The Quest

I feel like I'm on a one woman crusade to find time to blog, vacation, clean, run, do laundry, play with my new toy from Christmas, prepare for anniversaries, work, sleep and eat.

I'll try to break it down:
Christmas - it was amazing! DH was blessed by me, his one true love, with a gift of jumping out of a perfectly good airplane. Yep, I paid for him to skydive on a date of his choosing. Since day one of meeting one another he has waxed poetic about free falling through the stratosphere. To put it lightly, he was stunned! I was equally stunned at my gift....a new Kindle! My trusty kindle was a hand me down and was literally first generation. It was one step up from a person following me around and turning the pages of a book. I loved it but had no idea what I was missing! Words with friends without an iPhone? Yes please!

Vacation - DH and I traveled to Yankeeland and spent the better part of a week with my family and friends. It was amazing and a balm to my heart. I love living here in the Deep South and totally appreciate that I didn't even need a coat this afternoon, but I miss my first home. It was so sweet to see how DH and my family got to know each other and find more out about each other.

Cleaning, laundry, sleeping and eating are pretty self explanatory.

Running - Runner Girl and I have barely ran since the marathon. Sad, sad, sad. I feel jiggly. No lie. I feel like a big fat blob. I think this year is harder than ever at the holidays because I've been so good about eating the right way (still having treats) but this Christmas has been rough.

Work - This has been a really tough week for me. Since last Friday I have seen 4 patients with hearing loss of varying degrees. Sometimes what we do hits a little harder than other times, and this week is one of them. Thank heavens I'm off until next week. I know that it's important for families to know what is happening with their kids, but occasionally I wish I could tell them "Just come back next week. Enjoy this last holiday or this last weekend. Because in the next 5 minutes your world will change forever."

Anniversaries - DH and I are celebrating our 1 year anniversary this weekend. I thank God every day for giving me a man that I had no idea I could ever deserve. A man who loves me for exactly who I am, not who I can be or who he wishes I were. I am blessed to love him and be loved by him.

Thank you for following this little blog this past year. I hope that I can continue to entertain and amaze (c'mon, we all know you're AMAZED every time you stop by) throughout 2012.

Merry Christmas!!

Merry Christmas everyone! For unto us a child a is given....take that gift and hold tightly to it!

Ornaments, Tacos and God....It's Christmas time in the South

C'mon, admit it, you were really curious about this title.

I know I haven't been blogging a lot lately. This time of year lends itself to running about like a chicken with it's head cut off, manic shopping sprees (usually for myself since I'm stressed about what to buy others) and an overall feeling of impending mayhem. I don't know that anyone wants to read about that as I'm not as witty or self-deprecating as a lot of blogs I follow.

So what's with the title, right? On Tuesday nights, at least when impending mayhem is held in check, I spend a few hours with the women in my Life Group. This is what bible study is called through our church, because we're doing life together - the ups, the downs, sharing both the joys and blessings and the sorrows and hurts...and always the the laughs.

Last night was the annual ornament exchange and taco night. Tacos for Christmas? Why has no one in Yankeeland thought of this? Everyone brought something and we had a feast - there was an inordinately large amount of shredded lettuce, tortillas from Uncle Julios, sopapilla cheesecake and the best company I could have asked for. Oh, and thanks to Pinterest for my ornament idea - it was a hit. Even though it didn't look quite like this one...errr....well, this is embarrassing, but Pinterest is having some sort of hissy fit or melt-down. I'll put a picture later, if I remember. Hey lookit! Here it is!

In the midst of all the fun, laughing, eating, sharing favorite Christmas movies and more laughing, we talked about what names we use for God. Redeemer, benefactor, forgiver, Emmanuel, ATM (I think this was All to Me but I remember it abbreviated to ATM) and others. In the season that focuses so much on the world and what we want and think we need, it can be humbling and refreshing to remember that Christmas isn't about trees, ornaments, presents and cookies - although these are all nice things and we should enjoy this time of year. But being reminded to keep focus on "unpacking Christ", to borrow a phrase from Ross Sawyers, is a gift that I cannot give thanks for enough.

Merry Christmas, friends, if I don't see you before.

The Long Version of Our Grueling Run

Who would have thought that Runner Girl and I would have managed to pick two 1/2 marathons in a row that had deplorable running conditions? Our first was about 18 months ago and was on the hottest most humid and disgusting day the Deep South had offered at that point. My run included a 2 mile walk in the middle so I didn't pass out alongside the race trail.

White Rock was this past weekend. It was low 40s and rainy. Another humid disgusting day, except replace the hottest with the chilliest. If we hadn't signed up for this together there was no way either of us would have gone. The day was the type where the only thing you wanted to do was to curl up on the couch, sip hot chocolate or tea and watch movies or bad TV. Instead we were all up at 4 to eat some breakfast and head to the Big D in time to beat the crowds. This race had 25,000 people registered to run this year. A rough 9700 finished the race. I don't know how many actually started. Enough ran that it took us 25 minutes just to cross the start line from our corral position.

It started really raining as we were shuffling toward that start line and  It. Did. Not. Stop. Not for 13.1 miles. Not even after those 13.1 miles. It had been raining here for 2 days before the race. That equals a lot of standing water in these parts. So within the first mile we had damp clothes and soaked shoes and socks. That pretty much sums up the way the race went. I don't think I ever really warmed up, even over the end of the race.

Once we finished and made it inside for our medals and finishers shirts we cooled down fast. Like, fast. I was trying to stretch and basically every muscle in my legs seized up into little rocks that were not allowing any further movement. My running jacket (a poor choice of cotton blend) weighed an easy 7 pounds if not more and my shoes probably a couple pounds. Interestingly, my shoes don't stink all that much since they dried out.

Other than the rain and a section of hills, it wasn't a bad race course. It wound through some beautiful neighborhoods, the locals even stood out in the rain cheering us on and a few ambitious frat boys were handing out shots of beer in mile 9.

I am sad to confess that I totally was making fun of how Runner Girl was walking when we finished lunch....until I tried to stand up. If any of you are fans of How I Met Your Mother, it was pretty much like Barney on the subway, except I managed to get up just barely. I probably would have taken up DH on the offer to carry me to the car except I'm sure I smelled like a man.

Does it make me crazy that DH and I are considering running another 1/2 in April? Well, I'm ok with that because I know I can do it. Super proud of us, Runner Girl! 

13.1 in 2:28

Because of this....

and this....

I get bragging rights for pretty much the rest of the year!

PS. Wet cold shoes equals numerous blisters, FYI.