Feeling Special and our Favorite Thing

I love how some days I have absolutely nothing to say and then other days I am full to the brim of experiences to share.  Today is one of those days where I am full to the brim of really random things, but all things that happened since the last time we chatted.

First, let's talk about how I was too tired to do my PiYo workout this morning.  I'm not even sure it was tired, I just felt a bit burnt out.  So I didn't do it.  I kind of knew I wasn't going to do it yesterday night because I just felt to exhausted.  And not physically exhausted, more mentally exhausted.  And that can be just as bad - if not worse.  I figure I can do it tonight if I want to or I can do it tomorrow (since Fridays are rest days).  We'll see.  I don't think I'm giving up by any means, I just wanted a day off from the 4:15am wake-up call and the double days of PiYo and running.  I think I'll still run this afternoon, but we'll see how I feel.  I really wasn't feeling my run yesterday before I left, but then I felt really good on the run and thought about lots of things and worked other things out in my head, so I was really glad I went.

In other news, I had my goodbye party at work and it was AWESOME!!!  They worked so hard on it and it was so fabulous.  They made me this Good Luck bulletin:

Isn't it fabulous!!  The little skeleton is saying "Kattrina calls the shots" and those are all pictures of me with a nursing hat on.  The cake was amazing too - it was lemon cream.  And my co-worker put the prescription meds on the cake (M&Ms).  Those little pieces of paper are for people to write me a "prescriptions" for school and the future.  The notes were so sweet that I actually shed some tears.  I really love my co-workers - they not only do amazing work every day, but they are truly amazing people.  My one co-worker made me a condom necklace (since I work in HIV prevention):

Complete with a female condom that matches my shirt.  Of course, none of these condoms are usable, since they all had holes punched into them!  The room was decorated with nursing stuff (like a kid's medical kit!) and condom streamers.  And there was also a slide show of a bunch of photos of me over the years - 7 years - from numerous events, trainings, and staff fun.  Here's a picture of me from our 2008 Award Ceremony with my good friend from high school (she didn't work with me, she just came to hang out).

And here is our 2008 Wine Tasting, with the same friend from high school and another good friend from Peace Corps. 

I would show you other photos but a lot of the people in the photos are related to work and I don't have photo releases for them.  But here are some of my adorable co-workers from the party!

I'm gonna miss them all so much!!!  In addition to the wonderful party (it was an Italian potluck - think pasta, chicken parm, meatballs, bread, salad, cookies, Bundt cake, and other yumminess), they also gave me a HUGE gift card to Amazon.com so I could buy some nursing supplies and books and other odds and ends.  It was so generous and helped out so much.  Yes, I already spent every last penny.  I bought two pairs of scrubs, two undershirts, a pair of nursing shoes, a stethoscope, three books, and a filing cabinet (not really school related but I really need something to keep my files, loan documents, work documents, etc. organized - right now they are in piles in the kitchen).  It felt so great to buy it though, now I'm almost ready for school.  I ordered this backpack:

I couldn't decide if the pink color made it look childish, but I really like it and didn't want the obligatory black/gray/blue backpack.  So, pink it is!

So, that was my party.  I hope everyone has the chance to work at a place as great as my current job.  Obviously, I did my fair share of complaining, but even when I complained, I knew how lucky I was.  The party really made me feel special and like I had made a real contribution to the organization and the community we serve.  Oh, and I bought my boss/supervisor a gift too:

It's a tie with microscopic images of the HIV virus (gold and silver circles)!  I loved it and was so excited to give it to him!!  I think he was really surprised and said he was planning on wearing it to a wedding he's going to in September.  I told him it is a conversation starter and that he can use it to bring up HIV prevention whenever he's out at events - and he can be reminded of me and the six years we spent working on HIV prevention together.  It was a bit pricey and I was hesitant to buy it at first, but I'm SO glad I got it because it was nice to give something back.

Ok - enough party talk!

Yesterday I met a friend and her daughter at the nature center and we went and threw rocks into the river again!

This time I put Evan in his bathing suit and shoes that dried easily.  He was really excited to go and hang out and hike again.  It took him a while to warm up because my friend and her daughter were with us and he gets all weird when we hang out with other people that he doesn't know that well (although we hang out with them a LOT).

We spent about an hour and half there - walking in the water, throwing rocks, hiking, picking up sticks, picking up rocks, jumping on stumps, etc.  I'm gonna be really sad once summer and the warm weather is gone.  I'm not quite ready to spend six months inside again.  Plus, Evan is still in 18 month clothes and all his winter clothes are size 2T!

And a fun Throwback Thursday pic from 2002 (I think!):

One year for Christmas my father bought me a week long trip to Costa Rica for a yoga retreat.  The girl with me was the yoga instructor - my Dad and I always went to her studio in DC when I was in college and she ran the retreat in Costa Rica.  It was SO fun!!  We did so much yoga but also got to go zip lining, white water rafting, and a lot of fun other things.  This year she's leading a yoga retreat in Italy!!!  Hint hint Dad....haha!

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Do you like your job?  What is the best thing about it?

Have you ever gone on a yoga retreat?  What's your favorite yoga pose??

  -- My favorite pose is Pigeon Pose!

Tired Legs and Ice Baths

When we went to Costco last week they had those special spa mats on sale - the memory foam kind that are super comfy and soft.  I decided to buy one for the kitchen so that I had a nice plush mat to stand on while washing dishes.  Evan decided he LOVED the mat and played on it all day.  He'd stand there and stomp his feet a million times, loving the way it felt.  Then he emptied all the plastic lids on top of it.

It was hilarious because normally he throws the lids all over the kitchen but for some reason he decided he wanted them all on top of this kitchen mat.  Along with my water bottle.  What a funny boy.

This morning I finally fully completed my PiYo Sweat workout.  That means I finished the entire thing without having to go into child's pose when no one else was doing it (aka taking a break).  I still have to do all my push-ups on my knees, but I can now do all the push-ups, so hopefully I'll move to my toes eventually.  Oddly enough, my legs are always the most tired after a PiYo workout, even though I feel like my legs are the strongest because of running.  My arms need to become sore because I need to strengthen them the most.  In the videos where we have side plank I can barely get up there because my arms are so weak.  It's surprising I can lift my own son.  Maybe that's why sometimes my arms are sore after running - my water bottle is too heavy for my weak arms.  Today is a rest day, thank goodness, because my legs kinda feel like jello.  I ran 5 miles on Sunday with the jogger and then another 5 yesterday around the mall (National Mall - not shopping mall), so that is more than I usually go.  I am really shocked that I have been running 5 days a week for almost three months.  I usually only do 4 and then eventually move down to 3.  Even when training for a marathon I end up only doing three days a week because I run out of time. 

Here are a few strategies that I have employed to keep my work-outs on track these past few months:

1) I joined a Challenge Group.  My friend from elementary school recently became a Beach Body coach and she started a 100 Mile Challenge Group with the challenge to run 100 miles in 2 months.  That's not really that hard (some people run almost 100 miles in a week), but it still motivates me to get out there so that I can report my miles to the group.  I also joined a Challenge Group for PiYo and that has helped immensely because I definitely don't want to fall behind in that.  It's what I think about when I get up at 4:15am to do yet another PiYo DVD.

2) I made a schedule.  I always had a basic running schedule but now I have a real schedule with the days I'm going to run and how I'm going to fit them in.  Running during my lunch break at work has worked really well and I've been able to keep that up.  Plus, after a while all my co-workers got used to the fact that I ran every lunch and so it helped motivate me to go.  Even the doorman knows my running schedule.  I tend to go four miles during lunch and occasionally I'll put in an extra mile.  On Wednesdays I go in the morning before I start work, on Fridays I go in the afternoon and Evan and I always stop at a random playground, and on Sunday I always go in the morning with Evan and we also stop at a playground.  That's pretty much the schedule and I've been really great at sticking with it.

3) I've incorporated running into other activities.  For example, like I mentioned above, instead of just going to the playground we always run to the playground.  I can do a 3, 4, 5, and 6 mile loop that all have playgrounds on the route.  I tend to run, play for an hour, and then run home.  Yeah, it's not the most effective workout, but it gets me out there, it gets Evan outside, and we both return home happy and tired.  I've also run to my sister's house, run to the farmer's market, run to the doctor's, run to meet friends for coffee, and run to the grocery store.  This way I can still get a run in, even if I have a bunch of errands.  It is really helpful that the doctor's office (both mine and Evan's), grocery store, Farmer's Market, etc. are all really close to our condo...it's not like I am running 10 miles or anything.

Ok, those are the only things I can think of right now.  I feel like this summer has been extra stressful with all the transitions going on and I've really stayed calm through most of it and I think it's because running has given me time to think things through and take time for myself.  I really do love to run and I'm so glad I have gotten into a routine that works for me.  I just hope I can keep it up once school starts!  I am planning on running during the day, just like I do now, but my schedule is less flexible than it is at work - so, we'll see.

In other news, I took the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge.

I am really dramatic - if you actually watch the video you can hear me whine and complain about how cold the water is and how big the bucket is.  You can also see Evan run up to the bucket and say "Ice" and look cute.  Ivan was overly excited about the challenge and had the ice all waiting for me when I got home from work.  How husbandly of him.  I conveniently challenged him so he went right after me.  It was fun though and a good cause.  I hope that the ALS Foundation can use a lot of the money they receive for research and a cure comes out of this.  And I really hope a lot of the money also goes to help families, especially ones that need financial help to take care of their loved one.  I'm still really shocked that the challenge is still going on and that it is raising so much money!

I hope everyone is having a fabulous Tuesday!  Today is my going away party at work and I'm really excited.  I don't particularly enjoy parties thrown for me because it's awkward, but all work parties are fun so I'm excited about that.

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Have you done the Ice Bucket Challenge?

What other tips do you have for keeping your sticking to your work-out routines?

Thursday's Random Thoughts

I had so many thoughts about what I was going to write about today, but now I can't think of any of them.  So, I guess I'll give you some randomness.  Here are ten random thoughts floating in my head.


1) All I can think about right now is my PiYo Drench workout that I did this morning.  I was in Downward Facing Dog (my least favorite yoga pose EVER) and sweat was dripping off my thighs and my chin.  I was really sweaty.  And my legs still feel a little wobbly even sitting on the bus.  That workout was 48 minutes, so it's the longest one.  I kinda miss the beginning workouts that were only 20 minutes.  I will say my triceps pushups are getting better and Ivan actually noticed a smidgen of a muscle in my arm - so maybe I'm getting stronger....even if I spend a lot of time in child's pose!

2) An amazing thing happened this week.  Remember a few posts ago I mentioned that I wished I had a person that was 100% devoted to helping me out (for free - because I realize that that is a paid position)?  Well, God must have heard me because as I was complaining to my co-worker (for the umpteen millionth time), she said her dad might have an extra car that we could have.  Just like that.  And he did and he's willing to sell it to us for $1.  Not only that, but he's been running around town getting it ready and sprucing it up.  Yesterday he took it to get a new battery and was going to pay for it himself, and then when he explained that it was for someone who was going back to school and couldn't afford a car, the guy said he's donate the battery and put it in for free.  The whole this is just amazing to me and I feel like someone must really be looking out for me...because how often do people give you cars?  Never.  Even my parents didn't give me a car when I was in high school, I had to use all my savings bonds to buy their old car (mainly because they didn't have enough money to buy themselves another car, so they needed my money to put down a down payment on their new car - not because they were mean people or anything).  This car is significantly older, but it is still a gift that humbles me to the core.  And I do realize that nothing is free in this world and that it's gonna cost money to transfer the title, etc., and it's gonna cost gas money and maintenance and things like that, but it will be so helpful.  I can officially stop worrying about how I'm going to get to clinicals.

3) August has been a month of lasts.  Today is the last time I'll see my favorite co-worker (she's going on vacation next week), I had my last staff meeting on Tuesday, my last DC commute is coming up, my last paycheck, my last partner call, etc.  September will be a month of firsts.  First time wearing scrubs, first nursing lab, first nursing class, first time working as a consultant, etc.  What an exciting and scary time this is!  My stomach is in a constant state of butterflies.

4) Yesterday I tried Oats in a Jar for the very first time.

I had a bit of peanut butter left so I just put my oatmeal in there and warmed it up in the jar.  That way what was left of the peanut butter was softened and melted right into my oatmeal.  It was delicious.  I don't buy peanut butter too often because I eat it too fast, but the next time I do I will definitely be making this again!

5) Today I am going out for lunch, courtesy of my favorite co-worker.  We are going to i Ricci and I CANNOT WAIT.  I have already looked at the menu a million times as I drool thinking about what I'm going to order.  I love Italian food and rarely get it because Ivan doesn't like it.  Plus, lunch with my friend is always spectacular.

6) Evan got a new bedroom set yesterday.  Some close golf friends of ours had an entire bedroom set (bed, mattress, box spring, dresser, night stand, desk) that they were getting rid of and asked if we might want it for Evan.  Umm, yes please!!  Even though he still sleeps in our bed, one day he will need his own bed and this bedroom set is beautiful.  The wood is in amazing condition and is super high-quality.  I can't wait to decorate his room (on a budget...).

7) I can't decide what to do for Evan's 2nd birthday.  I know I don't want a party, but I still want to do something special.  A cook-out at the lake?  A family bike ride?  A trip to the zoo?  Rocks at the Nature Center?  I don't know.  I have to work that morning because another coach will already be gone, so we'll have to celebrate in the afternoon, but I still want it to be something he really enjoys.  We'll see.  Birthdays are stressful.  We are thinking of buying him a balance bike but I can't decide.  Anyone out there have a balance bike for their kids?  Do they like it?  Hate it?

8) Talking about sleeping.  Last night we had a super cuddle session in our bed.  Evan slept in my arms all night long, curled up right next to me.  I loved every minute of it.  When he does eventually move to his own bed, I will be a bit sad.  Cuddle time during the middle of the night is the best thing ever.

9) Ivan has liked every dinner I've made all week.  It's a miracle.  After ever dinner he has said, "That was a great dinner" (well, he says it in Spanish so I guess he doesn't say that exactly) and he only says that when he means it.  Often he says, "Thanks for dinner, it was ok but maybe don't make it again".  I make sure to write down all the dinners he likes so that I keep them in good rotation.  His favorite meal to date is my mom's Creamy Chicken Noodle Soup.  He asks for it at least once a week and I make it probably twice a month.

10) On Facebook it's Throwback Thursday, so I figure I'll post my pic here too. 

This is an old picture from college (I'm sure it's obvious, but I'm the girl on the left in the gray Army shirt) - the first time I went to college.  We had a Model OAS team and each spring we'd head to DC to compete with all the other teams.  Our school took it mega-serious (although plenty of others took it as a time to party in DC) and it was a super stressful class, but I have some great memories from that time.  And surprisingly I am still friends with some of these girls!  I really hope I meet some amazing people in nursing school, although it will be hard to top the amazing people I met in undergrad and graduate school previously.  As exampled above - I really do have very special and amazing friends that I probably don't deserve.  Over the years they have done so many things for me and I'm not really sure I've done as many things for them.  Hopefully one day I can repay everyone for all they have given me in life.

Ok - those are my ten random thoughts!

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Tell me two random things floating around in your head.

Did you love or hate college?  Are you still friends with your college friends?

Rocks in the water

I didn't get a chance to blog yesterday because I was at an orientation for school.  It was fun getting to meet some new people and hearing more about what my schedule will be like and stuff.  The schedule does not look fun.  At all. I met and hung out mostly with two girls who happened to be twenty.  That makes me 14 years older than them.  I could practically be there mother.  Nice thought, huh.  It was fine though.  I guess all thrown together we are similar enough since we are all going to nursing school.  I did meet another girl who has three step-kids, but only on the weekends.  

This past weekend the weather was beautiful so I tried to get outside.  Evan and I went for a run and then met a friend from TNT for coffee and a walk to the playground. I hadn't seen her since the winter and then I barely got to catch up with her so it was really great spending the afternoon chatting.  I had to walk to the coffee place because the hubs was golfing and I thought I would have time to get a four mile run in before we were supposed to meet...but I forgot to account for the fact that I run much slower with the BOB so I ended up being 15 minutes late.  Yikes.  I felt badly.  I really need to work on my punctuality.  At one point Evan was playing at the playground and pointed at her and said bye-bye.  I don't think he was thrilled about sharing my attention.  

Saturday was the normal golf and grocery shopping.  Nothing too exciting.  I didn't get a chance to do my PiYo workout because Evan was really clingy and fussy and wouldn't let me leave the bed (I noticed that he has his two canine teeth pushing through so that would explain that).  I surprised myself by coming home from golf, putting Evan down for a nap, and then breaking out the PiYo Sweat DVD.  Usually I am not motivated to do anything in the middle of the day but I actually got it done.  Score!

On Sunday we went to breakfast with the other golf coach I work with. She had watched Evan on Thursday so we wanted to thank her.  Evan was a hoot on breakfast and kept stacking the creamers and then knocking them down.  It was hilarious...until one burst open and drenched the hubs in creamer.  Haha!  After breakfast we ran to the outlet mall to look for scrubs for me.  It turned into a disaster.  I tried some scrubs on and that was fine but then I made the mistake of letting Evan ride one of those little rides that you pay a quarter for (or 3 since this one was $0.75) and he decided he wanted to ride every single one.  Of course he could only ride the one (because there was no way I was going to let him ride all of them) so then he threw a Disney-style fit.  It was huge.  And it reminded me of why we shouldn't go places that are over stimulating and have too many things catered to little guys.  We barey made it out alive.  Evan proceeded to cry the entire way home until about 5 minutes before we got home.  I quickly put him to bed. 

When he woke up, in a better mood, we decided to go throw rocks in the river.  His favorite thing!  Although I didn't feel badly about not letting him ride the rides, I did want to take him somewhere where he could do whatever he wanted and fully enjoy himself.  Even the hubs decided to come and we had SO much fun.

Ivan was less into the hiking and kept asking where the river was, but Evan and I forced him to be patient so Evan could pick up every rock he found and jump on the tree stumps.

 His hand is blurry because he was waving it so ferociously telling me which stump I should stand on.

We finally made it to the water and the hubs gave Evan a lesson on how to throw rocks into the river.

Then the hubs got really into it and took his shoes off so they could walk across the river together to the "beach" on the other side.

They were really cute together walking through the water and throwing rocks.  Evan eventually decided to sit down in the river so he got all wet, but oh well.  Then it was my turn.

I forced Ivan to take pictures of me so that I had some memory of Evan and me throwing rocks.  Usually it is me taking all the pictures and there are only selfies of me.

Evan wanted to walk down the river, which was a bit painful barefoot because it was all rocks and no sand.  I survived though.  Then we started on our way back and "raced" back to the car.  Evan ran the entire way again, with Ivan chasing behind him yelling to be careful and not fall.  The hubs hates seeing Evan in pain and is always telling him to be careful.  It's funny actually...I just figure Evan will fall every once in a while and survive.

Then Evan found a big stick and took it back to the car, but we made him leave it there.

Overall, it was super fun!  I am really hoping that Evan develops a love of the outdoors...especially a love that is bigger than his love of iPad games and indoor mall rides.  :-)

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Other moms out there - how do you deal with temptations like rides and food when you are out and about?

Favorite time to exercise?  Morning, mid-day, night?
     - I prefer to run in the evening, but I tend to get it done more often if I schedule it in the morning.

Transitions

Yesterday another graze box came.  Yum!  If you want to try a graze box, you can use my code at KATTRI44B and get your 1st and 5th box free.  I am loving it!  And I am not being paid to promote them or anything, I just thought I would share.

It is kind of fun seeing what little snacks come in each box.  I probably won't get too many more because once I start school I can't really justify buying a snack box once a week for $6, but I'm enjoying it while it lasts.  For some reason I tend to migrate towards the sweet snacks rather than the savory so far.  Today I'll try a more savory one.

Yesterday I also wrote my first "transitions" email.  That's a euphemism for "I am leaving my job and won't be seeing you anymore".   I just sent it out to two people, my two partners on my current grant.  I will send out another email to everyone else I work with later this week.  It's sad and my eyes tear up a bit at thinking that this stage of my life is ending soon.  I really do love my current job and although there are plenty of frustrations, it is a great job and a great organization to work for.  I realize I will probably never have such a flexible work environment and such freedom to design and carry out a project. 

I also started to pack up my office.  When I first started here I brought a lot of stuff from home to decorate.  I figured that I spent more time in my office than I did at home so it should make me happy.  And it did.  It was filled with photos of friends and family, gifts from  Honduras, and various other trinkets.  Now it is all getting packed up and will probably just go into a closet at home since we don't really have any place to put it.  It really makes my office look bare though.

That's where I had a lot of decorations...and now, so much emptier.

I have agreed to consult ten hours a week, so I am not gone completely.  I just won't be going to the office anymore and will only be interacting with a few people.  It'll be different.  And hopefully I'll still have plenty of time to study.

Change is tough!  

And I'm not sure people really get it.  Everyone comments about how excited I must be - and I am - but on Sunday my neighbor hit it right on the dot.  She said, "You must be really scared" and she was right.  As excited as I am about heading back to school and finally pursing nursing, something I have wanted to do for years, I am terrified.  More scared than excited.  It is incredibly scary quitting my comfortable job, losing my salary and benefits, and embarking on an entirely new career not having any idea how the future will turn out.  Plunging my family into even more debt and just hoping it all works out.  Exciting, yes, but more than that -it's just down right scary.  Maybe one of the scariest things I've ever done.  Joining the Peace Corps and living in Honduras for two years was pretty scary too, but I think this is even more so.  My life motto has always been "Don't let fear stand in the way of your dreams" and when I make a decision I try to think about what I'd do if fear wasn't a factor.  And then I do that.  So, that's what I'm doing.  Yes, it's scary leaving my job.  Yes, it's scary taking out thousands of dollars in loans.  Yes, it's scary leaving my current career.  However, if I take all that fear away, nursing is what I want.  Therefore, I'm going for it.  And that's that.  

And for all you doubters out there, I've put a lot of thought into this - I didn't just decide it on a whim.  I didn't choose nursing because becoming a doctor was too hard.  And no, I don't want to be a Physician's  Assistant or work in Medical Administration.  I realize nurses are underpaid and overworked.  I know I'm not going to become rich.  However, if you know me, you'll know that becoming rich has never been a dream of mine.  I want to become a nurse because I care about people and I want to help them, take care of them, and advocate for them.  It's that simple.  And in case you're wondering - yes, about 90% of the people I tell about nursing school suggest some other degree: doctor, PA, medical admin, etc.  It's annoying and doesn't help my fear factor.

And that's the end of my rant.  :-)

And now a complete change of subject.  Yesterday I went on a 4.5 mile run.  I felt nice and strong the entire way.  I really think it must be the PiYo workouts I'm doing.  It must really be making me stronger.  Who knew that strength training could be so effective!!  I've only been reading that you should do it for years - this is the first time I've really been serious about it.  And it appears to be working pretty well.  Today I did PiYo Buns.  I was really excited about it because of my weak glute problem, so hopefully it will help.  All I know is I did a ton of squats.  Since I do it so early in the morning I'm kind of still asleep throughout the entire workout.  My legs feel a bit rubbery though, so I know I must have done something right.

Ok - I'm gonna take a snooze on the bus.  I hope you have a fabulous day!

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What is your life motto?

What's the scariest decision you've ever made?  How did it turn out? Please share!!

1996

Wednesdays I feel extra productive because I wake up, get a run in, and the do my PiYo workout, then shower all before 8am.  Of course I don't feel like doing any of it and would just like to stay in bed, but after I finish I feel pretty hard core.  I don't find the PiYo workouts to be exceptionally difficult, but I am feeling stronger on my runs so it make me wonder if it is secretly doing something.  Yesterday I did PiYo Core, which was a new workout.  Today I did Define: Upper Body, one I have done a few times.  It was still hard waking up at 4:20am...especially since I had stayed up late reading my book.  Yeah, what is wrong with me??  I had the chance to crawl into bed before 11pm and instead I sat on the couch and read my book until 11:45pm.  I am a glutton for punishment.

So, this past weekend while we were cleaning out closets I came across this lovely photo that I decided to post for Throwback Thursday on Facebook.  Since most of you reading this are either family or friends, you have probably already seen it, but for the tiny fraction that aren't friends with me on Facebook, here it is.

That's me, right there in the center.  For my birthday, when I was in high school, some friends of mine paid for a giant gorilla in a tu-tu to come to the restaurant I work at and sing Happy Birthday to me.  Umm, yeah.  Humiliating.  And I remember that the owners of the restaurant were none too thrilled because it made it difficult for people to get seated and get their food - obviously their first priority.  The gorilla was probably there for 15 minutes or so.  I think there may have been a video too.

Yesterday I also got my TB test.  My third.  It appears to be negative again.  Afterwards Evan and I headed to the nature preserve to do a little hiking.  It was so cute because Evan ran around like a crazy person.  

Look at him go - he was a blur.  Just running, running, running.  I remember when we first started gong here he could barely walk.   And now he's running.  He ran almost the full trail.  I just know he's gonna be a runner when he gets older! 

And he looks like such a little boy.  What happened to my baby?

He still loves playing on the tree stumps.  I think I've posted millions of versions of this same photo.  Evan on a tree stump.

 

And then it was back to exploring.  He found two pieces of wood that he thought were the best things ever.  And he carried them around for a long time.  I was a bit nervous that he'd trip and the wood would somehow poke his eye out - but luckily that didn't happen.

 

 

We had so much fun walking around.  We went down by the river and he threw a bunch of rocks into the water.  He thought this was the best activity ever.

 And he was totally into posing on tree stumps.

He'd jump up there and say "picture" and then strike a pose.  So darn cute.  Especially since normally it's impossible to get him to look at the camera.

We only had an hour there before it closed so it was a quick trip, but at least he didn't pitch a fit when we left.

Then it was home to make some Mexican Pizzas (corn tortillas topped with refried beans, cheese, tomatoes, ground turkey, and sour cream) and off to bed.

The days go by way too fast these days!

PiYo and Pinterest

I have nothing much of interest to report on.  I didn't take any pictures so I have nothing much to show you either.  Guess this is going to be a really exciting post! 

Yesterday was a beautiful day for a run.  It was only 59 degrees in the morning.  It felt great, even though there was a small bit of humidity.  I just did my regular four mile loop.  Then I came home and did my Define: Upper Body PiYo workout.  It wasn't too bad.  Today I got up and did my Define: Sweat workout and boy was I sweating.  And exhausted.  I thought getting up at 4:30am was exhausting, but getting up an extra 20 minutes early really puts me over the edge.  I've had to have real coffee every day this week, which I NEVER do.  There's real caffeinated coffee in there!!!

Next week my goal is to get to bed earlier!  I can't tell how well the PiYo is working (i.e. am I getting "toned") because I'm never super sore afterwards...but is that because I am being lazy and not working hard enough?  Some of the moves are complicated and I'm probably not doing them exactly right, but I think after doing it a few times I'll start getting better at it.  I hope.

Yesterday I made another Pinterest meal that was pretty decent.  It was called One-Pan Chicken Burrito Bowls. 

Photo Credit: no. 2 pencil

It turned out pretty good and Ivan really liked it.  Total win!!!! The only reason I wasn't a huge fan was because it was made with white rice and I'd prefer to eat brown rice.  I had bought brown rice to make with it but then the cooking times are so different that I was unsure if it was ok to make the switch.  Plus, it was 7pm by the time I started cooking and white rice only has to cook for 20 minutes and brown rice has to cook for 40.  It was still good, especially topped with Greek yogurt and avocado.

Although Wednesdays are work-from-home days when I am supposed to be finished work early and able to get dinner on the table early...I tend to take Evan out to play after picking him up from daycare.  Today we met my friend Anne (from my A&P class) and her daughter at the park.  Anne did an accelerated nursing program and today is her last day!!!  She's doing an RN program (a two-year degree vs. BSN which is a four year degree) and graduates this summer.  Then I start a few weeks later.  Yikes!  I still can't believe it is coming so soon. 

Today I sign my loan papers for $20,000 from Wells Fargo though - so it's about to become super real.  Scary stuff people, scary stuff.  Wells Fargo now owns me.  And my family.  And my future.

Ok - I am about to fall asleep while writing this so I am going to nap for the last hour of this bus ride. 

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What good Pinterest recipes have you made lately?

White rice or brown?

Random Tidbits

I have a lot of random things floating around in my head so thought I would share them all in bullet style.  Everyone loves a post filled with random thoughts right?

1) Yesterday was a beautiful run day.  I was thinking I would just do about 3 miles but it was so nice and I felt good running that I ended up doing my regular four miles.  Rarely do I set out with a lower mileage in mind and then switch to a higher mileage, so I must have really felt good.

2) Ivan and Evan met me at the bus stop yesterday.  I love when they do this.  It is the best feeling in the world when I get off the bus and see Evan and my hubs standing their waiting to walk me home.  And we actually had a family dinner together too.  All three of us, eating at the same time.  It can be so hard to juggle all of our schedules and get dinner ready and all sit down together, but we have done it twice this week.  A miracle!

3) After dinner the boys sat on the sofa and took their shirts off.

Evan was eating a yogurt bar (Yasso Sea Salt Caramel - yum!!!) and Ivan was eating his lunch that I had packed for today.  I thought I was getting ahead of the game by quickly putting the left-over dinner into a container for his lunch.  Nope, he decided he was still hungry and ended up eating all the left overs.  So, then I had to pack him another lunch.

4) Yes, I pack my husband's lunch.  People think this is funny but my mom packed my dad's lunch every day (and mine too) and I know lots of wives who pack their husbands' lunches.  I do it mainly to save money.  If I didn't pack his lunch than he'd just buy lunch and we'd be out all that money each week.  Much easier and cheaper to just put a quick breakfast and lunch together for him to eat.

5) This past weekend I got to babysit my nieces.  I took out the splash table and the babies loved it!!

They splashed for over an hour.  It was so cute!!  My other two nieces were there also, and they had just as much fun.  These two babies steal my heart.  They are exactly three months apart and complete opposites when it comes to their looks and their personalities.  My son is darker skinned, dark haired, and dark eyed and my niece is pale skinned, pale blond, and very light hazel eyes.  My son is quiet and reserved around people he doesn't know and my niece says hi and waves to every person on the street.  They are too cute.

6) Today I started a new workout called PiYo.  

My friend from years ago (like we were both born in Greece and then both lived in Japan and England at the same time) became a Beachbody Coach and I was somehow convinced to buy PiYo and join a challenge group.  PiYo is a combination of yoga and Pilates.  I'm not sure it's going to turn me into the muscle machines that they show on the covers of the DVDs, but we shall see.  I could use more stretching in my life so it can only help.  I felt like the workout I did today, Define:Lower Body, wasn't too hard but now that I am sitting on the bus my legs do feel a bit rubbery.  

Here's my two month schedule.

I taped it to my bathroom wall so that I would be reminded and motivated every night to wake up super early and get my workout in.  Yes, I have to do it before work...so at like 4:15am.  Let's hope I survive!!!

7) This morning when I pulled out Ivan's coke this is what I saw.

I felt like I should put it back so that we could share it, since we are soulmates obviously, but decided it was stupid and I wasn't giving into the Coke's advertising gimmick.  But, he better not decided to share with anyone at work!!

Ok, those are all my tangents.  Hope you have a great day.  I am a bit tired so need my bus nap!

Tell me two random thoughts about your day!!!