hunh

i am almost 29 years old, and while i was cleaning the kitchen just now i realized something so silly. (my age comes in as a factor because i've gone so long saying this that i cannot believe it didn't hit me until now.)
you know how people say, "well, h-e-double hockey sticks"? for some reason, it just hit me that they really meant hockey sticks, like the ones you play the sport with. h-e-L-L! why did i not notice this before??? i think it's one of those things you get stuck in your head as a kid and just never really notice you're wrong....kind of like singing the wrong song lyrics. i always thought the "hockey sticks" were like horse "hockey"....as in stacking up horse hockey to make the letter L.

maybe because when someone in my family said it they also used the phrase horse hockey instead of saying sh*t. i think they were trying to get around saying the bad word in front of us and in the process they completely screwed over my thinking and interpretation. you also have to keep in my i am the same girl who assigns gender to letters, numbers and colors. i had no idea that wasn't something everyone did until tim and i got married and had that conversation one day.....good thing he'd already married me!

fall

though summer is my favorite season, fall and spring come in at a close second. i really love fall, it's just that winter comes after and that i am not so fond of....
fall makes me think of all the things i love. having a baby makes many of those things even better. now that drew is almost 2, he's so fun and entertaining. here are some of the things he says and does that i absolutely love:

• hand mommy, hand. -- when he wants to hold hands.
  
• hold you! --when he wants to be held or picked up.
  
• what's that? --imagine that 500 times a day. :)
  
• wiz and wolly -- that would be liz and molly. i think liz is one of his favorite people.
  
• cole and map -- nicole and matt, two of his other favorite people
  
• shew, messy! -- after he threw up in his car seat on the way to school this week....and i had bus duty.
  
• cancake -- pancake: he ate two at cracker barrel this morning!
  
• truck
  
• cossee -- coffee
  
• whoa, baby!
  
• oops daisy
  
• his dancing -- he will only dance to single ladies. don't even think about trying a different song.
  
• have it
  
• kink-kuo -- thank you
  
• peese -- please

there are so many more, i can't list them all.

some of the ones i'm not too wild about, but are still cute....sometimes:

• why? -- imagine this one with his hands turned out to the sides....oh, boy.
  
• fork -- he yelled that at cracker barrel this morning and it did NOT sound like fork. it sounded like the mother of all words.....
  
• the whiny "mommy" -- it doesn't bother me at first, but after 4,000 times in an hour, it can start to wear you down. i still love that he can say it, no matter how many times, i have to think about that instead of getting irritated. :)
  
• dammit -- and old standby
  
• hush!


• daddy worrrrrk

he has new boots for the fall and he's absolutely crazy about them. he's into all things boy including dirt bikes, motorcycles, tractors and big trucks. here's a picture of drew and daddy watching tractor trailer rigs drag racing....

hossy toss

we went home yesterday to check on mam and pap and see mom and dad. drew loves seeing the horses when we go home and was calling for them before we even got out of the truck. once we went in, mom brought up one of kate's old rocking horses that we named "hossy toss". i can remember riding it when i was little and i actually thought it was mine. drew loves it and has been riding it constantly while singing something about a horsey.

he had a wonderful week with nicole and the kids and i'm so thankful. it's been harder on me this year leaving him....when he goes into nicole's in the morning, he goes to her, turns to me and says "bye-bye". ugh! i love that he loves her, but man that stings....:o) i am taking nicole's little girl, kayleigh, to school with me in the mornings and she is a sweetheart. she's in kindergarten this year and is so sweet and polite. an added bonus: she sings to me all the way to school!

i also got a class pet this week. it's a dwarf hamster one of my students from last year had. i'm afraid he misses her a little so i hope he comes to visit a few days a week after school. my class named her "bacon". really. i have no idea why but i thought it was hilarious. i'm terrified of rodents so this is a huge step for me. the funny thing is, i actually like her.

tomorrow we'll be back to the grind....work, then running. i'm ready to get another week started and finished. :o)

corn on the cob we picked yesterday with mam and pap....mmmm!

he decided daddy's belly would be a good place to ride hossy toss. :o)

end of a vacation

school officially starts tomorrow. i've been cleaning like a mad woman the last two days trying to get everything spiffy before i have no time to do it. i know as soon as i get all the laundry done another load will be waiting for me, but it's so nice to have that 5 minutes when the basket is completely empty. :)

yesterday drew and i went to see mamaw...mine and his. my mamaw (drew's "big" mamaw) has finished 13 treatments and is now dealing with side effects. she was sick all night friday and can't eat because of the blisters in her throat. of course not being able to eat makes her sick to her stomach so she's just doing the best she can. i know she's incredibly tired, but she just keeps going, smiling and laughing as usual.

today drew and i played hide-n-seek...sort of. i hid, he came running calling "mommmmmy". waylon joined in and everywhere i went to hide, he sat right in front of me making me a target. when drew would find me he would do his twisty-tail run and fly back to the couch and wait for me to come tickle him. that game went on for a while, even with waylon ratting me out everytime.

tomorrow is a new day, a new week and the end of our vacation. aside from mamaw being sick, this has been one of the best summers i have had in a long time. drew was so much fun, i got to run nearly everyday, drew loved being pushed in the stroller when we ran and i read tons of books. now it's back to work, back to masters classes, back to cold weather. for now i've got to run, drew's decided he's going to clean out his closet and has half the stuff in the hall....life with a toddler--i don't think it could get much better. :o)

two gifts

so far this has been a wonderful week. two of my best friends have had momentous occassions and have been so blessed. first, my friend sarah had a birthday monday....oddly enough she gave me a wonderful gift by letting me know she and her husband, stad, are expecting! i cannot tell you how excited i was to hear the news. :o) the baby is due in february. they are going to make wonderful parents. andy and cindy won't be too shabby at being grandparents either.

the second gift of the week was delivered yesterday. ashlyn cynthia hatterick made her debut weighing in at a whopping 5 lbs 12 oz. tim and i are so thrilled for angie and joe brett. i can't wait to hear all the baby stories over the next few years. ashlyn is definitely a lucky little girl.



mamaw started radiation yesterday. it was the first of 25 scheduled treatments. she will do 20 treatments, then they will assess her progress to see if she will need more or less than the original 25. hopefully less, but we know it's going to be a hard road for her, especially having to travel everyday. pray that she has strength and energy over the coming weeks.



milestones and antics of drew as of late:

• he now weighs almost 27 pounds....doesn't sound like much until you lug him around.


• he doesn't use the potty yet, but he loves to pretend he does and tell me he has to go poop...especially when we are in the car. he knows it's a ticket out of his seat so he grabs his behind and says, "poop mommy! potty!" today he made me take his diaper off so he could sit on the potty for 15 minutes....


• he also wants to take a bath 10 times a day. i think he equates it to the pool and playing in water so he cries everytime he walks by the bathroom and tells me he wants a bath.


• he knows a lot of words now. it's crazy how quick he picks them up. his favorite phrase is still "what's that?" and his favorite word is now damnit, (or as he says, "nannit!"). he learned it from his mamaw. :o)


• he's been swimming in the pool with floaties on and doesn't want anyone to touch him. he's a little like his mommy in that he wants to do everything himself.
  
• he is obsessed with bug, (that would be hayley), cycles, dogs, tractors, cows and food. no particular food, just all food in general. (again, like his mommy.)

• 

  see the potty?
  

he sat with her for almost an hour that night....amazing considering he is NEVER still.

"swimming, swimming in a swimming pool...when days are hot, when days are cold, in a swimming pool!"

random list

i thought i should blog about a few things, so i have them to remember later on....if i get started on one however, i will go off on some long explanation and never finish. so, i'm just going to make a list.

• drew is 20 months old now and i am having a really hard time dealing with him becoming a big boy.
• potty training is going to be a nightmare.
• we bribe our child with cotton balls to get him to brush his teeth. i have no idea why he likes them. he doesn't call them cotton balls though, he calls them an "easy". i guess because i always rub them on his face and say eeeeasy as i do it.
• tim is a perfectionist. i love that about him, but sometimes it takes a long time to get something done. our new patio looks very nice though. :o)
• our 4th anniversary is tomorrow.
• my mamaw is a tough old bird. she starts her radiation next week. she will complete 25 rounds in 5 weeks.
• mamaw has had breast cancer, hodgkin's disease and non-hodgkin's lymphoma all in less than 4 years.
• my sister-in-law rue just got a job teaching technology at a school in denver. i'm so happy she and josh are able to be together now!
• drew has funny names for my sisters and tim's brother. he calls kate "cake", hayley is "bug" and rob is "obbie".
• drew's favorite phrase right now is "what's that?" he asks that question about 500 times a day.
• i've run nearly 110 miles since school let out for the summer.
• i really want to do a full marathon next spring.
• i just realized my last three meals have been cheeseburgers and fries. 2 from mcdonald's and one from the burger barn. ("the burger barn, gilbert!" -- i have to say it everytime...have you seen what's eating gilbert grape? if not, nevermind that quote.)
• i think i am an insomniac. really.
• we may take drew for his first trip to the aquarium tomorrow....pray for us.
• i can't wait for the midsummer night's run!

Realizations

1. I've Come To Realize That My Boobs...HAVE BEEN EVERY SIZE, FROM A TO DD.
2. I've Come To Realize That When I Talk..I USUALLY DON'T FILTER MUCH.
3. I've Come To Realize That When I'm Driving...I'M SUSUALLY POINTING OUT THINGS TO DREW OR ANSWERING "WHAT'S THAT?"
4. I've Come To Realize That I Need....MY FAMILY, FRIENDS AND RUNNING TO GET ME THROUGH MOST DAYS.
5. I've Come To Realize That I Have Lost...THE NAIVENESS THAT COMES WITH BEING A KID
6. I've Come To Realize That I Hate It When...I GET THAT NERVOUS FEELING IN MY BELLY.
7. I've Come To Realize That If I'm Drunk...I'LL REGRET IT
8. I've Come To Realize That Money...IS PAPER THAT PEOPLE SLOBBER OVER LIKE FOOLS
9. I've Come To Realize That People...WILL ALMOST ALWAYS DISAPPOINT YOU IF YOU LET THEM
10. I've Come To Realize That I Will Always Be...A WORRY-WART
11. I've Come To Realize That I Have A Crush On...TIMMY JIMMY
12. I've Come To Realize That My Mom...HOLDS HER TONGUE ABOUT A LOT
13. I've Come To Realize That My Cell Phone Is...A TEXTING MACHINE
14. I've Come To Realize That When I Woke Up This Morning...I WAS BLESSED WITH ANOTHER DAY AND I REALLY HAVE NOTHING TO GRIPE ABOUT.
15. Last Night Before I Went To Sleep I Had Come To Realize...I AVOID A LOT OF THINGS UNTIL THEY MAKE ME SICK.
16. I've Come To Realize That Right Now I Am Thinking About...MAMAW
17. I've Come To Realize That My Dad...IS ANAL :)
18. I've Come To Realize That Today...IS GORGEOUS, SUNNY AND I GET TO BE HOME WITH MY BOY
19. I've Come To Realize That Tonight..I'LL PRAY A LITTLE HARDER.
20. I've Come To Realize That Tomorrow I Will...WORRY.
21. I've Come To Realize That I Really Want To....CONTROL MY FEARS, RUN A MARATHON, SOMEDAY HAVE A DOG RESCUE, BE STRONG AND MOST OF ALL, BE A GOOD MOMMY.

bluegrass 10,000

i met tyler & marie this morning (along with aaron--who works with jenn-- and his wife, sarah) to head to lexington for the bluegrass 10,000. we met around 6:25 but didn't get going until about a quarter till 7. the race started at 7:30. with traffic, streets being closed off, mine and marie's pit stop in the civic center, (cause you know i don't do porta-potties), and us heading to what we thought was the starting line, we ended up late. most of you know, i do NOT like to be late....i think because the neiderman's were always late, it drove me crazy growing up because i couldn't do anything about it. anyway, i was actually calm, cool and collected and thought it was funny that we went to the finish line instead of the starting line, ha! we ended up having to run about half a mile (after walking a mile from the car) to the starting line as they were taking the gates down.....officials were yelling at us to hurry up. our time wouldn't start until our d-chip timing device crossed the electronic line so we had to run all the way up there to get started.

marie and i realized we actually made out well....we didn't have to stand and wait forever with all those people, (crowds, yuck!). plus, we didn't have to run around anyone for the first half mile. it was such a great run, beautiful weather and scenery and just an all-around good vibe. i really liked this race, it's probably been one of my favorites i've ever run. we were a little slow the first 3 miles but on the last 3 i could definitely tell a difference in my stamina from pushing the stroller everyday. i felt like i could have done the whole course again. i need to make sure i keep training with the stroller so i don't lose the stamina i've built up. even more than when we were training for the half with long runs, i felt really good when we finished.

last year's 10k. thank goodness it didn't rain this year!

we went to panera for the routine after-race coffee (and braided pecan roll for me!)...mmmmm, good coffee. as usual the conversation was random, hilarious and enlightening. thanks to my wonderful husband for staying home with drew and letting him sleep in, and for getting him to say "hi, mommy. love you." when i called after the race. so, so sweet. :)



we went home this afternoon to see the fam and go to a cookout at my uncle tom's new house. it was gorgeous, i love it. it was pap's birthday so we went over there, too. mam and i took a quick ride on the 4-wheeler up to the neighbor's to see her new puppy. (angie, you would have died had you seen it! i thought about putting him in my pocket and bringing him home with me!) mam dissed me on the ride back in favor of walking....this coming right after she told me she was a little tired. that woman never ceases to amaze me. she looked great today and her incision is looking better each day. she goes back to the doctor on the 8th so please say a prayer for good news on treatment options. i am really hoping for no chemo this time, it makes her so sick.



after drew said "bye-bye" to every individual person at uncle tom's (some people multiple times), we made it home....now if the poor boy would give it up and go to sleep we'd all be a little better off. no nap = cranky boy. :)

jeanne and i were talking today about how some people don't understand that running is hard work. sometimes it feels easy, sometimes it really doesn't. everytime you go out, you have to make a choice as to what you want that run to be. do you want it to be a miserable, whiny experience that you don't enjoy? or do you want it to be an experience that makes you push hard, grin and bear it?

i've been pushing drew in the stroller this summer while we run. at first, i didn't think i'd make it two miles with him. i'd just finished a half-marathon and i didn't think i could even make it two miles. i made it three on the first try and i was proud of myself. now, some days i get a little help from my friends, some days i'm stubborn and want to see just how far i can push myself before i get sick....it's a weird thing that us runner's do to ourselves.....we see just how far we can go before giving up. i did four miles pushing drew on wednesday at 5:30 in the evening. it was 90 degrees according to marie's car when we started. yes, my quads felt like they were on fire. yes, my calves hurt like a mother and yes, i almost threw up for the first time in a long time. but i didn't throw up and i certainly didn't quit. running is much more a mental exercise than physical. i don't think many people understand that until they actually run. i've met some of the best friends i've ever had while running and more than anything, i think they're why i can keep doing it. we talk, we question, we gripe but most of all, we enjoy.

this post is about running, but it's also about the experiences we have in life and the choices we make. some people have very difficult things they face in their lives.....and often times people who can handle difficult things have them handed to them with more frequency than others. mamaw is once again facing a battle with lymphoma and it just makes me think of all the times i want to wimp out and not run. i know it's not on the same scale by any means, but it's all i have to compare.....if i had her mental fortitude, her strength and bravery, i'd probably be blowing records off the charts in my running endeavors.

the irony of my running and my relationship of that running to mamaw, is though i always feel like i'm running for her, she hates that i run. :)

"It hurts up to a point and then it doesn't get any worse." - Ann Trason

Running is a big question mark that's there each and every day. It asks you, 'Are you going to be a wimp or are you going to be strong today?--Peter Maher

a lady named gigi

drew and i just got back from the grocery....this morning's trip was a little different from most. for one, he sat nicely in the buggy the whole time and i was actually able to think. i also remembered to actually take my list in the store with me, that doesn't happen much.

as we were getting ready to check out, i was looking at books and i notice drew smiling and looking over my shoulder. when i turned around, an older lady was standing a few feet away giving drew a thumbs up. she started talking to him and they jabbered back and forth for a few minutes. the next thing i know, this lady is handing drew money telling him to go buy himself something. i tried to give it back to her but she was having none of it. she was only interested in drew and the big smile he gave her when she handed him the money. she told him her name was gigi and asked what his name was. evidently gigi has been choosing kids over the years that she thinks are acting nicely, and she gives them a dollar. for years and years she's done this. she told me a woman walked up to her a few years ago and asked if her name was gigi. when she said yes, her adolescent daughter was standing next to her and they said they remembered the old woman because she once gave their daughter a dollar when she was just a baby.

as we left gigi to go check out, she told me there was no telling how much money she'd given away but it made her feel good so she kept doing it. she said she was a "jesus lady" and that's what she liked to do. some people take singles to the strip clubs....gigi takes them to wal-mart. wonder what the teller at the bank thinks when she asks for all those singles?

update

school is finally out! this is our first full week out, even though i have to go to work on friday...bluh. however, drew and i have been enjoying our time at home. i love not having to wake him up at 6:30 every morning. we get up around 8:00, eat breakfast, drew gets a bath and then we go for a run. he is loving getting to play on the playground at school when we finish...it's too sweet.
i got a new jogging stroller since his other one just wasn't standing up to a near daily run. the new one has a place for my ipod, so i can plug it in and the stroller has speakers that play the music.
jeanne ran with me today and commented on my eclectic taste in music....one minute disney, the next ac/dc.
it's a hard run pushing 55 lbs, especially uphill. it's the only way i'll get to run though, and it's great for my arms -- you wouldn't believe how much arm strength it takes to push.
we hit the pool yesterday and i'm thinking about it again today when drew wakes up. he's been taking a nice nap when we get home from our run and playground jaunt. i can actually sit down and eat without someone pulling at my legs wanting a "bite-bite". i've been neglecting household duties though.....it's just too nice outside when he's asleep for me to sit in the house and do laundry and clean. i can do that when he gets up or tim gets home. i'm learning not to feeling guilty about that, (as i get ready to go get clothes to hang out).
hopefully i'll update more since we're out of school.....:)

long time gone

it's been a while....i've been putting off blogging until i could get pictures of the half marathon in nashville. i can't get them copied so i'll just have to put the link in. if you can't see any pictures when you get to the site, you'll have to type in my last name or my bib number to see the pictures of marie and i. my bib number was 25163.
i look like i am ticked in every picture (while marie smiles, lol) but i did enjoy myself....i just think a lot while i run and have to concentrate on blocking out all the people.

direct link: http://www.asiorders.com/view_user_event.asp?EVENTID=45789&BIB=25163&LNSEARCH=1

if you can't view with the first: http://www.asiorders.com/view_event.asp?EVENTID=45789

i think i had a better time the day after when i could kind of take in the enormity of what we'd just done. i guess if you've never done it, it's hard to describe just how hard it can be. we ran in 86 degree weather on more hills than i've ever done before. it was a constant zigzag. there were several bands, lots of spectators - many who handed out much needed food/snacks, water, etc. there were so many people it was unreal. i did really well with the crowd until after the race. they were herding everyone out of one little corral about 10 feet wide. that doesn't sound too bad unless there are 32,000 people coming out of that one corral. i started seeing black and feeling like i was going to punch someone. i know, not nice...the chick with the bull horn yelling at us to keep moving was about to get my sweaty fist planted in her little stomach...lol.
we made it out, though and i owe tyler and marie a big thanks for searching high and low for where tim was parked with me. just when i thought i couldn't take another step, we spotted him. i was grimy, hungry, hot and by that point, crying. drew was absolutely covered in horrible welts so we headed home that day. i did want to see a few of the sites while we were there but i guess it wasn't meant to be that weekend. thank goodness drew finally cleared up as the week went on. the best we could tell, he seems to be allergic to tide detergent. never again will we be using that one!

drew had so much fun in the motel. i sprayed everything down with lysol when we got there because i knew he'd touch everything. and what did i forget? a towel!

tim always looks like he has smoke in his eyes....if they're open at all.

we tried....

this was sunday after we had to take drew to the urgent treatment center. when he woke up, the rash was much worse. his eyes and the bridge of his nose were so swelled. he looks much better here after a dose of benadryl and prednisone. he had welts on his feet and couldn't even walk....so pitiful.

easter pictures

EASTER

waylon was checking to see if there was anything for him.

what?!?

gigi helping drew find eggs.

papaw hides easter eggs under his toboggan.

drew and aunt rue

a quick nap on the way home

easter eve

yesterday i finished getting all drew's stuff for his easter basket. we went to hobby lobby and picked up a few little last minute things. (i was surprised i didn't see you there, angie.) :)

they didn't have much of a selection of boys' baskets left but we did find a really cute one drew liked. i know i waited until last minute so i didn't expect there to be many left....they were 50% off though!

i found a child's size broom there, too. drew is obsessed with sweeping and constantly carries the broom around. maybe he'll be able to handle this one a little easier. i also found a book that i put his picture in and all the characters in the story then have his face. though his basket looks a little fuller than last year's socks and book, i don't think i went overboard. he's got a ball, bubbles, a small chocolate bunny (because mom said i had to, it's easter!), a few "grow your own" tub toys, a broom and a book. mom also got him a blue rubber ducky since he also adores ducks.

**on a sidenote, yesterday after the big storm, we had two ducks going down our backyard...how odd.**

i'm sure he'll probably want to play only with the empty plastic eggs, but hey, i had to fill the basket with something. :) here's a few pictures of the basket and of the sky behind the house during the storm. we had so much hail it was crazy. there was a tornado touchdown about a mile or two behind the house when i took these pictures....

see that little brown puppy? angie made him a picture frame with one of those on it and he always wants to get it off....when he saw it yesterday in the store he started screaming, "puuuppyyy!"

postscript

many of you know my cousin, budge, and the stories that are often shared about him. since Easter is sunday, I had to include this before i forget about it....here are a few of the latest budgisms:

• today gig was going to take budge home after school. they were at the office locking up and budge continued to ask questions about everything.....one of them being Easter. gig told him all about Easter, why we have it, etc.
  a few minutes later he says, "hey gig? why does this God guy think he's the boss of everybody anyway?"
• he checks the oil price every morning on the stock market crawl on the news channels. last week he walked into the kitchen and said, "dad, oil fell to $48 a barrel," shaking his head and looking forlorn.
  when he told mamaw this later he asked her, "you do know i'm in the oil business, right?"
• "mom, i like sports. i like basketball and baseball but i just don't think i want to play any of those." pause....
  
  "i believe i'll take up fencing."
  papaw said he was going to bring him a tobacco stick so he could practice his fencing in the house...ha!

budge, (who has a beautiful name that no one calls him, even at school he's "budge"), just turned 6 years old a few months ago. what will he say next?

spring break can finally begin

i know today is wednesday, and we are halfway through our spring break, but for me it didn't officially start until this afternoon. i finally went to the dentist and had my root canal. the wonderful thing is, it didn't hurt one bit. wouldn't you know, i'd worry myself sick and then i didn't even feel anything.
for the last week or so i have not been feeling well. i thought it was just a queasy stomach because i had pukers at the end of last week. take that and combine it with a very intense fear of the dentist and some sort of bug and my last 5 days have been anything but enjoyable. luckily saturday i felt fine and was able to do some shopping with mom, mam, gig and hayley. sunday the bottom dropped out. we got up and had plans for the whole day yet my revolting stomach had other plans. we did make it to boonesboro to the playground so drew could go and play outside for a while. we stayed maybe 45 minutes then we had to go....i told tim last night if i wasn't sure it wasn't morning sickness, i'd be very scared. luckily i never really got sick except for sunday when we made it home. it's been more or less just a horrible nauseous feeling high in my stomach. funny, today after visiting the dentist it's not there anymore.
for the last few days drew and i have just chilled around the house. he's played and been so good. i think he knew i didn't feel good. today i got him up at the last minute to go to carla's while i went for the root canal. he seemed fine and i gave him a little milk and some breakfast to take to carla's. by the time we got there, i looked in the mirror and noticed his nice clean clothes were covered in....well, yuck. he'd spit up everywhere. (and by saying spit up, i really mean puke. how long can you call it spit up when they're babies anyway???) so, i had to take him in, strip him, clean him off...carla got one of abby's shirts for him to wear and he again seemed fine. i was worried about leaving him, hoping he wasn't really sick thinking maybe i should call and cancel my dentist appointment....i didn't.
by the time i got to the dentist i was a few minutes late because of the puking incident and mam and pap were in the waiting room twiddling their thumbs. i told her not to come, she comes anyway. what am i going to do with her?
at this point, i've worked myself up to a mini panic attack in the car thinking "shit, i'm gonna pass out if i don't stop it". i went back to my labor meditation tricks, counting and breathing. what a dork, i know. once i got into the waiting room, i pretty much lost it...crying, the whole bit. i really am terrified. i felt like an idiot. why couldn't they just give me some valium and make me act like a normal person before these visits? this is exactly why i haven't been to the dentist in almost 8 years.
once i went back, lovely dr. hill told me not all dentists are created equal and he would not hurt me. i guess that's the same thing we all want others to remember about us -- don't judge or make decisions based on past experiences that were only bad. i can remember many, many trips to dr. hill when he would pull two and three teeth and he never once hurt me. today, he did not hurt me. i felt nothing, hallelujah. i even made another appointment for a cleaning in a few weeks. that is truly progress for anyone who knows me. hopefully i won't cry next time. i cornered monique, the hygenist, before i left and told her if i came back she had to promise not to hurt me. with wide eyes, she promised. we'll see.

"mommy, don't touch!"

not much

`spring is here. spring break makes me happy.

`only a few short weeks and we'll be out for summer.
`went to matrix tonight to watch destiny and trinity. wow.

`shopping tomorrow with the girls.

`glad it's friday.

`dreading the wednesday dentist appointment.

`registered for a fall class.

`couldn't get registered for a summer class. ahhh!

`already thinking about what to eat @ lunch tomorrow. :)

`love when my baby is so, so sweet.

`glad tim is home early.

`ready for pie.

`ready for bed.

kitty

tonight my neighbor came to ask where "miss" kitty had been for so long. i had to regretfully inform her that miss kitty is no longer with us. our neighbor sandy is an animal lover like me....when she came over tonight, ruby actually laid down at her feet and sat there. have you any idea how amazing it is for ruby to be still?

anyway, this post is for kitty.

last thursday made three weeks and two days since kitty had been missing. she's done this before but has always come back home. i suppose i was still holding out hope that she would come back. now, kitty was not nice. actually, as my mom frequently called her, she was a b*tch. but i liked her and i don't even like cats very much. she kept to herself, didn't complain, didn't ask to be rubbed on all the time and oddly enough, she loved drew. she wouldn't let anyone else touch her....tim was the only one and he would get maybe two good strokes down her back and she would turn around and attack him -- literally drawing blood. however, she must have sensed she would meet her demise had she scratched drew so she cautiously sat through his "petting" that inadvertently turned into heavier petting, then smacking and tail pulling.

when marie and i were running last thursday, we were on mile 6 when i noticed something laying in the grass by the road. i looked and yelled to her, "hey, i think that's my cat!" my friend shannon really got a kick out of this part of the story because i didn't stop running. when they asked me if i stopped i felt a little guilty but, it would have messed up my running time. luckily i was able to get another look on my next two trips by and was 99% positive it was her.
the only thing i could think of was that she had been out one night when it turned cold so she got up in my car to stay warm. the next morning she must have ridden in the undercarriage of the car and jumped out when i got to school. this is a long trip and i'm surprised she made it that far but that scenario has happened to me before.
i made tim go back by school yesterday on our way to beattyville to check and see if it really was her. we determined it most likely was and on our way home we used bright yellow dollar store bags and a coffee pot box mamaw supplied us with and got her into the box to take home. a few people drove by and i was hoping they wouldn't be parents/students of mine so i wouldn't have to explain what tim and i were doing when i got to school this morning. two adults standing in the pouring rain with a coffee pot box, dollar store bags as makeshift gloves, the back hatch of the highlander up and a screaming baby....what a picture.

we did get kitty home, wrapped her in her uk blanket and buried her down by the willow tree. i have a real soft spot for animals as most of you know, and i could not leave her on the side of the road like a bloated possum.

so, here's to kitty. i hoped she enjoyed her short 3 years in our home. i hope she enjoyed the hundreds of moles she laid on the doorstep; the baby birds she stole out of the wren's nest last year; the times she snuck in and laid on my bed, or the couch, or the recliner. i hope she enjoyed not getting banished when i found her asleep in drew's car seat once last year and i hope she enjoyed the warm place to lay, the food she was always fed and a dog that really adored her. she will be missed. rip, kitty cat, rip.

garbage bags, a lot of green and shaven heads

the garbage bags came into play this morning for our shamrock shuffle run. as i got all decked out in my green waco loopers shirt, i realized it was going to be a cold, wet run through the streets of lexington. i was excited however, because these runs with friends are always fun no matter what the weather. i realized this morning as well that we are becoming holiday runners....we did the thanksgiving morning run in 25 degree weather, the reindeer ramble in 20 degree weather (and in a bunny suit) and now a st. patrick's day run in a temperature around freezing with pelting rain. and to think, we pay to do these runs. ahhhh.

anyway, back to the garbage bag -- luckily jeanne thought to bring a box of garbage bags to use as ponchos. so, i tore three holes - one for my head and two for my arms - pinned my number on and we set off. marie and i got caught behind all the walkers but still managed to finish in 16:37. oh, and my dang shoe came untied as we hit the first mile! it was fun though and we all caravaned over to panera afterward for a postrun snack. mmmmm do they have good coffee! i'm hoping jennifer and marie will post pictures and i can rogue them since i didn't have my camera with me...hint, hint. when i got home i checked the race times and squealed loudly when i saw that jeanne won 3rd in her age group - congratulations, jeanne! :)

tim, drew and i came home, got drew down for a nap and i got a shower to both warm up and clean up. i went back to lexington this afternoon to volunteer for the st. baldrick's fundraiser at o'neill's pub. they raise money for children's cancer research by getting people to volunteer to shave their heads. most of you know one of the ladies that keeps drew a few days a week has a son that was born with a brain tumor. they had no idea before he was born and when he was three days old he went in for surgery to remove the tumor. connlay will turn one on the 18th of this month which is such a blessing and miracle. drew loves him and he adores nicole, connlay's mom. connlay's dad, matt, and grandfather, "bob-bob", raised money and shaved their heads today. many of you donated money to them for this cause and they ended up raising over $3,000 at last count!

the shavees were asked today to get up and share their stories before they went bald and when bobby took connlay on stage and shared his story i couldn't help it when the tears came. i was so happy they were able to celebrate such a wonderful occasion and that i could be a small part of it. my job as a volunteer became a bit hectic trying to keep all the shavees organized and money envelopes where they were supposed to go. this was such a great experience i can only hope i can be part of it again. on a sidenote, all the men were shaved looked surprisingly good after their turn on the shaving stool....one man's wife even offered to pay $1000 on the spot if he would not shave his head. he said he raised money with the intention of shaving it for his donors so the stylist promptly took a wide strip right off the top. :)

seeing and hearing some of those stories today made me even more thankful that my baby is so blessed and healthy.

i did get a few pictures of matt and bobby but they were with my phone so they aren't of great quality. if nicole or liz got better ones, i'll be sure to post them. in the meantime, enjoy.

bobby and matt ready to go.