What Matters Most

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 315 (running: 265.3; walking: 13.5; biking: 36.2) Elly's miles: 123.7  Money Found For Food Bank: $46.42

Holy moly, this weekend has been picture perfect in terms of weather!! I utilized it this morning by sleeping in near an open window (ahhh ...). I think that was the perfect way to start the day! Yesterday, we all got in gear much earlier to participate in an area walk for MS. Again, it was a perfect day. See?

For real. PERFECT weather. And, the forecast for yesterday
did not waver through the week's forecasting. It was always
tagged for being beautiful.

Our team is in green. You can see the Crew there. And, yup, that's Pit Crew #3 in the balloon hat. All of the teens on the team happily got in line for the balloon guy, and we did not start the walk until all of them had a balloon in hand or on head! I love kids!! And, I really love teenagers. For Real.

 

Our route was on a walking trail which ruled because much of it was shaded. Later in the walk, as it got much warmer, our team captain staked out a spot to take pics.

My knowledge of MS is very limited. I know there's a disruption in the communication of the brain and the body. And, I know that the symptoms are as varied as the people who have it. And, I know it can suck.

 

What better way to spend our time than to participate in an event that personally matters?!

Here's to spending our time, energy and love on what actually matters. Here's to looking forward to a great week!

Oh, Expo, How I Love You

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 300.8 (running: 256.3; walking: 8.3; biking: 36.2) Elly's miles: 115.5  Money Found For Food Bank: $46.14

I did not run all of this past week, and I feel it! I'm feeling a little sluggish, and I'm a bit restless. It's an intriguing dichotomy. Anyway, I jumped on the extra time not running this week to try and get my life logistics in order. I'm not so sure I fixed as much as I messed up, but, either way, we're going full force tomorrow with it all including (hopefully!) a run!

I can't start back without wrapping up last weekend's events, though. I mean, sure, I could just leave it in the past, but what fun is it to not show off one of running's main events! There were some fun little moments before the run, so I had to include this even if I'm this late doing so! Come with me on our adventure into THE EXPO!!

Immediately upon arrival, we snagged the necessities (bibs and shirts). I even remembered to look up my bib number before arriving to pick it up unlike last year when I completely whiffed that detail and looked like a total tool. Eh, what's new about that? Anyway, here's the Crew with the goods:

Two observations. First: I sometimes suck with the family
selfie and cut someone's face in half. However, it's also kind of
descriptive of our imperfect world, so, there you go. Second,
note we all are showing race items, but Pit Crew #3 held up
his buy-one-get-one card from Chipotle! Of course he did ...

I meant to take a picture of the Half participant shirts, but I guess I was a bit uninspired. They're orange, but they're kind of a dirty orange. I say, if you're going to go with orange for a race shirt, go all the way and make it scream! But, they didn't. I wasn't too impressed. Hardly anyone had theirs on Sunday morning, too, so, I'm not sure what kind of hit they were. Oh well. It'll match my sweat and grime this Summer.

There were some faithful vendors in attendance that we had to investigate including the wicking headband lady ...

PC#2 bought a super-cool, funky one. I passed this time, although I enjoyed looking.

There were a lot fewer shoe vendors there. I never look at them, so, I didn't care. But! PC#3 and I did notice these at one that was there:

Oh, yes, those will make me feel FAST! We just kept staring. It's like we couldn't look away ...

One More Mile was there, and I always like poking around their stand. In fact, as I overheard someone in the crowd say it might rain on Sunday, I put on my Expo agenda to find a hat. Maybe that person was a plant from One More Mile walking around creating the immediate need for some merchandise ... Okay, no, but it would have been a successful plan had it been the case. Mama's not running in the rain without a hat if at all possible! PC#2 joined in the pursuit.

While we looked for hats, Aaron checked out the shirts ...

If this had been almost any other color, I
would have bought it for him!

Aaron and PC#3 went their own way for a while which also means they are the first ones to find a food sample:

The mac-and-cheese was okay, but the
quinoa salad mess topped with very, very
dry chicken was not good at all.

Speaking of food at the Expo, are we the only ones who were totally surprised to see this?

I will note this table was doing a lot of business! I'd love to know the end story and if it was worth the cost and effort! A lot of runners made sure they'd be happy at the finish line!
My only other pursuit at the Expo was for a long sleeved, dry fit shirt. I do so love my day-glo Cowbell one, but, honestly, I'm sick of it. Not knowing how Sunday's weather would be, I knew I needed to have the short- and long-sleeved options for a last-minute decision. Cowbell was with me, but I hoped to find another. And, as luck would have it, I did! This is the back of it:

As it turned out, I ran in short sleeves, but I didn't care. I needed a new one long-sleeved one regardless of Sunday's choice. Besides, how could I resist the little, stick figure runners along the course?! See that one in Illinois going back toward the bridge to cross the river? She's running away from that smell I talked about in my recap! You can bet she's going pretty fast ...
Pleased with our purchases, we wrapped it up ...

... and, we headed out to later investigate our goods, both purchased and free! Hey, did you know the freebie, pure beet juice sucks?!

I think there's a reason every participant was given a full can! NASTY!

So, all of GO! is behind us including the recap, so, it's time to go forth! And, if there's no rain in the morning, it'll all reboot then! Here's to the next adventure ...!

FINISHED

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 299 (running: 256.3; walking: 6.5; biking: 36.2) Elly's miles: 111.9  Money Found For Food Bank: $46.13

Finished.

And, FINISHED!!

All sorts of stories to come this week!!

The Easter Pterodactyl. And, Thank Goodness For Spell Check.

Happy Easter!! It's a truly joyous day -- Miraculous and Good. And, among the much deeper meaning of the holiday are traditions born of legends, and, you can guess, we capitalize on such things around here!

Of course, we have an egg hunt ...

This is the first Easter we can remember that everyone found all of his or her eggs before we called it done! A few direct rounds of Hot and Cold had to be played, but they were found none the less!

A few years back, the kids were put in charge of our baskets. For the first year, they 'drew names,' but I believe it was in that second year they just decided Pit Crew #2 takes care of mine, and PC#3 takes care of Aaron's. And that explains why there was a Pterodactyl in Aaron's basket:

That also explains why there was a receipt in Aaron's basket. Under the Pterodactyl.

PC#2 made me a fantastic basket:

Those letters spell CRAFT. Isn't my basket pretty?!

Thanks for my basket, PC#2!!!

Elly spent the morning being hopeful. And, being denied.

It was a really fun start to the day with our favorite peeps:

I'll wrap it up with a funny from the Love Yourself and Laugh Facebook page ...

... and, I'll check in after the morning run! Happy Easter!!

Break From the Norm

With another day declared for NO RUNNING so as to allow for that extra day to return to a better form of normal*, the fam pounced on the time the opportunity and spent the morning playing games!! And, not just any games ... Chuck E. Cheese games!!

Fierce competition out of the gate!

While the boys focused on the hoops, PC#2
is back there scoping out the new milk
jug game ...

... where she discovered she was
pretty good!!

Okay, so the little girl at the game was ANSTY to get to the
milk jug game to the point that when PC#2's turn ended, the
little girl went right in front of her and threw in a token. For
all of her enthusiasm, though, she had no staying power and
gave up on the game after one try. Amateur.

I'm not sure the kids quite knew what to think when I announced last night that this is what we'd be doing. Aaron knew I was dead serious, though! I said we needed to go right when they opened so as to, hopefully, avoid chaos. For the most part, that plan worked, and we had a blast!! The boys focused on the basketball, driving and shooting games (there's a super gross gun game where you're battling larger-than-life tarantulas and mosquitoes ... seriously icky) while the girls did our long-time favorite skeeball while discovering a new game! It was very carnival-like where the object was to throw the ball into the perfectly designed milk jug -- perfect in that you needed to be pretty perfect to get it on in there for the biggest points value. It turns out that PC#2 and I were pretty perfect and scored the most tickets on that game. It was a definite triumph over our skeeball skills that turn out to be sorely lacking, but both were super fun!

We were there for two hours playing!! It was awesome and a nice way to throw in something out of our ordinary to do especially when tomorrow brings about even more normalcy in an effort to get back into the real world. We'll be taking one more day off from running, though ... because we can! (Oh, and because it's past 11 p.m., and we're still going strong on a puzzle and another episode of Gilmore Girls ... we actually planned to run. And, then, we looked at the clock, called it Break, and called it GOOD.)

* So, I have a friend who also had an appetizer dinner for NYE. She ran both yesterday and today and reported she could still feel the cheese sticks while she ran. Just sayin'.

The Look Back

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 1016.2 (running: 827.1; walking: 44.3; biking: 144.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $13.71

 

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 1016.2 Aaron: 766.4 (b: 674.6; w: 91.8)  Elly: 305.8 Total: 2088.4

Total miles in motion (run, walk, bike): 1016.2 (Goal: 1,000)

 

Total miles run: 827.1 (Goal: 900)

 

Likelihood of setting a running goal for 2016: 50/50

 

Likelihood of continuing regular running in 2016: 100%

 

Best run look of the year: This one -->

Money found and donated at Thanksgiving to Food Bank: $98.78

 

Money found since Thanksgiving donation day: $13.71

 

Most money found on a run: $3.17

 

Most intriguing find on a run:

I have no words. Or use.

Number of runs accomplished: 8 -- four 10Ks; two 5Ks and two Half Marathons

 

Number of runs accomplished that were virtual: 7 -- this virtual running thing rocks

 

Best virtual bling: There were so many good choices, but I landed on this lady:

"Oh darling, just run." she says.

Worst run: Yesterday's outing with Pit Crew #2. Nothing like a slick surface to keep you from getting any kind of speed going whatsoever. aka: Nothing like finishing and feeling like you never started.

 

Biggest running obstacle: Running with Pit Crew #3 because of the degree and frequency he makes me laugh.

Biggest personal accomplishment over which I had some semblance of control: April's Go STL Half Marathon where I PR'ed. That was sweet.

 

Biggest accomplishment over which I feel I had little or no control: Not falling down even once. BAM!

 

Best think-out-of-the-box moment: May's Go Girl Half Marathon that I completed on my own since I registered for the official run then made unchangeable plans on top of it. I had to come up with another plan; I was not going to be denied that medal the size of a dessert plate! 

Biggest running annoyance: Is there really a competition here? It's the shoes and how my toe likes to pop through most of the current models.

 

Best money found on a run: All of it. Wait ... the $5 bill ... wait ... all of it.

 

Best score at the Expo: The "World's Okayest Runner" sign. That's the best!!

Most concerning running moment: Encountering this family of geese -- 

Ever wonder just how territorial geese can get when protecting
their babies? No need to wonder ...

Most loyal running partners: Pit Crew #2 and Elly.

Best dressed runners: I think the winners are clear.

 

As you well know, running can be something of a pain. But, most of the time, it brings me a lot of joy, a lot of fun and a lot of peace. I'm so very thankful not just for the ability to do it but also for being able to share it with others. Especially with this Crew:

From my Crew to yours, a very Happy New Year!! Here's to more to come in 2016!!

No Ado About Running

Merry Day After!! I'm not sure what it says about me that I looked at Pit Crew #2 earlier this evening and said, "Okay, so, yesterday was Christmas ... right?" It felt longer ago than that. I chalk it up to a really good day after and, probably, it being the first day of break that everything has felt normal. Is it the build up ... is it just that there are things to do ... I don't know what it is, but break, for me, starts after the presents are open!

That's not to say everything up to that point isn't pretty fantastic! As you know, we started Christmas Eve with a family run! Then, in the afternoon, we received a spontaneous Christmas carol recital from the kids:

We wrapped up the Eve with our traditional breakfast for dinner while the kids exchanged their gifts to each other and to me and Aaron! Breakfast for dinner on the Eve began very early on; you get breakfast out of the way at night so no one has to be bothered with it once Santa comes, duh!! Last year, I was smart enough to move it out of our kitchen and to a restaurant ... no one is working and all are enjoying at the same time! Everyone wins!!

I do so love tinkering with tradition to make it work! I love our gift exchange, too:

PC#3 getting beloved Pop Tarts from his
sister ...

... while he gave Aaron something very
specifically hand picked!

PC#2 took care of my nails and hands with lavender gloves
made to text while she loved her new Ice beverages from
her brother!

There is nothing not fun about this particular exchange!! The whole purpose of it is to be very thoughtful while not spending much money. It's truly one of my very favorite Christmas activities!!

The Eve exchange is always a surprise, but Santa tends to do something each year for each of us that takes us by surprise! He's magical like that, amiright? Don't worry, Elly was included in the magic with a very special treat. But, enough about her; this was my morning stash ...

... and, this is what was in the blue paper in back!!

It's a smaller version of the movie poster!!!!! I. LOVE. IT. and never saw it coming even though every time we passed a theater, I talked about the ramifications of just pulling one off the wall and/or out from under its protective frame. NEVER saw this coming! It's fabulous!

This last week has been so full of blessings -- I think I'm tired by Christmas simply from counting them all. Truly, it's overwhelming.

Soooo ... in other, everyday news, PC#2 just checked the weather and, just like this morning, it's supposed to be raining when we get up and for the duration of the day. And, that's the forecast for Monday, too. So, we'll be playing this running thing by ear! I'm pretty thankful for that kind of flexibility, too. All blessings, big and small, count!!

I hope the holiday and weekend bring you every bit of love and peace you are wanting! We'll be checking in ...

All In!

Today’s Numbers: Nancy's Total Movement Mileage: 1002.7 (running: 812.5; walking: 41.2; biking: 144.8) Money Found For Food Bank: $12.96

 

2,015 in 2015 Change Hounds progress: Nancy: 1002.7 Aaron: 731.4 (b: 639.6; w: 85.8)  Elly: 297.6 Total: 2022.4

It's the Eve of the big day!! Yahoo!!! I am not only excited for Christmas, but I was already excited for a family gift I designed for my peeps: A virtual Family Run!! Wheeeeee!! With a window of time where no rain was predicted, I hopped on this morning to make it happen! Oh, and I sprang it on the young Crewers yesterday. Surprise!!

 

I had the idea to do this not only because we do like to occasionally make this running a family gig, but I also saw a great virtual medal for one of our family members come through my Facebook feed, and I wanted a reason to get it! So, instead of making a run for just two of us, why not all four?!

 

Remember this from yesterday?

This is what was inside!

That candy themed one? Yeah, it's HUGE. The description
did say it was 6", but there's something about reading it and
seeing it that is very different! It's fabulous! And, dangerous!

Aaron was already in the know about the run because I needed to ask him if he was down with going a 10K distance since that was the only option for the medal I wanted to get him. He immediately accepted and took the longer distance for the team this time (yay!). He's the only one who knew we were getting medals, but no one knew what they looked like until we were finished. It was really fun hunting for just the right ones for everyone!

 

So, ANYWAY!, we all agreed to get up earlier than any of us (except Aaron) would have otherwise planned, and we had a great morning! It was 33 degrees, but there was no wind making it rather comfortable for some of us. Aaron, however, was taking no chances:

He's in four layers on top plus a fleece hood/mask. He was
taking no chances in the oh-so-frigid temps!

We sent him on his way, then we drove to where our run both began and ended which was also Aaron's end point. SO SMART, I KNOW!

 

I had a blast with the young Crewers. Pit Crew #3 had us both laughing within our first quarter mile to the point I had to stop and catch my breath. Fortunately -- for keep-on-moving sake -- he turned it down just a smidge as we got nearer the first mile. I think some of his energy was redirected toward noting multiple, multiple times his hands were cold. PC#2 to the rescue as she gave him her gloves so he no longer had to run with his hands in his pockets! It was quite a site -- and one he didn't really want photographed!

 

This was my favorite part of the run and precisely why I chose this route:

Then I thought it would be a great idea to take an in-action selfie of all of us while running. Look at what a great job I did capturing our crew!!

Our 5K went by really fast -- great entertainment with the company I kept certainly moved things along!! (And, I found a dollar bill on our last stretch! BOOM!!) We hit our end point in good time and only had a bit to wait until Aaron cruised up predictably soaked from his many layers!

I loved having this outing together, and it was also fun to surprise the kids with their medals!

This was a great way for our family to really kick off the countdown!! I hope you and yours are also doing exactly what you want today!! Above all, do what makes you peaceful with the ones you love!