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.