our easter together and 5K update

My official bib...

Me with Ally after the race...yikes!

Ally's loot from the Easter Bunny

Ally being Ally

Ko-ah as Ally calls him

Loggie! Check out that wild hair my daughter has going on- she looks like Squiggy from Laverne and Shirely :)

the many cute faces of the Tootser!

egg coloring with daddy

keith and ally spending their first Easter together :)

homeade ears for ally

it was a great family easter. we had many good memories with this one.

as for the race, i am very pleased with my time and of course that i finished the whole race without stopping! there was one leg of the race that was a full blown hill....i was struggling, but i kept telling myself that i came too far to let some little grade get in my way and it worked. half of the run was mental. i got my personal best today but i was hoping to reach my goal which was 27 minutes and i just missed it. i think i will continue training, as it was fun to run with all different types of people for a common cause. i wish ally and keith could have made it but it was a little chilly (23 degrees) this morning and i didn't want them freezing while they waited for me. the only pic i have is after the race, as you can see i look quite nice -haha! but as soon as they get they photos online from the race i will find the link and post it so you can navigate to it from here and see me cross the finish line.

thanks for all the support and encouragement over the last few months -- i couldn't have done this race without this journal and of course feedback from my friends and family! who knows, maybe i have insprired you in some small way :)

backtracking...

Easter Egg Hunt and Lily Put Buffet

playin' catch up

it has been awhile since i got on here and journaled. life has been extremely busy this past week and with easter, we were definitely a little out of sorts in our home. finally i feel as though i can take a few moments to play catch up!

for starters...easter was spent with my parents in indiana. we left on sunday morning, so we celebrated our easter on saturday morning with ally. she got some fun stuff that she can begin playing with outside once the spring weather kicks in. she got a plastic golf set, a jump rope, jacks, clothes and an elmo book. the easter bunny was good to her. she also got an easter bonnet from my aunt/uncle and some clothes and candy from my parents. aunt lele spoiled her as well with some flip-flops and a pair of new shades. another easter gone by without a gift for my honey - and vice versa...i really hope once we get settled more in our lives that keith and i start to appreciate giving presents to each other again. it is not the material part i miss as much as the giving part. in due time...luckily we both aren't sour about it, we just let it roll.

next...this week has been keeping me very busy with my training. my run is tomorrow. i can't believe it is here. when i look back on my logs and journals, it is hard to believe i started this journey on january 2. it has taken a me a little over 3 months to be in training shape, which i am not at all proud of. there have been a few hurdles a long the way, but overall i am proud to say that i finished the whole training program and am in better cardio shape than i have been in a long time.

i also started a detox of sorts to cleanse my system. as much as i dislike dieting, i have been able to make some significant changes...such as cutting out soda (KILLER for me), chocolate and limiting my calories. it has been tough with my busy schedule, but i am trying hard to stay focused and surprisingly it has been making quite a difference.

i haven't weighed myself since week 8, so i have no idea how much weight i have lost or gained in muscle, all i know is my clothes definitely fit better and my muscles seem to be much tighter all over. i will still have to be persistent with my core, which has been a trouble area all my life and even worse after having allyson. the c-section was no help when they cut into the muscle. long after the races are over, i will be working on that area.

overall i am ok with myself and i am ready for my first competitive race since high school. there will be about 1200 people running in this race overall. the majority will probably be running the 5k and the rest will be split between the 10K and half marthon. i keep reminding myself that i am running the shoretest part 3.2 miles. it does help psychologically, but i am still nervous :)

hopefully the weather will pan out as planned, sunny with temps in the 50's so that keith and allyson can attend.

finally...on tap for this weekend: race, get together at karyn's, church, organizing interview materials and a planned shopping spree on sunday.

march madness

i love the sound of sneakers squeaking on the hardwood and all the rumblings of who will win the tournament...but this year for lent i decided to not waste time filling out those useless brackets and make better use of my time with my family.

tonight ally and i will be spending our girls night practicing our passing and catching skills with her mini-basketball. she loves it and so do i. i keep imagining her growing up with basketball in her life earlier than me and polishing her skills to become the next big hooper!

the thought does cross my mind every now and again that she may not like basketball or sports for that matter...she might even choose to play an instrument in the band b/c she loves music so much. very hard one to swollow for this former coach - but i am cool with it as long as she is the best damn tuba player in the band :)

on tap for this weekend - another run of about 3 miles, a saturday drive into the city, church, and easter with family.

chicken finger, french fry lickin' tuesdays

every tuesday ally and i enjoy a very nutritious (choke-choke) dinner for two. since keith has class all night, we spend some girly time. even though it has very little nutrition value, it is very intimate to share the time with my dear daughter after a long day of work and a long day of school for ally. we find it fun to dip into mounds of ketchup while getting mega messy :)

after dinner we save room for m&m's or as ally calls them "lum-um-nums". her favorite.

it certainly helps that i am running each day - all those calories can seriously add up!

DYK - the average person gains about 3lbs per year? and over a decade they can gain 30lbs at that rate? frightening huh? this is why i work like i do. no questions asked.

here's to...

all my green beer drinking days...
all my friends who are now mommies and wives and can't drink green beer on st. pats...
all my college celebrations on st. pats that are a distant, distant memory...
spending all my hard earned cash on drinks and tips...
march madness or should i say march sadness since i have no idea who is playing anymore...
spring-time or lack thereof in PA...
the days of spring break in florida...
the days of snow in march in PA...
sleeping through your 8am class the day after...

but most of all, here is to adjusting to change, age, wisdom and living life to its fullest!

Happy Shamrock Day :)

last full day of break

as it winds down i have been slapped with a reality check - it is officially over today. it has been well spent for the most part. of course i didn't get nearly as many things accomplished as i had planned but i did manage to get some things checked off the ole "to-do list".
as for working out, perhaps i was bit too laid back. i really have to say i was bit lazy over break. i just couldn't bring myself to run in some of the crappy weather we experienced and so i blew it off without the gym near by. i guess i will have my work cut out for me this upcoming week.
i have my race in 2 weeks clearly a bad time to slack off! i guess i will have to embrace the challenges that lie ahead.
as for the homefront, things are starting to come around in the small but cute townhome we live in. i keep it as tidy as i can but i do miss the comforts of home from time to time. i wish i could hang my wreathes, pictures, shelves, decorations, etc... in time that will be possible.
keith is hanging in there while working full time and attending night classes. he is really being a trooper with all his responsibilities and he has turned into a fabulous father. ally and him are just like peas and carrots.
as for the bears...well they just need a yard to run and play. i feel bad, logan went out to pee last night and took off after a rabbit. he was gone 30 minutes, and no rabbit on his return, thank goodness. we will have to take them to the dog park when the weather clears. there are 3 in our area- it is like disney-dogland!
this weekend we will be getting ready for easter. there is an easter egg hunt on saturday and sunday for ally to take part in - so we will enjoy some fam time this weekend before i return to work on monday.

spending QT with ally and friends

today i took a break from researching and planning to spend the day with ally and some good company at the cutest little place in cranberry called "lillyput". it is made up of life size doll houses that the kids can play in with a little village theme. they actually sell them through a company called "rainbow", but they do some sweet advertising by allowking kids to play in them daily for $7. ally enjoyed it and she got to play with jadyn and dylan for the greater part of the early afternoon. it is always good to see karyn and the kids.
ally is currently upstairs supposedly sleeping, but i hear her talking and playing around in her crib. she likes to fight sleep, esp. when she is overly tired. which is going to make for a fun evening if that little girl skips her nap. yay!- for mommy :(
luckily we are having a warm spring-ish day, so i could potentially enjoy a walk with ally later. it is about 64 here and i can smell spring in the air. i know this is just the calm before the storm, as it is always is in PA this time of year.
i forgot my digital camera this morning - so i have no pictures to share. i know, i know, bad mommy! but we are going back on sunday for easter where they have a fun filled morning after church for kids and families. i will be sure to take some pics to share. plus keith will be there to help me monitor, etc.
overall ally made out big from her day of hookie from school. and i certainly enjoyed some mommy and me time. i wish for more days like this with my little peanut.

ally's world...

too cute!

ally loves slides

artist hard at work

check out my oversized rain jacket!

weeee!

Aunt Lee-le came to visit and she takes such awesome pictures, I thought I would share them with all that visit my blog. Hope you enjoy seeing Miss Allyson in a c t i o n!!

i have returned...

my mini-vacation has come to an end and i am back in the swing of things again. it was such a nice visit with so many of my great friends even though i didn't see near as many as i would have liked to.
here were some highlights of my trip...
a visit at potomac falls high school with some of my old colleagues and friends...my some things never change!
seeing richelle and greg's new home - absolutely beautiful!
spending time with baby luke and playing SORRY with sarah-bean :)
pizza on friday night in front of a fire and catching up with richelle and annie preggo style!
a trip to see tracey, clint and avery on saturday. it was my first time at their beautiful home too.
a nice dinner with cindy and some time to chat/meet with her new man cliff - who is great!
a good night's rest before my drive home to pittsburgh only to be greeted by my wonderful hubby, ally and my sis. and of course the bears!

even though my trip was quick, i did miss not getting to see toni, angela, claire and danielle. the trip was way too short but the good news is we are only 4 hours away so it will be an easy trip as a family come summer :)

i have some new pics to post later of ally's great weekend with her daddy and aunt lee-le

the glory days

would you, if you could, relive high school? not me. i certainly would have done many things differently!

last night, karyn (one of my best friends from high school) and i drove over to local high school to watch the 2nd round of the high school girls basketball state tournament. it just so happened that our alma mater was playing locally and we were able to see them.

it was the first time i have seen my old team play since i left high school. it was definitely an eye opener to see how much has changed, however it was also comforting to see how much hasn't changed either. the program is still going strong and the school has many great followers as it did when i was attending. in fact, two of our favorite loyal teachers/coaches were among the many fans in the crowd. it was nice to see them both and also to know that they now have children playing sports for IAHS of their own.

we did some reminsicing together of the "GLORY DAYS" and also did some much needed catching up to speed in our present lives as we sat through 4 quarters of play. when the buzzer sounded to end the game, we did come up short only to be knocked out of the state tournament prematurely.

another bittersweet season ending, for the girls of 08. it brought into focus a memory forever etched into my memory of our last game together as seniors and lil' indians back in '90 - the tears that filled that locker room were probably much the same of the girls of last night.

sports have definitely been a defining factor in my life. it is so nice to be back home now, where it all begain for me and i hope will all begin for allyson someday.

children's museum

if you ever get a chance to visit pittsburgh, check out the children's musuem.

it is wonderful :)

here are a few pics taken of allyson...it was officially daddy/daughter day while i was at the Pitt/UCONN women's basketball game...

training day

i have been plugging along at my training and recently just crossed over the 3 mile mark. it has been a long haul just getting to 3 miles as well as exciting. the 5k is about a month away. as it approaches, i continue to work toward my personal goals each workout.

just a few weeks ago i remember beginning this journey, not only at running but blogging too.

i have to say i have definitely come along way with both. i will continue to post about training as i began to push forward with my mileage. there is a $250 cash prize for the first place winner in my age bracket -- i will keep that in mind, it could be good money for a fun spring-fling shopping spree!