Monday, July 26, 2010

The Seawall Half Marathon


Well, it's official.... I'm running a half marathon in November. I registered yesterday... paid my $60... now, there's no backing out. I've always hated running. So, why run 13.1 miles you ask? Because I'm nuts! And because I have a friend that's nuts. She and I have been running together since February (is that right, Shelley?). We started by running some local 5Ks together. We had so much fun... and then I guess we got a little confident and decided to run this half marathon together. We've been running 3-5 miles every Tuesday morning. It's been hot and humid. Good. Grief.


Anyway, it's time to step it up a little and get some more miles in. I am just taking it one mile at a time... hoping to get a good 8-9 mile base in by September. I'm still trying to decide if I actually like this running thing. I think I am.... at least I like the feeling of accomplishment after a good run. I normally don't share a lot about me personally on this blog... it's mostly about my kids. But, I figured that if I told all of you about it, I'd have all of you to hold me accountable! And, how embarrassing would it be if I slacked off and didn't do it! I've started lots and lots of things in my life that I never followed through with. I'm excited about the next few months... and proving to myself that I can do this!


Here's the hard part... I have been pretty lazy lately. In fact, one of my trainers called to check on me after she kicked my booty during our workout this morning. She even noticed my lack of motivation... and stamina. I think it's the "end of summer blues." There's no routine or schedule... always something happening... kids home 24/7 and need to be entertained... vacations.... etc. And, did I mention that Cal and Patti start Kinder in just a few weeks???? That's stress enough for this mommy.


I probably won't post anything else about this run until November... so, if you're thinking about me, just say a little prayer :) Thanks!

Friday, July 23, 2010

And here's July....

Has it really been more than a month since my last post? Well, I guess I have lots of catching up to do. So, this is going to be the mother of all posts! (This one's for you Lee!)



I was chatting with my sis-in-law about this and that concerning house remodeling (she just bought a new house). I mentioned that my ceiling was looking pretty rough.... and that I had just noticed some water on the fireplace. I went to gently push on the ceiling to see if it was wet, and my whole hand went right through. Sigh.



Evidently the shower upstairs was leaking for a long time... probably years. What a mess. It took 2.5 weeks to get it all finished. Well, at least we got a new bathroom and ceiling out of it (new pictures to come).









11th Annual Livingston Family Reunion.... July 9-11.... Gainsville, TX

The place we stayed at (same place as last year) has this great stage. The kids love to run around and jump off of it. It was exhausting trying to keep David off of it. We had such a wonderful time. I didn't take very many pictures, but if my sis-in-laws share, I'll post some more.




Denise and Jude




Do you think they planned this?






Sweet Patti loves to ride horses... she had so much fun.



I snapped this picture while she was smiling at her daddy... isn't that just the sweetest smile?



The Davids had some bonding time. Isn't that sweet?







Exhausted...






David is up to his usual shenanigans. That boy is into EvErYtHiNg!!!! Here are just a few of the things I was able to catch with the camera....

He loves shoes.... this day, he was a Yellowbox fan....





Patti can't get any peaceful computer-time with David around. He loves to go bang on the keyboard while she's playing....



Ooooh, busted.... trying to climb onto the counter.


Sweet Patti....




Ooops... busted again! He even knows how to open the computer.... thought I could out-smart him by closing it.




Cal and Patti are playing their DS (it's on the windowsill because it was being charged).... David decided that he needed to see what was on the breakfast table. Seriously, I was out of the room for a couple of minutes.



What a handsome boy!




We're obsessed with toothbrushes now. He's collected the kid's "old" toothbrushes (yes, I washed them) and carries them around all day... periodically trying to brush everyone's teeth.