The One With All The Running

**The first person to guess how I came up with the name of this post will receive a 5.00 Starbucks gift card**

Do you remember this post I wrote back in May? It was all about how I had started running, I was really enjoying it and it was something I NEVER thought I would do...remember?
Well, this past weekend, I had a chance to prove to myself that 1) I can actually start something and stick to it 2)I can actually make a goal for myself and not only accomplish, but exceed that goal 3)Running is amazing!
On Thursday evening, I left my boys (including the hubby) at home and headed off to Akron, OH to participate in the Akron Marathon. 2 people in our group were running the full marathon; 2 were running the 1/2 marathon, and 5 of us were doing a full marathon-relay style.
My leg of the relay was 6.3 miles, and I was third leg. Might I remind you that 6 months ago, I had started the running thing by running for 30 seconds, walking for 1.5 minutes for 20 minutes. I moved up the running chart and struggled each time I increased the running time and decreased the walking. So, here I was, ready to go at it for 6.3 miles of RUNNING! I had been training and was fairly confident that I would be able to complete the 6.3 miles in 72 minutes.
My friends, I am here to tell you, that not only did I RUN the entire 6.3 miles, I did it in 66.23 minutes!! It was so much fun! The entire weekend was a blast, for too many reasons to list, but accomplishing something I set my mind to was an amazing feeling. I just don't stick to much of anything. (IE College!!)
I'm not sure if I have the tenacity, time, or strength to ever do a full marathon, but I am really hoping and planning to accomplish a 1/2 marathon sometime in the next year....that would be an amazing feat for me!
I could not write all about this weekend without mentioning how amazing the friendships and laughter were. I had the opportunity to bunk with a stranger (although many people knew we would love each other) and as we said good-bye to each other on Saturday evening, we were like "summer camp sisters"...you know, the crying, the promising to write, the clinging to each other...it was something like that! One of the greatest things God gives us is friendship, and that was experienced to the fullest this weekend, it was really, even greater than the running thing!!

*I REALLY wanted to post some pictures, but I can't get them to work*

Why I love fall...part 1

Soup, it's what's for dinner! This is one of the reasons I love fall...
I love soup! To me, it's a great comfort food, and I would eat it a lot more often, if the men in my family felt like it was "manly" enough to constitute a meal..(Insert manly grunting noises here)!
I found this soup recipe at the end of last winter, and loved it, and yesterday's crisply warm-ish, fall-ish day was a perfect day to start my fall soup-fest! The recipe is from the Cooking Light Fresh Food Fast cookbook. I highly suggest you try it soon! (And let me know what you think!!)

Cheese Tortellini and Vegetable Soup

1 (14.5) can diced tomatoes with garlic and onion undrained
1 (11.5oz) can condensed bean with bacon soup (cambell's) undiluted
3 Cups water
1 (16oz) pkg frozen Italian style vegetables
3/4tsp. dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. black pepper
9 oz. pkg fresh cheese tortellini (I use the Buitoni, I have used the whole wheat, but the regular is better)
1/4 Cup grated parmesan cheese

Combine first 6 ingredients in a saucepan, cover and bring to a boil over high heat. Add pasta; reduce heat to medium. Cook, partially covered, 7 minutes or until pasta and veggies are tender. Stir in cheese.
6 servings...1 1/3 cups/serving

And in case you're counting...
201 calories; 4 fat grams; 5.4 grams fiber

Enjoy!!

If you have a soup recipe that you love, share it in the comments section!!

It's not even Kindergarten, for Pete's Sake!

Today I woke up with a familiar pit in my stomach. A feeling I remember experiencing so many times as a kid, usually once a year, late August-Early September. The dreaded "first day of school nerves". Only today, instead of for me, the nerves were ever more intense because I was sending my boy off into the wild frontier of ... PRE-school!!
There were a lot of big fears that came with this first day of school...what to wear;will other people talk to me; will I be a cool kid this year; will the teachers like me; will I know anybody...and those were just the things I was worried about FOR ME, not Levi!
Levi's first words upon waking this morning were, "Mommy, are you going to be my driver to school?" "Yes, of course I will" "Will I be in my carseat?" "Yes, of course you will!" "ON THE SCHOOL BUS?" The poor guy, all this hype about school and he doesn't even get to ride the bus!
We arrived at school, Levi's excitement never waned, and started walking up the sidewalk of dread. With Mason on my hip and Levi holding my hand...or rather ME tightly gripping LEVI'S hand, we made our way into the building.
The teacher came out to greet all the parents and children and I totally, completely lost it! The tears just started falling. Levi looked up at me and I turned my head away, can you imagine if he, who was so brave and excited looked up to see me completely falling apart! I made my way into the classroom and helped Levi find his name tag, pin it to his shirt, and he looked at me with a big smile and said, "Can I go play now?" and that was it, he was gone...leaving me and a puddle of tears in his dust! One of the teachers smiled at me and said, "I think you should go now"...uh, yeah, you think? Since I am the only person, children included, with crocodile tears filling my face!
Mason and I left, went to the park to hang out with Lindsay and Ayla, and I was fine. When we went back to pick him up, I was receiving many sympathetic looks from the other parents, and I know they were just waiting for me to lose it again...I bet they had a pool going on over at the "cool parents table", but I didn't.
As soon as the door opened and Levi ran over to us with a huge smile on his face proclaiming, "mama, I didn't cry today!", I welled up again, but held it in! We came home, I gave my boy his favorite lunch, PB&J and we cuddled up on the couch for a bit, and suddenly, with my big boy in arms so proud of all he accomplished on his first day out of my nest, all was right with the world again.

A long letter from my mind...

Dear Summer 2009,
You Rocked my socks off...and that wasn't necessarily a good thing...
You kept your hotter than hades temperatures far from us, and we enjoyed such pleasant weather all summer long, for that we are certainly grateful! Our days were filled with hanging out with so many of our great friends...

...eating lots and LOTS of ice cream, sometimes a little too fast...

...many days of silliness, laughter and smiles came along with you sweet summer of 2009...


...two lovely vacations; one to Mackinac in early July (click the link to read and see pictures about that), and a recent family get-away to Pappa Mike's in Cinncinnati and then the 4 of us went to Traverse City for a few days...

Yes, Summer of 2009, you were very, VERY good to us! Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to go crawl under my covers and avoid tomorrow like the plague...because, tomorrow this boy...
is leaving my little nest and heading off to pre-school, and frankly, I just don't want him to!

Sincerely,
The clingy, crying mother I never thought I'd be!

5 years!

5 years ago today...

...I woke up with my 5 bridesmaids (my sister, 2 sister-in-laws (well, they weren't officially sister in laws until later that day), and 2 of my longest, closest friends)
...We went to Visions salon in Novi to get our hair done
...I danced in the bridal room with my Mother in law (to be)
...I clung to my dad's arm as he walked me toward my love
...I cried through most of the ceremony and did not want to let go of Chris' hand (I think I was still afraid he would change his mind)
...we rode in an old car with the top down through Brighton wearing sunglasses, and listening to strangers cheer for us
...we danced the night away at Crystal Gardens with 130 friends and family members
...we had a chauffered car take us to an airport hotel where two young boys offered to take our luggage to our room for us, since we were "just married"
...we declined
...was one of the best days of my life!!!

In the past 5 years we have...

...added 2 boys and a dog to our family
...been on 2 cruises
...upgraded cars 3 times
...painted 4 rooms
...gone to 2 different churches
...parasailed in St. Thomas
...made new friends
...lost some old friends
...fought
...made up
...laughed...laughed a lot

...played 677 documented games of cribbage
...learned to be parents
...battled through post-partum depression together

In the next 5 years we...

...will laugh...a lot...it's what we do
...will fight some more
...will make up some more
...might be able to move into a bigger house with a Yard!
...will keep figuring out this parenting thing
...hope to travel more
...will play more cribbage (and maybe, just maybe, I'll take the lead!)
...might, maybe, possibly, who knows...add to our family...maybe?
...will challenge each other to walk closer to God
...will keep falling in love...(awwwww)

Happy Anniversary, Chris! I look forward to what lies ahead for us! I love you (more today than yesterday, but not as much as tomorrow...) :D