just a thought

handlettering project #20 - an everyday reminder

tomboy brush pen on an index card.

2015 weekly menu #21

easy chicken pho

this week is looking a bit questionable for meals together at home. we have sofia's team party, i have a couple of school meetings in the evening, andrew has a game and a school dance. i'll make an attempt and see how it goes.

weekend eats
saturday: birthday party for my nephew
sunday: tortas de carnitas, pan dulce

making this week
monday: tomato soup, caprese sandwiches
tuesday: sofia's softball team party
wednesday: chicago style hot dogs - skipped these last week
thursday: school dine out
friday: chinese chicken salad

this weather is making me feel tired. or maybe it was the 5 mile hike this morning. but i'm running behind schedule today. have to get a move on.

happy monday!

5 things this week end

1. quiet - this weekend was the first time in a long time without a schedule. no softball games, no running group, no events or play dates. we slept in and stayed up late. we got starbucks and breakfast burritos. we took naps and folded laundry.
2. we watched college softball on espn yesterday and thought about going to ucla to see the csun vs. san diego game but it was too cozy in bed.
3. we celebrated my nephew's 21st birthday last night; the cake, the poker game and the buffalo dip were all memorable.
4. catching up on mad men today. we are way behind but interested in seeing the finale tonight.
5. today we'll go to andrew's game, watch the basketball game, play cards, and watch game of thrones. and be thankful for this weekend

on motherhood

"motherhood is a choice you make everyday, to put someone else's happiness and well-being ahead of your own. to teach the hard lessons, to do the right thing, even when you're not sure what the right thing is... and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for doing everything wrong." donna ball

i am constantly wondering what the right thing is. being mom is tough. i second guess my decisions but stick to my guns once the decision has been made. it has taught me to trust my instincts. it has clarified my beliefs and what i think are important values.

i would prefer that last sentence say "and to forgive yourself, over and over again, for everything you do wrong." mistakes are made. apologies are necessary. it's most important to admit when something goes wrong. i talk a lot with the kids and ask them about how a situation was handled. next time, what can we do differently? but i don't think i'm doing everything wrong.

i have loving, mature, happy kids. i give and receive love and positive reinforcement everyday. i am proud of my family and feel that they will be good members of our society who believe in following their dreams, taking care of others and working hard.

yes, motherhood is a choice i make everyday. this is my job. i don't always get it right but i am always working on doing the best i can.

andrew @ 13

andrew is officially in the teen years.

emotionally, he's been there for a while now. but we can't deny the fact any longer that 2 of our 3 kids are teenagers.  and there is so much to love about that. really!

andrew is all kinds of wonderful.  in his serious, sarcastic, under his breath way he makes the world a happy place, but you have to be paying attention to get it.

andrew is loving, curious and caring about the world and the people that live in it. he is a compassionate soul. he is a thoughtful listener. he explores and discovers with enthusiasm.

to say he is easy going is an understatement. it's a middle child thing. but he rarely complains - although when he does, watch out! he is happy where he is, doing what he does.

he loves legos (still), video games, nerf guns, baseball (maybe like it a better word), role playing games, rap music (the clean stuff), jokes, head's up, and being random. but he hates the spotlight.

he is enlightened and intelligent. mature with his words. pensive and insightful. he is sensitive but with an outrageous sense of humor. he may not always share his feelings but when he does, watch out!

and he loves a good donut.

what more could a mom ask for? he is my happy place. my deep thinker. he is love. he is goofiness and sunshine and a head full of messy hair.

and i love him with all my being.

welcome to teen-hood.

currently | may

eating scrambled eggs, toast and fruit from corner bakery

reading this book and this one and have this on the list next.

documenting the day. i missed day in the life on tuesday. but today was a better day for me anyway.

needing to buy purchased a new pair of chucks - it's time.

feeling almost 100% after the race.

taking two weeks off from running. but next week i head back to the gym.

listening to geronimo, sugar, heartbeat song.

missing the music i listened to on my runs.

going to a leadership dinner tonight at notre dame.

enjoying the rain, finally.

waiting to hear if andrew's baseball game is rained out.

returning a skirt to old navy because they left the security sensor on it and i just noticed.

thinking about events for next year...what?!

getting started early is always a good idea.

wondering what next school year will look like for me/us.

finishing volleyball, softball, running and swimming has left us with lots more time.

trying to make the most of it.

wine country half marathon (and a diva win)

this could be a really short post.

i did it!

but you know there are pictures and thoughts and stories that happened.

but i did it!

this was the ymca training shirt and the race bib, something cool and different.

here we are waiting for the bus at 6:00 am. i've been running with some of these people for four years now. and some just joined the group but we are all supportive and encouraging friends.

here's the group photo. do you see me? no? that's cause i was waiting in line to use the bathroom one more time before heading to the starting line.

the electricity that surrounds a starting line for a race is incredible. the energy carries you for the first mile.

nothing much to say about the first few miles of the race. they were difficult and not very fast. i felt like i was keeping a good pace but wasn't sure i could sustain it for the entire course.  i did think about my 13.1 things throughout the race. trying to remember what i had for each mile helped keep my mind off how many miles i had to go.

i listened to pandora on my iPhone and it only went out on me a few times. during those moments i got to listen to my breathing, my feet hitting the pavement or i focused on just moving.

mile 6 is where you head into los olivos. it's the transition spot for those running the relay, it's where you can get a sip of wine or water, it's where you're family is there to cheer you on and take photos, and it's where you prepare yourself for the corkscrew.

i took just a few photos along the way and it's really hard to tell in this photo but the trail zig zags along this hill.  my success was running the entire way up - at a snail's pace but i wanted to commit to running this hill without stopping and i did...

because i knew that the downhill was waiting for me on the other side. each time i passed the mile marker i would say "i love you" to whoever or whatever i had dedicated that mile to.

the weather was just right. cool but not cold.  and the buffalo were out to greet us. we also saw llamas, horses and sheep.

that 12th mile is a killer. it's the only time i walked. it's a long, steady uphill. at mile 12 it's a tough one to conquer. i knew i wasn't going to have a personal record this time around so i let myself walk for a bit.

as soon as it leveled off i started running again. that's when i saw the people cheering and reminding us that it's almost over.  that's when i saw my parents. that's when i saw the training group yelling my name. that's when i saw the finish and knew it was over. (yes, that's when i cried.)

i crossed feeling really good.  last year when i crossed the finish line i was in a lot of pain. but this year i was ok.  i needed water and i was starving but i felt pretty good.

i met up with the group and my family for some post race photos and i immediately took my shoes off and got into flip flops - that's a great feeling.  it was a good run for me. not my fastest but my goal was to finish and enjoy the run along the way. standing still after running for two and a half hours is when the muscles start to cramp and the pain sets in. my feet starting hurting and i could feel discomfort that i hadn't felt or ignored for 13 miles. it was time to rest.

the medal is outrageous. corkscrew, wine stopper and bottle opener, what more do i need?  add this to the collection.

after showering, calling bobby and dealing with foot cramps, we met up at the rv park for brunch.  everyone walked around grunting and groaning and we got to share our stories of how the race went for each of us. of course, we talked about the next race.

my parents and i left soon after eating to make it back to the valley to see sofia play softball.

they had a playoff game on friday, the day she came back from camp.  and they won!! so they made it to the championship game on saturday. when i heard that i knew i had to make it back in time to see the game.

and in a great game the daring divas pulled it off and won the championship!!  i was so glad i got to be there to see it, limping and all.

sofia played against one of her best friends and they were so happy for each other. in the end they didn't care who won or lost, but that they got to play softball together.

what a day! what a race! what a game! hooray for all of it.