Buff Mama Monday - My First 5k

A few months ago, in an effort to get back in shape and knowing that I would need a better motivating force than "getting skinny", I registered for a 5k and started the Couch to 5k program. Unfortuantely, because I'm a slacker and I refuse to run in 90 degree weather, I was only about half-way through the program the week before my race (in other words, no where NEAR ready). Luckily, my amazingly athletic friend Claire, took me out for a few 3 mile runs (except her "3 mile runs" are actually 3.6 miles - she just lies and tells you they're shorter) to help me get ready. The runs were really hard but she is an excellent motivator: extremely positive but also really pushed me. She got me through hell week and ran beside me through the actual race. She tracked our pace to keep us on target and told me repeatedly how great I was doing (apparently I'm a high-maintenance runner). I'm not going to lie and tell you that it was "fun" or that I "had a blast", because in truth, it sucked. My legs hurt, I could hardly breathe, it was hot, and I spent at least an hour afterwards feeling pretty certain that I was going to vomit at any moment. All that aside, 38 minutes and 10 seconds later I finished - something I thought I would never do - and I'm really glad I did it. Once the nausea passed and I started to regain feeling in my lower extremities, I was overwhelmed by such an amazing feeling of accomplishment. In fact, I'm already planning my next race (most likely in October). What made this even better for me was getting to do it with two really great friends who I don't see nearly often enough, so hopefully they're both on board for the next run!

In typical girl fashion, we took pictures pre-race. . .

Claire, Shannon, and me

I swear I am not some kind of giant - I'm only 5'5" - I just have really small friends.

In case all the pink didn't tip you off that this was a breast cancer run . . .

These are our "game faces".

Totally unplanned, we all showed up with gray and pink shoes with pink laces.

I'm linking up with Vanessa at The Crafty Nest for Buff Mama Monday since she's also doing Couch to 5k and we mamas have to stick together! I came across Vanessa's blog through The Bump Birth Month message boards while we were both pregnant with our August babies and I've been hooked ever since. She's mama to handsome little Logan (an amazing name choice) AND she's super crafty, so you should go check her out!



WWTK - Boob Tube Q&A

Linking up once again with Mamarazzi and Alicia for We Want to Know Wednesday Q&A. This week we're talking about TV!

1. What is your MUST SEE show?

Glee! No question! I freaking love all those little gleeks! This season I'm especially excited to see the winners of The Glee Project. Ok, being totally honest, I'm really just excited to see Samuel Larsen. He's "all the way beautiful" as Jim Carrey would say. I wonder if he likes older women...

2. What shows are you most excited to watch this season?

Glee, Sons of Anarchy, Tosh.0, Awkward, Big Bang Theory, 2 Broke Girls, and New Girl. Mostly, we dvr everything and watch it on the weekends while the kids nap.

3. How many hours a week do you actually watch tv?

I think it depends on the week. We watch all of those above shows plus random stuff whenever we have down time (which is rare). 10 maybe?

4. Do you think tv has gotten too "racy" (vulgar, pushing the limit, etc) ?

I'm not opposed to racy shoes, provided they come on much later. Hello, I watch Sons of Anarchy. I don't like that there are so many adult cartoons that come on earlier in the evening. My husband loves American Dad and Family Guy but it's hard to explain to Logan why he can't watch cartoons with Daddy. Of course, hubs could always just dvr that stuff and watch it later, but I think he's way less concerned about monitoring Logan's tv viewing than I am.

5. How many tvs do you have in your house?

I'm actually embarassed to say. We have 4. Two downstairs, one in our room, and one in Logan's. The 2 downstairs both have the digital cable so we can watch grown-up stuff and the kids can watch all the special kid channesl with Bubble Guppies and Blues Clues. Our room is hooked up to cable but just the basic 60-some channels, which are pretty much all I ever watch anyway. Logan has a tv in his room, but no cable because it's just for movie-watching. He's afraid of the dark so we usually put a movie on for him when he goes to bed and just set the timer for 15 minutes. It's enough light to keep him calm and he's usually passed out before it turns off. Bonus: We never battle at bedtime when he knows he can pick out a movie!



Finally, check Princess Vivienne out over at Rae Gun Ramblings today. I ordered a beautiful custom ruffled diaper cover from Marissa's for Viv's birthday outfit and now she's featuring our princess in her Customer Appreciation post. For the record, I LOVE the diaper cover and everyone at the part commented on how adorable it was. Marissa also makes matching onesies, costumes, and sets for boys too! Check out her Etsy Shop Rae Gun for all kinds of adorable stuff!

IF

I saw this post over at K. Law Inspired and then read her inspiration post from Life After I "Dew" and felt like joining the party. I've stolen all of their prompts because my brain is barely functional this week.

• If I were to get pregnant again, it would hopefully not be for at least another year, maybe two. We'd like Vivienne and the next baby to be closer in age than our first two but the fewer years we spend paying daycare for two, the better! We're really hoping for another little princess and have already decided on the name Gemma.

• If I had to eat one type of food every day for the rest of my life, it would be home-style, does that count as a type of food? If not, then I say Italian, but really I'd rather have pot roast and mashed potatoes or fried chicken.

• If I could have any job in the world I'd be a stay-at-home mom. Maybe. Or I might want to do something more creative. My problem is that I still really don't know what I want to do with my life which is why I haven't gone back to school yet. I'm really not sure if I'll ever figure that out. It's something that keeps me up at night.

• If I had a day to myself I'd go get a massage, see a movie (if Crazy, Stupid Love is still playing), and then do a little just-for-me shopping. That's actually what I had planned for last weekend but it all fell through. I'm still hoping to make it happen next weekend since this weekend is already booked.

• If I could get married all over again I'd try to step back and take it all in a little more. Planning and hosting your own wedding is really stressful and it's too easy to get caught up in making sure everything is perfect. That's what happened to me and  I feel like I missed out on a lot while I was busy organizing everything. I wouldn't change any of the details of our wedding, but I would probably ask people to help out more so I could just relax and enjoy the day.

• If I could live anywhere in the US I'd probably chose somewhere around the Carolinas. Kyle and I talk about this all the time. We want to stay on the east coast, preferably in or near a beach town. Far enough south that it's at least warm-ish year round but not so far south that we fry in the summer. I told him I just want to go far enough south that we can have a palm (or 10) in our yard.

• If Logan had been a girl, his name would have been Leila/Layla - I hadn't decided on which spelling. If Vivienne were a boy her name would have been Tristan if my husband had his way or Dominic if I'd had mine.

• If I could have any talent in the world I would like to be able to dance, sing, or play the guitar. Or really I'd take any combination of the three.

• If money were not an object I'd be one of those stay at home moms who has a housekeeper and maybe an occasional nanny so I could still do things by myself every now and then. Also, I would need a hairdresser because I suck at doing my hair. If it would be possible to find a housekeeper who loves kids and went to beauty school, that would be ideal.

• If I could meet one celebrity I think I would want to meet Angelina Jolie. Don't hate me. I can't help it, I just love her. She's beautiful and elegant, but I love that she has a shady weirdo past. I just kind of think she's amazing in every way and I think our kids would get along great. As babies, Logan and Shiloh were practically twins and since she likes to dress up as a boy and he likes to dress up as a girl, they could just trade clothes and be besties. Oh, and we both have Viviennes so we obviously both have amazing taste.

• If I could only shop at one store for the rest of my life it'd be Target. They have literally everything and I actually love all of their stuff. Besides, we already do practically all of our shopping there, so it wouldn't really be any different from what we do now.

• If we got a dog I would love to have another pitbull, but no way would hubs allow that, so I'd take a pit/chihuahua mix. Don't laugh, it's a really thing! It's called a pithuahua and it's pretty much the cutest thing on 4 tiny legs. Also, they're so teensy that he wouldn't be able to argue that it might eat our children.

via



• If my husband had his way we'd own a great dane. Ain't happenin' hunny! Our house is way too small! I think he just envisions buying a tiny saddle and letting the kids ride the dog around the house.

• If I could go on a trip, RIGHT NOW, I'd  go anywhere tropical as long as there were no kids, no phones, and no scheuled and I could just lay in a hammock with a fruity drink. I want to just be able to do whatever I want to do when I feel like doing it, or just do nothing if that's my preference.

• If I had to chose between a house cleaner and a personal chef, I'd pick the house cleaner, hands down. I don't mind cooking but I sure as hell hate to clean!

• If I had the option of plastic surgery I'd get a boob lift. I think mine are a great size but they've gotten saggy after two babies. I just want them lifted up. I tell Kyle all the time that it's like dumping the contents of a half-full freezer-size ziploc bag into a sandwich bag. Same stuff, smaller bag. Perfect.

In writing this I was surprised by how often my answer was the same as Shannon's and/or Kristen's. Isn't it weird when you find that you have so many similarities to people you've never even met? That's what I love most about blogging. I might not have much in common with a lot of my IRL bffs (most of them are unmarried and childless) but there is a whole community of women at my fingertips if I need advice or a laugh or just a bitch-fest and I know that they'll get where I'm coming from. I took a really long hiatus from blogging after Viv was boern but it's honestly really nice to be back! I've missed you all!

WWTK Q&A - Holiday Style!

1. What is your favorite holiday?
Thanksgiving and Christmas are a close tie, but I think Christmas wins by a nose. I love the snow, the music, the tree, and just the spirit of the season. It's lovely. Thanksgiving dinner is my favorite meal of the entire year which makes it a very close second.


2. Do you have any fun holiday traditions? What are they?
We always spend Christmas Eve with my parents. First we read "Twas the Night Before Christmas" and the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible, then we each get to open one present. I'm all for starting new traditions though! I've been trying to buy the kids a new ornament for the tree each year. So far none of my traditions are very exciting.


3. When do you start Christmas shopping?
January? There's no set time, we just buy stuff as we find it on sale and stuff it in the closet or attic. That way the kids get a bunch of cool stuff and we've spread the expense out over the course of the year.


4. What is your favorite holiday food?
Stuffing! I freaking love stuffing!


5. Share a favorite childhood holiday memory.

My mind is totally blanking on this, soooo last year was my favorite Christmas so far. Viv was just a few months old, but old enough to appreciate her presents. Logan had asked for 3 specific toys (from 3 different Santas) and he got SOOOO excited when he opened them. Kyle bought me the camera I wanted but then packaged it up like russian dolls complete with a brick tossed in to make it heavier and throw me off. It was just a great Christmas and I loved experiencing it with my little family. I'm sure this year will be even better!


6. Have you ever actually tried fruitcake??

No. I'm afraid.

Wedding A-Z - Part 2

MUSIC
A lovely friend and INCREDIBLY talented musician agreed to perform during our ceremony. She sang "Here Comes the Sun" while everyone took their places, "Sea of Love" (as performed by Cat Power) when I walked down the aisle, and "I'm Yours" while we greeted our guests as husband and wife.

Kyle and I put together a playlist on the ipod of all of our favorite songs to play at the reception.

We did our first dance to "Fade Into You" by Mazzy Star. I found this song on his ipod while we were on our 2nd date. It had always been one of my favorite songs but few people I knew had ever heard of it. It was one of the earliest things we bonded over so there was never any doubt that it would be our first dance song.

NEWLYWEDS

OCEAN
We decided to get married on the beach because it holds so many precious memories for us and because it's where we feel most at home (as long as bikinis aren't involved). We briefly considered a destination wedding but settled on a local beach so that all of our important guests would be able to attend.


PHOTOGRAPHY
Our photographers, Gina & Tony were INCREDIBLE! (They're also a really, really, really cute couple!) All of the pictures on this and the previous post were taken by them. I honestly can't say enough good things about their work. If it wouldn't make me seem totally narcissistic, I'd have our pictures plastered all over the house. Hell, I'd give them away as Christmas gifts. They're just gorgeous. I can look at them over and over and over. Tony and Gina were an absolute dream to work with. They totally understood our vision and they kept us laughing the entire time. They even rocked the house when we pulled out Rock Band at our reception! Hands down, best wedding photographers EVER. If you live in the Chicago area and need a photographer for any reason, I highly suggest that you look them up!

Gina & Tony Photographers

QUIET MOMENTS

RINGS

SOMETHING OLD . . . NEW . . . BORROWED . . . BLUE
Something Old - My "bridesmaid" Shannon let me borrow a family heirloom handkerchief. I returned the favor last year at her wedding by lending her a handkerchief that once belonged to my grandmother.
Something New - Kyle surprised me with beautiful blue topaz earrings the morning of our wedding day. He presented them in a silver jewelry box engraved with "I Only See You" which is the title of one of our favorite songs by Benton Paul.
Something Borrowed - I can't remember, but I think I counted the handkerchief as my "something borrowed" as well.
Something Blue - Our guests - all of the most important people in our lives - were my "something blue" since everyone came dressed in our color, as requested.


TRAVELING IN STYLE
Our officiant drove us girls to the ceremony site in his gorgeous motor-home. It was way better than a limo because it had a bathroom and when I get nervous, I pee. Frequently.


UNIQUE
I happen to think we made a lot of unique choices but the most meaningful for me was including Logan in the vows. It was important to us that he feel like it was just as much his day as it was ours - even though he was so young that the significance was completely lost on him. It was a really special moment for us

as it was the beginning of us as a family.

For something fun AND unique, we played Rock Band at the reception. Our photographers even joined in and kicked all of our asses!

VOWS
I pieced our entire ceremony together myself from little bits I found here and there. The end product was so very special to us. I'd like to have excerpts framed to include in a photo wall I'm planning for our living room.

"These are the hands of your best friend, young and strong and vibrant with love, that are holding yours on your wedding day, as he promises to love you all the days of his life.
These are the hands that will work along side yours, as together you build your future, as you laugh and cry, as you share your innermost secrets and dreams.
These are the hands you will place with expectant joy against your stomach, until he too, feels his child stir within you.
These are the hands that look so large and strong, yet will be so gentle as he holds your baby for the first time.
These are the hands that will work long hours for you and your new family
These are that hands that will passionately love you and cherish you through the years, for a lifetime of happiness.
These are the hands that will countless times wipe the tears from your eyes: tears of sorrow and tears of joy
These are the hands that will comfort you in illness, and hold you when fear or grief wrack your mind.
These are the hands that will tenderly lift your chin and brush your cheek as they raise your face to look into his eyes: eyes that are filled completely with his overwhelming love and desire for you. "

WALKING DOWN THE AISLE

Since Logan was the only special man in my life before Kyle came along, I thought it only fitting that he walk me down the aisle. Unfortunately, this involved a reeeeeeally long walk across the sand before we even made it to the ceremony spot. He wasn't even 2 yet so he walked as much as his little legs could handle then I just carried him the rest of the way. We sang the alphabet over and over the whole way there to keep him happy and focused. It's such a wonderful memory for me, it was one of my favorite moments of the whole day.

X-RATED

YOU MAY NOW KISS THE BRIDE!

Zzzzzz . . . THE END.

I really love looking at our wedding photos. Thanks for celebrating with me!