It's finally cooled off here in central Texas so was able to break out the fall decor. Last Saturday we went to a local pumpkin patch for pumpkin pickin', a hay ride, and some face painting. The weather was beautiful!
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Happy Fall Ya'll
It's finally cooled off here in central Texas so was able to break out the fall decor. Last Saturday we went to a local pumpkin patch for pumpkin pickin', a hay ride, and some face painting. The weather was beautiful!
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Going Greener: Going beyond Curbside Recycling
I'm actually pretty excited about what I've learned about recycling beyond our curbside recycling program. Before we get into that, I'll say a little about curbside recycling.
It's appalling to me that there are many families on our street that don't take advantage of the free, little effort required opportunity to recycle at the curb. That's all I'm going to say about that.
My mother's side of the family comes from a very rural area of West Virginia. It's a good 30 minutes to the closest Walmart. The amazing thing-they have curbside recycling and have for at least 6 years. My point is that if you do not have curbside recycling, you might want to consider rallying your community to take action. Washington County, Virginia I'm talking to you.
Our curbside pick up hits most of the basics, clear and brown glass, plastics 1 & 2, aluminum, etc. However, with a little research it's likely you can find somewhere on your daily path that will go above and beyond these materials.
Our community is littered with green and yellow dumpsters for paper recycling by PaperRetriever. You can find these dumpsters at all the local schools, the YMCA, and goodwills. The great thing about these dumpsters is that it is a fundraiser for the organization that sponsors the dumpster. You can recycle catalogs, newspapers, office and school paper, and mail. However, they do not take any form of plastic, so you have to cut the plastic windows out of all those junk mail envelopes. Click here to see if there is a dumpster near you. If not, consider looking into getting one for your local school, church, or civic group.
Joshua says, "Be Cool & Recycle!"
Joshua says, "Be Cool & Recycle!"We have been sorting all our paper out this month and I'm amazed at the reduction it's made. I took a picture of our home office trash one week, but can't seem to find it. Basically the recyclable stuff was overflowing it's basket and the trash amounted to about 10 plastic windows from junk mail.
What I'm even more excited about it that I just learned that I can drop off pressed cardboard at a collection site just down the road. What is pressed cardboard? Cereal boxes, cardboard egg cartons, etc. Basically anything type of box that isn't waxed (such as an orange juice carton). That is probably the element that takes up most of our trash right now, so this will greatly reduce our trash volume. While our local transfer station doesn't take corrugated cardboard, the main hub does, so when we have shipping boxes etc we can take them there for recycling. To find a recycling center near you, click here to check out Earth911. For you Austinites, the Austin Recycling Center information can be found here.
In summary:
*Use your curbside recycling to it's fullest!
*Check to see if Paper Retriever has a dumpster near you for all your paper trash.
*Check out Earth911 for drop off recycling in your community for everything else, especially pressed cardboard.
P.S. You can also recycle most of your plastic bags at the grocery store, but I'm going to talk about that another day.
Friday, October 05, 2007
I guess they were right....
It's taken 8 years to say it. They were right. My sophomore year of college I changed my major to interior design and spent a year in the program. After students complete their first year in the program, they have to go through an evaluation process to determine whether they can proceed to the second year. They didn't advance me.
It's been a bit of a bitter memory. In many ways, I have been thankful that I changed paths. But I've never been able to fully say, "They were right." Until now.
A month ago we began re-decorating our kitchen. The original builder paint was still up, which is not a very good grade and very hard to clean. So, we decided to add some color and a tile backsplash. I decided it would be super fun to do a Tuscan theme, so that was the route we started with.
Picking a paint color took a little time, but was relatively painless.
We had our friend Jen come over to consult. She worked with an
interior design friend to pick out the paint colors in her house (which are awesome) and so she shared what she had learned.
However, we picked our final color with out consulting Jen, and it's ummm....cheerful. It's like to sun in shining in our kitchen.
We've always been one to call in the troops for help, this time was no exception. Our faithful friends came over to help paint. They are awesome and they got the job done so quick, we gave them another project to work on!
I am continually amazed by our friends' generosity-thank you guys! That said, don't tell anyone, but I'm not crazy about the color. Kurt says that it's okay if I don't like it, but I'll have to repaint it myself. On second thought...cheerful is good.
As for the tile backsplash, we still can't find a design we like. I went to Lowes and Home Depot today for about the 10th time in a month to look at tile. Every Saturday we load up the car and go with the hopes of finally f
inding "it." However, Joshua has the tolerance of about 2 stores lasting 15 minutes and 23 seconds in each, so it's been limiting. The search continues...The good news is we have found some decor items and a new light fixture for over the island, as well as remaking our old one over the table. Hopefully within the next month I can do a new post with pic of our finished kitchen.
Now that I am in the midst of the makeover project, I can finally say, "They were right." Can you imagine if I was actually trying to make a profession of interior design??? I can also confidently say I will never build a custom home....it would take me years!
Thank you Jennifer, Chris, Jodi, Mike, Andrea, and Jeremy!!
It's been a bit of a bitter memory. In many ways, I have been thankful that I changed paths. But I've never been able to fully say, "They were right." Until now.
A month ago we began re-decorating our kitchen. The original builder paint was still up, which is not a very good grade and very hard to clean. So, we decided to add some color and a tile backsplash. I decided it would be super fun to do a Tuscan theme, so that was the route we started with.
Picking a paint color took a little time, but was relatively painless.
We had our friend Jen come over to consult. She worked with an
interior design friend to pick out the paint colors in her house (which are awesome) and so she shared what she had learned.
However, we picked our final color with out consulting Jen, and it's ummm....cheerful. It's like to sun in shining in our kitchen.
We've always been one to call in the troops for help, this time was no exception. Our faithful friends came over to help paint. They are awesome and they got the job done so quick, we gave them another project to work on!
I am continually amazed by our friends' generosity-thank you guys! That said, don't tell anyone, but I'm not crazy about the color. Kurt says that it's okay if I don't like it, but I'll have to repaint it myself. On second thought...cheerful is good.
As for the tile backsplash, we still can't find a design we like. I went to Lowes and Home Depot today for about the 10th time in a month to look at tile. Every Saturday we load up the car and go with the hopes of finally f
inding "it." However, Joshua has the tolerance of about 2 stores lasting 15 minutes and 23 seconds in each, so it's been limiting. The search continues...The good news is we have found some decor items and a new light fixture for over the island, as well as remaking our old one over the table. Hopefully within the next month I can do a new post with pic of our finished kitchen.Now that I am in the midst of the makeover project, I can finally say, "They were right." Can you imagine if I was actually trying to make a profession of interior design??? I can also confidently say I will never build a custom home....it would take me years!
Project #2: We stained some crates I found for $1 each to decorate above our cabinets.
Mike actually has a three week old at home and he's helping us???
The Supervisors
Thank you Jennifer, Chris, Jodi, Mike, Andrea, and Jeremy!!
Sunday, September 30, 2007
Good Video
Joshua's not quite old enough for the whole song, but this is pretty good.
"A Mom's overture" by Anita Renfroe
"A Mom's overture" by Anita Renfroe
Wednesday, September 26, 2007
Working at the carwash
We've got a new bargaining chip for when we are looking for free babysitting. Joshua will wash your car in exchange for babysitting him for a few hours...
By the way, I know it's a little ironic to post washing your car during our Going Greener focus, but it's the first time the Mazda's been washed in the 14 months...
By the way, I know it's a little ironic to post washing your car during our Going Greener focus, but it's the first time the Mazda's been washed in the 14 months...
Tuesday, September 25, 2007
Going Greener-Reducing Junk Mail
If I had know how easy it was to reduce junk mail, I'd have done it years ago! Here's some things I've learned this month and done to reduce our household junk mail.Native Forest Network's Guide to Stopping Junk Mail: FACTS ON JUNK MAIL!
- The average person gets only 1.5 personal letters each week, compared to 10.8 pieces of junk mail.
- Each person will receive almost 560 pieces of junk mail this year.
- That's 4.5 million tons of junk mail produced each year!
- 44% of all junk mail is thrown in the trash, unopened and unread.
- Approximately 40% of the solid mass that makes up our landfills is paper and paperboard waste.
- By the year 2010, it is predicted to make up about 48%.
- 100 million trees are ground up each year to produce junk mail.
- Lists of names and addresses used in bulk mailings are in mass data-collection networks, compiled from phone books, warranty cards, and charity donations (to name a few).
- Your name is typically worth 3 to 20 cents each time it is sold.
So, how can you stop the flow of Junk? Here are some steps that I learned from No Impact Man, my new favorite site.
1) Opt out of all those credit and insurance offers. Visit OptOutPrescreen.com, the official site of the Consumer Credit Reporting Industry. (Seriously, I think I'd save a tree just by getting off Capital One's list. We get at least an offer a week from them.)
2) Contact Direct Marketing Service to get off the mailing list of national advertisers. By joining their Mail Preference Service list, you will supposedly reduce your junk mail by 75%.
3) Call the 800 number on the back of catalogs to get off their mailing list. Even if you do mail order shopping, you can still shop online and save paper! I rarely buy things by mail order, but when I do I always shop online. I love to peruse Pottery Barn's catalog, so it will be sad to say goodbye, but worth it in the long run. I do this as they come in, so it's just a few minutes here and there.
4) Another suggestion by the Native Forest Network is to get off sweepstakes mailing lists. I didn't do this because I don't know the last time I've gotten any mailing from any of them. But,
to remove your name from major nationwide sweepstakes mailers, contact:
- Publishers Clearinghouse, 101 Channel Drive, Port Washington, NY 11050 Phone: (800) 645-9242
- Readers Digest, Readers Digest Road, Pleasantville, NY 10570 Phone: (800) 234-9000
- American Family Publishers, PO Box 62000, Tampa, FL 33662 Phone: (800) 237-2400
I encourage you to do these steps to reduce all our junk mail! The first two will take you about five minutes each, so do it now before you forget! I'd love to see how many participate, so leave a comment if you do it!
Sunday, September 16, 2007
Driving Lessons
Well over a year ago, Kurt bought his current car, a Mazda 3. It's fun and cute (am I allowed to say that, kurt?) and supposedly fun to drive. I wouldn't know; It's a manual transmission. I knew he wanted a manual, for the fun and the gas mileage, but I wasn't so excited about it. He said he could teach me to drive it, but I've heard that from about five different people. None of which were able to successfully teach me. I won't tell you all the stories, because there's a list of the people, as diverse as the kinds of cars they drove. Some were patient, some not so much.
Last spring, Kurt and I went out for a date night and decided to make use of having a baby sitter for Joshua and do some driving lessons. It was amazing, I actually got around the parking lot! I was so proud of myself and imagined driving around town. Kurt was pleased too but reminded me I still needed a lot of practice. Practice I never did.
After returning from vacation, the XTerra ended up in the shop for a few days. I don't do so well being stuck at home for several days at a time. It was a good reminder to get out and work on my driving again. So that weekend, we loaded Joshua up and went to the school across the street. I took the wheel and started her up, but we didn't get ver
y far before I killed it. Joshua apparently thought the car ride was like a carnival ride as he cackled and giggled when we jerked back and forth. So I started her back up again, and tried again. Killed again, giggles again. And that went on for about 10 more attempts. Of course, Joshua laughing got me laughing so I couldn't even pay attention to the instructions Kurt was barking at me. (He was the only one not laughing).So we gave up. Kurt took back over and we ran an errand. We talked about what I might have been doing wrong and decided to try again. As Kurt and I traded places again back in the parking lot, I kid you not, the little stinker says, "oh uh!" Oh, uh was right. I still didn't get anywhere and haven't had a lesson since (I think marital preservation is more important). I just can't wait to laugh at Joshua from the backseat when it's his turn to drive. Course I'll probably be too busy gripping the door and slamming the air brake.
Thursday, September 13, 2007
Going Green (er)
Yes, it's the trendy thing to go green these days. There's been a lot in the news about global warming, the melting of glaciers and the future extinction of the polar bear. But I have to be honest, I'm really not worried about the polar bear. I'm not even really that worried about the melting of glaciers. But I do worry about what is goes on in my every day world.
Last summer, on one of our standard walks to the mailbox (it's half a mile from our house (the postal services is getting lazy these days, but that's another issue) we passed by the creek that runs behind our backyard. We had recently had a heavy rain and the creek was full. Passing by, you couldn't help but notice a huge amount of foam rising from the rapids. Kurt explained to me that a co-worker had told him the foam caused by pesticides and fertilizers used in yards. That is scary to me.
Southern Living magazine come to me in the mail every month. It's taken me years to realize that my yard will never be Southern Living magazine worthy. And that's okay. Each spring, we fight the battle of what to do about weeds and fire ants. I would love for our lawn to look lush, green, and weed free. But so far I haven't figured out a way to do that without being a detriment to the environment outside my yard. I also want my son to be able to run barefoot through the grass and roll around on the ground with no worries about chemicals. My main point in this is that we have got to start evaluating what's really important for today and for tomorrow. Yes, it's great to have a green, weed-free lawn, but is it worth the expense of our greater environment?
I have been thinking a lot about small ways to impact the environment for good. I'm just the average person. I recycle, I try to preserve resources, but I'm also an American who has gotten used to the unacceptable standards we currently live by.
So I'm going greener. I'm not going to stop taking showers or vow to not buy anything for a year. But I am going to try and make some everyday changes. I'll be sharing these things on the blog, in hopes that you will join me.
Last summer, on one of our standard walks to the mailbox (it's half a mile from our house (the postal services is getting lazy these days, but that's another issue) we passed by the creek that runs behind our backyard. We had recently had a heavy rain and the creek was full. Passing by, you couldn't help but notice a huge amount of foam rising from the rapids. Kurt explained to me that a co-worker had told him the foam caused by pesticides and fertilizers used in yards. That is scary to me.
Southern Living magazine come to me in the mail every month. It's taken me years to realize that my yard will never be Southern Living magazine worthy. And that's okay. Each spring, we fight the battle of what to do about weeds and fire ants. I would love for our lawn to look lush, green, and weed free. But so far I haven't figured out a way to do that without being a detriment to the environment outside my yard. I also want my son to be able to run barefoot through the grass and roll around on the ground with no worries about chemicals. My main point in this is that we have got to start evaluating what's really important for today and for tomorrow. Yes, it's great to have a green, weed-free lawn, but is it worth the expense of our greater environment?
I have been thinking a lot about small ways to impact the environment for good. I'm just the average person. I recycle, I try to preserve resources, but I'm also an American who has gotten used to the unacceptable standards we currently live by.
So I'm going greener. I'm not going to stop taking showers or vow to not buy anything for a year. But I am going to try and make some everyday changes. I'll be sharing these things on the blog, in hopes that you will join me.
Wow, finally, videos through blogger
I sat down to blog about something else, and got distracted when I saw the add video button on my toolbar. Blogger has finally gotten with the program and added a video feature. I'm really glad to not have to post our videos for the world on YouTube now!
Wednesday, August 29, 2007
I've got news
Hey- Joshua here. Mommy usually doesn't let me type on the keyboard, but since I've got news she's letting me post. I'm usually the last one to know everything, but I figured when I got this new shirt that something was up. Every time I wear it people get really excited...
Do you like it? Did you read it? It says, "I'm going to be a big brother!" Then it has a monkey swinging. Does that mean the new baby will look like a monkey?
Mommy and Daddy say the baby is suppose to come on March 5th. That means it's been in Mommy's tummy for about 13 weeks. I have been getting lots of practice so I can be a great big brother.
Do you like it? Did you read it? It says, "I'm going to be a big brother!" Then it has a monkey swinging. Does that mean the new baby will look like a monkey?
Mommy and Daddy say the baby is suppose to come on March 5th. That means it's been in Mommy's tummy for about 13 weeks. I have been getting lots of practice so I can be a great big brother.
Thursday, August 23, 2007
I scream, you scream, Joshua screams for...
ICE CREAM!While back in ol' Virginee, Joshua got his first ice cream cone. It was messy, and lots of fun.
(We tried to teach him how to lick the ice cream cone)
Wednesday, August 22, 2007
Vacation
We recently returned from two weeks on the East Coast. Rather than completing a 1000 word essay on what we did....here are some highs (and, er, lows) of our trip:
-We started Joshua on a new antibiotic the day before the trip. One of the side effects is diarrhea. I've learned not to start new medications with a side effect of diarrhea before three hour plane trips. Fortunately, Joshua didn't indicate anything was wrong during the two and a half hours he sat in mess on the plane (half hour into the flight was when we noticed the plane smelled bad). I'll spare you the very messy, all over him, all over his seat details...
-Always a good time hanging out with the Zeb clan. Joshua got in on the traditional cousins chicken fighting this year.
-Fun times with Mom Mom!
-Joshua got his first DunkinDonuts-YUm YUm!
-Joshua got to see daddy's college campus-University of Delaware.
-On the way from Delaware, we got in some very short visits with two of my college roommates & their families. We spent the night with Uncle Jeff in Richmond, where we spent the night playing video games!
-Day two of traveling from DE to VA, we detoured to West Virginia to see my grandmother and then on to the family farm so Joshua could see the cows (and my extended family!).
-I was so excited to see Kurt get in on some Japanese beetle action with my Dad. It brought back such fond memories. First they get collected in a bag and then my dad insists on digging a hole and then burying them with a bag of boiling water. Good times. Don't you just love that Kurt always has a good stance when lifting things?
-Joshua apparently wore Mimi and Papa out!
-My stepsister and family were in town for our last day. Joshua was surrounded by his California cousins the entire time! He loved all the attention.
~I had my ten year high school reunion, so we had to take a pre-prom style photo when Kurt "picked me up" for our big night out-Hey, where's my corsage? It was so fun to catch up with hometown friends!
~Joshua discovered the joy of running up and down a hill in Virginia.
I know you are hungry for more...you can see all 170+ photos from our trip on our Picasa site.
-We started Joshua on a new antibiotic the day before the trip. One of the side effects is diarrhea. I've learned not to start new medications with a side effect of diarrhea before three hour plane trips. Fortunately, Joshua didn't indicate anything was wrong during the two and a half hours he sat in mess on the plane (half hour into the flight was when we noticed the plane smelled bad). I'll spare you the very messy, all over him, all over his seat details...
-Always a good time hanging out with the Zeb clan. Joshua got in on the traditional cousins chicken fighting this year.
-Fun times with Mom Mom!
-Joshua got his first DunkinDonuts-YUm YUm!
-Joshua got to see daddy's college campus-University of Delaware.
-On the way from Delaware, we got in some very short visits with two of my college roommates & their families. We spent the night with Uncle Jeff in Richmond, where we spent the night playing video games!
-Day two of traveling from DE to VA, we detoured to West Virginia to see my grandmother and then on to the family farm so Joshua could see the cows (and my extended family!).
-I was so excited to see Kurt get in on some Japanese beetle action with my Dad. It brought back such fond memories. First they get collected in a bag and then my dad insists on digging a hole and then burying them with a bag of boiling water. Good times. Don't you just love that Kurt always has a good stance when lifting things?
-Joshua apparently wore Mimi and Papa out!
-My stepsister and family were in town for our last day. Joshua was surrounded by his California cousins the entire time! He loved all the attention.
~I had my ten year high school reunion, so we had to take a pre-prom style photo when Kurt "picked me up" for our big night out-Hey, where's my corsage? It was so fun to catch up with hometown friends!
~Joshua discovered the joy of running up and down a hill in Virginia.
I know you are hungry for more...you can see all 170+ photos from our trip on our Picasa site.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Wednesday, July 25, 2007
Photo Sharing
I'm playing around with some new options for photos. Thought I'd experiment with embedding a slide show on here.
July 4th we went to a parade in the morning. Thankfully the rain held off. Joshua didn't really seem to get the parade, but he enjoyed the firetrucks and candy. That evening we had some of his friends from playgroup over-they brought their parents too.
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
The slideshow is through Picasa and the video through Dropshots. We are experimenting with which venue to use for photo sharing. The problem is both have advantages and disadvantages. Both are nice because you have one address and people can check out the site anytime for new photos. (As opposed to a Snapfish in which you have to invite people to see your album each time you create a new one.)
What I like about Dropshots:
* Embed videos to blog without using Youtube.
* Arranges photos automatically by date and can be viewed in calendar format.
* Links with other family & friends sites to tell me when they are updated with new photos.
What I like about Picasa:
*Easy to view photos in slide show format.
*Seems to be faster to use.
*Fun to be able to embed slide shows on the blog.
You can check out the Picasa site here.
You can check out the Dropshots site here.
Hopefully we'll decide which one to go with soon and put a permanent link to it. Feel free to leave a comment with which one you like better. I asked all our family and those that responded to the question were 50-50 in their preference.
July 4th we went to a parade in the morning. Thankfully the rain held off. Joshua didn't really seem to get the parade, but he enjoyed the firetrucks and candy. That evening we had some of his friends from playgroup over-they brought their parents too.
Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Share Photos - Free Video Hosting
The slideshow is through Picasa and the video through Dropshots. We are experimenting with which venue to use for photo sharing. The problem is both have advantages and disadvantages. Both are nice because you have one address and people can check out the site anytime for new photos. (As opposed to a Snapfish in which you have to invite people to see your album each time you create a new one.)
What I like about Dropshots:
* Embed videos to blog without using Youtube.
* Arranges photos automatically by date and can be viewed in calendar format.
* Links with other family & friends sites to tell me when they are updated with new photos.
What I like about Picasa:
*Easy to view photos in slide show format.
*Seems to be faster to use.
*Fun to be able to embed slide shows on the blog.
You can check out the Picasa site here.
You can check out the Dropshots site here.
Hopefully we'll decide which one to go with soon and put a permanent link to it. Feel free to leave a comment with which one you like better. I asked all our family and those that responded to the question were 50-50 in their preference.
Monday, July 23, 2007
Wednesday, July 11, 2007
Why this would never happen to a women
I just read this on CNN.com :
Man arrives at wedding year early
LONDON, England (Reuters) -- Teacher Dave Barclay flew thousands of miles across the Atlantic to Wales to attend his friend's wedding, only to discover he was a year early.
Barclay, 34, was told about the wedding earlier in the year and assumed it was to take place in 2007.
It was only when he had flown into Cardiff from Toronto, Canada, and rang the bridegroom seeking details of the venue that he discovered the wedding was in 2008.
"I am a year early -- yeah, my mates are loving it, aren't they," he told BBC Radio Wales.
The groom, Dave Best, had emailed his friend at the start of the year.
"He just said July the 6th and I assumed it was this year because if you tell the guy July 6th, they're going to think it's this year," Barclay said.
Barclay, who has been teaching in Toronto for three years spent £500 ($1,015) on his premature flight.
"At least it's assured me a mention in the speech next year," he added.Why this would never happen to a woman:
1) Hello, invitation? We would have clarified when we hadn't received an invitation.
2) We would have called our other friends to find out what they were going to wear.
3) We would never dream of flying into a city to then find out where we were supposed to be.
4) We would have used our resources to find a ticket that was cheaper that $1015.
5) We would have triple-checked the date with our friend since it was on a Friday. (Then we would have talked about how inconvenient it was with our other friends.)
Oh well, at least he wasn't the groom....
Sunday, July 01, 2007
Chipwiches in the Cemetery
It all began in the eighth grade during the annual Presidential Physical Fitness test. I ran the mile in under ten minutes and was so impressed with myself, I felt led to join the track team. Sprinting was clearly not my thing, so "long distance" track it was. The realization that the half mile and mile events were torture came quickly. There was, however, one factor in my favor, consistency; I was second to last in every race.Since track went so poorly for me, it was clear there was only one thing left to do, sign up for cross county. My parents even shelled out money to send me to running camp that summer. Possibly the worst investment they ever made. Seriously, me at running camp? Then again, it might have been worth every penny to have my brother and I out of the house at the same time.
Speaking of Jeff, maybe I should blame the entire ordeal of running on him. We could frame it as the classic little sister following in the footsteps of her big brother, wanting to be like him. Or maybe it was the desire to be on a team; Since I had gotten cut from Basketball and Cheerleading, my options were slim. Or maybe we could blame the running desire on the cool sweats the cross country team got to wear. Regardless of the reason, there I was running through the town of Abingdon, inhaling fumes from the traffic as we ran next to everyday on Main Street. Truth be known, sometimes I didn't always run down main street. I didn't even always run.
My friend LuLu* was a natural runner with a clear gift. She broke the school record for fastest mile in 8th grade. The coach had high aspirations for her high school running career, but there was just one problem; she didn't really like to run. She would rather go for a smoke than a jog. So instead of participating in practice, we would "run" to the local gas station, buy chipwiches, and then hang out in the cemetery next to the high school. I'm sure we didn't fool good ol' Coach Cumbow, but I'm pretty sure my Dad is learning about these adventures as he reads this...
Come race day, I paid for my lack of practice and indulgence of chipwiches. It was ugly. Of course LuLu would sail across the finish line in one of the top three positions. That year was our first and last on the cross country team. I had to turn in my sweats, but I decided they weren't really worth the effort anyway.
Last month, I redeemed my poor running career, if ever it can be redeemed. After being inspired by several tri-athlete friends, I trained and competed in the Danskin Triathlon for women. It is a sprint triathlon in which women swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles, and run 3.1 miles. My goal was to finish in under 2 hours, and I'm proud to say my time was 1 hour and 44 minutes. And the crazy part? The run was my best event! I finished in the top 10 percent overall in the run (215 out of 2612) with a time of 27:37. Now that's a time of 27:37 after swimming and biking, and I'm pretty sure that's around what I ran in high school when the only event was to run. Which makes me realize how bad I really was.
It's been over a month now since my day in the sun. The glory has been wearing off little by little. I've gained three pounds since the end of my 5-day-a-week training regime. But even if it never happens again, I can look back and remind myself 20 years from now that I was once a tri-athlete. If only they had given out cool sweats that I could wear to the next mommy & me playdate. I did get a medal, but it seems a little over the top to wear in public. So I wear it at home when I'm cleaning and cooking to remind myself I am no ordinary housekeeper.
*Name was changed to protect the guilty, just in case Coach Cumbow didn't know after all...
My friend LuLu* was a natural runner with a clear gift. She broke the school record for fastest mile in 8th grade. The coach had high aspirations for her high school running career, but there was just one problem; she didn't really like to run. She would rather go for a smoke than a jog. So instead of participating in practice, we would "run" to the local gas station, buy chipwiches, and then hang out in the cemetery next to the high school. I'm sure we didn't fool good ol' Coach Cumbow, but I'm pretty sure my Dad is learning about these adventures as he reads this...
Come race day, I paid for my lack of practice and indulgence of chipwiches. It was ugly. Of course LuLu would sail across the finish line in one of the top three positions. That year was our first and last on the cross country team. I had to turn in my sweats, but I decided they weren't really worth the effort anyway.
Last month, I redeemed my poor running career, if ever it can be redeemed. After being inspired by several tri-athlete friends, I trained and competed in the Danskin Triathlon for women. It is a sprint triathlon in which women swim 1/2 mile, bike 12 miles, and run 3.1 miles. My goal was to finish in under 2 hours, and I'm proud to say my time was 1 hour and 44 minutes. And the crazy part? The run was my best event! I finished in the top 10 percent overall in the run (215 out of 2612) with a time of 27:37. Now that's a time of 27:37 after swimming and biking, and I'm pretty sure that's around what I ran in high school when the only event was to run. Which makes me realize how bad I really was.
It's been over a month now since my day in the sun. The glory has been wearing off little by little. I've gained three pounds since the end of my 5-day-a-week training regime. But even if it never happens again, I can look back and remind myself 20 years from now that I was once a tri-athlete. If only they had given out cool sweats that I could wear to the next mommy & me playdate. I did get a medal, but it seems a little over the top to wear in public. So I wear it at home when I'm cleaning and cooking to remind myself I am no ordinary housekeeper.
*Name was changed to protect the guilty, just in case Coach Cumbow didn't know after all...
Sunday, May 13, 2007
Spring Zings
The thing about blogging is that you do it when you want to, about what you want to, without much rhyme or reason. But then I start to feel bad that I didn't tell you about Joshua's first Easter egg hunt, our trip out in the hill country on Kurt's birthday, or how many words JZ is saying now. so here's my quick update on the things I haven't told you about....
Joshua had his first easter egg hunt at church on Easter morning. I tried to practice with him before hand, but he just cried when I hid the eggs. Must have thought I was being mean by trying to take them away from him! The church had TONS of eggs, but because of yucky weather (winter weather: sleet & snow!), they hid them on the sidewalk next to the building. Joshua got a little head start since we were in the wrong place for the start. We pointed out the eggs, he walked toward them and picked up one. He showed the one egg to us with joy and a big smile on his face. In the meantime, a hoard of children came and surrounded him grabbing all the eggs. It was pretty darn cute because Joshua didn't seem to notice and was completely content with his one egg. Fortunately, they had so many eggs, Joshua got to have his own hunt once all the other kids were done (see video below)
The Easter Bunny brought him a big truck to play with outside, so he was one happy kid. He loves his truck!
Kurt turned the big 3-0 in April. He took half a day off and we went to the Hill Country for a hike at Inks Lake & pie at the Bluebonnet Cafe. (YUM) Joshua was ready to go after the car ride, but only walked about five feet before stopping to rest and get a drink. Wonder who he gets that from...
On the way between the two we found this awesome spot of bluebonnets with Longhorns grazing. It was a true texas moment. What was really cool was that the area is being developed for a large lot subdivision. So we could enter in through the gate and hang with the horns.
Pie Happy Hour makes everyone happy!
The weekend after we had friends over for a Redneck Olympics to celebrate Kurt's birthday. The hubcap toss was a big hit, but unfortunately I don't have a single picture from the party (someone hook me up!) Our friends dun be some good ol'rednecks!
For those of you that aren't Texans: In the spring, everyone takes their kids into patches of bluebonnets for pictures. I mean, everyone-even if their kids are in high school...This year was much easier than last, as Joshua could sit up on his own-but of course he could also run away!
Fellow Hokie pals Rebecca and Emily came into town from New Jersey & Virginia for a weekend. It was lots of fun to reconnect. Joshua pretty much had them both wrapped around his little finger and cuddle with them A LOT! Emily is expecting a little sqWirt this summer so it was fun to drag her around in the heat to all the local spots.
Joshua had his first easter egg hunt at church on Easter morning. I tried to practice with him before hand, but he just cried when I hid the eggs. Must have thought I was being mean by trying to take them away from him! The church had TONS of eggs, but because of yucky weather (winter weather: sleet & snow!), they hid them on the sidewalk next to the building. Joshua got a little head start since we were in the wrong place for the start. We pointed out the eggs, he walked toward them and picked up one. He showed the one egg to us with joy and a big smile on his face. In the meantime, a hoard of children came and surrounded him grabbing all the eggs. It was pretty darn cute because Joshua didn't seem to notice and was completely content with his one egg. Fortunately, they had so many eggs, Joshua got to have his own hunt once all the other kids were done (see video below)
The Easter Bunny brought him a big truck to play with outside, so he was one happy kid. He loves his truck!
Kurt turned the big 3-0 in April. He took half a day off and we went to the Hill Country for a hike at Inks Lake & pie at the Bluebonnet Cafe. (YUM) Joshua was ready to go after the car ride, but only walked about five feet before stopping to rest and get a drink. Wonder who he gets that from...
On the way between the two we found this awesome spot of bluebonnets with Longhorns grazing. It was a true texas moment. What was really cool was that the area is being developed for a large lot subdivision. So we could enter in through the gate and hang with the horns.
Pie Happy Hour makes everyone happy!
The weekend after we had friends over for a Redneck Olympics to celebrate Kurt's birthday. The hubcap toss was a big hit, but unfortunately I don't have a single picture from the party (someone hook me up!) Our friends dun be some good ol'rednecks!
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