Steve and I channeled our inner "gangsta" to attend the End of Spring semester "Goodfellas" gathering hosted by Marcia Williams. It was a great time complete with two Mafia themed trivia contests.
I thought Steve looked the part of a "goodfella". The inspiration for my "Gangsta" look was Carmella Soprano from the HBO "Soprano" series. Probably more of a miss than a hit, but thanks to borrowing a fedora from my niece, Miranda, I was in the ballpark.
Easter Monday (April 25) has traditionally been a no school day; however, the public school had to make up a snow day, so Abby had to go to school. Since Kippy attends private school (Our Lady of Victory) she got to have the day off. Steve had to work, so I decided to take a vacation day and spend it with my youngest daughter.
I told Kippy that Monday was going to be a Mommy/Daughter day and said she would get to pick our activities. She made some wise choices and even let me suggest a few things along the way. Kippy brought her own camera with to document our day, so be prepared because there are a lot of pics in this blog post.
Our first activity: Bike to the library
We enjoyed the beautiful spring day by biking to the library. It was 65 degrees out and our first bike ride of 2011. Reading is a favorite activity for both of us. Here are our book choices. After selecting books, we stayed and read for a little while until until I suggested another activity.
Activity #2: Go to Somethings Brewing. We ordered our hot beverages (Caramel steamer for Kippy & Almond Joy Latte for me) and went up into the loft area to enjoy with our books. After some reading, we decided should go ahead and order lunch. Taco in a bag for Kippy and a chicken Caesar for me.
Activity #3: Go for a walk with Bella and the Hubert girls around Lake Alice. We spied a beautiful crocus peeping out of the ground. Dani, Madi and Kippy were very busy exploring the newly uncovered areas of Lake Alice due to the partial draining of the lake. Kami was very helpful in doggie sitting so Heather and I could get some much needed visiting in.
Activity #4: Baking banana bread We use my Grandma Nita's recipe with the addition of some brown sugar sprinkled on top. I turns out perfectly every time.
Activity #6: Poop picking after Bella in the yard. Kippy was not happy about that one because she thought the whole day should just be fun. She insisted NO PICTURES.
Activity #7: Packing up the Easter decor. Another not fun activity with no pics, per Kippy.
And we wrapped up the day with Activity #8: Piano lessons for Kippy and house cleaning/laundry for me.
All in all, were able to do mostly fun activities, and got some necessary work done as well. Best of all was just spending time together and I hope Kippy remembers that part.
I feel so very blessed to have had the foresight to pick this man to date when I was a senior in high school and 18 years old. Today we are celebrating the 19th anniversary of our wedding and I love him more than ever. He is kind, generous, giving, loving, hilarious, insightful, strong, intelligent, comforting and so much more. The first song we danced to on our wedding night was (Everything I do) I do it for you by Brian Adams and the lyrics still resonate with me.
Look into my eyes - you will see What you mean to me Search your heart - search your soul And when you find me there you'll search no more
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for You can't tell me it's not worth dyin' for You know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you
Look into your heart - you will find There's nothin' there to hide Take me as I am - take my life I would give it all - I would sacrifice
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you
There's no love - like your love And no other - could give more love There's nowhere - unless you're there All the time - all the way
Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
I can't help it - there's nothin' I want more I would fight for you - I'd lie for you Walk the wire for you - ya I'd die for you
Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you.
The finishing medal for the handed out at the Fargo half marathon on May 22nd has a wonderful quote on the back which states: "Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1 For me, running 13.1 miles really doesn't take talent or skill, but it does take perseverance. I knew last year when I finished my first half marathon that I could have done better and it nagged me, taunted me, and made me feel less than. I am pretty sure that I decided within a day of completing my first half marathon, that I would have to run it again. I knew I hadn't done my best and I wouldn't be satisfied until I could prove to MIC (My Inner Critic) that I had could do better.
I followed the same training plan that I had followed last year, Hal Higdon's HM for Novice, but this time I added more to the distance and worked on some speed intervals. I also joined an internet community team called 13.1 which has over 2000 members with varied experience levels. Perfect for asking any question and getting advice from. I will have to say, the spring in MN was late in coming so all of my long runs were in weather which was below 50 degrees.
I added a few things to my gear... I got a running hat (Nike), hydration belt (Helium 2 bottle belt), dri fit shorts and shirt (Nike). {With all the Nike gear, maybe I could take over for Tiger and be their new spokes person?} Basically all warm weather gear because the HM was going to be held later in May.
My training runs went really well and I set a goal of 1:50 for finish time (my finish time last year was 2:01:17). I felt prepared to met this goal until about a week before the race actually started. This is when some much warmer weather and higher humidity moved into MN. The week of the race I did 2 shorter (4 mile) runs and they were so stinkin' hard. My breathing was off and my confidence plummeted. I was plagued with doubt thinking, "If 4 miles is hard, how in the heck am I going to run 13.1 miles?"The closer to race day, the more I scoped the weather forecast. The winds were expected to be 23 MPH with high humidity. YIKES! The only thing that could possibly be worse would be high temperatures. I literally can't run in hot weather - I don't sweat enough. My face always gets beet red, but I just can't cool off (I'm blaming genetics on that one.)
Self doubt is so darn debilitating. Luckily, my family and friends are good at giving me the perspective I need. And when all else fails, my favorite coping skills are denial & avoidance.Thankfully, I could throw myself into cheering on two of my most favorite peeps as they prepared to participate in the Fargo 5K on Friday evening, the night before the HM. Lori's daughter, her daughter's BFF and my daughter, Abby, were holding onto signs waiting for the race to begin. My tummy felt about as nervous as could be just waiting for the start gun to go off. It was exhilarating watching Lori and Heather cross the finish line along with 5197 other individuals. So proud of them and their hard work! And these same gals, got up at 5:00 AM the next morning to drive me to the Dome for my race. I cannot express how much it meant to me to have them with me to distract, encourage and support me. The traffic was BAD and although we gave ourselves plenty of extra time, we got there just in time for one potty break before I had to find my way through the 5300+ people to get in line. Did I mention that the weather man totally tanked on the 30% chance of rain? It was 100% raining and 60 degrees just before 7:30 AM when the race started.
It is so hard to describe the 10 minutes before the gun goes off. I positioned myself just in front of the 1:50/8:24 MPH pacer. I figured I would stick with the pacer as close as I could to try to make my goal. I tried to think about the here and now and not about the 13.1 miles ahead of me. I checked out the runners around me and what kind of gear they had. I noticed the people who were wearing hefty bags with just their heads sticking out trying to stay dry before the start. I noticed the people with matching shirts who were obviously running together. I watched a lot of people jumping up and down to warm up. I turned my ipod on, but kept the volume low so I could still hear what was going on around me. I thought, "What am I going to remember about this journey?" I will always remember the drive from FF to Fargo with Heather & Lori and their support and total faith in me. I'll remember the way the weather went from sprinkling during the Invocation to solid, hard rain, right after we collectively said "AMEN!" I'll remember how the tears running down my checks during the Invocation and National Anthem were completely camouflaged by the rain, which was pretty handy. I'll remember how it feels to be poised, ready to begin the race but thinking of the relief and joy of crossing the finish line. I worried that there wouldn't be much crowd support with the crummy weather.
BANG! The gun goes off, but it takes some time before we actually begin to shuffle forward. It took a little over a minute before I crossed the start line and could actually begin running. Suddenly, my ipod fell out of my case and was dangling just by the jack in front of me. I grabbed it and realized that my idea of putting my arm case upside-down to protect it from the rain was a big FAIL. I fumbled around with it, heard Heather & Lori cheering for me looked up and gave them a wave and a smile and continued to work to get my ipod in the case and back on my arm. I prayed that I hadn't ruined it because it had gotten plenty wet during the process.
We were suddenly at the first turn and I felt like I could finally start to breath. Lots of puddles, splashing, dodging and weaving.... and yet there were tons of people clapping, yelling, cheering, ringing bells & offering encouragement. I felt my spirit lift. Thank you crowd!! I didn't think ahead, I just kept thinking of where I was at. My first mile was 7:30 MPH and just as I passed the marker, I saw my friend Denise with her son (my godson), Brac crouched in the rain watching the runners go by. I pointed and waved at her and saw the surprise on her face. I thought maybe Steve and the girls would be with her, but then realized they must have decided to go to another spot. Since I didn't know where they may wait for me, I kept scanning the crowd for them. The race route turned and weaved a lot and there were plenty of water filled pot holes to try to leap over. By mile 4 I finally felt like I had gotten my pace down. I misfired on my first water station and choked while trying to drink and run. I coughed off and on over the next mile. After that I always stopped and drank my water and then started running again. Things went smoothly though the 10K point. At mile 7, my left hip had a sharp pain. At the time, I was running right beside the 1:50 pacer, but had to slow down a little due to discomfort. That is when I had my first real twinge of doubt. As I watched the pacers sign bob a little further in front of me, it was like watching my goal float away. I started to feel defeat. Just a few minutes later, at mile 8, I heard a constant, almost annoying, shrill whistle. I knew right away it had to be Kippy! She didn't see me, but I could hear her and as luck would have it, I was running on the left side of the street near where she was standing. I yelled out to her and put out my hand for a high 5. I also gave Steve a high 5, but couldn't quite reach Abby. I heard their cheers and I felt lifted. I didn't run any faster, but I realized they didn't think of me as a failure, so I needed to kick my negative inner critic to the curb. By the time I reached mile 11, I noticed I could no longer see the 1:50 pacer sign anymore. It hit me.... I was going to be disappointed with my finish time again! Ugggg!!! I comforted myself by rationalizing I could just run the race again next year. Just before mile 12, I stopped and walked for about 10-15 seconds. I had to dig deep to get through to the end of the race. As I entered the Dome, I thought I saw the finish time displaying 1:49, but without my glasses I figured I didn't see it right. I still had a little sprint left in me and I used it all up just to get across the line.
It took me another 10 seconds or so to remember to turn off my stop watch. I looked at my time on my watch and it said 1:49:09. Could that possibly be right??? I know the 1:50 pacer guy was ahead of me, so how could this be? I accepted my finishing medal and a bottle of water, still wondering if I may have actually reached my goal.
Meeting up with my entourage turned out to be much more difficult than I had imagined. It was 20 minutes before Heather and Lori could reach me. Then using cellphones/texts we were able to guide the rest of the crew to us. Steve, the girls and also my mom, who had drove up from the farm to watch.
The hugs were so amazing and my jello legs appreciated being able to lean on my peeps to stay standing. I slipped on the t-shirt that Abby had made me over my already rain and sweat soaked shirt. I love the saying on the back. I called my dad as soon as I could and asked him to check what my time was on the computer. Dad asked me what I thought my time was going to be. I told him my watch showed 1:49:09 and that seemed close to what the finishing clock was showing when I crossed the finish-line. I so wanted it to be true! When we got to Lance & Denise's house, I got a call back from Dad and he confirmed that my finish time was 1:48:55. A little over a minute under my 1:50 goal!! The rush I felt knowing I had OFFICIALLY beat my goal is indescribable. It was the icing on the cake, that is for sure.
These shoes are only two weeks old, but they served me well. I get to keep my FarGo time chip along with my finishing metal and the memories of this race forever. I really feel like I poured everything I had into the race this time. I am satisfied! I don't NEED to run a HM again... Maybe I'll WANT to do it, but I don't NEED to do it. Two days later, I still have sore quads, but the soreness just reminds me of what I accomplished. I feel like I did my best and that is really all I wanted. So take that MIC!
The people I really admire are those who tackled the Marathon. 26.2 miles have been described as "Hell and Back". Our good friend, Lance (running in all black), was one of those very brave individuals. Marathon runners are in a class all to themselves. It gave me the chills just to watch them on their journey. Congratulations to all of the race participants! Fargo had over 17,000 runners in their GoFar events May 20-22. So much inspiration packed in those few days.
I found a photo from almost 11 years, when Steve & I were on a Caribbean cruise. It was June 1999 and I was wearing the now vintage red dress.
THEN....
NOW...
Kinda fun to do a little comparison between then and now. Steve looks so much the same! I like my hair & jewelry better in the now version. What do you think?
We are off to celebrate our 2nd honeymoon with a 4 day stay in Las Vegas over Steve's Spring Break. Our first honeymoon was also a 4-day stay in Vegas, which was a wedding gift from both of our parents. We were there December 29, 1991 through January 1, 1992 {over 18 years ago}. On our first Honeymoon, we stayed at the Excalibur. We went to several shows including a New Year's Eve comedy show at the Aladdin with Sam Kinison & Pauly Shore, which ended with a jam session with Motley Crew to bring in 1992. We also went to King Arthur's Tournament Dinner show where we had this picture taken. Steve, as always, my Knight in shining armor. Don't ya just love my 90's permed hair?
One of the things I hope not to repeat on Honeymoon II, is Steve getting sick on the flight into Vegas. I remember looking out the window chatting away and turned to see why Steve had gotten so quiet. I looked at his face and immediately asked, "What's wrong?" That is when Steve started rifling through the seat pocket in front of him to get the infamous barf-bag. I quickly pleaded, "Go to the restroom. Please don't do it beside me!" But it was too late... ugggggggg!!! The worst part was we were right in the middle of landing, so there was no leaving the seats and no getting rid of the smelly, disgusting bag-of-gore. When we got off the plane, I was surprised when Steve said he felt better because I thought he had the flu. Steve said, "I only got sick because of all the turbulence!" Turbulence? What turbulence? I hadn't even noticed any turbulence. We are definitely wired differently in that respect.
Although, I recently went to Vegas last June, Steve hasn't been back to there since Honeymoon I. Steve told me he has some anti-nausea gum for this trip. I hope it works!! We are staying at Trump International. We have tickets to Andrew Dice Clay and hope to get in a couple of other comedy shows. We are definitely taking in the thrill rides at the Stratosphere. Steve's mom will be holding down the fort with Bella and taking care of the girls while we are gone. WE ARE GOING TO VEGAS, BABY!
I was soaring high, about 13,500 feet high to be exact in AZ. 60 seconds of free-fall and then pulled the shoot to get the biggest wedgie of my life!! Do you remember what you were doing 16 years ago?
Not so long ago, I wasn't all that picky about what running shoe I used. I just tried on a few pairs to find something that fit my narrow heel well and didn't slip and went with it. Over the years, I have used ASICS, Sauscony, Adidas, & Nike. Gradually I have educated myself more. I have done research and I have had my stride evaluated. I learned that I have underpronation, which means my feet roll outward at the ankle. A great resource for evaluating your running shoe needs is through Shoe Dog. You answer a series of questions and get a list of shoes that are best for you. Having the right shoe reduces the risk of injury and I am all for that!
That is how I found out that Mizuno Wave Rider is the shoe for me. Once I tried them on, I knew it was a perfect match. My heel was snugged in and the toe box was wide and comfortable. They felt like air on my feet. It was TRUE LOVE, I tell you! I replace my shoes every 400 miles or so. This is about the time that the support is wearing down and I can feel my knees and ankles protesting a bit. I just got my 4th pair of Mizuno Wave Rider's in the mail last week. LOVE the new color, which I think will hide dirt better than white.
I love my Mizuno's so much, that I can't seem to throw them away. I have become a Mizuno hoarder!
They are a work-of-art, I tell you!
Yup, I have some issues.
I have gone from Wave Rider 9 up to Wave Rider 13. Each year the model just gets better and better. The latest has a lining in the interior which is as soft as butter and makes my heart go pitter-patter. Yup, I definitely am in love with these shoes!
We got dressed up to go out for supper at the Italian restaurant in downtown Alexandria called Bella's on Broadway. I got to break out my new peep-toed, snakeskin, slingback pumps... MEOW! The atmosphere was very romantic and the food did not disappoint. We shared crab cakes with roasted red peppers and pineapple salsa for an appetizer. I tried the grilled pear salad with balsamic dressing topped with candied walnuts & goat cheese and for an entree chicken Marsala with portabella mushrooms served with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes... heavenly! Steve had cranberry salad with creamy poppy seed dressing & feta cheese and for an entree pesce parmigiano also served with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes. The pièce de résistance was the decadent chocolate cake we had for dessert... incredible! When we got home later that evening, we were greeted by messages and pictures from Kippy, which really touched my heart. It was a very memorable anniversary!
We enjoyed the beautiful spring day by biking to the library. It was 65 degrees out and our first bike ride of 2011.
Reading is a favorite activity for both of us. Here are our book choices. After selecting books, we stayed and read for a little while until until I suggested another activity.
We ordered our hot beverages (Caramel steamer for Kippy & Almond Joy Latte for me) and went up into the loft area to enjoy with our books.
After some reading, we decided should go ahead and order lunch.
Taco in a bag for Kippy and
a chicken Caesar for me.
We spied a beautiful crocus peeping out of the ground.
Dani, Madi and Kippy were very busy exploring the newly uncovered areas of Lake Alice due to the partial draining of the lake. Kami was very helpful in doggie sitting so Heather and I could get some much needed visiting in.
We use my Grandma Nita's recipe with the addition of some brown sugar sprinkled on top. I turns out perfectly every time.
The first song we danced to on our wedding night was (Everything I do) I do it for you by Brian Adams and the lyrics still resonate with me.
Don't tell me it's not worth tryin' for
Look into your heart - you will find 
Don't tell me it's not worth fightin' for 
There's no love - like your love 
Oh - you can't tell me it's not worth tryin' for 
Ya know it's true Everything I do - I do it for you.
The finishing medal for the handed out at the Fargo half marathon on May 22nd has a wonderful quote on the back which states: "Let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us." Hebrews 12:1
For me, running 13.1 miles really doesn't take talent or skill, but it does take perseverance. I knew last year when I finished my first half marathon that I could have done better and it nagged me, taunted me, and made me feel less than. I am pretty sure that I decided within a day of completing my first half marathon, that I would have to run it again. I knew I hadn't done my best and I wouldn't be satisfied until I could prove to MIC (My Inner Critic) that I had could do better.
Lori's daughter, her daughter's BFF and my daughter, Abby, were holding onto signs waiting for the race to begin. My tummy felt about as nervous as could be just waiting for the start gun to go off.
It was exhilarating watching Lori and Heather cross the finish line along with 5197 other individuals. So proud of them and their hard work!
It took me another 10 seconds or so to remember to turn off my stop watch. I looked at my time on my watch and it said 1:49:09. Could that possibly be right??? I know the 1:50 pacer guy was ahead of me, so how could this be? I accepted my finishing medal and a bottle of water, still wondering if I may have actually reached my goal.
Meeting up with my entourage turned out to be much more difficult than I had imagined. It was 20 minutes before Heather and Lori could reach me.
Then using cellphones/texts we were able to guide the rest of the crew to us. Steve, the girls and also my mom, who had drove up from the farm to watch.
The hugs were so amazing and my jello legs appreciated being able to lean on my peeps to stay standing.
I slipped on the t-shirt that Abby had made me over my already rain and sweat soaked shirt. I love the saying on the back. I called my dad as soon as I could and asked him to check what my time was on the computer. Dad asked me what I thought my time was going to be. I told him my watch showed 1:49:09 and that seemed close to what the finishing clock was showing when I crossed the finish-line. I so wanted it to be true! When we got to Lance & Denise's house, I got a call back from Dad and he confirmed that my finish time was 1:48:55. A little over a minute under my 1:50 goal!! The rush I felt knowing I had OFFICIALLY beat my goal is indescribable. It was the icing on the cake, that is for sure.
These shoes are only two weeks old, but they served me well. I get to keep my FarGo time chip along with my finishing metal and the memories of this race forever. I really feel like I poured everything I had into the race this time. I am satisfied! I don't NEED to run a HM again... Maybe I'll WANT to do it, but I don't NEED to do it. Two days later, I still have sore quads, but the soreness just reminds me of what I accomplished. I feel like I did my best and that is really all I wanted. So take that MIC!
Congratulations to all of the race participants! Fargo had over 17,000 runners in their GoFar events May 20-22. So much inspiration packed in those few days.
THEN....
NOW...
On our first Honeymoon, we stayed at the Excalibur. We went to several shows including a New Year's Eve comedy show at the 
We also went to King Arthur's Tournament Dinner show where we had this picture taken. Steve, as always, my Knight in shining armor. Don't ya just love my 90's permed hair?
60 seconds of free-fall and then pulled the shoot to get the biggest wedgie of my life!!
Do you remember what you were doing 16 years ago?
Not so long ago, I wasn't all that picky about what running shoe I used. I just tried on a few pairs to find something that fit my narrow heel well and didn't slip and went with it. Over the years, I have used ASICS, Sauscony, Adidas, & Nike. Gradually I have educated myself more. I have done research and I have had my stride evaluated. I learned that I have underpronation, which means my feet roll outward at the ankle. A great resource for evaluating your running shoe needs is through Shoe Dog. You answer a series of questions and get a list of shoes that are best for you. Having the right shoe reduces the risk of injury and I am all for that!
I replace my shoes every 400 miles or so. This is about the time that the support is wearing down and I can feel my knees and ankles protesting a bit. I just got my 4th pair of Mizuno Wave Rider's in the mail last week. LOVE the new color, which I think will hide dirt better than white.
I love my Mizuno's so much, that I can't seem to throw them away. I have become a Mizuno hoarder!
They are a work-of-art, I tell you!
Yup, I have some issues.
I have gone from Wave Rider 9 up to Wave Rider 13. Each year the model just gets better and better. The latest has a lining in the interior which is as soft as butter and makes my heart go pitter-patter. Yup, I definitely am in love with these shoes!
We got dressed up to go out for supper at the Italian restaurant in downtown Alexandria called Bella's on Broadway. I got to break out my new peep-toed, snakeskin, slingback pumps... MEOW!
The atmosphere was very romantic and the food did not disappoint.
We shared crab cakes with roasted red peppers and pineapple salsa for an appetizer. I tried the grilled pear salad with balsamic dressing topped with candied walnuts & goat cheese and for an entree chicken Marsala with portabella mushrooms served with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes... heavenly! Steve had cranberry salad with creamy poppy seed dressing & feta cheese and for an entree pesce parmigiano also served with steamed broccoli and mashed potatoes.
The pièce de résistance was the decadent chocolate cake we had for dessert... incredible!
When we got home later that evening, we were greeted by messages and pictures from Kippy, which really touched my heart.
It was a very memorable anniversary!