Nothing Says I Love you......

Today I saw a flashing sign in front of a retail pharmacy chain store that read, " Show Your Love...Buy a Flu Shot Gift Card." Now I don't know about you, but if Converse came home with one of those on our anniversary, he might find himself eating cold cereal for supper, bran cereal, maybe even with a fork. Forget Tiffany's.... nothing says I love you like a flu shot!
Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl

Running Report: Still hitting the pavement and the treadmill in the heat. It sure is hot! Love summertime!

Life is Good

On the farm growing up, I learned that you should never complain about rain especially when it falls in the summer. I know the flowers weren't complaining in our yard.  The foliage has been amazing this year.

Hope you find peace today.... even if you find yourself standing in the rain.

The "New Balance" Girl

One Foot in Front of the Other

Entry One
The idea of this self imposed journey started a few months after I celebrated the big 40. Usually birthdays don't bother me. This particular birthday seemed to pass by without any major personal crisis. I guess I didn't have time to feel sorry for my aging self. The day started out with a clogged toilet and plunger around 5 am that rapidly turned into my girls getting the raging stomach flu. I look back and smile. God knew that humor would snap me out of the fog. The scenario of the day made me laugh and remember to count my blessings. On that day I could care less about the crow's feet and spider veins. I just wanted everyone to feel better soon. I felt content with where I was in life. It was a good day to remember.
A few months later, on a long run,  I started thinking. Why am I still running? Goodness gracious, it really is silly when I stop and think about it. I am not exactly graceful nor do I make it look effortless. I am a pronator who you can hear coming from yards away. I have ran two marathons and many other races where I continue to finish in the middle of the pack  I have saved all of the race t-shirts and bibs in a tote. Why? I know running is a health benefit, especially mentally. My family knows when I have ran and when I haven't. It is addictive. But why not be addicted to soap operas or homemade chocolate chip cookies? Why running? Why run and keep my same 10 minute mile pace? Why not go for it? Why not try to qualify for Boston?
Insert sound of screeching brakes. This is where the inner voice steps in and laughs like Count Dracula on Sesame Street. Boston is a pipe dream. Boston is for runners not joggers. Boston Creme Pie, I had to throw that in because I am always thinking of food. Boston is for....Why not end that sentence with....Boston is for me?  So my little dream was born and the journey has begun. I may qualify or I may not. 40 is a good thing for time qualifications in Boston. It certainly won't happen easily for me. Did I mention I am a slow runner? It will take a lot of speed work and miles. My plan is simple. I am going to place one foot in front of the other and see where I end up. My running journey to Boston is now beginning. Fasten your seat belts it may be a bumpy ride.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl


Running Report: Daily runs 4 miles, 4 miles, 6 miles, and 4 miles. Speed work 12- 400's at 8:56min/mile. Long run this weekend. Yikes, I guess I have officially put it out there in the universe. Have a great day!


 





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Where is that Rascally Rabbit?

As a little kid, I sometimes pretended to be a magician. I would find a big winter stocking cap and push a stuffed animal into it and throw it on my head. Then I would try to trick my family into believing there was nothing stuffed inside the crooked hat atop my head. They must have been so annoyed but never let on.
Nike Girl is having similar aspirations. I have found technology has really not improved much since the 70's. They do now sell magic sets that include a big plastic hat with a small trap door, magic wand with messy glitter, scarves, a deck of cards , a few balls and thimbles, and a styrofoam rabbit. The foam rabbit is a little lame but none the less it says on the outside of the box it is indeed magical. At the very least the entire kit probably contains lead and other harmful metals, not found in the 1970's version. Side note: Weebok, don't eat the glittery wand!
So Nike Girl sets up the show. She shows us the top hat has nothing in it. She didn't know that I had seen her place the foam rabbit inside the trap door in the bottom of the hat. She puts the hat on her head and taps it with her magic wand. Glitter flies. She then says some magical rhyming words and says "Poof a rabbit!" She takes the hat off and looks inside it, no rabbit. She looks on the floor casually, no rabbit. She looks in the trap door slyly, no rabbit. She turns circles and looks up and down and all around, no rabbit. Where is that rascally rabbit?
(Picture to come)
The foam rabbit is stuck on top of her head in her hair. She can not see it but the audience can. I was belly laughing. Weebok was clapping and signing, "more, more".  I let it go on for probably longer than I should , but it was too much fun. Finally, she said, "it appears the rabbit has hopped away!" I laughed even harder. I point her to the hallway mirror. The rascally rabbit was found. I will let you know, and hopefully not 911, if  she tries the saw my little sister in half trick with the plastic tool set I just bought Weebok. Hope it goes better than the rabbit in the hat trick.

Peace.
The "New Balance Gal"

Running Report: Difficult uphill 4 mile run. No magic shoes on here. It felt good to push a little harder today. Nike Girl had baseball this evening and Weebok had shots this morning. Poor baby! I absolutely despise when they have to get their shots. She was speaking BooBoo again.  I wish I would of had a magic wand to make it not hurt. Thankful all is well again.

Get Your Shoes on Now!

Ever have a morning like this? The following is sadly a true account and rather disturbing glimpse of my morning "off from work".
6:00am I did manage to wake up before the family to run. Then Hello Chaos.
7:30am Nike Girl and Weebok awake, get dressed and brush hair, teeth, and start eating breakfast.
8:00 am :"Get your shoes on, please." Cleaning up from breakfast.
8:08 am: Changing diaper. "Nike Girl, find your shoes and get them on please." Nike Girl reading the cereal box.
8:12 am Feeding the dog. "Do you have your shoes on? Please get them on."
8:15am Grabbing Weebok and looking for my keys that I thought I had left by the garage door. "We are leaving. You have no shoes."
8:18am "Get your shoes on Now! "Forgot diaper bag run upstairs to get bag.
8:20am "Nike Girl Get your shoes on NOW! " Wipe Weebok's face again.
8:23 am "Everyone into the car, march 2,3,4. Everyone buckled? " Oh .I forgot my purse. Just a minute. Run inside.
8:25am "Let's go kiddos! " "Mommy...MoMmY...MOMMY....  "I turn around. Nike Girl is pointing at Weebok's feet. Oh, Weebok doesn't have her shoes. Run back upstairs.
8:29am  Headed down the road amazingly on time to participate in a workshop entitled, "Bring Peace to your Home." I am beaded up with sweat. It is a hot and humid day. I certainly can not get there fast enough! We need peace, like peanut butter needs jelly!

I sit at a round table with a group of gals, I do not know. We start going around the table to introduce ourselves and tell why we decided to join in and bring peace to our homes. I develop hives on my neck at the thought of any public speaking. I heard things like, "Our kids are so stressed", "We have activities going every night" "My husband and I work two jobs each", "I have 8 kids" , " I have 4 dogs"  then it was my turn.  " Hi. We need peace because I seem to be frazzled, disorganized, and tired of being the one always rushing and yelling "Get your shoes on now!"  Blank stares. That seems so lame, almost embarassing. I know there are so many real things that are much greater to conquer but for me at that moment it felt so true.

My family seems to be living in a busy fast paced activity driven world. Always jetting out the door to get somewhere, work, an activity, or to buy something that we really probably in the spectrum of things do not need. There has to be a balance between these things. Sure we go on family outings, bike rides, hikes, and things like that. It is the everyday grind that is hard to find peace in sometimes.

The one common thread I heard over and over was that the adults especially the female in the family seems to set the mood of the household.  I was at first defensive toward that statement because surely moi does not create chaos. Then I realized in our family dynamics there is truth to that statement. Converse always jokes and says , "If mama is happy then daddy is happy." Maybe he was on to something. It was suggested that we should get back to just relaxing at home. Kids should play and be creative with their own imaginations. Why all the pressure from our culture to be the best at anything when we are only 6? If one has a God given talent , it will come out one way or another. The grown ups should know their limits of being too stressed and stop and relax before you get to that point of yelling towanda. It is about finding a balance between it all. Things I know but am too busy to put into practice. We should stop and smell the roses even if they are wilting a bit. 

So I left the workshop feeling a little more in control. A little more in control because when we got into the car to leave Nike Girl and Weebok had both shoes on. A little more in control because I just needed to know I was not alone in this chaotic feeling world. Get back to some simplicity. Find a balance. Pray, that is a big one for me. Use common sense, like just putting shoes by the back door would probably be beneficial.  I am hopeful tomorrow will bring a little more peace to our home. Well ,until the dog refuses to go outside to do her thing because it is suppose to rain in the morning and she is disturbed by wet paws. But I will try really hard to find balance.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl

Running Report: Ran 6 miles and did Jillian Michaels. The heat and humidity makes me not want to get my own shoes on and walk out the door. But once I am out there running, my mind clears and it is peaceful. Hope you find some peace today and remember to smell the roses even if some of them are wilting.

Do you Speak Boo Boo?

Weebok just turned 18 months. Everyday is exciting as she seems to have a new trick up her sleeve. More words, more opinions and more dance moves. All of these new tricks also lead to more boo boos. At the pool yesterday, she was standing next to the fountains filling her flowered pitcher, then screeching in joy before dumping the water out. Then she would do it all over again, and again, and again. A little boy , about her age, walked up to her and started playing with the same fountain. She stood back and sized him up, glanced at me and smiled, then started playing. I wish I knew what she was thinking. They took turns running through the fountain. The little boy got a little too excited and fell hurting his hand. His mom brushed it off and kissed it then set him back down to play. The whole time Weebok was just staring at the mother and her son. Once the little boy started playing again, Weebok got in his face and then said, "Boo Boo?" The little boy pointed at his hand and said , "Boo Boo. " Weebok then pointed to her knee and said "Boo Boo." The little boy pointed at his hand again and said, "Boo Boo." This conversation went on for two more rounds. The other mom and I just looked at each other and laughed. It was obvious they were speaking their own language, Boo Boo.

Peace.
The "New Balance" Girl

Running Report: Back in the saddle again. Following a new program to increase speed, lots of tempo runs and 400's. Then one distance run a week. Today I ran 400's on the treadmill due to poor scheduling on my part and not getting out of the house before the heat set in. When I was finished I felt like speaking Boo Boo. It hurt.

Cheers Converse!

Converse and I were married  a long time, 10.5 years to be exact, before Nike Girl entered this world. I will never forget when she was born. Converse's exact words were , " What did we just do!" as tears were streaming down his face. I remember being just quiet taking the experience all in and deciding that there was no other word ( besides the obvious word painful) for what just happened than a true genuine miracle. A few days later sitting at home the sleepless nights started, the constant worry started, the overwhelming feeling of responsibility hit us both. We wanted to be perfect. (silly thought) There were several days I shamefully admit ,thinking  those very words , "What did we do?"  Converse was feeling the same.

Then after a couple weeks, life started to return to a new kind of normal. And before you knew it Converse and I fell in love with the little thing. He soon didn't care if she projectile vomited on his shirt as he was rushing out the door to work, he didn't care if she put her slimy little hands on his face to point out body parts, he didn't care that the only thing that would calm her in a grocery store was singing Barney tunes. He became a daddy. And he loved his new found role in life.

Then only 5 1/2 years after that,  Weebok came into our world. She came three weeks early to arrive on our 16th wedding anniversary. She came knockin' at the door at midnight. I woke him up to tell him and he said "What time is it?" I told him and he said, " Can you wait a couple hours I just got to sleep? Are you sure it is time?" I gave him my perfected " this is not the time to joke"  look. I use that a lot in tense quiet moments, he can't help himself.  So he rolled out of bed, brushed his teeth and a half hour later , we found ourselves cruising in the Accord thankful it still was not the Beretta. We started laughing, well sort of,  because instead of jetting off to Paris on our anniversary like many friends our age, we were starting down another new path. This time when she popped into the world, Converse was ready and looked at the new baby, tears streaming down his eyes, and said "You have another beautiful daughter." I exclaimed, "What!" I just knew it was a boy. I was so secretly excited that it was another girl but more importantly she was healthy. Another true miracle! What a ride it has all been since.

Cheers Converse! You make us laugh everyday.
Happy Daddy Day!

Peace.
The "New Balance Girl" 

Running Report: Foot healed, back to training on Monday. I have picked a race! yea!

Treadmill Anyone?

Wake up at sunrise.....check

Nike Girl and Weebok asleep still....check

Converse still at home....check

New running shoes on...check

Ipod blasting favorite tune...check

Garmin Forerunner set....check

Step outside ready to roll.....check

...uh...

Treadmill anyone?

Excuse Me...You Got a Little Something On Your....

                                  Me like brownie batter, A LOT!

Peace.
The "New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Still cross training due to a foot injury. Should be healed soon, I hope. Until then, I need to stay away from all types of brownies smothered in homemade vanilla ice cream.

The 21st Century Male Cardinal

A couple weeks ago, I was trimming up some bushes in the backyard. That is when I happened upon a bird nest nestled in the branches of a wild rose bush. The Mama Cardinal was sitting happily on her little birdies until I got too close. She flew away to a nearby branch and glared at me. I peeked from a distant at the three little birdies, ugly as could be, beaks turned upward, wanting food. So I backed away.

A few days later, I showed Weebok and Nike Girl my recent nature find.  The baby birdies had grown bigger but still were ,well , quite homely. Kind of like the Seinfeld episode where Jerry and Elaine go to the Hamptons to visit friends and meet their new baby. "Is it me, or was that the ugliest baby you have ever seen?" ...."I couldn't look. It was like a Pekinese."......" Boy, a little too much chlorine in that gene pool." Poor baby birds.

A small thunderstorm blew through the other night. So yesterday, The girls and I went to check on the birdies.The rose petals had fallen on the ground and unfortunately there on the ground laid two little birdies. Nike Girl shed tears. Then we heard a little chirp. And this is what we saw....

 One birdie had survived the storm! As we started jumping up and down with joy screaming,  the birdie fell off of its nest! Uh... Houston we have a problem! The Mama Cardinal came flying in screeching at us and landed next to her baby to make sure all was ok. Step away from the bird! What do I do? Nike Girl is screaming do something Mommy.....Do I pick it up? Do I let nature take its course? The neighbor's big scary looking cat likes our yard. I can't take the pressure!

Then in absolute amazement, we witnessed the Mama Cardinal AND the Daddy Cardinal begin to teach the baby how to fly! They both chirped and took tiny little flights around the bird. The baby bird would hop and try to fly then crash. This happened several times in a row. Just like a toddler walking between her parents. The only thing missing were camcorders. Finally the little bird was able to fly up to a nearby branch of a lilac bush and sit there looking so proud. The parents stayed by its side the entire time! Amazing! 

We proceeded to have a celebration service for the other birdies as I buried them under the rose bush. Nike Girl said a few words that went something like, " We did not know you , oh little birdies, but we wanted to. But really we didn't have a lot in common. The neighbors cat might have gotten you anyway. God loves you.Amen." 

A few hours later I went out to check on the birdie in the lilac bush by the garden. It was on a higher branch with mom and dad still looking over it. Today the entire family was gone. It earned its wings! I hope.....

So kudos to this little Cardinal family with a 21st century dad! Helping out 50/50. Who would have known that nature had evolved through the generations, too!  I imagine when the Cardinal family made it home, they put the birdie to bed, the Mama Cardinal finished dishes and made lunches for tomorrow while the 21st Century Cardinal Dad sat on his branch and peered into our living room window just in time for our 21st Century dad to turn on Sports Center to get the baseball highlights.  There is no place like home.

Peace.

The New Balance" Gal

Running Report: Lots of cross-training this week. Lots of reading articles on increasing your speed over the distance. Lots of fun outside with bubbles, sidewalk chalk and learning to dance. Weebok has found her moves!