Brooke on the Run

Summer is here

2011-06-12T21:50:00.002-04:00

We complained when it was rainy and cold for weeks on end, and now the heat has come with a vengence. There is never an in-between season in Indiana anymore. Ugh.

I will do a quick update of the last 2 months but it will be pictureless... they are all on my phone.

I signed up for the Indianapolis Women's Half Marathon in September. I am looking forward to having a larger goal to train for again. My calf is acting up again, which I assume is from overuse and crap flip-flops, so I am pampering it as best as I can. I got new shoes (!!!) and they are fabulous. I am busy trying to work, workout and spend time with Keith and Gracie, and its truly a balancing act. Every day is different and going so quickly.

We went to Florida in May for Veronica's high school graduation. Gracie was a super-star on the plane, not even making a peep. She ate, played and read, and enjoyed watching everyone else. She got to take her 1st dip in the pool while we were there and she loved it. She also got her 1st tooth, which was pretty cool for us. She is growing leaps and bounds! She loved hanging out with both sides of our family, but thought Lucy and Bryan were the bomb. She couldnt take her eyes off of them! She also stayed with her Aunt Kelly for a whole day while we went to the graudation. Lots of firsts on this trip!

Back home, Gracie mastered the art of baby mobility. Not only was she sitting up and rolling all over, she figured out how to army crawl. She is getting faster so we really have to keep our eyes on her now! She is constantly in motion - always wanting to bounce, clap, play, you name it - whic doesn't suprise me since I never slowed down when I was pregnant. Maybe she will be a runner or a swimmer? We can hope! She is very observant / nosey and easily distracted but is still such a happy baby, smiling all the time. She is such a joy! She loves sitting in the grass, people watching, trying to pet Eldon when he slows down enough, being sung to and smiles from her daddy. She is a happy 8 month old!

Keith has started baseball again and is on a really great team this year. I hope Gracie and I will be able to make at least a few games even though they are on week nights. He just spent a guys weekend in TN fishing and riding motorcycles in the Smoky Mountains, and came back refreshed and relaxed. He has purchases a new motorcycle, so we are selling his Yamaha if you are interested!!! He has another big fishing trip planned in July too.

There has been a delay

2011-04-26T20:54:00.003-04:00

I can't seem to keep up with the blog these days. When I get done working, go to the gym and finally get home, the last thing I want to do is be on the computer. So, I can only do my best - please bear with me. These 3 pics are the only ones I have on my computer right now and they are very random.

Gracie is officially 6 months old. How fast the time goes. She rolls all over the place, spits - which is hilarious, sits up, says dada and is eating solid food. I am pureeing my own organic fruits and veggies instead of buying the jars. Its amazing how easy it is and how much money it saves. TONS! I just pour the puree in ice cube trays, freeze it and its good to go. Gracie is digging it! Sweet potatoes and acorn squash are her favs and she isn't a fan of bananas, which got the big fist pump from me. Gracie has been spending a good amount of time in the jog stroller and loves it. The above pic was last weekend when I couldn't resist going out for a run in the warm weather. She is such a diva.

The Easter bunny brought her squishy blocks instead of chocolate. Next year, just wait! She loves the blocks and they put a smile on her face, as you can see. She is a super happy baby and sleeps like a champ. Gotta love that! Her 1st Easter was a busy one. She had a new, beautiful purple dress on with an oversized bow in her hair and it just melted my heart to celebrate the Risen Lord's day with her. We had Keith's mom visiting with us for a week, so the 4 of us went to church in the morning, met my family for lunch in the afternoon and after many hours on the road, we were home.

Gracie and Keith made a stop at the HCSO for a visit a few weeks ago. I know, not the greatest pic, but we were in the new gazillion $ dispatch vehicle and I wanted to show the pic. Its amazing what kind of technology I get to work with every day. There was an article in Time Magazine a few weeks ago that I was interviewed for and am very proud of. You can read it here.

We are looking forward to Gracie's 1st airplane flight in May when we go to Florida to attend our niece's high school graduation. I am back to running and have missed the high a race provides so I am dragging Keith with me for the Run 4 Everett in August. You should ALL participate in that rac, not only because its for a great cause on a scenic course, but because its Dave's son and most of you know him personally. If you can't run it, consider making a donation. I am also throwing around a few half marathon options to run in the fall if I can find a plan I can stick to that will work with my 3 weights classes a week. Keith is gearing up for fishing and some fun mountain trips coming up. Over all, its business as usual around our house, just with a baby in tow!

Flying By

2011-03-07T21:04:00.005-05:00

This last month has really flown by. With my return to work, Gracie's baptism, planning the IGIC Conference which was last week, and in general trying to have a life, I don't know where the time has gone.

Gracie is really growing like a weed. People laugh when I tell them she now weighs 12 lbs and is 23.5" long. She seems so big to me and has doubled her birth weight, so she is really big. Each child is so different, I hate that people compare her to other kids by weight, etc. God made her perfect for us. She is eating rice cereal now which tastes like wet cardboard. I don't like messes, so it stresses me out a little to see her covered in glue-like crud, but it is a lot of fun.

I updated the blogs I follow on the right hand bar of my blog. It figured it was time to take some off and change the names of others. I also added a new one for the new auxilary bishop here in Indy. He has a funny sense of humor at times and I enjoy his blog a lot. It keeps me grounded and its a good reminder that priests are people too. Our priest if becoming one of my favorite people to get to know these days and I hope we can meet the new auxilary bishop soon.

I also updated the race heading on the blog. It was time to change it from 2009 to 2011... now I just need to decide which races I am doing. The only one for sure is the Race for Everett in August. I will get the link for that up soon. I may try for a fall half marathon, but my immediate focus is counting the days until Keith, Gracie and i can get out in the BOB jogger.

I have been doing more weights and am dedicated to going to the Saturday morning class at the gym with Allison and Jamie. It has done me a world of good so far! I feel stronger mentally and physically and am confortably tired when I am done. Now if I could just hit the roads for some runs, it would be the perfect storm.

Gracie's Baptism

2011-02-04T13:15:00.000-05:00

Gracie received the blessed sacrament of Baptism on Sunday, January 23rd at St. Simon the Apostle Catholic Church. We were so fortunate to have most of the family come into town to celebrate with us. We had a private baptism at the church and a small reception afterwards at our home. Kel and the kids flew in for the weekend and that made it so special!Matthew and Bryan
Us enjoying a funny moment during the ceremony with Father Bill. He also came to our house for the reception and we found out he is originally from Chicago and is a Cubs and Bears fan. He fit right in!

Father Bill blessing us as a family. This was such a meaningful moment for us.

The 'money' shot. Gracie gets the pure water poured over her head.

Gracie is wearing the same baptismal gown that Keith wore 37 years ago. Actually, Keith's 2 brothers and his sister Mary wore the same gown as well. Karyn had a different gown since she is Keith's twin.

Gracie with us and her Godparents. We chose Keith's brother Mark (Gracie's Uncle) and my Aunt Becky (Gracie's Great Aunt) to be her Godparents who will help us raise her in the ways of the church.

My favorite family photo.

Gracie and her Aunt Kelly. Such a graet picture!

Our four generation pic. My mom, my Grandma Handy, Gracie and I.

Gracie's grandparents. My parents are on the left and Keith's mom is on the right.

Back to Reality

2011-02-02T15:56:00.003-05:00

I have been back to work for a few weeks now and have finally gotten into a good routine. Gracie is healthy and happy at home with Keith and I have made my debut back at the gym. It was not pretty! I met Jamie and 2 of her friends for a butt-kicker class early Saturday morning. I remember pre-baby that making it to the 9:45am class was a real struggle, but now that I am up at 5:45 each morning, 9:45 seemed a lot easier. The class was awesome and I realized how much I missed it. I was energized, sweaty and exhausted... and it felt great. Granted, I was sore as hell for the next 3 days, but it was worth it.

Running is going ok. My speed is still the same, but my endurance and distance is pretty dismal. So, I am starting to run right after work at the gym until it gets nicer out (above 40 degrees) so I can still get home to spend time with Gracie and Keith. Once it gets nicer though, we are taking Gracie with us in the 'Bob', our new jog stroller we have yet to break out. I suppose I should wait until it's 45 degrees before I take her out though. :)

Gracie is growing like a weed. She is belly laughing and jabbering all the time. She is such a miracle to us and we are enjoying every moment with her.

Santa filled our stockings

2011-01-06T09:04:00.002-05:00

Christmas was so much fun this year! My little peanut was small enough to fit into a stocking and we had a camera, so we had a mini photo shoot. Some of my favs are below.

I return to work Monday and Keith is going to be a stay-at-home dad for a while. We are excited to be able to do this for Gracie! She is going to have so much fun with him!

My running is back to a schedule of sorts. I have not ventured outside yet, which is not typical for me since I love running in the snow and cold weather, but its been easier to jump on our treadmill and hit the miles while Gracie sleeps. I am hoping to get back to the gym and mix it up with some classes soon.

I am looking at some races for the next year too. Of course, we are all doing the Race 4 Everett (and you should too) in August, either as volunteers or as runners. I may also sign up for the Indy women's half marathon in September. Its the 1st year for both races and I am excited to see how they pan out. I haven't decided wether to do a spring half marathon or not, but if I do, it will likely be the Geist Half in May. I am also throwing around a full marathon, but that may wait until 2012 so I can get some smaller races under my belt again. Anyone want to join me??

Many blessings

2010-12-31T15:32:00.002-05:00

Our 1st Christmas with Gracie was so memorable. As we look forward to 2011, we can't help but reminisce about all the wonderful events of 2010. May you all be so very blessed and enjoy every single moment God gives you! The blessing of a family.
The bessing of friends.

The blessing of babies...the true Christmas story.

A Polish Christmas Celebration

2010-12-29T13:41:00.000-05:00

For the 1st time in 10 years, we did not travel for Christmas. It was heavenly! The Gajownik's came to Indy to clebrate a traditional Polish Christmas with us. We spent 4 days with everyone, eating sausage, sauerkraut, polish cookies, venison, pierogies, apple pie... the list goes on and on. Gracie had a good time hanging out with all her family. Her Uncle Mark (above) will also become her Godfather at her upcoming baptism.
Gracie's Uncle Glenn makes her laugh. He flew in from Florida with his family to meet Gracie for the 1st time.

Gracie with her Aunt Allison and cousins Isabelle and Alexandra. They had a wonderful time playing with her, changing diapers and getting to know her.

Veronica rocks her cousin Gracie to sleep. Gracie was held a LOT during the holidays.

A pic with all the Gajownik cousins except for Molly, who couldn't be here. L-R are Josh, Isabelle, Alexandra, Veronica, Gracie and Caleb.

A Very Merry Sondgeroth Christmas

2010-12-28T16:41:00.002-05:00

The first Christmas party we attended was Keith's company party... and we were fortunate that Matthew and Amanda were available to babysit Gracie. I think they had a fun time with her!Gracie and her Uncle Matthew having a little dinner together that Friday.
The next day we went to my parents house for our family celebration. Mom out did herself with venison and beef stew, lasagna rollups and all the Christmas fixings. The desserts were sooo good!

There were a lot of pictures taken for Gracie's 1st Christmas. Mom and dad smiled a lot! Gracie was clearly spoiled as we opened gifts, and we are excited for her to grow big enough to play with all her toys.

Gracie hanging out in her new Christmas dress her Great-Grandma Handy bought for her. It was adorable, except for the glitter it got all over everything.

After a day of opening gifts, good food and lots of hugs, Keith and Gracie sacked out on the couch together. She fell asleep smiling!

Girls holiday baking day

2010-12-22T13:03:00.000-05:00

My mom came last week to do some holiday baking with Gracie and I. We had a wonderful time, got way too sugared up and made way too many treats. She was thrilled to spend a whole day with Gracie without having to share her with anyone.
She is such a great grandma!

Steph and Lili

2010-12-21T13:38:00.000-05:00

Steph and Lili came to visit a few weeks ago and I had to snap this beautiful picture of Lili and Gracie. 2 gorgeous girls who I know will grow to become good friends. I can't wait to take Gracie running with Dave and Lili. Maybe this spring?

She sucks her thumb!

2010-12-20T13:41:00.000-05:00

This is the sweetest thing I have ever seen...
My heart just melted the 1st time I saw her do this.

Eldon and Gracie

2010-12-19T19:37:00.003-05:00

Eldon is so good with Gracie. He checks her out when he comes in the house and is very gentle with her. She sure loves him!
I am sure the older she gets, the more they will enjoy each other.

Faux Hawk Hair-do

2010-12-11T13:21:00.000-05:00

Oh yes we did! Faux hawks are all the rage right?
Bath time is so fun with a new baby.

She is over it!

7 weeks

2010-12-10T13:38:00.000-05:00

Gracie is 7 weeks old already. Time is definitely flying by quicker than I would have imagined. When G was first born, I didn't take hardly any pictures of her and caught a bunch of slack about it. OBVIOUSLY, that has changed, as you can tell by my recent blog posts. she is so photogenic! I swear I will return to blogging a good mix of workouts and Gracie in time, but for now, enjoy my sleeping beauty.

Gracie on video

2010-12-09T13:03:00.000-05:00

I had to take some video of Gracie playing on her turtle mat. She gets so excited and loves all the sounds and colors. Enjoy!

She doesn't like sharing her toys with Eldon...

Sharing Clothes

2010-12-08T17:30:00.002-05:00

My mom gave me some of the winter outfits I used to wear when I was a baby and now Gracie gets to look adorable in them! All bundled up and ready to go shopping!
My grandma Sondgeroth made this for me when I was little. I am soooo happy to be able to pass it on to Gigi along with some wonderful stories of her great-grandmother.

Fun yellow jacket for days on the town!

Wylie and Gracie

2010-12-07T13:06:00.002-05:00

One of my oldest, best friends, is Michelle. She and I go wayyyyyyy back to the 9th grade. We had boyfriends who were friends, and we ran track together. We did EVERYTHING together. I have almost no memories of high school with out Michlle in them. Now, she is the mom of 3 and a wonderful wife to Josh. She has 2 beautiful girls and her newest is Wylie, a gorgeous little boy.
Wylie was born just a few weeks before Gracie and came to visit her in the hospital when she was born. We joke that they are bound to be married one day!

He is such a funny little boy. He makes all sorts of cute faces and has such a huge personality.

Two peas in a pod, just like their moms!

Play time

2010-12-06T15:32:00.002-05:00

Gracie had discovered the fun turtle play gym we got from Annie. She loves it and reaches for the toys when they move. Its so fun to watch!

Meeting the Gajownik Family

2010-12-05T13:05:00.000-05:00

It was a busy Thanksgiving weekend for us. We traveled to both Fowler and Chicago to visit relatives this year. The Gajowniks hadn't met Gracie yet, so we were happy to introduce her to everyone! Keith's mom, Virginia, with her 7th grandchild.
Gracie's cousin, Isabelle. She was a baby at our wedding!

Virginia held her every chance she got. It was very sweet!

Our niece, Molly, showing off her new necklace.

Keith's sister, Mary, snuggling with Gracie at Aurelio's Pizza.

The famous pizza. We make sure to go to Aurelio's everytime we are up north. We have a lot of good memories at that restaurant and hope to make many more with Gracie.

Some of our nieces and nephew (Molly, Joshua, Isabelle) enjoying their pizza.

Molly holding Gracie. She was very natural with her. The sweetest picture I have ever taken! Gracie and Keith were both so exhausted after traveling all weekend and they crashed out on the couch together.

The big hunters

2010-12-04T13:09:00.000-05:00

Thanksgiving morning, my dad shot a 13 point buck. He was soooo happy to get the 1st deer of the season. It weighed in at 140 lbs.
She matches her Grandpa!
Gracie and her daddy after a long day hunting, visiting and eating.

Asleep in her camo.

Friday morning, Keith shot a 13 point buck, weighing in at 175 lbs. He was a monster buck, so he will be mounted on our wall with Keith's previous monster kills. We are thankful to have a freezer full of meat to eat this year!

Getting pretty for Thanksgiving

2010-12-03T13:00:00.000-05:00

We had Thanksgiving dinner with my family in Fowler. Almost the whole family was able to make it and celebrate together. We all have so much to be thankful for.... especially new life. Aunt Amanda giving Gracie a bath. She did a wonderful job and Gracie didn't even cry once for her. I may have her over to bathe her every time after that!
Cute naked baby.
She wasn't digging the camo dress from my aunt and uncle at first. She got used to it and had to wear it in case one of the hunters got a deer.

Plus, pink lace makes camo ok to wear for little girls, right??

But seriously, how cute is she?!?!

Busy Weekends

2010-12-02T12:38:00.000-05:00

We have spent a LOT of time in Fowler since Gracie's birth. There are so many people who want to meet her and we are happy to get out of the house and oblige them. My childhood best friend, Stacia, and her daughter Carolyne, who is just a few weeks older than Gracie. She lives right down the road from my parents too, so its really convenient to hang out with them. Carolyne is Stacia's 3rd child, and she has 2 older boys, Parker and Freddie.4 Generations of Handy's: Me, Gracie, Grandma Handy and mom.
Mom & Dad's neighbors, Hannah & Kendal. They were so helpful and fun to have around, and they just loved Gracie.

Aunt Amanda loves to snuggle with Gracie. She has the magic touch when it comes to burping her.

My aunt Joy, Grandma Handy, Gracie, mom and I got together to send a package of fun snacks to my cousin Nicole who is serving in Afghanistan. We put notes on all the items explaining why we picked them and wrote personal notes and pics to her. She returns home to the states in about 6 months. We had a lot of fun doing it and visiting.

We are so thankful

2010-12-01T13:08:00.003-05:00

Its that time of year where we all reflect on how thankful we are. This year, like every year, its so important to make sure we appreciate where we have been while embracing the season ahead to give thanks.

We are thankful for:

Our new little family with Gracie. Can we be more blessed?
Family and friends who have weathered the storm with us. Its very humbling. The outpouring of love is truly amazing.
Friends far, near, old & new.
A healthy pregnancy full of exercise and happiness.
A freezer full of deer meat for the coming year's meals.
Mylicon drops.
Good advice from other moms.
Getting the green light from my doc to return to normal activities... I am running again!
Hand-me-downs and thoughtful meals. We appreciate everyone's thoughts, prayers and help.
Spending the coming holidays with family in Indy. The Gajownik's are coming! No traveling for us this year.
The 1st snow of the year. Everything is more exciting watching it with a baby!
A teriffic hunting dog who loves Gracie.
Really good health insurance.
The song "Jesus Loves Me" that instantly calms Gracie when I sing it to her.
Prayers.
Parents who raised us the right way. Values, respect, manners and an open door policy to talk.

Pretty in Purple

2010-11-30T12:07:00.002-05:00

Gracie's favorite color probably won't be purple since I am pushing it on her so much, but I love it! So for now, she is all purple, all the time. Sleeping beauty
Enjoying her blanket from Jill, which she uses everytime she is in her crib.

Stretch!

With her new giraffe that plays music from Grandma Sondgeroth. She loves it and stares at it as the head moves to the tune. so sweet!

Gracie's cute little features

2010-11-18T11:54:00.002-05:00

Gracie has the daintiest (is that a word??) features. She is gaining weight in leaps and bounds and has changed so much in the month since she was born. Cute closeups of my sleeping baby

Her tiny little toes. Heather Turner sent a cute outfit and tons of socks... these are my favorite because they look like tiny shoes.

She has Keith's long fingers and toes. She also has long legs, perfect for running and swimming!

Petite little ears.

My brown hair, but it does seem to be lightening up.

Sleep well!

How cute am I?!

2010-11-14T13:01:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite outfits on Gracie. Aunts Beck and Kim bought this for her. Not only is she cute, but it says so right on her sleeper. Enjoy Aunt Kel!! Biiiigggg yawn...

I look like my daddy in this pic!

Super snuggly!
A sleepy smile

Look at her cute monkey feet!

Homemade and Unique

2010-11-13T11:23:00.004-05:00

I thought I would give you a glimpse of Gracie's room and some of my favorite things in it. My most cherished items are the unique and handmade items she has received. I have the most thoughtful friends and family to put the time into making special gifts for her. Gracie LOVES to snuggle in this lavender blanket crocheted by my dear friend Jill. Look at the detail and all the differnt patterns and stitches she did. Its amazing.
Jill is the crochet queen. I know this will be one of Gracie's favorite blankets as she gets older. Maybe she will take it to college with her?

Annie did this painting for her. I love it!

The purple detail on the side matches the white on the Gracie sign from her baby shower that is now hanging over her closet.

Heather in Seattle made this from the image on Gracie's babyshower invitations. It was her 1st handmade gift! It looks so pretty on her dresser.

Aunt Beck and Aunt Kim had to get her started on her college fund!

What a cute idea. They even put $ in it for her!

This is the most unique gift we received. Its a wood block with all her birth stats on it.

My friends Steve and Karla had this sent. They received them as gifts when their kids were born and I plan on doing the same thing for new babies too.

I love that its made in Indiana too.

Thanks everyone!! You have made her feel so loved and special.

A new race

2010-11-04T13:37:00.001-04:00

Just a quick note to let you know how excited I am that Dave is back to blogging! He has redone his site and its got a cool new running background.
He and Steph are organizing a 5Krace in memory of their son, Everett Eric for August of next year, so be sure to plan on running that. Its a wonderful way to honor his memory and all proceeds will go to a stillbirth charity. More details to come!

Happy Halloween

2010-11-03T14:37:00.000-04:00

We were in Fowler for Halloween this year and enjoyed spending time with the family. John, Kel's husband, suprised everyone by flying in for the week and it was a wonderful suprise. John and Bryan hanging out at Grandma Handy's. They helped count kids and pass out candy.
Baby G was a pumpkin for Halloween. Her little hat even has leaves on it. It was very festive!

Lucy was Cookie Monster. She was too adorable. She made it her mission to hand out individual pieces of candy to each trick-or-treater and thank them for coming. So sweet! She even wore the winter hat I crocheted for her when she was born.

Mom and dad with their grandkids. They are super happy to have another grandchild added to the mix.

My Grandma Handy with one of her many Great-Grandchildren.

Big 1st trip out

2010-11-02T13:49:00.001-04:00

Stoney Creek pumpkin patch was the location for Gracie's 1st big trip out of the house. She was 5 days old and we had a good time. My cousin Deanna was in town from FL with one of her twins, Colston, so we got to visit with them. We also met up with my aunt, cousins, mom, Kel, Lucy and Bryan. Keith took pumpkin selection very seriously. We ended up with 2 by the end of the trip.

Keith, Amanda and Megan trying out the stroller for the 1st time. It was chilly that day but she stayed snug with all her blankets and people fussing over her.

Pumpkin tree. They grow on trees, like money, right?

Lucy checking out the animals in the petting zoo.

Lucy, Kel and Bryan enjoying the fall weather.

Taking a break to feed Gracie before heading out.

The best 10 years of my life

2010-11-01T13:35:00.002-04:00

Keith and I celebrated our 10 year wedding anniversary last week. I can remember when we were first married and my friend Heather T celebrated her 5 year anniversary. It seemed like that was soooo long to be married. Now look at us! My thoughtful girlfriends sent us flowers! The card was so sentimental and special to me and it set the tone for the day. I love you all so much Girls!

Gracie (clearly tired of all the pictures we have been taking) and I hung out during the day waiting on Kel & John to come visit. Keith and Victor went duck hunting up north and had a good time with a few kills.

Kel was Gracie's first official babysitter. We went out to eat at Brugge Brasserie in Broadripple for mussles and crepes. It was wonderful to get some time out of the house together and celebrate before heading home to feed her again.

Some of our visitors

2010-10-27T13:08:00.001-04:00

We have been so blessed to have friends and family shower us with visits both in the hospital and at home. It is truely humbling to see how loved Gracie already is. People tear up, smile and get very quiet in the presence of such a small treasure. Its amazing to see. Aunt Kel came from Florida for 2 weeks and couldn't wait to hold Gracie. She has been such a great help - changing diapers, organizing Gracie's room, putting her stroller together, cooking yummy meals... the list goes on.

Victor was hoping she would be born on the 16th instead of the 17th since it's his birthday. No such luck. He and Lisa will get a lot of Gracie time in the years to come.

Lisa loving on Gracie in her nursery.

The Fritz' came bearing gifts of homemade breakfast bars and whole wheat crackers!

Amber and Zach came to the hospital and just beamed when they saw Gracie.

Jamie looking stunning. Dilyn also came to meet her new friend.

David and Allison, some friends from work. They were such naturals.

My Aunt Beck came several times to meet Gracie. Aunt Kim also came, but I can't find my pic of her. I lived with them for over a year while on internship and they also opened their home to Keith while he was apartment hunting. They hold a very special place in our hearts and are sure to have the same affect on Gracie.

Gracie's 1st John Deere tractor. My Grandpa Sondgeroth came to the hospital with a tractor for each of his grandchildren when they were born and my dad has kept up that tradition with his. Its WAY larger than Gracie so she will have plenty of fun years ahead playing with it. What a very special gift.

Cousin Meg couldn't wait to get here and hold Gracie. She went with us to the Stoney Creek Pumpkin Patch (post coming later) and we had a blast.

Aunt Manna made the best pumpkin bran muffins for us when we got home!

Uncle Matthew looking very happy and handsome with his new niece.

My dad is very smitten with her. He says she is all Gajownik.

Gracie's 1st visitor at the hospital, my mom. She is so happy to have another grandchild!

Of course, there were others who came to visit, but I am missing all sorts of pics from my camera. Thanks to Annie Page, Annie Edwards, the Laycocks and anyone else who called or emailed after Gracie arrived. Your love and support means all the world to us!

Better late than never

2010-10-26T12:45:00.003-04:00

BIG ANNOUNCEMENT.....Gracie Elizabeth was born on Sunday, 10.17.10 at 5:52am. She weighed 5 lbs 8 oz and was 19" long. She has lots of dark brown hair (a suprise to us) and has my nose. Everything else she gets from Keith ... long fingers and toes, long skinny legs, his lips and jaw line. 10 fingers and toes - completely perfect.

This is our last picture before Gracie joins us. Who knew we had 28 hours of labor ahead of us? I had a long, natural labor (i won't go into details on the blog but ask if you want to know) with no painkillers and it was all worth it. I would do it again! Keith coached me through the entire labor and I would not have been able to do it without his determination and patience.

Our 1st proud picture of daddy and Gracie. She is such a little peanut.
Coming home on her due date.

1st family pic at home in her nursery. My mom was here briefly to celebrate with us before going to the airport to pick up my sister, niece and nephew.

My Aunt Kathie, me, Lucy and Gracie. Mom bought the girls matching beanie hats at the covered bridge festival. Just what cousins need!

This is why runners have babies

2010-10-15T15:15:00.000-04:00

I got home this week and waiting for me on the front porch was our new BOB Running Stroller! We were fortunate to be able to purchase the whole thing with gift cards from our shower, so THANKS everyone!!
Its like the cadillac of jog strollers. I immediately put it together and test drove it around the house... Its a dream! I can't wait until Gracie can check out Fort Ben with us!!

The last month

2010-10-13T20:27:00.005-04:00

The last month has been pretty busy for us. For the sake of my sanity, I have condensed it all into one post. I have loved every minute and hope it never slows down! Late September, we went to Townsend, TN for a mini vaca. Keith fished, Eldon hung out in the cabin and I read. It was VERY relaxing. We ate great food and went on some good runs.

We did a little hike and drove the curves of 'The Dragon' one day.

A black bear came RIGHT UP TO OUR CAR while we were in Cades Cove.

Fly fishing for 3 straight days. Keith was in heaven and caught a few fish.

Last weekend, Keith and Vic ripped out our old rotten patio door and installed the new one.

The hole into our house and a view of the new door.

Working hard!

Later that day (after watching the guys skillfully install the door) I met Jamie and Holly for a proper girls night. We got pedi's, went for mexican food and saw the movie 'Life as we knew it' (or something like that), which was funny and emotional at the same time. Now that my feet are pretty, I feel 'ready' to have a baby!!

There was a FANTASTIC shower thrown for us at Annie's house in late September too. It was absolutely perfect and all my girlfriends were there to celebrate with us. It was sooooo special.

Gracie's cute onesie from Homespun, a gift from Penny Page.

One of the gifts I will cherish forever. Amber has always quilted for baby showers, and for years, I wondered when it would finally be my turn to get one of her unique and thoughtful items. It was NOW!! I LOVE it and it matches the room perfectly and Keith loves the colors too. Its sooooo us. Thanks Amber! Love you!

The spread... again, note all the purple. Also check out the handmade banner by Heather, the pinwheels on the windows by Jill and the cupcake flower pot hand painted by Annie. So many personal touches, including the food all the girls brought, made the shower an event I will never forget.

Some new things, some old

2010-10-07T20:25:00.003-04:00

Last weekend Keith and I went to the Feast of the Hunter's Moon in Lafayette and really enjoyed ourselves. I hadn't been there since I met Keith and it was soooo much better as an adult. We ate our weights in different soups and I had a wonderful piece of Desperation Pie (aka sugar cream pie, my favorite).
It was a perfect fall day where everyone was dressed in period clothing, we watched a cool canoe race and ran into my some friends, one of which was my old track coach. It was the highlight of my day! He was shocked to see me... mouth open, eyes huge, kind of shocked. It was so cool to reconnect with him. I was friends with his daughter in grade and high school and used to have sleepovers at her house and I even caught chicken pox there! He looked amazing, still totally fit and it made me miss running. I got to meet his grandkids and got a huge hug from him and his wife before leaving.
With the Chicago Marathon going on this weekend, it makes me miss running even more. I stopped running at 37.5 weeks because my bladder just couldn't take the pounding anymore and my shin splints were not getting any better. So, I am resigned to the elliptical and the stairmaster between sessions of weight training for the next few weeks. At least I will get my reding time in! I am ordering our jog stroller this weekend and that will keep me motivated and give me something to look forward to doing with Gracie.
Speaking of Gracie, she is due in less than 2 weeks.

This is the cute glider rocker and ottoman my mom and Aunt recovered for me. I absolutely love the fabric and it matches the room perfectly. 37.5 weeks along - mom came to visit while Keith was out of town and we had a great time.

Some of my best girlfriends were gracious enough to throw us another wonderful baby shower. It was by far the nicest I have ever attended. There was so much thought put into the planning of it to make sure every detail was perfect (and purple!!). I am amazed at the depth of love a true group of girlfriends can bring to a person. It can be staggering and overwhelming, but I don't know who I would be with out them... you know who you girls are. Love you all! Pics of that coming soon, hopefully before Gracie makes her appearance.

Fall... here we come

2010-09-02T19:28:00.003-04:00

The last few weeks have gone by in a blur. I can't believe its September and fall will be here shortly. Its our favorite time of the year and we are looking forward to a short mountain vaca with Eldon later this month. Bring on the hiking! Bring on the cooler weather! Bring on falling leaves!

I have discovered the stair climber at the gym and its a sweaty killer. I absolutely love it and hate it at the same time. I get a good 30 minutes of reading time in while on it (love) but without a book, its incredibly boring (hate). Last weekend Jamie and I went on a wonderful 4 mile run on the monon trail. It was great to catch up, run and forget about mileage while gabbing. We finished up the afternoon with lunch at Cafe' Patachou... still my favorite place! We were so sweaty we slid around and stuck to our chairs, but in Broadripple, they are used to runners coming right off the monon for food, so we were in good company.

We also had our first baby shower thrown for us a few weekends ago in Fowler. Kel, Amanda and Megan planned an incredible open house for us. Mom and Kel's best friend Lauren did a lot of work to make it special as well. Gracie received a lot of really nice things to grow up with, including an outfit from Lauren that will be her 'coming home outfit.' Just a few pics... Awwwww!!
Purple with colorful daisies.... sooooo me.

Opening gifts together.

I also have to mention that later that night we went to a SMALL bar where we were the only patrons in the beer garden for karaoke. Keith and I sang a POWERFUL duet to a Bon Jovi song and brought the crowd of 8 to their feet!!! What a fun weekend we had.

A VERY cool diaper cake. It had an eco-friendly teddy on top made from recycled water bottles. I love that people pay attention to the small details like that. Isn't it pretty with all the toys attached to it?

This one is another 'Steve pic' taken this week at 33 weeks. For those of you who don't know Steve, he is a close friend and co-worker who has vowed to take as many prego pics of me as possible so i will actually have some to look back on after Gracie is born. The catch: he tends to snap the shots in secret when I am not looking my best, loading the dishwasher or slumping in my chair reading other peoples blogs... and then send them to everyone we work with. So, now I have to quickly smile and grab the bump whenever he gets his phone out and pray for a good shot that I can actually share.

30 weeks on the move

2010-08-11T20:00:00.004-04:00

I had the best run at the gym this week. I ran 1 mile on the treadmill (then paused it to pee 1 tsp.), resumed and did 2 additional miles. It felt wonderful! It feels so good, mentally and physically, to be active throughout my pregnancy. I am noticing a lot of pregnant women at the gym these days and its fun to guess how far along they are and see what machines they use.

My friend Steve at work has made it his personal mission to take pics of me so I will have some pics to remember my pregnancy by. (note: most of his pics are when I least expect it...like when I am eating, talking or doing my lunch dishes. Not the most flattering.) The pic on the left was this morning, at 30 weeks. I love the cute shirt Kel let me borrow! I am feeling tons of movement and have really popped out in the last week or so. We have started to decorate the baby's room but I didn't get my secret wish for a purple, running themed nursery. Maybe next time!

Staying Active while PG

2010-07-25T10:17:00.003-04:00

There is a double meaning to the PG this post title. Many of you will laugh out loud and others will shake their heads.

PG= Pregnant: Today is the test to see if my shin splints are gone. We are heading to run at the fort here in a few minutes and I can't wait. I have been doing more lap swimming and weights during my running break and feel energized because of it. Yard work was the cross-training for yesterday and it was hot and humid, but felt good. I know everyone has a different pregnancy experience, but I have to tell you that for the last 7 months, not much has changed for me. I am a little slower on some runs (but not much - watch out Keith!), my swimming endurance is actually getting better and I can still do everything I could do before being pg. There is no reason I can't spend time pulling weeds in the summer sun as long as I take it slow, jam the radio (and sing loudly, much to my neighbor's horror), wear a hat and sunscreen and take more frequent water breaks. Isn't having a healthy, active pregnancy what everyone wants? **update - Shin splints are gone!! It was a wonderful, sweaty run with no pain!!!

PG= Parental Guidance: I decide my one piece training swimsuit is a bit tight and riding pretty high in the legs these days and take along my 2 piece suit to the gym this week. One of my friends from work is in the bathroom at the gym at the same time I am changing so I put on the 2 piece bikini (its the burgandy one with the triangle top that I have had for a few years) and walk out. Now, I looked down at myself before I left the stall and noticed that everything was covered and tied tight, so the mirror was the next test. I take 2 steps out of the stall and Allison's eyes bug out of her head and the word 'porn star' escapes from her mouth. Ummm....yeah. I quickly glanced in the mirror, laughed until I almost cried and put my 1 piece back on. Gonna save the 2 piece for more causal times with friends and not when I am trying to break speed records in the gym lap pool. Phew!

Still on Track

2010-07-15T19:39:00.003-04:00

Even though its hot outside, we are still staying active. We are getting our weekend runs in the mornings before 11am to escape the heat and humidity, and evening runs are much more tolerable after 8pm. My only pregnancy complaint? I have shin splints from the extra weight I am carrying. It has shifted my form a little, but I am correcting that slowly but surely. I got new shoes and they seem to be helping... Its nothing ice, increased calcium, magnesium and new shoes can't fix!

I finally had to break down and buy a few new running shirts. Pulling my normal shirts over the bump(s) was borderline pornographic at this point. My racing swim suit is also almost inappropriate, but I am holding out on that. I am still swimming 1000 meters at a time, a few days a week and loving every minute of it. Its so refreshing adn energizing! The only difference I have noticed is that after my kick turns off the wall, I get to the surface quicker than usual, being more buoyant now.

We had a great 3.4 mile run on the monon the morning of my 34th birthday. I am looking forward to some good bike rides coming up as well. We have a busy few weeks ahead of us and before we know it, August will be here.

Lucy and Bryan's summer visit

2010-06-26T13:14:00.000-04:00

Lucy and Bryan came to visit a few weeks ago. Kel and John left them with me (and mom and dad too) for a few days while they went to the horse races. Everyone was alive and well when they returned. what more can they ask for?! Hanging out in matching outfits.
Sibling love.
We did fun things like.... eat suckers...

make pink rice krispie treats...

Lick the spatulas after making the treats...

ate late night ice cream with chocolate topping and strawberries (because the fruit makes it a healthy treat, right?) (ah and notice how mine is 5x's larger than hers... I am being the good aunt and taking one for the team)

vacummed up our messes...

and went to the park (look at that smile!! such a sweet boy!!).

Lucy runs like a champ! Look at her tackling that downhill. She is going to do a trail run with me when she is old enough. She told me so.

Post run at the Fort with Kel and John, Bryan meets Eldon. He LOVED Eldon. He waved his arms in excitement every time Eldon came around.

Lu and I hanging out on the patio. We also had lunch out with Emma (Steve's daughter) and played with Dilyn (Jamie's daughter), went to church, had lunch with Grandma Handy and Aunt Joy, had some serious talks about jumping on the couch and slept a lot. Well, I slept a lot! I miss them already. I can't wait to see them in August!

Happy Father's Day!!

2010-06-20T18:59:00.002-04:00

Just shy of 6 months.... xoxo, Gracie

Pregnant runner lessons

2010-06-04T16:01:00.005-04:00

Some fun things I have learned about running and pregnancy....

- I can't wear my water belt in the same place I used to. The days of wearing it on my hips are gone and now it sits on top of 'the bump' at the top of my ribs. It has nowhere to go there!

- Doing a cross-legged IT band stretch is practically impossible. As I pull my leg close to my chest I realize I can't even get it close enough to feel a stretch... the darn belly is in the way! Its all about modifications at this point. I wonder how long before I can't reach my toes...

- "The view from back here" is now a permanent mantra for me. I have slowed down enough for Keith to effortlessly run significantly ahead of me. At least I love the view!

- They don 't really make nice pregnancy running clothes readily available. Online, sure, but at local stores, not so much. I think I can get by with a larger size in a long style, but the bras are a whole different story. Its a must have. Sigh.

- Increased baby weight causes you to slightly lean forward and completely screws your form and stride, causing shin splints. Its very typical for this to happen during pregnancy and should go away with a little extra potassium in my diet and concentrating on my posture while running. At least when I go fast, its better and easier on me because my stride returns to normal.

- I never used to sweat during a short run... NOT the case now. Ewwwww for stinky running clothes! Everything is hot when you are pregnant.

- Have I mentioned bathroom breaks?

.... but its all worth it. Exercising during pregnancy makes me sleep better and feel better. I wouldn't trade it for anything.

Loving the long weekends

2010-06-02T22:07:00.004-04:00

I am a creature of habit...I LOVE to run the same routes because I don't have to think much about mileage, safety, traffic, etc. after I step out the door. I pick how far I want to go that day, go through my mental rolodex of running routes, pick one that interests me, and head out. With no thoughts in my head and no worries, its a great thing.

However, my bladder has a mind of its own these days, so I have started to plan my routes based on available bathrooms or heavily tree'd areas for privacy. Saturday my short 2 miler went long so I could stop by the Marsh and relieve my screaming bladder... of the 1 teaspoon of liquid it was holding. Are you kidding me?? It felt like I had 8 cups in there. The pregnant body is such a weird thing. Instead of heading back to the house, I went around the section, tracing some of the Geist Half Marathon route and enjoying the quiet, tree lined road. It ended up 3.3 miles, which made me pretty happy and set the mood for the huge shopping day I had ahead of me with my mom and Amanda. Oh, and I had the BEST salad at Cafe Patachou... you must try their Green Goddess Salad. It is probably the best I have ever had. I might tell Keith its a 'craving' just so I can have it more often.

Sunday, Keith and I went canoeing on the Tippecanoe River. The water was a little high, but we hardly had to paddle and were able to just float, eat our picnic lunch and relax. Thank goodness the weather has been so nice this past week and we were able to be outside a lot.

I really love pulling weeds - crazy, I know, but I love to see how it can change a planting bed in such a short time. We have never used chemicals on our plants, which would be easier, but why go there? Anyways, Monday I bought some new gardening gloves and had a blast cleaning up our beds and garden while Keith mowed and trimmed shrubs. I also got in a great weights workout while Keith hit the treadmill later that night. It was an awesome, long weekend!

Vaca in Cali part 2 - La Jolla

2010-05-30T18:47:00.007-04:00

La Jolla is 'the Hollywood of San Diego.' This is where the $$ is with out being too pretentious. There were maseriti and ferrari dealerships and stores I have never heard of but looked pretty exclusive. Everyone drove Mercedes and Lexus and the motorcycles were mostly Ducati. It was such a different world, but at the same time, everyone was very kind and friendly. No one seemed snobby, especially to the midwesterners. Every other corner had a personal training studio, gym or nutrition store and everyone was fit and skinny. Soooo different from Indiana for sure. A shot of one of the beaches. The grassy area was filled with chipmunks that (no kidding Ann) had little mohawks. Even the wildlife is stylish there. This was also the view of our favorite running route there.
Lots of crashing waves on our last day. Surfers and skim-boarders were all over the place.

A flower on an ocean side succulent plant. They only bloomed in the afternoon.

Beautiful blue waters. It was the MOST relaxing vacaction we have ever taken.

Sunset

Some wildflowers and a view of another small beach. We had a wonderful run one afternoon that ended with some hills and then this area. It was a nice place to stretch and enjoy the action.

The 1st day with a breezy, overcast sky, but some nice trees lining the street to make it classic CA.

The seals beach on several rocky areas close to shore to get warm. The smell was seriously attrocious. We had to plan our running routes away from them as much as possible just so we could properly breath.

Seals on one of the public beaches. There was a big controversy going on right before we got to La Jolla because the beach had been roped off to allow the seals to have their pups in peace with out being scared by humans. Apparently, there its illegal to constrict access to a public beach, so there were protests and signs. I could see it two-fold... Ok, its public, but they were there long before humans probably ever moved in so lets give them some consideration AND really, why would you want to sun-bathe on the same beach with something that smells that bad?!

The vaca was more relaxing than I ever thought it would be. There were some high-end custom running clothing stores we had to check out (Lululemon, Lucy, etc.) and the restaurants were reasonalby priced. We found a great local place we enjoyed and a wonderful sushi bar with an ocean view. We took public transportation from Coronado to La Jolla, which was an experience. Our running was awesome. No humidity and some hills makes us happier people!

Vaca in Cali part 1

2010-05-24T21:49:00.003-04:00

Last week I had a conference in California on Coronado Island, near San Diego. We had a wonderful time there from Sunday - Wednesday, then went to La Jolla for the rest of the week. Our relaxing La Jolla pics will be in the next post. The USS Ronald Reagan being deployed. It was the biggest ship I have ever seen!
Keith blowing something up in the flight simulator on the USS Midway. We had a conference sponsored event aboard the retired aircraft carrier and it was fabulous!

The only pic of the 2 of us on the entire trip.

On the flight deck of the USS Midway. The food was wonderful and they even had a crepe station for desserts. Yummy.

Our Hotel, the Hotel Del Coronado.

Beautiful shells on Coronado's white sand beaches

There were tons of these opened shells... don't they look like butterflies?

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:15:00.002-04:00

Love, the Gajownik's

This Indiana Weather

2010-05-05T18:43:00.002-04:00

Last week, Keith had to cover our garden because it was supposed to frost in the morning. The weather dropped to 35 degrees that morning, but then shot to the high 60's in the afternoon. Go figure! When he removed the plastic, it had created a green house effect and we had sprouts coming up. Major excitement for me! I got all motivated to make cute little, laminated signs mounted on craft sticks to mark each of my veggies and herbs... I have been a bit forgetful lately, and with a big garden, I want to remember what is growing and where. They were truely adorable. Eldon must have thought so too, because he made it his mission to jump the garden fence, bite the hell out of them and proceed to play with most of them. Keith found sign shrapnel all over the yard this morning. Siiiighhh.

Now that its steadily in the 70's and 80's here, its been great running weather and we have been enjoying it. I looked back over some past posts of mine and at this time of year I always complain about the same thing - adjusting to running in the heat. I like running in the heat, but it does take some time to adjust and the wind the last few days has not made it any easier. I am always proud of my 'running short tan lines', and hope this year is no different. Bring on the warm weather!

It's Keith's birthday week!

2010-04-21T11:28:00.006-04:00

For Keith's birthday earlier this week, I took the day off work and we drove down to Yellowood State Forest. We packed a picnic lunch and then started our 4.5 mile hike on the Lake Trail. It was hilly and scenic and would be a great comparison hike to the AT (hint hint). We hiked it at a pretty good pace, huffing and puffing along the way, so that we could get a good workout going. It was a fun day and I couldn't have asked for a better excuse to not be sitting in the office!
Afterwards, we relaxed at home and then went out to dinner at Yuki, our favorite Thai restaurant. It was delicious and Keith was happy to do something different to celebrate. He enjoyed his gifts from everyone - Thanks!

We also planted our garden this week. After a rejuvenating weekend in Kentucky with my girlfriends, I came home motivated to do so many things! There was a lot of talk about gardening from seeds instead of started plants and I listened. We usually have 2 raised beds, one for tomatoes and a large one for everything else, but this year Keith tilled the other 2 medium raised beds for more fun stuff to grow. We planted sweet basil and cilantro in a medium bed and 2 kinds of lettuce in the other medium bed. The large bed is filled with long neck squash, green beans, wax beans and a grand bell pepper mix. We still have to buy our tomato plants... I just don't have the confidence to grow them from seeds yet. We are pumped about all the garden goodies we will have to share with everyone this summer!

We had some awesome runs at the Fort this week too. The weather has been mild, breezy and warm, which is perfect for me to beat him in our runs (I should have let him finish 1st since its his bday week and all, but really, that doesn't keep him on his toes)! :) We swam earlier in the week and even though the pool was a little chilly, it was great to go fast and swim hard for 1000 yds. Last night we had a celebratory dinner at Bonefish Grill (seafood heaven in our opinion) with my favorite Aunts, Beck and Kim, and today, Keith is finishing out his birthday week trout fishing with Victor at Yellowwood again. If they catch enough, we are grilling trout for dinner! I rounded out the week with a great stretchy yoga class with Holly and am looking forward to a few more good runs this weekend. I have to keep limber... you forget how tight your muscles can get until yoga class whips you back into shape.

Rediscovering our path

2010-04-10T21:47:00.005-04:00

Fingers crossed, I am hoping the nice weather is here to stay! Keith and I have been hitting our favorite running paths more frequently and its been relaxing to feel at home on runs again. A long winter mostly spent of the treadmill staring at a tv, isn't really the territory I like to frequent much.
Last week we hit the monon trail for a run in the morning and one day even went for a nice evening walk with a detour through Broad Ripple's shops. It was nice to people watch and enjoy our conversation instead of huffing it full speed around people. This morning we drove to the fort, where a small race was going on, and took a different route than usual to avoid the cones and water stations they had set up. The sun was out and it was perfect running weather... I can't wait for more days like today!
I am hoping to get the bikes out for a ride on the monon tomorrow and possibly a stop at Bub's Burgers for lunch. They are located right on the monon and have bike parking with outdoor seating... perfect for a sunny day!

The Sun is Peeking Out

2010-03-21T18:30:00.002-04:00

Its been too easy lately just heading to the gym instead of running outside. The treadmills are cushy and convenient, and where else can I watch multiple episodes of 'Keeping up with the Kardashians' and not be judged?! Its always a struggle.

Keith and I have been to the Fort a few times for runs in the sun and its been heavenly. I want to turn my face up to the sun and soak up its warmth, but know I will likely trip or run into someone, so I just enjoy it while I can.

Now, if this Indiana weather would just cooperate enough so we can dust the bikes off and head to the monon with our friends, all would be perfect.

Winter shut-ins

2010-02-21T11:07:00.002-05:00

Its always amazed me how everyone tends to hibernate in the winter like a bunch of bears in their caves. We all become shut-ins, reading books and dreaming about the sunny days to come. Our eyes are glued to the weather channel in the hopes that the weather will change for 5 seconds. Its just funny to me that people don't grasp the beauty of this unpredictable season and see the oppportunities. I love that in the beginning of Indiana's winter everyone is freezing and bundled to the max. After a month of that, the body adjusts and all of a sudden, its 22 degrees outside and your coat is left open and you have ditched the scarf and hat. Then its 16 degrees and you are running into the gym in just a sweatshirt and shorts. Its so refreshing.

This winter we have monopolized on the weather by taking some long hikes in the woods and balanced that by classes and swims at the gym pool. We have spent evenings with friends, laughing over dinner and glasses of wine, and been introduced to new friends along the way. We have decluttered parts of the house and given to charity. I love taking pics of the snow and icy trees to share with our warm-weather family. I have done my fair share of reading and crocheting, don't get me wrong, but its all about balancing. I don't want to come into the spring all depressed, pale and stiff from sitting around all winter!

Hiking in the snow

2010-02-13T09:45:00.002-05:00

Last weekend Keith, Eldon and I went hiking at Fort Ben after the big snow we got. We are heading out to hike some of the horse trails later today. Enjoy the pics!

The main paved trail on Fall Creek Loop
Eldon and I running up a hillTaking a break

Gorgeous boys and gorgeous views

Bring on the snow

2010-02-04T21:43:00.002-05:00

We are supposed to get 4-8" of snow in the next 24 hours and I can't wait to bust out my trail shoes for a run! Is there anything better than running through a totally white world? Everything looks clean, new and untouched. The snow fills in any rough spots on the trails and its sucha smooth run. Its is a great way for Keith and I to spend some quality time together and I am looking foward to it.

Woo-Hoo for New Shoes

2010-01-26T10:21:00.003-05:00

We both got new running shoes last week - Super excitement in this house! Keith has been an Asic's fan for years and after hearing me rant about my shoe love, he decided to try them as well. They are a much softer shoe than he is used to, with a bigger toe box, but thats why I love running in them. Plus, I love the darker gray and mint colors on mine and the orange on Keith's make him look flashy. I got a good 2 mile run in with mine before I got the flu, and can't wait to get a nice 6 miler in with them.

Back to Racing

2010-01-19T19:42:00.002-05:00

Excitement!!!!
My cousin Megan called me over the weekend and asked if I would run the Shamrock Run with her, her husband and her best friend on Megan's birthday this March 13th. She recently moved to Indiana from Illinois and it would be great to hang with her. It's been a long time since I have done a race and I didn't even hesitate to say YES! It got me thinking about how long it's actually been since I raced... maybe once in the last 2 1/2 years. That is not good. My life has felt like its been on hold for several years and I am getting out of that way of thinking asap. Its a 4 mile race and the course is one I have never run on, taking us into the Fountain Square area of Indy and past some interesting landmarks. I am excited to see if Keith will run it with us.

I have committed myself to run the Geist Half Marathon on May 22nd as well. I have started pre-training for that by my uping my mileage a little a week and increasing my long runs to 6 miles. I am looking forward to my training schedule with tempo runs and getting a PR with a time below 1:50.

I ordered my new road shoes last night and can't wait to get them. My current shoes are on their last leg, making for uncomfortable feet on anything over 5 miles. I also convinced Keith to try something other than Asics, so we will be running together in style when his shoes come in.

I am also back to logging my mileage, (yeah!!) which I also haven't done since the end of 2007. It will definitely help me refocus my energy and give me a different perspective on what needs to be done in the coming year. Lots of fun stuff coming up!

He's the God of Spinning...

2010-01-13T20:28:00.002-05:00

Last night I am on the gym treadmill and I notice that the spinning class is only 1/2 full, which was weird after last weeks chaos. As I left, I noticed it was a different teacher leading the class, so that must have been it.

In a great turn of events, we made the spinning class list tonight (woot woot)!! As you know, I am a talker and I don't know a stranger, so as I am waiting in line to sign up for spinning, the 2 girls behind me are talking about how this teacher is ' a God of spinning.' Oh, now I see why... he is H-O-T, he's funny, motivational and very skilled. His music selection was right on, and I knew most of the songs so I was singing along between catching my breaths. The class was awesome and I didn't know it was possible to have sweat actually drip down my forehead, run down my nose and then pour off my face in a pool on the floor. Gross, but true! It was a fantastic, sweaty time. We are making that a part of weekly workout, which looks like this:

Saturday - we swam hard laps in the pool and hit the sauna for 20 minutes.
Sunday - rest
Monday - I do an hour long, ass kicking, high energy weights class (this is not the crappy class I wrote about last week. Its a different teacher and she has inner thighs that could crack walnuts - I was scared) followed by 2 miles on the treadmill. Keith does weights at home and legs/sleds at the gym.
Tuesday - Keith does weights at home and runs. I go to the gym and do 4 miles on the treadmill and read in the sauna.
Wednesday - Keith does weights at home and we both do spinning (if we make the list). Otherwise, its abs and cardio.
Thursday - Keith does weights at home (see a pattern here?) and I do either yoga or a weights class at the gym, with 20-30 minutes of non-running cardio.
Friday - Keith does weights at home and runs. I go to the gym and run 3-4 miles.

I have a few friends that go to the gym and its been a lot of fun meeting up with them and making fools of ourselves in the classes or on new equipment. As I start training for a 1/2 marathon, my mileage will creep up in incriments, and I am super excited to get back into that.

Class chaos

2010-01-06T21:26:00.003-05:00

I went to the gym tonight to do a 5:30 spinning class with Keith and Jamie. I walked in at 4:50 and was amazed to see a line 20 people deep waiting to sign up for the class. Yikes, it was crazy! I got on the list, but Keith and Jamie were out of luck. I gave Keith my spot so Jamie and I could workout together and we ended up doing 10 minutes on the elliptical and gabbing, then trying out the hour long body works + abs class that a friend recommended.

The class was a total waste! The instructor was pregnant, so she couldn't do some of the moves, she was very quiet and completely unmotivating, plus we never got our heart rates up. I think I would try it again, but with a different instuctor. After the class, we did the precor machines for 20 minutes, gabbed some more, got our heart rates up (finally!) and salvaged the night. I got home to find Keith had picked up sushi for dinner. I am getting ready to curl up with my Stephen King book and relax the rest of the night away.

Resolutions and Reviews

2009-12-30T21:16:00.004-05:00

I recently looked back to see what my new year's resolutions were a year ago, and found that I didn't make any, which was probably a good thing. 2009 was a pretty sucky year for me in general and I am happy to see it go. I refuse to look back to the past and am embracing the coming year with high hopes and some resolve.

We finally joined a gym!! I am totally pysched about it because neither of us have ever joined one since we have everything we need in our house... a treadmill, free weights and a full weight set, squat rack, bench, etc. in our 3rd bedroom. Its been convenient and free, so that been good, but my years of dabbling in pilates, yoga and other classes in various facilities became to sporadic and stressful to really do me any good. We joined LA fitness, got a good deal and they have tons of classes included, and they have a POOL!! Tonight we hit the gym, Keith ran and I did the precor machine (awesome workout on a machine I had never tried before) and then we swam for 30 minutes. Its total body, exhausted bliss for us tonight.

I started out the new year by getting a workout in, cleaning my house and then meeting my girlfriends for a light hearted movie and dinner. We saw 'It's Complicated' and I have never laughed harder. Its a great movie!!

Thats a pretty good start to completing my 2010 goals. I have decided not to post them here, frankly becuse I am just too tired to do so. I will write about them as the year goes. I hope the coming year finds you happier and healthier than 2009!!

me n bryan

2009-12-11T16:05:00.003-05:00

Lucy and I are sitting here updating blogs and checking out Facebook while Kel feeds Bryan. Its a great vacation so far!! Mom says I have to put some pics of my on here with the kids, so here we go... Pancake, Me, Lucy, and Bryan (swaddled on the couch)

Watching Elmo (again...)

The 1st time I got to hold him.

Meet Bryan

2009-12-10T18:58:00.003-05:00

Hello from warm Florida!! Our flight here was really goof, especially after they de-iced the nose of the plane. I got a lovely short run in this morning and forgot how much I missed running outside in the humidity. Fun! My mom couldn't be happier holding both of her grandkids, Lucy and Bryan.

Meet my nephew Bryan Gregory Mikolajczyk! He is the cutest baby ever. Kel is happy and healthy!

It's starting to look a lot like Christmas

2009-12-07T22:06:00.003-05:00

For the 1st time in months, I am not having any pain in my shins or calves when I run, knock on wood!!! I have been pretty consistant with my running in the last month and while its not long distances at all, its been pretty fast and I have had some great sweats on the treadmill. I was just telling Keith yesterday that I miss running in the cold and after we get back from vaca, I am donning my tights and heading out into the freezing Indiana temps. We just had our 1st snow and ice of the season today, but all I can think about was how pretty it would be to run in the snow covered woods. I can't wait!

I am finally incorporating weight lifting back into my routine and already feel stronger. Keith is teaching me the importance of working my legs one day, arms another, instead of total body workouts that wipe me out and make me mad. I hope this will help my calves and IT band get stronger to prevent injury in the next year, so I can run the Geist Half Marathon in May. I am taking volunteers to train and/or run it with me... I am pretty sure I have Annie on board and can at least get Dave to bandit the race if not fully race it with me. I am slowly working on Keith and hoping the lure of training on the course as our local race will get him to the start line with me as well.

We leave for a short vaca in Florida this week to see my sister and her family, including my new nephew, Bryan, who will be born ANY day now. Keith will get to hang out with his brother Glenn and do guy stuff - fishing, Epcot, goofing off (his words verbatim). We are looking forward to seeing the Florida fam for an early holiday celebration... and some warm weather runs.

Its a Buck!

2009-12-03T13:55:00.000-05:00

Keith had a lot to be thankful for on Thanksgiving morning, including this deer that walked in front of his tree stand. It is an 8 point, 190 lb buck. He was very proud to have shot it and at the same time, is glad deer hunting season is over. Pheasant season is still going and we are slowly acquiring a good supply if meat in the freezer. Anyone want to come over for a deer roast?

New Moon

2009-12-02T15:56:00.000-05:00

My friend Annie knows how to throw a party! The 2nd movie in the Twilight Series came out on 11/20/09 and she had 20 women over to pre=party before the 10pm showing of the movie. She pulled out all the stops with lots of food, posters on the walls and New Moon plates, napkins, candy and cupcakes.

Annie (in the middle) relaxing with friends before we played Twilight trivia (while watching the Twilight movie of course).

Fangs!!! Holly, Annemarie, me, Angie and Jamie all donned our fangs for some fun pics. Some of us even wore the fangs to the theater... ok, I think I may have been the only one, but why not?!

The whole group (minus Annie, the photographer) before going to the theater. We got there with our tickets and sat in line to get prime seats, which we did, like a bunch of kids. It was sooo much fun!!!

Angie won 'pin the tattoo on Jacob', which was a big hit and we laughed like kids while playing it. The movie was really well done and matched the book pretty good. The actors were HOT and all the 'cougars' in the theater definitely appreciated all the movie's eye candy. Some of the teens probably did too! There were lots of screams and clapping throughout the movie, even though it was a pretty depressing plot. I'm already looking forward to the June premier of Eclipse and Annie's pre-party!

Halloween

2009-12-01T18:25:00.003-05:00

Our 1st annual Halloween party was a blast!! It will definitely be a yearly event. It was a great night for all the adults to get out of the house, cut loose and have some fun! Victor and Lisa... is Vic being a DJ??

Getting down on the dance floor

Dancing in the garage with friends

Ashton, Amber, me, Holly and Jamie enjoying the 'snack' Amber and Zach brought

Lisa, Mike, Greg, Michelle and Angie

Chris, Josh, Sarah & Ashton. You gotta love Hooters girls in drag.

Devo and a cub scout - I am already planning next years outfits!

Where has the time gone?

2009-11-23T17:38:00.000-05:00

Who can believe its almost Thanksgiving??
The last month has been a blur of activities for us. Here is a quick run down:

- Kel and Lucy were here for a visit and caught the fall weather perfectly. Lucy got to meet Eldon and LOVED him. She quickly learned to call him Eldi (imagine her yelling it like Elllldddiiiiiii) and now every dog she sees is Eldi. Too adorable.
- I have been consumed with lots of reading, trying to knock out some books before I throw myself into the newest Stephen King book and no one hears from me for a few weeks.
- Hunting season has started, so our trips up north are becoming more frequent.
- I have knocked out some serious crocheting projects lately. I just finished 2 baby blankets for a twin shower I am attending this weekend and played around with a wool ear flap hat for Keith to wear hunting. The hat turned out great, until I felted it and it shrunk about 4 sizes. Penny Page is now the proud owner of that hat and I am working on an extra large one now. Who knew?!
- My calves / shin splints are an on again, off again nusaince. I have decided that only running isn't helping, so I am incorporating more weight lifting and some alternate cardio. I have been to 2 spinning classes recently and loved them. The sweat factor is amazing! We are thinking about joining a gym to mix things up a little and possibly get some swimming in too.
- I am planning on running the Geist Half marathon in the spring and possibly a full marathon in the fall since its been a few years since I have officially ran either. I need something to train for and look forward to. I miss it.
- We had a kick butt Halloween party (post to follow) and I think it will be a yearly event.
- The Twilight Saga's New Moon movie came out this last weekend and I attended an awesome party at Annie's house followed by a 10pm viewing of the movie. Like a bunch of teenagers, we sat in line, waiting for the theater to let us in. It was quite the experience and we all screamed like we were 16 again. I can't tell you how much fun we had, but thats in a future post too.

Family vacation

2009-11-22T22:08:00.004-05:00

I know its been a while, but I promise the blog isn't dead. I am working to get some updates on here that we have done in the last month.

We went on our 1st family vacation in October... Keith, Eldon and I. Usually Eldon gets to vacation at the neighbor's house and play with his best friend and his girlfriend all week, but this time, he went with us.
I picked this great hike from my trail book that was supposed to be challenging with some good elevation gain. I completely underestimated the degree of difficulty in this hike. Keith and I practically raced up the steep, 2.5 mile, rocky path, not stopping much to enjoy the views because rain was on the way. Then we got to a rock WALL that we had to climb and from the ground, it looked easy enough. We scrambled up the rock face, stopping half way up to take a picture (below) and thats when it hit me. The wall was practically straight up, we had no harnesses and climbing down was more treacherous than going up... and then I lost it. Keith literally had to talk me off the ledge to get me moving and when I got to the top, I was so pissed off at myself that I just wanted to go down the other side. However, the view was great!!
I read to relax, almost to the point of obsessing over my books. Keith, he fishes. Its amazing to see him studying his flies and explaining to me why he choses the ones he does and why always choosing the purple one (I talked him into buying that one) isn't always the best. So, we hike, he makes a few casts, I walk ahead and find a rock to read on until I see him working his way up the river, and we repeat.
We also did some great hikes and played with the manual settings on our camera. I have no idea how I got this great picture, but its my favorite from the trip.

We power hiked to Abrams Falls, which was a short drive from our cabin, and had lunch on one of the first days there. I think we have almost seen every waterfall in the park with all the times we have been to the Smoky's. We also took a drive on one of the remote dirt roads that winds its way out of the park and found a few remote trails we want to try on our next trip.

Fall trail runs

2009-10-21T20:21:00.002-04:00

I have had 2 days of great fall trail runs this week. Yesterday, I ran 3 miles at Ft. Ben on the Fall Creek Trail and today I ran 5.5 at Town Run Trail Park. The fall weather and gorgeous colors in the trees make for the most relaxing runs. I find myself not even noticing the miles passing by and I feel like I am running that much faster because of all the distractions. Today at Town Run, the parking lot was PACKED with guys on mountain bikes, so I had to pay close attention and get out of the way of oncoming bikes so I didn't get runover, but it gave me a good excuse to grab some water and rest a second. On the run, I saw 2 guys wreck, 1 dead snake,a dog and was passed by 15 bikers (and lapped by 6 of them). If only this Indiana weather would stay nice a little while longer!!

More Garden Goodness

2009-10-05T13:44:00.000-04:00

Holy eggplant, Batman!

We got a huge eggplant out of the garden this week and I am already planning a fantastic meal with it.

Its the little things in life that make me happy...

Catholicism for Dogs

2009-10-04T16:13:00.003-04:00

October 4th is the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron Saint of animals.

This morning at church, Father Bill announced that there would be a 'blessing of the pets,' where he would individually bless each pet brought to the church at 4pm.

When Eldon was a puppy, he wore a St. Francis of Assisi medal on his collar for protection. Taking him to the blessing was very special for us as we prepare to leave for vacation. Eldon did really good, except that he tried to drink from the bowl of holy water he was being blessed with. I'm sure he wasn't the 1st dog to try that.

Father Bill has a golden retriever named Lola, so being a pet lover himself, I think he got a lot of enjoyment meeting the parishioner's pets. He said a prayer, blessed Eldon and petted him. He asked a few questions about Eldon and was impressed that he was hunting dog and was in such good shape for his age. I think he stole Father Bill's heart a little today!!

Eldon's Family Time

2009-09-02T20:34:00.000-04:00

Our friend Mike came to visit recently and he brought 'the kids' with him. The kids are his german shorthaired pointers, and some of Eldon's family.
Eldon's brother, Ike, is the highest energy dog I have ever met. He never stopped running the whole time he was at our house!

Eldon and his brother, Ike. Don't they look alike? Eldon has more white ticking and looks like his mom, while Ike looks like his dad. It was so confusing to see such similar dogs running aroung our yard.

The whole pack, L-R, Ike, Bella, Eldon & Andi.

Ike, what a cutie!!

The fam, L-R, Ike, Eldon and Andi, his mom. Mike said his 3 dogs were all exhausted after a long afternoon of non-stop playing. Eldon seemed a little depressed when he realized his kin were all gone and he only had us to play with.

Colorful Garden Memories

2009-09-01T19:48:00.003-04:00

I can remember as a kid growing up on a farm, how much work went into the food we ate. I remember our garden, how dad would make long trenches in the dirt and mom & us kids would plant individual seeds in the trenches. We never got away with throwing handfuls in the holes like we wanted to. Then, we would have to mark each trench with the name of the veggie we just planted. Honestly, all the seeds looked the same to me!

Then, we had to use our feet to go back over each trench, gently kicking the dirt over the freshly sown seeds. If we kicked dirt at each other, we were busted and only had to do more. Then we had to hook up the hose, drag it allllllll the way to the garden, and water all the dirt mounds. By this time it was late and whoever complained the most during the planting got this job.

Ah, the joys of growing up on a farm. But wait, it doesn't stop there. My second fondest memory as of mom conning Kel and I into snapping beans on the picnic table. What a chore! Snap the ends off, snap them in half then throw them in a bowl. Whoever got done first won... yeah, the prize was having to help your sister finish her pile of beans. As an adult, I later learned that they weren't even the type of beans that needed snapped!!! Mom just wanted us outside doing something, and not in her hair for 30 minutes. Go figure.

Then there was the canning of all the veggies we had worked so hard to plant, water, snap and pick. That was actually fun because we didn't have to do much. Mom and either Grandma or an Aunt would all gather in our little, yellow kitchen with pots of boiling water to sterilize the jars and lids. What a mess it made! Each lid was marked with the name and year, then we hauled them down to the basement for storage. It was our responsibility as kids to get the veggies for our meals from the basement, which is partially where my fear of spiders comes from. (To this day, I wear a baseball hat when I go in mom & dad's basement.)

Now I am all grown up and have a garden of my own. After all the torment of gardening as a kid, this is a miracle in itself. This year I have, as seen in the pics, tomatoes, green peppers and (drum roll....) eggplant!! My zucchini has since withered away. I was afraid I wouldn't get any eggplant after a rabbit ate it to the ground as soon as I planted it, but Eldon quickly took care of the rabbit (it was quite gruesome but he is such a good dog) and just this week we got some little ones on the plant. Look how cute and small they are!! And PURPLE!! Next year I plan on expanding our garden so I have some to share with friends and family. And when I do have kids, I plan on torturing them with garden chores just as my parents did.

Trl Rnr Luv

2009-08-31T19:40:00.003-04:00

Ohhhhhh..... I love trails!! During my injury hiatus, I forgot how much I love to run the trails. Love, love, love, love, love. The weather was perfect in the mid 60's on Sunday, so Keith and I went for a run at Ft. Ben on the Fall Creek and Camp Creek trails. Seriously, I don't think I stopped smiling during the entire run! I kept telling Keith how much I love being on the trails again, much to his annoyance. The cool weather, the twists and turns, the ups and downs, the creek glistening, the sunlight broken by the trees - it was perfect!! Best of all, no pain, whatsoever, at all, yippee! Hello trails, I'm back!!

The runner returns

2009-08-12T15:40:00.002-04:00

Praise the Lord for He is good!
I am back to running!! Its slow and steady right now with lots of stretching and occasionally icing for good measure, but I am pain free. I have run 2 miles twice with Keith this week and my lungs were more frustrating for me than my legs for once. It feels awesome to work up a sweat again and the humidity has certainly helped that. Y-E-S!

Boundary Waters - The Wildlife

2009-08-09T12:01:00.001-04:00

They saw multiple moose (is that meese??), the neatest sight being the morning they woke up and heard a racket in the lake. It was a huge moose using its antlers to scoop up plants from the lake bottom, then eat its finds. It was very leery of Keith and Glenn, but they all minded their own business and managed to get some great pics of him too. They were on the waters during the dragonfly hatch also. Dragon flies were everywhere you looked. They said it was amazing to see them hatching right before your eyes and watching them fly away. They also saw lots of loons and got to hear their unique calls in the evenings.

Boundary Waters - The Camp Sites

2009-08-08T12:25:00.001-04:00

They stayed in 5 camp sites during the week and a hotel room the night before entering the boundary waters wilderness area. Having to provide all their own food, tents, and hammocks, and dry their clothes every night, proved a challenge all their own. They had to pack light and smart. Everything had to fit in their kayaks during the day, the trash had to be packed out and all soaps had to be biodegradable and safe for wildlife.

Boundary Waters - The Lakes

2009-08-07T14:29:00.005-04:00

Glenn and Keith kayaked through 22 lakes and 2 streams in 5 days. They had gorgeous weather that was very mild. The lakes are some of the most prestine in the United States because its in a wilderness area that is not exposed to the public. They were able to drink from the lake because it was so clean, but still filtered the water to be extra safe.

Boundary Waters - The Fishing

2009-08-06T21:48:00.000-04:00

Have you ever seen 2 happier men? They caught lots of small mouth bass and northern pike in these pics and some rainbow trout that didn't make the blog. The abundance of fish kept their stomach's full all week.

Unhealthy numbers

2009-07-28T15:14:00.003-04:00

Keith and I heard on tv last night that 34% of Americans are obese and we were appauled. Thats 1/3 of the population! Thats you and 2 of your friends, standing in a room and one of you is obese. Not just overweight, OBESE! It started a discussion between the two of us on who we know that would fit into those categories and how it got so bad.

So today, after thinking more about it, I did a little internet research and found this website that tells you the obesity rates for adults and children (don't even get me started) by hovering over the state. Its pretty interesting, really, and makes me want to move to Colorado even more.

Next, I googled healthy weight guidelines to make sure Keith and I were both in range because I wanted to have some ammunition before I proceeded with my rant. We are both well within healthy range, with me right in the middle and Keith on the higher side, but he is all hot & muscley, so thats why.

Anyways, in our fat, obese, overweight society, why do healthy people get told that they need to gain more weight? Worse yet, why do healthy people always get accused of either being anorexic, bulemic or exercise-addicted? This completely baffles me! Keith and I are told a lot that we are too thin, need to stop working out and need to gain some weight, for various reasons, all of which are wrong. Since when is it ok to tell people that? I would never say back to that person that they are too fat, need to start exercising and lose some weight, so why is it ok for them to say that to us? Why do I have to defend my healthy lifestyle when others don't have to defend their unhealthy lifestyle? We are normal!!!! This is what people should look like! People need to open their eyes and realize that they are overweight/obese and instead of making themselves feel better by putting down the people who are of NORMAL weight, they need to put down the fast food, get moving and get over it. They also need to go to their doctors and ask for an honest health assessment and then follow through with it.

Get healthy people! Surround yourselves with energetic, fun-loving, like-minded people and you will be amazed at what you can accomplish. Don't be in the 2/3's of the population that is fat, cranky and taking it out on the healthy people.

End rant.

Boundary Waters - The Brothers

2009-07-27T20:06:00.000-04:00

Keith and Glenn had a wonderful vacation at the Boundary Waters in June. Its taken me a while to post about it, but here is installment 1 of 5. Keith is editing a video to show at the end, so stay tuned. This vacation was unlike anything either of them had every done before and they are already planning their next adventure.
Glenn & Keith at the entrance to the Boundary Waters. Check out the mosquito netting (it didn't really help).

Glenn trying out his night vision light. I think the solitude was starting to get to them. He looked pretty alien like in the other pics with the light. You can see a pic of Keith 'hanging' out by their fire one night if you check out his facebook page. Don't say I didn't warn you.
Afterwards, they were tired and bitten up by mosquitoes, but never happier!! They caught lots of fish, disconnected from technology for a week & slept under the stars.
The exit sign pics show the true story of their journey...notice the beards! Shaggy guys.

Course change

2009-07-23T12:04:00.003-04:00

The first full marathon I ran was the Indianapolis Marathon, which is practically in my back yard. It was literally in Dave's front yard, as the course ran through his neighborhood and right in front of his house. It was perfect for training and stashing waters in his mailbox. In the last 2 years, I have either ran the half marathon there or 'bandited' a portion of it with Dave. Anyways, I got my monthly email from the race organizers and noticed they have changed the course... its VERY interesting! Check out the link on the logo to see whats new. They have taken away the portion through Dave's neighborhood, but replaced it with an interesting route through the state park. They also have 3 different pace groups this year to help runners finish in their goal times! I love pace groups! I may just have to run the half (or the 5K) this year, if I can get healed in time to train for it properly.

Date night

2009-07-22T11:20:00.001-04:00

Keith and I went out for dinner and a much anticpiated movie on Friday - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince. I have read all the books (fabulous, by the way) and we have both seen all the movies, so we were really looking forward to seeing it. The movie did not disappoint!!! My only beef with the movie is that, of course, if you haven't read the books, you could miss a lot and have a few questions. They didn't explain why a lot of the things were happening and the first 20 minutes was so fast paced, it was hard to catch on unless you read it. However, the movie is wonderful, dark, funny and sad.

keith's favorite character is Luna Lovegood, so I had to post a picture of her for him. She starts out in the previous movie as a minor character, but is quickly becoming a strong supporting character in the series. I know her role in the coming movies will be much more pronounced. She is a hoot!

I love the Weasley Family, but couldn't find a good picture of them for the page. The whole fam is a riot and quirky. They also play a major role in the development of the series... Love them!

Go check it out. Grab some dinner and settle in for 2.5 hours of awesome graphics and a great story.

Holy zucchini!

2009-07-21T13:07:00.002-04:00

Jeremiah 29:5
" . . plant gardens and eat what they produce . . ."

Our neighbor Linda watched Eldon for us while we were at the lake and mentioned that our garden was looking really good. She wants to swap cucumbers from her garden for zucchini from ours! I am pretty excited that our garden took this year. Keith worked really hard to prepare the soil and redo the raised beds and the fruits of his labor are finally paying off. We used no pesticides or miracle grow - its all organic and watered by God. We should have more zucchini, eggplant (if it survives the rabbits - we have Eldon on the job for that), tomato and green peppers soon.

Look at the size of the zucchini I just picked. You can't find them in stores that big!

Weekend at Sweetwater Lake

2009-07-20T13:13:00.002-04:00

Holly and Ashton invited us to the lake house for a weekend of water, sun and relaxation. There wasn't a lot of sun, but we had a blast! I tried to ski, but its damn hard to get up off the skis when you are shivering and tired. Jamie and Mike both skied like they were born to do it. In the evening, after enjoying an awesome dinner, we had drinks around the fire pit and just chilled. Thanks for inviting us! Ashton sking on the crystal clear Sunday morning water. He was a pro.
Zach gets ready to go tubing Saturday.

Keith sking on Sunday in his boxers. I know, how weird is that, but he was driving the boat so Ashton could ski and the water was so smooth, he had to go skiing himself. Nothing stops Keith!

Holly on rough waters. It was cold and windy Saturday, but we all got out in the water.

Amber and Madison watching Holly on the tube. Madison LOVED being on the boat. Both her and Dilyn had a great time being around the water all weekend.

What do you use peas for?

2009-07-19T18:52:00.003-04:00

I have tried to run/walk 2x's since my massage and its not going that great. I am bored and frustrated, but know I have to take it easy to be able to run that much sooner. I have been doing some special yoga stretches for my shin splints and icing each leg for at least 10 mintutes each night. Its me, a book, a huge ice pack under my calf and a bag of peas on the top of my calf. They perfectly conform to the shin bone and stay frozen for a long time. Ahhh, the bliss! So last week I decide to throw together a rice pilaf to go with our salmon for dinner. I cook the rice in chicken stock and throw in mushrooms, frozen peas and onions. It was so delicious! I sit down to ice my shins and realize a half empty bag of peas doesn't work nearly as well a a whole bag of peas. Crap. Back to the freezer. Chopped collard greens will do! They don't stay frozen nearly as long as the peas but its all I had unopened in the freezer. I figure after a week or 2 of nightly freezing and thawing, I probably need to whip up a batch of grits and greens and move on to the next veggie for my shins. I wonder what it will be? I hope I am healed and don't need to find out.

The celebration continues

2009-07-11T09:40:00.005-04:00

Thanks to all the friends and family who sent cards, emailed and called Thursday for my birthday!! I am truly blessed to have you all in my life. It was such a great 33rd birthday! My assistant made me white cupcakes with lemon frosting, which was a fun change from the strawberry cake with cream cheese frosting that I usually request. Keith is very sneaky, and he coordinated with her to surprise me by bringing lunch for the 3 of us to my office. He was so proud of himself. He made mini spinach pizzas on whole wheat pitas, healthy mac & cheese and strawberry shortcakes with whipped cream. Oh yum!

Then I was off work early to go get a full body massage... it was pure heaven! The shin splints have gotten the best of me and I really needed a good massage. My calves, hamstrings and hips are a mess, but I guess thats the trade to being a runner. She was able to massage most of them out and I was really sore the rest of the day, in a good way. My mom called ahead to pay for the massage... WOW! Thanks mom & dad!! What a great surprise!

I came home, read outside a little, took a power nap on the patio (one of those where one minute you are reading and the next its 5pm - the best kind) and decided that since Keith made me lunch, I didn't want him to make me dinner too. We called Jamie and Mike and they met us at Naked Tchopstix for sushi.

It was such a relaxing day that I took Friday off to try running, which was ok, but I walked more than anything because I'm still really tight, and then we met up with a few friends in Broadripple. Last night we went to the Paramore / No Doubt concert and had a blast singing and dancing in the lawn with our friends. We even saw my friend Annie there!! Gwen Steffani was INCREDIBLE and has the most unbelievable 6-pack abs I have ever seen. She is 40 years old with 2 kids and I know she has a personal trainer, but damn, its all anyone on the lawn was talking about. It was as impressive. What a great birthday!!!

Birthday serenade

2009-07-06T11:11:00.003-04:00

In my family, you get 3 days in advance of your birthday to start celebrating, which most of you know by now. Its known as 'your birthday week', and of course, I am a big fan. Mine started today with phone calls from all the family members and a few of them sang. Its a fun way to celebrate!
But, by far, the best birthday wish I got today was from the New Kids On The Block!! My cell phone rang and even though it said it was Keith, NKOTB serenaded me with their own unique version of happy birthday. I was cracking up! I love that he always puts some crazy, funny spin on celebrating. Happy early bday to me!

Make your own fire works

2009-07-04T10:53:00.002-04:00

Happy 4th of July! Last night Keith and I spent the beautiful night sitting outside listening and watching the nightborhood kids shoot off their arsenal of bottle rockets and fireworks. It was so relaxing. I hope you will find your own unique way to celebrate Independence Day tonight:

Sit on your patio with a citronella candle, watching the fog of firework smoke creep across your lawn. No tv, no radio, no cell phone. Grab a glass of wine! Relax!
Hangout with friends and have a cookout. Be safe. The police will be out in full force tonight and an owi would ruin the evening.
Go to a local celebration and enjoy the food booths, raffle tickets and socializing that are so much a part of this day.
Thank a veteran. Fly your flag. Do something nice for someone else.

I would love to go for a run on the 4th, which is my typical routine for this weekend, but no such luck. My legs are still bothering me, so I am on hold until early next week. I finally broke down and bought another pair of Nike Zoom Vomero 3's and am waiting on them to arrive. They were practically impossible to find because the new version is out, but I wanted the 3's because I knew my feet loved them. My pretty purple Brooks are being demoted to weight lifting shoes for the time being. Ugh.

Happy 4th and happy birthday to my sister tomorrow!!

Running for Nothing

2009-06-22T21:03:00.002-04:00

I opened the mail Sunday night and found a letter addressed to "Friends" at our address. Normally, I don't even open these kinds of things because they are almost always advertisements for heating & cooling or roofing services. But this one looked different because it was hand written with no return address.

What I saw inside immediately spoke to me, not only as a runner, but as a woman of faith. I have never seen a religious letter that I was able to relate to like this one. I wish I knew who sent it, or maybe thats the point that I do not know who is praying for me. There was no church or group affiliated with the letter, but it spoke to me very deeply, and not because I ran the same race. Below is the letter, verbatim. I hope it touches you like it did me.

Running for Nothing

As a runner started the 2006 Chicago Marathon, he notices something on the ground. It was a runner's chip - the device each runner puts on his or her shoe to record progress at various timing stations during the race. Apparently, one poor runner would be traversing the next 26.2 miles on foot with nothing to show for it.

Officially, that runner did not run the race. There would be no record of his participation. Even if he had finished the race in record time, it wouldn't have mattered. The folks who organize the race set the rules, and no matter how well someone runs, if the officials say the runner doesn't qualify, thats the way it is.

In one sense, thats also the way it is with all of us. We can run what appears to be a good race by doing good deeds for others and obeying lots of rules. But when we arrive at the final checkpoint - heaven - and haven't made sure our name is recorded in the Lamb's Book of Life by putting our faith in Jesus as our Savior, we're disqualified to enter.

Jesus saith unto him, I am the truth, the way and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me (John 14:6).

Are you trusting Jesus? If not, you're running for nothing.

It's not what I achieve that qualifies,

It matters not if I gain wealth or fame;

The only thing I must be certain of --

"Have I put my trust in Jesus' name?"

If we could earn our salvation--

Christ would not have died to provide it.

There is hope in this hopeless world.

His name is Jesus Christ.

I am praying for you.

Pistachio Pistachio

2009-06-21T13:00:00.000-04:00

Whenever Keith leaves town, I always allow myself one indulgance. If he can vacation, I can at least eat something fun! Usually its mac & cheese from a box, which makes me feel like a kid, or a totinos pizza, which reminds me of lazy college days. This time, its a new find.... Pistachio Pistachio ice cream from Ben and Jerry's.

So I am walking around Walmart, buying ingredients for my Dad's father's day meal (Happy Father's Day Dad!!), and I find myself in the icec ream aisle, an aisle I never go down. See, I have this problem where I buy ice cream and eat the entire carton in one sitting, then promptly feel like crap and pass out from the sugar overload. So, I just don't buy it anymore. Until tonight.

I decided that since it has pistachios, a heart healthy nut, it would be better than the mint chocolate chip that I really wanted. As far as ice cream goes, its really not too bad. Its in calorie range with what a snack should be, the sugars are less than a candy bar, the fat is high - however, nuts are high in good fat and its not a low-fat yogurt or sherbert, so I had a sensible dinner and followed it up with a measured 1/2 c. of the ice cream and a movie at home.

Heaven. Pure and simple. It reminds me of the pistachio dessert my mom makes for family get-togethers. Yummmmmmm!

And they're off!

2009-06-20T20:37:00.002-04:00

Keith and his brother Glenn left this afternoon for their week long kayak trip to the Boundary Waters. I have never seen 2 grown men more excited about anything!Don't you love the hats? When we picked Glenn up from the airport, he was wearing his and Keith didn't even recognize him! I am sure its going to be an awesome weekend for the brothers to be kayaking, fishing, hiking and camping. In 5 days, they will be kayaking and portaging 44 miles, 22 lakes, 2 streams and a creek with no guide or outfitter. They planned the route, sites and supplies themselves!

Big cheesy smiles for the great outdoorsmen.

Ugh.

2009-06-17T22:10:00.003-04:00

I haven't had much to post about running because I haven't been doing any running in the last week. Ugh. I have shin splints. SHIN SPLINTS! Its such a beginner mistake/injury and I am mad at myself for letting it happen. So, I have placed my self on the 'injured list' or as I like to call it, a 'self-imposed running sabbatical.'

All I can figure, from my exhaustive internet research and talking to some running friends, is that it was the combination of:

Running 4.5 miles, fast, in the heat, on the hills during the torch run, which is where I first noticed the pain.
The next day doing 6+ miles, fast again, with more hills and no stretching.
The next day was a fast 4 miles with Keith on the monon, which is flat, but it was hot out too.
It doesn't help that I continued to run the rest of that week and it was not pretty. I struggled a lot and in my attempt to not make it any worse, sabbatical it is.

I did all those runs in my pretty, new, purple shoes and I think they needed a break too. In heat, with excessive pounding, shoes need time to re-compress back to their proper, supportive selves, and I clearly did too much. I am planning on switching between those and my previous shoes which still have about 100 miles left on them.

So, I am BORED. I miss running with my girlfriends on Tuesdays. I stare enviously at Keith as he heads out for a run and about pass out when I see him all glistening and sweaty afterwards. All I can do is ask how his run went and hope he goes into all the details so I can live vicariously through him. Time to ice the shins! Have a great evening.

Air Show Ice Cream

2009-06-10T12:21:00.002-04:00

Sunday, Keith and I parked on a country road with our cooler of water and snacks and watched the Mt. Comfort airshow from the back of his truck. Why pay the $$ when the real action happens on the outskirts?

I really liked the bombers and the fighter planes, but the Blue Angels are always a good show for the stunts and formations they do. Watching the bombers and fighters swarm all around you was like being in a scene from 'Pearl Harbor.' Of course, we were in the flight path of these planes until we had to move, but it was worth it to see them so close, directly overhead. VERY cool!! I was like a little kid, so excited every time one flew over, making sure Keith was seeing it too. How could he miss it over the deafening noise?!

After we moved for the Blue Angel show, I had a 1st. The ice cream truck, playing its carnival music on loud speakers, drove down the road. Keith knew that growing up in the country, I had never experienced buying ice cream from a musical truck, and always talked about how its something I always wanted to do. We have heard the truck in our neighborhood in summers past, but by the time I got my $$, drove around trying to locate it, it was always gone. So when Keith flagged him down and he drove right up to us, I froze. Really, I froze. Here is a mental replay of my conversation in my head: "What do I order? Where is my purse? Crap, its at home. Go figure. What if he is a psychopath? Wait, he looks normal and has a permit. Phew. What about $$? I love Keith. He's whipping out his wallet for his 32 year old wife to get ice cream from a van. He is my hero. Focus! Ice cream! These prices are outrageous!" So I decided on a chocolate eclair bar for $1.50 and probably could have bought a box of 6 for that price at Walmart, but oh well. How can you put a price on a childhood dream I can now mark off my list?!?!

Moo!!

2009-06-09T15:53:00.002-04:00

Ever since the torch run and the 6+ miler the following day, my calves have been killing me! Calves, like the muscles, not the grouping of many baby cattle kind. I initially thought it was because of the hills on both runs and not enough rest afterwards, but after having to walk/run quite a few times this past week, I have some other reasonable ideas:

Lack of proper stretching. Sometimes I am lazy about taking the time to stretch afterwards, but I know it is a necessary evil.
Heat/dehydration. When in doubt, blame the heat, right? You know you all do it... "I'm just not acclimated to the heat yet so I didn't a) run as fast b)run as far c)run at all d) you know the excuses. But really, I do think that if nothing else, its a mental thing and I always fall back on it. I clearly prefer cold weather running.
Speed. I have really enojoyed running a lot more with Keith and with that comes some speed. When you don't rest your legs enough between fast runs, bad things happen. I can't seem to get him to realize that not every run has to be 'balls to the wall' fast but don't want to hold him back either. When did he get so fast anyways?! So, its become an exercise in submitting for me. He runs ahead, I silently curse my calves (moo), run a little, walk a little, and watch for him to double back to me, where he smiles and listens to be verbalize this list.
Shoes. Keith thinks its my new shoes, but why would it start now, when they are still so new? I think I need to have a backup pair to switch on and off with so my new ones can have a day off to get the bounce back in them.

My solution?? Off to yoga it was last night! I really do think it helped loosen us both up. My calves (moo) feel a ton better today, all loose and ready to go on a girls run this evening. Keith has baseball every Wednesday night through the summer, so going to yoga a few times a month will really help him stay loose for his games. Eric showed him some additional moves to loosen him up, which rocks! I don't care what anyone says, yoga pretty much cures all that ails you.

June's running recipe of the month

2009-06-05T19:29:00.000-04:00

Keith made this last night and I had to share. You will notice it has similar ingredients as the previous recipe, but we shop to maximize our budget and minimize trips to the store, so go figure.

Fettuccini with Creamy Red Pepper Sauce

It was so delicious and super easy. I love that the nutritional analysis is on the left side of this web page too. Keith had his with grilled chicken to boost his protein. We also sub'd reduced fat feta for the regular to cut back the fat grams a bit. Enjoy!

National Running Day

2009-06-03T14:18:00.003-04:00

June 3rd is National Running Day!!! How do you celebrate, perhaps the best holiday ever?!?! Head out for a run today. Be it outside, on the treadmill, with the kids (or without), with your friends or go solo. Blaze a new trail or run to the grocery store and back. Just remember to take a backpack to bring your goodies home in. So many options, so little time.

Me, I plan on celebrating on the treadmill. The weather here is not cooperating with the holiday and I love an excuse to celebrate. I am thinking of having a running themed dinner tonight!! Click on the link for runs in your area or for more running ideas.

May's running recipe of the month

2009-06-02T17:27:00.000-04:00

We got this great cookbook from my sister-in-law, Allison, called 'The Food You Crave - Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life' by Ellie Krieger. She is on the food network and is their healthy eating cook. She is FABULOUS! So, every week or 2, we choose a few recipes from the book to try out. All the recipes we choose give us energy for our workouts, have high protein and are low in fat, and I am sharing my best finds with you. Because I want her to get due credit, I will just be posting links to her recipes we try. Note that all her recipes have the nutritional analysis on the web page... I love having that handy!

Last week, I made her Baked Shrimp with Tomatoes and Feta. We sub'd reduced fat feta for the original to cut back the fat grams a bit. Keith said it was 'gourmet' and 'restaurant quality'. Why would anyone want to eat out again?! Enjoy!

Warm weather running

2009-06-01T08:00:00.000-04:00

I have fallen in love with the warm weather, finally. Can't it stay in the mid 70's all the time? After Friday's Torch Run of 4.5 miles, we went for sushi with friends and I went to bed early. Running in the heat when I am not fully used to it yet zaps me, but it was so much fun!

Saturday, Keith went to the gun show and I went for a morning run. I wish I could run every morning before the sun really starts to bake the pavement and the humidity sets in. I was determined to run 60 minutes, regardless of mileage, which was very freeing. I ran some of the hillier roads around Indian Lake that I hadn't been on before and just enjoyed the lazy day, mild weather and light breeze. I was on my way back to the house with about 10 minutes left when Keith called. Typically, I don't run with my phone unless I am going alone and Keith isn't home to know my route because I think there is nothing worse than someone chatting along on their cell phone when they are running. They don't really mix. But, I digress... so he calls and says that he wants to go to Marsh and pick up some smoked chicken salad for lunch (yum!!) and did I want to go with him. I told him I was in the area and would start running towards the market and if he saw me to honk and I would accept the ride. It was fun to mix up my route like that and he found me less than 1/8 of a mile from the market. I can only imagine the other drivers thought Keith was picking up a hitchhiker or something. So, I ended up with about 6.5 miles and 3 minutes left. I got some reading done outside in the afternoon and then we attended Dilyn's 2nd bday party in the evening.

Eldon at 8 weeks and at 6 years.

After church on Sunday, we changed our clothes, packed a lunch and headed to the Monon for a run and picnic. Keith did 4 miles and I did 3. It was a recovery run for me as my calves were screaming from all the hills I did over the last 2 days. We got our cooler and a blanket and headed to a grassy area on the Monon to enjoy some stretching and a casual lunch. Thanks to Jamie, Mike and Dilyn for the party leftovers! We had fruit salad, veggies, dip, hummus, wraps, water and a protein shake. That afternoon we hung out with Eldon in the yard and celebrated his 6th birthday!! He is such a pampered boy. I read and sunbathed while Keith threw the ball with him and made him a special dinner. It was a fantastic, relaxing weekend!

Run for Special Olympics

2009-05-31T18:02:00.003-04:00

On Friday, I participated in the Special Olympics Law Enforcement Torch Run with my co-workers. In the past, the torch was run by several different law enforcement agencies from Indianapolis along I-70 to Terre Haute where there was a ceremony at the end. This year, Special Olympics decided instead of doing 1 large run, it would be better to have runs in each law enforcement community. Its a great way to let the public see personnel making a difference in their local community vs. on tv somewhere in the state. Our group of 8 runners, 2 bike cops and 5 escort vehicles started in Sheridan at 11am and ran along SR 38 towards Noblesville for 8 miles. The Major (2nd in command) and a deputy started the run for 2.3 miles carrying the torch while I got to drive an escort vehicle with lights! I was pretty excited to be 'mapping 1' as my call sign on the radio. The lead escort vehicle provided music through his speaker system for a little inspiration on request and the bikers were our comic relief and provided water, first aid and fire extinguishers, just in case we needed them during our run.

I ran my 2 mile leg with our canine deputy, Dustin, and we had the hilly-ist section on the course. The torch was heavy, but passing it back and forth adn trying not to light my visor on fire provided a good distraction. Dustin and I kept a brisk pace of 8.5 miles an hour and then it was back to escort duty and some gatorade. Hills + speed + heat = sore legs.

The above pic is of my 2nd or 3rd 1 mile legs I ran. I thought the pink shorts would be a nice touch amongst all the guys dark colors. Because we didn't have a full team of 10, some of us had to run multiple times, which was fine with me. I wouldn't have to run when I got home if I got my mileage in here.

We met up with the local police agencies who were also running their own routes and together ran to the courthouse square where we were met with signs, cheering and the happy faces of Special Olymipic athletes. The athletes jumped in to run a lap around the square with us and they were cheering, taunting us and celebrating the run with enormous enthusiasm. It was so inspirational. Above is the major and one of our investigators with Sam McNew, a very well known local Special Olympics athlete.

There was a ceremony on the lawn of the square with all agencies involved and the athletes in orange. Thank you SO MUCH to all of you who donated to the cause through my FirstGiving website. I raised 3 times as much as I was required to!~!

The HCSO runners, bikers and Lt. Fessel, who was in charge of our escourt. I have to tell you that I could surely get used to having a police escort every time I ran! What a luxury! I never had to worry about getting run over or hugging the shoulder of the road. I truly love my job and getting to participate in community events like this only make it that much better.