This post is dedicated to anyone who ever said the phrase "I'm not a runner" only to become one later in life.
I have a love/hate relationship with running. I love the fact that I can run. I hate how tired I am while I'm running. I love how I feel after a good run. I hate getting up early to go run. I love being in good shape. I hate having to limit the sweets and fast food. I love that I get to run to lose weight after this pregnancy. I hate that I can't start right now. I love to proudly wear my t-shirts from the races I'm run. I hate running for 30 minutes to get the shirt.
Are you one of those people? The ones who went through school thinking that the cross country team was insane? Did you hit your 20's and realize that your high school metabolism doesn't stick with you forever? Did your spouse, friend, or family member encourage you to train for a 5K or another race? I am, did, have done, and am being one of those people.
I am very proud of my husband. He too was one of the "I'm just not a runner" type of people. He has proven himself and others wrong. He will be running his first race on the 4th of July. I can not wait to cheer him on! I only wish I could run it with him. Was I his inspiration? Eh, probably not. Did I force him to start running since I'm the overbearing wife type who needs a trophy husband? I hope not! He actually decided to do this himself and I merely encouraged as best as I could. As I said before, I'm very proud of him.
No, this is not a mind blowing, deep blog that will change your beliefs about religion and the world. It is just an encouragement to those of you out there who were just like me. Don't tell me that you're not a runner. I used the same excuse. If you have two legs and can walk (without other health complications) you can train for your first race too. I will be happy to cheer you on.
Wednesday, June 29, 2011
Monday, June 27, 2011
The Honey Man
I'm back! I took a long weekend off from blogging as my husband and I were traveling but now it's back to the daily grind. Lucky for me, the weekend gave me some more ideas for posts. Today's post is dedicated to The Honey Man.
This past weekend my mom and I were able to visit our favorite farmer's market. It's right on Lake Michigan by the harbor. The weather was beautiful and everyone was in a good mood. We walked past all the different stands of fresh vegetables, herbs, bakeries, cheeses, salsas, etc... We walked up to the stand of The Honey Man.
The Honey Man looks just like how you'd imagine a honey man to look. He's older with white hair and a white beard. He wears glasses that you can only find in the grandpa section of a glasses store. He round, jolly, and has an accent that we're not quite sure of. It could be German but we're not positive. He wears a yellow apron to match his honey and sometimes wears a black hat that once again only grandpa's can pull off. He makes you smile when you see him.
My mom approached the honey stand with the purpose of buying a jar of honey along with some bees wax candles. I came along to admire all the different items on the stand. The Honey Man was more than happy to help my mom out with her purchase and joked around that he'd "lend" her some money to buy more. It was a typical and pleasant encounter at the farmer's market, but when he began talking to me, he made my day a little extra special.
It's quite obvious that I'm very pregnant. I am just entering my 9th month of this pregnancy. I often feel the stares of people as I walk by. I'm not sure if they've never seen a pregnant woman before or if we're just a more rare breed to find these days. Anyway, the fact that he noticed my expanding belly was no big surprise. What he did next, was.
The Honey Man looked at me, smiled, and said that he had something special for me. He reached into his basket of candies for sale and handed me a bag. Then he told me this. "These are for you, to celebrate your new child. Children are one of the greatest blessings that God gives and you will be very happy because of them. May God bless you and your little one."
Wow. Did that just happen? Did someone just say something 100% positive to me about the fact that I'm having children? Where was the sarcastic remark? Where was the look of "why in the world would you want children"? I didn't doubt his sincerity for a second, but how sad that it surprise me so much.
Oh society, how many things are wrong with you? Let me count the ways. Well, I wont count the ways but I will say that something is wrong when children are considered one of the lowest blessings you can have on this earth. I wont get into why that is because then I'd be writing for a week. It's no secret that money, looks, cars, one's individuality, and so on are held on pedestals. It's all about me me me in today's world. Again, that's no secret. But thank you to "The Honey Men/Women" out there. Those of you who understand that there's more to life than the vain things and especially to those of you who aren't afraid to say it. Don't let the outspoken people silence you. Don't be afraid to say positive things to people and to encourage them. Your comments are appreciated.
Thank you, Honey Man. Thank you for your blessing and thank you for the candies :)
This past weekend my mom and I were able to visit our favorite farmer's market. It's right on Lake Michigan by the harbor. The weather was beautiful and everyone was in a good mood. We walked past all the different stands of fresh vegetables, herbs, bakeries, cheeses, salsas, etc... We walked up to the stand of The Honey Man.
The Honey Man looks just like how you'd imagine a honey man to look. He's older with white hair and a white beard. He wears glasses that you can only find in the grandpa section of a glasses store. He round, jolly, and has an accent that we're not quite sure of. It could be German but we're not positive. He wears a yellow apron to match his honey and sometimes wears a black hat that once again only grandpa's can pull off. He makes you smile when you see him.
My mom approached the honey stand with the purpose of buying a jar of honey along with some bees wax candles. I came along to admire all the different items on the stand. The Honey Man was more than happy to help my mom out with her purchase and joked around that he'd "lend" her some money to buy more. It was a typical and pleasant encounter at the farmer's market, but when he began talking to me, he made my day a little extra special.
It's quite obvious that I'm very pregnant. I am just entering my 9th month of this pregnancy. I often feel the stares of people as I walk by. I'm not sure if they've never seen a pregnant woman before or if we're just a more rare breed to find these days. Anyway, the fact that he noticed my expanding belly was no big surprise. What he did next, was.
The Honey Man looked at me, smiled, and said that he had something special for me. He reached into his basket of candies for sale and handed me a bag. Then he told me this. "These are for you, to celebrate your new child. Children are one of the greatest blessings that God gives and you will be very happy because of them. May God bless you and your little one."
Wow. Did that just happen? Did someone just say something 100% positive to me about the fact that I'm having children? Where was the sarcastic remark? Where was the look of "why in the world would you want children"? I didn't doubt his sincerity for a second, but how sad that it surprise me so much.
Oh society, how many things are wrong with you? Let me count the ways. Well, I wont count the ways but I will say that something is wrong when children are considered one of the lowest blessings you can have on this earth. I wont get into why that is because then I'd be writing for a week. It's no secret that money, looks, cars, one's individuality, and so on are held on pedestals. It's all about me me me in today's world. Again, that's no secret. But thank you to "The Honey Men/Women" out there. Those of you who understand that there's more to life than the vain things and especially to those of you who aren't afraid to say it. Don't let the outspoken people silence you. Don't be afraid to say positive things to people and to encourage them. Your comments are appreciated.
Thank you, Honey Man. Thank you for your blessing and thank you for the candies :)
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
Big Black Spider!
Here I am at day three of my blogging excursion! So what's on my mind today? Lots of stuff about this and that but one thought that comes screaming back into my head every time I pass the basement door is BIG BLACK SPIDER.
That's right. This morning I had an encounter with a giant and hairy black spider. The worst part is, it was in the shower. Ahhh!!! There I was, minding my own business when I looked up and saw him creeping along the ceiling right above the shower. Thankfully, I was not in the shower yet or my scream would have been louder, but the sight of him was enough for me to call for my knight in shining armor.
That's right. I am a huge scared-y cat when it comes to bugs. I can handle a lot of things. I consider myself a fairly independent and confident woman who can roll with the punches pretty well but bugs...NO. In fact, anything with more than four legs is not welcome in my house. (Even some four legged creatures are questionable) Don't try to tell me that I'm 1,000,000,000 times their size. It doesn't help. I hate bugs.
Back to the spider in the shower. Like I said, I called for my husband, who was already on his way after hearing my scream. Together we entered the danger zone where I was ready to point out the evil creature that had broken its way into our home. But he was gone. Shoot. Where did he go? I was now on high alert as I stood in the room behind my husband. My eyes peeled on any and every movement. How could he have escaped so fast? He was hiding. Waiting for me to be alone again. I wouldn't let him get away with it.
I then convinced my husband to get our son and stay in the bathroom with me while I showered so that he could save me in case the spider returned for another round of scare the poor pregnant lady. My wonderful and very caring husband agreed and kept watch as I quickly showered. As caring as my husband was to help me, I know he figured I was crazy. I tried to explain to him that the spider was so big it had a shadow! He then tried to explain to me that everything has a shadow despite how big it is. I can never win a argument of logic with him.
Anyway, I've made more trips down to the crime scene today but haven't seen my enemy crawling around. I still fear of another attack only this time no one will be around to hear my scream. The war is on. BIG BLACK SPIDER may have won the first battle, but the war is not over until my husband squishes and flushes him down the toilet. Beware black spider...beware.
That's right. This morning I had an encounter with a giant and hairy black spider. The worst part is, it was in the shower. Ahhh!!! There I was, minding my own business when I looked up and saw him creeping along the ceiling right above the shower. Thankfully, I was not in the shower yet or my scream would have been louder, but the sight of him was enough for me to call for my knight in shining armor.
That's right. I am a huge scared-y cat when it comes to bugs. I can handle a lot of things. I consider myself a fairly independent and confident woman who can roll with the punches pretty well but bugs...NO. In fact, anything with more than four legs is not welcome in my house. (Even some four legged creatures are questionable) Don't try to tell me that I'm 1,000,000,000 times their size. It doesn't help. I hate bugs.
Back to the spider in the shower. Like I said, I called for my husband, who was already on his way after hearing my scream. Together we entered the danger zone where I was ready to point out the evil creature that had broken its way into our home. But he was gone. Shoot. Where did he go? I was now on high alert as I stood in the room behind my husband. My eyes peeled on any and every movement. How could he have escaped so fast? He was hiding. Waiting for me to be alone again. I wouldn't let him get away with it.
I then convinced my husband to get our son and stay in the bathroom with me while I showered so that he could save me in case the spider returned for another round of scare the poor pregnant lady. My wonderful and very caring husband agreed and kept watch as I quickly showered. As caring as my husband was to help me, I know he figured I was crazy. I tried to explain to him that the spider was so big it had a shadow! He then tried to explain to me that everything has a shadow despite how big it is. I can never win a argument of logic with him.
Anyway, I've made more trips down to the crime scene today but haven't seen my enemy crawling around. I still fear of another attack only this time no one will be around to hear my scream. The war is on. BIG BLACK SPIDER may have won the first battle, but the war is not over until my husband squishes and flushes him down the toilet. Beware black spider...beware.
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
Stop looking ahead
Do you live in the moment? You see those people in movies. The ones who only care about the here and now and live out each day to it's fullest. Are they some sort of legend or is it really possible? Can you only live in the moment you are in and not care about the future or the past? I can't, but perhaps I should try.
I know for a fact that I do not live in the moment. I have always been someone who looks ahead for reason to continue. I figure the grass will always be greener once I get there. Examples? I couldn't wait to finish school. I figured that once I finished school life couldn't be greater. Well, life is good but looking back I now realize that school wasn't so bad either. How about a simpler example? What forced me off the couch from an afternoon nap? The promise of a bowl of ice cream. Once I had that ice cream, I would be fully awake and ready to conquer the world! Well, bowl of ice cream eaten but I only feel slightly more awake and a little guilty for eating ice cream.
Where is my focus now instead of the present time? I can't wait to be done with this pregnancy. I can't wait for my son to be potty trained. I can't wait for my kids to be old enough for me to have a little more independence in my life. I can't wait to lose weight. I can't wait to have bills paid off. Etc, etc, etc...
What's so bad about all of that? Those are nice things to look forward to. While, yes they are nice to look forward to, they are also causing me to wish my present day away.
We tend to believe that life can always get better. That's a nice thought. No matter how bad life is right now, somehow I can make it better because I'm worth it. Right? Sorry. Sometimes situations are just out of our hands and if we keep waiting for the greener grass to come we might miss the wonderful things in our life right now. An example, last night I got no sleep and neither did my son. I wished this day away before it even began. I was expecting a horrible, crabby, and pulling-out-hair kind of day. Well, it hasn't been all roses but there have been some wonderful little moments, some good giggles and smiles hidden among the cries and whines of today.
Well, this might not be enough of an argument to change all of your minds. I understand. I haven't changed my own yet 100%. However, my goal for the rest of today is to really really try to appreciate everything that is given me by today. Maybe, in the future, I'll look back and realize that I was standing on some pretty green grass.
I know for a fact that I do not live in the moment. I have always been someone who looks ahead for reason to continue. I figure the grass will always be greener once I get there. Examples? I couldn't wait to finish school. I figured that once I finished school life couldn't be greater. Well, life is good but looking back I now realize that school wasn't so bad either. How about a simpler example? What forced me off the couch from an afternoon nap? The promise of a bowl of ice cream. Once I had that ice cream, I would be fully awake and ready to conquer the world! Well, bowl of ice cream eaten but I only feel slightly more awake and a little guilty for eating ice cream.
Where is my focus now instead of the present time? I can't wait to be done with this pregnancy. I can't wait for my son to be potty trained. I can't wait for my kids to be old enough for me to have a little more independence in my life. I can't wait to lose weight. I can't wait to have bills paid off. Etc, etc, etc...
What's so bad about all of that? Those are nice things to look forward to. While, yes they are nice to look forward to, they are also causing me to wish my present day away.
We tend to believe that life can always get better. That's a nice thought. No matter how bad life is right now, somehow I can make it better because I'm worth it. Right? Sorry. Sometimes situations are just out of our hands and if we keep waiting for the greener grass to come we might miss the wonderful things in our life right now. An example, last night I got no sleep and neither did my son. I wished this day away before it even began. I was expecting a horrible, crabby, and pulling-out-hair kind of day. Well, it hasn't been all roses but there have been some wonderful little moments, some good giggles and smiles hidden among the cries and whines of today.
Well, this might not be enough of an argument to change all of your minds. I understand. I haven't changed my own yet 100%. However, my goal for the rest of today is to really really try to appreciate everything that is given me by today. Maybe, in the future, I'll look back and realize that I was standing on some pretty green grass.
Monday, June 20, 2011
I'm pretty bad at this
I'm not sure if there are "blogging rules" but if there are, I'm positive that I've broken all of them. "The Move" started off as a way for me to vent about our move from MN to WI. Well, since then we've moved back, bought a house, and are about five weeks away from expecting our second child. Needless to say, I have not kept up with this. While it is not really my goal to blog every single day, I will try to write more often as it is a good way to vent some creative energy.
Some of my friends have began blogging lately. They have specific purposes for their writing. One wants to be a professional writer one day while another one wants to overcome insecurities. I don't have a specific reason. I don't even have a good topic for this blog. I just know that I enjoy writing and hope that a few people will read this.
Blogging itself is funny. I feel like I'm being a house mom who needs socialization or someone just to listen so maybe by putting myself out there by writing I'll get some attention. Well, truth is that might just be what I'm doing, but I promise it's not the only thing I'm doing. Hopefully through a more regular use of this blog I will find exactly what those other reasons are.
So for today I am just a blogger who is trying to get back into (or even start) a decent blog. I will be searching for the "real" reasons that I blog while I try to think of good topics to write about. I am also going to change the name of this blog from "The Move" to... something else more fitting. See you soon!
Some of my friends have began blogging lately. They have specific purposes for their writing. One wants to be a professional writer one day while another one wants to overcome insecurities. I don't have a specific reason. I don't even have a good topic for this blog. I just know that I enjoy writing and hope that a few people will read this.
Blogging itself is funny. I feel like I'm being a house mom who needs socialization or someone just to listen so maybe by putting myself out there by writing I'll get some attention. Well, truth is that might just be what I'm doing, but I promise it's not the only thing I'm doing. Hopefully through a more regular use of this blog I will find exactly what those other reasons are.
So for today I am just a blogger who is trying to get back into (or even start) a decent blog. I will be searching for the "real" reasons that I blog while I try to think of good topics to write about. I am also going to change the name of this blog from "The Move" to... something else more fitting. See you soon!
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