Kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful...

A friend posted this on Facebook and I LOVE it!

"May your coming year be

filled with magic and

dreams and good

madness. I hope you read

some fine books and kiss

someone who thinks

you're wonderful, and

don't forget to make some

art - write or draw or build

or sing or live as only you

can. And I hope,

somewhere in the next

year, you surprise

yourself."

Past week

In the past week I've spent time with family in Kitty Hawk, NC on the Outer Banks. Better known to us as simply... the beach.

 

  

 This is the first beach Christmas for my little clan. We joined my sister's family and my parents. The following are (in random order) my week in pictures.

 Up close and personal at the ray tank at the North Carolina Aquarium in Manteo, NC.

 

 

We visited the aquarium on Christmas Eve day. We saw only a handful of other families there. We've never had the shark tank to ourselves before.

Santa found us away from home. 

 

Grandma made pajamas for the little cousins and their dolls/stuffed animals.

 Hubby and I were alone on the beach at sunset on Christmas day.

 

 

750 piece puzzle.

The first day of winter was our warm day to play on the beach.

 

 

Hubby and I took a cold walk to the beach with a stop on the way for breakfast one morning.  

 

Many people ask how my niece who is the inspiration for this blog is doing. She is a senior in high school. She's involved with the basketball team an has a part time job. She's applying to colleges. Typical 17 year old stuff. Only she has to worry about getting sick. She has to fit in lots of rest and naps. She is living with lupus. She also makes me laugh. I love her so much that I'd finish a marathon for her... wait, did that!

 

This next week I'll be making plans for the spring and summer. Deciding what is in store for me next!



Love Wins

“Love wins, love always wins.”
― Mitch Albom, Tuesdays With Morrie

 

 

Grandma Minitta

1927-2013

 

My sister in-law described Minitta on Facebook as "my grandmother by choice if not by blood." Minitta and my husband's grandfather had a long relationship of friendship and companionship for over 20 years. While they never married, they were companions for as long has my husband remembers until Grandpap's death in 2003. All of us who knew them called her a saint for standing by the often stubborn and cantankerous Grandpap. 

 

I knew of Minitta before I met my husband. While I worked as a hospice social worker more than one of my patients had a friend from church who would drive them to doctor appointments. They described her as dependable and kind.

Her Obituary in the newspaper described her:
Minitta was known for being a very caring, loving and gracious lady, always giving to others without asking for anything in return. Many lives were touched by her care taking way. Always a kind word she spoke and a radiant smile to those who crossed her path. She had a very strong Catholic faith.

I learned from Grandma Minitta that lots of little acts of kindness matter. They matter a lot. She remembered my children's birthdays every year. She remembered Grandpap's ex-daughter in-law's sister's grandson's birthday. She understood that in the middle of complex family dynamics there are real people. She showed that friendships shouldn't be dictated by marriage, divorce, blood, age or gender. People and kindness are what matters and then love wins.

 

Happy Thanksgiving!

10 Quick Thanksgiving Questions

To do: Cut and paste below into comments and add your answers. Feel free to cut/paste onto your blog for fun. Which I totally did. This is copied from the blog Shut Up and Run. 

1. How old do you have to be to move up from the kids’ table? 
Teen, except for Uncle Ryan. He should remain at the kids' table forever.

2. Stuff the turkey or cook stuffing separately? (aka salmonella or not?)
It's yummier stuffed, but this year is was separate. bummer.

3. Who sits at the head of the table?
No one. Our table is round.

4. Pumpkin, pecan, apple pie?
Pumpkin for Thanksgiving with a side of apple pie, please.

5. What the hell is mince meat?
Not sure. I don't think it's meat at all.

6. Is it okay to play Christmas music on Thanksgiving?
Yes. But we watched a Christmas movie instead.

7. In five words or less, worst Thanksgiving memory?
Young niece spread horrific intestinal germs. (ok, that is 6 words.)

8. Speaking of leftovers. Who gets dibs on them? 
Whoever cooks them. Although my daughter thinks the mashed potatoes should belong to her.

9. Worst Thanksgiving food?
My Nanny (grandma) served sauerkraut on Thanksgiving.

10. Best Thanksgiving quick joke?
Q: Why wasn't the turkey hungry?
A: He was stuffed!

Happy Thanksgiving! I am most thankful for.... everything! My whole life is pretty freaking easy and I've thought of a million things to be thankful for today! Peace!
 

I'm back......

I've been MIA. Except it's been low of the "action" part of the MIA. Well, action by me. The people around me have had a lot of action... my job is to drive them to it. Also, I've been holding down a job to pay for it. That is OK. It's the mom job part of my life. I had decided that last (school) year was "my" year with a lot of energy and time put on my marathon training. This year would be more for the kids. However, I think I need a bit of balance in the plan. I need activity to be healthy. And I'm not right now.

(My brother in-law, Kevin, running the Shamrock 8k last March.)

A bunch of friends ran the Richmond Marathon yesterday. Today my brother in-law signed up for the Shamrock 8k race. Hubby is signed up for a 5k in December. I think it's time for me to get back into the game.

This chick is so inspiring to me. She is finishing her first season on swim team. Six months ago she couldn't swim across the pool. I most admire her focus on improving her own swimming skill and times. She is swimming her own race and works on self improvement. Such maturity in my little 10 year old!

I'm still not 100% comfortable with the punching, kicking, and fighting aspect of the martial arts. But when the instructor talks of self discipline, respecting yourself and others, doing your best, making mistakes means you are trying... I tear up. Yes, I'm a goof like that.  

So everyone around me is busy and active.

I'm ready to join back in the game. 

Marvelous Milestones

My friend Susan posted on my facebook wall this morning that she saw my Marvelous Milestones on Channel 12 news.

 

I thought she'd been hacked.

 

Turns out my friend, Jill, submitted the marathon accomplishment to the news.

 

Marvelous Milestones

 

Thanks, Jill. I'm sorry I slept through it! 

Today is World Lupus Day

 

 

http://www.worldlupusday.org/

Water

Life is chaos right now.

 

I've been crazy busy.

I wrote a whole post on all the stupid little things piling up making life crazy busy and then I deleted it. Partly because it was boring. Partly because the Internet doesn't need to know some things about me.

 

Then there are things I don't mind sharing with total strangers even if they are TMI. So here it goes. When things are busy I get overwhelmed and I don't take care of myself. Even the little things. For instance...

last week on two different days I went 10 hours without peeing.

TEN HOURS!!

After the first time I wondered if my kidneys were shutting downs. Turns out it's just simple math and the lack of fluid intake will slow down the output.

 

So this week I have a goal of drinking 60 oz of water each day.

I only drank about 30 oz today

Yes, I maintain a long learning curve.

 

   

  

 

(Yes, I had to put it on here. Lighten up!!) 

 

 

What a Week!

This past week has been physically and mentally exhausting. I really needed the weekend to come around when it did!

Bright and early Sat morning I did the Color Me Rad 5k race with my friend.  Perfect fun start to the weekend! Here we are clean before the race.

Eye "protection" check! Ready to go!

 

 

There were color "stations" along the route which included having colored cornstarch, colored water, and a little foam thrown at you. It was tons of fun, in spite of my husband's instance that the whole thing seems like a bad idea. 

 

 

A little messy.

The after party!

 



Peace. Love. Run.

A Song, A Race, An Update, and Something Interesting

First a song....

 

 

Now a race....

 

My husband, one of my besties, and her nephew ran the Monument Ave 10k this morning. This is a huge race in downtown Richmond, VA. Huge like 40,000 runners registered and is the 3rd largest 10k in the country. Hubby surprised me by opting to run with my friend. He had planned to run it for fun so he figured he'd tag along with them for some company. I am so proud of Angelia. When I saw them on the course I was screaming and I was so excited my knees were weak. However, they were doing their thing and because of the size of the race they missed me completely. That's what I get for standing at mile 6 as they started the sprint to the finish.

We had the most awesome rainbow unicorn poster! Angelia actually made it for me for the marathon. I up-cycled it with her name and race. I think it's a keeper and will keep reappearing in various places! Life should be all about rainbows and unicorns!!

An update.....

Remember back in March the Lupus Foundation of America announced if they raised $25,000 by the end of the month an individual would match that amount? Well, more than made it! They received enough donations to match that goal and then some! Yeah!!

 

Something Interesting....

Finally, I found this on the Internet....

(That is Julian Lennon, John Lennon's eldest son.)

 

 



Spring Break

Spring Break is coming to a close. First... a goal report. I only lost the 1 pound that I gained last week. So now I'm starting from ground zero again. I've menu planned, shopped, and tonight I'll be prepping for a busy upcoming week. I'm planning/hoping for better success this week.

 

Spring break always reminds me how blasted easy and blessed my life is!! All of us were off of work/school this week.  I know not many families get to enjoy the entire week off together. We worked on some projects but also fit in some fun too.

 

The kids and I met friends to hike along the James River.

We tried Geocaching for the first time. I think the kids are hooked.

We took a day trip to Monticello. A "Family Tour" is available over spring break (and in the summer.) The tour kept the kids engaged by "naming" each of them as one of Thomas Jefferson's grandchildren. They learned about life there from a child's perspective. 

Thomas Jefferson's grave site.



 



Athlete

I don't see myself as being athletic. Not one tiny bit.

 

In spite of the fact that I have an official Marathon Finishers medal.

 

 

 

Actually, I have all of these finishers bling.    

But I don't see myself as an athlete AT ALL.

 

Does that matter?

I think it probably should. Our own self talk is incredibly important.

 

 

On the second trip over the Rudee Bridge during the marathon a woman thanked me for the saying on the back of my shirt. She said she would remember that saying later in the race. (Thanks, Jill! Shirt Designer!)

 

Our internal self talk is important. How we see ourselves is important. Smart, dumb, pretty, ugly, lovable, unloved, worthy, unworthy, strong, weak,

ATHLETIC.

 

It's certainly something to think about. If I am an athlete I make time and room for that in my life. If I am not, it gets done when it works out. When it conveniently fits in. Because it's what I do, not WHO I AM.

 

But a huge blessing of being a woman living in this time, in this country, married to an above average supportive guy...is that I have choices. I can choose to be an

ATHLETE.

 

 

 

 

Aprils Fools

It's not an April Fool that I didn't loose any weight this week. In fact I gained a pound. Hmm. What could cause that? Making absolutely no effort in paying attention to what was going in me at all.

• In the past 10 days we've eaten out 5 nights. I'm not even counting the "take and bake pizza" in that number. Some were birthday celebrations, a couple Living social deals, and several poorly planned days.
• Easter candy/sugar. yea. Actually sugar doesn't concern me as much as high-fructose corn syrup , carnauba wax, yellow #5, hydrogenated oils crap, artificial flavors, and blue #2.
• I've been to both Sweet Frog and Yapple (frozen yogurt places) this week.
• The lack of working out. Except for my job and the 5k. Sometimes my job is hard work, but often is not.

We are on spring break this week. Today I painted at our rental house. I painted up high on the front of the house while most of my family worked in the back of the house. That is another post entirely how my husband who has done zero gravity flight and tandem skydiving has such a fear of heights that he doesn't like seeing me on a ladder. I don't get him. The 9 year old was sort of in charge of making sure I was still on the ladder and not splattered on the ground.

This song has been stuck in my head all day!!! What a strange song to have on repeat... "But my heart told my head this time no" (add trumpets in the background. TRUMPETS!!!)

OK, now enough randomness for this night!
 Happy April Fools day!!!

Happy Easter!

Hubby and I ran our 5k yesterday. We did this race together. On the way home he shared some running goals he has. We will need to learn to communicate better to schedule training around family activities. It's all good and I'm glad he wants to start running again.

2006



 

 

2007

 

2008

 

 

 

2009





 

 

2010

 

 

2011

 

 

 

2012  

 

 

 2013

 

 

 

Happy Easter!