The miles I ran. My marathon is 6 weeks from today! - said with excitement AND fear. I started running in March and 5 miles was the first run that I didn't know if I could even do. I remember that Nick went with me and I actually survived! Since then, I've been pretty confident that I might be able to do this thing. Until yesterday... I started having doubts. 21 miles seems like such a long way. I didn't know if I could do it. And I couldn't. I can't. But God can. Only by the grace of God am I able to run that far. Who does that? I don't know. Sometimes I think I am crazy but I love to go out on the long runs with my ipod. It's my time to ponder God for more than a few moments. I download the latest sermons from Francis Chan and just take off running. It's great. Thank you, Lord.
The pounds I've lost. I originally wanted to do the marathon so that I could have some motivation to get off the Sam baby weight. It didn't work so well. Contrary to what I had believed, running does not take off the weight. You have to actually eat well too. Imagine that- diet AND exercise! So, six weeks ago, I cut out all refined flour and sugar from my diet. It's been great and I don't feel deprived. To quote my skinny cousins: "A moment on your lips, forever on your hips" and "Nothing tastes as good as being skinny feels." So there you have it. 21 is a great number for me this week.
Sunday, December 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
SAM I AM IS A WHOLE YEAR OLD!
Happy, Happy Birthday, baby Sam! It's amazing to think back to a year ago when he just decided, all of a sudden to join our family. He was almost born in the car (seriously, we had a bowl in the back of the car for the placenta in case it did come down to that) and if you want to read Nick's rendition of that night, here it is.
What a blessing you have been to our family, Sam. We thank God for the gift of you every night and love that we get to share our lives with you. We love that you are so cheerful and that you get so excited to see us each morning as we come in to get you out of your crib. We love how you adore your brother and try to show him by cracking your skull against his. I love that you have a dimple like your daddy! I love that you are so easy to get to smile and will wave at anyone who looks your way. I love that you start dancing when you hear music. I love that you suck your thumb when you are sleepy. I love that you climb up in Adam's chair and rock yourself back and forth. I love that you are crazy and reckless in the bath. I love your smell. I love the way you touch my face when I feed you your bottle. I love to rock you and sing to you about our Lord. I love that you enjoy food and your thighs remind us of how "healthy" you are. I love your soft skin. I love to watch you play and squeal in delight. We love you, Sam! Happy first birthday ever!
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
My mom is really smart.
My mom had a four year old and two 22 month old twins when I was born, then had two more after a 15 year break, and lived to tell about it. So, I usually call her when my kids are sick before I call the doctor. Sam had a fever for three days and then it went away and was replaced by mysterious little red spots on his tummy. Called mom, she asked a few questions, said "Sounds like roseola virus. Look it up on the internet and see if it matches." Lo, and behold, my child had exactly every symptom that was described. I talked with my doctor because that's what What to Expect the First Year says to and we were good to go. Anyway, my mom is smart.
On the road again- oh, wait. It's a treadmill.
A little update on the running. While we were in Tahoe, I was scheduled to do my 15 miles and God was scheduled to send snow that day. So I spent the better part of the morning, over 3 1/2 hours, on the treadmill in the Marriott's gym. I staked out a pretty good one- overlooking the pool, watching the snow fall on the trees. I was afraid I was going to be bored because I detest running on treadmills so I put an audiobook on my ipod to keep me company. Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers is a novel based on the story of Hosea. Note to self: it's pretty difficult to cry while you are running. But I did it and I think it was the first time where I felt like I actually might be able to run a marathon in February. Through Christ who strengthens me...
Fast forward two weeks to this past Saturday. I ran through 3 cities! 18 miles. A little less than four hours. And a whole audiobook. I felt good when I was done but I need to find some long trails to run on. It's probably not safe to run over Kirker Pass but I want to run from Walnut Creek to my house. Only three more long runs before Huntington!
Fast forward two weeks to this past Saturday. I ran through 3 cities! 18 miles. A little less than four hours. And a whole audiobook. I felt good when I was done but I need to find some long trails to run on. It's probably not safe to run over Kirker Pass but I want to run from Walnut Creek to my house. Only three more long runs before Huntington!
The First Snow
God is so nice to us! A family in our church gifted us with a week in Tahoe at their time share. What an unexpected blessing. Nick and I left the boys with my parents for a few days while we went by ourselves for a little R&R. We slept in, read by the fire, played wii golf, ate lots of food at non-kid-friendly restaurants, saw the movie Fireproof (so good, by the way), stayed out past the boys' bedtime, went on a run (which was a little hard to get used to in the over 6,000 foot elevation), and totally enjoyed God's creation up there. Then, Nick drove back to pick up the boys to join us while I went on a long run. Adam loved it. It was the first snow of the season when we were up there and he and Nick scraped up all the snow they could to make a little snowman. What a fun way to see snow for the first time.
Halloween
I'm a little behind on the blogging so here comes a bunch...Adam bounced around like Tigger all day long and would not let go of his bucket because that was the key to getting the goods. Sam had no idea what was going on but looked so cute dressed up like Winnie the Pooh and his fat little belly.
My parents bought Adam and Sam each a pumpkin in October. Adam calls it his "pumpkin pie" and carries it around with him in the car, sits with it at meals, they watch movies together on the couch, and he practically sleeps with it.
Wednesday, October 29, 2008
The Cat in the Hat
I read this at least three times a day...I have the first 10 pages completely memorized...just wanted to let you know...
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
Rock n' Roll Half Marathon
On Sunday, October 5th, Missie and I participated in the Rock n' Roll half marathon in San Jose. Here is a minute by minute breakdown of our experience. Much of it may be made up. Or not. I can't really remember because I was pretty tired.
6:30am - I awaken to my lovely wife's happy face smiling way bigger than anyone should be smiling at 6:30am. She is obviously much more excited about this race than I am. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I have run a total of 6 miles in the last, oh, 6 months and she's been training three days a week for ever. A half marathon is... let me check... 13.1 miles long. Red flag.
6:45am - Missie introduces me to a product called 'Glide' which looks like deodorant but is actually a lubricant that is designed to keep your rubbing places from chafing. I take the 'more is better approach' and apply it liberally to my whole body. You never know what's gonna chafe.
6:46am - I can't get out of the bathroom because my hand keeps slipping on the door knob. This glide stuff really works.
7:00am - Missie frees me from my bathroom prison. We ceremoniously eat a spoonful of peanut butter for breakfast. Missie swears that tons of runners eat this stuff as fuel before a race. I think it's just an excuse to eat peanut butter.
7:03am - Missie turns her back and I shovel a bunch more peanut butter in before she can catch me. I hope she doesn't read this blog.
8:00am - We're lining up for our race, and I find out that I'm not supposed to be in the same coral as Miss. Apparently they assumed that since I'm a boy, I'm probably faster than Missie. Sexist pigs.
8:01am - Ok, I am faster than Miss. but today I'm running at her pace so I bend the rules and start in her coral. A guy close to us is wearing a prison jumpsuit and a mullet wig. Apparently we picked the PARTY coral! I'm wishing I wore my 'Mr. Tumnus' costume.
8:05am - We start running.
8:35am - We're still running.
8:45am - The running continues.
9:00am - You're probably thankful at this point that I'm not doing a true 'minute by minute' rundown of our experience. Let's just stick to the highlights.
9:07am - We are thankful for roadside port-a-potties. I'll spare you the details.
9:15am - We pass a cover band playing 50's bee-bop rock. The Rock n' Roll half marathon is unique because several bands are placed throughout the race to encourage and inspire the runners. Many of the runners raise their hands up and cheer for the band. I hope we get some 'Eye of the Tiger' at some point.
9:25am - The sun is starting to come up and I am sweating gratuitously. My wife is glistening. Gratuitously. I'm pretty happy with my decision NOT to wear the Mr. Tumnus costume about now.
9:38am - Every couple of miles there are tables set up with water and Cytomax (Gatorade competitor). It's pretty fun drinking your fill and then just chucking the cup on the ground. I feel like a rebel. Missie is fighting the urge to pick up every cup and make sure it finds it's way into the trash.
9:51am - We've been running since 8:00am. That's almost two hours, or more than I have run in the last three months combined. What am I doing out here? I pass a guy who's wearing a t-shirt that just about sums up my experience: "Our sport is what your sport does for punishment". That's seems about right.
9:55am - We come up on another re-hydrating station. In addition to my free Cytomax, a volunteer hands me a protein gel packet. I tear it open and squeeze some into my mouth. Apparently I got the 'Bitter dirt' flavored protein gel. I litter the packet and then run back to the table for more Cytomax.
10:03am - We're getting tired, so we start to play a game were we pick out a person in front of us and try to catch up to them. It motivates us, and keeps our mind off the fact that we could be doing anything other than running on this beautiful Sunday morning.
10:15am - "Hey Miss, you see that tall guy in the red..." "THE GAME IS OVER. I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE." Wow. I guess that's just Missie's 'competitive streak' coming out. Or maybe she didn't use enough Glide. That's some good stuff right there.
10:20am - We spot the donkey lady ahead of us. The donkey lady is a supremely pleasant gal in her mid fifties who is wearing a pair of stylish donkey ears that set her apart from the pack. Something else that sets her apart from the pack is the fact that she is speed walking, and faster than a bunch of us who are running. We are determined to finish ahead of her.
10:24am - Donkey lady is faster than we thought.
10:30am - We are officially not going to make it in our goal time of 2.5 hours. But by golly, we will not be beaten by a senior citizen wearing Donkey ears.
10:32am - As we climb a subtle grade, a young woman beside us is struggling. Her friends, who are obviously more athletic and better prepared than her, give some cheerful encouragement - "You can do it, pump your arms." "I'M PUMPING ALREADY!!!", she replies, obviously tired of hearing encouragements from people who do not feel her pain. 80 percent of the other runners around her immediately cheer her frustrated response, she has said what most of the people in our pace group want to say but don't have the energy to.
10:34am - Those donkey ears are taunting us, gently bobbing up and down at a brisk rate as we scrape together the last bit of energy we have. I bet you Missie is wishing she shoveled in a little more peanut butter this morning. She hits the 'power song' button on her i-pod and we make our final push.
10:38am - I give donkey lady props as we PASS her, just minutes before the finish line. Ok, so how lame am I that I'm proud I defeated a speed walking grandma in a half-marathon. Regardless, we're almost there. I think I hear 'We've Come So Far' from the Hairspray Soundtrack playing from Missie's earphones.
10:40am - IT'S OVER!!! We cross the line and are immediately greeted by volunteers holding cold wet towels, chilled water bottles and signs that encourage us for working so hard. That refreshing towel makes the whole thing worth it. Oh wait, no it doesn't. But seeing the joy in Missie's face that I was willing to share this experience with her DOES make it worth it. I'm really proud of her, and I'm grateful that I'll always be a big part of her memory of this day. Ok Miss, I ran a half marathon with you, now you get to enter a jiu-jitsu tournament with me, right?
6:30am - I awaken to my lovely wife's happy face smiling way bigger than anyone should be smiling at 6:30am. She is obviously much more excited about this race than I am. Maybe that has something to do with the fact that I have run a total of 6 miles in the last, oh, 6 months and she's been training three days a week for ever. A half marathon is... let me check... 13.1 miles long. Red flag.6:45am - Missie introduces me to a product called 'Glide' which looks like deodorant but is actually a lubricant that is designed to keep your rubbing places from chafing. I take the 'more is better approach' and apply it liberally to my whole body. You never know what's gonna chafe.
6:46am - I can't get out of the bathroom because my hand keeps slipping on the door knob. This glide stuff really works.
7:00am - Missie frees me from my bathroom prison. We ceremoniously eat a spoonful of peanut butter for breakfast. Missie swears that tons of runners eat this stuff as fuel before a race. I think it's just an excuse to eat peanut butter.
7:03am - Missie turns her back and I shovel a bunch more peanut butter in before she can catch me. I hope she doesn't read this blog.
8:00am - We're lining up for our race, and I find out that I'm not supposed to be in the same coral as Miss. Apparently they assumed that since I'm a boy, I'm probably faster than Missie. Sexist pigs.
8:01am - Ok, I am faster than Miss. but today I'm running at her pace so I bend the rules and start in her coral. A guy close to us is wearing a prison jumpsuit and a mullet wig. Apparently we picked the PARTY coral! I'm wishing I wore my 'Mr. Tumnus' costume.
8:05am - We start running.
8:35am - We're still running.
8:45am - The running continues.
9:00am - You're probably thankful at this point that I'm not doing a true 'minute by minute' rundown of our experience. Let's just stick to the highlights.
9:07am - We are thankful for roadside port-a-potties. I'll spare you the details.
9:15am - We pass a cover band playing 50's bee-bop rock. The Rock n' Roll half marathon is unique because several bands are placed throughout the race to encourage and inspire the runners. Many of the runners raise their hands up and cheer for the band. I hope we get some 'Eye of the Tiger' at some point.
9:25am - The sun is starting to come up and I am sweating gratuitously. My wife is glistening. Gratuitously. I'm pretty happy with my decision NOT to wear the Mr. Tumnus costume about now.
9:38am - Every couple of miles there are tables set up with water and Cytomax (Gatorade competitor). It's pretty fun drinking your fill and then just chucking the cup on the ground. I feel like a rebel. Missie is fighting the urge to pick up every cup and make sure it finds it's way into the trash.
9:51am - We've been running since 8:00am. That's almost two hours, or more than I have run in the last three months combined. What am I doing out here? I pass a guy who's wearing a t-shirt that just about sums up my experience: "Our sport is what your sport does for punishment". That's seems about right.
9:55am - We come up on another re-hydrating station. In addition to my free Cytomax, a volunteer hands me a protein gel packet. I tear it open and squeeze some into my mouth. Apparently I got the 'Bitter dirt' flavored protein gel. I litter the packet and then run back to the table for more Cytomax.
10:03am - We're getting tired, so we start to play a game were we pick out a person in front of us and try to catch up to them. It motivates us, and keeps our mind off the fact that we could be doing anything other than running on this beautiful Sunday morning.
10:15am - "Hey Miss, you see that tall guy in the red..." "THE GAME IS OVER. I DON'T WANT TO PLAY ANYMORE." Wow. I guess that's just Missie's 'competitive streak' coming out. Or maybe she didn't use enough Glide. That's some good stuff right there.
10:20am - We spot the donkey lady ahead of us. The donkey lady is a supremely pleasant gal in her mid fifties who is wearing a pair of stylish donkey ears that set her apart from the pack. Something else that sets her apart from the pack is the fact that she is speed walking, and faster than a bunch of us who are running. We are determined to finish ahead of her.
10:24am - Donkey lady is faster than we thought.
10:30am - We are officially not going to make it in our goal time of 2.5 hours. But by golly, we will not be beaten by a senior citizen wearing Donkey ears.
10:32am - As we climb a subtle grade, a young woman beside us is struggling. Her friends, who are obviously more athletic and better prepared than her, give some cheerful encouragement - "You can do it, pump your arms." "I'M PUMPING ALREADY!!!", she replies, obviously tired of hearing encouragements from people who do not feel her pain. 80 percent of the other runners around her immediately cheer her frustrated response, she has said what most of the people in our pace group want to say but don't have the energy to.
10:34am - Those donkey ears are taunting us, gently bobbing up and down at a brisk rate as we scrape together the last bit of energy we have. I bet you Missie is wishing she shoveled in a little more peanut butter this morning. She hits the 'power song' button on her i-pod and we make our final push.
10:38am - I give donkey lady props as we PASS her, just minutes before the finish line. Ok, so how lame am I that I'm proud I defeated a speed walking grandma in a half-marathon. Regardless, we're almost there. I think I hear 'We've Come So Far' from the Hairspray Soundtrack playing from Missie's earphones.
10:40am - IT'S OVER!!! We cross the line and are immediately greeted by volunteers holding cold wet towels, chilled water bottles and signs that encourage us for working so hard. That refreshing towel makes the whole thing worth it. Oh wait, no it doesn't. But seeing the joy in Missie's face that I was willing to share this experience with her DOES make it worth it. I'm really proud of her, and I'm grateful that I'll always be a big part of her memory of this day. Ok Miss, I ran a half marathon with you, now you get to enter a jiu-jitsu tournament with me, right?
Friday, October 17, 2008
Lions and tigers and bears...
...but no elephants or penguins. Sad.
Adam and Sam took their first trip to the zoo! We went with my mom, sisters, aunt Wendy, cousins, and my cousin Lauren and her kids.
Adam and Sam took their first trip to the zoo! We went with my mom, sisters, aunt Wendy, cousins, and my cousin Lauren and her kids.
We saw this scary monkey.
Adam and Cade were in heaven.
Adam's first push-pop. This was my favorite as a kid from the ice cream truck!
It was a long day...Wednesday, October 15, 2008
6 years of wedded bliss!
Our anniversary started with Nick handing me a post-it note when we woke up. He had hidden 12 more around the house. It took me a week to find all those little love notes everywhere from the toilet paper roll to inside the microwave. If only every girl was as blessed as I am! Thank you, Lord, for choosing me to be Nick's wife. And thank you, Nick for 6 years!Friday, September 12, 2008
The Circus! Featurning Adam's new obsession with Dumbo.
I ordered Dumbo on Netflix about a month ago, foolishly thinking we would keep it for a couple days then send it back for the next movie. But oh, no. I was wrong. Adam has watched Dumbo daily- at least once a day- for the past month. He quotes the lines, sings the songs, and jumps up and down with pure excitement every time that elephant starts to fly. That's why, when my friend Alisha sent out an email for free tickets to the circus, we couldn't resist.
We counted down the days and last night we got to see Dumbo! (Don't you dare tell him that it really wasn't a big Dumbo.) It was perfect. Not too big or overwhelming. We sat right in front of the center ring and this is pretty much what heaven must be like for two year olds. He rode a pony, rode an elephant (who we renamed Dumbo), fed llamas and he-haws (aka: donkeys), met clowns, ate popcorn that I responsibly brought from home, ate cotton candy that his dad bought for him there, saw motorcyles, hula hoops, and slid down a gigantic inflatable slide. 
It brought so much joy to Nick and I to be able to give this gift to our son. We had such a great time! "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11)
We counted down the days and last night we got to see Dumbo! (Don't you dare tell him that it really wasn't a big Dumbo.) It was perfect. Not too big or overwhelming. We sat right in front of the center ring and this is pretty much what heaven must be like for two year olds. He rode a pony, rode an elephant (who we renamed Dumbo), fed llamas and he-haws (aka: donkeys), met clowns, ate popcorn that I responsibly brought from home, ate cotton candy that his dad bought for him there, saw motorcyles, hula hoops, and slid down a gigantic inflatable slide. 
It brought so much joy to Nick and I to be able to give this gift to our son. We had such a great time! "If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give good things to those who ask Him!" (Matthew 7:11)
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
The comb-over is over!
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