Friday, February 22, 2013

QOTD: SILLY

There is power in looking silly and not caring that you do.

-Amy Poehler

I harnessed this power and made it my own just yesterday. When I spent a good portion of the day frolicking with my 4 year old in the snow. Looking like a fool. At one point I might have told Scott I was annoyed with him delegating work to me because I wanted to go outside and play. Holy cow, I am such a kid still.

Tuesday, February 19, 2013

Sweet Home Chicago


"Dear Jennifer,
Congratulations! You are now registered for Bank of America Chicago Marathon. Please check the event's official website for updates: http://www.chicagomarathon.com "


So THIS is happening. Officially returning to the 26.2 distance. And OFFICIALLY chomping at the bit. 235 days. Some of my favorite race pictures from the last 8 years of marathon running...
 
Austin 2008

Little Rock 2011

Memphis 2011

New York City 2009

Las Vegas 2010


Chicago 2005 (where it all began)
 

Friday, February 15, 2013

True and Yikes and Why Must It Be So?

"Growth demands a temporary surrender of security."

- Gail Sheehy
I would prefer my growth happen with comfort and a warm blankie. SIGH.

Wednesday, February 13, 2013

Start. Stop. Start. Stop.

That would describe my fitness attempts these last few weeks. And my attempts at anything. Every time I gain a hair of momentum, every time I gather up some stubbornness and insistence to get back on the horse, every opportunity I have to get back to it...I have come up short.

I have had one heck of a month or six weeks or six months. I had a tough pregnancy. I had a baby. I had a tough newborn. Husband got sick. Husband got really sick. Husband got pneumonia. I got sick. I got really sick. I stayed sick. I was sick to my stomach off and on for five weeks. Eliot got sick. Eliot got really sick. Eliot was sick off and on for two weeks. And then the crowning glory of it all. Nicholas got sick. Then Nicholas got really sick. And when your three month old is really sick and can't breathe? Your world stops spinning. I was 5 minutes away from taking him to the ER when his horrible cough settled down, he slept in my arms and Scott talked a tearful, panicking me into waiting until 8:00 a.m. to call the pediatrician. I called, he got loaded up on meds and got better in lightening speed. And since February 1, we have all been the mend. We are all trending towards...WELL. And HOLY CRAP am I ever thankful to have a healthy family and a healthy me. *knocking on wood*

And so my last few weeks workouts sort of look like this:

Monday: Tend to puking 4 year old
Tuesday: run 3.8 miles and do hot yoga, go to work and spend entire day stressing about whether 4 year old is keeping his ramen noodles down even though he's home with husband and doing fine. (Does stress constitute a workout?)
Wednesday: sleep until 8:15, attempt to work, sleep at desk.
Thursday: wake to nurse sick baby at 3am and 5am and 7am, cry to my parents that I don't know why we don't have a cure for colds because we can land a man on the moon but can't kill a VIRUS??? Think about going for a run.
Friday: sleep through alarm set to go to yoga. text girlfriend "I can't do it. I'm sorry"
Saturday: yoga. Think "I really should have come to yoga yesterday."
Sunday: church and cook meals for the week. Attempt to clean house.

During the healthy times, I made a GLORIOUS chocolate and vanilla layered cake with semi-sweet chocolate icing and a mocha ganache. And I wanted to blog that baby. I made a remarkably beautiful chocolate peanut butter cheesecake and thought about taking pictures. I hosted my family's annual tamale day and churned out 441 pork tamales with homemade chili ancho sauce. And I still didn't get out the blog. Oooof. Frustration.

I am dying to blog. I am dying to run. I am dying to yoga. I am dying to actually accomplish projects at work instead of stress about what is not getting done. So help me...in February, I am going to bill 180 hours and I am going to run 50 miles and I am going to not spend obscene amounts of money at Walgreens, on tylenol for little people and immodium and 7up.

My January/early February, in pictures:


My maiden name was Lopez, my family gets together once a year and makes hundreds of tamales,
 and it is an all day process of cooking, catching up, eating and laughing. We had so much fun this year.
And my goodness, homemade fresh tamales just WIN. Every time.
Nicholas. The world's longest eyelashes. The world's softest skin.
Just hanging out in the morning in mom and dad's
 room before a work day.  Loving on each other.
Sick baby boy, thankfully still has a Sumo belly.


Sick baby boy. Cuddled with blankie.
Sick baby boy getting breathing treatment that
literally turned him around in 24 hours.
Sick big boy, cuddling his monkey.






Mine. I messed up two things but
I can assure you it tasted RIDICULOUS.
I will make it again.
Food Network's Cake. Scott
challenged me to make it.






Chocolate Peanut Butter Cheesecake.  Or as my friend Gaye said,
"you know how every time you eat a Reeces Peanut Butter Cup you think
'gee if only this were more rich?' This cake solves that problem."
One of my running bff's ran her first FIFTY MILER (you read that right) the first of February. This girl LOVES her some Gosling (and who doesn't?). And I found out you can DIY a Gosling poster for yourself here http://memegenerator.net/Ryan-Gosling-Hey-Girl So obviously, she got a personalized Gosling. As have multiple facebook friends now that I have discovered this amazing website.

Sadly, just about each of these pictures deserves its own blog post. Carry on. Up next in my life...solid foods for the baby, Valentines for my big boy and a Vodka themed cocktail party hosted by me and my Mister.

Tuesday, February 12, 2013

QOTD: GUARD YOUR THOUGHTS

"If we understood the power of our thoughts, we would guard them more closely. If we understood the awesome power of our words, we would prefer silence to almost anything negative. In our thoughts and words we create our own weaknesses and our own strengths. Our limitations and joys begin in our hearts. We can always replace negative with positive."

- Betty Eadie