May 2013

May kind of went like this: run, run, run, wrap up the school year and run some more. The month started off with the Lincoln Half Marathon on May 5th. I had been training for this half pretty seriously for the 12 weeks prior. I had a goal to run it in under 2 hours.  I had gotten faster in early January thanks to running with my neighbor Greg and his friends. When you run with a group of guys, it makes you not want to be the baby and ask to stop and walk. So I sucked it up and couldn't breath well for a few weeks of running and then I was faster. If I had known that's what it would take to get faster, I would have done it a long time ago. I just never wanted to suck it up. About half way through the training program, Greg got hurt and decided not to run the full marathon and that he would train with me and pace me for the half. Also about half way through the training he made me run a 5K at an 8:14 pace, which was a PR for me. It wasn't horrible, but it was hard. It was around that time I figured I would be able to do the half in under two hours.

The day of the marathon was chilly and overcast with a chance of rain. I met Greg at the starting line. I was really, really nervous! The morning was a little rushed and hectic. When the race started, I thought I wouldn't make it to mile 5. I was nervous still and my legs were tired. However, as the race progressed, I felt okay and we were maintaining my pace of 8:53-8:55. At mile 9, for some reason, we slowed down a bit and ran a 9:20 mile. Greg kept telling me, "The race doesn't start until mile 10." So he meant that at mile 10, we would kick it in gear and speed it up. I told him no, but at mile 12, we ended up running an 8:30 mile and finished the race in 1:57. I was so happy and pleased that I actually met my goal. Although, I kind of felt like I would. In any case, it was a great run and Greg rewarded us with some bloody mary's!

I also ran a race called the Diva Dash on Mother's Day. I met a bunch of friends there. Doug and the boys came with to watch. The boys did NOT want to come, but after they kept asking when they could run a race.

Julie was also in town during the month for Nate's niece's graduation. We went to dinner at Lo Sole Mio and looked at wedding dresses.

ALHS had their graduation and a few of the seniors I have known for years graduated. It was a little emotional to see some of them go this year.

I ran at Schramm State Park with some of the GOATz group. We are getting ready for the Dizzy Goat run on June 22nd.




















AND...I tried oysters for the first time this month. Doug and I went to a new restaurant downtown called Plank. We had oysters on the half shell and oysters rockefeller. I loved the Rockefeller!

I also ran a race called the Lemon Chaser. A night with a 5K, hour of yoga and happy hour after!

April 2013

April was pretty uneventful. We had Easter, I ran and it snowed. It was cold through a lot the month, as winter seemed to never end.

April was the last month of training before the Lincoln Half marathon on May 5th, so I got a lot of running in and my nerves were starting to pick up. The Boston Marathon Bombings also happened this month, so there were several benefit runs for that, which I enjoyed with friends, despite the reason behind it. 

With my running friends we started the new tradition of Margarita Mondays. It probably won't happen every Monday, but it's been fun the times we've done it! Who can dislike margaritas on Mondays for $1.99???

March 2013

At the beginning of March, I ran the Leprechaun Chase 10K out at Mahoney State Park with some friends. It was a fun race where the girls get a 5 minute head start and then the boys start. If a girl wins first, all the girls get free beer and vice versa. It was a great day weather wise for a run at the beginning of March. I ran the race in under a 9 min/mile with hills, so that was a great time for me! My time was just over 54 minutes. It was a really tough run with all of the hills. After the run, we had everyone over to our house for food and drink. We had a great time talking and hanging out. The boys were really good and entertained themselves the whole time.

The boys had spring break in the middle of March. I was a little bummed to not have the same break as them this year. I took them each to school with me one of the days, which they loved. They helped me do my inventory by scanning the books. They also helped catalog some of the books. At the end of the day, they said, "Why do you get a job that's so fun? It's not fair." I do agree I have a great job. I also took the boys to Lauritzen Gardens on one of the days. They have a Lego exhibit we wanted to see. It was fun to walk around the gardens, even though there weren't any flowers or pretty bushes and trees. We will head back when things are in bloom.

A friend of ours had a pajama party this month also. We had a good time heading to her house in our sweatpants to watch some of the men's NCAA basketball games. It was a really fun time!

Jack turned 7 1/2 this month! He got a cookie cake and loved it. They love celebrating their half birthdays.



















Easter was at the end of the month. That is when I had my spring break. It was cut short to make up for some snow days, but I still had 6 days off, which was nice. The boys were at school all but one of those days. I kept them home with me the Friday before Easter, so we could hang out and do some Easter crafts. We ended up wrapping small water balloons with embroidery floss covered in a starch and flour mixture. When they dried, we popped the balloons and they made cute little eggs. The boys LOVED doing this. I am glad I had a friend share the idea with me.

On Easter, the weather was pretty good. We were able to do an egg hunt outside with the boys. My parents come over that afternoon for dinner. 

February 2013

February is always kind of a blah month. It's short and cold and we are almost always ready for spring. We didn't seem to do much in February. We went out with my running friends a few times and had fun as always. I ran a very muddy 6-mile trail run out at Platte River State Park with some friends. I love trail running, but have decided that I don't like trail running in the mud. I was more worried about getting my running shoes dirty than I was my time. I slid down a few muddy slopes, but at least I didn't completely wipe out like some people did. Those people were actually trying to go fast. I just tried not to fall.

I also did Trek up the Tower for the first time. I had no idea what to expect. It was rough and tough and a little painful to the legs and lungs. I did it in 8:52. Nine minutes and under qualify for the elite pass for the next year, so I was pretty excited that I qualified when I felt I didn't even try that hard. I walked up the 40 floors. There was no running. It was HARD! I will probably do it again next year to try and beat my time.

Doug and I also celebrated 12 years of marriage. We had dinner at Mahogany Steakhouse and it was amazing. We had martinis, steak, lobster, crab legs and dessert. It was the most expensive dinner I've ever eaten, but it was so, so good. My mom took the boys for the night and they had a great time watching them. They played a few games and I was told the boys were quite entertaining. Doug and I managed to watch The Life of Pi and Argo that night. I slept through Argo, though.

 The one exciting thing that happened in February was that our house renovations were completed! We still have a few things to do like hang pictures and curtains, but the big stuff is done! Next week redo the deck and patio outside! Always something to do.

January 2013

January was pretty uneventful. I seem to recall not much going on, but then we were busy all of the time. The boys started basketball through the YMCA. They both really seemed to like it...maybe Charlie a bit less than Jack. They have practices on Tuesdays at the same time and then they each have a game on Saturday. It's made for some Saturday madness. Both have quite a few friends on their team, so practices tend to be a little social. But they've learned a lot.

At the beginning of the month, we drove back to Cedar Rapids to visit Doug's family for Christmas. The boys loved seeing everyone. They love hanging out with their cousin, Kiley.

I have still been running a lot in January. I have gotten faster thanks to running with my neighbor Greg and some of his friends. It's been great and kept me active all winter. I am still running with the new group at Lake Z and Chalco. We've all been out a few times together and I've made some great friends in the group. Doug likes hanging out with them as well.

Charlie had his 9th birthday party with friends this month. We had it at a sports place called Going Vertical. We rented the field and the boys played football, soccer and kickball. They had a blast and ran and ran for two hours straight. I could hardly get them to stop for pizza, cake and presents. Charlie declared it was the best party ever!

In the middle of the month, I met up with some friends in Austin, TX. There were four of us and we went for a long weekend. We relaxed, walked, shopped and ate. It was a lot of fun. We even went out and partied one night and stayed up way too late. Whoa, we are crazy! We had a great time and plan to do it again, next time in Denver.

We finally were able to get started on our fireplace demo. We took down the mantle and added tile to the entire wall. I love how it's turned out. Looks so clean and modern. In the below photo, it's not quite finished, but you get the idea. Next we paint the first floor and will possibly add new doors and trim. Haven't decided yet. We love how it looks compared to how it once did! So much better!

December 2012

December was a busy month. We started off with a holiday party for Doug's client. This was the third year we had gone and it's always a good time for the kids. Santa is there and gives a book from the Bookworm to each child with a bag of more goodies. They take family photos, have a coffee and hot chocolate bar and a fun photo booth. We enjoy getting the family photos and seeing some of the people Doug works with.

This year we did an advent calendar for the first time for the whole month of December. It was nice to get organized on what we were doing when, but it was hard to do it all. Some things we ended up not doing. One of my favorite things was taking the boys out to Village Pointe for hot chocolate and Christmas lights. We also had to stop at Scheels while there, of course.  We drove around for a bit after that and looked at lights in the neighborhoods. It was just me and the boys, which I liked.
The Elf on the Shelf visited us again this year. The boys LOVE the elf. They believe so whole heartedly in him and I love it. The elf had some new antics this year, like making snow angels, going fishing and turning the milk red. I was glad to see the elf go, so I did not have to come up with more ideas!

We made cookies, dipped pretzels, shopped, wrapped, attended Christmas programs, celebrated birthdays (Charlie turned 9 and my mom turned a year younger), endured a snow storm, attended ugly sweater parties and 5K runs, ran a lot, decorated gingerbread men, enjoyed Christmas with family, and New Year's with friends. It was a great month! I could go into detail, but it would take me forever! 

For Charlie's 9th birthday, we hung out during the day. We had our blueberry/lemon breakfast bundt cake. Charlie requests is every year. For dinner that night we picked up Charlie's friend Josh and met my parents and sister at Kobe's Steakhouse. We had a great meal and returned home to open gifts, have cake and let the boys play. 

One of my favorite things about December has been my running. I've been running 4-5 days a week and have shaved a minute off of my pace. I can now run hills at a 9 min/mile pace or sometimes better. I signed up for the Lincoln Half Marathon in May and hope to set a new personal record. I also met a new group of runners in December who have been the most awesome thing. We run a few days a week together and have been out to dinner as a group. They are a really positive group and I am so happy to have met them! I have gotten into trail running with Greg, my neighbor, and hope to participate in some trail runs with an Omaha trail running group! Omaha has an awesome running community!