Happy First Blogaversary to ME!

Yes, it is true, it has been a year since my first post, and I think I really dig this whole blog thing! I mean, I get to write, I find myself entertaining, and sometimes my readers agree...

We've come a long way, done quite a few events and races I didn't think I would be capable of, had experiences I wouldn't have imagined, and I look forward to sharing all my adventures and mishaps with you for a long time to come...

So to celebrate, I have just a little something special for 1 lucky reader. If you love free stuff, which I know I do, visit my Blogaversary Giveaway & enter today!

Oh Love, How I love to love you...

It's funny, I was thinking this morning, how much I love my daughter, as she blew raspberries and giggled in the backseat. I also thought how much I loved my husband, and how fortunate we are to have such as strong and awesome relationship. I haven't seen Joshua a lot, with my schedule and his new-found interest - Track (which I am oh so proud of), but I love him too, even with his nonstop barrage of emails, containing listing of cars he wishes would magically appear in the driveway.

Then I started thinking about how today is Valentines Day, or maybe best described as a Hallmark holiday. Now, don't get me wrong, celebrating your love for someone (romantic or platonic) is a wonderful thing - I just think (and this is my opinion, we can agree to disagree) you should probably do it more often, and with less expense and hoopla.

2 Races, 1 Day, 0 Regrets

We are in trouble - she's on the move!

 Ringing in the new year, well honestly I was fast asleep when the ball dropped, I am assuming it did. Gabriella was sick with a fever on Friday, and well I think she shared. Saturday, after being at the fitness center from 645am-3pm, I really started feeling so blah. So for New Years Eve, it was an exciting night of herbal tea, pj's and asleep by 930pm.

I really didn't know how I might feel for the first day of 2012. When I woke up the next morning, I was still not 100%. I debated whether or not I could or more so, would take my sniffling, sneezing, coughing, aching runner butt to this Prediction Run 5k. The event started at 10am, so admittedly, I had a few hours to go through the pros and cons.

Pro: I have paid my money to the Virtual Run Against Cancer, and I have bought the canned goods for the Prediction Run.

Con: I feel like a dirty sock... I want to sit in a hot shower until the feeling of fever dissipates

Pro: If I get out and run, I will ultimately feel better

Con: If I sit around the house, I will likely feel worse and then guilty and regretful for not just putting on my big girl panties and doing the run...

Go! Go! Go! Gabby!

So that is what I did... I got dressed to include my latest hot pink Bondi Band, adorning the phrase "One Hot Mess", I thought it fitting given my situation...

My predicted time was 29:15, my actual time was 30:29, so I was 1:14 off... I guess if I was 100% I would have been closer but honestly, it was more about supporting the Running Club and the local food bank. I was hopeful that I'd get an AG award, but it was by closest prediction time and apparently there were many in the 30-39 group that had a better grasp on their own paces...

The run itself was 3 loops around the lake, which can be discouraging, like when you get lapped. I struggled with my breathing as Tonya and I fell further and further behind an 8 year old girl. I really can't decide which is worse, I suppose neither are bad... for them...I guess I am happy to see kids out running races and I will always be lapped by a dude with legs longer than my entire vertical existence. I dragged my tail around the lake, each time reminding myself that I am almost done, it's only 3.1 miles... short run, no biggie, just a warm up...lol It wasn't an awesome run, I didn't get that light as a feather feeling, but I got it done.


After I finished the race, Stephen & I took Gabriella to the park and she got in one of those little cars, but the one swing she could use was broken and the slides were too big... but it was enjoyable to just be outside, since it was freakishly warm for Jan 2nd... who wouldn't want to be enjoying 70 degrees? The sun was shining, the ghetto doves (pigeons) were out seeking scraps from the tons of people out and about taking advantage of the warm new year day! It really is refreshing to see so many active people out, especially the kids...

My Cheerleaders!

My second race, well it really wasn't like I ran two separate races, just supported two causes in one day. The Virtual Race Against Cancer supporting a fellow Team in Training member who was also working with Relay for Life. If she reached her fundraising goal (which she did), she is going to shave her head in May...Oh I cannot wait to see that!

So by the end of the day, I had run to support 2 causes, taken down the 6 window wreaths, 5 inflatables, 4 spotlights and we finally moved Gabby's playhouse from the in-laws to our Carolina room. We also flipped the carpet so my office is now defined as the wooden space and Gabby's space & house has wall to wall carpet!

I really couldn't ask for a better way to kick off this new year than to spend most of the day, outside, with my family... and I did end up feeling much better!

Mothers Day...

I was planning this deeply thought out, sentimental blog about moms, being a mom and everything about mothering...I feel a little bad because I just didn't have time (I am a mom) and now it's almost 10pm, I am finally on the computer and pumping (multi-tasking - yay!), and for whatever reason, I am just not feeling all that mushy... I guess what I can say is, never did I think I would so freely pick someones nose, catch their puke in my hand, and deal with huge explosions of doo doo (cover this in a minute)...all with vigilance and without contemplation...I am a mom, and I wouldn't trade it for anything in the world!

This Mothers Day was different from those in the past since this is Gabriella' first! Boy she wanted to make sure she spent as much of this day with me as possible...how you ask? She was up every 2-3 hours last night...

Despite being sleep deprived, I had an enjoyable day. We went out to breakfast and then to the mall, I was going to get those Brooks Trance 10's but then the store didn't even carry them! During our visit to NY&Co. (I had some city cash to spend), Stephen informed me that Gabriella was stinking up the joint & he was going to change her (he is an awesome dad), so I took my phone out of the stroller incase he needed me...lol Well, about 5 minutes later the emergency call for back up was received! Now yesterday we took her to doctors care for her eye (puffy yucky junk) and she exploded...

I found myself reaching up to change her on a changing station made for someone 6 ft tall, only to find we had 1 wipe left & it was dried up! I felt like if this whole episode was on camera, we could have won FHV..I was using tisses and water to clean her off...it was a mess! Before we left today I grabbed the wipes from my bag and also put in more clothes & diapers... Well lets say when I found Stephen, his first words were - "We are out of wipes!"... the seat, the stroller, my princess's new outfit - destroyed... *sigh*

We spent the rest of the afternoon with the family, relaxing a little. We headed home to prepare for a BBQ dinner. It was about 5:30pm when I was convinced (by Stephen) that it was perfectly fine for me to go on my run... everyone was going to be over around 6, but I really needed to do this - it was the virtual Run Like A Mother 5k...

I had the t-shirt, now I just had to get out there... So I get ready, step outside and the rain drops start. Stephen looked at me and said, just go run! So I took on the motto of the post office like it wasn't Sunday and hit the road! It didn't rain long, although after it stopped - I wish it would have kept going - holy humidity batman! I managed to crank out a 9:29 pace, ran 3.25 miles in 30:51...all the while thinking about everyone coming to the house, and here I am, out running! That and the smell of BBQ all over the hood was making me hungry!

Well I will say this, I had an awesome Mothers Day. My sweet hubby made it so special, and I got to have dinner with my mom and mother-in-law too! It was a great day filled with food, shopping and a fabulous run... I really couldn't ask for anything more... so as far as being sentimental, I say, I enjoy Mothers Day - everyday... I love my family and know how loved I am... I celebrate that every day of my life. So it might not be the big outpouring of feelings, but hey - not everything is a Hallmark.

Happy Mothers Day all you Mothers!