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10 Day Meme
~~Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself~~
Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday
Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you
Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias
Day 5 - Six songs that you're addicted to
Day 6 - Five things you can't live without
Day 7 - Four memories you won't forget
Day 8 - Three words you can't go a day without
Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do
Day 10 - One person you can trust

Nine things you do everyday:

Get up early for at least an hour of alone time before the house starts to stir. I'll say this is a 95% of the time thing, though. Sometimes I let myself sleep - on the rare occasion. Introversion with twins and an extroverted wife means I have to carve out time for self care where I can.

Read a book. Read something every day!

Play. Usually some sort of make-believe with the kids or indulging their make-believe play.

Check the weather. Either on my phone or watching the morning news in my morning quiet time.

List three things I want to accomplish during the day, but don't beat myself up over it if I get derailed.

Think of three things I am grateful for when I turn off the light before closing my eyes at night.

Drink 64+ ounces of water.

Kiss my wife, kiss/hug my kids.

Check my page-a-day calendar. This year it is 1000 Places to Go Before You Die. Awesome pictures, geography, and history lessons daily!

~~~

We are expecting more snow tonight. Can you believe it? (Okay, Northerners, I know I have no room to gripe ;) ) The Race13.1 10K/Half Marathon is this weekend on the greenway near our house and I just wonder if it will still happen? With a new coat of snow on top of the black ice I hurdled this morning on my 3.25 miler, I cannot see how it would be safe to run on by Saturday (at 7:00 AM) when the temperature is supposed to be in the teens. Luckily I'm used to running in the teens at that time of the morning, so if I didn't have to deal with Black Ice, I'm sure to have a leg up on all those afternoon runners who wait until it warms up in to the 30s!

I haven't registered yet because I'm waiting to see what happens. Plus, I kind of hate paying 50$ to run. Sigh. I'm going to have to get over race registration fees if I want to accomplish my running goals this year, though. I have races to run! I want to register for the color run, but can't find a team to rally around me. I'll have to find one to barge in to, I guess. At least I'm not shy about that!

It was 19 degrees this morning when I left the house. I'm getting spoiled to running without feeling overheated. As much as I miss the days of running trails surrounded by sweet-smelling honeysuckle, I am loving the winter running scene. Except for the ice. Man. The ICE.

Okay. I’m a lemming. Jump!

10 Day Meme

Day 1 - Ten random facts about yourself

Day 2 - Nine things you do everyday

Day 3 - Eight things that annoy you

Day 4 - Seven fears/phobias

Day 5 - Six songs that you're addicted to

Day 6 - Five things you can't live without

Day 7 - Four memories you won't forget

Day 8 - Three words you can't go a day without

Day 9 - Two things you wish you could do

Day 10 - One person you can trust

Ten Random Facts:

1) I had never held a newborn or even been around a baby before a nurse deposited my three hour old twins in my arms. I’d never even changed a diaper!

2) I took a career aptitude test in 6th grade where I checked “Pastor/Nun/Religious Career” as a potential career. My parents were horrified that I wouldn’t get recruited by the right colleges. Turns out INFJs gravitate toward the priesthood or education/counselling. I still think I would have made a fabulous priest if I could have been non-denominational. I’m just glad I realized I was gay before jumping into Nun-hood.

3) Speaking of becoming a Nun – I seriously almost did take the plunge in high-school. Sister Monica urged me to go to college before making that choice. Sometimes I wonder what would have happened to me if I’d actually taken orders…

4) I live in the present so fully that sometimes I don’t plan ahead well, which is weird because I can be a very strategic thinker, but not in advance.

5) I’m a terrible procrastinator because I love the pressure of a deadline. But the older I get, the less I like it…. Habits are hard to break!

6) I want to write a novel when I finish grad school.

7) I have a soap fetish. But I hate fruity/Flowery scents. Jasmine is about the most flowery flower I can tolerate as a scent in my bath products.

8) I try to buy a magnet or a mug from every place we visit. And a Christmas ornament.

9) Maleficent will always be my favorite Disney villain.

10) I ended up marrying my first girlfriend. When you know, you know.

solteronita is hosting a Friendzy that seems FULL of interesting and active folks. Just sharin':

Go Here

Bring in the New Year with some new folks!

2015 Book Challenge

So, I started making MY list. Who wants in? Here are the books on my goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/60049-blair?shelf=2015-reading-challenge

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And because I'm a SUPER busy lady lately, I'm combining several of these categories into one book. Considering I haven't had much time to read since having kids and starting grad school, I still find the list I've compiled so far to be a challenge. Here is how I've combined them. (Note - some are blank because I haven't planned that far ahead!)

A book with more than 500 Pages/A book with a love triangle: The Host (Stephanie Meyer)
A classic Romance/A book that made you cry/A book more than 100 years old: Jane Eyre (Charlotte Bronte)
A book published this year: Waiting until later in year to determine
A book with a number in the title: The 13^th Tale (Diane Setterfield)
A book written by someone under 30: Special Topics in Calamity Physics (Marisha Pessl)
A book with non-human characters/A book from your childhood: Redwall (Brian Jacques)
A book by a female author/ A funny book/ A memoir: Yes, Please (Amy Poehler)
A Mystery or Thriller: Daughter of Smoke and Bone (Laini Taylor)
A book with a one-word title: Ash (Malinda Lo)
A book set in a different country/A book you started but never finished: Cutting for Stone (Abraham Verghese)
A non-fiction book: The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way (Bill Bryson)
A popular author’s first book:
A book from an author you love that you haven’t read yet:
A book recommended by a friend:
A Pulitzer Prize winner/A book with a color in the title: Goldfinch (Donna Tartt)
A book at the bottom of your to-read list:
A book your mom loves:
A book that scares you:
A book based entirely on its cover:
A book you were supposed to read in school but didn’t:
A book you can finish in day:
A book with antonyms in the title:
A book set somewhere you have always wanted to visit:
A book that came out the year you were born: The Way of the Peaceful Warrior (Dan Millman)
A book with bad reviews:
A trilogy/A book that became a movie/A book set in the future: The Divergent Series (Veronica Roth)
A book with magic:
A graphic novel: The Encyclopedia of Early Earth (Isabel Greenberg)
A book by an author you’ve never read before: Almost ALL of these.
A book you own but have never read: The Bluest Eye (Toni Morrison)
A book that takes place in your hometown/A book of short stories: Everything Begins and Ends at the Kentucky Club (Benjamin Alire Seanz)
A book that was originally written in a different language: Tiger Moon (Antonia Michaelis)
A book set during Christmas:
A book written by an author with the same initials as you:
A play:
A banned book/ A book set in a high school: The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chobosky)
A book based on or turned in to a TV show/A book based on a true story: Orange is the New Black (Piper Kerman)

I love these surveys. This one is ever-so-slightly different than the ones I've done in the past years by a question here or there:

1. What did you do in 2014 that you'd never done before?
Got legally married (May 3^rd)
Had my home state recognize my marriage (October 6^th) on the 7^th anniversary of our Commitment Ceremony
Lost 30+ pounds and hit my goal weight of 130 and size 4/6
Became a Runner
Ran 9.5 miles and made running a habit/passion
Went to Chicago
Took the kids to Disneyworld
Went to San Francisco with my wife, attended Out and Equal Summit
Got promoted twice in the same calendar year
Made straight A’s in Graduate School
Completed a high-profile e-learning course from soup to nuts
My Mother in Law moved to town and started watching the kids full time
Got a new purple office!

( Read more... )

48. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2014:
Sometimes going with the flow in a determined fashion can get you where you want to be much more calmly than setting BIG AGGRESSIVE goals.

49. What are your plans for 2015?
Run 2 5Ks, 1 10K, and complete a half marathon. Finish Grad School. Be more awesome.

50. Quote something that sums up your year: My mission in life is not merely to survive, but to thrive; and to do so with some passion, some compassion, some humor, and some style. – Maya Angelou

Sitting in San Francisco airport waiting to board my flight home. AMAZING conference. I am so thrilled to have been a part of if and even MORE excited about continuing to work for Workplace Equality.

I'll have more to say later, but this trip was amazing on so many levels. I'm ready to smooch my kids!

I've been dressed in my running clothes and waiting for the sun to rise *forever*. How it is 7:40 and still no sun?!

Well played, Upcoming WInter.

The wind is absolutely wicked again this morning. Whipping the leaves right off of the trees, mercilessly ending fall before I have even had time to enjoy it. Being in Florida during peak leaf season was fun, but I feel a bit robbed of the sweet Virginia fall!

It’s been too windy, cold and dark to even go on after dinner walks. The kids are content to run around in the yard before dinner and snuggle up with Halloween movies at night, but I think I might go story crazy already. When am I going to run? What are we going to do with all this pent up boy energy in the house until light returns? Heaven, help me!

I am finally back in the Corporate Office Building today after two 10-hour days working from home to catch up and …

Suddenly it is five hours later.

The end.

For the second morning in a row, I am at work and watching the sunrise from the window of my purple office. I worked ALL yesterday on an e-learning module only to find out at the end of the day that my project teammate and I worked on the same content ... Back to the drawing board today. It is going to be a LONG one wherein I scramble to make something that looks even half as cool as what he did. I get frustrated that I am still such a baby in this craft. I want things to be awesome immediately and should not measure my performance against someone who has been doing this for five years. He is a tool expert and graphic artist trained, so it is easy to actually step back and gather ideas from his creativity. It's a good thing that he pushes me to be better! I just need to forgive myself for my elementary tool use and try to learn and grow.

Brooks is seriously happy to be back in his routine. Seriously happy.

I miss the Magic Kingdom so much that I've been browsing the instagram hashtag and looking at jobs at Disney that I would never apply for because it would require moving to Florida. Plus, they don't have any IDT positions open - who doesn't employ Instructional Designers?

The wind last night was wicked. The sky was gray and ominous. Multicolored leaves zipping through the air while the wind howled at the nooks and crannies. Fall with a vengeance.

Speaking of fall, I made chicken and scratch-made-Dumplings on Monday! And Nicole put together a pot roast for the crockpot tonight. YAY.

As usual, when I fall quiet there is usually some stress involved. School work, work travel to Chicago, interpersonal stressors. The whole nine. But I seem to be bobbing along through it, managing to hit deadlines that seem to be whizzing by me at light speed. So far, no balls dropped. I did receive a grade I don't like, but I have an action plan to up my game and my graduate school experience is almost, almost over. I can make it.

The chill in the air came with the first day of fall. Not gradually, but a sudden shift from summer to fall in a clear, overnight transition. It may still warm up, but it is downright chilly. We've spent some glorious nights by the fire pit and my morning runs are filled with cold air, morning fog, dazzling sunrises, and the beginnings of tree-leaf changes. The sun sinks so fast in the evenings that our nightly walk is now at sunset and this family has seem some truly awe-inspiring sunsets this week, too. Monday I saw both a magnificent sunrise while running an easy 10K and a sunset that took our collective breaths away while walking as a family that evening.

Fall puts me in the spirit of gratitude for the privilege of being alive. Cool mornings with warm afternoon sun, fire pit nights with s'mores, sunrises/sunsets on an impossibly stunning celestial canvas, oranges/reds/yellows/golds. Anticipation, celebration. Pumpkins, baking, candles, apples, and the never ending chorus of "Happy fall, y'all!" in this southern town in Appalachia.

I have all my office windows open and I am rocking a hoodie, slippers, my heating pad on my lap and a blanket on top of that. Nicole ordered me a heated mattress pad that will arrive today - so a warm bed tonight, sleeping with windows open and lows in the high 40s. This is the PERFECT weather.

We are also going shopping this weekend. I am buying a Gala Dress for my upcoming trip to San Francisco and the Out and Equal Workplace Summit. Also, a few new business-dress outfits for my Chicago trip next week. Two years of running and I am a solid size 6. I put on my long spandex leggings for my run this morning only to discover that they hung on me. Spandex not Spand-ing? What? Time to shop for smaller sizes in just about everything. My 10k on Monday was a piece of cake. My 4-miler this morning was a happy recovery run without pain or push. Half marathon seems within my grasp!

The. Sun. Came. Out.

Hallelujah!

I missed my Monday morning run. I missed today because of a thousand concocted excuses that happened at 5:00 AM, but the overwhelming heaviness and exhausted feeling in my body makes me feel that I made the right choice. I can't decide whether I feel sluggish because I haven't had a run since last Friday or if I am sluggish because I'm trying to fight something off or my body just needs a break? Either way, I am going to attempt a nice, easy 5K on Friday and let my body rest, guilt-free until then. I find it gratifying that I know I can take this much time off and still bounce back into running pretty easily. I've developed a lot of confidence in my runs. And it doesn't hurt that this weekend I got a new pair of jeans that actually fits, in size six! My headspace is better about the whole thing, too. I'm not in the dark and questioning-my-deepest-motivations anymore. I'm just thankful to be healthy, athletic, strong, and have the ability to guilt-free snack on french fries and carbs :)

61 days until Disney World!

More rain. Four days straight of drenching rain and cloudy weather. I had to get out of the house today. Four days straight of being cooped up started to get to me. Nicole quipped that it is getting close to time to buy an ark ticket. I don't disagree. When, oh WHEN will it stop?

Curiously, the rain has been so persistent and soaking and the ground has been so dry and parched that there have been no flash flood or flood warnings. The ground is drinking it up easily and asking for more. So, yes. We needed the rain. Neither of us can remember the last time it rained for this many days consecutively, though. And I KNOW I have never experienced a Virginia summer where the temperatures in August were not even close to the 90s.

I checked the academic calendar for my graduate school fall semester. I thought I went right in to class! I don't start until September 8th. I have a MONTH OFF. What? What is this life where I can read books??

What should I read?!

Lots of Love, LJ.

There is so much GOOD in this day.

4th circuit court of appeals repealed the gay marriage ban in Virginia yesterday.

I got some excellent news at work (that I will share when I can!)

I have a kick-butt workshop planned for tomorrow that draws heavily on new techniques I'm learning about incorporating social media in classrooms for engagement!

Dreams are coming true over here.

And now, I go home to cook my sweet family dinner!

Working from home on a Monday is the best ever. Especially when the temperatures are way below normal and a light breeze is feathering the wind chimes and I can enjoy a cup of coffee on our glorious porch.

We slept until 7:45 today! On a MONDAY! Nicole has to be at work at 8:30 and I typically sign in around 8:00. Monday is normally a distance run for me, too. Sleep was waaaaay more needed, I think. Brenner wasn't even interested in rousing when Nicole went in to get them (and I stumbled downstairs to start some coffee - a cup of which Nicole never got!).

We had such a beautiful weekend. Multiple trips to the river and walks through the neighborhoods. Nicole and I even got to go to the grocery store together without kids ;) Funny how that starts to feel like a special event!

We took the kids to Touch a Truck, too. It was HOT. There was absolutely NO shade at this giant park with all the trucks. Brooks really hated all the loud sirens related to the police vehicles (many, many police vehicles) and Brenner seemed to love the hoopla. We did take a second to run under the water that the hook and ladder truck was spraying to cool down. I was the only adult willing, so the kids and I had a blast running through the water together. Memories!

I have some serious wanderlust. I know that we will be going to Orlando in October, San Fran in November, Texas for Thanksgiving... and I'll probably be tired of traveling THEN, but now... I am seeing all my friends go on their annual beach trips and dying for some PTO and an escape with me sweet little family. Even if we just stay home and take an extra day down at the river... maybe, maybe.

I love work from home days. I have some pretty ambitious goals for the day, I hope I can keep to them. And Nicole is picking me up for lunch with the kids today, so I have a midday break to look forward to. And coffee.

It poured last night. Heavy, relentless rain. We are three inches below normal for this time of year, so we needed it. I love falling asleep to the rain on the wrap-around porch roof outside our bedroom window. Another reason I am glad to be on the front of the house, even if sometimes the noise up there can be worse (especially if you try to snag a midday nap and all the block kids are out playing!).

With all the rain, I was a little surprised that none of the low water bridges I typically cross on my runs were flooded out or closed. And it was nice and cool, too. After seven miles on Wednesday, it was torture to drag myself through 3.9 miles today... but I somehow survived. I wonder if there will ever be a time when dangling the carrot of a warm shower and hot coffee as a reward will not be enough carrot to make me go? I am dreading switching my runs back to afternoons for the fall and winter months... but it seems so much safer than running alone in the dark, right? Right. Maybe I'll start going Tuesdays to the Pub Run event and Thursdays on my own and save my Saturday mornings for my long training days. That half marathon isn't going to run itself. But it does mean giving up my sleep in day... choices choices.

We are going to a Touch a Truck event tomorrow! They have it every year, but this is the first year the boys have shown any interest. One year it rained, too. So we didn't go. Tomorrow it is supposed to be sunny and 91 degrees WITH humidity. I'm already melting just thinking about it.

A late afternoon rainstorm! I am curled up in my chair by the open window of my gorgeous purple office, soaking up the sound of rain on the tulip poplar. Will the desert dweller in me never tire of the sound? Is it always going to feel like rain is a gift to be admired? I hope so. There is such little magic to be found in the world today with all the hustle and bustle.

I love my little sanctuary.

I should really be productive. But all I can think about is camping, tubing, fireflies, sunshine, thunderstorms, grilling out, laughing, warm skin, cool sheets, long runs, hot showers, and holding a good book. Forget Spring Fever. I have *Summer* fever!

This is the first Monday run I've missed in two months. I just couldn't do it this morning. I went to bed kind of late last night and woke up this morning drained and decided to give myself a break. It's finals week, I am overwhelmed by work and I might just give myself the whole week off of running to make sure I practice enough self care, get enough rest, and breathe a little.

I still feel like I am dragging and like I might need MORE coffee than normal to make this day go. I left the house while everyone was still asleep. Sad. I hate missing the chance to hug my little guys. And on my way in to work, BBC was playing an interview with Eric Clapton's baby-mama about the day their 4-year old fell from the 53 floor of a New York high-rise apartment building (Tears in Heaven) and I nearly turned around and drove home to kiss them.

It's a gray and drizzly morning. These first days of summer are usually amazing. Long long days, firefly nights, heat and haze. Also, mosquitoes. Unhappy about the persistence and tenacity of those little pests. I think we have been invaded by the Asian Tiger Mosquito in this area. They bite through your clothes! There is not enough bug spray in the WORLD.

I am anxious to go camping. We are talking about maybe going to weekend after the 4th of July... Adults only. It would be *wonderful*. My six-week classes start hot-on-the-heels of this semester, though - no rest for the weary. We got an email from our Academic Advisors this week that stated that summer classes are optional and you would be okay not taking classes... so I had a moment of hope wherein I thought I would take six glorious weeks off... and emailed him to clarify. He stated that I COULD take the summer off, but I would need to make up the credits by taking THREE classes somewhere in the next two semesters to graduate on time. Never mind. Keep on, brave soldier. These classes are going to be fin, anyway - one is the building of and philosophy behind MOOCs and the other is "Evaluative Measurements" - okay, so that one doesn't sound that fun. Sigh. At least it's only a 6 weeker?

We took the kids to their first movie this weekend. Brooks loved it and sat through the whole thing. Brenner announced that he was "A little bit all done" about 45 minutes in and wanted to leave. He and I wandered around target and petsmart together for an hour or so while we waited for the rest of the family. I wasn't really in to the How to Tame Your Dragon movies, so I don't feel like I missed out on seeing the end, but what I DID see was visually wonderful and I liked where the story was going. Nicole's recap was good enough for me!

Happy Monday, folks.

Time to sign up for my first 10K! I ran 6.04 miles this morning and still had a little in the tank when it was time to stop. I mean, I was grateful to stop, but I could have kept going if I *wanted* to... ;) I could have totally run the last two tenths. I didn't even have to get mean with myself to finish, either. My legs carried me like they run that distance every day.

You know what I love about running? There is always a horizon. Another goal to hit, another milestone to make. It is all about you, too. You don't have to go for distance, or speed, or consistency - you can choose one, choose all, choose your own goals and then the only person you have to compete with is YOU. It is a mind game, a mental struggle, a strength builder in your heart, mind, and legs. And then there are run days like today when I remember when I couldn't run for TWO minutes and I ran non-stop for 63 minutes today. An HOUR and three minutes of consistent movement. ME. Who am I?? I felt pretty awesome.

I get to see the sun rise over the mountains while breathing in morning air laced with honeysuckle and summer. While most of the world is sleeping, I am moving and moving HARD.

And I've lost 25 pounds and have all these awesome leg muscles. That's a nice perk, too.
~~~

Ah, weekend. You elusive thing, you. Can it be quittin' time already?

The best thing about a toddler sleepover at Nana's house? The morning after: no rush, no cares, no hurry to provide breakfast... Just coffee, me, and the cool morning on the porch.

Is it really June 1st? I just had to get a sweater to throw over my pajamas.

Nicole is fishing and I haven't said a word since I got up. Bliss.

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