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.