Home Sweet Home...

Ok, so blogging on vacation didn't happen. Ooopps. So I won't be blogging about the whole week because I don't have that much time and I am sure you don't want ten pages to read. But all in all, vacation went very well. The boys did great there and back. No one threw up! We had great weather for driving also.

We spent the week with Josh's parents and sisters and their husbands and babies. It was really nice to have everyone together(it had been 3 years). I was still able to get my runs in which was really nice. I did a lot of hill training. There is not much flat land but it was a good change. I did get my long run in yesterday and ended up doing 9.2 miles through the hills. Good stuff. There is this hill down the road from Josh's parents house called Wart Hill. Why? I am not sure but it is major, I mean major and I knew I wanted to try and run it once while we were there. So, Wednesday was the day and I dragged Josh with me. On one side of this hill the incline is one mile long. There were points that it got so steep that I had to walk part of it. If Josh wasn't there pushing me along I probably would have walked the majority of it, but he did and we ran it. My calves and butt were burning! Anyway, it was a great challenge.

Oh and another good thing, I got a call from HeadStart saying that they have an opening for Everett to start preschool!! We have been on the waiting list all year, I sure hope the spot stays open since I didn't get any of the messages until today. They called us three times this past week. I shall find out on Monday.

We are all home, safe and sound. I am ready to be in my own bed. Hope everyone had a wonderful week! God is Good, All the Time!! LOVE.

NINER...

Yup, that's right, niner!

Up at 5am got some breakfast and set out to meet the girls for the longest run of my life. I have only ever gone 7.5 miles and today was my 9 mile day. A bit chilly out but didn't feel too bad. Just towards the end of the first loop(4.5miles) Tracy decided to run the second loop with me. Yeah! I really didn't want to do it alone and plus it is kinda creepy out that early in the morning and in the dark. So we set out for the last half of our long run. Feeling pretty good. Only almost got hit two or three times. I just don't understand how the drivers can't see us, we were both wearing head lamps and flashing red armbands. It is those crazy morning drivers!! Probably texting, talking, drinking coffee, eating breakfast and trying to drive! lol.

But onto the good stuff! We did! And at a good pace. Finished 9.1 miles in 90 minutes flat. I RAN 9.1 MILES...AWESOME! What an outstanding feeling. Now onto finishing cleaning and packing for vacation. I am hoping to get everything done before Josh gets home so we can hit the bed early.

Oh, one more thing. I love seeing how God is working in my family and how the boys pick up on so much. We pray every night with the boys and read Bible stories. This morning Winton and Everett were playing in the hallway and Evie fell and hit his knee. He got a little cut and we put a band aid on it. Winton was telling Everett he was sorry, although it wasn't Wintons fault. Then Winton asked if we could put our hands on Everett and pray for him! How awesome is that?! God is so good and it is really amazing to see Him working through my boys and in their lives. Thank you Lord for continuously showing us your love. May it continue to pour out!! May His love be revealed in your life today! LOVE.

One gray hair...

Good Afternoon!

This week has been a bit crazy trying to get things together for vacation and getting the house cleaned before we leave. Have to be able to come home to a clean house! Also I have had to make time to get all my runs in also this week and so far so good. Got to Curves this morning and wasn't sure if I was going to actually workout because of the knee issue and I still had to do speed work today. But I decided that I would try to and see how I felt. It went pretty well, a few machines I took it easy on and didn't have too much pain. Ended up burning 911 calories. I also started taking a joint supplement for my knee. I still need to get on the treadmill and get my speed work done, shouldn't be too bad.

I love my husband. I do, but he thinks that it is so funny to make fun of my gray hairs(and I have a few). So last night laying in bed I noticed one single gray hair on his head! Sweet. Finally, I am not alone. hehe. Enough of that. Time to get Nolan to bed so I can get things done. I'll be updating on vacation. LOVE.

Three head lamps are better than one...

This will be short but had to tell of my morning run. Tracy called me last night to say that Becky was going to run with us in the morning. Sweet! Got up 5:20am, dressed in my gear, running shoes on, heating pad on my knee, ate a banana and had a half cup of coffee. Did some stretching and checked the weather. 20 degrees! Headed out at 5:45am to meet the girls. Had a problem with my tights falling down but they stayed up for the majority of the run. My shoes felt great, which was one thing I was most worried about. My knee was ok. We revised our route from Monday and hardly hit any traffic, nice. Plus Becky brought an extra head lamp. All three of us had one. We are NOT going to get hit by those crazy morning drivers, who probably think we are those crazy morning runners. It was chilly out but warmed up as we got going. We hit some hills but powered through them. We pushed it today and I ran just over 6.1 miles in 58:53. Wow, that felt great! Our goal for the 10K in February is to finish in under an hour. We are on our way. Tomorrow is speed work and I'll be doing that on the treadmill after I get home from Curves. Friday we are just doing a short run, about 4.5 miles. Saturday is our long run, 9 miles! Praying that my knee heals and pain goes away. I am still icing after and heating before runs. May your Wednesday be Wonderful! LOVE.

Left foot, right foot...

I was just sitting down to collect my thoughts for a blog and heard a thud. Hmm..I'd better check, paused Biggest Loser and found my son, Everett, on the floor. Opps, had to get him back into bed and tucked in tight. It didn't even wake him.

Today was trial day for my shoes. My knee has still been hurting a bit but I did some reading on it and it could mostly be caused by my worn out shoes. I am not sure if my knee is causing my foot pain now or what. Anyway, laced up my shoes and headed down to the treadmill. Luckily I only had to do a short run today. My left shoe felt amazing, just as a good new shoe should probably feel. My right shoe on the other hand, felt tight and just not good. But I got through it and finished 3.5miles. I have been icing my knee after runs and heating before runs. I am hoping this plus having new shoes will help the issue.

Tomorrow morning I am running again with Tracy and Becky is going to join us also. We're going about 6.5 miles at 5:50am. It really starts the day off right. Hopefully I don't have any feet or shoe issues. I am loving this morning run!

I'll let you know how the shoes, feet and knees do after my run. Praying for a pain free run!! LOVE.

A Size What...?

So today was THE day! Yup, got NEW running shoes. Not only got new shoes but got fitted by people that actually know what they are talking about. A friend told me about this place called Running Circles in Grand Haven and when I got there this morning they were closed due to a family emergency. So someone else had told me about Gazelle Sports in Holland so I decided to plug it into my Garmin and be on my way. Although it was more of a drive then I wanted to make for shoes, I knew I needed to be fitted properly. The lady there was great! Spent time getting to know me and my feet. I tried on 6 different pairs and finally picked the Adidas Supernova Glide. Feels amazing. The real test will be my run tomorrow. I sure hope they don't let me down.

The funny part about getting fitted properly was when she measured my feet in socks. I have been wearing a size 10 shoe for as long as I can remember. My feet measured at an 8 1/2. WHAT?? Yea, so my running shoes are a 9 and totally work. Weird though. When you lose weight do your feet change too?? Guess I don't really know, but glad I am in the right size now. Also hit up Kohl's and used my Christmas gift card on some great running gear, which was also on sale, SCORE!

But before any of this happened I had a great, no, pretty awesome run this morning. Got up at 5:30am and met Tracy for a 6.5 mile run. It was awesome being up and out in the fresh air. Sure beats the treadmill. We had a great run, felt relaxed and strong! I was happy that was my last run in those old shoes. Although we hit some traffic and Tracy nearly got her leg taken off by a car, it went well. Going to revise our Wednesday run so we don't hit that traffic. I am sure many of the drivers were not happy to see us running in their way! Oh well.

I get to be at Curves tomorrow to give the ladies a killer Power Workout, they had better be ready. What are you waiting for? Do something good for yourself! You deserve it!! LOVE.

To Run or Not To Run...?

That is the real question. To run the 25K River Bank Run in May. I have been looking at this training schedule for the past couple days and I keep thinking, I could do this! But I get these butterflies just thinking about it and don't want to fail. Aghhh, the decisions. Could my body really run for over 2 hours? Would I be able to finish? The training schedule seems very doable. The runs during the week are no longer than I am already running and then there is one long run a week on Saturdays that would really test me. I have not ran farther than 7.5 miles and Saturdays run is 9 miles. I am sure I could do it, probably not fast, but I would finish. Hmmm....I think I might try the training schedule and see how it goes and then decide in a month or so.

One good thing is that I am going to get fitted Monday for shoes! Totally excited because my knees and feet are really feeling it. Maybe that will get me motivated to actually commit. Oh and also buying running tights, nice. Not hiding anything in those puppies! Going to get some great runs in on vacation. Run, run, run!! LOVE.

This is the best date ever...

Happy Saturday!

Many things have been going on but I'll just hit on a few of them. I have been getting runs in almost every day. Trying not to push too hard, I need new shoes and I can feel it in my feet and knees. Did some incline training today, but only made it just past 4 miles and totally died out..arrgghh, not a good run. Anyway, Tracy has been training for a 25K in May and has me thinking about it. We are going to be running a 10K together in February. Love her! I have also made it into Curves this week, hitting a calorie burn of at least 1000 each workout. We are going to the in-laws in one week so I need to get in as many workouts as I can. Although I have already told myself I am going to get my runs in still while we are down there.

Have had a pretty good week with the boys. Not too many tantrums which is keeping me optimistic about how I have been handling them. The big news of the week is that the boys had their first sleepover on Friday. Our friends Jen and Nick took all three boys overnight. They have two boys 4 & 3 and everyone gets along well. What a blessing to have friends like that! Needless to say the boys had a blast! Josh and I went out to dinner and then couldn't decide on what to do for the remainder of our child free evening. So....we went grocery shopping! Yup, fruits and veggies was the topic. But it didn't matter where we were, we were just happy to be together! Got up this morning and had a quiet morning of coffee. Enjoyed some card playing this morning also.

So tonight everyone is back home together. Watching football with the hubby and then headed to Church to teach the 3&4 year olds. Got a lot to do this week before vacation. Experience God this weekend and forever! LOVE.

Could this be the end?

Tuesday, it's only Tuesday. No, it isn't that bad. Only had one major tantrum today, not me, my son. Thought that I was going to have to deal with another tantrum at bedtime, but God is good and spared me for the evening. Boys were all sleeping by 8! whoo hoo. I actually got to get into the Word and finish up my Bible study papers for tomorrow. Josh is home early, just after 9, this is turning out to be a pretty perfect night.

Got a long run in today. Wanted to go 7 miles but ended up just going for a 10K, did not go full force and ran it in 61:30. I am wanting to shave about a minute and 31 seconds off that time come February. I am doing the 10K Frostbite run in Fremont the first week of February. I know this is a push for me but something I really want to accomplish!

Now onto the real reason for this blog. Could this be the end? The end of my comfort? The end of my baby? Yes, I mean breastfeeding! Today was the first day of no nursing for Nolan. I wanted to go two years but I guess 23 months isn't too bad. It didn't really hit me until bed time rolled around and realized we hadn't nursed all day. Hmmm. So I didn't offer just to see what he would do. Nothing. We will see what tomorrow brings. Now what am I going to do for those extra calories burned while breastfeeding?? Going to have to run farther I guess. LOVE!

How much coffee does it take....

Coffee. Coffee. Coffee! Trying to get motivated for the day. I am pretty sure my boys get crazier the older they get. All this testosterone is out of control sometimes. What have I gotten myself into...? Oh, did I mention I love them though! Craziness and all.

Yesterday, got up after not too good sleep, stepped on the scale(bad idea), and was up 3lbs! Hit the treadmill in the morning, ran for 30 minutes at a 6.5 and higher. I am trying to run a 10K in under an hour. Got the boys to bed, dealt with a tantrum(lasting 45mins) and finally got my second run in. Ran at a 6.6 for 2 miles, a 6.8 for half mile, a 7.0 for 3/4 miles, finished my last couple minutes at 8.0 sprint. Also did some minute and a half sprints through out the run at a 8.0. I am not really sure what I am doing, but I am just trying to push myself. Going to try and go for a long run today, hopefully go at least 7 miles.

Got up this morning with great intentions of getting to Curves, but didn't make it out of the driveway before the guys got here for their Bible study. Guess it will be the treadmill again today. Oh and the scale was much nicer to me this morning. Not going to weigh again until next week.

We got a new computer, a laptop! Awesome. We had a 299.99 voucher to use on an HP and decided to spend a little more and get something nice that will hopefully last a bit. We only have a desktop, which is fine, but it will be nice to take the laptop with us. So now I can blog ANYWHERE! Aren't you guys lucky?! hehe. I mean I wouldn't want anyone to miss out on the tantrum of the day or how many miles I am running. Have an awesome Tuesday! LOVE.

Actually made it through the week....

Blog. blog. blog. Been thinking about you all week. But never got here. I'll try to squeeze in some while the boys are playing with Josh. This week was interesting. Had some major ups and downs with Everett, but got through them. I have been praying a lot about the situation and I see things changing for the better. One day at a time.

I actually got to go to the dentist this week(it had been a couple of years due to no insurance). Thanks again Melissa for watching the boys! Hold up, to be continued. Playing cards, having coffee! OK, back. As I was saying, dentist visit went well, actually have a plan to get all my teeth fixed, awesome.

This week I also got to work at Curves and get some great workouts in. I have been burning a 1000 calories or more each workout. I also have been getting some runs in too. I am going to do the Frostbite run in Fremont in February. First I was thinking just the 5K, now I am thinking it just might have to be the 10K. This would be .4 miles longer than the last race. Not sure if I can convince Josh to run another long one with me, we shall see.

I ventured out last night with the boys and decided to take them to McDonald's so they could play. It was a really good time. Boys listened well and had a great time out of the house. They found some other kids to play with and Winton yelled from the top of the play place, "Mom, we found some friends and they look Chinese!". All in all, it was a good time.

I am going to run today, I am going to run today, I am going to run today. Saying it so I don't forget, I have to find time to get a run in today, probably a long one. I am 13lbs away from my goal weight, can't quit now. I am so blessed! My Savior Lives and He Lives in ME!! Isn't God good?!! Much love to all. LOVE.

Yup, another Monday...

Good Evening! So the race came and went. I finished. Yup I did it. Josh was right by my side. Ran 6 miles outside, in snow, up and down hills. Finished in 60:42. 4th in my age category. Not too shabby. Weekend was good, went fast. We finally got Nolan's baby mullet cut. Super cute.

Josh and I are on a semi-detox from the holidays. Stocked the house with fresh fruits and veggies. Made homemade soup and some turkey chili. Got up early today and headed to Curves, got a great workout in. Got Winton off to school and Nolan down for a nap and decided to run. I hadn't run the past two days so probably in need of one. Ran just over 4 miles in under 38 minutes. I was hauling! Felt awesome. Did some ab work and push ups. You could say I am motivated or maybe the lady today that mention something about my "muffin top" did it. Either way, it was good for me. Or it could have been the lady the week prior that asked when I was due! ahhh, so my problem area happens to be my stomach, I am trying to work on that.

Wish I had more to talk about, and I am sure I do, but my mind is done for the evening. Time to sink into the couch until Josh gets home. LOVE.

A High Of 20 degrees, awesome...

Happy 2010 Everyone!

Over the last couple of days I have been thinking that I really could blog every hour just to keep up with what is happening in my home. Guess that is what comes with having three boys. And even though I would really love to have new carpet, yesterday was one of those days that I know why I shouldn't. Yogurt was spilled and puke was splattered, whatever, I'll take my new van instead.

We finally got a second car. Whoo hooo. So glad to have a van back. We got a 2009 Dodge Grand Caravan with stow and go seats. Awesome! We have never had a car this new, it is beautiful. My hubby is so sweet. And it helped that we got a really really good deal and lifetime warranty.

So today is the day. Big race day. 6 mile run through the snow and a bold high of 20 degrees! What a day to run. I'll just have to run fast to stay warm. Good thing Josh will be right by my side.

As far as the New Year, well I was sleeping by 9. What can I say? I never seem to make it. But I needed the rest and the boys were up early today so it is probably a good thing I hit the bed before 2010 got here.

I am starting my New Year with something I have never done before and am determined to finish it (6 mile race), what are YOU going to do in 2010? Go for it, whatever it may be!! Much love to all!! LOVE.