best in November

Overheard under the Big Top early this morning…

“Mom, what’s for dinner tonight?”

“Blueberry pancakes.”

“Oh great! I love pancakes for dinner, especially in November.”

What? You didn’t know that blueberry pancakes are best served for dinner in November? Well, now you do.

bring it on

Call me crazy but I can’t wait for the real cool, crisp-ness of Fall and Winter to come this way here in the Central Valley. Yes, that means the fog and the wind and the rain (that we so desperately need). But I am ready. I have boots and turtleneck sweaters that I want/need to wear. So today I say bring it on.

In two or three months, I’m sure I’ll be saying something else. Then you may remind me of today’s post.

from Shredhead to Pumpkinhead

Being the devoted Shredhead that I am I have wholeheartedly embraced and accepted this month’s challenge. I’m still running, sort of so I have signed on to the running challenge this month to keep me motivated and attempt to ramp up my training for the Tiarathon that we running Shredheads are looking forward to.

I won’t lie to you, my running has been sluggish lately. Oh, who am I kidding? I have been walking more than running the last couple of weeks. I have tried to push myself only to find that I just would not go and my running has become more walking. I was seriously considering starting the Couch to 5K training program all over again.

But being the finish what you start kind of girl that I am, I showed up early this morning at the Manteca Unified Student Trust’s 5K Pumpkin Run. I had to. I had already paid the fees. I wanted the t-shirt and my fellow future Tiara-wearing Shredhead Karianna sent me some awesome motivation. With her cheering me on and motivating me, how could I not at least show up and try? I had to. Plus I wanted that t-shirt.

So I prepped myself yesterday, getting well-hydrated and stretched. I laid out my running clothes for the morning. And I picked up a little personal motivator.

2GB of motivating goodness that clipped to my jogging bra with an awesome running kind of playlist to keep me moving. As much as I love my iTouch, I found it hard to run with it and I just can’t seem to run at a steady pace without a hard-driving soundtrack to keep me moving along. I doubted that this would make me run faster and longer but anything to motivate me more.

So I showed up at the Tidewater Bikeway and signed in, picked up my running bib and began to stretch out, warm up and get myself ready. The weather seemed just right for a run. The other runners were friendly and encouraging as we all lined up. Listening to the race instructions I am encouraged to hear that along the way are race volunteers to cheer us on and, if needed, come to our aid as well as water stations. Water stations, I believe are my friend when running. Have you ever tried running while you are having hot flashes? Try it sometime. You will see what I mean when I say water stations are my friend when I am running.

As promised, the course was flat and fast as we got off to a pretty fast start. After the first quarter mile, I settled into a nice easy pace letting it seemed everyone pass me by. Well, not everyone but it sure seemed that way. It was all good because I was determined to run this race rather than run and walk. Jai Ho was playing in my ears and I found it so easy to keep going at the pace I set for myself.

As I approached the halfway point and turn-around, I could feel my body begin to thirst. Where the heck is the water stations?! I saw no water stations. I saw a lot of football players from the high school team my kids’ high school football team beat last night sucking down Gatorade while they watched us run by but I did not see any water stations.

As I began to worry how much farther I could run without a sip or two, the wind kicked up gusting hard in my face. There is nothing like the feeling of running against the wind. I was definitely feeling like I was going nowhere fast and at the 2 mile mark I indeed was going nowhere fast. My whole right side just cramped up and I could not go.

I. Just. Could. Not. Go.

But just as I could feel myself not move a lady I met at the start line came up behind me and cheered me on to keep on moving. She talked and cheered me through the next half mile as I started running again. We bitched together about the wind, the Gatorade-drinking high school football players and how much we wanted to take their sports drinks away from them and the apparently invisible water stations.

The mile 3 marker loomed ahead and cheered on by my favorite Manteca P.D. officer, Bill-the-cop, I felt a surge of adrenaline. Yes, I was dying of thirst. Yes, my right side was screaming in it’s knotted cramp for water. Yes, I was a red-faced, hot flashing, sweaty mess but I kicked up the pace. I crossed the finish line at the unofficial time of 33:05, three seconds slower than my first 5K time but I did it! I ran. I ran into the wind. I ran and pushed through my thirst and cramping. I did it!

Official Race Times were posted in this morning’s paper and my time is 32:26!!!

The takeaway from this race? I am bringing my own water. I going to keep on training and running for sure focusing on an easy pace and going for the distance. I am not going tto let any setback in training psych myself out for the next race next month that I will be running with my local Shredhead bud and friend, Jenn and her folks. Oh my gawd, you should see what shredding is doing for Jenn. She is absolutely freakin’ hot!

So today I was a running Pumpkinhead. Does that mean that next month Jenn and I will be running Salmonheads at the Salmon Run? We shall see. But it is certain that we will be running!

a change in the weather

Oh how I love the Fall! This morning, in my neck of the woods, showed the promise of a change in the season at last.

I hope the promise of today proves to mean a change in more than just the weather. I have done my part. I hope that you too will do your part and vote!

walk with me

Okay, in my quest to become “Hot for the Holidays” I have been working hard four days out of the week and quite proud of my staying on it. I’m not so thrilled with my body’s slow response to all this hard work but I am quite pleased that I have stayed the course over the last six week or so. Last week, pre-op, I could easily jog/run for 45 minutes. Piece of cake. Go Me!

This week, just a walk around the block has me a hot, sweaty, huffing, puffing mess. What the heck is that all about?

You would be correct in assuming that I am not the most pleasant, gracious post-surgical patient. Don’t pity me. Pity my family.

Today is a little better. The leg remains a swollen, bruised, nausea-inducing mess and it still hurts like crazy. Pulling on the compression stocking induces a cold sweat. We won’t even discuss how graceful I am trying to bed over to tie my shoes. But today, I was able to wear “real” pants so I guess the swelling has decreased a little even if my leg looks like a tree trunk. I am feeling better. I’m still feeling a lot of pain in my leg but it is, I am certain, part of the normal healing process. So in order to encourage the healing, I decided top take a leisurely walk through my neighborhood…okay, I was walking so slow I bet my 82 year old grandmother would be able to lap me. But I did walk a mile long loop in and around my neighborhood.

It’s a beautiful day. Don’t let it get away.

Me, I’m going to take a nap!

candy corn season

Hello October!

Time for a season change…hopefully sooner rather than later here in Central Cali. Time for pumpkin harvesting, pumpkin festival activities, corn mazes, Halloween costumes and

CANDY CORN!!!

It was everywhere in Disneyland and California Adventure and they grow ‘em big there!

Bill just loves candy corn as does pretty much everyone here under the Big Top…which is probably why it doesn’t keep very long here.

Fall rites

It’s that time of year again…school pictures are here! It’s all I can do to not tear up over how much they all have changed and grown this past year.

Here Zoë’s junior year portrait. She is truly lovely in her “Where’s Waldo”-type ensemble. Poor Zoë recently got a small taste of what it must feel like to feel old when a young freshman innocently asked who is “Where’s Waldo”. Nevertheless, Zoë’s future is as bright as her eyes and smile in this picture.

Abigael is simply beautiful in her sophomore year portrait but give her a minute, or maybe an hour or two and she will point out every single flaw in this picture which is why we should all hate it. I think that her disatisfaction in this picture is a given for her age and gender. Just ignore her and agree with me that she is simply beautiful.

Jodie’s 7th grade portrait reminds me, once again, that my baby girl is growing up! I imagine that thie is just the beginning of reminders like this.

Daniel’s 1st grade portrait captures all the pride and confidence that this little boy has. He may not completely appreciate all that he has overcome and just how amazing he is but he knows that he is ready for the challenge that is first grade and learning how to write that ridiculously long last name of his.

autumn signals

Carly writes:

EMPS #4: Welcome To Autumn!
I love autumn, simply love it, so, lets have a little fun with the earliest moments and days of my favorite season. Grab your cameras, and treat me to what the first few days of autumn look like in your neighborhood. The leaves, the sky, the autumn light, folks wearing sweaters, or still enjoying picnics outside among the falling leaves. If you customarily have warm autumns… show me that! If you are beginning to feel the chill… then show me that! In other words… show me what signs of autumn you are seeing this week in particular!

There isn’t much in the way of signs of autumn in my neck of the woods. It has been around 90 freaking degrees everyday! It will be weeks before the leaves start turning, frost covers the ground and the tule fog rolls in. I can’t even imagine sweater weather right now. But with getting back into the school and extracurricular activities routine that all my children have, it is definitely the beginning of the high juggling season which is always a sure sign of Fall here under the Big Top.

The last couple of years I have slacked on my own rule that the family sits down together at least 5 out of 7 nights a week. IT was very easy to rationalize my slacking: I was working full-time nights and leaving for work right around dinner time. Two of my kids had very busy schedules with their competitive cheer and dance schedules. Hubs’ Monday through Friday commute was delaying the time we should be sitting down to dinner. The result is there was a lot of dinner-is-on-your-own-whatever-you-find-in-the-pantry/freezer is fine and take-out…definitely too much take-out.

And it has taken its toll, especially on my body.

So here we are settled into a new school/juggling year and it is a time for a fresh start. Changes have been made, resolutions have been sworn and here, under the Big Top, we are getting back to the family dinner table together.

It requires a lot of planning and help but it is do-able. It’s actually fun planning.

And it is worth it.

final summer blooms

As summer comes to an end and fall begins, my sweet boy offers me one last bit of summer.

He presents this little, sweet bit of sunshine wearing his super hero gloves because everyone knows that super heroes must never touch vegetation with their bare hands. Don’t believe me? You should come over to our place for dinner when there are fresh fruit or veggies on the table.

athletic support

Who doesn’t appreciate a good athletic supporter? I know that Abby does.

At her school’s first season game she had her own cheering section while she cheered. I think that she was relieved that her family didn’t join her friends in painting our bellies with the school colors and her name. That could be scary. Still I think it is great to have friends like these. The added bonus was their school’s football team won, actually romped all over the other team.

…what? there was a football game going on?