Hobby, rediscovered

Once upon a time I used to run. I picked it up in college as a way to spend time with friends/stay in some sort of shape, and continued it into my early years in Charleston. I ran the Cooper River Bridge run three times. And then we spontaneously got an adorable puppy in April 2010 who needed lots of exercise and BOOM my running career ended and I became a walker. Throw a couple of pregnancies (which produce kids, by the way) into the mix and my motivation to run sank lower and lower.
This all changed about three weeks ago when I went to watch the end of Thomas' Tough Mudder race. My friend Caroline, who is an incredible natural athlete, had casually decided to run the race that week and only finished a few minutes behind the guys. To be completely honest, my first reaction to this was pure jealousy of her awesomeness and frustration with my own lack of fitness. So I took a deep breath and told Thomas that I wanted to start running again, and we strategized about ways to make this happen. [Sidebar: one of the keys to staying sane while staying at home with small children is my supportive husband, who is quick to help me get out of the house or change up what can sometimes feel like a stifling routine, whether it's Bible study, writing blog posts, running, or working part time. Love that man.]
I invested in some good running shoes (Brooks, if you're curious), and have started pounding the pavement 3-4 times per week for the last couple of weeks. I'm certainly not going to be breaking any land speed records any time soon but it feels great to be out doing something challenging. Yesterday a man drove by as I was finishing a double stroller run and yelled "You go, Mama!" and it totally made my day. (Quick! Spot the words of affirmation girl!) I prefer running with Elliott, who hangs out quietly playing with toys until he goes to sleep--man do I love that kid-- but have survived a couple of runs with Lillian, too. And I even went by myself once, which I appreciate about 1000x more than I did back in 2010. There's nothing like responding to a two-year-old's unending stream of questions and demands while you're winded and pushing a double stroller. #goodtimes
I'm hoping to do a few races this year with local friends and college friends to help keep my motivation going.

Instagram repeat, sorry. Running in the springtime is glorious!

It's fun to be running with Thomas again! Plus our three additions.

African sky blue

If anyone is interested in seeing a little of what we saw on our safari...now you can!

Here is where all four (so far) of the Kenya/Tanzania videos my dad has compiled are located:


http://www.youtube.com/user/LeeFvid/videos?view=0


My favorite of the four is the "Africa intro"--who can resist Toto's awesomely 80's "Africa," incorrect geography and all?

A couple of reticulated giraffes and a warthog at Lewa Conservancy in Kenya

A Girl and Her Dog

I come to you this morning, hopped up on caffeine (may have exceeded the 1 cup coffee/day allotment this morning...)and general excitement. I am also getting more sleep these days, which is excellent!

This morning started off like many others. Sullivan, a picture of docility 90% of the time, decided it was time to play Jekyll and Hyde with me. While I was in the middle of a disastrous diaper change--a relatively contained poop that Lillian smeared all of herself as she writhed in delight on the changing table--Sullivan grabbed our Supremely Happy, Life-Changing Sleep Book (Ferber, for anyone who cares) and proceeded to have his way with it. Fortunately I got to him before he ate anything beyond the cover, but I was still pretty cranky with him.

I decided to load Lillian up in the Moby wrap , our organically delightful hippy baby carrier, so that we could take him outside and let him burn some energy without him wreaking havoc on any more of our possessions. The picture above shows him in action: a 70 pound black streak sprinting at full speed in figure eights around our backyard, which he has pretty much turned into a dirt track. And as we watched him race like a maniac, Lillian started laughing! Part sheer delight and part smoker's cough, she laughed and laughed as Sullivan ran around us as if he were on a slalom course and we were the marker. The closer he got to us and the more like it appeared he was going to run into us, the harder she laughed. We had heard her laugh once before, about six weeks ago in Aiken with Thomas' family, but try as we might, we could not get her to replicate the action. She is a super smiley and happy baby, but nothing would induce her to giggle.

Except, as it turns out, the antics of my slightly evil but totally forgiven dog.

Where have you been all my life?

O, Extreme Moose Tracks ice cream, how have I lived without you for so long?

Seriously, next time you're at the grocery store, do yourself a favor and buy a carton. It's pretty much life-changing. Just don't buy it from the Harris Teeter on Hwy 41--I lay claim to all of those. Mwhaha.

(image from here)

Happy Thursday! I am going to go try and distract myself from the gloriousness living in the freezer because I think 10 am might be a little early for hittin' the ice cream. Plus Thomas might give me the ole raised eyebrow if he comes home and it's all gone...