Saturday, March 26, 2011

I love the beach...

Wow...is it Saturday already?! These last couple of weeks have been a blur! I finished the book "Speak" for school and it was really a good read...I recommend it if you are a mother of a girl.
We have been at the beach since Wednesday with Jeff's parents and it has been great. The weather has been really good...a little cool these last couple of days but still beautiful. We have just relaxed, eaten lots of food, had lots of alcohol and I got to start reading "Cutting for Stone." I am about 200 pages into it and it is fabulous! I am loving it! I hope it keeps up as it may turn out to be one of my favorites!
Here is something funny...one of the bottles of red wine...ended up being a CLEAR bottle...that is weird...(normal on left...clear on right)
Norah is having a blast as always...she loves the beach and had really been so good!





Daddy and Norah feeding the birds!


Jeff with his mom and dad!
Me and hubby!
Well we are back home tomorrow...I started my alcohol detox tonight! Food detox tomorrow! We miss our puppies too (they had to stay home!) Well I'm off and back to the real world soon enough....
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Monday, March 21, 2011

Atlanta Half Marathon Weekend Recap...

Friday came and I had a lot of errands to run, school work to finish and was planning on actually working out since I hadn't worked out since Tuesday...but there was an unexpected trip to the doctor for Norah (ended up being nothing...thank goodness...) so the workout got dropped. But Norah and I headed to my mom and Denny's house for the night.

Saturday: Got up and left Norah with my mom and Denny and headed to Atlanta. I went straight to the expo at the Georgia Dome and picked up my packet. The expo was the largest I have been to but I zoomed in, got my packet and zoomed out. I headed to meet Meredyth and Tony so he could head to lunch. After lunch, Meredyth and Tony gave me a bottle of wine for a belated birthday that has "Fritz" on the label. How sweet is that?! Fritz was my sweet dog that passed away last year. It is so cool as there is a Fritz Winery. Can't wait to have a sip...maybe tonight? :)


Then Meredyth and I left Tony and went shopping. I had to get another book for school, "Speak." It is supposed to be good and I have to read it in the next few days. I think there is even a movie made from it that stars Kristen Stewart in her younger years...
Then we hit up the mall and snagged some good deals. Next up...Lara came in town and we headed to dinner with just the girls (Tony had a family party to attend.) We went to Zucca Pizza in Smyrna and it was great!

Meredyth, Lara and me
So after dinner, we hit up Starbucks and then headed home. We headed to bed as we had a 4:45 am wake up call!
Sunday: Race day. We were up at 4:45 am and left the house at 5:45 am. I ate a half a bagel with a little Justin's Chocolate Almond butter on it and a little coffee. Since Tony works for Coke we parked at his building downtown and it was a perfect spot for the race! Next we hit up what they call the "happy cans" and that is when I spotted Kristy (so fun to recognize someone you read about!) Next up we headed to our corral. Now those of you unfamiliar with this race...it is hilly...really hilly!
Since I had been sick earlier in the week, not worked out since Tuesday, in general a little burned out and not really used to a lot of hills...I knew going in that I would be walk/running it. The weather was perfect! It was overcast and 60s the whole time. I thought the course was great and loved the route we ran...we even passed some bars in the Highlands that I remembered going to when I lived there '99-'01. I took one packet of sports beans during the race (100 cal.) and drank on my water/nuun mix I had in my camelbak...the combo was the perfect fuel. I basically decided early on to walk up the hills and run the down hills and flat parts. I felt great the entire time except the bottom of my feet felt raw (I think from the hills.) I think there are definitely parts of the race I could have pushed harder but I just wanted to feel good at the end and I did...so I was happy with that!! Here are the splits:
Mile 1: 11:37
Mile 2: 11:56
Mile 3: 13:02
Mile 4: 13:46
Mile 5: 12:24
Mile 6: 13:35
Mile 7: 13:37
Mile 8: 12:44
Mile 9: 13:31
Mile 10: 15:13
Mile 11: 14:38
Mile 12: 15:56
Mile 13: 15:30
.19 mile: 11:16
Final time 2:59
What is funny is that I walked the most ever of any of the ones I have done and I'm still in that 2:5X range. So the race was a lot of fun...even with the hills! I loved that I found the fuel that worked for me for this race and felt great the whole time! Meredyth and Lara rocked a 2:34 and Tony was a 1:55 finisher! I loved the whole weekend and if we sign up for the race tomorrow...it is just $35 for next year!
After the race we showered up and headed to lunch at Muss & Turners in Smyrna...it was yummy! Then I hit the road back to my mom's. I was tired and only had the bottom of my feet being sore. Woke up today and Norah and I headed back to Charlotte! Today is about getting back to normal, laundry, family time, school work and just chillin' out. Also the dogs got their haircut today. I had them cut Darcy really short for the summer...check it out...

Before

After...he is so cute! (It is so hard to take a pic of the dogs) Finn got his usual style!
So on the running front...I think I will hold off on any more half-marathons until the Fall. Instead I am going to try to work on speed, losing some pounds and concentrating on the school front. I hope to do a 5K at some point as it would be fun to see how fast I could go for just 3 miles and a 10K would be fun too. And now just a short time to get everything done before I leave for the beach on Wednesday!
A big thanks to Meredyth and Tony for the weekend in Atlanta! Thanks for being such great hosts...I can't wait to come back! And come to Charlotte any time! Also it was great to make a new friend, Lara! And thanks to my mom and Denny for watching Norah Saturday and Sunday. And lastly...thanks Jeff for getting some work done around the house while we were gone!
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Sunday, March 20, 2011

Half Marathon #4 is done!

Whew! Well I did the Atlanta Half marathon this morning and even though it was my personal worst time...2:59! I really loved it! I so enjoyed the weekend with Meredyth, Lara and Tony and getting to be in Atlanta! I am at my mom's now so I'll post a full weekend recap when I get back to Charlotte tomorrow! Also I saw a blogger, Kristy, from www.KristyRuns.com at the race...how exciting! Looks like she had a great race!
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Thursday, March 17, 2011

Uh oh, oh no. Whatcha say? Uh oh, oh no. Things are kind of tricky.

If you are familiar with nick jr. and the Fresh Beat Band...you will get the title. While Norah was sick we watched a ton of nick jr. to the point that I am so OVER it!


Norah slept great on Monday night and then woke up on Tuesday and threw up. Well the rest of the day she was fine...no more getting sick and no fever. The pic above is her sleeping while I ran on the treadmill...how cute! So she went back to school on Wednesday and we found out that three of her classmates were sick too and one teacher!
And the title is all about me because I woke up Wednesday feeling bad! What?! No!!!! It was the borderline feeling bad and I did not want it to become what Norah had...so yesterday I completely rested...no working out just rested. Today I still feel bad but I think it is going to be just a head cold. So I am still planning to do the half in Atlanta this weekend even if I have to carry a ton of kleenex with me and only breathe through my mouth!
On a sad note...since I watched so much nick jr. earlier in the week I missed a lot of the Japan news. So I watched some CNN to catch up and it is devastating. I cannot believe how bad it is. All of these natural disasters in the past few years have just been beyond awful. I have my prayers for everyone involved.
Happy St. Patty's Day!
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Monday, March 14, 2011

Not a productive day...

Originally I had so much planned to do today but since Norah was up all last night...I was exhausted this morning and just couldn't motivate to do anything but be with her. Norah has not felt good all day and has been on Motrin to keep the fever down...it was 102.4 when I took it at one point today. Jeff came home early and worked from home for part of the day so I could take a nap (He is the best hubby and daddy ever!) so that helped me make it through the day. I really needed to run today but just couldn't do it...so I had picked up a new DVD of Bob's (pure burn/pure strength) so I decided to do the 25 minute segment (there are two segments on it...one is 1 hour and one is 25 minutes.) It was perfect and just what I have been looking for as I wanted something with just strength as I feel like I get enough cardio.
I can't wait to do the 1 hour segment...maybe that will be Wednesday. Well I am off to bed and hope that Norah sleeps tonight and feels better tomorrow. It is up in the air whether she will go to school tomorrow or not. If she does stay home...I will have to make myself have a more productive day...will run on treadmill and do schoolwork while she watches Nick Jr.!
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Sunday, March 13, 2011

Sickness...lots of sickness...

Before the details of the sickness that poor Norah has...I'll back up to late last week...

Thursday I ironed for hours on end to get everything ready for the consignment sale I was participating in this weekend. I ironed all of the clothes, hung them up and then tagged them. It took forever. I tutored my student and then hit up Starbucks as I was in desperate need for caffeine and surprise! they were giving away free mini desserts! I got the tiramisu cake pop and it was super yummy! Loved it!
Later I went over to my friend's Christie's house for wine night but instead of drinking wine...I had coffee...why you ask...because I knew I had to run on Friday. It was fun to have a girls night out. Here is a cute pic of Norah last week (before sickness) in the bubble bath. She is so cute!
Here are some pics of the puppies last week too...Finn with the scary eyes! :)

And Darcy...I swear he looks like a person! And yes...they are in desperate need of haircuts!

Friday I did my run on the treadmill at the Y and watched Morning Glory. It was good...not great or anything. The run which original was going to be 10 miles, then I said 8...ended up being 7.5. I am just a little burned out on the running front and HAVING to run certain miles. Will be taking a break after this weekend and just running what I feel like for awhile. Might even sign up for a 5K or something!
So our awesome neighbors and their kids come over Friday night and we have pizza night and hang out. I love neighbor night! Then Saturday morning comes and Jeff goes out of town just for the day. Norah and I get ready and hit up Costco and get home by 11:30ish. Well noon comes and Norah tells me that she thinks she is going to be sick....and next thing I know...she throws up pretty much every hour or so for the next 16 hours!!! Poor thing!! We also were originally headed to a birthday party for a boy in her class but obviously she wasn't able to go...she kept asking all day if she could go...in between getting sick. :)
There was a lot of laundry going on and sleepless night for everyone. Here are some pics of her yesterday...she pretty much stayed on the couch all day...and the different blankets, pillows, animals changed throughout the day as I usually had to wash them at some point...(I think it was the first time ever that I was glad that we have these super ugly couches as the were easy to clean up!)


Today Norah has stopped throwing up (yeah!) but now has a fever. She is on motrin and had some good moments today but overall feels bad. She wanted to go outside so we let her sit on the porch for awhile. (you can see that her cheeks are red/rosy from having a fever)


Norah hasn't been sick since she had her tonsils/adenoids out...so this is the longest she has been well in over a year! It is hard when she is sick because we feel so bad for her...but hopefully tomorrow she will feel better. Unfortunately I have not done anything that I really needed to do this weekend (school work, house work, workouts, errands, etc.) so I feel a little on the stressed side. Oh well...gotta make sure she is okay. Well I am off to get us some dinner together. I am hoping Norah will eat some toast or something but she hasn't been hungry.
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Wednesday, March 9, 2011

Great Movie!

Yesterday was a long day...up at 6 and observed at a school till 3 and then went to the Jewish Film Festival (if you are curious...I am not Jewish.) This was for school and a long story how I picked this event but off I went. I wasn't sure what to expect or anything but it was fantastic!!! The movie was "Circus Kids" and here is a little about it pulled from the Jewish Film Festival website:

"An eclectic youth circus troupe from St Louis travels to Israel to collaborate with the Galilee Circus, a local troupe comprised of Jewish and Arabic children working together. In the process, the kids (and the viewers) discover that we’re really not that different from each other. The real miracle of the Arches isn’t seeing the kids perform death-defying tricks, but rather witnessing the loving relationships that form even when they have nothing in common but circus. Jessica Hentoff is the “circus mom” to the American kids, including three of her own. “We’re going to show the world what a real peace process looks like - when people stop focusing on their differences and start focusing what they have in common,” said Hentoff. "Circus Kids" won the Interfaith Award at the 2010 St. Louis International Film Festival."

And before they showed the movie, 4 of the kids that are in the film performed some of their circus skills...it was great!

I loved the movie and really think anyone would enjoy it....you can find out more information about the movie and the group at www.circusharmony.org

(the picture of the boy above...he was one that performed for us!)

Well today is super busy...what is new lately?
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Monday, March 7, 2011

Babies! 2 new babies!

First thing...congrats to our friends, Toby and Carrie! They had their babies this morning! Parker and Lauren are here (Boy/Girl twins) and the babies and their mom and dad are doing great! We cannot wait to meet them!

Well last week was super busy and when Thursday came the weather report called for rain in Columbia on Saturday so I decided not to run the half there. Instead my step-brother Jake came in town which was great! I worked out on Thursday (run), Friday (elliptical/bike), Saturday (run), and then today (run.) First I am loving going to the gym all of a sudden and second today was the first time that I planned to do 8-10 miles and only did 5. I just wasn't into it. Luckily my friend Christie and her two cute little ones did the first 3 with me so that was fun but then I just couldn't get into it. I think I am slightly burned out on having to run and not just running because I want to. Hopefully, I will get in one more long run before I head to Atlanta for the....


Saturday...Jeff took Norah to see the movie "Rango"...Norah said she liked it but Jeff said she got scared at some parts. I think it is so cute that Norah is old enough to go to the movies! Then Saturday night Ellen, Will and baby William came over to have pizza with us and Jake. I am so slack and completely forgot to take any pics of anyone that night. I am sucking lately at picture taking. Must improve. But we had a great time!

Speaking of babies...here is my cute baby girl! We went to breakfast Sunday in the rain to the Flying Biscuit.
This is Norah telling us...I love pancakes! :) And of course playing with my "computer!"

Jake left us (come back and visit anytime...Norah misses her Uncle Jake!) and I did some school work. Today after my blah run...I got my menu planned for the week, grocery shopped and entered 87 items into the computer for this weekends consignment sale. Aaaaahhhhhhhhhhhh!
Well tomorrow I observe at a middle school and go to a special movie...details to come!
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Wednesday, March 2, 2011

What day is it?

It has been a busy, crazy week and it is only Wednesday!? I have had a lot of school stuff to do or is due this week so it has been non-stop. This feels like the first time this week that I have done something on the computer that is not school related.

Let's see...I can't believe it is March already...wow this year is going by fast! I liked how I tracked my workouts for January so here is February's stats (forgot calendar pic but I did the stickers again!)...

Ran 71.74miles
Yoga DVD (1 time)
30 Day Shred DVD (2 times)
Boot Camp DVD (1 time)
1 day of gym (elliptical and bike)
2 days of walking (this is exercise walking not "walking the dogs" walking) :)
10 rest days
Obviously had a little more rest days than planned but ya know...that is how it goes sometimes.


Today actually turned into a rest day because I had to go to campus today for an advisor meeting and my interview for student teaching. By the way...if anyone knows of any open math teaching positions in a middle school in the Charlotte area for this Fall...let me know as I am on the job hunt!!


Well I might actually run a half this weekend in Columbia, SC. See last year when I ran this for my first half...they had this thing where if you signed up for the next year it was only $35. Which we all know that is a steal for a half...so I signed up. Since I have a half on March 20 in ATL...I would just be doing a long run anyway so I thought why not do it? I probably will just have fun and no time goals or anything. However, I am watching the weather...if it rains I probably will not do it as I am not a fan of running in the rain. I also took Hillary's advice and switched to new shoes before my run on Monday where I did 7 miles and it felt great! Since I have worn the same shoes for awhile now...I had bought a pair awhile back when a particular color went on clearance (I am one of those people who could care less what my shoes look like) and I got $110 shoes for $50! Wahoo!

Well since it has been busy 'round here lately...I am way behind on the magazine reading. So I think I will take it easy tonight, read some mags, do some laundry and go to bed. Meeting my neighbor in the morning at 6 am for a walk/run!
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