Overcome with Emotion

I love my parents.  They are the best.

I really, really, really, really love my mom.  We get along fabulously and I think she just might be the best mom out there.  For realz, ya'll.

She sent me a Valentine's Day gift- stuff for the kids and two cards for me.  The first card had a Starbucks gift card in it (she knows me so well!).  The other card said "Do Not Open Until Feb 14th".  OMG.  I can't stand waiting.  I called her tonight and practically begged to open it early and of course, she said "Open it tonight and then call me back".

I opened the card, looked at the hand-drawn picture and read her words.  And then I came this close to bursting into tears.  This is what she wrote (she said I could share with ya'll):

Lisa,

On this very special Valentine's Day I want to pledge $100 to your 1/2 marathon for Elma and Allie.  As you say, "cancer sucks" not only for its' victims but for their many friends and especially their families too.  I only wish I could give more.  You Go Girl- I'm so proud of you!

Love, Mom

Yes, it's *just* a donation but it means so much to me and she knows it.  So does my dad.  It was his baby sister Elma that died from leukemia.  It was him that took her to all of her treatments- her being 7 years old and he in his mid-twenties.

My parents don't have a lot of money.  They make ends meet but they don't have lots of "extra" to spare.  My mom is a pre-school teacher, my dad is retired.    I knew they would donate, but I had no expectation of what they would donate. Really, I just wanted their support and love and I've always had that.

I'm blown away with their generosity, along with everyone who donates.  Thank you to my friends- IRL and in the bloggy world.

Thank you mom and dad.  I love you.

You Capture: Faces

We spent Saturday-Wednesday visiting my BFF Christy (Real Life Adventures) at her Hill Country abode.  I love it out there- it truly is beautiful and peaceful and COUNTRY.  Our five kids (my three, her two) get along fabulously and really, what more could I ask for?

One afternoon, I took my two older children down the dirt road to the "river crossing", to throw rocks into the river.  Sophie and Sam LOVE LOVE LOVE throwing rocks into the river- ping, pong, plop, ker-plunk.  Rock after rock after rock.  They love to throw rocks from different angles, too.  They asked me if they could put their hands in the frigid water and being the awesome mom I am, I said YES.

Sam laid down on his stomach on the embankment and put his hands in the cold water.  He splashed around and then for whatever reason, shifted his weight or maybe he was trying to scoot closer to the water to get a better angle.  Or whatever.

Then, he ROLLED into the river and came up crying.

His sister and I laughed so hard.  Then, we laughed HARDER when he yelled at us: It's not funny.  IT'S NOT FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh yes, little boy, it is funny.

For more You Captures, please go visit Beth @ I Should Be Folding Laundry (and btw, I REALLY should be floding laundry!).

Kick-Off

Yesterday was my first official training run for the San Diego Rock n Roll 1/2 Marathon.  I ran 3.02 miles.  I am training for the half marathon with Leukemia & Lymphoma's group Team in Training.  I am part of Team Shrinking Jeans.

Team in Training provides our Team (17 members comprise Team Shrinking Jeans) with invaluable support, from providing us a coach to training our bodies to run 13.1 miles to how to fundraise to meet our goals.  I am super-excited to be a part of this amazing group!

Why am I participating in Team in Training?  Why am I committing to work hard harass you to fundraise for this wonderful organization?

Because frankly, cancer sucks ass.  I can give you all the statistics if you like, but if you or anyone has been unfortunately touched by the hands of the cancer web, then you already know how much it sucks.  Too many families, too many folks have been touched by blood cancers and its' organization like Leukemia & Lymphoma Society that support those folks and their families- through cancer research, patient support, and education.

I am running in memory of my Aunt Elma, who died at the tender age of nine years old, back in 1972.  I am running in memory of young baby Allie Scott, who lost her battle to leukemia at the age of 9 months old in September 2004.

I am running for these two children, their families, their friends......I run for you.

I fundraise for the benefit of all.

Please consider supporting me in any way you can- donations are greatly appreciated, no amount is too small.  Much appreciation and love to those who have already donated: my brother Greg, my Uncle Adan, my very very very good friend Kim, The Keeling Family, Elaine of The Miss Elaine-ous Life, Tracey of More Than a Minivan Mom, and Brooke of Smart + Strong = Sexy. 

Your kind words, encouragement, support and motivation are also appreciated.

Thanks so much for reading this far and I hope you enjoy reading about my journey.

Go team!

Visit my fundraising page here.

The Kiss of Death

I really wanted to write a post today about my Team in Training Kick-Off Training Run.

The first of many runs I will be doing in preparation for the 1/2 marathon in June.

However, upon returning from my morning run, I was greeted by this horrible, f$cktastic sight.

I call it.....

THE KISS OF DEATH.

Unbelievable to me as I am still in a state of shock, my laptop has crashed for the second time in 13 months.  I am effing pissed and I think I just might hate Hewlett Packard.

Of course, the worst thing about all of this would be the loss of invaluable photos, the ones that I had not backed up yet (shame on me....lesson learned- I will be signing up with an online back-up service just as soon as I get my laptop up and running).  

SUCK.

I'll be around as I can, pecking away at our stinkin' old desktop that takes 3 minutes to start-up.

Dear Self, I have a lot to tell you

This week's assignment from The Monday Project over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans is to have your future 2011 self write a note to your 2010 self about all the accomplishments I would achieve this year, what hurdles I might expect and any advice my future me might have for my current me. 

I started off with a vlog but had trouble uploading my video, so you get a letter instead. This was actually emotional for me to do and in my vlog, I started crying. Of course, by the time I found some MORE time to write this letter, the tears were gone but the resolve was not.  This may rank of one of my favorite posts that I have ever written........

Dear Lisa:

I am here to tell you that lots of good things are in store for you this year. 2010 is going to be an awesome year for you, for lots of reasons. But first, I want to tell you something very important, so critically important that you need to stop all that you are doing, pull up a chair, and read this with an open heart and mind.

You, Lisa, are a wonderful and awesome person- you are a mom, a wife, a sister, a runner, a cook, a maid, a housekeeper, a taxi driver, and many other things. The best gift that you can give yourself this years is this:

• To love yourself through and through
• To forgive yourself for not being able to do EVERY THING all of the time
• To let go of the mom guilt

I believe that you are doing the very best that you can. Now YOU have to believe that you are doing the very best that you can. Just BELIEVE.

Like I said, 2010 is a big year for you. You will accomplish so many things! You will go from running 3 miles in January to training and running a half marathon in June with Team in Training. You may think that raising $2900 for Team in Training is a daunting task right now but I'm here to tell you that you will raise that amount and then some. You will finish that marathon in your goal time and you will feel GREAT. Pay attention to your body during your training runs though. You only have one body and you have to take care of it.

Also, I am here to tell you that you have inspired others around you to "get fit". Because of your passion for running, you have ignited the fire in your husband to get back in the running game. He ran the San Diego FULL marathon. You also inspired your brother-in-law to start running again and he, too, ran the San Diego FULL marathon. You have inspired some IRL friends to get back to exercising regularly. Look at how many people's lives you have touched.

You will consistently start training to run a women's triathlon sprint (swim, bike, run) for the Fall 2010. You will surprise yourself with how well you do. Swimming will be your strongest section! Hold on though- don't get ahead of yourself and start planning for the next level up in triathlons- finish your first sprint before you start thinking about the next one. There is plenty of time, there is plenty of time for the next step.

One more thing.....go ahead and get that physical that you keep thinking about getting. You will have great blood pressure but your cholesterol will be a little on the high side. If you need the doctor's confirmation to live even healthier, then this is it. You have only been blessed with one body, one heart and you have to take tender loving care of it.

Also Lisa, I am here tell you that by this time next year, you will have lost an additional 15 lbs, you will be wearing a Size 10, and you will be in the best shape of your life. ENJOY IT! You will have more energy than ever, you will be able to keep up with your kids even better, and you will feel AWESOME.

You are loved. You are appreciated. You can do anything you set your mind to.

Stay focused, stay disciplined, give yourself a break from time to time, look for the positives, and believe in yourself.

You, my friend, are truly special.

Love Always,
Yourself

The Happy in My Life

I have been tagged/awarded by several "hooker" friends who obviously think I need to start thinking happy thoughts.  WTH?  BTW, "hooker" is a term of endearment, used between friends : ).

I'm happy, dammit.

All kidding aside, I like this kind of meme.  Gets me to focus on the positives of my life!

These are the instructions:

1. Copy the image and display it on your blog.
2. List 10 things that make you happy.
3. Try to do at least one of them today.
4. Pass on the award to 10 bloggers who brighten your day.


Here is my "happy" list:

1. Cooking magazines and cookbooks.  One of my favorite things to do WHILE I am eating is to peruse the 6 cooking magazines I receive or to pull out a favorite cookbook, looking for just the "right" recipe.  It's no secret that I like to cook, now is it?  I spend A LOT of time looking at recipes and thinking of ways to change it.  It is my dream to have a "dream" kitchen and to cook without little ones attached to my legs demanding my attention.  The way some people feel about photography, that is how I feel about cooking.  
2. Receiving packages in the mail.  I know, this is so silly, but I LOVE it when the UPS man or Fed Ex man rings my doorbell to have me sign for a package and it's not just because they are cute and friendly-HA! I wonder if that is a job requirement?  Most of the packages are usually things I ordered anyway, but regardless, I love breaking into the boxes.
3. The first second third cup of coffee of the day.  I love coffee, I love to grind coffee beans, I love the smell of coffee, I love coffee creamer, I love my coffee mugs.  Over the holidays, my favorite coffee was Starbucks Christmas Blend- yummmmmmmm.  Is there such a thing as too much coffee?
4. Hugs and kisses and laughter from kids, to me or to each other.  'Nuff said.
5. My husband makes me happy.  He works hard for the money, has been commuting since May, and does it all for us, his family.  I don't say it often enough, but I truly appreciate that what you do affords me to stay home with the kids.  Thank you, honey.  
6. Planning a vacation.  To be honest, our family hasn't had a real, honest to good vacation in a long time.  I'm talking one where you have to take a plane and you stay in a hotel.  I love dreaming of vacations and planning vacations and going on vacations.  Since we started having children- the first born in October 2003 and the third (and last) born in September 2008, we have only taken one REAL vacation.  The hubby and I are in talks about taking a long weekend together somewhere Vegas? Cancun? Napa? hopefully soon, if we can get the grandparents on board to watch the kids Hi Mom! We love you. You're the best.
7. Running makes me happy.  Yeah, some days are really tough to get through my run like today.  WTH is up with that?  I struggled to finish 2 miles at a decent pace. I thought I might die but hey, lookie here, I didn't die, but overall, I enjoy running and sweating and working out my muscles really hard.  I am super-psyched about running the half marathon in June with Team Shrinking Jeans.  Now if only I could get some donations, than I would be super-duper happy.   am also signing up for the Capital 10K here in Austin in April (that would be 6.2 miles) and maybe one other race, to be determined.  who wants to run the 10K with me?!
8. Size 12 jeans.  Yes, I am happy for size 12 jeans because one year ago, I was wearing size 16 jeans.  Dare I say it......I think I might even be able to get down to size 10 jeans in the next 6 months!
9. A clear-free, clutter-free kitchen island counter.  Yes, I realize that I am the one who clutters it with papers, mail, food, dishes and the like, but OMG, it overwhelms me at times.  I try to clear it once a week, but it doesn't take long to become full again.  But for that one night that the kitchen island is free of stuff, I AM HAPPY shut up darling husband I know you are laughing your ass off right now.
10. My friends, in real life and in my bloggy life.  I will not name any names for fear of accidentally leaving someone out, but trust me when I say that you guys have gotten me this far in life- relatively happy, intact, somewhat sane, and the like.  Thank you.

And here are 10 bloggers I'd like to present with the Happy Award, because they make me happy:

1. Laura- Mommy from the Midwest
2. Kim- Prairie Mama
3. Heather - The Extraordinary Ordinary
4. Elaine - The Miss Elaineous Life
5. April - Did That Just Happen
6. Amanda- Kill Your Television
7. Donya - Crooked Eyebrow
8. Shannan- Chubbie Chica
9. Thea- http://imadramamama.wordpress.com/
10. Audrey- The Lewis Four

PS- I am hosting a giveaway for FIVE sets of McCormick's Spices Gift Pack over here.

PPS- I am hosting another giveaway for a Chocolate Cheerios Gift Pack over here.

Check me out

Today is Weigh-In Wednesday over at The Sisterhood of the Shrinking Jeans.

My results for the week are allright, but the vlog I did last night is freakin' hilarious.  Well, it makes me laugh anyway.  Go check it out right now!