at the end my foot started hurting again. So I haven't run at all the rest of this week. I have biked, though. Thursday I biked 45 minutes downstairs. Friday I biked just over an hour (20 miles) downstairs. And today I biked outside. I went down Happy Hollow to Mary Munger and took Hwy 11 up to Springville, then came back through downtown T'ville. It was a total of 29 miles and it took me 1:47. When I got back, Eli and Brandt wanted to go for a run, so I put Asher in the stroller and the 4 of us went for a 1-mile run. We came home to hot blueberry pancakes made by Chef Eric. YUMMY!

sick and tired

2008-08-09T18:41:00.001-07:00

This began as a fun, promising week. We spent a couple of days and an afternoon at a friend's pool, I got some screamin' deals on school clothes for the boys from Old Navy, and the forecast was calling for cooler morning temps by the weekend. Then I got sick. It began as a splitting headache, then achiness and fever decided to crash the party. I'm pretty much over it now, but I still feel extra tired.
Despite just being sick, I couldn't resist the pull of 65 degree weather this morning and I went for a run. I ran 10 miles. This was the first time I added the trails in and seemed to keep my GPS signal. Its amazing how much the trails slow you down. I think I averaged about 9:30 on the trails, and 8:15 on the roads. I really picked it up for the last mile and half--I looked down and was running a sub-7 minute pace for a bit. But I'm feeling my workout and recent sickness tonight. I think I pulled a little muscle or strained a tendon in my foot on the trampoline after my run, so I've been icing it on and off. I hate injuries.
I skipped Thursday and Friday due to my sickliness, but ran 7 miles on Tuesday in 59:18. I went through the sports complex and around the historic area and back. Wednesday I biked for 50 minutes downstairs and read more Breaking Dawn, which I finished that day and LOVED it. What a beautiful story of love, sacrifice, freedom, and choices!
Here's what Eric came home to on Monday afternoon. We had been at the pool all day and all crashed in different rooms of the house. I was on the brown couch in the tv room; Eli was on a couch in the living room, Asher was up in his bed, and Brandt... in the kitchen, of course.

swimming, jumping, and celebrating

2008-08-04T18:41:00.000-07:00

I'm tearing myself away from Breaking Dawn right now to write a quick post. We had a super busy weekend. Eli's birthday on Saturday began with going to his last swim meet of the season. It was the city-wide championship and Eli's first time to compete in the 7-8 age-group. He did great. He even got to participate in a 9-10 year old relay and swam a 50m lap with amazing consistency and skill! His team won the meet. Here is a pic of the Birmingham City Champions.

While I was at the swim meet with Eli, Eric went home (he saw one race), and worked with my family, a neighbor and a friend on clearing the tree from the backyard. We SO appreciated all the help! The job isn't completely done, but it is much further along. Most of the branches are now up at the road to be picked up by the city. It was hot, dirty, hard work. I think Eric got a touch of heat-exhaustion. He was sick for a while afterward.

We also finished putting together the trampoline for the boys on Saturday after I returned from the swim meet. It is huge!! I didn't realize what a difference there is between a 13' and a 15' mat. We have all been enjoying it!Because the boys got such a big gift, we just had family parties for them. It was a nice change from the usual stress of a friend party. All I had to do was make their chosen cakes. Eli had a Pokemon cake (lemon pound cake, no icing) and Brandt had a Kung Fu Panda cake (white cake mix with the rainbow speckles throughout, white icing with sprinkles). I decorated them with little toy figurines, which were the only "toys" they received from us.

They both had their "meet the teacher" time at school yesterday. I am very pleased with both of their teachers at first meeting. Both seemed organized, confident, and very competent. Both boys seemed immediately comfortable with their teachers. School starts a week from Thursday.

I skipped working out on Saturday, since I knew I'd be tired from the book release party. Thursday I did weights and biked 50 minutes downstairs. Friday I ran 1 hour 13 minutes and ran 8.46 miles. I started slow, picked it up in the middle, and ended a bit slower. It was SUPER hot and muggy. I actually weighed my clothes when I got back. They weighed 4 lbs.
This morning I biked (while reading Breaking Dawn) for 1 hour 4 minutes. I went about 20 miles.

TREE DOWN!!

2008-07-30T17:34:00.001-07:00

As you can see, we had some fierce winds come through with a thunderstorm last night that took out our big tree in the backyard. The second picture is what the tree and treehouse/ deck looked like before the storm. We'll have a completely different looking yard without that tree there. I'm wondering if we'll be able to have more of a garden without all the shade from that tree. They boys will miss their tree house, but we were planning to get them a big trampoline for their birthdays this weekend, so I think they'll survive. The third pic with Eli in the fallen branches, shows just how big the mess is. We are all just grateful we were safe in our home during the storm. Some homes around town had trees fall on them, and several trees were down in the roads.
This morning Eli and Brandt, without me asking them to, went outside with long-sleeved shirts on and began moving branches out to the road. It was hot and muggy, but they saw something that needed to be done, and began doing it on their own. I savored the moment.
This afternoon, the four missionaries serving in our ward came over to get haircuts and moved a bunch of limbs out to the road. That was probably at the hottest part of the day, and they were in their shirts and ties. I set out a gallon of cold water and a half gallon of lemonade along with a plate of cookies for them, and they polished it all off!
I had a hard workout this morning. I had planned to do seven 800 intervals at a 6:30 pace like I did last week, but I kept getting a bad pain in the right side of my chest. I'm pretty sure it was indigestion, but it hampered me quite a bit. I still did the whole workout, but only one of my intervals was at my target pace, the rest were 10-20 seconds slower. Also, the roads were wet and had alot of debris on them, which made going in some places a little slower--but mostly I just wasn't feeling super. With my warm-up and cool-down, I ran a total of 6 miles.
Yesterday I did weights and biked for 50 minutes downstairs. I think I went 16 miles total while watching some of the 6th season of 24.
Monday I ran on the trails for 1:05 at an easy pace.
Friday night is the release party for Stephanie Meyer's fourth book in the Twilight series, Breaking Dawn. It officially comes out at midnight, which means a late night on Friday, and probably not an early workout on Saturday. SO, I'm planning to do my longer workout Friday morning, but we'll see.... With all the work we have to do in the yard, I may want to conserve some energy.

little fruits

2008-07-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

I've needed to have a pen in my hand all week to record all the funny things Brandt has said. He's entered that stage of saying "the darndest things." He found a picture of our wedding day. We were standing in a posed shot with Eric's parents. He said Grandpa, Dad, and Grandma all looked good, but I looked weird. I asked him why, and he said my dress made me look weird. I pointed out that I had a big white thing on my head that must make me look pretty funny, and he said, "No, it's your dress. It makes you look weird."
Then, today at a church activity, as my sister, Melyssa was taking her daughter to the bathroom, Brandt was going in, too. Melyssa's daughter pointed out, "This is the girl's bathroom, Brandt."
He replied, "I know."
So she asked, "Then, why are you still coming in here?"
"Because I just want to see if it's awesome."
'Nuff said.
Eric has been wanting to borrow my mom's dehydrator for a while to dry some fruits and veggies. We finally did it and they turned out great! We dried strawberries, apples, apricots and blueberries. We didn't grow any of the fruits ourselves, but hopefully eventually our strawberry patch and blueberry bushes will produce enough for us to put away some of our own harvest. The boys are loving snacking on the fruits. They are as sweet as candy, with no added sugars!

I don't know if this picture will really do justice to this cute scene Eric caught on camera. Eli set up his teepee and was watching tv with just his head poking out. Maybe you have to be his parent to love this pic, but I'm sharing it anyway.

Eric also caught a good (though a bit fuzzy) picture of Asher's concerned, "don't make me do/touch/eat that" face. It is so animated, we have trouble with giving him anything but positive feedback when he makes it.

I've had a great week for working out. Monday I tried out the "Virtual Training Partner" feature on the Forerunner. You program in your distance and time goals, and then when you press start, two little runners are on the screen and it tells you how far ahead or behind you are from your virtual partner. I programmed in 6 miles in 50 minutes. My partner was ahead about 300 feet for a good part of the run, since I didn't start very fast. I did the Sherman Oaks loop 1.5 times, plus some extra in the sports complex. By the end I somehow caught the opponent and finished in 49:52.
Tuesday I did weights and biked inside for 50 minutes. I watched the first half of "The Italian Job."
Wednesday I did intervals using the Forerunner. I warmed up for 1.28 miles (11:15), then did 6 800's with 2 minute rest walk/jogs in-between. I averaged a 6:30 pace on the fast intervals, which is what I was going for. I still just love being able to look down at my wrist to see my speed!
Thursday I did an easy 50 minute recovery run on the trails.
Friday I overslept a bit, but Eric was kind enough to stick around and watch the boys so I could get a quick and intense 40 minutes in on the bike. I watched the second half of "The Italian Job," which was perfect for getting me going fast--I love that show! I pulled down the resistance and really tried to hammer out a hard ride.
Today I felt that hard ride. I decided to use try out the "multi-sport" function on the Forerunner. I rode 10 miles, pushing my pace, down Happy Hollow and Mary Munger,then a bit down Hwy 11 and back home, averaging 17.7 mph, which I felt good about considering the steep hills. Then I quickly changed and went over to Trak Shak to run. About halfway through the 5.6 mile loop, I was feeling my hard rides, and slowed down. I averaged a 7:42 mile pace on my run.

home time

2008-07-20T19:16:00.000-07:00

We have had a nice, relaxing weekend at home. We've been going so much this summer, it was refreshing to not have anything we HAD to do for once. Although it was hot, we spent time outside, passed the football with the boys and continued making plans for our work-in-progress yard. We also hung out inside, and I helped Eli finish his K-nex grill. It turned out pretty neato.

Eli did great at his swim meet on Thursday. His freestyle form has improved immensely since last summer. And his kick is much more efficient. He won the 25 freestyle, and got 2nd or 3rd in the breast and backstrokes. I think not using the kickboard and flippers as much during practices with this new team has really strengthened him.

I've been loving being a Garmin Girl. It's so nice to wonder what pace I'm running and just look down at my arm to see. Thursday I tested it out on the trails--it lost it's signal a few times when the tree cover was very dense, so I'll have to wait till the trees are bare in the winter to measure the lengths of the trails (sorry, Callie!). I ran 47:30.
But it was right-on with the distances on the roads around town. I know the lengths of a few different stretches, so I tested it out on Saturday. I ran 9.6 miles. It took me 1:19. The middle part was my fastest portion. I was averaging about 7:40 for the middle 5-6 miles. I started pretty slow (about an 8:45-9:00 pace on the hills in the sports complex), and ran the last couple miles at about an 8:30 pace. The Forerunner has a feature where you can split your workout into "laps" to keep up with the specifics of separate portions of your run, but I hadn't learned to use that yet. I guess I'm becoming a real geek...

Asher is too cute for his own good. He loves books. His favorites are ones with real pictures of animals in them. He'll just sit and look at pictures of dogs or farm animals for several minutes at a time (except in church when we really want him to). He has also added some new boogie-ing to his repertoire of dance. He'll still break dance--he did today in-fact, but he's also learned to "shake that thang."

I was so proud of Brandt at his swim lesson on Friday. He was learning to touch the bottom at the deep end of the pool. His teacher was in the water with him at the ladder. She would go down to the bottom, then he would go down, holding on the the ladder if needed for security. I would see him go down, then come up and tell his teacher he wanted to try again, then immediately take a big breath and go back down. He did this 5 or 6 times (all while other kids are waiting for their turn to try). I think it surprised his teacher so much that she didn't stop him. Finally, he touched the bottom and was very pleased with himself. This was one of the most diligent, determined efforts I've seen Brandt put forth. I worry about his maturity for kindergarten, but this gave me a little hope!