Tri Training and the Tri Clinic

At my marathon last year, I ran a few miles with a fella and we talked about our dream races. I brought up that I had a five year goal of participating in a half-Ironman (70.3 miles), and he let out that he had just finished his first half-Ironman the previous spring. Talking about his experiences made me want to swim/bike/run one even more. At the time, I hadn't ridden a bike since I was about 8 and the only swimming I had done was doggy paddling with the kids. I did do an indoor triathlon in early 2012, but I did no real training for it and felt like I "winged it" rather than aced it. His advice to me was to stop thinking about it too much and just go for it. He said to sign up for a half-Ironman and the pressure of signing up for it would push me to train for it. I was not quite as ambitious as that, but I did look up triathlon races around Dallas later that day as I lay recovering from my first 26.2 run.

I raced in the McKinney Salty Dog Triathlon in June 2013, with very little training. I had swam a handful of times, and the longest bike ride I had done prior to the race was a 10 mile ride with friends the Monday before the Sunday race (and the longest before that had been about 5 miles....eek!). I was woefully undertrained, but still finished with a time of 2 hours, 12 minutes. My goal had been to finish in under 2.5 hours. And did I mention that I did the bike portion on a mountain bike?? And that there were "rollers" (which felt like freaking mountains on my mountain bike!).

Immediately following the triathlon, my running group ladies (who had cheered me on at the race) and I went out to breakfast at Spoons. It was there, eating a pimento cheese sandwich with bacon and jalepenos (seriously, it's delicious!!), that a group of us ladies decided to do our next triathlon. Seriously, I have a problem with signing up for races immediately following other races! So, on September 14 I will be competing in the Cooper Institute Fall Sprint Tri.

With September being only a few short months away, I decided to up my game a little with the tri training. One of my friends found a bike group that meets on Sundays for 18-25 mile rides. They let me borrow a bike so that I can test ride bikes and find one that suits my needs and I have been enjoying the comfort of a road bike. I'm seriously praying that by some miracle, I can afford one before race day. Doing another tri on a mountain bike will not be fun. It's seriously a lot harder! My other friend has offered to teach me swimming technique, and we've been able to get one lesson in so far. I've done a little training on my own, but still not as much as I'd like. This is all going on, of course, while I am at the beginning of my marathon training. Because that's how I roll :)

My friend Shannon discovered a triathlon training group called Tri Daily (the DFW Tri Club). Yesterday they had a triathlon clinic with workshops on running, biking, and swimming. All of which were free of charge and included childcare (which is awesome because Derek had to work). We went to the biking and running portion, and they totally worked us over!

The biking portion took place in the LA Fitness spin classroom. They talked about drills that you could do on the bike (one legged biking is the only one I can remember) and techniques for riding efficiently (feet parallel to the ground) and how to climb/come out of the saddle. I have a hard time with coming out of the saddle because I have very weak core muscles. I've been doing the 30 Day Shred DVD again two - three times a week, but I still feel pretty wimpy - especially trying to come out of the saddle on a road bike that weebly wobbly from my lack of being able to control it while I'm out of the saddle.

The run clinic focused on getting you to run on the ball of your feet rather than your heel. I know that I am a heel striker in running and walking. I have tried to correct this problem by trying to remind myself of correct form and aiming for more fore-foot strikes, but retraining yourself to run correctly is a hard task. And it hurts! By landing on your fore-foot rather than your heel, and pushing off more efficiently, you use a different set of muscles. Those muscles are often undertrained due to your continued improper form, and it can be a little painful/irritating at first while you relearn to run with the correct technique. The drills to help you accomplish a fore-foot strike, though, made all of us in attendance feel a little silly. The way that they had us running almost looked a little prance-y. Okay, we all kind of looked like tinkerbells :) Or at least felt like it! But after the drills, they had us run a few laps around the parking lot, and really I could tell a difference when I focused on the way my foot was hitting the ground.

Overall, the Tri Daily Tri Clinic was really enlightening. And it opened my eyes to the wide variety of people participating in triathlons. At the McKinney Salty Dog, it seemed like everyone there was a hard body and had perfect muscles, had completed a half or full Ironman with the tattoos to prove it, and looked like they had done hundreds of tri's before. My friend and I who competed both felt a little out of our league and were intimidated by the type of people we found at the race. However, at the tri clinic, there were people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities. It was awesome! A lot of the people that were there were already members of the Tri Daily group, which is kind of like my running group, but focuses on multi-sport training rather than just running. And it's lead by trained coaches with focused workouts helping to create triathletes from the ground up. I'm really thinking about joining Tri Daily. At the Tri Clinic, they had a little expo, and they also had another group there - Triple Threat Tough. That group seemed to have a lot of workouts in The Colony (vs Tri Daily which was Grapevine, Dallas proper, Plano - and maybe someday soon even Allen and McKinney), though, which is a bit of a drive for me. I do admit, though, I liked the jerseys/trisuits of Triple Threat Tough better than Tri Daily (what? You don't pick your tri club based on the shirt design?? Oh, me neither).

I learned a lot yesterday, and feel ready to take on my triathlon in just a few short months. Right now, my biggest hurdle is tackling tri training while also marathon training. It's a tough combination and it's hard to know how far to run each week and still be able to cross-train in the other tri disciplines. I know I'll finish both races, and that is what really counts. It would be nice to go into them confident as well.

Big D 5k Race Recap

The Big D race takes place each year in April and is put on by Mellew Productions, a local race organization company. I had originally planned on doing the marathon, but after my December 31 marathon at the New Years Double and the 5k race the next day, I ended up with painful tendinitis and a bad attitude towards running. I actually disliked running for a few weeks. I had forgotten about how joyful and exhilirating running can be, and all I could focus on was how uncomfortable it was and how much pain I was in. It took almost a full month before my tendinitis subsided, and then took another couple of weeks to get back into the rhythm of running again. By February, I was thinking of running again, and started upping my mileage. I think the highest I got was 15 or 16 miles before it came time to do a taper for the Texas Independence Relay (someday, I'll get around to posting about that race haha). After the Texas Independence Relay, I really was just sore. My knees hurt. I was achy. I felt like a big baby. A big running baby. So I sucked it up and decided to run the 5k.

After deciding to run the 5k, I decided that I was going to run it fast. So I started really focusing on getting speed and tempo runs in. By the time the Big D came around, I felt prepared, but increasingly nervous. I had set a time goal of running a 5k in under 30 minutes and I was terrified that I wouldn't be able to make it. I was a nervous wreck. I know a 5k in under 30 minutes seems pretty "easy" to some runners, this would be a big deal for me - a self-described "slow" runner. Getting to a sub-30 5k was like a rite of passage to me. Proof that I was officially a runner.And really, it's funny because I consider anyone who runs - at ANY speed - a runner. But, I have always had trouble identifying myself as a runner. That will be a discussion for another day though. I guess that point that I want to get across was that I was nervous. Very nervous.

I got to the race and used the bathroom. It was a very long line since there was a marathon, half marathon, and a 5k all in the same day, with start times separating the full/half and the 5k by about 30 minutes. After a bathroom break in the ultra stinky, toilet paperless port o potty, I decided to do a quick warm up lap. I ended up running about a mile as a warm up. This was the first time that I had ever run a warm up lap. It felt great and helped me bypass those pre-race jitters. I got lined up towards the front (but not *too* close to the front to be in the way of faster runners), and got ready to start. The horn beeped, I hit start on my garmin, and off I went.

I had already decided that I was going to run my 5k for my family. My first mile, I dedicated to my husband. He is cautious by nature and researchers products/items/actions extensively before making a major decision. Like him, I had read, reread, and analyzed blogs and running articles about the pitfalls of "going out too fast." So I was conservative with my first mile. I slowed down - even though I felt like I could sprint ahead. I conserved my energy and waited. This was probably a good thing because the first mile of a 5k race is when all the people that lined up ahead of you - and are actually slower runners or run/walkers - decide that they are going to either A) stop running with no warning directly in front of you (this happened to me and I almost collided with the person! I sometimes want to yell out, "Runners on the LEFT walkers on the RIGHT!" at races because people just don't seem to follow this rule and end up slowing others up or causing accidents), B) slow down and walk, or C) figure out that they went out too fast and are now huffing and puffing while you motor past them. This particular course zig-zagged through Fair Park in Dallas and the corners on some of the turns in the first mile were pretty sharp. I saw it causing a few accidents of runners colliding and I also saw people with jogging strollers getting held up because they couldn't make the tight turn. My watch dinged and I was off to mile 2.

Mile 2 I ran for my sweet daughter (who happened to be 2!). I ran for her during this mile because mile 2 of a 5k is always a little hard for me, and my sweet girl is always trying to run fast to keep up with her older brother. She has to use her energy and kick her legs to keep up and she is a determined little girl with a lot of spirit, and there is NO WAY she would let him run off without her trailing behind. I, too, wanted to kick it into overdrive and run with ambition and determination during mile 2 - to catch up to those that were ahead of me. I picked out female runners ahead of me and focused on passing them. I call this chasing ponytails because usually I'm just looking for a ponytail peaking out of someone's baseball cap to distinguish who I am "chasing." I chased ponytails and passed a few people. It felt good!

My watch beeped and I was at mile 3 and I was feeling great still. I dedicated mile 3 to my son, who runs with reckless abandon. Who loves to run and runs with joy and passion and absolute love. It's beautiful to watch him run because he is so happy and natural (and has GREAT natural form too). I picked up my pace at mile 3 because that's what Danny would've done. I picked a ponytail way in the distance and chased her. I chased her down hard too. We ran together, panting heavily for a good quarter mile, if not further. Finally, I broke free and ran ahead of her. It felt amazing to pass her - mainly because she put on such a great race. It felt like we were athletes and seriously competing with each other. Soon after I passed her, my watch beeped and I had only .1 miles left to go.

The last .1 miles, I dedicated to myself. I poured in all my hardwork, all of my training, my desire to win, and I just RAN for it. I sprinted. I used every glycogen store my body had left. And I finished in less than 30 minutes. I was so happy I wanted to hug everyone around me. The girl I had raced toward the end finished and I went over and chatted her up for a few minutes. We had a great conversation. She was a newer runner and had been running less than a year and had improved her 5k time by almost 8 minutes. Very impressive!

My final time? A PR of 27:40 and I was 4th in my age group!! I actually camped out in the results tent because I was pretty sure I had a chance at placing 3rd based on the previous year's results. However, I was almost a minute and a half slower than the 3rd place winner. I have already decided that this will be a race I do again next year for the 5k - with a goal of coming in 3rd or better. I do have to say, though, had I not been so close to "winning" this year, I would probably not be doing this race next year. Mellew Productions does quite a few races in Dallas, and I've attended a few of them now. My overall impression is that they are not very well organized and let details slip through the cracks. For instance, my friend ran the Big D Marathon, and the lead pace car ended up going an extra mile and a half or so...which made the marathoners run over 27 miles instead of 26.2. For those of you who have never attempted a marathon, even a step over the 26.2 mile marker feels horrendous. You are tired, hungry, and just ready for the race to be over. It is brutal. I can't imagine having to run the extra mile and a half with planning to only do a marathon! Mentally, that had to be horrendous. Mellew didn't really issue much in the way of an apology and really seemed to put the blame on the pace car and the runners. That doesn't settle well for me, personally (especially since this race was a Boston Qualifier and people were trying desperately to get their BQ). I, however, was happy with my PR and will forever hold this race special in my heart because of it.

The Week I gained 5 Pounds and Was Still Proud

Usually, when I gain five pounds, I feel miserable. My self talk is horrible and my sister has to listen to hour after hour of me whining about how easy it is to put on weight and how difficult it is to take it off. But this past Monday when I weighed in and saw that the scale had creeped up, I felt relieved and proud. The relief was mostly because I had a friend in town and we had eaten out pretty much every meal. And then followed up the meal with a beer. Or two. Or three. Okay, who's counting anyway?? After all of that, I only gained 5 pounds. Trust me, I felt the beer bloat and the sodium retention and had the Texas BBQ goodness on my lips, and I was extremely relieved that I had only gained 5 pounds and not the 8-10 I felt like I had gained.

But proud? I don't think most people would be proud about gaining 5 pounds. Especially someone who wants to lose 25+ pounds. And really, I don't know if I'm honestly proud to have gained 5 pounds; more like I'm just okay with it. I'm zen. But why, you ask? (Which, of course, I know you are DYING to know!)

Because I made good decisions most of the time and I exercised. I will admit that my awesome husband (who turned the big 3-1 while our friend was in town) helped remind me of my good eating intentions. Like when we went out for supper at Spoons on a kid-free night, he encouraged me to share my pimento cheese and jalapeno sandwich and (super huge, incredibly large, didn't know it was going to be 6 layers) piece of strawberry cake with strawberry frosting. This helped me get to celebrate and enjoy the yummy treats, but not completely overindulge. It felt good! Like I always tell my kids, sharing is caring!

As for exercise, I got up and did tempo runs, early morning runs through my neighborhood, and also my weekly running group run. I'm actually quite proud of that running group run. Because I ran 13.2 miles as a training (!!!!) run. By the time I finished (in just under 3 hours), it was 86* with a million percent humidity and I was literally baking in the sun. I wore a hat at least, so I don't think my face got too sunburned.

The downside of running 13.2 miles, though, is that this week my mystery leg pain started up again. I talked with some running friends, and they recommended I get new shoes. You are supposed to replace your running shoes every 200 - 300 miles (more often if you have a little more junk in your trunk - or muffin top in my case - I wish I had even a little junk in my trunk!!). I thought that there was NO WAY I had ran 200-300 miles since I got my running shoes in April. And then I looked at my marathon training schedule. In the past 4.5 weeks, I've run 87 miles. And that's not counting the indoor triathlon, 2 5k's, and half marathon and the training I've done from April to now. So I'm probably actually due for a pair. And maybe that's why my calves have started having pain again. Guess it's time for new shoes!

a sick SAHM

I started feeling a little crummy on Wednesday night: sore throat, headache, stuffed up nose. Danny and Derek both had this a few weeks ago, so I guess it should be no surprise that it is my turn now.

Being a stay at him mom (SAHM) is a hard job on a regular day; being a SAHM while you are sick is just extremely difficult. I think my darling children somehow know mommy is sick and lacking in patience and have been going hog wild the past few days. Piper has been refusing to nap, eat her lunch, and has just been a little defiant - well, a little more than her usual sassy self. Danny has been running, screaming, making fake fart noises (yes, we have entered that sacred part of boyhood where farts and burps - both of the real and fake variety - are hilarious), and causing general chaos. I find myself looking forward to bedtime. I'm just SO tired!

It's just exhausting taking care of two kids when you are sick. Hoping this sickness passes quickly so I can get back to my normal self. I miss being able to call in sick!!

Vineyard 5k Recap

Yesterday was the Vineyard 5k out in Grapevine, TX. I carpooled with some friends and after a few twists and turns through the construction on 121, we made our way to Delaney Vineyards where the race was held. The Delaney Vineyards was pretty interesting because it was a small little vineyard right in town. It was neat to see the bustling suburbs juxtaposed with the casual atmosphere of the vineyard. It was a peaceful little get-away from everyday life!

The cool thing bout this race is that post-race, you get to sample various wines produced from the vineyard. Running and wine: a fantastic combination! The race itself was a pretty hilly race. And I was not expecting that! It was pretty brutal! I have been working more and more hill workouts in, but this course took my breath away. At the Big D 5k I participated in a few weeks ago, I was able to get my time down to 27:40. I was so happy with that time because my goal had been to break 30 minutes. I went into this (unknowingly) hilly run with the hope of getting my time down to 27:00. I knew it was a lofty goal, especially after the first hill!! My friends and I had been told that the last mile or so had decent downhills. So as the mile markers ticked off, I kept telling myself that a big downhill was coming. Just over the next hill, it was all downhill the rest of the way. I must have passed three hills telling myself this. And after that, my legs and lungs were just toast. I had started out fast (rookie mistake, I know) and I think my lungs were struggling to regulate my breath after that first mile. I did do a 9 minute mile for my first mile, and then I think I had like a 9:40, 9:30, and a pretty quick .1 mile (there was wine beckoning!). Overall, I finished in 29:21 and ranked 20th in my age group. Even though it was not a PR, I was still happy to have a sub-30 5k on such a hilly course.

The wine afterwards was pretty tasty. Although, I wish it would have been a half cup of wine rather than a third of a Dixie cups worth. Or that they would have poured a few tasters at once for each person rather than having to jump back in the line afterwards to get another. I had a muscat that was delicious and a blush that was so-so.

The company that puts on the race was having some technical difficulties and we didn't get the results until late today. That meant that no awards were given at the race. I obviously didn't qualify for an ae group award, but two of my friends won first place for their age groups. Would've been nice to be able to clap and cheer for them.

Overall, this race was okay. Will I do it next year? Probably not. Did I have fun with my friends? Absolutely! And that is what counts!!

Hello 2013

So, it's been quite a few months since I last posted (okay, okay, half a year. Whatevs.). I ran my marathon on 12/31/2012 in 5 hours, 46 minutes. It was cold, rainy, and kind of miserable, but I did it!  And the next day I walked a 5k and started to eat clean. I've kept up with the clean eating (for the most part!) and have kept up my running. I ran a 27:40 in a 5k last month (the Big D 5k). That was a huge PR or me. My goal for this year has been to become a little faster and to run more days per week. I've already registered for my next marathon: the San Antonio Rock n Roll in November. I don't start my actual training plan until July, so I have until then to ramp up my speed.

Here are some 2012 running/fitness goals:

1. Run at least 3 days per week and one long run on the weekend. 
2. Get my 5k down to below 30 minutes. (Which, I totally crushed this one!!)
3. Get my half-marathon time to 2:15 or below.
4. Get my marathon time down to at least 5:30. 
5. Do at least one triathlon (scheduled for 6/23/2013).
6. Start lifting some weights. (I've been slacking on this one!!)
7. Continue to lose weight. (Since starting weight watchers back in October, I've lost 25 pounds).

10 pounds and a Funk

I had my seventh week at weight watchers today, and I was down 10 pounds! It feels like this has been a long time coming. I mean, really, I've been trying to lose weight since we moved here - and tomorrow will mark our one year Texa-versary! While 10 pounds a year is not my goal, I am pleased that I have at least lost that much. Moving is so stressful and making friends even more stressful. I really thought I would gain weight over the past year. Instead, though, I just kind of maintained until I joined weight watchers and committed to losing the weight. Those meetings do make a difference!

My weight loss helped make my week a little better. I've been in a bit of a funk. I think it's a mix of lack of sleep (my adorable two year has decided to wake up multiple times a night), feeling like my house is a mess, and feeling a little insecure in my running, my friendships, etc, etc. A friend of mine and I were talking a few weeks ago and we both voiced that we want friends to like us because of who we are, and not out of obligation. And I think that's what I've been feeling this week: just hoping that I'm not a friend by obligation (read: forced hanging out through play dates and meetup groups). Does that make sense? I think my problem is that I want close friends and I want to feel like part of the crew. And I simply haven't been here long enough for that to truly happen. True friendships, I guess, take time to make. I'm getting there, just not as fast as I sometimes would like. Anyway, before I get all emo and funkalicious on ya'll, I would like to report that I'm feeling better about all that :)

Today I also had a migraine which made me feel *awesome*. I had a play date scheduled that I was hosting, so I really didn't have time to be sick. I went ahead and hosted the play date, but my migraine  meds left me tired and a little weak. It's going to be an early to bed kind of night at our house! When I picked Danny up from school, his teachers let me know that thy had to send multiple kids home today with fevers and hacking coughs. Tis the season! ;) I'm really Hoping to avoid all of that. At least until after my marathon!! Anyway, time to snuggle up with my cuddle bugs and watch The Lorax. I know I'll have the songs stuck  in my head for a week, but I love that movie (and the cuddles!), so it's worth it!

7 Weeks

Can you believe it? There are only SEVEN more weeks until my marathon. I'm so excited/happy/nervous that it is unbelievable. I'm still having a bit of trouble staying motivated to run my midweek runs, but I am doing them....so I guess that's all that matters. I am not, however, following my training plan. That has me a little stressed out - mostly because I've been skipping over the mid-week semi long run (I'm supposed to do one midweek run ranging from 6-10 miles in addition to my shorter weekday runs and Saturday long run) and I'm wondering how that will affect my endurance for the full marathon. I was reading some info from Jeff Galloway yesterday, though, and his impression was that as long as you are doing *something* during the week and your long Saturday run, you should be okay. After my 18 miler last weekend, I am confident that I can go 26 miles. Running, walking, or crawling - I will cross that finish line!! I just mostly worry about my endurance to keep up a good pace and not take the full 6.5 hours allotted for the course. Plus, I don't want to be SO sore afterwards that I can't keep up my Saturday long runs (after a few weeks of rest, of course) so that I can properly train for the Cowtown Ultra. Oh running!! Who knew it was such a mental sport that requires planning, evaluation, refinement, and re-evaluation? No wonder this health educator loves running!!

A lot of 'life' will also be taking place in the next 7 weeks as well. My baby boy will turn 4 (!!!) is the biggest happening on the forefront of my mind right now. Can't believe my little guy is so big! I think I've decided on a birthday party location. I don't know why, but picking a place for his first party that will not be at our house has caused me a great deal of stress. The place I really wanted to have his party is moving locations and won't be able to host his party until January. And that just seems cruel to make a little one wait four weeks after his actual birthday for his party. So I'm settling on another place. I think. I keep going back and forth about the whole thing! What do you think...wait four weeks for the place I really want, or just do it now? His birthday is about two weeks before Christmas, so maybe January *would* be better just so we get a better turnout?? See, told ya - stressing me out!

There will also be two little holidays inbetween now and my marathon. Thanksgiving is coming up quickly, and Christmas will be here before we know it. Better start planning for those too. I absolutely love Christmas. It's my favorite time of year. Trimming the tree, Christmas carols, holiday parties. Love it all! Lots to look forward to in the next 7 weeks.

Good news

So I had some great news earlier today - Piper's bloodwork check-up to test her iron levels came back today and the doctor said she is no longer anemic! I kind of assumed it would be better after the huge reduction in milk we had about 4-6 weeks ago. This was a huge relief though because I really had some guilt about the whole milk thing. And even though Danny didn't have his blood tested for anemia, I knew he was anemic based on his brittle toe nails and excessive milk drinking. Now, though, his toe nails are no longer splitting. Yeah!

In other good news, Derek's work had a chili cook off today. Derek officially won 2nd place. Officially ; )

Two month catch up

Oh, hi! That's right.....I have a blog?!?! I have really neglected my little blog for almost two months now. Whoops! Not too terribly much has happened in that time. I'm still running (got up to 18 miles so far in my marathon training), cooking (have started using Bountiful Baskets to get fruits and veggies), and taking care of my littles (Danny is now loving preschool, Piper is resisting potty training). See, all caught up! :)

I officially rejoined weight watchers about a month ago. This means actually going to the meetings and tracking and counting all that I'm eating. I've been losing and feeling positive about reaching my ultimate weight goal by end of May 2013. That seems so far away now, but I know it will be here before I know it. My personal goal is to be at my goal weight by the time I run the 2013 Patriot Half Marathon. Only about 6.5 more months to go! But that will mean I will be back to my pre-Piper/pregnancy weight. *someday*

My full marathon is quickly approaching. It is actually 8 weeks from tomorrow! I'm very, very excited and pleased with how my training is going. I'm still slow, but that's okay with me. My goal is just to finish....in hopefully about 5.5 hours. I did 18 miles yesterday in 3 hours, 48 minutes, and 2 seconds. I just need to add 8 more miles to reach my marathon. I think I can do it! It has made me anxious to plan my next marathon adventure.

I have already mentioned my plans for the Cowtown Ultramarathon and am now registered for the Texas Independant Relay (203 miles of awesome relay fun!!), but I am also considering a couple of fall 2013 marathons. I don't think I would ever qualify for the New York City marathon, or the Boston marathon..but Chicago currently does not require you to meet a qualifying time and I don't believe they rely on a lottery entry. How cool would it be to run Chicago?!?!?!? Also around that same time is the Route 66 Marathon in Tulsa. It has won awards for the best medal. And if you know me, you know I'm all about the race bling :) Anyone up for a race-cation?

I went and visited my family in Nashville at the end of September. It was my first solo trip with kids. 14 hours in the car with two littles was exhausting. But, being able to see my dad, step-mom, grandmas, aunts, uncles, and cousins was totally worth it. We had a great time and my step-mom and I did the Lady Speedstick Women's Half-marathon. That was one very hilly course!! I did set a PR though, so yeah! 2 hours and 36 minutes. It was a PR by like a minute. But still a PR. Plus it was on an extremely hilly course, so I felt really great about that.

Well, hopefully I won't forget about my blog for two months again. No promises though - sometimes life just gets in the way of blogging. And your three year old steals your iPad to play angry birds and bad piggies.

Milk guilt

Oh milk. I really don't like milk at all. The only time I drink milk is either in a milkshake or in my post-long-run recovery drink of pink bunny (aka strawberry) milk. I don't think I've ever thought to myself that a tall glass of milk sounded really yummy. Ever. Well, in my adult life anyway! That's why it always surprised me that my kids loved it so much. Like crazy love it. they guzzle it down throughout the day. I never really thought that they were drinking way too much milk; I assumed hey we're drinking the same amounts as other kids their ages.

I took P in for her well baby check up (the big two year old checkup!) on Monday. When we moved to Dallas, our old pediatrician gave us a copy of the kids' medical records. Which I promptly put in a box somewhere and haven't seem since. Turns out though that our old school 'I don't use electronic medical records' doctor gave us the ORIGINAL medical records and not just a copy like I thought. So now the kids have no medical records (that I can find anyway!). Anyway the moral of the story is that the doctor said in addition to the two shots my sweet P had to get, we should also check her blood to make sure she is not anemic. So we ended up getting a blood draw along with her shots and that was that.

I knew that excessive milk drinking could cause anemia, but since my kids eat a fairly well balanced diet - and eat fairly well - that the amount of milk they were given during the day could not be affecting their health. I did ask th doctor how much milk is recommended for toddlers and he said less than 24 ounces per day. I started to think bout how much milk I freely give my kids on a daily basis and was shocked. Their sippy cups hold about 8 ounces of liquid. My kids easily get that filled up multiple times throughout the day. And I'm not talking 3-4 times a day. Much more. So I did a little research.

Excessive milk consumption can cause a myriad of health effects, including anemia. Anemia can cause pale skin and brittle nails. I started thinking about Danny's nails, and how his toe nails split all the time and are thin and, well, brittle. I didn't wait for Piper's bloodwork to come back. I immediately scaled back on the milk. Now the kids are getting no more than 3 cups of milk a day. Instead they are offered water. Piper doesn't seem to have a problem with this, but Danny is not handling it so well. It's been a real challenge but I've stuck to my guns on this one and today he drank two cups of water and two cups of milk.

I am feeling incredibly guilty about this one. I didn't think that I was really hurting them by giving them milk. I thought they were pretty typical. Turns out not so much. Pipers bloodwork came back today and her hemoglobin levels were borderline. The doctor said to cut back on the milk (which I've already done and will continue to do so until they are at 1 - 2 cups of milk per day) and to give her a multivitamin with iron in it. I am dreading taking Danny in to get his levels tested because of his pale skin and brittle nails; I'm positive that they are really low. However, the doctor won't prescribe the vitamins until he gets the bloodwork done.

I really thought I was done having milk guilt after I quit breast feeding and introduced milk to the kids. I guess I'm not passed that quite yet. I know it's not horrible and h problem is being fixed...I just feel like I should have known better or asked our doctor for the blood work to check their iron levels sooner. Or just looked up how much milk a toddler is supposed to have a day. Oh well. It's taken care of now.

Long distance runner

Life as usual has been super busy! Danny started preschool two weeks ago and seems to be thriving there. He's had a few sad starts - lots of tears and hugs. But he always is happy when I come pick him up. And that's all that matters! He learned a super cute blessing for food/drink in chapel and surprisingly remembers the whole thing. Except when he says 'bless' he's actually saying yes :) guess we need to work on those word differences!

In other Danny boy news, my little guy ran his first race on Labor Day! It was a 1k race and he ran the entire thing. I was super, super proud. He was kind of sucking wind towards the end, but overall he did really well. They gave all the little ones medals for finishing and that totally made his day. My mom made him a cute sign that said Run Danny Run on it. We hung the medal and sign in his room so he could show off his race bling. I'm signing him up for another race in October. Can't wait!

After Danny's race I turned around and ran a 10k. It was hot. It was hilly. And it sucked. Big time. I finished in about 1 hour, 15 minutes. I wasn't very happy with my time or how I felt during the race (I have a good ole injury - more on that in a minute). The only redeeming parts of this race was that I finished and that Danny and Piper ran me in. It was awesome! They were so excited to see mommy running and to join in with me. We all finished with smiles on our faces :) I had never had anyone there to cheer me on. It really made that rough crappy course worth it.

The good news is that I have one more race behind me. My next race is September 22 in Nashville. It's a half marathon and I'm hoping to at least finish in 2:40. We will see though. I ended up going to the doctor for my hip pain and was diagnosed with piriformis syndrome and a strained hip flexor. The doctor is letting me continue running as long as i still feel good while running. She ordered physical therapy for 4 weeks : / the doctor did write on my pt referral form that I was a long distance runner. I guess it is official that (1) I am a runner and (2) I am a LONG distance runner!! A doctor wrote it so it must be true :)

Preschool and my race schedule

So its been a few days/weeks since my last post. Lots has happened to keep me busy in that time. Like deciding to send Danny to preschool, finding a good fit for him/us, and registering him, crying a little at the thought of my baby boy growing up, getting all of his supplies, meet the teacher night, crying some more and actually dropping him off at school. And more tears. It's bittersweet because I want him to grow up and be independent, but also I want to keep him little and have him always be my little buddy. When I look at him, I still see the tiny baby in the NICU and still have the urge to shelter him and protect him. I worry about the hardships he'll face as a child, teenager, and adult. I wish I could protect him from the hurt, disappointment, and unhappiness that I'm sure he'll experience. Yet I know that I can't. I'm simply here to hold his hand, teach him to be positive and confident, and how to handle those disappointments in life. It's a tough job. *sigh*

He loved preschool the first day. There were toys to play with, new faces, new friends! But yesterday was a different storry. His teacher said he was sad and asked for me. Piper on the other hand wanted to go to school so badly! She grabbed a backpack from her bag collection and took it in the car to go drop Danny off. She was more than ready to ditch me and go spend the day learning! It's definitely an adjustment for all of us.

Danny will also be running his first race with me on Labor Day. He'll be running a 1k (I'll be running with him), and then I will be running the 10k. Danny is going to be ridiculously cute!! He even gets a medal for competing. How awesome is that??

Speaking of racing, my running group has decided we are doing the Texas Independence Relay. It's a 203 mile relay that goes from Bastrop, TX to Houston, TX. I'm very excited to do this next year!! My 2013 race schedule is already filling up. Here are my upcoming races:

September: Labor of Love 10k
September: Lady Speedstick Half-marathon in Nashville
October: Halloween Hustle 15k
November: Big D 30k
December: New Years Double - New Years Eve Marathon
January: New Years Double - New Years Day 5k
February: Cowtown Ultra-marathon (50k) (the ultra is my goal, but depending on training/how I feel, might do half or full marathon)
March: Texas Independence Relay
May: Run Like A Mother 5k
May: Patriot Half-marathon

Wow...didn't actually realize I had that much already planned out! I still want to do a sprint triathlon too, so I guess I better make sure to leave room for that. Love it!

What's Cooking

My first blog post using the IPad! I'm typing on the actual IPad and not a separate keyboard, so I apologize ahead of time about spelling and grammar. I'm sure this will take a little while to get used to.

I have been in high intensity cooking mode lately. My sister and I did the Once A Month Mom freezer cooking thing. We made 3 breakfasts, 3 or 4 lunches, and 6 or 7 suppers. Well, double that too since the goal is to have a well stocked freezer. We used the diet menu because it included weight watchers points and we are both attempting to lose a little. Well, she needs to just lose a little. I need to lose a lot. Details! Anyway it made a lot of food and I have been enjoying making it! I really enjoy making homemade food for my family. I feel like homemade food is comfort food - regardless of the fact that the comfort food I make is mostly healthy. I just think that someday my kids will look back and be thankful that I gave them nourishing food that kept them healthy. At least I hope so! 

The other bonus is that bulk cooking is (supposedly) cheaper. I'm still waiting to see the results from that one because I spent a lot of money up front (around $350 for food for six people - my sister getting two of those servings). Generally, I spend about $125 a week on groceries and then i end up going back once during the week and getting a thing or two. However, I know I always run into the store for 'only one thing' and end up coming out with a cart load of food and junk. Target is the worst for this! Seriously - Super Target is the devil. I can't leave that store without spending at least $50. And $50 is almost half of my weekly food budget. I am slightly happy that I now have to drive out of my way to go to Target and that Walmart is literally just down the street from me.

Today though, I think I'm going to go spend money on a new pair of running shoes. Headed to Run On tonight to go try on a few pairs and make the big purchase. Can't wait! Hopefully this will heal my running injury too. Well, maybe not heal, but help to not re-injure my leg. Gotta get ready for my next races! Im running the Labor of Love 10k on September 3 and the Lady Speedstick Half Marathon race on September 22 in Nashville. Danny is going to run his first race on September 3 - he's doing a 1k before the 10k starts. And I'm running the September 22 race with my step-mom. Fun running times to be had!!

I'm Here

So the good news is - I'm not dead! It's been a while since I posted, I know, but I have a good excuse: my internet connection completely stinks. And I think my computer is dying. Derek got a free Google Chrome book a few years ago as long as he tested the product. We've had it for probably 3 years now, and it has worked well for the most part (although I do miss having an actual hard drive on my computer!). However, it has been stepped on by Thing 1 and Thing 2 so many times (I'm guessing that's the problem anyway!) that it now will randomly decide to restart in the middle of doing something. Plus at our new house our wifi seems to be very spotty and my internet cuts out all the time. Both are very frustrating and have lead to half finished blog posts disappearing and my patience being tested. I am not the world's most patient person.

The good news is that my leg injury is healing nicely and for the most part it is not bothering me at all now. Woo-hoo! I was able to run the Hottest Half with only minor pain and finished only three minutes after my PR time. Running a half marathon in rather warm, sunny, humid weather in 2 hours, 40 minutes, and 3 seconds made me happy, especially with the injury. The race itself was fun and pretty easy and scenic. We did go over these crazy iron bridges that as you ran, were kind of springy and when 15 - 20 people were crossing it, it got downright disorientating. I had to walk across all of those bridges, which really slowed me down. And made me slightly sick to my stomach!

Speaking of being sick to my stomach, I have caught the flu bug that is going around here and spent last night  getting sick and alternating between having a fever and chills. It was pretty awesome and left me with little sleep and a killer headache this morning. I'm not sure what brought it on, but I'm really hoping that the rest of the family doesn't get it.

Okay - wrote all of that about five days ago...then my computer restarted itself. I'm using my Chrome Book minimally now and Derek is giving me our Ipad to use as my new computer. I can't wait until we build up our savings again and I can afford a *real* laptop again. I'm going to hit 'publish' so that I at least get this post out. I have only written a total of three posts for August. I promise next month will be better and more bloggerific (for my 7 faithful followers!!).

How my Ouch Landed me on the Couch

I'm seriously feeling old here with my achy, creaky body. Last Tuesday, I did my tempo run and had a little trouble with it. I couldn't get my breathing regulated. I couldn't keep and maintain my speed. That sort of thing. On Wednesday, I went and did my regular 4 mile run with my running group (in 106* - holy moly it was hot!), and couldn't run very far. I thought it was just the heat, but the further I went, the more my left hip started hurting. Boo! On Saturday, I headed out to do my "easy" 10 mile run. And easy it was not. My hip hurt SOO bad. I ended up walking most of 8.7 miles and then called it quits. I stopped to do some stretching at the end of my run/walk, and when I went to stand back up, it was painful to stand on. I shuffled back to my car and drove home.

Once I got back home, I took some naproxen, took an ice bath, and then iced my hip and thigh on and off for a few hours. Luckily, my mom and step-dad were here, so they helped me keep the kids entertained for the day. We went to the pool for some easy swimming/playing and then made a trip to Mecca. Er, I mean Toys R Us. We were trying to find Danny a skid steer. The kid is obsessed with skid steers for some odd reason. It might be because his new favorite show is Mighty Machines (on Qubo Channel at 10am here in Texas). Toys R Us showed that they had it on their website, but we couldn't find it in the store at all. So instead, Danny got an encyclopedia of Cars cars. As Derek called it - it's a catalog of all the Cars cars that he doesn't have (Mom! I need that car, that car, that car, that car, that car, etc, etc, on for infinity). It is kind of cool because it gives some back story of all the cars and also includes the characters from Mater's Tall Tales, Cars, and Cars 2. If you have a Cars lover - this would be an awesome Christmas present. Piper got a giant ball with Dora the Explorer on it. That girl loves her Dora! After the kids got their new toys, we headed back home to meet my sister and her boyfriend for some delicious, healthy supper and board games.

By supper time, my leg was killing me again. I took another naproxen and was alternating heat and ice while playing board games with the family. I won two rounds of King of Tokyo, and then my mom won once and then it was midnight and I was falling asleep in my chair! This morning I woke up and my hip hurt still. I took some more pills, more heat and ice, and have just basically sat on the couch all day (other than a quick trip to Run On to try on some new shoes and get some gels). I guess it's a good thing this week is a taper week because I am pretty sure I am out of commission for the next week. I'm really hoping that I'm not in too much pain to run the Hottest Half on Sunday. It's very disappointing to be injured.

From everything I read on the interwebs, it sounds like I have a hip abductor strain/tendonitis, which can be caused by an increase in distance, speed work, and hill work. What? Your aren't supposed to increase all three of those in the same two week period?? Ugh! I am awful at biting off more than I can chew when it comes to running. It's just so addicting and makes me feel so good - yet at the same time, if you overdo it, it can hurt SO bad. Anyway, from what I read, it said that I need to just stay off my leg, rest, ice/heat alternately, take ibuprofen,  and do some light stretching. So that'll be my week this week. Along with play dates and grant writing and starting cheer/tumbling classes for Piper. When did my little girl grow up?

Speaking of little girls, my friend Erin that I've mentioned in previous posts is in Ethiopia right now (!!!) picking up her little girl that her and her husband are adopting. They are actually taking her out of the orphanage tomorrow. I am so, so, so incredibly excited for them and am now praying that their "cocoon" period goes smoothly and that they make a seamless transition from a family of four to a family of five.

Mommy Needs a Break

It's been a busy week or two. I had a grant due for work (have almost put in 10 more hours than my norm for the pay period), hosted two play dates and one running group, ran lots o' miles, and generally just had a super busy life. Even though I thought I was keeping up on housework, I have four loads of laundry sitting in baskets waiting to be folded, a dishwasher full of clean dishes to put away, a sink full of dirty dishes to be put in the dishwasher, crumb covered couches, and kids with sticky faces (I swear I just gave them a bath yesterday but Piper clearly put ranch in her hair at some point). Oh housework. Oh never-ending housework! How did I ever manage to keep an even remotely clean house when I worked full time??

And I absolutely adore my children, but it really is hard when they want to play and I have to work. Mostly because they don't understand why mommy can't play with them right now. So they act out to get my attention. And I end up having to correct their behavior which doesn't make anyone happy. I really dislike being the "Bad Guy" as Danny calls me when he is getting reprimanded. I'm glad my grant for work has been turned in and now I can work when the kiddos sleep and/or are distracted by something else.

As for sleep, Danny seems to be doing a lot of that lately. He has been taking naps pretty regularly over the last two weeks. I'm guessing a growth spurt, but not positive. I think around 4 most kids go through a growth spurt; maybe Danny is just hitting his early. Yesterday he took his nap at 5pm - 8pm, though, and then was up until about 10:30pm. Then woke up this morning at 6:30am. He's been a little whiny and cranky today - and so have I. It has definitely been a rough (ish) day.

I put the kids in their rooms after lunch. Piper for a nap and Danny for a rest. I gave him the Ipad and let him play some games in bed while I watched War Horse. I'm about 1/2 way through it now and it's making me more emotional than I was before watching! Why a highly anxious person is watching a war movie is beyond me. Maybe because I didn't think it was going to be so war-y? I expected more horse. Less war. So far it's a really great movie. Even if it wasn't exactly what I expected. World War I was so incredibly awful. I doubt any war is a "good" war, but the use of gasses and barbed wire and just the general awfulness of it all gets to me every time.

On a happier note, today is also Derek and my 10th wedding anniversary. Hard to believe that we've been married for a whole decade. And that we were such babies when we got married!! I can't imagine a 20 year old Piper getting married!! Or a 21 year old Danny. Wow we were just small fries when we got married!! It has been a great 10 years, though. We have grown so much together and have become a great team. I can't imagine life without him. Love him!

Ups and Downs with a Friend in Town

This week has been a challenge in my weight loss journey in that one of my husband's (and my!) best friends from Spokane has been in town for a visit. And we have eaten out. Every. Single. Day. The good news is that we are having a blast, and have explored some new restaurants in addition to some of our all-time faves. It's kind of cool, but I wish the food was calorie free so I could just eat and eat and eat. It's all been so good!

Karl came into Dallas on Monday, and the boys ended up going to Fuzzy's Taco. This is one of the best taco places in Dallas, in my opinion! They put cilantro and feta on their tacos and they are just plain crazy delicious. Fuzzy's also serves alcohol and is home to a Blue Moon Margarita (they take a regular ole margarita and then float a bottle of Blue Moon beer on the top). That's pretty much one of my favorite ways to drink a margarita. For supper on Monday, we had some which wich? Which is good. See what I did there? ha! I think we're becoming which wich? addicts. We've eaten there 3 times in the last two weeks.

Tuesday, I got up early and went to the track to meet some of the ladies from my running group for a tempo run. This was really my first "real" tempo run. In other words - the first that I knew what I was doing. Let me just tell you...I tore that track UP! My normal pace is somewhere between an 11 - 12 minute mile. For this tempo run, I did one lap around the track (1/4 mile or a "400" as fancy runners call it) at an average warm up pace. Then I started doing 800's. I did two laps at a 9:30 pace with two cool down/recovery laps at a 10:30 pace. Then I repeated that. Then I walked a lap with the ladies and then I slow jogged a few more laps for a total of 3 miles. I am so surprised and astounded that I kept my pace up. I've never run anything at a sub 10 pace. As I've said before, I'm slow. And this was really fast. And it was awesome! Our group has decided to now do tempo runs every other week (and do hill intervals the opposite week) to help build up speed. I'm completely down with that and hope it ends up with me being able to run a little faster.

After that I went home and we went to the pool for some fun swimming time. It was still early in the day so the pool water was a little brisk, but we all had fun and it tired out the kids. Piper came home and took a long nap. Danny as usual refused to nap. For supper we decided to try a new place one of my McKinney friends suggested: Whiskey Cake. Oh.My.God. This place was fantastic!! As the name suggests, they have whiskey. And scotch. And tequila?? Our waiter suggested that we start our meal with a "Texas Appetizer" - which is a shot of tequila. Karl and I obliged and greatly enjoyed it. Even though I'm not a huge tequila fan. We also had some food appetizers: fried green tomatoes and a meat and cheese plate. The fried green tomatoes were out of this world good. They had a nice thick batter and were fried to perfection. The sauce they were served with was also killer. The meat and cheese tray had a few different slices of meats/sausages and then 4 different kinds of cheese, a small loaf of crusty bread, some apple slices, and a slice of cantaloupe. The adults went to town on that, but really, it was Danny that surprised me by eating as much of the meat and cheese tray as he could get his hands on. He is his father's son! For supper we all ended up ordering the same thing (Derek felt silly doing this, so he changed his order and got a turkey burger). I got the BBQ Banh Mi. And I didn't think this meal could get any better than the appetizers! This sandwich was moist and spicy and everything I wanted. It was perfect. I had intended to only eat half of it, but by this point I had drank three more drinks (a Peach Pit and two Great Escapes) and when I drink I tend to eat more. So I finished it off. And then ordered cake :) The cake was good too - moist and with a crusty toffee layer. Luckily for my diet, we got one slice of cake and split it three ways. And then we rolled out of there (literally) and went on home. Oh, and did I mention that Derek and Karl both got glasses of scotch. That were $25 a glass?? It tasted like turpentine to me, but they choked it back and pretended to like it.

I was supposed to get up Wednesday morning and do hill intervals, but after a total of 4 drinks (followed up by a beer once we got home and played Castle Panic), I decided against it. Sweating out whiskey was not something I was up for! Instead I got up and determined that I would not blow my diet since my weight increased nearly two pounds from Tuesday to Wednesday. Yikes! So, I ate a small breakfast and then when we went to Torchy's Tacos for lunch, I made sure to mind what I was eating. I calculated points and everything. I was on fire! Actually it was my mouth that was on fire from their Diablo Sauce. I love that sauce!!

After that I did some work. And then we did some house decorating. And then I went to target and bought things to redo Piper's room. I'll post some pictures soon once I get it all done. But it's super cute (and she loves it!). Following my Target trip, I went to my running group and did 5 miles in 96* heat. Oh Lord it was hot! I drank over 100 ounces of water on my run. And that was just during my run - I'd had probably another 100 ounces earlier in the day. I came home to find the boys had ordered some Papa John's pizza. But I wasn't really hungry. I think the heat had gotten to me. I ate one piece just to have something in my stomach, but wasn't inclined to eat more. And then this morning when I woke up, I had lost my 2 pounds that I gained Tuesday night.

We're going out again tonight - sans kids - so I'm sure we'll have some drinks and yummy food. I'm planning on trying to get in a run this afternoon before we go so that I can work off some of the calories I plan on taking in. I want to be able to enjoy my time with Karl and eat out and have fun, but I also really want to lose or at least maintain my weight. So this week might have ups and downs for my weight. I decided that I would relax my eating habits two nights during the trip (Tuesday and again tonight) and then watch what I'm eating the other 5 days. And to just make sure I'm still running and getting those calories burned off as much as I can.

Boredom, Running, Food, and Friends

The past week or two, I've really been struggling with boredom. I have things to do - like work, cleaning the house, minding the kiddos, going to my mom's groups, running, etc - but in my downtime, I've just been plain bored. I've found myself sitting on the couch just starring off into space and genuinely feeling bored. I haven't felt this way in a long, long time. I think part of it is that we had a few weeks where we were constantly doing something fun - family visits and two mom's groups play dates on the same day. Not a lot of downtime. Plus, I finished up a big grant about two weeks ago for work, and didn't have a lot of pressing things to do for work. I started reading 50 Shades of Grey and despite it being hailed as the best ever (and yes, it is QUITE steamy!), I just find myself not getting into it that much. So last night, I decided that I would get a new book (for my kindle) and make a list of things I'd like to get accomplished this summer. I'm still working on my list, but I did start reading the new Jennifer Weiner book. As usual, I'm hooked :) AND, on Friday I had a meeting via phone with my boss that got me motivated to write some more grants. On Sunday, Derek went and found a desk on craigslist for me. He even hooked me up with double monitors. I feel like I'm at work now when I do work. It's super nice!

My running is going good. I'm still right on track for the Tyler Rose Marathon. Although, I think my insistence that I *can* do this marathon is wavering a little. I looked at the elevation chart and read some reviews and it looks like it is a killer course. And not only is it a killer course, but signage for the run seems to be bad too. People were getting lost and cars were coming at runners. Safety is a big concern for me when I run, so I'm not sure if I want to do it or not. I would absolutely HATE to have a DNF on my record for my first marathon - or to have something happen (like get hit by a car or get incredibly lost!). I would be a little sad, to say the least. There is a 6.5 hour time limit on the marathon. I'm still going to train for the marathon, but I'm very anxious/curious to see how long it will take me to do 18-20 miles. I think when I get up to that distance, that will be my deciding factor as for if I will or will not do the October marathon. I'm worried that the hills will totally wipe me out and that I won't have enough time to finish. So, we'll see. I still want to do it, I'm just starting to be a little more realistic. I read that the second half is worse than the first half (hill wise), and that makes me a little hesitant. I am going to start training on hills this week, so maybe that'll make me a little more confident.

Today was my weigh-in for my "Lose a Marathon" weight loss challenge. I'm down a total of 4.8 pounds. Woo-hoo! It's looking like I'm losing roughly a pound a week, so I'm rethinking my original goal of a 26.2 pound weight loss and looking to lose a half marathon (13.1 pounds) as a more realistic goal. I think re-evaluating your goals is crucial to success and finishing strong. If you notice that your goal has become unrealistic - whether for weight loss or exercise or any other type of goal you have set for yourself - re-analyze your goal and change it if need be. This week, my goal is to at least maintain my weight and not gain. I have been giving myself small rewards for losing each week. This week I gave myself a new pair of running socks. For this coming week, if I maintain, I'm giving myself a new running skirt. If I lose, I'm getting a pedicure. So if you see some polished piggies - you'll know I had a loss! It's going to be a challenge because we have a friend coming into town and plan to eat out. A lot. My mini-goal for the week is to just keep writing everything down and being accountable for what I eat, and the exercise that I do.

Between my moms groups and my running group, I really feel like I'm starting to make friends here in Dallas. I am a strong believer that it takes about 6 months after you move somewhere to really start making it feel like "home." I'm happy to say that Dallas is feeling like home. In fact, I feel like this is where I belong. The sunshine makes me happy, being with my kids makes me happy, working from home for a great company and with even great co-workers makes me happy, being close to my sister and mom makes me happy, knowing that my husband has a fulfilling job makes me happy, and so does the fact that I feel like I have people here in Dallas that I can call my friends and could count on. Life is good, and I feel like I'm able to enjoy it in ways that I wasn't able to in Spokane. Maybe it's the fact that I don't work full time and have more time at home with my kids and family. I don't know what it is, but I do know that I love it and I'm happy here!

Five Things About Me

Here's a few tidbits about me. Because I'm bored.

1. I love to read. My favorite books are: Second Glance by Jodie Piccoult, The Mercy of Thin Air by Ronlyn Domingue, and The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood. My favorite authors, though, are Jodie Piccoult, Jennifer Weiner, and Kurt Vonnegut Jr.

2. In my professional life, I could teach CPR to 60 healthcare professionals and not bat an eye. Ask me to make small talk with those same 60 people, though, and I cringe at the thought of it! Funny how a shy person ended up with a job where you had to do public speaking on a regular basis. I even did news broadcasts about once a quarter and did a video segment for my work's video annual report. For the annual report thing, I even had a hair and make-up lady. Very posh - wish I had that everyday!!

3. When I hear a good song on the radio, I blast it. Well, when Danny and Piper aren't in the car anyway! Current faves are: Drive By by Train, Scream by Usher, and Bottoms Up by Trey Songz (this is my fave running song - makes we want to bust out dancing in the middle of my runs!).

4. I want to go to Australia someday. Really badly. Swimming with fish totally freaks me out, but I really want to go swim in the Great Barrier Reef. And see Ayers Rock. And say, "The dingoes stole my baby!"

5. I order weird drinks when I go to bars. I never know what I want, so I usually end up ordering off of the restaurant drink menu. I've ordered a drink called The Sloth before. It tasted as good as it sounds.