We're Raptors Yo Yo We're Raptors

Ever get stuck on a song and repeat it aimlessly and without direction while doing laundry, mopping the floor, driving to work, waiting in line at the grocery store, I could go on and on.......Well, you'd think I could at least get stuck on a song that had meaning. But no, no I am on day 4 of repeating "We're Raptors Yo Yo We're Raptors".
Nike Girl has a Spring Musical (I find the word spring a little misleading since tonight it is suppose to be 6 degrees people!) next week and will be performing a rap song about dinosaurs. She has one song and one line to memorize. She is going to be prepared ,well ,sort of.....she still has to look the part.
Why, oh why did I not pay attention in 8th grade Home Ec class? I mean I loved the cooking section because we got to eat. Food is simple, heat it up, cool it down, eat. But the sewing, that was out of my league. I found coordinating the gas pedal while it ate my fabric with a piercing needle only millimeters from my fingers, to be dangerous, very dangerous. But now I am regretting my cowardly avoidance. I have been asked by the music department to make Nike Girl a dinosaur tail and head. I am serious!
To make matters worse, Nike Girl is terrified of dinosaurs. She "hates" them and lets everyone know this fact. This all stemmed from her GeeGee and Grampy taking her to a 3D Imax theatre about dinosaurs when she was 4. Great learning experience right? She closed her eyes most of the time and would peek once in awhile until the T-Rex jumped out at the audience making everyone scream and then turned around and ...remember I can't possibly make this up......it turned around and poo'ed! And in 21st Century 3-D technology, the poo appeared to fly out and get all over the audience! We lost her at that point and to this day almost 3 years later she is finally getting over the flyin' poo.
So , yo, if anyone is out there following this blog please wish us luck. Break a leg. Don't sew your fingers together. Anyone have a used Barney suit from Halloween? Yo, Yo We're Raptors.....

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: It snowed , and is still flurring, and had minus zero wind chills. Ran 3 on Sat. in hopes of goin' long after church on Sunday. Also went ice skating at a new outdoor rink that was having a Kids Olympic Games. Fun Fun. Sunday I was goin' 6-8 on the treadmill. At 4 on Sunday I just couldn't go anymore. The squirrels weren't even in the trees playing. I was depressed.  So I also did the Shred again while Weebok wanted a pony ride during the push-ups. That was added difficulty. Highlight of the weekend: Weebok told her big sissy "I Love You" and kissed her. She hasn't said it again. Priceless.

And Snowballs Fell from the Sky

Today was a good day. It snowed snowballs. It was beautiful huge wet clumps of snow perfect for a snowman. The pug didn't like it so much. She still doesn't get that she is a dog. Today Nike Girl started ice skating again after a little break and Weebok found sugar cookies to be delightful especially dipped in milk.  Great weather to light the fireplace, make some Italian Hot Chocolate, pop some pocorn and snuggle up and have movie night.I have decided to embrace the remaining weeks of winter rather than fight it. Funny how a little change of mind set makes you see things so differently. Let the snowballs fall from the sky....8-12 inches forecasted this weekend.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Did the shred again today and took off running in hopes to go long this weekend. I can't wait!

Let Lent Begin....Got Milk?

My husband grew up in an Episcopal church so Lent has and always will be a big event in his life. I grew up Southern Baptist not knowing exactly what Lent was about except that my best friend always stopped eating candy and had to bring her brown bag lunch  to school and eat stinky fish on Friday. She smothered it in ketchup to choke it down. So my initial experiences with Lent were somewhat less than impressive.
Over the past 17 years I have grown to look forward to the season of Lent. We have meet in the middle over the years. We have lived in many, I mean many different states, since joining hands in marriage so each new part of the country we would try a new church, find new traditions, try to keep our personal relationships with God alive and growing. Our current church is a bible based Christain church that meets in a strip mall of sorts and has one rockin' band, lots of opportunities to serve, and a great children's program. We are really enjoying it. But Converse misses the traditional setting especially during this church season. And to be honest I do too.
So we as a family participate or reflect on how to make ourselves better during Lent. This year, Converse, decided to give up carbohydrates. He called me this morning to announce his plan. By mid afternoon he called again laughing and announced God definitely has a sense of humor. Two hours into his famine of no sugar, a delivery truck shows up at his make shift office at a semi-abandoned building at the edge of this small town. He has been working on a project there for months, which seems like years...(Oh I gave up complaining..oops). The delivery driver announces that the local Girl Scouts had ordered 1700 boxes of cookies for a fundraiser. Well, according to the delivery driver, the fundraiser had been postponed so the driver was instructed to drop off the cookies at the building my husband is working at right now. So there sits my carb-free husband surrounded by 1700 boxes of Girl Scout cookies! That my friend is very funny to me. Let Lent begin! Got Milk?

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Ran 4 miles today (on the treadmill again! ) and did Jillian Michaels 30-day Shred. Highly recommend. I ran each day this weekend which was so nice, once even outside, yeah! I am trying to pick a race and then will begin the mileage build-up. I was going to do a race in mid-March but I will not be ready. Bummer! I have been rehabbing a hamstring strain and fell down the stairs with Weebok last week.She was NOT hurt, Thank God! But the hamstring went ouch. It is better though. I could care less about the hamstring as long as she was ok.

I am 40...Hear me Roar!

Yes, I recently turned 40. It is getting easier to say. I am 40. I AM 40!  Ok, a little easier to say. I woke up the morning of my birthday at 5:07 am to be exact to Nike Girl yelling HELP at at top of her lungs. The toilet was overflowing. So there I stood with a plunger as my dear husband whispers in my ear, "Happy Birthday, it can only get better from here." It was a good laugh. Then Weebok started crying from her room. Well, that little adventure quickly turned into the raging stomach flu for Nike Girl and Weebok , so the rest of the day was spent doing laundry. But I was needed and was loved ,so turning 40 was... I guess a little different than I expected but not all bad. God must have known I needed a distraction. Thank you God, I was distracted.

So now that I am 40 I am in the process of a "Decade To Do " list. The best part about making a list like this is that I have started reflecting on my past and realizing all that I have been blessed with.... it definitely puts a new perspective on my everyday existence. Maybe there is a purpose to encountering the same grumpy crosswalk guard every morning(or maybe not). I just feel like I am doing the same routine over and over again. Do you ever feel that way?  I am not trying to complain as there is comfort in that, but I like adventure. My soul craves a challenge. So the "Decade to Do " list was born. It is almost complete! Maybe I will share.

So world this blog is a shout out to myself....I am 40...hear me roar! Oops baby crying ,gotta go. Kind of takes the wind out of the sails. God is Good!

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Cross trained today with weights and light cardio. Ab workouts bite!

The Legend of Mr. Blue

It was the spring of Nike Girl's 3rd birthday. She was obsessed with owning her own pet. Something besides the family canine. An animal to call her very own. What about a hamster mommy? No. What about a rabbit mommy? Um, cute but no. What about a rat mommy? No No. What about a snake? Absolutely not. One day while skimming through a Martha Stewart Living magazine I saw the most awesome antique fish bowl with crystal clear water and green plants. A fish would be perfect. So I searched and found an antique bowl and filled it with natural stones and real plants. We ventured to the pet store and looked for the perfect fish. Within seconds Nike Girl found her first pet Mr. Blue.
Mr. Blue is a blue betta that is iridescent when the light hits him. He likes to hide behind the rocks, blow bubbles, and eat. The bowl sits behind our kitchen sink and gets lots of natural light. Nike Girl talks to him every morning for almost 4 years. Mr. Blue seems alive, happy and well....sort of....
Algae likes to grow on the bowl which requires monthly cleanings. No big deal , a simple task. Except that fateful Saturday evening last Feburary. Nana, my mom, had helped clean the fish bowl. Mr. Blue was so excited swimming under each rock enjoying the crystal clear water. A few hours later I was getting a drink and was going to say hello to Mr. Blue. Except I couldn't find him. Where was Mr. Blue? I turned the bowl from side to side, no luck. I called for my mom to look for Mr. Blue. We couldn't see him. So I simply said mom turn on the light. It was slow motion as she reached for the switch. Nooooooooo.......not that switch. The garbage disposal cranked as though it were full. The rest of the story you can fill in. Yep, so after the kids got to bed, the ol' Honda made a run to the supercenter in hopes of finding a replacement.
Next morning, there was Mr. Blue swimming in his new surroundings. Nike Girl looked at him and I was waiting. She simply said, " I think Mr. Blue has been exercising, he looks like he lost some weight." Right then the Legend of Mr. Blue was born.
Unfortunately, again this week Mr. Blue decided to dive into the big blue ocean in the sky after a slight chemical imbalance. However, the next morning, there he was like magic, swimming and hiding under his favorite rock. And again Nike Girl said , "Good Morning" and looked at him for a few seconds then off she went. Someday she will know the rest of the story about Mr. Blue's legend, until then thank goodness for supercenters! Oh by the way, we do seem to have more luck with canines.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: 4 miles on a snowy trail. Awesome! It was so quiet and peaceful. Then 2 miles on treadmill a little faster than on the trail. I was afraid of slipping. Maybe snow is not all bad.

No Sense Thursday

Why am I able to talk to my husband who is shark fishing in the middle of the ocean 2000 miles away at 1am but drop calls when I am driving right past a cell phone tower this morning going to work? This makes no sense to me at all.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Took today off in hopes to run long tomorrow. Probably a mistake because today I might have been able to run outside. Snow forecasted for 5 days straight.

Say it ain't so , Phil!

Well the little bristle haired rodent saw his shadow. 6 more weeks of winter, please say it ain't so. I can't run on the treadmill one more day. I am getting ready to enter my mileage build-up. But besides that what about all the shuffling of coats and hats and gloves and boots in and out of the car, trying to keep the tile floor clean, indoor playgrounds full of germs and stinky little socks, icy driveways, the dog absolutely refusing to do her business in snow making me late to work, chapped lips, fly away hair, chili again tonight? Say it ain't so Phil!
Aw, but there is hope, the US National Climatic Data Center estimates Phil’s forecast is correct only about 40 percent of the time. Sounds like good odds in Vegas for Phil to be wrong. So maybe it ain't so.
Hope the sun is shining where you are today.

Happy Stinkin' Groundhog Day!
Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: 4 miles treadmill Weebok played in her playpen and watched a movie. Seemed to work today. She misses the stroller jogs and so do I.