A New Experience

Yesterday I embarked on an adventure that I had never done before: to mow our lawn.

Now hear me out. I have mowed grass before while living at home with my parents, not too often, but I did do it on [slim] occasion. Then obviously while living on campus, lawn care wasn't a part of my duties so there was 5 years of not needing to think about that. We've been in our house for a year now [which seems crazy in and of itself] and when it has come to pretty much anything everything outdoors, that's been "Chris' Job"! You see, I've *thought* about mowing, but it has never been more than a thought. Especially after Chris' first mow job and his comment about how much of a workout it is!

But welcome yesterday. Chris started a new additional job this week, and so while we are getting used to his new work schedules, for the next couple of weeks while I am still in school, the time we are both home during the week is a bit slim. So I want to make sure that it's quality time! Well on Sunday/Monday, Chris commented that one day this week he wanted to trim the edging and another day he wanted to mow this week. Since I got home about 4:30 after getting a new tire for my annoying lovely car, I decided that if I mowed before he got home, then that would be an extra hour that we'd get to spend together once he got off at 6pm. [Secretly I was hoping it'd take me long enough that Chris would get home while I was still working on it, and then he could finish it up!]

And so I embarked on my latest adventure. Now we don't have a large yard, but we do have to make this more of an adventure is a reel mower. Notice I didn't say real but rather a reel mower.

Our real reel mower!

I began in the backyard because I figured that way, if I did an awful job, not too many people would see it. I also started in a little corner of the yard to "practice" a bit. I later learned after Chris got home that I started in what he refers to as the most difficult part of the yard thanks to unevenness due to tree removal before we moved in! Lovely!]

As I pushed this thing back and forth multiple times through the yard, I am just being honest when I admit that I thought about paying a neighbor to use their real non-reel mower so that I could finish in half the time! But I thought Chris may not like that idea since the whole reason we have the mower we do is to be more environmentally conscience. I also had a lot several other not so positive thoughts that went through my brain as I trudged along.

"Fake it 'til you feel it!"

Each time that I had those thoughts, and even became a bit bitter [which makes no sense since there was no one to be bitter against, since I was doing it on my own free will!] I reminded myself why I was mowing in the first place: more quality time with mister! That helped keep things in perspective. That's a lesson that I have to be taught many times--because I obviously haven't learned it yet--simply by doing an attitude check, I can make life, and that tasks in it, much more enjoyable!

I finished up the backyard, and the front yard, put everything away and then waited inside for Chris to get home. As I sat inside and drank even more water, sweat began to pour out of me. I even had a mental debate with myself--which is more of a work out: spin class, a 5k, or mowing?! A little after 6 when Chris returned, he was appreciative that I mowed simply because that meant he didn't have to, although my mow-manship wasn't quite to par.

Topped with cheese of course!

After relaxing just a few minutes, we headed back out to do some trimming. Thankfully about 3/4 of the way through trimming, it began to rain so we headed inside and decided it was supper time. Chris fired up the grill and we had some delicious, ginormous turkey burgers complete with the fixins and I tried my hand at steaming a whole head of cauliflower.

So big we even had to open up two hot dog buns per turkey burger!

Both were oh so yummy, and oh so fulfilling that it made it difficult to bend over and finish up the trimming when the rain let up. I could blame it on a real baby, while Chris' only excuse was the food baby he was growing!

Overall I got a little stinky, a lotta sweaty, a little grass-rashy/itchy, and a lotta time with Mister. So I guess I could say my first and likely last mowing job at our house was a success, and a workout!! :)

A Compassionate Papa[-to-be]!

So I have another story from last Saturday’s 5k. [I think I am just full of stories today! Ask my 1/2 Geometry class today! They heard stories about the world not ending on Saturday, peeing my pants on the Scrambler at the fair…when I was little of course, and Chris’ ex-girlfriend getting splatted with bugs on the Millennium Force!]

Anyways, this story is about how sweet my Mister is and why I am so excited to watch him interact with our lil’ one in 13 weeks [that seems so, so soon suddenly]!

So as I mentioned in the previous post, after our first 5k together we decided that actually running/jogging/wogging together was not good for us, so Chris started on a head of me and afterwards I got to hear all about his experience. [I think that this in and of itself is one of my favorite parts of 5ks, you may be running the same race, but everyone’s experiences are different. I love hearing all the stories after the race, even from my dad who is usually there to hold our things and fill out our time cards when we’re complete!]

Here’s my best attempt to retell Chris’ experience:

Chris was running along and about at the 1 mile mark, there was a little girl, 8-year old Kaitlyn, whom he had never met before, running  alongside of him. She was breathing pretty heavy, but keeping up with the 8:30ish minute/mile pace. So Chris being the sweet guy that he is, tried to encourage her and tell her that she was doing a great job. About a half-mile later, Chris said that Kaitlyn, still trotting beside him, looked up to him and asked, “Am I still doing a good job?!” “Of course you are Kaitlyn!” Chris responded with a smile!

Later in the run, Chris checked his watch and they had hit the 15-minute mark, so he again looked to Kaitlyn, who throughout the run was softly saying to herself “I can do it! I can do it!” and told her that they were at 15-minutes and more than half way done! She questioned, “Really?! That’s awesome! I’m going to smash my old time!!”

Chris also commented that there were times throughout the run that he felt like he could quicken his pace, but he wasn’t sure how lil’ Kaitlyn’s lungs and legs would handle it, so he refrained from doing so. Chris even thought about walking for Kaitlyn’s sake, but she seemed to be holding up quite well so they continued on together.

For this particular course, there is a guy who has a set of speakers set up on the course. It’s about ½ mile away from the finish line and on the track back to the finish line it’s after the first curve, and the finish line is actually after the second curve. Well as Chris & Kaitlyn came within earshot of the music, she excitedly told Chris “We’re almost done!” It wasn’t until after the curve that Chris had the heart to tell her that they still had a bit to go!

[Sidenote: As I came within earshot of the music, guess what song was playing… Yep, that’s right, “Another One Bites the Dust”! Encouraging, huh?!]

So in the end, Chris made a new friend that day. Kaitlyn did indeed end up “smashing her old time” by more than 6 minutes! Chris made his goal time. And I am lucky to have married such a sweet, thoughtful, caring man and love his compassion towards others, even if he has just met them! He’ll be such a great papa!

A Different Kind of Anniversary :)

Note: It's a long one!

Last Monday was an important anniversary, far more important than the one I’m able to type about, but nonetheless, today is an anniversary of sorts as well! Today is my 1^st 5k anniversary! After being motivated by my friend Leslie [I’m not sure I ever told her she was the reason I wanted to do a 5k in the first place], I decided a year ago January that I was going to do a 5k.

Now mind you running has never been my thing! I may have had the thunder thighs legs to be able to run, but I am also well-endowed elsewhere that has made running an unpleasant experience. But like I said, Les was a motivator, so I decided I was going to do it! I found the Hands 4 Haiti 5k in Shawnee, told my mom about it [she had already ran a couple 5ks] and we both signed up. I knew if I put my name on the dotted line and the donation was taken from my bank account, I’d be more likely to stick to my commitment. I also found the Couch to 5k training program which seemed applicably titled and doable.

So in January 2010 I started the program. It went quite well for about 5-6 weeks. And then I had a ton of dental work done… as in more cavities filled than I have fingers! And to be honest, while I was not in pain, I felt pretty crappy so I began to slack on my 3-day a week plan. I backtracked a bit, repeated a couple weeks, and was back at it. Then two weeks after my previous dental work, I had to have the other side of my mouth worked on. Ugh. Felt like crap for a week or so, and then re-motivated.

Welcome April.

Going into the second week of April, I was beginning to feel not-so-hot, but I knew it wasn’t still from the dental work.

Welcome Strep Throat.

Of course I put off going to the doctor for over a week and then had about as long of antibiotics, probiotics, and good-bacteria-filled yogurt being pumped into my system. Now we are to the end of April and I haven’t really gotten my 5k time down much at all as most of the training that I did in January was composed of walk/jog alternating on the treadmill. So when May 22^nd, 2010 came around here’s the math that I saw:

Dental Work + Strep Throat + Moving Residents out of Neufeld + Moving in a New House + Being in a Wedding = Less than 3 “Runs” over the course of 2.5 Months!

But I put my name on the dotted line and paid the money, so I was still going to do it.

Thankfully my mom and her co-worker weren’t out to win the race, so they did a walk/jog combo with me for most of the race until I finally felt bad and told them to go on without me! I definitely walked more than I ran jogged, but in the end I finished, and that was the goal in the beginning after all.

My time was 42.14 nothing that will go in any sort of record books, except my own. But hey, I did get a sweet medal and shirt!! J

Since my first 5k a year ago, I have done 4 others, and each time I have only done better. The one thing that hasn’t changed is that I don’t really run in between or to prepare myself for them. I enjoy the 5k races, not the training.

Race #2: Chris, my mom and I did the Freedom 5k last July. My time was a little under 40 minutes [I can’t find the results online any more so I’m not sure of the exact time]. It was hot, and I would’ve rather been by myself than with Chris because I was definitely holding him back! It was at that 5k that I decided that unless you train with someone else and you are at the same running level, it can be miserable to try to keep together. He knew he could go faster and was trying to be an encouraging husband, and I knew I wanted to go slower and was being an emotional wife. Ugh.

Race # 3: Then last November, Mom, Chris, my friendly Leanna and I all did a Turkey Trot in Lima. It was cold and rainy/snowy. We were all way overdressed. I began running with Leanna until I told her I was about to walk and I’d meet her at the finish line and then I finished the race with my momma who we both encouraged each other the run for a bit, then walk, run then walk. It worked out well, and it felt good to have a workout in before piling food in our mouths for the holiday.

Pre-race pic.

My time was 37.09. [Notice nowhere in that blurb did I mention running with Chris? I told him from the beginning that he was to run his own race without me! Running 5ks together isn’t good for our marriage, ha.]

Race #4: Perhaps my favorite race so far was the Donations for the Nations 5k this past April. Not only did Mom, Chris and I run it, but my bro Zac ran it as well! It was Zac’s first 5k, and let’s just say he did quite well the little turd! He won his age division!! I think what made this my fav run so far was the fact that I ran all of the first mile without walking [a mental goal I have each race], I ran completely on my own [I like the company of others, but that’s added pressure which I don’t like], and my goal was to be under 35 minutes [which I made by a whomping 11-seconds! Woot! Woo!] In addition, the weather was nice for running and there were so many people along the race from Cornerstone Harvest Church with signs cheering the runners on. Now I’m a realist and know that many times there were cheering for the people around me that are from their church, but hey, I’ll take the encouragement too! What made it great overall was that out of the four of us racers in the family, all four of us made our goals! Chris, Zac and I all made our time goals and Momma-cita won a medal for her age group!! She thought it’d take her until she was 85!! Let’s just say that there was lots of cheering and a lil’ crazy dancing as she went up to receive her medal!! Wahoo!! J

What made Donations for the Nations for the Nations not so great was the fact that I had to pee about a half-mile in and the urge didn’t go away. the. entire. race! Thanks, 5 month fetus for attacking my bladder! [I debated about stopping at McDonald’s and at some guy’s house who was outside mowing his lawn, but I knew I wouldn’t make my time goal if I did.] The second not so hot part was the battle wound I ended up with thanks to being well-endowed. [I’m still working on a solution to that problem!]

Race #5: And that brings us to today! Race #5, my "anniversary race".  Chris and I rose early for a Saturday to meet my momma at Shawnee Methodist Church for their annual 5k & half-marathon. The weather is beautiful outside, which is great, and after the kids fun run and the half marathon start, it was our turn to embark on our 3.1 mile journey. I found the pacer for the 11-min mile which was my goal time, and was ready to go. Life was nice as we got started for about 3/4 of a mile, and then I was getting hot a bit warm! I could feel my face turning redder and my hands swelling a bit. I told my pacer that I'd see her later and my goal was to just keep her in sight. After checking to make sure that this momma-to-be was alright, she was off to continue at her appropriate pace. So I continued the rest of the race with my usually walk/jog or "wog" as I refer to it with my students, with more walking that usual. Finally at Mile 2 we had a water station which would've been much more enjoyable had the water not gone down the wrong pipe! Drats! I finished out the race, talking with other woggers along the way, and even an elderly spectator [I actually stopped for 15-20 seconds to finish up that conversation, I didn't need the break, but I felt bad not answering her questions!] The course ends by going up a decent hill, and I saw my mom in sight as I finished up. She had a water ready and was making sure I was okay, I said I was, and she jogged with me a few seconds before I looked at the clock. 37:53. I had 7 seconds to complete the 5k in under 38 minutes! So I pushed it and made it to the chip mat in exactly 7 seconds! Woot woo! :) Definitely not impressive, but not too bad for all the walking I did. I still had improved by over 4 minutes from last year!

Post 5k Pic

So overall the recap for today's 5k: Chris finished in 27:43, Momma-cita finished in 33:20, and I finished in 37:33. [Chip time versus gun time accounts for my 27 seconds under what I thought I was.] Mom was 4th in her age group, Chris was 5th in his, and I was 6th in mine.

One day shy of 6 months preggo!

A couple random thoughts to conclude with:

The pacer that I start with was at 10:40 for the first mile, 10:40 for the second mile, and then for the last leg [1.1 miles] her time was 15:something, and she didn’t change her pace!! Last year “real runners” had commented that the course was actually longer than 3.1 miles and since this lady is practically a professional, I’m going to trust her judgment and say that it likely is. An extra 4 minutes in the last 1.1 is quite a difference!

I'll be doing just a teensy bit of wogging at the 5k in two weeks and after that, I'm purely a walker until post-baby, expecially the July 4th one because MY DAD is walking with me!!

Oh and seriously the best part about being a year in to 5ks, I think I have found a solution to my well-endowed issue! No battle wounds this time!! Wahoo!

Happy [Belated] Anniversary to Us!

The first week of May, I had over half a post typed up but since I never finished it, it just got deleted and now to begin again!

So with that one scrapped, here's a fresh one! On Monday, Mister and I celebrated 2 years of marriage! In many ways, 2 years doesn’t sound like much at all, but in other ways it seems like such a long time! I even go back and forth in my mind if it “feels” like it has been 2 years. In one moment, it seems like just yesterday we said “I do!” and in others, that seems like an eternity ago!

Last year we decided that on our anniversary we would write each other letters and share a bottle of bubbly. Then after reading the letters and finishing off the bubbly, we would put the letters in the bottle. This was in part because of the creative way that Chris proposed so we want to carry on the tradition!

Monday nights I have spin class and Chris usually goes along and runs while I am working out and so despite our celebratory anniversary, we first went to spin and then Chris “had something planned” for after. Well thanks to the rain, and more rain, and more rain, that let loose while working out and continued thereafter, his plans had literally been dampered! So instead of enjoying the picnic he packed out in the sunshine, we enjoyed it in our living room.

Sorry it's sideways, I can't figure out how to rotate without reuploading which will until our 3rd Anniversary!

We enjoyed some cheese and crackers, veggie pizza [a personal favorite of mine], fruit, and bubbly [sans alcohol of course]! Delicious. We read each other’s letters and shared good conversation. After supper, we watched a movie together [thanks to our free Netflix trial which I signed up to earn more Swagbucks for our milker money fund J ] and enjoyed my favorite desserts from Olive Garden! Yum! Yum!

The movie was good, and made us appreciate our love and even brought tears to both of us a couple of times, but that is our lil’ secret right?!

Lastly, I figured I’d share about my not so original anniversary gifts: Love Books.

I’ve known for a while what I wanted to do because I was reading a friend’s blog and in her post she referenced another blog. I read the story about the SmallMetal Box which was originally an Ann Lander’s letter. As soon as I read it, I knew that would be his anniversary gift.

When I went to get the supplies to make the box, I made several rounds in Hobby Lobby searching for just the right supplies to make the perfect love box. I finally gathered everything I thought I would need and was quite excited about it! Then as any good shopper does, I decided to make my way through the clearance aisles. Well much to my surprise when I walked through one aisle, I found a fake book box that had love written all over it, literally! It was also half the price of all my supplies so I went with the premade gift instead! Here’s our love book:

I gave him the book/box with a dollar to start it off right of course! ;)

 

I also designed the cover to our own little love book. Thanks to a great deal I was able to find at papercoterie.com, I made a journal with some pictures. This journal will be used to share our love, our encouragement, and our life with one another. We will be taking turns writing letters to each other and then cleverly hiding the journal for the other to find it, and it will continue back and forth. I’m excited to affirm and love Chris well through words and create our own little book of love!

This was also inspired by www.todaysletters.com.

So all in all, Happy Belated Anniversary to my favorite couple! J