MFT: Late Again!

So, it's Tuesday and I'm just now linking up with Abby for MFT. Raise your hand if you're surprised...yeah, me either. Down to business.

I cannot even believe I'm about to write this but...running. It's one of my favorite things! When Milo was just three months old, my cousin asked me if I wanted to train for the Memorial half marathon. I said "sure, it's something I've wanted to do", thinking "Oh, maybe in a week or so we'll start jogging or something"....clearly I wasn't thinking. My cousin is not one to mess around. Within two hours, in my inbox, I had a Google calendar link to a training plan that started AT 6:30 A.M. THE NEXT DAY!!!! I told Nathan I was pretty sure I'd just gotten in over my head but whatever, we'll give this a whirl.

Now, let me just say here that I had not done a lick of exercise since Milo had been born and before he was born the only exercise I was doing was walking my feet to the bone around our neighborhood trying to GET HIM OUT! So, we started the next morning using the Couch to 5k program (C25K). Fast forward to last weekend. There was a point to point, (supposedly) mostly downhill/flat half marathon in Ardmore. We decided to do that one as a "training run" since we were supposed to have a training run of that length on that weekend anyway, and it was a smaller race to get one under my belt since this was all new to me. And you know what? I FINISHED!!!! And I enjoyed it!

My cousin has been injured for a few weeks but I talked my sweet running buddy Jenny into going with me and we had a great time! In spite of the 20 MPH HEADWIND FOR 12.5 OF 13.1 MILES (I blame that for my slow time). We took it easy, we jogged, we chatted, we joked about the wind and how it should DEFINITELY make our race count for more than 13.1 miles because it sure made it feel like more, and we ran into that stadium and across the finish line and it was one of the best feelings I've ever had!

Point is, I actually do enjoy running (I sure hope anyway otherwise I'm just plain crazy!). It has become one of my favorite things, and I miss it when I don't run for a few days. I'm not some superstar athlete, that's for sure, and I'm not running to beat anyone or set any records, I'm just doing it because by golly less than a year ago I had a 30 hour labor and had a baby and now I have run a half marathon and I'm doing another in a few weeks and I think I'm pretty awesome, even if I am slow! :) Also, for a while, I've had this secret goal to run all the way around Lake Hefner...and I achieved that goal on one of my training runs!!! Plus, I've lost a couple of pounds, which I'm certainly not going to complain about. I've also gotten to spend quality time with my cousin on our runs, and get to be better friends with someone I've known for YEARS (Jenny) on training runs. These two girls have kept me going when I didn't think I could go another step, and they made me laugh while I did it! So really, what's not to enjoy!

So, I know this is WAY longer than it should be, but there it is. And now, some pictures from the event:

Jenny and me before the event - this was around 6 a.m., just before we got on a SCHOOL BUS to get driven out to the starting line.

This is just before some guy (a volunteer with the race) tells us "great job girls, almost there, just enter the stadium and ONE LAP AROUND THE TRACK". WHAT??? We didn't sign up for one lap around the track...I want a refund!!!

Here we are making our "victory lap". I believe this was the point where I was asking Jenny "do I NEED one of those shiny blankets?" and she was daring me to take one (it was humid and in the 70s). I did not. But I should have.

And here we are crossing the finish line. That lady standing on the track just ahead of us might have been my favorite volunteer at the event (all of them were fantastic though). She was cheering us ALL the way across the line and telling us (and everyone) how great we did. And this was more than three hours into the deal - I can promise you she had to be tired but she still had a smile!

And last, but not least, Jenny and I just after finishing, Jenny w/her cinnamon roll, and me wondering where my husband went with my two bottles of water, my banana, and my king sized Payday.

More Funny Faces

A couple of pics from the last few days.

This first one freaked me out because he looks like such a big boy!!!

This next one I just thought was funny because he looks so serious. This was after a little morning snack and he was SLEEEEEPY.

And this is just funny. This is how he's been sleeping lately. (Yes, we still swaddle him - he won't go down w/out it but he's usually out of the swaddler before we leave the room. It's like he needs the challenge of escaping so that he's worn out enough to sleep. Crazy kid.) Anyway, once he's escaped he puts his hands back behind his head and sleeps like this. I don't know where he came up with this, but I think it's hysterical!

MFT: Spring!

It's Monday and that means time for MFT - I'm linking up with Abby!

(And did you notice, I'm on time this week?)

Usually in February our daffodils come up. We didn't plant them, they were just a nice surprise left for us by some previous owner of this house. But as long as they last, I cut a few each week and put them in an old star milk bottle on our mantle or on the table. It makes me happy just to see them sitting there - so cheerful!

8 Months

I haven't looked back so I can't confirm but there's a decent chance I say this every month (and I'm going to say it again): I cannot believe that our sweet boy is 8 months old! In the last month he's finally started rolling back to front (and doing it a LOT), he scoots everywhere (but still not quite crawling), "talking" even more than he already was (and I SWEAR he says "Mama" now!), he will sometimes wave at the appropriate time (when someone is leaving - this could be a fluke but I choose to believe he knows exactly what he's doing), he's reaching for us when he sees us, and has started to show a little bit of stranger anxiety. He's also eating a plethora of new foods.

I think maybe one of the most fun things he does now is watching for one of us to get home from work. He's only done it for me a couple of times because he's usually napping when I get home but we try to watch for Nathan every day. We stand at the front window or sit on the porch if it's nice and wait for the Daddy to come home. When he pulls up in the driveway Milo stares at the car and the second Nathan gets out of the car Milo gets a HUGE smile on his face and gets so excited to see his Daddy! It's probably the sweetest thing I've ever seen and I can say that, having been on the receiving end of it a couple of times, that smile will melt your heart!

He's got two teeth through, two more trying (which is really making for some sleepless nights at our house) but that seems to be just about the only thing that bothers this kid! He's just the happiest, sweetest baby!

Here are a few pictures from today's "photo shoot".

MFT: Ken's Pizza

Sadly, we have already trashed our boxes and I cannot find a picture online. Whatev. Point is, Ken's Pizza is one of my favorite things. And we had it for dinner on Monday. So this totally counts as my MFT post for Monday, even though today is Tuesday. Someday I will have it together enough to actually do this post on Monday!

If you have a Mazzio's near you, you can get a Ken's pizza "for a limited time". Mazzio's actually started out as Ken's. We had a Ken's in Durant growing up and used to eat there NEARLY every Sunday. We were on a first name basis with two of the long-time waitresses (Vicki and Carol) and we always ordered the same thing: two thin-crust sausage, a thin-crust supreme, a super salad w/thousand island dressing for mom. Sadly, our Ken's closed a few years ago and we've been mourning it ever since. There are still a few of them around (Eufala, Sapulpa, Hutchinson, KS) but nothing close to us. So imagine my delight to find out that Mazzio's was running this deal! We've ordered it three times now and when we ordered last night I made Nathan get two just so we'd have leftovers. Cold Ken's pizza - breakfast of champions!

That's pretty much it. Ken's pizza rocks. Go get some.

I'm linking up with Abby for MFT!

Lest you think these things come easily...

When I was making birthday cards the other day, I thought I'd take a picture of my workspace to document that this is a P R O C E S S...and not a neat and tidy one. In the picture you'll note the following: laptop (to look up examples), at least two paper craft magazines to get ideas from (I almost never have the things that the people use in magazines or online so I have to wing it with what I DO have), boat loads of patterned paper, a LARGE DP, and other assorted crafty type implements.

Birthday Cards

We celebrated birthdays for some of the girls at the office this week - here are the cards I made. I hate the lighting - it doesn't do justice to the colors. :( Oh well. I had fun creating!

Vertical Stripes

Mom says vertical stripes are slimming but I don't know...

...do they make my butt look big?

P.S. Grammy, please don't get onto Mommy for making me say "butt". She won't really let me say it when I'm old enough to talk for myself. :)

MFT: International Edition

Forgot to say - I'm linking up with Abby @ graduate "extraordinaire"!

I know, I know. I'm late again. Whatever. Milo is teething so yesterday I did pretty much nothing other than hold him and try to keep his mind off of his teeth.

This week's favorite thing comes to you from sunny Guatemala! Well, sort of. I'm not in Guatemala. Neither is this item, at least not any more. My parents just went on a medical mission trip to that country and of course they brought back goodies for the kids and grandkids. One of the things my sisters and I got were these awesome beaded bracelets!

I love it because it's pretty sturdy and it seriously will match ANYTHING. I love that I can accessorize without thinking. Wearing cute things like this makes me feel like I at least put a little effort into getting ready - makes up for days like yesterday when I never get out of my pjs and don't even shower. Ugh.

P.S. Does anyone else think that photo is awkward? How do you take a picture of your wrist w/out it looking awkward because clearly I don't have a clue!