S-U-N-D-A-Y

Singing
Uplifting
New-
Day
Alleluias,
Yeah!

S-A-T-U-R-D-A-Y

Serendipitously,
All
Toys
Unwrapped
Redeems
Deficits
All
Year.

((There’s nothing like the awe and excitement of children on Christmas Day to make the expense of it all worthwhile)).

F-R-I-D-A-Y

Festivities
Really
Inspire
Doing
A
Yippee!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

T-H-U-R-S-D-A-Y

On my Christmas list…

Thanks-
Hope-
Understanding-
Respect-
Stewardship-
Dedication-
Acceptance-
Youthfulness (i.e. youthful insight and wonder).

W-E-D-N-E-S-D-A-Y

Wonder
Each
Day,
Never
Ever
Settle
Down,
Always
Yearn!

Because there’s never any rest if you want those dreams to come true!

T-U-E-S-D-A-Y

Take
Up
Every
Selfless
Deed
And
Y_____ [yield, yodel, yippee!, or all three]

After all it is Christmas week!

M-O-N-D-A-Y

Mountains
Only
Need
Dreamers
And
You!

You know, to get to the other side, reach one’s potential, be inspired etc.
((I know, it’s hard to think big on a Monday morning!))

All I Want For Christmas Is…

ONE
Magic wand, to fix all the boys’ boo-boo’s, keep a spotless house, and give me instant “mommy time-out” whenever I’m feeling the least bit stressed!

TWO
More hands in which to give hugs, carry shopping bags, and manipulate the boys in and out of their snow pants every morning and night.

THREE
Me look-a-likes, one for each of my boys!

FOUR
Extra hours in every day, mostly to make up for my seemingly lack of sleep!

FIVE
Times as many minutes to spend with my boys than without them!

SIX
Ways to creatively use leftovers to get through an entire week with next to no prep time!

SEVEN
Sets of everything, so I only have to do laundry…dishes…backpack packing once a week!

EIGHT
Minute miles for an entire marathon to meet my 3:30 goal.

NINE
Lives that I can conjure up at a moments notice and re-use on demand.

TEN
Beautifully manicured fingers that require absolutely no maintenance and still let me have a life!

ELEVEN
Digital cameras spread throughout the house (one in every room), so I don’t miss any more of those “priceless” moments!

TWELVE
Dozen flowers, delivered once a month, one dozen at a time…just because!

Reflections Past, Holiday Future

A friend just reminded me that on this day last year, we were running JFK 50-miler.  What an awesome experience…an emotional roller coaster of emotions, sort of like Christmas when you are super excited about opening presents.  Then, suddenly the day is over and you settle back into “normal”…except you’re not really sure what normal is anymore.   I mean, you just had a life-changing experience (finishing a great run, getting that [super great gift] that you’ve always wanted), and nothing is quite the same!

Enter the world of books, where every day can be life-changing.  Books can take you to a whole new place, one in which you learn, grow, fall in love, or simply spark your imagination.  If this holiday season has you feeling a little frazzled, grab yourself one of these awesome Christmas sets available through Usborne Books and find your cheery side!

Run-Work-Rest

Sorry for the month-long hiatus, but it’s been such a crazy one! Long story short: I’ve been offline (or sidelined…you decide) since the Sunday after Silly Monkey’s 2nd birthday.

I like to blame the birthday cake, but I guess it was just my time to get sick. It’s the bane of many runners in their taper week…and I was just heading into my final taper week for Indianapolis and Louisville Marathons. Just that morning I had run an 8-miler and admit that I felt a little run-down.

But, still. I was totally unprepared for getting sick. It just doesn’t play in the cards for most diehard marathon runners, who fork out quite a bit of moolah in entry fees, hotel reservations, plan tickets, etc. just to take a state off our 50-state list. And if your a mom, hello, you just can’t get sick!

Yet it came, it stayed (well through all three of my running events), and still lingers. What could have likely just been a cold in the beginning quickly drained into my chest causing the worst of my problems: respiratory issues that gave way to coughing, hacking, choking, and frantically reach for my inhaler more times than I’d like to have experienced.

Although I had doubts about my ability to run, period, let alone two marathons and a 50K, I began each event with a prayer (okay, so perhaps it was more like a vehement plea for help) and simple made it my goal to “just finish.” And I did.

Considering how much I coughed during my 50K in Blue Springs, I’m surprised to even have a lung left. What little is left has ranged the gamut from painful to uncomfortable depending on the time of day and my posture. Although I wondered if I had broken a rib in the process, the x-rays didn’t seem to point in that direction. Instead, I got the “well, the good news is you don’t have pneumonia” speech, followed rather quickly with “let’s not exercise anymore until this clears up.”

I’ve never wanted to run so badly than I did yesterday evening. To get off work at 5 pm and walk out into 62 degree F weather–in November, mind you, was sheer and utter BLISS!

On top of all this, I went back to work in Human Resources–this time doing what I really like to do (HR Development). The boys have been such big troopers through it all, and I am really seeing some positive results for Little Professor.

While I admit to missing the time I had with them during the day, there is so much to be said about socialization and how it contributes to a child’s overall development.

Of course, with that comes the worries about germs…H1N1…pink eye…head lice…all those things that gravitate towards children in group settings. In more than just a positive way, it’s share, share alike! Little Professor has, luckily, been the only one to NOT get sick this past month. Close my eyes and cross my fingers tightly!