Bored Puppy

Molly is waiting for the rain to slake and for me to have a free weekend, so we can go for a real hike together again. 

Motherhood: not always thankless.

Yesterday was my Annie’s birthday party at Pump It Up, a different party than the one we had on her actual St. Patrick’s day birthday, which was at home and included just family and close family friends.
Annie hasn’t had a party with invited friends for a couple of years.   I won’t go into all the reasons, but I felt it was important that she have a special party this year. 

It was a pain to organize, because there is so much going on right now, and planning parties on top of so many other responsibilities and obligations I have right now is just not my forte.  I have to say, though – I got THE BEST reward ever for my efforts.  After the party, my beautiful, beaming little girl looked at me directly in the eyes and said,

“Mom, thank you for the party!  Pump It Up is the BEST place to have a party.  It was PERFECT!”

I will never, ever forget how good that felt to see her delight and hear her powerful, clear words about how she felt about the party.  My heart is full.  

Annie at Kah-Nee-Ta a few days ago.

Technorati Tags: motherhood,kids,life

From my backyard…

Change of Plans

Back during the Winter months, I sat with my sweetheart across the table from an old friend of his, who in the last couple of years has really made some dramatic changes to her physical health and fitness level. It was inspiring to see how she completely reshaped herself and got back to her best and healthiest weight.  It was also really fun to hear her describe her actual exploits – she can run farther, bike farther and do many things with great strength and endurance. 

I really like this woman, and I cheer her on when she updates us on Facebook.  Considering she’s around my age, I am just so impressed with what she’s achieved and want to follow her lead.  She has truly become an athletic and very fit person, beyond merely liking activity and getting out once a week or so.  She is active on a daily basis and has really focused on her health.  Despite making enormous strides, she still continues to improve and work on it, even focusing on what she eats and preparing her own food more.
 
When she suggested Scott and I participate in a triathlon with her and a number of other mutual friends this May, the words “let’s do it!” came flowing easily out of my mouth.  I wanted the challenge.  I’m a good swimmer, love riding my bike, and felt I could run the distance with some training.   I had plenty of time to prepare, and I wanted a goal.  

Well, now I am a little over a month away from the day of the event, and I don’t feel ready.  Life got very busy with a move, and I made some logistical decisions recently which have been important for my mental health and peaceful home life which have affected my ability to to take personal time regularly.  My “training” has been very spotty and for some elements of the event, simply non-existent.  I’ve not made it to the pool even once (barring the recent trip to Kah-Nee-Ta with the kids).  I think if I had been preparing for a biking event, I’d be ready, because I like riding into work and have been doing that.  I can focus on that one thing,  and think I could even fit in longer rides on weekends.  If I had only been training for a 5K, I might have been ready, because I would have been focusing on just the running, and I have a gym and the treadmills, and some trails by my office.  Could have used my lunch break.  As it stands, I have been pulled in many directions, and have felt paralyzed and stressed out about it.  I’m never been good at spreading my energy around to many different things at once, even though I have to do it on a daily basis, just to keep things going for my household of 4.

So, now, such a short time away, I have pulled out of the triathlon to let a wait-lister participate.  I don’t like the feeling that I’ve “quit” at all.  It just doesn’t feel good.  But frankly, the idea of participating in the triathlon quit being fun and started to feel like something to dread.  I need “fun” right now, especially when it comes to my health and fitness.  I’ve decided to focus on cycling as my primary fitness tool.  It’s more fun for me than it’s ever been.  Last Summer I had a blast on my bike and I still feel so much more confident riding than I have ever before in my life.  And now I finally have the bike and the gear to really dig in and enjoy it  more.  I’m excited again about the prospect of getting more fit.  I thank Scott for pushing me in this direction.  I love that I can commute by bicycle.  It really fits with my desire to leave less of a carbon footprint, and I see real results in terms of my fitness.  I simply love that I get to work full of fantastic energy to apply to my job, and I appreciate the stress-relieving transition to my home life in the afternoons, too. 

To make up for “quitting” the triathlon, I am setting a new goal.  I want to do a MUCH longer ride this Summer.  I don’t know what yet, and I will talk with Scott about it, and see if he thinks I can do a century, and if so, if he can help me pick out a group ride to go on and help me set up a training plan.  If one thing ends, it’s important to find the next thing and keep moving forward.  I want to be ever-striving, like my inspirational friend, too!

I’ll be updating as I go!

Renewal

Shadows move swiftly across the sage-dotted, red, rolling earth.  They chase tempestuous clouds which roil and wrestle in the sky, like a dusty swarm of warriors battling in a vast bright blue field.  Jumbles of basalt jut out over rivers and streams, vexed and swelling with the first evidence of snow leaving the mountain tops.  Ravens tumble and turn together against this striking backdrop.  The drama of Spring is unfolding in the high desert.

I took the kids out to enjoy the wonderful change of both scene and season earlier this week.  The four of us went to Kah-Nee-Ta  for a few days to play together and rejuvenate our little family.  We hiked in the desert in the morning and swam in pools heated by natural hot springs all afternoon.  We read books by the giant fireplace, watched movies in our room at night, and we went to sleep together in our two super-comfy king sized beds.  But I alone woke early and sat out on the balcony to enjoy some peaceful solitude over a cup of coffee and some truly glorious high desert sunrises.  This really is becoming a beautiful tradition.

(Feel free to click on any pics you want to see larger.)

A Springtime Evening Break

After weeks of planning to move, packing to move, running multiple times to Goodwill and the dump, actually moving, and unpacking from the move - I’m still not completely settled in here in my new little house!  No matter - I decided to take a much needed break with my sweetheart this weekend, anyway.

Thanks to my friend Lars and his girls who came over and stayed overnight with my 3 kids, Scott and I were able to head out East to stay at his parents vacation house in Brightwood, near Mt. Hood.  On the way out, we made an impromptu stop at McMenamin’s Edgefield to walk the grounds and grab a meal and some drinks.  It’s always a great place to visit, full of interesting sights and sounds.  Last night was no exception.  There was a great Bluegrass style band playing outside in a large tent under the fully lit water tower and indigo sky, They were fantastic!

We both had our cameras with us, so we not only got to enjoy the food, drinks and music, but we got to capture shots of the glass blowers at work too, and also the gorgeous early Spring blooms at twilight.   What a treat!  I still have lots to learn, but I’m really enjoying the capabilities of this camera.  I took some photos at The Edgefield years ago, shortly before I met Scott, and I didn’t have near the flexibility with my little point and shoot.  Even in low light, I was able to capture some nice images this time.  Scott took the one of me. 

If you hold your cursor over each picture, you can see the titles for each picture, and if you want to see them slightly larger, just double click on any of them. Enjoy!

Green Winter: February hike in Forest Park

Stella and I took a hike on Super Bowl Sunday and I’m finally getting around to posting some pictures.