I made it...

I wonder if it is safe to take an entire bath in Biofreeze. 


Does that tell you how I feel after running my first 10K? :) 


My ankle hurts. I think I broke three toes on my left foot. 


And... I finished a 10K. I finished it in (around) 1 hour and 4 minutes. That's around 10 minutes per mile... not quite there, but close. 


I probably won't walk tomorrow, but hey... I finished it. :) 


It was really cold. It was perfect weather when I left Lexington... and by the time I made it 20 minutes to Georgetown, I discovered that it was about 10 degrees cooler and it was extremely windy. Clouds were rolling in... so I was pretty pumped that I brought my jacket. 


I waited around the orchard for over an hour. I hadn't pre-registered, so I was worried that if I didn't get there when they first opened registration, I'd be rushed or something. Never again. :) After sitting around for about an hour, we got ready to race. We went down to the road where the starting line was. There wasn't a HUGE crowd of runners or anything, so you could pretty much see everyone in the race really easily. 


The race started and I felt like I was going at a decent pace. There were lots of people in front of me, but there were quite a bit behind me, too. When we hit the 1 mile marker, I looked at my watch. I was under 9 minutes. No wonder I was feeling like I might have a stroke and die in the middle of the road. I slowed my pace (which is normally more like 10:30 per mile). People started to pass me. I got discouraged. The first 20 minutes of my race was truly a struggle. I couldn't find my rhythm or pace... I just struggled. The hills didn't help it any. Every time I thought I was getting into it, a hill would slow me down. It was hard. I was happy at the 3 mile marker, because I was at around 29 minutes, which means I was faster and could have beat my initial 5K time. But after that marker... I was alone. Not last (thankfully), but also not in the "fast" group of runners. I was just alone. For more than a mile, I ran without seeing another person running at all. 


I have commiserated with my fellow runners (Rebecca, Dawn, and Maria) about how mental running is. I never really knew HOW mental it is. But put me in a race and put a group of runners WAY ahead of me and another group far enough behind me that I can't see them, and I become a complete mental mess. :) Well, maybe that is a bit of an overstatement. Basically, my point is that I really need to run against people in a race in order to feel like I am racing. :) 


So, at mile marker 5, I heard someone coming up from behind me. He was a runner that was helping organize the event. He was running back to the finish line (not in the race, just running). He asked how I was doing and I panted that I was making it (barely). He said, "You're at about a 10 minute pace - doing good... want me to help keep you going?" I just begged him to stay where I could see him in front of me... if he needed to go faster, that was fine, but just seeing someone would help me gauge where I was and how fast I was going. He did. At mile marker 6, I had to turn up a gravel road to get to the finish line. It was uphill... and gravel. My ankle was killing me... so you can imagine how frustrating the gravel was. :) My buddy that had stayed in front of me had finished and he saw me coming to the last stretch. He raced me, saying, "Go harder, go harder," the whole time. It helped me so much. And I finished. 


And, for the first time ever since I started running, I wanted food, immediately after running. I hoofed down a banana faster than I ever have in my life. I also would have been happy to eat some apple crisp, but since my purse was in the car and I'd have to walk there and back to get one, I just decided to come home. 


I missed Rebecca (she couldn't come because Joseph was sick). It would have been nice to have her to run against... it helps tremendously. She probably would have kicked my butt, but still... having someone to race against would have been really nice. And, I really missed having her there when I was just hanging out waiting for the race to start. However... I met some really sweet runners, one of which was the women's overall winner and the other one won in her age group. I also saw a friend of mine and learned that she runs, too. 


And, if I had been 30 already (just a few more weeks), I would have won in my age group... by about 5 minutes. Oh well... instead, I'm 29 racing 25-year olds and getting my butt handed to me... not even placing. lol. :)


Dawn - I wish you could have been there to show up the 5K racers. I know you would have totally kicked butt. :)

OK... A 10K

As I have alluded to recently, I am trying to make my blog less about my running. It has been hard to do that. For one, I really like to blog about it because I feel like it makes me accountable for it. For, two, I really like to "keep it real" on here and just blog freestyle. That sounds like I'm talking about skateboarding or rapping or something. lol. But, I like to just get on here and really write what is going on in my head, however crazy that might be. So, bear with me while I share yet another running post. 


I might or might not have mentioned that I was training for a 10K that was originally scheduled for November. Since then, the race has been cancelled. I'm pretty sure I mentioned it, but if not, now you know. 


Anyway, a few weeks ago, when I found out that the race wasn't happening, I started searching for a 10K to replace it. It's getting cold out, people, and there are less races in the winter. I'm guessing weather might be a factor. lol. 


I started to run the CASA 10K with Rebecca, but decided I wasn't ready. And, I decided I could suck it up and get ready for a 10K by October 2 (TODAY!). I've been doing well with my running. I am getting faster. I am running further. I'm still not super speedy and I still can't run more than a 6-miler. But, I'm getting there. 


So, you can imagine my dismay when, once again, my ankle begins to hurt and swell this week. Seriously? SERIOUSLY? It's a week before a race. OF COURSE my ankle hurts. OF COURSE it does. 


I've rested it for three days. Let's hope it handles the race tonight. 


So, for those of you who are reading before 5:00 tonight, please say a little prayer that I pull through and finish my first 10K. I'd like to set a goal that I'll finish in an hour, but I'm just shooting for finishing tonight. I will keep you posted on how it goes. :) Thankfully, I'll have Rebecca running in front of me, so I'll have someone to try and keep up with. LOL!

Diva...

Can you tell I downloaded photos from my camera? :)


Well, I did for one very specific reason. I wanted to get a post about Bailey done tonight. Yet, instead, I've been entirely focused on Jake or running lately. I would feel guilty, but Bailey has a way of being the center of attention almost always. So, not guilty.


But, since we are on the subject of being the center of attention, I just can't pass up the chance to talk about her ballerina skills. On Monday, it was observation day at her ballet class. Jake and I were able to actually go into the studio to see the class (normally, we sit behind a mirrored glass) and watch, but we can't really hear anything and I'm normally chatting it up with the other parents so much that I miss a lot.


Our daughter is hilarious. Adorable. A diva at heart. And not flexible at all. Well, maybe sometimes she is, but for the most part, she is just like me. Her knees bend every time she tries to touch her toes, no matter what. And that just sucks for her... she'll spend a lot of her life wondering why in the world other people can touch their toes without bending their knees while she just can't. Trust me. I know... things like cheerleading, gymnastics, and ballet require such abilities. lol. Fortunately, she will eventually chalk it up to something like "I have tight leg muscles because I'm so strong" or something equally as ridiculous. :) Or maybe, just maybe, she'll learn to be flexible. I learned to train my body to get faster... surely, she can be more flexible with time, if she wants to. :)


The best part about watching Bailey was to see her really enjoy ballet. She had the whole ballerina attitude, as I am sure you will notice in some photos. She truly tries really hard to do what the teacher says. And, honestly, she's not bad. She's a little stiff, but she's not bad at all. She's bigger than most kids in her class (at school and ballet), so it seems strange seeing her in comparison to these tiny girls. I'm sure that's something else she will deal with as she gets older, but I don't know. I was always a big kid, but I don't remember it being an issue, so maybe not. Everyone always thinks she's a year or two older than she is. In any case, she was a doll... and she loved to send me funny, posing-style looks when she saw me holding up the camera. Of course she posed. If the camera is on, Bailey is ON.


Anyway, it was a lot of fun to see her in this element. I love how she loves ballet, but more than that, I love how her personality fits whatever sport she is doing. In t-ball, she's all rough and tumble. In ballet, she's prissy and girly, with tons of attitude. At school, she's the complete teacher's pet and best listener ever (that is an entirely different post in and of itself).  At home, she's just plain spoiled. :)


My favorites from Monday...

Football... Nope. Futbol.

I think I mentioned that Jake is playing football. Oops. I wish that was right. It's actually soccer that he's playing. But, c'mon, guys. He's only three. As much as we might love to, we can't tape his pants and pads on and I'm pretty sure that they don't make shoulder pads in a size 2T. :)


Until then (hopefully), we have Jake in a sport that he really seems to love - soccer. 


He did so much better last week than I expected him to. He and the other players, including our little buddy, Joseph, did a really good job. It was a lot of fun to watch them. Be prepared... I'm sure there will be more funny stories, photos, and maybe, if I can ever get organized enough, a video or two. :) 


To treat you to the view, here are some photos of little man (and some of Joseph) playing ball. 

My UK football game experience..

So, a few weeks ago, I posted about marking one thing off my list... going to a UK football game. You can read it here. :) 


As you will undoubtedly notice, I didn't tell you much about it. I guess because there's not a ton to say. It was great fun with great friends, food and drink. And, despite beating WKU pretty badly, it was a pretty decent game to watch. Well, OK... I like the close ones a little better, so I was ready to go by the end of the 3rd quarter. But, I'm happy that UK won, especially since it was my first game there! 


Anyway, I wanted to post some pics, since I've yet to do that. 


So, here you go. You can tell that we had a good time, especially Brad. lol. 

Seriously, our poor kids will have crow's feet... um about now. :) We both have them so bad... and gray hair, too. Boo. :)

Learnin' a thing or two...

When I announced that I was going to train to run a 5K last May, I never expected this. I never expected to become addicted to running. I thought it would be something I would do to mark of my list and then I'd go on with life. But, as you all know from reading over that past several months, running has become a really large part of my life. I would venture to say that I'm slightly obsessed with it. Brad would probably say that I'm completely obsessed with it. 

In any case, it is a good thing to be addicted to. It's helping me to be healthier. It's helping me to lead by example when I encourage the kids to be physically active. I expected these things to happen. I expected better calf muscles and ab muscles and even to lose a little weight. But there are so many things that I have learned during the past few months that I never expected to learn. So, since I'm dying to blog about running, but sick of just blogging my stats on here, I figured I'd post about all the things I've learned (that I can think of) since I started running. :) 

• I'm not too old to run through a sprinkler.... and laugh like a little girl over it. No, I won't run through it if one of the old men living in our neighborhood encourages me, because that's just weird. But, if there's a sprinkler on and it sprays over the sidewalk (and no one is watching), I will try to plan my pace to get a good spray to cool me down. 
• The band Third Eye Blind has the most perfect album (yes, from the 90s) to run to. It has a good pace, but speeds up on certain songs, just enough to keep me going. And, despite some of the lyrics, including one that talks about ashes from a cigarette blowing into his girlfriend's eyes and her laughing about it (completely unrealistic unless he's dating a blow up doll), I actually like to sing along... but only in my head. 
• I have to have a laundry basket that separates our post-running and post-basketball clothes from our regular clothes. Yes, if our clothes smell soured, it's because one of our socks made it into the wrong basket. It's disgusting. 
• There are certain neighbors that should buy a tree trimmer. Period. We are included in that. :)
• Men runners suck. They can make running look so easy. One guy that I ran behind yesterday was about a block ahead of me and he was just casually jogging. I was running as fast as I could and could not keep up with him. And, he wasn't even winded. 
• The first mile always makes me feel like I'm 80. No matter how much I mentally prepare and physically prepare to go run, I always feel like I'm going to die during the first mile. Glad Rebecca said she feels the same way, but I'm disappointed that it doesn't sound like that changes no matter how far you can run.
• There are plateaus... it seems like once I get past a certain point on each run, I could run forever. I call them plateaus, but I'm not sure if that's the right word. 
• I run better and faster when I have someone to run with. And, it's a lot more fun. 
• I now completely understand the term "competing against yourself." I mean, sure, I understood it before, but I never felt like I could be motivated by competing against my own time. Maybe I will like golf more than I expected. 
• There are tons of people in our neighborhood that walk and run. Most of them are the same people that walk and run everyday. I don't know any of their names, but they know me and I know them. 
• I can actually get faster. I didn't really think so, but I can... 
• Google has a program that allows you to measure walking distance on the sidewalks. It pops up as one of my most frequently used pages. :) 
• I have memorized how far it is to just about any spot in our neighborhood, and I can actually plan out my route down to a tenth of a mile without even looking at Google, but I always just confirm it to be sure. 
• I am constantly in need of a pedicure. Constantly.
• On days that I run, I could eat an entire house full of food. And, for a change, I don't want junk food. I want good food... and weird combinations of it. Tonight, I ate the remaining grapes (like half a bag or so), string cheese, a spoonful of peanut butter, and a banana. And, I was still hungry. Poor Brad has to deal with me then... you know, me + hungry = total psycho witch. He got an earful about not helping me with the dishes or taking out the trash. Two minutes after I ate, I was fine. :)
• Papa John's pizza is not good to eat before you run. Even if you eat it three hours prior to running. It's just not good.
• Planning trips and weekend events now includes research on where I will run, when I will run, and how far I am "scheduled" to run. And, among my favorite websites, I now watch John's Run/Walk Shop Race Calendar almost as much as I check things out on Facebook. :) We are making a trip to Columbia, South Carolina for a wedding later this fall. I have to run 8 miles that weekend. Let me know if anyone has suggestions on where I can run. 
• Only certain people really get it when you are excited about running. Most of them are runners. My family and friends that don't run are happy for me, but they don't understand the high. I didn't understand it either. So, guys, it's OK that you don't know what to say when I tell you what I ran last night. I just want to tell someone. And, thank God for Dawn and Rebecca for listening to me complain and celebrate about each little itty bitty thing. :) 
• Oh... and running on Wednesday nights in our neighborhood can be stinky. Everyone puts their trash out on Wednesday nights, so I need to plan for Wednesdays to be my regularly scheduled "trail" runs (not trails like in the woods, trails like in the park). I always forget until it's too late. 
• And, finally, I have learned that no matter how far I run or how I fast I run, I always want to go farther and faster. I'm not sure that will ever change. 10K on October 2... Half marathon in April... then... nope. I still can't commit to a marathon. But, the more I run, the more I think it is probably inevitable. Or I will have to actually buy a bike. Right now, the marathon sounds much cheaper. :)

Status: Updated

I feel the need to blog. I want to write. I want to tell you all about everything. But, in all honesty, I feel like a broken record. 


We've been busy. 


We are tired. 


I have run (a lot). 


The kids are growing like crazy and doing every activity imaginable.


My husband rocks. 


I love my friends. 


I love my family. 


I am healthy.


I am blessed.

The end. :) 


Just kidding. Although, it does kind of feel that way sometimes. I guess a lot of times when I sit down to write, I think about all that we are doing and I write from that perspective. So, sometimes, I feel like my posts end up feeling like status updates (really long ones) instead of emotional posts. There's not anything wrong with these status updates, but sometimes I even get bored writing them, so I feel like someone out there just HAS to be bored reading it. lol. 


However, I am going to keep posting. :)


In thinking about where we left off, Jake did better at preschool on Thursday. He didn't cry when I left him, because he was busy playing with a train set. However, he assured me later that he did cry to Mrs. M once I was gone. :) He wants me to feel like crap... I am certain. 


Friday was wonderful for him... he spent the entire day in his pajamas, playing with his toys. I cleaned the house and we picked up Bailey from school. Then, Joseph and Paul came over while Rebecca and I ran. And, I ran 5 miles (nothing in comparison to Rebecca's 10 miles). It was the farthest I have run, so I was pretty excited. And exhausted. 


Saturday, we had our first soccer practice for Jake and Joseph's team. They were great. Brad and Paul are the coaches, and in comparison to the spring, all four of the boys were much more prepared. :) The kids really did well (all of them). Jake whispered to me after it was over, "Can we please play again?" Apparently, he loves it. And, then it was off to tailgate for the day. The kids had a great time hanging out with some other kids where we tailgated. We grilled hot dogs and hamburgers and relaxed. It was a beautiful day and the kids really enjoyed it as much as we did. When the game was about to start, we packed everything up. Bailey and I headed home, and Brad and Jake headed to the ballgame. Now, I am going to do an emotional post about this one... :) It means so much to have that male bonding time. And, I can totally tell you what a sap I am when I see a dad with his little boy going to a football game. :) More about that in a bit. :) 


And, then there was Sunday. Late on Saturday night, I decided that I was going to get up and run the 10K with Rebecca, despite my aversion and nervousness. It's 6.2 miles. I ran 5 on Friday. Surely, I could run 6.2, even if I had to walk a little. Well... Sunday morning, I decided not to. My legs had hurt all night long and I wasn't feeling up to it. I did, however, go and run that morning and was able to run 4 miles. I was reassured that I made the right choice by not going. My legs were too tired and I totally would not have been able to push through and run 6.2. So, that was the early part of Sunday. 


We spent the day at home, relaxing, doing laundry, and playing in the yard, until that evening. Bailey and Jake had a t-ball game, so we were off to the ballpark, again. :) They did well. Bailey played first base. I don't really understand what the coach was thinking. She can't really catch that well. At all. She ducked twice when the ball was thrown to her. lol. Fortunately, it only lasted an inning. Brad really tried to help her and she really tried to listen. She's just not ready for first base. lol. Jake did well hitting and running, but the outfield was another story. For example, I have cleat mark bruises on my shins from picking him up off the ground a few times and him kicking me. Needless to say, he sat in the dugout in "timeout" a couple of times. It was a very long ballgame.I was ready to kill my son by the end of the game. We are on the countdown now. I know that sounds terrible, but we only have 4 more games. Fall ball has not been nearly as fun as spring. It has been great for Jake, in that he has had an opportunity to learn without being in a competitive environment. It has been good for Bailey, because she's had opportunities to play in the in-field a lot. By the same token though, had we practiced more, I think she would have learned more. And, I have to think that if they gave her one position to focus on instead of moving her to each position on the field, she would learn how to play that one position well. Oh well...  Brad and I are both ready to get back to the spring season, where we have regular practices and games that actually keep score. But before that, we are ready for a break from t-ball. :) 


And, that catches you up on our lives. :) 


Status: Updated. 

Just slightly tired...

It has been a busy and fun-filled weekend, but I am exhausted. It could be the near 10-mile walk that I took tonight on the Legacy Trail with Rebecca and Dawn. We had very good intentions to run, but well, we enjoyed a long walk instead. 


I don't know about Rebecca and Dawn, but I was starting out kind of tired. On Friday, I made a quick trip to Grayson to drop off the kids to my mother-in-law. Then, I turned around and headed home. This was after a day full of cleaning and volunteering at Bailey's school. When I got home, Brad and I took advantage of having no children at home and went on a run. It was the first time we've ran together... um... I think ever. :) It was nice running with him, even if I felt like I was making him take baby steps the entire way. We joked that I walk faster than I run, but I proved that wrong on our three-hour trek tonight. lol. Anyway, we got cleaned up and had a date night and finished the night off having miniature heart attacks watching the WVU/Marshall game. Oh... and if you didn't know, WVU won. 


We woke up on Saturday, after sleeping in, which was fabulous, and quickly got ready to grocery shop and run a few errands so that we could make our way to marking one more thing off of my list... watching a UK football game. Of course, to complete this experience, tailgating had to be involved. And, it was. We had a great time, tailgating for about 5 hours before the game, and then watching UK beat WKU easily from our seats 5 rows back in the end zone. We were pretty happy campers. 


We got home, gave Paul and Brad a hard time for crashing out before we could actually go out to a bar, and then I, too, found my pillow. 


Then, we got up early this morning and went to pick up our kiddos, who were completely exhausted from their fun-filled weekend at the Septemberfest and spending time with grandparents (on both sides) and cousins. 


All of that + Ending the day with that three-hour walk = one really tired Andrea. :) 


Is it the weekend yet?

Rain, rain, go away???

Earlier this morning, I sat down with my calendar (planning is key) and compared it with the most wonderful, fabulous training plan that Dawn gave me before my gallbladder decided to give me such a wonderful time. It is an eight-week plan to get me running a 10K at the speed I'd like to run it (around 10 minutes per mile). I mapped out my plan so that I can run a 10K in the middle of November. And I wasn't that shocked to see that I need to be running 4 miles, 4 times a week next week. Sigh. I'm sure that it will not be easy. But, I wouldn't want to do it if it was easy, right? Everyone would do it then.


It is a little nerve-wracking, seeing that I haven't ran that much in the past month or so. But, it's a goal. A goal that means I needed to run tonight. No matter what. Because otherwise, my schedule just will fall apart. Maybe not completely, but it would sure feel that way and stressing over this is the LAST thing I want to do. 

The sky was black. The kids and I had gone to a PTA meeting (yes, I live in THAT world now) and when we came back to the car, the ground was wet. It looked like it was just the beginning of a huge storm. A storm that our grass is dying of thirst for. A storm that was blowing in and testing me and my tenacity. 

Brad got home a few minutes after us and I was ready to go running. He laughed when I told him to come get me if a downpour came. Bailey was freaking out that I was going to get soaked and kept telling me not to go. I think she's terrified of being struck by lightning. I guess I shouldn't have told her about my papaw being struck by lightning twice in his life (it didn't kill him, cancer did). 

I didn't listen to Bailey, but I was really thinking the first five minutes out there that I have the smartest kid in the world and that I totally should listen to her more. :) What idiot goes running outside when the clouds are pitch black and when lightning was striking a few miles away. That would be me. 

I started running. The wind felt wonderful. I was really happy to be running. It felt great. I had no pain in my side and, despite the looming clouds overhead, it was the perfect temperature. I was kind of racing the storm. I honestly think it helped. I ran for 2.25 miles in 25 minutes. Straight. Without stopping. I couldn't believe it. I really thought I might be able to make it to the 2 mile mark, but I wasn't sure. I was really worried about it. But, now I'm convinced. I can do 3 miles on Thursday. I can do 4 miles by Sunday. And I will do 4 miles on 4 occasions next week. I can do this. Come one... pray for me. I'm hoping I can do this. Positive thinking, right?! :) 

Goals always help me. 

Labor Day Weekend

I normally like to plan things. Oh whatever... I know you guys know that. What? You couldn't tell that from the fact that I have a list to live my life by? Please. I know I don't have to explain my planning nature to you guys. You know how I am. I can't help it that I'm like this. I just am. 

Of course, my Labor Day weekend has been in the planning process for a couple of weeks. I had it all planned out. And it was packed with action. On Friday, we'd go to a t-ball game, get our boat out of the water, and then bring it to Lexington. We'd get up early on Saturday morning, take the boat to Louisa, go out on the lake there, camp out, and travel back to Lexington to go to a t-ball game on Sunday afternoon. Then, we'd have a cook out on Monday. 

Well, Brad isn't a planner. And sometimes his opinion actually does have some weight in our plans. You know, every now and then. Like, when he decides that I have planned way too much for a weekend. :) He said he was worried that he wouldn't have enough time to have a heart attack if he needed to in the weekend that I was planning. Whatever, Brad.

You already know where this is going, don't you? 

So... our weekend plans changed. The weather was too cool to be swimming/boating. And, my hubby took full advantage of that to get us out of camping out with the kids. Or get him out of it, because I was really interested in going. But, I wasn't dead set on it happening this weekend. Something about sleeping on the ground when it was actually going to be in the 40s on Saturday night just didn't sound that great.

But, I was NOT about to sit in the house all weekend and do nothing. Period. 

This is how our weekend actually happened. On Friday, we went to the kids' t-ball game (see this blog post for more on that). On Saturday, we got up, finished cleaning the house, and packed up the cooler. We hopped in the truck and made our way to Raven Run to spend the day hiking, picnicking, and enjoying the beautiful, cool day. It was wonderful. We hiked about 5 miles. The kids enjoyed it and did really well. Bailey walked all of it and Jake walked most of it. We saw butterflies and a snake (just a green one). It was the kids' first experience in hiking in the woods, which was funny for me. I never imagined that it would be a milestone for my kids to play in the woods. It is something we did almost every day growing up and it was definitely something that I loved. More than anything that I miss about the country, I miss being able to go and wander in the hills for hours enjoying nature. I love the peaceful quietness of the hills. Everything about it just relaxes me and makes me happy. I love to see all the little perfections of the world... all the things we forget about every day. So, needless to say, it was really nice to get out and enjoy this while being so close to home. Of course, once again, I think I enjoyed everything about this more than Brad and the kids. They seemed to have fun, but I always just feel like I am savoring it all a little more than them. :) I think it is just my personality or something. We finished the night with roasted marshmallows over the fire pit. A perfect end to the perfect day. 

On Sunday, we spent the day with family. My parents came down in the morning and hung out with us and went with us to see the kids play t-ball. Brad's mom, Kathy, and James came down to meet us at the field to watch the game, too. After the game, we hung out with them and went out for dinner. Then, they headed home and me, Brad, and the kids came home. We all had to get ready for our Labor Day celebration with our friends. (Really, we just wanted to lay on the couch and watch movies). 

And that brings us to today... we had a great time with wonderful friends. Cilla, Bret, Paul, Rebecca, Joseph, Dawn, Brandon, Jackson, and Carson all came over to have dinner, drinks, and dessert. The kids had a great time playing together (although I'm quite sure the boys will one day ambush Bailey for being such a tattle tale and a bossy big sister). The guys all seemed to enjoy hanging out in front of the TV, as they claimed it was too hot outside to eat out there (we know it was really all about the football game that was on). And I had a great time hanging out with the girls. It's so nice having friends to relax and be yourself with. I hope the girls loved it as much as I did... especially since we are planning a girls night next week! I can't wait. 

That's our weekend in a nutshell. Normally I would have been disappointed that my plans didn't come together, but I have to say, this weekend ended up being perfect. Maybe, just maybe, I'll listen to Brad a little more when he says I've tried to plan too much in a weekend. 

Errr.... nobody hold your breath on that one. lol. I also have control issues.

My other love

The fall weather is in the air. There's a fresh cloud of moisture on the windshield and the air is just chilly enough to feel like fall. It is almost here. I've blogged before about the fall. I love it. I love all the seasons really, but there's something special about the fall. I love the feeling of the air, the smell of the moisture, the beautiful colors of the trees when they change... all of it.


But none of that compares to the feeling I get when I walk up to a stadium full of people and see a football team on the field. The ACDC blaring over the loud speakers, the smell of popcorn, team colors on little boys that dream to be on that field, and big bows and cheerleading outfits on baby girls who will grow up and stand on that sideline... it all just thrills me. I can feel it deep down... and my adrenaline just rushes and I can't help but smile. I just love football. It's happiness for me.


If only Bailey were a boy... :)


I drove past a field of kids practicing the other day. I wished with everything in me that we were there instead of the t-ball field. Not that I don't love t-ball... I'm just passionate about football. I pray that Jake loves it like us... because I really NEED him to play. lol. Not really... I'm not the parent that will push him to do it even if he doesn't want to, but I really have to admit that I want him to want to. I really want him to want to. :)  I can't help it... I just love football.


But, until Jake is ready, if he ever decides to be (hopefully when he's young, but we'll settle for eventually), we will go support UK and watch our fill of ball on TV (Go Mountaineers). I'll pick my fantasy football team and watch players I've never heard of before, hoping they'll score or not score so that I can come out a winner at the end of the weekend. I hope I can get back home to see my brother's stepsons play at some point this fall. It's so much fun to see a little kid learning what to do on the field. It's just so much fun...


We will patiently wait with hope that we will be soon enough watching Jake on the football field, spending our time teaching him about options, bootleg passes, blitzes, and end-arounds. And, most likely how to avoid getting hit or at least how to take a hit by some really big kids since he's really small. :) Tough or not... a big kid on top of him isn't exactly what I'm excited about seeing. :)

A Proud Mama...

We had a t-ball game tonight. Jake was all about it. Well, all about it for Jake. He was ready to play, which also meant that he wanted to run in circles in the outfield and wanted me to race him to the fence in the outfield and all  that. He did really well... he hit the ball really well, but forgot to run. He made it to first on all three at-bats (after some prodding to get to first), though, so we were really proud. And, he made it all the way around the bases to home two of the three times. So, we were definitely calling it a success. Our whole goal for fall ball has been to get him hitting the ball and understanding how to run the bases. Fielding will come as he gets a little older and more used to the concept... offense is what he needs the most right now. :) He did get the ball in the outfield once though! After attempting the throw with his left hand, he decided to pick it up where it fell and actually throw it in. He got it into the infield, which worked for us! 

Bailey also did great. She played 2nd and 3rd base and did well paying attention. Oh, no worries, there was no shortage of twirling, but she did really well. She is learning so much about fielding, which she loves. She is so funny about it, because she still loves to talk to the players on the other team and she still does her little dancing moves when she's out there. So, I asked her tonight if she liked playing infield and she said, "I love it... it's not as boring as the outfield." :) 

I was just proud of them both. They are having fun and figuring it all out, which makes it more fun for us. And, us bragging on them like crazy is just making them love playing more. lol. 

And. I. Am. Back.

I ran tonight. Finally.


I was really scared before I ran. Nervous. I even started to put it off for one more day, just to make sure I wouldn't hurt. I was really worried I'd start running and feel the exact same pain I had before. The first time my side had hurt with my gallbladder was when I ran. How horrible would it be if it happened each time I ran? I was worried. But, I went ahead and ran. 


It felt great. I ran about 8 minutes before I had to stop to walk (I almost made it a mile). I took a couple of minutes to recover, ran another 5 minutes, walked for a minute, ran 5 more minutes, and then walked for 5 more minutes. It wasn't ideal. I was hoping I'd run without any pain and without needing to walk. One can dream, right? I had some pain in my side, especially at the end. So, instead of pushing through and going the full 3 miles that I had planned, I went about 2 miles. Although I was hoping it would be easier and I'd be able to go for longer, I'm really pleased that I didn't feel like I had to start all over. I was scared that I was going to have to go through the entire Couch to 5K program again. I don't think I could have handled that emotionally at all. :) 


So, I'm BACK! I am looking online now for the next 5K that I want to run in and I'm hoping to find a 10K at the end of October/beginning of November. If you have any suggestions, please send them my way... I'm hoping that my body will cooperate and I can work up to the half marathon that I was planning to run this spring. And, no, Rebecca, don't even think about pressuring me to run the half marathon with you in October. There's no way. :) 

Fall Ball Game One...

I started writing one blog post and ended up not really wanting to, so I am now writing a totally different one. So, I'm tired. :) That's good news for those of you who get sick of my rambling. :) 


I feel like I'm far behind on my blogging. It happens quickly when you are busy! I haven't written because we have been going full force all weekend and now I have even more things to write about... a good thing, I think. :) 


Our first t-ball game for the fall season was on Sunday. I was really wondering how Jake and Bailey would both do. I was worried about Jake for obvious reasons... he's three... and a young three at that. He is stubborn and moody and you just never know what you are going to get with Jake. He's just Jake. There's no explanation and no way we will ever be able to force him to do anything... so we just have to let him be himself and hope for the best. :) You can imagine my concern when he declared on Saturday evening that he wasn't going to play in his t-ball game because he didn't want to get hot. He also has been known to hold the bat practically limp at the plate and barely swing at the ball, despite the fact that he's actually very capable of hitting the ball and hitting it well. It doesn't seem to matter what we do, he's going to do this on his terms. It's quite funny, except that it's not going to be funny when he gets older and won't change. But, what do you do? I don't know yet... but I'll let you know if and when I figure that out. 


I was also worried about how Bailey would do in the game, because they are putting her in the in-field some. She's never played the in-field in a game situation. I wasn't even sure if she would know what to do with the ball when she got it. 


So, Sunday was interesting, but very good. Brad had to physically restrain Jake in the outfield a few times (but no more than the other parents of three- and four-year olds). Jake complained, don't get me wrong. He acted like he was going to roast out there (and it was really hot). But, he stayed on the field, thanks to his daddy. He also hit the ball really well. He didn't run to first base at all, even with us all yelling for him to, so he got out twice. But, he hit the ball on the first try each time and hit it almost to third base on his second at-bat. We have to make him understand to run... so that's our new goal now that he's actually swinging. :) 


Bailey did great. She made her fair share of mistakes, like throwing the ball to home instead of first base. However, she had never played pitcher before, so I was pretty happy with how she did. She went after the ball when she was supposed to and really seemed to enjoy having a chance to actually get some action. Maybe she just needed to be on a team where she was forced to step up and play. She also got two really nice hits. 


I was really proud of them and so happy that they had fun with it. Bailey really seemed to enjoy it a lot. Jake enjoyed portions of it, but he's still not sure about it all. I think he's coming around though. It's tough for him to be in structured situations, so I'm really happy with how he's doing. And, of course, the reason I was wanting to write about this anyway... pictures. :) 

Month of Waiting = Over

I am ready to celebrate. I feel alive. I am not waiting on things right now (at least not entirely). I am just happy. Content. Not waiting... impatiently on much. :)


And, even better, I just ate wonderful asian zing wings and potato wedges for lunch. I actually don't feel hungry for at least the first time in a month. And... I'm not sick. At all. I feel great. 


I'm not perfectly over the surgery. I'm still having some trouble with my side, but the doctor told me today that it is probably just a little inflammation on my diaphragm (for those of you who don't know anatomy - that's the band of muscle that separates your chest from your abdomen). It just hurts when I take a deep breath. But, with some ibuprofen, I'm OK. It should heal quickly. 


The doctor gave me some other great news... I can run again! I didn't expect it to come for a couple more weeks, but he says I'm good to go. I can't lift anything heavy for a while longer, but running is fine. He also told me that my gallbladder pathology revealed that my gallbladder was diseased, which means that once I get over these little humps, I should be fine. It feels so good to hear that! 


And, more good news... Jake's Early Start evaluation was today. Basically, to qualify for the program his score had to be 75 or lower. He scored a 76. They would have let him come into the program two days a week for two hours, but the speech therapist and I talked about it for a long time. He has made so much progress in the last month. It seems like since Bailey has gone to school and he has had some significant one-on-one time with us and his grandparents while I was out sick last week, he has improved so much. So, I kind of expected him to do better at this evaluation than he did at the last one. And, I was right. The therapist gave me a bunch of information and activities to help work with him at home. She recommended that we work with him over the next four weeks at home and see if he improves. She gave us specific things to focus on and if he isn't progressing, we can re-evaluate and put him into the program at any time in the near future. 


This is a great relief to me. I feel like I was right to get him some assistance, but I am also not sitting here worrying that he's going to have to struggle to catch up and be where he needs to be. It's a good place to be... to feel like we caught it early enough to make an easy adjustment, but we aren't having to make a huge lifestyle change for him either. 


So, yes... I'm ready to celebrate. The month of waiting for results and of me being entirely impatient... is OVER. :) I have one more doctor's appointment to go to for a physical. This one will be to re-evaluate everything without my gallbladder and see if I am still showing signs of Sjogren's Syndrome. If I am, then I'll have to go down that road. But, I'm not worrying about it. And, I'm not feeling impatient about it. It's there, in the back of my mind, but I am so prepared for it that I'm just feeling good. If I have that, or something similar, I can deal with it. I can live with it. It just leaves me with a loose end... but not one that is controlling my life like this stupid gallbladder seems to have done. :) 


Finally... I feel like a normal person again. I'm celebrating... :)