Lucky 3

I haven't blogged in over a year.  I tend to just facebook.  It's quicker and easier and right on my phone.  But since the majority of the people out there don't really care about my personal stuff, I'm going to try to blog more regularly.

Let me start this out by saying that I've always hated running.  Really, really hated it.  It's hard, time-consuming, makes my make-up run, makes me sore....  The only reason I started running was because all of my friends were doing it.  Jessie Shamie, Francoise Malek, Holly MacEwen, Kim Deibel, & Jamie Archambeau. It seemed like a semi-social after work activity so what the hell.  It was at the very least a good way to lose the baby weight first after having Claire, then when I really needed to after having Finn.  So that's how I started down this weird path.  Let's see where this road takes me...

I've decided this is my year.  My Lucky 3 Year.  I'm going to run 13.1 miles the day before my 33rd birthday in 2013.  Last year, I struggled to run a 7K and never dreamt that I could go a single step past that.  Nor did I care to try.  But things changed last October.  I was training for my end of season 5K when my fellow Moms On The Run (henceforth known as MOTR) peer-pressured me into a 10K.  Well maybe not peer-pressure but strong convincing.  So in less than 4 weeks, I went from my usual 5K to a 10K.  I went into it with a fairly negative attitude.  "I just want to cross the finish line under my own power".  "What doesn't kill me will make me a bit stronger - right?"  These were the only things I could think of.  So each week before hand I added one mile to my runs (and actually stuck to running 3 x's a week).  I thought this would kill me.  I thought I would take long walk breaks.  I had so little faith in my body that the first time I ran 4 miles WITHOUT stopping to walk, I considered taking everyone to the bar to celebrate.  I had no idea that I could do that.  So to make sure it wasn't a total fluke, I did it again a couple days later.  I was even slightly faster!  Holy crap.  This must be that training thing everybody talks about.  I never thought I had an ounce of athletic ability in my body.  But ever-so-slightly I began to see what can happen when you just quit bitching & give 'er a shot.  Who knew?!  So I made it to the 10k and finished almost 7 minutes before my goal.  I was by no means speedy but I managed to run the entire thing with a 10:22 pace.  If you would have asked me one month prior, I would have scoffed at the idea. 

So that brings me to this week.  I took two months off of running.  Our schedule has been hectic to say the least this winter.  Also, this is Tim's season to shine as our star athlete in broom ball.  I attempted my first official run of the season on my "dreadmill" to disastrous results.  So bad that I went upstairs and broke into a box of Girl Scout Cookies.  Ugh.  I complained about my horrid start on Facebook and that's when all of my wonderful MOTR peeps spoke up and propped me up.  They "convinced" me to join the Polar Club and brave the winter-in-Minnesota-elements with them.  So I did.  And I survived much to my surprise.  So I will be running at least once a week outside from here on out.  Today I got myself re-acquainted with my ol' buddy Billy Blanks.  I did his "Ripped Extreme" work out which is a mild form of self-induced torture.  Or at least it is right now.  It should get easier.  Right? Right???  And according to my new Polar Heart Rate Monitor, I burned 689 calories (thanks Mom for the awesome gift!). 

I'm going to take training seriously for the first time in my life.  I'll start with a 5K next weekend, a 7K for St. Paddy's day, Minneapolis Marathon Relay (looking like my leg will be about 9 miles), and then Grandma's Half Marathon June 20 (that's assuming that we make the lottery).  Then I'll scatter some 5K's around there and possibly do the Medtronic Twin Cities 10 Miler. 

I'm mostly blogging about all of this for personal reasons.  To keep me accountable and to keep me honest.  I'm really REALLY bad about correspondence so it will be a small miracle if I can actually keep it up. If this is the only entry that is read, that's cool. Wish me luck.  Leave me advice.  Pointers, tips & encouragement are all greatly appreciated. Here or on Facebook.  The only thing that has gotten me this far in my journey is the support from old friends, new friends, & my family.  Thank you Tim and thank you Claire.  Your belief in me has been perfect. 

Alright, I'm done rambling now.  The Grammy's are on and Okee Dokee Brothers are nominated for Best Children's album. Cheers!

KJ

Stacey Elizabeth High

What a weekend. I don't really know where to start but I feel compelled to write something. I'm not writing this to anybody in particular but for myself. I guess as a bit of a tribute to our little pixie who is now at peace.

Last weekend, I was told my little sister's dear friend Stay-C had passed. I knew this wasn't going to be easy for Erin, and thus it wouldn't be easy for me. Friday night after work, I drove down to Chicago and stayed with Erin and Catherine. Yesterday morning was the Chicago Memorial. I couldn't believe how many people came. Stay-C had lived and worked in Chicago's theatre district for several years. She obviously touched many lives. People of every age, shape, color, and creed came out to express how this "bottle-rocket of a woman" touched their lives. I knew she was a unique girl but I had no idea how far that extended. The theatre was packed, people sat in the aisles and took turns telling stories. Her mother and father sat on the stage and took all of this in like only they could. I give Mr. & Mrs. High so much credit for how they are handling this. I can't even begin to imagine their grief. I suppose part of my blog today is for me to attempt to reason through this loss. I feel like she was put on this earth for a purpose. I know everybody talks about "how amazing" the deceased person was and how that person was just the greatest. Stay-C really was. Truely. I used to be secretely jealous of how she could just be whoever she wanted. I always felt the need to fit in. She obviously didn't. For 8th grade graduation she wore knee-high GoGo boots, a mini-skirt and a huge purple boa. She made her homecoming dress out of a Hooters shirt one year. Her creativity was awesome. Tim and I recently booked a trip to Europe. I thought of her the night we finally did it. I've only ever talked about going there since I was like 10. Stay-C wanted to go so she bought a ticket and flew there for 3 weeks by herself. Explored Ireland and tried to drink them out of Guiness. She lived for the moment. I still can't believe how powerful she was. My parents just left the Algonac Memorial Luncheon. Mom says there was somewhere between 300 and 400 people with more coming throughout the day. I was never close to Stay-C. I only knew her through Erin. She was and will always be a rainbow to me. So colorful. Vivid. Brilliant. I suppose that heaven has a new rainbow up there right now. I know that through this experience, I will take some things with me for the rest of my life.

1. Make a timeline. Memories jumble. I suppose this and Facebook will help my generation.

2. Live as though life is the canvas and you are the paintbrush. Make those broad strokes. Don't forget the details. And use a LOT of bright colors.

3. Do things. Live those dreams, don't just talk about them. (sidenote- I'm finially getting that tattoo I keep talking about)

4. Drink beer.

5. Be kind to everyone. You never know when the simplest gesture will mean the world to someone.

6. Be your TRUE self, not who you think people want you to be. And celebrate the God-given differences we all have.

7. But don't take yourself too seriously.

8. Never settle.

9. Don't take your family for granted. Your siblings are your greatest link to the past. Your parents won't be around for forever. And I think perhaps it takes being a parent to actually understand your own weird parents.

10. Go crazy. GoGo boots and purple boa crazy is healthy.

I'm so sorry to her family and friends that she had to leave this earth at such a young age. But I think that we are all better people for having her in our lives.

TGIF

Thank God it's Fall!

Eek! So I guess it's been a while.... Maybe too long. It was such a crazy fun summer. Every weekend was filled with exciting memories! We took a 10 day trip to Michigan to see my family. During that trip, my parents were gracious enough to watch their granddaughter (we really had to twist their arm) so that Tim and I could take a little 3 day trip just for us. So first we surprised Jessie in Detroit. She had no idea we were in town for her 30th (just a couple of months early). It was a wonderful evening of dinner with freinds, a Tigers' game, fireworks, and a German bar called Jacoby's. The next morning we headed to Traverse City to catch the Blue Angels and explore the Cherry Festival. Pure Michigan awesomeness! The following day I took Tim to see Sleeping Bear Dunes, something I've talked up for years. The day we went visibility was approximately 100 feet. We couldn't see squat. Which made for an eerie visit in and of itself. So we wrapped that up early and spent the rest of the day in the peninsula wine tasting. Very yummy, and very expensive. It seemed we had a hard time narrowing down our favorites and bought several bottles to bring home. Good thing wine doesn't have an experation date. =) After a dream weekend in TC, we headed down to see my dad's apartment and workplace in Tusten. Very cool seeing his shop. I guess it was a good thing we saw it when we did because about a month later, he left that company to move back downstate and is working with a great new company in Detroit. The remainder of the trip was spent visiting with friends and family. Of course we took a few trips out on Claire's namesake lake and went swimming. Man, I miss the water. St. Clair is a shade of blue I have never seen elsewhere.

The week after our vacation, Tim's brother married a lovely woman who I am proud to call my sister-in-law. It was a beautiful wedding at Heather's mom's house. They are expecting their first baby in November! A cousin for Claire!!

Since then we've done so much I can barely remember it all. Let's see, there were the tall ships in Duluth, Red Bull Flugtag, Claire's 1st Birthday, the summer picnic at the Malek's, Jozapalooza, a business trip to Dallas for Kelly, Tech friends' camping trip, Cameron's 3rd Birthday, the Great Minnesota Get-Together (state fair), Chicago for Kelly, Anne's wedding in Chicago, Tim's 31st birthday, Evan's 1st birthday, and the Renaissance Fair.

Yet to come: the Packers vs. Lions game next weekend, Canadian Thanksgiving at the MacEwen's, the Junaid's come to visit, and my first 5k is in November.... Needless to say we stay busy. We've become experts at packing in the last year. And Mikko has gotten really good at long car trips.

Today we took Claire to Teddy Bear Park in Stillwater for the first time. She had so much fun! She loved the slides! Mom may have even gone down a slide.... =)

Now that I have very breifly caught you up on our summer activities, I will attempt to write more often. We miss you all so much and look forward to spending time with all of our long-distance family and friends.

Cheers!

Jessie's Surprise Tigers Game

The Blue Angels in TC

Sleeping Bear Dunes.....just a tad foggy.

Swimming at Grassy Isle in Lake St. Clair

Grandpa teaching Claire how to properly captain a boat!

Joe & Heather's Wedding

Claire's 1st Birthday

The Oink Booth at the State Fair

My pathetic attempt at baking

Today at Teddy Bear Park

Dirty 30

It's been a while, I know. We've been incredibly busy so far this summer so it's been hard to just sit down and get the photos off of my camera. Let's see... Jessie, Chris, and Ethan drove their Michigan butts all the way out here for my 30th. It was the best weekend ever. I wish sooooo much that we could spend more time together. I miss my BFF and just don't get to see her enough. We went to the "Back to the 50's Classic Car Show". It was HUGE! And I say this as a veteran of the Woodward Dream Cruise. It blew my mind how many cars and people were there. I was told it was just shy of 12,000 cars. So we whipped through it pretty fast since we had the little ones with us... and my attention span was growing short. Then we went to dinner at the Spaghetti Factory in Minneapolis. So much fun! I've never been there so I didn't know what to expect. We got there about 4:30 (I know, blue-hair special) and the restaurant didn't open till 5. But they had a remedy: their lounge was open. So we hung out and the kids were so well behaved, it's like they knew we were having a special night. Then Saturday we went to the Zoo. Pretty standard zoo trip, except for Claire having an alergic reaction to sunscreen. Scary! But we water-boarded her right there in the cafe (laid her down and rinsed out her eye) to much screaming. But about 30 minutes later she was good-to-go. That eveing was my Dirty 30 birthday party. It was a great eveing spent here at the house bbq'ing shish kabobs and enjoying some cold beers and great friends. We topped off the night with a bonfire complete with s'mores. Which I have discovered are quite complicated. ;) For Father's day Tim got a new Weber grill. We'll be breaking her in this weekend. We took Tim and Chris to the Freighthouse for Father's Day. Then sadly, the Shamie's had to depart on their loooong trip home. =( All-in-all, it was more than I could hope for on my birthday. Now, on to another 30 years!

Claire and Ethan chillin'

Jessie, Chris, & Ethan at the Minnesota Zoo

Claire is ready for the Zoo!!!!

This is Claire in the freezing cold pool....

This is Claire taking the liberty of removing herself from the freezing cold pool.

Claire has her very own Adirondack chair!

Turning 30 has made me realize how much I have to be thankful for. I know I whine and complain about things and have a never-ending "wish-list" but I also have soooo much. Namely: a healthy beautiful daughter, loving & ever-patient husband, dear family (all over the midwest), incredible friends who do so much for me (make food for my party even though they are the guests or are 38.5 weeks prego), and a pretty cool house over my head. I pray for a lot of stuff but I really need to pray in thanks for the life I live. I can only hope that everyone is this happy! So next time any of you here me utter a complaint about work or "Ooo, I'd give my left arm for _____", you have my full permission to flick me. But not too hard.

If I haven't told you lately, I love you. I heard a quote once, probably at Team of Destiny, "You are who you surround yourself with." Well, I must be a pretty cool person because I have the best friends and family a girl could ask for.

Slainte,

Kelly Jane

Girls' Weekend!

Howdy. Just thought I'd drop a line. Last weekend was pretty low-key around here. Tim went to Milwaukee to help Joe and Heather move into their new place together. Which meant that Claire and I had a girls' day out. Saturday we went to the Mall of America bright and early. I just happened to find out the weekend prior that Betsey Johnson opened a little store there. Well, since Mumma has been working very hard the last few months, she may have splurged. Just a little. Claire helped. The fabulous gay guy working there was cooing over how adorable she was (and how he loved my current Betsey Johnson handbag that I just happened to be carrying that day) and it just put me in a spendy kinda mood. So I got a necklace, ring and clutch. Now I just can't wait to wear it all out on the town... Ya know, since we do that soooo often. I finally found real shoes for Claire-bear. The See Kai Run's were just a little too big and came off a little too easily. So we went with Robeez (not that anyone probably cares). The rest of the day was spent playing with Mikko and doing laundry. Claire isn't so great at sorting or folding, yet. Oh and Mikko's collar broke on our walk and she got away. And what does Mom-of-the-year do? Goes after the dog. I panicked. And left Claire in her strollar in the street. I thought maybe the little girls that were petting Mikko would stay with her but they thought it better to chase the dog as well. Luckily we have an angel for a neighbor and when she saw Calamity Jane leave her daughter in the street she ran over to her. Luckily (and I say that with much hesitation) I caught the dog and all was well. I've just never felt like such a tool in my whole life. *Note to self: Next time let the dog go!

Sunday was more running around and chores around the house. So it was a productive weekend at least. When Tim got home on Sunday we made our annual flower shopping trip. This usually does not go well for us. I like big, bright annuals. Tim likes leafy green perennials. But this year, he just let me pick without a fuss. It was nice! He knows I'm never gonna give up my color. I just wish we had more of it in the front. Maybe someday. (I have a dream front yard in my mind....)

Oh, and I did something I swore I would never do: I fed Claire Gerber's pureed meat. YUCK! I will never do that again. She made this hilarious face after almost every bite. I laughed the entire time. Poor thing. She must think Mumma's crazy.

Love and miss y'all!

Day Two .... by Claire

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That was from Claire. She just wanted to test out this blogging thing. I'll have to ask her how she found the upside down questions marks. =) Now she's helping me file today's customer inventory reports. She's mommy's little helper. Now we're off to go cheer for Daddy's softball team. Go Hogsbreath!

Day One

I've talked about blogging for a rediculously long time. My latest excuse has been lack of a good blog name. So rather than procrastinate any longer (yes Mom, I know I'm an expert) I'll get 'er done. I can't promise I will blog often. I also will not promise any intelligent statements will be made here. However since most of our family (and a lot of friends) live somewhere besides Minnesota, I will keep y'all posted on our little family. I hope someone reads this besides my Mom and I hope that we'll hear back from some of you.

Cheers!