Friday, April 29, 2011

It's the Final Countdown!

The Rocky theme song has been buzzing around in my head for the last few days, with good reason. (Side note: the Rocky theme song is infinitely better than the other song that's been constantly stuck in my head lately, the theme song from Elmo's World. Seriously. Those Sesame Street people don't mess around. Not only is Anna crying out for that fuzzy red creature, but Mike and I find ourselves humming that darn song at all hours. Well played, Elmo. Well played.)

On Sunday, my miles and miles of training will pay off when I hopefully cross the finish line of the Flying Pig Half Marathon. I've been a little worried the past few weeks - vacations and training don't always seem to go hand in hand, and our trip to North Carolina, while lovely and relaxing, wasn't exactly conducive to getting my miles in. That twelve miler that I was supposed to do? Not so much. More like eight, with a side of red wine. I kind of want to kick myself, because I've been pretty religious about strictly following my training program. But what are you gonna do?

That's where Rocky Balboa comes in. This is also the part where I admit that I'm a huge dork, because I'm totally a believer in envisioning things in my head going a certain way, and I'm really convinced it works. I think it was my dad who first taught me this, back when I was playing softball. Want to throw a strike? Imagine yourself doing it. Drive in the winning run? Smack a line drive in your mind. I tucked this technique into my bag of tricks, and I use it all the time. Playing golf. Getting Anna to sleep (for real - when you're that sleep deprived, you will try just about anything!). And now running. I've crossed that finish line probably a hundred times in my mind already. Every time, I'm smiling, and happy, and looking cute (did I mention I bought a new outfit just for the race?) while that Rocky music plays in the background. And I am definitely, definitely, NOT looking like this:
If you happen to be awake around 6:30 on Sunday morning, send some positive vibes my way for an "Elmo's World"-free race and sing a little Rocky theme song in my honor. Positive thinking or not, I'll need all the help I can get, especially when it comes to that pesky puppet.

Monday, April 25, 2011

Hippity Hop Hop

Jelly beans are a health food, right? I mean, they have the word "bean" in them, so I'm just going to go with it...

Even though I wouldn't consider myself a very religious person, I love holidays. Admittedly, I had to ask Mike to clarify the whole meaning of Easter for me yesterday. A quick trip to Wikipedia cleared things up, but it got me thinking about celebrations and holidays and why we do things like turn our fingers green trying to dye hard-boiled eggs and consume our weight in marshmallows shaped like little birds.

I had a roommate in college who tried to tell me that I shouldn't be allowed to celebrate Christmas because I didn't really understand the real point of the day. And while it's true that my family never went to church and I almost flunked the New Testament course I took in college, that comment totally pissed me off. Because for me, even though holidays might not be about the birth of Baby Jesus, they sure as heck are about being with family and friends and taking some time to carry on traditions and have a little fun. Especially now that I'm a mama, and can sneak out into the yard to hide brightly colored eggs or stuff Christmas stocking with goodies, I totally understand the true point of holidays, probably more than ever.

Yesterday was no different. We joined my parents, my aunts, and my grandma for a brunch that has been a tradition for as long as I can remember. Eggs Benedict, cheesy potatoes, a mimosa or two, and lots and lots of Peeps. Throw in an Easter basket for my little bunny, and you've got yourself a mighty fine holiday.





The best part was that we kept stealing the eggs from her basket and re-hiding them. 

The teacher in me just cannot resist...
I hope that your holiday, whatever way you were celebrating, was just as nice. And for your sake, I hope you didn't stuff as many jellybeans down your gullet as I did.

Monday, April 4, 2011

Happy Monday!

Not a whole lot going on around here. It's the week before a vacation, and it always seems like those are the days that drag on forever. My brain is spinning with packing lists and project ideas and fun ways to keep Anna entertained on the fifteen hour car ride we're taking on Friday. Luckily, my in-laws will be en route with us, so there will be a couple extra sets of hands for playing peek-a-boo and force feeding occupying her with snacks. With any luck we'll arrive on the beaches of North Carolina with our eardrums still intact and the sun shining.

Until then, a couple of shots of our girl to get you through the week...







Happy Monday!