Sunday, October 14, 2012

VA Backpacking Trip

We just returned from an absolutely amazing backpacking trip!  We did 18 miles in the Virginia Highlands - combination of the Appalachian Trail and Pine Mountain Trail.  The best part?  Wild ponies - everywhere.  The views combined with the roaming ponies - breathtaking.  It was a much needed break from the daily grind.  Cell phones/computers are not an option.  Cell service was gone about 15 miles before we got to the point of entry on the trail.  My awesome husband and I got to just enjoy each other's comanpy for a few days. I have already started planning our Spring trip :).


Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Blessings

I love to find the silver lining in daily life. Directing my energy towards the 'good' allows me to engage in mindfulness all throughout my day. Today, I am sick (roar). I am quarantined in my room to keep from getting my husband or C sick. It is not my idea of a good time. However, I am so grateful to sit and listen to them through the walls. My husband is beyond amazing with C. I love to hear them laughing. The laughter has been constant tonight - love it. I am so grateful for the relationship they share. So, even though I despise being sick I am elated for the opportunity to just listen to them and remember all of the blessings in my life :).

Saturday, September 29, 2012

What a wonderful Saturday!  I started with a long run through the city.  The skyline is gorgeous at sunrise.  I spent the majority of the day being silly with my sweet girl.  I love the times I am able to turn off work and school and just play with her.  Today, she asked me to go look for bugs - ha!  We took a basket and walked around the neighborhood looking at different bugs.  She has absolutely no sense of fear when it comes to nature.  She "helped" me clean out her closet - ha.  She also spent forever pretending to play gymnastics - too cute!  I love to see her pretend play flourishing - such a great little imagination.  All in all, the best way to spend a Saturday at home.

Thursday, September 6, 2012

Self Growth

My favorite part of my grad program is the constant emphasis on self-growth.  The program forces you to truly know yourself.  It is absolutely amazing what you can see when step back and observe your own patterns of behavior.
Recently, I have been extremely mindful of the model I am setting for my sweet girl.  I truly believe that children do what their parents do much more so than what their parents say.  This has led me to reflect upon the character traits I hope to instill in her.  Numerous have come to mind and this will hopefully be an ongoing exercise for me as she grows and matures.  This morning, I came across this quote:  "I will hold myself to a standard of grace - not perfection."  This statement eloquently sums up my hopes for her in regards to self pressure.  I hope that she strives towards showing compassion, kindness, mercy, intelligence - all of these together combine to picture of grace in my mind. I would much rather her look to develop these parts of herself than holding herself to society-based standards. 


Thursday, August 30, 2012

School

I absolute love my Marriage and Family Therapy program.  The professors are amazing.  The quality and intensity of the program are more than I could have ever imagined.  I adore the personal growth and self-care emphasized in every class - just amazing.  C is growing, growing, growing and bursting with more and more personality each day. 



Saturday, August 11, 2012

Too Long

It's been too long.  Life got super hectic between summer classes, C and work - yikes.  I have one more week before Fall classes begin.  I am super excited about my classes:  Advanced Personality, Family Systems and Diagnosis - woohoo :).  I am so grateful to have awesome professors and classmates who make it not only tolerable, but enjoyable, to be a full-time student again.

Running is going well.  I recently started running with an App called 'Charity Miles.'  It tracks my miles and donates a quarter for every mile that I run to the charity of my choice.  My favorite part is the 'impact' measure.  The app tells you how many minutes of research you are 'paying' for as you run - so cool, great motivation.

I recently signed C up for gymnastics and am super excited.  She will be starting in a 'Mommy and Me' class - great chance to spend some QT with my sweet angel.



Monday, July 2, 2012

Heat Wave (boo)

Things have been crazy busy as usual.  I am really enjoying my Professional Identities class.  We are currently studying marketing within Mental Health.  I love the focus on the business aspects of ethical and quality care.  I have been unable to do many miles this week (running) because of the EXCRUTIATING heat wave.  In lieu, I have been doing the Jillian Michaels 30 day shred videos.  I am really liking how the videos are succint and to the point.  I love that you continuously rotate activities - totally prevents boredom during the routine. 

Picture of the Day :)  Just a girl and her dog...

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Randomness

No class tonight so I got to spend time with my bundle of personality :)

Running log
Sunday: 5 miles
Monday: 3 miles
Tuesday: rest
Wednesday: crazy, busy day - ran out of sunlight so I did Jillian Michaels 30 day shred for some cross training benefits.
Weekly goal: a bit lower this week with classes resuming: 15 miles
So far...8(15)

Saturday, June 23, 2012

Best Baby Ever

I love when I get to spend quality time with my sweet little girl. I had to work this morning but was able to just hang out the rest of the afternoon - so much fun!

Busy, Busy, Busy

Things are super hectic right now and I haven't had a spare moment to update. Hopefully, I can write more later...

Running Log
Wednesday: rest day
Thursday: 2.5
Friday: rest day
Saturday: 6 miles
Felt: like 20 miles with the heat but it still put me in a super-great mood!
Weekly totals: 21 miles (goal of 20 met)

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

What is up with the Hair?

The most common question about C... Person looks at me - pauses - looks at my husband - pauses - and looks back at C - "Where'd the red hair come from?"

I get this question more than once a week. The short answer - my husband's beard. He has brown hair but his beard comes in with auburn tones.

The long answer? She is my Scots-Irish Appalachia baby. Both mine and my husband's families come from Appalachian mountain regions.
My grandmother has shared our family tree information with me a few times. I love learning about our family history. We were based around Franklin, NC. My great-grandmother had C's exact hair (and it was gorgeous) - beautiful auburn ringlets. My husband's family (both Mom and Dad's families) came from the West Virginia area. Quite honestly, I am surprised she wasn't born playing a dulcimer - ha... She does play the harmonica while I run (super funny).

Running Log
Miles Today: 5
Felt: Hot yet refreshing :)
Weekly Goal Progress: 12.5/20

Just a Day :)

My sweet baby

Monday, June 18, 2012

Personality

This kid is awesome!
She has a way of radiating personality.  In this picture, she was yelling, "Ready...GO!" and jumping from the curb to the road.  Fear is beyond her awareness.  She charges forward towards anything that might be fun.  I hope she never loses that spark :).

Running Log
Miles Today:  3.5
Felt:  Great, went in the morning - not too hot :)
Weekly Miles:  7.5  (20)

Sunday, June 17, 2012

No jogging stroller????

Today I went running without toting (literally) another person for the first time in over two years (totally including pregnancy). Wow!!! So flipping easy. I felt like I was cheating. However, the easiness was not worth the missed companionship :). I totally intend to keep running with my little girl as long as she is willing to tag along. Runs have turned into a peaceful retreat. Run time is an hour a day when I get to disconnect from everyone except C. With my crazy, busy life they are absolutely necessary. I am so grateful for every minute with my energetic, silly, chatterbox of a little girl :)

I previously had ad 2 blogs - a personal and a running. I have decided to just start my running notes on this blog to make things a little more simple :)


Running notes
Miles today: 4.0
Felt: awesome (even if it was like 1000 degrees)
Next week's goal: 20 miles

Friday, May 25, 2012

Time to Update

C is now 21 months old and BURSTING with personality. She loves motorcycles, puppies and manicures. She had her first airplane ride today and was super excited to see the planes.