Sick stinks!

I almost dislike being kinda sick more than being really sick. If I was really, really sick then I could go to the doctor & get fixed. Just being kinda sick stinks because they poo-poo me away & tell me that I am okay. Totally & thoroughly ready to feel better.

Granite decision - mostly final!

Finally, after a year, an internet vote, & a lot of stress, we picked out granite. The color is Delicatus White.

The guy is going to come measure & make templates on Wednesday!! The decision finally came down to light. I want a light & bright kitchen. The green has been too dark & almost everything else is too middle-of-the-road & golden. The prettiest choice would have probably been the Labrador Antiqua (dark brown with blue sparkles), but I am absolutely delighted that we’re choosing for us & not for someone else.

I especially love the travertine-colored swatches that run throughout the stone. And there are chunks of quartzite (?) that are clear & glass-like.

Finished kitchen pictures soon & little lady in blue not included.

Providence Wendy's Invitational - Charlotte, North Carolina

Yesterday, Ryan had a cross-country meet in Charlotte. It is a long way to drive, but it is great for the kids to see what kind of talent is in the region & hopefully spur them on to greatness. On the drive north we saw bands of clouds from Hurricane Irene. The weather was hot & weirdly windy but nothing strong enough to affect the race. (effect?)

There were A LOT of runners!!! (over 1300 in four races - varsity girls, varsity boys, JV girls, JV boys). The fastest runners are incredible - just over 5 minute miles for a race through forests, meadows, and one big ugly hill. Mauldin took 1.5 buses of kids.

Ryan started at the back of the pack (not going out too fast) & ran a great race.

There was a huge hill in the first mile. The blurred background looks cool on this picture, but my camera is misbehaving & I didn’t like it on many of the remaining shots.

He almost went into a drainage ditch when he ran the inside corner & got elbowed by #1540.

However, he turned on the afterburners & sped to the finish line. His official time was 20:06.

Here's a link to the official news report for the school: http://gomavs.net/content/section/team_189_news/mhs-xc-stampedes-at-providence/

Conflicts

The kids have been back in school for a few weeks now. It seems like every.single.solitary.night there is something back-to-school and wonderful. :) The hardest part has been figuring out my new driving schedule.

Chris has his license so he can drive himself to seminary & go pick up pizza for date night. We are still hunting for a car for him to use. We were going to buy our friend’s car but the transmission exploded on the freeway a few days before we were going to take ownership. He is a senior in high school. Last week, we had his senior portraits taken, and I am just amazed at how fast the time has gone!! He is taking a college history class plus a full load (art, English, probability & stats, senior project, etc.). Before school (6:10 a..m) he takes seminary (church class) & after school he runs cross country.

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Ryan is busy with middle school. When I went to back-to-school night, I was overwhelmed with the amount of homework that the teachers were assigning. I pick Ryan up at after school, bring him home for 15”, & then drive him to the high school where he runs cross country. The coach is amazing - hilarious sense of humor but very serious at the same time. (A few examples: “My favorite food after the meets is Mexican food - and I drive the bus so it’s the kids’ favorite food too.” and “Zach, did you write this with your left foot?” (horrible handwriting)) Cross country goes until 5:45-ISH & then on two afternoons he has baseball from 5-7. Meets are the same day as baseball practice & baseball tourneys. Somehow it will all work but so far it’s a little complicated.

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Jared is loving elementary school. He gets to ride the bus home every day - the stop is variable though depending on what time I catch up with the bus. The district changed the route so they drive past our stop, make three stops in the neighboring neighborhood & then one more in our stop before coming to our entrance. It’s pretty ridiculous but does give me plenty of chances to catch up. :) He spends lots & lots of time in the bus & the car. It’s too bad he is not a big reader so he could have something productive to do with all of his riding time.

I read THE FUNNIEST notice to the public education system. It is here: http://beautopotamus.blogspot.com/2011/08/beautopotamus-family-disclosure.html . I truly admire teachers and the work that they do, but sometimes there are unrealistic demands placed on the family & I get what she was trying to say. She has TEN kids so everything is magnified a little, but the principles are still the same. I wanted to stand up & cheer when one of Ryan’s teachers announced that he would not be assigning projects. As I said in the past, projects are Mom-Work instead of homework. Happy to have at least one educator on my side.

Thoughts on running today...

I feel like I have missed a whole summer of workouts. The kids were very busy all summer & scheduling was very difficult. While we were in Utah & Idaho & Florida (posts to come), I went on some walks & hikes & a little running. I even rode the StarTrac spin bike in Bountiful. However, I did not exercise good judgment in eating & I am bloated & fluffy & ready to feel healthy & strong again.

Scott took the day off work last Friday & we went to TR to run 7.5 miles. The first mile was a little tough. The second mile was tougher. And by 2.5 miles I was whining & crying & writhing on the ground saying, "I can't do this any more!!!" ... a little exaggerated but exactly what I wished I was doing. Scott was so nice - he just stuck with me as I ran when I could & walked when I couldn't. Finally, we came to a mutual agreement that I would be delighted to walk the remaining miles back to the car & he would be delighted to run an alternative, longer route back to the car. WIN-WIN works. I felt very defeated but realized that I was just having an off day.

I am training for a half marathon. Luckily, the exact race is still a mystery because of the cross country schedules, but in about 18 weeks I will have completed a tough training program. I have the book Run Less, Run Faster by the people at Furman University in Greenville. Last night I completed my first cross training workout – 45-60” of fast spinning & light resistance. My feet were happy to have a break. This morning I went running with my neighbor – we went a slow 3.1 miles but we did it! I took the kids to school & then went to the gym to run track repeats on the treadmill.

Track repeats consist of trying to run a distance (400m – once around the track - 0.25 miles) in a certain time (fast!). I decided to do the workout on the treadmill. I ran 2” at 7.0 mph, then walked 1.5” @ 3.5 mph & repeated this 11-12 times. Why “11-12”? Because I lost track! Once I started feeling pukey (about 35” into a 52” workout), I couldn't keep track of times for a few minutes. When I was done, I knew that I had completed a very difficult workout, even if it was not one bit fun. I usually pass time by listening to music & counting down from 15-1. (15-14-13...) Today, I was living one small moment at a time & counting by 5s again & again & again. When I was finished, I had completed almost five miles.

No pictures yet – haven't figured out how to incorporate them into blog posts with my new Mac. Suggestions appreciated.