Speed of Light

Wowzers. I apologize for my absence around here, for some reason it seems like the days are just whizzing by at the speed of light. I just haven't had time to write about much of anything. Now that I think about it, I'm not sure if I've even had time to feel inspired to blog, either. I'm still doing all the same ol' stuff, but it kind of seems like this time of year things ramp up again until school lets out and we can finally relax during summer vacation. Am I the only one or does anyone else feel like this?

My flower bed is doing great, I finally got all of last years dead stuff cleaned out and am ready for new stuff. My daffodils are blooming and one tulip. Also the oregano, chives, thyme and marjoram are smelling GOOD. The other day both girls snapped a chive and ate it on the way to the bus stop in the morning. Weirdos.

I'm volunteering still at school, book club w/ Linds' class and whatever Kera's teacher needs help with. I've been working a lot too, mainly cuz I didn't do it earlier. If I did my "work" once a month like I'm suppose to, I wouldn't have these months were it seems like I'm working a lot. It's just that the time gets away from me. Also this new part time from home job takes up some of my former blogging time as well.

I'm still lifting heavy stuff, eating nummy paleo food and making lotion. Not much has changed, it's business as normal around here. I'm not entirely sure why it feels busier, but it is. So hang in there, I'll be back at some point, I'm sure! :)

Irony

One of my light purple crocus made an appearance today.

In other news, I have an ironic short story to share with you.

We all know that any good story has some character development, so let me give you a little background on our main character. Let's name her "Kendra".

Kendra doesn't like surprises, she likes to know exactly what is happening and when. She likes to be prepared for things. She doesn't do spontaneous very well. She's also a stickler for following the rules, she doesn't like to rock the boat too much. She is a mother and loves her children fiercely, she's determined to watch out for them and help them be their best. She doesn't work outside the home, but embraces her "job" as mother. She strives to be involved in her kids' lives, which includes being active in volunteering at their school. Although Kendra is intelligent, and her hair is technically brown, she'll freely admit to having "blonde" moments and her lack of common sense. She gets caught up in her thoughts and imagination which means she's oblivious to what is going on in real life around her sometimes.

Okay, so here's Kendra's story:

One grey and rainy spring day, Kendra woke up feeling tired and run-down. The weather seemed to match her mood perfectly. She got her kids breakfast and drank a couple cups of coffee, but couldn't quite shake the "blah" feeling. She took a shower and got ready to head into the school to help out in her oldest daughter's class, determined to make something out of the day.

It wasn't very far to the school, and she found herself zoning out as she drove the familiar roads through the neighborhood. Suddenly she noticed that she was going a tad bit too fast, which isn't like her at all. She hit her brakes to slow down. She hated it when drivers blasted through the road by the school or even through her neighborhood, it brought out the "mama bear" in her. Then, as she slowed to a stop at the four way stop, she realized the car parked almost directly across from her was a police car. She hoped he wouldn't pull her over for her right turn signal which only worked spasmodically. And, then, to her horror as she made her right hand turn, the lights came on and he pulled up right behind her.

Seriously? She shakes her head and pulls over. 

The officer comes up to her window, "Ma'am, I pulled you over today because you were speeding back there. You were going 37 in that 25 mph zone."

Kendra can hardly believe what she's hearing, "Are you sure? I usually really good about following the limit because my kids go to that school!"

"Yes, Ma'am, that's what I have you on the radar going."

"Really? I had no idea," Kendra admits as she remembers that she was zoning out pretty well back there. She cannot wrap her head around the fact that she is probably about to get a ticket. 

She fumbles through her purse and car for her licence, registration and proof of registration and hands them to the officer. He walks back to his car and she sits there, focusing on breathing in and out. She can feel the tears threatening and she clenches her fists. She will not cry.  She says a quick prayer, hoping maybe God will give her a miracle and she won't actually get a ticket. She starts to wonder how long it takes a cop to write a ticket, forever? She's due at the school like five minutes ago. And now she starts to feel mad.

The police officer shows up again at her window, he's taken off his sunglasses now, "I did have to write you a citation, ma'am, but I did write that you were going 34 in the 25, that will help you out quite a bit. You don't need to make an appearance in court to pay the fine if you don't want, there are more instructions on the back. Do you have any questions?"

"Okay. No."

"Alright, ma'am, have a nice day." 

Sure. she will, this ticket is just what she needed to make her day! She thinks as she pulls away, careful to use her blinker and watch for traffic. She only has a few minutes before she gets to the school, so she steels herself not to cry even though that's all she wants to do. She has to go lead some kids in book club, there's no way she's gonna go in there all red faced from crying, besides she's already late, she doesn't have time to cry right now.

Half an hour later, she's back in her car and looking at the ticket. All she can think about when she looks at it, is how unfair life is. She says it to her kids all the time, but she's living it right then. How is it that she can be so conscientious about following the rules of the road, particularly the speed limit, and yet the one day when she's totally not paying attention to it because she's feeling "blah", that's the day a cop is staking out her route? She feels the anger bubble up in her, she can't believe that she of all people gets a ticket for speeding when she sees drivers speeding through that area and others everyday! Where are the cops when she's being passed in the neighborhood while she's following the limit? Or when she's being tailgated through the school zone?  Seriously, this is totally unfair. 

She ends up crying as she's driving home. She's just so mad that she can't hold it in any longer. She feels bad that she was speeding through the school zone, but she's even madder at the unfairness of it all. She is not about to set food in the court and give anymore of her time to the thing, so she calls the court to find out how much her fine will be and how she can just pay it and be done with it. Seventy-two dollars, that's what her spacing out will cost her. 

Her husband comes home from work not too long after she gets home. She's not sure how he'll respond to it, but when he asks how her day is, she says, "Horrible."

She starts to cry again as she explains to him why it's horrible. When she's done telling him the whole story, he asks what her fine will be. She tells him through tears.

It's then she notices that he's laughing. And teasing her, "Well then stop speeding," and "Don't be so hard on yourself, it's not a big deal."

Then, he tells her a story about how he'd been speeding through a school zone the other day on his way back to town. Right about the time he noticed how fast he was actually going, he also noticed a cop and that the cop was looking directly at him. The cop started to flip around to tag him, so he pulled off the road really quick, pulled in behind a bar/restaurant, parked and went in as if he was going in for breakfast. So he got out of a ticket.

And that my friends, is the epitome of irony.

Eleven Randoms

Here are the rules:
1. Post these rules
2. You must post 11 random things about yourself
3. Answer the questions set for you in their post
4. Create 11 new questions for the people you tag to answer
5. Go to their blog and tell them you’ve tagged them
6. You are tagged if you are reading this. You legitimately have to tag 11 people!


Just so you know, I'm not tagging anyone and I wasn't tagged, just saw it in a blog I follow. So, if you wanna do this for something fun and different go right ahead! I just ask that you tell me so I can read your answers! :)


Randoms:


1. Although I really don't like sports, I am actually quite competitive when it comes to things like board games, etc.


2. I do not remember anything that has to do with numbers very well. Words, yes, numbers not so much.


3. Sometimes I wish I would've paid better attention in school to things like science and social studies. It didn't interest me then, but now I wouldn't mind knowing that stuff.


4. I can watch and read all the CSI/coroner type shows and books, but I cannot stomach any kind of blood or injuries in real life.


5. I think I might have fallen out of love with scrapbooking. It's just not very fun to me anymore, feels more like work.


6. I love cats, but because of allergies in my family I will never own one again and I'm okay with that. It's a lot less housework.


7. For a while I wanted a third kid, but I'm good now. Two is perfect and I don't really want to re-live the baby years.


8. I like to be comfortable, the first thing I do when I know I'm home for the night and it'll be just us family is either put on my sweats or my pj's.


9. I love to sing along with the music, even if I sound horrible and can't carry a tune.


10. I love giraffes. It all stems from a book I got as a kid that was personalized for me. In it I met a friendly giraffe named Ardnek. 


11. I brush my teeth usually at least 3x a day. In the morning, and at night but then also before I leave the house to go anywhere. I'm paranoid about having stinky breath.


Questions to answer:
1. Would you rather run in rain or heavy winds?
Well, seeing as I don't run anymore, I'd say neither. But before, when I did run, I'd much rather it be rain.
2. Coffee or tea?
Coffee, all the way! 
3. Are you obsessed with Lululemon too even though they are overpriced?
Honestly, I don't think I've ever checked out their stuff. I'm more of a Title Nine/Athletica type.
4. Ever been outside the US?
Yes. Canada, Mexico, the Caribbean
5. What is your dream location?
To live? I'm living it with the exception of being out of town w/ some land and a mini-farm.
6. Favorite song right now?
"God Gave Me You"
7. One thing you hate about running?
Definitely the fact that long-term it's bad, bad, bad news.8. Favorite book of all time?
All time? Yikes. I'd have to say "Shadow of the Wind" or "Thirteenth Tale"
9. Can you swim or are you a doggie paddler like me?
I definitely doggie paddle more than actually swim.
10. Do you burn candles with wicks or prefer the wickless ones like Scentsy?
I have both, depends on what I feel like doing at the time.
11.  Favorite candy?
Honestly, I love Snickers, but it's a very rare treat considering all the garbage in them!


Questions for YOU!
1. What is your favorite cut of meat?
2. Do you crave salty snacks or sweet ones?
3. Least favorite household chore?
4. Weirdest habit?
5. If you're a gal, do you shave your legs in the winter, or just let 'em be?
6. Any class in school you wish you would've done better/tried harder in?
7. Are you a fainter when it comes to seeing blood/injury?
8. Movie you've watched the most times?
9.  What are your top three most visited websites?
10. Did you ever have a snail-mail pen pal?
11. Scariest thing you've ever done?

Five Question Friday

Remember, I get this from here. Go, check it out, have fun. After I answer these it's back out to the driveway for yet, more shoveling. Yay.

1. Where do you hide the reeeally good snacks?


I have a few places, like the tall cupboard above the sink or in with the canned goods, but it doesn't matter where I hide it. If I've bought a special treat, Erik will come home that day and it's like he's got built in 'goodie' radar and he'll go right to wherever it's hidden.


2. Do u keep your vehicle clean or am I the only one who has things falling out of their van?


Nah. With two monsters girls sitting in the backseat, my car is far from clean. The front isn't too bad, though.


3. Have you ever been to Vegas?


Yes, more times than I can even remember. My sister lived there for a while, so we visited her. We aren't big into nightlife or gambling, so it doesn't have a whole lot of pull for us anymore.


4. Warm room light blankets or cold room warm snuggly blanket?


Cold room, warm snuggly blanket is definitely better for sleeping. We keep our thermostat low, like 66, and even if it gets upped to 67 we can feel it and don't sleep as good.


5. What is the worst airplane/flying experience you've ever had?


I was preggers with Lindsay, not too far along, but past the morning sickness, so maybe 5 months? I ate something in the airport that didn't agree with me and ended up feeling really sick in the middle of the flight, you know the feeling--you suddenly get hot and your stomach twists. I barely made it to the airplane potty before it let loose, and I'm not talking about vomit. I was pretty miserable the rest of the flight.

Looking Back on 2011

Can you even believe that this year is almost over? I cannot. It seems like the past 12 months have gone by super fast! I was thinking about all the fun things I was able to do and blog about this past year and thought it would be fun to do a little recap...

This past year....

• I was able to go on a wonderful trip to Mexico with my hubby. Cozumel was so relaxing. I am so grateful to God for blessing me with an amazing husband and 10 years of marriage.
• I started what I thought would be 30 days of paleo eating. Now, ten months later, I'm still going strong. And boy, when I look back on this year I blogged about food, a lot!

• I started spending more time writing after realizing how important it truly is to me.
• I renewed my love of hiking and took several hikes with both family and friends. We saw some truly beautiful sights! I love living in Montana!

• We were able to go camping a ton this past summer. I love having fun with my family in the woods!

• Lindsay wrote her own little blog post about our 4th of July hike.
• I ran and finished (barely!) The Missoula Half-Marathon again. Little did I know then that my horrible experience during that race would help push me into giving up running.
• Our family took a wonderfully fun trip to Yellowstone National Park.

• I threw away our scale. 
• I grew spiritually and learned a lot about who I am and how God sees me.
• I started a book club!
• I did Christmas baking but only "paleo-ized".

• I also did a fair amount of reading over the past year, and am excited that I actually kept track of it all!   A whopping 83 books read so far in 2011!! Not sure if I'll add to that list for 2012 or start a new one, but I'm not going to stop reading anytime soon!

Phew! No wonder this past year went by fast, I was a busy girl! I look forward to seeing what fun things that will be experienced this coming year!

Keeping My Head Above Water

This is a lovely time of year, filled with joy and laughter and lounging around the fireplace playing games with my family. Yeah, right, in my dreams! In actuality, this is the busiest, most stressful time of year. I have a to-do list so long it's ridiculous and I fall into bed each night hoping I'll make progress the next day. Then you throw in parties at work and school, music programs for the kids, special projects that teachers assign that Mom's have to help with and all the extra get-togethers because it is the holidays. It's enough to drive me crazy and call a strike on Christmas. Seriously.

The past couple of weeks I've felt like I'm barely keeping my head above water with everything going on and that I have to do. I told my mom the other day that I hated it and she said, "Well then don't do it all." If only it were that easy!

I think as Mom's we put a lot of pressure on ourselves to "do it all". And it's hard this time of year. I want to do fun things with the girls like make a gingerbread house and decorate gingerbread cookies, play games and go sledding. But then I also need to send out Christmas cards to friends and family, do the shopping, wrap presents and make cookies for this party or that party. How do I fit it in?

Well, for one, I gave up on most of the housecleaning last week. Instead me and the girls made the gingerbread house and decorated cookies and it was wonderful. My bathrooms are gross, but my kids are happy and that makes me happy.

The girls' projects are done because I made them a priority over them playing with friends, and although I felt like the bad Mom at the time, I'm glad they are done and now they have lots of time for friends. I felt good about teaching them the difference between wants and needs and prioritizing things. I know I've had to remind myself that lately. I think my hard work has paid off, though. Most of my "Christmas related chores" are done and now it can be a matter of doing more fun things with my kids. I seriously cannot wait for their Christmas break from school to do some serious lounging! I suppose I'll have to clean the bathroom at some point, too.

Kera's project was to "invent a toy" out of household things that would be used for a gift exchange. She wanted to make a holder for Bella Sara/Pokeman cards. I thought that wasn't very "toy-like" so we concocted a monster that holds them. I have tons of fabric and buttons and stuff so she helped design it and do some of the sewing while I did the detail stuff. She loved it and now wants to make her own! We'll see if we have time!

How are you doing with the Holiday busyness? Hanging in there? 

Five Question Friday

I'm going to try something new today and participate in a little thing called "Five Question Friday" hosted by Mama M over at "My Little Life." So, grab a cup of coffee or tea and prepare to be entertained or inspired!

1. What is your favorite Christmas decoration in your house?

My favorite Christmas decoration at my house would have to be our stockings. Although I do love the tree all lighted up, the stockings beat them by a tiny bit. 

They are hand made by my great aunt Ann--she knits them for all the members of the family. They have our name and birth year on them and a picture of Santa. I hang them on the stair railing and can see them every time I walk down the hallway.

 Mine is the oldest and is yellowed, but that's okay, Stockings have always been my favorite part of Christmas--waking up in the morning to see what treasures Santa filled them with was more exciting than seeing what presents he left. For some reason I love the smaller, more creative stocking presents. So my stocking brings back memories of Christmases past and reminds me of the magic of Christmas and the spirit of Santa. 

2. Do you finish your Christmas shopping early or are you a last minute type?

I like to try to finish my shopping as early as possible. I would much rather spend the last few days before Christmas holed up in my house with some coffee, Christmas music and my family. I don't enjoy the hustle and bustle of last minute shopping, so I get it done as quickly as possible. I don't usually start much earlier than November, however, so it's done quickly in a matter of weeks. I'm efficient!

3. When do you turn on your heat?

We don't have a specific date that we turn the heat on, just usually when it's cold enough to warrant it I guess. We do the whole "open the windows for sunshine to heat the house" thing as long as possible in the late fall, and even then if we have the heat on, the temp is set to 66 so it might not kick on. 

4. Do you ever wish your blog was private?

Hmm. Maybe. But then, what would be the point of having a blog? I keep a hand-written journal for the things I'd want to be private.

5. Do you put your deodorant on before of after you put on your shirt?

Definitely before. It's one of the first things I do right out of the shower. I don't want to work up a sweat while blow-drying my hair! And it has time to soak into my skin before putting on my clothes and lessons the white marks. Although I still have to be careful with dark colors. 

Well, that was fun! I hope you have a wonderful weekend! :-)

Tendencies

You know the whole glass half-full or half-empty analogy of how you can view life?
I have a confession to make:

I tend to be one of those half-empty types

and I hate that I am like that.

Life can be going along just fine, no big headaches, problems or stresses and I'll realize I feel "blah" for no good reason. And the frustrating thing is that feeling of blah has a tendency to incapacitate me. I stop doing things I enjoy and become even more critical of things around me. It shrouds my thinking in negativity and I have a hard time seeing the good in anything. It's a vicious cycle. And even though I know this about myself, it still sneaks up on me and gets me when I'm least expecting it.

Fall is my absolute favorite time of year, and yet a couple weeks ago I realized I was in that "blah" state. It surprised me because usually this time of year I'm doing pretty good. Zoom ahead to mid/late winter and I'm on guard for the blahness, but not right now. I spent a few days indulging that feeling, moping and diving into the fantasy world of books and movies to prevent myself from any introspection. I don't encourage indulging that feeling, it's not the best way to deal with it. 

No, the best way to deal with "blah" is what I'm doing now...

I am starting the day in quiet, before plunging into the chaos of getting kids ready for school and all my other responsibilities. 

I am making time to do something inspiring each day. (Yes, that means I'm actually doing some writing! Being inspired is a wonderful feeling.)

I'm getting out, going on walks, doing workouts I enjoy.

I am spending time with friends and being real with them.

I am going to bed at a decent hour. (This is sooo important and yet so easily overlooked)

I am focusing on the good and being grateful for all the ways I've been blessed and taking each day as it comes.

Goal # 88 -- Complete!

In case you didn't know, I've challenged myself to 101 goals in 1001 days. You can read all about it here. Well, that list took me about five days to even complete. For some reason I had a hard time thinking of goals that were attainable (not super reaching) yet would require work on my part. It's sort of a fine balance between the two. This wasn't a "bucket list", even a "dreams list", both of which I think either take longer or require divine intervention. I wanted this list to be full of things I could theoretically actually do.

And, so while in the process of creating the list I decided that making the list should be on the list. I plopped it down at number 88, and now two days later and moments after "going live" with it, I can say I accomplished it. :-)

88. Finish this list. -- Completed 9/29/2011.

One down, one hundred to go!

Random Ketchup

"Peter Pan" squash I got on our last trip to the Farmer's Market. It cooked up just like regular ol' zucchini. It was tasty! I only made it to the market a couple of times this summer, but each time I got some wonderful goodies. If only I remembered to take more pictures of it all!

The girls started school almost 2 weeks ago. Lindsay is a 4th grader. How can that be? I vividly remember my own 4th grade year, how is it that I can have a child that old?

Aren't they cute? I just love them to pieces. Sidenote, Lindsay is getting TALL!

Kera was literally counting down the days until she started 2nd grade. She knew her best friends would be in class with her and that she'd gotten one of the teachers she really wanted. She absolutely loves school.

This guy has been hanging out around our little cul de sac quite a bit lately. Unfortunately he doesn't spook very easy. I came out of the house twice to see him, then take his picture. He didn't budge.

Until I stood there a while, then he slowly got up

and sauntered away. 

The girls are having cold lunch all but one day each week, so I thought it would be good to start taking some pictures of what constitutes a lunch for them now. Maybe it will help you other moms get some healthy ideas.

This was Lindsay's lunch the other day, clockwise from upper left is carrots/celery/snap peas, dilly beans, banana, juice, salsa, full fat yogurt, m&m's, corn chips, leftover steak and a babybel. 

Kera's lunch on the same day: Juice, chips, veggies, m&m's, homemade larabar mix, coleslaw, apple, cheese & turkey, dilly beans.

Just so ya know, m&m's are not typically part of lunch, it was a little treat! They do have sugar and colorings, but at least they are gluten free.

Speaking of colorings....I got my hair did.

It's hard to tell, but I got a red tint to my typical darker color for fall/winter.

I love the color.

Ah, pictures don't really do it justice. Oh well!

And that was my random ketchup.hee hee.

What have you been up to?

Giraffes in the Pool

Trying something new today. Have been up for hours due to my poor Lindz being sick. I woke up around midnight to the sound of barfing. I didn't jump out of bed right away, I think I hoped it was a dream or not what I thought it was. But then Lindsay came into my room and told me she'd puked. Thankfully, most of it got into the toilet/garbage can. Poor thing was up the rest of the night off and on, vomiting. I slept a little in-between episodes, but I don't think she did.  She hardly ever gets sick, and she's missing a fun Track & Field day at school, so I feel bad for her. I don't have much creativity in me, but wanted to do something, so thought I'd try out Five Question Friday for a change.

1. If you had to choose, how would you prefer to choose to spend money...on landscaping or a pool?

Well if that includes the money for upkeep/sprinklers/etc, I'd have to choose the pool. Who cares if my yard looks nice or not, the kids and I would love to be able to jump into a nice cool pool on a hot summer day!

2. (Scott likes to get things stirred up...) Death penalty, yay or nay?

Ugh. Ask me back in college after reading, "Dead Man Walking" and I'd for sure say nay. Back then it was all about the lack of fairness in the court system and partly about the whole "turn the other check" bit, but now I'm not so sure. I'll leave it at that.

3. What's the worst thing your kid has gotten into when you turned your back/blogged/showered/blinked?

Well there was the time I found Kera had used a kid's stamp to "tattoo" her face. She had stamps all over it. Or the time Lindsay colored the bottom of her feet with a marker down the craft area and then walked all over the house, leaving pink footprints everywhere.

4. How often do you REALLY go to the dentist?

I actually do go to the dentist twice a year, about every 6 months. I hate it, but I do it because I'd rather get my teeth cleaned than a cavity filled. Now, ask me how often I REALLY floss and I'll tell you the truth: I do it everyday right around the time of my dentist appointment, but after a while it becomes more like every other or every 3 days. It's cyclical. 

5. What is your favorite animal (doesn't have to be a pet-type animal)?

Definitely, without a doubt, a giraffe. Love their long, lush eyelashes and long, graceful necks. Love their coloring and their demeanor. They are just plain cool. When I was a kid, some very dear friends of the family gave me two personalized storybooks about the adventures of a little girl named Kendra  and her giraffe friend named Ardnek. (notice anything?) Ever since I read those books (and I still have them) I had an affinity towards giraffes, especially ones like Ardnek. 

Hindsight

You know how they say "Hindsight is 20/20"? It's so stinkin' true that it's just not fair.

Why is it that we can analyze the problems or difficulties we are enduring today and trace their source to a bad decision or poor judgement, on our own parts, sometime in the past? I'm not saying all of our problems are due to our own mistakes in the past. It just seems like the ones that are a product of some poor choice in the past seem so unavoidable when looking from today's perspective. I can often pinpoint the exact moment of error.


If I had only.....
looked at it closer before making my choice
asked more questions
opened my eyes
gotten more advice
followed so-and-so's advice
prayed more
not been so hasty
blindly followed


I know the hard things we go through in life only help us grow stronger and contribute to who we are, but some days the self-inflicted hard things are just so frustrating. There have been several decisions, made quite awhile ago, that still complicate things with their consequences. I thought so little of them at the time that they were almost non-decisions. I had no idea. Unfortunately, now I do, and I hate that.

Running

I didn't actually see this pretty view on my run today, although my run had some pretty cool sights too. I just don't haul my camera or my cell phone with me on runs, so this will have to suffice. It was pretty cool this morning, though, as I ran past a couple deer (like the ones in my backyard ) and they hardly budged. I think I ended up being 10 ft away from a young buck w/ fuzzy antlers at one point. I thought it was interesting. They are obviously use to humans!

But, yes, I did get to go for a run this morning. It was a beautiful morning of sunshine and everything green, birds chirping and little animals here and there. I am grateful to be running after my short hiatus due to my weird heel pain and then my 2 week long cold/illness. I ended up missing about a month and a half of training, so I'm pretty far behind where I could/should be according to my initial half-marathon training plan. I wasn't sure if I should even continue through with the training and do the marathon with this lack of training. But I wanted to. And so I plugged my new stats into the wonderful Smart Coach feature over at Runner's World , (which I love) and was pleased to see they gave me an actual plan. In the past I've plugged info in and only received a warning of not enough time to train. This new plan had me starting really slowly and with minimal miles working up to only 6 miles as the longest run. I thought, I can do this, six miles!? That's nothing! And it really is, that's like less than 1/2 of the full 13.1 miles, so I will probably tweak my actual running to increase the long run to be longer than that. But the point is, after seeing that, I decided I would commit to doing the half-marathon. I've been running all winter and am in pretty good shape, so I'm sure I can do it. I've done it before and I can do it again. It might not be my best race ever, and I don't even care if I have to walk at all the water stops! All I know is that I want to do this and so I'm going to. I actually went so far as to register for the half-marathon this past weekend to put my "money where my mouth is", so to speak. 

I'm quite excited about it, too! :-) 

Hopefully I can remember to share my training progress as I go.

Massage Thoughts

 Last year about this time my mother-in-law "won" a free massage at this salon at a school fundraiser, but since she doesn't live here, she gave it to me. I'd never been to this particular salon for anything. I get my hair done at a different one and have had a couple massages there as well, but nothing regular. I got regular massages all during my pregnancy with Kera, and it totally helped with my sciatic pain and just the general feeling of bleh when you're prego. The icing on the cake, however, was when I went in for my last massage on my due date and she worked on the pressure points in my feet. I went into labor that night. I'm positive those regular massages and especially that one last one, helped me go into labor naturally. Sarah, the massage therapist during my pregnancy, is actually my favorite, she does an amazing job, but unfortunately she got a "real" job and quit doing massage. *sigh* So, I hadn't found any therapist that I really liked enough to justify the expense regularly.

Until I used that gift certificate. That massage was wonderful! I think I went back at least one or two other times after that, but then school was out and my schedule isn't as flexible with the girls home and then I was trying to cut down on expenses. Let's face it, massages are expensive and don't really belong in the "necessities" category. So, when on Mother's Day, my father gave me, my sister and my mom each gift certificate's to that same local salon,  I knew immediately that I was going to use that certificate for a massage.

I went in on Thursday for my hour of pampering and it was simply wonderful. In an attempt to really relax, I usually refrain from talking during a massage. Eh, I'm not much of a talker anyway, but my gauge on whether a massage was really good if I almost fall asleep, and you can't sleep if you're talking, so I usually just lay there. I definitely got relaxed this time, but I found my thoughts totally randomly rambling.

They went something like this....

• Ooh, this massage table is really warm.It must be heated.
• I hope she comes back quickly so I can pick up the girls on time.
• Did she really say to take off everything?
• Wow, that feels really good. Why don’t I do this more often?
• How can I fit this expense into my budget? I could stop getting my hair professionally done and spend that money on massages instead. Who cares what my hair looks like. It would be a looks vs. feeling thing, because regular massages would make me feel really good.
• Who am I kidding, I can’t give up my hair appointments! 
• Maybe I could justify this expense quarterly...
• Huh, guess I’m really tight right there since she’s been on that spot for a while.
• Her hands must be super strong, mine would be tired already by now. Must be something you work up to. Probably learn that in massage school.
• Relax, Kendra, this won’t do any good if you don’t relax.
• Hmm, maybe I should reconsider doing massage school.
• Nah, I don’t want to be giving massages to other people all the time, it’s not like I’d be giving them to myself. I’ll just stick with being a client.
• Whew, that is one hot towel!
• Zzz...Oh wait, am I drooling?
• That sachet smells really good. Is that lavender? Maybe it’s eucalyptus. I don’t know, I just know it smells good.
• I wonder if she’s ever had to give a massage to someone who had horrible body odor or something similarly disgusting.
• I’m glad I took a shower before I came here, especially since I went on that run.
• Oh my legs are kind of sore, that feels wonderful.
• Ack, my feet…they’re ticklish.
• Hmm, that seems like the same song has been playing this whole time. I wonder if she gets special massage music that plays for an hour so she can gauge the time.
• I wonder how much time has passed. It’s probably almost time to be done, but I am not going to open my eyes to look at the clock.
• I wonder if the ceiling looks like the other place I use to get massages. Nope, not gonna open my eyes to find out. Still relaxing, enjoying this for as long as possible.
• Oh, she’s doing the whole neck, scalp ear thing, mean she’s almost done. Already? Bummer.
• Wowzer’s, my hair feels really crazy.
• Perfect timing! Hurry, get up and get dressed so you can pick up the girls in time. 
• Aw man, wish I could just lay here a bit longer. Nope, get moving!