Need I say more?
Friday, July 23, 2010
Broke my blog...
*Sigh* In trying to change my background, I broke my blog. My archives and blogs I read are now at the bottom and I can't figure out how to fix it. My picture at the top is not centered which drives me CRAZY. I do like that my posts are wider, but the rest is bugging me.
Buuuut, I do have an awesome little boy to perk me up. We've been having so much fun together, I can't even let myself think about what happens in three short weeks. =(
Buuuut, I do have an awesome little boy to perk me up. We've been having so much fun together, I can't even let myself think about what happens in three short weeks. =(
Monday, July 19, 2010
Random...
So, I've been running for almost 3 months now, about 3 times a week. At first I was pretty frustrated that I didn't seem to be losing any weight. However, I weighed yesterday, and have lost 10 pounds since I started. Considering that I haven't changed my eating habits all that much, 10 pounds (and who knows how many inches!) is pretty awesome!
I decided to dig through my closet this morning and find pants that haven't fit me since before I got pregnant. I hoped that they would fit, and sure enough I found NINE pairs of dress pants and jeans that fit, that I haven't been able to wear in two years! That feels AMAZING! I <3 shopping in my own closet! Now I just need a few shirts that fit, and I should be ready for school, which starts in 4 weeks...
Let's just leave that one alone for now. =(
I'd like to lose about 5 more pounds before school starts, which I think sounds pretty reasonable!
I also got my scores for my ESL certification test today, and I passed! I was very, very unsure about how I did, so I was thrilled to find out that I scored 287 out of 300!
And by the way, I sound like I'm bragging and that's not really my goal...it's just taken me a long time to get to a place where I'm really happy with myself, so it feels so good I have to share!
Anyway, there's a dose of randomness for you today. <3
I decided to dig through my closet this morning and find pants that haven't fit me since before I got pregnant. I hoped that they would fit, and sure enough I found NINE pairs of dress pants and jeans that fit, that I haven't been able to wear in two years! That feels AMAZING! I <3 shopping in my own closet! Now I just need a few shirts that fit, and I should be ready for school, which starts in 4 weeks...
Let's just leave that one alone for now. =(
I'd like to lose about 5 more pounds before school starts, which I think sounds pretty reasonable!
I also got my scores for my ESL certification test today, and I passed! I was very, very unsure about how I did, so I was thrilled to find out that I scored 287 out of 300!
And by the way, I sound like I'm bragging and that's not really my goal...it's just taken me a long time to get to a place where I'm really happy with myself, so it feels so good I have to share!
Anyway, there's a dose of randomness for you today. <3
Saturday, July 17, 2010
My first Race!
Today I completed my very first 5K! (And for those who are wondering, that's about 3.1 miles.)
The race was scheduled to start at 7:30, so I got there about 6:45 (it was either that or sit home and worry about it!). I expected to be one of the first people there, but there were tons of people there already! I checked in and got my bag-o-goodies (including my first race shirt!!) and then did some walking around and light stretching. Part of me really wished I had someone there to run with, but later on I was glad I didn't because I run so slow! I really enjoyed watching all of these healthy, fit people strolling around, and it really motivated me to work harder on being fit and healthy.
I went into this race with two goals. 1: Run the whole race. 2: DON'T BE LAST! I thought those were pretty reasonable!
At 7:32, we began. I've heard over and over that one of the worst things you can do at a race is start too fast, so I really tried to keep my normal pace. It's really hard, when everyone is passing you and you see people flying ahead, but I kept reminding myself that A) it's my first race and B) I would probably end up passing some of those ambitious starters.
The first leg was uphill, so it started off tough. I did very well until I got to the 1 and 1/2 mile marker. Until then, I kept my pace and stayed focused and it was working for me. When I got to this half-way point, I grabbed some water, but didn't want to stop. Yeah. Running and drinking is NOT easy. I ended up pouring most of my water on myself (which felt fantastic) and then followed everyone else's lead and threw my cup down. (I felt really guilty about that!) After that, I had a hard time getting back into the groove. The road was long and curvy, but I could see how far I still had to go just to get to the end of this leg of the race, and it started messing with my head.
There was an older lady that I stayed pretty close to during the entire race - we kept passing each other the entire time. The words on the back of her shirt became my mantra during the last mile. It said "Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith." from 2 Timothy 4:7. I repeated this to myself over and over and prayed that God would help me reach my two goals. (I found out later that this was my Pappa Miles' favorite verse, and it made me a little teary. I think I found my new mantra!)
When I hit the 2 mile marker and turned onto the last leg of the race, I was really hurting. Not so much my body, since I was in a decent groove by then, but it was my mind. My mind kept telling me mean things like "You can't do this because you haven't trained hard enough." or "This last hill is going to kill you, you should walk now." I ignored it for a while and just kept trucking. Finally I got to about the 2 and 1/2 mile point, and I just couldn't run anymore. I'm a little disappointed about this now, because I think it was all in my head, but it's okay. I talked to two awesome ladies in that last half mile walk and they were very inspiring. One lady said that I had inspired her to keep up the pace, so that made me feel great. She and I decided there was no way we were walking through the finish line, so at the last tenth of a mile we ran again. I will never forget the feeling of running through the end and hearing people cheer and encourage us. Most people were off resting, stretching, drinking water, but there were a few runners who stood at the finish line and cheered for every person coming in towards the end. Those people don't know how special they are!
My ending time was 43:06 minutes and I was NOT last! So I met one of my goals for this race, and now I have a time to beat for the next one!
I stayed around for the awards and was very impressed with some of the times of the winners. Once again, I felt very motivated! I felt great and very happy that I didn't cross the finish line on a stretcher, but when I got in my car, I lost it. I started crying and just couldn't stop for a while. I think it was a cross between being exhausted and being so ridiculously proud of myself for doing this. I set a goal back on April 27th when I started this training, and I reached my goal. Even when I signed up for this 5K as motivation to get me through the program, I always had a feeling I would back out. I'm SO proud of myself for sticking with it, even though there were times I didn't want to. And for those times, I'm so appreciative of my husband who encouraged me to run, and for my parents who always asked about my run, and for all my buddies who seemed interested in my progress. (Thank you to Laura who was the inspiration for doing this in the first place!)
Wow, I sound like I just won a Grammy.
Anyway, I kind of expected to find this run to be an excuse to be done with running, but I feel more motivated than ever. I want to get better, and I want to be healthy and fit like all of those runners I saw today. And I will. October 9th - UMHB 5K - Here I come!!!
(I joked with my mom that the only difference between me and those other runners is...
they probably didn't stop at Shipley's after they ran.)
I crack myself up. =)
Anyway, here are some pictures of me post-race and my number. =)
The race was scheduled to start at 7:30, so I got there about 6:45 (it was either that or sit home and worry about it!). I expected to be one of the first people there, but there were tons of people there already! I checked in and got my bag-o-goodies (including my first race shirt!!) and then did some walking around and light stretching. Part of me really wished I had someone there to run with, but later on I was glad I didn't because I run so slow! I really enjoyed watching all of these healthy, fit people strolling around, and it really motivated me to work harder on being fit and healthy.
I went into this race with two goals. 1: Run the whole race. 2: DON'T BE LAST! I thought those were pretty reasonable!
At 7:32, we began. I've heard over and over that one of the worst things you can do at a race is start too fast, so I really tried to keep my normal pace. It's really hard, when everyone is passing you and you see people flying ahead, but I kept reminding myself that A) it's my first race and B) I would probably end up passing some of those ambitious starters.
The first leg was uphill, so it started off tough. I did very well until I got to the 1 and 1/2 mile marker. Until then, I kept my pace and stayed focused and it was working for me. When I got to this half-way point, I grabbed some water, but didn't want to stop. Yeah. Running and drinking is NOT easy. I ended up pouring most of my water on myself (which felt fantastic) and then followed everyone else's lead and threw my cup down. (I felt really guilty about that!) After that, I had a hard time getting back into the groove. The road was long and curvy, but I could see how far I still had to go just to get to the end of this leg of the race, and it started messing with my head.
There was an older lady that I stayed pretty close to during the entire race - we kept passing each other the entire time. The words on the back of her shirt became my mantra during the last mile. It said "Fight the good fight. Finish the race. Keep the faith." from 2 Timothy 4:7. I repeated this to myself over and over and prayed that God would help me reach my two goals. (I found out later that this was my Pappa Miles' favorite verse, and it made me a little teary. I think I found my new mantra!)
When I hit the 2 mile marker and turned onto the last leg of the race, I was really hurting. Not so much my body, since I was in a decent groove by then, but it was my mind. My mind kept telling me mean things like "You can't do this because you haven't trained hard enough." or "This last hill is going to kill you, you should walk now." I ignored it for a while and just kept trucking. Finally I got to about the 2 and 1/2 mile point, and I just couldn't run anymore. I'm a little disappointed about this now, because I think it was all in my head, but it's okay. I talked to two awesome ladies in that last half mile walk and they were very inspiring. One lady said that I had inspired her to keep up the pace, so that made me feel great. She and I decided there was no way we were walking through the finish line, so at the last tenth of a mile we ran again. I will never forget the feeling of running through the end and hearing people cheer and encourage us. Most people were off resting, stretching, drinking water, but there were a few runners who stood at the finish line and cheered for every person coming in towards the end. Those people don't know how special they are!
My ending time was 43:06 minutes and I was NOT last! So I met one of my goals for this race, and now I have a time to beat for the next one!
I stayed around for the awards and was very impressed with some of the times of the winners. Once again, I felt very motivated! I felt great and very happy that I didn't cross the finish line on a stretcher, but when I got in my car, I lost it. I started crying and just couldn't stop for a while. I think it was a cross between being exhausted and being so ridiculously proud of myself for doing this. I set a goal back on April 27th when I started this training, and I reached my goal. Even when I signed up for this 5K as motivation to get me through the program, I always had a feeling I would back out. I'm SO proud of myself for sticking with it, even though there were times I didn't want to. And for those times, I'm so appreciative of my husband who encouraged me to run, and for my parents who always asked about my run, and for all my buddies who seemed interested in my progress. (Thank you to Laura who was the inspiration for doing this in the first place!)
Wow, I sound like I just won a Grammy.
Anyway, I kind of expected to find this run to be an excuse to be done with running, but I feel more motivated than ever. I want to get better, and I want to be healthy and fit like all of those runners I saw today. And I will. October 9th - UMHB 5K - Here I come!!!
(I joked with my mom that the only difference between me and those other runners is...
they probably didn't stop at Shipley's after they ran.)
I crack myself up. =)
Anyway, here are some pictures of me post-race and my number. =)
Friday, July 16, 2010
A bit of anxiety...
Yesterday, I had to attend a workshop in Nolanville, which meant that I had to leave Mason for the first extended time in a while. I didn't think I'd have any problem with it...I mean, I've dropped him off lots of times for work and most days I did okay...
I was getting ready to leave and I asked him for a kiss - most of the time he won't give me a kiss in front of other people, so I was pleasantly surprised when he did! Then when I told him "bye" he ran to the door with my keys in his hand like we were about to leave together, like we have for the last 6 weeks. It broke my heart to pick him up and take him to the bedroom where him and Mamma hang out. Then I told him bye again and walked to the door, and the look on his face just about made me lose it. You know the look...the "WHAT? You're leaving me?? But I thought we were going to play!" look.
Now I know that Mason has a great time with Mamma, and I'm sure he forgot about me the second I left, but this killed me. Because I know that in a month (a month from today, exactly) I have to do this every single day, but NOT with my awesome grandma, or my cousin, or my parents, but with a complete stranger in a weird place that he's not comfortable with.
I cried the entire way to Nolanville, and I want to cry now just thinking about it. I know in my brain that once we get past the initial separation, he will probably love daycare and being around the other kids, but I can't seem to ignore the less rational side of me that feels (once again) like I am abandoning my baby, only this time with people who don't know him and love him almost as much as I do.
I'm scared to think about next month. I'm afraid I can't do it...I'm fairly certain that my first few weeks at work will be full of swollen eyes and a runny nose, and I'm NOT talking about my students...
So, have you done it? Have you taken your child to daycare? If so, do you have any words of encouragement for me, because I sure could use some right now!
I was getting ready to leave and I asked him for a kiss - most of the time he won't give me a kiss in front of other people, so I was pleasantly surprised when he did! Then when I told him "bye" he ran to the door with my keys in his hand like we were about to leave together, like we have for the last 6 weeks. It broke my heart to pick him up and take him to the bedroom where him and Mamma hang out. Then I told him bye again and walked to the door, and the look on his face just about made me lose it. You know the look...the "WHAT? You're leaving me?? But I thought we were going to play!" look.
Now I know that Mason has a great time with Mamma, and I'm sure he forgot about me the second I left, but this killed me. Because I know that in a month (a month from today, exactly) I have to do this every single day, but NOT with my awesome grandma, or my cousin, or my parents, but with a complete stranger in a weird place that he's not comfortable with.
I cried the entire way to Nolanville, and I want to cry now just thinking about it. I know in my brain that once we get past the initial separation, he will probably love daycare and being around the other kids, but I can't seem to ignore the less rational side of me that feels (once again) like I am abandoning my baby, only this time with people who don't know him and love him almost as much as I do.
I'm scared to think about next month. I'm afraid I can't do it...I'm fairly certain that my first few weeks at work will be full of swollen eyes and a runny nose, and I'm NOT talking about my students...
So, have you done it? Have you taken your child to daycare? If so, do you have any words of encouragement for me, because I sure could use some right now!
Tuesday, July 13, 2010
Do you ever...
get really worried that you've upset someone you care about, even though there's really no good reason to worry? Like some little thing happens, and then you don't talk to them for a week, and then when you text them, they never respond? And you think, "Oh no, is ______ upset over _________? Or am I overreacting??" Does it ever make you a little sick to your stomach, thinking that you've done something (consciously or unconsciously) that will ruin the friendship and things will never be the same?
Yeah, I've never done this...
Anyway, you know who you are...CALL ME! <3<3<3
Yeah, I've never done this...
Anyway, you know who you are...CALL ME! <3<3<3
Friday, July 9, 2010
Chick-fil-A
Today, we dressed up like cows to get some free Chick-fil-A. It was awesome. =) Jessica hooked us up with cow ears, and Mason even got spots on his shirt and cow spots on his legs. CUTEST cow ever!
The best part was that the boys were SO well behaved - they sat and happily ate their food while Jessica and I were able to talk. Most of our outings lately have been a little more chaotic, so it was nice to be able to just relax!
My big boy even ate a couple bites of nuggets and fries! He's coming along with his eating, slowly and surely!
He kinda looks like a ninja cow in this one...
Here's Jessica and Lewis (and Penny!) all decked out in their Moo-wear. =)
I have to add too that I'm SO impressed with Chick-fil-A and the people who work there. They are always friendly, but today the service and friendliness were exceptional! (They didn't even pay me to say that!)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Good Friends
Three summers ago, the first time I started teaching in Belton, I was sent to a Houston workshop at the last minute. I was the only one from my school, and I only knew two people from the whole Belton group, and that was the older couple that I rode with. I always feel very anxious in these situations...who will I eat with? Who will I talk to? Will I be stuck by myself the whole time? Who will I share a room with? Will they be up all night? Ignore me? Snore???
On this trip, I got so lucky, and I didn't even realize it at the time. My roommate for that weekend was Emily. She answered my main questions pretty quickly...she ate with me, we chatted, she didn't stay up all night, and she didn't snore! Score! =)
We realized pretty quickly that we had a lot in common. We talked a lot about teaching and students and kids of our own. She had one little boy, Zeke, at the time and we talked a lot about our desires for future children.
After that trip, we kept in touch off and on, sporadically for the next couple of years. Then, thanks to the joy of Facebook, we had an easy, accessible way to keep up with each other a little better. Emily had another baby, Anna Kate, and when I had Mason, we all of a sudden had even more in common! She was very generous with some of her baby stuff that we couldn't afford, and we are still using some of those things now!
Today we took the kids to the splash pad, and it was so nice to have time to catch up. We have SO much in common and joke that we are "kindred spirits." We have the same kinds of struggles - picky eaters, being a full time working mom, and we are passionate about the same things (healthy eating and rear facing carseats to name a couple). We both long for five minutes to just sit and "have a cup of coffee" but we both wish deeply that we could stay at home with our children. We both worry too much about what others think but in the same breath know we shouldn't care.
It's so nice to just be able to share all of this with someone who is also right in the middle of it, and understands where I'm coming from, and even more doesn't judge me for the things I do and the decisions I make. Thanks Emily, for being such a good friend. I'm so thankful that I was randomly chosen to attend that workshop three years ago, and I'm even more thankful that I've got such a good friend in you!
On this trip, I got so lucky, and I didn't even realize it at the time. My roommate for that weekend was Emily. She answered my main questions pretty quickly...she ate with me, we chatted, she didn't stay up all night, and she didn't snore! Score! =)
We realized pretty quickly that we had a lot in common. We talked a lot about teaching and students and kids of our own. She had one little boy, Zeke, at the time and we talked a lot about our desires for future children.
After that trip, we kept in touch off and on, sporadically for the next couple of years. Then, thanks to the joy of Facebook, we had an easy, accessible way to keep up with each other a little better. Emily had another baby, Anna Kate, and when I had Mason, we all of a sudden had even more in common! She was very generous with some of her baby stuff that we couldn't afford, and we are still using some of those things now!
Today we took the kids to the splash pad, and it was so nice to have time to catch up. We have SO much in common and joke that we are "kindred spirits." We have the same kinds of struggles - picky eaters, being a full time working mom, and we are passionate about the same things (healthy eating and rear facing carseats to name a couple). We both long for five minutes to just sit and "have a cup of coffee" but we both wish deeply that we could stay at home with our children. We both worry too much about what others think but in the same breath know we shouldn't care.
It's so nice to just be able to share all of this with someone who is also right in the middle of it, and understands where I'm coming from, and even more doesn't judge me for the things I do and the decisions I make. Thanks Emily, for being such a good friend. I'm so thankful that I was randomly chosen to attend that workshop three years ago, and I'm even more thankful that I've got such a good friend in you!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Just out of curiosity...
Okay, first I know that the main purpose of this blog is to be able to look back on Mason's childhood and for him to someday be able to do the same, and I am SO glad I've kept up with it for that purpose.
BUT, I also really enjoy knowing that other people are reading about my precious too. I feel like ever since I made my blog private, I've lost most of my readers. So, could you do me a biiiig favor? If you're reading this, will you please just leave me a comment or send me a message and let me know? I'm trying to figure out if I should leave it private or make it public again. Thanks for your help! =)
BUT, I also really enjoy knowing that other people are reading about my precious too. I feel like ever since I made my blog private, I've lost most of my readers. So, could you do me a biiiig favor? If you're reading this, will you please just leave me a comment or send me a message and let me know? I'm trying to figure out if I should leave it private or make it public again. Thanks for your help! =)
A Day at the Park
Mason has been getting a little bored sitting around our tiny house, so I've been trying really hard to think of things to do to keep him entertained. Today we went to...
Mason had SO much fun! It's amazing how different the park is for him than it was just a couple of months ago. He loves the freedom he has to explore without too many "no-nos" and he was ALLL over the place! We also discovered that 8:30 AM on a Tuesday is a great time to go to the park - there was only one other kid there, so we didn't have any "big kids" to watch out for.
Now just to figure out what's on the agenda for tomorrow!
Happy 4th of July!
To celebrate the holiday, Mason and I walked down to the parade. He had been quite a little stinker that morning, so we were glad to get out of the house, even though it had been raining off and on and it was very humid! Mason seemed to enjoy watching all the people and animals, and didn't even freak out when the police sirens went off like I thought he would!
Grandpa came and joined us near the end, and Mason decided he was going to be a big boy and walk around.
It was all fun until he decided he didn't want to hold Grandpa's hand anymore.
Then he threw a nifty little tantrum while we put him back in the stroller. Ahh, the joys of toddlerhood! Overall we had a good time though! Happy 4th of July!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
15 Month Check-up
We got to go see Dr. Riser today, and I think this was the first time Mason didn't want anything to do with her! He normally LOVES her, but today he stayed in his safe spot on my lap. =)
He currently weighs 26.13 pounds, which means he's gained 12 ounces in the last 3 months. He is 31.5 inches tall, which is half an inch more than his one year check-up. He went from the 90th percentile (at every single appointment) to the 75th, but doctor riser said the decrease was perfectly normal because of his newfound energy and activity!
She was thrilled with him and his progress once again, which makes me so happy! I don't know if she acts like this with every child, but she always makes me feel like he's so perfect! We talked a little about separation anxiety and the transition to daycare in August, and she warned me that this is the hardest time to start something new like that, but that he would get over it pretty quickly. She was impressed with his vocabulary too and said he was pretty advanced for 15 months! He's learned lots of new words lately - ball, dog, book, hello, and bye to name a few!
This was the first doctor's visit that I didn't take the stroller in. I realized he's gotten so big, he would much rather get down and play than hang out with me in the stroller, and I was right! I normally get a little squeamish thinking about the germs on the toys in the waiting room, but he was having so much fun I couldn't say no!
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