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?