Ok, so not all of my posts are going to be funny, I guess.
Had a great start to my day yesterday with an almost 4 mile run, followed by a wonderful Children's Program at a friends church where my children were given a couple of amazing gifts by someone in the congregation. Our blessings are abundant this year, even with as difficult as this holiday season feels, you simply cannot look past how wonderfully kind people can be. (even to people they don't know)
I know that I have always joked about the amount of hormones flowing through my household, but there are days that it is more obvious than others. In hind sight, I think that the girls and myself all felt a little "off" this particular morning as we were getting ready for church. My patience was definitely running a little short, and the girls were fighting with eachother alot....it just didn't feel good.
We went to church and watched a great children's play, and sang our hearts out to some Christmas carols, followed by candy and gifts being handed out. I thought to myself "This will turn our day around". By the time we were beginning to exit the church, the fighting and hurt feelings had begun again. Hmmmmm....
After we got home, we settled in a little and then I offered for us to take a bike ride to the store to get our ingredients for turkey soup. On our ride, the girls were still super sensitive and Natalie was just upset about EVERYTHING...going fast, going slow, being so far behind, wanting to be first. etc. etc. etc. I know my friends who are now parents know what I'm talking about.
When we get home from our bike ride, I decide to slow down this emotional day by having everyone curl up and read for an hour. They all have had favorite books lately that have been keeping them totally enthralled, and in Natalie's case, her chapter book about a cat named Dewey has recently had her laughing almost to tears. It's a true story about a cat who was found in the book drop at the library in a small town when it was a kitten and how it became the library mascot. Well, after about 30 minutes of reading I am astonished to find Nat SOBBING over her book. I cuddle up beside her to ask her what's the matter and through her tears she says "they put Dewey to sleep". Sweet Jesus! What next?!
At this point consoling my daughter who was mourning as though she had lost her own pet almost brought ME to tears. What a crazy day, good and bad, happy and sad, if I hadn't been able to sneak in a couple of runs for sanity, I might have needed a straight jacket and padded room. LOL
Anyway, the moral of the story is..........there's beauty to be found in imperfection and tomorrow is always a new day. Thank GOODNESS! ;)
Monday, December 19, 2011
Sunday, December 11, 2011
Cool Running
As most people in my life are aware of, I have begun to "dabble" in running this year. It is not something that I claim to be any good at, but I have found so much joy in running with friends and feeling that sense of being a "part of something". Kind of tough to explain how that actually feels.
I recently heard that my friend/mentor/inspiration David Clark was putting together a family friendly 5k in support of the Superman Project. Dave's passion for this particular cause is so inspiring, that I thought it would be fun to check it out and say "Hi" while getting in a fun first 5K experience with my daughters.
Having already had such a fun weekend doing some great Christmas activities with friends and family, I knew that if we were going to run even a 5K, we would need to get to bed early last night in preparation. However, when we went to bed early last night, all that the girls (and myself) had eaten while out at X-mas parades and parties was some seven layer dip, and cake. Although pleasantly full, the "proper fuel" chapter of what I was supposed to be teaching my daughters was right out the window.
When Camryn awoke this morning with a giant "kink" in her neck, I thought for sure that we would never get out the door. As we woke up a little more, I talked to her about the option of just having her stay back with grandma for this one, just in case we got there and she still couldn't move her neck. She declined......and I quote "My friend keeps bragging to everyone about being in the Parade of Lights, so I HAVE to run a 5K today!" (spoken through tears, because her neck was hurting so badly) LOL Atta girl. :)
So off we went with our hot pack on Camryn's neck, in hopes of working it out some before the run! When we got there and realized that this was going to be a super small event, I felt the girls anxiety about it drop by about fifty percent. Perfect!
The course was pretty easy except for some icy/snowy patches in the first block or so. McKenna says to me just as we are about to begin, "So, this is a REAL race?" I responded with yes, without realizing that as soon as Dave gave us the thumbs up to go, McKenna was going to take off like a SHOT and try to keep up with some of the adult runners in the bunch who were out front. I stayed back with the twins and prayed that she would pace herself sooner than later. And she did, but not without feeling like her legs were hurting pretty badly. We talked about all of these things on the way down to the race, but I think that she just couldn't stand to have anyone in front of her. LOL NOW she understands a little better, I'm sure.
I just tried to float back and forth between where McKenna was and where the twins were running together. They all did great. For the last half of the 5K, I mostly stayed with Mckenna, because she had fallen behind enough that I didn't want to leave her by herself. (the difficult part about running with 3 of them at the same time) Before I fell back to stay with Mckenna, I reminded the twins to stay together and try to stay in front of the people behind them, as well as make sure that Mckenna and I didn't catch them. It was so fun to watch them running together and listening to eachother when one of them would tire and want to slow down. The girls seem to fight with eachother so much lately, that it really was heartwarming to see them working as a cute little team! Mckenna and I stayed together for the next stretch, and I could tell that she was frustrated about not feeling like she was doing well. I tried to keep talking her into running more when she could (especially on the down hill slopes) and walking less, but she was complaining of her knee hurting, so I wasn't sure how much to push her, and I didn't want her to walk away hating to run.....so SLOWLY we went. As the twins approached the finish I was able to catch up with them so we could run in together, and then run back to where Mckenna was walking and convince her to finish running as well. All in all it was a fun experience for all of us, and the girls are super proud to have done their first 5K, even with their individual struggles.(Camryn's "kinky" neck as she called it on the way home, McKenna's knee, and Natalie seemed to struggle with her breathing more than the other two) I hope that someday this becomes something that we ALL enjoy immensely and with any luck,we'll be doing Half Marathons and Adventure Races for our fun family outtings!! Fingers crossed......... ;)
I recently heard that my friend/mentor/inspiration David Clark was putting together a family friendly 5k in support of the Superman Project. Dave's passion for this particular cause is so inspiring, that I thought it would be fun to check it out and say "Hi" while getting in a fun first 5K experience with my daughters.
Having already had such a fun weekend doing some great Christmas activities with friends and family, I knew that if we were going to run even a 5K, we would need to get to bed early last night in preparation. However, when we went to bed early last night, all that the girls (and myself) had eaten while out at X-mas parades and parties was some seven layer dip, and cake. Although pleasantly full, the "proper fuel" chapter of what I was supposed to be teaching my daughters was right out the window.
When Camryn awoke this morning with a giant "kink" in her neck, I thought for sure that we would never get out the door. As we woke up a little more, I talked to her about the option of just having her stay back with grandma for this one, just in case we got there and she still couldn't move her neck. She declined......and I quote "My friend keeps bragging to everyone about being in the Parade of Lights, so I HAVE to run a 5K today!" (spoken through tears, because her neck was hurting so badly) LOL Atta girl. :)
So off we went with our hot pack on Camryn's neck, in hopes of working it out some before the run! When we got there and realized that this was going to be a super small event, I felt the girls anxiety about it drop by about fifty percent. Perfect!
The course was pretty easy except for some icy/snowy patches in the first block or so. McKenna says to me just as we are about to begin, "So, this is a REAL race?" I responded with yes, without realizing that as soon as Dave gave us the thumbs up to go, McKenna was going to take off like a SHOT and try to keep up with some of the adult runners in the bunch who were out front. I stayed back with the twins and prayed that she would pace herself sooner than later. And she did, but not without feeling like her legs were hurting pretty badly. We talked about all of these things on the way down to the race, but I think that she just couldn't stand to have anyone in front of her. LOL NOW she understands a little better, I'm sure.
I just tried to float back and forth between where McKenna was and where the twins were running together. They all did great. For the last half of the 5K, I mostly stayed with Mckenna, because she had fallen behind enough that I didn't want to leave her by herself. (the difficult part about running with 3 of them at the same time) Before I fell back to stay with Mckenna, I reminded the twins to stay together and try to stay in front of the people behind them, as well as make sure that Mckenna and I didn't catch them. It was so fun to watch them running together and listening to eachother when one of them would tire and want to slow down. The girls seem to fight with eachother so much lately, that it really was heartwarming to see them working as a cute little team! Mckenna and I stayed together for the next stretch, and I could tell that she was frustrated about not feeling like she was doing well. I tried to keep talking her into running more when she could (especially on the down hill slopes) and walking less, but she was complaining of her knee hurting, so I wasn't sure how much to push her, and I didn't want her to walk away hating to run.....so SLOWLY we went. As the twins approached the finish I was able to catch up with them so we could run in together, and then run back to where Mckenna was walking and convince her to finish running as well. All in all it was a fun experience for all of us, and the girls are super proud to have done their first 5K, even with their individual struggles.(Camryn's "kinky" neck as she called it on the way home, McKenna's knee, and Natalie seemed to struggle with her breathing more than the other two) I hope that someday this becomes something that we ALL enjoy immensely and with any luck,we'll be doing Half Marathons and Adventure Races for our fun family outtings!! Fingers crossed......... ;)
Saturday, November 19, 2011
~ Days To Remember ~
To all of my faithful blog "followers" .....I think I am up to 4 now. :) This one could be a little long, so I apologize in advance for my longwindedness.
My life in the last couple of years has taken so many turns, twists, ups, downs that I feel a little like a test monkey for NASA, but in the grand scheme of things, it ALL makes me who I am as a person, and of that I am proud.
Thirteen months ago, I began my travels down the path of divorce.....while it is not something I am proud of, it has changed my life and the way I view myself FOREVER. I am a firm believer of the fact that everything in life happens for a reason, and have chosen to embrace that theory and move forward with my life in a way that makes me feel proud, and gives my daughters an example of how to really LIVE, how to love and be loved, and find happiness in our short time here on this earth. I only pray that in the most difficult time of my life, I have still been able to keep my head up and guide my daughters while exhibiting something that at least resembles grace.
The woman I used to look at in the mirror that made me feel sadness and and an overwhelming sensation of being lost, has become someone whom I honestly do not recognize........I have found what it feels like to have lifelong relationships, build confidence in myself, find an absolute love for being outdoors, climb MOUNTAINS (for real), laugh until my face hurts more frequently than ever in my life, smile at perfect strangers knowing how wonderful it feels to feel that from another human being.....I could go on for days.
As most of you know, (mostly because I never stop talking about it) I have found an absolute passion for kickboxing in the last couple of years. This has been the very CORE of my weightloss and changing of my mentality on so many levels. I am not sure that I can completely put into words just how the people (instructors and kickboxers alike) of my kickboxing group have absolutely changed my life. I have built such beautiful friendships with all of them, and can't imagine my life without each and every one. Today, was a special day.....I had the opportunity to test with my fellow kickboxers for my Brown Belt in kickboxing. For those of you who don't know, I absolutely freak out at the word TEST and still find it very difficult to be on display during things that are physically and emotionally difficult for me, and today was a big dose of both!
I go into these situations uneasy, and doubting myself and my abilities EVERY time only to be faced with so much love and support that I feel like I could MOVE mountains. I achieved Brown Belt status today, surrounded by people whom I love cheering and giving unbelievable amounts of support. ( must break for tears....hold please) If I am able to return just a portion of the love and energy that I felt today to the people around me, then I will be so happy!! In all of this, It is tough for me to put into words how much gratitude I have for Chris Lawrence and Ashley Bradley for being so supportive no matter what portion of my journey I am moving through......you make me want to strive for greatness and are such amazing examples of beautiful people (inside and out).
Thanks to everyone there today..... I can't wait for the next adventure! xoxo Erika
My life in the last couple of years has taken so many turns, twists, ups, downs that I feel a little like a test monkey for NASA, but in the grand scheme of things, it ALL makes me who I am as a person, and of that I am proud.
Thirteen months ago, I began my travels down the path of divorce.....while it is not something I am proud of, it has changed my life and the way I view myself FOREVER. I am a firm believer of the fact that everything in life happens for a reason, and have chosen to embrace that theory and move forward with my life in a way that makes me feel proud, and gives my daughters an example of how to really LIVE, how to love and be loved, and find happiness in our short time here on this earth. I only pray that in the most difficult time of my life, I have still been able to keep my head up and guide my daughters while exhibiting something that at least resembles grace.
The woman I used to look at in the mirror that made me feel sadness and and an overwhelming sensation of being lost, has become someone whom I honestly do not recognize........I have found what it feels like to have lifelong relationships, build confidence in myself, find an absolute love for being outdoors, climb MOUNTAINS (for real), laugh until my face hurts more frequently than ever in my life, smile at perfect strangers knowing how wonderful it feels to feel that from another human being.....I could go on for days.
As most of you know, (mostly because I never stop talking about it) I have found an absolute passion for kickboxing in the last couple of years. This has been the very CORE of my weightloss and changing of my mentality on so many levels. I am not sure that I can completely put into words just how the people (instructors and kickboxers alike) of my kickboxing group have absolutely changed my life. I have built such beautiful friendships with all of them, and can't imagine my life without each and every one. Today, was a special day.....I had the opportunity to test with my fellow kickboxers for my Brown Belt in kickboxing. For those of you who don't know, I absolutely freak out at the word TEST and still find it very difficult to be on display during things that are physically and emotionally difficult for me, and today was a big dose of both!
I go into these situations uneasy, and doubting myself and my abilities EVERY time only to be faced with so much love and support that I feel like I could MOVE mountains. I achieved Brown Belt status today, surrounded by people whom I love cheering and giving unbelievable amounts of support. ( must break for tears....hold please) If I am able to return just a portion of the love and energy that I felt today to the people around me, then I will be so happy!! In all of this, It is tough for me to put into words how much gratitude I have for Chris Lawrence and Ashley Bradley for being so supportive no matter what portion of my journey I am moving through......you make me want to strive for greatness and are such amazing examples of beautiful people (inside and out).
Saturday, October 8, 2011
What IS a "facial" anyways?....no, really.
When my good friend Nicole gave me a gift certificate for my birthday in September to go to her salon (Inspire/AVEDA) and have a "facial", I was so thankful, yet clearly not well versed in the world of "facials". Until this morning, my idea of what a facial was, made me think of my mom's Mary Kay business when I was a kid, where there is washing, scrubbing, cleansing and moisturizing of the FACE, after which they always covered their faces with MORE toxic make-up and went on their merry way.
I have to admit that when Nicole gave me a 90 MINUTE "facial" for my birthday, I was thinking to myself, "WOW, Nicole must think that my face looks like HELL", because she obviously thought it would take an hour and a HALF to somehow try to save my face. Anyways, as I enter the awesome little cave of AVEDA wonders, I meet Kayla, a super cute/sweet 20 something blonde who will be saving my face today. After we got inside, Kayla requested I remove my CLOTHES and put on a little wrap.....which threw me off, but who was I to resist? Clearly the avenues to fixing up one's FACE were not as clearly marked as I had imagined.....but I decided to roll with it.
When I was "wrapped",warm and comfy under the blankets, Kayla returned, at which point she asked me, because this was my first time, whether I wanted the play by play of what she was doing, or just to relax in silence. I of course responded with "nah, I'll just relax and you can tell me what happened afterward."
Let the relaxation BEGIN........................
I soon found myself in TOTAL relaxation mode ,which I am not completely certain wether to consider awake or asleep, and the following is what I experienced. (or at least what I REMEMBER experiencing)
During this 90 minutes, I went through aroma therapy, application of multiple AVEDA products (of which I am CERTAIN will make it to where at my next facial, Kayla will only need 30 min. MAX to save my face) massaging of my face, chest, neck, hands/forearms, feet/legs and head, not to mention the brushing of my hair, which in itself if wonderfully relaxing. I experienced cycles of hot things, cold things, steam and a few funny sensory things that made me think "hmmmm, how does she DO that?" I DID find out that once I got past the idea of someone massaging my chest (chest...not breasts....men) it was SO relaxing that, after my weekly workouts/kickkboxing, I could envision going and getting an entire massage of nothing but this area, and walk out feeling GREAT! There were times during this experience that I was so relaxed that when I tried to think about my extremities, had no idea if they were even on this planet anymore, let alone attached to my body. When all else was said and done, I sat up and stretched while Kayla massaged my back with some kind of magic AVEDA oil, I assume just so it didn't feel left out from the luxury that the rest of me just enjoyed.
Ahhhhhhhh.............. there must be a better name for this than "facial", as I clearly had no IDEA how serious AVEDA (and Kayla) are about bringing in the "total body" experience!
After arriving home, I was talking with my mom and Jenny (my sis-in-law) about how wonderful this was, when my mom asked "Did she use a little laser thingy on your face?" to which I responded " Honestly, I have NO IDEA....I was so relaxed that they could have snuck in a colonoscopy, and I wouldn't have noticed." LOL
All joking aside, this was a WONDERFUL experience and I can't wait for the next time I am fortunate enough to be pampered at Inspire! (Santa, I pray you are listening!) Erika :)
I have to admit that when Nicole gave me a 90 MINUTE "facial" for my birthday, I was thinking to myself, "WOW, Nicole must think that my face looks like HELL", because she obviously thought it would take an hour and a HALF to somehow try to save my face. Anyways, as I enter the awesome little cave of AVEDA wonders, I meet Kayla, a super cute/sweet 20 something blonde who will be saving my face today. After we got inside, Kayla requested I remove my CLOTHES and put on a little wrap.....which threw me off, but who was I to resist? Clearly the avenues to fixing up one's FACE were not as clearly marked as I had imagined.....but I decided to roll with it.
When I was "wrapped",warm and comfy under the blankets, Kayla returned, at which point she asked me, because this was my first time, whether I wanted the play by play of what she was doing, or just to relax in silence. I of course responded with "nah, I'll just relax and you can tell me what happened afterward."
Let the relaxation BEGIN........................
I soon found myself in TOTAL relaxation mode ,which I am not completely certain wether to consider awake or asleep, and the following is what I experienced. (or at least what I REMEMBER experiencing)
During this 90 minutes, I went through aroma therapy, application of multiple AVEDA products (of which I am CERTAIN will make it to where at my next facial, Kayla will only need 30 min. MAX to save my face) massaging of my face, chest, neck, hands/forearms, feet/legs and head, not to mention the brushing of my hair, which in itself if wonderfully relaxing. I experienced cycles of hot things, cold things, steam and a few funny sensory things that made me think "hmmmm, how does she DO that?" I DID find out that once I got past the idea of someone massaging my chest (chest...not breasts....men) it was SO relaxing that, after my weekly workouts/kickkboxing, I could envision going and getting an entire massage of nothing but this area, and walk out feeling GREAT! There were times during this experience that I was so relaxed that when I tried to think about my extremities, had no idea if they were even on this planet anymore, let alone attached to my body. When all else was said and done, I sat up and stretched while Kayla massaged my back with some kind of magic AVEDA oil, I assume just so it didn't feel left out from the luxury that the rest of me just enjoyed.
Ahhhhhhhh.............. there must be a better name for this than "facial", as I clearly had no IDEA how serious AVEDA (and Kayla) are about bringing in the "total body" experience!
After arriving home, I was talking with my mom and Jenny (my sis-in-law) about how wonderful this was, when my mom asked "Did she use a little laser thingy on your face?" to which I responded " Honestly, I have NO IDEA....I was so relaxed that they could have snuck in a colonoscopy, and I wouldn't have noticed." LOL
All joking aside, this was a WONDERFUL experience and I can't wait for the next time I am fortunate enough to be pampered at Inspire! (Santa, I pray you are listening!) Erika :)
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