Today's the Day!

So, here it is - the big 4-0.  And list aside, I can truly say I'm excited about my birthday this year!  Each milestone has been better than the last: at 30, I was in much better shape than 20.  And at 40, I'm still in good shape but with a much HEALTHIER body and attitude.  I am incredibly blessed in so many ways - I'm surrounded by love, I like what I do for a living, and I like myself.  My life isn't perfect - far from it.  Things don't always go the way I want.  I see people who have accomplished so much more than me and I feel envious and incompetent.  I wrestle with questions of faith and eternity.  I worry often about whether I'm doing the right thing. But in the big picture - I am happy and grateful - and I owe a lot of that to the loving family and friends who surround me.



On to the list!  As predicted in the last entry (TWO months ago, yeah, I'm a timely blogger), most of the items I actually completed involve food or drink (layer cake, 40 beers, 40 recipes, yada, yada).  But I'm happy to report that I got in the 40 hours of volunteering (by the skin of my teeth).  I had a BLAST in Las Vegas with Jim, Barb, and Rick!  I just missed the 50 miles in racing goal - right around 48 miles.  Jim and I hit Uncorked last Friday, after we BOTH got tattoos (so excited about that! Jim especially caught me off guard 1) that he wanted one and 2) by what he got).  And I managed to volunteer at the Buckeye Trail Half Marathon.  A couple things I didn't do that I still want to undertake:  listing 40 things I love about my friends/family; I feel very guilty for not having written this.  Also, planning a spa day with Trish and a shared birthday celebration trip with Jen K.

Thank you to all who have humored me by reading this blog.  I expect I'll have a few more entries.  And if I do a "50 by 50" list, I will certainly give myself more than 13 months!  :)

Assessment

What I suck at: keeping a blog and keeping up with my list of challenges.  What I'm good at: drinking and eating.

How do people blog every day?  Even with a list of challenges, I feel I don't have anything worthwhile to say EVERY single day.  Let's be honest - my life is boring.  And what's even more boring, I guess, is that I DON'T MIND.

I've accomplished about half of the list.  Like I said earlier, the easiest items for me to check off involve food or alcohol. There are a few things that will get done soon - like the trip to Las Vegas.  And the tattoo - even if I don't get another one by November 8, I do intend to get it by the end of the year.  And baking the layer cake from scratch will likely happen (again, food).  But the knitting thing?  Sheesh, how many nights I've sat in my living room, post-dinner, post-boy-bedtime, and thought, "Watch re-runs on TV or knit?"  Guess which wins.

So what do I think WON'T happen?  Well, the Warrior Dash, of course, was scratched due to injury.  Fair enough.  I won't make 40 hours of volunteering and the 50 miles of racing is going to be close.  Calling off for a movies and PJ day in the winter is probably off the table.  But, I should still make it to Uncorked (woo hoo, who wants to join me?!).  And maybe I'll find a hat?  (Why the f*** did I list that, anyway??).  The "no drunk driving" resolution, I'm proud to say, has stuck so far (no-brainer).

Maybe if a 50 before 50 happens, I will pair up with someone who can kick my ass and keep me on track . . . And maybe if I decide to keep blogging, I'll write about something else (like the world needs another booze and food blog - have you seen Pinterest?!).

What I Did This Summer (AKA Where I've Been for 2 Months)

Full disclosure: this post is a not-so-exciting, what-I've-been-up-to update.  I have some bigger topics I want to delve into soon, but I want to document my summer, first!

Crazy, compost-born cherry tomato plant

It always happens - the summer months fly by 20 times faster than the winter ones.  I have obviously neglected this blog (can you believe that one of my New Years goals was to write twice a week?!).  On the upside, however, it's been a fun summer - despite a broken foot (Jim) and three stitches in my left ring finger (inflicted while attempting #39 on the list - making a meal from all local ingredients).

Late night ice cream at Handel's



Akron Zoo



The Color Run 5K in June

I'm happy to report that I've done well with my summer rules - I've spent a lot of lunch hours in the sun. We've frequented ice cream stands.  There has been a lot of playing outside (how Jim broke his foot!). And the house is a controlled mess, thanks to putting housework low on the priority list.  I was doing GREAT at running outside whenever possible - so much so, that I've managed to injure myself in a new and exciting way (inner thigh muscle pull or hernia - who knows? will find out more on Friday).  Unfortunately, that is likely making #25 (Warrior Dash) a no-go for this year.  Shit.

  

Run at sunrise in June



Christmas in July



 Anyway - on to the fun stuff!  What have I been up to?  Watching Akron Aeros baseball, seeing a movie at the Riverfront, splashing in the Riverfront fountains and various wading pools, having cookouts and bonfires with family and friends, goint to a couple plays at Porthouse Theatre, documenting at least part of a day in pictures (#13 on the list) and finally, drinking lots of beer on porches and patios and having many suppers with BLTs and sweet corn!



Cedar Point, July 2012



Ready for the Bridgestone golf tournament

 The end of June saw the Color Run and some time off at home - hanging around with the boy and Jim, seeing family, celebrating July 4th.  July was the busiest month.  Soap Box Derby, Cedar Point, and the Bridgestone golf tournament - 3 busy weekends in a row!

As much as I hate to admit it, I'm now looking at getting ready for the school year, getting the house organized and even (gulp) thinking about the holidays.  Of course, there's going to be a big celebration in there somewhere . . .  I'll soon update my progress on the list - and as I mentioned at the start, there are few things on my mind I want to put out there.  See you sooner than in 2 months!







 



 













SUMMER RULES

I love summer so, so much.  While all the seasons have beauty, I must confess, I've never understood how anyone could enjoy winter or fall more than summer.  I love being hot.  I love being outside.  I love not having to wear socks or real shoes or warm PJs.  I love that the sun starts to come up way before 6:00 am.

Sandals! Painted Toes! Capris!

I was thinking about all of this as I sat outside on my lunch hour on Friday.  It prompted me to come up with my summer rules:

• Be outside at lunch as often as possible - whether I'm reading, writing, walking, eating, or just sitting and thinking (or not thinking).
• Run outside as much as possible.  Save cross training for rainy days.
• Skip buying ice cream at the grocery and go to Handel's, Rita's, or similar as often as possible!
• Don't worry about housework.  Call it good if the house isn't a complete wreck, we are all in fairly clean clothes, and the tub and toilets haven't turned black.
• Make simple syrup (for lemonade and mojitos) and  barbecue sauce from scratch.  Use both liberally.
• Take the boy outside to play at every opportunity.  Blow bubbles.  Get dirty.  Drink from the hose.  Repeat.

What's New



Post-Cleveland Half Marathon



Finally got my courage up on Friday 5/25



I've looked at the list and realized I'm not making much progress - out of 40 things, only about 10-11 are fully complete - I need to get MOVING.  But I've managed to get a few things done:

16.2 more miles toward my goal of 50 miles in races - I ran the Jeep Davis 5K on May 6 and completed the Cleveland Half on May 20.  Cleveland was hot as balls . . . ugh, I've never been so happy to be done with a race.  I was thrilled with my finish time and was VERY surprised it wasn't slower.  Next up, I think, will be the Irish Fest 5K right here in the Falls, then the Color Run 5K on 6/16 (can't wait to do this with Lisa and Katrina!).

This weekend, I finished planting impatiens around the back porch, with the help of the boy (we planted the one he gave me for Mothers' Day that weekend).  I REALLY hate yard work but have to say, I'm happy with how the back porch looks with the flowers and mulch.

After seeing how great my friend Lisa's nose piercing looked, I decided that would be #40 on the list.  After much encouragement from Lisa, and finally finding some guts, I stopped at Electric Tattoos on my way home from work Friday night and got it done.  The piercing itself DID hurt - it's a big needle and not a piercing gun, after all! - but the pain dissipated really quickly and now, I can't even feel it (though I have to admit, it sometimes feels like something stuck in my nose).  I don't know what it is about Memorial Day weekend - eight years ago, it was the weekend I decided to bleach my hair platinum for the first time and get a tramp stamp . . .

Why I Run

Five months into the year, and I have racked up 16.2 of the 50 miles in races I have resolved to run.

I am an OK runner.  One of the things I love about running is that if you are a recreational runner and not tremendously competitive, you're usually out to beat your best time - not necessarily to win races or break records.  So by "OK" I mean that I am not super fast, or one to run ultras (26.2+ miles), or on a crazy running streak (there are people who haven't missed a SINGLE DAY of running in 10-15-20 years!).  "OK" means that I run consistently, I enjoy it, and I am pretty healthy.

But why do I love running and why have I stuck with it?  Some of the reasons are obvious and heard often (e.g. it keeps you in shape), some are not.  Here are a few:

• I love to eat and drink.  I really, really do.  Especially booze and chocolate.  And anything bacon.  And burgers from B-Spot.  And did I mention booze?  Running seems to counter this for me. 
• I love running outside in the morning, before most people are even awake.  I love starting with the moon still up and ending when the sky is getting light in the East, running in the street without worrying about cars.
• It is amazing to see so many different runners and walkers in races, from local 5Ks to big marathons.  I am impressed by the nervous, first-time runners in the mid- to back-of-the-pack, much more so than I am by the super-fast "elites," chomping at the bit right at the start line.  It takes a lot more courage to run your first race than your 15th or 100th.
• I love Jelly Belly sport beans.  Candy that is good for you?  Woo hoo! 
• I love the rare runs when I feel like I could do it forever.  Sometimes, running feels really hard, like slogging through mud.  Many times, it feels OK, but I am still glad when I'm done.  But once in awhile, it feels really good - my breathing is even, the aches and pains are minimal, and I feel fast.  Maybe that's the so-called "runners' high?"  Who knows.  It's enough of a good feeling to keep me pursuing it.
• Finally, running increases my confidence.  In all aspects of my life, things often don't turn out like I want.  I screw up.  I get mad.  I disappoint myself and others.  But I've kept running. Every early run, every race bib pinned to my bulletin board, every hill I run up without stopping to walk helps me to know that I can set goals and I can achieve.

Diaper Guilt

One of the items on my list is to plant impatiens around the back porch. The idea sprang from the most wonderful Mothers' Day present ever. A lone, beautiful impatien arrived in a paper cup, nestled in a gift bag the boy decorated at school. He was so proud of his gift. Of course, I cried over it. He still brings it up. "Mommy, remember when you cried when you were happy because I gave you the flower?" We planted it together. I didn't have a lot of hope for that tiny plant, because my thumb is definitely more black than green. But it thrived. We occasionally watered it but more often, would just wander over to admire it when we were on our way to or from the house.

I've decided there must be something about the amount of sun and rain that patch receives that is just right for impatiens. I'm excited to try, too, because I have some awesome compost to use. Uh, that's right; I'm excited about DIRT. I didn't know that could happen until I started composting.

I decided to try it three years ago. Even without being a gardener. Why? Partly, guilt. I try to make environmentally-friendly choices - I recycle, use earth-friendly cleaning products, carry reusable bags to the grocery. But I could NOT bring myself to use cloth diapers. The idea of dumping poopy diapers into the toilet and having even more laundry (or the expense of a diaper service) was just too daunting. So, I went the way of Pampers and the Diaper Genie, but have alway felt hypocritical and guilty about it. I figure that keeping some of my trash out of the landfills will offset (yes, I know, not by much) all those diapers we put in.

It's been really easy, too. Even Jim is convinced (he was certain we'd end up with a smelly pile of garbage in the backyard). I throw in vegetable and fruit scraps, coffee grounds, tea bags, and egg shells year round, mixing everything with a pitchfork, now and then. I throw in some leaves in the fall. If it gets a little stinky, I add shredded newspapers. And I always feel a bit silly at how excited I am to harvest dirt from the bottom of the bin. It's just so . . . rewarding, I guess, to make something useful out of something that could be tossed away without a thought.