Marathon Relay

I always thought it would be amazing to be a part of the Under Armour Baltimore Running Festival. They have a marathon, half-marathon, four-person relay, 5k, and a kids fun run. I knew I could do a 5k, but I also knew I would feel dorky running 3 miles when there were people running 26 miles. I thought maybe someday I could work up to being able to run 6 or 7 miles to do the relay.

When I first started running (note - everywhere I say "run" I really mean "jog" because I am very slow) about eight years ago, I couldn't even run a mile. I set a goal to run a 5k and accomplished that. Since then, I've been perfectly content with running three or so miles at a time and haven't had any desire to run further. I don't know what changed that. Maybe it was because my friend Cathy was training for a half marathon. I threw out the idea to her and we got a team together. I trained for several months, through a combination of treadmill running, Jillian Michaels videos, and long runs on the Ma and Pa trail.

The week of the race, I kept thinking, "Why am I doing this?! I hate races!" I was so nervous about everything--driving and parking in the city, making sure I got on the bus to the exchange point on time, finding my teammates at the exchanges, the sheer volume of runners--there were 25,000 total, and of course, the run.

The morning of the race was freezing. I couldn't stop shaking and I wasn't sure if it was the nerves or the cold. After I got on my bus I started to warm up and calm down. We left a half hour before the race started so I didn't get to see the start (bummer). We had a police escort to the exchange point (how cool is that?). We unloaded the buses and everyone got in line for the porta potties. It was crazy. I think I was in line for an hour. Lots of people had to drop out of line because they knew their teammate would be there before they were done. Luckily, I was able to use the bathroom and get in place to meet Tiffany. She rocked the first leg and all of it's crazy hills. Then it was time for my leg--seven miles--starting at Johns Hopkins University, down to the Inner Harbor, through Under Armour headquarters, and back to the harbor.

The first couple miles, I thought I was going to die. But that's the way I always feel when I start running. Then I kind of get in the zone, or I just figure out how to ignore the pain, or something. I started enjoying the run. I was amazed at how many people came out to cheer us on. They had posters, rang cow bells, and called out words of encouragement. One lady almost seemed to have a speech prepared, "You are going out and doing what you said you were going to do. You have prepared for this day..." It was awesome.

My leg was over before I knew it. I felt strong at the end. Maybe too strong? Shouldn't you feel like dropping at the end of a race? I felt like I could've kept going. I probably should have pushed myself harder. I wasn't going for a certain time, my goal was to run the whole leg without walking, which I did. I finished in 1:20, about 5 minutes less than I thought I would. I loved being able to watch at the finish line as everyone came in. There were runners of all ages, shapes, and sizes. There were barefoot runners, people running for a cause, people who ran the last 100 meters with their kids by thier sides. It was inspiring.

Despite all of my nervousness and fear, I am so glad I did it. It was so much fun! And I am so proud of myself for acomplishing something I never thought I could do. So what's next? The full marathon? No way. Could I be talked into doing the half? Maybe...

Emma's First Day of Preschool

Today was Emma's first day of preschool. How did she feel about it? I think this picture pretty much sums it up:

I talked up preschool all summer long. Her sisters told her how much fun she was going to have. We laid out her clothes the night before, including her new purple "first day of school shirt." I tried everything. When I woke her up this morning, she started kicking and screaming and crying becuase she didn't want to go to school. It took both Greg and me to get her dressed. He held her down while I put her clothes on her. I kept telling her that we'd go check it out--see if they had nice teachers there, see if there were fun toys and good snacks. When it was time to leave, she said through her tears, "We'll see how it is."

When we got there she wasn't crying anymore but she was still clinging to my leg. I took her around the room and we saw the tiny water fountain, the tiny toilets and sinks, and all the toys. She was starting to warm up a little...

She willingly went to the rug for circle time while I went across the hall for the parents' meeting. The parents all left from there and when I came back to pick her up she had a smile on her face...

She had a great time! And I don't think we'll have any problems when we go back on Tuesday. So to celebrate a successful first day of school we went to have some ice cream down on the farm. Nothing makes for a happy ending like Broom's Bloom.



No, I did not order her three scoops. That was a kiddie cone.
And yes, she ate the whole thing.





Painted Piano

Who doesn't love a free piano? This one was given to us by a friend. It was given to her by a friend some years before that. I have no idea how old it is. It can never be perfectly tuned. The bench top used to be cracked and upholstered in worn orange fabric. It was the perfect candidate for a makeover. I would never have done this to a newer piano. This picture was taken after I had Greg replace the top and reinforce the bench because I was afraid it would collapse every time I sat on it.

So I sanded it down, primed it, and after some deliberation, painted it ivory. My intent was to match it to the couch, but for some reason the paint in the can was much lighter than the paint chip. I would have taken it back to Lowe's but I didn't realize it until after I painted the piano. I definitely didn't want to do that again. So...the piano is lighter than the couch but it's not white. I'm pretty happy with it. I also reupholstered the bench. Maybe someday my girls' piano skills will exceed this piano and we'll need to get a new one. But for now, we're happy to be using this one.

Watercolor Memories

I miss our old house. I missed it really bad when we first moved. It was the house where we brought three of our babies home to. We have so many memories of our kids being little there. We had great neighbors, a great ward, and a great school. Our new house just didn't feel like home yet.

Now, more than two years later, I still miss it but not as badly as I did then. Our new house is starting to feel like it's actually ours. I can walk around in the dark without feeling uncomfortable. The kids have loved their teachers at the new school, and we've adjusted to our new ward. But I still wanted something in our new house to remember our old house. So I decided to dust off my watercolors and do a mini-painting. It's only about 3.5 by 5.5 inches and it is now framed and sits in my foyer.