Tuesday, December 31, 2013
What Are You Doing New Years Eve?
Those two are adorable, aren't they? What are you doing this New Year's Eve? I bet whatever you're doing is more exciting than what I'm doing. No matter. It's going to be a quiet night in our house. Matthew will play with Legos, Elizabeth will play with the loaner cat, Brian will relax from a day of cabinet installation, and I will fix finger foods and try my best to sprinkle in some whole foods at the table, too. Brian will have a beer. I'll have a glass of wine. The kids will stay up until 10 pm (thank you time zones for such trickery!), and Brian and I will try our best to stay up until midnight, kiss, and go to sleep.
Happy New Year, friends and family!
Monday, December 30, 2013
It Gets Worse before It Gets Better.
January is almost here, and every catalog is touting organizational tricks and tools. I have no grand ideas as I've spent the first half of this school year getting our house in order, but it's been our plan to install cabinets in our laundry room over winter break. It's definitely a good thing. It will be. But right now, this 5S-er's organized, functional, and efficient home is in a state of such disarray that I could almost scream. It's only temporary keeps flowing through my mind, but projects always last longer than one thinks. On Friday, Brian removed the shelf above the washer and dryer along with all the rags, cleaning and laundry supplies, and every other miscellaneous item that belongs in a laundry room such as the carpet steamer and vacuum. All those things are now lined up along the hallway in the great room. I think I saw the dryer in the hallway, too. Either that or the washer. Oh, and the door to the laundry room is in the hallway, too. Are even you screaming now?! It's only Monday, but I've had about enough.
The end of the tunnel is in sight, though. The room is now painted, and we purchased the cabinets from IKEA today. He was reading the installation instructions this afternoon and said, "Well I guess if this little cartoon guy can do this I can, too." Good grief. Why do they not include a video of how to do it? Their instructions are so simplified that it's complicated. I remember my work-study job in college for the computer department.... The computer department? Sara? Relax, all I had to do was make copies for Brother David who taught computer science classes. That guy had so much confidence in me--thought I could do anything! He bought a computer desk from IKEA, and on his way to teach a class or two he told me to put as much of it together as I could. He came back two hours later to me surrounded by boards and nuts and bolts, staring at the cryptic instructions. Nothing was put together. I apologized; he simply smiled and thanked me. He was a monk, after all. Brian is much smarter than I am, so I'm sure he's got this. Though I picture me holding up cabinets as he's attaching them to the wall. As Brother David can attest (but probably wouldn't) I'm not the world's most helpful assistant, and Brian is not a monk so I hope he doesn't get frustrated with me. But we both do want to get the project finished and all the stuff in the hallway put away neatly in new cabinets so we'll try our best. Wish our team good luck!
The end of the tunnel is in sight, though. The room is now painted, and we purchased the cabinets from IKEA today. He was reading the installation instructions this afternoon and said, "Well I guess if this little cartoon guy can do this I can, too." Good grief. Why do they not include a video of how to do it? Their instructions are so simplified that it's complicated. I remember my work-study job in college for the computer department.... The computer department? Sara? Relax, all I had to do was make copies for Brother David who taught computer science classes. That guy had so much confidence in me--thought I could do anything! He bought a computer desk from IKEA, and on his way to teach a class or two he told me to put as much of it together as I could. He came back two hours later to me surrounded by boards and nuts and bolts, staring at the cryptic instructions. Nothing was put together. I apologized; he simply smiled and thanked me. He was a monk, after all. Brian is much smarter than I am, so I'm sure he's got this. Though I picture me holding up cabinets as he's attaching them to the wall. As Brother David can attest (but probably wouldn't) I'm not the world's most helpful assistant, and Brian is not a monk so I hope he doesn't get frustrated with me. But we both do want to get the project finished and all the stuff in the hallway put away neatly in new cabinets so we'll try our best. Wish our team good luck!
Sunday, December 29, 2013
Harshing My Mellow
I had a case of the blahs today. Nothing went wrong, but there was nothing particularly happy or fun about it and I couldn't seem to make it happen myself. Do you ever have down days like that? It could be because I didn't start it by running outside in the cool crisp air at the park with the sun shining down on me while listening to peppy music. Rest days are difficult; my head works better when endorphins are released. My mood is also heavily affected by whatever songs randomly shuffle onto my iPod or are played on the radio or Pandora stations. I didn't have the radio on all that much today, but this was the list of songs that played before I had to tune it out or turn it off:
"Say Something" by A Great Big World
"Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
"Let Her Go" by Passenger
"Angel" by Aerosmith
Whoa. Guess someone was having a bad day. No need to make the rest of us have a bad day, though. I'm starting with four miles in the morning, hopefully not to Coldplay. I'll see you tomorrow.
"Say Something" by A Great Big World
"Set Fire to the Rain" by Adele
"Let Her Go" by Passenger
"Angel" by Aerosmith
Whoa. Guess someone was having a bad day. No need to make the rest of us have a bad day, though. I'm starting with four miles in the morning, hopefully not to Coldplay. I'll see you tomorrow.
Saturday, December 28, 2013
Think Good Thoughts
I woke up at 6 am, ate half a banana, got dressed, and ran from about 7:00-9:00. I did twelve miles in 1:54:29. I didn't break any land speed records, but that's a pretty decent performance for me. I averaged 9:32 per mile; in comparison, my average pace last year was 10:00 per mile. You could say I'm improving.
I'm not any fitter, but my mind is in a much better place. I'm not punishing myself or beating myself up anymore. I speak much kinder to myself, and that's more conducive to doing anything better, including running. (Breakthrough! I should try this with guitar.) Why waste energy with negative thoughts when positive thoughts yield quicker runs and make you happy? I'm also trying very hard to stay in the moment. I don't get to Mile 1 and think, Eleven more to go. Blah. When I start to feel that way, I push those feelings away by focusing on something beautiful like the sky, a bird, a bunny, the lake, the trees--anything works and beauty surrounds. It's another opportunity to remind myself that I get to do this. If you weren't here, what would you be doing, Sara? Right. There's no better way to greet a Saturday.
I'm not any fitter, but my mind is in a much better place. I'm not punishing myself or beating myself up anymore. I speak much kinder to myself, and that's more conducive to doing anything better, including running. (Breakthrough! I should try this with guitar.) Why waste energy with negative thoughts when positive thoughts yield quicker runs and make you happy? I'm also trying very hard to stay in the moment. I don't get to Mile 1 and think, Eleven more to go. Blah. When I start to feel that way, I push those feelings away by focusing on something beautiful like the sky, a bird, a bunny, the lake, the trees--anything works and beauty surrounds. It's another opportunity to remind myself that I get to do this. If you weren't here, what would you be doing, Sara? Right. There's no better way to greet a Saturday.
At this time last year, when it started to feel tough I'd tell myself to keep going. I'd slog up and down the canal shuffling my feet and practically dragging myself along or stopping to walk only to have it feel that much harder to pick it back up to running. It doesn't matter how you do it, just do it. This year, when things get tough I tell myself to keep going strong. What's the difference? Focus, concentration, and confidence. Negative thoughts enter and I push them out.
This is so hard. I know I can run.
My legs are tired. I know I can run far.
This hill is long and steep. I know I can run strong.
It is hard, but things are different now. I learned the hard way, but I learned important lessons and have changed my attitude. I'm so much tougher than I thought I was.
But all that toughness can wear a person out by the time she takes her kids to the park later that same afternoon.
This is so hard. I know I can run.
My legs are tired. I know I can run far.
This hill is long and steep. I know I can run strong.
It is hard, but things are different now. I learned the hard way, but I learned important lessons and have changed my attitude. I'm so much tougher than I thought I was.
But all that toughness can wear a person out by the time she takes her kids to the park later that same afternoon.
Friday, December 27, 2013
'Cause I try. And I try. And I try. And I try!
Hey, hey, hey. That's what I say.
My guitar Genevieve and I are trying to get back to practicing regularly. It's been tough lately not only to fit it into my daily schedule, but the material is tough, too. Learning how to play guitar at this particular stage in life isn't easy to begin with, but it really did seem to get exponentially harder once I was introduced to "the dreaded F chord." I also must admit that I haven't been practicing as often or for as long. 'Cause it's hard, y'all! And because it's so hard, it's not as much fun as it was, so I don't do it as often. See the cycle? I also realize that I don't have much talent for this sort of thing. Then I wonder why I even wanted to try. And sometimes I want to throw in the towel and scream, Oh forget it!
But that's not who I am.
It is true...my guitar does not gently weep. No. Genevieve probably longs to heartily cry out, "Learn how to play already, you soul-sucking open chord-strummer!" Wow. I make her sound so mean. She's not really mean. I'm hard on myself so maybe I'm the mean one; that does sound like something I'd say to myself. But what am I comparing myself to? The radio? Uh huh. You bet I am because I know not one average, normal person who plays guitar like an average, normal person. When I listen to real music, I have no idea how they get the guitar to do most of the things they get it to do. Yes, my skill level and knowledge are that low. Can lots of people do that? Can normal people do that? I wonder.
My friends don't play so it's not like we get together to work on improving the way we do at Fitness with Friends. I have no one in my address book to invite to Guitar with Friends. Bummer. In an embarrassingly desperate moment, I asked another mom at school to whom I had never before spoken if she played guitar completely believing that she would say yes and we'd become the best of friends jamming in one of our garages. (I've apparently also become a 14-year-old boy. Good news--the clothes fit!) Where am I going with this? Oh, yes. Here's the gist of that conversation:
Me: You're the one with the Beatles sticker on your car, right?
She: Yeah.
Me: Hi. Sara. So you like the Beatles, huh?
She: My whole family loves the Beatles. It's in our blood.
Me: Nice. Do you play guitar?
She: No. I played the flute in high school and college.
A brief awkward silence follows as I'm thinking, Shit. I can't jam with a flute. Now what do I say?
Me: Oh. That's cool.
No it's not. It's a flute. That helps in no way. No way at all!
So that didn't go the way I thought it would. We are most definitely not jamming together.
Recalculating. Since I have no guitar-playing friends, here's my plan. For the next week I will buckle down and really commit to practicing these chord changes to F along with the more fun things on Justin's practice schedule. Those changes take five minutes a day. Five minutes. If I do those consistently, in seven days I should average more than 20 changes per minute. If I don't, then I need to promise myself that instead of getting frustrated, I'll continue to try my best. There is no deadline and no pressure. It's supposed to be fun so let it be. I said let it be. Ha!
My guitar Genevieve and I are trying to get back to practicing regularly. It's been tough lately not only to fit it into my daily schedule, but the material is tough, too. Learning how to play guitar at this particular stage in life isn't easy to begin with, but it really did seem to get exponentially harder once I was introduced to "the dreaded F chord." I also must admit that I haven't been practicing as often or for as long. 'Cause it's hard, y'all! And because it's so hard, it's not as much fun as it was, so I don't do it as often. See the cycle? I also realize that I don't have much talent for this sort of thing. Then I wonder why I even wanted to try. And sometimes I want to throw in the towel and scream, Oh forget it!
But that's not who I am.
It is true...my guitar does not gently weep. No. Genevieve probably longs to heartily cry out, "Learn how to play already, you soul-sucking open chord-strummer!" Wow. I make her sound so mean. She's not really mean. I'm hard on myself so maybe I'm the mean one; that does sound like something I'd say to myself. But what am I comparing myself to? The radio? Uh huh. You bet I am because I know not one average, normal person who plays guitar like an average, normal person. When I listen to real music, I have no idea how they get the guitar to do most of the things they get it to do. Yes, my skill level and knowledge are that low. Can lots of people do that? Can normal people do that? I wonder.
My friends don't play so it's not like we get together to work on improving the way we do at Fitness with Friends. I have no one in my address book to invite to Guitar with Friends. Bummer. In an embarrassingly desperate moment, I asked another mom at school to whom I had never before spoken if she played guitar completely believing that she would say yes and we'd become the best of friends jamming in one of our garages. (I've apparently also become a 14-year-old boy. Good news--the clothes fit!) Where am I going with this? Oh, yes. Here's the gist of that conversation:
Me: You're the one with the Beatles sticker on your car, right?
She: Yeah.
Me: Hi. Sara. So you like the Beatles, huh?
She: My whole family loves the Beatles. It's in our blood.
Me: Nice. Do you play guitar?
She: No. I played the flute in high school and college.
A brief awkward silence follows as I'm thinking, Shit. I can't jam with a flute. Now what do I say?
Me: Oh. That's cool.
No it's not. It's a flute. That helps in no way. No way at all!
So that didn't go the way I thought it would. We are most definitely not jamming together.
Recalculating. Since I have no guitar-playing friends, here's my plan. For the next week I will buckle down and really commit to practicing these chord changes to F along with the more fun things on Justin's practice schedule. Those changes take five minutes a day. Five minutes. If I do those consistently, in seven days I should average more than 20 changes per minute. If I don't, then I need to promise myself that instead of getting frustrated, I'll continue to try my best. There is no deadline and no pressure. It's supposed to be fun so let it be. I said let it be. Ha!
Thursday, December 26, 2013
Half Heaven
My friends and I have been training for the Rock 'n' Roll Arizona Half Marathon in January. It's both Aimee and Janette's first half marathon and only my third official half. We're the kind of people who take challenges seriously and are working hard towards finishes we can be proud of. Of course, lots of people never complete a half marathon so just finishing one of these is a pretty big deal, I guess. Although we're not planning on running together since we all run at different paces, I'm looking forward to tackling this race with these ladies. I've found that a half marathon is a reasonable challenge for anyone, yet running 13.1 miles is undoubtedly an impressive achievement. Yes you must respect that distance, but it's tolerable. Running twice as many miles was not my cup of tea at all and, while I know I should never say never, it is not very likely that I will ever train to complete another marathon. This half marathon in January is conveniently located, but the downside is that we're running through the streets of Tempe, Scottsdale, and Phoenix. Meh. There are plenty of spectators lining the course to cheer you on and live bands at every mile, so the atmosphere is very exciting and party-like. Although lively is fun, peace seems to be the name of the game for me these days.
Well looky what I found. There is a half marathon series that has runners running through or near national parks! This is my cup of tea exactly. Each race even has an "official race hike." What's that, you ask? Well...if you do the hike within 72 hours after finishing the race and submit a photo of yourself wearing your medal and holding your bib at a designated point on the hike, then you get 50% off your race registration the following year. What an inspired idea! Even if you don't want to do the race again, I appreciate that they encourage you to explore the park and suggest a cool place to visit. After perusing the course maps, I found that not all the parks grant the organizers access to the park, and the Grand Canyon race has zero canyon views. Hmmmm. Well, I like the race organizers' heart and spirit anyway. I hope more races like these are born. I love the concept.
After watching the PBS National Parks series earlier this year I told Brian that we should get ourselves and our kids to as many national parks as we possibly can. I don't have a burning desire to travel the world, but I would like to see nearly all of North America. And if it's in an Airstream, well then all the better. We can drive ourselves to the parks, and we don't have to learn another language. Let's see these places!
My first of these races may be the one in Glen Canyon in October, unless Aimee and Janette's races go so well that they're up for Zion in March! It sounds like the Glen Canyon view is spectacular and the course is relatively flat. Plus it's not far away and I do want to see the Rainbow Bridge. And official race hike or not, I'm going to Antelope Canyon! Yes. This race series seems like a winner. Now to get me that Airstream.
Well looky what I found. There is a half marathon series that has runners running through or near national parks! This is my cup of tea exactly. Each race even has an "official race hike." What's that, you ask? Well...if you do the hike within 72 hours after finishing the race and submit a photo of yourself wearing your medal and holding your bib at a designated point on the hike, then you get 50% off your race registration the following year. What an inspired idea! Even if you don't want to do the race again, I appreciate that they encourage you to explore the park and suggest a cool place to visit. After perusing the course maps, I found that not all the parks grant the organizers access to the park, and the Grand Canyon race has zero canyon views. Hmmmm. Well, I like the race organizers' heart and spirit anyway. I hope more races like these are born. I love the concept.
After watching the PBS National Parks series earlier this year I told Brian that we should get ourselves and our kids to as many national parks as we possibly can. I don't have a burning desire to travel the world, but I would like to see nearly all of North America. And if it's in an Airstream, well then all the better. We can drive ourselves to the parks, and we don't have to learn another language. Let's see these places!
My first of these races may be the one in Glen Canyon in October, unless Aimee and Janette's races go so well that they're up for Zion in March! It sounds like the Glen Canyon view is spectacular and the course is relatively flat. Plus it's not far away and I do want to see the Rainbow Bridge. And official race hike or not, I'm going to Antelope Canyon! Yes. This race series seems like a winner. Now to get me that Airstream.
Wednesday, December 25, 2013
One Happy Holiday
What a lovely two days we had at our house.
GiGi came over yesterday afternoon, and her arrival marked the beginning of the official Christmas Eve celebration. To Matthew, that meant that he got to open one of his gifts already under the tree. Brian's mother, always on the ball, sent their gifts to us right after Thanksgiving. Staring at wrapped presents he couldn't open for three weeks was almost too much for Matthew to bear! But now that GiGi was here and we were enjoying appetizers and wine, it was time to tear into one. Ahhhhh. All was well; it was Legos!
After a low-key ham dinner the kids and Brian tracked Santa with the help of NORAD, and later we enjoyed some treats. Take it easy there, GiGi.
Relax. It's hot chocolate and she was going after the marshmallows. We just couldn't resist that photo opportunity.
Before long, it was time to get to sleep, and Snoopy got cozy in Elizabeth's bed. It's a Christmas miracle!
This morning the kids were excited to see what Santa brought, and we were excited to see their faces light up.
Elizabeth got lots of Webkinz, and Matthew got lots of Legos.
Elizabeth likes to help GiGi open her gifts and read her cards to her.
Both kids got Camelbaks, so we're looking forward to some hiking and biking excursions over break.
Brian got some clothes, beer, and games to play with the kids.
Genevieve is now nice and comfortable in her new stand in the corner of our guest room.
Even our feline visitor got a little something, and I was so glad that she came out to open presents with us!
The aftermath...
and the afterglow.
Such calm and relaxing days of contentment. Merry Christmas!
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Merry Christmas!
Tonight is the night known as Christ's birth, and our family is prepared to celebrate Christmas. Although I was raised Catholic, I am not a religious person. I think my mother and a few other members of my extended family may be a bit disappointed by that, but it's just not who I am. I believe what I believe and part of that is that there are a lot of unknowns and no one can know with absolute certainty about any of it. Brian and I both feel that we don't need a church or any type of organized religion to worship or honor our beliefs. We have our reasons, just like people who attend church have their reasons for going. I respect their faith and their choosing to attend church as much as I would expect them to respect my choice to not go. If you want to label me, I prefer agnostic to heathen.
Some may say the fact that we do celebrate Christmas is hypocritical. We decorate, have a big supper, bake cookies, fill stockings, give gifts, and come together with traditions as most Christian families do. We're celebrating the birth of Jesus, one of the most kind-hearted men to ever grace this planet (or at least the idea of someone like that). Whether he is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and/or the Holy Spirit, I do not know. He could be. He could not be. I'm okay with not knowing for sure. The mystical and magical stories befuddled me in Sunday school as early as third grade, but what I really took away was that Jesus was a compassionate, generous, and selfless man. That should be celebrated. So we celebrate! We honor the peace on Earth and good will to men sentiments at this time of year and try our best to keep that momentum going all year long. Just as Thanksgiving is the time we're reminded to be thankful, Christmas is a time to remind us to be loving and accepting.
So no matter what you believe or whether you celebrate Christmas at all, our family wishes you all the best this season as well as the entire year through.
Some may say the fact that we do celebrate Christmas is hypocritical. We decorate, have a big supper, bake cookies, fill stockings, give gifts, and come together with traditions as most Christian families do. We're celebrating the birth of Jesus, one of the most kind-hearted men to ever grace this planet (or at least the idea of someone like that). Whether he is God the Father, Jesus the Son, and/or the Holy Spirit, I do not know. He could be. He could not be. I'm okay with not knowing for sure. The mystical and magical stories befuddled me in Sunday school as early as third grade, but what I really took away was that Jesus was a compassionate, generous, and selfless man. That should be celebrated. So we celebrate! We honor the peace on Earth and good will to men sentiments at this time of year and try our best to keep that momentum going all year long. Just as Thanksgiving is the time we're reminded to be thankful, Christmas is a time to remind us to be loving and accepting.
So no matter what you believe or whether you celebrate Christmas at all, our family wishes you all the best this season as well as the entire year through.
Monday, December 23, 2013
The Cat in the...House?
Are pigs flying? Is it a cold day in hell? It must be so because there is a cat in my house. A cat. A cat!
It's not that I dislike animals. I think they are cute and I like to pet my friends' dogs and cats, but I've never wanted one of my own. My brother always begged for a puppy, but I listened to my parents' protestations and they sounded reasonable enough to me. No, I didn't want to pick up its poop or give it a bath. I didn't want to take it on walks when it's cold or snowing out. I didn't want hair all over everything in our house. Sure it would be nice to have a cute little fuzzy thing snuggle up on the couch with you, but those are some pretty big cons against that pro. I'm sure there are more pros, but I wouldn't know what they are. I've always felt that I didn't need anything else to take care of, no matter how cute and cuddly it may be.
So anyway.... The cat. There's a bit of a back story here.
Our next door neighbor has a few outdoor cats. They really like it over at our place, it seems. And no, we don't feed them. Still, they curl up on our patio furniture and follow Elizabeth around the backyard. Elizabeth loves it and she pets them and loves on them and, I'll admit, it's really sweet to watch.
It's not that I dislike animals. I think they are cute and I like to pet my friends' dogs and cats, but I've never wanted one of my own. My brother always begged for a puppy, but I listened to my parents' protestations and they sounded reasonable enough to me. No, I didn't want to pick up its poop or give it a bath. I didn't want to take it on walks when it's cold or snowing out. I didn't want hair all over everything in our house. Sure it would be nice to have a cute little fuzzy thing snuggle up on the couch with you, but those are some pretty big cons against that pro. I'm sure there are more pros, but I wouldn't know what they are. I've always felt that I didn't need anything else to take care of, no matter how cute and cuddly it may be.
So anyway.... The cat. There's a bit of a back story here.
Our next door neighbor has a few outdoor cats. They really like it over at our place, it seems. And no, we don't feed them. Still, they curl up on our patio furniture and follow Elizabeth around the backyard. Elizabeth loves it and she pets them and loves on them and, I'll admit, it's really sweet to watch.
In a temporary moment of insanity, I thought maybe we could get Elizabeth a cat for Christmas. I've always heard cats are so easy--you leave the food out for them, they go in their litter box, they wash themselves. How hard could it be? Then I looked at the patio sofa cushion covered in cat hair and was snapped back to reality. We'd have a house full of cat hair and I'd have a litter box to clean. No thank you.
But when I visited my friend Kathy on Saturday, I sat down at her kitchen table and her cat jumped in my lap. Cats do that? My impression of house cats has always been that they run away from people, hide under beds, can't be bothered with you, and are not very friendly creatures. Snoopy, however, was nuzzling my sweatshirt, purring contentedly, and stealing my heart. When it was time for me to go, I gave her a big hug and Kathy jokingly suggested that we catsit Snoopy while they go away for the holidays. "She doesn't shed and she is as friendly as a dog without all the work. It would be a good way to try out a pet." Not only did I sleep on that idea, but last night I also slept with a purring cat on my pillow.
So yes. Snoopy is roaming freely in our house. More accurately, she's been under my bed or in my closet most of the day. We're patiently allowing her to get a feel for the place and for us. No rush. I coax her out of her hiding places occasionally and she rubs against me, flips over, and I rub her belly. She seems to like that. She also like the strings on my hoodie. Goes crazy for them! Elizabeth was a bit disappointed that Snoopy wasn't coming to her like the next door cats do, so she wore my hoodie and they bonded over the string.
I hope Snoopy gets comfortable enough here to snuggle on the couch with us soon. This is only a little test. Rest assured, no life-changing decisions on pets have been made quite yet.
Sunday, December 22, 2013
Biker Chick
Brian was having a hard time getting out the door to go mountain biking this morning. His friends are out of town or have visitors or are getting ready for visitors...something like that. I'm fuzzy on the details. Anyway, I asked the kids if they wanted to go with him because he didn't have anyone else to ride with today. Elizabeth jumped at the chance with an excited, "Yes!" Matthew, not so much. So Brian pumped up her tires, added her bike to the bike rack, and off they went to San Tan Mountain.
They had a blast together on the trails. He didn't take her on anything close to the trails with which he chose to introduce me to mountain biking, and by the looks of their photos and videos I'd like to try mountain biking again. Matthew, too. So we're planning a trip later this week to explore the wilderness on bikes as a family.
A few hours after we checked out the photos and videos from Brian's phone, he received a notification from Google Auto Awesome. Oh, Google. You're always up in our business! But this is actually pretty cool because it takes some of the photos and videos from their morning together and mixes them into a montage accompanied by a dramatic score. For real! Check it out. It's Elizabeth's first mountain biking adventure!
They had a blast together on the trails. He didn't take her on anything close to the trails with which he chose to introduce me to mountain biking, and by the looks of their photos and videos I'd like to try mountain biking again. Matthew, too. So we're planning a trip later this week to explore the wilderness on bikes as a family.
A few hours after we checked out the photos and videos from Brian's phone, he received a notification from Google Auto Awesome. Oh, Google. You're always up in our business! But this is actually pretty cool because it takes some of the photos and videos from their morning together and mixes them into a montage accompanied by a dramatic score. For real! Check it out. It's Elizabeth's first mountain biking adventure!
Saturday, December 21, 2013
Saturday is Fun Day!
I have sweet friends. Very sweet. Though I always look forward to our Saturday morning trips to the park, I wasn't particularly excited to do my scheduled eleven-mile run at 6 am this morning. My bed was cozy and comfy and outside it was dark and cold. Still, when you're meeting friends or getting picked up by one at 5:45, you don't bail unless you have a darn good reason. I didn't. So when Aimee pulled up to my house, out the door I went with all my gear and gifts.
Now that we're up to some heftier mileage, hydration belts, Gu, Nuun, headlamps, and winter wear like mittens, arm warmers, headbands, and jackets make for heavy bags o' stuff and lots of things to remember. We made it there, ran our runs well, and met up for strength. Ugh. After running for almost two hours, a weight workout was last on my list of things I wanted to do, but my friends surprised me with matching "Fitness with Friends" t-shirts for all of us. Sa-weet! That was the pick-me-up I needed. And don't we look fabulous?
 |
| Holli, Susan, Jill, me, Janette, Aimee |
Just in case we didn't look silly enough at the park, we tried some action shots. You know how families like to jump in unison? You know how it usually doesn't work out too well? Yeah.... Aimee set her timer and it took six shots. These are the best three. Oh well. We never all jumped together, but each of us is airborne in at least one photo. Look at those vertical jumps, will ya?!
We may not be the most graceful bunch, but we sure have fun together doing good for each other and ourselves. Despite the hard work, pain, and suffering we tackle together--and I'm not just talking about the physical stuff like running, weightlifting, and yoga--we share plenty of smiles and laughter. I'm very lucky to have them in my life.
Friday, December 20, 2013
Made with Love
I really appreciate when someone gives me something that they've made. It doesn't matter what it is or what the occasion. I'm touched when someone takes the time to make something for me. I received a text from a friend once that said, "Do you like cobbler? I made some tonight." Heck yeah, I like cobbler. Thanks for thinking of me to help finish off that pan! A few years ago, a friend sent me a crocheted scarf out of the blue. Hey, it's blue too! I love it and always think of her when I wear it. Another friend put together a cool scrapbooky thingy on a canvas that documents my first triathlon. Love it! It feels good to be thought of so I like to pay forward that thoughtfulness at the holidays, for birthdays, and at random times throughout the year for people who mean a lot to me. I should do it more often.
I don't have any special crafting skills though, so the only thing I can make is food. Luckily, everyone needs to eat. I decided to bake some cookies to give away to my Fitness with Friends partners tomorrow. What I love most are the spicy, chewy cookies made with molasses, but I know I'm in the minority as more people love chocolate. A few years ago I was introduced to what could arguably be called the world's most perfect cookie. Martha Stewart's Chewy Chocolate-Gingerbread Cookies are divine. They look like double-chocolate chip cookies, but when you bite into them you're surprised with ginger, cinnamon, and nutmeg in the best of ways. They are so yummy that they are worth following Martha's meticulous instructions of mixing the baking soda with boiling water and worrying about whether or not your molasses is unsulfured.
I also made some traditional buckeyes. These are holiday staples where I come from--merely 40 miles from the Ohio border--and I wrote about them five years ago. (It's amusing to go back that far in this blog. You think I'm weird now? Remember when I hosted a cookie election designed to teach preschoolers about the democratic process? Geez oh man. I should consider throwbacking it back occasionally because I'm finding some real gems, I must say.) Anyhoo, you can read more about buckeyes and find the recipe here. Making those cookies always brings back childhood memories of Christmas.
What has lately been even more fun for me than the baking and cooking is shopping for pretty packaging and wrapping it all up for the recipient. My favorite place to purchase boxes, bags, and ribbon is Nashville Wraps. They have everything one would need for this kind of thing. In December 2008, I seemed to be very busy baking and packing so feel free to scroll through that month if you want to see the kinds of things you can come up with when you shop with Nashville Wraps.
This year, I chose the on-trend chevron pattern for my caramel corn gift bags and tags for friends, neighbors, and teachers. My friend and workout partner Susan is gluten-intolerant so I know she can't eat too many foods that we consider treats. I filled one of those chevron bags with festive shelled nuts for her. (Seemed pretty safe.) For everyone else, I made things harder for myself when I decided to go with...wait for it...my homemade granola bars instead of the cookies I had just baked. What now? But really...how incongruous would it be to give my fitness buddies cookies? Instead, these granola bars make a healthy snack or breakfast and they taste pretty good, too. I placed them in these beautiful red boxes, tied them with satin bows, and attached the gift tag. I hope my friends like their gifts as much as I enjoyed making them because I really do think the world of these ladies. I also hope they don't read this until tomorrow afternoon.
I also made some traditional buckeyes. These are holiday staples where I come from--merely 40 miles from the Ohio border--and I wrote about them five years ago. (It's amusing to go back that far in this blog. You think I'm weird now? Remember when I hosted a cookie election designed to teach preschoolers about the democratic process? Geez oh man. I should consider throwbacking it back occasionally because I'm finding some real gems, I must say.) Anyhoo, you can read more about buckeyes and find the recipe here. Making those cookies always brings back childhood memories of Christmas.
What has lately been even more fun for me than the baking and cooking is shopping for pretty packaging and wrapping it all up for the recipient. My favorite place to purchase boxes, bags, and ribbon is Nashville Wraps. They have everything one would need for this kind of thing. In December 2008, I seemed to be very busy baking and packing so feel free to scroll through that month if you want to see the kinds of things you can come up with when you shop with Nashville Wraps.
This year, I chose the on-trend chevron pattern for my caramel corn gift bags and tags for friends, neighbors, and teachers. My friend and workout partner Susan is gluten-intolerant so I know she can't eat too many foods that we consider treats. I filled one of those chevron bags with festive shelled nuts for her. (Seemed pretty safe.) For everyone else, I made things harder for myself when I decided to go with...wait for it...my homemade granola bars instead of the cookies I had just baked. What now? But really...how incongruous would it be to give my fitness buddies cookies? Instead, these granola bars make a healthy snack or breakfast and they taste pretty good, too. I placed them in these beautiful red boxes, tied them with satin bows, and attached the gift tag. I hope my friends like their gifts as much as I enjoyed making them because I really do think the world of these ladies. I also hope they don't read this until tomorrow afternoon.
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Year of Cheer
Oh what a difference a year makes.
Today was the last day of school before the kids' nearly three-week Christmas break. It was a fun, happy, and productive day for me, which means it was the polar opposite of this same day a year ago in which I was reduced to tears from a hug at our school's annual jingle jog. I was suffering from the emotional instability I assume was due to exhaustion, stress, and probably a teensy bit of depression (though I refuse to label it as such without a clinical evaluation or diagnosis).
If it was only one thing though, it was exhaustion. I had been running far too much at the time and, frankly, was pretty damn tired of it. I had more volunteer responsibilities at the school then, too, but that week I had also been asked to do a project for a teacher whom my children didn't have. She asked me to do it because the project was a surprise holiday gift for her students' parents. I could understand that. Sure. I will spare you the details, but a task I had estimated would take me twenty minutes based on her proposal turned into three long mornings in the copy room the week before Christmas. Then there was the aforementioned jingle jog.... It's not hard work mixing Gatorade and filling up cups, but I was there the entire day with hardly any other parent volunteers. It's not like I got to run with my kids or visit with my friends in exchange for being there. No. I spent the day with a substitute teacher I had never met before in my life, and he wasn't fun. At all. The kicker? My daughter was home with a fever. Brian worked from home so I could honor my commitment at school that day. It's important to note that I blame no one but myself for each of these situations.
I love our kids' school and our teachers, and I wouldn't volunteer if I didn't enjoy helping. But during that overwhelmingly busy period of time I should have been more assertive and had the confidence to say no. It wouldn't have been selfish; it would have been reasonable. I do like to please, and I don't like to let anyone down or disappoint, but sometimes you should think about yourself, too. I'm no martyr; there are many people who volunteer far more than I do and never complain about it. Those people are admirable, and I wish I was like them. I also understand that the very definition of a volunteer is a person who does something good with no expectation of receiving anything in return, but that afternoon at the jingle jog, as I reflected on my previous night's work of packaging teachers' holiday gifts and thoughtfully writing out cards of appreciation, I started to feel like the world's biggest sucker. I felt taken advantage of and unappreciated. Then one teacher thanked me for my gift with a hug, walked away, and I lost it. Thankfully my soul sister happened to be right there, and if anyone completely understands all of this, it's Aimee. She hugged me right back as my chest heaved with sobs and tears fogged up my sunglasses.
Geez. Am I bringing you down yet? Are you thinking, "I thought this was the Year of Cheer, Sara?"
It is.
A year later, the day was completely different. It started out with a quick run, then I put together a little birthday surprise for Aimee at her desk in the office. I got the kids to school, mixed the jingle jog Gatorade, and set up the station. I got to talk and laugh with some non-substitute teachers, run a lap with Elizabeth, and then some of my besties and I handed out drinks and candy canes. We had fun! Matthew's group was next, and I got to run a lap with him, too. After the third and final session of the morning was completed, we cleaned up and made sure everything was ready for the last session in the afternoon. Candi and I went out for a delightful lunch, I filled some spirit wear orders, and then...I went home.
I immediately threw on the She & Him Christmas album and managed to wrap all our gifts for the kids, GiGi, and my gifts for Brian. There are still a few expected in the mail, but I was able to complete the bulk of our wrapping, so for the first time ever this task will not be hanging over my head on Christmas Eve. It was a productive afternoon.
This was the best last-day-of-school-before-Christmas I've had since I was in grade school. I volunteered for half the day and then lunched and accomplished something at home. I was kind to others and kind to myself. That's good balance right there. I may no longer be a student, but I'm still learning.
Today was the last day of school before the kids' nearly three-week Christmas break. It was a fun, happy, and productive day for me, which means it was the polar opposite of this same day a year ago in which I was reduced to tears from a hug at our school's annual jingle jog. I was suffering from the emotional instability I assume was due to exhaustion, stress, and probably a teensy bit of depression (though I refuse to label it as such without a clinical evaluation or diagnosis).
If it was only one thing though, it was exhaustion. I had been running far too much at the time and, frankly, was pretty damn tired of it. I had more volunteer responsibilities at the school then, too, but that week I had also been asked to do a project for a teacher whom my children didn't have. She asked me to do it because the project was a surprise holiday gift for her students' parents. I could understand that. Sure. I will spare you the details, but a task I had estimated would take me twenty minutes based on her proposal turned into three long mornings in the copy room the week before Christmas. Then there was the aforementioned jingle jog.... It's not hard work mixing Gatorade and filling up cups, but I was there the entire day with hardly any other parent volunteers. It's not like I got to run with my kids or visit with my friends in exchange for being there. No. I spent the day with a substitute teacher I had never met before in my life, and he wasn't fun. At all. The kicker? My daughter was home with a fever. Brian worked from home so I could honor my commitment at school that day. It's important to note that I blame no one but myself for each of these situations.
I love our kids' school and our teachers, and I wouldn't volunteer if I didn't enjoy helping. But during that overwhelmingly busy period of time I should have been more assertive and had the confidence to say no. It wouldn't have been selfish; it would have been reasonable. I do like to please, and I don't like to let anyone down or disappoint, but sometimes you should think about yourself, too. I'm no martyr; there are many people who volunteer far more than I do and never complain about it. Those people are admirable, and I wish I was like them. I also understand that the very definition of a volunteer is a person who does something good with no expectation of receiving anything in return, but that afternoon at the jingle jog, as I reflected on my previous night's work of packaging teachers' holiday gifts and thoughtfully writing out cards of appreciation, I started to feel like the world's biggest sucker. I felt taken advantage of and unappreciated. Then one teacher thanked me for my gift with a hug, walked away, and I lost it. Thankfully my soul sister happened to be right there, and if anyone completely understands all of this, it's Aimee. She hugged me right back as my chest heaved with sobs and tears fogged up my sunglasses.
Geez. Am I bringing you down yet? Are you thinking, "I thought this was the Year of Cheer, Sara?"
It is.
A year later, the day was completely different. It started out with a quick run, then I put together a little birthday surprise for Aimee at her desk in the office. I got the kids to school, mixed the jingle jog Gatorade, and set up the station. I got to talk and laugh with some non-substitute teachers, run a lap with Elizabeth, and then some of my besties and I handed out drinks and candy canes. We had fun! Matthew's group was next, and I got to run a lap with him, too. After the third and final session of the morning was completed, we cleaned up and made sure everything was ready for the last session in the afternoon. Candi and I went out for a delightful lunch, I filled some spirit wear orders, and then...I went home.
I immediately threw on the She & Him Christmas album and managed to wrap all our gifts for the kids, GiGi, and my gifts for Brian. There are still a few expected in the mail, but I was able to complete the bulk of our wrapping, so for the first time ever this task will not be hanging over my head on Christmas Eve. It was a productive afternoon.
This was the best last-day-of-school-before-Christmas I've had since I was in grade school. I volunteered for half the day and then lunched and accomplished something at home. I was kind to others and kind to myself. That's good balance right there. I may no longer be a student, but I'm still learning.
Wednesday, December 18, 2013
Political Unrest
I made my first attempt at opinion-writing on Facebook today. Last time. It's such a lost cause, and it nearly ruined my day because I couldn't get it out of my mind. A friend posted this article regarding the most recent school shooting and her only comment was, "Interesting." Well if that's not an invitation for people to speak their minds I don't know what is. So I jumped aboard, probably against my better judgement.
The article claims that the incident lasted "only" 80 seconds because an armed, trained sheriff's deputy was at the school. I am not a fan of guns, and it was like I couldn't stop myself from typing. I was the first to comment, and the complete unedited thread is listed below with my reactive thoughts in italics.
Me: It was still 80 seconds too long. Guns don't belong in schools. I feel we should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of those who should never have them (which in my idea of a perfect world would be everyone).
A Guy from Texas: Makes the saying, "Peace through superior firepower" a little clearer. In this case, the deputy might not have been as well armed but he was well trained and the shooter knew it. As far as a 'perfect world' where everyone is unarmed, I guess everything would be free and we could call it Candy Mountain.
Huh? No. I think we should still call it Earth, sir.
Lady Whose Profile Pic Shows Her Aiming an Assault Rifle at Something: Proof right there's that someone trained and armed does save lives!!! I'd feel very comfortable carrying at school knowing it could save lives... Until I'm allowed, I just pray this sort if thing doesn't happen where I work!
Oh my goodness. Your photo terrifies me.
Me: This argument makes the assumption that the shooter killed himself only because of the deputy, but no one can say for sure that's why he took his own life. If he knew the trained, armed deputy was there, shouldn't that have been enough of a deterrent to not bring the gun there in the first place? Now if the deputy had drawn his gun the moment he saw the shooter pull out his own gun and then shot him in the arm so that the shooter's gun fell from his hands before he was able to fire any shots and then mental health experts were called immediately to get the shooter the help that he needs...well then I might be more persuaded to believe that the only answer to gun violence is more guns.
My Friend: Everyone has their own opinion about this. I look at the statistics and see that places that allow citizens to arm themselves have less crime than places that try to disarm its citizens. I tend to lean towards allowing trained individuals to carry concealed weapons, but I respect anyone who has a different opinion than mine. I'm ok with agreeing to disagree.
Me: It doesn't matter if we agree. But our lawmakers should make a decision one way or another otherwise this is going to keep happening. Whichever side they choose, I hope it stops the madness.
I wanted to add, "Please don't shoot me with your concealed guns. I'm only trying to be the voice of reason. People shouldn't shoot people." Then I had to change my own profile pic because it was of my kids. I'm probably never going to sleep again. See? The wrong people are afraid of guns!
The article claims that the incident lasted "only" 80 seconds because an armed, trained sheriff's deputy was at the school. I am not a fan of guns, and it was like I couldn't stop myself from typing. I was the first to comment, and the complete unedited thread is listed below with my reactive thoughts in italics.
Me: It was still 80 seconds too long. Guns don't belong in schools. I feel we should focus on keeping guns out of the hands of those who should never have them (which in my idea of a perfect world would be everyone).
A Guy from Texas: Makes the saying, "Peace through superior firepower" a little clearer. In this case, the deputy might not have been as well armed but he was well trained and the shooter knew it. As far as a 'perfect world' where everyone is unarmed, I guess everything would be free and we could call it Candy Mountain.
Huh? No. I think we should still call it Earth, sir.
Lady Whose Profile Pic Shows Her Aiming an Assault Rifle at Something: Proof right there's that someone trained and armed does save lives!!! I'd feel very comfortable carrying at school knowing it could save lives... Until I'm allowed, I just pray this sort if thing doesn't happen where I work!
Oh my goodness. Your photo terrifies me.
Me: This argument makes the assumption that the shooter killed himself only because of the deputy, but no one can say for sure that's why he took his own life. If he knew the trained, armed deputy was there, shouldn't that have been enough of a deterrent to not bring the gun there in the first place? Now if the deputy had drawn his gun the moment he saw the shooter pull out his own gun and then shot him in the arm so that the shooter's gun fell from his hands before he was able to fire any shots and then mental health experts were called immediately to get the shooter the help that he needs...well then I might be more persuaded to believe that the only answer to gun violence is more guns.
My Friend: Everyone has their own opinion about this. I look at the statistics and see that places that allow citizens to arm themselves have less crime than places that try to disarm its citizens. I tend to lean towards allowing trained individuals to carry concealed weapons, but I respect anyone who has a different opinion than mine. I'm ok with agreeing to disagree.
Me: It doesn't matter if we agree. But our lawmakers should make a decision one way or another otherwise this is going to keep happening. Whichever side they choose, I hope it stops the madness.
I wanted to add, "Please don't shoot me with your concealed guns. I'm only trying to be the voice of reason. People shouldn't shoot people." Then I had to change my own profile pic because it was of my kids. I'm probably never going to sleep again. See? The wrong people are afraid of guns!
Tuesday, December 17, 2013
The Modest, Unassuming, Little Blog That Could
My heroes, Sarah Bowen Shea and Dimity McDowell of Another Mother Runner posted my blog on their blog and Facebook page this weekend, the anniversary of the Sandy Hook tragedy. A few months ago, I wrote about a 20-mile training run from last December that I dedicated to the children whose lives were lost. Until then, I hadn't shared that story with anyone but my two closest friends. It was a very personal tribute that I kept close to my heart. At the time, I felt completely helpless and running for those children brought me some peace. I never thought of talking about it until Another Mother Runner brought up the topic of our "Most Important Miles." That inspired me to write about my most important miles here. Shortly afterwards, my brother shared it with them without telling me, which was fine but also a bit unnerving as not many people know this page even exists. However, the responses to that blog were all very positive then as well as this weekend. If anyone can see those miles for what they truly were, it's those who really know me and women who label themselves as "another mother runner." Their post had lots of comments and likes on Facebook, more commented on their blog itself as well as on mine, and their Facebook post had many shares. I don't know what the people who shared it said or what kinds of comments those shares yielded, but I hope it was all positive, too. If it wasn't, well at least I'll never know.
Sometimes I struggle with how connected I want to be. I'm not all that comfortable online, but sending things out into the void like this is more fulfilling than, say, writing it in a Word document. Yes, this is kind of like my diary but I don't publicize it or write it to seek attention. If I told you it was here, then I must trust you. If you heard about it from someone else because of the run of my life, I appreciate that you were so moved by the story. I don't expect strangers who read my words over the weekend to stick around for long or even return. It's not like I have a theme. I'm not consistently sharing delicious or healthy recipes, crafting creative projects with my kids, showcasing trendy home decor ideas, or doing much of anything. I'll be the first to admit that there's not a lot to come back for.
Some days are more exciting than others, and some days are better than others. This is my real life. Sometimes I welcome you into my head too, but I can't always say that it's a comfortable place to be. It can get ugly in there at times. My parents are my most loyal readers, and a few weeks ago I asked my mother if my blog made me sound like a crazy person. Although she is biased, she said, "No. You sound like the rest of us. You just write it all down." OK. I'll keep on keeping on then.
Sometimes I struggle with how connected I want to be. I'm not all that comfortable online, but sending things out into the void like this is more fulfilling than, say, writing it in a Word document. Yes, this is kind of like my diary but I don't publicize it or write it to seek attention. If I told you it was here, then I must trust you. If you heard about it from someone else because of the run of my life, I appreciate that you were so moved by the story. I don't expect strangers who read my words over the weekend to stick around for long or even return. It's not like I have a theme. I'm not consistently sharing delicious or healthy recipes, crafting creative projects with my kids, showcasing trendy home decor ideas, or doing much of anything. I'll be the first to admit that there's not a lot to come back for.
Some days are more exciting than others, and some days are better than others. This is my real life. Sometimes I welcome you into my head too, but I can't always say that it's a comfortable place to be. It can get ugly in there at times. My parents are my most loyal readers, and a few weeks ago I asked my mother if my blog made me sound like a crazy person. Although she is biased, she said, "No. You sound like the rest of us. You just write it all down." OK. I'll keep on keeping on then.
Monday, December 16, 2013
Crushing It
I don't mean to brag (ok, yes I do but I have so little to brag about so please allow me to do so just this once), but I really have a hold on this holiday season. That list I made a few weeks ago? I'm checking off tasks like a boss! GiGi's and our Christmas packages and cards are all mailed. Our mothers' birthday cards are in the mail too, and their birthdays aren't until Saturday and Sunday. What? They won't believe it when they get their cards before their birthdays. It will blow their minds! I also got most of my shopping completed and will finish on Wednesday. I baked today, so teacher gifts are neatly packaged with cards and are ready to be distributed tomorrow. Seriously? Not the last day of school before break? No! It's a first! Stocking stuffers are gathered, and once all the gifts arrive from Amazon I will wrap them. You know who's not going to be wrapping gifts until 11 pm on Christmas Eve? Sara and Brian! Sara's got this. She's got it! Got it so good!
Sunday, December 15, 2013
Kindness for Kindness
Here's a touching story for your Sunday morning. It's laced with plenty of tangents, too. You're welcome.
Yesterday, while Susan and I were waiting in line for our weekly coffee treat at Starbucks after our park workout, she commented on the broad selection of gift items arranged on the store's shelves. She said something like, "They sure have a lot of different kinds of coffee cups." I agreed and then told her about the tumbler you can buy for $30 that allows you to refill it for free once every day in January. A thirty dollar coffee cup sounds expensive but if you think about it, that's a pretty good deal for someone who goes there every single day considering a cup of Starbucks coffee usually costs two to three dollars.
The older gentleman behind me overheard our conversation and asked if we saw that coffee cup anywhere because he wanted to get it for his wife. This was the second time we spoke to each other, actually. When I first came through the door, I saw him looking over the displays and offered him the place in line ahead of me as I was waiting for my friends. He waved at me to go in front of him and said, "Oh, no. I'm not in line. I'm just browsing here." Anyway, this second time he said he's never been in a Starbucks before as he's not a coffee drinker himself. (I could be wrong, but I think he may have been feeling that intimidation I used to feel upon walking into Starbucks--that "Everyone knows what they want and I have no idea what I want" feeling.) He went on to say that his wife came home from her company Christmas party last night deflated because she had received that Brewed Coffee Refill Tumbler at the gift exchange but it was taken away from her, Yankee Swap style. "She was really disappointed. That's all I heard about last night so I figured I better get her one for Christmas." Awww.
None of the three of us could find that tumbler anywhere, so when he got to the register he asked the barista for one. She knew nothing about it and, as far as I could tell, didn't ask anyone else working there about it. "We don't have anything like that. Is it a special offer? Did you get an email or something?" He told her no and then walked away empty-handed. I told him that I know I received an email about it and would find it for him. But I couldn't pull it up on my phone because once I open my email on my home computer all my messages disappear from my phone.
Gosh, that's one big, long story of Sara refusing to embrace technology and Brian being frustrated that she resists it and makes things so much harder for herself. Despite that, I made the call to Brian asking him to go into my email account, search for that message from Starbucks located in my deleted file, and then forward it to myself. Sara admits defeat; Brian changes Sara's inbox settings to that of someone living in 2013.
Back to the original story. When I received the email it was in text form and not comprehensible so I started looking on Starbucks' website for this elusive tumbler. I was determined! The gentleman left me a napkin with his email address and said that if I found it, I could send it to him. As soon as I got home, I forwarded that Starbucks message to him. Much to my surprise, later that day I received an email from Starbucks informing me that Mr. Matthews had sent me a $10 gift card. How thoughtful!
Kindness feels really good.
Yesterday, while Susan and I were waiting in line for our weekly coffee treat at Starbucks after our park workout, she commented on the broad selection of gift items arranged on the store's shelves. She said something like, "They sure have a lot of different kinds of coffee cups." I agreed and then told her about the tumbler you can buy for $30 that allows you to refill it for free once every day in January. A thirty dollar coffee cup sounds expensive but if you think about it, that's a pretty good deal for someone who goes there every single day considering a cup of Starbucks coffee usually costs two to three dollars.
The older gentleman behind me overheard our conversation and asked if we saw that coffee cup anywhere because he wanted to get it for his wife. This was the second time we spoke to each other, actually. When I first came through the door, I saw him looking over the displays and offered him the place in line ahead of me as I was waiting for my friends. He waved at me to go in front of him and said, "Oh, no. I'm not in line. I'm just browsing here." Anyway, this second time he said he's never been in a Starbucks before as he's not a coffee drinker himself. (I could be wrong, but I think he may have been feeling that intimidation I used to feel upon walking into Starbucks--that "Everyone knows what they want and I have no idea what I want" feeling.) He went on to say that his wife came home from her company Christmas party last night deflated because she had received that Brewed Coffee Refill Tumbler at the gift exchange but it was taken away from her, Yankee Swap style. "She was really disappointed. That's all I heard about last night so I figured I better get her one for Christmas." Awww.
None of the three of us could find that tumbler anywhere, so when he got to the register he asked the barista for one. She knew nothing about it and, as far as I could tell, didn't ask anyone else working there about it. "We don't have anything like that. Is it a special offer? Did you get an email or something?" He told her no and then walked away empty-handed. I told him that I know I received an email about it and would find it for him. But I couldn't pull it up on my phone because once I open my email on my home computer all my messages disappear from my phone.
Gosh, that's one big, long story of Sara refusing to embrace technology and Brian being frustrated that she resists it and makes things so much harder for herself. Despite that, I made the call to Brian asking him to go into my email account, search for that message from Starbucks located in my deleted file, and then forward it to myself. Sara admits defeat; Brian changes Sara's inbox settings to that of someone living in 2013.
Back to the original story. When I received the email it was in text form and not comprehensible so I started looking on Starbucks' website for this elusive tumbler. I was determined! The gentleman left me a napkin with his email address and said that if I found it, I could send it to him. As soon as I got home, I forwarded that Starbucks message to him. Much to my surprise, later that day I received an email from Starbucks informing me that Mr. Matthews had sent me a $10 gift card. How thoughtful!
Kindness feels really good.
Saturday, December 14, 2013
Oh, What Fun!
Each year, our neighborhood has a winter social. The homeowners association puts it together, and we all meet in one of the parks for lunch, music, games, crafts, a bounce house, and visits with Santa. The icing on the cake is that they even truck in shaved ice snow for our little desert rats to experience. The kids love it!
They made and threw snowballs at each other.
They went sledding down the teeny, tiny hill.
And Elizabeth even made a snowman this year!
(Maybe someday we could create a snowman at Fitness with Friends after all.)
Last year, we were lucky enough to win an air popper for popcorn as a door prize. This year, Brian won a Snuggie. A Snuggie! It's even Christmas-themed. Oh man.
What fun, indeed. Ha!
Friday, December 13, 2013
That's My G-I-R-L!
She was nervous onstage, but she was surprisingly not as anxious about it beforehand as I thought she would be. We were proud of her for trying out for it, making it, and studying so hard. She drew number one, so she was the first speller. Here she is introducing herself in the practice round:
Her third word was pulp:
Unfortunately, she didn't make it all that far. She missed her fourth word--partner--by omitting the n. She knows how to spell partner and she will never misspell it again, but she didn't show her disappointment. She took her seat, smiled, and did not cry. At the end of the round, she left the stage and sat with her friends. On the next round, her two other classmates were eliminated and she consoled the one who did cry. I think I was more proud of her for her courage and compassion today than for her spelling ability.
I've never participated in a spelling bee, but I can imagine it's pretty nerve-wracking to stand on the stage and try to correctly spell aloud before six classes, teachers, the principal, and parents. As I found out when our kids were toddlers and Brian and I would spell things we didn't want them to know about, it's not easy to spell aloud. It takes concentration and focus. All those kids did really well, and I loved how much their classmates rooted for them. When the last fifth grader was eliminated, the fifth graders in the audience let out a collective "awwwww." They were sincerely pulling for the guy. It was a heart-warming moment.
In the end, two sixth grade girls went back and forth about five or six times before one was crowned the champion. From what I've heard, this was one of the longest spelling bees at our school so we had some pretty good spellers up there. Way to go, all. Way to go, Elizabeth!
Thursday, December 12, 2013
That's My Boy!
Matthew performed in his first winter concert tonight. It's a first grade tradition that the students sing a few festive holiday songs in handmade snowmen shirts. It's cute. It's delightful. So naturally, Matthew wanted no part of it. But we got him there, he made his way to the stage, and he didn't just mouth the words (because, you know, "singing is so embarrassing"), and he might even have smiled once. Decide for yourself. Bravo, Matthew!
My apologies for the video. Brian usually handles the electronic devices, and I'm no cinematographer.
Sadly, Elizabeth isn't in the chorus this year so she didn't perform tonight. It would have been nice to watch both kids in the same concert. But...let me just say that she is a much better audience member than her brother ever was.
My apologies for the video. Brian usually handles the electronic devices, and I'm no cinematographer.
Sadly, Elizabeth isn't in the chorus this year so she didn't perform tonight. It would have been nice to watch both kids in the same concert. But...let me just say that she is a much better audience member than her brother ever was.
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Who Do You Think You Are?
At school drop-off this morning, I couldn't believe what I saw:
I pulled all the way up to the canopy like we're supposed to and my kids and my neighbor's kids got out of my car. I was first in line and just about to pull forward when a car passed me and every other car in line (in the no passing zone) and parked her car right in front of mine. She then exited her car, opened the back door for her child, helped her get her backpack on, and gave her a kiss. Then she looked me in the eyes as if to say, "Yeah that's right. You wait. I'm so much more important than you."
A false sense of entitlement is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why does she feel the rules don't apply to her? Why does she feel she is any more special than the rest of us? Why did she pass all the cars to get to the front? Why did she hold up the entire line without a care in the world? Why does her daughter get to enter the school on the north side while every other student uses the front entrance? She's in kindergarten; parents are supposed to walk kindergarteners to the playground. What makes this woman and her daughter above the rest of us?
Nothing. Nothing at all. And I really want to tell her that. If given the opportunity, I may. Rules are for everyone, and these aren't rules just for the sake of having rules. They are put into effect to not only make traffic flow more efficiently at the school's two busiest times of day, but also to keep our students safe. We follow these rules for her daughter, for my kids, for everyone's kids. No one is above them. What's more, she doesn't appear to have any common courtesy. She's obviously a young mother, but that's no excuse. You can learn anything at any age and being kind and courteous is an important part of life.
She's not the only one. I've seen other parents who seem to feel above it all, too. Perhaps the school needs to post this sign along the drop-off lane to remind everyone of their place in line and life. Everyone needs to play by the same rules.
I pulled all the way up to the canopy like we're supposed to and my kids and my neighbor's kids got out of my car. I was first in line and just about to pull forward when a car passed me and every other car in line (in the no passing zone) and parked her car right in front of mine. She then exited her car, opened the back door for her child, helped her get her backpack on, and gave her a kiss. Then she looked me in the eyes as if to say, "Yeah that's right. You wait. I'm so much more important than you."
A false sense of entitlement is one of my biggest pet peeves. Why does she feel the rules don't apply to her? Why does she feel she is any more special than the rest of us? Why did she pass all the cars to get to the front? Why did she hold up the entire line without a care in the world? Why does her daughter get to enter the school on the north side while every other student uses the front entrance? She's in kindergarten; parents are supposed to walk kindergarteners to the playground. What makes this woman and her daughter above the rest of us?
Nothing. Nothing at all. And I really want to tell her that. If given the opportunity, I may. Rules are for everyone, and these aren't rules just for the sake of having rules. They are put into effect to not only make traffic flow more efficiently at the school's two busiest times of day, but also to keep our students safe. We follow these rules for her daughter, for my kids, for everyone's kids. No one is above them. What's more, she doesn't appear to have any common courtesy. She's obviously a young mother, but that's no excuse. You can learn anything at any age and being kind and courteous is an important part of life.
She's not the only one. I've seen other parents who seem to feel above it all, too. Perhaps the school needs to post this sign along the drop-off lane to remind everyone of their place in line and life. Everyone needs to play by the same rules.
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
My Head is Starting to Get Fuzzy
I'm sick. This cold and I have had an on-again/off-again relationship for the past three weeks. I went to the doctor last week and got a prescription for antibiotics, but I started to feel better without them and thought I could hold on to them for the next time. It's only December and I likely have one or two more sinus infections coming my way this winter. Plus, I almost feel like I can afford to be sick now, but in January and February I have some races that I don't want to suffer through more than I need to. I managed to master the circus act of the neti pot, drank lots of tea with lemon and honey, and got plenty of rest so I was hopeful that I had the cold licked this weekend, but last evening it punched me in the face. So hard. At breakfast I took my first pill, and I am now committed to taking two a day for ten days. That should do it.
I spent my morning doing my weekly copies for teachers. Horribly, I might add. My head wasn't in the game, and when I realized a rather large mistake, I told her I would finish tomorrow with a clearer head and went home.
I wanted to sleep, but my face hurts when I lie down. My face. My face! I tried to sleep sitting-up on the couch, couldn't, so I turned on the TV to one of my favorite Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movies. Awww. She's sick like me. And things like that just fly out of her mouth, too. I think we both need a run.
I spent my morning doing my weekly copies for teachers. Horribly, I might add. My head wasn't in the game, and when I realized a rather large mistake, I told her I would finish tomorrow with a clearer head and went home.
I wanted to sleep, but my face hurts when I lie down. My face. My face! I tried to sleep sitting-up on the couch, couldn't, so I turned on the TV to one of my favorite Meg Ryan/Tom Hanks movies. Awww. She's sick like me. And things like that just fly out of her mouth, too. I think we both need a run.
Monday, December 9, 2013
Kitchen Experiments
I enjoy making holiday gifts that come from my own kitchen for neighbors, friends, teachers, and Brian's co-workers. I have no signature gift that everyone excitedly anticipates from me each year (hmmm...why don't I? Maybe I should hang up the apron already), so I like to switch it up. To go against the grain with all of the sweets that are given out during the holidays, I was inspired to make something savory this year. Some magazines have led me to a few new recipes that I put through the test this morning (and afternoon too because it took so much longer than expected).
From Cooking Light, I tried Lemon-Parmesan Popcorn. With a tree full of lemons, I'm always looking for ways to use them at this time of year. This recipe turned out well, even though I used an air popper. Twelve cups of popcorn are going to pop in a medium saucepan on my electric stove? Somehow I don't see that happening, and that also sounds like it could be my worst nightmare. So I popped the corn and then drizzled the olive oil on top of the popcorn before adding the seasonings. I liked it!
The second recipe I tried was a lot more labor-intensive. I wasn't even searching for gift ideas while reading the latest issue of Country Living, but Pretzels with Brown-Sugar Rosemay Dijon caught my eye. Who doesn't like soft pretzels with mustard? And these are homemade pretzels with fancy mustard! I gave it a shot, and they turned out good, but from start to finish these things took me four hours. There were a lot of steps--mixing the dough, allowing it to rise, cutting it into 24 equal pieces, rolling it out and twisting the dough into pretzels, letting the pretzels rest again, floating the pretzels in a simmering water/baking soda concoction, brushing them with egg whites, and then baking them. Let's just say that if you get these from me for Christmas, I must really love you.
A pretzel with mustard made a tasty lunch for me (thank goodness I love myself), and my kids are going to be ecstatic with their after school snack today. I don't think I'll spend another four hours in the kitchen for 24 pretzels to give away, but if you invite me to a Super Bowl party, I could be persuaded to bring them.
From Cooking Light, I tried Lemon-Parmesan Popcorn. With a tree full of lemons, I'm always looking for ways to use them at this time of year. This recipe turned out well, even though I used an air popper. Twelve cups of popcorn are going to pop in a medium saucepan on my electric stove? Somehow I don't see that happening, and that also sounds like it could be my worst nightmare. So I popped the corn and then drizzled the olive oil on top of the popcorn before adding the seasonings. I liked it!
The second recipe I tried was a lot more labor-intensive. I wasn't even searching for gift ideas while reading the latest issue of Country Living, but Pretzels with Brown-Sugar Rosemay Dijon caught my eye. Who doesn't like soft pretzels with mustard? And these are homemade pretzels with fancy mustard! I gave it a shot, and they turned out good, but from start to finish these things took me four hours. There were a lot of steps--mixing the dough, allowing it to rise, cutting it into 24 equal pieces, rolling it out and twisting the dough into pretzels, letting the pretzels rest again, floating the pretzels in a simmering water/baking soda concoction, brushing them with egg whites, and then baking them. Let's just say that if you get these from me for Christmas, I must really love you.
A pretzel with mustard made a tasty lunch for me (thank goodness I love myself), and my kids are going to be ecstatic with their after school snack today. I don't think I'll spend another four hours in the kitchen for 24 pretzels to give away, but if you invite me to a Super Bowl party, I could be persuaded to bring them.
Sunday, December 8, 2013
Who DOES That?
I do a lot of strange things, but waking up at 5:15 on a Sunday in December to run at the park and be home by 8 o'clock might be one of the strangest in a while. Luckily, I have friends just as nutty as me so I'm never alone at being strange. We're good for each other.
Aimee's half marathon training plan had her scheduled for 8 miles, my plan had me scheduled for 9 miles, and Janette.... Well maybe Janette's the strangest of the three of us because she's not committed to the half marathon just yet, but when I told her we were planning on running this morning she said she wanted to come, too. Great news! So we met at the park, I gave them both a headlamp, we each took off on our merry ways and then met up again 90 minutes later. We all had great runs because it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday and running without the sun shining on you always seems easier. Plus, with their 8 miles, both Aimee and Janette reached new distance records! That was really, really cool! I love that! Then we stretched and went home.
What? No Starbucks reward?
No. Not today. Aimee had to get ready for church, and even though Brian decided last night not to ride, I figured that as soon as I blew in all sweaty and accomplished he'd want to hit the trails, too. And he did. Ha! I know him so well. So he'll probably mountain bike 20-some miles in two hours, and we'll both be exhausted and asleep on the couch this afternoon.
I hang out with so many crazy people, but it's the good kind and I love it. And them.
Aimee's half marathon training plan had her scheduled for 8 miles, my plan had me scheduled for 9 miles, and Janette.... Well maybe Janette's the strangest of the three of us because she's not committed to the half marathon just yet, but when I told her we were planning on running this morning she said she wanted to come, too. Great news! So we met at the park, I gave them both a headlamp, we each took off on our merry ways and then met up again 90 minutes later. We all had great runs because it wasn't as cold as it was yesterday and running without the sun shining on you always seems easier. Plus, with their 8 miles, both Aimee and Janette reached new distance records! That was really, really cool! I love that! Then we stretched and went home.
What? No Starbucks reward?
No. Not today. Aimee had to get ready for church, and even though Brian decided last night not to ride, I figured that as soon as I blew in all sweaty and accomplished he'd want to hit the trails, too. And he did. Ha! I know him so well. So he'll probably mountain bike 20-some miles in two hours, and we'll both be exhausted and asleep on the couch this afternoon.
I hang out with so many crazy people, but it's the good kind and I love it. And them.
Saturday, December 7, 2013
Brrrrr
Baby, it's cold outside!
This morning was our school's fourth annual Holiday Boutique. It's a fun community-building event and fundraiser that celebrates the holidays and puts everyone in the Christmas spirit. There's a lot of planning and work that goes into it, and the ladies who organized it this year did a splendid job. For the first time, it was held on a Saturday morning instead of Friday evening. It was fun to have it outside too, and the fact that it was held on what was probably the coldest morning of the year made it more authentically festive.
Don't scoff at me, Pittsburghers. It can get mighty cold in the desert! When I arrived at the school around 7:30 am it was 30-something degrees, and when I left around 1 pm it was still only about 50 degrees. Sure, the sun was shining and, thankfully, my little job was mostly in the sun, but that's still pretty cold for Arizonans. It was so cold that I layered like you wouldn't believe; I could hardly move because I was wearing so many clothes. I had on tights under my jeans, and on top I had a long-sleeved thermal running shirt, a knit top, a wool cardigan, my trusty Columbia wind-resistant jacket, and my school spirit hoodie. I also accessorized with a scarf, thermal headband, and I held my Eddie Bauer hand-warmers (I love those things) inside my mittens. I looked as puffy as a snowman and my hair was full of so much static that I looked like Tina Turner, but at least I was warm. I felt bad for the people who don't know how to dress for that kind of weather or didn't realize that this year's boutique was outdoors. They had to be freezing.
It was a fun morning mostly because I got to spend it with my good friend Kathy and all I had to do was set up the spirit wear booth, sell the stuff, tear down the booth, and go home. It was delightfully low-key and painless. I hear that the event was profitable for the school and everyone had a good time, so it was a success indeed. It warms my heart on this cold Arizona day.
This morning was our school's fourth annual Holiday Boutique. It's a fun community-building event and fundraiser that celebrates the holidays and puts everyone in the Christmas spirit. There's a lot of planning and work that goes into it, and the ladies who organized it this year did a splendid job. For the first time, it was held on a Saturday morning instead of Friday evening. It was fun to have it outside too, and the fact that it was held on what was probably the coldest morning of the year made it more authentically festive.
Don't scoff at me, Pittsburghers. It can get mighty cold in the desert! When I arrived at the school around 7:30 am it was 30-something degrees, and when I left around 1 pm it was still only about 50 degrees. Sure, the sun was shining and, thankfully, my little job was mostly in the sun, but that's still pretty cold for Arizonans. It was so cold that I layered like you wouldn't believe; I could hardly move because I was wearing so many clothes. I had on tights under my jeans, and on top I had a long-sleeved thermal running shirt, a knit top, a wool cardigan, my trusty Columbia wind-resistant jacket, and my school spirit hoodie. I also accessorized with a scarf, thermal headband, and I held my Eddie Bauer hand-warmers (I love those things) inside my mittens. I looked as puffy as a snowman and my hair was full of so much static that I looked like Tina Turner, but at least I was warm. I felt bad for the people who don't know how to dress for that kind of weather or didn't realize that this year's boutique was outdoors. They had to be freezing.
It was a fun morning mostly because I got to spend it with my good friend Kathy and all I had to do was set up the spirit wear booth, sell the stuff, tear down the booth, and go home. It was delightfully low-key and painless. I hear that the event was profitable for the school and everyone had a good time, so it was a success indeed. It warms my heart on this cold Arizona day.
Friday, December 6, 2013
Plateaued
My guitar playing has reached an unfortunate plateau . After months of steady growth from online tutorials, the F chord has me stymied. I can't seem to get a handle on it. I get it sometimes but not consistently, and it really does take a few seconds to position my fingers to play it. I don't know what else to do besides practice more, but, because I'm always honest here, I have to say that I'm saddened that practicing is coming to be not-so-fun.
I want to keep it fun because there is absolutely no pressure, but when I try so hard and feel like I'm getting nowhere it becomes frustrating. I start each practice with my finger warm-up, then strum-pick-strum each chord that I've learned. After that review, I start my one-minute changes (which are now all changes to the F chord), and the minute is considered a success if I manage twenty changes or more. Seriously. That's a chord change every three seconds at best, so what I'm essentially saying is that my best is horrible. I start with F to C, nail 19 changes, and then I play some tunes that I can play decently just to make myself feel better. Then I get 22 changes from F to E, and play some more songs that make me feel better about myself. Then I get 24 changes from F to D, and I feel like I might be getting the hang of it! After I change only 22 times from F to Am, I play another song I can feel good about. By the time F to G comes around, my hand hurts and I score a 20. Blah. Having a good time is starting to feel like a lot of work.
Justin is really good at what he does and he's taught me well so far, but I'm wondering if I would do better with a real teacher. I probably would because no one (besides my family and they know nothing about this) hears or watches me play so I'm never evaluated. It would behoove me to have someone who knows about these things tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm sure Larry the Luthier can recommend several local teachers to me, so I may start there. Or maybe I won't. You see, the good thing about having Justin as my teacher is that there is never a chance for me to be embarrassed because I never have to play for him. If I have an in-the-flesh teacher, well then I'm going to have to play before a trained musician and he or she is going to tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'll be nervous and someone will be critical of me. Both of those things also sound not-so-fun to me.
So what do I do? I don't know yet. I'm keeping at it and hoping that the day that it all comes to me is nearly here. It has always come; it's just taking its good old time on this stage. Maybe Brian will read this and get me guitar lessons for Christmas so I'm forced to face my fears of humiliation and constructive criticism. (That's not a hint.) I just want to get this already because I know there's a lot more to learn and I really want to learn it.
I want to keep it fun because there is absolutely no pressure, but when I try so hard and feel like I'm getting nowhere it becomes frustrating. I start each practice with my finger warm-up, then strum-pick-strum each chord that I've learned. After that review, I start my one-minute changes (which are now all changes to the F chord), and the minute is considered a success if I manage twenty changes or more. Seriously. That's a chord change every three seconds at best, so what I'm essentially saying is that my best is horrible. I start with F to C, nail 19 changes, and then I play some tunes that I can play decently just to make myself feel better. Then I get 22 changes from F to E, and play some more songs that make me feel better about myself. Then I get 24 changes from F to D, and I feel like I might be getting the hang of it! After I change only 22 times from F to Am, I play another song I can feel good about. By the time F to G comes around, my hand hurts and I score a 20. Blah. Having a good time is starting to feel like a lot of work.
Justin is really good at what he does and he's taught me well so far, but I'm wondering if I would do better with a real teacher. I probably would because no one (besides my family and they know nothing about this) hears or watches me play so I'm never evaluated. It would behoove me to have someone who knows about these things tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'm sure Larry the Luthier can recommend several local teachers to me, so I may start there. Or maybe I won't. You see, the good thing about having Justin as my teacher is that there is never a chance for me to be embarrassed because I never have to play for him. If I have an in-the-flesh teacher, well then I'm going to have to play before a trained musician and he or she is going to tell me what I'm doing wrong. I'll be nervous and someone will be critical of me. Both of those things also sound not-so-fun to me.
So what do I do? I don't know yet. I'm keeping at it and hoping that the day that it all comes to me is nearly here. It has always come; it's just taking its good old time on this stage. Maybe Brian will read this and get me guitar lessons for Christmas so I'm forced to face my fears of humiliation and constructive criticism. (That's not a hint.) I just want to get this already because I know there's a lot more to learn and I really want to learn it.
Thursday, December 5, 2013
Major Award
We did what? Huh?
Last week, our Ragnar Trail team captain received eight giant steel belt buckles for each member of our team. Much to our surprise, we won the "Homecoming Crown," and each of us got our buckles in the mail today. Very cool! Except none of us knows what it means, and how were we so awesome to win something without even trying? Ragnar's site has this to say about this honor:
Last week, our Ragnar Trail team captain received eight giant steel belt buckles for each member of our team. Much to our surprise, we won the "Homecoming Crown," and each of us got our buckles in the mail today. Very cool! Except none of us knows what it means, and how were we so awesome to win something without even trying? Ragnar's site has this to say about this honor:
homecoming team award:
Take a picture showcasing your team spirit and include hashtag #RagnarHomecoming, race, your team name and number to win Overall Favorite Team. For example: #RagnarDS, Team We Thought This Was a 5k, Team #125, #RagnarHomecoming.
But their site also says this:
Personality Awards
Hone your vote lobbying skills because the most text votes determines the winners for the following categories:
- Most Pimped out Van
- Nom de Plume (best team name)
- Far out Fashion (best team costumes)
- Homecoming (overall best)
We're sure none of us did that. And seriously? We were the overall best team? At what? How did we win it? Is it a booby prize? We didn't come in first, but we certainly weren't last. I want to be proud of it because it looks pretty darn cool and weighs a ton.
Plus, they wouldn't go to all the trouble of engraving such a significant award with the race location, date, and our team name if it wasn't legit, would they? Say no.
My friend Janette, like me, needs to know things such as whether we should be honored or embarrassed, so she emailed Ragnar to get the scoop. In the meantime, maybe someone can show me how to attach this thing to my belt for tomorrow?
Wednesday, December 4, 2013
I Told You So.
I apologize in advance for this post. I promise new material tomorrow, but please cut me some slack. It's hard for a 37-year-old mother to function one to two days after staying up until 1:30 am, okay? For some reason, real life continues. There was a field trip yesterday, errands and copying for teachers today, and now I feel like I'm getting a cold. Probably because I should be in bed nightly by 10 pm. Boo.
Even with all that, JT is still on my mind. So here are some photos from the big concert. As soon as we got there, we took our picture with his enormous face.
And see? He was close. So close!
JT: Hello, Jennifer and Sara. I'm glad you ladies made it to my concert tonight. So nice to see you.
Jennifer and Sara: Hi, Justin Timberlake! Hi, Justin Timberlake! Hi, Justin Timberlake! Hi, Justin Timberlake!
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Yawn
Not much to talk about today. Just the same old, same old. Nothing new.
I kid. Last night was awesome! That JT puts on quite a show. Yes. Quite.a.show. I thought I could tell you all about it, but I wouldn't do it justice so I pulled a few YouTube videos for you. If you ever get the chance to experience one of his shows, you should go. Don't think. Just go. The guy (and his band and his singers and his dancers) works it for three hours. Three hours! Can you imagine JT doing what he does for three hours straight? I no longer have to. Man. The guy can move and sing like no other, and that's why he's a world-class entertainer. He's also personable and seems like a regular kind of guy, except for that fact that he's a world-class entertainer.
I was happy to get to spend the evening with Jennifer; we have a lot of fun together. She's a big JT fan, so it was cool to see her get so excited. It's kind of like me with Bryan Adams. (Yeah, Jennifer is so much cooler than I.) When we first arrived, Larry the Usher gave us the lowdown that although the show started at 8:00, the DJ would play for an hour or so and JT would come on at 9:00. So we relaxed, took a bunch of ridiculous self portraits which I can't share with you now because our computer isn't working (or I don't know how to get it to work) so I have to write using this laptop. I'm sure you're all broken up about it. Please don't cry.
At showtime, the lights dimmed, images appeared on the screen for what seemed like forever, there was one giant flash, and there he stood. Then the Tennessee Kids rose from the stage and it was on with "Pusher Love Girl." It happened just like this. Allow me to suggest that you begin watching at 1:30. (That was pretty much our angle too, only we were slightly further back but not higher.) It was non-stop energy like that until a ten-minute intermission. He did a wardrobe change, came back, and continued right where he left off. About two-thirds into the show, part of his stage floated over the audience "seated" on the floor and stopped practically right in front of us. At one point, he came to the end of it, and Jennifer and I swear that he looked right at us. He did. He really did. I even have a photo of it...that I can't show you. Awww, man! I put it on Facebook last night, and as my friend Marie mentioned, it's like he's looking right at me and saying with his eyes, "I like your new shirt and sensible boots, Sara." Ha!
Other highlights were "Don't Hold the Wall" and my personal favorite (OMG look at all those guitars!) "Drink You Away," which he performed immediately after chugging a beer that a guy from the audience gave him, "Cry Me a River," and an acoustic version of "What Goes Around Comes Around" and.... Oh forget it. There are too many highlights to list. He eventually brought down the house with "Mirrors," disappeared into the floor, and it was all over much too soon.
Though the music was a little too bass-heavy at times for my taste even with my granny earplugs (I could feel the thumping in my chest), go buy tickets to an upcoming show. Because I said so.
Other highlights were "Don't Hold the Wall" and my personal favorite (OMG look at all those guitars!) "Drink You Away," which he performed immediately after chugging a beer that a guy from the audience gave him, "Cry Me a River," and an acoustic version of "What Goes Around Comes Around" and.... Oh forget it. There are too many highlights to list. He eventually brought down the house with "Mirrors," disappeared into the floor, and it was all over much too soon.
Though the music was a little too bass-heavy at times for my taste even with my granny earplugs (I could feel the thumping in my chest), go buy tickets to an upcoming show. Because I said so.
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